Aaron Baddeley shoots 66 to take Puerto Rico Open lead

Each week during the fall, PGATOUR.COM will highlight one of the rookies playing on the PGA TOUR during the 2019-20 season. This week: Matthew NeSmith, who’s in this week’s field at this week’s Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. Age: 25 Birthplace: North Augusta, South Carolina Resides: Columbia, South Carolina College: University of South Carolina TOUR card gained by: Finishing 1st in the Korn Ferry Tour Finals. TOUR starts/Best finish: 8/missed all eight cuts, but missed by only one shot at A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier. MEET THE ROOKIES: Bo Hoag | Michael Gellerman | Nelson Ledesma Pro highlights: Started Sunday three back but shot 64 to beat Viktor Hovland by one at the Albertsons Boise Open presented by Kraft Nabisco, for his first Korn Ferry Tour title. … Top-10s at Ellie Mae Classic at TPC Stonebrae (led through 36 and 54 holes but finished T8), Nashville Golf Open Benefitting the Snedeker Foundation (T6), and The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic at Sandals Emerald Bay (T9). …  Finished runner-up at 2016 Mackenzie Tour PGA TOUR Canada Q School … Shot a bogey-free 6-under 66 in the opening round of the Safeway Open, leaving him just one shot off the 18-hole lead, but shot 77 in Round 2 to miss the cut. Amateur highlights: As a senior at South Carolina, he became first Gamecock to win twice in less than one week (five days), and first to earn PING First Team All-America honors. … Is the school’s all-time leader in top-10 finishes (25) and scoring average (71.65). … As a junior golfer in 2012, won AJGA’s Rolex Tournament of Champions and FootJoy Invitational, the latter event, at Sedgefield Country Club, earning him a start at 2012 Wyndham Championship (MC). Interesting tidbits: Does not look at leaderboards and did not know the 15-footer at the last was for the win in Boise. (He made it.) … Proposed to his wife, Abigail, on the 18th green at Harbour Town Golf Links. … Has volunteered to build bikes for needy families at Christmas. … Has been involved with Curing Kids Cancer, where wife has worked. … Brother is a celebrity photojournalist in New York City.   NeSmith says (after winning Albertsons Boise Open): “It was time to do something. I had kind of been hanging around mini tours for a couple of years and Canada, and I finally got out here. I’ve played solid all year-round. I just never really could figure it out, and then I started playing well at the end of the year and got in the Finals … and then anything can happen.� For more on Matthew NeSmith, click here.

Click here to read the full article…

Here are nine tidbits from the final round of the 118th United States Open that gamers can use tomorrow, this weekend or down the road. Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y., is hosting for the fifth time in history and plays 7,440 yards to a Par-70. National Champion Again Brooks Koepka fired a final round 68 to post 281 to win his second consecutive United States Open. The podium was rounded off by Englishman Tommy Fleetwood (282) and 2016 champion Dustin Johnson (283). There were plenty of questions about the selection and set-up of Erin Hills last year. Koepka couldn’t care less about those questions as he beat that Par-72 windless layout into oblivion. The course with wide fairways and huge greens with four Par-5 holes didn’t resemble a “true” U.S. Open layout or challenge. Koepka’s winning score of 16-under tied the record in relation to par and people grumbled. He returned as the reigning champion this year, hustling to get into form because of a wrist injury suffered late last year, to a course that was the quintessential opposite of the one he defeated, rather easily, last year. The beast that is Shinnecock Hills would test his wrist, mettle and entire bag and he passed again with flying colors. Koepka finished second in driving distance yet just T55 in fairways. He found 49 of 72 GIR, the fourth-best effort of the week. He circled 14 birdies, also the fourth-best effort. His final round in the penultimate group with buddy Dustin Johnson saw him circle five birdies against just one bogey before his safety-first approach on the final green with a two-shot lead. I can hear the gamers screaming “where were you last week in Memphis” as he was the most-selected player in both PGA TOUR games. Given the choice of last week versus this week, I can’t argue with you. Only six previous players have defended their title so winning this week would be some feat at just 28. With Koepka winning on a “new” school course followed by a historical classic, it’s clear he’s worthy of a look regardless of the event. His last 11 majors have included two titles and nothing worse than T21 as he cements his place as one of the young studs on TOUR. Know Thy Enemy These were the top-10 selected golfers, plus one, in the PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf game presented by SERVPRO. Rickie Fowler’s weekend of 84-65 was interesting so hopefully gamers played him on the right day! Based on the above, some might have been stuck, like I was, using him in both rounds. Luckily for me I had Mickelson with him on Saturday and they earned me MINUS FIVE points. Not awesome. PAIN OR GAIN These were the top-10 selected golfers (plus one) in the PGA TOUR Fantasy One & Done presented by SERVPRO: Tough week for Johnson’s investors but a podium finish is a little easier to take than a few of the results on the table above. Only one guy can win but it’s evident this THE major to play Johnson. Tommy, Boy! Tommy Fleetwood adds his name to the list of players who have signed for 63 in a major championship. He also adds his name to the list of players that didn’t win while doing so. His eight birdies, after making zero during a 78 in Round 3, were cancelled out by just one bogey. He had an eight-footer on the last to tie the major championship record of 62 set just last summer at Royal Birkdale by Braden Grace. Fleetwood backed up his fourth-place money at Erin Hills last year with solo second Sunday, his best finish in a major. Just Missed, Again Dustin Johnson’s U.S Open history is colorful, pitiful and filled with plenty of “what if” and this edition adds to this novel. He was magnificent over the first 36 holes on the more difficult side of the draw, leading by four at the half-way point. His weekend saw him post 77 in Round 3 and yet began the final round tied for first. His final round of 70, even par, wasn’t good enough to win, force a playoff or even take home second place alone. Yeah, it was a strange week to say the least. Captain America Patrick Reed improved every round and his 68 on Sunday was the best of the bunch. He birdied five of his first seven holes to ignite the grand slam conversation. He ran out of magic as he came home in 37 but his last three finishes in a major are stout. He was T2 at the PGA Championship, picked up his first major at Augusta and solo fourth, his best finish and first top-10 payday at the U.S. Open. Drive for Dough Entering the week Tony Finau (5th) checked in at No. 2 in driving distance and No. 195 in driving accuracy. The first number was a plus but the second surely had to be a hindrance. Nope. He found just enough fairways (T51) and GIR (T12) that led to 17 birdies, the most in the event. Playing with Daniel Berger in the final group after his outstanding 66 Saturday morning, his 72 led to his second consecutive top-10 payday in the majors. This one did not involve a dislocated ankle though! Finau has a top 10 at every major with the exception of the Open Championship. Length travels. Sunday Silence Playing in his first final group in a major Daniel Berger signed for 73 and shared sixth. He’s now cashed at Pinehurst, Oakmont and Shinnecock Hills while just missing at Erin Hills. His worst finish in three Masters is T32. These are clues folks! This experience will be stored away in the memory bank for next time. He’ll be in play for gamers this week at the Travelers Championship as he lost in a playoff to Spieth last year. … Justin Rose was stalking the lead entering the weekend but 73-73 in the final 36 holes knocked him back to T10. That’s four top 10’s in just seven of 13 made cuts for the Englishman in this event. This one stings for gamers as he was one out of the lead on the first tee Sunday. … Jim Furyk began the day T7 and shot 80 to finish T48. Study Hall The final round scoring average was 72.180 (+2.180), the easiest round of the week by almost 1.5 shots. After the uproar on Saturday I don’t think many gamers were surprised to see birdies and lack of others in the final round. … The scoring average for the week was 74.650 as 67 players who made the cut finished worse than par. … There were zero bogey-free rounds recorded for the round and for the week. … LSU rising senior Luis Gagne and Mid Amateur champ Matt Parziale shared the low amateur (T48).

Click here to read the full article…

Here are nine tidbits from the third round of the Sony Open at Waialae Country Club (par 70, 7,044 yards) in Honolulu that gamers can use tomorrow, this weekend or down the road. Be looking for the Emergency 9 shortly after the close of play of each round of the tournament. Tom Cruising After 65-64-64 and 16-under-par, Tom Hoge looks like he’s on cruise control. Don’t tell him that six of the seven closest players on the leaderboard have already done what he’s trying to do for the first time tomorrow: win. History is not on his side as only Jerry Kelly and Russell Henley have made the Sony Open their maiden victories on TOUR since 2000. He’ll have some confident players breathing down his neck and I’m interested to see how he reacts. Patton Marching Hoge’s Friday-Saturday total of 129 is impressive but Patton Kizzire is one shot better. One shot is all that separates the OHL Classic winner from the fella trying to close his first deal. Kizzire had to face and beat Rickie Fowler at Riviera Maya for his first TOUR win so he’ll be up for the fight tomorrow. For Hoge, his strength has been approaching the green (first) while Kizzire has putted the greens best. He’s made 21 birdies through 54 holes, the most on the week. Moving Day Movers The low round of the day went to Webb Simpson as his 63 moved him up 39 spots to T9. Simpson has now made nine consecutive cuts at Waialae but he’s never finished better than T9…Chez Reavie has taken multiple swings at Waialae and finally figured out how to hit the top 10 as he closed with 61 (T8) last year. His 65 Saturday moved him up 27 spots to T21 and another low one on Sunday might see him sneak in the back door again…Austin Cook also carded 65 on Saturday and moved up 35 spots to T28. Moving Day Shakers Gamers riding Hudson Swafford after his 66 on Friday saw a vicious swing as his 73 today dropped him 42 spots to T59…One of the most popular picks in PGA TOUR Fantasy One & Done presented by SERVPRO and PGA TOUR Fantasy One & Done presented by SERVPRO, Marc Leishman’s 71 saw him plummet 33 spots to T50. Last week Leishman struggled on Saturday as well before rallying on Sunday to hit the top 10. Breathe people!…A couple of players on Major Medical Exemptions caught my eye yesterday as John Peterson and Ryan Palmer both shot 64. Peterson began the day T2 and wound up T40 after 74 while Palmer’s 71 knocked him out of the top 20 to T56. This is all part of getting back into TOUR shape and hardly a surprise. Crack the Back Door Yesterday on the telecast those who were watching heard Jordan Spieth voice his displeasure as he lamented his two weeks of poor putting. He’s not wrong as he checks in at No. 63 in SG: Putting after three rounds. His ball-striking has kept him alive this week and is currently T28 after his best round in three with 66. History buffs will point out he closed 63 last year and finished third. I’m leaving him on my bench tomorrow as I haven’t burned his start yet. I’d rather use him for an entire event and cash all four rounds of points rather than trying to catch another 63. Cameron’s Dollars Australian Cameron Smith keeps forcing himself into our world this winter so we should start paying attention. After kicking off the new TOUR season T5 at CIMB Classic followed by third at THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES, he went back to his native Australia to cash fourth at his national open while backing that up with winning the Australian PGA. This was his 10th round at Waialae and his ninth under par as his 66 moved him to eighth place. I Heart Rory It was revealed that Rory McIlroy has been dealing with a heart ailment that has hurt his preparation and tournament golf. In fantasy golf, knowledge is power and knowing why McIlroy wasn’t playing well is very helpful. His talent is unquestioned and Ben Everill’s article will help put season-long and weekly gamers at ease. I’m on board without question moving forward. Reality Bites This morning, the people of Hawaii were awoken by buzzing or ringing cell phones alerting them of a possible ballistic missile attack. While the message suggested THIS IS NOT A DRILL, thankfully for all involved, it was. It took 38 minutes to rectify the situation and confirm that there was NOT a missile attack heading toward the Hawaiian Islands. Talk about wake-up calls…Remember, professional golfers aren’t robots; they’re people with families and emotions like the rest of us. I bet they all are hoping for a “normal” day tomorrow. Everyone, minus perhaps Tom Hoge, should sleep well tonight. Study Hall Tony Finau racked up an ace this afternoon but his 67 moved him only to T40…Saturday had to be an incredibly tough day for Blayne Barber. He learned that his caddy and great friend was in the hospital after a fall on Friday night and we all know how Saturday morning started. Barber shot 72 and is currently T70…Ian Poulter tweeted that he’ll be playing Abu Dhabi, Dubai and then Waste Management Phoenix open in consecutive weeks to open his 2018 season…On this day in history in 1933, Augusta National Golf Club opened.

Click here to read the full article…