Davis Riley charges up leaderboard in search of first TOUR win at Valspar Championship

A quick look at Friday’s second round of THE PLAYERS Championship. THE LEADERS Of the 45 winners of THE PLAYERS Championship, just one has come from the British Isles – Scotland’s Sandy Lyle in 1987. No Englishman has ever won. No Irishman has ever won. The chance of that statistical anomaly ending at TPC Sawgrass has considerable improved after 36 holes this week. Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy and England’s Tommy Fleetwood are 12 under and three shots clear of the field. One of their primary chasers, meanwhile, is Ian Poulter, who has come as close as any Englishman has to breaking the drought with runner-up finishes in 2009 and 2017. Certainly these things are, as Fleetwood said, a “strange coincidence,â€� and there’s no real relevancy on what goes on inside the ropes. In fact, neither Fleetwood nor Poulter seemed aware of the shutout until informed on Friday. “I’ve had plenty of seconds now so I will be trying to … get that No. 1 spot,â€� Poulter said. “It would be quite nice.â€� Poulter is 9 under and tied for third with Brian Harman, Abraham Ancer and local resident Jim Furyk, who shot the low round of the day with a bogey-free 64. They’ll be at the head of the chase pack hoping to prevent THE PLAYERS from turning into a two-man race this weekend. That could be difficult, as McIlroy and Fleetwood each entered this week in terrific form. McIlroy has top-6 finishes in his last five starts, and Fleetwood is, for the second consecutive week, the 36-hole co-leader. He hopes to avoid the kind of stumble he encountered last Saturday at Bay Hill when he shot a 76. “For the second week in a row after two days, I’ve put myself in the best possible position,â€� Fleetwood said after his 5-under 67 Friday. “A lot of positives, and clearly playing a lot of good golf. So take that and run with it, really.â€� Although McIlroy hasn’t been able to close the deal in his recent stats, he’s in a good frame of mind as he chases his first TOUR win in more than a year. He isn’t about to put pressure on himself to win; instead, he wants to keep a narrow focus. “I just need to keep seeing red numbers,â€� he said after his 65, his second-lowest round in his PLAYERS career. “That’s all I need to keep seeing. I don’t need a win.â€� Still, a win would be nice. Given that St. Patrick’s Day is on Sunday, perhaps the stars are lining up in his favor. ODDS AND ENDS You might think Jim Furyk got a raw deal when his birdie putt from 42-1/2 feet at the 17th hit the flagstick (which he opted to leave in) and bounced a foot away. But he thinks it was a good break. “I don’t think it had a chance to go in,â€� Furyk said. “I think it was going to run by and I was going to have a tough putt on the way back.â€� Sungjae Im became the youngest player to record a hole-in-one at THE PLAYERS. The 20-year-old Korean used an 8-iron at the 152-yard 13th. It was the 34th ace in PLAYERS history and the 12th ace at No. 13. With Ryan Moore’s ace yesterday, the 2019 PLAYERS becomes the first TOUR event since 2013 to have multiple aces in the same week. Kevin Kisner was part of the three-man playoff in 2015 when Rickie Fowler won at TPC Sawgrass. Now he’s back in the mix again after his second consecutive 68. Asked what playing well here four years did for him, Kisner replied, “Just put a lot of money in my checking account. Other than that, no much.â€� For the record, Kisner won $880,000 that year. The course conditions are expected to change at some point this weekend due to a cold front pushing through Ponte Vedra Beach. The winds were from the south in the first two rounds but are forecast to become a northerly wind following the cold front, which should make TPC Sawgrass more difficult. “If it gets firmer and faster and the wind blows from the north like they say it’s going to, it could be a really difficult test,â€� said Jim Furyk. Russell Knox has two PGA TOUR victories and one on the European Tour. “I pat myself on the back every day. It’s hard to win a PGA TOUR event or any event in the world,â€� Knox said. Having attended Jacksonville University and living in the area for 15 years, winning THE PLAYERS would obviously be extra-special. He loves being at home this week although he admits that doing “the dishes kind of sucks.â€� Vaughn Taylor made the cut for the first time in nine tries since THE PLAYERS moved to May. In fact, he’s among the contenders at 7 over through two rounds. Although his best finish is a T-8 in 2006, he’s seen what it takes to win – he was paired with Fred Funk in the final round. “A cool experience, one I’ll never forget,â€� Taylor said. “It’s good memories and hopefully I can make some memories of my own.â€� Cameron Champ withdrew with a back injury after eight holes Friday. He was 8 over at the time. That reduced the field to 141 players. NOTABLES JIM FURYK (64) – Bogey-free. Hit every fairway. His lowest score in 80 career rounds at THE PLAYERS. Yep, it was a good day for the local resident. (Click here for more) JASON DAY (66) – An eight-birdie day for the 2015 PLAYERS champ, who has missed just seven greens through the first 36 holes. RICKIE FOWLER (67) – Bounced back nicely, fueled by a hole-out from 80 yards for eagle at the par-5 second. DUSTIN JOHNSON (68) — He’s lurking at 7 under and is 5 under on the closing three holes this week. JON RAHM (68) — Same position as DJ, although a bogey at the 18th probably didn’t sit well. PATRICK REED (69) – Second consecutive 69. Entered this week with just three of 16 rounds at TPC Sawgrass in the 60s. BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU (69) — Was 4 under on his final 10 holes to give himself a fighting chance. JORDAN SPIETH (69) – Didn’t make the cut but seemed especially pleased after his round for this reason: “Putting’s back.â€� (Click here for more) WEBB SIMPSON (70) – Defending champ is lurking, but unlike last year, he’ll enter the weekend as a chaser. FRANCESCO MOLINARI (70) – Yet to solve the 18th this week, but his 70 at least assured him a weekend spot. TIGER WOODS (71) – If not for those two water balls at 17 … (click here for full story on Tiger’s round). BROOKS KOEPKA (71) – A couple of late birdies had him straddling the cutline, but he squeezed into the weekend. JUSTIN THOMAS (72) — Missed a 4-foot putt at 18, with the late bogey leaving him on the cutline. KEEGAN BRADLEY (73) – Tough day for the first round co-leader. Was ranked 3rd in field in Strokes Gained: Putting on Thursday, but ranked 138th in that category on Friday. PHIL MICKELSON (74) — A second consecutive 74 left Phil missing the cut for the sixth time in the last seven years. XANDER SCHAUFFELE (74) — The current FedExCup points leader failed to make the cut, thanks to back-to-back double bogeys. WORTH WATCHING 48-FOOT BIRDIE PUTT by Rory Sabbatini at the par-3 eighth. CHIP-IN FOR EAGLE by Ian Poulter at the par-5 16th. BIRDIE FROM THE TREES for Phil Mickelson at the par-5 second. RARE QUADRUPLE-BOGEY for Tiger Woods at the par-3 17th. THEY SAID IT It’s pristine shape, it’s wonderful setup, it’s terrific, and I just don’t play well. I don’t know what to say.Boy, we’re on a big negative day, aren’t we? BY THE NUMBERS 22,698 – Holes played in Tiger Woods’ PGA TOUR career. In just eight of those holes did he suffer a quadruple-bogey or worse, the most recent being Friday when he hit two balls in the water at 17. 43 — Number of times Jim Furyk has hit every fairway during a PGA TOUR round, including Friday’s 14-of-14 effort. 16 — Consecutive cuts at THE PLAYERS by Sergio Garcia, who extended his record streak by shooting 69-70 and is current T-20. 11 — Strokes needed by Brian Gay to play hole Nos. 15-18. He went birdie-eagle-birdie-birdie. That matches the best score in that four-hole stretch set by Rickie Fowler in the final round of his win in 2015. SUPERLATIVES STROKES GAINED LEADERS: Off-the-tee (Byeong Hun An, 2.451); Tee-to-Green (Keith Mitchell, 5.844); Approach-the-Green (Jon Rahm, 3.847); Around-the-Green (Patton Kizzire, 2.847); Putting (Jordan Spieth, 5.159); Total (Jim Furyk, 7.348). LONGEST DRIVE: 363 yards – Byeong Hun An on 18. LONGEST PUTT: 47-feet, 11 inches. Rory Sabbatini drilled a birdie on the par-3 8th. LONGEST HOLE-OUT: 152-yards – Sungjae Im and Justin Rose. Im aced the par-3 13th hole. Rose holed out from the fairway on the par-4 15th. MOST BIRDIES: 8 – Jason Day (66), Jim Furyk (64), Seamus Power (67) BOGEY-FREE ROUNDS: Jim Furyk (64), Jason Kokrak (68), Scott Piercy (68), Martin Trainer (69). HARDEST HOLE: Par-4 514th. Played to 4.291 with just six birdies, 33 bogeys, two double bogeys and three others.

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After thrilling the patrons at Augusta National with an opening-round, 1-under 71 at the Masters, Tiger Woods sets his sights on moving up the leaderboard in Friday’s second round. Woods tees off at 1:41 p.m. ET Friday alongside Joaquin Niemann, after third group member Louis Oosthuizen withdrew prior to the round, citing injury. This week marks Woods’ first TOUR start since the (November) 2020 Masters, as he works back from severe injuries to both legs suffered in a single-car accident in Los Angeles in February 2021. After his opening round, Woods said his plan for Thursday evening involved “lots of ice,” with the goal of remaining as fresh as possible into Friday. Keep it here for hole-by-hole updates on Woods’ second round at Augusta National, as he aims to advance to weekend competition at the 86th Masters.

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KAWAGOE, Japan — Xander Schauffele didn’t have a lot go his way until finishing on a strong note Saturday, a superb shot to 3 feet for birdie that left him 18 holes away from an Olympic gold medal. The podium still felt like a long way off. RELATED: Leaderboard, tee times | How the format works | Inside the Field: WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational Five players had a share of the lead at some point in the third round. Schauffele, Japanese star Hideki Matsuyama and Carlos Ortiz of Mexico were still tied playing the 18th hole at Kasumigaseki Country Club. Schauffele, who spent much of his round in the bunkers and dense rough, managed to end the day with a one-shot lead, in the same spot he started. From the fairway — foreign turf for him on this day — he hit a 9-iron that landed softly just belong the cup. The birdie gave him a 3-under 68. He’s at 14-under 199. Right there with him was Matsuyama, the Masters champion on whom Japan has pinned its hopes on a gold medal. He was recovering from COVID-19 just under a month ago and said he never would have guessed being in this position. Matsuyama had a 67 and will be in the final group along with Paul Casey, who shot a 66 in his bid to keep the Olympic gold medal in golf with Britain. He was two shots behind along with Ortiz, who made bogey from the bunker on the 18th hole. Saturday had all the trappings of a shootout, with eight players separated by a mere three shots. That’s not unusual at golf’s highest level, except only three walk away with a medal. Matsuyama and Schauffele played in the final group at the Masters. Matsuyama started with a four-shot lead and Schauffele, whose mother was raised in Japan, made a late charge that ended with a tee shot into the water on the par-3 16th. “I’m sure Xander will come out determined to win the gold medal tomorrow,” Matsuyama said. Matsuyama finished off the rain-delayed second round in the morning with a 64 to get into the final group. He caught up to the lead with a bunker shot to short range for birdie on the 17th, and had to save par from the rough on the last hole. Could he have envisioned this when he was recovering at home? “I definitely would not have believed it,” Matsuyama said, adding that he would have been most concerned with his endurance. That tested the entire 60-man field in stifling heat with only an occasional zephyr to circulate some air on the tree-lined course. Thomas Bach, the International Olympic Committee president, joined PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan under a tent next to the first tee to watch the final group start. Even with no spectators, Matsuyama still attracted some 250 people, most of them volunteers, all of them hanging on every shot by Matsuyama. “It does not feel like we don’t have fans out here,” Matsuyama said. Action came from every corner of Kasumigaseki. Rory McIlroy, indifferent about the Olympics until he arrived in Tokyo and already looking forward to Paris in 2024, made an early move until he was slowed by a poor pitch that kept him from birdie on the par-5 14th and a three-putt bogey on the 16th hole. He bounced back with a birdie and finished with a 67. McIlroy was three shots behind, along with Sebastian Munoz of Colombia (66), Mito Pereira of Chile (68) and Sepp Straka of Austria (68). All were very much in the mix for gold. Others were still hopeful of any medal, a list that suddenly includes Sungjae Im. The 23-year-old South Korean needs an Olympic medal to earn an exemption from mandatory military service, though this isn’t his last chance. Im was 12 shots out of the lead and was the third player this week to match the Olympic record with a 63. He was still seven behind, though another big round could keep him in bronze range. Schauffele has been trying to treat this as any other tournament, and it felt like one Saturday. “Tomorrow may feel a little different,” he said. “There’s a little bit more on the line than what we normally play for, and you’re obviously trying to represent your country to the best of your ability. So that’s why I’ll be on the range tonight.” His swing was out of sorts from the start, and his father, Stefan, kept a monocular to his right eye and could see flaws that weren’t there during his warm-up session, most of the shots to the left. Schauffele delivered key par putts, and a pair of birdies on the easier scoring holes, to keep the round and the lead from getting away from him. He was in trouble on the ninth, in the trees off the tees and having to lay up to the fairway. He escaped with par by making a 25-foot putt. “Your putter doesn’t know how bad you’re swinging it,” Schauffele said. “We’re getting it done right now. So I would like tomorrow to be a little bit more fun all round.”

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