Live leaderboard: Moving day at St. Jude Classic

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Thursday’s first round at the Wyndham Championship started poorly for Brandt Snedeker, as he snap-hooked a 3-wood off the 10th tee, leaving him on the wrong side of the cart path left of the fairway. It was 7:40 a.m. at Sedgefield Country Club, and already he was in scramble mode. Not to worry. His next 58 shots were of significantly higher quality. The final stroke was a birdie putt from 20 feet, 4 inches, just off the fringe and below the hole at the par-4 ninth, and it put Snedeker in the record book with the 10th round of 59-or-better on the PGA TOUR. Thanks to his opening bogey, Snedeker’s 59 is the first in which a player was over-par at any point of the round. “Crazy day,� he said, still wrapping his head around the 11-under round — and an 8-under 27 coming in — that left him with a substantial first-round lead. On one hand, it’s not surprising that Snedeker joined the 59 Club. You might even make the argument that it was inevitable, given that when he heats up, he runs hotter than most. He’s shown that on several occasions, most notably the third round of the 2012 HSBC Champions in China, when he reached the 18th hole with a chance to shoot the first 59 on the European Tour. He couldn’t convert the birdie putt, leaving him with a 60 — still tied for the lowest score on that tour. He also showed early in his TOUR career that he can go super-low. In just the eighth round of his first full season in 2007, he shot an opening 61 at Torrey Pines North that included seven birdies and an eagle for a 27 in his first nine holes. Of the TOUR’s 13 nine-hole scores of 27-or-better, Snedeker is the only player to do it twice (Corey Pavin is the only one to record a 26). He knows how to produce lots of birdies. In three of the previous seven seasons, he’s finished inside the top 10 on TOUR in birdie average. Most of the damage he does with his flatstick. “That putter,� said his caddie, Travis Perkins, not feeling the need to elaborate. Plus, it’s no surprise that Snedeker went low at Wyndham. Of his three previous career-low rounds of 61 on TOUR, one of those was at Sedgefield in 2015. And his lowest final round on TOUR was also in the Wyndham, albeit at Forest Oaks in 2007. He shot a 63 that Sunday to win his first TOUR event. On the other hand, Snedeker entered this week hardly in the best shape to shoot a 59. His last win was two years ago. His eight missed cuts this season are in his most since 2011, and he’d only finished top-3 just once in 22 starts, last month at The Greenbrier. He tried to convince himself that his game was coming around, but he acknowledged on Wednesday that it has been a frustrating season, that his hard work on the range had yet to be rewarded. His play during the pro-am was nothing to get excited about. “As much as I tried to positive self-talk myself into playing good, I didn’t see 59 coming today, to be honest with you,� Snedeker said. “But I kind of found something late yesterday on the golf course that kind of built on what I was working on earlier in the week.� Even later that night, he was on the range at Sedgefield. He hit five balls, was thrilled that his swing seemed to be properly syncing up, and called it an evening. He left thinking he could take an aggressive approach into Thursday. He didn’t let the wayward opening tee shot derail him. He rolled in a putt from 26 feet, 3 inches for birdie at the 13th and followed with a birdie from practically the same distance on the next hole. Two more birdies immediately followed, but the key stroke might have been his bunker shot at the 18th. He blasted to within 8 feet and made the putt for par. “Probably not many guys are going to get up-and-down out of that bunker today,� Snedeker said. “It’s just a death place to be. Hit a great bunker shot and to make that putt to keep the momentum going.� Said Perkins: “He made a couple of long putts, but he wasn’t hitting it that great. Then something clicked right as we made the turn.� Indeed. His approach at No. 1 finished inside 4 feet. Birdie. His approach at No. 2 finished inside 2-1/2 feet. Birdie. His tee shot at No. 3 finished inside 5-1/2 feet. Birdie. His third shot to the par-5 fifth finished inside 2-1/2 feet. Birdie. “You can see why I shot 59,� Snedeker said, smiling. “I had a lot of tap-ins.� Then came the par-4 sixth. He didn’t even need his putter. From 176 yards on his approach shot, he cut a 7-iron and the ball sailed into the hole for eagle. He didn’t even see it go in; in fact, he didn’t realize it until he reached the green. Once there, he also realized his ball had “destroyed the cup a little bit.� Damage to the cup forced tournament officials to first, try to fix the issue (to no avail), then eventually moving the cup 18-20 inches. Snedeker was now 9 under through 15 holes. The unusual delay as the hole was re-cut allowed him to take an emotional breather and contemplate his legitimate chase at history. “I’ve got two birdie holes left I know of — that’s 8 and 9,� Snedeker recalled. “It’s not crazy to shoot 59. Like that’s why we’re here. Let’s keep going. Don’t be complacent now because you’re 9-under par. Take advantage of the opportunity.� Which he did with a 5-iron to inside 3 feet at the par-3 seventh. Now he was 10 under and headed to the shortest and easiest par-4 on the course, the 352-yard eighth. At that point, playing partner Billy Horschel figured 59 was now inevitable. “Almost made a hole-in-one,� Horschel said. “Oh my gosh, he’s going to shoot 59. This is awesome.� Actually, 59 was no longer the biggest target. Snedeker now had a shot at joining Jim Furyk, the only player on TOUR to shoot 58. He turned to Perkins and said simply, “C’mon, two more.� His approach at the eighth finished inside 3 feet. Another tap-in, right? Only this time, he missed the delicate birdie putt. “We left it on the wrong side of the hole,� Perkins said. “It was downhill, right to left. That was a tough putt to make.� The missed putt could have easily been the momentum killer, an emotional deflater. Snedeker refused to let it carry over to his final hole. “Try to tell myself, listen, it’s not the end of the world,� Snedeker recalled. “You still have a birdie hole left. I kind of had in my mind if I make this putt, I’ve got one more birdie to shoot 58 and tie Jim Furyk for 58. “So when I missed the putt, I got a little disappointed right away, but I said, you know what, if I hit the fairway on 9, I’m going to have a birdie opportunity. I’m going to figure out a way to get it done.� So he found the fairway, then hit a 9-iron that left his ball clinging on the fringe. It was uphill, right to left, into the green. Snedeker could be aggressive with the putt. He told himself one thing. You’re not going to leave this thing short. You don’t know when this is going to happen again. His stroke was solid and pure. The ball was still 6 feet from the cup, but he knew it was going to fall. He knew 59 would be the number written on his scorecard. He celebrated with handshakes and hugs from both playing partners, Horschel and Hideki Matsuyama. Horschel had never seen a 59 in person. His smile was almost as big as Snedeker’s. “I was jacked up for him,� Horschel said. “I said, ‘Oh dude, that was awesome. Special playing.’ I was thrilled. I mean, I was speechless.� Snedeker wasn’t speechless. More like satisfied. An opportunity had presented itself — and now he was in the record books. “It’s very rare out here when you have something you’re trying to do and you step up with this pressure and all the stuff on you and you do it,� he said. “You hit the shots you’re supposed to hit and you make the putts you’re supposed to do. “If you don’t get excited for that, then you need to find another job.�

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Fabián Gómez couldn’t think straight. In any normal circumstance, the two-time PGA TOUR winner would have been focused on a second consecutive top-25 finish. A first-round 67 at the John Deere Classic had once again propelled him into contention, and another solid week could push him into the conversation for the FedExCup Playoffs. And yet, his mind was elsewhere. Patito. As the Argentine stalked the sixth fairway at TPC Deere Run, a lifetime of memories began flooding back. From their first steps together in Chaco, Argentina, to the moments they shared in elementary school and beyond, everything led Gómez back to one of his closest friends and confidants. Mere hours before starting the second round of the John Deere Classic, Gómez received the heartbreaking news that his friend, Hugo “Patito” Aguirre had died in Argentina. He was the latest victim of COVID-19. The 42-year-old did his best to play through the pain. But when the inevitable eventually arrived, and Gómez just couldn’t bear it anymore, he began to cry on the sixth green. His playing partners, Josh Teater and Cameron Percy, didn’t quite understand what was happening. Gómez decided there was no point in continuing, the pain too great to keep going without any source of comfort around him. He explained the situation to his colleagues and withdrew from the tournament. This week, the Argentine paid tribute to his friend at the Barbasol Championship, where he donated $500 for each birdie he made at Keene Trace Golf Club toward the Aguirre family. The Argentine forged a deep, personal relationship with Aguirre, and—understanding the economic needs his wife, Carina, and their two young daughters now face—knew this was the best way he could provide for his friend. “The idea came that Friday night, and I liked it because I really wanted to play well for him,” Gómez said Friday morning. “I have a double motivation, to not only go out and make birdies but to play to win.” Gómez opened the Barbasol Championship with a 3-under 69, which included four birdies. He struggled on Friday en route to a 2-over 74, but three more birdies still managed to bring his total donation to $3,500 for the week. “(Thursday) wasn’t a very good day with all of the suspensions,” Gómez said prior to Friday’s round, “but the thought was always on making birdies, because I know I’m playing for him and his family.” Gómez and Aguirre were together for most of their lives. They lived just a few blocks away from the famed Chaco Golf Club in Northeast Argentina, an area of high temperatures and sparse economic resources but with ample will to get ahead. In addition to Gómez, Chaco Golf Club has produced PGA TOUR winners in José Cóceres and Emiliano Grillo. The two friends took their first swings on that course, where they began to love the game and learn its secrets by carrying clubs every time they left for school. Aguirre was the first to pursue bigger opportunities, eventually moving to Los Cardales, some 40 miles north of Buenos Aires. He then successfully encouraged Fabián to join him under the lure of the countless golf courses in the area that could help his transition to professional golf. Every Monday, the pair had an almost obligatory appointment together at the nearby La Orquídea Golf Club, where Aguirre had gotten a job as a “Master-Caddie.” As the years went by and Gómez began to make a name for himself among South American professionals, the club became not just Gómez’s home course, but a seemingly second home for he and Patito to make memories together. Gómez hopes to pay Patito back once more at La Orquídea, where he plans to organize a benefit tournament in the future. “I am going to collect different golf prizes in the tournaments that I play from now on,” he said. “I do not think I will be able to travel to it due to the pandemic in my country and all of the flights being canceled, but I plan to send them prizes.” Gómez, of course, was destined for bigger things. A successful PGA TOUR career, which has culminated in more than 200 events across nine seasons, eventually led him to settle in Miami in 2017, far away from his people and his good friend. But every time he had the chance to return to Argentina, he always reserved time for an “asado” (barbecue) with his buddy Patito. Now, after processing the immediate grief of his longtime friend and confidant, Gómez will look for more ways to help erase the burden Aguirre’s family faces. He’ll do it all for his best friend. That alone is of enormous value. He’ll do it for Patito.

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NICHOLASVILLE, Ky. — J.T. Poston shot a bogey-free 6-under 66 on Friday to take the second-round lead in the PGA TOUR’s Barbasol Championship. RELATED: Louis Oosthuizen goes low to lead The Open Championship | Leaderboard Poston had a 13-under 131 total at rain-soaked Keene Trace in the tournament that was delayed twice Thursday because of rain and lightning. Because of the wet conditions, players were allowed to use preferred lies in the fairways. “It’s been really good,” Poston said. “Just ball-striking’s been a lot better than I’d say it has been the last few months. Just nice to give myself a lot of looks. They’re bent greens, it’s soft. Hit the ball close to the hole and you can make a few putts, too.” Poston had late birdies on the par-4 seventh and par-5 eighth in the round that began on No. 10. The 28-year-old former Western Carolina player won the 2019 Wyndham Championship in Greensboro for his lone PGA TOUR title. He’s comfortable on Keene Trace’s greens. “They’re a lot like what I grew up on in Hickory, North Carolina,” Poston said. “They’re bent and they’re about the same speed as what I’m probably used to when I was a kid. Just kind of brings back some good memories of putting on that putting green growing up. It just feels normal to me.” Ryan Armour and Joseph Bramlett were a stroke back, each shooting 67. “It was softer today,” Armour said. “Definitely that rain yesterday afternoon, the two rain delays we had, I was not getting any bounce on the driver, it was kind of hit and plug, which I would love it if it would bounce a little more, the length I hit it, but I’m still able to get to three of the par 5s, which is good for me.” Brian Stuard, tied for the first-round lead after a 64, shot a 69 to drop into a tie for fourth at 11 under with Taylor Pendrith (68), Luke List (68) and Seamus Power (68). “Today, obviously, wasn’t quite as good,” Stuard said. “I didn’t think I hit my irons as well as I did yesterday, but hung in there nicely and was able to kind of put together a good score, which is good.” Pendrith finished his late afternoon round in the rain. Defending champion Jim Herman was 7 under after a 70. He won in 2019, and the event was canceled last year. Will Grimmer, tied with Stuard for the lead after wrapping up an opening 64 in the morning, shot a 74 in the second round to drop to 6 under. Wilco Nienaber, the big-hitting South African who received a foreign exemption to play, had a 71 to get to 5 under. John Daly missed the cut with rounds of 76 and 70.

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