Gary Woodland beats Chez Reavie in Waste Management Phoenix Open playoff

Tiger Woods did something he’s never done before in his career by hitting two balls in the water at TPC Sawgrass’ famous No. 17 island green.

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ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. — Harry Higgs lost his full PGA TOUR card toward the end of last season and took a step Friday at Sea Island toward getting it back. Higgs played bogey-free on the more difficult Seaside course for a 7-under 63, giving him a share of the lead with recent Texas grad Cole Hammer and Andrew Putnam going into the weekend of The RSM Classic. Plenty is at stake in the final official PGA TOUR event before a six-week break to end the year. Hammer, who had a 66 at Seaside, is playing on a sponsor exemption and has no full status on any tour. Putnam, whose only PGA TOUR title was in 2018, had a 65 on the Plantation course. He is playing for the eighth time in 10 weeks, having missed only the Butterfield Bermuda Championship in the fall because he’s made every cut — he was a runner-up in Japan — and because the weather isn’t all that great at home near Seattle. Higgs is an everyman, popular among his peers, and it stung to finish last season the way he did. After he tied for 14th in his Masters debut, Higgs missed the cut in 10 of his last 14 events to finish out of the top 125 in the FedExCup. He went to the Korn Ferry Tour Finals and missed the cut in all three of those tournaments. Now he has conditional status, and this presents a great opportunity. Job security can be stressful on the PGA TOUR, especially going into a season in which only 70 will qualify for the lucrative postseason. “It’s in the back of your mind. It always is for almost everybody except for some of the top players in the world,” Higgs said. “But it can motivate you to work a little bit harder, make better decisions. The goal is to not really have to worry about it come March or as early as possible, right?” The leaders were at 12-under 130. Joel Dahmen (64 on Plantation), Beau Hossler (67 on Plantation) and Sahith Theegala, who matched Higgs with a 63 on Seaside, were one shot behind. Dahmen won in the Dominican Republic last year and his exemption runs out after this season. He often rooms with Higgs, so he can appreciate the feeling of playing with the pressure of trying to keep a job. “Golf is very hard and it can go sour quickly. To play with freedom for … two-and-a-half years, really, never had that in my career. So yeah, teeing up in Napa was like, `OK, we’re back at square one. If you don’t play well, you don’t have a job.’ I was very aware of that. “I don’t think about it necessarily when I’m out there, but there’s been a couple extra days of practice, for sure.” The weather wasn’t quite as cold as the opening round, and scoring remained low. The cut was at 4-under 138. Hammer, who made his first PGA TOUR cut as a pro last week in Houston, made bogeys from the fairway on the seventh and eighth holes at Seaside — two of the easier holes for the day — and then turned it around with an approach to 3 feet on No. 9 and then a birdie putt from 18 feet on the next hole. He was bogey-free the rest of the way and will be in the final group on the weekend. “I was a little bit depressed after 7 and 8. I put myself in great position to make birdies and I walked out with two bogeys, and that’s almost inexcusable,” Hammer said. “But coming back firing on 9 and then making a birdie on 10 — erasing those bogeys on two of the tougher holes right away — was huge for momentum and for confidence.”

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While history shows several longshot winners at The RSM Classic in recent times, including Robert Streb (300/1 in 2020) and Tyler Duncan (150/1 in 2019), bettors are ignoring that trend when it comes to pre-tournament betting at the BetMGM online sportsbook. The PGA TOUR’s final FedExCup event of the calendar year has seen action coming for those nearer the top of the boards, perhaps in response to dominant victories from Tony Finau and Russell Henley in the last two weeks. As of Tuesday, Tom Hoge, who is tied for the second-best odds at +2200, is pulling in the most tickets (7.2%) and second-most handle (10.1%). Matthew NeSmith, who is tied for the seventh-best odds (+3300), is drawing the most handle (11.5%) on the second-most tickets (4.1%). These selections are likely based on course fit at the Sea Island Golf Club’s Plantation and Seaside Courses. The first two days will be split between the two courses, and then play will exclusively be at the Seaside Course over the weekend. Both courses are not particularly long, and distance is not required to have success; it’s more about accuracy. This is why it’s no surprise these two players are taking in the action. Hoge is ranked ninth this season in greens in regulation, while NeSmith is 146th in driving distance but 24th in greens in regulation. NeSmith also has solid course history with finishes of T29-T15-T14 in three starts at the event, with 10 rounds of 68 or better in 12 tries. Meanwhile, Hoge finished fourth at the event a year ago. Both players have seen their odds move quite a bit. Hoge opened at +3000, while NeSmith opened at +5000. Current Handle & Tickets Handle Matthew NeSmith – 11.5% Tom Hoge – 10.1% Keith Mitchell – 9.4 Andrew Putnam – 7.1% Harris English – 4.5% Tickets Tom Hoge – 7.2% Matthew NeSmith – 4.1% Seamus Power– 3.6% Sahith Theegala – 3.3% Jason Day – 2.9% Following Tony Finau’s withdrawal, Brian Harman is the betting favorite at +1800. Harman is drawing 2.6% of the tickets and 0.7% of the handle. In terms of scoring, there should be plenty of birdies. The winning score was -22 a year ago and -19 in 2020. * Visit BetMGM.com for terms and conditions. 21+ years of age or older to wager. BetMGM is available in AZ, CO, DC, IA, IN, IL, KS, LA, MI, MS, NJ, NV, NY, PA, TN, VA, WV, or WY only. All promotions are subject to qualification and eligibility requirements. Paid in free bets. Free bets expire in 7 days from issuance. Minimum deposit required. Excludes Michigan Disassociated Persons. Please Gamble Responsibly. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-NEXT-STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO, DC, LA, NV, WY, VA), 1-800-270-7117 for confidential help (MI), 1-800-GAMBLER (IN, NJ, PA & WV), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA) or call (877-8-HOPENY) or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), call or text the Tennessee REDLINE: 800-889-9789 (TN) or call 1-888-777-9696 (MS). Sports betting is void where prohibited. Promotional offers not available in Nevada. Responsible sports betting starts with a game plan. Set a budget. Keep it social. Play with friends. Learn the game and know the odds. Play with trusted, licensed operators. CLICK HERE to learn more at HaveAGamePlan.org

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