Rory McIlroy in familiar position at Bay Hill

HONOLULU, Hawaii – Matt Kuchar doesn’t take anything for granted on Sunday’s. The eight-time PGA TOUR winner and former PLAYERS champion has seen enough carnage at golf tournaments to know his lead at the Sony Open in Hawaii is far from safe. Sure his Saturday 4-under 66 moved him to a very comfortable 18 under at Waialae Country Club, two clear of Andrew Putnam (67) and a handy four shots ahead of Keith Mitchell (63) and Chez Reavie (66). Nine players share fifth but they are a distant seven shots back of the leader. Even still Kuchar knows he can’t protect the lead. “I anticipate needing to shoot another good score tomorrow. I’m going to need to make birdies,â€� Kuchar said. “There are enough birdie holes out there and enough good players that I know that I can’t just coast. I need to continue playing well. “The goal is to increase the lead as much as you can.â€� Kuchar is right about birdie holes. Two years ago Justin Thomas shot 59 at Waialae. This week we’ve seen a 61 and a couple of 62s. The chance to get hot is out there. Marc Leishman was six shots back when he started Sunday at the 2012 Travelers Championship and shot an 8-under 62 to win. Last week at the Sentry Tournament of Champions he played with Xander Schauffele on Sunday and watched him reel in a six-shot deficit against Gary Woodland. At T5 Leishman is one of those players ready to play aggressively from seven back. “You got to go hard or go home,â€� Leishman said. “I need to shoot a really really low one … just got to be aggressive and get the putter hot. “There are a lot of points on offer tomorrow. I’m third in the FedExCup at the moment I’d like at some point have Matty (caddie) have the yellow caddy bib.â€� Kuchar almost invited those that far back to have at it. “We figure there is something to lose. It’s certainly nice to have that (nothing to lose) mentality, but nobody wants to go crazy and shoot 80,â€� he said of the chasers. “You’ve still got to play smart. You don’t want to ruin your chances on the third hole by being reckless and making a double.â€� The 40-year-old is however wary of Putnam, Mitchell and Reavie. “I know the guys are playing good enough. I played with Andrew today. He’s a very steady player. He’s a good fit around this golf course. I expect him to come out and play some more good golf tomorrow,â€� Kuchar said. Putnam, a 29-year-old who won the Barracuda Championship last season, is excited for the challenge. He leads the field in Strokes Gained: Putting making over 388 feet of putts over three days. “Kuch is playing well, so I feel like I’ve got to get out there and make some birdies if it’s not too windy,â€� he said. “If it’s like today it’s going to be scorable; so I have to stay aggressive.â€� Reavie is also chasing a second TOUR win. He leads the field in Strokes Gained: Approach the Green and has a history of going low on Sunday at Waialae. Two years ago he threatened to go sub 60 when he was 9-under with six to play on the par-70 course but settled for a 61. The 27-year-old Mitchell is chasing his first PGA TOUR win. He touted a more conservative approach. “We’re all trying to win out here and want to put ourselves in the best position to win but you don’t do anything stupid unless you’re on 17 or 18 and you’re one or two shots behind,â€� Mitchell said. “We’re going to play 16 holes tomorrow like we have the last three days, and then if we have a chance on 17, 18 to do something aggressive, then I will do it.â€� Kuchar waited 1,667 days and 116 starts between winning the 2014 RBC Heritage and the Mayakoba Golf Classic earlier this season. If he closes the deal Sunday it will be his second win in three starts. On the seven previous times he held the 54-hole lead he won three of them, including recently in Mexico. That fresh experience should come in handy. “Both courses are very tight, very demanding driving golf courses. That would probably be the biggest similarity,â€� he said of El Camaleón and Waialae. “It’s not often you get in a final group Sunday afternoon. I tell people a lot of nerves that happen in golf you start getting used to. “The nerves in golf are kind of like public speaking. The more often you do it the better you deal with it. They may always be there, but you get more comfortable with it. I certainly think having than experience recently will be helpful tomorrow.â€� CALL OF THE DAY

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ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – Webb Simpson was over par while his playing partners were going low in Thursday’s first round of The RSM Classic. He bogeyed his second hole on Sea Island’s Plantation Course, the easier of the two courses used this week, then failed to birdie the par-5 14th hole. His caddie, Paul Tesori, preached patience, and it paid off. Simpson played his final 13 holes in 8 under to shoot 65 and take the first-round lead. RELATED: Leaderboard | Wagner ties TOUR record with third albatross | Howell III stiil has burning desire to win “He told me, no matter how I started out, to stay patient,� Simpson said. “I think he knew scores would be good over there (on the Plantation Course). He helped me weather the storm.� Simpson is making just his second start of the fall season. He finished seventh at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. It was his 13th consecutive finish in the top 30, a span that includes three runners-up. Simpson has been a consistent contender at Sea Island, as well. He was runner-up in 2011, losing a playoff to Ben Crane, and finished third last year, a shot out of the playoff won by Charles Howell III. Simpson got stuck on Seaside in the worse side of the draw in the first round, but battled back with a 63-65 weekend. The year prior, Simpson was in 12th place at the halfway point but withdrew after the second round to be with his ailing father, who died shortly after. Simpson thrives on classic courses and said he plays well anytime he’s near the ocean in the southeastern United States. “I grew up going to the beach in Wilmington, so I just love anytime I get close to the coast here,� Simpson said.� Simpson is seeking his first win since the 2018 PLAYERS. He had three runners-up last season. Rory McIlroy beat him with a final-round 61 at the RBC Canadian Open. J.T. Poston shot 62 on Sunday of the Wyndham Championship. Simpson’s final-round 64 at the World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational was the low round of the day, but he started too far back to catch Brooks Koepka. “It’s been awhile since I’ve won,� Simpson said. “I’ve given myself chances here. Starting this week, all I wanted was a chance Sunday because I do feel comfortable here.�

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