Abraham Ancer’s path leads to Chapultepec

JACKSON, Miss. – As the son of 21-time PGA TOUR winner Davis Love III, Dru Love grew up on golf courses, surrounded by TV cameras. “I’m used to having cameras around,� Dru Love said. “But to have them on you because you’re in the lead – that’s different.� That first occurred during Friday’s second round of the rain-delayed Sanderson Farms Championship at the Country Club of Jackson, when the younger Love birdied seven of his first 12 holes to vault his name to the top of the leaderboard at 8 under par. The cameras from the Golf Channel showed up, along with a few more spectators. His swing quickened, and he gave two shots back on the way in. Still, he shot 5-under 67 and sits at 6 under par going into the weekend, four shots behind clubhouse leader Ryan Armour. It’s the first time in six PGA TOUR starts he has been this high on the leaderboard after 36 holes, and another step, he hopes, in his journey to earn playing status on the PGA TOUR or the Web.com Tour. He’s playing on a sponsor’s exemption here this week, and is scheduled to play at Web.com Tour Q-School in two weeks. A top-10 finish here would get him a spot in next week’s Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas and a chance to earn more money towards playing his way onto the TOUR. Of course, a win here would earn him a two-year exemption on TOUR. All of that will be on his mind when he tees it up during Saturday’s third round. “I’m definitely happy about getting into contention,� said Dru Love, 23. “But you can’t just be complacent. You have to get better (Saturday) and improve on the things you did wrong. I didn’t do much wrong today, but I do know what I have to work on, and a lot of that involves staying focused with all the cameras and the people showing up. I got a little out of my routine, got a little quick on those last couple of holes, and I’ll learn from that and do better (Saturday) if I get in that same position.� Dru might have one big-name golfer in his gallery Saturday – his father. Davis Love III shot 72 Friday and is at even-par after 36 holes, one shot off the projected cut of 1 under. OBSERVATIONS Armour followed his first-round 66 with a 4-under 68 Friday and leads at 10 under, one shot clear of Tyrone Van Aswegen, who made 10 birdies and shot Friday’s low round of 65. Thirty players had not finished their second rounds when play was stopped for the day because of rain and lightning. The second round will restart at 7:50 a.m. (Central) Saturday morning, with the cutline projected at 1 under par. After the second round is finished, the players will be re-paired and the third round will begin at 9:20 a.m. When that happens, Armour will likely find himself in a pretty unfamiliar position – leading going into the third round of a PGA TOUR event. The 41-year-old journeyman, who is playing in his 105th TOUR event, has held the lead after two rounds just once before, three months ago in the 2017 Wyndham Championship, where he shot a sizzling 9-under 61 in the second round and eventually finished T-4 for his second-best TOUR finish (a solo fourth in the 2007 OHL Classic at Mayakoba is his best finish). What he’ll face Saturday, in addition to normal final-pairing nerves, will be blustery cold weather, with lots of wind, and temperatures in the 40s and 50s. It will make the Country Club of Jackson a decidedly different venue than it was in the first two rounds, when it was breezy but very warm. Asked if he’s a good cold-weather player, Armour said: “I grew up in Ohio, where it’s not exactly warm, but I’m spoiled now, living in South Florida, so I haven’t been around it. “The hardest part about cold weather is starting. Once you’re out there, in the mix, it kind of goes away. You have to adjust, the ball’s not going to carry as far. You might be hitting one or two more clubs into some holes. … but we’ll adjust. My caddie’s good at gauging the wind, so I’ll lean on him.� Seamus Power, who shot 68 Thursday, will be in a position to catch Armour at the top when he resumes his second round Saturday. Power is at 8 under with two holes to play. Van Aswegen is one shot back on the leaderboard, but he is the birdie leader through two rounds with 16. His 7-under 65 on Friday included a career-best 10 birdies, a bogey and a double-bogey, and his opening round included six birdies and four bogeys. The birdie binge has surprised the South African native. “I’m usually more of a steady kind of golfer,� he said. “But when you’re playing well, and feeling good you make more, I guess.� Two of his birdies were chip-ins, and he took just 22 putts in the round. Keep an eye on Vaughn Taylor this weekend. The three-time TOUR winner, who last won in 2016 in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, shot a bogey-free 66 Friday to get to 8 under and right in the hunt. Defending champion Cody Gribble improved on his opening-round 75 with a 3-under 69, but it was not enough to make the projected cut. Peter Malnati, the 2015 champion here, struggled to a 74 Friday after a first-round 67, but at 3 under he should be around for the final two rounds. Former U.S. Open and Masters champion Angel Cabrera (70-72) is expected to make the cut. Other major winners who probably won’t be playing on the weekend include Davis Love III (72-72), Retief Goosen (74-71), and Shaun Micheel (80-69). It wasn’t recorded as a putt in the official TOUR statistics because he putted from the fringe and not the surface of the green, but the longest shot made with a putter on Friday was likely the 60-footer for birdie Matt Every drained on No. 18. QUOTABLES “It’s a complete guessing game. 150 yards is a perfect pitching wedge, but sometimes it will go 170 and sometimes it will go 130. That’s what happened on No. 8. I had a perfect number for a pitching wedge and I hit it, and it just came out dead. That’s what happens in this rough here. You’ve just got to hit the fairways.� – Dru Love, on hitting from the Bermuda rough at Country Club of Jackson “I feel better at 41 than I did at 31. The way we take care of ourselves is a lot different than when when I first turned pro at age 23. We thought we could burn the midnight oil. You don’t do that anymore. With nutrition and fitness, it’s definitely different.� – Leader Ryan Armour, on how he competes at 41 with the younger players “I hit a bad shot and then an even worse shot after that. Just like that, you have a double.� - Tyrone Van Aswegen, explaining his double-bogey 6 on the 16th hole Friday – and just about every other double-bogey ever made by any golfer anywhere. SUPERLATIVES Low Round – 65, by Tyrone Van Aswegen, who made 10 birdies, a bogey and a double. Longest Drive – 410 yards by Monday qualifier Scott Strohmeyer on hole No. 5. Longest Putt – 50 feet, 1 inch, by Daniel Summerhays, for par on No. 16. Toughest Hole – For the second straight round, the par-4 16th played as the most difficult, with a 4.373 average. It yielded nine birdies, but there were also five double-bogeys and two ‘others’ made there during the yet-to-be-completed second round. Easiest Hole – The par-5 11th played to a 4.504 average, with five eagles, 61 birdies and only seven bogeys. Interestingly, one of those bogeys was made by Van Aswegen, who is one shot off the lead. CALL OF THE DAY SHOT OF THE DAY BEST OF SOCIAL MEDIA

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Dustin Johnson wins the Travelers Championship for his 21st PGA TOUR victory. Johnson has at least one win in 13 consecutive seasons. RELATED: Final leaderboard | Why DJ has two hybrids in his bag at Travelers Driver: TaylorMade SIM (10.5 degrees) Shaft: Fujikura Speeder 661 X 3-wood: TaylorMade SIM Max (15 degrees) Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Black 95 6.5 (42.75 inches, 59.5 lie, D4) Hybrids: TaylorMade SIM Max (19, 22 degrees) Shafts: Project X HZRDUS Black 105 6.5 TX Irons: TaylorMade P730 DJ Proto (4-PW) Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (soft stepped) Wedges: TaylorMade MG2 (52-09SB @54, 60-10SB) Shafts: KBS Tour Custom Black 120 S Putter: TaylorMade Truss TB1 Grip: SuperStroke Pistol GT 1.0 PT Ball: TaylorMade TP5X (#1) Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet

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The magic number this week on TOUR is 30 as the remaining 69 players left in the FedExCup Playoffs jostle for the final invitations this week at the Aronimink Golf Club outside Philadelphia. With Daniel Berger (No. 65) withdrawing Tuesday morning, it will be one less body to worry about as the final 30 spots will be filled for a change, albeit a small one if not positioned correctly after this week, to win a $10 million bonus as FedExCup champion. This week will afford the same 2,000 FedExCup points and $1.62 million first-prize check to the winner and will also push him into the top five for next week. Remember, the top five players entering East Lake in two weeks are the only players who are guaranteed the $10 million bonus if they win. Everyone else will need help from their friends! The BMW Championship makes its debut in the Philadelphia area as Aronimink Golf Club hosts a FedExCup Playoffs event for the first time. Gamers will do well to remember this track was the interim host of Tiger Woods’ AT&T National in 2010 and 2011 but plenty has changed since those events were played. The Donald Ross classic from the late 1920s plays differently today than it did in the early 10s of this century. I’ve listed the two winners and their stats from both tournaments below so gamers can pick up on a general understanding of what it takes to win here. Just like the two previous FedExCup events, Gil Hanse was also in charge of this restoration. Bryson DeChambeau should be absolutely ecstatic about this development as he’s 34-under-par with two wins in the first two events, both on Hanse restorations. TALE OF THE TAPE Aronimink took up the banner in 2010 for the AT&T National as its host course, Congressional Country Club, was undergoing renovations for the 2011 U.S. Open. The original Donald Ross design had grown out of its original routing but provided a stern test in the first week of July. Then 29-year old Justin Rose led after 36, 54 and 72 holes as he picked up his first win in the Philadelphia area. He would return in 2013 to Merion to win the U.S. Open so it’s obvious he prefers an old-school layout. In usual Rose fashion, he parred the place to death on the back nine in the final round as he made his five-shot lead hold up. His 64 in Round 2 wasn’t bested on the week and only 24 players finished the event in red numbers. Remember, this was an invitational event of 120 with a cut that landed on 143 (+3). That’s not the case this week as everyone will get four cracks at it. Tiger Woods had four cracks at it and didn’t break 70 in four tries. The following year another ball-striker in his late 20s, Nick Watney blasted away a new course record and a convincing two-shot victory with a closing 62-66 weekend. His final round was bogey-free as he beat playing partner young Rickie Fowler by eight shots. The field this time around saw 33 players find red numbers for the week but only three completed play with all three rounds in the 60s. Charles Howell III is the only player of that trio returning this week. Along with Watney’s 62, Chris Kirk turned in 63 and Webb Simpson 64 for the low rounds of the week. Even though it was Woods’ event, he missed the 2011 edition before winning at Congressional the following summer. When there is a “new” track being used the same formula will remain in place. The advantage goes to those who keep the ball in play and pepper GIR while staying out of trouble around and on the greens. Please remember the historical information below is to assess who has been playing well this time of the year and is not indicative of their previous attempts at Aronimink. NOTE: Golfers inside the top 25-ish in each statistic on the 2017-18 PGA TOUR are listed only if they are scheduled to compete this week. * – Finished inside the top 10 since 2007 or is a past champion – bold Strokes-Gained: Tee-to-Green Rank  Golfer  1  *Dustin Johnson  2  Francesco Molinari  3  Justin Thomas  4  *Patrick Cantlay  5  *Henrik Stenson  6  Luke List  7  Bryson DeChambeau  8  Keegan Bradley  9  *Justin Rose 10 Tommy Fleetwood 11 *Tiger Woods 12 *Rory McIlroy 13 *Tony Finau 14 Brooks Koepka 15 *Jon Rahm 15 *Adam Scott 18 Byeong-Hun An 19 Rafa Cabrera-Bello 20 Gary Woodland 21 *Jordan Spieth 22 *Rickie Fowler 23 *Paul Casey 24 *Hideki Matsuyama 25 *Scott Piercy Strokes-Gained: Putting Rank  Golfer  1  *Jason Day  2  *Phil Mickelson  5  Beau Hossler  6  Alex Noren  9  *Webb Simpson 11 Emiliano Grillo 12 Kevin Kisner 13 Brian Harman 14 *Justin Rose 15 *Dustin Johnson 20 Brian Gay 22 *Kevin Na Par-4 Scoring Rank  Golfer  1  *Dustin Johnson  2  *Justin Rose  3  Justin Thomas  4  *Jordan Spieth  4  *Rickie Fowler  4  *Jon Rahm  7  *Jason Day  7  *Phil Mickelson  7  *Webb Simpson  7  Brooks Koepka  7  *Zach Johnson  7  *Henrik Stenson 15 *Chez Reavie 15 Bryson DeChambeau 15 *Hideki Matsuyama 15 *Tiger Woods 15 *Chris Kirk 15 *Tony Finau 25 J.J. Spaun 25 Patrick Reed 25 *Brandt Snedeker 25 *Patrick Cantlay 25 *Rory McIlroy 25 *Kevin Na 25 Kyle Stanley Bogey Avoidance Rank  Golfer  1  *Webb Simpson  2  *Henrik Stenson  4  *Rickie Fowler  4  *Dustin Johnson  8  *Justin Rose  9  *Jordan Spieth 10 *Chris Kirk 14 Justin Thomas 15 Emiliano Grillo 16 Brooks Koepka 17 *Billy Horschel 18 *Zach Johnson 19 Charles Howell III 21 *Chez Reavie 22 Andrew Putnam 24 *Tiger Woods 24 *Jason Day After the TOUR packed up after its last visit in 2011, Aronimink Golf Club has endured multiple changes that should level the playing field this week. Gil Hanse was in charge of a $4 million restoration project that transformed Aronimink to its original routing, bunkering and green layouts from Ross’ original design. Over time, Aronimink, like most courses, couldn’t keep up with Mother Nature as fairways that couldn’t be irrigated were lost and green complexes shrank. On a course that began with only 12 trees in 1928, more grew and were planted over time and eventually the course changed. After finding aerial photography from the late 1920s, Hanse and his group had their blueprint for the restoration. To meet the challenges of the modern game, 18 new tee boxes were constructed to add some bite to the Par-70, 7,267-yard layout. With only 12 trees on the property in the original design, more were taken out to expand the fairways and greens. In the last five years the fairways have been widened and the greens expanded to best reflect the original intent. Over 100 bunkers were added and now bring 176 into play as they have been strategically added off the fairway and around the greens. With multiple angles of attack off the tee and into the greens, players will have to make strategic decisions instead of just taking a wallop. Decision making has always been one of the great separators between good and great players. Extra square footage on the putting surfaces adds extra pin placements that will make 2010-20111 maps redundant to some degree and add more thought making to the process. Bentgrass greens should be rolling “tournament speed” as always and if that’s the case, it was around 12 to 12.5 feet last week and I’d expect more of the same. The trees that were removed were replaced with either bunkers or fescue so there is a true penalty for missing these new, big targets. Inaccuracy should be decently punished this week and unlike TPC Boston, it might take a round or two to get used to how everything plays. It’s been seven years since the TOUR was here so I don’t believe course history matters this week. With attack angles and options in play, I’m leaning on the ball-strikers to have their way. Before the restoration not many hit double-digits under-par but that might change this week because of the class of this field. Dustin Johnson has joked before that if he can’t figure out a course after playing it once he needs to quit. I’d expect the big names to run to the front as they do on most all “new” courses as they tend to be the quickest learners. Bryson DeChambeau has the No. 1 seed locked up for East Lake already but there is plenty to play for again this week. Rickie Fowler and Francesco Molinari return this week and so should Pat Perez after WD to be at the birth of his first child on Labor Day. Take a look at the names below that are trying to hold their positions and those looking to kick in the door! The Bubble Only the top 30 advance to The TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club in two weeks. QUICK FACTS: • No player has defended in ANY FedExCup event so all eyes are on Marc Leishman this week. • No player has defended their FedExCup title and only Snedeker and Spieth have qualified to attempt to do so. Thomas will add his name to this list. • Tiger Woods is the only player to win the FedExCup twice (2007, 2009). • Spieth is the only player to go MC-MC to open the FedExCup Playoffs and win the title. • Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson have the most FedExCup wins (4 each). • 2017 was the first year in six where someone has NOT won multiple FedExCup events. That streak ended Monday evening in Boston. • The only player to break their TOUR maiden in the FedExCup Playoffs was Camilo Villegas at the 2008 BMW Championship. • No player has ever won three events in a row or three times in the same FedExCup Playoff. DeChambeau can change that narrative this week. Rob Bolton’s Power Rankings will give you more juice for the week so make sure you stop by. It’s also who I trust with the weather each week so pay attention!  NOTE: The groups below are comprehensive to assist in data mining. Inclusion doesn’t imply automatic endorsement in every fantasy game as all decisions are specific to your situation.  

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