A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier, Round 4: Leaderboard, tee times, TV times

PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico — Matt Kuchar had another rough hole and enough birdies to atone for it Saturday, posting a 6-under 65 to open a 4-shot lead in the Mayakoba Golf Classic. Kuchar hit a wild drive to the right into mangroves on the par-4 14th and had to get up-and-down to salvage a bogey. That was the only big mistake for Kuchar, who is going after his first PGA TOUR title in more than four years. He saved par from just off the green at the 18th to finish at 20-under 193, four shots ahead of Whee Kim, who had a 66. It matches the largest 54-hole lead of Kuchar’s career. He also led by four at the Houston Open in 2014, when he wound up losing to Matt Jones in a playoff. Richy Werenski and Danny Lee each shot 67 and were five shots back, followed by a group that included PGA TOUR rookie of the year Aaron Wise (63) and Cameron Champ (69). Champ, who played in the final group with Kuchar and Lee, already won this season at the Sanderson Farms Championship. Kuchar has been piling up birdies at El Camaleon Golf Club, and he began to pull away with four birdies on the front nine. Just like Friday, however, one hole gave him stress. It was the 12th hole in the second round, when he had to make a 35-foot bogey putt. On Saturday, it was a tee shot on the 14th. Kuchar took a penalty from the hazard, and dropped in a good lie a few inches next to the cart path. Instead of taking relief into deeper rough, he hit with his feet on the path and picked it clean so his fairway metal wouldn’t smack into the cement. It came up just short of the green, and he chipped to 5 feet and made the bogey putt. Kuchar responded with a tee shot to 4 feet on the par-3 15th to restore his margin to four shots, and he caught a break on the last hole when he pulled his approach, but it struck a tree and came down in light rough to set up a simple up-and-down. Champ was trying to get into the final group for Sunday with a par on the last hole, but his wedge came out hot from the rough and rolled through the green, his chip came out heavy and he three-putted for double bogey. Ryder Cup captain Jim Furyk had a 66 and was at 13-under 200. Also seven shots behind was Anirban Lahiri of India, who was tied with Kuchar early on the front line and still in the mix until a double bogey on the 14th hole and a bogey on the 16th. He had to settle for a 69. Kuchar’s last PGA TOUR victory was at Hilton Head in 2014. He won the Fiji International with his dad caddying for him late in 2015, but struggled to contend this year and failed to reach the third FedExCup Playoff event for the first time in nearly a decade. He also did not make the Ryder Cup team for the first time in 10 years.

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Sometimes the house wins. OK, the house always wins, but TPC Summerlin usually meets the golfers halfway when serving as the host of the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. This wasn’t the case in 2017 when the wind blew in Las Vegas. It was both cooler and a cooler en route to a 20-year-high scoring average north of the par of 71. But it was business as usual again last year despite the fact that it was the first edition after all 102 bunkers were redone. Scroll past the ranking of projected contenders for more on the course, details on this week’s edition and additional information. Hideki Matsuyama, Joaquin Niemann, Matthew Wolff, Bubba Watson and Phil Mickelson will be among the notables reviewed in Tuesday’s Fantasy Insider. The new bunkers didn’t influence scoring as TPC Summerlin returned to its customary position as one of the most vulnerable par 71s of the season. The field averaged 69.369 in 2018. What’s more, fairways and greens were measurably even easier to find than in previous editions. Last year’s collection of 132 golfers averaged almost nine (of 14) fairways hit and 13.33 greens in regulation per round. It didn’t hurt that the rough was trimmed to two inches – a reduction of one inch – and conversion percentages on the greens aligned with history, so it made sense that Bryson DeChambeau reached 21-under 263 as the champion. This year, a field of 144 has assembled. The bump in size is possible because of the earliest date since 2011 (when only 132 competed, in fact). It can expect glorious weather throughout. Seasonably dry conditions not only welcome the PGA TOUR, but the countless snowbirds who flock to the Desert Southwest right around this time of year. Daytime highs in the mid-80s will be accompanied by a percentage of humidity barely into double digits. Wind will not be a factor. The bentgrass greens also will be allowed to run their full 11-and-a-half feet on the Stimpmeter. Customary aesthetic and agronomic enhancements did not influence the length of the course. It remains at 7,255 yards. So, the familiar formula of amassing scoring opportunities in advance of a sharp flat stick once again will define the leaderboard. ROB BOLTON’S SCHEDULE PGATOUR.COM’s Fantasy Insider Rob Bolton recaps and previews every tournament from numerous angles. Look for his following contributions as scheduled. MONDAY: Rookie Ranking, Qualifiers, Reshuffle, Medical Extensions, Power Rankings TUESDAY*: Sleepers, Fantasy Insider * – Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COM’s Expert Picks for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf, which also publishes on Tuesday.

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Augusta National hoped by waiting so late in the year to hold the 2020 Masters it would have a shot at roars in Amen Corner. Alas, it won’t. Why this major being played in eerie quiet will be so different than all the others.

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