Mickelson still unsure about going to TPC Sawgrass

The PGA TOUR uses a standardized system for determining event fields, based off the current season’s Priority Ranking while also including additional exemption and qualifying categories. Field sizes can vary by event, as can the number of event-specific exemptions. Fully exempt PGA TOUR members are guaranteed entry into all full-field events, with various conditional categories subject to periodic reshuffles based upon FedExCup Points accrued throughout the season. Categories with ‘reshuffle’ notation indicate that a reshuffle period has occurred. Wells Fargo Championship field list as of Friday, April 29th at 5 p.m. ET: Check here for updates. Winner of U.S. Open Championship (five-year exemption) Gary Woodland Winner of THE PLAYERS Championship (five-year exemption) Jason Day Si Woo Kim Rory McIlroy Webb Simpson Winner of Masters Tournament (five-year exemption) Sergio Garcia Patrick Reed Winner of The Open (five-year exemption) Francesco Molinari Winner of World Golf Championships event (three-year exemption) Abraham Ancer Winner of Arnold Palmer Invitational, Memorial Tournament and Genesis Invitational (three-year exemption) Tyrrell Hatton Max Homa PGA TOUR tournament winner (two-year exemption) Paul Casey Stewart Cink Corey Conners Joel Dahmen Cam Davis Tyler Duncan Tony Finau Rickie Fowler Dylan Frittelli Lucas Glover Branden Grace Lanto Griffin Jim Herman Matt Jones Sung Kang Matt Kuchar Martin Laird Nate Lashley K.H. Lee Marc Leishman Luke List Adam Long Keith Mitchell C.T. Pan J.T. Poston Seamus Power Chad Ramey Chez Reavie Sepp Straka Nick Taylor Michael Thompson Martin Trainer Kevin Tway Erik van Rooyen Richy Werenski Matthew Wolff Career money exemption Luke Donald Bill Haas Rory Sabbatini Nick Watney * Sponsor’s exemption (Korn Ferry Tour Finals) Jacob Bridgeman Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra Sponsor’s exemption (members not otherwise exempt) Wesley Bryan Johnson Wagner Sponsor’s exemption (unrestricted) Ben Martin Brandon Matthews Gregory Odom, Jr. PGA Section Champion\Player of the Year. Larkin Gross Past Champion of Wells Fargo Championship Brian Harman Top 125 on prior season’s FedExCup Charley Hoffman Keegan Bradley Charl Schwartzel Russell Henley Jhonattan Vegas Kevin Streelman Harry Higgs Mackenzie Hughes Matt Fitzpatrick Troy Merritt Pat Perez Andrew Putnam Doug Ghim Brandon Hagy Peter Malnati Adam Schenk Kramer Hickok Brian Stuard Henrik Norlander Doc Redman Roger Sloan Hank Lebioda Denny McCarthy Brendan Steele James Hahn Zach Johnson Russell Knox Matt Wallace Sam Ryder Matthew NeSmith Scott Piercy Anirban Lahiri Brice Garnett Chesson Hadley # Major medical extension Danny Lee William McGirt Morgan Hoffmann Seung-Yul Noh Jonas Blixt Korn Ferry Tour Points winners (The 25 and The Finals 25) Stephan Jaeger Joseph Bramlett Three-Victory Promotion via Korn Ferry Tour Mito Pereira Korn Ferry Tour graduates via The 25 and The Finals 25 (reshuffled) Cameron Young Davis Riley Alex Smalley Hayden Buckley Lee Hodges Matthias Schwab Aaron Rai Taylor Moore Max McGreevy Vince Whaley Adam Svensson Kurt Kitayama David Lipsky Greyson Sigg John Huh Trey Mullinax Brandon Wu Austin Smotherman Andrew Novak Curtis Thompson Paul Barjon Seth Reeves Justin Lower Dylan Wu Ben Kohles Austin Cook Callum Tarren Nick Hardy Scott Gutschewski Jared Wolfe Kelly Kraft Peter Uihlein David Skinns Michael Gligic Kiradech Aphibarnrat Dawie van der Walt Brett Drewitt Joshua Creel Nos. 126-150 on prior season’s FedExCup Points List (reshuffled) Beau Hossler Mark Hubbard Cameron Percy Vaughn Taylor Ryan Armour Chase Seiffert Satoshi Kodaira Jim Knous Camilo Villegas Bo Van Pelt Bo Hoag The PGA TOUR uses a standardized system for determining event fields, based off the current season’s Priority Ranking while also including additional exemption and qualifying categories. Field sizes can vary by event, as can the number of event-specific exemptions. Fully exempt PGA TOUR members are guaranteed entry into all full-field events, with various conditional categories subject to periodic reshuffles based upon FedExCup Points accrued throughout the season. Categories with ‘reshuffle’ notation indicate that a reshuffle period has occurred. * = If all prior year Korn Ferry Tour graduates are eligible for event, exemptions become unrestricted # = Latest medical extension information can be found here. $ = Category breakdown can be found here.

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SHANGHAI  — Dustin Johnson shot a 4-under 68 in blustery conditions that led to big numbers, building a six-shot lead in the WGC-HSBC Champions and leaving him one round away from becoming the first player to win three World Golf Championships in the same year. He got plenty of help from Brooks Koepka. They were tied for the lead through seven holes Saturday until a four-shot swing on the par-5 eighth hole. Koepka drove into the hazard off the tee, and then found the hazard again on his approach to the green. He missed a 6-foot putt and took triple-bogey 8. Johnson smashed his drive over the trees and into the fairway, and with a thick splotch of mud on his golf ball, he sent that into the left rough above the green. He hit a flop shot to 15 feet and holed it for birdie. Just like that, his lead was four shots, and no one got any closer the rest of the way. Johnson was at 17-under 199. Koepka hit into the water from a bunker on the par-5 closing hole at Sheshan International and had to make a 6-footer to save bogey. That gave him a 73, leaving him six shots behind. Henrik Stenson, finally starting to round into form, shot 69 and was at 10-under 206. Even with more wind anticipated Sunday, this was turning into another exhibition for Johnson, the world’s No. 1 player. “I’m in a good position going into tomorrow,” Johnson said. “But I’m still going to have to go out and play a really solid round if I want to get it done.” Johnson earlier this year won the WGC-Mexico Championship and the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play in Texas. Not even Tiger Woods with his 18 titles in the World Golf Championships ever won more than two in one year. Johnson already has five such titles, and he’s the only player to have won each of the four. He won the WGC-HSBC Champions four years ago. “If Dustin keeps on playing the way that he’s done this week, I think it’s going to be a one-man show tomorrow,” Stenson said. “But you never know. Tough wind, and this golf course has a couple of holes where you can certainly have a number. It’s never over until it’s over.” Koepka discovered the hard way how big numbers can wreck a round. The U.S. Open champion was practically flawless at the start, running off three straight birdies to take a two-shot lead. Johnson responded with a 15-foot birdie putt on the par-3 fourth and driving into the rough just short of the par-4 seventh green, hitting a delicate flop-and-run to 3 feet for birdie to catch Koepka. And then after a lengthy wait on the tee at No. 8, it all changed. With the wind at the players’ backs, and with sheer power of Johnson and Koepka, the line was over trees that have grown so tall in recent years they can’t see the fairway. Johnson hammered his tee shot and knew from experience he was fine. Koepka caught his drive on the toe and it turned over from right-to-left. His caddie ran down toward the area to see if he had a shot, and quickly realized it was gone. Koepka hit his third shot from the tee, and then his fourth turned left into the hazard again. He had no choice but to take another penalty and head back to the fairway, and after a good wedge, he missed the putt for his 8. Koepka also missed good birdie chances on No. 9 and 11, and good par chances on Nos. 10 and 12 that he felt could have given him momentum. “It was definitely windier today,” he said. “I didn’t think it was playing that difficult. Definitely should be able to shoot 4 under out here, minus a triple and whatever else I had, a lot of bogeys.” He wasn’t alone. One reason for the waiting on the front nine was Patrick Reed, who had a triple bogey on the opening hole and a pair of double bogeys for an outward nine of 44. Two more double bogeys on the back nine led to an 82. Si Woo Kim made an 11 on the eighth hole. Sheshan International played to an average score of 72.73, two shots harder than the opening round. Conditions likely will be tougher for the final round, made even more difficult by the No. 1 player ahead by six shots.

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