Caddie Confidential: Winds test both golfers and caddies during second round

GREENSBORO, N.C. – The way Viktor Hovland sees it, he has nothing to lose on Sunday. Win the Wyndham Championship, and the 21-year-old Norwegian barely three months removed from taking classes at Oklahoma State will be the newest-minted PGA TOUR member. He’ll be headed to New York City for THE NORTHERN TRUST and the FedExCup Playoffs. Should he finish in a two-way tie for second or better, he’ll have his TOUR card. If not, Hovland will have earned enough FedExCup points as a non-member to head to the Korn Ferry Tour finals where he’ll have another chance to earn playing privileges on TOUR for the 2019-20 season. Any of the three scenarios are well within the realm of possibility for Hovland, who shot a third-round 64 that moved him into a tie for fourth at 14 under, just three strokes off the lead held by Ben An. “To be in the spot where I am right now after college, that’s a pretty good spot to be in,â€� Hovland said. “I just try to take advantage of it.â€� Hovland, who earned low amateur honors at the Masters and U.S. Open this year, is one of several high profile collegians who turned pro this summer. Two of them, Matthew Wolff and Collin Morikawa, have already won on the PGA TOUR – in their third and sixth starts as a pro, respectively. Their stunning success over the last month motivates Hovland. “Obviously, it does help because not even two months ago I played with them in a tournament in a national championship,â€� the Oslo native said. “I played with those guys for two, three years now and it’s cool to see them do really well. “Obviously, that kind of inspires me to think that I can do the same things as they’ve accomplished, but it’s not going to be given to you and you have to go out there and earn it.â€� Hovland, who is playing for pay for just the fifth time this season, teed off 20 minutes before Wolff and quickly climbed the leaderboard with five birdies in his first seven holes. Wolff noticed, and he was glad to see his former Oklahoma State teammate playing well. “It’s cool that he’s still up there,â€� said Wolff, who shot 67 on Saturday and is 11 under. “I already got my card and so did Collin. And so, I guess it’s time for him now. This the last event of the regular season, so hopefully he can make the most of it and join me and Collin in the Playoffs.â€� Hovland’s fast start Saturday had people wondering whether there might be another 59 like the one Brandt Snedeker shot a year ago at Sedgefield Country Club, a Donald Ross gem known for yielding low scores. After the 30 on the front, though, Hovland only managed two more birdies and bogeyed the 14th hole. “I was really feeling it … five under through seven is a good start,â€� Hovland said. “I was a little disappointed that I wasn’t able to keep that going because I was thinking something special was out there, but after birdie on 18, was nice to kind of give myself some confidence going into tomorrow.â€� Hovland led the field in three Strokes Gained categories – Off The Tee, Approach The Green and Total – on Saturday. Through three rounds, he ranks first in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee and second in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green. He’s also first in driving distance and proximity to the hole. His putter has been inconsistent, though, which Hovland hopes to shore up on Sunday. He took 31 putts on Thursday, 29 on Friday and 26 in the third round. “Overall, I feel like I’m hitting it pretty good,â€� said Hovland, who has shot 64, 65 and 64 in the final round of his last three events. “There were a couple of bad shots here and there today, missed on a couple wrong sides I really shouldn’t have. But yeah, if I could make more putts, that would really help. “But it was nice to see some going in earlier in the round and I feel like that kind of gave me some more confidence.â€�

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In my weekly segment on “Talk of the TOUR” with John Swantek on the day before THE NORTHERN TRUST began, I cited that this year’s class for the FedExCup Playoffs presents the feel that the eventual FedExCup champion will start the TOUR Championship inside the top five in points and win the finale. Kudos to you if you’re familiar with me enough to come away with the reaction that you’re shocked that I’d go on the record with an unquantifiable assessment like that. Despite what some think of my work, I don’t make predictions. I project; rather, I guide you to golfers’ projections no matter the directions they take us. Even if you’re new to me and my analysis, insight and opinion, understand that I take seriously the difference between predictions and projections. In other words, as harmless as my comment is that the 2017 FedExCup champion will have commanded his own destiny at East Lake, if I truly didn’t enter that conversation with Swanny with that thought (belief?), I wouldn’t have shared it. Lo and behold, the fellas answered the first bell at Glen Oaks. Each of the five golfers who finished inside the top five in the tournament (and eight of the top nine) started the Playoffs ranked inside the top 30 in points. It’s already a compelling sign of confidence and bears comparing to how previous Playoffs have transpired. In every edition from 2012-2015, the FedExCup champion started the TOUR Championship inside the top five in points and won the finale. In those four years combined, nine of the 25 golfers who posted top fives in the first leg of the Playoffs started the series inside the top 30 in points. Only 2012 FedExCup champ Brandt Snedeker was among them, but I didn’t go into that year with the same expectation that prompted my confident assertion last week. TALES OF THE TAPE Selected golfers with multiple cuts made sorted by rank on the tournament’s money list. If a trend that the best will continue to play the best, then the winner of the Dell Technologies Championship will be among the top 10 in points upon arrival. This is because none of the last three winners (above) were. In fact, to find the last, you have to go back to Rory McIlroy’s first title at TPC Boston in 2012 when he was fourth in the FedExCup standings entering the event. McIlroy’s playbook in this tournament slots him first in all-time earnings (see Confidence Men below), so if you set him aside as a horse for a course for a moment, the similarities between Chris Kirk and Rickie Fowler are just as valuable even when they don’t align with McIlroy’s formula for success. Collectively, they generate the five identifiers immediately below. NOTE: Golfers inside the top 20 or 25 in each statistic on the PGA TOUR are listed only if they are scheduled to compete in the Dell Technologies Championship. Those who haven’t logged enough rounds to qualify for official rankings are omitted. * – Finished inside the top 10 at the Dell Technologies Championship in 2014, 2015 and/or 2016. Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green Rank Golfer 1 *Dustin Johnson 2 *Rory McIlroy 3 Francesco Molinari 4 Hideki Matsuyama 5 Jon Rahm 6 Jordan Spieth 7 *Paul Casey 8 Tony Finau 9 Kyle Stanley 10 Sergio Garcia 11 Justin Thomas 12 *Rickie Fowler 13 Luke List 14 Justin Rose 15 *Webb Simpson 16 *Adam Scott 17 Marc Leishman 18 *Louis Oosthuizen 19 Gary Woodland 20 Brendan Steele Proximity to the Hole Rank Golfer 2 Kyle Stanley 5 Chez Reavie T6 Jordan Spieth 10 *Dustin Johnson T12 Chad Campbell T12 *Webb Simpson T16 Graham DeLaet T16 Jason Dufner T24 Kevin Na Strokes Gained: Putting Rank Golfer 2 *Rickie Fowler 4 Brian Harman 6 Rafa Cabrera Bello 7 Jonas Blixt 8 David Lingmerth 9 *Patrick Reed 10 Mackenzie Hughes 15 Kevin Kisner 19 Whee Kim 20 Camilo Villegas Scrambling Rank Golfer 1 Ian Poulter 2 *Webb Simpson 4 Chad Campbell 5 *Matt Kuchar 6 *Paul Casey 8 *Rickie Fowler 11 *Rory McIlroy 13 Charles Howell III 16 *Dustin Johnson 18 Chez Reavie 20 Hideki Matsuyama Par-3 Scoring Rank Golfer T3 *Rickie Fowler T3 *Adam Scott T7 Chez Reavie T10 Marc Leishman T10 J.J. Spaun T10 Jordan Spieth T17 Wesley Bryan T17 Chad Campbell T17 Graham DeLaet T17 Brian Harman T17 Justin Thomas T17 Camilo Villegas The field of 96 at TPC Boston is well-represented below. Note that all historical results since the inaugural edition in 2003 are included. This means that experience prior to the redesign in 2007 is baked in. NOTE: The groups below are comprehensive to assist in data mining. Inclusion doesn’t imply automatic endorsement in every fantasy game as all decisions are specific to your situation. CONFIDENCE MEN Sorted by best finish, selected golfers who are either finally finding form on the course or are still relatively new to the tournament but have enjoyed some success. BUILDING CONFIDENCE Sorted by best finish, selected golfers who are either finally finding form on the course or are still relatively new to the tournament but have enjoyed some success. OTHER SIGNS OF CONFIDENCE Sorted by most recent top 10s, selected golfers for whom it’s been a few years since their last.

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