Cut prediction: AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am

SYDNEY – Rory McIlroy was heading toward the end of 2013 feeling pretty ordinary after a winless year. Jordan Spieth was doing the same in 2014. And now Jason Day, who started 2017 as No. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking but now sits 12th on the global list, is heading into the holiday season without a new trophy to admire. On each occasion, the criticism had started. The questions about what was wrong with them had well and truly begun. We hold our superstars to a high standard you see. Under pressure, McIlroy headed to Sydney in his off-season to play the Australian Open and ultimately won it by taking down a red-hot Adam Scott on Sunday. Scott had won the Masters at Augusta that season and was coming off wins at the Australian Masters and Australian PGA Championship in earlier weeks. But McIlroy came over the top of the national hero on Sunday and ultimately went on to dominate in 2014, winning The Open Championship, the PGA Championship, the World Golf Championships–Bridgestone Invitational and the BMW PGA Championship on the European Tour. He was PGA TOUR Player of the Year and laid some credit on his Australian win for the resurgence. “I did take a lot from that victory,â€� McIlroy said as he lined up for his title defense in Sydney in 2014. “It was my one and only victory of 2013 but it ended the year for me on a high and gave me momentum going into 2014.â€� But that week in Sydney wouldn’t go the same way for McIlroy. Instead, it was Spieth’s turn. The Texan shot a still much talked about 8-under 63 in brutal winds on Sunday to bury the demons he was facing for not being able to close out multiple chances to win on the PGA TOUR that year. The following season, just like McIlroy, he would win two majors and be Player of the Year. Spieth actually won five times and claimed the FedExCup in a sensational season. “The Australian Open may have been the most important tournament that I’ve ever played in because at the time, it had been maybe a year and a half since winning the John Deere in that playoff where I kind of squeaked in, luckily,â€� Spieth said. “Going there to an elite field with the world No. 1 player (McIlroy at the time) and obviously with the local favorite Adam (Scott) and with a venue like The Australian, to put myself in a position and just have a level of patience that I had not had when I was in contention prior to that was important.â€� So now, it is Day’s turn. After a year to forget that has seen his standing in the OWGR slide quickly, the now 30-year-old has a chance for his first win since THE PLAYERS Championship 2016. Through two rounds at The Australian Golf Club the 10-time PGA TOUR winner Day sits at 8-under and just one shot behind 21-year-old leader Lucas Herbert. Cameron Davis, a 22-year-old, is a shot back at 7-under with Anthony Quayle, at 23 at 6-under. Clearly Day is the favorite with two rounds to go with TOUR winners Cameron Smith and Matt Jones five off the lead and Spieth eight shots adrift. The chance to create a springboard to a comeback season has not been lost on him. “I haven’t won this year. But this would be a nice little end of the year cap, just to know that it wasn’t such a disappointing year,â€� Day said. “This is a huge kind of confidence builder for me this week and if I can somehow pull the win off, that would be great. “A win is a win, regardless of where you are, where you play. To have the Stonehaven Cup on the mantel would be great. It would be a good kick start going to next year’s season, back on the PGA TOUR. “I just know how Jordan’s done from having the confidence coming from this event and going forward and winning two majors the year after and having a lot of confidence going to the start of the year.â€� Speaking of Spieth, Day won’t rest despite the healthy gap between the pair. While those closest to Day have merely fractions of experience in winning big events, Spieth is still a factor. “If he gets something going on the weekend he can hole a lot of putts and make a lot of birdies and make a charge, and usually he does make a charge on the weekend,â€� Day said. “Seven strokes is obviously not enough but I’d like to keep pushing forward and hopefully I don’t see him in my rear view mirror at all.â€� If Day does surge ahead this weekend, be sure to remember it when picking your 2018 major winners.

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In the final event before the FedExCup Playoffs, players are vying for position. Who will make the Top 125 and claim their spot in the FedExCup Playoffs? Round 2 tee times Round 2 leaderboard HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN PGA TOUR LIVE: Featured Group Coverage (7:30 a.m. – 6 p.m. ET). Telecast: Golf Channel (2 – 6 p.m. ET) PGA TOUR Radio: Listen Free (12 – 6 p.m. ET) NOTABLE PAIRINGS Chris Stroud, Grayson Murray, Geoff Ogilvy 7:50 a.m. ET off the 10th tee Jonas Blixt, Greg Chalmers, Smylie Kaufman 7:50 a.m. ET off the 1st tee Kevin Kisner, Henrik Stenson, Bill Haas 8:00 a.m. off the 10th tee Kyle Stanley, Jason Dufner, Billy Horschel 1:00 p.m. ET off the 1st tee

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Akshay Bhatia's coach in North Carolina, Chase Duncan, had his pupil running sprints before this PGA TOUR season began. Not as punishment, but as an opportunity for Bhatia to get better. Why spend time running instead of grinding on the putting green or driving range? To work on his breathing. He'd run down a fairway, get his heart-rate up, and the duo would see how long it took to slow down again to a normal average. RELATED: What’s in Bhatia’s bag? "I'm trying to understand how I can control myself and make myself feel as comfortable as possible," said Bhatia. After his most recent result at the Safeway Open, it's fair to say he's starting to feel more comfortable on TOUR, too. Bhatia turned professional in 2019 after becoming the youngest player to ever represent the United States in the Walker Cup. He made his pro debut on TOUR at the Sanderson Farms Championship last season. The debut came after he had reached No. 5 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings. But despite his success on the junior and amateur circuit, it hadn't quite translated to the pro game until the Safeway Open. Bhatia finished T9 there and earned a spot in the field at this week's Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship. He was the youngest player to finish in the top 10 of a stroke-play event on the PGA TOUR since Justin Rose finished fourth at the 1998 Open Championship. "It's always nice anytime you get a chance to play the PGA TOUR," Bhatia said. "It's a great way to enjoy things because this is the life I want to have and I have to get a taste of it. Earning my spot here was a different feeling for me and I'm just excited to get it going." It has certainly been a meaty stretch of learning for Bhatia. After putting a bow on an impressive junior golf career - he was on the winning Junior Presidents Cup team in 2017, the winning Junior Ryder Cup team in 2018 and the winning Walker Cup team last year - he hadn't made a cut on the PGA TOUR until the Safeway Open. He was 0-for-7 on TOUR to that point, although he did finish T42 at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail Championship on the Korn Ferry Tour in April 2019 after Monday qualifying. "I've learned a lot more from failing than succeeding," Bhatia said. "Golf's such an up and down game and you can really let it take the best of you, but I've learned a lot. "Obviously it would have been great to get off to a good start, turning pro early, but the way it's worked out I've learned a lot about myself with the failures I've had and understanding a lot of things. I've taken a lot more from not playing my greatest golf and understanding what I can get better at." Bhatia said he's had his eyes opened to how many good players are on TOUR and how many could win on any given week. Patience is key, he said. During the COVID-19 break, he worked hard to add more shots to his repertoire and better understand how he feels under pressure - hence the sprints and the breathing exercises. He said he still feels like he's got momentum this week in Puntacana, despite the fact that his top-10 at the Safeway Open was two weeks ago. "Anytime you get to play competition, that's the greatest thing - to play against the best," he said. Bhatia spent last week recovering from the rigors of contending on the PGA TOUR. He watched the last few holes of the U.S. Open because runner-up Matthew Wolff is a fellow George Gankas student and Bhatia played with DeChambeau at a Monday qualifier a few years ago. "It's kind of crazy to see where he is now. At the time I thought he was hitting it so far," Bhatia said of DeChambeau. "He was carrying it and was taking these lines where I thought, ‘holy crap.' It must be just amazing what he's doing now." Still, Bhatia is taking things one step at a time as he tries to reach the same level on TOUR as DeChambeau and Wolff and the laundry list of other young stars in the game. He said this week at Corales is one of "the coolest places" he's been to play golf in his life, and, with a laugh, he said he'd of course rather be in the Dominican than at home or grinding at a Monday qualifier. "The biggest thing for me is just to try to go out and birdie every hole. That's all I'm aiming to do - just try to play golf. There's nothing really special to it. Adding pressure to it doesn't make you play better," said Bhatia. "I'm just going to have a good time, enjoy the views, and it's going to be a fun week."

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