Sleeper Picks: Shriners Hospitals for Children Open

ST. LOUIS — Two-time U.S. Open champion Brooks Koepka took a step toward adding a third major to his short list of victories. Koepka bullied rain-softened Bellerive on Saturday on the front nine and built a four-shot lead, only to run into bad patch that brought a strong list of contenders into the mix — including Tiger Woods — going into the final round of the PGA Championship. Even with back-to-back bogeys on the back nine, Koepka had a 4-under 66 for a two-shot lead over Adam Scott, the 2013 Masters champion who has been struggling through his worst season in nearly two decades. Scott had a 65 to get into the final group. Gary Woodland lost his way in his footprints in a bunker and made triple bogey on No. 10, falling six shots behind, and still managed a 71 to stay within three shots of the lead, along with Jon Rahm (66) and Rickie Fowler (69). The biggest buzz, as always, belonged to Woods. Coming off a three-putt bogey on the fifth hole, Woods ran off three straight birdies to get in range, only to stall on the back nine like he has done so often this year. He hit a 4-iron so pure on the par-5 17th hole that he immediately began walking off to it, and thousands of fans roared when it settled 20 feet from the hole for an eagle that could have brought him within one of the lead. He missed. And then he missed the next from 4 feet for birdie and ended his day with 10 straight pars. Woods had to settle for a 66, and by the time everyone else came through the 17th hole, he slipped back to a tie for sixth, four shots out of the lead. That’s the same position he was in going into the final round of the British Open at Carnoustie, where he led briefly in the final before fading. Now he gets another shot, and it most likely will take another round like Saturday. “Not just myself, but everyone’s going to have to shoot low rounds,” Woods said. “It’s soft, it’s gettable, and you can’t just go out there and make a bunch of pars.” Koepka was at 12-under 198 and will play in the final group of a major for the first time. He won in the penultimate group at the U.S. Open each of the last two years. He already burnished his reputation two months ago by winning a U.S. Open on two entirely different courses — one at Erin Hills with a record-tying score of 16-under par, the other at Shinnecock Hills where he survived to win at 1-over par. He has only one other PGA TOUR victory, one in Europe and two in Japan. But put him against the strongest fields and the biggest events, and he’s a world-beater. This test figures to be different. Bellerive is so soft that a charge can come from anywhere. “I’ve watched Tiger win 14 of these things hanging around a lot of the time,” Scott said. “He ran away with a few, for sure, but he hung around for a lot. And I would love to hang around tomorrow. And that might mean shooting 5 under again to hang around, but I would love to be in the mix coming down the stretch and have the chance to hole some putts to win.” Ten players were within four shots of the lead, which includes defending champion Justin Thomas (68), Jason Day (67) and Stewart Cink, the 2009 The Open Championship winner who played with Woods and matched his 66. “It’s a pretty intense environment out there. It’s fun,” Cink said. “Hearing the crowd, and Tiger’s performing great, it was like turning back the hands of the clock.” Woods and Fowler were among those just happy to get off the course. They had to finish their second rounds on Saturday morning because of rain that deluged Bellerive late Friday afternoon. Woods played 29 holes, while Fowler played 26. No one caught Woodland, meaning his 36-hole score of 130 stood as the PGA Championship record. The cut was another record, coming at even-par 140 and knocking out the likes of Phil Mickelson. That means Mickelson will fail to automatically qualify for the Ryder Cup team for the first time since his first full season on the PGA TOUR in 1993.

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The FedExCup Playoffs are upon us. To get you apprised on the 125 players who are competing for the FedExCup, here’s a quick one-liner on each postseason participant. The Playoffs get underway this week with THE NORTHERN TRUST at Liberty National. Players have just two weeks to jockey for one of the coveted 30 spots at East Lake, where the TOUR Championship will debut a new format to decide the FedExCup champion. RELATED: Roundtable: FedExCup Playoffs | Seven things to know about Liberty National Here’s a quick look at the men who will play for the ultimate prize.

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He endured three playoff losses before earning his first PGA TOUR win, at the 2015 and now he’s on the card at another big fight.CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Quail Hollow has a history for rewarding golf’s biggest hitters, but the 165-pound player who’s been atop the leaderboard all week at the PGA Championship is accustomed to punching above his weight class. Kevin Kisner doesn’t impress fans with a silky swing that produces jaw-dropping drives, but he has the strong will and tenacity that we love to see from our undersized athletes. It’s the reason movies like “Rudyâ€� get made. “The TOUR, the way it’s going, everybody is huge and driving it 350 yards,â€� Kisner said. “Guys like (me) are less and less. If you don’t have that attitude, you’re going to get run over out here.â€� Kisner has displayed a strong will and determination to make it this far, and those characteristics will undoubtedly come in handy now that he holds a one-shot lead entering the final round of a major championship. This is the player who just four years ago was pondering retirement because he couldn’t keep his ball on the planet. He endured three playoff losses before earning his first PGA TOUR win, at the 2015 RSM Classic and now he’s on the card at another big fight. Kisner will have little room for error Sunday, and not just because of his slim advantage. Quail Hollow’s uppercut is lethal to a lightweight, the course’s thick rough and firm greens even more penal for a shorter hitter. “I’m in a dogfight tomorrow and I have to be prepared for that,â€� said Kisner, who ranks ninth in the FedExCup. He earned his second PGA TOUR win earlier this season at the DEAN & DELUCA Invitational. Kisner had the opportunity to take a larger lead into the final round until he was undone by Quail Hollow’s demanding finishing stretch, known as the Green Mile. He played the final three holes in 3 over to shoot 1-over 72 on Saturday. “I had a chance to run away from guys and take people out of the tournament that were four or five, six back, and I didn’t do it,â€� Kisner said. At 7-under 206, he sits one shot ahead of two players who both hoisted trophies of their own last Sunday. One is Chris Stroud, a 35-year-old who earned his long-awaited first win last week at the Barracuda Championship. The other may be the hottest player on the planet, Hideki Matsuyama. The FedExCup leader is coming off a Sunday 61 at the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational. It was his third win of the season. Justin Thomas and Louis Oosthuizen are another shot back. Thomas is another three-time winner this season, while Oosthuizen is the only major champion among the top 15 on the leaderboard. That experience may come in handy Sunday, because Quail Hollow is playing like an old-fashioned major layout, with thick rough and firm, fast greens. One bad swing can lead to bogey … or worse. “It’s the type of golf course you don’t have to go out and make birdies. You just need to keep everything together,â€� Oosthuizen said. The end of Saturday’s round showed how penal the place can be. It had been a rather quiet day as players cautiously navigated their way around this Charlotte track, contentedly collecting pars. Kisner hit his approach shot into the water at No. 16, and was one fortunate bridge bounce away from doing the same on the final hole. He played his final three holes in 3 over to drastically change the complexion of Sunday’s final round. This is the fifth time that Kisner has held a 54-hole lead. He has converted one of the previous four into a victory (2015 RSM Classic). Because of his lack of length, Kisner has limited opportunities to make birdies at Quail Hollow. When he first visited the course a few weeks ago, he knew there were only a handful of holes he could be aggressive on: the course’s three par-5s (Nos. 7, 10 and 15) and two short par-4s, the 346-yard eighth hole and drivable 14th. He’s executed his gameplan perfectly. He’s 11 under par on those holes this week, making nine birdies and an eagle. He’s 4 over on the rest of the golf course, making just three birdies on the remainder of Quail Hollow’s holes. “It’s a difficult mind-set where you’re … holding on, holding on, and then you’re like, ‘Oh, I’ve got to birdie, I’ve got to birdie,â€� Kisner said. “You’ve got to be ready to handle that situation and the change, and you’ve got to be able to take 30 feet (for birdie) and take your medicine. I think that’s one of the biggest things out there.â€� Kisner, a lifetime resident of the South, fares well on Bermudagrass greens, but Quail Hollow’s length would seemingly disqualify a player who ranks 127th on the PGA TOUR in driving distance (288.3 yards). “When we came up here a few weeks ago, we realized that we had to be spot-on with our ball-striking,â€� Scott Brown said. “He’s been ball-striking it to death.â€� Despite having longer clubs into the greens than a majority of the field, Kisner leads in greens in regulation. He’s missed just 12 greens over three rounds. “He’s always a good iron player. He lives and dies by the putter,â€� Brown said. He’s succeeded with those clubs thus far this week. He’s fourth in Strokes Gained: Putting (+2.011 strokes per round) and fourth in driving accuracy, hitting 31 of 42 fairways. Quail Hollow’s new Bermudagrass rough is thicker than players are accustomed to at the Wells Fargo Championship, and especially penal considering the course’s firm greens. “The rough’s brutal. … If I can just keep hitting fairways, I’m going to like my chances,â€� Kisner said. But if he makes one mistake, the brute called Quail Hollow is waiting to knock him out.

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