How to watch Sanderson Farms Championship, Round 3: Featured Groups, live scores, tee times, TV times

GUYANCOURT, France – Rickie Fowler was the last player to leave after another losing Ryder Cup press conference in Europe. Unfortunately, the cart he was driving would not start. With a coffee cup in his left hand – champagne glasses are reserved for winners – Fowler stretched his hand under the dash, fiddled with the switch, then stepped lightly on the gas. Finally, the ignition came on, and Fowler was on his way, back to the team room to join his fellow Americans in licking their wounds after being thrashed by the Europeans. It was a fitting goodbye for a 17.5 to 10.5 defeat that becomes the third worst for the U.S. in Ryder Cup history. Only the defeats in 2004 and 2006 were more decisive – and if you consider that the U.S. won the first three matches on Friday, that means they were outscored 17.5 to 7.5 the rest of the way. In fact, Sunday’s result was worse than the 5-point loss the U.S. suffered four years ago at Gleneagles. It was during that losing press conference that Phil Mickelson criticized the way Captain Tom Watson handled the team, and a task force soon emerged to help the Americans solve their Ryder Cup problems. It worked two years ago. But the Americans clearly still have issues – mainly, that they cannot win on European soil. It’s been 25 years now, and the problem is getting worse. Beating Europe in the U.S.? That’s not the issue. Hazeltine showed us that. Beating Europe on the road? Maybe it’s time for another task force. That’s where the focus should be. Four years from now, the Ryder Cup is scheduled for the Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Rome. Europe’s best player that week may very well be its best player this week – Italian Francesco Molinari, who became the first Euro to go undefeated in a single Ryder Cup. He will be 39 years old then and surrounded by 11 other players who will share a singular goal and purpose. Let’s go ahead and make the Europeans the favorite right now. Yes, the knee-jerk reaction to Sunday’s loss is to focus on how to win back the Ryder Cup in two years at Whistling Straits. But the real question becomes: What will they do between now and 2022 to win in Italy? Jim Furyk – who stands to garner most of the criticism, as Captains generally do when their teams lose – said he will work with the PGA of America and the Ryder Cup committee to improve on areas that were lacking for this week. “I’ll definitely go through things that are in my head,� said Furyk, who did not reveal the specifics of those things. One of the obvious things is making sure the Americans are acquainted with the course – and perhaps making sure the American players are best suited to play that course. The fear entering Friday’s first day was that the tight, driver-unfriendly Le Golf National would pose issues for big American bombers. That seemed to play itself out, as the U.S. found more trouble off the tee than its counterparts. The best American player this week was Justin Thomas, who just happened to be the only American who played the French Open at Le Golf National this summer. Others came for practice rounds before The Open Championship, but it was clear that the Europeans – each of whom had played in at least one French Open, and had a combined 236 tournament rounds to 8 for the Americans – were a better fit. “We thought this course suit us and our style of play,� said Rory McIlroy, the PGA TOUR’s driving distance leader who may have been the only European to feel at a disadvantage. He still won two points. Furyk, however, denied that lopsided course experience played a big part in the outcome. “I offered the invite and I had more players show up for that practice round than I could have hoped for,� Furyk said. “We were prepared. I feel like we played our practice rounds and we understood the golf course. We got outplayed.� Furyk, to his credit, took the blame for the loss, saying he would gladly take the same 12 players into battle once again. He knows he will be second-guessed for decisions such as breaking up the Jordan Spieth/Patrick Reed pairing, or picking Phil Mickelson to play a tight course in which he ranked second-to-last on the PGA TOUR in driving accuracy. Everything was done with reason, input, thought through. Then it’s up to us to execute, and we just didn’t quite execute. “Some of you might question some of the decisions,� Mickelson said, “but everything was done with reason, input, thought through. Then it’s up to us to execute, and we just didn’t quite execute.� Certainly the two most decorated American players didn’t execute. Mickelson and Tiger Woods were a combined 0-6-0 this week, with both players losing their Singles matches Sunday. Woods had a key 2 and 1 loss to Jon Rahm in the fourth match when the Americans needed every single early part to shake the European confidence. “Obviously very disappointing,� said Woods, whose 0-4-0 record is his worst Ryder Cup performance, surpassing his 1/2-point effort in 2012. “Those are four points that aren’t going towards our site. It’s going towards their side. … It doesn’t feel very good because I didn’t help my teammates earn any points.� Woods may get another chance. Mickelson may not. He will be 50 when the next Ryder Cup is played. “This could very well, realistically, be my last one,� he said. If it is, his final shot won’t exactly be one worth remembering. Trailing the entire match to Molinari, Mickelson was 3 down going to the par-3 16th. Another halved hole would end the match, so after Molinari found the green with his tee shot, Mickelson went for broke … and found the water. He quickly took off his cap and extended his hand to Molinari, conceded both the hole and the match. It was a bitter ending for the most experienced player in Ryder Cup history. Can he get one more shot? “I’m motivated now to work hard, to not go out on this note, and I’m motivated to play well these next two years to get back to Whistling Straits and show what I can do in these events, because this week was not my best,� Mickelson said. This week was not America’s best. No one will be surprised if they bounce back two years from now. The reasons that the Americans were favored this week – incredible talent and depth – are not going away. The young core remains. They will only get better. And if the course is set up in their favor – as it was for the Europeans this week – all the more reason for optimism. But it’s 2022 that the U.S. should be worried about. By then, it will be 29 years since the last time the U.S. Ryder Cup team has won on enemy territory. “We want to be successful in this event,� Furyk said. “We want to grow and we want to get better, but we want to do it here in Europe. That will be the goal four years from now.� Four years seems far away, but it’s never too early to start finding solutions. Perhaps the first order of business is finding golf carts that are easier to start.

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Webb Simpson spent two days at Harbour Town watching bulked-up Bryson DeChambeau swing out of his shoes and realized his own brand of golf works just fine. They traded birdies Friday morning in the RBC Heritage until Simpson got the last word with a 6-footer on his final hole for a 6-under 65 and a one-shot lead over DeChambeau and Corey Conners among early starters. RELATED: Leaderboard | DeChambeau trying to buck Harbour Town trend DeChambeau made six birdies on his final nine holes, missing a 5-footer on No. 9 for a 64. Conners had a bogey-free 63. “It’s very satisfying knowing I’m not near as long as some of these guys and I’m able to kind of use my skills of distance control and shot shape to pick me back up when I’m 40 yards or 30 yards behind these guys,” Simpson said. “I would like to hit it further,” he said. “I set out on a journey three years ago to get stronger, hit it further, but do it a lot slower than Bryson. But he’s made it look easy and seamless.” Simpson was at 12-under 130 and waited to see if anyone could catch him on a Harbour Town course that is yielding low scores with relatively soft conditions and moderate wind. DeChambeau stands out like the lighthouse behind the 18th green. He decided at the end of last season to get stronger and bigger so he could swing faster and hit it longer, and the transformation has everyone’s attention. Even while adding 40 pounds of mass, he hasn’t lost his love for science. That was evident on his final hole. DeChambeau had the honors and let Simpson go first so he could figure out what to do. Simpson poked his hybrid 221 yards down the fairway on the 334-yard ninth hole. DeChambeau opted for a 3-wood, mainly because he feared his driver would go well over the green. He took two violent practice swings, and huffed out breath like an Olympic weightlifter preparing for the clean and jerk. He sent it soaring only to say, “Ah! Too much spin, dang it.” It found a bunker in front of the green, 309 yards away, and he was far more bothered missing the short birdie putt, even though his 64 left him right in the mix again. He hasn’t finished worse than a tie for fifth since February — only four tournaments because the pandemic shut down golf for three months. Rory McIlroy played with him on Sunday at Colonial and was stunned how far — and straight — DeChambeau was smashing driver on a course renowned for placement. “He’s been able to take this body that he’s never played with before and still play just as good, if not better,” Simpson said. “So that’s really impressive.” The time off didn’t appear to hurt, and DeChambeau said time in the gym — and in the buffet line — allowed him to go from a ball speed of about 188 mph to the lower 190s. That doesn’t always work at Harbour Town, a tight course that winds through the oaks, and DeChambeau laments that he hasn’t been able to “launch the Kraken.” At least he’s not holding back at dinner. DeChambeau says his fitness plan is a 2-to-1 ration of carbs and protein and “I literally just have it. I eat whatever, whenever.” The majority of bulk is muscle, all for more speed. He believes he can get it up to 197 mph on a course that allows for more drivers. The biggest benefit is where it leaves him. “The distance gain has helped me hit 9-irons and pitching wedges into holes compared to hitting 7-irons and 6-iron,” he said. “That’s a huge change for me that’s allowed me to go and attack flags a lot more, be more aggressive, not really have to try and fit it into this little spot down on the fairway out here and really attack those flags.” Conners was poised to at least join Simpson in the lead except for missing a pair of birdie putts from the 10-foot range on his last two holes. Ryan Palmer had a 67 and was two behind Simpson. Dustin Johnson, coming off a missed cut at Colonial, had a 66 and was in the group four shots behind. Hilton Head typically follows the Masters in April, and it was returned to the schedule in June with a series of cancellations and postponements that created room. It’s a different look with Bermuda grass and minimal rough, and scoring has been lower than usual. That didn’t help the top three players in the world, none of whom broke par in the opening round. Justin Thomas (66) and Jon Rahm (67) did enough to likely make the cut. Rory McIlroy, who opened with a 73, played in the afternoon.

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AUGUSTA, Ga. – Twenty-five years ago, the small but feisty sporting nation of Australia collectively mourned. At just 15, Adam Scott shed tears. Marc Leishman cursed more than a 12-year-old should and his dad didn’t care – likely because he was doing it more. Cameron Smith was just 3 but knows his old man Des kicked a few things over after foregoing a day’s pay to stay home and watch. Golf has never been Australia’s most popular sport but the tradition of getting up early to watch the Masters was a ritual in the majority of households, even those without a golf club in the house. On April 15, 1996, even more early alarms went off across Australia than usual. With the east coast of the Pacific nation 14 hours ahead of Augusta, the final round always began before dawn. They were rising to finally see the Great White Shark get his dues. Greg Norman, unfairly cut down amongst the azaleas in 1986 and 1987, was going to be the first Australian to win the Green Jacket. Norman held a six-shot lead over former winner Nick Faldo. Sure Augusta National had danger lurking but Norman was destined to win. He’d opened with a course record 63 and had held firm with rounds of 69 and 71 to be in command at 13 under. Australians were up and ready to celebrate another huge sporting milestone. It was going to be one of those where were you when moments. The mainland of Australia is roughly the same size of mainland USA but in 1996 there were nearly double the amount of people living in California (32 million) as the 18 million living Down Under. By 1996, Australians had conquered golf’s other majors in golf but Norman was owed this one. He’d been felled by an aging Jack Nicklaus in 1986 and Larry Mize’s improbable chip-in the following year. Norman had also had other majors taken from his grasp in dramatic circumstances. It just made sense that this was his time. Norman never got comfortable with such a large lead at the event that had eluded him, shooting 78 in the final round to Nick Faldo’s 67, an 11-shot swing that left Norman five behind the Englishman. “I remember all of it. It was a heartbreaker,” Scott said this week. “Watching at home it was brutal.” “We don’t even want to think about that,” Jason Day added. “It just wasn’t fair really.” The debriefs over the last quarter of a century have been vast. Over the years it became known that Norman was battling his swing throughout the week and he woke Sunday with his body feeling out of alignment. He says his club was stuck and open, eroding his confidence. A journalist who Norman knew well had joked, “Even you can’t f— this up,” as Norman left the course Saturday night. The Shark couldn’t laugh it off. Then he heard his well-meaning wife had organized friends from Florida to fly up and watch the final round and be there for the coronation. It didn’t sit well with Norman, who always lived in the moment. Not the future. Not the past. It was another distraction. This week Norman returns to Augusta National as part of the PGA TOUR Radio crew. While others look back to what happened, Norman says he’s past it. “You just move on. I’ve never looked back I just move forward. That’s my DNA. I don’t make a song and dance about anything I just keep moving through life,” he said from an Augusta National balcony overlooking the property. Hindsight shows that despite the horror of it all, the moment had a serious positive effect on the future of Australian golf and sport in general. As time passed it became a galvanizing moment for an entire generation. “The reason why Greg is such a big hero to me is the way he carried himself as a professional golfer,” Scott says. “He probably felt like (expletive) that day, but he walked off the green with his head up, he spoke to the media, he did the best he could. He always carried himself, at least from what I could observe as a kid, so well. “He was such a good role model in that sense in how to be a professional. It was hard for everyone in Australia watching so I can only imagine how he felt out here going through that. He must have been upside down and inside out. But I hope he knows that that moment is a huge part of who I’ve become.” It would be nearly two decades until Australia earned its first Green Jacket. Day and Scott had tied for second in 2011 at Augusta National – another close call. While he didn’t see Norman’s collapse live, a 23-year-old Day was driven to be the first Australian to win the Masters. It consumed him. The drawcard of being the first Australian – the curse breaker – was a huge driving factor. Scott had similar sentiments. They weren’t alone. “What the Shark did for us as golfers growing up was huge for us. It was unfortunate the couple of times that he had here with Faldo and Larry Mize, but it’s just going beyond that it was pretty remarkable what he did for Australian golf,” Day says. “His efforts are why we have so many players on the PGA TOUR now. I read that Matt Jones’ win last month makes it 33 TOUR seasons in a row with at least one Australian win. Greg was firstly the guy actually winning those but also the guy who inspired the rest of us to try to do the same.” In 2013, Marc Leishman opened with a 66 and took the lead. Scott and Day sat close behind. Day had the lead through two rounds. All three where in striking distance of the lead come Sunday. Day looked set to be the man when he held a two-shot lead on the 16th tee, but back-to-back bogeys seemed to resurrect the curse until Scott stepped up. A 72nd-hole birdie was followed by a primal “C’mon Aussie” scream – proof that this was not just about one man, but an entire nation. Scott beat Angel Cabrera in a playoff with another birdie on the 10th green. His legacy as a national hero was cemented. Scott paid tribute to Norman in the aftermath. “There was one guy that inspired a nation of golfers and that’s Greg Norman. He’s been incredible to me and all the young golfers in Australia and part of this definitely belongs to him,” Scott opined. No one was happier that day than Norman. “I thought it was fantastic and I had a tear in my eye there is no question about it. I knew I carried the Green Jacket burden for Australia for a long time, but it wasn’t about me it was about the country,” Norman said on the eve of this year’s Masters. “I wanted to do it and see it done for the country because we had so many great players over the history of time and for us not to have won was a crying shame. It was nuts. So it was so great for Australian golf when Scotty won. “When you play the game of golf you’d rather be a good loser than a bad winner. To hear a quality player and man like Adam say he was inspired by my reactions in 1996, or even if a random person says it, that’s the victory you have right there. “It tells me I did things right in life. Sometimes I was hung with a label that I had too much ego, but I feel I was the opposite. And these moments help prove that.” The five Australians in the field this week – Scott, Day, Leishman, Smith and Jones – obviously all want to win the Green Jacket. They want to win it for themselves and their families. But like Norman before them they also want to win it for their country. “It would be nice for one of us to win it on this anniversary,” said Smith, who was runner-up last year. “If it’s not me I’m definitely hoping it’s one of the other boys. We are a close and tight group, and it would be a good storyline for sure. I’m sure the Shark would get a kick out of it.”

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