Brooke Henderson says there’s a chance sister Brittany will be back on the bag at KPMG

Round 2 of the Charles Schwab Challenge takes place Friday from Colonial Country Club. The grouping of Phil Mickelson, Jordan Spieth and Daniel Berger will have the crowd’s attention, but plenty of other stars will be in the field including Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Billy Horschel, Justin Rose, Patrick Reed, Ryan Palmer, Sergio Garcia, Kevin Kisner and Will Zalatoris. Here’s everything you need to know to follow the action, including Featured Groups for PGA TOUR LIVE. Leaderboard Full tee times HOW TO FOLLOW Television: Thursday-Friday, 4 p.m.-7 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday, 2 p.m.-5:30 p.m. (Golf Channel), 5:30-7 p.m. (CBS). Sunday, 1 p.m.-2 p.m. (Golf Channel), 2 p.m.-6:30 p.m. (CBS) PGA TOUR LIVE: Thursday-Friday 8 a.m.-7 p.m. (Featured Groups). Saturday, 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. (Featured Groups), 5:30 p.m.-7 p.m. (Featured Holes). Sunday, 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. (Featured Groups), 2 p.m.-6:30 p.m. (Featured Holes) Radio: Thursday-Friday, 1 p.m.-7 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m.-7 p.m., Sunday, 1 p.m.-6:30 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com/liveaudio). TOURCast: Get shot-by-shot info in real time with shot tracks and video with TOURCast. TOUR Pulse: Get the PGA TOUR app to utilize TOUR Pulse, which provides users the ability to experience a mix of content, such as video highlights, written hole summaries and stat graphics on every player after every hole they complete. FEATURED GROUPS Ryan Palmer, Sergio Garcia, Kevin Kisner (tee times) Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Billy Horschel (tee times) Phil Mickelson, Daniel Berger, Jordan Spieth (tee times) Justin Rose, Patrick Reed, Joaquin Niemann (tee times) MUST READS Jordan Spieth rolls to bogey-free 63 at Charles Schwab Challenge Sergio Garcia, Jordan Spieth share lead at Charles Schwab Challenge Phil Mickelson’s bag: How it compares to past wins at Colonial Cut prediction: Charles Schwab Challenge Top 10 moments in Charles Schwab Challenge history How Leonard bucked conventional wisdom to build Colonial CALL OF THE DAY

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CROMWELL, Conn. – There was a ride of roughly 700 miles ahead of them, but after some of the trappings that had punctuated this wildest journey of their lives, Zack and Courtney Sucher said Sunday evening they were going to enjoy the car time with daughters Hadley and Claire. Indeed, Courtney said the 9-to-10-hour drive from this bucolic town to Detroit’s Motown was going to feel like a sunset cruise compared to the stressful roller-coaster excursion their life has been of late. After all, it is easy to drive hundreds of miles with money in the bank and job security in the trunk, next to the golf clubs. You can float on your blessings. But to try and go from nowhere to somewhere on interest-free credit cards is a rough ride. You have to embrace faith. “I know with Zack, he doesn’t ever give up,� said Courtney. “He’s a true believer. I have faith in him, and I had faith in God that he would get him there.� Specifically, by “there�, Courtney Sucher didn’t mean Detroit Golf Club for this week’s Rocket Mortgage Classic. She meant to a place where you have peace of mind and the relief to know all your perseverance and trusts have been rewarded. It is a far more beautiful place than a golf course, no disrespect to venerable Detroit GC, which will host a PGA TOUR tournament for the first time. The peace of mind and relief are owed to the way the numbers fell in Sucher’s favor in a whirlwind of weekend golf at the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands. He arrived at the tournament on one of two exemptions extended to players on the Korn Ferry Tour list; that spot appreciated because Zack Sucher is also on a medical exemption dating back to 2017 and knew he had just two tournaments left to generate 347 FedExCup points. If Sucher didn’t get overwhelmed by the task of piling up that many FEC points in such a short amount of time, perhaps it’s because real life had hit hard. “Coming back from medical,� he said, “we had seven months with no income at all coming in two years ago. During that time, we had to take out some credit cards.� Not a recommended course of action, but in 2017, Sucher had missed the cut in 11 of 14 starts before opting for surgery. Doctors in Birmingham, Ala., where he and Courtney live, went into Zack’s left leg to repair extensive ligament and tendon damage, and while they were there they fixed some issues his bad knee, too. The recovery time kept him out the rest of 2017 and all of the next season. When he returned to golf in 2019, Sucher tackled the Korn Ferry Tour and produced a T-2, a T-4, and enough money to sit 32nd and assure himself status out there for this year and next. Then, the former University of Alabama-Birmingham standout set his sights on the PGA TOUR, where he knew he was a long-shot. Which is OK, because a long-shot with an inner belief, a supportive wife, and a small circle of friends is in position to script an intriguing story. And Craig Mullinax, for one, couldn’t wait to be part of it. “Zack is as good as gold, a really good man,� said Mullinax, whose nephew, Trey Mullinax, also plays on the PGA TOUR. “I got to know Zack about two-and-a-half years ago. We hang out at Shoal Creek a lot and when he asked me to caddie for him, I was excited for the chance.� By now, the particulars to the story have been well documented: How Sucher in Round 3 went from six in the lead to six behind playing competitor Chez Reavie, thanks in large part to a horrific meltdown of a three-hole stretch and a back-nine 41, and how he played those same nine holes in 5-under 30 Sunday to sprint into a tie for second behind Reavie, rake in 245 FedExCup points and put himself in position to secure a PGA TOUR card for the rest of this year and in 2019-20. Yes, you can cue up any of the underdog music you prefer, but amid the wild scene in the scoring area Sunday, Courtney Sucher and Mullinax stood to the side and sang the praises of their husband and friend, not words to a song. And they focused not on the blur of that back-nine 30, but on the darker moments that Zack had to navigate to get here. “At Wells Fargo, when he made that double-bogey (on the 13th hole in Round 2 to fall one outside the cut), he didn’t give up,� said Courtney. “He told me the eagle he made two holes later changed his whole perspective to this comeback.� That eagle got Sucher into weekend play, but more importantly, it ignited a confidence within. “He’s never doubted his ability to stay in it,� she said. As for Mullinax, he watched as his man bogeyed the 10th hole Saturday, then followed it with ugly double-bogeys at 11 and 12. “It was a huge moment, but at the 13th tee I told him, ‘Look, we’ve got to get together here and work to make pars to settle this thing,’ � said Mullinax, whose older brother (and Trey’s dad) is Chip Mullinax, a former NASCAR driver. “When a car spins out, you get it back in gear and get back into the race,� Mullinax said. And clearly Sucher understood, because he made six straight pars after that stunning third-round stretch at 10-11-12 and that went a long way toward vaulting him into Sunday’s spectacular finish. “I wasn’t sure how I would handle it this weekend,� said Sucher. “I’ve done it on the Korn Ferry Tour a few times, but this was (different). Crowd-wise, everything is 10 times bigger out here, so to be honest, it was so much fun.� To study the logistics of his status Sunday night was to deflect enthusiasm away from a story that deserved good cheer. Courtney choked back tears, Mullinax kept shaking his head, and the man of the hour, having acknowledged that the share of second was worth $636,000, was true to his embrace of simple means. “I know that like two months ago, we had credit-card debt, so I know we don’t have that anymore.� While he’s still shy by 77 FedExCup points of what he needs to satisfy his medical-exemption target, it’s almost irrelevant. Having earned 126-to-150 status, Sucher will be able to play more than two tournaments, if he chooses, and the likelihood of finishing within the top 125 (he’s currently 126th on just four starts) is very good. A story with so many layers of inspiration and warmth, though Zack Sucher – who only moments earlier had bumped fists with Bryson DeChambeau who smiled and let out with a “Hell, yeah� – stood in the scoring area and tried to absorb it all. “It’s huge for us. It’s exciting. It’s awesome. (but) you know, honestly, I can’t wrap my head around it,� he said. Which is OK. That’s what the long drive to Detroit was for.

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Winning on the PGA TOUR is no small feat. Over the last five seasons, 1,181 different players have teed it up in at least one tournament. Only 103 of them - less than 9% – have a victory during that span. Since the pandemic hiatus ended last May at the Charles Schwab Challenge, only three players have picked up their first win: Richy Werenski (Barracuda Championship), Jason Kokrak (CJ CUP @ SHADOW CREEK) and Carlos Ortiz (Vivint Houston Open). Over the last five seasons, 24% of PGA TOUR victories are attributed to first-time champions. The other three-quarters of the time, the winning player has already been to the mountaintop at least once in his career. Which young star will burst into our golf consciousness this season? Will a veteran take the next step in his career, getting that elusive win? Using the 15th Club Performance Index and several other player and course trends, we dug through the numbers to find out who was most likely to get his first PGA TOUR win next. Here are some of the most interesting projections our 15,000 simulations revealed. Tommy Fleetwood Chance of winning on PGA TOUR this season: 24.0% Our predictive model is operating under the assumption that Fleetwood will split his time between the PGA TOUR and European Tour for the remainder of 2021, as he has in the past. That factors in significantly to his probability of winning this season. 15th Club projects that Fleetwood's baseline chance to win any PGA TOUR event is higher than some of the other names higher on this list. Fleetwood, a five-time winner on the European Tour, seems like a slam dunk to win at least once in the next two PGA TOUR seasons. He already has four runner-up finishes on TOUR, including two in major championships. Two seasons ago, he ranked in the top 15 on TOUR in Strokes Gained: Off-The-Tee, Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green and Strokes Gained: Total. Matthew Fitzpatrick Chance of winning on PGA TOUR this season: 28.4% Fitzpatrick, the 2013 U.S. Amateur champion, fits into the Fleetwood mold from a scheduling standpoint. The 26-year-old Englishman has six victories on the European Tour, including the final event of last year, the DP World Tour Championship. Fitzpatrick was among the best on the greens on the PGA TOUR last season, ranking second in Strokes Gained: Putting. He also was among the top 10 in putting from 4-8 feet, putting outside 25 feet, and average distance of putts made per round. It seems like a matter of time before he gets hot enough to pick up his first PGA TOUR win. Sam Burns Chance of winning on PGA TOUR this season: 36.8% The Jack Nicklaus Award winner as college golf's top player in 2017, Burns put together an impressive collection of statistics in the fall portion of the 2020-2021 PGA TOUR season. Burns ranks third on TOUR in Strokes Gained: Off-The-Tee, fifth in driving distance and fifth in greens in regulation. He currently leads the TOUR in total driving and is up more than 100 spots from last season in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green. Burns may not to have to wait long to get that first win. How does this week sound? At The American Express last year, he finished tied for sixth, capping off his week with a 63 at the Stadium Course (he needed just 20 putts in the final round, fewest of any player in the field). Burns has averaged 5.75 par-breakers per round in his eight career rounds at the event. Abraham Ancer Chance of winning on PGA TOUR this season: 37.3% Over the last four PGA TOUR seasons, Abraham Ancer has 14 top-10 finishes - third-most of any player without a win during that span. His scoring average ranking is climbing a promising ladder: from 70th in 2017-18, to 45th in 2018-19, to 16th last season. Prefer Strokes Gained: Total? It's the same trend - 79th, to 53rd, to 20th. Ancer has three runner-up finishes on the TOUR, including a year ago at this week's event. Ancer loved the Stadium Course in 2020 - at 15 under par, he had the best score for the week in the two rounds on that layout. He also led the field for the week in greens in regulation. Ancer's time to get win number one could be on the immediate horizon. Will Zalatoris Chance of winning on PGA TOUR this season: 37.3% Perhaps no player in the men's game, regardless of tour, played more consistent golf in 2020 than Will Zalatoris. Between the PGA TOUR and Korn Ferry Tour, Zalatoris had 13 top-10 finishes. That was the most top-10s in Official World Golf Ranking-sanctioned events last year, two ahead of Dustin Johnson (11), Bryson DeChambeau, Justin Thomas and Mikael Lindberg (a player who competes in the Nordic Golf League, a pro circuit based in Scandinavia). Zalatoris finished tied for sixth at the U.S. Open, then followed it up with two more top-10 finishes before fall ended. The former ACC Player of the Year is currently ranked in the top-10 on TOUR in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee, Strokes Gained: Approach, Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green, driving distance and scoring average, just to name a few. Zalatoris should be all over golf fans' radars soon - if he isn't there already. Scottie Scheffler Chance of winning on PGA TOUR this season: 37.5% The reigning PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year, Scheffler currently holds a unique place in history: he is the only player who has a sub-60 round on TOUR, but no victories. I imagine he'd like to change that distinction, and quickly. 15th Club analytics say he's likely going to, and soon. Scheffler's current average baseline win probability - the odds he wins any average event he starts on the PGA TOUR - are more than 4%. That may not sound like much, but that leads to a nearly 38% chance he picks up win No. 1 before this year's TOUR Championship. Scheffler was an elite ball-striker on TOUR last season, ranking 10th in both Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee and Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green. Scheffler ranked 161st in putting inside 10 feet, so a moderate improvement on shorter putts could yield big dividends for the former U.S. Junior Amateur champion.

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