Brooks Koepka back to his best at WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – It would be fitting if a tip from former THE PLAYERS champion Tim Clark produced the newest member of the club to win at TPC Sawgrass. A year ago Clark approached Webb Simpson on the eve of THE PLAYERS Championship and offered his fellow former anchored putting buddy a tip. Simpson was in the putting wilderness after being forced to switch from his near life-long method of belly-putting thanks to the anchor ban. The former U.S. Open champion had ranked inside the top 53 players for Strokes Gained: Putting from his debut year in 2009 through the 2014 season with a high mark of 15th. But after switching he plummeted to 174th in 2015 and 177th in 2016. He was lost. “Tim asked me how I’ve been putting, and I told him, pretty inconsistent. He asked me had I ever tried the claw grip, and I said no. So I tried it. I liked it,â€� Simpson explained of the encounter a year ago. “So thanks to Tim, I started putting better last year.â€� The combination of a mid-length putter that rests against the forearm – ala Matt Kuchar – and the claw grip has been a game changer. He put it in to place and finished T16 last year. Last season Simpson’s strokes gained ranking improved to 88th. This season he entered this week ranked 10th. This week he’s first – gaining an incredible 9.079 shots on the field so far through two rounds. Round one was the 10th best of his career in the stat. Round two the fifth best. “It turned his whole season around and turned his career around, getting it to where we thought it was going to be. The putter isn’t a problem anymore,â€� long-time caddie and friend Paul Tesori says of the change a year ago. “For us, it’s nothing short of miraculous. We got to a two and a half year stretch where we didn’t know if we ever would see it again. “We’ve had some battles. It’s been stressful.â€� On Friday, Simpson officially made 142-feet, eight inches worth of putts. But this didn’t include an 18-footer he made from the fringe on the 12th hole and a 28-footer he drained from behind the 15th green. “Obviously I’ve been with guys who have shot some incredible rounds, but it was just amazing how many putts he made,â€� playing partner Jhonattan Vegas said. “He hit the ball really well, but he was just making it from everywhere. I was rooting for him to break the course record; he definitely had it. “The putt that shocked me was the putt he made on 15, which would have gone way far by but went in. Right there we knew he had something special at that point, so we were just rooting. We were fans at that point.â€� Adam Scott, another of the players forced to change once the anchor ban came in, tipped his hat to Simpson’s transformation. Scott himself has spent the last few seasons changing between a short and long putter, still searching for something he can reliably trust. “There is some psychological stuff involved,â€� Scott said. “In the two or three years between the making of the decision and the rule coming into effect we were being called cheats and all sorts out there. “Then the not knowing what’s going to happen… how you’ll go. Learning a new technique and feels. Lots of things played into it. “The guy spent thousands of hours in his life working on a particular method and he’s sent back to square one. So all credit to him.â€� As much as anything Simpson himself is happy just to have belief in himself again. In the dark times it was hard not to wonder if he’d ever find a way. “Confidence is so big, and it can change the way you think… Even more so maybe with putting,â€� Simpson said. “Putting there’s read, there’s grain, there’s speed… there’s the stroke, the aimer, and then there’s you. “I had tournaments where I putted well, but I never had stretches of three months, six months, eight months where consistently I was a lot better. “Once that kind of four, five, six months of good putting hit, I started to believe again that I’m a good putter. It had been a long time since I had really felt that and believed it.â€� We believe it to now.

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Play was suspended in the first round of the Shriners Hospital for Children Open with a few players left on the course. Here is how we are currently projecting the 36-hole cut: 1 under par: 29 percent 2 under par: 23 percent Even par: 20 percent Not only do we model uncertainty in how each golfer will perform on a given day, but also in how difficult the course will play; that is why no specific number for the cutline is particularly likely. The same golf course routinely plays 1 stroke harder or easier from one day to the next, and as a result it is difficult to be particularly confident in where a cutline will fall before Friday’s play begins. TPC Summerlin played to an average of -0.7 strokes under par on Thursday, averaging 0.5 strokes more difficult for the afternoon wave. Here are the hole-by-hole scoring averages: In terms of win probability, Bryson DeChambeau and Jordan Spieth lead the way after firing matching rounds of 66. Close behind is Rickie Fowler, who was our second-highest rated player in this field (behind only Tony Finau). Here are the remaining top 10 win probabilities: NOTE: These reports are based off the live predictive model run by @DataGolf. The model provides live “Make Cut�, “Top 20�, “Top 5�, and “Win� probabilities every 5 minutes from the opening tee shot to the final putt of every PGA TOUR event. Briefly, the model takes account of the current form of each golfer as well as the difficulty of their remaining holes, and probabilities are calculated from 10K simulations. To follow live finish probabilities throughout the remainder of the Shriners Hospital for Children Open, or to see how each golfer’s probabilities have evolved from the start of the event to the current time, click here for the model’s home page.

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SILVIS, Ill. – It’s been nearly two years since Jhonattan Vegas became the first Venezuelan to play in the Presidents Cup, unleashing fiery fist pumps and providing one of the few highlights for the International Team with a singles victory over Jordan Spieth at Liberty National.  He desperately wants to get back for the 2019 Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne, Dec. 12-15, and while he came into the John Deere Classic at 26th in the International standings, he stands to make a big move in the right direction. Vegas shot a second-round 62 that left him with a three-shot lead after the morning wave at TPC Deere Run on Friday.  “I had such a tremendous time there playing in that Presidents Cup that I definitely want to play in this one,â€� said Vegas, who hit nine of 14 fairways, and 16 greens in regulation. “Especially playing for Ernie, such a big guy for us Internationals, and it would be amazing to be a part of it. I’ve got to step it up these next few weeks and hopefully give myself a chance.â€� Vegas’ career-best FedExCup finish is 23rd, in 2017, so at 70th in this year’s standings, it isn’t as if he’s fallen off the map. You might recall he made one of the most amazing putts of the year, a double-breaking, coast-to-coast job on the iconic 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass, as he finished T3 at THE PLAYERS Championship. He finished T8 at the Wells Fargo Championship.  No, it’s just that Vegas, 34, has felt slightly off with his ball-striking all year and couldn’t figure out what was wrong. That is, until he was on the range after his opening round here and made a slight adjustment in his posture over the ball. Something clicked. Related: Tee times | Wolff back to work after win | Projected FedExCup standings He brought it to the course Friday, and it continued to work like magic.  “Probably the best I’ve felt all year, to be honest,â€� he said after taking just 26 putts for nine birdies and no bogeys. “I mean, I hit the ball extremely well, kind of what I’ve been struggling with a little bit the past few months. … I’m glad that stuff is back.â€� Vegas made over 117 feet of putts and was first in Strokes Gained: Putting. His 62 was two shy of his career low, a second-round 60 at the 2016 Barbasol Championship. Not bad, considering he hasn’t played the Deere since 2015 (T44). He tied for third at TPC Deere Run in 2014.  The Deere is the last chance for those not yet in the field at The Open Championship next week, and as it stands now Vegas would nab the final spot on offer. With two more good rounds, he would also solidify his position in the race for the FedExCup, which will take on added significance this year. Vegas’ wife, Hildegard, is due with the couple’s second child, a son, during the week of The Northern Trust, the first event of the Playoffs. “I told Ru (Ruben Yorio), my caddie, that it’s been a long time since I’ve felt this good,â€� Vegas said. “I’ve been working really hard the whole year to kind of feel good with my ball-striking, and found something yesterday on the range, and it was so good to carry it through to today, and it paid off, so hopefully we can continue that the next two days.â€�

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