Donaldson leads, McIlroy lurks in Dubai

Sam Burns, who has enjoyed great success the past two weeks, withdrew from the PGA Championship on Thursday with a back injury.

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Dylan Meyer … To line up the next crop of talent to splash at the professional level as if they’re riding on a conveyor belt would be ignoring how special each of the young guys is. Joaquin Niemann stole the show early and already has given a couple of encores. Doc Redman was next to turn professional. Meyer’s college teammate at the University of Illinois, Nick Hardy, who is also in the field at the Travelers Championship on a sponsor exemption, debuted as a pro with a T33 at the Rust-Oleum Championship on the Web.com Tour outside Chicago two weeks ago. It was then Meyer’s turn at the U.S. Open where he delivered with a sparkling T20 and six-figure payday. After missing the cut at Shinnecock Hills, Doug Ghim is making his professional debut at TPC River Highlands, thus departing the amateur circuit atop the World Amateur Golf Ranking. Although he’s still an amateur and No. 3 in the WAGR, you already know enough about Braden Thornberry to have his pulse. He was the winner of the Haskins Award last year. This year’s recipient, Norman Xiong, will be featured on the PGA TOUR all summer and has already drawn comparisons to Tiger Woods’ early trajectory. In a couple of months, first-team All-American Shintaro Ban will be turning professional. Get used to the names because you won’t have a choice. Beau Hossler … The 2016 Haskins Award winner sat three strokes off the 36-hole lead in his Travelers debut last year before fading to a T53. It was his final PGA TOUR start before securing his card via the Web.com Tour Finals for 2017-18. It also eliminated his eligibility for rookie status as a first-time member this season, but that hasn’t deterred the 23-year-old from making noise early and often. He’s currently 45th in the FedExCup standings and has connected nine cuts made since Bay Hill. Sits 42nd in greens hit and T23 in strokes gained: putting. Patrick Rodgers … There’s no coincidence in this week’s theme despite the fact that he captured the Haskins Award in 2014. The Stanford product then made his pro debut at TPC River Highlands, finishing T46. He hasn’t missed an appearance or a cut here since. His slate includes a T3 in 2016. Recently placed T8 at the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide, and then recorded a T41 at the U.S. Open where he scored 83-67 on the weekend. While inconsistent, his best weapon is the putter, which is more dangerous on greens where he’s contended in the past. Aaron Baddeley … Speaking of terrific putters, he’s been a force on small greens throughout his career, the 5,000-square foot surfaces of TPC River Highlands among them. Since 2010, the Aussie is 6-for-7 with a personal-best solo fourth in 2014 and a scoring average of 68.23 in 26 rounds. Now 38 years of age, he’s still flashing enough form to rank second on TOUR in strokes gained: around-the-green. He also strides in with the boost of confidence of a T25 at the U.S. Open. Vaughn Taylor … It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that he’s made the most of his surprise victory at Pebble Beach in 2016. His two-year exemption for that title expires this summer, but at 95th in the FedExCup standings, he’s a virtual lock to retain his status for 2018-19. He’s posted seven top 20s this season, including in each of his last two starts (T20, Fort Worth; T18, FedEx St. Jude). Continues to manage courses properly, evident by his ranks in fairways hit (28th), proximity to the hole (T24) and scrambling (35th). He’s also T22 in par-5 scoring. The 42-year-old has missed only one appearance at TPC River Highlands since crashing onto the PGA TOUR in 2004. His commitment to return every year is obvious given that he’s 11-for-13 with a trio of top-15 finishes.

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