Mickelson to skip U.S. Open for kid’s graduation

NAPLES, Fla. – Brian Harman and Patton Kizzire had played plenty of golf together before joining forces for the 30th QBE Shootout. That doesn’t mean they’re used to cheering for each other. “We’re normally trying to get into each other’s heads,â€� Kizzire said after the St. Simons Island, Georgia duo shot a best-ball, final-round 61 in blustery weather to reach 30-under and win the unofficial QBE at Tiburón Golf Club. “And this week he was nice to me, which was kind of weird.â€� Added Harman: “I was hoping I wasn’t going to throw him for a loop.â€� For the second straight year Graeme McDowell finished second, this time with a new partner, Emiliano Grillo. They made par on 18 to finish 29-under, one back. Three teams shared third, two back: Charles Howell III and Luke List, who was 9-under on his own ball over the last nine holes as they shot 61; Kevin Na and Bryson DeChambeau (62); and Charley Hoffman and Gary Woodland (63), their highlight coming when Woodland aced the 202-yard 5th hole. Tony Finau and Lexi Thompson, the only LPGA player, shot a final-round 65 to finish seven off the lead and seventh in the 12-team field. At first glance, Harman and Kizzire seemed like a Mutt-and-Jeff team. They made for a funny team picture, as the 6-foot-5 Kizzire is almost a foot taller than his left-handed teammate. They weren’t even slated to play together. Harman was a late add to the field after Davis Love III pulled out to be with his ailing mother. Still, there were plenty of reasons why Harman and Kizzire worked. For starters, they’ve known each other since they were 12, when they began to clash in junior events. Harman, from Savannah, Georgia, and Kizzire, who grew up in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, took turns beating each other at AJGA, Southeastern Junior Golf Tour and other regional and national tournaments. “I think there’s a picture of him holding the first‑place trophy and me holding the second‑place trophy,â€� Harman said, “but he was short and pudgy then.â€� Kizzire did not dispute this.   “At a young age I think I got him a few times,â€� Kizzire said. “But there in our teens he had my number. We had a lot of good matches.â€� The second reason why they worked nicely as a team: They’re not only used to competing against one another, largely in practice rounds back home, they’re also fishing buddies. Harman, an avid outdoorsman, provides the boat. “He bought a boat,â€� Kizzire said, “and I called him and I said, ‘I heard I won a boat.’ No need to buy one if your buddy has got one.â€� Added Harman: “He’s only got to help me clean it afterwards.â€� Who is the better angler? “Freshwater, he’s probably got my number,â€� Harman said, “but saltwater, it’s not a competition.â€� Added Kizzire: “I grew up inland in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, so we didn’t have a lot of saltwater around. He grew up in the marsh, out on the ocean, he’s diving for lobsters and catching all kinds of fish. I have to pick his brain a little bit.â€� The biggest reason why this team made sense: They both love this time of year. Harman logged six top-10 finishes, five of them top-5s, in his first six starts last season, a spectacular run that encompassed late 2017 and early ’18. Kizzire nabbed his first two wins, at the Mayakoba Golf Classic and the Sony Open in Hawaii, over the same period. ’Tis the season to be jolly? For them it is. Both, alas, cooled off considerably the rest of the way, with Kizzire sweating it out to nab the 30th and final spot in the TOUR Championship and Harman missing the season-ending tournament at East Lake as he finished 48th in the FedExCup.  “All of a sudden I found myself in contention to make the Ryder Cup,â€� said Harman, also a two-time TOUR winner. “All that stuff just kind of overwhelmed me just a little bit, and I just started pressing towards the end of the year.â€� Well, the end of the season, anyway. The end of the calendar year has been good to him, and Kizzire. It continued to be in Naples. The winning stroke came when Kizzire reached the green with a 7-iron at the par-5 17th and rolled in the eagle putt. Harman, who had hit his second shot inside 10 feet, didn’t even need to putt. Asked why he loves this time of the year, Kizzire shook his head, as did his partner. “Golf is such a personal journey,â€� Harman said. True enough—except when you play with a friend.

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Cristie Kerr, just five points shy of the LPGA Hall of Fame, has proven herself on the golf course. With her investment in Kerr Cellars, the 42-year-old also is mastering the art of winemaking.

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JERSEY CITY, N.J. — Dustin Johnson has missed nine birdie chances from 10 feet or closer at Liberty National, which ordinarily might annoy him. He’s hitting it so well that he still leads THE NORTHERN TRUST. Johnson birdied three of his last six holes Friday, finishing with an approach to 8 feet on the 489-yard closing hole, for a 4-under 67 that gave him a one-shot lead over Jordan Spieth (64) going into the weekend. Johnson has won this FedExCup Playoffs opener twice at other courses. He was at 12-under 130. “I’ve got a lot of control with the golf ball and hitting a lot of really nice shots and rolled in a couple putts today which is nice, but still feel like I left quite a few out there,” Johnson said. “I’m in a good position heading into the weekend, and if I can keep swinging the way I am, I think it’s going to be a good weekend.” The weekend does not include Masters champion Tiger Woods, and neither did Friday. Woods, who opened with a 75, withdrew a few hours before his second round was to begin because of what he described as a mild strain to the oblique that Woods says was causing pain and stiffness. It’s the first time he withdrew in the middle of a tournament since February 2017, two months before fusion surgery on his lower back. He said he was hopeful to play next week at Medinah. Spieth might be finding some form at just the right time. Winless in more than two years, he started the PGA TOUR’s Playoffs at No. 69 in the FedExCup with no assurance of staying among the top 70 who advance to next week at Medinah. He might be one round away from thinking more about winning. Spieth was on the same score (131) that he was going into the weekend last week at the Wyndham Championship, where he followed with a 77 and missed the 54-hole cut. His shots have been tighter, his misses not that severe and he even got some good fortune on his final hole that led to a birdie and a spot in the last group with a familiar face. Johnson and Spieth have played together at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am each of the last five years. The opening playoff event had a strong cast of contenders, with Jon Rahm and Patrick Reed two shots behind, and Justin Rose and Rory McIlroy among those another shot back. McIlroy was just happy he wasn’t farther behind. He walked off the par-3 14th with a double bogey because of a two-shot penalty from the bunker. McIlroy went to remove a small stone next to his ball, but realized when he touched it and it disintegrated that it was a clump of wet sand from a brief storm delay. The original ruling was a penalty. The PGA TOUR reviewed it as McIlroy played the last four holes, spoke to him after the round and determined that was no intent to improve his lie. His 70 became a 68. “The reason I called someone over is I don’t want anything on my conscience, either,” McIlroy said. “I feel like I play the game with integrity and I’m comfortable saying that I didn’t improve anything. I thought it was a rock. It wasn’t. I moved my hand away, and then I was like, `I don’t know if I’ve done anything wrong here.’ “It came down to me and they said, `OK, are you comfortable telling us you didn’t improve your lie?’ And for me, I am comfortable saying that.” Missing the cut meant the end of the season for at least two dozen players who would not be among the top 70, which includes Bubba Watson. Sergio Garcia would appear to be a casualty having started at No. 65 and not making it to the weekend. The first step for Spieth was to make sure he stayed in the top 70. Now it’s about contending. “The important thing for me is not to get ahead of myself,” Spieth said. “Historically, I’m a very consistent player. I’ve lost a bit of that. I still have the firepower but that consistency is what I’m trying to get back, and there’s certainly going to be times where I’m out of position over the weekend. It’s about limiting mistakes. One bogey over 36 holes is somewhat unrealistic week to week. But if I can hold it close to that for the next 36, again, that firepower is still there. And it would certainly shoot my confidence up.” Johnson’s year has been quiet since winning a World Golf Championship in Mexico City for his 20th career victory. Another year passed without winning a major. He was runner-up in the first two majors, but he hasn’t finish better than 20th since the PGA Championship. He feels the consistency in his swing is returning. And while he’s not making everything, he’s making enough and likes the way he’s rolling it. “I feel like I’m stroking it well right now,” he said. “I worked on the stroke a lot the last couple weeks and feel good and I have confidence in it.”

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