TRUCKEE, Calif. (AP) — Troy Merritt made two late birdies Saturday to take a four-point lead into the final round of the Barracuda Championship, the PGA Tour’s lone modified Stableford scoring event.
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Macklemore didn’t think much of golf. Well, now he’s hooked. From changing the way players dress to his bucket list courses to how it’s helped him stay clean, he hits it all with Michael Collins.
KAPALUA, Hawaii – Marc Leishman has long been known as the wind warrior from Warrnambool and his first-round effort at the Sentry Tournament of Champions certainly lived up to his moniker. With steady winds of 15-25 mph and gusts of up to 35 mph hitting the Plantation Course, Leishman’s leading 6-under 67 was an impressive effort. But it wasn’t a surprise to those who know him well. The three-time PGA TOUR winner cut his teeth on the Melbourne sandbelt of courses in his native Australia that hosts gems like Royal Melbourne, Kingston Heath and Victoria Golf Club. Those ageless tracks are often defended by the local winds. But it was his days as a junior growing up in the coastal town of Warrnambool, southwest of Melbourne, where the comfort level in serious gusts came from. “Every day it was windy down there. It would be a calm day down there and I wouldn’t know what to do and would play terrible,â€� Leishman said. “Just basically every round of golf I played until I was 15 was in a really strong wind. I just didn’t know any different and it actually took me some time when I got over here to find my feet when it wasn’t windy.â€� With the forecast predicting more of the same for the remainder of the tournament the 34-year-old is well primed to add a fourth TOUR title, and third win inside 10 months. The memories of the week are already much better than his only other appearance where gale-force winds caused several delays and eventually resulted in a 54-hole tournament in 2013. It wasn’t the wind that hurt him that year – but the local food. “I got food poisoning on the Thursday night, so the Friday I threw up three times in the first five holes and they canceled the whole day so I was really happy,â€� he recalled. “I remember spending a lot of time in a hotel room.â€� OBSERVATIONS HARMAN STARTS YEAR IN HARMONY: It is clearly early in 2018 but it appears Brian Harman is poised to have another impressive year. The former Georgia Bulldog fed off his alma mater’s success on the football field to go bogey-free and sit just one back at 5-under 68. “Whenever you get to count on your birdies, you’re doing something good, especially in tough conditions,â€� Harman said. “I’m very happy with it. Did I expect it? Most rounds I don’t go bogey-free, so I did not expect it. But you have to dial it back just a little bit on days like today to make sure that you stay in play and I was able to do that.â€� CLEAR-HEADED SI WOO GOES LOW: THE PLAYERS champion Si Woo Kim says a refreshed mind could be the key to more rounds like his opening 4-under 67. With just one top-10 finish in 16 PGA TOUR starts since his win last year at TPC Sawgrass Kim enjoyed a healthy break over the holidays as he looked to recharge. “I didn’t expect much because I had one month off,â€� Kim said. “But everything does feel better than last year, my head is all clean.â€� DJ NOT DIALED IN: It says a lot for Dustin Johnson’s talent level when he’s clearly not dialed in yet sits just two shots off the lead. Johnson hit just 8 of 15 fairways (T28) and was 26th in the 34-man field in proximity to the hole on approach yet still found a way to an eagle and three birdies with just a lone bogey. “Definitely missed some putts, but I felt like I hit good putts, just didn’t have quite enough speed and lipped out a few on the low side,â€� he said. “But other than that, it was really solid.â€� NOTABLES Jordan Spieth – If Spieth is to continue his run of top three finishes at the Plantation Course it is going to take a very impressive turnaround. The 2016 Sentry Tournament of Champions winner struggled to a 2-over 75 and was T30 in the 34-man field after feeling a little under the weather. Justin Thomas – The defending champion and FedExCup holder fought back from a scratchy middle section of his round to post a 2-under 71 to sit T12. Dustin Johnson – The world No. 1 sits well poised in a tie for fourth after a gutsy 4-under 69. Johnson had three birdies and an eagle with just a lone bogey. Rickie Fowler – Coming off his win at the Hero World Challenge and sporting an impressive Hawaiian shirt, Fowler shot 69 to be just two shots back of the lead in a tie for fourth. Patton Kizzire – The FedExCup leader is T17 after an opening-round 72. QUOTABLES “Just met friends, ate a lot of food, getting fat.â€� – Si Woo Kim on his time off. “I killed a 162-inch deer with my bow, I got a new rifle built, I’ve been shooting some long range. I’m about to get into reloading, reloading the bullets and then I practiced a little bit.â€� – Brian Harman on his off-season. “This is the first time in my life I’m the oldest at anything, so I think this is great. I found out Wednesday that I’m two days older than Pat Perez. So we were joking about it at the hotel and he was kind of upset because he wanted to be the oldest.â€� Ryan Armour, 41, on being the elder statesman in the youngest TOC field in history. “I feel like I hit my irons as good as some of the best on TOUR, and if I’m able to keep it in play, give myself some really good positions to attack these hole locations, I’m going to have a lot of birdie opportunities which is always good.â€� – Jhonattan Vegas after a 5-under 68 left him T2. “It was definitely the best break I’ve had all year. I left a big hole in their backyard, so when they get home they will be surprised.â€� – a deadpan Marc Leishman after a wild drive on the 14th landed in someone’s yard but was ruled in bounds and playable. “Well, we are in Maui, so I feel like this shirt was somewhat fitting. It fits here. I wasn’t afraid of going out and doing something different. I’ve always been different. I don’t want to go straight down the middle of the fairway. I like to skirt into the rough a little bit, but at the same time obviously still be respectable.â€� – Rickie Fowler on his unique Hawaiian golf shirt. SUPERLATIVES Low round: Marc Leishman’s 6-under 67 included eight birdies and two bogeys. He missed eagle putts from 15 and 7 feet. Longest drive: Patrick Cantlay sent one 412 yards on the par-4 seventh before wedging it to 20 feet and making birdie. Longest putt: Chris Stroud drained one from 48 feet, 11 inches on the par-4 fourth while Russell Henley was also pleased with his birdie putt on the 13th from 46 feet, 8 inches. Easiest hole: The par-5 fifth averaged 4.382 with one eagle, 22 birdies, nine pars, one bogey and one double bogey. Hardest hole: The par-3 eighth played at 3.265 yielding just five birdies, 19 pars, eight bogeys and two others.
Here are nine tidbits from the first round of the 147th Open Championship gamers can use tomorrow, this weekend or down the road. Carnoustie Golf Links in Angus, Scotland, plays to Par-71 (36-35) and is hosting for the eighth time. KNOW THY ENEMY These were the top-10 selected golfers in the PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf game presented by SERVPRO. The third major championship of the season is underway on a very firm and fast Carnoustie. The fairways were Stimped at 9.5 feet while the greens were running 10.1 feet, so the pros had to adapt and adjust. As they day wore on the wind never picked up as severely as expected, but the best scores of the day were posted from the earlier tee times. World No. 2 Justin Thomas rewarded his investors with 69 (-2) late in the afternoon and will move them up the standings. PEOPLE’S CHOICE Dustin Johnson decided that he was going to bomb away in Round 1 and it resulted in only one birdie in a round of 76 (+5). His final four holes included a bogey and a dreaded triple at the last. It could have been worse but he made par on the first Par-5 hole after hitting his driver OB. Gamers will be pleased to see he leads the TOUR in second round scoring and he’ll need to find more than one birdie to find the weekend. LEAD ‘DAWG Kevin Kisner picked the right time to post his lowest round on TOUR (in relation to par) since April as his 66 (-5) is the best of the bunch after Round 1. Playing in his fourth Open, the former Georgia Bulldog had his best round of 11 as he circled four birdies and an eagle against only one bogey. The one club in the bag cooperating this season has been the putter as he checked in No. 17 in SG: putting before the week started. Kisner only needed 22 putts in Round 1, easily leading the field, with three fewer than Marc Leishman’s 25. MAJOR FACTOR AGAIN Tony Finau defied all odds in April after collecting T10 at the Masters after dislocating his ankle during the Par-3 Contest. With two properly working lower limbs, he returned to the forefront at Shinnecock Hills as his 66 on Saturday saw him land in the final group. His he finished fifth alone for his sixth top 10 of the year. The big hitter signed for 67 with four bogeys and currently shares second just one back. PROWLING Gamers will be happy to read Tiger Woods didn’t lose The Open in Round 1. His conservative game plan kept the big numbers off of his card and his hopes for a fourth title intact for at least one more round. His even-par 71 included a bogey-free 34 in the outward nine before three bogeys on the back nine as he came home in 37. He played both Par-5 holes even and that didn’t please him much. Neither did his rough night’s sleep as he played his round with MAGIC TAPE on his upper back and neck. He’s out in the rain tomorrow morning, so we’ll see what that brings! FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING Rickie Fowler is looking to claim his first major championship at Carnoustie and keep the tradition alive. The last three times the northern-most course in the Rota has hosted, Tom Watson (1975), Paul Lawrie (1999) and Padraig Harrington (2007) all picked up their first major. Fowler had a very solid day as he circled three and squared a pair and sits four shots off Kisner’s lead. BEWARE THE “INJUREDâ€� GOLFER It has been said that TOUR players don’t necessarily prefer when they have multiple options in playing a shot or attacking a certain hole. I believe fantasy gamers are in exactly the same boat. Henrik Stenson bailed on the Scottish Open last week to rest an ailing elbow, forcing gamers to make a decision this week. Those who stuck with him were rewarded with 70 (-1) and no signs of any problems Thursday. CAR-NASTY Johnson wasn’t the only big name bitten in the opening round. Sergio Garcia needed a birdie on the last to sign for 75 (+4). His three opening rounds at Carnoustie are 83, 67 and 75. Jordan Spieth was three-under through 14 holes and signed for 72 (+1) after a double on No. 15 and bogeys on Nos. 16 and 18. Marc Leishman was four-under through eight holes before playing his final 10 holes in five-over. He also signed for 72 and is T51 with those 25 putts. STUDY HALL Unsurprisingly, there were zero bogey-free rounds. Tony Finau led the field with eight birdies. Carnoustie member Englishman Matthew Southgate is looking to improve on his T12 (’16) and T6 (’17) finish from the last two Open Championships. His 69 (-2) rests him inside the top 10. There are three South Africans in the top five and none of them are named Oosthuizen, Schwartzel or Grace. The other Englishman in the top 10 is 2016 Masters champion Danny Willett (T8), not Poulter, Rose, Westwood, Fitzpatrick or Casey. The Barbasol Championship is being held for the first time at Keene Trace outside Lexington, Kentucky. Andres Romero is in front at the time of filing, as he opened with a 65 (-7). Newly un-retired John Peterson is two shots back and in the clubhouse with 67.
