Live leaderboard: Play resumes at Pebble Beach

NORTH BERWICK, Scotland – Some players’ tee shots struggled to reach the fairway. Long-irons and woods were needed to get within shouting distance of the green … on par-4s. The most recent major champion watched an approach shot sail on the wind and land on the wrong green. After a morning that was docile enough to have one player dreaming of a sub-60 round, the afternoon of the Genesis Scottish Open was a struggle as the winds gusted off the Firth of Forth. Collin Morikawa didn’t hesitate when asked about the wildest shot he saw. It wasn’t one he hit and it barely got airborne, but it came to rest in a most unlikely spot. Matt Fitzpatrick and Will Zalatoris may have been separated by just a single shot in last month’s U.S. Open but their balls on the par-5 16th on Thursday were separated by the most miniscule of margins. Zalatoris’ chip on rolled across the green before hitting the hole. It slowed down until coming to rest atop the poker chip that Fitzpatrick uses to mark his ball. It was odd enough of an occurrence that Morikawa’s caddie, J.J. Jakovac, got down on one knee to snap a photo with his phone. In the morning, Cameron Tringale parred his final three holes for a 9-under 61 that gave him a three-shot lead. With the winds relatively manageable, Morikawa and Jakovac decided to leave the 5-wood in the bag instead of the lower-flying option of a 2-iron. “The 2-iron would have come in handy on the back nine,” Morikawa said with a smile. The Renaissance Club’s second half offers the best vistas of the Firth of Forth but that beauty also makes it brawny, leaving it more exposed to the high winds that are a trademark of golf in the game’s birthplace. This is the fourth edition of the Genesis Scottish Open played at The Renaissance Club. The first three were defined by benign conditions and low scores. The course fought back Thursday afternoon. A 66 from Kurt Kitayama was the best round from the afternoon wave by two shots. Only six players who teed off in the latter half of the draw shot under par, and only two shot lower than 69. Thirty-two players were in the red in the morning. The late starters’ scoring average of 73.5 was more than three strokes higher than the scoring average for the morning wave. Rickie Fowler, the 2015 Scottish Open champion, was among those who shot 69 in the afternoon. His 6-iron on the 147-yard, par-3 14th landed 20 yards short of his target. He needed a driver, 2-iron and 6-iron to reach the green on the par-5 16th, where many players struggled to reach the fairway. A driver and a 2-iron left him 30 yards short of the green on the par-4 finishing hole. The group of Fitzpatrick, Morikawa and Zalatoris represented the reigning champions of the U.S. Open and Open Championship, and the player who may be the TOUR’s best when conditions get tough. They all shot 71 on Thursday afternoon. “It was just knowing that you have to hit a great shot to hit it to 40 feet,” said Morikawa. Zalatoris, who ranks 16th on TOUR in driving distance, hit three 3-irons into par-4s, as well as a 3-wood. Fitzpatrick watched his tee shot on the par-3 12th catch a gust and sail into the middle of the adjoining 14th green. He took a drop off the putting surface, hit a 40-yard pitch over that green and an ancient wall to within 10 feet of the hole. He made the putt to save par. Justin Thomas shot 73, as did Hideki Matsuyama. Xander Schauffele shot 72. The rain that fell Wednesday made things even more difficult, making the course play longer and limiting players’ ability to run the ball along the ground. Winds of 15-20 mph are expected Friday, as well. “That’s links golf,” Zalatoris said. It is indeed.

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Former PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year Sungjae Im will return to defend his maiden TOUR title at The Honda Classic, where he'll be competing against a field that boasts 18 major champions. FIELD NOTES: Joaquin Niemann is the highest-ranked golfer in the FedExCup standings in the field at The Honda Classic. Niemann, part of the International Presidents Cup team in 2019, is looking for his second TOUR win... Some of the most-recent winners at PGA National looking to grab more glory who are returning for 2021 include Keith Mitchell (2019), Rickie Fowler (2017), and Adam Scott (2016)... Padraig Harrington, a two-time Honda Classic winner, is back at PGA National this season on a Sponsor Exemption. Harrington's two wins came a decade apart (2005, 2015)... Martin Kaymer is also playing on a Sponsor Exemption. This will be Kaymer's first non-major start on the PGA TOUR since the Barracuda Championship in August 2020... Other notable names in the field thanks to a Sponsor Exemption include Chase Koepka (brother to Brooks) and Kamaiu Johnson, who is playing his third TOUR event this season after his inspiring story caught the eyes of so many in the golf world... Phil Mickelson will be playing his second week in a row on PGA TOUR after THE PLAYERS Championship. FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 500 FedExCup points COURSE: PGA National (Champion), 7,125 yards, par 70. Jack Nicklaus re-worked the tricky Tom and George Fazio layout in 1990 and 2014 and it has been long ranked as one of the hardest the TOUR plays every year. The Bear Trap (No's 15-17) is a water-soaked stretch that makes for high drama as players look to close out their rounds. PGA National's Champion Course has hosted The Honda Classic every season since 2007 and rewards accuracy over everything else. STORYLINES: Daniel Berger, who won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February, calls the West Palm Beach area home and is looking to lean into those Floridian vibes for more success this week. He finished T4 a year ago and is the highest-ranked golfer in the OWGR in the field... Given how many TOUR pros live in West Palm, the Monday Qualifier (with four spots available) is always one of the most highly-contested of the year... While Americans won The Honda Classic for three years in a row from 2017-2019, 10 of the last 16 Honda Classic winners have been from outside the United States... There has only been one back-to-back winner in Honda Classic history (Jack Nicklaus, 1977-78)... Can Lee Westwood continue his excellent play of late? The 47-year-old was in the final group Sunday at Bay Hill, held the 36-hole lead at THE PLAYERS, and is returning to The Honda Classic after a T4 result in 2020. 72-HOLE RECORD: 264, Justin Leonard (2003 at Mirasol). PGA National record: 267, Camilo Villegas (2010). 18-HOLE RECORD: 61, Brian Harman (2nd round, 2012). LAST TIME: PGA National showed its teeth in 2020 with Sungjae Im's 6-under winning total the second highest since the long-time PGA TOUR stop moved to PGA National in 2007. Im, the TOUR's Rookie of the Year the season prior, fired a 4-under 66 Sunday (tied for the round of the day) to win by one over Mackenzie Hughes. Hughes matched Im's final-round 66, but despite three birdies on the back nine Sunday, he was undone by a bogey on the par-4 16th. Im kicked off Sunday with four birdies in his first five holes and finished just as strong, with birdies on two of his final holes. He became the seventh South Korean to win on TOUR. Tommy Fleetwood finished third, while Daniel Berger, Lee Westwood, Brendan Steele, and fellow South Korean Byeong Hun An finished T4. HOW TO FOLLOW Television: Thursday, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. (Golf Channel/PGA Tour Live Freeview). Thursday-Friday, 2 p.m.-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday, 1 p.m.-3 p.m. (Golf Channel). Saturday, 3 p.m.-6 p.m. (NBC). Sunday, 1 p.m.-3 p.m. (Golf Channel). Sunday, 3 p.m.-6 p.m. (NBC) PGA TOUR LIVE: Thursday-Friday, 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, 7:15 a.m.-3 p.m. (Featured Groups), 3 p.m.-6 p.m. (Featured Holes) Radio: Thursday-Friday, 12 p.m.-6 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, 1 p.m.-6 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com/liveaudio).

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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – There’s not much additional inspiration necessary this week for Spain’s Jon Rahm, who can become the world’s top-ranked golfer for the first time with a win at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. But just in case the current world No. 3 needs a little boost, he can draw upon his memorable pro-am pairing Wednesday at TPC Scottsdale. Rahm played alongside another of the world’s best, as 28-time Olympic medalist Michael Phelps joined him in the pro-am. The former competitive swimmer got an up-close look at the red-hot Rahm, who enters the week fresh off a solo second at the Farmers Insurance Open. “The guy is unbelievable to watch,â€� Phelps said. “He has got a ton of power, and he putted the ball great today. It’s always fun when you get to watch someone getting the putter hot. It’s a special treat. It was great to watch him roll a couple in and get ready for this week. “He is a possible No. 1. There are so many talented players out there. It just depends on who is going to want it bad enough.â€� Related: Amy paying it forward one year later | Insider: Woodland putting in work to reach new heights   Phelps, of course, is best known for his record 23 gold medals, including an incredible 13 in individual events. Rahm, meanwhile, is still waiting on his first. He will get the chance to change that this summer at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. “I never grew up with that being a goal of mine because golf wasn’t in the Olympics,â€� Rahm said. “ … To be an athlete and have a gold medal, I don’t think there’s anything better than that. There are not many things that you can say that would be a better feeling than to say you have a good medal from the Olympics. “It’s a very select group of people that can say that in human history. So it’s definitely a goal and I hope it can be there in Tokyo and fight for it.â€� Rahm was not in Rio de Janeiro four years ago when golf returned to the Olympics after a 112-year absence. Both Spanish players who did participate finished in the top 10 – Rafa Cabrera Bello was T5 and Sergio Garcia was T8. As for the Rahm-Phelps pairing on Wednesday … they’re actually quite familiar with one another, as they’re members of the same Scottsdale golf course. That should provide Phelps more than enough time to offer any sage Olympics advice he may have. Rahm will eagerly soak it in. “To be at that level at every single one of those events and to be able to win every single one of the events one year, it’s absolutely mind-blowing,â€� said Rahm, who played collegiately at Arizona State. “I don’t think a lot of times people appreciate some of what these Olympians accomplish because we only hear about it every four years. If he’s not the greatest Olympian of all time, I don’t know who is. I’ve got to say. Really, the discussion of greatest athlete of all-time could not be had without him.â€�

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