Live leaderboard: WGC-HSBC second round

The longest is now longer at the Farmers Insurance Open. At 7,765 yards, the updated South Course at Torrey Pines in La Jolla, California, will be the longest track in history to host a PGA TOUR event. Technically, it already was, but its additional 67 yards will move it past a pair of recent stops for the U.S. Open, which is operated by the USGA. When Chambers Bay hosted the 2015 edition of the major, it was capable of stretching a then-record 7,710 yards, but it set the standard only until 7,741-yard Erin Hills hosted in 2017. As the short list of projected contenders at the Farmers Insurance Open illustrates below, the field of 156 has no shortage of star appeal and red-hot form upon arrival. For what it faces at Torrey Pines – other than elevated views of the Pacific Ocean – what has changed and why, how the North Course has evolved since its renovation, and the trend that defending champion Justin Rose ended, keep scrolling. POWER RANKINGS: FARMERS INSURANCE OPEN Tuesday’s Fantasy Insider will include reviews of numerous notables such as Jordan Spieth, Marc Leishman and Francesco Molinari along with past champions Phil Mickelson (1993, 2000, 2001), Bubba Watson (2011), Brandt Snedeker (2012, 2016) and Jason Day (2015, 2018). Introducing a historical connection between Torrey Pines South and the U.S. Open is nothing new. After all, this is where Tiger Woods prevailed at the major in 2008. But shortly after the conclusion of last year’s Farmers Insurance Open, Rees Jones orchestrated sweeping upgrades of the course in preparation of the 2021 U.S. Open, so new memories are promised. Only the Poa annua greens were untouched, but tees, approaches, areas around greens and every bunker has Jones’ freshest imprint on them. A new tee at the par-4 10th hole is responsible for a good chunk of the longer walk, while the installation of new irrigation across the stock par 72 was a priority. Before you wonder how the South Course could get any harder, consider that last year’s scoring average of 71.729 was its lowest since 2001, this despite possessing the hardest fairways to find from the tee of any course on average (7.38 of 14 per round). However, the field also averaged 11.77 greens in regulation per round and connected for par breakers on 3.5 of those opportunities. So, from the perspective of how to score, the South Course sat just inside the top half of the hardest of all courses all season. Even without the modifications, Torrey Pines South will play tougher than its co-host. It always does. And that already recognizes the fact that the North Course got stingy post-redesign by Tom Weiskopf, well, at least at first … and second. In the first two spins after Weiskopf signed off on the work, the par-72 North set decade highs in scoring in 2017 (71.28) and 2018 (71.41), but last year’s average of 69.840 was a seven-year low. No doubt that docile conditions yielded redder numbers, but maturity of the greens and course knowledge cannot be ruled out as factors. Consider that the GIR percentage rose 1.1 per round to an average of 12.7. The North tips at 7,258 yards and its fairway-hit percentage of 7.47 per round was second-lowest of 2018-19, but it slots among the easiest in all other categories but par-3 scoring average (T7) due to the fact that all four one-shotters can be played at over 200 yards. The 241-yard third hole has ranked inside the top-20 hardest par 3s on the PGA TOUR since the North Course was redesigned. Every golfer gets one round on the North Course and its bentgrass greens. The field is split in half on each course during the first two rounds, but only the South will be used for the third and final rounds. All 36 greens will be calibrated to run about 12-and-a-half feet on the Stimpmeter. For the entirety of last year’s tournament, Rose ranked T8 in fairways hit, T2 in GIR, third in putts per GIR and first in putting: birdies-or-better percentage. He also co-led the field in par-3 scoring and finished T4 in par-5 scoring. That is a stock formula to follow. (ShotLink technology is used only on the South.) Rose also became the first champion since Ben Crane in 2010 to open the tournament on the North Course. His 63 on it was the lowest by any winner since Woods scored the same in the second round in 2005. Pleasant weather is forecast throughout the tournament, so scoring could mirror last year’s. A primarily sunny sky will allow for stunning visuals. Never bet against a marine layer in the morning, but daytime highs in the mid-60s and light winds will optimize the other feels. ROB BOLTON’S SCHEDULE PGATOUR.COM’s Fantasy Insider Rob Bolton recaps and previews every tournament from numerous angles. Look for his following contributions as scheduled. MONDAY: Rookie Ranking, Qualifiers, Reshuffle, Medical Extensions, Power Rankings TUESDAY*: Sleepers, Fantasy Insider * – Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COM’s Expert Picks for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf, which also publishes on Tuesday.

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HONOLULU – Nearly four years removed from storming home to win a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympic Games, Matt Kuchar still carries the spoils around everywhere he goes. In a sock. Kuchar, who defends his Sony Open in Hawaii title this week, revealed the bronze medal he won on the back of a final round 63 in Rio is with him, in his backpack, wherever he travels. To stop scratches he keeps it in an old sock. RELATED: Why Todd might be the prohibitive favorite at Waialae | TOUR players rally to Australian bushfire relief cause | Power Rankings But it comes out of its cocoon often, particularly through the many airport security screenings the nine-time PGA TOUR winner frequents. “It hadn’t found a home anywhere other than my backpack. It’s easy to travel with … and just been fun to show off,â€� Kuchar said. “In airport screenings I always take it out. They see this big metal blob and always take it out so I always bring it out and it’s in a sock and even though I’ve put the sock out open in a bin, the screener always grabs a hold of it, pulls it out, and (their) eyes kind of bug out. “It’s a similar reaction over and over again. Just kind of bug out. Is this real? What’s it for? They start showing it off to their friends. (And I’m like) Hey, I got to catch a flight now,â€� he laughed. With 2020 being an Olympic year Kuchar would love to return and represent the USA once more. But each nation gets just two slots for the golf competition, with the exception of players inside the top 15 in the world. A country can have up to four if all of those players are inside the top 15. The U.S. is the only nation who currently has four players inside the top 15. Kuchar is currently 24th in the world with 12 other Americans ahead of him on the list. The qualification period for Japan ends on June 22. If things ended now the U.S. representatives would be Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas, Dustin Johnson and Patrick Cantlay. Next up ahead of Kuchar would be Tiger Woods, Xander Schauffele, Patrick Reed, Webb Simpson, Gary Woodland, Bryson DeChambeau, Tony Finau and Rickie Fowler. But the difficulty won’t stop Kuchar chasing a place in the team. “I’m hugely proud to have been part of an Olympics, to be able to call myself an Olympian,â€� Kuchar said. “And I’m hugely proud to be a medalist at an Olympics. It’s definitely a goal of mine to be part of the Olympics in 2020 in Japan. I’m still amazed at the scale, the scope of just what the Olympics means to people, how big the Olympics is. “It’s a tough one to be a part of Team USA. You think of the chance of qualifying. It’s a hard team to be a part of. (But) It’s a big goal of mine. I would be disappointed if I didn’t make it, but I understand how challenging it is at the same time.â€� In 2016, Kuchar started the final round four shots out of third place in Rio. While he was unable to reel in eventual gold medalist Justin Rose or silver medal winner Henrik Stenson, Kuchar still felt like a winner given his achievement. “That was an incredible run. It felt Olympian. Looking back it ranks hugely high just to be able to finish so strong,â€� he added. “To be able to go ahead and know exactly the situation and come through and have a great round was amazing. To think there is that big cut off between third and fourth. It’s either you medal or you don’t. Medaling is winning in essence, and that was certainly one of my great final rounds.â€� Kuchar also spoke glowingly of the experience away from competition. While he didn’t stay in the athletes village due to the fact he brought his wife with him, they did get to other events as spectators. And did he connect with any other athletes? “I did become friends with Jack Sock actually. He’s the tennis player. We saw their bronze medal match. He played with Steve Johnson, and Daniel Berger’s dad was the coach,â€� Kuchar said. “We sat in the players box with Jay Berger and they won bronze. They came over just in huge celebratory fashion and Jack and I traded shirts. I got an Olympic tennis shirt for one of my Olympic golf shirts.â€� Jack. Sock. Naturally.

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After an exhilarating week at the Masters it’s time to exhale and enjoy the (s)Low Country lifestyle of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina for the RBC Heritage. Pete Dye’s Harbour Town Golf Links in the Sea Pines Plantation will provide the backdrop, as it has done every year except 2011. The family-friendly atmosphere of resort life doesn’t mean easy by any means. Pete Dye’s tiny Bermuda greens, tree-lined fairways plus the coastal breezes makes this event anything but a hit-and-giggle. The pros love this test as the Par-71 (7,099 yards) doesn’t suit the bomb-and-gouge faction. Rather it requires decision-making, shot-shaping and the ability to navigate the winds that are usually ever-present this time of year. The “rough” won’t catch or slow down errant tee shots so playing out of the tress will be necessary and possible. The closely mown areas around the greens will provide a platform for plenty of chip-ins this week as well. Also, at less than 7,100 yards, finding the fairway will result in more wedges and lofted irons from premium attacking positions. Some of the smallest greens on TOUR won’t run white-hot because of the undulation and potential for wind so expect well-hit putts to roll in and Satoshi Kodaira returns and will look to join Boo Weekley as the only players to defend their title this century. The field of 132 is playing for a purse of $6.9 million with the winner’s share $1.242 million plus 500 FedExCup points. Need more Course Info? Check Rob Bolton’s Power Rankings, The First Look and Course Preview. Recent Winners Satoshi Kodaira (2018, -13): Making only his 15th TOUR start and his first at HTGL, the Japanese defeated Si Woo Kim on the third playoff hole to win the 50th edition. He began the day six back of Ian Poulter’s 54-hole lead and five back of Kim before he posted 66 on a blustery morning. Kodaira continued the trend of Masters participants winning here (only seven since 1982 have not played the week before) as he was T28 the week prior at Augusta. He also made it six consecutive winners who have overcome three or more shots in the final round. #PlayAll72. Notables: Led the field in proximity and continued the streak of winners to hit the top seven in Strokes-Gained: Tee-to-green. … The last four winners have been T2 or better in Par-4 scoring. … Bryson DeChambeau (T3) fired 64 in Round 2 to lead by one after 36 holes. … Poulter was looking to win for the second time in three weeks (Houston Open) but crumbled with 75 in the breeze (T7). Over 50 years the average winning score is 11-under. Wesley Bryan (2017, -12): Making only his 18th start on TOUR, the South Carolinian became the first native to lift the trophy. Like Kodaira, it was also his first time in the event so course history won’t be a dominant angle this week. Bryan only hit 40 GIR, the worst ever for a winner, but led the event in scrambling. Notables: Bryan made up four shots as Jason Dufner couldn’t make his 54-hole lead stand up. … Poulter began the day three back before 73 knocked him to T11. … First time the cut was under-par in 49 editions (-1). … Bryan, one of the seven not to play the week before, is not in the field this week as he recovers from a torn labrum. Branden Grace (2016, -9): The South African began the streak of first-time TOUR winners. Luke Donald led Grace by three entering the final round but finished T2 with Russell Knox, two back. Grace holed plenty of putts but he was also third in scrambling and second in Strokes-Gained: Tee-to-Green; also finished T7 in 2015 and T11 in 2017. Notables: Bryson DeChambeau made his professional debut and collected T4 cash. … Only five shots separated T30 thru T5. Key stat leaders Golfers around the top 25 in each statistic on the 2018-19 PGA TOUR are listed only if they are scheduled to compete this week. This is the 26th event of the season. * – Finished inside the top 10 since 2010 Strokes-Gained: Tee-to-Green  2  *Byeong-Hun An  5  Dustin Johnson (T16, 2018; first appearance since ’09)  6  Tommy Fleetwood (first appearance)  7  Corey Conners 10 *Patrick Cantlay 11 *Matt Kuchar 12 *Jason Kokrak 13 Lucas Glover 15 Xander Schauffele 17 *Luke List (T3, 2018) 19 *Jim Furyk 20 Sungjae Im 21 D.J. Trahan 22 Keith Mitchell Scrambling  1  Lucas Glover  2  Jonathan Byrd  3  *Aaron Baddeley  5  Tommy Fleetwood  6  *Jim Furyk  7  *Webb Simpson  8  D.J. Trahan 10 Ernie Els 11 Anirban Lahiri 12 Dustin Johnson 14 *Patrick Cantlay 15 Denny McCarthy 16 *Graeme McDowell (only top 10 is 2013 win) 17 *Si Woo Kim 18 Ryan Armour 19 *Brian Stuard 21 *Marc Leishman 23 Francesco Molinari 24 *Russell Henley Bogey Avoidance  1  Lucas Glover  2  Dustin Johnson  3  Charles Howell III (best finish this decade is T22)  4  *Jim Furyk  5  *Matt Kuchar  6  *Webb Simpson  7  D.J. Trahan  8  *Patrick Cantlay  9  Ernie Els 10 Jonathan Byrd 11 Xander Schauffele 12 *Aaron Baddeley 17 Tommy Fleetwood 18 Sungjae Im 21 *Graeme McDowell 22 Abraham Ancer (first appearance) 24 *Si Woo Kim  Par-4 Scoring  1  *Patrick Cantlay  1  Jonathan Byrd (1 top 25 in 14 starts)  3  Charles Howell III  4  Lucas Glover  7  Dustin Johnson  7  Jason Kokrak  7  Abraham Ancer  7  Xander Schauffele  7  *Jim Furyk  7  Ryan Palmer  7  *Si Woo Kim  7  *Webb Simpson 21 *Graeme McDowell 21 Scott Piercy 21 Rafa Cabrera Bello 21 *Matt Kuchar 21 D.J. Trahan (first start since 2012; 1 top 25 in nine previous) 21 *Aaron Baddeley Levels of Confidence Frequent Flyers Matt Kuchar: This is the 16th-consecutive appearance and he’ll be looking to make the weekend for the 15th-straight time. The 2014 champ is 42 under and has collected T23 or better over the last five editions. Jim Furyk: When healthy he was the winner in 2010 and 2015 with a pair of top-10 paychecks squeezed between. He’s healthy again! Webb Simpson: Solo second (2013) and T5 last year highlight eight consecutive starts that have finished on Sunday. Kevin Kisner: Aiken, S.C., native has rattled off P2, T11 and T7 in three of his last four starts and is 45 under during that stretch. Patrick Cantlay: Making his third start after a combined 20 under par the last two years (T7 2018, T3 2017). Bryson DeChambeau: He’s won five times on TOUR and has gone close twice here (T3 2018, T4 2016). Metal Detected Ian Poulter: Never missed in eight tries and has been all around it the last two years until Sunday. Kevin Streelman: Rattled off six straight with bookend top-10 paydays (T3 2013, T7 2018). Luke Donald: In the last decade he’s cashed T2, T3, 2, T37, T3, 2, T15, T2, 2 and MC in 2018. Aaron Baddeley: 2006 champ has cashed 10 of 14 and has seven inside the top 25.

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