Five Things to Know: Barclay Brown

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Daniel Berger no longer needs to answer questions about how his back is feeling. The scorecard is telling the story. RELATED: Full leaderboard | Inside the Field: Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard Berger — playing what amounts to a home tournament for him, with his residence a 15-minute drive away in Jupiter — had a three-shot lead through two rounds of The Honda Classic, after a second consecutive round of 5-under 65 on Friday. “You get your mom’s cooking, you get to sleep in your own bed,” Berger said. “It’s pretty comfortable.” First-round leader Kurt Kitayama eagled the par-5 18th as darkness was closing in, finishing a round of 69 and ending the day tied for second at 7 under with Chris Kirk (68). Mark Hubbard (64) was another shot back at 6 under, as was Adam Svensson — who hit all 18 greens on his way to a 65 and finished with a par at 6:41 p.m., 22 minutes after sundown. “This course is crazy,” Hubbard said. “There’s so much trouble. Anything can happen on any given hole, so you really cannot get ahead of yourself.” Berger’s 10-under 130 tied the third-lowest score through 36 holes since The Honda Classic moved to PGA National in 2007; Aaron Wise was 12 under through two rounds last year, Rory McIlroy was 11 under at the midway point in 2014 and Brendon De Jonge was 10 under that same year. None of them went on to win. McIlroy lost in a playoff to Russell Henley, Wise shot 75-73 on the weekend to tie for 13th and De Jonge went 76-78 on the weekend to freefall all the way to a tie for 63rd. But PGA National just seems to suit Berger; he’s had a pair of top-five finishes here in six previous starts, including losing to Padraig Harrington in a Monday playoff in 2015. “Every tournament I play in I want to win,” Berger said. “But it would be especially nice to win here having so many friends and family here with me this week.” Berger had a five-birdie, zero-bogey opening round Thursday and was nearly as flawless Friday, with six birdies and a bogey. The only stroke he gave back was on the par-3 15th, his sixth hole of the day, when his tee ball landed in a bunker and he wound up missing a 15-foot par putt. It’s Berger’s first 36-hole lead in a PGA TOUR event since the Travelers Championship in August 2016. He is a four-time winner on TOUR, most recently at Pebble Beach in 2021. But the back issues that flared up in recent weeks kept him from playing Pebble this year and defending that title. He played the Phoenix Open two weeks ago, testing his back and declaring afterward that he would be good to play at PGA National — a place where he played a ton of junior golf — and get a home week at The Honda Classic. So far, so good. “It took actually longer than I thought it was to feel better,” Berger said. “Six, seven years ago I felt like I could have broken my ankle and 10 days later I would have been fine. But I’m getting older now and even at 28 I don’t feel the way I used to feel, shockingly, but that’s thousands and thousands of golf swings later, so it’s just part of the job.” Chase Seiffert (66) was in a group tied for sixth at 5 under. Seiffert was third here last year, missed making this year’s field by coming up short in a wild 16-for-1 playoff Tuesday, then got in anyway as first alternate when Tyler Duncan withdrew from the tournament. Seiffert didn’t play last week, also as first alternate — on the Korn Ferry Tour. “It was really a relief, a weight off my shoulders that I didn’t get through the playoff but was able to participate in the event,” Seiffert said. Among notables, Brooks Koepka (72) is even par through two rounds. Joaquin Niemann, last week’s winner at Genesis who was 4 under at one point Thursday, went into the water on his finishing hole and missed the cut by one shot, his 73 leaving him 3 over. The cut will be 2 over, and either 72 or 73 players will advance. Andrew Kozan’s fate is undetermined. He was the only player who didn’t finish the second round. Kozan was 2 over, right on the cut line, and was in the fairway on the par-5 18th about 250 yards from the green. He elected to not play his second shot because of the darkness and will resume Saturday at 6:50 a.m.

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Since Day One on this job, I’ve professed that gamers are always learning. We make mistakes and we get unlucky as we attempt to hit moving targets, but we should always move forward with something of value regardless of the result. Last week’s lesson was not to invest in a typical option due to the team format. Lo and behold, Justin Rose, Rickie Fowler, Daniel Berger, Henrik Stenson, Jason Day, Billy Horschel, Kevin Chappell, Gary Woodland, Daniel Berger, Russell Knox, Tony Finau, Thomas Pieters and Tyrrell Hatton were among the notables who missed the cut at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. The first four of that smattering ranked among the top nine in ownership percentage in PGA TOUR Fantasy One & Done presented by SERVPRO, but that’s another story that played out in my investment recap on the Thursday of the tournament. The majority of gamers clearly didn’t understand that teammates shared FedExCup points. While 3.4 percent collected Brooks Koepka’s 58.917 points, gamers would have accomplished the same objective by burning his brother Chase, something only nine gamers were savvy enough to do to retain the possibility of Brooks for another week. Meanwhile, only four gamers rostered champion Cameron Smith. Teammate Jonas Blixt was selected only once. Surely, they represented an unlikely pair to prevail, but only in name, not in terms of the potential outcome in a that format. My advice, which will carry over into the 2018 edition, was to burn a guy you won’t miss who is attached to a superstar. The stars aligned for 3.9 percent of us (including this fantasy columnist) who plugged in Justin Thomas’ partner, Bud Cauley. But again, as my recap of investments last Thursday revealed, the two actually tied for seventh place in ownership percentage. Why, oh why. If there’s any solace, FedExCup points distribution was softened due to the splits. For example, the trio of teams that placed T11 banked only 38.250 per golfer, which equates to a finish just inside a top 25. Good, but not great. Moving on, we’re facing a different challenge at the Wells Fargo Championship. Eagle Point Golf Club is an unknown, so it presents as close to a even playing field as we see. This adds another layer of enjoyment to our experience, but the random element ratchets up the anxiety. Note that the WFC is omitted in Future Possibilities. Webb Simpson and Carl Pettersson are members, but only Simpson warrants consideration. Bill Haas is also familiar with the turf, but we’re always hesitant to pull the trigger no matter how good he looks due to inconsistency. Because simple is better in situations like this, stick with a proven talent who transcends concern. If you’ve yet to burn Jon Rahm, now’s the time. If you drafted a list of golfers who have excelled on sites new to them in the recent past, he’d sit at the top. If Rahm is gone and you’ve struggled finding a spot for Francesco Molinari, he’s another easy call as one of the preeminent ball-strikers on the planet. Unfortunately, I’ve exhausted Haas, both Europeans and even Adam Scott (for whom it’s worth waiting, anyway), so the hunt continues. I’m saving Dustin Johnson for the TOUR Championship and the quadrupled points in the Playoffs. Kevin Kisner is in my crosshairs for THE PLAYERS. And I have Phil Mickelson earmarked for the FedEx St. Jude Classic. Continuing to focus only on the top half of my Power Rankings, that leaves me with Simpson and Paul Casey. If I was competing in a two-man format, that would be my tandem, but I’d lead with the Englishman because, well, it’s simple. Of the two, he’s the one not having to deal with the attention and potential distractions of a home game. FUTURE POSSIBILITIES NOTE: Select golfers committed to the tournament are listed alphabetically. Future tournaments are sorted chronologically and reflect previous success on the courses on which the tournaments will be held in 2016-17. All are pending golfer commitment. Daniel Berger … St. Jude (defending) Jason Bohn … Greenbrier Paul Casey … Travelers; WGC-Bridgestone; TOUR Championship Harris English … DEAN & DELUCA Jim Furyk … Memorial; U.S. Open; Canadian; WGC-Bridgestone; TOUR Championship Bill Haas … Wyndham Dustin Johnson … Masters; Byron Nelson; Memorial; St. Jude; U.S. Open (defending); Canadian; TOUR Championship Zach Johnson … PLAYERS; DEAN & DELUCA; John Deere; Open Championship; WGC-Bridgestone; TOUR Championship Chris Kirk … DEAN & DELUCA Kevin Kisner … PLAYERS; DEAN & DELUCA; Wyndham Martin Laird … Barracuda Graeme McDowell … Open Championship; WGC-Bridgestone; Wyndham William McGirt … Memorial (defending); Wyndham Phil Mickelson … St. Jude; Open Championship; PGA Championship Francesco Molinari … PLAYERS Kevin Na … Memorial; John Deere; Wyndham Patrick Reed … Wyndham; Dell Technologies Adam Scott … Memorial; U.S. Open; Open Championship; WGC-Bridgestone; Dell Technologies; TOUR Championship Webb Simpson … Greenbrier; Wyndham Kevin Streelman … Memorial CHAMPIONS ONE & DONE POSSIBILITIES Insperity Invitational The Tournament Course at Woodlands Country Club in Texas has hosted this tournament since 2008. After four years contested in October, it’s been a staple on the schedule in early May. It also hosted the Shell Houston Open from 1985-2002. Golfers listed alphabetically. Rob’s serious considerations in bold. Michael Allen … First-round 63 in 2011 equaled the course record, which still stands today. Two T4s and no worse than T16 in last five trips. Still pursuing first top 10 of 2017. Stephen Ames … Captured the Mitsubishi Electric for his third top 10 in five starts this season. He’s also gone a respective T9-T12 in the last two editions of the Insperity. Billy Andrade … Pesky slate with seven top 25s in as many starts this season, but only one went for a top 10. Best finish in three tries at The Woodlands was a T5 last year. Woody Austin … T9 here in 2015. Solid not spectacular 2017 features five top 25s. Olin Browne … Five top 15s in seven appearances, but outside the top 40 in his last four starts in individual competition in 2017. Fred Couples … Winner here in 2010 and runner-up in his last trip in 2014. Also shares the course record (63). Currently second in Schwab Cup money with no worse than a T6 in five starts. Joe Durant …  T4 (2015) and 11th (2016) in his two appearances. Four top-11 finishes in individual competition this year. David Frost … Steady as he goes. Co-runner-up here last year and currently 19th in Schwab Cup money thanks in large part to a T3 at the Mitsubishi Electric in mid-April. Fred Funk … The 2012 champ has only one top 10 here since (T9, 2014), but he’s 11th in Schwab Cup money in 2017. T3 at the Mitsubishi Electric three weeks ago. Mike Goodes … Horse for a course. Has a P2 (2013), a T2 (2016) and a solo third (2012) among nine visits. Still chasing his first top 20 of 2017, however. Jay Haas … Second in all-time earnings here with five top-six finishes. One top 10 in individual competition this season (10th, Mississippi Gulf Resort). Miguel Angel Jiménez … Tournament debut. Third in Schwab Cup money with a win and a second. Tops on tour in total driving and third in scoring average. Under par in every round. Bernhard Langer … Two-time champ at Woodlands CC and the tournament’s all-time money leader. Atop the Schwab Cup money right now. So, it’s business as usual. Tom Lehman … Two-time runner-up, a pair of T4s and no worse than T12 in six trips. Winner in Tucson in March. Jeff Maggert … Knows Woodlands CC better than anyone. Respectively T9-8th-T2 since his debut here in 2014. Four top 20s in individual competition in 2017. Scott McCarron … T12 in his first look last year. Fourth in Schwab Cup money upon arrival this time. A little inconsistent since winning the Allianz Championship in February. Colin Montgomerie … Just his fourth start of the year. Top 20s in the first three. Solo third here in 2014. Answered with T14 in 2015. Jesper Parnevik … Defending champ. Four-stroke title is his only win on the circuit. Scuffling in 2017. Kenny Perry … Lost in a playoff here in 2015. Surprisingly, it’s his only top-15 finish in six tries. Sits 14th in Schwab Cup money with four top 20s in individual competition. Gene Sauers … Lost in a playoff in Mississippi a month ago. It’s one of three top 10s on his season, but he landed outside the top 25 in his other three. P2 here in 2013; T23-T24-T12 since. Kevin Sutherland … Never a risky pick. Four T6s and a T7 in five individual starts this year. Top 20s in every starts over the last 12 months-plus. Esteban Toledo … Recorded his first PGA TOUR Champions here in 2013. Solo fourth in his title defense. Up-and-down 2017 features four top 25s and a pair of finishes outside the top 50. Kirk Triplett … A trio of top 10s offset a trio of results outside the top 20 this season. Top 20s in the last two editions of the Insperity, however, including a T7 last year. Duffy Waldorf … Top 10s in the last two editions. Solid 2017 slots him ninth in Schwab Cup money. Simply a strong option to connect the dots of the season in this format. Ian Woosnam … The Woodlands is the site of his only PGA TOUR Champion victory (2015) in 68 starts. No top 30s in individual competition this season.

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HONOLULU, Hawaii – Patton Kizzire craves being uncomfortable so it makes perfect sense he would win the Sony Open in Hawaii in a week where strange events were common place. With a false alarm for a missile strike, picketing television crews, a six-hole playoff and a good friend of the TOUR in the ICU in critical condition the week at Waialae Country Club was one for books. But ultimately it was Kizzire who claimed his second PGA TOUR win this season, outlasting James Hahn as the sun began to set in Honolulu. And he immediately put his mind forward towards a third. “I love trying to get better and putting myself in uncomfortable spots. That’s all I want to do is just to be somewhere that I’ve never been because that gets me uncomfortable. That’s when I know I’m doing something right,â€� Kizzire said after the wacky week. “I’m just going to keep working hard. I want to get the third win. The first win was big, and this one is even bigger.â€� Kizzire jumped to a huge lead in the FedExCup after becoming the first multiple winner this season. Having first won the OHL Classic at Mayakoba in the fall Kizzire now has 1,213 FedExCup points – a 452-point lead over second placed Pat Perez. He was already a lock to make the FedExCup Playoffs (it took just 365 points last season) and now appears a lock to make it all the way to the TOUR Championship. (It took 1322 points last season). “Our ultimate goal is to be No. 1 at the end of the year,â€� he said. “We’ve got a long way to go. A fast start is always a positive. I’m excited to be back on top and look forward to taking that Cup.â€� OBSERVATIONS HAHN HIT HARD BY LOSS: James Hahn was a dejected figure after falling to Patton Kizzire in the Sony Open playoff. A tournament low 8-under 62 catapulted the two-time PGA TOUR winner into extra holes but in the aftermath, he admitted finding positives in a loss is a trait he basically does not have. “I played good enough to win, but I didn’t. So for me, it’s not how many birdies I make, if I’m not coming out of the room with the trophy, it really feels like I was defeated out there,â€� Hahn said. “I’d rather lose by 100 than lose by 1. I’d rather miss the cut than lose in a playoff. It just doesn’t sit well with me. I feel really defeated right now.â€� Hahn admits he will replay the bad shots he hit in the final round over and over again in his head and that the loss will stick with him for some time. Most notably a putt to win the tournament on the first playoff hole and a putt to stay alive on the sixth playoff hole. He had a chance to win the AT&T Byron Nelson last season and fell away late – a loss that has stuck with him since. Now he has another painful memory to drive him forward. “You get to this level where you might only have two, three, four opportunities to win out on TOUR. These guys are really good,â€� he said. “So any time you have an opportunity to win and you don’t close the deal, I feel like it’s just one less opportunity for me. I’m sure a lot of the great competitors feel the same way. “Michael Jordan, he doesn’t shake hands at the end because he just hates losing so much, and that’s just me. Take it or leave it. I hate losing. It’s just one of those things where I feel like I’m 36 years old… only a handful of opportunities, and I’ve let one slip away today.â€� Hahn moved to 18th in the FedExCup. HOGE HURT BY LATE DOUBLE: Through 15 holes on Sunday Tom Hoge looked like becoming the latest first-time winner on the PGA TOUR but a double bogey on the 16th hole curtailed his charge. From the middle of the fairway just 156 yards from the pin Hoge pulled the ball left into the bunker and then failed to find the green with his third. He ultimately made a six, going from one in front to one behind. He still had a chance to make birdie on the 72nd hole to join a playoff but was unable to find the bottom of the cup. Despite the stumble it was an experience Hoge can build on going forward. “I was kind of in between yardages,â€� Hoge said of the fateful swing. “I was trying to play kind of a low draw to get to the back pins there and just kind of flipped to the bottom left. “It’s kind of just building on things. I played pretty well, and I felt like today I had pretty good beliefs in myself that I could get it done. Felt good the whole way. The next time you get back, it will make it a little easier.â€� Hoge moved to 19th in the FedExCup with his third-place finish. NOTABLES Justin Thomas – The defending champion shot 67-67-66-68 to finish in a tie for 14th. He was 15 shots behind his record breaking 253 of last season. “I played well this week. I’m pretty disappointed with where I’m going to end up finishing,â€� he said. “I played way better than this. I should have not only, I feel like, won the golf tournament, but I should have had a chance coming down the back nine.â€� Jordan Spieth – A final round 4-under 66 for the former FedExCup champion left him in a tie for 18th, six shots back of the playoff. Brian Harman – Brian Harman is now five for five in top-10 finishes this season so far but once again he fell short of victory. A final round 70 left him tied fourth, two shots out of the playoff. His 2017-18 results now read T5-8-T4-3-T4. QUOTABLES I’ve got a lot of work to do with the putter, it’s as simple as that. Everything else is plenty ready to win  I definitely had enough gas for the playoff. It’s just, God, I’m just hungryMy golf game is a roller coaster. It always has been. I easily, easily could have won this golf tournament by a pretty good amount of strokes. So that part’s a little upsetting. I went by this morning, and he’s responsive to the extent that he’s in pain, and he said his last name, asked about his friends, asked the nurse to pray for him. SUPERLATIVES Low round: 8-under 62 – James Hahn produced the round of the week with nine birdies and just one bogey. He also had two more birdies in the six-hole playoff. Longest drive: 359 yards – Corey Conners on the par-4 10th. He made birdie. Longest putt: 50 feet, six inches – Brandon Harkins on the par-4 15th for a birdie. Easiest hole: The par-5 9th played at 4.118 with six eagles, 55 birdies and 15 pars. Hardest hole: The par-4 13th played at 4.250 with five birdies, 47 pars and 24 bogeys.

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