Expert Picks: A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier

Stream live on Facebook Watch: Click here for Featured Groups coverage SILVIS, Ill. – Hunter Mahan and Nick Watney headline the Featured Groups for Saturday’s Facebook Watch coverage of the third round of the John Deere Classic at TPC Deere Run. Also featured in the coverage are Scott Brown, Hudson Swafford, Vaughn Taylor, and Mackenzie Hughes. The broadcast begins at 9:45 a.m. ET and runs through 6 p.m. All six players are at 5 under par, comfortably inside the cut line (everyone at 3 under or better made the weekend) and 10 strokes behind 36-hole leader Michael Kim. Players will go off of split tees, with the tee times moved up to get out ahead of forecasted storms. Swafford, Watney and Brown tee off at 10:20 a.m. Swafford and Watney each shot 2-under 69 in the rain-delayed second round, while Brown, coming off an opening 65, struggled to a 72. Watney (91) is comfortably inside the top 125 in the FedExCup, while Swafford (142) and Brown (118) are in doubt for making the FedExCup Playoffs. Two groups later, Taylor, Mahan and Hughes tee off at 10:40 p.m. ET. Hughes rallied with a second-round 65 to assure himself a weekend tee time. Mahan shot a second-round 67 and has impressed in his first start since the death of his sister-in-law early last week. Taylor (70) has been steady and at 106th looks good to make the FedExCup Playoffs. All six players are teeing off 1. At 1 p.m. ET, Facebook Watch transitions to the Featured Holes portion of the broadcast. We start with coverage of the par-4 first hole and par-4 14th hole. Once play has completed at No. 1, we will begin coverage at the scenic par-3 16th hole, adjacent to the Rock River.

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JACKSON, Miss. – Mark Hubbard borrowed his longtime friend Max Homa’s caddie, Joe Greiner, for two weeks in fall 2020. They had a good vibe, and Hubbard was asked if he would ever consider employing Greiner full-time. “My brother was like, ‘Why wouldn’t Joe ever come caddie for you full-time?’ and I’m like, ‘Look, Max’s ceiling is so freaking high,’” Hubbard explained. “I know I’m good, but Max has potential to do all this stuff. “Not that I don’t see myself as a really good golfer, but I don’t think I’m ever going to be No. 1 in the world. I don’t have the length, and frankly, I don’t think I have the discipline enough. I like the rest of my life too much to practice that much and grind that much.” Hubbard is one of the TOUR’s free spirits, a throwback who doesn’t take himself or the game too seriously. He enjoys his down time, skiing, having a few beers with buddies. On the course, he’ll mix in the ‘snail’ putting method – wrapping the right arm over the shaft, and then looping the right pinky finger back under – to keep fans guessing. Hubbard also has plenty of game, the ample blend of talent and work ethic to make 163 career PGA TOUR starts, in addition to 91 Korn Ferry Tour appearances. Hubbard has won on the Korn Ferry Tour but not yet on the PGA TOUR; his best showing is a runner-up at the Hewlett Packard Enterprise Houston Open in fall 2019. That could change this week in Mississippi. The 33-year-old has opened the Sanderson Farms Championship in rounds of 67-69, firmly in the mix through two rounds at the Country Club of Jackson. True to form, Hubbard has shown a willingness to experiment in his process. After about four or five holes Thursday, he decided to abstain from using his own read on putts. His caddie Kyle Peters proceeded to make every read, and they made eight birdies in the final 13 holes on day one. “My caddie’s green-reading,” Hubbard said Thursday when asked the key to his round. “I just do not see the greens, which is interesting because they’re similar to the grass I see at home in Houston. “I think this is the first time ever (completely deferring on putts). I like to be very instinctual with my putting and just go with my first read. I probably bring him in on three or four putts a day, maybe; a tough week would be 10. For him to read pretty much every one today, that was big for us.” Hubbard is no stranger to an audible on the fly. He began the 2021-22 PGA TOUR season on conditional status, having finished No. 143 on the 2021 FedExCup standings. It meant a split schedule between the PGA TOUR and Korn Ferry Tour, a year of monitoring alternate lists and staying prepared to change a flight on a moment’s notice. Rather than allowing the uncertainty to distract him, Hubbard thrived. He went T13-third-fourth in consecutive weeks in July to cement his spot in the FedExCup Playoffs, and he begins this season as a full TOUR member, no strings attached. The free spirit can play with even more freedom, as he eyes his first TOUR title. “I want to be the best version of myself, and for me, when golf becomes too much of a priority, the rest of my life suffers and I’m just not happy,” Hubbard said. “It is kind of that balance for me of finding how much do I grind and practice, because I do love it and I do care and I do want to be really good. There are times where it is kind of a means to an end, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that; I think I can still go out and win tournaments. I think I can still go out and win this weekend without killing myself over it and still go skiing and having beers with my buddies and whatever. “Maybe I’m wrong about that, but I think that’s why I’ve played well the years that I’ve played well out here, is because I’ve had the best balance for myself.” Hubbard’s attitude resonates with his peers, as evidenced by the scene around his post-round press conference Friday in Mississippi. Chris Stroud called over to proclaim Hubbard a “top-five player in the world,” and Chesson Hadley added a playful greeting. When asked how he’ll prepare for managing his emotions down the stretch, Hubbard noted he has listened to a variety of Homa’s podcasts and other conversations – “he’s someone who I think has struggled mentally in the past and has really turned it around, and now I feel like that’s one of my strengths,” he said Friday. The Denver native aims to channel that positive energy in chase of the Sanderson Farms Championship’s famed Reveille the Rooster trophy. If he falls just short, life will go on. He’ll do his best, though, to give it a run. “All that aside about the balance, this is absolutely my dream job,” Hubbard said. “I love the travel. I’ve got a really good group of friends out here. All of our wives get along. My wife is great; I’ve got an awesome little kid, another one on the way. I really couldn’t ask for anything more. “Anytime you can be in contention, that’s why we practice, that’s why we get up. Even though it’s not always my No. 1 priority, it’s a huge, huge part of my life, and I couldn’t be happier and more grateful that I’m out here.”

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SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. – Brooks Koepka’s victory at last year’s U.S. Open sent traditionalists into a tizzy. Those accustomed to knee-high rough and narrow fairways were disgusted with Koepka’s ability to wield driver with impunity on a course that was too wide and too soft for their liking. One year after winning on a modern golf course making its U.S. Open debut, Koepka has a chance to make history on one of the country’s most historic layouts. Shinnecock Hills hosted the second U.S. Open and is the only course to host this tournament in three different centuries. This venerable Long Island layout unquestionably offers an old-school test. Koepka is one of four players to share the 54-hole lead at Shinnecock Hills with a score of 3-over 213. Last year, he shot 16 under par to win at Erin Hills. His ability to excel on two disparate designs is testament to a game built on more than brute strength. Curtis Strange (1988-89) and Ben Hogan (1950-51) are the only two men to win back-to-back U.S. Opens since World War II. They crafted games that emphasized accuracy over distance to meet the strict demands of their national championship. Koepka, with his linebacker’s build and biceps that burst out of his tailored sleeves, is a modern player who hits the ball distances that were once unfathomable. But he also has a strong short game and the fortitude to withstand a stern setup. Koepka has finished no worse than T21 in his past 10 major championships, including five top-10s. He has four consecutive top-20s at the U.S. Open. He won last year and finished T4 in 2014. “I enjoy firing away from pins and having to be conservative sometimes and just finding a way to get through it,� Koepka said. “I feel like the harder the golf course, the better.� They don’t get much harder than Shinnecock Hills on Saturday. The field averaged 75.3 strokes as the greens grew firm in the warm, windy conditions. Hole locations set near the steep edges of Shinnecock’s putting surfaces forced players to avoid the hole with their approach shots. Koepka’s 72 tied the low score among the last 20 players to tee off. He was 1 under par for the first 11 holes but bogeyed three of his final seven holes. He holed a 63-foot par putt on the 14th green, then bogeyed the 15th after his wedge shot landed on the green but rolled into a bunker. He three-putted the par-3 17th before making par on the last hole. Daniel Berger and Tony Finau will play in Sunday’s final group after shooting third-round 66s. They both made the cut with just a shot to spare before shooting Saturday’s low scores. The past two U.S. Open champions, Koepka and Dustin Johnson, are their closest pursuers. Johnson, 33, is a friend and mentor to the 28-year-old Koepka. They share a swing coach, Claude Harmon, and trainer, Joey Diovisalvi, in South Florida. “We’ll be friends after the round, not during� said Johnson, who won last week’s FedEx St. Jude Classic to regain in the top spot in the Official World Golf Ranking. Koepka is playing just his seventh tournament of the year after missing nearly four months with a wrist injury. He reinjured the wrist at THE PLAYERS but finished T11 after a record-tying 63 in the final round. He shot two more 63s in his next start to finish second to Justin Rose at the Fort Worth Invitational. “My game is in a good spot,� Koepka said. “I feel like you have to kind of take (the trophy) from me, to be honest.� He’ll accomplish a historic feat if he can keep his grasp on it.

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