Tony Finau is part of a surprising final group at the U.S. Open. And if you’re looking for who might walk away with the trophy, the possibilities really are endless.
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Rory Sabbatini carded a 7-under 64 to take the first-round lead at Harbour Town. Can he keep it going on Friday?
CROMWELL, Conn. – Geno Auriemma may deliver a more consistent annual product to this area, but he relies on a cast of players. Paul Casey depends on himself, with help from his trusty caddie with the long socks, Johnny McLaren. OK, maybe it’s not that fair a comparison. Auriemma’s University of Connecticut women’s basketball teams have, after all, won 11 national titles, while Casey has yet to prevail here at the Travelers Championship. But the point is, Casey on Thursday continued to produce with an uncanny consistency at TPC River Highlands, his 5-under 65 leaving him just a shot off the lead. Thus, did Casey’s running total at this par-70 golf course improve significantly: In 17 rounds, he has been in the 60s 15 times and he’s now a robust 52 under. No wonder he proclaimed that “it’s a joy to play this golf event.� For the record, that joy subsided for a few moments at the end of his round, for which Casey accepted full blame. Related: Featured Groups | Burgoon cards opening-round 64 | Cantlay stays positive, continues strong play | Rising stars take on Travelers “There was no reason to go at that pin,� he said of a front-left position at the par-4 18th. But from 148 yards away in the fairway, Casey indeed attacked, and he paid the price. Long and left, he failed to get it up-and-down from the rough, but even that hiccup – his only bogey of the day – helped tell the story of his brilliance at TPC River Highlands. Consider: In 306 holes of regulation, Casey has now made just 27 bogeys, two of them doubles. That’s an average of 1.58 per round and you’d be safe to say that’s a blueprint for affixing your name to the leaderboard. He’s just one off the lead, which is part of what is becoming an old story. Casey has been in the lead or within three after eight of his 17 rounds and never has he been more than six off the pace. “Some habits,� laughed Casey, “are good.� He would, of course, prefer to break one habit here. He hasn’t yet won. In his debut at the Travelers, in 2015, Casey shot 64-65 on the weekend, but lost in a playoff to Bubba Watson. He was joint fifth in 2017, then last year he took a four-stroke lead into Sunday but shot 72 and was passed by Watson’s 63. Brushing that frustration aside, Casey emphasizes the positive. He played late Thursday and through bursts of rain (“I don’t like the rain; that’s why I live in Arizona,� he laughed) and “even thought I finished with a bogey, I’m keen to get out there (Friday morning) and hopefully post a number for them to look at.� Considering his track record here, you’d have to think the odds are pretty good.
PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico – Rickie Fowler calls his last five weeks “somewhat of an off-season.â€� It’s fitting, then, that Fowler will begin his 2017-’18 season with somewhat of a working vacation at this week’s OHL Classic at Mayakoba, where he is the highest-ranked player in the field (10) and perhaps the most anticipated first-timer in the event’s 11-year run. “I mean, I’m excited to be down here,â€� said Fowler, who with his girlfriend, Allison Stokke, got to the Riviera Maya on Saturday for some pre-tournament fun in the sun. “I want to play well and I feel like I definitely can play well. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t feel I could win. But I’m also enjoying the relaxation and getting some time in the gym and we’ll definitely be ready to go and really get the season going in January.â€� On TOUR, the off-season is where you find it, and while Fowler has been busy since he beat Emiliano Grillo 6 and 4 in the Presidents Cup on Oct. 1, he hasn’t been playing golf. Fowler served as Grand Marshal at alma mater Oklahoma State’s homecoming; went to Stokke’s homecoming at Cal-Berkeley; did a wine-tasting tour in the fire-ravaged Napa Valley; shot TV spots for Farmers Insurance in Los Angeles; swung through Scottsdale, Arizona; and squeezed in five rounds of golf. Oh, and he also sent his coach, Butch Harmon, video of his swing last week. (Harmon said it looked good if slightly laid off the top, according to Fowler.) It seemed almost rude to interrupt the relaxed Riviera Maya vibe and ask how Fowler might play this week. “I like the golf course,â€� he said of the 7,000-yard, par-71 El Camaleon Golf Club. “It’s a fun layout. I enjoy playing in windy conditions; I know it can get fairly windy down here.â€� Another thing he noticed in his first trip around the course Wednesday: It’s not very forgiving off the tee. “You have to hit the ball pretty straight to stay out of the native area, whatever you want to call it,â€� Fowler said. “Stay out of it.â€� In the big picture, Fowler, 28, is doing very well, with room for improvement. In 32 major starts he has seven top-five finishes, none of them wins. He led the U.S. Open at Erin Hills after shooting a 7-under 65 in the first round, but faded to a T5 finish. (He has never broken par in the final round in nine U.S. Open appearances.) He picked up his fourth career win at The Honda Classic, but had nine other top-10s. In one sense, Fowler says, last season was “arguably the best I’ve played.â€� That’s one way of looking at it. He also admits he had “maybe not as many wins as I would have liked.â€� Meanwhile, he keeps hanging around to congratulate his friends when they win. Jordan Spieth at the Open Championship. Justin Thomas at the PGA Championship, where Fowler again finished T5. Spieth has said that when Fowler himself wins, a whole world of friends will be waiting for him behind the 18th green. That’s not just karma; it speaks to Fowler’s likability.  If form holds, his major W is coming, perhaps with fate providing a nudge. Fowler won THE PLAYERS Championship in 2015 after a poll in Sports Illustrated tagged him as overrated. And while his critics once said he was too nice, pointing to all those halved matches in the tense, mano-a-mano theater of the Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup, he went a sporty 3-0-1 at the recent Presidents Cup at Liberty National. He seems likely to figure out the majors, too. “It’s a fine line,â€� Fowler said Wednesday. “You know well enough, seeing guys and where they finish and how they play and understanding how much one putt or one shot can do, whether it’s coming down the stretch or even that one putt early in the week.â€� Patrick Reed, who is also making his first OHL start and also in search of his first major, echoed Fowler’s sentiments. “Nowadays the PGA TOUR is so deep, top to bottom,â€� Reed said. Whatever happens at lush, leafy El Camaleon this week, Fowler will spend some time at home in Jupiter, Fla., before starts at the Hero World Challenge, Nov. 30-Dec. 3, and the Sentry Tournament of Champions, Jan. 4-7. For those scoring at home, that’s the Riviera Maya to the Bahamas to Maui. “Not a bad little swing,â€� Fowler said. You can bet he’ll make the most of it.
