Casey, Cook share Valspar lead at halfway point

Rikuya Hoshino (+10000) … Qualifying for the Olympics in his native Japan is reason enough to celebrate, but he’s also been assigned the opening tee ball at Kasumigaseki Country Club’s East Course on Thursday morning. Fellow countryman Hideki Matsuyama, who is positioned 20th in the Official World Golf Ranking, has hogged international headlines as the first male Japanese golfer to win a major (2021 Masters), but the 25-year-old Hoshino is second-best at 86th in the OWGR and he continues to pace his home circuit’s money list with a trio of victories in the 2020-21 season. The intangible benefits of the home game also should ease him quickly into a comfort zone. Henrik Norlander (+10000) … The 34-year-old from Sweden has had little trouble in retaining his position in the heart of the FedExCup in what is his now his fourth season on the PGA TOUR. He’s 81st in points with a T5 at the Barbasol Championship as the nearest event in his rearview mirror. His performance at Keene Trace was a microcosm of why he’s dangerous every time he pegs it, with better-than-average metrics across the board. His tee-to-green game not only is his moneymaker, it’s also the default expectation to define who medals on the unfamiliar greens of Kasumigaseki. Thomas Detry (+8000) … It’s just a matter of time before he wins for the first time on the European Tour, and if it happens at the Olympics, it’d qualify as his breakthrough since it’s an official event on the circuit. In the last 12 months, the 28-year-old Belgian has a quartet of runner-up finishes, including a pair in his last five starts. Since joining the European Tour in 2017, he’s totaled five seconds and five thirds. While prone to the big number, his proclivity to attack pins is encouraged by large greens and the absence of a cut. Carl Yuan (+15000) … After relocating from his native China to Florida, he played collegiately at the University of Washington for three years before turning professional in 2018. It was that summer when he prevailed as an amateur at the Qingdao Championship on the PGA TOUR China. By 2019, he was a regular on the Korn Ferry Tour where he remains a member. At least for now. Currently 31st in KFT points on the strength of a trio of runner-up finishes among six top 10s, he’s challenging for one of the 25 automatic cards reserved for the 2021-22 PGA TOUR. Ranks 24th in greens hit and second in par-5 scoring average. With that success and his muscle off the tee, the 640-yard par-5 fifth and 625-yard par-5 14th holes will be opportunities for the 24-year-old to separate. Kristian Krogh Johannessen (+40000) … Joins countryman Viktor Hovland and representatives of Norway, and the attention here is all about striking while his irons are hot. It was earlier this month when Johannessen rose to a career-best 280th in the Official World Golf Ranking because the 26-year-old has been lighting up the Challenge Tour for two months. In his most recent six starts on that tour, he’s gone T5-T2-T23-T15-T9-T16. Odds were sourced on Tuesday, July 27 at 5 a.m. ET. For live odds visit betmgm. NOTE: Sleeper is a relative term, so Rob uses unofficial criteria to determine who qualifies. Each of the following usually is determined to be ineligible for this weekly staple: Winners of the tournament on the current host course; winners in the same season; recent major champions; top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking; recent participants of team competitions.

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Here are nine tidbits from the second round of the Genesis Open that gamers can use tomorrow, this weekend or down the road. Be looking for the Emergency 9 shortly after the close of play of each round of the tournament. PAIN OR GAIN These were the top-five picked golfers in the PGA TOUR Fantasy One & Done presented by SERVPRO: With 15 players stranded, Round 2 will not be completed until tomorrow morning. The cut is not official yet and neither will be the places used in the descriptions below. I’ll use the current suspended leaderboard as a point of reference with the understanding it can change tomorrow. As it stands, all five above will be playing the weekend with Mickelson leading the group at T26. Yikes. Hey, at least DJ rallied and made the cut! There’s hope! You See, L.A.! Former UCLA Bruin and Southland native Patrick Cantlay looks to add win No. 2 to the season as he shares the clubhouse lead after his first two rounds. The Shriners champion pointed out today that when he was at UCLA they practiced at Bel-Air Country Club and didn’t play Riviera much. He’s looking to join John Merrick (2013) as the only Los Angelinos to win this event. He’s leading the field in strokes-gained: approach-the-green and putts per GIR. Gee, Mac! Last week after round two at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, I wrote about Graeme McDowell shooting 80 at Spyglass after 71 on Pebble Beach. He opened this week with 69 and followed it with 66 to currently share the lead in the clubhouse on 135 (-7). He opened         69-70 last year before 71-77 on the weekend (67th). He also shot 66 in 2009 en route to T41, his best finish in five tries before this year. Best of luck to both of you who played him this week in the PGA TOUR Fantasy One & Done presented by SERVPRO. Not Finished Yet Sam Saunders continues to pique the interest of gamers for a second year in a row at Riviera Country Club. The first-round leader from 2017 has three more holes to tame Saturday morning that could see him possibly lead after 36 holes this year. He’s tied with Cantlay and McDowell currently even with a double on his card Friday. His 11 birdies over his first 33 holes have been impressive. … Scott Stallings backed up his even-par round Thursday with a monster Friday, as he’s currently five-under-par with two holes remaining. He’s been trending properly (T23, 7th) the last two weeks and is rewarding gamers who have jumped on board. Momentum Rafael Cabrera-Bello, making his first start at the Genesis Open, rattled off six birdies in his first seven holes on Friday. The Spaniard moved up 50 places to T11 after signing for 67 (-4). He keeps reinforcing his class regardless of prior course knowledge. … German Martin Kaymer is on his debut as well as posted a bogey-free 67 (-4) to move up 71 spots to T15. … One of my favorite fantasy players, Austin Cook, is following suit of the Ryder Cuppers above. He moved up 90 spots after a magnificent 66 (-5) that included a whopping seven birdies against two bogeys. Quick learners! Night Shift Top 10 selections in the PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO Daniel Berger and Marc Leishman are going home early regardless of what happens early Saturday morning. Berger, the sixth-most popular selection and Leishman, No. 10, need to be subbed out if they are currently occupying a spot in your live, line up. Berger now has MC in two starts in this event while Leishman continues his all-or-nothing run with his fourth MC in nine tries. Berger will get another long look from gamers next week at PGA National. He lost in a playoff to Padraig Harrington in his first try in 2015. Streakers K.J. Choi had never missed a cut here in 17 previous tries in his career. His 74-74 this week ends that marvelous streak. … Southern California native Cameron Tringale was perfect in seven tries with five checks cashed for T25 or better. He’ll join Choi in traffic after 74-73. … Brendan Steele snuck in the back door (72-71) for his seventh weekend in a row at Riviera. … Brian Gay’s streak of top-10 finishes ends at two weeks in a row with 74-75. Wood You? Tiger Woods checked in at No. 15 in the most-selected player department in the PGA TOUR Fantasy One & Done presented by SERVPRO. He was also the 13th-most selected in the PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO. His only stat category inside the top 50 this week was two-hole driving distance. He made bogey on 12 of his 36 holes and also recorded a double. This course doesn’t have any water but PGA National does and that’s where he’s heading next week. He’s never won that event either. Study Hall Jim Herman is shutting it down for a while, according to this tweet. Weekly and season-long gamers also read some interesting news today about Stewart Cink: Nicholas Lindheim WD during round 1 with an illness. It’s his second in-tournament WD this season. He also withdrew at Shriners after round one last November. … Jim Furyk returned to competition and MC after 73-73.

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