Sleeper Picks: The Honda Classic

PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico — Matt Kuchar knew he was in trouble when his tee shot sailed so far to the right that he hit a provisional in case the ball was out-of-bounds. He found the ball, and somehow never lost the lead. Kuchar escaped his only big mess Friday with a 35-foot bogey putt on the 12th hole, and he rode eight birdies to a 7-under 64 that gave him a two-shot lead over PGA TOUR rookie Cameron Champ going into the weekend at the Mayakoba Golf Classic. Champ, going after his second victory in three weeks, played in the morning and shot 62 with a bogey on his final hole. Kuchar was at 14-under 128 as he tries to end more than four years without a PGA TOUR victory. “Yesterday was kind of a bogey-free day and just easy, and everything else today was about the same,” he said. “I just had that one challenging hole.” The challenge was figuring out what to do once he found it. The ball was under a cluster of trees and bushes with rocks scattered everywhere. Even taking a one-shot penalty for an unplayable lie was not an easy option. If his drop settled between rocks, he would have to play that or take another penalty. Finally, he found a spot and the drop landed in enough soft soil for him to pitch out of trouble, through the fairway and into the rough. He got his fourth shot onto the green and made the long putt to escape with bogey. “That was great,” Kuchar said. “I knew I had a par 5 following it, and I figured I was probably going to make double there and birdie on the next. I ended up making bogey there and par on the par-5 13th, so still felt like I was very much in control.” What put Kuchar in good shape were the five straight birdies on the front nine, and then he took the lead for the first time with a birdie on No. 11 before his wild adventure on the 12th hole. Tied again for the lead, he added two birdies coming in for his two-shot cushion. Champ already is the talk of the tour for the speed of his swing and how far he hits the ball, though there is more to his game than length. El Camaleon Golf Club is all about location — preferably the fairway — more than smashing it as far as possible. Two weeks after winning the Sanderson Farms Championship in Mississippi, he worked on a few tweaks in his swing and was in full control of where the ball was going. For the second straight day, Champ missed only two fairways, key to good scoring at Mayakoba. “It’s not a bomber’s course,” Champ said. “You have to place it off the tee, and some holes the rough is very thick and you’ve just got to whack it out. This course I feel like is very suitable for everyone. Just to be able to place my ball right in the fairways and on the greens and make the putts when I needed is great.” An area renowned for its wild weather — rain out of nowhere, plenty of wind — has seen sunshine and calms for two days, and it’s reflected in the scoring. The cut was at 4-under 138. The weekend will not include Jordan Spieth. The three-time major champion missed the cut in his final event of the year after a 69. Spieth managed only eight birdies in good scoring conditions and will have the weekend off for the seventh time this year. Next up is his wedding over Thanksgiving weekend. Kuchar, meanwhile, has more than Champ to worry about the next two rounds. The seven players at 11-under 131 included defending champion Patton Kizzire, past Mayakoba champion Brian Gay and Anirban Lahiri of India, who has played in the last two Presidents Cups. Eighteen players were within five shots of the lead. Rickie Fowler (68) and Tony Finau (65) were at 8-under 134, along with their Ryder Cup captain, Jim Furyk, who had a 65.

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SAN DIEGO – Rory McIlroy is making his debut at the Farmers Insurance Open, but this isn’t the first time he’s played in San Diego. Every year, the world’s elite junior players flock to the area to compete in the Junior World Championships. The oldest contestants play Torrey Pines’ South Course while younger players compete on courses throughout the area. McIlroy fit into the latter group when he played the Junior World. He competed on Presidio Hills, a par-3 course in San Diego, in the 10-and-under division. He didn’t win, but it was an eventful week. “I actually made a hole-in-one that week,� McIlroy said Wednesday. “And I remember the opening ceremonies, I got my picture with Earl Woods, which was pretty cool at the time.� McIlroy finished eighth in the 10-and-under division of the 1999 Junior World Championship. His 54-hole total of 164 (57-55-52) was 12 shots behind winner Philip Francis, who went on to win the 2006 U.S. Junior in nearby Rancho Santa Fe and play on UCLA’s 2008 NCAA title team. Tony Finau tied McIlroy that week. McIlroy, the 2016 FedExCup champion, is making his second consecutive start at a new PGA TOUR event. He opened the calendar year with a fourth-place finish at the Sentry Tournament of Champions. It was the 10th time in the past 11 years that McIlroy started with a top-5 in his first event. It was also the seventh consecutive time that he failed to win after playing in Sunday’s final group. He started the final round at Kapalua three shots behind Gary Woodland. FedExCup leader Xander Schauffele shot 62 to pass them both. McIlroy finished eight back after shooting 72. “I’m committed to the journey of getting to a point where that’s not a conversation anymore,� McIlroy said. He’ll try to end that narrative at another new course. McIlroy turned pro in late 2007, but he was unsuccessful in his attempt to qualify for the following year’s U.S. Open at Torrey Pines. He usually plays in the Middle East during this time of year, but is focusing on the PGA TOUR this season. “I like coming to new golf courses, the process of learning them, what you’re hitting off tees, good angles coming into the greens, what side to miss on, all that stuff,� said McIlroy, who’s 82nd in this season’s FedExCup standings. “It’s been a pretty productive three days.� He’ll play the first two rounds with Rickie Fowler and Adam Scott. They’re scheduled to tee off at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday on the South Course. “I feel like I’ve watched this tournament a lot on TV, whether it be the U.S. Open or this tournament over the years,� McIlroy said. “I’ve alluded to the fact that I want to play in the strongest possible tournaments each and every week. I’m happy to be here because of that.�

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Round 2 of the 3M Open takes place today at TPC Twin Cities. The strong field features players such as Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Tommy Fleetwood and defending champion Matthew Wolff. Here’s everything you need to know to follow the action. Round 2 leaderboard Round 2 tee times HOW TO FOLLOW Television: Thursday-Friday, 2:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday-Sunday 1 p.m.-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3 p.m.-6 p.m. (CBS). PGA TOUR LIVE: Thursday-Friday 7:45 a.m.-6:30 p.m. (Featured Groups). Saturday-Sunday, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. (Featured Groups), 3 p.m.-6 p.m. (Featured Holes). Radio: Thursday-Friday, 1 p.m.-6:30 p.m. Saturday-Sunday 1 p.m.-6 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com/liveaudio). FEATURED GROUPS Matthew Wolff, Max Homa, Branden Grace Friday: 8:20 a.m. ET (No. 10 tee) Bubba Watson, Pat Perez, Paul Casey Friday: 8:30 a.m. ET (No. 10) Brooks Koepka, Keith Mitchell, Charles Howell III Friday: 1:30 p.m. ET (No. 1) Dustin Johnson, Tony Finau, Tommy Fleetwood Friday: 1:40 p.m. ET (No. 1 tee) MUST READS Werenski leads 3M Open after 8-under 63 Finau parts ways with caddie, shoots first-round 65 at the 3M Open Best par save ever? After two in water, Bae holes out from 250 yards Dustin Johnson withdraws from 3M Open citing back injury Insider: Fleetwood returns to work Four burning questions about DJ PGA TOUR University’s inaugural top 15 ranking CALL OF THE DAY

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