Cristie Kerr blows 5-stroke lead in LPGA Tour’s Kia Classic

OVERVIEW Normally it might be hard to summon an encore performance in the season after winning a major, but reigning Masters champion Patrick Reed has never had a problem with motivation and will likely have no trouble pinpointing where he can improve in 2019. Reed’s tee-to-green play, so good as he copped his first major at Augusta National Golf Club, is still a work in progress. That’s a strange thing to say for a guy who has won in every season but one since he joined the PGA TOUR in 2013, but Reed, 28, is a player whose otherworldly short game, much more than his long game, has made him a star. Just check his Strokes Gained stats from last season: 107th in Off-the-Tee, 84th in Approach-the-Green, and 2nd in Around-the-Green. Far from an aberration, those numbers are emblematic of his whole career, and explain why he is occasionally prone to wild fluctuations from one round to the next. In late October, Reed finished T7 at the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions, with a 64-72-70-77 scoring line. It was his only start so far in the 2018-19 season, so don’t read too much into it, but it wasn’t the first time he’s gone so cold, so fast. He struggled on a tight Ryder Cup course, and the week before that finished near the bottom at the TOUR Championship. Should Reed find a way to eliminate those stretches of bad golf in 2019, look out. — By Cameron Morfit Click here to see who else made the Top 30 list. BY THE NUMBERS FEDEXCUP UPDATE Current 2018-19 position: 82nd Playoff appearances: 6 TOUR Championship appearances: 5 Best result: 3rd in the 2015-16 season SHOTLINK FUN FACT Patrick Reed ranked second on the PGA TOUR in Strokes Gained: Around-the-Green last season and ranked 11th in Scrambling — career-best performances in both categories. INSIDER INSIGHTS PGATOUR.COM’s Insiders offer their expert views on what to expect from Patrick Reed in 2019. TOUR INSIDER: From the Presidents Cup (one appearance, 2017) to the Ryder Cup (three appearances), Reed is one of the most exciting, and excitable, players in the game. Other than perhaps the most recent Ryder Cup, when he returned to form only for his singles win over Tyrrell Hatton (3 and 2), he’s the catalyst U.S. teams had been missing for years. How ironic, then, that the thing that would help him most is playing more boring golf. Fairways. Greens. — By Cameron Morfit FANTASY INSIDER: It doesn’t seem like it’s been already seven seasons since he was identified only as a prodigious open qualifier. Yet, the 2018 Master champ already is 54th in all-time earnings on the PGA TOUR. If there’s a rub, it’s that he should be even higher as he’s been even odds either to record a top 25 or to finish outside that bubble since 2016-17. The thing is, he loves to travel and compete, so that resonates in our world. While we do share some of him with the European Tour (where he finished No. 2 in the 2018 Race to Dubai), it’s a formula that works for him and us. Won’t turn 29 until the 2019 FedExCup Playoffs, during which he’ll be chasing his sixth consecutive trip to the TOUR Championship. — By Rob Bolton EQUIPMENT INSIDER: Reed started the sweeping trend of 2018 major championship winners to play without equipment contracts. The former Nike staffer actually still has a remnant of his former sponsor by way of a Nike VR Pro Limited Edition 3 wood. In the beginning of 2018, Reed was testing a number of different drivers, eventually settling in with a Ping G400 LST driver that he used to win the Masters, and he’s still currently gaming it. In the equipment world, Reed is also known for his USA-flag-inspired Odyssey White Hot Pro 3 putter, but he’s since switched into a custom Scotty Cameron… with red-white-and-blue dots, obviously, because he’s “Captain America.â€� — By Andrew Tursky STYLE INSIDER: Reed’s move to Nike has resulted in better fits and more adventurous looks. Case in point, he ditched the traditional Sunday red at the Masters in favor of an energetic azalea pink as he slipped on the Green Jacket. Recently, he has been sporting trendy tonal camos in a variety of colors. Hopefully, he will continue to push his style comfort and continue to sharpen the fit of his clothing in 2019. — By Greg Monteforte

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The FedExCup Playoffs thrilling conclusion comes at the TOUR Championship where the top 30 make one final push for golf’s ultimate prize. The top five in the standings control their own destiny so if Bryson DeChambeau, Justin Rose, Tony Finau, Dustin Johnson or 2017 FedExCup champion Justin Thomas win at East Lake they’ll take home both trophies and the $10 million dollar prize. Although, all 30 players in the field have a chance to lift the FedExCup if the scenarios play out in there favor. Here’s everything you need to know to follow the action. Leaderboard Round 2 tee times HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN (ALL TIMES ET) PGA TOUR LIVE: Thursday-Friday, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. (featured groups), 1-6 p.m. (featured holes). Saturday, 11:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. (featured holes). Sunday, 11:30 a.m.-6 p.m. (featured holes). TELEVISION: Thursday-Friday, 1-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday, 12:30-2:30 p.m. (GC), 2:30-6:30 p.m. (NBC). Sunday, noon-1:30 p.m. (GC), 1:30-6 p.m. (NBC). RADIO: Thursday-Friday, noon-6 p.m.; Saturday, 1-6:30 p.m.; Sunday, 1-6 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com). NOTABLE GROUPINGS 1:40 p.m.: Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas 1:50 p.m.: Gary Woodland, Justin Rose 2:00 p.m.: Tiger Woods, Rickie Fowler MUST-READS Tiger in control tee to green Rose takes top spot in projected FedExCup Fowler excited for duel with Tiger

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PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Carson Daly, the defending amateur champ and the host of “The Voice” on NBC, is playing with a heavy heart at this week’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Daly’s stepdad, Dick Caruso, passed away last October — just five weeks after Daly’s mother, Pattie Daly Caruso, died. It was Dick Caruso, the longtime member at Riviera Country Club, who helped generate Carson’s interest in golf as a youngster. When Carson made his first appearance at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in 2002, he was joined by his mother and stepdad who stayed with him at the Lodge at Pebble Beach. With each subsequent appearance, more of Carson’s family members, including his brother and sister, made the trip to Pebble Beach to cheer on Carson. “It’s become a family event,” he said. Last year, Daly — also a member of NBC’s “Today” show — and his PGA TOUR pro partner Ken Duke won the team portion of the event, giving the family a reason to celebrate that Sunday night. This year, there are 30 family members in attendance, spread out over three rented houses in the area. Carson is leaning on his family this week as he plays for the first time without his parents. But he’s carrying Dick Caruso’s memory with him inside the ropes. Daly has made pins with his stepdad’s photo, and wears one on his cap. He also has his stepdad’s image on his golf balls, with the hashtag #PlayingForPops. “We bonded through golf and on the golf course,” Carson said. “It’s hard this year without him.” It definitely was a struggle on Thursday for the defending team champs. Duke and Daly combined to shoot 76 at Spyglass Hill, leaving the duo in last place — by four strokes — in the 156-team field. Duke shot a 7-over 79 on his own ball but Daly, a 9-handicapper, admitted his own performance was poor. “I’m sort of glad he wasn’t here to see it,” said Daly, who’ll try to make up ground in Friday’s second round at Monterey Peninsula. Daly did feel his stepdad’s presence at Spyglass, but there was definitely a difference from the previous 15 starts he’s made when Pops was in the gallery. “Sometimes I’d see him in the corner and he’d give me a fist pump,” Daly said. “I missed that today for sure.”  

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