How to watch Mayakoba Golf Classic, Round 2: Live scores, tee times, TV times

Rahm wins Irish Open with record score

Click here to read the full article…

GREENSBORO, N.C. – A short, and selective, memory is important for a professional athlete. Quickly forgetting poor results, while putting a white-knuckle grip around the good ones, is key to success. Harold Varner III is fighting for a spot in the FedExCup Playoffs, and his PGA TOUR card, this week at the Wyndham Championship. He had opportunities to clinch his spot in the all-important top 125 in his previous two starts, but struggled both times. When asked if he used those close calls for motivation, Varner said he didn’t remember them. At least until he was reminded of them by a reporter. “I had already forgotten until you said something,â€� said Varner, who’s 138th in the FedExCup. “It’s just a part of golf. I didn’t execute the shots like I did today and I learned from it.â€� Varner got off to another strong start at the Wyndham Championship, shooting a 7-under 63 in the first round. He’ll need a high finish to qualify for next week’s THE NORTHERN TRUST. So far, so good. He’s tied for third place, two shots behind leader Matt Every, and projected to jump 25 spots in the FedExCup standings. “I knew I needed to play well,â€� Varner said. “It was nice to do that.â€� He wasn’t the only bubble boy to shoot 63 on Thursday. Sam Saunders, who’s trying to qualify for the FedExCup Playoffs for the first time, made birdie at his last hole to also shoot 7 under par. Saunders is No. 127 in the FedExCup. Saunders and Varner both played Thursday afternoon, and will benefit from easier morning conditions Friday. Saunders is just seven FedExCup points behind No. 125 Geoff Ogilvy, who shot 70 on Thursday. Varner, who’s 39 points behind Ogilvy, likely needs a top-20 finish to crack the top 125. “It almost makes it easier because you let it go,â€� Varner said. “If you try to hold on to something, you’re not going to do as well.â€� Varner is in a unique position. He’s fighting for his TOUR card after playing a World Golf Championship in his previous start. He qualified for the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational after winning last year’s Australian PGA. He was T13 halfway through two rounds in his birthplace of Akron, but fired 7 over par (73-74) on the weekend to fall to 50th. He earned just seven FedExCup points that week. One week earlier, he was T11 after 54 holes at the RBC Canadian Open. He fell 12 spots on the leaderboard with a final-round 72 (on a day when the scoring average was 70.5). Saunders is coming off consecutive top-20 finishes, a T19 in Canada and an eighth-place finish two weeks ago at the Barracuda Championship. His two top-10s this season match his career-high, while his seven top-25s are the best of his career. “I was pretty nervous, to be honest, coming into this week because I know it’s an important week for me,â€� he said. “The anticipation is the hardest part. Once you get out there and start hitting balls, you realize, ‘I’m playing really good golf and I’ve got control of what I’m doing.’

Click here to read the full article…

T.J. Vogel continued his impressive performance in Monday qualifiers, shooting 6-under 66 at Gentle Creek Country Club in Prosper, Texas, to qualify for his fifth event of the season. Vogel has been successful in four of his past six qualifying attempts. He’s made the cut in his past two starts, including a career-best T16 at the Valspar Championship. Here’s a closer look at the players who played their way into this week’s AT&T Byron Nelson. RYAN BACA (65) Age: 35 Hometown: Sugar Land, Texas Alma mater: Baylor PGA TOUR starts: 3 Best PGA TOUR finish: MC, 2006 U.S. Open; MC, 2010 Valero Texas Open; MC, 2018 Houston Open Notes: Baca won the 2002 and 2003 Texas Amateurs. He also Monday qualified for this year’s Houston Open. Baca has missed the cut in both his Web.com Tour starts this year, as well. T.J. VOGEL (66) Age: 27 Hometown: Hollywood, Florida Alma mater: USC/Florida PGA TOUR starts: 8 Best TOUR finish: T16, 2018 Valspar Championship Notes: Vogel has made the cut in two of four PGA TOUR starts this season. He credits advice from PGA TOUR winners Patrick Cantlay and Tony Finau for helping him have success this season. He finished 10th on last season’s Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada Order of Merit. He also won the 2012 U.S. Amateur Public Links and played in the 2013 Masters. STEVEN IHM (67) Age: 26 Hometown: Plano, Texas Alma mater: Iowa PGA TOUR starts: 3 Best TOUR finish: T27, 2014 John Deere Classic Notes: Ihm’s biggest win came at the 2013 Sunnehanna Amateur, one of the country’s best amateur events. He also led Indian Hills Community College to the 2011 National Junior College Athletic Association title. He competed on the Web.com Tour and PGA TOUR Latinoamerica last year, making the cut in eight of 12 starts. He birdied the first hole of Monday’s 4-for-2 playoff to earn a spot in his first TOUR event since the 2016 John Deere. TOM WHITNEY (67) Age: 28 Hometown: Little Elm, Texas Alma mater: Air Force PGA TOUR starts: 2 Best TOUR finish: T67, 2018 CareerBuilder Challenge Notes: Whitney finished 89th on last year’s Web.com Tour money list. On Monday he birdied the second playoff hole to defeat Steven Allan and Logan McCracken for the final spot in the field. He also qualified for this season’s Shriners Hospitals for Children Open (MC). He turned professional in 2014 after fulfilling a four-year term of active duty as an Air Force officer. He was a nuclear-missile operator between 2010 and 2014. WELLS FARGO CHAMPIONSHIP T59. T.J. Vogel, 69-75-71-72 MC. Carter Jenkins, 76-75 MC. J.T. Griffin, 79-74 MC. Mito Pereira, 81-73 THIS SEASON’S QUALIFIERS Qualifiers: 59 Made cut: 20 (33.9%) Top-10s: 3 (Scott Strohmeyer, T4 at Sanderson Farms; Trey Mullinax, T8 at Valspar; Julian Suri, T8 at Houston) Top-25s: 5 Most times qualified: T.J. Vogel (5)

Click here to read the full article…