Golfbet Insider: AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — Rory Sabbatini shot a 7-under 64 for his lowest round ever at Harbour Town Golf Links and a two-stroke lead Thursday in the RBC Heritage, with top-ranked Dustin Johnson five shots behind. The talk leading up to the tournament was of the return of Johnson, the South Carolina native who grew up about three hours northwest of here yet had not played in the Palmetto State’s lone PGA TOUR stop since 2009. But it was Sabbatini who quickly moved to the top in perfect, windless conditions on what’s typically one of the most wind-swept layouts of the year. Matt Kuchar, Billy Horschel, Chesson Hadley and John Huh shot 66s. Johnson had a run of four straight birdies in the middle of his round, but ended up with a 69. He was tied for 20th.

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JACKSON, Miss. – Move over youngsters, there’s still room at the top for the old guys. On the same weekend 37-year-old Justin Rose won the WGC HSBC Champions, 41-year-old Ryan Armour polished off a sensational week of golf on Sunday at the Country Club of Jackson, shooting 4-under 68 to run away with the Sanderson Farms Championship. For more of what unfolded in Jackson, click here for the Daily Wrap-up. Armour’s fourth straight round in the 60s was good for a five-shot victory over Chesson Hadley, and his first PGA TOUR title, in his 105th TOUR event. He won $774,000, and 300 FedExCup Points. He is the fifth first-time champion in the last seven years for this event, but unlike the last three winners here, Armour is far from a fresh-faced 20-something. Instead, he’s a journeyman who joined the TOUR 10 years ago and has split his time between the PGA TOUR and Web.com Tour, going four years (2011-14) without making one PGA TOUR start. At some point, he said, he realized he needed to quit trying to stay with the young, big hitters, and stick to what he does best, a somewhat boring but awfully effective game of fairways and greens, fairways and greens. He did it remarkably well on Sunday, hitting 15 of 18 greens and 10 of 14 fairways. After a windy, bone-chilling third round on Saturday, the weather was a bit warmer on Sunday – and Armour stayed hot. For the week, he ranked third in driving accuracy, first in proximity to the hole on approach shots, second in strokes gained putting – and next-to-last in driving distance. He also led the field with 28 birdies for the week, including six on Sunday. And even when he did experience a hiccup with a three-putt bogey on No. 16, he followed that with a 45-foot birdie bomb on No. 17. It was a remarkable display of cool, calm and collected for a guy who showed very little emotion all week. Armour started with a five-shot lead and was never really challenged, even when local favorite Jonathan Randolph shot 29 on the front and shot up the leaderboard, at one point getting within three strokes of Armour. “What he did today was phenomenal,â€� said Scott Strohmeyer, who was in the final group with Armour. “Coming out of the gates, knowing he was probably nervous, every shot was just where he wanted it, and then he made some putts. His putter was hot this week.â€� Armour said it probably wasn’t his best putting week, but… “The combination, the fairways, the greens, the putts – that was the best it’s ever been.â€� The win, said Armour, is “a big monkey off my back, I’m not going to lie. There’s a lot of emotions running through my head right now. … It’s great. It’s job security, which I’ve never really had out here. It’s vindication, I guess. That wouldn’t be a good word. Validation is a better word, that you don’t have to hit it 330 in the air to win golf tournament. I hit a lot of fairways. I hit a lot of greens. I made a lot of putts.â€� Strohmeyer, who shot 71 and finished T4 in his first TOUR event, led the tournament in average driving distance at 314 yards, some 50 yards farther than Armour. There were times Sunday when the two didn’t seem to be in the same zip code while hitting their second shots. Asked how he ignores the longer hitters and sticks with his game plan, Armour said: “First, you giggle. It’s pretty funny how far Scott hit it today. He’s the longest guy I’ve ever seen, without a doubt. But somehow you have to believe in something out here, which is I don’t hit it 330. “The fact is, I hit fairways and greens, and somehow that works.â€� Going back to the Wyndham Championship in August, when he finished T4, Armour has made 63 birdies and been 41 under par in his last 10 rounds. He said his coach gave him a new five-year plan in April. “Maybe I’m getting there a little quicker,â€� he said, smiling. “I made some tweaks this summer, and right before Greensboro I made some equipment changes that have paid off.â€� OBSERVATIONS ON FIRE: Randolph, who grew up in the Jackson area, played at Ole Miss and calls CCJ his home course, poured in seven birdie putts on the front nine to go from T9 to alone in second place at 14 under when he made the turn. The fun stopped on No. 10, with a bogey, and he played the back in 2-over 38, good for the second-best round of the day, 67. He finished T3, far better than his previous best TOUR finish of T8. “I never got nervous,â€� Randolph said. “I wasn’t shocked about that, but it was really relieving to feel like I belong out here. … To not execute on the back nine stings a bit, but there will be more years.â€� VIVA LAS VEGAS: Strohmeyer’s 71 included five birdies and two costly double-bogeys. Still, his T4 was a fantastic finish when you consider this: It was his first PGA TOUR event, and he earned his spot in the tournament by holing out a bunker shot on the third playoff hole in the Monday qualifier – after having to go through the Thursday pre-qualifier. He has no playing status on the PGA TOUR or Web.com Tour, but the top-10 finish earned him a spot in next week’s Shriner’s Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas. “I’m just excited to have another tournament to play in,â€� said Strohmeyer. “After missing at the first stage (of Q-School), I didn’t know if I was going to play again this year.â€� Asked what the last 10 days have been like, he said: “If I got in, it was like, ‘I know I can do this,’ but then to actually do it, to play in the final group, and (finish) in the top 10, it’s truly a dream come true.â€� BIG MARGIN: Armour’s five-shot win marked the largest margin of victory for this tournament since Frank Connor beat Brian Mogg by that amount in 1988. MOVING UP: Hadley’s second-place finish following a T3 at the Safeway Open moved him from No. 24 to No. 6 in the FedExCup. QUOTABLE “We used to call those Randolph runs, and I got on one today. My college coach used to tell me, you better keep making birdies when you can, because eventually it’s going to stop.â€� – Jonathan Randolph, on his front-nine seven-birdie binge “I think the love of competition, which is what drives most of us. I have loved to compete since I was a kid. Plus, I don’t know what else I would do.â€� – Ryan Armour, on what has kept him motivated during some of his lean years as a pro. SUPERLATIVES Low Round: Ricky Barnes fired a bogey-free 6-under 66 to move from T43 to T10. Longest Drive: Scott Strohmeyer hit it 374 yards on the par-5 14th. Longest Putt: 46 feet, 8 inches, by Steve Wheatcroft. Toughest Hole: The par-4 16th hole played to an average of 4.507, yielding just four birdies. There were 25 bogeys, seven doubles, and one triple made there on Sunday. Easiest Hole: The par-5 11th played to an average of 4.64. There were two eagles made there, plus 31 birdies and 34 pars. CALL OF THE DAY SHOT OF THE DAY BEST OF SOCIAL MEDIA

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The desert sand of Las Vegas will be replaced by the pink sand beaches on Bermuda this week as a field of now 127 tees it up for the third consecutive autumn at Port Royal Golf Club. Constructed in 1970 by Robert Trent Jones, the windswept 6,828 yards of Port Royal plays to Par-71 (36-35). As wind is always a factor in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, there’s not a heavy penalty for missing fairways. Only two inches of Bermuda bounds the fairways. TifEagle greens are ample targets averaging 6,000 square feet and won’t be as slick as their cousins Stateside in summer time. 88 bunkers and water on five holes will also provide the other defenses outside of the steady sea breeze. The previous two winners should provide ample clues on what it takes to get it over the finish line. Brian Gay and Brendon Todd are notorious for their accuracy off the tee and ability to hole putts. Neither will win any long drive contests on TOUR but are both veteran winners who knew how to keep it out of trouble (check Bogey Avoidance) and get the ball up and down. They both took care of business on the back nine and closed the deal against the next generation. No longer an opposite field event, the purse is $6.5 million with the winner pocketing $1.117 million plus 500 FedExCup points. The winner is also eligible for the Sentry Tournament of Champions, the Masters and all of the other perks awarded to full field winners. Recent Event Winners Recent Winners Last year – Brian Gay (-15, 269) Birdied the first playoff hole to win. … Birdied the 72nd hole to reach a playoff. … Closed with 64, T2 round of the day. … Trailed by as many as four shots on the back nine. … Posted all four rounds 70 or better. … T3 2019. … 44 birdies in 144 holes over two years. … Picks up his fifth TOUR win at age 48. … First win since 2013 American Express. … Entered the week on four consecutive MC. Notables in the field this week: Denny McCarthy (T4) co-led the field with 21 birdies and posted the low round on Sunday with 63. … Ryan Armour (T8) matched his 2019 result as he shared the 36 hole lead. … David Hearn (T8) matched his 2019 result as he closed 67-66. … Kramer Hickok (T8) posted all four rounds in the 60s and was T1 GIR. … Kiradech Aphibarnrat (T11) was T4 Fairways and T4 Putts. … Michael Gligic (T11) only made seven bogeys (T2). … Anirban Lahiri (T11) co-led the field with 21 birdies. … Peter Malnati (T21) led after 18 holes with 63. … Defending champ Brendon Todd missed the cut. … The top 11 players were 10-under or better. … The cut was 1-over par. 2019 – Brendon Todd (24-under, 260 – not entered) Tied the course record with 62 on Sunday to win by four. … Made birdie on holes 2 thru 8 and went out in 29. … Began Round 4 two shots off the lead. … Posted 63 in Round 2. … 17-under on the front nine for the week. … Hit it great and made everything (check table). … Picks up his second TOUR victory in 177th start at age 34. … Won the following week at Mayakoba. … T28 Houston previous outing. Notables in the field this week: Brian Gay (T3) circled 24 birdies (T4). … Hank Lebioda (T4) fired 63 on Sunday. … Fabian Gomez (7th) closed 66-65 and was T2 GIR. … Ryan Armour (T8) posted 25 birdies and was 9th Putting. … David Hearn (T8) led the field with 41 Fairways. … Bo Hoag (T11) posted two rounds of 64. … Russell Knox (T11) only squared four bogeys and was T2 GIR. … Beau Hossler (T24) T2 Birdies with 26 and No. 1 in Putting. … Weather was perfect. … Cut was 2-under. … There was only TWO rounds OVER par in the top 23. … 22 bogey-free rounds. … Scoring average 69.656. KEY STAT LEADERS Top golfers in each statistic on the PGA TOUR (thru 2021 season) are listed only if they are scheduled to compete this week. Horses for Courses – Butterfield Bermuda Championship

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