2017 Quicken Loans National, Round 4, leaderboard, tee times, TV schedule

LAKE FOREST, Ill. – Patrick Cantlay started this season amid great uncertainty. He’s finishing it with a flourish. “I played really well, took advantage of the short holes,â€� he said after firing a second-round 65 to get to 10 under par and in solo fourth, six off the lead. “There’s a lot of driveable par-4s and some getable par-5s. You’ve got to get your scoring there.â€� Cantlay made seven birdies against just one bogey, and although he came into this week at 41st in the FedExCup, he is now projected to move up to 21st. The improvement is even more eye-opening when you consider where he was at the start of this season. The former UCLA Bruin and No. 1-ranked amateur in 2011, Cantlay saw the start of his pro career complicated by back problems and the death of a friend, Chris Roth, who died in Cantlay’s arms after being hit by a car in 2016. In March, Cantlay came into the Valspar Championship playing on a major-medical extension; he had 10 starts in which to earn 389 FedExCup points or $624,746. His solo second-place finish at Innisbrook’s Copperhead Course was worth $680,400, making him fully exempt for the remainder of this season. He kept going from there. Despite still getting used to the travel required on TOUR, Cantlay finished T3 at the RBC Heritage, and T10 at THE NORTHERN TRUST. Now he’s right where many expected he would be when he ruled the amateur ranks. “Not really,â€� Cantlay said, when asked if he was surprised by his performance at Conway Farms and his solid play all season. “I prepare and practice in order to put myself in position to win tournaments, and I feel like I’m able to do that. My prep has been good. My body is feeling really good, which is nice for a change, and looking forward to just keep doing what I’m doing.â€� BUBBLE WATCH Here are the players who are projected to move inside and outside the top 30 that will advance to the final leg of the FedExCup Playoffs, the TOUR Championship.If I look back to when I was sitting on the couch at home, yeah, come a long way. Cantlay started this season on a major-medical extension after struggling with chronic back pain. He shot 65, and in solo fourth is projected to move up to No. 21. TOP 5 WATCH The Top 5 players entering the TOUR Championship will control their own destiny at East Lake. Here’s a look at how the current Top 5 fared Friday at the BMW. 1. Jordan Spieth (70). It wasn’t a great day for the “super groupâ€� of the FedExCup top three, but Spieth limited the damage with 15 pars. Projected first. 2. Justin Thomas (70). Still absent his A game after win at the Dell Technologies Championship two weeks ago, but not completely out of it at 11 back. Projected second. 3. Dustin Johnson (72). A far cry from the guy who won THE NORTHERN TRUST to open the Playoffs, a suddenly wayward D.J. is tied for 61st place. Projected third. 4. Hideki Matsuyama (68). FedExCup slump may be breaking with solid second round that saw him birdie five of his last 13 holes. Projected sixth. 5. Jon Rahm (68). He isn’t far off, but too many mistakes, especially on the front nine, have “Rahmboâ€� falling out of the Top 5. Projected seventh. FEDEXCUP NOTES Francesco Molinari of Italy, who missed the cut at THE NORTHERN TRUST and finished well back (T61) at the Dell Technologies Championship at TPC Boston, chalked up his six-birdie, no-bogey 65 Friday in part to a trip to his home in London last week. “I think I was probably more mentally tired,â€� said Molinari, who at 9-under is tied for fifth place with Stewart Cink (66), seven back, and is projected to go from 42nd to 27th in the FedExCup. “It’s been a long season traveling back and forth from Europe. So, yeah, I felt refreshed. … I had been away since the week before (the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, Aug. 3-6). It was too long. Needed a few days in my own bed.â€�

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FORT WORTH, Texas – News and notes from Friday’s second round of the DEAN & DELUCA Invitational, with a four-way tie for first at 6 under that includes Webb Simpson, Kevin Kisner, Danny Lee and Scott Piercy. Click here for more from Colonial. SPANISH ARMADA LURKING Sergio Garcia was 21 years old when he won in his first start at Colonial. At age 22, Jon Rahm is making his first start at Colonial. Nothing would please him more than to duplicate Garcia’s debut back in 2001. “That would be a great thing obviously,â€� Rahm said. But to do it, Rahm will have to knock off, among others, his fellow Spaniard. They each enter the weekend at 5 under, tied for fifth, just one stroke off the lead. Paired together for the first two days, the current and future stars of Spanish golf certainly fed off each other. Rahm had the better score on Thursday, shooting 66. Garcia shot the same score on Friday. “To be honest, I think we played a role that when one of us were struggling, the other one had a good day,â€� Rahm said. “Yesterday I was playing good when he didn’t have his best start, making some amazing par saves. Today he was playing great and I didn’t have my best start. “I think being happy for each other and pulling for each other, that’s how our game ended up under par on a tough day like today and yesterday.â€� Said Garcia: “Jon played really well yesterday. He stayed patient today. I didn’t play quite as well, but it was tough. I managed to play nicely and roll a few putts in today that I wasn’t able to do yesterday.â€� Although they’ve played previous practice rounds and competitive rounds together, the two seemed very happy to enjoy each other’s company for 36 holes at Colonial. They spoke in Spanish for most of the day, lapsing into English when necessary – mainly for the benefit of Rahm’s caddie, or for the third member of their trio, Korea’s Si Woo Kim. Despite ending up with the same scores, Garcia and Rahm will not be paired together on Saturday. Garcia will play with Paul Casey, while Rahm is with Sean O’Hair. Time to get serious. “It’s been great fun,â€� Garcia said. I think we both had two really good days on difficult conditions. I think we’re happy the way we played. Excited going into the weekend.â€� IMPRESSING THE PRESIDENTS CUP CAPTAIN Kevin Kisner just spent 36 holes playing with U.S. Presidents Cup Captain Steve Stricker. Considering that he’s tied for the lead after a pair of 67s that includes just one bogey each day, Kisner certainly made a good impression. It may be a moot point. Kisner started this week ranked sixth on the U.S. list. The top 10 players through Sept. 4 will automatically qualify, with Stricker able to make two Captain’s Picks for the competition at Liberty National in late September. Kisner would like nothing more than to spare Stricker of having to decide if he belongs on the squad. “You never know how that works, how the majors and all the points work,â€� said Kisner, who tied for second at Bay Hill in March and lost in a playoff with teammate Scott Brown at the team event in New Orleans last month. “I’ve got to play well in the majors and I need a win.â€� Kisner and Stricker have played a few practice rounds together, so there’s little the captain learned about the South Carolina native’s game. Ryan Moore was the third member of the group, and he’s No. 11 in Presidents Cup points. He’s at even par through 36 holes. “Those two guys are definitely in the mix,â€� said Stricker, who made the cut at 3 over. “Kisner’s a good guy, a competitor. A little bulldog. He doesn’t back down. … He looks like he’s ready to fight the golf course.â€� SHOT OF THE DAY WEBB SHOWING FONDNESS FOR COLONIAL Blame Webb Simpson’s struggles at the tournament on the other side of the Metroplex for his extended absence from the Dallas-Fort Worth area. In 2009 and 2010, Simpson played both the AT&T Byron Nelson and the DEAN & DELUCA Invitational. He missed the cut in all four starts, and so for the next five years, he took the events off his schedule. “It was always pretty much halfway through the year [and] I always wanted two weeks off,â€� Simpson said. “I didn’t play well at the Byron my first couple of years, so I decided to stay out of Texas.â€� Last year, Simpson adjusted his playing schedule in May due to birth of his daughter, Mercy. That opened up a hole late in the month, so he added the DEAN & DELUCA. It was a wise move. On a shot-maker’s course that seems suited for his game, Simpson shot four rounds of 68 or better to tie for third. After 36 holes this week, he’s right back in the mix, ending his second-round 4-under 66 with three consecutive birdies. For the second straight year, he’ll go into the weekend as the co-leader at Colonial. “It’s always tricky around here,â€� Simpson said. “Fairways are not easy to hit. But I kind of hung in there early. “ So what about future plans for Colonial? “Glad I’m back,â€� he said. “Should be on the calendar for a few years now.â€� CALL OF THE DAY CLUB SWITCH PROVES FRUITFUL Anticipating stiff Texas breezes this week, Paul Casey took the 5-wood out of his bag and replaced it with a Mizuno MP-25 3-iron. He leaned on it numerous times Friday, and it paid off with a 4-under 66 and tied for fifth. Opting for the long iron instead of driver for many of his tee shots, Casey has hit 17 of 28 fairways in the first two days – a key barometer for success on Colonial’s tight layout. “I’ve been hitting a 5-wood for a long, long time now, mainly for second shots into par 5s, but I’ve always loved hitting long irons off the tee,â€� said Casey, who has been sorting out his equipment issues since Nike announced last year it would no longer make clubs. “It’s not the longest 3-iron I’ve ever hit, but I’ve got great control with it. It put me in wonderful position numerous times today – or really didn’t get into trouble, because there is a lot of trouble around here.â€� Casey also is happy to see his putting come around, calling it the “missing linkâ€� to his game. He entered the week ranked 140th on TOUR in Strokes Gained: Putting, but in the first two rounds, he ranks first in the field, having gained a total of 5.215 strokes on the field with his putter. He said it helped playing the first two rounds with one of the TOUR’s best putters. “Trying to channel my inner Brandt Snedeker … because he makes everything,â€� Casey said. “That’s really the difference. The ball-striking has been pretty good all year. That hasn’t changed. Just some putting.â€� ODDS AND ENDS Co-leader Danny Lee tied for fifth last week at the AT&T Byron Nelson after a brilliant weekend in which he shot 64-68. Any carryover effect to this week? “A lot, actually,â€� said Lee, who lives in the area. “… I was just struggling the whole year just trying to find my game. I think I finally got it. My head is in a good place right now. I’m just looking forward to the next couple of days.â€� … Although Scott Piercy is tied for the lead after his 4-under 66, he’s not feeling well. He said he’s having a difficult time breathing and has other flu-like symptoms. Oh, and temperatures reached into the 90s on Friday. “I’ve been pounding the medicine and trying to get over this,â€� Piercy said. “The heat definitely didn’t help today.â€� … Tony Finau is one of the TOUR’s biggest hitters, but he doesn’t view himself as a one-trick pony. He thinks Colonial offers him a chance to show off skills other than his length off the tee. He’ll enter the weekend at 3 under after shooting 65, the lowest round in the morning wave on Friday. “I consider myself a shotmaker,â€� Finau said. “I’m very feely when I play and I can shape it both ways. I think that’s what you need on this golf course.â€� … After opening with a 67, Phil Mickelson shot a second-round 75 in which he failed to make a birdie. It was his highest score at Colonial since an opening 78 in 1998. Mickelson’s longest made putt Friday was from 7-1/2 feet, which explains why he was spending extra time on the practice green after his round. … Among the cut casualties: THE PLAYERS Championship winner Si Woo Kim, who shot 72-73; and two-time Long Drive Championship winner Jamie Sadlowski, who shot 73-73 in his first start on the PGA TOUR.

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LAS VEGAS — Patrick Cantlay came within one putt of a 59 on Saturday, instead matching his low score on the PGA TOUR for a share of the lead with 20-year-old Tom Kim going into the final round of the Shriners Children’s Open. If the third round was any indication, anything goes on the TPC Summerlin high above the Las Vegas Strip. Cantlay had five birdies in his opening six holes, and then poured it on again down the stretch with five birdies in a six-hole stretch that put him on the cusp of his first sub-60 round. He had a birdie putt from just inside 25 feet that broke sharply to the right, and Cantlay played it a little too high of the cup. It was his first 60 on TOUR as a pro — his other 60 was at the 2011 Travelers Championship as a 19-year-old amateur after Cantlay finished his freshman year at UCLA. Cantlay has never shot 59 even at his home course of Virginia Country Club in Long Beach, California, and he smiled when asked about the stress of his final putt. “I would have liked to have made it, yeah,” he said. And then his thoughts turned to a final round, which shaped up as a dandy. Kim is a budding star, having won the Wyndham Championship and delivering big moments in his debut at the Presidents Cup. He birdied five of his last six holes, sticking a wedge to 2 feet on the 18th, for a 62 that put him in a tie with Cantlay at 19-under 194. They were three shots clear of a Mito Pereira (67) and Matthew Ne Smith (63), with defending champion Sungjae Im (63) another shot behind. For Cantlay, a good performance in Las Vegas is familiar. He picked up his first PGA TOUR victory in a playoff at the TPC Summerlin in 2017. He twice was a runner-up in Las Vegas. His worst result was a tie for eighth in 2020 when he had a share of the 54-hole lead. “I think I drive the ball in the fairway a lot here, and I’m not afraid of hitting driver on most every hole, so I have a lot of wedge into greens, and I have a lot of looks,” Cantlay said. “If I make a bunch of putts, I can shoot low scores.” He’s been doing that all week, only on Saturday he kept hitting it a little closer and made most of the mid-range putts he had been missing. Cantlay putted for birdie on every hole, and that birdie chance for 59 on the 18th was his second-longest putt of the round. But then, Cantlay also knows what to expect at Las Vegas, and his work is not done. “No lead is safe around here,” he said. Pereira started the day with the lead, shot 67 and wound up three shots behind. Kim played bogey-free and needed a big run at the end to keep pace. “We haven’t run away with it,” Kim said. “I have to play well tomorrow. I’m sure a lot of guys are thinking that.” There were nine scores of 64 or better on a perfect day for scoring. The course average for Saturday was 67.9. Perhaps another example of the low scoring was Cantlay. His group of NeSmith and S.H. Kim played so well that Cantlay never hit first from a tee box on the back nine. NeSmith had a 63 and S.H. Kim had a 64. Cantlay already has won twice this year — one was with Xander Schauffele in the team event in New Orleans — and a victory Sunday would move him to No. 2 in the world.

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