Korda wins in Michigan for second victory of year

Tiger Woods remains winless this season, but the fact that he has one last chance at the TOUR Championship in two weeks is a massive accomplishment in itself given his uncertainty at the start of the year. Woods secured his spot in the 30-man field at East Lake with a 5-under 65 in Monday’s final round of the BMW Championship. That moved him to 20th in the FedExCup Playoffs standings after entering the tournament ranked 25th. Six days ago, Woods was named as a captain’s pick for the U.S. Ryder Cup team. Now he has the opportunity to win a third FedExCup title in two weeks. It will be Tiger’s first appearance at East Lake since 2013. “At the end of the season here to say that I made it back to the TOUR Championship after what I’ve been through is a pretty good accomplishment,â€� Woods said after his round Monday left him at 17 under and tied for sixth. “… To make the Ryder Cup team and get back to East Lake, that was a pretty big goal at the beginning of the year, and to be able to accomplish that is something I’m very proud of.â€� A year ago, Woods had just received the clearance to start chipping after undergoing his fourth back surgery. He wasn’t sure what to expect when he returned to action on the PGA TOUR in late January. But in 17 starts this season, he has two runner-up finishes, and his T6 at Aronimink was his sixth top-10 of the year. Even more impressive, he seems to be hitting his stride. Since his opening-round 78 at the U.S. Open, he’s played 29 rounds, with 16 of those in the 60s, and just four over par. His highest score in that stretch is 73; his lowest came in Thursday’s first round of the BMW when he shot an 8-under 62. How did he do it? “Lots of hard work,â€� Woods said. “Lots of hard work and patience. Just constant feel and understanding of what it is because the game has changed, the body has changed and the body has changed dramatically since I first started. Trying to get used to the equipment and changing equipment because my swing is changing because my body is changing. “It’s been quite a year.â€� And it’s not over. Woods would dearly love to cap off his comeback with a victory at the TOUR Championship. His last win at East Lake was in 2007 when he won the inaugural FedExCup title. Mathematically, Woods will have a chance to win the title, although the scenarios will require the top players to fall back. Still, he’s just glad to have the chance. Had he putted a little better Monday, he might have sneaked into the playoff with Justin Rose and eventual champion Keegan Bradley. After failing to get up-and-down from the greenside bunker at the 14th, Woods could not convert birdie chances at the 15th (from 9 feet) and 17th (from inside 13 feet). “To have a chance to win again, this year, it’s a very positive feeling,â€� Woods said. “[If I] made a few more putts this week, could have been a different deal coming down the stretch but even though, you know, I finished at 17 and I had three good looks on the last three holes — or two of the last three holes. That’s a positive.â€�

Click here to read the full article…

Justin Thomas is the top seed remaining in the Dell Technologies Match Play and performing like one after a dominating 6-and-5 victory over Si Woo Kim in the quarterfinals.

Click here to read the full article…

Lanto Griffin secured his first PGA TOUR victory at the Houston Open and took over the lead in the FedExCup. Griffin, 31, has finished in the top 20 in all five starts this season. In today’s edition of the Stats Insider, we’ll take a closer look at Griffin’s win and his consistent start to the season. 1. MOVING UP: Griffin won in his 33rd start on the PGA TOUR. He played his first PGA TOUR season in 2017, finishing 171st in the FedExCup. He made just half his cuts that season and had just one top-25 finish (T12, 2018 Farmers Insurance Open). After missing 15 of his first 20 cuts on the PGA TOUR, Griffin has now made 13 in a row dating back to his rookie season. The victory was his first top-10 on the PGA TOUR. Here’s a comparison of his Strokes Gained statistics from his rookie season to this season: GRIFFIN’S STROKES GAINED STATISTICS 2. SHORT STUFF: Griffin has improved in each aspect of his game. The biggest improvement has been in his putting. Griffin finished seventh in Strokes Gained: Putting at the Houston Open. He has finished in the top 10 of that statistic in four of his five starts this season. Before this season, he’d never finished in the top 10 in Strokes Gained: Putting. No one else has finished in the top 10 of Strokes Gained: Putting in more than two events this season. GRIFFIN’S PUTTING PERFORMANCES THIS SEASON The biggest stroke of the week may have been the 33-foot birdie putt he made on the 16th hole on Sunday. It was a perfect time to hole his longest putt of the week. His biggest improvement since his rookie season has been in the short- and mid-range putts. That was evident on the final hole, when Griffin made a 6-foot putt to seal the one-stroke victory. GRIFFIN’S PUTTING IMPROVEMENT * – among players with at least 12 rounds 3. ENGLISH’S PATIENCE: Harris English continued his strong start to the season with a fourth-place finish in Houston. It was his third top-10 in four starts this season. He also finished T3 at A Military Tribute at the Greenbrier and T6 at the Sanderson Farms Championship. English now ranks ninth in the FedExCup. He finished 149th in last season’s FedExCup after not recording a top-10. Entering this season, English had just three top-10s since the 2017 FedEx St. Jude Classic, a span of 68 events. English has had success this season with his approach play. He’s hit 81% of his greens, the most of anyone who’s played at least 10 rounds this season. English led the Houston Open field in greens hit (59 of 72). He’s finished third, second, seventh and first in that statistic in his last four starts.

Click here to read the full article…