Horses for Courses: Vivint Houston Open

SILVIS, Ill. – Andrew Landry came into the John Deere Classic ranked 175th in Strokes Gained: Putting, a big reason why he was languishing at 170th in the FedExCup.  You wouldn’t know it through two rounds at TPC Deere Run, where Landry has shot 65-65 to get to 12 under and just one shot off the lead of Jhonattan Vegas. He has made just under 152 feet of putts through 36 holes, and is in the top 10 in Strokes Gained: Putting. “One hundred percent,â€� Landry said, when asked if the flatstick has been the difference between this year and last, when he won the Valero Texas Open and finished 37th in the FedExCup. “I’ve been hitting the ball very, very well all year long,â€� he said. “I’m top 10 in driving accuracy right now, and that’s a good stat to be in. Like I said, the putter has just kind of been letting me down all year long, and it seems to be working pretty good the last two days.â€� Coming into the Deere, Landry had just two top-25 finishes and 12 made cuts in 21 starts. Related: Tee times | Vegas opens up lead with 62 | Projected FedExCup standings Playing in a threesome with Troy Merritt (69, MC) and Kyle Stanley (66, 8 under), and starting on the back nine, Landry birdied seven of his first 12 holes, including three straight to start the front nine. He ran into tree trouble right of the sixth fairway and made his only bogey. His tee-to-green stats were solid, as he hit 10 of 14 fairways and 14 of 18 greens in regulation, but that’s been his usual game. It was the short game that stood out. He needed just 27 putts Friday, and is six for seven in scrambling through the first two rounds.   Landry came into the Deere at 190th in Strokes Gained: Around the Green.  “I’m hitting good chip shots, which has kind of been unusual for the last four or five weeks,â€� he said. “I haven’t really been chipping the ball that great. But I don’t know, just every week is a little bit different. It’s a funny game. Who knows what could happen?â€�

Click here to read the full article…

LA QUINTA, Calif. — Maverick McNealy and course management coach Scott Fawcett have a system in place where the recent Stanford University graduate grades his thought process and pre-routine over the course of a round using either a one or zero. If McNealy is consistent and focused, with no distractions before or after the shot, he gives himself a one. A zero is given when he misses the mark. The system sounds simple, but it’s a way to keep McNealy engaged over the course of a round. On Friday, McNealy logged his best score on the Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course at PGA West. “I gave myself one zero, and that was on 6th hole where I should’ve stepped off from a wedge [shot],” McNealy said. “I know these rounds are really important and I really want to play well, but I’m just really trying to make a one.” It shouldn’t come as a surprise that McNealy’s near-spotless course management score coincided with a second straight sub-70 round at the CareerBuilder Challenge. McNealy’s 68 has him within six shots of the lead at 10 under and, more importantly, another step closer to making his second TOUR cut since turning professional last October at the Safeway Open. With playing privileges locked up for the first 12 Web.com Tour events of the season — via a T-10 at the final stage of Web.com Tour Qualifying — McNealy has set his sights on making the most of his three remaining sponsor’s exemptions on the PGA TOUR at the CareerBuilder Challenge, Farmers Insurance Open and AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. (He’ll also try to Monday qualify for the Waste Management Phoenix Open.) In a perfect world, McNealy would earn enough FedExCup points to bypass playing the Web.com Tour altogether. It’s something he admitted is in the back of his mind this week. But instead of dwelling on the what-ifs, McNealy is using it as motivation to stay committed to each shot. “I know it’s really important,” McNealy said of the next three tournaments, “but then again, knowing that gives that much more focus on each individual shot to make every single one of them count.” McNealy looked comfortable on the Nicklaus Tournament Course, opening with four birdies in his first seven holes while playing alongside 18-year-old phenom Charlie Reiter, who also earned a sponsor’s exemption into the tournament. The last nine holes produced a few mistakes, including a tee shot on the par-3 8th that found the water hazard, but McNealy kept the mistakes to a minimum, getting up-and-down from the drop area to save bogey. McNealy noted his comfort level with the course came from playing a college tournament on Nicklaus during his time at Stanford. He went on to win the event and used nine birdies during the final round to close with an 8-under 64 for medalist honors. “Really good comfort level out here,” said McNealy. “It’s playing pretty similar to how it did during the tournament in college. Honestly, I’d say we saw two-thirds of today’s pin positions during that tournament, so it was good prep.” McNealy attributed his strong play this week to a rigorous practice regiment he put in place during the offseason that saw him put on 5-6 pounds of lean muscle through a daily routine consisting of 36 holes and a trip to the gym. “I told [my caddie Travis McAlister] the next time I saw him, I was going to have better balance and rhythm with my swing, which came about from that strength,” McNealy said. “I told him I was going to work really hard and have a better short game and wedge play.” McNealy also worked on various aspects of his game — iron trajectory and pace putting — and said he was already seeing it pay dividends on the course. “It all started to click during the final stage of Q School and I’ve started to see everything pay off,” McNealy said. “I’m really happy it’s carried through this week.”

Click here to read the full article…

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – French golfer Victor Perez shot 5-under 67 to take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, Dubai on Thursday, with Tommy Fleetwood making the best start of the leading contenders for the Race to Dubai title on the European Tour. Fleetwood, who is No. 2 in the Race to Dubai rankings behind Patrick Reed, rolled in a birdie at the last hole for a 69 and was two shots behind Perez at Jumeirah Golf Estates. RELATED: Leaderboard | PGA TOUR stars line up for shot at Race to Dubai title Reed also birdied No. 18 after an approach to 4 feet and had a bogey-free 70. The fight to be crowned Europe's No. 1 golfer in the 2020 season is wide open, with any of the leading 60 players in the standings mathematically in with a chance of becoming champion because there are so many points at stake in Dubai. Perez started the week at No. 6 in the standings and his impressive first round, during which he made long birdie putts on Nos. 11, 14 and 17, leaves him as the projected No. 1. The putt at the 14th came from off the green, Perez using his 3-wood to roll the ball up the slope and down into the cup. “The position I'm in, I have nothing to lose," Perez said. "I have everything to gain. So for me, it's a ‘going for it' mentality to keep for the four rounds." Matt Fitzpatrick, Robert MacIntyre and Erik van Rooyen were tied for second place after 68s. Fleetwood, the Race to Dubai champion from 2017, was in a four-way tie for fifth. Collin Morikawa, the U.S. PGA Championship winner, was at even par. He is third in the standings and — like Reed — looking to become the first American to win what was formally known as the Order of Merit title on the European Tour.

Click here to read the full article…