Kaymer leads Italian Open by 1 shot at halfway stage

Click here to read the full article…

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Each day at THE PLAYERS Championship, PGATOUR.COM’s staff writers will dive into the big issues and questions everyone is discussing. Spoiler alert — there’s lots more talk about Webb Simpson, but some about Tiger Woods as well. The question is not “if,” but “by how much.â€� What will be Webb Simpson’s margin of victory? Cameron Morfit (Staff Writer) — I’m guessing he’ll win by five. The margin will go down to four or so, close enough to be tight, but he’ll settle down and finish it off. Ben Everill (Staff Writer) — I’ll go with five shots. He starts seven clear. He will play defensively to a 70 and it will be more than enough. Mike McAllister (Managing Editor) — Foot off the pedal for Simpson. Everybody else able to free-wheel it. Somebody will go low. Simpson to win by four shots. Sean Martin (Senior Editor) — Ten. I like round numbers. What thing has impressed you most about Simpson this week? Morfit — That par putt he drained on No. 18 spoke volumes. How can you beat a guy when he’s doing that all day? Everill — The easy answer is putting but I will say even more impressive has been the clutch shots or putts at the clutch times. His eagle hole out from the bunker on No. 11 today never looked like missing. Incredible. McAllister — The easy thing would be his putting – he’s made about 400 feet of putts if you include the ones from off the green. But really, it’s just that he’s not flinching on a course that never lets you relax. Seeing a player crank on all cylinders is a beautiful thing. Martin — The putting has been incredible. It’s very fitting on the one-year anniversary of the grip change that changed his career. He leads the field in Strokes Gained: Putting. Is this the most impressive performance of any PLAYERS champion? Morfit — No, no. I will still take Rickie Fowler going eagle, birdie, birdie to force the playoff in 2015. That was one of the most thrilling finishes I’ve ever seen in any tournament. Everill — Not yet. But it is heading that way. My bias is likely clouding me but Greg Norman went wire-to-wire in 1994 and finished 24-under. Steve Elkington won by seven in 1997. And Jason Day won by four in 2016 in brutally tough conditions. Those are the marks to beat. McAllister — Statistically, of course, it is — at least through 54 holes. His 7-shot lead obliterates the previous record held by Alex Cejka (who, by the way, did not convert his 5-stroke lead into a win). I’m still partial to Rickie Fowler’s finish in 2015, but simply for the ridiculous fireworks at the end. That’s a completely different perspective — and I wasn’t at TPC Sawgrass when Steve Elkington won by 7 in 1997. Martin — From start to finish, I say yes. This thing is a romp. Now for the biggest mystery: Who wins the “B flight?” Morfit — I’m going to take Jimmy Walker. He’s been very much under the radar all week, and he’s playing very well again. Everill — This won’t come as a surprise to many but I’ll say Jason Day. He’s driven to win the FedExCup and return to world No. 1, so he will play like every shot matters. McAllister — I kind of like Jordan Spieth (no surprise for anyone who knows me and my affinity for all things Texas). He’ll use Sunday to continue trying to solve TPC Sawgrass, and I fully expect for him to follow up his 65 with another low number. Martin — Jason Day. A strong season continues. How do you assess Tiger’s 65? What significance does it have? Morfit — Confidence is everything. That 65 won’t have much bearing on THE PLAYERS, but it will certainly be in the front of his mind in his next start. We might look back on that round as the start of a great summer for Tiger. Everill — It was awesome — and disappointing at the same time. He was 8-under through 12 holes but couldn’t find another gear coming in. Old Tiger would have and might have found himself in the final group Sunday … now THAT would have been something. It shows that maybe a win might come around the corner. McAllister — His lowest score since 2015? I think that’s huge. Sure, he’s not really in contention, but it’s got to be a confidence booster and could pay big dividends later this season. Martin — I think it shows that, despite some mediocre performances at Wells Fargo and the Masters, he’s capable of winning this year. It’s just a matter of putting all the pieces together.

Click here to read the full article…

LOS ANGELES — Joaquin Niemann couldn’t find a fairway over the final two hours at Riviera and it didn’t matter. He still pieced together a 3-under 68 to set the 54-hole record and build a three-shot lead in The Genesis Invitational. Cameron Young, the 24-year-old PGA TOUR rookie, tried to keep it closer until taking two shots to get out of a plugged lie in the bunker in front of the par-3 16th green and making double bogey. He had a 69 and was three behind. Joining them in the final group will be 24-year-old Viktor Hovland, who had eight birdies in his round of 65. That only got the Norwegian within six shots of Niemann. Niemann, a 23-year-old from Chile, was poised to win for the second time on the PGA TOUR and needed only one more round in the 60s to break the tournament scoring record, which has stood longer than any other 72-hole record for a PGA TOUR event. Niemann was at 19-under 194, breaking by two shots the record last held by Justin Thomas in 2017. Thomas had said there was a long way to go when he started five shots behind with 36 holes ahead of them. He started with a birdie and then made 10 straight pars before a pair of bogeys that sent him and other past major champions going in the wrong direction. Thomas birdied his last two holes for a 70. He was seven behind. Adam Scott opened with two birdies until he lost momentum and shot 73 to fall 10 shots behind. Ditto for Jordan Spieth, who had only one birdie in his round of 73 to fade from contention. The final group Sunday will feature three players from three continents who were born after tournament host Tiger Woods won his first Masters in 1997. Niemann has been playing at a different level this week, relying on a mix of great iron play, putting on hard, fast greens and managing trouble when he gets out of position. After a pair of birdies late on the front nine, Niemann had one of those moments that made it look like it would be his week. His drive on the iconic, reachable 10th caught the left edge of the green and barely rolled off. Using a putter, he holed it from just outside 20 feet for an eagle and was up by four. He was 2 over the rest of the way, however, as he failed to hit another fairway, two of them leading to bogey. He also missed on the 18th when Young had a chance to cut into the lead. But the Chilean hit a beautiful fade around the edges of the eucalyptus trees to the back of the green and a chip with perfect pace to save par. Young twice left shots in the bunker, starting with the par-5 opening hole that led to par. He was rock-solid the rest of the way until the 16th, where his tee shot was so badly buried in the sand his best option was to leave in there for a better lie. He blasted out a little long and missed a 6-foot putt. For a tournament stacked with 10 of the top 10 players in the world, the one leading the charge is Niemann, who is just outside the top 30 and whose only win was at The Greenbrier in the fall of 2019. This is only the third time he has had at least a share of the 54-hole lead. He converted one of them into his Greenbrier win, and the other time he lost in a playoff last summer at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. Young is playing only his 12th time on the PGA TOUR, including a U.S. Open appearance as an amateur at Pebble Beach in 2019. He was a runner-up in Mississippi last fall, and he played with remarkable poise amid high-profile company while trying to keep in range of Niemann.

Click here to read the full article…