The First Look: 3M Open

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Marc Leishman got up-and-down from a tough lie behind the 18th green for one last birdie that gave him a 3-under 68 and extended his lead to five shots over Jason Day and Rickie Fowler going into the final round of the BMW Championship. Leishman gets another chance to win a FedExCup Playoffs event and grab one of the top five seeds at the TOUR Championship next week. The top seeds have the clearest path to claim the $10 million bonus. And this opportunity is much better than two weeks ago. Leishman shared the 54-hole lead at the TPC Boston with Justin Thomas, who surged past Leishman and held off Jordan Spieth. This time, no one could make a run at him Saturday on a warm day with a steady wind at Conway Farms. Fowler rolled in a 25-foot eagle putt from just short of the green on the opening hole, and made only one birdie the rest of the way. He missed putts from the 6-foot range on consecutive holes on the back nine, one of them for birdie, and couldn’t make birdie with an iron in his hand for his second shot on the par-5 18th. Day pulled within two shots with a birdie at the turn, but played the back nine with eight pars and a bogey. He also had an iron for his second shot on the 18th, but it plugged into the side of the bunker. Fowler and Day each shot 70. Leishman was at 19-under 194 after the kind of round that limited the possibilities for the final day. No one else was closer than seven shots of the affable Australian. Justin Rose had a 66 and was at 12-under 201, while Jon Rahm had a 65 and was in a large group at 11-under 202, eight shots out of the lead. The excitement figured to come from the race to East Lake. The top 30 in the FedExCup advance to next week’s TOUR Championship, where all have a mathematical chance at the $10 million bonus and are assured spots in every major except the PGA Championship next year. Phil Mickelson, finally finding his form late in the year, has a chance to make it to the TOUR Championship. He had a 69 — his seventh straight round in the 60s — but failed to take advantage of the easiest par 4 at Conway Farms — the reachable 15th — and took bogey on both par 3s. “I’m playing well enough to get in contention and win again,” said Mickelson, whose last trophy came from the British Open in 2013. “And I want to get in that field because I think if I do, I think I’ll have a really good shot at it.” Going into Sunday, Masters champion Sergio Garcia and a pair of PGA TOUR rookies, Mackenzie Hughes and Patrick Cantlay, were projected to get into the top 30.

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BetMGM Sportsbook is looking out for Webb Simpson and Sahith Theegala fans by offering some interesting viewing companion markets for the tournament favorite and young star in Thursday’s opening round of the John Deere Classic. If a bettor fancies either player to make five or more birdies/eagles in their round; to shoot 67 or lower; to make an eagle; to go bogey free; or to birdie the first hole, then this could certainly be up their alley. Simpson, the highest world ranked player in the field, is favorite to win the tournament at +1400 coming off a T13 last week at The Travelers Championship. He also tops Rob Bolton’s Power Rankings. Theegala finished T2 at the Travelers and looked set to win his first PGA TOUR event at TPC River Highlands before an expensive final hole double bogey saw him give up the lead to Xander Schauffele. Now the 24-year-old looks to bounce back quickly. Simpson starts his tilt at 1:43p.m. eastern off the first tee with Theegala a group behind at 1:54p.m. This slots inside the viewing/listening windows for PGA TOUR LIVE, Golf Channel, and PGA TOUR Radio. Let’s break down the numbers to see if value can be found. TO MAKE 5 OR MORE BIRDIES/EAGLES: Webb Simpson Odds -135; Sahith Theegala Odds -125 At the above odds, if you outlaid $10 you would win $7.41 ($17.41 returned) on Simpson or $8 on Theegala should they make five or more birdies/eagles. In the first round of the 2021 John Deere Classic 60 of 156 players had five or more birdies/eagles. So too did 75 players in round two. Round three saw 29 of 72 players meet the threshold and 22 did so in round four. Simpson has 10 rounds at TPC Deere Run (none since 2010), with four of those yielding five or more birdies/eagles. Since his last visit he has seven TOUR wins, including the 2012 U.S. Open and 2018 PLAYERS Championship. In his last 14 rounds this season, he has five or more par breakers just three times BUT two of those came in opening rounds, including a six-birdie effort on the opening day last week. Theegala is on debut at TPC Deere Run. He ranks T71st in birdies in his rookie season at 3.77 a round. Last week he passed the five or more mark in ALL FOUR rounds. He had seven par breakers in round one, then five, six and five again the next three days. TO SHOOT 67 OR LOWER: Webb Simpson Odds -120; Sahith Theegala Odds +100 * Note: TPC Deere Run is a par-71. At the above odds, if you outlaid $10 you would win $8.33 ($18.33 returned) on Simpson or $10 on Theegala should they shoot 67 or lower. In 2021’s first round 28 players shot 67 or better. A massive 52 did so in round two while 16 and 11 rounds of 67 or better came over the final two rounds. Simpson averages 69.0 in round one and has 15 rounds of 67 or better on TOUR this season, two of which came last week. Two of his 10 rounds at TPC Deere Run, over a decade ago, were 67 or better. Theegala’s round one scoring average is 69.63. Last week, all four of his rounds were 67 or better as he shot 67-65-64-67 at TPC River Highlands however the 67s represent three under at that par-70 layout. In terms of rounds of four under or better this season – Theegala sits at 23. TO BIRDIE THE FIRST HOLE: Webb Simpson Odds +225; Sahith Theegala Odds +240 At the above odds, if you outlaid $10 you would win $22.50 ($32.50 returned) on Simpson or $24 on Theegala should they birdie the first hole. The first is a 417-yard par 4 dogleg left with a tee shot over a valley to a generous fairway surrounded by bunkers. The green is blind from most of the landing area and guarded by huge bunkers. In 2021’s first round 37 of 156 players birdied the first hole, 14 of those played it as their opening hole of the round. It ranked the sixth easiest for the week averaging 3.815. There were 113 birdies there in the tournament. Simpson has one birdie, eight pars and one bogey from 10 attempts at the hole. Theegala has yet to play the hole but he did show a propensity to start fast last week, making birdie on his opening hole three of four days. TO BE BOGEY FREE: Webb Simpson Odds +300; Sahith Theegala Odds +350 At the above odds, if you outlaid $10 you would win $30 ($40 returned) on Simpson or $35 on Theegala should they be bogey free. In 2021’s first round 11 players were bogey free. There were 42 bogey free rounds in the tournament with 18 in round two and six each in rounds three and four. Simpson has never been bogey-free at TPC Deere Run but had just one bogey on two occasions. His most recent bogey free rounds were last week in rounds one and three. Theegala’s last bogey free round was also last week (round three) at TPC River Highlands. Prior to that you need to harken back to his second round at the Valero Texas Open on April 1. TO MAKE AN EAGLE: Webb Simpson Odds +600; Sahith Theegala Odds +600 At the above odds, if you outlaid $10 you would win $60 ($70 returned) on either Simpson or Theegala should they make an eagle. In 2021’s first round players posted 11 of 47 eagles for the tournament. Of those, 17 came at the 561-yard par-5 second, 12 at the 569-yard par-5 17th and five at the 596-yard par-5 10th. Further eagles came via hole-outs on the par-4 13th and 15th holes (one each) and via two hole-in-ones! One on the par-3 third and one on the par-3 12th. Simpson has zero TPC Deere Run eagles but he ranks T14 in eagles per hole this season at one every 108 holes and has eight total eagles (T35). His last eagle came on the eighth hole of his opening round in the U.S. Open, meaning he has played 100 holes since. Theegala ranks 40th in eagles per hole at one every 130.5 holes but his 12 total eagles ranks him T4 on TOUR. His most recent eagle was on the 13th hole in the third-round last week. He has played 23 holes since. * Visit BetMGM.com for terms and conditions. 21+ years of age or older to wager. BetMGM is available in AZ, CO, DC, IA, IN, IL, LA, MI, MS, NJ, NV, NY, PA, TN, VA, WV, or WY only. All promotions are subject to qualification and eligibility requirements. Paid in free bets. Free bets expire in 7 days from issuance. Minimum deposit required. Excludes Michigan Disassociated Persons. Please Gamble Responsibly. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-NEXT-STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO, DC, LA, NV, WY, VA), 1-800-270-7117 for confidential help (MI), 1-800-GAMBLER (IN, NJ, PA & WV), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA) or call (877-8-HOPENY) or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), call or text the Tennessee REDLINE: 800-889-9789 (TN) or call 1-888-777-9696 (MS). Sports betting is void where prohibited. Promotional offers not available in Nevada.

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• COURSE: TPC Southwind, 7,244 yards, par 70. The former dairy farm southeast of Memphis has been the St. Jude Classic’s home since 1989, as Ron Prichard teamed with former U.S. Open champions Hubert Green and Fuzzy Zoeller on a layout that winds through natural lakes, streams and ponds. Loren Roberts oversaw a 2004 upgrade that removed dozens of trees and replaced Southwind’s bentgrass greens with more heat-tolerant bermuda. Southwind’s par-3 11th hole draws comparisons with the famed 17th at TPC Sawgrass, requiring a short iron over water to a small island green. • FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 500 points. • CHARITY: St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, established by the late entertainer Danny Thomas to find cures for children with cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Since joining forces in 1970, the tournament has raised more than $33 million for hospital research. • FIELD WATCH: Adam Scott, returning to Memphis for the first time in a decade, is joined by Rickie Fowler and Phil Mickelson to headline the final tuneup before the U.S. Open. … Overall, the field features eight of the top 30 in the latest world rankings. … Braden Thornberry, the newly crowned NCAA individual champion for Ole Miss, will tee it up on a sponsor exemption. It’s the first chance Thornberry gets to test himself against TOUR competition. … Former Florida standout Sam Horsfield also is set to make his professional debut, and David Duval will come out of the broadcast booth for his second start of 2017. • 72-HOLE RECORD: 258, John Cook (1996). • 18-HOLE RECORD: 59, Al Geiberger (2nd round, 1977 at Colonial CC). TPC Southwind record: 61, Jay Delsing (4th round, 1993), Bob Estes (1st round, 2001). • LAST YEAR: Daniel Berger captured his first PGA TOUR title, withstanding Phil Mickelson’s needle during a lengthy rain delay and later his challenge on the back nine for a three-shot win. Berger, playing in his first final pairing, struck only three shots before storms hit TPC Southwind and sent everyone back to the clubhouse. It was there that Mickelson ribbed Berger about taking Rookie of the Year honors without a victory, which might have a lit a spark. Berger still had to stave off Brooks Koepka, who briefly drew even on the front nine, and Mickelson’s foray that drew him within one with seven holes to play. Three birdies in a four-hole span finally gave Berger some breathing room, shooting a 67 for a total of 13-under-par 267. Mickelson (67), Koepka (66) and Steve Stricker (67) shared second. • STORYLINES: Mickelson, a Sunday factor each of the past four years without victory, tries again as he sharpens his game ahead of the only major he hasn’t won. The Hall of Famer hasn’t missed a cut since last year’s playoffs, but his last top-10 was a quarterfinal berth at the WGC Dell Match Play. … Scott, who switched up his schedule this year with an eye on better showings in majors, seeks his first victory since winning back-to-back weeks on last year’s Florida Swing. The Aussie was sixth at THE PLAYERS last month. … A U.S. Open berth remains available for anyone who moves into the top 60 of the world rankings after the St. Jude’s conclusion. Among those hoping to move up: Tony Finau and James Hahn, third at the AT&T Byron Nelson. • SHORT CHIPS: No winner of the PGA TOUR stop preceding the U.S. Open has gone on to capture the Open. Overall, just 11 men have claimed a major the week after winning on TOUR, last accomplished by Rory McIlroy (2014 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and PGA Championship). … Berger was the fourth St. Jude winner in the past six to make it his first TOUR victory, joining Harrison Fraser (2011), Harris English (2013) and Fabian Gomez (2015). … David Toms, a two-time St. Jude champion and its all-time earnings leader, will not add to his run of 25 consecutive starts. • TELEVISION: Thursday-Friday, 4-7 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday-Sunday, 1-2:30 p.m. (GC), 3-6 p.m. (CBS). • PGA TOUR LIVE: Thursday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. (featured groups), 4-7 p.m. (featured holes). • RADIO: Thursday-Friday, 1-7 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 1-6 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com). For more on all the courses in the TPC network, visit TPC.com. 

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