Follow live: Rainy Saturday at the Masters

DALLAS – Trinity Forest members Jordan Spieth and Tony Romo – two of the biggest sports names in Dallas — are seeking progress in their golf games. After two rounds of the AT&T Byron Nelson, each walked away feeling positive steps were made. Only one, however, advanced to the weekend. Spieth, the 11-time PGA TOUR winner, followed his opening 68 with a 4-under 67, leaving him at 7 under through 36 holes. The good news is that just a handful of players are higher up on the leaderboard. The bad news is that leader Sung Kang is 11 strokes ahead of him. “Very pleased,â€� Spieth said after his round. “I felt like I improved on yesterday, which was already a solid day. .. In a position to fire away a little bit on the weekend.â€� Romo, the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback-turned-NFL-analyst, followed his opening 76 with 3-over 74. That left him at 8 over and near the bottom of the leaderboard but given that he’s the only amateur in the field and currently known for his predictions more than his pars, it was a good step. Of his four nines, he played two of them in even par, including his opening nine (he started on the 10th hole) Friday. Asked what his takeaway was in his third start at a PGA TOUR event (and his first in Dallas), Romo – who played on a sponsor exemption this week — replied: “Really just the ability to continue to improve. I think more than anything, I got a sense to be able to hit a lot of high quality shots under what is a pressure situation for me. “That’s encouraging and shows that the work you’re doing holds up when it counts and from there, you just got to find the little things that allow you to keep things going and not derail the round … technique-wise, we’re coming on.â€� Spieth’s first two rounds are his most consistent start since the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, when he opened with 66-68. But on the weekend at Pebble Beach Golf Links, he faded away, shooting 74-75. That’s been a common occurrence this season for Spieth. He ranks T-38th on TOUR in first-round scoring average and third in second-round average. But in third-round average, he ranks T-202nd, and his final-round scoring average ranks 207th. Related: Tee times | In cold weather, Kang produces hot round | A chip-in eagle – and then reality – for Romo | Nine holes blind, but Koepka still walks away with a 65 at Trinity Forest | Leishman withdraws with back injury | Origin story: Arm-lock putting Staying in contention and carrying over his good play into the weekend will be a good sign for Spieth, who has yet to produce a top-20 finish in his first 12 starts this season. “The idea is to try to get better each day,â€� Spieth said. “Sometimes the score reflects that, sometimes it doesn’t. This year, even if I’ve had a poor weekend, I felt like I found something to make me better long-term. … Oftentimes it’s looked at as negative or down, but I don’t see it that way. “I know what I’m supposed to be doing, I know what I’m supposed to be working on and I know over the course of a long career, that whether it’s short-term results or not, it doesn’t matter. It will bring better long-term results.â€� One thing Spieth definitely would like to avoid is a double bogey. He’s had one in each of his first two rounds, which has eaten away at the 14 birdies he’s made thus far. “I’d like to play a bogey-free round here or there and really get something going,â€� he said. “Clearly everybody would like that.â€� As for Romo, well, he will continue to work on his game, try to qualify for the U.S. Open and put himself in competitive situations that test his consistency. He was pleased with the way he struck the ball at times the first two days. “This game is small when it comes to your ability to improve from even one day to the next or one week or one month,â€� Romo said. “You can really make a ton of improvement with the right technique or practice.â€� He did get some golf tips from Nick Faldo, who – like Romo – works at CBS. “I think he knows a little bit about the golf swing,â€� Romo said. “I think we may listen to him a little bit. He’s got some good bits.â€�

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THE PLAYERS Championship continues Friday from the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass. The top 30 golfers in the FedExCup standings – including 2017 FedExCup winner and defending champion Justin Thomas – are competing. It’s the strongest field of the season, and it includes world No. 1 Jon Rahm, 2019 PLAYERS champion Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Jordan Spieth, Viktor Hovland, Collin Morikawa, Hideki Matsuyama and reigning FedExCup Champion Patrick Cantlay. And that’s just to name a few. Also, 600 FedExCup points will go to the winner as well as a first-place check worth $3.6 million. Here’s everything you need to know to follow the action, including Featured Groups for PGA TOUR LIVE and newly expanded and extended coverage on ESPN+. Click here for more details. Leaderboard Full tee times HOW TO FOLLOW Television: Thursday-Friday, 12 p.m.-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday-Sunday, 1 p.m.-6 p.m. (NBC). PGA TOUR LIVE: See full coverage details below Radio: Thursday-Friday, 11–6 p.m. ET. Saturday-Sunday, 12–6 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com/liveaudio) For outside of the U.S., click here for GOLFTV powered by the PGA TOUR ENHANCED COVERAGE DETAILS THE PLAYERS and NBCU • 22 total hours of coverage from Thursday through Sunday ESPN+ coverage • More than 20 groups from the morning sessions will be available on ESPN+ Live From THE PLAYERS • 45.5 live hours on GOLF Channel, including the World Golf Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony • PGA TOUR LIVE to produce an estimated 167 hours of coverage across our 4 streams for the 4 tournament channels. Practice round shows • Tuesday: Military Appreciation Ceremony followed by Kelsea Ballerini concert • Wednesday: World Golf Hall of Fame Ceremony PGA TOUR LIVE • 12 hosts, 3 walking announcers, 130 personnel onsite, 75 personnel in St. Augustine • Use of ARL graphic technology for tracing and hole flyover animations with statistical information PGA TOUR LIVE PGA TOUR Live is available exclusively on ESPN+ • Main Feed: primary tournament-coverage featuring the best action from across the course • Marquee Group: new “marquee group” showcasing every shot from each player in the group • Featured Groups: traditional PGA TOUR LIVE coverage of two concurrent featured groups • Featured Holes: a combination of par-3s and iconic or pivotal holes FEATURED GROUPS THURSDAY Patrick Cantlay, Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland Sergio Garcia, Adam Scott, Louis Oosthuizen Joaquin Niemann, Patrick Rodgers, Cameron Smith FRIDAY Rory McIlroy, Collin Morikawa, Justin Thomas Jordan Spieth, Daniel Berger, Dustin Johnson Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Brooks Koepka MUST READS Two share lead after Thursday Mitchell credits Phelps with strong start Rahm switches back to old putter Nine Things to Know: TPC Sawgrass Tiger Woods among those to be inducted into World Golf Hall of Fame Insider: Justin Thomas’ win at THE PLAYERS was a lesson in ball-striking Top five players in world ranking under age 30 CALL OF THE DAY

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PGA TOUR STATISTICS: Money leaders | Victory leaders | Career earnings | Total money | Non-member earnings Each week during the 2017-18 season, PGATOUR.COM’s Equipment Report highlights the top five players in a statistical category, and the gear they used to get to the top. We continue with the equipment used by the top five (as of September 10, 2018) in the current FedExCup standings.  1. Bryson DeChambeau (5,789 points) Driver: Cobra King F8+ Nardo (TPT Model 14 MKP LT shaft at 45.5 inches), 8 degrees 3-wood: Cobra King LTD 3/4 (Project X HZRDUS Black 85X shaft at 43 inches), 14.5 degrees 5-wood: Cobra King F8+ Baffler (Project X HZRDUS Black 85X shaft at 41 inches), 17.5 degrees Irons: Cobra King One Length Utility (4-5; True Temper Dynamic Gold X7 shafts at 37.5 inches), Cobra Forged One Length (6-PW; True Temper Dynamic Gold X7 shafts at 37.5 inches) Wedges: Cobra King V Grind (50 degrees; True Temper Dynamic Gold X7 shaft at 37.5 inches), Cobra King WideLow Grind (55 and 60 degrees; True Temper Dynamic Gold X7 shafts at 37.5 inches) Putter: SIK Pro Ball: Bridgestone Tour B X 2. Justin Rose (4,391 points) Driver: TaylorMade M3 440 (Mitsubishi Chemical Tensei CK Pro Orange 70TX shaft), 9 degrees 3-wood: TaylorMade M4 (Mitsubishi Chemical Tensei CK Pro Orange 80TX shaft), 15 degrees 5-wood: TaylorMade M3 (Mitsubishi Chemical Tensei CK Pro Orange 80TX shaft), 19 degrees Irons: TaylorMade P790 (4-iron; KBS Tour C-Taper 125 S+ shaft), TaylorMade P730 “Rose Proto” (5-9; KBS Tour C-Taper 125 S+ shafts) Wedges: TaylorMade Milled Grind (48, 52 and 56 degrees; KBS Hi-Rev 2.0 135X shafts), TaylorMade Milled Grind Hi-Toe (60 degrees; KBS Hi-Rev 2.0 135X shaft) Putter: TaylorMade TP Red Ardmore 2 Ball: TaylorMade TP5 3. Tony Finau (3,479 points) Driver: PING G400 Max (Accra Tour Z X485 M5 shaft), 9.5 degrees 3-wood: PING G400 (Accra Tour Z X4100 M5 shaft), 13.7 degrees Irons: PING i500 (3-iron; Nippon Modus 3 120TX shaft), PING iBlade (4-PW; Nippon Modus 3 120TX shafts) Wedges: PING Glide 2.0 Stealth 50-SS degrees; Nippon Modus 120X shaft), Titleist Vokey Design SM7 (56-10S and 60-08M degrees; Nippon Modus 120X shafts) Putter: Piretti Elite Ball: Titleist Pro V1x 4. Dustin Johnson (3,425 points) Driver: TaylorMade M4 (Fujikura Speeder 661 Evolution 2.0 Tour Spec X shaft), 10.5 degrees 3-wood: TaylorMade M4 3HL (Project X HZRDUS Black 6.5 95X shaft), 16.5 degrees) Irons: TaylorMade P-730 DJ Proto (3-PW; True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shafts) Wedges: TaylorMade Milled Grind (52 and 60 degrees; KBS Tour Black 130X shafts), TaylorMade Milled Grind Hi-Toe (64 degrees; KBS Tour Black 130X shaft) Putter: TaylorMade TP Collection Juno Ball: TaylorMade TP5x 5. Justin Thomas (3,327 points) Driver: Titleist TS3 (Mitsubishi Chemical Diamana BF 60TX shaft), 9.5 degrees 3-wood: Titleist TS3 (Mitsubishi Chemical Tensei CK Blue 80TX shaft), 15 degrees 5-wood: Titleist 915Fd (Fujikura Motore Speeder VC 9.2 Tour Spec X shaft), 18 degrees Irons: Titleist 718 AP2 (4-iron; True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shaft), Titleist 718 MB (5-9; True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shafts), Titleist Vokey Design SM6 (46-08F degrees; True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shaft) Wedges: Vokey Design SM5 (52-12F and 56-14F degrees; True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 shafts), Vokey Design SM6 (60-08K degrees; True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 shaft) Putter: Scotty Cameron X5 Flow Neck Prototype Ball: Titleist Pro V1x   PGA TOUR SUPERSTORE: Buy equipment here

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