Race to FedExCup Playoffs takes center stage at 3M Open

SOUTHPORT, England – Notes and observations from the final round of The Open Championship, where Jordan Spieth played the final five holes in 5 under to shoot 69 and win by three shots over Matt Kuchar. Spieth’s third victory of the season also gives him the lead in the FedExCup standings. ‘A GOOD START’ Jordan Spieth needed inspiration as he struggled through Sunday’s front nine at Royal Birkdale. He started the day with a three-shot advantage, but it took just four holes for that lead to evaporate. Spieth was two ahead by the seventh tee, but his ballstriking wasn’t up to the standard he’d displayed earlier in the week. That’s why his caddie, Michael Greller, decided to deliver a pep talk to his boss, using a photo from Spieth’s recent vacation to Mexico as motivation. The photo showed the golfer hanging out with a group that included Michael Phelps and Michael Jordan. “He said, ‘Do you remember that group you were with? You’re that caliber of an athlete. But I need you to believe that right now. … This is a new tournament. We’re starting over here,â€� Spieth said. Spieth was among select company in Cabo San Lucas, and now he has the opportunity to join another elite group. Spieth, 23, now owns three legs of the career Grand Slam, needing a victory in the PGA Championship to become just the sixth player to win all four of golf’s major championships. The other five? Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Ben Hogan, Gary Player and Gene Sarazen. Nicklaus is the only player besides Spieth to win three different majors before the age of 24. (Spieth turns 24 on Thursday). “Growing up playing golf, I just wanted to be able to play in major championships and compete with the best in the world. Things have happened very quickly,â€� Spieth said. The PGA Championship will be held Aug. 10-13 at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina. The course also serves as the annual host of the PGA TOUR’s Wells Fargo Championship. Spieth has played that event just once, finishing T32 in 2013. Spieth was runner-up to Jason Day in the 2015 PGA, finishing three shots behind the Australian. Woods was 24 when he completed the career Grand Slam at the 2000 Open Championship, the youngest player ever to do so, but Spieth could surpass that record with a win at Quail Hollow. “To be in that company is absolutely incredible, and I certainly appreciate it,â€� Spieth said. “We work really hard to have that, … therefore I enjoy moments like (this). But I’m very careful as to what that means going forward because what those guys have done has transcended the sport. And in no way, shape or form do I think I’m anywhere near that, whatsoever. “So it’s a good start, but there is a long way to go.â€� KUCHAR CRUSHED Matt Kuchar is known for his wide smile, but he couldn’t hide his disappointment after his best shot to win a major championship was thwarted by Spieth’s magical finish. “It’s crushing. It hurts,â€� said Kuchar, whose final-round 69 matched Spieth’s Sunday score. Spieth started the day with a three-shot advantage, but Kuchar took a one-shot lead after Spieth’s bogey at No. 13. Kuchar made two birdies on the next four holes, but lost three strokes to Spieth over that stretch. “It’s an excitement and a thrill to have played well, put up a battle, put up a fight,â€� Kuchar said. “You work so hard to get in this position, to have a chance to make history and win a championship. You don’t get that many opportunities.â€� The runner-up was Kuchar’s best major finish, besting his third-place finish at the 2012 Masters. He was fourth at Augusta National this year, his fourth top-10 in the past six Masters. Kuchar’s wife, Sybi, and their two sons, Cameron and Carson, flew to England to watch Matt compete in Sunday’s final group, surprising him after the round. “I played well. I had four good rounds of golf. I was close,â€� Kuchar, 39, said. “I think everybody around me is doing the best to put the most positive spin on this week as possible.â€� LI’S HISTORIC 63 Haotong Li started Sunday 12 shots off the lead. He was warming up for a potential playoff after his round, though. Li shot 63 to finish at 6-under 204. As the final group struggled, Li had a slimmer of hope. Kuchar was 8 under par, and Spieth was one behind, with five holes remaining in the tournament. Until yesterday, 63 was the gold standard for major-championships. Branden Grace shot 62 on Saturday, though. Li, 21, still finished third, securing the highest major finish by a Chinese man. “For some reason since hole No. 8, I just start holing everything,â€� said Li, who made birdie on seven of the final 11 holes. He won PGA TOUR China’s Order of Merit in 2014 and claimed the 2016 China Open. Li, No. 107 in the Official World Golf Ranking, will make a large move in the International Team’s Presidents Cup standings. He started the week ranked 26th. His third-place finish also is expected to earn him an invitation into next ERRATIC RORY Rory McIlroy’s erratic week began with five bogeys on his first six holes and an exhortation from his caddie that included an expletive for emphasis. It ended in a tie for fourth. The week was full of fits and spurts, but the miscues too often dampened the momentum, leaving McIlroy seven shots behind Spieth. It was McIlroy’s first top-10 in just six starts since finishing T7 at Augusta National in April. He arrived at Royal Birkdale having missed the cut in three of his past four starts. McIlroy will make his next start at the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational in two weeks. It’s his first appearance in Akron since his 2014 victory there. Then it’s on to the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow, where Spieth has won twice, set the course record twice and has finished in the top 10 in six of seven starts. “I wish I could have had that start back, obviously, but these things happen and I’m just proud of how I held it together and battled,â€� McIlroy said. “But I feel like with the way my game is I’ll definitely have a great chance at Akron and the PGA.â€� NOTABLE NOTES Marc Leishman shot 66-65 on the weekend to finish sixth at 4-under 276. It was his third top-six in the past four Open Championships, including his runner-up in 2015, where he lost a three-man playoff won by Zach Johnson. Leishman cracked the top 10 despite making the cut on the number after a second-round 76. U.S. Open champion Brooks Koepka also tied for sixth at 276 (65-72-68-71). Koepka has finished no worse than T11 in 2017’s three majors, and has finished in the top 25 in nine consecutive majors. One day after shooting the lowest round in major-championship history, Grace shot 70 to also finish sixth at 276 (70-74-62-70). His 62 was his only sub-par round of the week. Grace made eight birdies Saturday and just six in the other three rounds. He had two birdies and two bogeys in the final round. This was Grace’s fifth top-six in his past 11 majors. Local favorite Tommy Fleetwood, who grew up within walking distance of Royal Birkdale, finished T27 at 1 over par. He followed a first-round 76 with three consecutive rounds of par or better (69-66-70). “After the first day, you know, I’d have taken anything to be playing on Sunday,â€� said Fleetwood, who was runner-up at this year’s World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship and fourth at the U.S. Open. “It’s easy to be frustrated because you wanted to do so well, but to complain would be a bit off.â€� BEST OF SOCIAL MEDIA

Click here to read the full article…

How the field qualified for THE PLAYERS Championship as of 03/08/19: Winner – Tournament Winner in the Past Year Keegan Bradley Cameron Champ Bryson DeChambeau Rickie Fowler J.B. Holmes Charles Howell III Dustin Johnson Michael Kim Brooks Koepka Matt Kuchar Marc Leishman Adam Long Troy Merritt Phil Mickelson Keith Mitchell Francesco Molinari Kevin Na Andrew Putnam Justin Rose Xander Schauffele Brandt Snedeker Justin Thomas Martin Trainer Kevin Tway Bubba Watson Aaron Wise Tiger Woods Top 125 on Prior Season’s FedExCup Points List Billy Horschel Tony Finau Webb Simpson Cameron Smith Rory McIlroy Hideki Matsuyama Jason Day Tommy Fleetwood Patrick Cantlay Patrick Reed Jon Rahm Paul Casey Gary Woodland Kyle Stanley Patton Kizzire Jordan Spieth Emiliano Grillo Chez Reavie Cheng Tsung Pan Adam Hadwin Andrew Landry Austin Cook Pat Perez Rafa Cabrera Bello Byeong Hun An Alex Noren Chesson Hadley Luke List Beau Hossler Kevin Kisner Brian Harman Ryan Armour Ian Poulter Adam Scott Jason Kokrak Tyrrell Hatton Si Woo Kim Brendan Steele Henrik Stenson Zach Johnson Brian Gay Abraham Ancer Brice Garnett J.J. Spaun Ryan Palmer Peter Uihlein Ted Potter, Jr. Chris Kirk Scott Piercy Louis Oosthuizen Daniel Berger Ryan Moore Whee Kim Stewart Cink Nick Watney Jimmy Walker Kevin Streelman Bronson Burgoon Charley Hoffman Joel Dahmen Brian Stuard Branden Grace Russell Knox Kelly Kraft Tom Hoge Scott Stallings Satoshi Kodaira Jhonattan Vegas Russell Henley Danny Lee Ollie Schniederjans Anirban Lahiri Jason Dufner Sam Ryder Trey Mullinax Brandon Harkins Patrick Rodgers Charl Schwartzel Harold Varner III Alex Cejka Rory Sabbatini Richy Werenski Sung Kang John Huh Tyler Duncan Seamus Power Martin Laird J.T. Poston Vaughn Taylor Grayson Murray Sam Saunders Ryan Blaum Scott Brown Nick Taylor Bud Cauley Harris English Top 125 (Medical) Lucas Glover Winner – THE PLAYERS Championship (last 5 years) Martin Kaymer Winner – Masters Tournament Sergio Garcia Danny Willett Top 50 – World Golf Ranking thru The Honda Classic Haotong Li Matt Wallace Kiradech Aphibarnrat Eddie Pepperell Matthew Fitzpatrick Shane Lowry Thorbjørn Olesen Lucas Bjerregaard Winner – Bridgestone SENIOR PLAYERS Championship – Prior Year Vijay Singh Leading Money Winner from Web.com Tour and Finals Prior Year Sungjae Im Denny McCarthy Below Top 10 on Current Year FedExCup Points Michael Thompson Talor Gooch Corey Conners Aaron Baddeley Scott Langley Jim Furyk

Click here to read the full article…

Every player on the PGA TOUR has a special relationship with his clubs. Some rely on simplicity and don't adjust much, like last week's winner Harris English. On the opposite end of the spectrum are players that just love to test and test. Charles Howell III has become the chosen son of GolfWRX.com for one simple reason, the guy loves to geek out on gear—and not just his gear. He loves all gear. There are few players on TOUR who carry the passion and curiosity for golf clubs that Charles has. Especially when it comes to the testing process, Howell has a system he has relied on for years to help him not only get dialed but to understand the nuances of his equipment. This week at the Sony Open in Hawaii, Howell will try to finally break through for his first win on the islands where he has been a top-10 machine with multiple top 10s and two near misses in 2012 and 2013. For this tournament, the tinkering is minimal but significant. Howell with tee it up in Hawaii with a new shaft in play, a Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X. Howell told PGATOUR.COM the Ventus fits his unique needs, "I'm kind of a strange one in that I'm looking for something that's stable but doesn't feel overly hard, and that shaft seems to … match that." Regarding figuring out what goes in the bag more generally, WRX spoke with Howell III over the holiday, and this is what he had to say in regards to his process. “Obviously, playing for a living gives me the advantage of testing a ton of stuff, but it's just as fun doing the research at home (online) and understanding what certain equipment can do and the idea behind it." "I still rely on testing as much as I can to see what works, but it's the pursuit of knowledge that keeps it all fresh week in and week out. Technology is so good these days, but like anything you have to ask questions, look around try some stuff and then make a decision.” Now, it must be understood that Howell III isn't pulling clubs in and out of his bag every tournament. Being a Titleist staff member for the past few seasons, his bag stays pretty cooked with the help of Titleist Tour Rep JJ VanWezenbeeck. However, there are times when changes are needed, and CH3 isn't afraid to jump companies to find the right fairway wood, hybrid or putter. It's a study in a player that is constantly on the pursuit of knowledge and trying to find that one little edge week to week. Is it a healthy or effective method? Maybe. Some players can do it and some avoid it like the plague, but for Howell III, it's one of the things in the game that keeps him engaged and excited. Nothing wrong with that. Here is what Howell has the bag this week's Sony Open in Hawaii. Driver: Titleist TSI3 (10 degrees, A1 SureFit setting) Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X 3-wood: Ping G425 LST (14.5 degrees) Shaft: Fujikura Atmos Black Tour Spec 8 X 7-wood: Ping G410 (20.5 degrees @20) Shaft: Fujikura Atmos Black Tour Spec 9 X Irons: Titleist T100 (4-6) 620 MB (7-9) Shafts: Project X LZ 6.5 (hard stepped) Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM8 (48-10F @47, 52-12F, 56-08M, 60-08M) Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 Putter: Scotty Cameron 009M Ball: Titleist Pro V1 Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Align

Click here to read the full article…