Bryson DeChambeau’s graphite putter shaft part of larger trend

The stars will be out for the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on the scenic Monterey Peninsula. Matt Kuchar, already a two-time winner this season, leads a contingent of 10 of the top 20 players in the FedExCup as they take on Pebble Beach, Spyglass Hill, and Monterey Peninsula Country Club’s Shore Course. Coming off a T4 at last week’s Waste Management Phoenix Open, Kuchar has played 19 of 20 rounds at or under par this season. Phil Mickelson will look for his record-tying fifth win at Pebble, Dustin Johnson is coming in hot, and 2017 champion Jordan Spieth searches for form in a tournament that has been good to him. Then there’s sponsor exemption Ho Sung Choi of Korea, a relative unknown in America but already a fan favorite for his unique “fishermanâ€� swing. PGA TOUR Live will have coverage from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. for the first three days, and from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. for the final round Sunday. The Twitter window will be from 11 a.m. to approximately noon each day except Sunday, when it will be 10-11 a.m. We will have a Fan Vote on Twitter to determine the second Featured Group on Friday, and provide the final results near the end of Thursday’s round. Mostly coverage will be from Pebble Beach, but with bonus coverage from the other courses. There will be no featured holes coverage. Featured Groups for Sunday won’t be known until after the 54-hole cut. Here’s a look at the Featured Groups for the first three days (current FedExCup ranking in parentheses): THURSDAY Tony Finau (17) – The first PGA TOUR player of Tongan and Samoan descent, Finau is finished in the FedExCup Top 30 three years running. Scott Piercy (22) – Already has two top-10 finishes this season, and is coming off a T20 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. Round 1 tee time: 11:11 a.m. ET (8:11 a.m. local) Brandt Snedeker (23) – Two-time winner at Pebble has four of nine TOUR wins in California and was T2 at Safeway Open in the fall. Matthew Fitzpatrick (–) One of the fastest-rising young stars in Europe, the Englishman is making his first PGA TOUR start of the season. Round 1 tee time: 12:06 p.m. ET (9:06 a.m. local) Additional bonus coverage from other courses: Jordan Spieth / Dustin Johnson (Monterey Peninsula) Phil Mickelson / Patrick Reed (Monterey Peninsula) FRIDAY Hunter Mahan (103) – Six-time TOUR winner is on the comeback trail after playing his way through Web.com Tour Finals last season. Jim Furyk (122) – Only man on TOUR with two sub-60 rounds will partner with CBS football analyst and former Cowboys QB Tony Romo. Round 1 tee time: 12:17 p.m. ET (9:17 a.m. local) FAN VOTE FRIDAY CHOICES: 11:33AM/ET – Vaughn Taylor / David Duval (Off 10th Tee) 12:50PM/ET – Cameron Champ / Brice Garnett (Off 1st Tee) 12:50PM/ET – Adam Hadwin / Ben Crane (Off 10th Tee) Additional bonus coverage from other courses: Phil Mickelson / Patrick Reed (Spyglass Hill) Jerry Kelly / Ho Sung Choi (Spyglass Hill) Jordan Spieth / Dustin Johnson (Spyglass Hill) SATURDAY Jordan Spieth (182) – AT&T ambassador looking to bounce back at a place where he has six top-25 finishes in six starts, including a win in 2017. Dustin Johnson (81) – Two-time winner here in ’09 and ’10 has finished outside the top 10 just three times in 11 starts. Coming off a win in Europe. Round 1 tee time: 1:55 p.m. ET (10:55 a.m. local) Phil Mickelson (40) – Started fast at Safeway Open and Desert Classic this season. Would tie Mark O’Meara with a fifth victory at Pebble Beach. Patrick Reed (46) – Masters champ isn’t far off with T13 finishes at Farmers Insurance Open and Sony Open in Hawaii. Round 1 tee time: 12:39 p.m. ET (9:39 a.m. local)

Click here to read the full article…

Click here to read the full article…

GREENSBORO, N.C. – A short, and selective, memory is important for a professional athlete. Quickly forgetting poor results, while putting a white-knuckle grip around the good ones, is key to success. Harold Varner III is fighting for a spot in the FedExCup Playoffs, and his PGA TOUR card, this week at the Wyndham Championship. He had opportunities to clinch his spot in the all-important top 125 in his previous two starts, but struggled both times. When asked if he used those close calls for motivation, Varner said he didn’t remember them. At least until he was reminded of them by a reporter. “I had already forgotten until you said something,â€� said Varner, who’s 138th in the FedExCup. “It’s just a part of golf. I didn’t execute the shots like I did today and I learned from it.â€� Varner got off to another strong start at the Wyndham Championship, shooting a 7-under 63 in the first round. He’ll need a high finish to qualify for next week’s THE NORTHERN TRUST. So far, so good. He’s tied for third place, two shots behind leader Matt Every, and projected to jump 25 spots in the FedExCup standings. “I knew I needed to play well,â€� Varner said. “It was nice to do that.â€� He wasn’t the only bubble boy to shoot 63 on Thursday. Sam Saunders, who’s trying to qualify for the FedExCup Playoffs for the first time, made birdie at his last hole to also shoot 7 under par. Saunders is No. 127 in the FedExCup. Saunders and Varner both played Thursday afternoon, and will benefit from easier morning conditions Friday. Saunders is just seven FedExCup points behind No. 125 Geoff Ogilvy, who shot 70 on Thursday. Varner, who’s 39 points behind Ogilvy, likely needs a top-20 finish to crack the top 125. “It almost makes it easier because you let it go,â€� Varner said. “If you try to hold on to something, you’re not going to do as well.â€� Varner is in a unique position. He’s fighting for his TOUR card after playing a World Golf Championship in his previous start. He qualified for the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational after winning last year’s Australian PGA. He was T13 halfway through two rounds in his birthplace of Akron, but fired 7 over par (73-74) on the weekend to fall to 50th. He earned just seven FedExCup points that week. One week earlier, he was T11 after 54 holes at the RBC Canadian Open. He fell 12 spots on the leaderboard with a final-round 72 (on a day when the scoring average was 70.5). Saunders is coming off consecutive top-20 finishes, a T19 in Canada and an eighth-place finish two weeks ago at the Barracuda Championship. His two top-10s this season match his career-high, while his seven top-25s are the best of his career. “I was pretty nervous, to be honest, coming into this week because I know it’s an important week for me,â€� he said. “The anticipation is the hardest part. Once you get out there and start hitting balls, you realize, ‘I’m playing really good golf and I’ve got control of what I’m doing.’

Click here to read the full article…