Lewis, English share lead at The Honda Classic

HILTON HEAD, S.C. – It’s really no surprise to see Luke Donald playing well at the RBC Heritage. After all, Donald has finished among the top three in seven of the last 10 tournaments at Harbour Town Golf Links. And Thursday’s 70 was his 29th sub-par tally in his last 39 trips around the challenging Pete Dye creation. But Donald left last year’s RBC Heritage in what he called “terribleâ€� pain, the herniated L4 and L5 disks in the 40-year-old’s back contributing to a rare missed cut at the tournament. And Donald didn’t tee it up again on the PGA TOUR until eight months later at the Sony Open in Hawaii. “I just decided after this week I need to get it looked at,â€� Donald said. “I thought if I kept pushing it and pushing it, then it might lead to something worse and go down that surgery kind of case, which I didn’t want to go down.â€� So, the first treatment Donald tried was stem cell therapy with platelet-rich plasma injections.  The stem cells were taken from his hip, spun with blood and injected into his back. He couldn’t hit balls for three months as doctors waited for the treatment to take hold. Only, it didn’t. “It’s meant to kind of help regenerate the disk,â€� Donald said. “… But it didn’t really have much effect — even on the MRI it didn’t really show much of a difference after three months. “So, it was disappointing.â€� Then Donald went to what he calls a “stretching guru.â€� He worked with that therapist for several months but still didn’t experience the kind of relief he wanted. Related: Lowry cards bogey-free 65 | Featured Groups, tee times | Insider: Big week for small ball | Kisner keeps perspective as lifelong friend battles tumor Next up was more traditional physiotherapy that focused on strengthening his core muscles and “creating a little bit of space in that areaâ€� of his back. Four months in, Donald is seeing good results – on and off the golf course. “I’ve done the work now and should be — fingers crossed — in a good place,â€� Donald said.   The RBC Heritage is just Donald’s fourth start of the 2018-19 PGA TOUR season. He is playing on a major medical extension with 15 starts to earn enough FedExCup points to retain full membership. So far, Donald’s results have been a mixed bag. He’s missed the cut in two events but tied for ninth at the Valspar Championship where he shot 4 under for the week. Donald’s fifth and most recent TOUR victory came on that same Copperhead Course in 2012. So maybe this week’s return to Harbour Town will bring similarly strong results for the former world No. 1. “I’ve given myself a lot of opportunities and being up in contention and had a lot of chances to win and had some very high finishes here,â€� said Donald, who was 2 over on the par 5s Thursday but also had five birdies. “I like this course because a lot of the bigger guys are maybe not hitting as many drivers as I am. So, I’m hitting some of the same clubs into these greens and a lot of short irons and it’s a fiddly course, too. You have to really guide your way around it. And I like that like it has some strategy.â€�

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WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. — Joaquin Niemann was an 18-year-old amateur when he arrived in West Virginia two years ago and tied for 29th in the only PGA TOUR event he played outside of the U.S. Open. In 2018, he improved to a tie for fifth at the tournament. Now he has a chance to become the first player from Chile to win on TOUR. Niemann shot a 2-under 68 on Saturday to take a two-stroke lead in A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier. The 20-year-old Niemann was 15 under with a round left in the season-opening event at the Old White TPC. “I just feel like I’m almost a member here,” Niemann said. “I just like being out here. Always when you play on a course that you know already it helps a lot. I think this is the course I have played more on tour.” Niemann had a bogey and three birdies, including a 4-foot putt on the par-5 17th. “I’m just really happy the way I’ve been playing,” Niemann said. “This course is really good for me.” No third-round leader has gone on to win the tournament. Nate Lashley, Richy Werenski and Robby Shelton were tied for second at 13 under. Lashley and Werenski shot 65, and Shelton had a 70. Adam Long and Scotty Scheffler were 12 under. Long shot 70, and Scheffler had a 71. Lashley’s story is well known by now. In 2004 his parents and girlfriend were killed in a plane crash in Wyoming. After resuming his career in the PGA TOUR’s minor leagues, he won his first tour title at the inaugural Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit in June after slipping into the field as an alternate. “My mentality is I’m definitely a lot more relaxed,” Lashley said. “I’m just playing, just trying to take that as experience, the way I played in Detroit. You know, I really just kind of kept to myself that week and really just focused and tried to block everything else out. I feel like I’ve done a good job of that so far.” Lashley made bogeys after finding the rough on the par-4 11th and the greenside bunker on the par-3 15th. He chipped in for eagle from 36 feet at No. 17. His tee shot on the 179-yard 18th came as thunderstorms arrived in the area and play was suspended for about 50 minutes. Upon returning, Lashley three-putted from 70 feet. Werensky finished No. 126 in the FedExCup standings last season, one spot from qualifying for the Playoffs. He got his PGA TOUR card back for this season in the Korn Ferry Tour Finals. Werensky said that he didn’t get discouraged after missing the Playoffs. Heading into the Korn Ferry Finals, “I had like a, I don’t want to say an epiphany, but just like, `Hey, man just chill out. Relax. I know I’m good enough.” Shelton was tied for the lead with Niemann and Scheffler after the second round. Shelton was 2 over for the day until making birdies at the par-5 12th and par-4 14th. He hopes to use his two wins on the Korn Ferry Tour last season to help stay calm Sunday. “You got to be super patient,” he said. “I mean, it’s hard to do, but hopefully I can manage my nerves tomorrow.” Kevin Chappell couldn’t capitalize on the 11-under 59 he shot Friday, the 11th sub-60 round in tour history. He had a 73 on Saturday and was eight strokes behind Niemann.

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