Billy Hurley III, Peter Malnati find solution to TPC Louisiana

Jamie Lovemark … As contemporary Rickie Fowler continues to work at shedding the label as one of best active golfers without a victory in a major, the 30-year-old Lovemark, who had a similarly impressive amateur pedigree, is still chasing his first trophy in a PGA TOUR event. He’s 0-for-130 as a professional. Not that it’s getting in the way of a fine career. Since returning to the big leagues full-time in 2015-16, he’s posted 12 top 10s and another 13 top 25s. He’s coming off his latest, a T19 at the Travelers Championship where his putting was on point. Yet, that’s arguably the weakest component of his generally well-rounded attack and he’s currently 44th in strokes gained: tee-to-green and 46th in adjusted scoring. Tom Hoge … The Web.com Tour Finals grad hasn’t wasted a strong start to his third season on the PGA TOUR. After opening 8-for-8 with four top 25s, he’d added a pair of top 15s – the more recent a T13 at Muirfield Village to open this month – and sits comfortably at 71st in the FedExCup standings. He’s also T71 in strokes gained: tee-to-green with assistance from slotting fifth in proximity to the hole. Tyler Duncan … If you’re an avid fan of the PGA TOUR, you may recall that he held at least a share of the lead after each of the first three rounds of the season-opening Safeway Open before settling for a tie for fifth place. It was a classic carryover from the Web.com Tour Finals in which he went T24-T5-MC-T12 to secure his first TOUR card. Alas, that also remains his only top 10 in individual competition as a rookie, a designation that also has predictably resulted in one disappointment after another, but he’s righted the ship over the last two months. After the conclusion of the holiday break, the 28-year-old product of Purdue missed six straight cuts and nine of his first 10. However, since partnering with fellow rookie Adam Schenk for a T7 at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, Duncan is 7-for-7 to remain in control of his own destiny at 115th in the FedExCup standings. His strength is ball-striking, which caters to his consecutive cuts made streak extending at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm. J.T. Poston … It’s rare when one PGA TOUR sophomore without a win playing on conditional status manages to finish inside the top 125 of the FedExCup standings, but both he (108th) and Trey Mullinax (74th) are getting the job done this season. Poston has scattered five top 20s in 15 starts, two of which in his last three. He ranks 37th in strokes gained: off-the-tee and 45th in greens in regulation. Jason Gore … Although TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm hosted a PGA TOUR event from 1987-2004 and in 2006, the record book reflects Nick Watney’s final-round 64 in last year’s Quicken Loans National as the course record. Indeed, it’s the lowest score in a TOUR event since the course was redone 10 years ago, but Gore owns a footnote in its history. In the opening round of the 2012 Neediest Kids Championship, he carded a 63, technically the lowest of four sanctioned tournaments, including the 2010 Constellation SENIOR PLAYERS Championship. The following year, which was the second of two spins as host to the Web.com Tour, Gore placed T11. When he returned in 2017, he finished T13 at 3-under 277. That remains his only payday in his last 14 TOUR appearances dating back to July of 2016. After gaining entry as a sponsor exemption last year, look for him to make the most of the same invitation this week while smiling throughout.

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Round 3 of THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES gets underway today. Here’s everything you need to follow the action. Round 3 leaderboard Round 3 tee times HOW TO FOLLOW Television: Wednesday-Saturday (ending Sunday), 10 p.m.-2 a.m. ET (Golf Channel). PGA TOUR LIVE: None. Radio: None. NOTABLE PAIRINGS (ALL TIMES LOCAL) Sergio Garcia, K.J. Choi, Brooks Koepka Tee time: 8:15 a.m. (No. 10) Jason Day, Hideki Matsuyama, Ryan Palmer Tee time: 8:45 a.m. (No. 1) Emiliano Grillo, Jordan Spieth, Cameron Smith Tee time: 9:35 a.m. (No. 1) Justin Thomas, Byeong Hun An, Danny Lee Tee time: 9:45 a.m. (No. 1) MUST READS Thomas leads THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES after second-round 63 Win probabilities Day returns to old putter, shoots 66 Power Rankings The First Look: News and notes Sleeper Picks Top 10 rookies to watch What to expect during the fall schedule Sign-up and play Fantasy Golf

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NEW ORLEANS – Scottie Scheffler says wearing the Green Jacket hasn’t gotten him out of any chores at home and that his incredible run of four wins in six starts, including his Masters triumph two weeks ago, still hasn’t sunk in. The world No. 1 returns to PGA TOUR competition at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans this week, partnering with fellow Texan Ryan Palmer in the team event while looking to continue his sensational purple patch of form. Since claiming his maiden TOUR win at the WM Phoenix Open in February, Scheffler has added the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, World Golf Championships–Dell Technologies Match Play and the Masters. Not since Jason Day’s similar run in 2015 where he claimed the RBC Canadian Open, PGA Championship and two FedExCup Playoff events has a player dominated with four wins in such a short stretch. After a week off at home with family, Scheffler is back and ready to ride the wave some more. While he admits to having a bit of fun at wife Meredith’s expense, the 25-year-old is adamant he will remain the humble man he has always tried to be. There will be no viral videos of chaos or wild celebrations with the coveted clothing he picked up just over a week ago. “When my wife asks me to do stuff at home, sometimes I’ll grab it out of the closet and look at her, ‘Huh, really?’ It hasn’t worked yet,” Scheffler joked about his time with the Green Jacket. “I’ve just had some fun with it at home. I haven’t really done anything special. I haven’t taken it out of the house … I want to do a good job of representing Augusta National, and I have to bring it back at the end of next year. Since I’m almost the representation of the Green Jacket outside of the club, I’m treating it with respect. I’m not going to do anything crazy with it.” Scheffler revealed he’d been contacted by former President George W. Bush via mail and was also chuffed to get love from former Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps and Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott amongst hundreds of congratulatory messages. It all still feels like a dream. “I wouldn’t say it’s really sunk in,” he said. “I’ve had a good stretch recently, but I took a little bit of time at home last week to just relax. I was a bit drained. So I did not do much last week at all. I just chilled at home. “To have someone like President Bush reach out just to congratulate me is pretty special … Michael Phelps posted me in one of his stories, and then Zeke from the Cowboys sent me a message. Michael Phelps is just insane. The guy is one of the greatest athletes ever. For him to reach out and post something about me or whatever is pretty cool. “Those are probably kind of the only moments I’ve had where I kind of sit and reflect on what’s happened the past month and a half, two months. Just getting some messages like that from people I’ve looked up to for so long is really special.” In Palmer, Scheffler has a proven performer at TPC Louisiana. The veteran teamed up with Jon Rahm to win the tournament in 2019. Justin Thomas was one to poke a little fun at Palmer, who has now boasted Jordan Spieth, Rahm and Scheffler as partners in New Orleans. “The joke became he had to win twice. After he won twice, we firmed it up. You’ve got to be a multiple winner for me to come to you,” Palmer laughed about getting his newest top-ranked star partner. “The thing that really sealed it was (that) I sent a picture of me and Jon with the trophy, but I imposed his face on it.” In reality, Palmer has been a guy all three stars wanted to play with. “I’ve known Ryan since he’s been working with Randy Smith,” Scheffler said. “We have the same coach at home. We work out together in the off-season. Same trainer and we play a lot of games at home. So, it was a pretty seamless decision. We’ll have some fun. “This is his 19th year on TOUR. It’s not like my older brother I brought in off the street. Ryan is one of the best ball strikers out here. Nineteen years on TOUR, and that speaks for itself. Four wins? Yeah, the guy’s got the resume.”

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