Leaderboard: Fowler in hunt at Honda Classic

To Justin Thomas, it just seemed like the least he could do. In both the pro-am on Wednesday and then again today in the opening round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open, Thomas played the iconic par-3 16th stadium hole at TPC Scottsdale wearing a Kobe Bryant jersey. This one wasn’t the No. 8 or 24 from Bryant’s incredible NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers, but rather the No. 33 from his time at Lower Merion High School outside Philadelphia. Just owning the jersey showed Thomas has long been a fan of the man lost to the world in tragic circumstances last Sunday.   Thomas admitted it was the first time he’d cried for a man he’d never met when news of Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and seven other people that were killed in a tragic helicopter accident broke. It was a moment that will have a lasting effect on Thomas and, perhaps, all of the PGA TOUR family. Related: Leaderboard | Amy paying it forward Thomas was already sporting Bryant tributes on his wedges, stamping “Mamba Mentalityâ€�, “Kobe Bean Bryantâ€�, “Black Mambaâ€� and “81 pointsâ€� on them. His putter cover, and that of other TOUR players this week, is purple and gold and has “RIP Kobe” and “RIP Gigi” written on it. “I’ve always been a huge fan of his. I’ve always loved watching him play, just loved hearing about his work ethic and stuff that he did on and off the court and how he just always worked harder than everybody else,” Thomas said. It’s probably the reason… I mean, obviously, he’s freakishly talented… but why he was better than everybody else because he was going to work harder to get there and just kind of will himself to be a winner. That’s something that I hope to do when I’m out there playing, when I have a chance to win the tournament, I want to have that Mamba mentality, if you will, to try to close it out.â€� When Thomas walked onto the 16th and put on the jersey, the full house was certainly appreciative of the action. In a house where commotion and booing is common, the fans celebrated the gesture in fine spirit. He was not the only one. Several stars had their own homages.   Some included Max Homa and Tony Finau, who also wore Bryant jerseys. Chants of “Kobe, Kobe, Kobeâ€� filled the air as they noticed Finau also had purple and gold shoes. It continued with Bud Cauley and Gary Woodland donning their Scotty Cameron putter covers, along with Bryson DeChambeau, who had written ‘8’ and ’24’ on his shoes. TaylorMade staffers also had 24 on their golf balls. Finau was on course last Sunday at the Farmers Insurance Open when the news broke. He and fellow Nike athlete Tiger Woods were both clearly emotional when they were told. Finau has long made it known he was a Bryant fan. He couldn’t help but return to the feelings he felt when he lost his own mother in a tragic car accident in 2011. Finau’s manager, another huge Lakers fan, drove from Los Angeles to San Diego when the news broke to be there for Finau as he finished. “That will probably give you an idea of how much an impact Kobe was in my life just as a sports junkie. I’m a huge fan of basketball, the NBA and the Lakers, and in huge part because of Kobe Bryant,â€� Finau said last Sunday. “He was a star… His work ethic is something that will be talked about, that’s what his legacy is. I remember actually wearing his shoes out here in 2016 just giving him props for the Mamba mentality and kind of what he taught a lot of athletes in pursuing your dreams. His legacy for sure is one of hard work and commitment to your craft. That’s Kobe Bryant.â€� Finau vowed to try to live up to the work ethic he so admired in Bryant. “The way to live a life that respects Kobe and that he would respect is one to have the Mamba mentality,â€� he continued. “Maybe that’s something that I need, work even harder at your craft and have more love for your craft and maybe that’s something that we all need as athletes, to have that Mamba mentality.â€� The accident was also a stark reminder of how precious, and sometimes fleeting, life can be. Gary Woodland certainly took that message from the terrible news. Woodland was a college basketball player before golf became his full focus, and as such, was intimately in tune with Bryant’s career on the court. He also enjoys the Mamba mentality and can recite most of Bryant’s records and stats. But it is Bryant’s life after the NBA that has Woodland most in awe. Bryant, the father of four girls, was the man Woodland was keeping tabs on. He has some experience in losing a child, like Vanessa Bryant is facing now. Woodland’s two-year-old son Jaxson was due to be one of twins before Gary and his wife Gabby lost the other baby during a troubled pregnancy. Since then, they have welcomed twin girls into the family, born last year. Woodland was so affected by the news that he took Jaxson to the course for the first time while he practiced earlier this week. He was all of a sudden mindful of creating memories with his growing toddler and making every moment count. “The biggest tribute is trying to imitate Kobe in the way to be a father like he was and work hard every day because you never know when it’s taken away from you, so you can’t take any day for granted on and off the golf course,â€� Woodland said pre-tournament. “When you see him with his children, he looked like he was happy, he was smiling all the time, laughing, when he was coaching her. That’s the love and energy that I want to have and it makes me sad that him and his daughter and seven other people’s lives were taken away way too soon. I want to be there for my kids and not have to miss anything, because you never know.â€� What we do know is we all need to treat life like the gift it is because the reminders will keep coming. Bryant wouldn’t want it any other way.

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PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – A trip around PGA National’s Champion course is rarely a smooth one. Pitfalls lurk around every corner. The same can be said about professional golf careers. Players can compete on the PGA TOUR for decades, but somewhere along the line, they’re likely to suffer through slumps and injuries. Champions are rightly celebrated, but the spotlight blinds us to the ebbs and flows that comprise most careers. The tightly-packed leaderboard at The Honda Classic is a study in the difficulties that most players endure. The contenders include a major champion and players who once sat atop the world ranking, but they’ve traveled through valleys to get to this moment. Related: Leaderboard | Insider: No ‘faking it’ during Florida swing They’re all chasing one of the world’s top players, Tommy Fleetwood, who will take a one-stroke lead into Sunday’s final round. The 29-year-old Englishman, who’s ranked 12th in the world, is seeking his first PGA TOUR victory. He’s the only player in the top 20 of the world ranking who’s winless on the PGA TOUR. “It would be a win at a great golf course, a tough golf course, and I think if you’re going to win around here, you’re proving yourself as an all-around golfer,â€� Fleetwood said. “I want to win everywhere I play, and the PGA TOUR is for sure one of those places where I haven’t done it yet.â€� Fleetwood sits at 5-under 205 par after shooting a 3-under 67 on Saturday. Only 11 players broke par in the third round as the wind continued to blow and the greens got firm. And, of course, there’s always the ever-present water that surrounds many of the holes here. Players have compared this week’s conditions to a major championship. The average score this week is 2-over-par. The difficult setup has kept anyone from pulling away from the field. It’s crowded atop the leaderboard. Six players will start Sunday within three shots of Fleetwood. Brendan Steele is one shot back, while Fleetwood’s fellow Englishmen, Lee Westwood and Luke Donald, trail by two. Three more players – Daniel Berger, Charl Schwartzel and Sungjae Im, the reigning PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year – are three behind. Steele is the most recent winner in that group, and it’s been more than two years since he lifted a trophy. He won his second consecutive Safeway Open in October 2017. He’s found his game this year after having the worst season of his career in 2019. “I was feeling good about my game in the fall, but mentally … I had some scars with how I’d been playing and was just worried about how to play golf,â€� Steele said. He’s already contended once this year, taking a three-shot lead into the Sony Open in Hawaii before losing in a playoff to Cameron Smith. Westwood and Donald once traded the top spot in the world ranking, but they’re both looking to end lengthy droughts on the PGA TOUR. Westwood is having a career resurgence at the age of 46 thanks to a positive outlook and carefree outlet that is well-suited to the challenges of the Champion course. He recently won in Abu Dhabi to return to the top 50 in the world for the first time in nearly three years. It was just his second win on the European Tour since 2015. He’s competing on a sponsor exemption this week. Donald would like to join him. Injuries limited him to just 21 starts in the previous two seasons. He had just one top-25 in that span, and had to use a career money list exemption to compete on the TOUR this season. He is 456th in the world ranking. “Lee has obviously proven that age is just a number,â€� Donald said. “He’s been playing great lately. … Just seeing those guys continue to grind and continue to fight and do well, it’s nice to see and certainly it motivates me.â€� Westwood last won in the United States 10 years ago. Donald, a five-time winner on TOUR, hasn’t won since 2012. Schwartzel, 35, and Berger were sidelined by wrist injuries. Schwartzel’s injury, which forced him to sit out from May to December last year, had him questioning if he’d be able to continue his career. The former Masters champion hasn’t won anywhere in the world since the 2016 Valspar Championship. Berger, 26, won the FedEx St. Jude Classic in 2016 and 2017 but is winless since. He’s arrived at his hometown TOUR event after finishing in the top-10 in his previous two starts. “It’s funny because I never thought I went anywhere other than just being a little bit injured,â€� Berger said. “I feel good about my golf game, and I feel good about heading into tomorrow, and another good round and I’ll have a chance to win.â€� Even Fleetwood has endured difficulty in his young career. He won the Challenge Tour’s Order of Merit at age 20, but won just once in the next five years. He fell outside the top 150 in the world ranking in 2016 but rebounded to win the European Tour’s Race to Dubai the following year. He’s been a fixture among the game’s elite since. The difficulty of this week’s venue, and the crowded leaderboard, will make it easier for players to focus on the task at hand instead of the roads they’ve travelled to get here. “At no point does the golf course let up,â€� Fleetwood said. “No matter what happens, whether you make eagle all the way through double-bogey, you have to stand up on the next and hit a golf shot.â€� One man will be left standing Sunday. He’ll have endured his share of hardship to get to the winner’s circle.

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TORONTO, Ont. – Patrick Flavin is getting pretty used to this Monday qualifier thing. Especially if they’re for events outside the United States. “For some reason I have the international ones covered,” Flavin said with a laugh after earning medalist honors at the RBC Canadian Open’s Monday qualifier. It was his fourth successful Monday this season to go along with the Butterfield Bermuda Championship, the Puerto Rico Open, and the Mexico Open at Vidanta. Flavin was 1 over through nine holes at Oakdale Golf and Country Club in Toronto but fired a 4-under 31 on his back nine to finish at 3 under. His performance could give him a good preview of next year’s RBC Canadian Open, which is scheduled to be played at Oakdale. Brad Adamonis, former NCAA champ Braden Thornberry, and Jeffrey Kang got through a 4-for-3 playoff after finishing at 2 under. Adamonis was in a playoff with Kenny Perry at the John Deere Classic 14 years ago while Thornberry was college golf’s player of the year in 2017 and on the stacked U.S. Walker Cup team alongside Scottie Scheffler, Collin Morikawa, Cameron Champ and others. Oakdale has never hosted the RBC Canadian Open before and Flavin said he was “impressed” at the classic Canadian layout. “Obviously having the Canadian Open next year, it’s going to be a great golf course,” he said. “It’s so hard so I really didn’t have a number in mind. My experience in these Mondays … you never know what it takes. “I was 1 over through nine and I knew I had to get it going. With how tough it was playing and with the wind and the golf course in general, I knew I was still in it. I was happy to play really well on the back nine and … I honestly can’t believe it.” Flavin has played five PGA TOUR events this season and has earned 76 non-member FedExCup points. He’ll qualify for the Korn Ferry Tour Finals if he can earn an amount of points greater than or equal to No. 200 on this season’s FedExCup points list after the Wyndham Championship. Bronson Burgoon, who has 80 points, currently sits 200th in the FedExCup standings. Flavin says he usually gets “distracted” by having to arrange logistics and the travel while playing a schedule of Monday qualifiers, but earning enough Non-Member FedExCup points remains “the carrot” he’s chasing. And so far, he’s doing a solid job with that chase. “I’ve gotten into a really nice mentality of enjoying the competition and enjoying the grind of it,” he said. “I don’t think there is a better feeling in the world than Monday qualifying because you’ve accomplished something that’s so hard, and you still have the tournament to look forward to. It’s a dream come true. I’m thrilled.” Here’s a capsule look at the four Monday qualifiers for this week’s RBC Canadian Open. Patrick Flavin (68) Age: 26 Hometown: Chicago, Illinois Alma mater: Miami (Ohio) PGA TOUR starts: 6 Cuts made: 3 Best PGA TOUR finish: T17, 2022 Butterfield Bermuda Championship Notes: 3-for-5 in made cuts this season on the PGA TOUR. He Monday qualified into the Butterfield Bermuda Championship (T17) and Puerto Rico Open (T22), and he received a sponsor exemption into the Corales Puntacana Championship (T54) … Sat T8 through 54 holes in Bermuda this season … Finished No. 6 on 2019 PGA TOUR Latinoamerica Order of Merit … Recorded two top-10s in 13 starts on 2020-21 Korn Ferry Tour … Currently holds 76 non-member FedExCup points, which would currently place him No. 204 in the season-long standings, as he chases a top-200 position that would gain Korn Ferry Tour Finals entry in August. Braden Thornberry (69; advanced in 4-for-3 playoff) Age: 25 Hometown: Germantown, Tennessee Alma mater: Mississippi PGA TOUR starts: 9 Cuts made: 4 Best PGA TOUR finish: T4, 2017 FedEx St. Jude Classic Notes: Best TOUR finish came as an amateur, the same year he won the NCAA individual title and Haskins Award as college golf’s player of the year … Was a member of the 2017 U.S. Walker Cup team that also included Scottie Scheffler, Collin Morikawa, Cameron Champ and a handful more TOUR players … Was an 11-time winner while at Ole Miss … Finished No. 57 on the Korn Ferry Tour Regular Season Points List in 2020-21 season. Brad Adamonis (69; advanced in 4-for-3 playoff) Age: 49 Hometown: Cumberland, Rhode Island Alma mater: Miami (Ohio) PGA TOUR starts: 72 Cuts made: 28 Best PGA TOUR finish: T2, 2008 John Deere Classic Notes: Rookie season on the PGA TOUR was 2002 … Has one victory on the Korn Ferry Tour (WNB Golf Classic, 2007) … Lost in a playoff to Kenny Perry at the 2008 John Deere Classic … Last appearance on the PGA TOUR was the Valspar Championship in 2021 … Turns 50 and will be eligible for PGA TOUR Champions in January. Jeffrey Kang (69; advanced in 4-for-3 playoff) Age: 30 Hometown: Los Angeles, California Alma mater: University of Southern California PGA TOUR starts: 2 Cuts made: 0 Notes: Finished T7 at the season-opener on PGA TOUR Canada last week … Made first career TOUR start at the WM Phoenix Open (also Monday qualified). Earned his spot in the field on the 10th playoff hole … Won 2018 Chengdu Championship on PGA TOUR Series-China, one of six top-25s in 14 starts that season … Has made three Korn Ferry Tour starts.

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