Sony Open in Hawaii, Round 4: Leaderboard, tee times, TV schedule

SOUTHPORT, England – Against the backdrop of spectacular billowing clouds off the Lancashire coast, a small plane buzzed overhead, the only significant noise as South African Branden Grace crouched over his putt at the 18th hole at Royal Birkdale. The stands were not completely full, but down the fairway, fans stopped in the middle of the walkway, anxiously hoping to catch a glimpse of history before marshals shooed them behind the ropes. A stillness filled the air. Collective breaths were held. The moment of a lifetime awaited. Grace was 45 feet and two putts away from shooting the lowest round in major championship history. Only he didn’t know it. No lie. “I didn’t know what was going on on 18,â€� Grace said. “I promise you.â€� No matter. Everyone else did – including his veteran Soweto-born caddie Zack Rasego, who grew up in Apartheid South Africa and was on the bag when Louis Oosthuizen won the 2010 Open Championship. In the 442 previous majors – 81 Masters, 117 U.S. Opens, 145 Open Championships and 98 PGA Championships – the lowest score ever recorded was 63. It had been done 31 times in the hundreds of thousands of rounds played since the first major, the 1860 Open at Prestwick. Rasego himself only found out moments earlier about the record chase. According to the BBC, Rasego was told by Kevin Baile, the caddie of playing partner Jason Dufner, that Grace was about to cross into unchartered territory. Grace’s first putt left him within tap-in range for par. Only after the ball fell into the cup was Grace told what he had done. “You’re in the history books,â€� Rasego said. “What are you talking about?â€� Grace responded. It finally hit him. A short while later, Grace sheepishly admitted, “I had no idea that 62 was obviously the lowest ever.â€� But we should’ve seen it coming. After two days of typical blustery Open-like conditions, Royal Birkdale opened its arms and invited everybody to have a go. Saturday was a perfect storm of scoring conditions – soft greens, manageable winds, welcomed sunshine, and a course that’s as fair as any in The Open rotation. Plus, the tee box at the par-4 fifth had been moved up 30 yards and was now drivable, while the tee was also up on the par-3 seventh. Royal Birkdale was gettable. Grace was the 24th player to tee off in the third round. Earlier that morning, after arriving at the course, he flipped through his Twitter feed and saw a Tweet from Charlie Ford, an English pro who currently plays on the Challenge Tour. Wrote Ford: “Making an early prediction for today at The Open and calling for the course record to go. Tons of overnight rain and a glorious day today.â€� Grace didn’t give it a lot of thought at the time, but he was certainly cognizant of the red numbers littering the leaderboard of those already on the course. In Friday’s second round, just eight players in the entire field had recorded rounds in the 60s. When another South African, Brandon Stone, finished his third round early Saturday with a 68, he was the eighth player to score in the 60s … and just the 12th to finish. Of all the players who made the cut this week, Grace certainly wouldn’t have been the first one expected to break the record. His form has been improving – four top-15 finishes in his last six starts – but it had been more than a year since his last win, the 2016 RBC Heritage. Searching for a jumpstart, Grace switched caddies in May, tabbing Danny Willett’s former caddie Jon Smart to carry his bag. But Grace and Rasego recently reunited, and were together last week at the Scottish Open when Grace finished T-15. Although Grace was 4 over through two rounds at Royal Birkdale, hitting the restart button paid dividends on Saturday. Explained Grace: “I think anything in life maybe a lack of communication, a lack of trust, things like that. Those things go out the window and then you feel for change, especially golfers. We like to fiddle. We like change. Today we’re playing well, some guy will maybe put a new putter in the bag for tomorrow. That’s just what we are.

“We actually had a good chat last week at the Scottish, and I told him we need to start communicating again. I feel we’re playing well, but it’s just not happening. We had a good chat and it’s been working ever since.â€� So what worked on Saturday? Not surprisingly, pretty much everything in a round that included eight birdies. Grace gained early momentum with a birdie on the opening hole. He made a lengthy birdie putt at the fourth to set the tone on the greens. He drove the fifth hole and two-putted for birdie there. He made the turn in 29 after a birdie at the ninth. “I can’t remember the last time I made a 29,â€� Grace said. He avoided trouble off the tee and kept rolling in long putts, including a 40-footer at the 15th after failing to birdie the par-5 15th when his birdie putt lipped out. His ball-striking was terrific, and playing with Dufner helped keep the mood light. Even on the 18th green, Dufner made a comment that made Grace laugh. “He is a character,â€� Grace said. “He is always making jokes and things like that. I had a great day.â€� Plus, Grace made have benefitted from some good karma. A month ago, he donated 1.5 million rand (approximately $116,000) to the fire relief fund in Knysna, which is on the Garden Route along the Western Cape in South Africa, where his brother lives. Grace grew up in Buffalo Bay, about 20 kilometers from Knysna, which had suffered billions of dollars in damage due to widespread fires. Several people died, and thousands lost their homes. His parents still live in Buffalo Bay. On Saturday, he heard one spectator shout out, “Do it for Knysna.â€� It became a source of inspiration. “It is really tragic what happened back there,â€� Grace said. “But knowing that I was in the position to help, that’s the right thing to do. So you don’t even think twice about it. Hopefully a lot of lives can be changed and can be kind of restored, if I can put it that way. “And like I said, if it (the 62) puts a smile on those people’s faces, and maybe there’s a light tomorrow for them.â€� Perhaps the only person who may not have been smiling was Johnny Miller, the first of those 31 players to shoot 63 in a major. As Sergio Garcia joked later about Grace’s round, “Probably everybody is happy in the world other than one guy – Johnny Miller.â€� But Miller, working in the NBC Sports booth as the lead analyst, praised Grace’s performance. “He did it with his ball striking,â€� Miller said. “He had to go through the gauntlet. Those putts that he made were really strong and he drove the ball terrifically. He made the course really easy. It was set up really, really easy today folks, but it was still a heck of a round.â€� Then he said something that we could all agree on. “It’s about time.â€� As Grace walked off the 18th green, now knowing he had gone where no golfer had ever gone before, he casually flipped the historic golf ball to Rasego. Asked later what he planned to do with the ball, Grace wasn’t sure. In fact, he wasn’t even sure he still had it. After their rounds, golfers typically hand out autographed golf balls to standard bearers and other officials and observers who had been part of the walking group. One of those signed balls may well have been the one that dropped into the cup at 18. “I don’t know if Zack kept it aside or we gave it away,â€� Grace said. No worries. The history books will reflect Grace’s record-setting day. That’s all the proof anybody needs.

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Consecutive Masters among majors? Two Masters in the same PGA TOUR season? Done and done! At a moment in history when the world turns to a sport to turn bogeys into birdies, there isn't a better way to do it for golfers and fans alike. In the past year, whenever you've heard the phrasing of a return to normal, this is what it means and this is how it feels. It's April and it's time for the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club. Beneath 20 projected to contend are thoughts about what the field of 88 can expect, the first peek at the weather and other considerations. RELATED: Nine things to know about Augusta National | How the field qualified | Roundtable: Predictions, favorite traditions & more POWER RANKINGS: MASTERS TOURNAMENT Lee Westwood, Daniel Berger, Jason Day, Justin Rose and Hideki Matsuyama will be among the notables reviewed in Tuesday's Fantasy Insider. If you're open to connecting what is accepted as normal with the most predictive professional golf tournament, then the Masters is for you. Even when it was contested in November, it fulfilled the two true outcomes in the sport. Champion Dustin Johnson was a recent winner upon arrival (three times, in fact) and he wasn't a debutant at Augusta National. Indeed, the easiest trivia question involving the tournament has retained the same answer for over four decades because 1979 Masters champion Fuzzy Zoeller remains the most recent of the three first-time participants in tournament history to prevail. In contrast to the 26 first-timers in the November edition, there are only six in this week's field, and only three of them are professionals - Robert MacIntyre, Carlos Ortiz and Will Zalatoris. Certainly, each has the talent to make noise, but none should be expecting to have Johnson slip the green jacket over his shoulders on Sunday. There's a valid argument that DJ's tournament-record of 20-under 268 five months ago deserves an asterisk. There's an equally strong argument that it doesn't. Augusta National wasn't as speedy in the fall and the construct of the tournament required modifications to complete it in four days. On the other hand, he won by five, in part by leading the field in greens in regulation (averaging 15 per round; no one else averaged more than 14 per) and par-4 scoring. He also co-led in par-3 scoring, ranked T6 in par-5 scoring and finished fourth in scrambling. He was in a zone at the time, and the course helped reveal him as a worthy champion. Cancel the asterisk. Still, the jury remains out on whether Augusta National will continue to yield a scoring average lower than par. In the last edition in April in 2019 and in November of 2020, the field beat 72 both times. It hadn't done that even once since 1992. Fairways and greens were easier to hit, but the conversion percentage of those chances also has increased. While weather impacts every tournament, Augusta National has a SubAir system that it, ahem, masterfully controls. It's not a well-kept secret, nor is it a secret at all, but it's still an underrated component to regulate scoring and green speeds that are not publicized. Rain is all but guaranteed to fall at some point during the tournament. The threat tends to be greater in the afternoon due to daytime heating, and all the way through Saturday. High temps will hover around 80 degrees. Wind could cause pause on Thursday, but ground level is so protected by the topography and mature trees that, once again, experience in it will be the most valuable club in the bag over some shots. For the third straight edition, Augusta National tips at 7,475 yards, but this is just the second consecutive time that the new cut rule is in play. Only the low 50 and ties at the conclusion of 36 holes will advance. The previous provision that also included all golfers within 10 strokes of the lead at the midpoint was eliminated in 2020. ROB BOLTON'S SCHEDULE PGATOUR.COM's Fantasy Insider Rob Bolton recaps and previews every tournament from numerous angles. Look for his following contributions as scheduled. MONDAY: Power Rankings TUESDAY*: Sleepers, Fantasy Insider SUNDAY: Qualifiers, Reshuffle, Medical Extensions, Rookie Watch * – Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COM's Expert Picks for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf, which also publishes on Tuesday.

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It's been a busy couple of days for what already promised to be a busy couple of days. Every PGA TOUR doubleheader presents additional attention, but two significant events on the schedule updated their qualifying criteria immediately before and after the weekend. On Friday, membership was informed that the top 125 in the 2019-20 FedExCup was eligible for THE PLAYERS Championship in two weeks. It's a traditional exemption, but it wasn't extended originally because of the shortened 2019-20 season due to the pandemic. It has been replaced by an exemption to the top 125 in a special points list extending from the beginning of last season through this week's doubleheader. That unique exemption still applies, so both lists will yield automatic qualifiers into what will be a larger field at TPC Sawgrass. Until then, 69 more golfers have been confirmed as exempt. On Monday, the USGA released its qualifying criteria for the U.S. Open in June. As expected, the majority of the traditional criteria remained the same, but a couple of adjustments were made due to the pandemic. The news means that 48 golfers officially are eligible to compete. In time, the field will grow to be 156. RELATED: Power Rankings | Expert Picks The Qualifiers page that I maintain is current with both waves of entries and details of the changes to the U.S. Open criteria. It also includes all remaining qualifying criteria for the U.S. Open in its customary position below the alphabetical list of all qualifiers. Turning our attention to PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf, the World Golf Championships-Workday Championship at The Concession is the penultimate stop of Segment 2. With no cut and a strong helping of international non-members, you shouldn't have any problem juggling it with next week's Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard. For any golfers for whom you have only one start remaining and you might not want to burn it at The Concession, the logical approach if to keep one or two of those guys on your bench until the field for the API is released on Friday afternoon. From there, you can decide what to do based on who's committed at Bay Hill and how you're faring in real time this week. PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf My roster for the World Golf Championships-Workday Championship at The Concession (in alphabetical order): Bryson DeChambeau (+2000) Tony Finau (+1600) Tyrrell Hatton (+2200) Viktor Hovland (+2000) Dustin Johnson (+550) Jon Rahm (+900) You'll find my starters in Expert Picks Others to consider for each category (in alphabetical order): Scoring: Patrick Cantlay; Tommy Fleetwood; Rory McIlroy; Joaquin Niemann; Patrick Reed; Xander Schauffele; Cameron Smith; Justin Thomas Driving: Daniel Berger; Patrick Cantlay; Tommy Fleetwood; Sungjae Im; Rory McIlroy; Collin Morikawa; Joaquin Niemann; Scottie Scheffler; Webb Simpson POWER RANKINGS WILD CARD Collin Morikawa (+4000) ... He's way ahead of the curve, obviously, so we can dismiss the youth factor from eliminating him from the test presented. He's so proficient tee to green that he's ideal to illustrate the value of ball-striking over putting on greens with which very few in the field are familiar. Yes, touring professionals adapt faster than anyone, but all things being just about equal upon entry, his skill set gives him a fairer chance to contend over a peer with the reverse split. Odds sourced on Tuesday, Feb. 23 at 5 a.m. ET. For live odds visit betmgm. DRAWS Joaquin Niemann ... Inspired to provide a major assist to his cousin, the 22-year-old has been on a heater since a T3 at the BMW Championship in late August. He does everything exceptionally well and he'd be on everyone's short list to pick off a victory in a WGC sooner than later. Sungjae Im ... Set off bells and whistles - and not the preferred varieties - when he, gasp, took two weeks off, but he's locked in. He's also balancing, gasp, rest with what will be the rigors of the Florida Swing and beyond. It includes his first title defense at PGA National in three weeks. Tommy Fleetwood ... Humming along with three top 10s among six top 20s in his last 10 starts worldwide, none of which resulted in a missed cut. Not only is he an automatic in every format but he's here to stay for a while. It's like adding a front-line starter exactly when you need it in the middle of a MLB season. Bernd Wiesberger ... While normally a default Fade when he appears, the tide might be shifting into a positive direction. In what was his 56th career PGA TOUR start at The RSM Classic in November, the 35-year-old from Austria finally recorded his second top 10 on the circuit with a T4. He had been trending on the European Tour, but we've witnessed that trajectory before, and we're always the wiser, but he's since added two top 10s and a T25 in a 5-for-5 bridge over the holiday break. Christiaan Bezuidenhout ... Since a T15 in his native South Africa in mid-November, he's picked off two wins at home and added two top 15s among three top 25s. A DFSer's delight. Abraham Ancer Marc Leishman Scottie Scheffler Adam Scott Lee Westwood FADES Hideki Matsuyama ... Unlike Morikawa above, this ball-striker from Japan has not been playing up to his reputation of late. Yes, he's inside the top 30 on TOUR in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green and par-5 scoring, and he's missed only two cuts in the last seven months, but he hasn't been putting four rounds together with enough regularity to warrant the reach in this field and on this course. Jason Day ... It's harsh but I'm chalking up his T7 at Pebble Beach to the top-heavy field and his massive level of comfort on those courses. Worst case, because his value is low at the moment, stow him on your bench and remain patient for the what-if. Harris English ... Can't say that he's fulfilling the classic case of the freefall occasionally seen after an emotional victory, but it also can't be ruled out. Since returning to the winner's circle at Kapalua, he's gone T32-MC-MC. Obviously, the short skid ends at The Concession, so the guarantee of four rounds elicits hope, just as it did on Maui, but it's his first WGC in five years. Shop elsewhere. Sebastián Muñoz ... Turned the page quickly on the dreadful two days at TPC Scottsdale but it was just a T43 at Riviera that contributes to the rebound. It's not unprecedented for any talent on the rise to bump into the glass barrier of the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking, and even veterans flirt with that bubble regularly, but it can require much more exertion to pierce the bubble than perhaps it seems. Only 28 years of age and having just recently scaled to a career-best 55th - he's since slipped to 62nd - he's within one solid week of breaking through, but gamers needs to respect the inconsistency at the moment. Rafa Cabrera Bello Cameron Champ Matt Kuchar Erik van Rooyen Bubba Watson Matthew Wolff Gary Woodland RETURNING TO COMPETITION None NOTABLE WDs - World Golf Championships-Workday Championship at The Concession Tiger Woods ... Already on the mend from his fifth back surgery, he suffered injuries that required surgery after the car was driving near Los Angeles on Tuesday morning rolled over. Paul Casey ... It's rare for him to pass on a WGC but the shakeup of the Florida Swing this season is an adjustment for all. Don't sweat it. He's already 4-for-4 in 2021 with a win in Dubai and no worse than a T12 (in Saudi Arabia). NOTABLE WDs - Puerto Rico Open Scott Harrington, K.H. Lee, Luke List and Scott Stallings ... Each now is eligible for THE PLAYERS Championship via the top 125 in the 2019-20 FedExCup. Kyle Stanley ... Positioned 118th in the special FedExCup points list to determine entry into THE PLAYERS, so he's a virtual lock to qualify. Chesson Hadley and Hank Lebioda ... At a respective 142nd and 143rd on the special points list, either would have to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard to qualify for THE PLAYERS. Kevin Tway ... He'd also need to win the API to get into THE PLAYERS, but gamers would settle for a cut made. In the last 12 months, he's cashed only four times in 22 starts. Chris Stroud ... He's out indefinitely with a back injury. Now that it's been four months since his last start (MC, Sanderson Farms), he's eligible for a medical extension in the graduate reshuffle category if he eventually needs it. Alex Cejka ... Open-qualified for the Cologuard Classic. It's a heckvua way to debut on the PGA TOUR Champions. POWER RANKINGS RECAP - The Genesis Invitational Power Ranking Golfer Result 1 Dustin Johnson T8 2 Xander Schauffele T15 3 Justin Thomas MC 4 Jon Rahm T5 5 Rory McIlroy MC 6 Tony Finau P2 7 Bryson DeChambeau MC 8 Patrick Cantlay T15 9 Joaquin Niemann T43 10 Carlos Ortiz MC 11 Adam Scott T38 12 Collin Morikawa T43 13 Daniel Berger DNP 14 Brooks Koepka T38 15 Max Homa Win Wild Card Jordan Spieth T15 SLEEPERS - The Genesis Invitational Golfer Result Sung Kang 67th K.H. Lee 66th J.T. Poston T43 Chez Reavie MC Brian Stuard MC BIRTHDAYS AMONG ACTIVE GOLFERS ON THE PGA TOUR February 23 ... Steve Stricker (54) February 24 ... Zach Johnson (45); Kristoffer Ventura (26) February 25 ... Hideki Matsuyama (29) February 26 ... none February 27 ... Ryan Armour (45); Abraham Ancer (30) February 28 ... none (February 29 ... none) March 1 ... Pat Perez (45); Chris Baker (35) Visit BetMGM.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ years of age or older to wager. CO, IA, IN,MI, NJ, NV,PA, TN, VA or WV only. Excludes Michigan Disassociated Persons. Please Gamble Responsibly. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-522-4700 (CO, NV, VA), 1-800-270-7117 for confidential help (MI), 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ, PA & WV), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), Call or Text the Tennessee REDLINE: 800-889-9789 (TN), or call 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN).

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