Latest in golf: Top three back, PGA Tour-LIV progress, what’s next for Tiger

Here are nine tidbits from the second round of the Sony Open at Waialae Country Club (par 70, 7,044 yards) in Honolulu that gamers can use tomorrow, this weekend or down the road. Be looking for the Emergency 9 shortly after the close of play of each round of the tournament. Pain or Gain These were the top five picked golfers in the PGA TOUR Fantasy One & Done presented by SERVPRO: It’s all to play for on the weekend as all of these fellas made the cut! We’ll see what moving day Saturday brings us as everyone is chasing Brian Harman on 13-under-par. Different Day, Different Dawg Brian Harman (Georgia Bulldogs) took the lead from fellow alum Chris Kirk as he backed his opening round 64 with 63 on Friday. Harman is blossoming into a force regardless of course. Last year he won at a difficult Eagle Point (par 72, 7,396 yards) and was T2 at the U.S. Open at Erin Hills (7,800 yards) so his game is translating on all tracks. While he’s not long, he can putt the dimples off the golf ball. He sits No. 1 in SG: Putting through 36 holes and leads by three. Georgia on My Mind Friday saw golfers with college ties to the state of Georgia get moving. Chris Kirk (Georgia Bulldogs) backed up his co-first round lead with 67 to sit three back … Former Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket Ollie Schniederjans fired 65 to finish the day T7 … Kevin Kisner was a great sport yesterday wearing an Alabama jersey on the walk up No. 17. The Golf Gods smiled today as he posted 64 and moved up 31 spots to T10 … The curious case of Harris English (Georgia Bulldogs) caught my eye last fall as he didn’t fire on courses he has in the past. He’s rallied this week on a course he loves and moved up 49 spots with 65, his lowest round since the FedEx St. Jude Classic last June … Stewart Cink (Georgia Tech) loaded up with 64 and moved up 62 spots to T16 … Hudson Swafford has three top-15 finishes in four trips to Waialae and his 66 on Friday moved him to T16. Remember Me? John Peterson won the 2011 NCAA championship at LSU. The following year he finished T4 at the U.S. Open at Olympic Club. He was on the path. Hand surgery forced him to miss the majority of the 2016 season. He has seven starts after this week to rack up 273.76 FedExCup points to meet the terms of his Major Medical Extension. The recent father (#NappyFactor) is making his first start since WD at the Web.com Tour Championship in October. He’s posted 66-64 and is T2. He tweeted today “too blessed to be stressed” and his game is reflecting that through two rounds. Check out all of the exemptions here: One is the Loneliest Number Tom Hoge is one of four players three back tied for second. He was selected by exactly one gamer in PGA TOUR Fantasy One & Done presented by SERVPRO. This is his third trip to Waialae and there’s something about this track that catches his eye. In 2015 he finished T71 but fired a second round 64. He has a pair of 65s this week and will look to eclipse his best finish on TOUR, T4 at Barracuda last August. Fort Knox Russell Knox racked up four birdies and an eagle with 13 pars to jump 53 spots to T12. After missing the cut in his first three trips he’s cashed T11 and T13 in two of his last three. Even the year he MC he still posted a 65. Opening 69-64 makes it four consecutive trips to Waialae recording 65 or lower. I’m writing that down for next year. I Can’t Si I feel like I write this every week but I cannot figure out Si Woo Kim. He opened the season with three events T44 or worse. His last three events have been solo third, MC and 10th last week on Maui. He’s the perfect guy for season-long games as his weekly volatility has me on a steady diet of Pepto Bismol. His 71 after opening with 67 saw him make the weekend on the number. Whew. History’s Mysteries Plenty of gamers RELY on course history in making their weekly selections. I have always suggested that it should be a PART of your formula. Perennial contenders Zach Johnson (T2) Jerry Kelly (T12) and Charles Howell, III (T28) did the business but recent champions Russell Henley, Jimmy Walker and Fabian Gomez all are heading home after Friday. Howell has too many rounds here in the 60s to count so I’m on board with him on Moving Day tomorrow to jump up into the top 10. Study Hall Patrick Rodgers withdrew on Friday citing the flu. Rodgers, who won 11 times at Stanford, has a new caddie on the bag this year as he looks for his first TOUR win … I learned during the telecast that Wesley Bryan is NOT carrying a driver this week nor is he going to until the Florida Swing. Well, something is working as he opened 68-66 and is currently T17. He said he had no confidence in hitting driver so he took it out of the bag. Stay tuned … The biggest jump of the day went to 2009 champion Ryan Palmer as his 64 moved him up a whopping 71 places after an opening round 71. He needs just 29.686 FedExCup in six starts to meet the terms of his Major Medical Exemption … Sangmoon Bae couldn’t back up his 66 yesterday as his 73 saw him slam the trunk.

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HIDEKI USED TO NO. 1: Thanks to his win at the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, Hideki Matsuyama is making his fourth stint of the season atop the FedExCup standings. Matsuyama spent five weeks at No. 1 after winning the WGC-HSBC Champions last October. After winning the Waste Management Phoenix Open, he spent another four weeks at No. 1. He briefly moved back into the top spot the week after the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard; his tie for 45th allowed him to jump past Justin Thomas, who did not play that week. And now he’s back at No. 1. The consistency that the Japanese star has shown this season is reflected in his FedExCup points ranking – he’s never dipped below No. 3 in any week. In fact, since the 11th week of the 2015-16 season, he’s never been outside the top 20 after any week. If Matsuyama ends the regular season at No. 1, he would be the fourth non-American to claim that spot entering the Playoffs. The others: Australia’s Jason Day in 2016, Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy in 2014 and South Africa’s Ernie Els in 2010. In the first 10 years, Tiger Woods entered the Playoffs ranked No. 1 five times. The other Americans: Jordan Spieth in 2015 and Nick Watney in 2011. STROUD’S BIG MOVE: Chris Stroud went into the Barrucuda Championship ranked 144th in points and in serious danger of missing the Playoffs. But now he’s all but guaranteed a spot in the first two Playoffs events and is on knocking on the door of the third event. Stroud’s win in Reno moved him to 76th in points, his best position this season and the first time he’s been inside the top 125 in points since week nine. Stroud did not make the Playoffs last year, and he’s advanced to the BMW Championship just three times. With 70 players advancing to the BMW, Stroud’s path just became a lot less difficult. SCOTT NOT YET SECURE. Adam Scott said last week that he will take time off to be with his wife for their birth of their second child, and thus will not play in the first two Playoffs events. He said last week’s Bridgestone Invitational and this week’s PGA Championship are his last two events to secure enough points to earn a spot at the BMW. Scott produced a nice showing at Bridgestone, finishing tied for 13th. That moved him from 70th to 61st in the standings but still leaves him vulnerable. He’ll need a similar showing at the PGA Championship, which offers increased point values (600 points to the winner). A similar finish at Quail Hollow would likely leave him around the 700-point total. That total hasn’t been good enough in recent years to advance to the BMW, but projected totals are lower this season, so he may have a chance. THREE FOR ALL THREE: Just three players have qualified for the BMW Championship in each of the first 10 years of the FedExCup Playoffs – Charley Hoffman, Phil Mickelson and Bubba Watson. Hoffman is guaranteed to continue that streak, currently sitting at 11th in the standings after his third-place finish at Firestone. Mickelson is 45th and should be also be set for the BMW. Watson, however, remains on the outside looking in. He gave himself a little breathing room just to make the Playoffs, moving from 117 to 111 with his tie for 17th at Firestone. But he still has lots of ground to make up. HELPING THEIR CAUSE: Richy Werenski and Greg Owen lost to Stroud in the playoff at the Barracuda, but they made big moves up the FedExCup standings. Werenski went from 154 to 122, and must only maintain his position the last two weeks to secure a spot inside the top 125 that advance to the Playoffs opener, THE NORTHERN TRUST. Owen, meanwhile, went from 162 to 136 and now has a fighting chance. Sam Saunders also had a good week, with an eighth-place finish, and is now 127th in points. Unfortunately for Werenski, Owen and Saunders, none are in the field at this week’s PGA Championship, so they could find themselves slipping back before next week’s regular-season finale, the Wyndham Championship. Meanwhile, at the Bridgestone Invitational, Zach Johnson’s runner-up finish moved him from 83 to 36 and guaranteed his spot in the BMW Championship.

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Play was suspended again because of heavy rain at the Players Championship on Friday and won’t resume until at least 11 a.m. ET on Saturday, the PGA Tour announced.

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