Doc Redman shoots 67, takes one-shot lead at Bermuda Championship

The Latin America Amateur Championship has a spot in the Masters riding on it. Here’s how you can watch this week on ESPN’s family of networks.

Click here to read the full article…

ERIN, Wis. – The farmland that surrounds Erin Hills provides sufficient testimony to the blue-collar work ethic of the local residents preparing to watch the first U.S. Open played in their home state. And, when play begins Thursday, they will have a homegrown hero to root for, a Wisconsin native who embodies the values that the state’s residents value so highly. The fact that he earned his spot the hard way, through the U.S. Open’s 36-hole qualifiers that are open to anyone from major champions to club champions, is even more fitting. There was sentiment that Steve Stricker, owner of 12 PGA TOUR titles and this year’s Presidents Cup captain, should be awarded a special exemption into the field at Erin Hills, but the U.S. Golf Association did not agree. It didn’t matter after he won his qualifier in Memphis. “I still don’t believe I should have got a spot,â€� Stricker said Tuesday. “I’m convinced of that, but it would have been nice if they would have. But the way it worked out, I feel much better the way I got here.  After the qualifier, that was pretty sweet, because I earned my way in.â€� And the local fans are glad he did. This will be Stricker’s 20th U.S. Open, and first since 2014. He has three top-10 finishes, including back-to-back fifth-place showings in 1998 and 1999. His wife, Nikki, whose own roots in this state’s golf scene run deep, is on the bag this week. She admits getting emotional at the ovation they received as they walked up the ninth fairway in Monday’s practice round. The cheers they’ll hear at 2:20 p.m. on Thursday, when Stricker hits his first tee shot of the tournament, should be even louder. Nikki admits she’ll have to hold back her emotions on that first tee so that her husband, who isn’t afraid to shed a tear in public, doesn’t get emotional as well. Wisconsin’s abbreviated golf season creates passionate fans who take advantage of any opportunity to hit the course. The list of PGA TOUR players from the Badger State is a short one, and Stricker has lived here his entire life, except for his brief trip across the state border to attend the University of Illinois. He grew up in the one-stoplight town of Edgerton, where he could walk to Edgerton Towne Country Club, the 5,900-yard track that proudly displays Stricker’s pictures on its website. The state’s only PGA TOUR-sanctioned stop, the American Family Insurance Championship, is hosted by him. It will be played next week in Madison. And, of course, there’s the stories of how, when mired in a deep slump that cost him his TOUR card, Stricker rebuilt his game by hitting balls out of a trailer during Wisconsin’s snowy winter. All those factors contribute to the fans’ adoration for him. “It’s something that Mario (Tiziani, Nikki’s brother) told me when Steve and I first started dating. He said that ever since he had met Steve — and he had gone away to (college) and had some success — he was the same person as when he had first met him,â€� Nikki said. “He’s genuinely nice to everyone. He gets emotional. He’s real.â€� On Tuesday, fans wearing Brewers and Packers caps cheered as he walked toward the first tee for Tuesday’s practice round, yelling “We love you, Steveâ€� as they filmed the moment on their cell phones. “Him being here, it just makes sense,â€� said Tiziani, Steve’s agent and occasional caddie. “A lot of these people have grown up with him.â€� Stricker’s strong showing last Monday earned him a tee time at a course that he first played before it even opened to the public. He also played it when it was being considered as a U.S. Open site, in order to give a professional player’s input. He estimates he’s played Erin Hills about a half-dozen times. That’s more than the vast majority of the field, but may not make this week’s task any easier. Stricker is giving up some 30 yards off the tee to most players, and this week’s rain only inhibits the roll that can help him squeeze out a few extra yards. Balancing all the requests for his time has been another challenge. At one point Tuesday, Tiziani looked at his phone and said it was the first time all day that the screen was clear of notifications. But those requests for his time aren’t the only thing that has filled his time this week. True to his ethos, his days have been full of family affairs. On Monday, he was one of 12 people at a birthday dinner for his mother-in-law, Barbara. He scheduled Tuesday’s practice round for the afternoon so that he could watch his 11-year-old daughter, Isabelle, play in an interclub match that morning (it was rained out). His older daughter, Bobbi, is competing in this week’s state open, as well. If Stricker hadn’t qualified for Erin Hills, he said he’d likely be on her bag. The Strickers have been commuting to Erin Hills from their home in Madison, but they’ll move into a house closer to the course on Wednesday in order to give this tournament a more “normalâ€� feel. “The calming place for both of us is getting out on the golf course,â€� Nikki said. That’s when Stricker will return to his regular job, albeit followed by thousands of fans cheering enthusiastically for the local hero.

Click here to read the full article…

All right, you know the drill. We did this last week. The Open Championship at St. Andrews is just 12 miles due north of The Renaissance Club, so, yes, it’s in the same time zone. This means that the tournament begins at 1:35 a.m. ET on Thursday in the United States. That’s 10:35 p.m. on Wednesday on the West Coast. That’s the given, but what we don’t know is if PointsBet will open a market for the Top 20 bet during the tournament. It was not made available after both R2 and R3 at the Genesis Scottish Open. Plan accordingly. Register for PGA TOUR Pick ‘Em Live here and monitor Rob’s and Glass’ progress as Influencers. For a broader explanation of the format and FAQs, click here. TOURNAMENT Rob … Joohyung Kim (+15000) Wrestled back the honor with a 24th-place finish at the Genesis Scottish Open. It’s my seventh top 30 in PGA TOUR Pick ‘Em Live. Not too shabby given, as predicted in this space last week, I wouldn’t be awake in time to adjust my (failed) bets for R1 and R2 leader. This week presents a rare challenge. St. Andrews is going to crown a big, big name as its champion. It’s the 150th edition and, well, that’s just how these things tend to develop. However, as much as I’d like to just sit on Rory McIlroy (+1000) or Jon Rahm (+1600) deep into Sunday, we have a game to play! It ain’t broke, so I ain’t gonna break it. The Tank Engine is the reason why I finished 24th last week. He talked about how much he enjoyed his foray at links-style golf. His solo third was evidence. At 20, he’s probably young enough not to have the fully formed feel of the significance of what a victory here and now represents, and I like it like that for the purpose of this opening selection. Glass … Kevin Kisner (+20000) Did you think I was going to trot Rory out here at +1000? Kisner was an afterthought at Carnoustie in 2018 before finishing T2. Earlier that season, he finished second at the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play. Wanna guess how he finished at Match Play this year? Kisner paints fairways, and the firm and fast should help shorten the yardage book. Grinder mentality evident with five straight paydays at this event. Reminds me a bit of Zach Johnson in 2015, plus Kisner has a comfortable pairing with Chris Kirk for the first two days. Plenty of time to reload if this longshot doesn’t fire. Last week’s winner hopped on Xander Schauffele at +8000 after Round 1. It can happen! TOP 10 Rob … Joohyung Kim (+1000) Reset and repeat. He was +2000 for this finish last week and delivered. Always room on the bandwagon for ya, especially since Glass refuses to take a seat. Glass … Thomas Pieters (+750) Rolls in on six straight with three top 10s, so I’m leaning into his form, plus he’s never MC in four attempts at this championship. The “other” news is that he’s never painted the top 10 here, but for +750 that’s not surprising. As is the case weekly with this pick, hit the window and change it when it goes sideways. TOP 20 Glass … Stewart Cink (+600) Admittedly, I’ve struggled to intersect value with form, but that’s the best part of this game: Perfect is NOT required. Chances can be taken, even 49-year old chances. His best performances this year were on demanding ball-striking layouts like Innisbrook and TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm. Also finished T23 at Southern Hills and T24 last week at The Renaissance Club. Rob … Keita Nakajima (+1400) I went into more detail in Sleepers on why the long-standing world’s top-ranked amateur is attractive this week, but the abridged version is that if an amateur is going to connect at an Open, it’s going to be at St. Andrews. Three ams recorded a top-15 finish in the last time the course hosted in 2015, and it’s the last time it’s happened in any Open. ROUND 1 LEADER Glass … Webb Simpson (+10000) First group out, perfect greens. I’m not going to overthink this. My USUAL selection of McIlroy can still be in play 18 groups later but at +1200, I can patiently wait. Or sleep in. Or both. Rob … Rory McIlroy (+1200) With all 52 threesomes in single file off 1, there’s a greater likelihood that I’ll be alert before this window closes as compared to last week. Still, I’m doing what Glass will regret … again. In his last six starts, McIlroy has averaged 66.17 in the first round. Yes, it includes a 62 a TPC River Highlands, but it also includes two majors and another two tough tracks. NOTE: While Glass and Rob typically stick with their selections as detailed in Pick ‘Em Preview, they are allowed the right to make changes at any time.

Click here to read the full article…