Love III recovering from open-heart surgery

Tom Lehman won the Charles Schwab Challenge in 1995, before many of the player in this week’s field were born. On Thursday, he beat many of those same players. Lehman, 61, nearly shot his age Thursday to find himself on the first page of the leaderboard when the morning wave completed play. His 5-under 65 left him just two strokes behind leader Justin Rose. Lehman is now the oldest player to shoot 65 or better on TOUR in the last 40 years. Colonial is a course that rewards precision over power, which allows older players to hang with their younger peers. Only three players under the age of 30 have won at Colonial in the last 30 years. Lehman’s performance was on another level, though. He averaged just 264 yards off the tee, but missed just three fairways and three greens. It was his lowest score on the PGA TOUR since the opening round of the 2011 Waste Management Phoenix Open, where he finished T37. “Do I feel like I’m capable of shooting a 65 out here at Colonial? Well, for certain I do,â€� Lehman said. “Did I expect to do it today? Well, I would be probably lying if I said I fully expected to play and shoot such a low score. But I did expect to play well.â€� Lehman’s 65 today was two strokes lower than his first-round score when he won at Colonial. He shot 9-under 271 that week to finish one shot ahead of Craig Parry. It was the second of Lehman’s five PGA TOUR victories, which also included the 1996 Open Championship. Lehman showed last year that he can still hang with the kids. He shot 67-69 in the first two rounds of the inaugural 3M Open in his native state of Minnesota, and was tied with Matthew Wolff at the tournament’s halfway point. They were paired together in the third round when Wolff, who’s 40 years younger than Lehman, shot a 62 that put him in position to win his first PGA TOUR title. “I think the opportunity to play and to play in a tournament that I love so much and that I’ve had some success at and I’m part of the history here, that’s kind of what drove me to want to do it,â€� Lehman said. “If it would have been the second week back, third week back, fourth week back, it would have been the same feeling for me.â€�

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GREENSBORO, N.C. — Ryan Armour shot a career-best 9-under 61 on Friday for a share of the lead with Webb Simpson after two rounds at the Wyndham Championship. Armour and Simpson were at 13-under 127 halfway through the PGA TOUR’s final event of the regular season. Simpson shot a 64. Henrik Stenson was a stroke behind them after a 66. Ollie Schniederjans and Vaughn Taylor and were 11. Schniederjans shot 63, Taylor had a 66. First-round leader Matt Every followed his 61 with a 72 to slip six strokes off the lead. The field at Sedgefield Country Club is once again full of players trying to force their way off the bubble and qualify for the postseason. The top 125 players on the points list earn berths at THE NORTHERN TRUST next week in New York. At No. 187 on the list, Armour isn’t even close to the bubble. “Could turn your life around,” Armour said. “I had some goals at the beginning of the week. I knew where I stood and, you know, right now the goals are attainable.” The 41-year-old who has yet to win on tour and has bounced between the big tour and the Web.com Tour throughout his 14-year professional career, had nine birdies — five on his first nine holes, then four in a row on Nos. 5-8 — to quickly climb the leaderboard. His round was two strokes better than his previous best of 63 nine years ago in Milwaukee. Simpson, a North Carolina native who won here in 2011 and named his third child Wyndham, put himself in position to contend for his first victory since 2014. He had four birdies on the first six holes of his back nine, pulling even with Armour at 13 under after his birdie on the par-5 15th. “Keep making birdies, stay aggressive and know that there’s plenty of good golfers behind me,” Simpson said. “I got to keep the hammer down.” Stenson, who started on the back nine, offset his lone bogey of the round — he missed a 15-foot par putt on the par-4 18th — with three birdies during the four-hole span between Nos. 4-7. “The game plan is there,” he said. “I got the set-up in the bag to give me those numbers off the tee that we need and it’s just about going out there and playing, continue making birdies and giving myself birdie chances. It’s a low scoring golf course … keep it going.” Among bubble players, No. 125 Geoff Ogilvy played his way to the weekend late in his round. He had birdies on five of his final six holes to move to 4 under for the tournament — good enough to help him beat the cut line of 3 under. And No. 141 Johnson Wagner had the shot of the tournament so far, with an albatross on the par-5 fifth, using a 5-iron to hole out his 215-yard second shot from the right fairway. It was the first albatross at the tournament since Fabian Gomez had one on No. 15 in 2011. “I had a bunch of family that’s up by the green and they started going bananas,” Wagner said. “Pretty clear it had gone in.” Wagner shot a 64 to move to 9 under. Some others weren’t so fortunate: No. 129 Daniel Summerhays was at even par while No. 126 Cameron Tringale was 1 under.

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Sunday at the U.S. Open coincides every year with a special holiday: Father’s Day. For sons and daughters who play the game of golf, It’s a great time to join their dad in an early round before going home to watch the conclusion of the U.S. Open. Not all fathers play golf, however. That’s perfectly fine, but maybe dad has dropped a hint or two recently that he’s interested in picking up the game. Maybe Tiger Woods bwinning the Masters has sparked his interest. Or, maybe he’s already started playing, but his game isn’t quite golf course ready. Amid your search for a Father’s Day gift, you figure this is the perfect time to get him something golf-related and keep dad enthused about the game. What do you buy, though? Does dad need an entire set of golf clubs? Should you get him a club fitting? Group lessons? Golf instructional books? The golf market can be overwhelming, especially when starting from scratch. Most importantly, we want dad to enjoy the game. To help us sift through the clutter, and get dad started the right way, PGATOUR.COM recently spoke with Anne Cain, a Top-100 ranked instructor from the PGA TOUR Academy at World Golf Village. Cain was an All-American at the University of Georgia, played golf professionally, and then went on to coach dozens of TOUR players and collegiate competitors. Below, Cain offers invaluable advice for sons and daughters who want to help dad get started playing golf and enjoy it for a lifetime. Of course, this advice can also be great for mom to get started playing golf, too. PGATOUR.COM: What are the essential purchases that need to be made to start playing golf? ANNE CAIN: “I think a good starting set is a putter, wedge, 7-iron and driver.� PGATOUR.COM: Should you spend more money on lessons or a club fitting/new equipment? ANNE CAIN: “I would recommend spending more time on lessons initially. A good instructor should be able to guide you on future club purchases, as well.� PGATOUR.COM: Do you recommend group lessons, or one-on-one lessons? ANNE CAIN: “I recommend private lessons if your budget allows for it. Imagine taking piano lessons in a group – you are not going to get the same individual attention as you will in private instruction. Group lessons are better for socializing or getting info on a particular shot within the game.� PGATOUR.COM: What about getting dad a swing instructional book? Would this be helpful for him? ANNE CAIN: “Reading is a great idea; however, for a beginner it can be confusing getting information from too many sources. If you want to read, get books on the rules of golf or the etiquette.� PGATOUR.COM: Is it better to spend more time at the range, or more time on the course when just starting out? ANNE CAIN: “You need to develop technique on the range until you have a certain percentage of successful shots. They don’t have to be perfect, but the ball needs to advance. If you can find a par-3 course, then start playing there before moving to a regulation golf course. Have a friend or family member take you out initially to show you the ropes.� PGATOUR.COM: What are some good goals for dad to establish early on? ANNE CAIN: “Goals are individual and need to be established with your instructor. I usually have new students do drills with some feedback and we shoot for a percentage of successful shots or contact on the sweet spot. Once you build to a 70% success rate, you can move to a new area or try playing on the course.� PGATOUR.COM: How can you help dad from getting frustrated when all he does is duff or whiff the ball? Or if he goes out on the course and shoots 150 the first time out? ANNE CAIN: “Perhaps it’s too soon for him to be on the course. I would buy him the gift of golf instruction for Father’s Day. An instructor can get him on the right track and show him how to practice and improve. That will help so he’s not so frustrated the next time he goes on the course.� PGATOUR.COM: Should a son or daughter try to help dad when he’s struggling, or leave swing advice to the pros? ANNE CAIN: “Leave it to the experts – we know what we are doing!� PGATOUR.COM: What are some tips for course management for the beginner? ANNE CAIN: “Set a goal for a score on each hole – it might be two or three strokes above par. Do what you can to keep the ball in play and avoid trouble areas like hazards and bunkers. For guys, that may mean leaving the driver in the bag and hitting a different club off the tee.�

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