Davis Riley, Will Gordon share lead at Sanderson Farms Championship

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In Expert Picks for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf for the Mexico Open at Vidanta, I wrote that the goal is not to use Jon Rahm. He qualified for my roster as a obvious defensive measure, but the plan is sit him unless he’s contending for the title on Sunday. If he cranks out 25 points in R1, R2 and/or R3, so be it. The risk doesn’t warrant those rewards, no matter how likely you expect them against the field. RELATED: Horses for Courses | Sleeper picks The Mexico Open at Vidanta is the Spaniard’s second start of Segment 3 (T27, Masters). If he follows his schedule from the super season of 2020-21, he’d be making four more starts in this phase. However, even if he appears only at, say, the PGA Championship and the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday, if you burned him at the Masters and will again this week, you’d be stuck with just one remaining. Ask yourself now how you’d rank the timing of his impact. Just like when Tiger Woods was a fixture in fantasy, the most challenging decisions in the extinct Yahoo! Format was how to ration 10 starts. Rahm isn’t at that level but he’s on the short list for whom we’re compelled to consider the possibilities to maximize – and leverage – his playing time. Here’s the gist… 1) You can play Rahm in all four rounds at Vidanta Vallarta – assuming he makes the cut, of course – and absorb the push with your opposition because a high percentage of it will do the same. In highly competitive situations, it’s a fair and reasonable exercise. OR 2) Because round-by-round scoring in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf is muted – unless, again, Rahm tosses up bogey-free, field-low 64s every day – stow him on your bench for the first two rounds. If he’s among at least five who make the cut, keep him benched until his position at the conclusion of three rounds. If in contention, burn the start as a defensive measure for the FedExCup bonus points. No matter what you do, including abstaining entirely so as not to put yourself in a position to be tempted in favor of long-range goals, it’s the middle of the season. Heck, I slow-played the big guy in Segment 4 last season and it proved to be the difference-maker in the FedExCup Playoffs because my nearest opponent, Ben Everill, had exhausted Rahm’s allotted starts one tournament too soon. POWER RANKINGS WILD CARD Patrick Reed (+125 for a Top 20) … When you read in the Power Rankings that he was teased for Draws and Fades, you likely also figured that his odds to be the Wild Card were somewhere in the vicinity of (-10000). Thus, boom. Certainly, on cachet alone, he demands analysis, but he’s the reverse split for what projects to matter at Vidanta Vallarta, and he hasn’t connected for a top 25 in a full field since a co-runner-up at Bermuda on Halloween. I’d draw a direct line from his heavyweight status in that field to this one but it’s been six months and it’s not that simple. Even contrarian investors are scratching their heads at his inflated value this week. Pass. DRAWS Kevin Streelman (+175 for a Top 20) … If you ever wondered why I’ve lamented for an obnoxious period of time why he’s Kryptonite, use his last start at Harbour Town as proof. There he was on a track where he missed only one cut in nine tries prior. His record includes three top 10s and another top 20. He also was comin’ in hot since the start of the Florida Swing. Lo and behold, despite an endorsement in this space, he failed to cash. But I’m back on board in Mexico because I’m doubling down on the strong(-enough) form and discounting the occasional missed cuts. If there’s a tightrope separating short- and long-term confidence, he walks it, and we should know better, but I just can’t quit Streels. Davis Riley (+225 for a Top 20) … I’d prefer a top-40 or make-the-cut prop but the rookie already has demonstrated a level of comfort near the lead. In fact, he runs towards it on Moving Day as he’s T8 on the PGA TOUR in R3 scoring, but the learning curve has put him in his place more often in finales. It’s to be expected but with a P2 (Valspar) and a T4 (with Will Zalatoris at Zurich) as recent objects in the sideview mirror, hop on the bandwagon and attach emotion. It’s how we apply our own learning experience. Pat Perez (+300 for a Top 20) … What’s that you say? Paspalum?? Thank you. That’ll be all. (OK, so that’s getting off easy because he did miss the cut at Mayakoba in November, but he may still have been feeling the effect of a foot injury just prior to it. More recently, he’s 7-for-9 since the Farmers.) Callum Tarren (+500 for a Top 20) … Ease into a make-the-cut line here, but don’t be that surprised if he pops for more. The rookie from England landed a T5 on the paspalum in Puerto Rico, and he finished T7 at the Korn Ferry Tour’s Veritex Championship two weeks ago before making the cut (with fellow Brit, David Skinns) in New Orleans. He’s already one of the more proficient tee to green, and now his confidence is elevated. Wyndham Clark David Lipsky C.T. Pan Brian Stuard Odds sourced on Tuesday, April 26 at 6 p.m. ET. For live odds visit betmgm. FADES Chez Reavie … He’s still splitting fairways with the best of ‘em, but his approach game has cost him time and again and it’s not like his putter is bailing him out. The 40-year-old bunter already is borderline unownable in full-season formats. Lanto Griffin … He’s gone five consecutive starts without a top 50 and his pedestrian tee-to-green game is uninspiring. He’s more valuable in the long-term, anyway. Adam Long … After a couple of months of failing to turn cuts made into top 25s, he finished T12 at the RBC Heritage thanks to a wicked-hot week with the putter. He missed only once inside 10 feet and was perfect on 65 looks from eight feet and in. The small greens at Harbour Town cater to that kind of performance, and he is a terrific putter, but it’s in the minority of expectations because ball-strikers and shot-makers tend to box out for most positions at and near the top of that leaderboard. The same narrative applies this week but not because the greens at Vidanta Vallarta are similarly sized. They’re unfamiliar, so good putters project to lag, pardon the pun. A payday is a fair expectation, and through 2021, he was consistent in delivering strong weekends when he made it, but the advice now is to invest fractionally at most. Rafa Cabrera Bello Brice Garnett J.T. Poston Scott Stallings Matt Wallace RETURNING TO COMPETITION Sebastián Muñoz … By the time he pierces the paspalum on Thursday, it’ll have been a month since his last competitive action (T26, Match Play). The Colombian was committed to the RBC Heritage until an injured back took precedent. The good news is that he’s connected six paydays in advance of his trip to Vidanta Vallarta. He’s also a good fit on paper for the test. At the same time, you likely wouldn’t have a need to put faith in his fitness in any situation other than an aggressive DFS ploy. NOTABLES WDs Daniel Berger … If not for a sore back, he’d have been a favorite this week. It’s the same malady that thwarted his title defense at Pebble Beach in early February, but he’s fared predictively well since. Just 65th in the FedExCup, however. Christiaan Bezuidenhout … Tag-teamed a T32 with fellow South African Charl Schwartzel in NOLA and now sits 94th in the FedExCup. Looking ahead, while not yet officially exempt, Bezuidenhout has been able to plan on a trip to the PGA Championship via his Official World Golf Ranking, but at 66th, he’s just outside the upcoming bubble for entry into the U.S. Open. Kevin Chappell … Since his status demotion (for failing to meet the terms of his medical extension), he’s 3-for-4 with a pair of top 20s. Remember, he wasn’t certain that he was going to continue to pursue playing time if he didn’t fulfill the medical, so his is an emerging compelling story. Of course, it also makes sense to table a long-term decision until the conclusion of the regular season, but we’re not often treated to peeks behind that curtain, so we can’t forget about it now. Meanwhile, it’s a bummer that he’s out at Vidanta Vallarta. His tee-to-green profile would have positioned him automatically for a make-the-cut prop. Nick Hardy … Placed a career-best T21 with Curtis Thompson at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans and now ranks 190th in the FedExCup. Neither rookie has found his stride, so it was a timely injection of something positive. Charley Hoffman … This is his fourth early WD of the season. The first three were as a result of an injured back, and given his extended slump, it’s fair to attach it to either a continuation of the discomfort or a bad habit picked up while trying to play through it. Whatever the case, the 45-year-old is 180th in the FedExCup and not yet exempt for next season. (Worst case, and if he wanted, he’d be eligible for a career earnings exemption since he’s currently 36th all-time.) RECAP – ZURICH CLASSIC OF NEW ORLEANS POWER RANKINGS Power Ranking Team Result 1 Scottie Scheffler & Ryan Palmer T18 2 Cameron Smith & Marc Leishman T21 3 Billy Horschel & Sam Burns 2nd 4 Xander Schauffele & Patrick Cantlay Win 5 Max Homa & Talor Gooch T21 6 Danny Willett & Tyrrell Hatton T21 7 Collin Morikawa & Viktor Hovland T29 8 Sergio Garcia & Tommy Fleetwood MC 9 Keegan Bradley & Brendan Steele T4 10 Sungjae Im & Byeong Hun An T14 Wild Card Bubba Watson & Harold Varner III T4 OTHERS CONSIDERED Team Result Joaquin Niemann & Mito Pereira WD Will Zalatoris & Davis Riley T4 Adam Hadwin & Adam Svensson MC Matthew NeSmith & Taylor Moore T4 Sahith Theegala & Beau Hossler MC SLEEPERS Golfer (Bet) Result Graeme McDowell & Seamus Power (+4000 to win) MC Brian Stuard & Russell Knox (+6600 to win) T21 Aaron Rai & David Lipsky (+8000 to win) T4 GOLFBET Bet: Sungjae Im & Byeong Hun An (+300 for a Top 10) Result: T14 BIRTHDAYS AMONG ACTIVE MEMBERS OF THE PGA TOUR April 26 … J.B. Holmes (41) April 27 … none April 28 … none April 29 … Justin Thomas (29) April 30 … none May 1 … Chris Couch (49); Sepp Straka (29) May 2 … none

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HUMBLE, Texas — Ian Poulter has the chance to do something special tomorrow at the Houston Open. But he doesn’t want to think or talk about it. Asked after he posted a bogey-free 65 on Saturday — his second straight round without a blemish on the card — what a return to the Masters would mean if he won on Sunday, Poulter was quick to squash the question. “No, not thinking about it, not talking about it,” Poulter said. “I’m going to go out and have some fun tomorrow. There’s a lot of its and buts.” Poulter is correct; there’s no point in thinking about something that’s still very much up in the air. But considering where Poulter was at the beginning of the week, it’s impossible to not wonder what tomorrow would look like if the 42-year-old managed to secure his first TOUR title since 2012 — a win that would also earn him a spot in the field at Augusta National Golf Club. Poulter opened with 73 on Thursday and looked to be out of contention before he even had a chance to get going — to the point that he packed his suitcase to go home Friday night. Instead of fading into the background, Poulter played the next 36 holes in 16 under to rocket up the leaderboard. For a guy who said he had “no expectations” going into the weekend, Poulter is suddenly playing his best golf in the most pressure-packed of situations while trying to have fun on the course at the same time. Poulter attributed his run of good form this week to an adjustment he made to his shoulder position that helped him find a spark on the greens. Through three rounds he ranks ninth in strokes gained: putting. “Just opened my shoulders slightly,” Poulter said. “I’ve been seeing my lines a lot easier and been rolling a few putts in. So good golf has obviously been rewarded with rolling a few putts in.” With a hot putter in his hands, Poulter will be chasing history tomorrow in Humble. Should he go on to win, he would become the first player in the last 35 years to win a TOUR event after being tied for 123rd or worse after the first round. There’s also a TOUR title and a Masters invite on the line. But Poulter isn’t worried about any of that — at least not yet. “I’m in a funny position, right? I said to you guys I’ve got no expectations going out on the golf course,” Poulter said. “I didn’t have any expectations, I just went out to play golf. I’m going to do exactly the same tomorrow regardless.” OBSERVATIONS With a 76 on Saturday, Lee Westwood’s hopes of making a 14th straight Masters appearance came to a disappointing end. A runner-up at Augusta in 2010 and 2016, Westwood was making his first TOUR start of 2018 in a last-ditch effort to win his way into the field. Asked after his round when he might play again on TOUR, Westwood was non-committal, saying there was a chance he might not make another start in the States before the end of the year. Phil Mickelson ended his third round the way it began, at 5 under after 54 holes. The route Mickelson took to shoot 72, however, was anything but conventional. The round included a triple-bogey, double-bogey and two separate stretches where he made three straight birdies. “I’m a little worried that I missed some [drives] that I haven’t been missing and so I’ll have to work on that,” Mickelson said. Four three-putts in the first eight holes had Jordan Spieth wondering “what if” after three rounds. Spieth kept his cool and made two birdies on the back-nine to shoot 71, but without the putter struggles on the front side, the former FedExCup champion would likely be a lot closer than four shots off the lead. “I just got a little anxious trying to get out there early and make a statement, and the greens sped up a good foot today and I didn’t make that adjustment,” Spieth said. If Rickie Fowler comes up short this week, he’ll look back at the par-5 13th hole as the spot where things took a turn for the worse. Fowler battled back from a double-bogey on the front with four birdies to make the turn in 34, but a triple-bogey on the 13th proved to be too much for the four-time TOUR winner to overcome. Fowler lost his ball left off the tee and was forced to drop; he compounded the mistake by three-putting from 11 feet. He’ll start the final round five shots behind Poulter and Hossler. The leaderboard remains bunched with Ian Poulter and Beau Hossler holding a two-shot lead after 54 holes. A total of 14 players are within four, including TOUR winners Henrik Stenson, Matt Kuchar and Jordan Spieth. Three of the last four Houston Open winners were four or more shots back of the lead entering the final round. Lee Westwood wasn’t the only player in the field who saw his Masters hopes come to an end on Saturday. Bill Haas and Brandt Snedeker MDF’d and will miss out as well. Haas is out of the field for the first time since 2009 while Snedeker’s streak ended at seven consecutive starts, dating back to 2010. NOTABLES Henrik Stenson – Stenson followed up a pair of 68’s with a 69 on Sunday. He only has two bogeys on the card after 54 holes and sits three back of the leaders. Made five birdies during the third round, including a 32-footer on the last. Justin Rose – Broke his streak of seven straight sub-70 rounds with a 72. Tripled the 11th but still managed to pour in three birdies on the back to cancel out the big number. Matt Kuchar – Kuchar posted his third straight sub-70 round to move into contention at 11 under. Ranks sixth this week in strokes gained: putting with more than 311 feet worth of made putts. Keith Mitchell – Two bogeys in the last three holes kept Mitchell from the penultimate group. He’ll still have the chance to build on last week’s runner-up finish at the Corales Puntacana just three back. Mitchell’s 67 was highlighted by seven birdies in 10 holes (Nos. 6-15). Julian Suri – The 72nd-ranked player in the world Monday qualified for the Houston Open and sits in a good position to possibly top-10 in his fifth TOUR start of the season. A 73 on Saturday has him three back of a group of six players at T7. Greg Chalmers – Eight birdies in 13 holes vaulted Chalmers 39 spots up the leaderboard. A 65 was his lowest round on TOUR since he posted the same score during the second round of the 2015 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. At 12 under, Chalmers is searching for his second TOUR victory. QUOTABLES I’ll be nervous just like I always am. I’ve learned at each stage of golf that I’ve played from junior golf to amateur golf to now playing professional golf that winning tournaments is difficult and it takes a level of comfortability to do that. SUPERLATIVES Low round: 65 – Thanks to a pair of 65’s, Ian Poulter and Greg Chalmers will go off in the final two groups on Sunday. Longest drive: 381 yards – Tony Finau recorded the longest drive of the day on the par-5 8th hole. Longest putt: 53 feet, 1 inch – Beau Hossler saved par on the par-4 5th hole after his third shot came up well short of the hole. Easiest hole: Par-5, No. 8 (4.589) with 2 eagles, 42 birdies, 38 pars and 7 bogeys and 1 double bogey. Hardest hole: Par-4, No. 5 (4.344) with 8 birdies, 51 pars, 25 bogeys, 4 double bogeys and 2 others. CALL OF THE DAY SHOT OF THE DAY

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