California to list glyphosate as cancer-causing; Monsanto vows fight

Sung Hyun Park lost control of her lead and slipped into a four-way tie with Shanshan Feng, Tiffany Joh and Ariya Jutanugarn after three rounds of the Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic.

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GREENSBORO, N.C. – What’s your number? It’s more than a pickup line at this week’s Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Country Club, where those orbiting the 125th spot in the FedExCup standings are acutely aware of it. The top 125 after this week go directly to the FedExCup Playoffs, which start at Liberty National in just eight days, and also secure their playing status for next season. Others will be left to rue what might have been, and take stock of their options going forward. “It’s obviously a huge week for everybody in the field,� said Brandt Snedeker, who won here last year, when he opened with a 59, and in 2007. “For guys trying to keep their card, for guys trying to move up in the FedExCup points list, for a guy like me who, every point really matters right now trying to solidify a good regular season and get ready – I’m trying to make it to East Lake.� At 32nd in the FedExCup, Snedeker, a nine-time PGA TOUR winner who won the FedExCup in 2012, still has some work to do to get to the season-ender in Atlanta, but he’s looking good for the first two stops in the FedExCup Playoffs, The Northern Trust and the BMW Championship. As it stands now, Lucas Glover (30) would be the last man into the TOUR Championship, which is no small thing for a guy who has played in that tournament just once, in 2009 (T10). “I guess in ’17 I was 50-ish,� Glover said of the last time he was looking this good this late in the season. “Before that it had been a while. The game’s solid. Nothing’s been great; just solid.� Still, solid is a huge upgrade from a year ago at this time, when he was recovering from surgery to repair two meniscus tears in his left knee. “I’ve been working hard a couple years,� he said. “I’m finally healthy. It’s nice to be able to bend down to read a putt and not have to wince.� It’s those near that all-important 125th spot, though, who have the most on the line at Sedgefield, even if their situations are occasionally complicated. Consider the cases of Martin Trainer (128) and Jim Herman (138), who won the Puerto Rico Open and Barbasol Championship, respectively, this season. They will enjoy full status through 2021, but thanks to a spate of missed cuts for each, they have work to do to get to the Playoffs. Then there are those who find themselves way down the list, for whom a “victory� this week could be simply cracking the top 200 to earn a spot in the Korn Ferry Tour Finals. Here are five players riding the bubble at the Wyndham: Alex Noren (125) – The Bubble Boy at 125th in the FedExCup, Noren finished T12 at the World Golf Championships – FedEx St. Jude Invitational, and T11 at The Open Championship. “I’ve had two pretty good weeks, so the game feels a lot better,� said Noren, who is ranked 44th in the world. “I’m just trying to play good golf and see what happens. It would be nice to make the Playoffs. I’m trying to get to next week and the following week. I’ve been working on hitting it better with the irons, hitting it closer and hitting more greens.� Daniel Berger (131) – Two-time TOUR winner Berger is still looking for a bounce-back after returning from a hand injury. When the best players in the world assembled at TPC Southwind in Memphis for the World Golf Championships – FedEx St. Jude Invitational last week, Berger, who’d won twice there, wasn’t qualified. He can still get back to Liberty National, where he clinched the winning point for the U.S. Team at the 2017 Presidents Cup. “It’s taken a whole year,� he said of his comeback from injury. “I’m finally starting to feel good. You take some time off from competitive anything and it’s tough to get back into it.� Andrew Landry (132) – After an energizing third-place finish at the John Deere Classic, he took a week off, then missed the cut at the Barracuda Championship. As the Valero Texas Open champ last year, he’s already exempt next season, but has work to do in order to make the Playoffs. “I’m never super-sharp the first week back off of a break, so that’s kind of why I played Barracuda,� Landry said. “I had sort of a weird first round, but turned it around and shot bogey-free 6 under in the second. Everything is really, really solid right now. This is one of my favorite courses to play. I’m going to contend this week; I have a good feeling about it.� Martin Kaymer (146) – He’s won two majors and THE PLAYERS Championship, but has work to do if he wants to advance to The Northern Trust. “I have to finish in the top six or seven,� said Kaymer, whose third-place finish at the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide is his only top-25 result this season. “I think (Sedgefield) is an underrated golf course and is one of the better ones that we play on the PGA TOUR. I’ve played 10 of the last 12 weeks just to try to get my number up and get into the FedExCup Playoffs, so I’ve tried everything I can think of.� Alex Cejka (205) – He’s unconcerned about whether or not he gets inside the top 200 to advance to the Korn Ferry Tour Finals. That’s because Cejka will turn 50 and be PGA TOUR Champions eligible at the end of 2020, so the prospect of playing less next year is enticing. “I have no pressure,� he said. “I don’t care if I make top 125 or top 200. I’ve been 17, 18 years out here. I need a little break before I turn 50. … If I make it (inside the top 200), I go to the Finals; if not, it’s even better. I’ve got to work a little on the fitness, a little on the swing, and I’ll still get into some fall events. A lot of my colleagues who are just inside or outside the number – they’re sweating.�

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Each day at THE PLAYERS Championship, PGATOUR.COM’s staff writers will dive into the big issues and questions everyone is discussing. Spoiler alert – lots of talk about Webb Simpson. How would you best describe Webb Simpson’s course-tying 63? Ben Everill (Staff Writer) – Entertaining. Insane. Dramatic. It was certainly fun. A 63 with a double bogey … that’s impressive stuff. Sean Martin (Senior Editor) – Unbelievable. His putting was absolutely incredible. Everyone in his group could only laugh when he holed that putt from behind the 15th green. The ball slammed into the hole. It was headed 10 feet by if it didn’t hit the hole. Instead, it dropped in for birdie. Mike McAllister (Managing Editor) – When you have your competitors openly rooting for you to shoot 59 … well, that about says it all. Yet somehow, the island-green 17th still got the last laugh. Cameron Morfit (Staff Writer) – Justin Rose said it best: miracle round. Simpson made nearly 300 feet of putts over the first two days, which is astounding. It’s the best putting performance I’ve seen since Sung Kang over the first two days at the Houston Open last year. With a commanding 5-shot lead, is this tournament over? Everill – Not by a long shot. History at this tournament says it is but if ever there is a place to see a big swing, it is TPC Sawgrass. There were 57 double bogeys and 14 others in the second round alone. Martin – No one who has led by three or more strokes at THE PLAYERS’ halfway mark has failed to win. No reason to see that changing. This course is a great fit for Simpson, who is quietly having a great season. After qualifying for last season’s TOUR Championship, he’s 36th in this season’s FedExCup. McAllister – Maybe at some other courses, but not here. The last two holes alone keeps everybody honest. Simpson has the big lead, but he’s also wearing the big target. Morfit — Well, I mentioned Kang in Houston last year. I should also probably mention that he didn’t win. Russell Henley did. Of the chase pack, who’s most likely to track him down? Everill – Jason Day. The 2016 champion is seven shots back but at T8 he’s close enough. As conditions no doubt get tougher, the grinder in Day will come to the fore. Martin – I think Jason Day is a threat. He’s coming off a win and always a threat to go low. McAllister – I’m with Ben and Sean. Day will go super-low at least one of the weekend rounds. Whether that’s enough is the question only Simpson can answer. Morfit — I like Patrick Cantlay on this course, maybe because he absolutely loves this place. How many players say that? Several notable names – Tiger, Spieth, JT – made the cut on the number. Do they have any hope? Everill – No. Nada. Zip. Nothing. Buckley’s. Duck Egg (please reference your Australian dictionary for full understanding). Martin – There’s nothing a couple 65s couldn’t solve. But I don’t see it happening. McAllister – Fourteen shots off the pace? No. But I’m interested in who’ll play well in a seemingly hopeless situation. Spieth showed at Augusta National this year that he can produce the unexpected fireworks. Morfit — There’s an old golf writer trick that goes like this: To get an idea who has a chance and who doesn’t, erase the top guy on the scoreboard and then decide who’s still in it. But even playing that silly game, I’m going to say anyone who made the cut on the number has absolutely no chance.

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