Amy Olson aces her way to first-round lead

NOTE: For the next three events, Rob will focus only on golfers needing a good performance to advance in the FedExCup Playoffs. In this first edition, all five below enter the Wyndham Championship outside the top 125 in points. Charley Hoffman (+500 for a Top 20) … Every once in a while, a guy comes from way outside to crash the FedExCup Playoffs. In a phrase, and rightfully so, it makes his season. Well, the 45-year-old doesn’t want the party to end, either. He’s never missed an edition of the Playoffs, but now at 148th in points, he’s going to need to prove that his invite wasn’t lost in the mail. As it stands, he needs no worse than a three-way T4 worth 115 FedExCup points and help to eliminate his deficit of 110.562 points. If that’s not tall enough a task, consider that, even if you went back to 2012, he’s 0-for-3 at Sedgefield. Go all the way to his rookie debut in 2006 and he has zero top 40s in six tries. However, he put four rounds together for a T10 in Detroit where his approach game was sublime. So, while his target is a bona fide longshot, the prop is reasonable. Nick Hardy (+350 for a Top 20) … When he sat out the Barbasol Championship, it served both as his first opportunity to rest in five weeks and a reward for a series of strong performances after the kind of return from an injured wrist that was overshadowed a bit by a similarly impressive reentry of fellow rookie Taylor Pendrith from his fractured rib. Hardy paid off the break with a T13 at the Barracuda Championship, but he’s since slipped to 129th in the FedExCup and 26.317 points outside the top-125 bubble. A solo 31st in his debut at Sedgefield would close the gap, so fulfilling this bet should send him into the Playoffs. He connected for three top 20s in his last six starts. Worst case, he likely would qualify for a Minor Medical Extension to open the 2022-23 PGA TOUR season, but he hasn’t planned his last two months to rely on that contingency. Danny Willett … Of all just outside range, he’s among the most compelling. Seeking to get back to the Playoffs for the first time since 2019, the former Masters champion is just 11.097 FedExCup outside the target. He’s manufactured only one top 10 this season, but it was just two weeks ago in Minnesota (T7). The even better news is that he doesn’t need that strong of a finish to leverage position. Merely a three-way T44 (worth 11.166 points) would lift him into the bubble without help. Michael Gligic … At 132nd in the FedExCup, he’s as close to the Playoffs as late as this than in any of his prior two seasons. Needing no worse than a 25th-place finish to generate the possibility of qualifying for the first time, the Canadian doesn’t need to reach too deep into the memory bank for how it feels and for what it will take. Prior to missing the cut in Detroit, he strung together five paydays, three of which for a top 25. He’s 2-for-2 at Sedgefield, albeit without a top-55 finish, but experience counts for something. Max McGreevy … One would have to imagine that when the first hurdle is just making the cut, that it can be more stressful than the promise that follows, but that’s where the rookie finds himself at Sedgefield. Hey, someone has to be No. 126 in the FedExCup right now. It’s just that he’s missed 18 cuts in 26 starts, and six of his last seven, so the expectation to clear it is, well, uninspiring. That said, all he needs is a two-way T46 to climb into consideration for the Playoffs. Of course, he’ll need to land higher on the leaderboard in his first appearance at Sedgefield for a realistic chance of advancing, but everyone positioned worse would trade the spot for his opportunity. Odds were sourced on Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2022. For live odds, visit BetMGM.

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In his own words, Davidson’s Alex Ross describes the swings and thoughts on a day when he did the unthinkable — shot 57 at an amateur event in Atlanta.

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