Expert Picks: Houston Open

AUGUSTA, Georgia – Chasing a first Green Jacket is obviously tough. It is tougher if you start slower than you would have liked. But a handful of big-name players clawed their way into contention on Friday morning, as tough scoring conditions presented themselves. While 2015 winner Jordan Spieth came back to the pack, plenty who want to join him at the Champions Dinner, like Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson, Justin Rose and Rickie Fowler, made their moves. McIlroy – chasing the career Grand Slam – added a 1-under 71 to his 69 opener to sit 4 under. Johnson – the world No. 1 – birdied three of his last 11 holes to put up a 68 and move to 3 under. Fowler couldn’t buy a putt for most of the day but scratched out a 72 all the same to stay 2 under. Rose – the runner up on two occasions – used a 70 to creep up on things and also sit 2 under. They might not be leading the way – Patrick Reed made the turn in the afternoon at 8 under – but they are close enough. “Being up there around the lead going into the weekend, it’s a good position to be in,â€� McIlroy said. “But I think I’m happier with how I’ve felt and how I’ve handled certain things and how my thought process has been. That’s been a pleasing thing.â€� McIlroy was referencing his experience. In the past, he felt the need to play aggressive almost always. Now, he knows – especially on tough days – to bide his time. And with heavy rain and possible high winds due Saturday, there is going to be plenty of grinding to come. “With the amount of times that I’ve been in contention or around the lead whether it be a regular PGA TOUR event or a major … every experience that you have in that arena in those situations, you learn a little bit from it each time,â€� he explained. “Sometimes pars might be a little bit boring and you might feel as if you want to get a little bit more out of your round, but as you look up the leaderboard and you’re still there around the lead. That’s taken a while for me to adjust to. “When I first came out here on TOUR, I thought all these guys birdied every hole and you just had to hit unbelievable shot after unbelievable shot and hold the putt afterwards. It’s not quite like that.â€� Fowler spent energy not getting annoyed with the plethora of putts that wouldn’t drop for him – instead believing his luck may change on the weekend. He three-putted the 13th, 15th and 16th holes coming home. “I’m happy where we’re at after two rounds,â€� he said. “Definitely looking forward to the weekend and the putts are definitely due to fall.â€� Johnson signaled his intentions early with an eagle on the par-5 second, and although he was forced to grind through the middle of the round, he stepped up when it counted with a couple of late birdies on 13 and 18. The last world No. 1 to win the Masters was Tiger Woods in 2002.

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FORT WORTH, Texas – Time to talk changes for Bryson DeChambeau – currently tied for second after 36 holes at the Charles Schwab Challenge — since the last time we saw him play three months ago. First … THE WEIGHT. He’s between 235-240 pounds right now, thanks to his added muscle and the fact that he hasn’t been playing competitive golf in so long. He figures he’ll drop down to 230 in the next few weeks now that the TOUR has resumed its 2019-20 schedule. But hitting a specific number on the scale is not really part of his process in becoming stronger. “My ultimate goal is to get as strong as I can, and I don’t know what that weight is,â€� he said Friday after his second consecutive 65 left him at 10 under, tied with Jordan Spieth and one shot behind leader Harold Varner III. “I’m just going to keep proportionally making everything stronger and applying some force and speed to the golf swing to see what it can handle.â€� In case you’re wondering, when DeChambeau left SMU after winning the NCAA individual championship and the U.S. Amateur in the same year, he weighed just under 200 pounds. The additional bulk, of course, has forced changes to … HIS APPAREL. He’s gone up two sizes. “I was a medium starting last year, at the end of last year actually, and now I’m in an extra large,â€� he said. “It’s a little big fit on me depending on the style of shirt, but I love it. It feels comfortable. My back honestly in this XL fits perfect. “So I have had to change some stuff. Puma has been really nice to give me some clothing so don’t really have to worry too much about that.â€� Apparel size isn’t the only thing he’s had to adjust. Consider … CLUB LOFT. He’s producing so much spin now that he needed to make some drastic loft revisions. Like with his driver, which is 5-1/2 degrees. And he’s looking at a 3-wood at around 10 degrees. And his 4-iron is 17-1/2 degrees. All his irons, in fact, have been delofted. “I produce 4,000 spin,â€� he said. “It’s just that speed and deflection and all that. It’s crazy stuff that I would have never expected to happen, but I’ve had to make adjustments because loft is irrelevant, it’s really about your launch angle and spin right coming off of the ball, and the ball speed. “Pretty much that’s all that matters.â€� Still, he has to take all that into consideration with his … COURSE STRATEGY. Especially at Colonial, a tight, old-school shot-maker’s course that has never been a big-hitter’s favorite layout. DeChambeau is making his fifth career start in the Charles Schwab Challenge, but he’s getting to places this year that he never previously encountered. For example, the 390-yard par-4 sixth. There are two bunkers on the left side of the fairway, and one on the right. In his last six trips to the hole, DeChambeau has played short of those bunkers, his drives between 256-266 yards. On Thursday, he split the bunkers with a 297-yard drive. On Friday, he blasted a 330-yard drive over the right-hand bunker, setting up a 76-yard shot that finished inside 9 feet for a birdie. “I can just drive it all the way up past those bunkers and have a nice little flip wedge in there,â€� DeChambeau explained. “15, fly it over the bunkers, have a nice little flip wedge in there. 14, I had 100 yards in today. “I mean, it’s just stuff that is so beneficial when you get out here. You’ve got those bunkers and hazards in the way and I wanted to make those obsolete.â€� On Friday, he finished his round with a 335-drive at the 18th that came dangerously close to flirting with the water on the left side near the green. It wasn’t the stroke he wanted; he pulled the drive. But with his added muscle, he has to worry about such things now. “That’s something I’m going to have to be cautious of tomorrow depending on the wind,â€� he said. “If it’s pumping into the wind, I wouldn’t get it there, but if there’s no wind, I’ve got to make sure I stay right and draw it around the lake.â€� Oh, such problems, being so long off the tee that trouble comes into play. It’s a new world for DeChambeau; this weekend, it could be an extremely profitable one.

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