Live Round 3 Open Championship Prop Bets for Cameron Smith, Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler

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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CROMWELL, Conn. – TPC River Highlands seems like a course suited for Zach Johnson’s game. At 6,848 yards, it’s one of the shortest on the PGA TOUR, a good fit for a player who generally ranks around 150th in driving distance each season. It produces lots of red numbers – the Travelers Championship winner has finished in double-digits under par every year since 1994. That parallels Johnson’s career. Of his 12 TOUR wins, 11 have been in double digits – nine of those at 15 under or better. That includes his last win in 2015 at the Open Championship. Plus, Johnson has loved the course ever since he first saw it in 2004. He finished T-3 that year, shooting three rounds of 67 or better.  At that time, it would’ve been safe to assume he’d remain a consistent contender at the Travelers. And yet that’s his best result to date. His only other top 10 was a solo sixth in 2015. In fact, he’s missed the cut more often (three times) than he’s finished in the top 15 (twice). In his 13th Travelers start, Johnson may finally have cracked the code. His 7-under 63 not only gave him the solo lead after Thursday’s morning wave, it was his lowest score in 43 career rounds at TPC River Highlands. Afterward, he spoke about being humbled by a course he thoroughly enjoys. “I feel like every time I get here, it just feels like I should shoot nothing – and it bites me,� Johnson said. “The last couple of years, I’m like, all right, you can’t have any expectations in that regard. You’ve just got to go out and execute.� He certainly did that Thursday, especially during a back-nine stretch in which he reeled off six consecutive birdies. Three of his birdie putts were outside 15 feet and he also had a birdie on the front nine from 32 feet. The putter was definitely dialed in. So was his accuracy, as he hit 11 of 14 fairways. That’s a welcomed sign for a player generally regarded among the most accurate on TOUR. He entered this week ranked 86th in accuracy, but that’s balanced by the fact he’s averaging 289.7 yards off the tee. If he maintains that pace, it would be a career high. The added length has forced Johnson to adjust the makeup of his clubs. Last week at the U.S. Open, he put four wedges in his bag due to the variance in his yardages. He’s using four wedges again this week. “I don’t think I’m going to be looking back,� Johnson said, “because it feels pretty good right now.� Especially after a 63. NOTABLES Brooks Koepka shot a 2-under 68 – impressive considering he’s gotten little sleep since winning his second straight U.S. Open on Sunday. He was at 4 under until suffering two bogeys in his last three holes. “I just ran out of gas,� said Koepka, whose only prep work this week was a range session Wednesday. “I’m exhausted mentally. I’m excited to go home and nap.� Koepka didn’t return to his home until early Monday morning. A few hours later, Dustin Johnson came over. “Dustin was in my living room at 8. He came over on the boat to say hi,� Koepka said. “So It was not as much rest as I would have liked.� No surprise that Beau Hossler is among the first-round leaders after his 5-under 65. The rookie ranks third on the PGA TOUR in first-round scoring average. Six times in his previous 21 starts, he’s been inside the top 10 after the first round. But he’s failed to capitalize on those with a breakthrough win. “Looking back on it, I didn’t really realize, but there were some rounds where I was pretty exhausted,� Hossler said, specifically citing his last two starts at Colonial and Muirfield Village. He doesn’t think it will be an issue this week. “Didn’t play golf for eight days,� he said, “and I’m feeling really refreshed.� Jason Day made an equipment change this week, discarding the TaylorMade P730 blades – which he had switched to at the Masters – and going back to his previous P750s. So far, so good after a 66. “I’m able to hit ‘em both ways now,� Day said. “I was struggling a little bit with the blades to hit it left to right. Trying to get that fade.� Peter Malnati was a pedestrian even par through 10 holes. Then he holed out from the greenside bunker at 11 for birdie. He followed with three more birdies and an eagle at the drivable par-4 15th (his tee shot landed inside 4 feet) to shoot 29 coming in. “It’s cool to see how quickly it can turn around,� he said. “I wouldn’t say it surprises me, but it’s certainly fun when it happens.� QUOTABLES I don’t even know where we left it, to be honest with you. You look like Billy Joel, by the way.

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