FedExCup leader Lanto Griffin excited about his future

AUSTIN, Texas — In a showdown that turned sloppy, Patrick Reed nearly holed a wedge to seize control and finished off Jordan Spieth with a 40-foot birdie putt from behind the 17th green to advance to the weekend of the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play. The 2-and-1 victory sent Spieth home in search of his game with the Masters just two weeks away. Spieth hit his opening tee shot onto the range and out-of-bounds. He hit into a hazard on each of the next two holes. And when he finally caught Reed with consecutive shots to tap-in range, he missed two key putts inside 6 feet. “I don’t think it would have been that tough to beat me today,” Spieth said. Reed was tough enough, twirling a wedge in his hands as it cut into the wind and grazed the front edge of the cup on the 13th hole for a 2-up lead to take command of the match. Spieth, who three-putted for the third time on No. 15 to fall 3 down, stayed alive with an 8-foot birdie putt on the 16th and looked as though he might have a chance to go the distance when Reed’s putt was racing toward the cup at the 17th. The cup got in the way, and all Spieth could do was smile. “Just happened to be the perfect line,” Reed said. “Thank God, because that thing was moving.” And now Reed is moving along into the single-elimination phase of the weekend, four matches away from another World Golf Championship. Spieth is headed to the Houston Open without a top 10 in his last seven tournaments. “I’m human and I’m realistic that based on the way the year’s gone … it’s been kind of a trying time for me, especially on and round the greens,” Spieth said. “Stuff I took for granted in setup and pace control and all that kind of stuff … has been a little bit more difficult. And I’ve been trying to figure out how to get back to that level, and I’ve been trying different things.” Spieth, the No. 4 seed, wasn’t the only player leaving early. Justin Thomas (No. 2) and Sergio Garcia (No. 7) were the only top-10 seeds to advance to the fourth round. Thomas had the easiest time, a 7-and-5 victory over Francesco Molinari. And with defending champion Dustin Johnson already eliminated, Thomas can go to No. 1 in the world if he wins this week. But there’s a long way to go. Asked how he felt going into the weekend, Thomas replied, “The same as the other 16 guys. We all start at the same place.” Paul Casey might have had the toughest day: He lost twice. Casey only had to halve his match to advance for the third time in four years. He lost to Matt Fitzpatrick, and even then had a chance to win his group if the other match was halved. Instead, Kyle Stanley made an 8-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to win, and then he beat Casey on the second hole of a playoff. Tyrrell Hatton also was forced into a playoff, and he beat Brendan Steele on the first extra hole. Rory McIlroy still had a chance until he lost to Brian Harman. Phil Mickelson was eliminated when Charles Howell III, who beat Lefty on Wednesday, completed a 3-0 mark in group play by beating Satoshi Kodaira. Howell and Ian Poulter, who swept his matches when Kevin Chappell conceded at the turn with a back injury, still have a chance to earn a spot in the Masters by getting into the top 50 at the end of the week. They both need to win at least one more match. The tightest match was Alex Noren and Tony Finau, one of four matches between players who had not lost all week. Finau won three straight holes on the back nine to take a 1-up lead, only to lose the 14th with a bogey. With the match all square, Noren made a 10-foot birdie at the 17th to go 1 up, and then holed a 15-foot par putt on the final hole to avoid going to a playoff with Finau. Noren now has won seven of his last eight matches in his event, his only loss coming to Johnson in the quarterfinals last year. In other groups: — Garcia won on the 17th hole against Xander Schauffele and won his group for the first time since it switched to pool play in 2014. He also becomes the home favorite from living part-time in Austin, where his wife gave birth to their first child last week. — Si Woo Kim outlasted Webb Simpson on the 18th hole to advance. — Matt Kuchar made a hole-in-one in a 6-and-4 victory over Ross Fisher to advance to the weekend for the second time in three years. — Bubba Watson birdied his last two holes to earn a halve against Julian Suri and avoid a playoff. Watson next faces Harman, a match of Georgia lefties. — Louis Oosthuizen beat Jason Day with two clutch putts, and then won the group with a 12-foot par putt in a playoff to beat Jason Dufner. This is the third time in four years that Oosthuizen has reached the weekend.

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The Overview PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. – Geoff Ogilvy, who knows a thing or two about golf course architecture, calls the 10th hole at Riviera “genius.â€� Here’s why: “There’s compelling reasons to go for it,â€� he explained, “and there’s compelling reasons to lay up.â€� At 315 yards and with a wide fairway, the strategy on paper would seem simple for most players at this week’s Genesis Open – go for the green and take your chances. But it’s not that cut-and-dried at a hole generally regarded as the best short par 4 in golf. Bunkers guard a shallow sloping green, so there’s little landing area if you try to rip a driver through the bunkers. Meanwhile, cross bunkers force lay-ups to the left. And as Ogilvy points out, “If you miss anywhere to the right, it’s over.â€� Over the years, players have been divided on strategy. Of the last 6,379 tee shots on the 10th hole since 2003, 3,452 have gone for the green, while 2,927 are lay-ups. That’s a ratio of 54 percent to 46 percent. Tiger Woods, making his 11th start at Riviera but his first in 12 years, has used both approaches. “I’ve gone for it and laid up – and I’ve been very unsuccessful both ways,â€� he said. “I believe the percentage is right around 51, 52 percent who go for it make birdie. It’s a tossup, it really is.â€� Actually, Woods has been pretty successful at the 10th hole. In his 12 rounds at Riviera since 2003, he is 9 under. Going for the green has been most productive – he’s 8 under when he goes for it, 1 under when he lays up. During a practice round on Tuesday, Woods used 3-wood and saw his tee shot land on the green and bounce over. Justin Thomas told Woods that he usually lays up except when the pin is in the front. Defending champion Dustin Johnson said Wednesday that he simply wants to make sure he stays on the left side, no matter if it’s short or long. The numbers since 2003 vary widely through the years. In 2004, 139 tee shots went for the green; in 2008, that increased to 314. But in 2010, it was back down to 153 tee shots, and in 2012, back up to 306. In 2014, 183 tee shots went for it — and now the number has steadily risen to 299 last year. Based on analytics, players are better off going for it. Since 2003, those who have gone for the green are a combined 606-under par compared to 57-over par for those laying up. As Billy Horschel said: “The easiest way to make a 4 is to hit driver.â€� (Horschel, by the way, thinks the green “over the years has sunk. Do I know that for a fact? No. It just has a lot of slope on the back end. If it hasn’t (sunk), then the green was designed to be played at a 7 [on the stimpmeter], not a 12 that we’re playing there now.â€�) And yet, the internal debates remain. World No. 13 Tommy Fleetwood, making his Genesis Open debut this week, admitted he’s “still figuring that one out. … I think apart from sort of that front left, I don’t know how you get on the green from anywhere else. It’s definitely the toughest-looking drivable par 4 I think I’ve ever seen.â€� As more players have attempted to drive the green, the 10th hole has played much easier in recent years – it was the easiest par 4 on the course last season and among the 200 easiest of all 900 holes played on TOUR. And yet since 2003, the 10th has been the most difficult of any par 4 under 350 yards on TOUR. Which goes back to Ogilvy’s point – it’s a brilliant hole that challenges a player’s mind more than his athletic ability. “The length you hit it is irrelevant,â€� he said. “It’s where you hit it and how you hit, and not just the distance. … It gives you room to hang yourself.â€� He then added: “Everybody will tell you they think they know what they’re going to do right now. But they’ll get there on Thursday and then make their decision. That’s why it’s a good hole.â€� Players to watch Tiger Woods Making the cut at a course he’s never won on would be a step forward after making the cut at Torrey Pines, where he’s won eight times. Dustin Johnson The defending champ will try to bounce back after being outdueled by Ted Potter Jr. in the final round last week at Pebble Beach. Justin Thomas Still looking for his first top 10 of 2018. On the flip side, eight of his last nine rounds have been 68 or better.   The Flyover The aforementioned 10th, with a scoring average of 3.873, not only was the easiest par 4 on the course last year, but it ranked among the 60th easiest par 4s on the PGA TOUR last season (among the 538 par-4 holes).   The Landing Zone The lengthening of the par-4 12th over the years has forced Tiger Woods to throw away his yardage book on this hole. Now at 479 yards, the 12th is the most difficult hole on the course, playing to a stroke average of 4.252. That also ranked it as the 48th most difficult hole on the entire TOUR last season. A long iron into a narrow green, guarded by a deep bunker on the right side and Humphrey Bogart’s tree on the left, is the biggest challenge. Here’s a look at where all drives landed last year. Weather check From PGA TOUR meteorologist Stewart Williams: “Off-shore Santa Ana winds will increase Thursday and Friday, providing warmer temperatures into the upper 60s to low 70s each day. On-shore flow returns Saturday afternoon and especially on Sunday as a trough approaches the West Coast. This will provide cooler temperatures in the 60s and possibly some marine layer low clouds by Sunday evening.â€� For the latest weather news from Pacific Palisades, California, check out PGATOUR.COM’s Weather Hub.   Sound Check I wouldn’t have minded a nice quiet couple of days … but no, it’s totally fine. Like anytime you have a chance to play in a group like that, you sort of relish it and embrace it. I’m obviously looking forward to the next couple of days. By the numbers 300.6 – Average driving distance (all drives) last year for Dustin Johnson en route to victory. He was the only player to eclipse a 300-yard average. Adam Scott was second at 292.4. 462 – Numbers of putts inside 3 feet missed by the field at Riviera since 2011. In five of those seven years, Riviera has ranked as the toughest course on TOUR for putts inside 3 feet. 10 – Number of times Tiger Woods has played Riviera during his PGA TOUR victory. It’s his most of any course on TOUR without a victory. 4.271 – Stroke average last season on the par-5 first hole, making it the third easiest hole on the PGA TOUR last season. 384 – Number of eagles made on the par-5 first hole since 2004, the most of any hole on TOUR during that span   Scattershots With the NBA All-Star Game in town, Dustin Johnson said he turned down an invite to participate in this week’s celebrity contest. But Johnson, who played basketball in his younger days, thinks he would’ve done OK. “I beat (retired NBAer) Shane Battier in a three-point contest. That’s my claim to fame in basketball.â€� He said it was during an exhibition in Miami. “Granted, it was blowing about 30 (mph) and it was outside, but I still won,â€� he added. … Tommy Fleetwood is beginning a stretch of PGA TOUR starts that includes the two upcoming World Golf Championships events, as well as the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard as well as the Masters in April. “I might stick another one in as we go along,â€� said Fleetwood, who has taken up TOUR membership this season. “That’s kind of a base of a plan, but they’re all such great tournaments that you want to play in. If I feel like things are going well or maybe they’re not going so well and I need to play, I’ll keep going.â€� … Haotong Li, one of three players in the field this week from China, is still getting used to travel in America. “The most difficult part is America bread,â€� he said. “It’s really tough for me because I eat rice and noodles, so it’s very tough. You can’t even imagine.â€� Li outdueled Rory McIlroy earlier this year to win a European Tour event in Dubai and is currently ranked 33rd in the world. He’s a former player of the year in PGA TOUR Series-China. … Cameron Champ is in the field as this year’s recipient of the Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption. “I’m just extremely blessed to have the honor to play in his name this week,â€� said Champ, the former Texas A&M star who turned pro last fall. “I’m just really looking forward to it.â€� The exemption is named to honor the memory of Charlie Sifford, the first African-American player to compete on the PGA TOUR.

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