Fantasy golf advice: One & Done, Travelers Championship

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PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. – On Friday, Justin Thomas played 30 holes at the Genesis Open in cold, rainy weather. On Saturday, the first dry day of the week at Riviera, he completed just eight holes despite continuous play from sunrise to sunset. On Sunday, for the third consecutive day, he’ll wake up around 4:30 a.m. local time. At 5:45 a.m., he’ll start his warm-up routine (“That’s weird to say,� he mused). Then at 6:45 a.m., he’ll resume play with an approach shot into the par-4 third. He faces the task of finishing 34 holes, and the weather could be challenging. It’ll be in the 40s in the early morning, then a 40 percent chance of showers before noon. But it will all be worth it if Thomas, seeking the 10th win of his PGA TOUR career, can seal the deal at Riviera. At 13 under, the former FedExCup champion has a one-shot lead over playing partner Adam Scott, with Patrick Rodgers and J.B. Holmes another shot back. “I think I’ve seen briefly the forecast is pretty difficult,� Thomas said, “so I’m going to need to be patient because I’m playing so many holes. But long day and stay in it emotionally and stay patient [and] see what we can do.� It’ll be a longer-than-usual day for all 76 players who made the cut. No one has completed the third round, which did not start until mid-Saturday afternoon as the seven-hour delay to start the tournament on Thursday continues to play havoc with the playing schedule. In essence, the Genesis Open is just past the halfway point even though the final day (hopefully) has arrived. Play will resume at 6:45 a.m., and there will be no repairing after the third round as the TOUR tries to avoid a second consecutive Monday finish. Last week’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am was won by Phil Mickelson on Monday as he and runner-up Paul Casey played two holes to finish their rounds. For some players such as Thomas, it was a limited-action Saturday – up early to complete the second round, then a long rest before teeing off to start the third round. For others, it was a long, full day – an entire second round, followed by a partial third. Rodgers, for instance, played 20 holes. He shoot a 4-under 67, fueled by a chip-in eagle from 131 yards on the par-4 seventh, then played two holes to start his third round, including an eagle at the par-5 opening hole. He’s now one of Thomas’ primary chasers on Sunday. Thomas also eagled the opening hole late Saturday with a putt just inside 13 feet, moving him one clear of Scott, who in 2005 won at Riviera albeit in a shortened 36-hole event that is not recognized as an official TOUR win. That won’t be an issue if he can catch Thomas. “There’s so much golf to play,� said Scott, whose only bogey through 38 holes played was a three-putt on the 17th hole in the second round. “… I’m happy with what I did out there. I’m not really influencing what [Thomas] does at this point in the tourney. It feels like it’s late in the tourney, but it’s only halfway.� Still, he’s glad to be paired with Thomas for both the third and final rounds. “Yeah, that’s good if I’m keeping up with him or ahead of him,� Scott said. “… It’s a big day, a lot of golf. It’s a great day to get your rhythm early and make a move. There’s a lot of guys up there at the moment … if it’s Justin or I, then you can kind of separate and hopefully by the middle of the final round you’ve taken a whole bunch of guys out of the equation.� One of those guys definitely in the equation is Tiger Woods, who was just one shot above the cut line after the second round but vaulted into a tie for 14th with a birdie-eagle-birdie-birdie start (off the 10th tee) in the third round. “I’ve got some work to do,� said Woods, who hopes to get up-and-down to save par at the 17th once play resumes. Among the notables ahead of Woods on the leaderboard are Rory McIlroy (8 under); last week’s runner-up Casey (8 under); three-time Genesis Open champ Bubba Watson (7 under); Jordan Spieth (7 under); and world No. 6 player Jon Rahm (7 under). With lots of golf left to play and hopes of completing the tournament on Sunday, it should make for an interesting – and challenging – day. “Going to be a marathon,� Thomas said.

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DETROIT – Given the locale, Brandt Snedeker understands why he wasn’t showered with congratulations in the aftermath of his alma mater’s victory in the College World Series. “We are surrounded by University of Michigan fans here,� said Snedeker, who watched every pitch in the deciding game of Vanderbilt’s victory over the Wolverines. He even Tweeted out his support for the Commodores, with a clever reference “to being behind enemy lines.� It was all good fun, but Snedeker – who made the cut on the number at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, then shot a third-round 7-under 65 to roar up the leaderboard – did confirm that he was blown away by what has greeted him here at Detroit Golf Club: Fan appreciation. Related: Tee times | Lashley keeps lead after second-round 67 “I have been showered with ‘Thank you for coming to Detroit’ all week. Literally, hundreds of times every day, the appreciation is unheard of,� said Snedeker. “The way they have embraced this tournament is incredible.� The Rocket Mortgage Classic marks the first time a PGA TOUR tournament has ever been held in Detroit and it’s the first event in the area since 2009. Clearly, the desire to be part of it was enormous; corporate hospitality sold our quickly and so, too, did tickets. As a PGA TOUR member, Snedeker felt the love. But as a guy who is invested in a Korn Ferry Tour event in his hometown, the Nashville Golf Open Benefitting the Snedeker Foundation, he identifies with the task that was pulled off here. “A lot of power to them. It takes a lot of different people to do this,� said Snedeker. “You have to have support from people at the host club, people in the community, people with the title sponsor – and the support has to be 100 percent. If not, it would show.� Snedeker, who began Round 3 in a tie for 58th, put together a bogey-free effort that featured a chip-in eagle at the par-5 seventh. As he signed his card, he was only two off the clubhouse lead, but he knew that the front-runners were just going out and plenty of birdies awaited. “I just hope to be within four or five at the end of the day,� he said. Whether that happened or not, Snedeker would still be happy, in large part because of a warm homecoming here for the PGA TOUR. “I can’t think of a better start to a new event that I’ve ever seen,� he said.

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