Kisner surges to DEAN & DELUCA title

THE OVERVIEW HUMBLE, Texas — The Houston Open will always hold a special place in Steve Stricker’s heart, even after the 51-year-old officially hangs up his spikes on the PGA TOUR. Stricker missed 11 cuts in 21 starts during the 2005 season — he missed 27 cuts the two years prior to that — and briefly contemplated giving up the game. Unsure what he was going to do next, Stricker received a sponsor exemption the following year from the Houston Open and finished third. His best finish since a win at the 2001 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play began a torrid stretch for Stricker that saw him win nine times in the next 12 years and move as high as third in the Official World Golf Ranking. “It was a good momentum tournament for me, a good finish, provided a lot of confidence moving forward through a difficult time that I had the previous three years,” Stricker said. “So it’s always nice to be back here and I remember that tournament meaning a lot to me back in 2006.” Since that momentum-building week, Stricker has made it a point to play Houston on a regular basis. The tournament has acted as his final warm-up before the Masters, but with Stricker turning 50 last year and becoming PGA TOUR Champions eligible, the 12-time winner is teeing it up on TOUR this week in a last-ditch effort to make the field at Augusta National. “Played all four of the majors last year and I’m not in any of them this year, so I’ve got some work cut out if I want to play in some of those,” Stricker said. “It’s a long shot to come here and win, but hopefully play well and see what happens.” Stricker isn’t short on confidence at the moment, having won his last two PGA TOUR Champions starts — his other start was a runner-up finish — including a three-shot victory last week at the Rapiscan Systems Classic. Even with the near-immediate success he’s enjoyed on the PGA TOUR Champions, Stricker admitted he’s struggling to figure out the best balance when playing opportunities on both Tours. On one hand, he’s 51 years old and no longer needs to play a full TOUR schedule, but his competitive nature keeps telling him otherwise. “It’s getting harder,” Stricker said. “When I go out and win on the Champions Tour, should I be out there more? You can tell me, should I be out there more or should I be out here? I’m taking any advice I can get because that’s been the hardest part, where I should play. I’m fighting with myself with that a lot of times. What’s the right thing to do? I still feel like I’ve got game enough to win and play well out here, and that’s what keeps me coming back out here.” Last year, Stricker made 13 starts on the PGA TOUR to six on the PGA TOUR Champions. He said the plan this year is to try and do something similar and split his time. The tentative plan is to play THE PLAYERS Championship, Fort Worth Invitational, FedEx St. Jude Classic and attempt to get a sponsor exemption into the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide. He’ll also try and qualify for the U.S. Open and hope his strong play gets him into the PGA Championship. For now, though, he has his sights set on trying to make the field at Augusta. “I would dearly love to win again out here on this Tour, and that’s my goal so that’s why I continue to come out here,” Stricker said. “And the major stuff, that will all take care of itself if you play well.” THREE PLAYERS TO PONDER JORDAN SPIETH Of the top four players in the world, he’s the only one who hasn’t won a TOUR event this season. A win in Houston would be a massive confidence booster before the Masters. PHIL MICKELSON Broke the win drought in Mexico. Based on his past form in Houston and the way he’s been playing, a strong week would reinforce the good vibes. JUSTIN ROSE Finished T15 last year in Houston. Has quietly put together a strong start to the season with four top 10s in his first five starts. THE FLYOVER The par-4 18th at Golf Club of Houston is the kind of closing hole that can make or break a tournament. With a lake bordering the entire left side of the hole, players have the option to take a more aggressive line and carry a large portion of the water, or lay back and face a daunting mid-iron approach to a left-back hole location. As if the water on the left isn’t enough, bunkers on the right side of the fairway keep players honest, capturing balls from those who attempt to bail out to the safe side of the hole. The closing hole played as the most difficult on the course last season with a 4.310 average score. THE LANDING ZONE The 480-yard par-4 5th at the Golf Club of Houston was the second-most difficult hole on the course last year. Players need to avoid the water running down the left side of the hole. Here is where all tee shots landed last year. WEATHER CHECK Thunderstorms are in the forecast for Wednesday, but other than a slight chance of rain on Thursday, the rest of the week should be smooth sailing for the tournament, with temperatures hovering around 70 degrees. For the latest weather news from Houston Texas, check out PGATOUR.COM’s Weather Hub. SOUND CHECK I played a nine-hole practice round with [Tiger] at Valspar. This is for real this time, I think, this comeback. He’s looking good, he feels good, he’s talking good about his game and himself and how he feels. So it’s exciting to see, it really is. He’s walking with a bounce in his step like he did when he was out here kicking everybody’s butt. BY THE NUMBERS 63 – The percentage of Russell Henley’s total strokes gained that came from his performance on the greens. In total, he outperformed the field by +12.5 strokes with the putter during last year’s win. 40 – Padraig Harrington has hit 40 balls in the water at the Golf Club of Houston, nine more than the next player (Mickelson, 31) since 2006. 624 – Since 2006, the 18th hole at GC of Houston has yielded the second most balls in the water (624) on the final hole on TOUR. It’s one of three closing holes on TOUR with 600 or more shots finding the water 541 feet 10 inches – Last season, Russell Henley made 541 feet 10 inches of putts en route to victory, marking the most feet of putts made by a PGA TOUR winner in the ShotLink era (since 2003). 15 – The number of Phil Mickelson’s under-par rounds that have been on the weekend at Golf Club of Houston, the most of any player. 30 – From inside five feet, Jordan Spieth misses a putt every 30 holes played this season compared to one in every 45 holes played last season.

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After an opening-round, 6-over 78 at The 150th Open, Tiger Woods will need to go low Friday in order to advance to the weekend at the Old Course at St. Andrews. Woods began his second round at 9:58 a.m. local time Friday alongside Max Homa and Matt Fitzpatrick. Keep it here for hole-by-hole updates throughout Woods’ second round in Scotland, as the three-time Open champion (twice at St. Andrews) aims to author another improbable comeback in a career full of them. Hole 3 (par 4, 392 yards): Woods split the center of fairway with driver off the tee, leaving a short iron from 101 yards. He played a conservative wedge approach away from the hole, the ball spinning and skidding to an eventual stop 30 feet right of the hole. Knowing that it’s time to start making birdies in bunches if he hopes to survive the cut line, Woods delivered with a smooth stroke, the ball finding the center of the cup. Into red numbers on the day. 1-under Friday thru 3; 5-over total; 3/3 fairways hit; 3/3 greens in regulation Hole 2 (par 4, 449 yards): Woods took driver and played a high fade that landed in the right side of the fairway and rolled out to leave a good angle into the green. From 147 yards, he launched a high short iron that landed softly approximately 20 feet past the hole, a decent look at a birdie to kick-start his day. His birdie putt slid by, though, and he settled for a second consecutive par. Even-par Friday thru 2; 6-over total; 2/2 fairways hit; 2/2 greens in regulation Hole 1 (par 4, 357 yards): Woods took iron off the tee and played a low stinger down the middle on one of golf’s most iconic and widest fairways. After finding a divot off the tee on No. 1 in Thursday’s opening round, he had no such misfortune Friday. From 133 yards, Woods played a sensible wedge 30 feet right of the hole, safely away from the flagstick situated precariously close to the Swilcan burn. He two-putted for a routine par, two strokes better than Thursday’s double bogey at the opening hole. Even-par Friday thru 1; 6-over total; 1/1 fairways hit; 1/1 greens in regulation

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Wine country. Three post-round concerts (including Billy Idol, whose real name, by the way, is William Michael Albert Broad). Fresh faces and a fresh start – and a familiar defending champ — for a new PGA TOUR season. It’s Safeway Open week. Here’s a look at what you need to know as we enter the fall portion of the 2018-19 campaign. THE FLYOVER Few closing holes on the PGA TOUR are easier than the par-5 18th on the North Course at Silverado. The 575-yard hole played to a stroke average of 4.690 last season, making it the seventh easiest closing hole. Four eagles were made on the hole, with 46 percent of all second shots attempting to reach the green (just over 10 percent were successful). LANDING ZONE What do the 360-yard 8th hole at Silverado and the famed 315-yard 10th hole at Riviera have in common? Each played to a stroke average of 4.055 last season. Only one par-4 hole shorter than Silverado’s 8th was more difficult last season – the 354-yard 10th at the Plantation Course at Kapalua. More players do not go anywhere near the green, opting to find the wider portion of the fairway for a short iron into the green. Here’s a look at where all tee shots landed in 2017. WEATHER CHECK From PGA TOUR meteorologist Wade Stettner: “There is a slight chance of showers Thursday morning with clearing skies by Thursday afternoon. Sunny skies are forecast from Friday through Sunday with cool morning temperatures and pleasant afternoon highs. High winds are possible on Sunday as a front drops through the central valley of California.â€� For the latest weather news from Napa, California, check out PGATOUR.COM’s Weather Hub. SOUND CHECK I do love the fresh start here, being back to zero. BY THE NUMBERS 50.3 – Percentage of fairways hit by the Safeway Open field last season. That was the second lowest percentage of any course recorded by ShotLink. The toughest was Firestone South (50 percent). 50 under – Brendan Steele’s cumulative total under par at the Safeway Open since 2014. That’s the best score to par by any player in that stretch. 21 – Number of rookies on the PGA TOUR this season. SCATTERSHOTS This week offers players the first opportunity to earn FedExCup points this season. Ending the fall portion of the schedule has proven to be an important barometer. In each of the last five seasons, the FedExCup leader after the end of the fall events has reached the 30-man TOUR Championship. Former Oakland A’s all-star pitcher Mark Mulder in the field thanks to a sponsor exemption. Mulder has won the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship three times and was also the runner-up at the event this summer. Cameron Champ led the Web.com Tour in driving distance last season (343.1-yard average) en route to earning his TOUR card. He also ranked a respectable 48th in driving accuracy. Said Champ: “I kind of created a shot I like to hit, just kind of my ‘get in the fairway” I call it. It’s kind of a lower shot that I’m very comfortable with if I’m under pressure or if I’m having a bad day. If I can’t really find a fairway, I’ll usually go to that so I think that’s really helped me with the driving aspect.â€�

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