Fitzpatrick beats Hend in Euro Masters play-off

It was the calm before the storm that came after a mega storm. Returning to Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club Saturday after almost 10-inches of rain saturated the area on Friday and caused the postponement of the second round, Tiger Woods calmly took control at a quiet ZOZO Championship.  RELATED: Leaderboard | Tiger chases Snead’s record | Monday finish determined for ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP His second straight 6-under 64 pushed the 43-year-old to 12 under par through 36 holes, good enough for a two-shot lead over current U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland. Woods is of course now well and truly on track to join Sam Snead with a record-tying 82nd PGA TOUR win, a fact that will send returning spectators into a frenzy of epic proportions. The odds may be in his favor when you take into account the fact Woods has turned 38 of 49 halfway leads/co-leads to victory and on the 33 occasions he was an outright leader, 28 of them ended with wins. It is incredible considering this is his first tournament of the new 2019-20 season after a nine-week break that included knee surgery. While the two-time FedExCup champion is accustomed to feeding off huge galleries that create roars at every turn, it was a far different vibe on this occasion. Safety concerns after the previous days deluge meant PGA TOUR officials kept spectators off the grounds for the second round leaving an eerie silence around the golf course. Just days after thousands were 20-deep at seemingly every turn the place was a virtual ghost town save for the diehard fans who climbed trees and peered through fences just for a glimpse of their hero. Woods played as if the crowds were still there. As if on auto pilot he still waved after his seven birdies and provided a little showmanship when walking in some putts. When he encountered those people in the trees behind the fences he couldn’t help but flash them his trademark grin. “I made a couple putts today and I went to put my hand up and I’m like, don’t put your hand up, there’s no one clapping, so just move on about your business and just go ahead and keep trying to plug my way up the board, and I was able to do that,â€� Woods admitted. “I’m surprised that I was able to score as well as I have; usually that takes a little bit of time. But this golf course is a little bit on the softer side. I’ve been able to strike my irons pretty well this week so far and that’s been nice. “I left a lot of my approach shots below the hole and I was able to be pretty aggressive, and the greens are a little bit slower than they were yesterday. I had a good feel on the putting green, which was nice. Hit a lot of putts from below the hole and making sure that I put a lot of right hand into it and released it and it felt good all day.â€� The third round is scheduled to begin at 6:30 a.m. local time Sunday (5:30 p.m. ET Saturday) with Woods in the last group at 8:30 a.m. (7:30 p.m. ET) along with Woodland and Keegan Bradley (four back). The crowds will be allowed back in and are expected to be at capacity. The players will not be regrouped after the round and will continue into the fourth round, playing until darkness before the tournament will then conclude on Monday morning. The prospect of extra holes in one day will put more pressure on Woods recently repaired knee and his surgically fused back. It’s a different kind of storm he needs to weather … fatigue and stiffness. At one point during the round there was a long wait on the par-5 14th hole forcing some precautionary stretching and ultimately the addition of a vest. All part of the management needed in his game these days. “It’s just going to be a long day,â€� Woods said of Sunday. “Eat a lot of food tonight and then tomorrow, same thing, make sure that I eat enough and feel good about my warm‑up session. “I felt like I hit it a little bit better today … that’s nice going into a long day like tomorrow because it’s going to be a bit of a test physically and mentally to play for, what, up to 10 hours. Hopefully I can play well and get myself right there.â€�

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GREENSBORO, N.C. – Harris English called it a “weird kind of pressure.� Nick Taylor described it as “just a stressful week.� Both players handled it successfully. Entering this week’s Wyndham Championship in danger of missing the FedExCup Playoffs, English and Taylor played their way inside the top 125 who will advance to next week’s Playoffs opener, THE NORTHERN TRUST. English did it with four solid rounds, including a 2-under 68 on Sunday afternoon that left him at 14 under and in a tie for 11th. That was good enough to move him from 132 to 124 in the FedExCup standings – and continue his string of Playoffs appearances, now at seven consecutive seasons. “I don’t want to be on the bubble again,� said English, who secured his spot with a two-putt par from 60 feet on the final hole. “… Nobody wants to be put on the bench and not play the Playoffs and having a chance to win the FedExCup.� Taylor, meanwhile, merely produced his lowest round of the season, a 7-under 63 that left him at 15 under and a tie for eight. That moved him from 129 to 119 in the FedExCup standings. This will be his third Playoffs appearance in his four years on TOUR. His only miss came in 2016 when he finished 129th in points. “It’s been a long year,� said the Canadian, who had to fight back from an early-morning triple bogey in the continuation of his third round. He finished with an even-par 70, then produced four consecutive birdies early in his final round. “I really felt like I was playing well the last couple of months and nothing’s really been going my way, so it’s really satisfying to finish it off.� With two players moving inside the top 125, that meant two others moved out. Martin Piller dropped from 124 to 126, while Tyrone Van Aswegen dropped from 125 to 127. Both players missed the cut on Friday. Having to make a big move in the final week of the regular season is something English would rather avoid in the future. “I haven’t been in this position, on the outside looking in,� he said. “It’s not a lot of fun. Hopefully it’s going to light a fire in me this fall and get off to a better start and get up pretty high in the FedEx and be in better position.� SNEDS NOW A CONTENDER: Brandt Snedeker now believes he has a chance to win his second FedExCup title. A week ago, he didn’t think so. By winning the Wyndham Championship, Snedeker moved from 80th to 30th in the standings. Only the top 30 reach the TOUR Championship with a shot to win the FedExCup, so now Snedeker only needs to maintain to ensure his spot at East Lake. “Your position going into the Playoffs dictates a lot of your chances of winning the FedExCup Playoffs, dictates how you can think and play, your realistic chances of winning or not winning,� said Snedeker, the 2012 FedExCup champ. “As somebody who’s been fortunate enough to win before, I realize how important it is to be in a good position going into the Playoffs and also to play well when you’re there. “To be perfectly frank, I didn’t have any chance at all of winning the FedExCup Playoffs when I showed up here this week and there’s just no way, as far back as I was, I didn’t see it happening. After this week, I feel like I have a chance. I feel like I kind of put myself in position where three good weeks going into East Lake, you never know what’s going to happen. Plus, as Snedeker said, he’s a guy “who always gets hot. When I get hot playing golf, it’s a lot of fun because I can kind of stay there for a little while … So I’m getting hot at the right time.� FIRST TIME FOR SAM: Sam Saunders entered the week ranked 120th. After he made the cut, he felt confident that he would not drop outside the top 125. “I don’t want to say 100 percent certain, but I know the system,� he said. “Of course, if it could ever happen to someone, it was going to happen to me.� Fortunately for Saunders, he played well enough on the weekend (a tie for 45th at 8 under) to keep his spot and make the FedExCup Playoffs for the first time in his career. “It’s great,� said Saunders, whose tie for seventh two weeks ago at the Barracuda Championship gave him some breathing room. “A lot of hard work that finally paid off. “I’ve been so fortunate to be out there. This is my fourth year in a row now [on TOUR]. To know that my fifth year out here is going to be the first time I’ll be in THE PLAYERS. I’m in pretty much every tournament. I can pick my schedule. I’m not worried about which week I’m going to get in, which week I’m not. It’s pretty exciting.� “A lot of people, they watch on TV and they think if you’re not winning, you’re not successful out here. Obviously, that is the goal. You want to win golf tournaments. But very rarely do the Jordan Spieths and the Rickie Fowlers of the world come along. Those are one in a million guys. For the rest of us, this is the norm, how we build our careers.� FURYK COMES CLOSE: Jim Furyk, the 2010 FedExCup champ, needed a solo second or a win to climb inside the top 125. He came close – a tie for fourth after his final-round 63 on Sunday – but his season is now over. He’ll still be active, though. As the U.S. captain for the Ryder Cup, Furyk said he’ll probably attend a couple of FedExCup events to monitor the progress of U.S. players, particularly those who may need a captain’s pick to make the team (including the new Wyndham champ, especially if Snedeker maintains his hot streak). If Furyk’s not on-site, he’ll be watching the action on TV. “I’ve watched more golf this year than I’ve probably have in the last 10 years combined,� Furyk said. “I’ve enjoyed it. “It’s a little disappointing not playing next week but I have plenty of stuff to keep me busy.� GARCIA, HAAS STREAKS OVER: Sergio Garcia and Bill Haas were not able to climb inside the top 125 in points, thus ending their streaks of having qualified for the FedExCup Playoffs every year since its inception in 2007. Garcia, who started the week ranked 131st in points, was projected inside the top 125 at one point Sunday. But he suffered three bogeys in five holes after making the turn and finished with an even-par 70, leaving him in a tie for 24th and in 128th in the final FedExCup standings. Haas entered the week ranked 150th and finished at 8 under and a tie for 45th. That left him dropping two spots to 152nd. Luke Donald, out for an extended time with an injury, also officially saw his streak in. That leaves 10 players who have made the FedExCup Playoffs every year. RODGERS OUT NEXT WEEK: Patrick Rodgers confirmed Sunday that he will not play in next week’s THE NORTHERN TRUST. Rodgers plans to attend a family wedding in Scotland. Ranked 93rd in the FedExCup standings, Rodgers’ absence could put him in danger of being eliminated from the Playoffs if enough players bust the bubble. Only the top 100 players advance to the second Playoffs event, the Dell Technologies Championship. In 2015, eight players busted the bubble at THE NORTHERN TRUST.

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