Brooks Koepka, Michael Block and more in men’s golf this week

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — Shane Lowry led the RBC Heritage at 9-under par with two holes left when the rain-delayed second round was suspended Friday because of darkness. Trey Mullinax was a stroke back after a 68. Top-ranked Dustin Johnson and Emiliano Grillo were 7 under after 67s. Lowry moved in front with a two-putt birdie on the par-5 15th. There was a delay of 3 hours, 43 minutes when strong storms that caused problems elsewhere in the Southeast this week struck Harbour Town Golf Links. Lowry opened with a 65 to take the first-round lead Thursday. The Irishman birdied his first two holes to get to 8 under before play was halted due to rain and wind. Johnson, second at the Masters last week, had his fifth round in the 60s in his past six here. Grillo had an albatross on the par-5 fifth hole when he holed his 254-yard second shot. It was the second albatross at Harbour Town since 2007.

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CROMWELL, Conn. – When he crossed paths with Roberto Diaz in the locker room at TPC River Highlands Tuesday, Chip McDaniel got a greeting that made him smile. “He called me ‘Mr. Monday,’ so I’ve already got a nickname out here, which is really cool,� said the 23-year-old McDaniel. “Here� being the PGA TOUR, where McDaniel longs to be full-time, “whether that’s next year or five years from now or 10.� That’s he’s “temporarily� on the PGA TOUR might not sound like much, but given the way McDaniel earned his spot into this week’s Travelers Championship, and for what he is playing for, there’s good reason why the former University of Kentucky golfer is gaining recognition. When he finished his fourth round at the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach Sunday (at 77 – 297 he was 78th), then flew the red-eye to Boston and drove 90 miles south to Monday qualify for the Travelers by shooting 67 and surviving a nine-for-three playoff, McDaniel’s story trended on social media. “It’s been a really cool experience,� said the young man whose real name is Tyler, though he’s been Chip ever since he was a kid and his mother’s favorite baseball player was Chipper Jones. Sort of fits “because I just so happen to be a golfer.� It’s the third time McDaniel has qualified for a PGA TOUR tournament this year (he was joint fifth at the Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship in March and missed the cut in May at the Wells Fargo Championship) and what factors into the equation right now are non-member FedExCup points. If he accumulates a total equal to, or greater than what No. 200 is on the FedExCup points list at the end of the season, McDaniel would be eligible for the Korn Ferry Tour Final Events, a series of four tournaments that will reward 25 PGA TOUR cards for 2019-20. Presently, with 67.693 non-member points, McDaniel would rank 198th, and No. 200 a year ago was 74 FedExCup points, so clearly, that scenario is very much in play for the unheralded kid from Lexington, Kentucky. That’s why the coast-to-coast rush to get into the Travelers was made. It’s also why McDaniel is signed on for Monday qualifiers for the next three tournaments – the Rocket Mortgage Classic, 3M Open, and John Deere Classic. (Four weeks from now, McDaniel will be playing on a sponsor’s exemption in the Barbasol Championship in his native Kentucky.) Having failed to make it beyond second stage in the Korn Ferry Qualifying Tournament last fall, McDaniel has plenty of incentive to succeed in these rare PGA TOUR opportunities. He saw TPC River Highlands for the first time Tuesday, when he played in the rain, and felt like “all my lines were good,� so he is undaunted by the long odds. Why should he be? After all, McDaniel said, “I didn’t have too many expectations,� at Ellington Ridge Country Club Monday and that worked out nicely, so why change?

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“When I get some time off, I think this could be a game changer.” That was Will Zalatoris’ first thought after rolling a few putts with a Scotty Cameron Phantom X 11 prototype putter in May. He got that time off, unfortunately, following a back injury that forced him out of The Open Championship and kept him on the sidelines until last week. While resting and rehabbing at home following his early exit from Royal St. George’s, Zalatoris, who “hated every minute” of the downtime, decided to engage in some flatstick experimentation. He found the Phantom X 11 prototype putter — with a black topline for added alignment — both rolled the ball a more predictable distance and gave him more feedback off the face. “I loved how immediately off the face … I just get immediate feedback,” Zalatoris said. “I was starting to lose that a little bit with my putter. … I can feel that ball exactly where it comes off on the face.” Zalatoris put the putter in play at last week’s World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational, where he finished eighth. He was ninth in Strokes Gained: Putting at TPC Southwind after ranking 150th in the category for the season. Zalatoris has been one of this season’s breakout star and his putter has been a big topic of discussion because of the arm-lock method that cured his putting woes and allowed him to capitalize on his incredible iron play (he currently ranks seventh in Strokes Gained: Approach-the-Green). His play has earned him a TOUR card for next season but he must win this week’s Wyndham Championship to qualify for the FedExCup Playoffs. Regarding the putter, Scotty Cameron TOUR Rep Drew Page said, “Players just love the way the 11 sits on the ground. Will’s putter has the same single-bend shaft configuration, it’s just longer to accommodate the arm-lock stroke. When you put it down, it doesn’t open, it doesn’t close, it just sets up so easily.” Beyond the ease of setup, Zalatoris described his testing and the clarity of feel with the flatstick. “I was hitting putts and not looking at where the ball was going and just trying to guess long (or) short, and I immediately was getting that,” he said. “I wasn’t able to do that with my old one, so right there I know exactly this is the putter I was going to go to.” While Zalatoris hasn’t tested the putter on any putt analysis system, he said he felt the ball skidded less off the face and began rolling sooner than with his previous putter, which high-speed cameras confirmed. While he conceded, “Part of (the decision to switch putters) was just because I couldn’t hit balls for two weeks so kind of the boredom was kicking in,” Zalatoris was quick to point out “it’s been a great switch.” While one tournament with a new wand is a small sample size, it’s difficult to argue with that sentiment so far. Will Zalatoris putter specs Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom X 11 prototype Loft: 5.5 degrees Lie angle: 70 degrees Length: 42.5 inches

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