Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, Round 1: Leaderboard, tee times, TV times

PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico – Notes and observations from the third round of the Mayakoba Golf Classic at El Camaleon Golf Club.  LEADING LIGHTS KUCHAR BUILDS LEAD Matt Kuchar shot a 6-under 65 to reach 20-under and build up a four-shot lead over Whee Kim (66) at the steamy Mayakoba Golf Classic on Saturday. Richy Werenski (67) and Danny Lee (67) are at 15-under, five back, with everyone else at least six shots behind. This marks the best-ever 54-hole score for Kuchar, 40, a seven-time PGA TOUR winner who finished 76th in the FedExCup last season after being in the top 20 for eight straight seasons. “I can’t imagine doing better through 54 holes,� said Kuchar, who had shot 64-64 the first two rounds. “I did think about it today that it would be nice to get to 7-under to match my first two rounds. … I’ve felt really, really good for three days.� Kuchar hit nine of 14 fairways at El Camaleon Golf Club, where accuracy off the tee is crucial. He’s 34 of 42 in that stat for the week, tied for third in the field. He also continued to hit greens (15 of 18), tame the greens (28 putts), and scramble well (eight of 10 for the week). His only hiccup was a bogey at the par-4 14th, of the two hardest holes Saturday. “This week it’s come together,� he said. “It’s been very satisfying.� Kuchar has used a local caddie this week as his regular caddie, John Wood, takes the week off to attend a reunion. David Giral Ortiz, who caddied for Mexico’s Armando Favela as he won a Mayakoba qualifier two weeks ago, has been the leader’s lucky charm, Kuchar said. Since finishing T3 at Mayakoba in ’08, he had played here just once, doing little besides make the cut. His most recent victory came at the 2014 RBC Heritage. NOTABLES CHAMP’S TOUGH ENDING. Cameron Champ, who won the Sanderson Farms Championship two weeks ago, was still in contention with an outside chance but double-bogeyed the 18th hole for a 69. He went from four off the lead to six back and in a tie for fifth. FOWLER DISAPPOINTED. Rickie Fowler three-putted from what he estimated to be four feet at the 12th and shot 69 to reach 10-under, but at 10 back he’s too far behind. “A little sloppy,� he said. “I missed a few short ones today that cost me probably at least three shots.� FINAU 8 BEHIND. Tony Finau, 9th in the FedExCup, shot 67, one of the better rounds of the day, but is still only 12-under and eight shots off the lead. He’s tied for 15th place. KIZZIRE STRUGGLES. Patton Kizzire was making a good show of it in his first title defense but struggled with a third-round 72 to fall to 10-under, 10 shots off the lead. OBSERVATIONS FURYK FOCUS RETURNS. Jim Furyk has gone from focusing on 12 players’ games to focusing on one player’s game after his turn captaining the U.S. Ryder Cup team. Now he’s trying to ascertain just exactly where he is with that one game, and seeing positive signs after a third-round 66 got him to 13-under total and into a tie for eighth. “It’s kind of fun to get back to playing again,� said Furyk, 48, who made par on 18 after his ball grazed the lip twice, once on his approach and once on his birdie putt of roughly five feet. When he closed with a 63 for a T4 at the Wyndham Championship last summer, it was his first top-five finish since the 2016 U.S. Open (T2). A 17-time PGA TOUR winner who won the 2010 FedExCup, he slipped to 141st and failed to make the Playoffs last season. “It was a lot of weeks where I didn’t really think about golf for me that much,� he said. Now he’s hoping starts at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open (MC), Mayakoba and RSM Classic will help him assess his game. “I’ve got a lot of things I need to improve on,� Furyk said. “Had a lot of time off, had a lot of injuries the last few years.�  OFF DAY FOR MEXICO. It’s been a banner year for Mexico on TOUR, with four Mexican players earning full status for this season, and seven total teeing it at Mayakoba. Of the four made the cut at Mayakoba—Abraham Ancer, Jose de Jesus Rodriguez, Armando Favela and Oscar Fraustro—Ancer leads the way after a 67 got him to 13-under. Alas, Ancer’s 4-under score was better than his three countrymen combined, with Rodriguez (72) admittedly struggling in the heat and Favela (70) and Fraustro (71) mostly standing in place on moving day. QUOTABLES Toucan has brought me good luck.I don’t think you could drink enough.It was a lot of weeks where I didn’t really think about golf for me that much. CALL OF THE DAY For play-by-play coverage of the final round of the Mayakoba Golf Classic, listen at PGATOUR.COM. SHOT OF THE DAY

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Ping’s 2021 putter line features both traditional and new putter models designed to offer multiple options for each stroke type. With its emphasis on fitting, Ping has taken great care with the line to optimize each model with different blends of materials and technology best suited to each head shape. Ping’s VP of engineering Paul Wood told us that upwards of 70 percent of golfers favor inserts/softer feel, so the company was determined to offer a full range of insert-style putters to complement the solid-faced Heppler line. The objective in developing the insert for the 2021 line was to create a successor to the Sigma 2 line that offered a similar soft feel with some performance-enhancing technology and new models. Ping’s engineers are continuing to use a dual-durometer insert that feels softer on shorter putts and firmer on longer strokes. Wood indicated the shallow, uniform groove technology (previously known in-house as the Bubba Watson Groove due to his early involvement) came straight from feedback from tour professionals by focusing on optimizing player perception more than anything to do with the physics. In addition to the dual-durometer insert, Wood said the other key to the 2021 line is every putter uses multiple metals that have been selected based on the head shape. ”Each putter in the line has a combination of heavier and lighter materials positioned to maximize stability and keep a low center of mass,” Wood said. For example, the blade putters use steel with tungsten around the perimeter for greater stability. However, that formula would be too heavy in the larger mallet putters, such as the Harwood, which has an aluminum body with tungsten inserts. Finally, in terms of technology across the line as a whole, Wood told us there are four main ways players line up the ball: the top rail, a long central alignment, ball framing lines, and an alignment feature that directly meets the ball. Across the whole line, there is something for everyone and each model focuses on one or two of these primary alignment styles for ease of alignment. Speaking on the 2021 line, John K. Solheim, Ping president said “We’ve engineered a lot of score-lowering technology into the 2021 putter line through extensive research and tour player feedback. All of the models are developed with higher MOI through strategic use of various materials, including tungsten, steel and aluminum, to provide the forgiveness and accuracy golfers expect from a Ping putter. The dual-durometer insert features uniform, shallow grooves to give golfers a soft, responsive feel for more consistent distance control with the precise touch they need to hole more putts.” Ping 2021 putters: The models The Anser, Anser 2, and Anser 4 combine a stainless-steel head with tungsten heel and toe weights to elevate the timeless designs to the highest MOI in company history. While in the Kushin 4, DS 72, and Tyne 4, a steel weight is positioned in the heel, and tungsten is used to the toe to optimize the center of gravity locations for each model. The Fetch and Oslo H merge together a cast 304 stainless steel body with an aluminum sole plate to position mass around the perimeter of the heads for highly forgiving mallet-style designs. For the new CA 70 head, a stainless steel sole weight is used to lower the center of gravity of the putter, which features a body mostly constructed of aluminum. The largest of the new designs, the Harwood offers the highest MOI in the line thanks to its 6061 aluminum body and 93 grams worth of tungsten weights positioned in the four corners of the head. Specs, availability, prices The new 2021 Ping putter line will be available in a total of 11 different models including one in an armlock configuration and come in both right and left-handed. The putters are each fitted with one of three original Ping-designed grips intended to maximize the putter performance based on stroke fit. The PP58 – A mid (87g) standard-sized pistol shape made of rubber and designed to help square the face at impact is the standard grip on the Anser, Anser 4, Kushin 4, CA 70, DS 72, Tyne 4, and Tyne C. The PP60 – Another (86g) midsize option, pistol design with a rubber under-listing with larger flat surfaces for increased face awareness. A new rubber outer layer features a unique texture to enhance a golfer’s sense of touch. It comes standard on the Anser 2, Fetch, Oslo H and Harwood. The PP58-S – A pistol-shaped midsized grip featuring a straight taper and predominantly flat surface to aid in clubface awareness. All of the 2021 Ping putters are priced at $270, except for the Harwood and Harwood armlock, which are priced at $380. Click here to purchase.

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