Justin Thomas is ready to be famous

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — The second round of THE PLAYERS Championship finished as darkness settled over TPC Sawgrass. PGATOUR.COM’s writers weigh in on their observations after Friday’s play on the Stadium Course. Do we make too much of the English drought or jinx at TPC Sawgrass? BEN EVERILL: No. They can certainly get a life of their own having sat through many an Australian Masters heartache before Adam Scott rescued a nation. But as Scotty showed… droughts are meant to be broken at some point. Plus, Fleetwood and Poulter are studs. Perhaps now is the time. MIKE McALLISTER: Yes. As Fleetwood said, it’s mere coincidence. But given the fact that Sunday is St. Patrick’s Day, maybe the stars are aligning for an (Northern) Irish winner. JIM McCABE: Methinks yes, big time. It hasn’t been that long in history that this tournament factored into the plans for the best of England – Lee Westwood, for instance, didn’t play here a half-dozen times between 1998 and 2016. RELATED: Tiger hits two in the water on 17 | A day in the life of the Island Green | Furyk goes low in Round 2 CAMERON MORFIT:  A drought like that is just a quirk. We all used to say no Englishman had won the U.S. Open since Tony Jacklin, and then Justin Rose won.  HELEN ROSS: I think so. It’s a numbers game. Take this year. Of the 144 players in the starting field, only 10 are from England – and two of them are playing in the tournament for the first time (which is a whole ‘nother kind of jinx.) Those just aren’t good odds. ANDREW TURSKY: No matter what country a player was born in, TPC Sawgrass requires steely nerves and steady ball striking throughout the week, particularly on Sunday. If you want to argue that the target-style course doesn’t set up well for certain players, I can get on board with that. But I don’t think the ponds and slopes around the Stadium Course are biased.  Speaking of droughts, locals have often struggled at THE PLAYERS. Has Furyk finally uncovered the secrets of TPC Sawgrass after shooting 64 on Friday? EVERILL: Ask me again tomorrow. As awesome as the veteran played today in hitting every fairway … I can’t imagine he will back that up.  McALLISTER: From an historical standpoint, Furyk has shown that when he’s on, nobody on TOUR can go lower (hello Mr. 58/59). And he does seem to have a comfort level here now that he didn’t have before. Whether the 48-year-old can sustain that for another 36 holes is the big question. McCABE: Hope David Duval and Fred Funk don’t take offense, but Furyk’s record here was always something difficult to comprehend. He seemed so suited to the place. Would be great to see him stick around and continue to contend. MORFIT: Furyk said he used to be too conservative and not pick his spots to be aggressive. It’s not like his PLAYERS record is that terrible, with a runner-up in 2014 and three other top-10 finishes. He now has to take inspiration from Fred Funk, another local who was 48 when he won here in 2005. ROSS: If ever a guy deserves to win THE PLAYERS, it’s Furyk. He’s playing in the tournament for the 23rd time and he’s such a huge part of this community. But it’s one round, and just his 10th in the 60s at TPC Sawgrass. He’ll need more this weekend to win. TURSKY: t’s no secret that Sawgrass isn’t Furyk’s favorite layout of all time, but his game of late has suggested he’d play well this week. Furyk hits fairways, hits greens, and with a new armlock-style of putting, is making putts too. That’s a good recipe for success around here.   Which player who missed the cut surprises you the most, and why? EVERILL: Xander Schauffele: The FedExCup leader was runner up at TPC Sawgrass last season and clearly is in form again this season. But now he faces the prospect of losing his spot atop the Wyndham Rewards Top-10. McALLISTER: Paul Casey, who had two seconds and a third among his last four starts. I didn’t expect an opening 78 from the world’s 15th-ranked player. McCABE: Jordan Spieth would be the popular answer. But Xander Schauffele had finished first, T-25, T-10, T-15 and T-15 since January and when he opened the tournament with three birdies in five holes it looked so promising for the guy who tied for second in his PLAYERS debut a year ago. MORFIT: I’m surprised any time Jordan Spieth misses a cut, even though he’s trying to dig his way out of a slump.  ROSS: It’s hard to look past Xander Schauffele, who tied for second last year in his PLAYERS debut. After all, he’s the FedExCup leader and has already won twice this season. TURSKY: Paul Casey finished second at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, he tied for third at the WGC-Mexico Championship, and then he nearly finished in last place (T136, 8-over) at THE PLAYERS? There’s a head-scratcher for you. Maybe the English jinx is real!  Pick a sleeper at 8 under or worse and make the argument why he’ll win on Sunday. EVERILL: Jason Day. The 2016 PLAYERS Champion knows what it takes around TPC Sawgrass to get it done and is rested after last week’s WD. But Day is not really a “sleeperâ€� so keep an eye on Keith Mitchell. The Honda Classic champion was called a no-name recently… if he wins this week everyone will know his name. McALLISTER: Not sure if Keith Mitchell qualifies as a sleeper anymore (and of course, he’s certainly not a no-name, despite what some headlines might say). But geez, he’s playing great right now, and he loves these Florida greens. McCABE: Keith Mitchell. Aggressive, on a roll, and terrific kid. A nice combination. MORFIT: Keep an eye on Luke List at 7 under. He absolutely crushes the ball, which could be big if the weather gets blustery, and also doesn’t mind a bit of water as he showed at The Honda Classic a few years ago.  ROSS: If you consider his record at TPC Sawgrass, Dustin Johnson – who has never had a top 10 in 10 starts here – could be a sleeper at 7 under.  But in lieu of the No. 1 player in the world, I’ll pick Keith Mitchell, who has a win and a tie for sixth in his last two starts and a 65 on his scorecard today TURSKY: Luke List at 7-under, given how far he hits the ball (he’s averaging 303 yards off the tee this week and ranks No. 3 in Driving Distance in 2019) has the fire power to make up ground with an eagle or three over the weekend. To prove this point, he made an eagle on No. 16 today. 

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MEDINAH, Ill. – FedExCup No. 12 Justin Rose was just outside the back of the majestic clubhouse at Medinah Country Club when he stopped and pointed.  “I think that was our team room,â€� he said. Graeme McDowell, 64th in the FedExCup, sat on the back patio and remembered taking his only singles loss in the Ryder Cup, to Zach Johnson, but going back out to cheer on his teammates.  “So mixed memories around here,â€� McDowell said.  And Rory McIlroy, FedExCup No. 3, joked about needing a police escort.  “Hopefully I won’t need it,â€� he said, “and we’re staying a little closer to the course this time.â€� RELATED: Featured Groups, tee times | Seven things to know about Medinah | Scenarios Tiger Woods won the 1999 and 2006 PGA Championships here, but fewer than half of the 69 players at the BMW Championship, week two of the FedExCup Playoffs, have played Medinah No. 3. Of those, perhaps only Woods has better memories than Rose, McDowell, McIlroy, Francesco Molinari and Ian Poulter. Those five were here the last time Medinah was on the world stage, as Europe won 8 ½ points (of 12) on the last day to win the 2012 Ryder Cup. And they did it with the silhouette of Seve Ballesteros, who had died the previous year, on their sleeves.   “That was a powerful feeling on Sunday,â€� said Rose, who is trying to become the first player to successfully defend his FedExCup title. “Like there was that eerie sort of feeling like we’re doing it for him, for sure.â€� Eight players in the BMW field were on the losing U.S. side – Matt Kuchar (FedExCup No. 4), Dustin Johnson (10), Webb Simpson (11), Brandt Snedeker (22), Woods (38), Phil Mickelson (46), Jim Furyk (48) and Keegan Bradley (66) – and for them, the memories are less special.  But not terrible. “That was still one of my favorite weeks on the golf course,â€� said a wistful Bradley, who went 3-0-0 with partner Mickelson before McIlroy cooled him off in the singles. It’s been nearly seven years, and while the Ryder echoes remain, good or bad mojo from 2012 may not translate into BMW Championship success or lack thereof. It’s a different tournament, with different stakes, chief among them a berth in next week’s TOUR Championship in Atlanta, where up for grabs will be unrivaled perks (access to pretty much any tournament you could ever want to play) and money (an unprecedented $15 million to the winner).  Still, the spotlight at the BMW shines brightest on those five Europeans. “I played a few holes out there (Tuesday),â€� McIlroy said. “The course is in great shape. A little different than the setup was at the Ryder Cup a few years ago. There’s a lot more rough, the fairways are probably a little narrower. But overall, yeah, it’s good to be back, and hopefully some of those good vibes that I have here can stay with me and I can produce some good golf.â€� McIlroy has put together his most consistent season, with 13 top-10 finishes in 17 starts. Two of those, at THE PLAYERS Championship and RBC Canadian Open, were victories. Now he’s back at a place where he went 3-2-0 in Europe’s winning effort in 2012. Should he win the FedExCup again (2016), he would be the only player other than Woods to win it twice.  Rose, who at 12th in the FedExCup is well-positioned for what would be a historic title defense, also went 3-2-0 in 2012, making putts of 12, 35 and 12 feet to beat Mickelson in a pivotal singles match. “I was just driving in (Monday) night,â€� Rose said. “I came in here for a dinner, and came in the side of 18 there. Definitely brought back those good memories.â€� At last year’s BMW outside Philadelphia, Rose lost a playoff to Bradley, but his 2-P2-T4 in his last three starts was good enough to win the FedExCup.  McDowell, whose victory at the Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship in March broke a drought of over three years, has made it to the BMW Championship four times, but never advanced all the way to the TOUR Championship at East Lake. At 64th in the FedExCup coming into this week, he faces a monumental task to do so this time. Amid so much talk of the 2012 Europeans, the most dangerous player at the BMW may be a guy who didn’t play in that Ryder Cup, as he was just 17: Jon Rahm of Spain. But with 11 top-10 finishes in 18 starts this season, including four in his last four starts, the FedExCup No. 5 is coming to Medinah hotter than anyone this side of – well, Captain America Patrick Reed. If Rahm gets it done this week to go to East Lake as the No. 1 seed, rest assured it won’t be long before someone invokes the ghost of Seve again, and Europe’s miracle comeback in 2012.

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