Justin Thomas takes over top spot in FedExCup

Patton Kizzire defends his first PGA TOUR title and Rickie Fowler seeks to go one better than last year as the fall schedule returns to Mexico’s Riviera Maya for its penultimate stop before the holiday break. Jordan Spieth comes to the Yucatán Peninsula for the first time as he continues his first fall trek since 2015, while Tony Finau makes his third visit to give the lineup a trio of three players ranked among the world’s top 15. FIELD NOTES: Cameron Champ, who won the Sanderson Farms Championship in just the second start of his rookie year, has a chance to add to his trophy case. He’s played Mayakoba once before, missing the cut last year on a sponsor invitation. … The lineup features 30 graduates of last year’s Web.com Tour regular season or Finals, topped by overall earnings champ Sungjae Im. … Chris Stroud will keep his perfect attendance record intact at Mayakoba, the only man to tee it up in all 12 editions. … Padraig Harrington, eliminated from the European Tour’s Race to Dubai season title, makes his first TOUR start since the 2017-18 regular season. … Abraham Ancer, who tied for ninth last year and was fifth at last month’s CIMB Classic in Malaysia, heads a group of seven Mexican pros in the field. Two are recent Web.com Tour graduates: Carlos Ortiz and José de Jesús Rodriguez. FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 500 points. STORYLINES: Eight of the first 11 champions at Mayakoba have prevailed in their 30s or older, resisting the fall trend toward younger winners. Fred Funk set the tone in the inaugural edition when he won at age 50. … Despite the international locale, all but one edition at Mayakoba have been captured by U.S.-born players. The lone exception was Graeme McDowell, winner of a 2015 playoff. … Kizzire and McDowell are among seven former champions back with a chance to become the event’s first multiple winner. The others: Brian Gay (2008), John Huh (2012), Harris English (2013), Charley Hoffman (2014), Pat Perez (2016). … Four Mayakoba Classics have been decided in playoffs, including Huh’s marathon over Robert Allenby that went eight extra holes. COURSE: El Camaleón GC, 6,987 yards, par 71. Now in its 12th year as a PGA TOUR venue, “The Chameleon� winds its way through three distinct landscapes – tropical jungle, dense mangroves and sand-lined oceanfront along the Riviera Maya. Designer Greg Norman even incorporated a cenote – an underground cavern common to the area – into the heart of the seventh fairway. Open for play in 2004, the Mayakoba Golf Classic made its debut three years later as a spring event opposite the WGC Match Play. The tournament moved to its own fall date in 2013. Two years ago, El Camaleón also served as one of two hosts for the World Amateur Team Championships. 72-HOLE RECORD: 263, Harris English (2013), Pat Perez (2016). 18-HOLE RECORD: 61, Roland Thatcher (3rd round, 2008). LAST YEAR: Kizzire walked away from a marathon Sunday with his first PGA TOUR victory, outdueling Rickie Fowler at the end of a 36-hole day to finish one stroke ahead. Kizzire opened with a 62 at El Camaleón, but a second-round 70 brought him back into a share of the lead with Patrick Rodgers entering the long finale. The Auburn alum closed with 66-67, managing to limit the damage whenever he got in trouble. Fowler had a chance to pick up ground when Kizzire had to take a penalty drop at the par-5 13th after hooking his drive into the hazard, but Kizzire scrambled for par that kept Fowler from closing the gap by two. Fowler finished 67-67, recording the third runner-up finish in a span of 11 starts and 12th of his TOUR career. Si Woo Kim used a closing 65 to finish alone in third, his first top-10 since winning THE PLAYERS Championship. HOW TO FOLLOW TELEVISION: Thursday-Sunday, 1-4 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). PGA TOUR LIVE: None. RADIO: Thursday-Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com).

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Matthew Wolff is 21 years and attempting to win the U.S. Open in his very first appearance. He will chase it in silence. It worked for another 20-something last month when Collin Morikawa won the PGA Championship. Is it about to happen again?

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ORLANDO, Fla. – It is an impressive gathering atop the leaderboard at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard – a heady group of PGA TOUR tournament winners, major champions and highly-ranked names. Between Henrik Stenson – who leads Bryson DeChambeau by one – and one of those tied for 10th, Tiger Woods, the standings include names that would surely please the late Mr. Palmer – Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, Ryan Moore, Charley Hoffman and Rickie Fowler. Forget Woods’ 79 PGA TOUR wins; the other seven names have won 41 times on the PGA TOUR and on 41 occasions worldwide. So, it’s a stout list of talent, though one name stands out if you invite a conversation about pure ball-striking: Stenson. “Oh, he hits it good. It’s nice; it’s really nice,� marveled McIlroy, a glimmer of admiration in his Irish eyes because when it comes to striking a golf ball, the best in the world know who the best are. Having played alongside Stenson’s rounds of 64 and 69 to open this API, Adam Scott – no slouch as a ball-striker – nodded his approval. “It’s quite a lethal combination he has, that strong 3-wood and those irons that drop from the sky,� said the Aussie. In Saturday’s third round, the “lethal combination� was again on display – Stenson hit 11 fairways and 11 greens, including five of the last six – and had the putter not let him down his lead, would likely be three or four. Instead, he shot 1-under 71 and at 12 under will start Sunday’s final round one clear of DeChambeau (72), two in front of McIlroy (67), and three ahead of Rose (67) and Moore (69). Fowler (70), tied with Hoffman, Talor Gooch (73) and Byeong-Hun An (72), is four back, while Woods shot 69 – 209 and is tied for 10th and five behind. “I could have a two- or three-shot lead, which would have been a nice cushion,� said Stenson, “but I’ve been in the mix a few times and I’m back here trying to give it a go tomorrow.� That’s a reference to finishes inside the top 10 in four straight yeas (2013-16), but while he came up short each time, rarely does he have to cite ball-striking. “I’ve watched him hit a lot of golf balls (at Lake Nona, across town) and he’s one of those guys, when he’s in the mood, he’s unstoppable,� said Graeme McDowell. Having worked with heralded swing coach Pete Cowen, who also mentors Stenson, McDowell has seen plenty of the Swede. “He’s such a big man. He’s the typical Viking from that part of the world – you can imagine 6-foot-5 bearded guys with an axe in their hand coming at you. That’s pretty much what Stenson would look like coming at you.� Even out on the PGA TOUR, where the talent is deep and the list of possible winners goes on endlessly, Stenson stands out on a short list of premier ball-strikers – but of them, the way he goes about it is unique. “He’s such a big man, he creates so much elevation,� said McDowell. “Pete talks about it all the time, pressuring the ground and dropping the arms to creating so much downward pressure on the back of the ball. He’s one of the best 3-wood players on the planet. Just a phenomenal ball-striker – and when he gets the putter warmed up, he’s unstoppable.� Late Saturday afternoon, the putter didn’t heat up – missed birdie chances from 12 feet at the 13th, 7 feet at the 15th, 12 feet for eagle at 16, and another 7-footer at 18. Still, in possession of a one-stroke lead, Stenson shrugged, smiled, and declared himself satisfied. “Especially with the way I played coming in. I think that I didn’t really miss a shot the last six holes.� In other words, status quo for Stenson.

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