Kuchar, English break records at QBE Shootout

DUBLIN, Ohio – It’s safe to say the members at Ledgeview Golf and Country Club in Abbotsford, British Columbia, have quite the rooting interest in this week’s Workday Charity Open. Adam Hadwin and Nick Taylor – who played their junior golf at Ledgeview – have put themselves squarely in the mix with rounds of 66 and 67, respectively, on Thursday. They’re chasing Collin Morikawa, who leads the tournament after a bogey-free 65 in the first round at Muirfield Village. RELATED: Full leaderboard | How to give Muirfield Village a second identity The 32-year-old Canadians – Taylor is the elder by six months – often roomed together on the road during their early years on the PGA TOUR. Each is married now, and both became fathers in the last year: Taylor’s son was born last October while Hadwin’s daughter arrived in January. For Hadwin, who tied for fourth at last week’s Rocket Mortgage Classic, Thursday’s round was his eighth straight in the 60s and tied his lowest at Muirfield Village, a course that hasn’t been very kind to him in the past. He’s played here five times previously and finished in the top 20 just once. “Obviously had a good week last week and kind of took that momentum into the round,” said Hadwin, who bogeyed his first hole Thursday but more than made amends with seven birdies. “Staying patient. It’s a golf course where you get too aggressive, it’ll sneak up on you pretty quick. “Even with softer conditions than what we’re used to, things aren’t running through fairways and greens are spinning and holding. You can be aggressive, but you get yourself on the wrong side of the hole, even though it’s sort of a tamer Muirfield Village than we may be used to, still a lot of slope on those greens. Just hitting good shots, quality shots to the right side.” Hadwin said his solid play has been building for a while even though he didn’t finish higher than a tie for 41st in his first two starts. Last week at Detroit Golf Club, he didn’t make the kind of rusty mistakes – balls hit out of bounds or in the water – that had marked his first two weeks back in action. “I felt like there were times where last week where I probably could have gotten a few more shots, but I really didn’t have any risk,” Hadwin said. “It was kind of a free-flowing, easy-type round and just not a lot of stress. When you can do that through multiple weeks, it helps a lot.” Hadwin’s buddy Taylor, though, didn’t know quite what to expect when he teed it up at Jack Nicklaus’ signature layout. He’s only played Muirfield Village twice and broken par just twice in six rounds. More to the point, though, the Workday Charity Open, which was essentially organized in a month after the John Deere Classic was canceled in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, marks Taylor’s first start since the TOUR resumed competition five weeks ago. “Obviously the break was great timing for a lot of reasons but have a bit of a cushion, take some more time off, I just really enjoyed being home,” said Taylor, who was grateful for the extra time with young Charlie. “… Yeah, I’m excited to get back out here and play, but it was nice to be home.” Taylor had picked up his second PGA TOUR win prior to the COVID-19 break, going wire-to-wire at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February. He played twice more and got in one round at THE PLAYERS Championship before the TOUR’s showcase event – and the season – was shut down. “I didn’t have a lot of expectations,” Taylor said, thinking about his five-month break. “I’ve played a lot of golf the last month, month and a half, so I felt ready in the sense of playing, in that playing mode. My coach has been here, so I’ve been able to tweak a few things, but I feel pretty good. “I know competitive rust is definitely a thing I’ve had to struggle with in the past, but I’ve felt that I’ve played enough, so I felt good there, and I had no expectations, which is a good thing. So, everything is going well.” Taylor, who is tied with Zach Johnson, Aaron Wise and Hideki Matsuyama, didn’t make a bogey on Thursday. He shot a relatively quiet 35 on the front nine, then drained a 33-footer for birdie at No. 10 and a mere 3-footer for eagle at the 11th to get into the mix. He finished with a flourish, making a 3-footer for a final birdie at No. 18. “I drove it really, really well,” said Taylor, who hit 11 of 14 fairways and 15 of 18 greens in regulation. “… I felt like I put myself in play, which is keeping me out here not being a bomber. … I putted solid, and just overall everything was great.”

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No matter your memory of Pebble Beach Golf Links, there isn’t another that’s more indelible because of the backdrop. For anyone who has been told to visit at least once, there’s a sense that everyone has given how much of it we’ve seen over time. And for anyone who has been told that it’s just not the same on television, that’s true, but with evolution of high definition and 4K, the difference between fantasy and reality never has been closer. Of course, there is no substitute for competing in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. A field of 156 has assembled along 17-Mile Drive for what is the last multiple-course tournament of the 2019-20 season. Spyglass Hill and Monterey Peninsula Country Club’s Shore Course will share duties for the 11th consecutive year. Scroll past the projected contenders for more on the courses, the format and an explanation of the cut. In addition to reviews of past champions Jimmy Walker (2014), Vaughn Taylor (2016) and Jordan Spieth (2017), and notables such as Matt Kuchar, Kevin Na and Kevin Kisner, Tuesday’s Fantasy Insider will include breakdowns of every course and direction for fantasy gamers to customize lineups. The most recent lasting image at Pebble Beach is of Gary Woodland clutching the U.S. Open trophy with a smile befitting of a first-time major champion. Since, Pebble Beach has been given a haircut. Fairways have returned to their familiar width, so they will be inviting once again. The stock par 72 stretches only 6,816 yards, so you’d expect driving accuracy to soar with headcovers remaining on drivers for most of the round. It’s annually among the leaders in addressing approach shots from the shortest grass. Spyglass Hill debuted in the rotation in 1967. It’s been a fixture every year except 1977 and 1980. Since last year, new tees were constructed on the par-5 seventh, par-5 11th and par-4 18th holes. The aggregate increase of 75 yards has stretched the overall length to 7,035 yards, giving this year’s test the distinction as the longest of any of the iterations of all of the courses in tournament history. Still, as a par 72 with four par 5s, it’s projected to yield a scoring average close to par. MPCC’s Shore Course tips at 6,958 yards, but it’s a par 71 with five par 3s and four par 5s, three of which are on its inward-nine 37. It’s usually the easiest of the three in relation to par, but it’s comparatively more difficult when the wind kicks up. That might happen on Saturday. Otherwise beautiful conditions will define the experience. It’ll be cool, however, with daytime highs struggling to reach 60 degrees. All 54 greens consist of Poa annua prepped to run no longer than 12 feet on the Stimpmeter, wind pending. The targets at Pebble Beach are among the smallest on the PGA TOUR at just 3,500 square feet. Even the 6,000-square foot greens on MPCC – largest of the set – are smaller than TOUR average. This is to be expected on shorter courses. The structure of the tournament is similar to The American Express. Each golfer is paired with an amateur and another pro-am team. Together, they rotate through each of the three courses. The cut at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am differs in that only the low 60 and ties move on to play the final round on Pebble Beach. However, all golfers who finish in the low 65 and ties receive FedExCup points and official earnings. The low 25 pro-am teams also will play in the finale on Pebble Beach even if the pro missed the cut in the individual competition. ShotLink technology is set up only on Pebble Beach, so all measured data will apply to at most 36 holes (for those who survive the cut). ROB BOLTON’S SCHEDULE PGATOUR.COM’s Fantasy Insider Rob Bolton recaps and previews every tournament from numerous angles. Look for his following contributions as scheduled. MONDAY: Rookie Ranking, Qualifiers, Reshuffle, Medical Extensions, Power Rankings TUESDAY*: Sleepers, Fantasy Insider * – Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COM’s Expert Picks for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf, which also publishes on Tuesday.

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JACKSON, Miss.  — Ryan Armour and Tyrone Van Aswegen are threatening to break up the young men’s monopoly at the Sanderson Farms Championship. The 41-year-old Armour shot a 4-under 68 in Friday’s second round to take a one-shot lead over Van Aswegen at the Country Club of Jackson. Armour has never won on the PGA TOUR and has only four top 10s in 104 career events. He made four straight birdies on the back nine and finished just before a wave of thunderstorms swept over the Country Club of Jackson and suspended play for the day. There were 30 players still on the course when play ended. They’ll finish their second rounds on Saturday in what’s expected to be much colder weather. Armour, who grew up in Ohio, said he’s used to playing in less than ideal conditions. He’s at 10-under 134. “No matter if it’s cold or hot, if the scores are going crazy, just give yourself as many opportunities as you can to be successful,” Armour said. Armour or Van Aswegen, 35, would be the oldest winner at Sanderson Farms since Woody Austin in 2013. Cody Gribble, Peter Malnati and Nick Taylor were all in their 20s when they won over the past three years. So were Scott Stallings, who won in 2012, and Chris Kirk in 2011. Armour has been on the PGA TOUR off and on since 2007, but never had consistent success, bouncing between the Web.com and PGA TOUR. He didn’t play in any PGA TOUR events from 2011 and 2014 and didn’t even qualify for the Web.com Tour in 2013. He spent much of that time around his home course in Florida, catching up with family and making adjustments to his game. “I knew if I was going to get back going, it had to happen then,” Armour said. He got his Web.com card back in 2014 and eventually made it back to the PGA TOUR last season. He had to go to the Web.com Tour Finals to get his card back for this season and finished second in the first Finals event last month. Now he’s brought that form to Mississippi. Van Aswegen, winless in four years on the PGA TOUR, shot the low round of the day, a 7-under 65. He tied for ninth at the Safeway Open earlier this month in Napa, California. The South African started on the back nine and was 3 under before a double bogey on No. 16. He rebounded with seven birdies over his final 10 holes. “I had to just make a decision to keep going,” Van Aswegen said. “If you don’t do that, your round is toast. I was pretty happy to rebound after that. I had some luck along the way, too, so that was nice.” Vaughn Taylor shot 66 and was two shots back, along with Seamus Power, who had two holes left to play in the second round on Saturday. Dru Love, the son of Davis Love III who is playing on a sponsor’s exemption, shot 67 and was four shots back. His father shot 72 and was likely to miss the cut.

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