DeChambeau, McEvoy lead European Open by 1

NAPA, Calif. – During the award ceremony Sunday night after his second consecutive Safeway Open win, Brendan Steele saw celebrity chef Thomas Keller, who owns the award-winning The French Laundry. On Friday night, Steele had dined at the restaurant, which is 10 miles from the Silverado course. A year ago, Steele also dined at The French Laundry on Friday night. “The problem two years ago was I didn’t have dinner there on Friday night,â€� Steele said, referencing the last time he didn’t win at Silverado despite leading after 54 holes. “The last two years I had dinner there on Friday night and we got two wins out of it, so that’s definitely a tradition that’s not going to end.â€� Indeed, Steele would love nothing more than to continue filling up on whatever Silverado is willing to serve him. On Sunday, it was challenging scoring conditions, with Steele leaning on his knowledge and experience to shoot a 3-under 69 – one of just seven rounds in the 60s – to rally from a two-stroke deficit to start the day. He finished at 15 under, two strokes ahead of Tony Finau, who suffered a double bogey at the 14th hole that ultimately cost him a chance to force a playoff. After playing the front nine bogey free for the third straight day, Steele grabbed the lead for good, and then bounced back from a couple of bogeys by birdieing the par-5 16th and 18th holes. With short-game coach Chris Mason on his bag this week, Steele made the right adjustments with his club selection. “You can’t just figure out your shot a minute before you play it while somebody else is hitting because it changes by the time that comes up,â€� Steele said about the wind conditions. “So you have to have a sense as you’re getting into it whether you’ve got the right club or not. … Sometimes that works out, sometimes it doesn’t. Today it did.â€� Now Steele hopes to make the necessary adjustments that he hopes will pay off in, oh, about 10 months. After winning the Safeway Open a year ago, Steele maintained a solid position in the FedExCup standings for the entire regular season. He was 16th entering the Playoffs but failed to reach the TOUR Championship, eventually finishing 33rd in points. In retrospect, he blamed it on a focus shift. Instead of trying to win tournaments, he was simply trying to make cuts and gain points. “I really felt like at the end of the season through the summer, I definitely limited myself to what I was trying to achieve,â€� Steele explained. “I just wanted to make the TOUR Championship so bad, I was just trying to scratch and claw for every point I could … I wasn’t trying to win. I wasn’t trying to play my best. I was just trying to get whatever points I could – and I played right to that level where you could just barely miss. “I’m definitely going to try to not do that this year and just really move forward and try to win as many tournaments as I can and get myself into contention in majors and do all the things that everybody wants to do out here.â€� As for his dining plans for the Friday night of the 2018 Safeway Open? Well, The French Laundry is notoriously difficult to get a reservation, but Steele figures Keller might be able to set aside a table for the now two-time defending champ. “I hope so,â€� Steele said. “I hope I didn’t do anything to get myself kicked out.â€� OBSERVATIONS POSITIVES FOR FINAU. Tony Finau was at 14 under when he headed to the 14th hole, but any chance of winning seemed to evaporate when his drive finished under a tree, forcing him to punch out. It was indicative of his troubles off the tee – he hit just 6 of 14 fairways on Sunday – but the runner-up finish is his best result since winning the Puerto Rico Open 17 months ago. “Honestly I was happy with the way I hung in there,â€� Finau said. “I didn’t feel great over the ball. I didn’t hit a lot of quality shots off the tee coming in like I needed to.â€� TOUGH DAY FOR DUNCAN. Rookie Tyler Duncan, the leader after 36 and 54 holes, finished with a 3-over 75 after a rough start in which he bogeyed the first three holes. Duncan birdied the ninth hole to move to 11 under but could not manage a back-nine charge. He eventually finished tied for fifth. LEAVES FOR PHIL. On his second hole Sunday, Phil Mickelson backed away from his putt several times as leaves blew on the green near his ball. Afterward, Mickelson – who shot a 2-under 70 to finish tied for third at 12 under – was unclear about his options. “It’s blowing so that once you move (the leaves), they’re going to come back,â€� Mickelson said. “I don’t understand the rule that happened to somebody a couple weeks ago where a moving leaf hit a moving ball and you’re supposed to replay it. I don’t understand that. So now I’m wondering if I hit it and it hits a leaf, do I have to replay it? How does that all play out? I was not familiar with that rule and on that green, I kept thinking about it. It was a very awkward situation.” NOTABLES CHESSON HADLEY – Shared honors for most birdies this week with Mickelson, each one making 23 as they shared third place. Ten of those came when Hadley shot a course-record 61 in the second round. Hadley finished with a 73 on Sunday. GRAHAM DELAET – Shot an even-par 72 to finish tied for fifth. Sixteen of his 18 rounds at Silverado have been par or better. ANDREW LANDRY – His tie for seventh is his best result in 20 career PGA TOUR starts. He posted two eagles this week, including one on Sunday en route to his third consecutive round of 3-under 69. BRANDON HARKINS – The PGA TOUR rookie had the low round of the day, a 4-under 68 that included birdies in his last two holes. That moved him into a tie for ninth. QUOTABLES “It’s absolute carnage out there. … You couldn’t get it close. It was not possible to get the ball close to the hole unless there was some luck involved. The greens were chewed up. It was carnage. Carnage is the word for this afternoon.â€� – Chesson Hadley, discussing the challenging conditions Sunday “Being a West Coast guy, the greens are really good for me. I feel comfortable. I usually hole a lot of putts here.â€� – Brendan Steele, discussing his affinity for Silverado  SUPERLATIVES Low round: 4-under 68 by Brandon Hawkins. Longest drive: Kevin Tway, 411 yards at hole No. 18. Luke List had drives of 393 yards (at 13) and 390 yards (at 9). Longest putt: Andrew Landry, 39 feet, 7 inches at hole No. 18. Toughest hole: The 438-yard third hole, which played to a stroke average of 4.587. CALL OF THE DAY SHOT OF THE DAY BEST OF SOCIAL MEDIA

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THE OVERVIEW Some players prefer to rest the week before a major championship. Phil Mickelson, on the other hand, prefers to play. “Some people feel like if they win, they’ve expended too much energy and don’t carry it over,â€� Mickelson said. “For me, I’ve actually won two of my five majors winning the week before and I think it would be momentum that I would carry over to the U.S. Open. That’s why I would love to play well and hopefully come out on top.â€� No one has played better than Mickelson in Memphis over the last five years since he added the FedEx St. Jude Classic to his schedule before the U.S. Open. Since 2013, he’s never finished worse than T11 with 15 sub-70 rounds and two runner-ups. No one will confuse TPC Southwind with Oakmont or Shinnecock, but the course setup has given Mickelson the opportunity to work on sharpening his mental game and accuracy — two things that are absolutely imperative at the U.S. Open, long considered the toughest test in professional golf. “I feel the best way for me to prepare for the U.S. Open is to get in contention and get sharp mentally and with my game,â€� Mickelson said. “That’s what playing here in Memphis does. Precision is a key factor at this course. “[TPC Southwind] doesn’t beat you up with length, you don’t have to go out and bomb it. You’ve got to be precise with every shot off the tee.â€� Mickelson will not only need to be precise off the tee this week, but at Shinnecock as well. Given his strong history in Memphis, Mickelson spent the early part of the week logging practice rounds at the Long Island course, even getting in a practice round with Villanova basketball coach Jay Wright. “I feel like all areas of your game are going to be tested and skill is going to be a huge factor, especially chipping and putting around the greens,â€� Mickelson said. “Very challenging but very fair. It’s not hack-it-out rough, it’s fairway height, but the greens are so difficult that it’s hard to get the ball close and I love the challenge.â€� While Mickelson has his sights set on Shinnecock, he isn’t looking beyond this week. Given his respect for TPC Southwind and the tournament, Mickelson admitted he’d love to somehow find a way to fill two holes in his Hall-of-Fame resume over the next two weeks. “I very much would like to win [the FedEx St. Jude Classic],â€� Mickelson said. “Winning earlier this year meant a lot to me, and I’d love to add a couple more this year and this is an ideal spot. I know I’ll be in it on Sunday, I just hope I shoot low enough to pull through.â€� THREE PLAYERS TO PONDER Phil Mickelson Very few players have a better track record at TPC Southwind than Mickelson. His last five starts include two T2s and a T3. With the U.S. Open on tap, this has turned into a perfect week to sharpen his game. Joaquín Niemann Already has Special Temporary Membership on TOUR with three top 10s in his first five starts as a pro. His ability and fearless nature were on display during the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide, where he finished T6. Brooks Koepka Played the FedEx St. Jude Classic last year before going on to win the following week at the U.S. Open. Last four starts at TPC Southwind feature a T2, T3 and a scoring average of 68.56. Much of his recent success this season — he finished runner-up at the Fort Worth Invitational — can be attributed to a healthy wrist. THE FLYOVER A closer look at TPC Southwind’s finishing hole, the 453-yard par-4 18th. Last year, it played to a stroke average of 4.140, making it the sixth most difficult hole on the course, and ranked as the 15th most difficult closing hole on TOUR last season. Just like its shorter but slightly more severe cousin, the par-4 12th, the 18th’s primary defense is water. A total of 839 shots have ended up in the water since 2003, fifth most of any hole on TOUR during that span. THE LANDING ZONE The 485-yard fifth ranked as the toughest hole on the course during last season’s tournament, with a scoring average of 4.240. Finding the fairway is the biggest challenge, as the hole ranked as the second toughest to hit, with just 28 percent of the field finding the short grass off the tee during the final round. A large tree on the right side of the fairway comes into play, while the left side is lined with spectator mounds. WEATHER CHECK From PGA TOUR meteorologist Stewart Williams: “High pressure will influence the weather on Thursday and Friday with mostly sunny skies and hot afternoon temperatures. Humidity levels will increase each day and by Friday the heat index will approach 100 degrees Fahrenheit. A weak front is forecast to drop down into Tennessee by Sunday and could produce a few scattered thunderstorms.â€� For the latest weather news from Memphis, Tennessee check out PGATOUR.COM’s Weather Hub. SOUND CHECK I think a lot of it reminds me of the golf course that I grew up on. Bermuda green, a lot of familiar tee shots, and overall, it just feels like I’m back home. I know it’s Memphis, but it reminds me a lot Florida. BY THE NUMBERS 4 – Daniel Berger became the fourth back-to-back winner at the FedEx St. Jude Classic, joining David Toms, Lee Trevino and Dave Hill. 4,964 – Since 2003, TPC Southwind has surrendered 4,964 balls in the water. The total number of balls in the water is 1,562 more than TPC Sawgrass with 3,707. 6 – Since 2007, six of the 11 FedEx St. Jude Classic champions have qualified for the TOUR Championship. SCATTERSHOTS There’s something about TPC Southwind that prepares a player to win the U.S. Open. The last two champions (Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson) played the week prior in Memphis before going on to win their first major title. In the ShotLink era (Since 2003), six FedEx St. Jude Classic champions did not find the water at TPC Southwind en route to their respective victories and three of the last four champions at this event since 2014. Phil Mickelson is a combined 41-under par, recording 18 of 20 rounds of par or better and 90 birdies or better. Mickelson has record four top 10s in five starts at the FedEx St. Jude Classic, tied with Billy Horschel for the most top-10 finishes at this event in this stretch.

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PGA TOUR University will be represented by 59 seniors at this weekend’s NCAA Championship at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona. After the conclusion of stroke play on Monday, May 31, the top-15 players in the final PGA TOUR University Ranking will earn membership on either the Korn Ferry Tour (Nos. 1-5) or Forme Tour (No. 6-15). Three teams have four U-Ranked players on their roster: • Liberty, led by No. 37 Kieran Vincent • San Diego State, led by No. 9 Puwit Anupansuebsai • Tennessee, led by No. 19 Hunter Wolcott Oklahoma is one of six teams with three U-Ranked players, and the Sooners trio is in position for top-15 finishes: No. 5 Garett Reband, No. 6 Quade Cummins and No. 13 Jonathan Brightwell. Four U-Ranked players qualified for the NCAA Championship as an individual: • No. 26 James Piot (Michigan State) finished T4 at the Kingston Springs Regional • No. 44 AJ Ott (Colorado State) finished T3 at the Stillwater Regional • No. 65 Ryunosuke Michael Sakane (Jacksonville) finished second at the Tallahassee Regional • No. 96 Cole Bradley (Purdue) won the Noblesville Regional Featured groups for Friday’s first round: • 12:14 p.m. (10 tee) – No. 1 John Pak (Florida State), No. 3 Austin Eckroat (Oklahoma State), No. 5 Garett Reband (Oklahoma) • 2:04 p.m. (10 tee) – No. 12 Benjamin Shipp (NC State), No. 19 Hunter Wolcott (Tennessee), No. 37 Kieran Vincent (Liberty) • 6:54 a.m. (10 tee) – No. 7 McClure Meissner (SMU), No. 16 Tim Widing (San Francisco), Ricky Castillo (Florida) The final round of stroke play at the NCAA Championship will be live on Golf Channel from 5-9 p.m. ET on Monday, May 31. Follow PGA TOUR University on Twitter (@PGATOURU) for projections and news from Grayhawk Golf Club throughout the weekend. PGA TOUR University Players in NCAA Championship Field

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