For G-Mac, it all started at the workingman’s club

ERIN, Wis. – News and notes from Friday’s second round of the U.S. Open. CASEY GETS HOT AFTER SNOWMAN Five holes into his round, Paul Casey had just suffered a triple bogey at the par-5 14th. His round, perhaps his entire tournament, was now hanging in the balance. Could he bounce back or would he unravel? His caddie, John McLaren, was unusually quiet. “You all right?â€� Casey asked. Replied McLaren: “Oh, fine. I’m good. Are you all right?â€� Replied Casey: “Yeah.â€� Actually, Casey was more than all right. Although he followed the triple with a bogey on the next hole, Casey was determined not to let one bad hole define his round. He birdied the 17th and 18th holes going into the turn, then kept the hot streak going with three more birdies to start his second nine. The five consecutive birdies – one short of the U.S. Open record — allowed him to salvage a 1-under 71 that leaves him at 7 under entering the weekend as he chases the first major of his career. “Not every day you enjoy a round of golf with an 8 on the card,â€� Casey said, “but I’m a pretty happy man.â€� Casey credited his experience – he turned pro in 2000 – with helping to prevent the wheels from coming off. He didn’t panic. He didn’t rush to make up the shots. And he didn’t dwell on his one bad swing. “I was upset with the score I had made,â€� Casey said, “but it had, in no way, any effect on my attitude or how I was going to then approach the rest of the round or the next shot.â€� That kind of approach should serve him well this weekend. AMATEUR SHOWDOWN: AGGIE VS. LONGHORN Two amateurs have made the cut. One is from the University of Texas (Scottie Scheffler). The other is from Texas A&M (Cameron Champ). Usually, that’s a Hatfields-and-McCoys type of relationship. But not this week at Erin Hills, even though both players will battle for low amateur honors this weekend. “Me and Scottie are really good friends,â€� Champ said. “So it will be kind of fun.â€� The two have known each other since playing together in a junior amateur event in Japan several years ago. “That’s when we became pretty close,â€� Scheffler said. Champ has the advantage going into the third round. He’s 5 under after his 69 on Friday, while Scheffler is at 1 under following a 74. On Erin Hills’ lengthy layout, Champ has been relying on his prodigious length off the tee. He leads the field in driving distance with a 339.3-yard average (two holes are used to measure distance this week). Champ blasted a 355.1-yard drive on the 17th hole Thursday and a 341.4 yarder on Friday. “In college, I normally am the longest,â€� Champ said. “Yeah, I guess I’ve just kind of always been that way. I don’t talk about it much. You’ve still got to make a score. Here if you can hit it long and straight, it’s a great advantage. “I took advantage of it the last few days.â€� Though Scheffler has some ground to make up, he’s not going to spend the final two rounds worrying about how Champ is playing. “Top amateur would be nice, but I’m more focused on how I finish with the entire field,â€� Scheffler said. “It would certainly be very special to be the low am, but I think that will just come with how I play. I’m not really going to focus on that this weekend.â€� MORE LIKE A U.S. OPEN COURSE After a U.S. Open-record 44 rounds under par on Thursday, players expected a more difficult set-up for Erin Hills on Friday. That’s what they got — faster and firmer greens with trickier pin placements. “Definitely a lot more like a U.S. Open today than yesterday,â€� said Marc Leishman, who shot an even-par 72 after his 68 in the first round. “Guess that didn’t like Rickie shooting 7-under yesterday, so they’ll keep reeling it back closer to par,â€� added Harris English, who is also at 4 under after shooting a 68 on Friday. “We knew it was coming today,â€� said William McGirt, who shot a 71 to move to 3 under. “That was no secret.â€� Wind is one of Erin Hills’ primary defenses, but thus far it has not made a major impact on scoring. If the USGA wants to toughen up the course, it will need to rely on other measures. But please, said McGirt — don’t go overboard. “I think the greens are going to get faster and the hole locations aren’t going to get easier,â€� McGirt said. “I think [Thursday] was about as easy as you’re ever going to have it at a U.S. Open. I just hope with the wind direction, they use their head in setting up the tees.â€� BEST OF SOCIAL MEDIA Erin Hills looking like a good venue so far, plenty of good scores & plenty of bad ones – always a good sign in my book #usopen— Luke Donald (@LukeDonald) June 16, 2017 Father’s Day weekend goals ðŸ�Œï¸�👀☺ï¸� pic.twitter.com/fVfAwa4Ha7— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 16, 2017 Just … perfect. 👌https://t.co/zVykOCPblH— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 16, 2017 Cut looks like it’s gonna be at least 2 shots lower at the US Open than it was at Colonial… 😳— Justin Thomas (@JustinThomas34) June 16, 2017

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JACKSON, Miss. – As the son of 21-time PGA TOUR winner Davis Love III, Dru Love grew up on golf courses, surrounded by TV cameras. “I’m used to having cameras around,� Dru Love said. “But to have them on you because you’re in the lead – that’s different.� That first occurred during Friday’s second round of the rain-delayed Sanderson Farms Championship at the Country Club of Jackson, when the younger Love birdied seven of his first 12 holes to vault his name to the top of the leaderboard at 8 under par. The cameras from the Golf Channel showed up, along with a few more spectators. His swing quickened, and he gave two shots back on the way in. Still, he shot 5-under 67 and sits at 6 under par going into the weekend, four shots behind clubhouse leader Ryan Armour. It’s the first time in six PGA TOUR starts he has been this high on the leaderboard after 36 holes, and another step, he hopes, in his journey to earn playing status on the PGA TOUR or the Web.com Tour. He’s playing on a sponsor’s exemption here this week, and is scheduled to play at Web.com Tour Q-School in two weeks. A top-10 finish here would get him a spot in next week’s Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas and a chance to earn more money towards playing his way onto the TOUR. Of course, a win here would earn him a two-year exemption on TOUR. All of that will be on his mind when he tees it up during Saturday’s third round. “I’m definitely happy about getting into contention,� said Dru Love, 23. “But you can’t just be complacent. You have to get better (Saturday) and improve on the things you did wrong. I didn’t do much wrong today, but I do know what I have to work on, and a lot of that involves staying focused with all the cameras and the people showing up. I got a little out of my routine, got a little quick on those last couple of holes, and I’ll learn from that and do better (Saturday) if I get in that same position.� Dru might have one big-name golfer in his gallery Saturday – his father. Davis Love III shot 72 Friday and is at even-par after 36 holes, one shot off the projected cut of 1 under. OBSERVATIONS Armour followed his first-round 66 with a 4-under 68 Friday and leads at 10 under, one shot clear of Tyrone Van Aswegen, who made 10 birdies and shot Friday’s low round of 65. Thirty players had not finished their second rounds when play was stopped for the day because of rain and lightning. The second round will restart at 7:50 a.m. (Central) Saturday morning, with the cutline projected at 1 under par. After the second round is finished, the players will be re-paired and the third round will begin at 9:20 a.m. When that happens, Armour will likely find himself in a pretty unfamiliar position – leading going into the third round of a PGA TOUR event. The 41-year-old journeyman, who is playing in his 105th TOUR event, has held the lead after two rounds just once before, three months ago in the 2017 Wyndham Championship, where he shot a sizzling 9-under 61 in the second round and eventually finished T-4 for his second-best TOUR finish (a solo fourth in the 2007 OHL Classic at Mayakoba is his best finish). What he’ll face Saturday, in addition to normal final-pairing nerves, will be blustery cold weather, with lots of wind, and temperatures in the 40s and 50s. It will make the Country Club of Jackson a decidedly different venue than it was in the first two rounds, when it was breezy but very warm. Asked if he’s a good cold-weather player, Armour said: “I grew up in Ohio, where it’s not exactly warm, but I’m spoiled now, living in South Florida, so I haven’t been around it. “The hardest part about cold weather is starting. Once you’re out there, in the mix, it kind of goes away. You have to adjust, the ball’s not going to carry as far. You might be hitting one or two more clubs into some holes. … but we’ll adjust. My caddie’s good at gauging the wind, so I’ll lean on him.� Seamus Power, who shot 68 Thursday, will be in a position to catch Armour at the top when he resumes his second round Saturday. Power is at 8 under with two holes to play. Van Aswegen is one shot back on the leaderboard, but he is the birdie leader through two rounds with 16. His 7-under 65 on Friday included a career-best 10 birdies, a bogey and a double-bogey, and his opening round included six birdies and four bogeys. The birdie binge has surprised the South African native. “I’m usually more of a steady kind of golfer,� he said. “But when you’re playing well, and feeling good you make more, I guess.� Two of his birdies were chip-ins, and he took just 22 putts in the round. Keep an eye on Vaughn Taylor this weekend. The three-time TOUR winner, who last won in 2016 in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, shot a bogey-free 66 Friday to get to 8 under and right in the hunt. Defending champion Cody Gribble improved on his opening-round 75 with a 3-under 69, but it was not enough to make the projected cut. Peter Malnati, the 2015 champion here, struggled to a 74 Friday after a first-round 67, but at 3 under he should be around for the final two rounds. Former U.S. Open and Masters champion Angel Cabrera (70-72) is expected to make the cut. Other major winners who probably won’t be playing on the weekend include Davis Love III (72-72), Retief Goosen (74-71), and Shaun Micheel (80-69). It wasn’t recorded as a putt in the official TOUR statistics because he putted from the fringe and not the surface of the green, but the longest shot made with a putter on Friday was likely the 60-footer for birdie Matt Every drained on No. 18. QUOTABLES “It’s a complete guessing game. 150 yards is a perfect pitching wedge, but sometimes it will go 170 and sometimes it will go 130. That’s what happened on No. 8. I had a perfect number for a pitching wedge and I hit it, and it just came out dead. That’s what happens in this rough here. You’ve just got to hit the fairways.� – Dru Love, on hitting from the Bermuda rough at Country Club of Jackson “I feel better at 41 than I did at 31. The way we take care of ourselves is a lot different than when when I first turned pro at age 23. We thought we could burn the midnight oil. You don’t do that anymore. With nutrition and fitness, it’s definitely different.� – Leader Ryan Armour, on how he competes at 41 with the younger players “I hit a bad shot and then an even worse shot after that. Just like that, you have a double.� - Tyrone Van Aswegen, explaining his double-bogey 6 on the 16th hole Friday – and just about every other double-bogey ever made by any golfer anywhere. SUPERLATIVES Low Round – 65, by Tyrone Van Aswegen, who made 10 birdies, a bogey and a double. Longest Drive – 410 yards by Monday qualifier Scott Strohmeyer on hole No. 5. Longest Putt – 50 feet, 1 inch, by Daniel Summerhays, for par on No. 16. Toughest Hole – For the second straight round, the par-4 16th played as the most difficult, with a 4.373 average. It yielded nine birdies, but there were also five double-bogeys and two ‘others’ made there during the yet-to-be-completed second round. Easiest Hole – The par-5 11th played to a 4.504 average, with five eagles, 61 birdies and only seven bogeys. Interestingly, one of those bogeys was made by Van Aswegen, who is one shot off the lead. CALL OF THE DAY SHOT OF THE DAY BEST OF SOCIAL MEDIA

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There are 27 rookies on the PGA TOUR in 2021-22. This page provides a subjective ranking updated weekly. The Arnold Palmer Award winner is determined in a vote by PGA TOUR members who make at least 15 starts. The Ryder Cup, the Presidents Cup and the Olympic Games count as one of the 15. Entering The Genesis Invitational, Cameron Young owned the best finish by a rookie this season – a co-runner-up at the Sanderson Farms Championship. You’re forgiven if you don’t remember. It was the just the second event of the season and the United States still was celebrating its Ryder Cup romp at Whistling Straits. Yes, there was that, but you know the old saying about never remembering who finishes second, well, unless it’s the Ryder Cup. (Sam Burns prevailed at the SFC.) Young went relatively quiet after that podium finish, too. In his next six starts, he cashed four times but only once for a top 25 (T20, Farmers). Furthermore, as the only rookie who recorded multiple top 10s in the fall, Hayden Buckley was the rabbit for the Rookie of the Year award. He also opened with a T12 at the Sony Open in Hawaii, so Buckley’s body of work had overshadowed Young’s close call. Sahith Theegala then elevated into the top spot in the Rookie Ranking with a close call of his own at the WM Phoenix Open, where he finished T3. That was just a week ago, but when you look for him below, you’ll see him slotted second … beneath Young. It was another week to remember, not just for Young but also for golf fans. With a field that the Official World Golf Ranking valued stronger than every tournament that wasn’t a major, a FedExCup Playoffs event, a World Golf Championship and THE PLAYERS Championship in 2021, Young belonged among the stars. Boosted by a tournament-low 62 in the second round, the 24-year-old recorded another co-runner-up finish, this time checking up two strokes short of Joaquin Niemann’s wire-to-wire performance. In addition to pacing all rookies in the FedExCup standings and having the top-two finishes of the season, he also co-leads in top 10s and low-rookie performances. Nine rookies competed at Riviera Country Club last week, including Alex Smalley. He was a last-minute last man in for Matt Fitzpatrick, who withdrew due to an illness. Smalley didn’t waste what always is a bonus for any rookie to crash this elite field. He opened with 69 and finished 72nd (of 75 who survived the cut). Elsewhere, six rookies teed it up at the Korn Ferry Tour’s LECOM Suncoast Classic in Lakewood Ranch, Florida. Of the four who made the cut, Justin Lower was best with an eight-way T6. It was the first KFT event of 2022 in which any PGA TOUR rookies played. Typically, only those who have started slow want or need the playing time, but Chad Ramey didn’t balk. While it’s mildly unusual given his current FedExCup position of 121st, he made it count with a T28. As the PGA TOUR crosses the country for the start of the Florida Swing, this will be the first time in FedExCup history that every rookie will have gained entry in the field of The Honda Classic on merit. Because the tournament reserves tee times for only 144, the cutoff to play always has fallen in the graduate reshuffle category. Of the 27 rookies only Theegala is choosing to rest. LOW ROOKIE: Cameron Young, T2. Second time (T2=Sanderson Farms). CAREER-BEST FINISHES (AND TIES): Cameron Young, T2. Second time (T2=Sanderson Farms). * – In the field at The Honda Classic as of Feb. 20. NOTE: A player’s rookie season (“Rookie Year”) is defined as the season in which he becomes a PGA TOUR member (including Special Temporary Members) and plays in 10 or more events as a member or finishes in the Top 125 on the Official FedExCup Points List or qualifies as a Top 125 non-member, whichever occurs first. Further, for purposes of this definition, a new member (including Special Temporary Members) shall not be eligible to be a rookie if he has previously played in more than seven (7) Official PGA TOUR Money events as a professional in any prior season.

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