Justin Thomas leads THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES after second-round 63

NAPA, Calif. — Justin Lower weathered the wind and birdied the 18th hole Saturday to take a one-shot lead into the final round of the season-opening Fortinet Championship. Lower shot a 3-under 69 to get to 13 under at Silverado Resort & Spa, with his fifth birdie of the round giving him his first career 54-hole lead in his 29th start on the PGA TOUR. He’s looking for his first TOUR victory. Defending champion Max Homa and Danny Willett were a shot back after even-par 72s. Byeong Hun An had a 71 to get to 11 under. While several players who went out early in the day posted low scores in good playing conditions, the course got much harder late in the day when the wind picked up to wreak havoc on the players. Willett took several minutes on the eighth green clearing off blowing leaves just before making a birdie putt that put him briefly in the lead at 13 under. Workers with leaf blowers came out on the next hole to keep the green clean but Willett made a double-bogey 7 after his approach shot flew past the green. There were few birdie chances available with players happy with pars late in the day. That led to a very condensed leaderboard with eight players within three shots of the lead headed into Sunday. An moved into a one-shot lead when he hit a solid tee shot on the par-3 15th came and then made a birdie from about 6 feet to get to 13 under. But he gave it back and more with a double bogey in the par-5 16th when his second shot got caught near the root of a tree. That opened the door for Lower, who put his second shot on the par-5 18th just off the green and then made the short birdie putt. It’s been quite a few weeks for Lower, who appeared to lose his TOUR card after three-putting the final hole of the Wyndham Championship for a bogey when he only needed a par to remain in he top 125. Lower found his way back into the top 125 and is taking advantage of it in the first tournament of the new season. Conditions aren’t expected to be much better in the final round, which has already been altered by an ominous forecast with rain and wind. The leaders will tee off several hours earlier than scheduled with the final round featuring threesomes off split tees. Davis Thompson and Harrison Endycott shot the low rounds of the day with 65s that left Harrison in a four-way tie for fifth place with Paul Haley II, Matt Kuchar and Adam Svensson. Endycott was a stroke behind in a four-way tie for ninth. Endycott the first player out on the course and played as a single in his first career tournament make the cut with a birdie on the the final hole of the second round. He overcame a broken driver early in that round and was happy to have all of his clubs available Saturday. “Definitely helps when you’ve got a driver in the bag after yesterday’s shenanigans with the cracked driver face,” he said. “This golf course is tough hitting 3-wood everywhere. So it was nice to get freed up, played some good golf today.” Haley, who had gone 3,315 days between appearances on the TOUR from the 2013 Wyndham Championship and the start of this tournament, was tied with Thompson in the group at 10 under after a 66.

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BROOKLINE, Mass. – The oldest player in the field played one final practice round Wednesday for the 122nd U.S. Open at The Country Club. Fans lined the gallery ropes three deep. Fran Quinn, 57, had built a buzz as the oldest player to survive U.S. Open Final Qualifying since the USGA began keeping such records in the early 1980s. And he did so as a native son, hailing from Holden, Massachusetts just 40 minutes west. On his final approach shot before teeing it up Thursday in the first group off No. 10, he holed a mid-iron from 186 yards. “Bet the mortgage on Fran!” yelled a fan from outside the ropes. Quinn nodded and smiled. Welcome to what at least one news outlet has called the story of this U.S. Open so far. Quinn, who grew up as one of seven siblings in Holden, Massachusetts, cultivated a gritty mentality that family and friends describe as “never-say-die.” He first earned a PGA TOUR card at 26. He earned his second TOUR card at 44. His son Owen, 23, also a professional golfer, calls him a “journeyman from Massachusetts.” And now, Fran Quinn, a high school quarterback before turning his full attention to golf, will tee it up against the best in the world in his home state. It’s a victory lap, to be sure, but it’s more than that, for his competitive fire remains very much intact. “It’s innate,” his wife Lori said of her husband’s drive. “He was born with that. Coming from a family of golfers, and he was just an athlete. Played hockey, football, really good quarterback. Playing with these young guys, it keeps him young. He hits it long, he walks with them. Fifty-seven is purely a number, and he’s not 57.” Quinn reinvented his game in his late 30s and early 40s, said Kevin Johnson, a fellow Massachusetts native and longtime travel companion on the Korn Ferry Tour. (They combined for 737 starts and 10 wins on that circuit.) He never stopped looking for that extra edge, even after fracturing a bone in his shoulder in summer 2019. The payoff: Quinn will hit the tournament’s opening tee shot off No. 10 on Thursday, a peak moment for a player who attended the 1988 U.S. Open at The Country Club as a fan after falling one stroke short at Final Qualifying. He also advanced to the final match of the 1987 Massachusetts State Amateur at The Country Club, falling to Johnson. While attending the 1988 U.S. Open, Quinn’s dad, Fran Sr., said Quinn would play for his national championship someday. Fran Sr. was correct, five times over – Quinn has also competed in the 1992, 1994, 1996 and 2014 U.S. Opens. At the 2014 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2, Quinn was tied for second after the opening round and made the cut, leading to a memorable Father’s Day walk with Owen on the bag. This one, though, packs an extra punch because it’s so close to home. Lori caddied in Monday’s practice round before handing the bag to Owen for the remainder of the week. Fran was showered with adoration at every turn across Tuesday and Wednesday practice rounds, punctuated by his hole-out. How is this happening? It goes back to the kids, and the fact that Quinn plays against him every chance he gets. He competes against players his own age on PGA TOUR Champions – he finished T21 at last week’s American Family Insurance Championship – but tees it up against Owen, nephew Matthew Quinn and various high school- and college-aged family friends when he’s home. It keeps him young. Matthew, a rising high school senior who completed an Algebra II final exam last Monday before tracking Fran’s hole-by-hole scores during afternoon play at Final Qualifying, said Quinn is a “guaranteed 4 under par” per round in their 2-on-2 best-ball games at Worcester CC. Others, too, have been impressed by his game. “He’s still got the distance, and I think that’s from playing with the young guys,” said Johnson, now a tournament referee on PGA TOUR Champions. “Competing with Owen and his buddies has kept Franny swinging hard. If he played with guys who dink it out there 250 all the time, you’re going to think you’re hitting it long when you’re hitting it 270. “He has not lost any distance,” Johnson continued. “It’s amazing. Even after his shoulder injury, he still hits it hard, and I think that’s why he’s been so competitive.” The injury was a fluke accident. In the midst of the 2019 PGA TOUR Champions season, Quinn tripped in a pothole in a crosswalk in New York City while visiting his son Sean. Fifty percent of his glenoid (right shoulder socket) was shattered. For a year, he couldn’t raise his arm above his belly button. He underwent a first and then a second surgery, the latter operation performed by New England Patriots head physician Mark Price. Thus began an 18-month recovery in which Quinn’s fire never waned. “I remember him being in his kitchen, when he was in his sling,” said family friend Joe Murphy. “He’d be like, ‘Murph, I’ve got my wedge going. I’ve got my wedge yards up. I can still beat you.’” Quinn hadn’t attempted U.S. Open qualification since 2015, but this year’s proximity to home piqued his interest – and when he learned his son and nephew would play Local Qualifying, those competitive instincts kicked in. “I was with Owen in Florida,” said Matthew. “I put myself in for Local Qualifying, and Owen put himself in. His dad was like, ‘Why don’t you put me in as well?’” Quinn was 3-over through nine holes at his Local Qualifying site, Taconic GC in Williamstown, Massachusetts. But he battled back to post 1-over, one stroke clear of a playoff. Owen carded the same 1-over total to advance, as well. From there, Quinn stayed the course at his Final Qualifying site in Purchase, New York – the same location where he missed qualifying for the 1988 U.S. Open at Brookline by a shot. This time, with Lori on the bag, he made amends. He was 2 under for 36 holes, then made birdie on the second hole of an 8-for-3 playoff to earn his spot in the field. “I was like, ‘Come on, you’re the most seasoned player here. You have the most experience in playoffs. Let’s get in,’” Lori said. “He’s like, ‘OK.’ And he did. He listens to me. What a good husband!” Quinn’s story has captured the hearts and minds in his native Massachusetts and beyond. “It’s to show his family, his son … it just shows that good things can happen if you just keep working hard,” said Johnson. “He was at the end of his rope after the shoulder injury, didn’t know if he was ever going to come back. But he just grinded it out. It just shows that hard work … he loves the game, and now to get this opportunity, it’s like the icing on the cake. “I know him,” Johnson added. “He’s not just going to go through it. He’s going to work his butt off. He can play well there. He’s trying to do really well. It’s not just a ceremonial, happy that he got there. I think he’s definitely going to do well.” “I’m just so proud of him,” added Lori. “He’s kind of the bionic man.” “Fran,” said family friend John Pagano, “is the man.”

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The field list that day in 2013 in South Florida included the world’s 32nd-ranked player, Welshman Jamie Donaldson, who would earn an automatic spot on the Ryder Cup the following year. It also included another future European Ryder Cupper, Alex Noren, ranked 59th in the world. And another top-100 player, Shane Lowry, who later than year represented Ireland in the World Cup. Lowry, of course, was still several years away from claiming the 2019 Open Championship, but a couple of his fellow competitors – Lee Janzen and Rich Beem — already had major titles to their names back then. Now add a few multi-time PGA TOUR winners in Billy Mayfair, Chris DiMarco and Vaughn Taylor, and the field suddenly had serious credentials. You might not be surprised to learn that it was the week of The Honda Classic, the annual PGA TOUR stop in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. You might be surprised that it was Monday of tournament week. RELATED: Who Monday qualified this year? | Knox’s win after Monday qualifying | Go low or go home But really, you shouldn’t be surprised. The Honda Classic has the deepest field of all Monday qualifiers for any regular PGA TOUR event. It’s the Super Bowl of Monday qualifiers, with more notable names and more high-end resumes than other qualifiers throughout the season. Perhaps its closest rival are the sectional qualifiers for the U.S. Open, especially the one held near the PGA TOUR event completed the day before, as non-qualified TOUR pros take one last shot at getting into the field. Some of the names that appeared in that sectional qualifier last year in Columbus, Ohio, can be found in this week’s Monday qualifier field at The Honda Classic. The Honda’s 2013 Monday qualifier was indicative of the strength of field, and other Monday qualifiers have included the likes of Steve Stricker, Jason Dufner and Ryan Palmer and European starts such as Thomas Levet, Robert Karlsson and Jesper Parnevik. Year after year, the Monday qualifier has numerous players in the top 100 of the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), major champions, and multiple PGA TOUR winners. Names you expect to see on Sunday, not Monday. Take a look at the 2019 Monday qualifier at The Honda Classic: 24 players with at least one TOUR win; 11 players with more than one; a combined 47 total TOUR wins. Two players had made more than 500 career TOUR starts; three others had more than 400; and 11 had more than 200. From a career earnings standpoint, three players had made more than $20 million; six had made more than $10 million; and 13 made more than $5 million. This year was no different. Thirteen different PGA TOUR winners were in the field at Banyan Cay, along with a combined 23 European Tour wins, and 41 total Korn Ferry wins.  The field’s total PGA TOUR earnings was in excess of $212 million. Along with the United States, a dozen other countries were represented. Some of the names you might recognize – TOUR winners Jonathan Byrd, David Lingmerth and Arjun Atwal; veteran Australians John Senden and Robert Allenby; 2016 Olympian Seamus Power of Ireland; and Arnold Palmer’s grandson Sam Saunders. That’s a lot of horsepower for an event that you must play just for the opportunity to play the regular event three days later. (Of the names above, only Atwal was among the four qualifiers to earn spots; click here for full story.) “It’s a great litmus test of where you stand,â€� said Blayne Barber, who shot a 66 at Banyan Bay to get through in 2019. “Knowing you beat a bunch of players that are basically in middle of their PGA TOUR season is a great feeling.” But a deep qualifying field like the week of The Honda Classic also comes with a dose of reality. “Expectations are low in any Monday,â€� said Aron Price, who successfully qualified in 2010. “They are even lower in the Honda Monday.â€� Why does The Honda Classic have the premium Monday qualifier of the TOUR season? It’s a confluence of several reasons. The tournament itself often has an exceptional field, filled with many of the top players in the world.  The strong field leaves a lot of players with world-class resumes on the outside, looking in. Meanwhile, sponsor exemptions aren’t as easy to come by for players that in some other events might get one. This is especially true for European Tour members that aren’t members of the PGA TOUR.  In some other TOUR events, they would often be able to grab one of the sponsor exemptions, but without securing an exemption, the last resort is the Monday. The Honda is also one of the few events that attracts one of the best fields of the year and has a Monday qualifier. For instance, there are no Monday qualifiers for THE PLAYERS Championship, the four majors, the World Golf Championships events, the FedExCup Playoffs or the three elevated events — The Genesis Invitational, the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard and the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide. Those fields annually have premium fields. It’s also the first Monday qualifier to start the Florida swing, making it the closest Monday qualifier in the new calendar year for European players. The Honda’s move to PGA National in 2007 also is a significant factor, according to Geoff Lofstead, Executive Director of the South Florida PGA section, who runs the Honda Classic Monday qualifier. “The move to PGA National really moved the event to elite status and therefore helped make the Monday qualifier such a quality field,â€� Lofstead said. The same year the event moved to PGA National, the South Florida PGA section began holding pre-qualifiers. Before that, they limited the Monday Qualifier field to 312 players (two courses, two spots at each). The pre-qualifiers gave the opportunity to move the Monday to one course and try to limit the field size to finish on Monday. The reason for the schedule adjustment was simple. “Darkness has always been our biggest enemy,â€� said Brett Graf, tournament director for the South Florida PGA. The pre-qualifiers not only helped ensure an actual finish on Monday, it also increased the number of participants. This year, a total of 458 players teed it up for the four pre-qualifiers and Monday qualifier. Geography also plays a massive role in the qualifier being such a high-caliber field. According to a Golf.com story in 2018, 35 PGA TOUR pros live in the Jupiter, Florida area, about 15 miles away from PGA National. The most celebrated local pro, of course, is Tiger Woods and he’s joined by other big names such as Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Brooks Koepka and Rickie Fowler. Of course, those guys don’t have to worry about Monday qualifying, but for the local pros still grinding and seeking better TOUR status, being able to Monday qualify without worrying about travel demands is huge. Veterans that might otherwise not chase qualifiers and instead wait to get into events based on their status, will choose to play the Honda Monday because of its proximity to their home. Consider Ryan Armour, who moved to Jupiter in 2003. He attempted to Monday qualify for The Honda Classic nine times before finally getting through in 2017, shooting a 67 at Mayacoo Lakes Country Club. “It wasn’t just another Monday,â€� said Armour, who later that year broke through with his first PGA TOUR victory at the Sanderson Farms Championship. Florida also is home to a large portion of the nation’s developmental tours, and the Monday qualifier creates an opportunity for developmental tour players to fight for one of the four spots in the Honda Classic without the expenses of traveling. One of those tours is the Minor League Golf Tour, based in Stuart, Florida, about 30 minutes away from PGA National. Armour, in fact, was one of those MLGT veterans, having won eight times on that TOUR. This year, of the 338 players who participated in the pre-qualifiers, 28 of those were MLGT players. Seventeen qualified to play in the Monday qualifier. Going to a pre-qualifier and a Monday qualifier for a player with no status can cost upwards of $1,500.  With the event in their backyard and minimal travel costs, many players sign up for the opportunity to rub elbows with the best golfers in the world. “Why not take a chance?â€� said developmental tour player Joseph Gunerman. “It’s not often you are 36 (pre-q and Mon q) holes away from playing in a great event for millions of dollars. “That is the reason we are all playing mini-tours anyway, to get to the big tour. When it was in my backyard, I thought I had to try.” Since 2013, there has been no Korn Ferry Tour event the same week as The Honda Classic, allowing many of those players to try gaining entry through Monday qualifier during an off-week. Plus, Korn Ferry members pay just $100 for the entry fee and don’t have to play in pre-qualifiers. In 2015, then-Korn Ferry Tour member Mark Silvers was one of the four qualifiers to get through to the Honda Classic. He called it “the ultimate badge of honor.â€� This year’s schedule is different, though, with the Korn Ferry Tour playing in Mexico this week. But what’s not different is the depth of field for the Honda Monday qualifier. Playing well enough to gain a tee time on Thursday is an accomplishment in itself. After all, the Super Bowl comes around only once a year.

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