Patrick Reed delivers clutch putts to win THE NORTHERN TRUST

Here are nine tidbits from the opening round of the Sentry Tournament of Champions that gamers can use tomorrow, this weekend or down the road.  Be looking for the Emergency 9 shortly after the close of play of each round of the tournament. Breaking: Wind The trade winds were up and blowing today but 21 of 34 players still broke par on Kapalua’s Plantation Course. If the winds continue to blow as forecast, the field should separate as the week continues. One man that hopes this forecast continues is Marc Leishman. The Aussie has proven throughout his career that his piercing ball flight isn’t bothered much by the breeze. His 67 (-6) included eight birdies, the most on Thursday, and was the best of the day by a shot. Stalking the lead Brian Harman breezed home with a bogey-free 68 to tie second with Jhonattan Vegas. Harman’s only appearance in 2015 saw him close with 65, suggesting he had figured something out on The Plantation Course. Vegas is making his third trip and this was his first round in the 60’s. Hanging 10 It’s hardly a surprise that Dustin Johnson is off to a decent start (T4) as he’s never finished outside the top 10 in his last six starts at Kapalua. The big hitter won the weather-shortened event here in 2013 and has no problem tackling any course regardless of weather. His forte is ball-striking yet he hit only eight fairways and was 26th of 34 in proximity to the hole. Imagine if he starts striping it again! Seeing is believing Si Woo Kim shot 69 and led the field in SG: Tee-to-Green. That’s a pretty good stat to follow as I pointed out in Tuesday’s Confidence Factor. The last three winners all led the field in this category. The last three winners also have all been 25 or younger and won in their second try. Kim is 22 and played here last year for the first time. #Trending. Can Play After taking almost three years off, Patrick Cantlay returned to action in 2017 and didn’t miss a cut in 14 events. The 14th and final event of 2017 saw him lift his first trophy at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas. Gamers afraid he’s been too lightly raced might have to reconsider. He’s one of 14 this week playing for the first time in Maui but figured it out quickly. He bogeyed two of his first four holes but birdied four of the next five to turn in 34 (-2). He added eight pars and a closing birdie to wind up with 70, the lowest score of those 14 newbies. Doubting Thomas Not yet! He was the most picked player in the PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO with a whopping 70 percent of gamers loading up on the defending champ. Through 13 holes, he was one-over and treading water. He turned on the class by circling birdies on three of his last five holes to jump to T12 (-2) and just four shots out of first. Whew, said everybody! What’s Cook-in? Austin Cook, the winner in the final event of 2017 at The RSM Classic, saw both sides of The Plantation Course. He went out in bogey-free 32 that included four birdies. He made one par on the back nine and shot 42. He ended up with six birdies on the card and taste of the highs and lows of paradise. Brooks is still here After wiping out the field in Japan by nine shots to win the Dunlop Phoenix to back up his T2 at WGC-HSBC Champions, Koepka headed back to the States with a bit of a wrist issue. He teed it up in the 18-man Hero World Challenge field in the Bahamas and finished last. His first event of 2018 saw him square three bogeys and a double in his first four holes and he’s currently last again. He’s the sixth-most selected player in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO this week so adjust accordingly! Wipe out? Playing with his buddy Thomas, Jordan Spieth threw up his worst score in 13 rounds at The Plantation Course with 75. It’s his first round at par or worse during that streak. With the Texan finding himself on 48% of rosters in the PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO this week it’s not time to abandon ship just yet. Spieth is one of the best putters on the planet yet checked in 33rd of 34 in SG: Putting. He also makes birdies for fun on this course, 74 in his previous 216 holes, but carded only two in round one. I’m going to suggest those two categories improve DRAMATICALLY tomorrow. He stays in my lineup.

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Shane Lowry broke out of a four-way tie late on the front nine Saturday en route to a tournament-best 63. He has a four-shot lead going into the final round of the Open Championship.

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ATLANTA – The fans were understandably beside themselves, but they were not the best measure of Tiger Woods’ red-hot start, 6-under for the first seven holes as he shot a third-round 65 to take a three-shot lead at the TOUR Championship at East Lake. No, his fellow players were the best measure. They couldn’t help but look away from their own games to see what all the commotion was about. “Unbelievable,â€� said Tony Finau (67, T6). “It really is. I was looking at the board and it said 6 under through seven; that’s incredible. I played a practice round with him Tuesday and, you know, his ball-striking ability is incredible and you know when he’s making some putts he’s going to make some noise.â€� Woods distanced himself from playing partner Justin Rose (68) and even Rory McIlroy, who was one of three players to shoot 66 and is tied with Rose at 9 under, three back. Kyle Stanley (67) and Jon Rahm (68) were tied for fourth at 6 under, six behind. “The crowds were electric because of it,â€� Rose said of Woods’ hot start. “He was running the tables there. He was hitting good shots and making the conversion putts.â€�  Somehow, Rose regrouped, refusing to let the pandemonium throw him off his game. Still, many others were left shaking their heads at Woods’ front-nine 30, which included a bogey at the brutally hard, 230-yard, par-3 9th hole. “He was 6 under through seven on, I think, the tougher (nine),â€� said Paul Casey (66, T6). “I tend not to pay much attention to what’s going on most of the time, but I’ll be honest, it’s been a while since we’ve seen that sort of display from Tiger, so it’s kind of cool to pay attention to it.â€� With each sonic boomlet that went up over East Lake, Casey and his caddie, John McLaren, looked at each other and smiled, trying to deduce just how low Woods was going. “We heard the roar when he was obviously on one,â€� Casey continued. “We’re like, ‘Oh, what’s he done there?’ Then another roar, and then he was 10 under and I was like, ‘Hang on, I’ve missed one somewhere.’ It was cool. I mean we all want to win, but when you’re bumbling around at 3- or 4-under-par and he’s now 10, now you’re a spectator, almost.â€� Woods had a much less exciting back nine, making one birdie and one bogey. Afterward, even he was left shaking his head at his turbo-charged front nine. “Yeah, I got off to a nice start there,â€� Woods said. “I made some nice putts. Good Lord. I left myself in good spots, too, so I was able to take a run at some of the putts. Other than No. 3, every putt was uphill, so it was nice. I felt like I could free-wheel it, and they went in.â€� Woods hit 10 of 14 fairways, a key stat at East Lake, and for the third straight day made over 100 feet of putts. He leads the field in Strokes Gained: Putting (+5.104). OBSERVATIONS MCILROY EYES BIG FINAL-ROUND PAIRING: The final twosome on the final day of the TOUR Championship at East Lake will offer a study in contrasts, although each man wears the same brand of clothing and each has won the TOUR Championship and the FedExCup. Tiger Woods is making everything, and is first in Strokes Gained: Putting (+5.104). Rory McIlroy is making nothing, and is 23rd in SG: Putting (-1.711). “I gave myself plenty of chances,â€� McIlroy said, “and I think the biggest thing today was only just that one bogey, and it was a silly bogey from the middle of the (seventh) fairway, as well. “Five birdies out there, one bogey, it’s playing tough,â€� he added. “Got to put your ball in the fairway, put yourself in position, and for the most part, I did that today.â€� McIlroy, who hit 8/14 fairways, hasn’t won since the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard early this season. Woods hasn’t won since the 2013 World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, but he is 42 for 44 (95 percent) at closing out a victory when he has the outright 54-hole lead. “Look, he’s a notoriously great front-runner,â€� McIlroy said, “but if I go out and I play similar tomorrow like I did today, I’ll have no complaints.â€� NOTABLES JON RAHM – Missed a 10-footer for birdie on 18, but still has an outside chance after signing for his third straight 68 to get to 6 under, T4 with Kyle Stanley (67) six shots back. BROOKS KOEPKA – Chased a surprising second-round 78 with a 67. PHIL MICKELSON – Shot 76 and is in last, continuing to prove this isn’t the place to miss fairways. He’s at 42.86 percent driving accuracy for the week, and -1.959 Strokes Gained: Putting. DUSTIN JOHNSON – Three-time winner this season was as good as he’s been all week while posting 67 to get to 4-under total and T8. Birdied four of his last six holes. PATRICK REED – Masters champion’s struggles here continued with a 72 (+8 total). BRYSON DECHAMBEAU – FedExCup No. 1 and two-time Playoffs winner found some game as he hit 8/14 fairways, his best of the week, and holed out from the fairway for eagle at the 17th hole while shooting a 4-under 66. He’s still 2-over for the week, though. QUOTABLES He was running the tables.He’s a notoriously great front-runner.I’ve heard the roars all day … what an atmosphere. SUPERLATIVES Low round: 5-under 65 by Tiger Woods, his second of the week. Longest drive: 368 yards (Jason Day/No. 3) Longest putt: 77’ 1â€� (Keegan Bradley/No. 13 for birdie) Toughest hole: The 230-yard par-3 9th (3.300). Easiest hole: The 533-yard par-5 6th (4.167) had four eagles, 17 birdies and no bogeys. CALL OF THE DAY For play-by-play coverage of the final round of the TOUR Championship, listen at PGATOUR.COM. SHOT OF THE DAY

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