Brendan Steele, Dave Farrell bond over golf

LAKE FOREST, Ill. – Marc Leishman left his golf clubs in his garage during his week break from the FedExCup playoff and it didn’t change anything. He made 10 birdies in the opening round of the BMW Championship for a nine-under 62 to build a two-shot lead. Jason Day made the biggest change of his career and had a 64, his best start in 16 months. The race to the FedExCup finale got off to a blistering start Thursday at Conway Farms, and no one could top Leishman. The Australian finished third at TPC Boston two weeks ago, did nothing last week except practice putting in the room above his garage, and then ran off seven birdies in a nine-hole stretch in the middle of his round and matched his best score on the PGA TOUR. “When you play golf and all you’re thinking about his making birdies, it’s a lot easier than trying to not make bogeys,” Leishman said. Day made five birdies on the back nine to atone for a sluggish start in a tournament where his expectations were up in the air. He decided last week that Colin Swatton, the most meaningful figure in his golf career, would no longer caddie for at least the rest of the year. Day instead used an old roommate from his school days in Australia, Luke Reardon. If that wasn’t enough, he also changed putters. That might not have been nearly as significant as the good vibes from a six-shot victory at Conway Farms two years ago. Whatever the case, he had no complaints about his lowest score since a 63 in the AT&T Byron Nelson in May, and his best opening round since a 63 at THE PLAYERS Championship a year ago, which was the last tournament he won. “A good step in the right direction, especially with having Luke on the bag,” Day said. “Obviously, not having Colin on the bag is something different and I just didn’t know how I was going to play. I think Luke did a fantastic job out there. We worked well together and hope we can keep that going.” Charley Hoffman, picked for the Presidents Cup a week ago, birdied his last two holes for a 64. Jamie Lovemark also had a 64 with a little more style, drilling a fairway metal over the creek to eight feet for eagle on the par-5 18th. Jordan Spieth, a runner-up in the last two FedExCup Playoff events to take over the No. 1 spot in the standings, turned a wild tee shot into a birdie on the opening hole, added a 30-foot birdie from off the green at No. 5 and settled down the rest of the way for a bogey-free 65. “I felt like I really stole a few shots out of this golf course, which is rare to feel like you scored better than you played,” Spieth said. Also at 65 was Rickie Flower, who showed a streaky side. Fowler birdied the first hole. He bogeyed the second hole. He followed with nine straight pars. And then he ran off six straight birdies, capped by a 65-foot pitch from short of the 17th green. Fowler had a chance to match a career best with seven straight birdies, but he chose not to take on the stream at the par-5 18th and laid up. He hit wedge to 12 feet and missed the birdie putt, with no regrets. This was only Thursday, and he saw no need in ruining a big finish with a shot he would have had to hit flush. “Come Sunday, if I’m in good position, that will be a go, and see what happens,” he said. Tony Finau, Keegan Bradley and Rafa Cabrera Bello also were at 65, while Phil Mickelson played bogey-free and opened with a 66. The top 30 in the FedExCup after this week make it to the TOUR Championship at East Lake for a mathematical shot at the $10 million bonus, with odds significantly higher depending on the position in the standings. The top five players — Spieth, Justin Thomas and Dustin Johnson already are assured that position — would only have to win at East Lake to claim golf’s richest prize. Thomas hit a tee shot into the water on the par-3 11th and made double bogey, though he still shot 67. Johnson had a three-hole stretch at four over early in his round and recovered for a 71. For players like Mickelson, Finau and Bradley, they need to play well over the next three days to get into the top 30. Mickelson found something a few weeks ago, whether it was medication or his diet as it relates to psoriatic arthritis, but it has given him great clarity of the shots he sees and more energy to keep his mind from drifting. He tied for sixth two weeks ago outside Boston and was sharp again at Conway Farms. Lefty already is assured of competing in his 23rd consecutive team competition as a captain’s pick for the Presidents Cup. Now he’d like to make it back to East Lake.  

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There should have been a Bethpage Black-style warning sign on the first tee Saturday morning on the daunting Champion course at PGA National: Sorry, lads, fun time is over. No more low, low rounds. No more birdies in bunches. Every par will be earned. Today, you're going to need to do your best to hold on. Good luck! Saturday was the day PGA National fought back, setting the stage for a Sunday in South Florida with great promise for some drama, likely some disaster, and hopefully, some 11th-hour heroics. In Saturday's third round, Matt Jones, a man who grew up playing in the harsh and heavy winds of Australia, was the only man among the day's final six groups who would get the better of the golf course. As those around him tumbled down the board, Jones played his final 12 holes in 2 under, shot 1-under 69, and will carry a three-shot lead into the final round. RELATED: Full leaderboard | Jones ties course record in Round 1 All in all, not bad considering that midway through his front nine, Jones trailed leader Aaron Wise - who jumped out to 14 under with birdies at two of his first four holes - by six shots. The other 11 players who played in the final six pairings Saturday combined to finish 39 over par. Only two players managed bogey-free rounds. One, C.T. Pan, shot 65 and moved from T42 to T4. It was that brutal. After a pair of opening 64s, Wise slipped to 75. He still was low man in the day's final twosome; Brandon Hagy, who started Honda week at home in Scottsdale as the tournament's eighth alternate, shot 76 one day after he blistered PGA National in 62 shots. Jones had shot 61, the week's record-tying low, on Thursday, but one could make a case his 69 on Saturday was nearly as good in its quality. The afternoon winds kicked up, affected not only full shots but putts, and danger seemed to lurk everywhere. Lots of players who got through 14 holes in decent shape were clubbed down by the Bear Trap, holes 15-17, which proved particularly fierce in the third round. No player birdied the par-4 16th hole, playing dead into the wind, and there was only one birdie on the par-3 17th. Jones stands at 10-under 200 through 54 holes, three shots better than Wise and J.B. Holmes (67). Three players are at 6 under, and defending champion Sungjae Im (69) will start Sunday five back. Wise, 24, was sailing along nicely until he lipped out a par putt from 15 feet on the sixth hole and then watched his bogey comebacker from 3 feet horseshoe completely around the cup and return toward him. It was jolting, frankly, and he didn't seem to be the same player afterward. With the double, Wise's lead was trimmed from six to four; by the time he made bogey at 15, one of four he'd make on the incoming nine, Jones owned the lead, a turnaround of seven strokes in 10 holes. "It just played really, really hard," Wise said. "I honestly feel like I played well. The only thing I didn't do well was manage the wind. I felt like I hit it great with my irons, and not so great off the tee. I was out of position a lot. It added up to a big number. "Luckily, with how I played those first two days, I'm still in it, and still have a chance tomorrow." Jones, 40, joked that he has 36 years of experience playing in the wind. The 2014 Shell Houston Open winner, Jones has won a pair of Australian Open titles since then. He flighted his ball well and was sharp around the greens, making some nice par saves. That was crucial, as he hit only 10 of 18 greens. He knows Sunday will a challenge every bit as difficult as Saturday was, perhaps even greater. But he seems ready to greet it. "When you get to the back nine, you know what you're going to expect," he said. "It doesn't matter what the wind is doing on the back nine, it's going to be tough no matter what. "I'm happy to go low with the ball flight, and I'll probably play a little more conservative when the wind is up. I'll probably play a little safer than normal. I'm naturally a very aggressive player. I think in the wind I have a tendency to manage the golf course differently." Jones will have his hands full on Sunday. There are many chasers within reach, and PGA National often has its say in choosing a winner, too. Sunday will mark the first time that Jones will take a solo 54-hole lead into the final round on the PGA TOUR. Twice he has been a co-leader, finishing T5 and T4 on those occasions. Then again, those leads were in 2008 (John Deere) and 2009 (Honda). "I got a lot more experience, a lot more gray hair, and I’ve been in this situation before," Jones said. "So hopefully I can just draw from that, and look back on that, and learn from that, and figure it out."

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MEDINAH, Ill. – On Thursday, Justin Thomas and Jason Kokrak tied the course record at Medinah No. 3 with 7-under 65s. On Friday, Hideki Matsuyama set the new course record with a 63. On Saturday, Thomas answered back with a 61 to establish the current course record. We’ll see if it lasts longer than 24 hours. On a course that has major credentials and a reputation as a brawny brute in this City of Big Shoulders, this week’s PGA TOUR pros have spent the first 54 holes of the BMW Champioship treating Medinah like the local muni you sneak over to in order to boost your confidence. Of the 69 players in the field, just two are over par for the week (Harold Varner III and Cameron Champ at 1 over). Of the 207 rounds shot thus far, just 28 are over par. Meanwhile, Thomas leads at 21 under, six shots ahead of Tony Finau and Patrick Cantlay. A total of 17 players are at 10 under or better. Related: Leaderboard | Projected FedExCup standings | Thomas shoots course-record 61, leads BMW Championship by six Thomas is among the large group of players making their first pro starts at Medinah, which most recently hosted the 2012 Ryder Cup, along with the 1999 and 2006 PGA Championships. It’s hosting the BMW Championship for the first time in the FedExCup era. He’s not surprised the scores are so low. “It doesn’t matter what golf course it is. You give us soft good greens and soft fairways, we’re going to tear it apart,� Thomas said after his 11-under 61 that included two back-nine eagles. “It’s just how it is.� Indeed, the conditions this week have essentially left Medinah defenseless. Rainy weather has softened up the course, turning greens into dartboards. The wind on Friday came from a different direction than the first round, throwing a few players off, but for the most part, it has been a non-factor. When Finau first stepped on the course Tuesday for his first practice round at Medinah, he never expected the birdiefest that has developed. “I was almost convinced single digit was going to win,� Finau said his 68 on Saturday – his highest score of the week. “It’s a long golf course. I felt like it was going to firm out. Obviously hasn’t firmed out. “If you would’ve told me somebody would shoot 61 this week, I would have told you that’s a joke.� So is it strictly the easy conditions? Finau thinks yes. “The fairways are wider because they’re not bouncing and the greens are bigger – it doesn’t matter the type of spin you put on it, it’s not going very far. Forward or backspin, they’re not going very far. “When we have our number, we’re trying to hit our number. That’s no calculation …. There’s not that much running through our heads.� When Tiger Woods won the 1999 PGA at Medinah, he finished at 11 under. Only one other player shot double-digits that week – Sergio Garcia. When Woods won the PGA again at Medinah in 2006, he finished at 18 under. This time, five other players were at 10 under or better. So it’s not like Medinah can’t yield a low score. Woods, though, it surprised it’s yielded so many this week. “Amazing how many guys are under par on this golf course,� he said after his 67 on Saturday. “There isn’t one person over par. Who would’ve guessed that going into this week? “We all thought this was one of the more tough and bigger ballparks, and the whole field is playing well. There’s normally a few guys that are struggling. Th entire field is playing well is something that we’re all pretty surprised at. “These greens got a lot of movement to them, still on the quick side. The rough is hide. Can’t get to the green from the rough normally. Somehow guys are figuring out a way to all make birdies.� And eagles. There have been 30 this week – 19 of those at the 536-yard par-5 fifth, which has played to a stroke average of 0.729 below par. If that number holds up, it would be the fifth easiest hole played this season on the PGA TOUR. It also helps when you don’t even need a putter. Thomas holed out twice on Saturday, including from 180 yards for eagle at the 16th. Brandt Snedeker also had two hole-outs, both for birdies. “You have to shoot 7, 8 (under) if you want to move up the leaderboard here,� Snedeker said. It’ll likely take something better than that to catch Thomas on Sunday. But he knows he’ll need to keep firing at flags if conditions stay the same. “We all have such great control over our golf ball and we know how far it’s going to go and when we’re hitting it well,� Thomas said. “We know how it’s going to react. When the fairways are that much bigger and you put us in the fairway, I mean, we’re just good. “You know what I mean?�

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