Cut prediction: The Honda Classic

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GREENSBORO, N.C. – Byeong Hun An shot a third-round 66 to keep his lead at the Wyndham Championship and his next bogey will be his first, but hang on, this is far from over. Consider just how precarious that lead is: Webb Simpson, who ran away with THE PLAYERS Championship last year and won the 2011 Wyndham, is just a shot back. So is Brice Garnett (66), who also knows how to win, having captured the Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship last season. An has not won on the PGA TOUR, but lost in playoffs at the 2018 Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide and the 2016 Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Sedgefield Country Club has already yielded a 61 this week (and a 59 last year). Paul Casey (66), the highest-ranking player here at eighth in the FedExCup, is three back.  So is Viktor Hovland (64), the highly touted new pro out of Oklahoma State. What do we make of all that? Well, only that Sunday could be wild, especially given how many players will be competing not just for the trophy, but also for their livelihoods. RELATED: Hovland eyes PGA TOUR membership | Spieth misses 54-hole cut | Weir sees good signs at Wyndham “It’s got an old Q School feel,â€� said Ryan Armour (65), who came into this week at 117th in the FedExCup, just inside the top-125 cutoff to make the first stop of the FedExCup Playoffs, THE NORTHERN TRUST at Liberty National next week. He’s one of the lucky ones. His victory at the Sanderson Farms Championship last season gives him full playing privileges through next season regardless of what happens Sunday. Ditto for Garnett. He’s a precarious 121st in the FedExCup, meaning his spot in the upcoming Playoffs isn’t secure, but his 2018 Puntacana win wrapped up his TOUR card through 2020. “With the win exemption,â€� Garnett said, “I’m just trying to play to win the golf tournament.â€� So is An, a 27-year-old pro from South Korea who attended Cal-Berkeley. At 82nd in the FedExCup starting the week, he was in no danger of missing THE NORTHERN TRUST. But his slim lead at Sedgefield? That’s dangerous. “One shot is basically nothing,â€� An said. “Like today, Brice made birdie at the first and I made par, and that’s one shot right there.â€� An would be the 14th first-time winner this season, and would climb to FedExCup No. 27, giving him a clear path into the 30-man field at the season-ending TOUR Championship. Also, should he win and keep a clean card, he would be the first since Lee Trevino (1974 Greater New Orleans Open) to win an individual TOUR event without making a bogey over 72 holes. “Just keep my head up and my confidence pretty high,â€� An said of his plan for Sunday. “I’ve been hitting it pretty good, so need to not make any silly mistakes. That’s what I’m trying to do.â€� Instead of playing with Garnett, as he did Saturday, An will be joined by Simpson in the final group Sunday, as Simpson was the first player to finish at 16 under. That could be important, as Simpson is more seasoned (five TOUR wins, including THE PLAYERS and 2012 U.S. Open) and knows what it takes to win the Wyndham. He shot 18 under to do so in ’11. “There’s something special about your first win,â€� he said. “Something special about Greensboro for me. I’ve been talking about it all week, the support’s been fantastic. There’s a lot of reasons I want to win, but I got a lot of work to do, especially with how many guys are within a few of the lead.â€� Casey, who has won the Valspar Championship the last two years running, is 14 under and three back. A win would move him from eighth to fourth in the Wyndham Rewards bonus pool, but he knows it will take something better than the 66 he produced Saturday. “My goal was five (under) a day,â€� Casey said. “So, I’ve slipped behind that schedule, but I don’t think it’s going to be low enough. Scoring is so good. The leaderboard is stacked with older guys like myself and younger guys – Viktor’s up there, I see. I actually haven’t studied the leaderboard thoroughly, but it’s going to be good. Looking forward to it.â€� He’s not the only one.

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. – It wasn’t long ago that Patrick Reed was struggling to break par and seeking advice from a new swing coach. His struggles may be behind him. Reed played a solid round at one of the PGA TOUR’s most difficult courses to share the early lead at the Wells Fargo Championship. Reed hit 14 greens en route to a 4-under 67 at Quail Hollow Club. He was tied for the lead with Martin Laird, Nick Taylor and Adam Schenk after the morning wave ended. Reed is now 7 under in his past two rounds on the PGA TOUR. He closed his Masters defense with a 69 that was his first sub-70 round of the week. Reed was 17 over par in the six rounds preceding Masters Sunday. That stretch started with a final-round 78 at THE PLAYERS Championship. He shot 77-75 in his next start, the Valspar Championship, and was spotted working with swing coach David Leadbetter on the range. Reed’s wife, Justine, contacted Leadbetter after the first round at Innisbrook to help her husband sort out a swing that had grown excessively long. Reed also works with his longtime swing coach, Kevin Kirk. “At the top of my swing, I was getting a little long and kind of disconnected,â€� he said. “We’re just trying to feel like it stays a little shorter and a little bit more connected, and feel like it’s a little bit stronger at the top.â€� This is Reed’s first individual tournament since the Masters, where he was 1 over par after 54 holes. He finished T36 after his final-round 69. He and partner Patrick Cantlay missed the cut at last week’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Related: Featured Groups, tee times | Rose looks to rebound | The harsh lessons of losing can pay big dividends | Tiger’s inspiring message to Varner’s friend | Best-selling books gains popularity on TOUR Reed was bogey-free Thursday. He missed just one green on his front nine and made the turn in 35 after making birdie on the par-5 15th. He added birdies on Nos. 3, 7 and 8. The last birdie came on a 22-foot putt, his longest of the day. He didn’t make a putt longer than 3 feet on the front nine, then started his second nine by making an 18-footer for par. That was the only other putt he made from outside 10 feet. His strong ball-striking meant he didn’t need to lean on his putter. He wielded it well when necessary, gaining 2.9 strokes on the green. He was 3 for 4 on attempts from 5-10 feet. “When you’re hitting the ball well, it frees up the putter,â€� Reed said. “When you happen to miss a green, because you know how you’re hitting it, you’re a little bit more fresh.â€� Strong ball-striking is a necessity at Quail Hollow. Reed has had success here recently. He finished in the top-10 in his last two appearance here, including a runner-up at the 2017 PGA Championship. Reed has led after just one round since winning last year’s Masters, though. That was in the first round of the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions. He is 66th in this season’s FedExCup thanks to six consecutive top-25s to start the season. His last top-25 in a stroke-play event came in February’s World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship. Things may be looking up after Thursday’s round, though. “I kind of got out of my way,â€� Reed said. “I stopped thinking about the golf swing and just started swinging the golf club and played golf shots.â€�

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