An exciting finish in place at the Travelers Championship

LAS VEGAS – J.J. Spaun isn’t, and doesn’t want to be, a rookie anymore. The 27-year-old has just begun his second season on the PGA TOUR and as such expects a whole new level of performance. Spaun had a respectable rookie season in 2016-17 finishing 97th in the FedExCup to retain his playing privileges. But he says the three top-10s from last season is not enough, and is aggressively pursuing his first victory. With a 66-65 opening to the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open at TPC Summerlin he has opened a three-shot gap at the top and intends to keep the foot down. “I’ve had a year’s experience now on the TOUR, and this year it’s kind of just taking my game to the next level instead of just kind of being someone that lingers around the cut or top 20s,â€� he said. “It’s time to step up if I want to do something big out here on TOUR and make a name for myself.â€� Spaun said he fell into the trap of some of the negative associations of being a rookie last season. The little things like tee times and scheduling were getting under his skin more than they should have. But he’s thrown away the excuses now. “You need to kind of grow up. You’re not a baby, you’re not a rookie anymore,â€� he stressed. “You feel like – when you’re a rookie – everything is kind of stacked against you. But now it’s time to actually go to work and put yourself in contention and try to get W’s out here.â€� While not officially the 36-hole leader yet as play was suspended late due to darkness Spaun will almost certainly hold the position. The 36-hole leader/co-leader has gone on to win six of the last 10 Shriners Hospitals for Children Opens.  OBSERVATIONS Robert Garrigus felt like he almost couldn’t miss on the greens as he carded eight birdies on Friday. With just a lone double bogey trying to derail his day Garrigus shot an impressive 65 to move to 7-under for the tournament. The stats backed up his thoughts on the greens as he gained 4.811 strokes on the field putting in the second round to be ranked first in the field. “All in all it was one of the great days –  eight birdies in the wind, made a lot of good putts, hit everything where I was looking today with the putter, and that doesn’t happen very often, so I’m going to cherish this one,â€� he said. Darkness once again halted play before the full round could be completed with 28 players left to finish round two on Saturday morning. As such a cut hasn’t been made. The projected cutline stands at +1 with 80 players currently inside the mark. Those on the bubble include defending champion Rod Pampling and major winners Geoff Ogilvy, Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson. The wind was again a factor although it didn’t pick up quite as much as expected in the afternoon at TPC Summerlin. Even so the morning wave played the par-71 course in a 71.99 average while the unfinished afternoon wave was at 72.98 Aaron Baddeley put on a scrambling masterclass in the wind, getting up and down 9/9 times. The four-time PGA TOUR winner put up a second round 66 to give himself a chance at win number five. He sat five off the lead and in a tie for fourth when play was suspended. “The forecast for tomorrow is going to be super windy so it’s going to be a real patience day,â€� he said.â€� Just sort of picking up a bunch of pars and making some birdies. If we can do that on the weekend, we’ll be in a good spot on Sunday.â€� Kelly Kraft is the lone player who can, albeit unlikely, take away the 36-hole lead from J.J. Spaun. The former U.S. Amateur winner sits 4-under on his round through 15 holes and at 8-under overall to be second alone. His round included an ace on the 5th hole. First round leader Whee Kim battled to a 1-over 72 on Friday but remains in contention in a tie for 6th, six shots off the pace. There were two hole-in-ones on Friday. After just three aces in the first five tournaments of the season Kelly Kraft aced the par-3 5th hole with a 6-iron from 174 yards and Brice Garnett performed the feat on the par-3 14th hole with an 8-iron from 164 yards. The last player to make a hole-in-one on the PGA TOUR and go on to win was Dustin Johnson at the 2015 World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship QUOTABLES “I always listened to Freddie (Couples) when he told me, when it’s breezy, swing easy. I do have the best job in the world, for me. This is all I can do. Playing golf for a living is a blessing, and the family loves me, so everything is good.â€� – Robert Garrigus after a 65 moved him to 3rd place. “I got a new putter this week. The Ping Ancer. It’s beautiful. I’ve done some string drills on the putting green, which really sort of helped me get the ball started on the right line. Just sort of through that, I let my body adjust and it’s feeling good.â€� – Aaron Baddeley after sitting fourth in Strokes Gained: Putting through his two rounds. He is five shots off the lead in a tie for 4th place. “Once you kind of see a wheel fall off, you can kind of start seeing all the wheels fall off. I kind of did that a little bit last week, but it was a couple of bad breaks. This week I didn’t want that to happen.â€� – J.J. Spaun after he backed up his lone bogey on Friday with two tap in birdies.  SUPERLATIVES Low Round: J.J. Spaun (1st), Robert Garrigus (3rd) and Chesson Hadley (T16) led the way Friday with rounds of 65. Spaun had 7 birdies and a lone bogey, Garrigus had eight birdies and a double bogey while Hadley notched up 7 birdies and an eagle but had three bogeys. Longest Drive: Bubba Watson gave the crowd what they wanted to see with a 393-yard blast off the 9th tee. Longest Putt: South African Rory Sabbatini drained the longest putt of the second round with a 67-foot bomb for birdie on the 10th hole. Sadly it won’t help him make the weekend after a 77. Toughest Hole: For the second day running the par-4 3rd hole played the toughest, yielding just 10 birdies and a 4.303 stroke average. Easiest Hole: The par-5 9th once again proved the place to make your move with 2 eagles and 64 birdies helping it to a 4.592 stroke average. 

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A lot can happen before the scheduled first round back at the Charles Schwab Challenge. Some of how this will work is clear, but there’s just as much that still has to be figured out.

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Six of the top 10 in the FedExCup roll into 7,392-yard, par-72 Muirfield Village Golf Club. In addition to No. 1 Matt Kuchar, No. 3 Xander Schauffele and No. 4 Rory McIlroy, the Memorial will feature five-time winner Tiger Woods, who is chasing what would be a record-tying 82nd PGA TOUR victory, Phil Mickelson, and Bryson DeChambeau, whose win here a year ago kicked off a stretch of four victories in 12 starts. Justin Thomas, coming off a wrist injury, will make his first start since the Masters Tournament. In all, the Memorial boasts 23 of the top 30 in the FedExCup standings. Related: Watch Tiger exclusively Thursday on PGA TOUR Live | The First Look | Power Rankings THREE PLAYERS TO PONDER Tiger Woods – Can he rebound after missing the cut at the PGA? It wouldn’t exactly be shocking, as the Memorial is one of seven TOUR events he’s won five or more times.  Rickie Fowler – Suffered first missed cut in 22 starts at the Charles Schwab Challenge, now looks to bounce back at Muirfield Village, where he was T8 last year and T2 in 2017. Matt Kuchar – The newly-minted 41-year-old is the FedExCup leader and playing in a high-wattage group (Phil Mickelson, Fowler), but Kuchar is the only one to have won here, in 2013. THE FLYOVER The hardest hole on the course, the 484-yard, par-4 18th hole played to a 4.211 stroke average last year, giving up just 51 birdies compared to more than twice as many bogeys (93), doubles (12) and others (five) combined. Add that it’s the hole players must face with the trophy on the line (sometimes more than once in less than an hour, in the case of playoff winner Bryson DeChambeau last year), and it’s all the more challenging. The hard dogleg right plays downhill off the tee, with trees, rough and a creek awaiting left misses, but right misses aren’t great, either, as Kyle Stanley found when he bowed out of the playoff last year. Uphill approaches are played to a large, two-tiered green protected by four bunkers and surrounded by spectators.     LANDING ZONE Hit the fairway on the 529-yard, par-5 15th hole and you’re in business; the players who found the short grass off the tee last year averaged 4.56 strokes on the hole, helping make it Muirfield’s third easiest hole. Players who missed the fairways off the tee averaged 5.06. The hole plays slightly uphill and is cut through a forest, so the ideal tee shot avoids overhanging trees on either side and crests the top of the hill, opening up the possibility of reaching in two for long hitters. WEATHER CHECK From meteorologist Wade Stettner: “Stormy conditions are forecast on Thursday with rain and thunderstorm chances possible through much of the day. It will not be an all-day washout on Thursday, but there will be threats for rain and thunderstorms in the morning and afternoon. Temperatures will be cooler on Thursday with a high in the middle 70s. Dry weather is expected on Friday with partly cloudy skies and comfortable temperatures. There is a chance for scattered thunderstorms on both Saturday and Sunday.â€� For the latest weather news from Muirfield Village, check out PGATOUR.COM’s Weather Hub. SOUND CHECK I learned very quickly there’s not a lot to do in South Florida when you can’t golf or fish. BY THE NUMBERS 1 – Number of players to have won the Memorial and the FedExCup in the same year. Woods did it in 2009.  T15 – Local resident Jason Day’s best result, in 2017, in 10 starts at his hometown tournament. It’s his only top-25 finish. 0 – Number of other courses to have hosted the Presidents Cup (2013), Ryder Cup (1987) and Solheim Cup (1998). Muirfield Village also hosted the U.S. Amateur in 1992. SCATTERSHOTS Rankin honored: Judy Rankin, an LPGA winner, a pioneering golf broadcaster, and widely known as one of the nicest people in the game, will be this year’s Memorial honoree in a ceremony planned for Wednesday. Peter Alliss, a broadcasting legend from the other side of the pond (BBC), will also be honored.   Strong international field on tap: In addition to Australia’s Day (who has adopted Columbus as his hometown), the Memorial will feature a deep roster of European players, including Danny Willett, Matthew Fitzpatrick and Alex Noren. Reigning British Amateur champion Jovan Rebula, nephew of Ernie Els, will make his seventh start as a professional. Brothers Carlos and Alvaro Ortiz of Mexico are in the field, too. Alvaro, the younger of the two, won the 2019 Latin America Amateur Championship to earn a spot in the Masters, where he finished T36. He has since turned pro.     Weather adds intrigue: Storms ripped through Ohio and elsewhere earlier this week, and they didn’t spare Muirfield Village. The course has taken a lot of rain and could get more Thursday and this weekend if the forecast is correct, which could put an added premium on distance off the tee. “This one is going to require a lot of good driving,â€� said five-time Memorial champion Tiger Woods. “It’s going to be soft. Guys are going to be aggressive. The ball is not going to be going anywhere.â€� Added Justin Thomas, “When it’s soft like this, it’s going to favor a long hitter.â€�

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