How the Pros Play Pebble Beach Vs. How the Joes Play Pebble Beach

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Lee Westwood isn’t interested in comparing himself with the player who rose to No. 1 in the world a decade ago. All he knows is he’s playing some of his best golf, and he gets another chance to see if it can hold up against the best field. RELATED: Leaderboard | DeChambeau, Rahm lurk at THE PLAYERS Westwood had all the shots Friday in a bogey-free round at THE PLAYERS Championship, with two birdies at the start and a nifty pitch to a troublesome pin on the par-5 ninth to close with a another birdie and a 6-under 66. That gave him a one-shot lead over Matt Fitzpatrick (68) going into the weekend on the Stadium Course at the TPC Sawgrass, with U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau not too far behind. Westwood, who turns 48 next month, played well enough to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard last week at Bay Hill except that DeChambeau was one shot better in a fascinating duel of generations on a course that favors power. Sawgrass favors no particular style, and it produced an eclectic mix of contenders at the halfway point. “I think to compete in any of these tournaments against the best players in the world, you can’t have any weaknesses in your game,” Westwood said. “I wouldn’t be able to say I’m doing this better or that better. There’s not a shot out there I’m afraid of. There’s not a shot out there I’ll walk up to and think, `I haven’t got this one.’ “I’m comfortable out there with everything.” He was at 9-under 135 and will be part of the All-England final pairing Saturday. Sergio Garcia was another shot back after a 72 that looked like it was a lot worse with so many putts the Spaniard missed, including a 23-inch par putt on the 15th hole that followed a 5-foot par putt he missed on the 14th. Still, the 2008 champion showed plenty of game — and enough par putts that went in — to stay in the hunt. He drilled his approach to inches away on the par-5 11th for his third eagle of the week, which already ties the tournament record. And he finished in style with an approach that danced around the flag and settled 5 feet away for birdie on the 18th. “It was a beautiful roller coaster,” Garcia said. “There were a lot of good things. Unfortunately, a lot of bad things. But more than anything there was a lot of fighting, and that’s one of the things that I’m most proud of because when things are not really happening and you miss a couple putts here and there, it’s easy to kind of let the round get away from you.” When the second round was suspended by darkness, 16 players were within five shots of the lead. DeChambeau was in the group three shots behind after a 69 that began with a double bogey from the trees and a muffed chip out of the rough from behind the green. He was bogey-free the rest of the way on a course that doesn’t let him swing for the fences because of water and cross bunkers and other brands of trouble. “I’m happy with the fact that I’ve still been able to keep myself in it and score well,” DeChambeau said. “I’ve been pretty lucky, for the most part. I don’t think that’ll happen this weekend. I’ve got to make sure that my game is good off the tee, so I don’t have those issues occurring and I don’t have to rely on luck for the most part. I have to get it in the fairway.” Kirk holed out from the first fairway for eagle and closed with back-to-back birdies for a 65. Starting with a chip-in for birdie on the 15th, he played six straight holes in 6 under. Sungjae Im tied the tournament record with six straight birdies, a streak that ended when he missed the green to the left on the par-3 third, and even then he nearly chipped in. He had to settle for a 66 and was three shots behind. Dustin Johnson wasted a good start and shot 70, leaving him eight shots behind. Jordan Spieth made his first double bogey in 411 holes — the longest streak of his career — and shot 74 to make the cut on the number. Rory McIlroy, who opened with a 79, wasn’t much better Friday. He made another double bogey on the 10th hole and shot 75. His 36-hole total of 154 was his highest ever in his 11 appearances at THE PLAYERS Championship. He is the first defending champion to miss the cut since Rickie Fowler in 2016. Four players from the top 10 in the world missed the cut — Xander Schauffele, Patrick Cantlay, Tyrrell Hatton and Webb Simpson, whose hopes ended with one of 13 balls in the water at the island-green 17th.

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There’s a lot going on this week. Jon Rahm has No. 1 in his sights. Tiger Woods has one more round to get through. And Muirfield Village grew some teeth in a hurry.

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When a golf course is approved to undergo a renovation, it usually means that it’s older and outdated. It’s tired. It’s getting (or has already been) passed by due to the never-ending advancement of equipment and its agronomy has deteriorated beyond the point of sustainable maintenance to achieve expectations. Then there’s what happened at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm. After it hosted the PGA TOUR from 1987-2004 and once more in 2006, it not only required an overhaul to eliminate concern over poor drainage and substandard turf, it likely wasn’t going to rejoin any sort of rotation as a host at this level until something significant occurred. Done and done. A much tougher test is in store for the field of 120 at this week’s Quicken Loans National. Continues to sizzle and remains one of the most active among the elite. Since a T14 at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, he’s 7-for-7 with six top 25s. Season-best T5 last week. The PGA TOUR’s leader in adjusted scoring took a week to lick his wounds after a T5 at the U.S. Open. Fifth in birdie-or-better percentage and 10th in bogey avoidance. To steal his phrase, wouldn’t be surprised if he just won this (the week after sitting atop the Power Rankings, naturally). Tops on TOUR in birdies-or-better percentage. The 2013 champ (a mile away at Congressional) struts in on a T12-T25-T5 burst. Sits eighth in greens in regulation, seventh in scrambling and third in bogey avoidance. His affinity for tough tracks doesn’t hurt, but foreign greens already enhance his ball-striking skill set. Four top 25s since the Masters, including breakthrough title at Valero. Keeps printing top 20s like money. A T14 at TPC River Highlands is his eighth in 2017 alone. A force throughout his bag, he’s also 13th in bogey avoidance. Scratched out four sub-70s for a T17 at TPC River Highlands, his third top 20 in the last six weeks. Ranks 10th in strokes gained: tee-to-green and sixth in adjusted scoring. Heating up again as we near the Presidents Cup. Last week’s T3 occurs just one month after he went T5-solo sixth in the final swing through Texas. Has always enjoyed a tough test. Win at the AT&T Byron Nelson and T4 at the FedEx St. Jude Classic illustrate recent connections with tiptop form. Twelfth on TOUR in GIR. Might fulfill the eye test more than any other golfer because his occasional brilliance transcends data. Always a threat to WD, but nonetheless rested since a T13 at Erin Hills. Radically improved putting has yielded progressively better top 20s in his last three starts. It’s paid off what was already a serviceable tee-to-green game. Captured his only Web.com Tour title here in 2012. Like Reed, the Swede was also sparked by a T14 at the Zurich Classic and is 7-for-7 since, albeit with one less top 25. No stranger to thriving on smaller greens is fresh off a T5 at TPC River Highlands where he ranked T3 in greens in regulation and 15th in proximity to the hole. Duties as a first-time defending champion may be distracting, but practices at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm, so he likes the level of comfort and advantage it presents. The team event in NOLA has marked a turnaround for him as well. The rookie backed up a T5 at the U.S. Open with a T14 at the Travelers. Ranks 24th in GIR. POWER RANKINGS: QUICKEN LOANS NATIONAL RANK PLAYER COMMENT Along with many other notables, Tony Finau, Jimmy Walker, J.B. Holmes and Charles Howell III will be included in Tuesday’s Fantasy Insider. Back when TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm was a regular stop on the PGA TOUR and then known simply as TPC Avenel, it played as a pushover of a par 71. Charles Howell III owns the course record with a 61 in 2004. Three golfers share the tournament record of 263, most recently submitted by Adam Scott, also in 2004. Neither mark is expected to be threatened this week even. To shed perspective on the challenge, we turn to the career of World Golf Hall of Famer Bernhard Langer. He’s made 197 starts on the PGA TOUR Champions, but in only 14 has he completed a tournament over par. One of those occasions was during the Constellation SENIOR PLAYERS Championship in October of 2010 when TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm resurfaced following its overhaul (in 2007). Mark O’Meara prevailed in a playoff after the duo completed the 72-hole competition in 7-under 273. The Web.com Tour then swung into town in October of 2012, and then again on the weekend after Memorial Day in 2013. David Lingmerth’s 8-under 272 was good enough for the first title, while Michael Putnam’s 7-under 273 secured victory in the latter. Only a combined 21 golfers finished under par for the week in the two editions. Jason Gore’s opening 63 in 2012 is the lowest aggregate of any of the three sanctioned competitions since 2010. Since Ben Curtis was the last PGA TOUR winner to pose for pictures at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm, none of the 18 holes were left alone during the upgrade and modernization. Multiple holes were completely redone and all 83 bunkers were rebuilt. Particular attention was paid to land directly affected when water rises on the Rock Run Stream Valley that crosses through the southern edge of the property. The course now tips at 7,107 yards. Bentgrass greens averaging 5,300 square feet and running at about 12 feet on the Stimpmeter place a premium on distance and accuracy on approach. They’ll also help hide poor putters, but the relative unfamiliarity of the surfaces already presents an even playing field. However, as of midday Monday, 17 in the field (including Lingmerth) competed in the Web.com Tour event in 2012 and 21 were here in 2013, including Quicken Loans National defending champion Billy Hurley III. He missed the cut. Overall, 28 played in at least one of the two with 10 pegging it in both. (All former participants will be listed in The Confidence Factor on Tuesday.) Summerlike weather is in store throughout the tournament, and that includes an increasing threat of rain and boomers into the weekend. Warm and muggy air will provide the ingredients, while prevailing winds from a southwesterly direction may play a role at times, especially early. ROB BOLTON’S WRITING SCHEDULE PGATOUR.COM’s Fantasy Columnist Rob Bolton will be filing his usual staples leading up to this week’s event. Look for the following columns this week. MONDAY: Rookie Ranking, Qualifiers, Reshuffle, Medical Extensions, Power Rankings TUESDAY*: Sleepers, The Confidence Factor, Fantasy Insider WEDNESDAY: One & Done THURSDAY: Ownership Percentages in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf and One & Done presented by SERVPRO * – Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COM’s Expert Picks for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO, which also publishes on Tuesdays.

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