From paying full mortgages to tossing every golf ball in the water to getting fired by text on the range, some tales of players and caddies are legendary.
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Matt Kuchar elevated into the 36-hole lead on Friday with a second-straight 63. Can he keep it going on Saturday?
KAPALUA, Hawaii — A new year, and Harris English keeps right on rolling. RELATED: Leaderboard | Bold predictions for 2021 English finished with a 10-foot birdie to cap off an ideal Friday at the Sentry Tournament of Champions with a 6-under 67, giving him a two-shot lead over a quartet of players that includes defending champion Justin Thomas. Even with a lead, it feels as though the first PGA TOUR event of the year is wide open. With virtually no wind, rare for the Plantation Course at Kapalua, scores remained low and several players were stacked up behind him. That includes Masters champion Dustin Johnson, who hit it close enough all round to make a few putts in his round of 65. “Felt like I got back in the tournament a little bit,” said Johnson, playing for the first time since his Nov. 15 victory at Augusta National. English is among 16 players at the winners-only event who didn’t win last year. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic that wiped out three months on the TOUR schedule, anyone who reached the TOUR Championship qualified this year. English did everything but win, going from No. 369 in the world to among the top 30. And he’s playing like it. He was bogey-free and rarely faced any stress. It’s hard to feel that on the western edge of Maui, and English was entertained by a pair of humpback whales splashing their fins in the Pacific below the course. He was at 14-under 132, two shots ahead of Thomas, PGA champion Collin Morikawa (65), Daniel Berger (65) and Ryan Palmer (67), another player who didn’t win in 2020 and was happy to be here. Thomas lost some of his Aloha spirit on the back nine. He had a one-shot lead at the turn, missed a short birdie chance on the par-3 11th and then struggled to keep it in play. A drive to the left in the native grass kept him from a good birdie opportunity on the short 12th. He hit another one to the left into high grass on the 13th and made his first bogey. Thomas also failed to convert chances on the next four holes, and the 18th was looking grim when he missed a long iron and came up 40 yards short, a perilous spot with a front pin and the grain running hard toward the back. He clipped a sand wedge and it was about to go too far when it hit the pin and dropped 3 feet away. He made that for his only birdie on the back nine and shot 69. He was among 16 players separated by four shots going into the final two days. Xander Schauffele holed an 80-foot eagle putt on the 18th for a 66 and was in the group at 11-under 135 that included Patrick Reed, who had a 68. Another shot behind was the group that included Johnson, Jon Rahm (66) and U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau (67).
Charley Hoffman (+375 for a Top 20) … No matter where this tournament has been contested, he’s done well. Overall, he’s 12-for-12 with a T29 last year at Memorial Park. It wasn’t all that long ago when he checked all of the boxes on the stat sheet. That includes pop off the tee into his mid-40s. He’s also had something brewing the last two times out and arrives having scored par or better in 11 consecutive rounds. It’s spillover from a modest late surge of last season when he walked off with four straight paydays, including a T10 in Detroit. This bet is aggressive, but it’s a timely “before the reign” endorsement. Scott Piercy (+450 for a Top 20) … The same thing as detailed for Hoffman can be said of this veteran (who celebrated his 44th birthday on Sunday). Piercy is perfect in nine starts in this tournament, with a T32 (2020) and a T19 (2021) at Memorial Park. Teases to reignite in the long-term have been far and few between, but he’s connected for four top 30s in the last five months, including a T19 this season at the Sanderson Farms. Wyndham Clark … When he’s at his best, we’re treated to a show with his power and putting. It was only four weeks ago when he showcased both default strengths for a T16 at the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP. Now, when they’re matched up on a track like Memorial Park, he’s the one treated to his best chance to excel. He opened last year’s second visit in 5-under through two rounds before slipping on the weekend, but that experience taught him what it will take to put four rounds together here. Retreat into a top-30 or -40 market where available. Beau Hossler … The University of Texas product has done some of his best work in the Lone Star State. That includes in Houston where he hung up a pair of top 15s at the previous host of the tournament. He regained fully exempt status this season with a terrific 2021-22 during which he elevated for seven top 25s. He’s already 4-for-4 this season with two top 25s thanks to one of the most reliable putters on the PGA TOUR. Walker Lee … The lefty from Houston is making his professional debut on the PGA TOUR. He concluded his amateur career at the Palmer Cup this past summer and turned pro for PGA TOUR Latinoamérica Qualifying at which he was the runner-up in Florida just last week, so the 24-year-old splashes with momentum. Twice a winner at Texas A&M and peaked at 38th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. The only prop worth considering probably doesn’t exist, but it’d be fun to invest a fraction of a unit for him to make the cut. Odds were sourced on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022. For live odds, visit BetMGM. Responsible sports betting starts with a game plan. Set a budget. Keep it social. Play with friends. Learn the game and know the odds. Play with trusted, licensed operators. CLICK HERE to learn more at HaveAGamePlan.org.
