Kevin Streelman tied for first-round lead at AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am

SOUTHPORT, England – Umbrella futures were on the rise Friday, and there’s no doubt that the quarterly earnings of raingear companies received a bump. Royal Birkdale was hit with proper Open Championship weather in the second round, leaving caddies with sore backs from the heavier luggage they had to lug around the links. The rain required them to not only carry extra clothing, but simultaneously balance a towel, umbrella, yardage book and whatever else their boss needed to keep dry. The weather was reminiscent of what we saw in the past two Open Championships here along England’s Lancashire Coast, as weather from the Irish Sea tormented the world’s best. No one has finished under-par in either of the past two Opens held at Royal Birkdale, and that was thanks in large part to high winds and rain. The field had to deal with both Friday, and often at the same time, sending the scoring average up more than two strokes. The field averaged 71.9 on Thursday, but that rose to 74.0 in Friday’s inclement weather. Rain is always a nuisance, while wind can at least occasionally be an aid. Not on this day, though. The winds came from the southeast, blowing across many fairways and often into the players. “The way it is out there now, it’s not much fun,â€� said Charl Schwartzel, whose 78 was 12 strokes higher than his first round. He teed off at 9:47 a.m., and was likely one of the players Jordan Spieth was watching as he awaited his tee time five hours later. Kevin Na, who fired 75 after a first-round 68, called it, “a good day to sit at home and watch a movie.â€� Most players opted for to watch the golf instead. One of the advantages players have at The Open Championship is that they can procure plenty of intelligence from tuning into the television broadcast before their afternoon tee time. Since all players tee off from No. 1, there’s nearly 10 hours between the first and last “games,â€� as they’re called at The Open. Spieth, known for a golf intelligence that matches his passion for the game, was among those players who tuned in. “I would have gladly stayed on the couch,â€� he said. “It was tough watching. It wasn’t a great feeling knowing we were coming into something harder than what we were watching.â€� Adam Scott, who teed off at 8:25 Friday morning, also watched the telecast, though for a different reason. With his day done by the early afternoon, he didn’t need to do any studying. He just wanted to commiserate with colleagues who struggled with the conditions. “I don’t normally tune in, but hopefully watching will make myself feel a little better,â€� he said after shooting 74 on Friday. He sits at 3-over 143 (69-74). The morning half of the draw had to deal with high winds. How windy was it? Rory McIlroy and Matt Kuchar both used 5-irons on the 162-yard 12th hole. McIlroy came up short. Kuchar watched the wind blow his shot 30 yards, from a mound left of the green toward the middle of the putting surface. The rain came later, falling hardest at about 4 p.m. A rain delay is about as rare as a tree at an Open Championship, because of how quickly a links course can drain, but play was stopped for a half-hour due to water pooling on the greens. The afternoon half of the field actually had an average score that was 0.8 strokes lower than the morning starters (73.6 to 74.4), but rain can be more of a hassle because of the extra work it requires to stay dry.Precipitation also produces dramatic visuals as players scurry for cover, wipe off their grips and turn hats backwards to keep water from dripping on their golf ball. The reality is, though, that the wind settled down at times as the rains arrived. Spieth said that taking advantage of the (relatively) calm periods was key to Friday’s 69, which puts him at 6-under 134 (65-69) and in the lead. Friday’s weather undoubtedly pleased those fans who wake up early to watch players struggle through “Open weather.â€� The funny thing is that the weather didn’t deter the gallery members on the grounds, either. Tommy Fleetwood, who grew up a few minutes from Royal Birkdale, was surprised by the number of fans who followed him through the worst of the weather. He shot 69 on Friday just to make the cut. “There’s no way people should be out on that golf course right now supporting anyone,â€� he said. Even the beloved local son. The scoring at Open Championships is heavily dependent on Mother Nature, as centuries-old links courses often lack defenses against modern technology. The conditions didn’t just make it difficult for the players. Rich Beem, winner of the 2001 PGA Championship, was known for a carefree attitude during his playing days. He now serves as an on-course commentator for Sky Sports, and when gallery member asked if he was enjoying following the leader, he couldn’t fake it. “The fun factor left long ago,â€� he said sarcastically. The constant crackle of rain drops hitting waterproof material was a quiet undertone as Spieth finished Friday’s 69, which was one of just eight under-par scores shot Friday. He will take a two-shot lead over Kuchar into the weekend. Spieth is pleased, of course, to be in the lead as he pursues the third leg of the career Grand Slam. That wasn’t what made him happiest as he sat in the interview room Friday afternoon. “Right now, I’m happy to be inside, first and foremost,â€� he said. He wasn’t the only one.

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SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Si Woo Kim narrowly missed a second hole-in-one on consecutive days and saw his four-shot lead trimmed to one over Monday qualifier Corey Conners after Saturday’s third round of the Valero Texas Open. Kim, the 2017 THE PLAYERS Championship winner, aced the 16th hole at the TPC San Antonio on Friday, and he missed it by inches on the way to a third round 3-under 69. He was at 15 under, and Connors, trying to become the first Monday qualifier to win on the PGA TOUR since 2010, was a stroke back after shooting a 6-under 66. Charley Hoffman, the 2016 Valero Texas Open winner, moved up the leaderboard with a birdie-birdie-eagle finish and the week’s best round of 64. He was two back of Kim at 13-under. Scott Brown turned in a second straight 67, and Jhonattan Vegas also shot 67. Both were at 11 under with Kyoung-Hoon Lee (69) and four strokes back. Rickie Fowler and Jordan Spieth started the day tied for second, four shots back. Both finished eight shots out of the lead after ballooning to rounds of 1-over 73. Kim flirted with the 16th hole on the second bounce on Saturday. This time, the ball rolled past the hole to inside four feet for what looked like an easy birdie. He missed, Conners made his from inches shorter and they shared the lead again. But Conners returned the favor on the next hole, missing a birdie from inside seven feet. Kim got out of a greenside bunker at the par-5 18th and sank a four-foot par to get the one-stroke advantage. Conners is trying to become the first Monday qualifier to win on the PGA TOUR since Arjun Atwal nine years ago. Before that, no one had done it in 24 years. He birdied the opening three holes, including a near-ace at the third, and almost had a fourth to start the day when his 58-foot putt rested a couple of inches from the cup on No. 4. He birdied again at the fifth, which gave him a share of the lead with Kim, and joined Kim in birdieing the seventh. Conners, 27, was a finalist in the 2014 U.S. Amateur, but he has not won on the PGA TOUR or any of its affiliate tours. This season he has finished second in the Sanderson Farms Championship and, after Monday qualifying, was third at the Sony Open. Hoffman’s hot finish came with a birdie at the 14th. He wrapped it up with a 22-foot birdie putt at 16 and a 15-footer at 17 before he reached the green in two at the downwind 607-yard finishing hole. Fowler bogeyed his first two holes, part of five on the day. Even with an eagle on the 18th, Fowler dropped 14 spots to 16th and 7-under. Spieth was in the last group of the day with leaders Kim and Conners, but he quickly joined Fowler in going the other way. He didn’t hit a fairway until the 11th hole and by that time had two double bogeys. After his front-nine 42, Spieth’s first birdie came on the 12th. He added four more on the backside.

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