Hobby turned business helps First Tee member further her golf career

HONOLULU – Tom Hoge had never held a 54-hole lead on the PGA TOUR before Saturday but he has held the 36-hole lead – with Tiger Woods. Hoge’s third round 6-under 64 at Waialae Country Club, after opening 65-65, has him one clear at the top of a stacked leaderboard. Given Waialae often gives up multiple birdie chances, all 13 players within six shots of the lead would fancy their chances on Sunday. But Hoge starts in front. One clear of Patton Kizzire and Brian Harman. With Kyle Stanley (two back), Chris Kirk (three back) and Russell Knox and Ollie Schniederjans (four back) the nearest other challengers. All but Schniederjans are already PGA TOUR winners so he has his work cut out for him. Hoge will try to learn from his experience with Woods – back at the 2015 Wyndham Championship – where he was unable to keep pace amongst the heat of competition. Back then he shot a 2-over 72 when paired with Woods to drop to T21 and out of the mix. Woods shot 68 that day to remain in contention. (Ultimately Woods finished T10). “Looking back, I started the week 130th in the FedExCup so I needed to have a good day, and I didn’t play as well as I needed to on the weekend,â€� Hoge recalled of his round with Woods. “It’s all perspective in professional golf. To go through that environment and to play in that makes it easier for the next time.â€� He’s certainly a better player for it now. And one who has had more experience in the clutch. Like at the Web.com TOUR Championship last year when he needed to make a late charge to even get his TOUR card. He birdied seven of his last 12 holes to make it. “I started the day somewhere around 30th and I was like one over through seven holes or something. I was looking like it was going to be back to the Web.com,â€� he said. “Finally pulled off a few good shots to get things going. I got to the last hole, and I saw that I was probably out if I missed the putt, and I got a 15-footer and made it. “Events like that kind of go under the radar. I didn’t win the tournament, but to pull it off – it is a lot bigger playing for your job next year than winning a tournament sometimes.â€� Tomorrow he will try to secure the win and his job for at least another two years. CALL OF THE DAY OBSERVATIONS SPIETH TRUSTING PUTTING PROCESS: The ball just hasn’t been going in the hole for Jordan Spieth in Hawaii (short of a miracle 91-footer Friday) but he’s working hard at correcting his putting woes going forward. After needing 30 putts in Round 1 and 33 in Round 2, Spieth used the flatstick 31 times on Saturday during a 4-under 66. He made just 56 feet of putts in Round 3, the longest being 6 feet, 9 inches. As such he sits nine shots off the pace. “Stay patient, it’s a process. I’m getting back to the setup and comfort level that I had in 2015 and ’16 that went away a bit last year,â€� he explained. “I’m very pleased that Cameron (coach) did some unbelievable research and video recovery to figure out where things need adjustment to get back to being able to stroke it with freedom. It’s just going to take some rounds. I thought today was close, I just didn’t hit putts hard enough. Every single putt I missed, I missed low. So I’ve got to go out tomorrow and make that adjustment and take higher lines.â€� KIZZIRE CONTINUES CLUTCH SEASON: Patton Kizzire lost the FedExCup lead last week but the OHL Classic at Mayakoba champion wants it back. Now third on the list behind Pat Perez and Dustin Johnson, Kizzire can wrestle the top spot back easily given the other two are not in the field. He’s just 48 points off top spot. “The focus has started to move towards the FedExCup. Guys are really focusing on that and to get a leg up and kind of get a fast start,â€� Kizzire said. “I’m chasing that trophy. Everybody wants to be No. 1 at the end of the year and to play well coming down the stretch at the TOUR Championship. That’s a goal of mine, and I’m looking forward to that.â€� FINAU MAKES FIRST ACE: Tony Finau had made 10 holes-in-one in his life before Saturday but never one on the PGA TOUR. That changed on the par-3 17th hole at Waialae. His 8-iron from 179 yards was perfect. “I put some height on it because I knew that was the only way I was going to stop it on that green. I think most of the complaints on that green are because the ball doesn’t stop,â€� Finau said. “I just hit a perfect shot. The chances of that happening in a tournament is pretty cool. That was a special moment for me.â€� Finau still clearly remembers his first ace. “I was 9 years old – the Blue course at Doral on the 15th. I was playing a little Doral junior public links. Hit like an 8 iron from 115 yards and one-hopped in.â€� NOTABLES Justin Thomas – The defending champion shot a 4-under 66 to move to 10-under in a tie for ninth. “There’s a lot of birdie holes left. You can definitely go low out here, and I know that I can, but it’s just a matter of doing it. I’m glad that I’ve put myself in somewhat of a position to be in contention a little bit.â€� Brian Harman – The 36-hole leader sits just one shot off the pace after a solid 68. “Just a little looser today,â€� he said. “Missed a few tee shots and didn’t have as many chances as I wanted to. But I’ve got a feeling tomorrow is going to be all right.â€� Sam Saunders – Arnold Palmer’s grandson is an outside chance at a maiden PGA TOUR win after rounds of 67-67-66 have him T9 and six back. QUOTABLES I was like, if it’s my time, it’s my time.Part of you thinks get a Mai-Tai, go to the beach and get a front row seat.I was a little more uncomfortable today than I thought I would be. Hopefully, I’ll settle down a little bit tomorrow.I scored very nicely yesterday but just was kind of nervy. I just woke up this morning, and I was like why am I nervous? I mean, I just shot 64.It’s funny because I played a little bit, and then I got married on December 3rd. So a couple of weeks off and then I came back after that, and I didn’t feel like I knew which end of the club was right. SUPERLATIVES Low round: 7-under 63 – Webb Simpson made a move up to T9 with his round featuring an eagle, six birdies and just one bogey.   Longest drive: 369 yards – Justin Thomas on the par-4 14th. He made birdie.   Longest putt: 63 feet, 5 inches – Matt Jones on the par-4 12th for a birdie. Easiest hole: The par-5 ninth played at 4.368 with two eagles, 51 birdies, 20 pars, two bogeys and one other. Hardest hole: The par-3 11th played at 3.303 with seven birdies, 40 pars, 28 bogeys and 1 double bogey.

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Megha Ganne, 17, became the first amateur to lead after a round at the women’s Open since Jane Park did it after one round at Newport Country Club in 2006.

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THE OVERVIEW The Old White TPC is the rare PGA TOUR venue that concludes with a par-3, but the unique finishing hole has produced its fair share of dramatics. It started with the first edition of The Greenbrier Classic, and has continued on an annual basis. Stuart Appleby sank an 11-foot birdie putt on the final hole of the 2010 tournament to shoot 59, and he needed every single stroke to squeeze out a one-shot win over Jeff Overton. Appleby was just the second PGA TOUR winner to shoot a 59 in the final round (David Duval, 1999 Bob Hope Classic). Four men were tied after 72 holes at the most recent Greenbrier Classic, in 2015. Danny Lee emerged victorious after a two-hole playoff. Half of the six playings of the PGA TOUR’s visit to West Virginia have ended in a sudden-death playoff. No one has won The Greenbrier by more than two shots. The 175-yard, par-3 18th, and its unique “Thumbprintâ€� green, gives players the opportunity to author an exciting finish, as they stand on the final tee with just a mid- or short-iron in hand. In the past two Greenbrier Classics, three players (Justin Thomas, Bud Cauley and George McNeill) have aced the 18th. The Old White TPC had the second-closest proximity to the hole (30 feet, 8 inches) in the 2014-15 season. Coupled with the par-5 17th, players have an opportunity to make a move on the closing holes, and many have. In 2011, Scott Stallings birdied both the 72nd hole and the first hole of a sudden-death playoff. Ted Potter Jr. won the following year, finishing eagle-birdie to overcome a four-shot deficit with four holes to play. He completed the comeback with a 4-foot birdie putt on the last hole. Robert Streb sank a 6-foot birdie putt – with his sand wedge – to join the playoff in 2015. He had to use the club after his putter broke. The Greenbrier Classic has seen its share of excitement in its brief history, thanks in large part to its historic venue. The Old White TPC, the first 18-hole golf course at The Greenbrier, was designed by Charles Blair Macdonald and opened for play in 1914. The course was named for the well-known Old White Hotel, which stood on the grounds from 1858 through 1922. Macdonald, the father of American golf course architecture, modeled several holes after some of the most famous throughout the British Isles. And now it’s a venue that allows the players of the PGA TOUR to display their skills. He’ll be making his first start since he and his longtime caddie, Jim “Bonesâ€� Mackay, split up. The 2012 champion is back on the Web.com Tour this season as he continues his comeback from an ankle injury, but he ranks fourth on that circuit’s money list. This year’s NCAA champion is making his second PGA TOUR start. How’d he fare in his first? He finished T4 at the FedEx St. Jude Classic. THREE PLAYERS TO PONDER Rank PLAYER COMMENT THE FLYOVER A closer look at the 616-yard, par-5 17th hole, which played as The Old White TPC’s second-easiest hole in 2015. The field averaged 4.82 on the hole, as 20 percent of players went for the green in two. THE LANDING ZONE The 444-yard, par-4 16th, which features a large lake right of the fairway, was the second-most difficult hole on The Old White TPC last year. Players hit the fairway just 65 percent of the time in 2015, and only hit it about half the time in the final round. Those who bail out in the left rough are still faced with a difficult approach. Players hit the green just 54.5 percent of the time from the left rough, compared to 80 percent of the time from the fairway. WEATHER CHECK TEMPS: Lows will be in the 60s during the week, and sneak into the 50s over the weekend. The high temperature may sneak over 80 degrees a couple days. RAIN: There is a 50 percent chance of rain on both Thursday and Friday, but the threat of precipitation lessens over the weekend. WINDS: It should be relatively calm all week, with wind barely topping 10 mph. ODDS AND ENDS 1. DANNY’S DEFENSE: Danny Lee won The Greenbrier Classic two years ago, but he is the tournament’s de facto defending champion after last year’s tournament was canceled by the fatal flooding that hit West Virginia. Lee’s win at The Greenbrier helped him qualify for that year’s Presidents Cup in his native South Korea and his first TOUR Championship. He finished ninth in the 2015 FedExCup, but fell to 92nd in last year’s standings. “I know I was struggling a little bit late in the last year and early this year. I was just testing some stuff and switching coaches and off the golf course I had a little bit of problem with it,â€� Lee said. “Everything is all settled in and I’m in a good place right now. I’m just ready to play some good golf.â€� He’s 48th in the current FedExCup standings thanks to three top-six finishes in his past six starts. “it’s definitely getting better. I feel more comfortable with my game. Right now I feel very comfortable about it. Especially my putting and my iron game has been really good,â€� Lee said. 2. OPEN DOOR: The Greenbrier Classic is the second PGA TOUR event that is part of this year’s Open Qualifying Series, which offers spots in the upcoming Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. The top four finishers this week who are not already exempt into The Open (and who finish among the top 12 at The Greenbrier) will earn spots into the year’s third major. Last week, Kyle Stanley, Charles Howell III, Martin Laird and Sung Kang earned spots in The Open with their finishes at the Quicken Loans National. One final spot will be available at next week’s John Deere Classic. 3. AMATEUR HOUR: Thornberry isn’t the only amateur in the field this week. Joaquin Niemann, the world’s top-ranked amateur, also received a sponsor exemption. He will be playing his second PGA TOUR event. Niemann missed the cut at the U.S. Open at Erin Hills. The Chilean will start his freshman year at the University of South Florida later this year. Curtis Luck, last year’s U.S. Amateur champion, turned pro after this year’s Masters (T46), but he deserves a mention for earning his way into The Greenbrier Classic with his T5 at last week’s Quicken Loans National. It was his first top-25 in six PGA TOUR starts as a pro. He has earned 112 non-member FedExCup this season. That would have finished 200th on last year’s FedExCup points list. He’ll need to match No. 200 from this season’s FedExCup points list to qualify for this year’s Web.com Tour Finals.

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