Leaderboard: Round 2 of Genesis Open

With the Korn Ferry Tour season behind us and the end of the PGA TOUR offseason rapidly approaching, graduates from The 25 and The Finals 25 are gearing up for the first event of the 2019-20 season, A Military Tribute at the Greenbrier. Rookies from this graduating class should feel confident in their games translating to the next level, as last season saw three rookies win on TOUR after graduating via The 25 or The Finals 25. Last season’s The 25 winner, Sungjae Im, parlayed his fully exempt status on TOUR into a spot in the TOUR Championship and eventual T19 finish on the FedExCup. Here are the top-10 PGA TOUR rookies to watch, after successfully earning 2019-20 TOUR membership via the 2019 Korn Ferry Tour. 1. Viktor Hovland. The star-in-the-making out of Oklahoma State was one of the top storylines this summer after turning professional. Along with Matthew Wolff and Collin Morikawa, Hovland became a household name over the last six weeks of the PGA TOUR Regular Season, highlighted by a fourth-place finish at the Wyndham Championship. Unlike his compadres, Hovland failed to earn a TOUR card prior to the FedExCup Playoffs and proceeded to the Korn Ferry Tour Finals. It didn’t take the 21-year-old long to join Wolff and Morikawa, however, as he finished T11-T2 in the first two Finals events to solidify his TOUR status. BEST 2019 RESULT: 4 (Wyndham Championship) 2. Scottie Scheffler. There was no player on the Korn Ferry Tour who played as high-level, consistent golf in 2019 as Scheffler. The University of Texas graduate racked up two wins, 10 top-10s and missed just four cuts over the course of the season. He also led the Tour in birdies and scoring average during his rookie campaign, taking the No. 1 spot on both The 25 and The Finals 25 to earn fully exempt status on TOUR next season. BEST 2019 RESULT: WON (Evans Scholars Invitational, Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship) 3. Kristoffer Ventura. Ventura began the season with conditional status on the Korn Ferry Tour after playing poorly at Q-School as a result of an appendectomy. He made only one start prior to June, before a T3 finish at the BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by SYNNEX Corporation set up his season. After that, the 24-year-old went on a tear, winning twice in a four-week span and adding another third-place finish at the Regular Season finale. Now the Norwegian reunites with his former college teammates Wolff and Hovland for his rookie PGA TOUR campaign. BEST 2019 RESULT:  WON (Utah Championship presented by Zions Bank, Pinnacle Bank Championship presented by Chevrolet) 4. Tom Lewis. Lewis’ time on the Korn Ferry Tour was short lived, but he made it count. The Englishman decided at the eleventh hour to play in the Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by United Leasing & Finance — his first and only start on the Korn Ferry Tour –  and proceeded to win the event by five strokes. The win secured the No. 63 player in the world a PGA TOUR card and leaves him with plenty of options for the 2019-20 season as he also has status on the European Tour. BEST 2019 RESULT: WON (Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by United Leasing & Finance) 5. Harry Higgs. The affable Higgs picked up where he left off after winning the PGA Tour Latinoamérica Order of Merit in 2018. Armed with a silky putting stroke, deft touch around the greens and his signature Wayfarer sunglasses, Higgs had an excellent rookie season on the Korn Ferry Tour in which he only missed four cuts (just one coming after May) and culminated with a win at the Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr Pepper. Higgs’ consistency will serve him well at the next level. BEST 2019 RESULT: WON (Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr Pepper) 6. Doug Ghim. Ghim provided one of the lasting images of the Korn Ferry Tour season as he unleashed a huge fist pump after making a putt on the 72nd hole of the Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by United Leasing & Finance to secure his first PGA TOUR card. The former Masters low amateur played steady golf all season, ranking 14th in scoring average, but struggled to lock up his card coming down the stretch of the Regular Season. But three-straight solid weeks during the Finals were enough to get Ghim to the next level. BEST 2019 RESULT: T3 (Country Club de Bogota Championship) 7. Maverick McNealy. McNealy had a solid season in 2019 after an up-and-down 2018 rookie campaign on the Korn Ferry Tour. The Stanford alum hovered around a spot in The 25 all season before a third-place finish at the Ellie Mae Classic at TPC Stonebrae propelled him solidly into The 25. A made cut was all he needed at the Regular Season finale to earn a spot on the PGA TOUR. BEST 2019 RESULT: 2 (LECOM Suncoast Classic) 8. Michael Gligic. The 29-year-old has been a professional for 11 years, but in 2019 Gligic finally broke through and got to the PGA TOUR. On the strength of a win in Panama early in the season, the Canadian was able to lock up his card several weeks before the end of the Regular Season. BEST 2019 RESULT: WON (Panama Championship) 9. Scott Harrington. Was there a better story in golf in 2019 than Harrington securing his first PGA TOUR card at his hometown event, the WinCo Foods Portland Open presented by KraftHeinz? The hug he shared with his wife Jenn — who was diagnosed with cancer in 2018 — on the 18th green at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club will be replayed for years to come. After taking time off in 2018 to be with Jenn, the 38-year-old Harrington came back in 2019 with a strong campaign that included four top-10s. None proved more important than the second-place finish in Portland, however, as he locked up his first TOUR card. BEST 2019 RESULT: 2 (WinCo Foods Portland Open presented by KraftHeinz) 10. Ben Taylor. After coming up short of a TOUR card in 2018 despite an early-season win, Taylor was able to get the job done in the Finals with a T2 finish at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship. Taylor had a solid showing on the 2019 Korn Ferry Tour with nine top-25s, and he ranked inside the top-50 in putting average and birdies. BEST 2019 RESULT: T2 (Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship)

Click here to read the full article…

PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. – Graeme McDowell was being interviewed on Sky Sports this week when the UK network posted a graphic showing his track record at Riviera. “Didn’t make for very great reading,� G-Mac said. “I was like, ‘Please, switch that off.’� In five previous trips to this week’s Genesis Open host course, McDowell has three missed cuts and a best result of T-41. Of those first 14 rounds, just two were in the 60s. The results are surprising given that Riviera is Hogan’s Alley, a course that should favor shotmakers such as McDowell. Although recent winners like defending champ Dustin Johnson and two-time champ Bubba Watson are among the TOUR’s longest hitters, McDowell doesn’t consider Riviera a bomber’s course – at least not this week. He said the dry weather has firmed up the course, forcing the big hitters to scale back and giving the shorter hitters such as G-Mac a chance to succeed in tougher scoring conditions. He’s making the most of it. Through two rounds, McDowell is 7 under, his 5-under 66 on Friday vaulting him into a tie with first-round co-leader Patrick Cantlay and Sam Saunders, who still has three holes left before finishing his second round. The 66 ties for G-Mac’s lowest round in his last 21 TOUR starts. “This is the first real dry year I can remember being here for the last four or five, and I think the firmness of the golf course is taking guys by surprise,� McDowell said. “… Historically, I’ve played well in tough setups. I’m relishing the opportunity to continue playing this tough set-up this week. I like my game plan; I’ve just got to keep executing.� The confidence is good to hear from McDowell, who entered this week ranked 219th in the world. After he won the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach in 2010, he was ranked 13th and eventually rose to sixth. The last few years have been discouraging – his last top-3 finish was third place at The RSM Classic in 2015. “Of course, it’s tough to fight off,� McDowell said. “This game is very difficult and you do ask yourself some deep, dark questions sometimes.� His goal now is to stay out of his own way and not dwell on the negatives. He calls it “Dustin Johnson golf.� “Have that carefree attitude, have that ‘I’m really good at this game’ and get out of your own way and let your talent come through a little bit,� G-Mac explained. “I might try and keep that going this weekend. He’s pretty good.� CALL OF THE DAY Notables Considering his hot hand, Sam Saunders could be forgiven if he wanted to play through the darkness Friday. He was on fire when the horn sounded, having birdied six of his last eight holes to grab a share of the lead. But Saunders was fine with the suspension of play. “I knew going into today that I wasn’t going to finish, so I didn’t even try,� he said. “… It was nice to finish those last few holes in the dark with some birdies out there.� Saunders has three holes left and will resume play at 10:15 a.m. ET (7:15 a.m. local). Just five missed greens through the first two rounds for Patrick Cantlay seems like a good way to eliminate the stress on the tree-lined Riviera layout. “I’m hitting it really well right now,� said Cantlay, whose 2-under 69 on Friday included a string of three consecutive birdies. “Ball’s coming out of the middle of the clubface and it’s going where I’m looking. It’s always nice to play golf like that. I really feel comfortable with the golf course and how I feel about the course and how I’m hitting it. I’m really not surprised.� When Bubba Watson won at Riviera for the first time in 2014, he was bogey-free for his last 45 holes. Two years later, he had a bogey-free second round en route to another win. Watson hasn’t been bogey-free this week, but he has put together a couple of solid scores (68-70) to give himself a chance going into the weekend at 4 under. “Around here, it’s very difficult,� Watson said when asked about playing bogey-free golf at Riviera. “You know, there was a great champion that went bogey-free on the weekend one time.� A slight smile ensued. Yes, it was a self-reference. Tiger Woods’ mother Kultida was in the gallery Friday following her son, who missed the cut after shooting a 5-over 76. “It was nice to have her out there. She misses it,� Woods said. “She’s seen me go through the struggles and for her only child to go through those struggles was a little rough on her. So she’s very proud of me getting back out there and playing, and she’s very excited about it.� The other two members of Woods’ group are lurking entering the weekend. Justin Thomas shot an even-par 71 and is 2 under; Rory McIlroy also is at 2 under after a 69 when he birdied two of his last six holes. “Hit the ball really well the last nine holes yesterday and then 18 today, so last 27 I played really nicely,� McIlroy said. Defending champ Dustin Johnson shot a 2-under 69 and is 1 over for the tournament. He’ll likely make the cut but he has some work to do this weekend. Jordan Spieth, meanwhile, is 1 under after his 70. With 15 players yet to complete their second rounds, the third round will be played in threesomes off split tees beginning at approximately 11:30 a.m. ET (8:30 a.m. local). QUOTABLES No one’s getting away out there. It’s very tricky. It’s very U.S. Open-like conditions. … It’s sort of anyone’s tournament right now.I may or may not have taped a Jay Leno Garage show, went and saw who I consider a friend of mine, Ellen, and then went over and watched a taping of Big Bang (Theory). So there’s some other things we’re doing besides the All-Star Game that nobody knows about, but it’s been a blast. When you come here, it’s Hollywood. I mean, do stuff, you know? Let’s have some fun and enjoy life.I dreamt of winning everywhere. Superlatives Lowest round – Graeme McDowell and Austin Cook each shot 5-under 66s. Scott Stallings is also at 5 under on his round and still has two holes left after play was suspended for darkness. Longest drive – Tony Finau had a 375-yard drive at the 18th and made par. Longest putt – Adam Scott (who started his round on the 10th tee) rolled in a putt of 76 feet, 7 inches on the par-5 first for birdie. On his previous hole, the 18th, he made a putt of 21 feet, 5 inches. Hardest hole – The 495-yard par-4 12th played to a stroke average of 4.387, yielding just seven birdies against 48 bogeys, 4 double bogeys and 2 others. Easiest hole – The 511-yard par-5 first also played to a stroke average of 4.387, with nine eagles and 76 birdies against 5 bogeys and 1 double bogey. Bogey-free rounds – Martin Kaymer (67) and Cameron Smith (68). Scott Stallings, still on the course, is also bogey-free.

Click here to read the full article…

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Justin Rose was happy enough to still have the lead Friday at the Masters Tournament, even if only by a fraction on a day when Augusta National was more forgiving and he had to rally just to shoot par. RELATED: Leaderboard | Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy among big names to miss Masters weekend The two players right behind had reason to be thrilled just to be at the Masters. One of them was Brian Harman, barely inside the top 100 in the world a month ago until two good weeks changed his fortunes. The other was 24-year-old Will Zalatoris, who recently was playing on the Korn Ferry Tour and doesn’t have a full PGA TOUR card. “I wanted to be here my entire life,” Zalatoris said after birdies on his last three holes for a 4-under 68. “Some people shy away from that, but I’m excited to be here. There’s no reason to feel intimidated now. I made it to here. And obviously, the job is not done by any means.” The job is over for defending champion Dustin Johnson, who bogeyed three of his last four holes for a 75 to miss the cut by two shots. For everyone else, it’s just getting started. Ten players were within three shots of Rose, who had a 72 and was at 7-under 137. That group included former Masters champion Jordan Spieth, who is coming off a victory last week in the Valero Texas Open and is starting to look like the Spieth of old, even at age 27. “Having made a triple and five over-par holes through two rounds, I feel pretty good about being at 5 under,” Spieth said after a 68. The group three shots behind included Si Woo Kim, who played the final four holes without a putter that he broke out of frustration. After a three-putt bogey on the 14th and a chip that nearly ran off the green at the 15th, he jammed the head of the club into the turf and damaged it. Kim used a fairway metal to close with four pars and a 69. Asked if he had a backup putter, Kim replied, “No. I don’t want to answer anymore. Sorry.” Rose was staked to a four-shot lead at the start of a warm, overcast day and it was gone after seven holes. He didn’t drop a shot the rest of the way, picked up three birdies on the back nine and salvaged the day. “Just a classic day at Augusta National when you’re slightly off,” Rose said. “I kind of told myself going up the eighth hole, `You’re leading the Masters.’ Your frame of reference is a little bit different to yesterday. Four ahead is something, but you’re still leading. So just enjoy it and keep it going.” The course played to an average score of 72.2, compared with 74.5 for the opening round. There were 35 rounds under par compared with 12 on the first day. Bernd Wiesberger of Austria and Tony Finau each had 66 to get within three shots. Marc Leishman had a 67 and joined Spieth just two shots behind. Justin Thomas missed a short par putt on the final hole and shot 67. He also was three shots behind. The wild card in all this is Zalatoris, built like a 1-iron and already renowned for his ball striking. His late run began with a 9-iron to a back right pin on the par-3 16th to 10 feet and ended with a wedge from 138 yards on the 18th to 5 feet that put him in the final group on the weekend at Augusta. Born in San Francisco, he grew up in Dallas and played some of his best when golf was shut down during the pandemic. Zalatoris was on the Korn Ferry Tour, and when golf resumed, he had five straight finishes in the top six, including his first victory. That got him into the U.S. Open, where he tied for sixth. Now he has temporary PGA TOUR membership and is among the top 50 in the world, getting him into the Masters. That’s why he talks of an “attitude of gratitude.” Zalatoris also is a quick study with a long memory. He grew up with the kids of former PGA champion Lanny Wadkins, and took in tales of Wadkins and his 23 times playing the Masters. One story Zalatoris heard when he was 14 years old came in handy on the par-3 12th hole. “He just said that whenever it’s into the wind … it just doesn’t really affect the ball as much,” Zalatoris said. “And when it’s downwind, that’s where guys tend to struggle.” The wind was about 10 mph into him and out of the left, 153 yards to the hole. He hit a shot that normally goes 152 yards and it carried 150. It helped that he made a 35-foot putt for birdie. Now he heads into the weekend at a major that is up for grabs for so many players, minus Johnson, Rory McIlroy, Brooks Koepka and Patrick Cantlay, who all missed the cut. It has been 42 years since Fuzzy Zoeller became the most recent player to win the Masters on his first try. Right there with Zalatoris is another Dallas resident — Spieth, finding his form at a major where he has a victory, two runner-up finishes and third place in seven appearances. He thought he could win at Augusta even before he won last week in Texas. “I’m in position now to think that for sure,” Spieth said. “But at the halfway point, I would have been pleased with being two back.”

Click here to read the full article…