Fantasy Insider: BMW Championship

JACKSON, Miss. - Overcoming a pair of front-nine bogeys, Sergio Garcia summons his ball-striking acumen and veteran poise to cover them up with birdies, then eagles the 14th hole and birdies the 18th for a 67 and a one-stroke victory over Peter Malnati (63). RELATED: Final leaderboard | What’s in Garcia’s bag? Here are five stories you might have missed from the Sanderson Farms Championship. 1. Garcia win not dissimilar to Cink's What's the connection between Sergio Garcia and Stewart Cink, who won the season-opening Safeway Open two weeks before Garcia's star turn at Country Club of Jackson? Both are in their 40s, right-handed, and hadn't won in a while. Look closer, though, and you're reminded that each had been mired in a dry spell after his one and only major victory, Cink the 2009 Open Championship and Garcia the 2017 Masters Tournament. Now they've both rallied to get back on track early in the new season. "I really wasn’t that frustrated because nobody was really talking to me," said Garcia, who with wife Angela had had two kids, 2-year-old Azalea and 6-month-old Enzo, since his previous PGA TOUR win. "You know, they had other guys to talk to, and I was just working hard and just trying to get better in every aspect of the game, mentally and physically, and I was just doing my own thing, trying to figure out what I needed to do, and that’s what I did." Garcia, 40, now has TOUR wins in three different decades, 2000s, 2010s and 2020s. He's the 78th player to accomplish that feat, the most recent before him being - you guessed it, Cink. 2. Malnati kept perspective Although he was a past champion at the Sanderson Farms (2015), Malnati had been largely absent from the conversation for the last five years. He missed the FedExCup Playoffs last season, and barely made THE NORTHERN TRUST before finishing 118th in the FedExCup in 2019. It was more of the same in 2018, with just two top-25 finishes. No wonder he was all smiles even in finishing runner-up to Garcia. For one thing, the final-round 63 was his career low. Also, Malnati's top-10 finish gets him into the field at this week's Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas, where he'd been third alternate. Asked what he would do for an hour and 40 minutes until the leaders finished, Malnati's answer said it all: "I’m literally staying walking distance from the club," he said. "I might go hop in the pool with my boy. You thought I looked like I was having fun out there today? You should see him in the water. It’s amazing." 3. Bradley, Norlander shook off rough starts Sweden's Henrik Norlander had missed the cut in his first two starts this season after shooting opening-round 75s. The 33-year-old product of Augusta University had no such trouble at the Sanderson Farms, where he went 4 under for his last five holes for a 65 and T4 finish, four back. Norlander eagled the third and 15th holes and had three for the week, tied with Keegan Bradley for most in the field. Bradley had gotten off to a similar start this season, missing the cut at the Safeway Open and U.S. Open before contending in his first appearance in Jackson. He eagled the par-5 11th hole for the third time in four tries and shot 69 to also finish T4. 4. Villegas' game returning after tragedy This was not Camilo Villegas' first PGA TOUR start since the passing of his daughter Mia, who was just 22 months old when she died July 26 after battling tumors on her brain and spine. But with a final-round 66 and T23 finish, the four-time TOUR winner looked close to his old self. "I’m just excited to swing a golf club, man," said Villegas, who has dealt with a shoulder injury in addition to Mia's health struggles the last few years. "The last two years have been crazy to say the least, injury and then with our family situation, but like I told my wife, we can’t change the past, so we’re focusing on what’s going on right now, having a good attitude, and once again, I’m very, very happy to be swinging a golf club again." Villegas missed the cut in his previous start, at the Safeway Open. Before that? Another MC at The Honda Classic in March. Now, he says, he'll play a full fall schedule on TOUR, continuing with next week's Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas. His final-round 66 was his lowest score on TOUR since an opening-round 66 at THE NORTHERN TRUST in 2017, a span of 1,137 days. 5. McCumber, Daffue hitting new heights Tyler McCumber (69, T6, five back) posted his second career top-10 finish in his last two starts, and now he's in the unfamiliar position of fifth in the FedExCup. Granted, it's early, but this is the best stretch of golf ever for the surfer and outdoors lover from Jacksonville, Florida. Then there was MJ Daffue (pronounced Duffy), a 31-year-old from South Africa who has had a rough go of it as a professional but shot a final-round 69 for a career-best T12 finish. Daffue, who had Monday-qualified for the Sanderson Farms, now goes to the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas, where he's already got a spot in the field as a sponsor's exemption. Incredibly, Daffue, who played for Lamar University in Texas, has Monday-qualified nine times in his last 14 tries on the PGA TOUR and Korn Ferry Tour combined. He was bidding to become the first Monday-qualifier to win on TOUR since Corey Conners at the 2019 Valero Texas Open, and while that didn't happen, there were so many positives. He won't have to try and keep up his incredible Monday-qualifying streak this week in Vegas. (He would've had a hard time getting there in time, anyway.) And his T12 was his career best by a substantial margin after his T22 at the Workday Charity Open last summer. For more on Daffue's wild ride, click here. TOUR TOP 10 The regular season top 10 will receive bonuses for their efforts.

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NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. – It was still dark when Xander Schauffele made the extremely early trip Friday morning to Aronimink for his second round of the BMW Championship. On the way over, he decided to look at his statistics for this season, hoping to find something to get him pumped it. Then he looked at his final-round scoring average. Deflation followed. “Pretty bad, to be completely honest here,â€� he said. Schauffele ranks 183rd in the PGA TOUR in final-round average (72.39). Compare that to his first-round ranking (tied for 29th) or even the ranking for his middle two rounds (tied for 91st on Fridays; tied for 93rd on Saturdays). The first two rounds this week obviously have been no problem for Schauffele, who leads the BMW after backing up his opening 63 with a 6-under 64 on Friday. It’s just the ninth time this season that a player has posted consecutive rounds of 64 or better in the same event. Schauffele now takes a two-shot lead over Justin Rose going into the third round at Aronimink. And that’s where the challenge really begins for last year’s Rookie of the Year. “A lot to prove not just to everyone else but to myself this weekend,â€� said Schauffele, whose group was first off the tee at 7 a.m. ET. “I’ve been failing a lot, so it would be nice to turn the switch and kind of clutch up.â€� Schauffele was certainly clutch in his rookie season when he won twice, including the TOUR Championship. He’d love to have a chance to defend, and if he maintains the lead through 72 holes, he’s projected to enter East Lake ranked sixth in points. This year, though, has been a winless one, although he’s played well in big events. He shared second to runaway winner Webb Simpson at THE PLAYERS Championship, was in the final group on Sunday at The Open Championship, and had a top-10 finish at the U.S. Open. He’s the only player this season with top-10 finishes in THE PLAYERS and two majors. But he’s still young – 24 – and still learning how to be a consistent closer. The Open at Carnoustie was reflective of those struggles – he shot a 74 in the final round to lose by two strokes to Francesco Molinari. In his last five starts, he’s failed to break par in the final round. Sunday is not here yet, and Schauffele doesn’t want to get ahead of himself. But this weekend promises to be a shootout – Rose estimates the winner will need to reach at least 20 under — and Schauffele would like nothing more than to be in the mix down the stretch. “I have lots to prove to myself,â€� he said. “I just want to win and kind of handle my business. I feel like I haven’t been doing that as well just on the weekends and maybe too relaxed or what not. … “I always thought I was rather a clutch player coming down the stretch and this year has said otherwise.â€� NOTABLES Justin Rose didn’t sleep well and was running a little late Friday morning, so he had to adjust his pre-round routine. Usually he likes to have two putting sessions, with his range time squeezed in between. But on Friday, he skipped the first putting session, and gave himself a little more time on the practice green after his range work. The adjustment obviously worked – his bogey-free 63 is his lowest score of the season. “Sometimes you don’t have to feel perfect to play good golf,â€� said Rose, who is at 11 under. “I think that’s the most important thing I realized today.â€� Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods both struggled to back up their opening 62s. Woods bogeyed his final two holes to shoot an even-par 70, while McIlroy managed to break par with a birdie at the par-5 16th to shoot 69. “It’s hard to stay patient whenever you know what you’ve done yesterday,â€� McIlroy said. “I didn’t want to lose too much ground. I should have been a few better.â€� Jason Day hit all 18 greens Friday for just the second time in his career, which was the key for his bogey-free 64 that moved him to 9 under, four shots off the lead. “The game is flowing nicely,â€� Day said. “Even though when I was out of position, I got myself back on the green and gave myself the opportunity to make a birdie or make a solid par.â€� Tony Finau has a streak of 13 consecutive rounds in the 60s – and the lowest score in that streak came Friday with a 6-under 64 that leaves him at 8 under. The fact that the long-hitting Finau is pulling driver out on many holes made it even more impressive. “I proved to myself, any type of golf course I can make birdies on and compete well on,â€� Finau said. “It’s a golf course that takes driver out of my hand more than I like but that doesn’t mean I can’t make birdies.â€� Keegan Bradley, like Schauffele, ranks lower in the fourth round than in his other three rounds. Two weeks ago at THE NORTHERN TRUST, he entered the final round in solo second behind Bryson DeChambeau, but carded a 78 to fall into a tie for 34th and lose valuable FedExCup points. “It’s time to go out on the weekend and do my thing,â€� he said. QUOTABLES Cheesesteaks, I guess.Kind of been a blessing in disguise.Had to be from the pro-am. SUPERLATIVES Low round – Kevin Na’s bogey-free 8-under 62 that included five birdies on his back nine. Na made 156 feet, 8 inches of putts. “I lit it up with the putter,â€� he said. Bogey-free rounds – Ryan Armour, Patrick Cantlay, Jason Day, Tommy Fleetwood, Beau Hossler, Charles Howell III, Marc Leishman, Francesco Molinari, Kevin Na (62), Alex Noren, Ted Potter Jr., Justin Rose, Bubba Watson Longest drive – Gary Woodland’s 362-yard drive on the par-4 seventh. Longest putt – Jon Rahm’s birdie putt from 65 feet, 4 inches. Hardest hole – The 465-yard par-4 fourth played to a stroke average of 4.188, with just five birdies. Easiest hole -  The 563-yard par-5 16th played to a stroke average of 4.261, with 50 of the 69 players making birdie (and one other making eagle). CALL OF THE DAY For play-by-play coverage of the third round of the BMW Championship, listen at PGATOUR.COM. SHOT OF THE DAY

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Collin Morikawa wins the Open Championship by 2 strokes over Jordan Spieth to claim his second career major.

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