Golf: Peterson’s two eagles carries him to lead at Quail Hollow

The PGA TOUR uses a standardized system for determining event fields, based off the current season’s Priority Ranking while also including additional exemption and qualifying categories. Field sizes can vary by event, as can the number of event-specific exemptions. Fully exempt PGA TOUR members are guaranteed entry into all full-field events, with various conditional categories subject to periodic reshuffles based upon FedExCup Points accrued throughout the season. Categories with ‘reshuffle’ notation indicate that a reshuffle period has occurred. Scroll below for The RSM Classic field list as of Friday, Nov. 11th at 6 p.m. ET: Check here for updates. Winner of THE PLAYERS Championship (five-year exemption) Si Woo Kim Webb Simpson Winner of Open Championship (five-year exemption) Francesco Molinari Winner of World Golf Championships event (three-year exemption) Kevin Kisner FedExCup Champion (five-year exemption) Justin Rose PGA TOUR tournament winner (two-year exemption) Ryan Brehm Cameron Champ Stewart Cink Joel Dahmen Jason Day Tyler Duncan Harris English Tony Finau Brian Gay Jim Herman Garrick Higgo Tom Hoge Mackenzie Hughes Matt Kuchar Andrew Landry Luke List Trey Mullinax J.T. Poston Seamus Power Chad Ramey J.J. Spaun Sepp Straka Robert Streb Michael Thompson Brendon Todd Erik van Rooyen Richy Werenski Career money exemption Jason Dufner Zach Johnson Ryan Moore Rory Sabbatini * Sponsor exemption (Korn Ferry Tour Finals) Jacob Bridgeman Chris Gotterup Sponsor exemption (members not otherwise exempt) Aaron Baddeley Camilo Villegas Sponsor exemption (unrestricted) Palmer Jackson Spencer Ralston PGA Section Champion\Player of the Year Tim Weinhart Past Champion member Austin Cook Life member Davis Love III Top 30 on the FedExCup Playoffs and Eligibility Points List Brian Harman Sahith Theegala Scott Stallings Top 125 prior season’s FedExCup Playoffs & Eligibility Points List Davis Riley Denny McCarthy Keith Mitchell Andrew Putnam Taylor Pendrith Brendan Steele Troy Merritt Taylor Moore Chris Kirk Alex Smalley Wyndham Clark Lee Hodges John Huh Beau Hossler Brandon Wu Matthew NeSmith Adam Long Dylan Frittelli David Lipsky Adam Schenk Aaron Rai Stephan Jaeger Patrick Rodgers Russell Knox Adam Svensson Kevin Streelman Mark Hubbard Peter Malnati Danny Lee Hayden Buckley Sam Ryder Nate Lashley Greyson Sigg Scott Piercy Callum Tarren Max McGreevy Chesson Hadley Nick Watney Kevin Tway Matthias Schwab Patton Kizzire Matt Wallace Austin Smotherman Justin Lower Doc Redman Danny Willett Kelly Kraft # Major medical extension Nick Hardy Zac Blair Korn Ferry Tour Points winner (The 25 and The Finals 25) Justin Suh Korn Ferry Tour graduates via The 25 and The Finals 25 (reshuffled) Carl Yuan Will Gordon Paul Haley II David Lingmerth Zecheng Dou Robby Shelton Philip Knowles MJ Daffue Michael Gligic Taylor Montgomery Dean Burmester Ben Taylor Eric Cole S.H. Kim Joseph Bramlett Harry Hall Brandon Matthews Augusto Núñez Henrik Norlander Byeong Hun An Ben Martin Erik Barnes Ryan Armour Ben Griffin Davis Thompson Brent Grant Michael Kim Carson Young Tyson Alexander Scott Harrington Harrison Endycott Trevor Werbylo Tano Goya Kevin Roy Nico Echavarria Anders Albertson Samuel Stevens Kevin Yu Matti Schmid Vincent Norrman Brice Garnett Trevor Cone Brian Stuard Kyle Westmoreland Korn Ferry Tour graduates via The 25 and The Finals 25 (medical) Chris Stroud Nos. 126-150 on prior season’s FedExCup Playoffs & Eligibility Points List (reshuffled) Harry Higgs Martin Trainer Hank Lebioda Cameron Percy Andrew Novak Jonathan Byrd Charley Hoffman The PGA TOUR uses a standardized system for determining event fields, based off the current season’s Priority Ranking while also including additional exemption and qualifying categories. Field sizes can vary by event, as can the number of event-specific exemptions. Fully exempt PGA TOUR members are guaranteed entry into all full-field events, with various conditional categories subject to periodic reshuffles based upon FedExCup Points accrued throughout the season. Categories with ‘reshuffle’ notation indicate that a reshuffle period has occurred. * = If all prior year Korn Ferry Tour graduates are eligible for event, exemptions become unrestricted # = Latest medical extension information can be found here. $ = Category breakdown can be found here.

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It was only a month ago when we lost Pete Carril, arguably most notable as the men’s basketball coach at Princeton University for 30 years. Through his tenure into the mid-1990s, Carril deployed an offense that yielded low-scoring games and, therefore, more opportunities for victory. It demanded similar skill sets among the players and a higher floor of their weakest components to stay competitive. RELATED: Play Pick ‘Em Live | Schedule of Events | Nine Things to Know about Quail Hollow Club It also required commitment and discipline to play as a unit. Separate but connected. Chess, athletically. Depending on your perspective, it was either graceful and artistic or agonizing and boring to watch, but it was two things always – compelling and successful. Carril is enshrined in Halls of Fame, plural. The Presidents Cup has been a one-sided affair since it was introduced in 1994, so it might require the Internationals to steal pages out of Carril’s playbook. For how that can translates to golf, the format of the competition and more, continue reading below the full-field ranking of the participants. NOTE: In a match-play team competition consisting of five sessions over four days, only one of which is Singles on Sunday, and with matchups and momentum determined in real time, the ranking of the players below reflects projected impact on the event. INTERNATIONALS Rob’s prediction of the outcome will be included in a special Expert Picks on Tuesday. Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina, hosts the 14th edition of the Presidents Cup. The U.S. leads the series all-time, 11-1-1. Given that record, it could be argued plainly that International team captain Trevor Immelman is in a position to lose, but it’s entirely the opposite. When history suggests that you have no chance, there’s nothing to lose and everything to gain. For example, when Carril’s Princeton squad squared off against the defending national champion, UCLA, in the first round of 1996 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, the Tigers were in the same position .., and they prevailed, 43-41. Forget style points, it’s all about the objective. For Immelman’s crew to join the 1998 team as Internationals to win the Presidents Cup, it will need to be a cohesive unit, plan meticulously in advance of every session, retain focus on every stroke and set whatever result aside to be ready for the next game. Play until the whistle blows because becoming legends of the competition is at the finish line. Regardless of par over time, Quail Hollow annually has been one of the most difficult courses on the PGA TOUR. It’s been a par 71 since the PGA Championship was contested there in 2017. It’s also among the longest tracks visited regularly. For the Presidents Cup, it will be able to stretch to 7,576 yards, but serious elasticity on a handful of holes will prevent that. Speaking of the flexible, the course has been rerouted to elevate the potential impact of The Green Mile. Traditionally holes 16, 17 and 18 for the Wells Fargo Championship, they have been shifted to play as Nos. 13, 14 and 15 for the Presidents Cup. It’s still a par-4-3-4 sequence, but now the signature stretch of the stage is all but promised to factor into the result of every match. Overall, holes 1-8 are the same as they are for the WFC, but Nos. 12-18 are Nos. 9-15 this week, so each is three sooner in the round than the familiar walk. Nos. 16, 17 and 18 for the Presidents Cup are Nos. 10, 11 and 9, respectively, for the WFC. Because of the challenge of the course proper, birdies will be good gets, even in Four-ball, so the Internationals should be encouraged to attempt to eliminate problems with safer and saner decisions. Elevate the floor of possibilities. Retain possession of the ball, work the clock, be more patient and let the hosts make mistakes. Of course, United States captain Davis Love III is no stranger to anything inside the ropes, so he’ll be opposing with a front line worthy of keeping the trophy for the ninth consecutive time. He also has the luxury of natural combinations for Foursomes and Four-ball, whereas Immelman is saddled with language barriers for even basic messaging. However, and this goes for all, golf is golf no matter the nationality. Like you, Mother Nature also wants to kick back and watch. Largely favorable conditions are forecast throughout the four-day competition. After a sweltering launch in mid-90s heat for Foursomes on Thursday, it will cool into the 70s for Friday’s Four-ball. Wind could be an influencer on either day. Gradual heating will occur on Saturday for Foursomes in the morning and Four-ball in the afternoon, with another bump into the mid-80s poised for Sunday’s Singles. Rain is not expected at any time. ROB BOLTON’S SCHEDULE PGATOUR.com’s Rob Bolton recaps and previews every tournament from numerous perspectives. Look for his following contributions as scheduled. MONDAY: Power Rankings TUESDAY*: Sleepers, Draws & Fades WEDNESDAY: Pick ’Em Preview SUNDAY: Medical Extensions, Qualifiers, Reshuffle

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SOUTHAMPTON, Bermuda - Saturday afternoon, Kramer Hickok did something for the first time in his six-year professional career. He used a compass to check the wind — on the greens. Bermuda Championship host venue Port Royal GC is situated adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean, with several holes fully exposed to the wind. The third round featured sustained gusts of 15-20 mph, up to 25 mph. Hickok knew the conditions would influence the break of putts, and he wanted maximum information. "I'm asking (caddie) Billy to get the compass out and see what the wind's doing on this putt, because you have to factor that in so much, just because the wind's blowing so hard," said Hickok, who stands tied for second at 9-under into the final round of the Bermuda Championship, one back of leader Doc Redman. "Literally you've got a putt that's half a cup out left, and the wind's off the right, it will blow it left. It's different, it's fun, and you've got to embrace it." Those who embrace this week's conditions at par-71 Port Royal GC are best positioned to thrive on the seaside venue, which measures just 6,828 yards but has played to a cumulative over-par total this week (71.374). Between the second and third rounds, the wind direction flipped nearly 180 degrees, causing the most exposed holes to play in drastically different fashion. The 443-yard, par-4 11th played downwind on Friday, and Hickok nearly drove the green, his ball settling 35 yards shy of the hole - with a back hole location. Saturday, that was not the case. "I was five yards, 10 yards off the front edge yesterday, and today I bombed the drive and had 8-iron and left it 20 yards short," Hickok said. "So my 8-iron today ended up in the same spot that my driver was yesterday. It was wild. "(Today), it was 135 yards, and I thought I hit a 165-yard shot with an 8-iron, and it came up 20 yards short, and that's just because of elevation. It's already playing 12 (yards) downwind, so the wind's just going to hit it that much more. It's just hard to give yourself a 6-iron or 7-iron from 135 yards." "Yesterday to that back pin, I probably had 75 yards," added Redman, who arrived in Bermuda on the strength of two third-place finishes in his past five starts. "And then today, I had maybe 135 (yards), and I hit 7-iron. Quite a bit different." Windy conditions are to be expected in Bermuda. Players know upon arrival that they'll need to execute a variety of shots in order to keep pace, and that the nature of the challenge could differ by the day, or even the hour. "We're not playing in a dome," said Ryan Armour, one back into Sunday in chase of his second PGA TOUR title. "We're on an island in the Atlantic. This isn't Palm Springs. You've got to hit some golf shots. It's fun." With blind tee shots, narrow fairways and sharp doglegs, Port Royal facilitates players hitting from similar positions in the fairways, generally neutralizing distance off the tee. Consequently, a variety of playing styles are represented on the leaderboard through 54 holes. "Especially with this wind, being in the fairway is really nice," noted Redman, 22, who ranked No. 95 on TOUR in driving distance last season. "You can control your ball flight better, and your distance. On some holes, (distance) definitely helps, but for me, I just want to be in the fairway." "You can't really overpower this place," added Armour, 44, who ranked No. 182 in driving distance last season. "It's kind of nice knowing that everybody's going to be hitting from the same spot." It makes for an eclectic leaderboard - of the top-seven into the final round, four players are in their 20s (Redman, Hickok, Wyndham Clark, Ollie Schniederjans), and three are in their 40s (Armour, Brian Gay and Matt Jones). Similar conditions are expected Sunday, and creativity should remain at a premium on the Atlantic. With 500 FedExCup Points awarded to the winner - along with a two-year TOUR exemption, and entry into a cornucopia of top-tier events - the contenders plan to embrace the challenge. "It's such a feel game right now, the way the course is playing, which is a lot of fun," Hickok said. "You don't get that a lot on this TOUR. You've got to open up the imagination and just hit different shots. It's fun."

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