New format is the new normal after first round at East Lake

He endured three playoff losses before earning his first PGA TOUR win, at the 2015 and now he’s on the card at another big fight.CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Quail Hollow has a history for rewarding golf’s biggest hitters, but the 165-pound player who’s been atop the leaderboard all week at the PGA Championship is accustomed to punching above his weight class. Kevin Kisner doesn’t impress fans with a silky swing that produces jaw-dropping drives, but he has the strong will and tenacity that we love to see from our undersized athletes. It’s the reason movies like “Rudyâ€� get made. “The TOUR, the way it’s going, everybody is huge and driving it 350 yards,â€� Kisner said. “Guys like (me) are less and less. If you don’t have that attitude, you’re going to get run over out here.â€� Kisner has displayed a strong will and determination to make it this far, and those characteristics will undoubtedly come in handy now that he holds a one-shot lead entering the final round of a major championship. This is the player who just four years ago was pondering retirement because he couldn’t keep his ball on the planet. He endured three playoff losses before earning his first PGA TOUR win, at the 2015 RSM Classic and now he’s on the card at another big fight. Kisner will have little room for error Sunday, and not just because of his slim advantage. Quail Hollow’s uppercut is lethal to a lightweight, the course’s thick rough and firm greens even more penal for a shorter hitter. “I’m in a dogfight tomorrow and I have to be prepared for that,â€� said Kisner, who ranks ninth in the FedExCup. He earned his second PGA TOUR win earlier this season at the DEAN & DELUCA Invitational. Kisner had the opportunity to take a larger lead into the final round until he was undone by Quail Hollow’s demanding finishing stretch, known as the Green Mile. He played the final three holes in 3 over to shoot 1-over 72 on Saturday. “I had a chance to run away from guys and take people out of the tournament that were four or five, six back, and I didn’t do it,â€� Kisner said. At 7-under 206, he sits one shot ahead of two players who both hoisted trophies of their own last Sunday. One is Chris Stroud, a 35-year-old who earned his long-awaited first win last week at the Barracuda Championship. The other may be the hottest player on the planet, Hideki Matsuyama. The FedExCup leader is coming off a Sunday 61 at the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational. It was his third win of the season. Justin Thomas and Louis Oosthuizen are another shot back. Thomas is another three-time winner this season, while Oosthuizen is the only major champion among the top 15 on the leaderboard. That experience may come in handy Sunday, because Quail Hollow is playing like an old-fashioned major layout, with thick rough and firm, fast greens. One bad swing can lead to bogey … or worse. “It’s the type of golf course you don’t have to go out and make birdies. You just need to keep everything together,â€� Oosthuizen said. The end of Saturday’s round showed how penal the place can be. It had been a rather quiet day as players cautiously navigated their way around this Charlotte track, contentedly collecting pars. Kisner hit his approach shot into the water at No. 16, and was one fortunate bridge bounce away from doing the same on the final hole. He played his final three holes in 3 over to drastically change the complexion of Sunday’s final round. This is the fifth time that Kisner has held a 54-hole lead. He has converted one of the previous four into a victory (2015 RSM Classic). Because of his lack of length, Kisner has limited opportunities to make birdies at Quail Hollow. When he first visited the course a few weeks ago, he knew there were only a handful of holes he could be aggressive on: the course’s three par-5s (Nos. 7, 10 and 15) and two short par-4s, the 346-yard eighth hole and drivable 14th. He’s executed his gameplan perfectly. He’s 11 under par on those holes this week, making nine birdies and an eagle. He’s 4 over on the rest of the golf course, making just three birdies on the remainder of Quail Hollow’s holes. “It’s a difficult mind-set where you’re … holding on, holding on, and then you’re like, ‘Oh, I’ve got to birdie, I’ve got to birdie,â€� Kisner said. “You’ve got to be ready to handle that situation and the change, and you’ve got to be able to take 30 feet (for birdie) and take your medicine. I think that’s one of the biggest things out there.â€� Kisner, a lifetime resident of the South, fares well on Bermudagrass greens, but Quail Hollow’s length would seemingly disqualify a player who ranks 127th on the PGA TOUR in driving distance (288.3 yards). “When we came up here a few weeks ago, we realized that we had to be spot-on with our ball-striking,â€� Scott Brown said. “He’s been ball-striking it to death.â€� Despite having longer clubs into the greens than a majority of the field, Kisner leads in greens in regulation. He’s missed just 12 greens over three rounds. “He’s always a good iron player. He lives and dies by the putter,â€� Brown said. He’s succeeded with those clubs thus far this week. He’s fourth in Strokes Gained: Putting (+2.011 strokes per round) and fourth in driving accuracy, hitting 31 of 42 fairways. Quail Hollow’s new Bermudagrass rough is thicker than players are accustomed to at the Wells Fargo Championship, and especially penal considering the course’s firm greens. “The rough’s brutal. … If I can just keep hitting fairways, I’m going to like my chances,â€� Kisner said. But if he makes one mistake, the brute called Quail Hollow is waiting to knock him out.

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THE OVERVIEW IRVING, Texas – Jordan Spieth will remember TPC Four Seasons Las Colinas as the venue for his first start on the PGA TOUR, back when he was a 16-year-old junior in high school at Dallas Jesuit Prep. That first tee shot, off the 10th tee in the opening round, will forever reside in his memory bank. “Tough to pin one memory,” he said, “but that one is probably the most special at this point.” Sergio Garcia has a similar history with the course. He had just turned pro in 1999 as a 19-year-old and was making his first TOUR start at TPC Four Seasons. He tied for third that week – albeit seven shots behind winner Loren Roberts, who beat Steve Pate in a playoff. Five years later, Garcia won at TPC Four Seasons for his fourth TOUR win. Last year, he won for the second time at the course, his ninth win on TOUR. He comes into this week looking to become the first AT&T Byron Nelson defending champ to successfully defend since Tom Watson completed his string of three consecutive wins at Preston Trail 37 years ago. So yeah, Garcia has fond memories here too. “It’s always going to have something extra special in me, this golf course,” Garcia said. Same for Jason Day, who in 2010 won for the first time on TOUR. Same for Keegan Bradley, who followed Day the next year by posting his first TOUR win here – and then followed it a few months later by winning the PGA Championship. After 35 years, the TPC Four Seasons Resort is hosting the AT&T Byron Nelson for the last time. Next year’s event will move to Trinity Forest, a new course just six miles from downtown Dallas. Thus, this week offers players the chance to bid farewell. For those who’ve enjoyed success here – and even for some, like Spieth, who haven’t – there will be some sadness. “It’s a bit bittersweet,” said Spieth, whose tie for 16th in that 2010 debut remains his best finish in his hometown event. “I’m looking forward to creating the best memories yet this week.” Said Garcia: “I’m sure the new place we’re moving to, it’s going to be amazing. But … a little piece of my heart is always going to stay here, no matter where we go.” THREE PLAYERS TO PONDER Dustin Johnson His track record at TPC Four Seasons doesn’t include a win, but he sure does seem to play well in this event. Jason Day Was ranked 171st in the world when he won in 2010. Last week he fell in the rankings … to No. 4. Brooks Koepka Was in the playoff against Sergio Garcia last year. Maybe this turns into a big-hitter duel with DJ and Day? THE FLYOVER A closer look at the AT&T Byron Nelson’s closing hole, the 429-yard par-4 18th. Last year, it was the fourth most difficult hole on the course, playing to a stroke average of 4.079. THE LANDING ZONE The 528-yard third hole is the longest par 4 on the course, and ranked as the most difficult last year, playing to a stroke average of 4.158. The field managed just 58 birdies, fewest of any hole. Water running down the right side offers danger, but there are also bunkers on the left, leaving players with a narrow tee shot. The approach to a small green continues the challenge. Check out the scattershot chart of all the tee shots struck at the 12th hole last year. WEATHER CHECK Rain is in the forecast this week, with the highest chance on Saturday. According to PGA TOUR meteorologist Stewart Williams, an upper-level low pressure system will move into the region Thursday night, then a cold front follows. After morning showers Sunday, conditions should improve for the leaders that afternoon. TEMPS: A high of 90 on Thursday and possibly Friday, with slightly cooler temperatures on Sunday. RAIN: There’s an 80 percent chance of rain Saturday, and 30 percent chance the other three days. WINDS: Gusts of up to 25 mph for the first two rounds, and slightly less on the weekend. Still, it’s Texas, so wind will be a factor. For the latest weather news from Irving, Texas, check out PGATOUR.COM’s Weather Hub. ODDS AND ENDS 1. TALE OF TWO JORDANS. Something happens to Jordan Spieth after making the cut at TPC Four Seasons – he turns from Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde. In his first six appearances, he’s 29 under collectively in the first two rounds, but 17 over on the weekend rounds. He’s suffered twice as many bogeys in the final two rounds (53) than the first two (23). Just … weird. 2. POULTER’S RECOVERY SHOT. Yes, Ian Poulter has seen the replay of his fourth shot through the trees at the 18th hole Sunday at TPC Sawgrass several times. “It’s hard not to see it on social media,” said Poulter, who’s in the field this week after his tie for second. He nearly holed the shot for 116 yards for a walk-off par after a shank and a penalty forced him into a go-for-broke situation. “It’s probably the highest, toughest shot I’ve ever pulled off,” he said. “I wouldn’t want to go back and have another go at it, if that’s what you’re asking me.” 3. WATER? NO BOTHER. Last year, Sergio Garcia found the water twice in the final round at TPC Four Seasons yet still won. That made him just the third player in the ShotLink era to hit two balls in the water in the last round and still win. Adam Scott did it earlier in 2016 at the then-World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship, and Russell Henley did it in 2014 at The Honda Classic. 4. GOTTA SHOOT IN THE 60s. Of the last 22 winners at TPC Four Seasons, 16 have recorded all rounds in the 60s, including the last five champions. WATCH THE PREVIEW

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DUBLIN, Ohio – World Golf Hall-of-Famer Phil Mickelson has announced he will likely forego a spot in the upcoming U.S. Open at Erin Hills in order to attend his daughter’s high school graduation in California, which is scheduled the same day as the tournament’s first round. Mickelson, a 42-time PGA TOUR winner, five-time major winner and six-time U.S. Open runner up, will almost certainly withdraw from the only major championship he has failed to win. Instead he will watch daughter Amanda graduate and give the commencement address at Pacific Ridge School in Carlsbad on June 15. She is set to enter Brown University in the fall. “My daughter is graduating and she’s the school president… and I’m going to be there,â€� Mickelson confirmed. “Unfortunately, it comes on the Thursday of the Open, around 10:00 in the morning Pacific. So, there’s just really no way to make it, no matter what the tee time is.â€� Mickelson said only a major weather delay or unforeseen circumstance with the graduation ceremony will see him in the field. The final spots in the field will be awarded after 36-hole qualifiers at sites across the country on Monday. “I didn’t want Mike Davis and the USGA to be caught off guard when they made their pairings for television on Wednesday, and I want the alternate to know that he most likely will be in and to prepare properly,â€� Mickelson added. “Mike and I both agree there’s no sense in doing it right now, you never know what might happen, maybe something comes up with the commencement, maybe something comes up with the weather. I don’t know what will happen, but it doesn’t look very good. It would have to be something unforeseen.

“I wanted to make sure that they had enough notice to accommodate it. So that’s why I’m saying something today. But it doesn’t look good for me playing. But I’m really excited about this moment in our family’s life.â€�
 Amanda was born shortly after the 1999 U.S. Open at Pinehurst, where Mickelson finished runner-up to Payne Stewart. He had claimed he would leave Pinehurst at any moment to be there for the birth, displaying a family-first attitude he continues today. The 46-year-old is running out of chances to complete the career grand slam, making the decision more difficult. He has three Masters wins plus one Open Championship and a PGA Championship on his resume. But no U.S. Open. “Obviously, it’s a tournament that I want to win the most, and the only way to win is if you play,â€� he said. “But this is one of those moments where you look back on life and you just don’t want to miss it. I’ll be really glad that I was there and present.â€� Mickelson, who has played in 26 U.S. Opens, was also runner up at the 2002, 2004, 2006, 2009 and 2013 events. He and wife Amy are the parents of Amanda (17), Sophia (15) and Evan (14), and Phil again left no doubt as to his priorities Saturday. He said Amanda would have supported his decision had he chosen to play the U.S. Open. “I’ll be able to play the next two years solidly before Sofia gets to graduate, hopefully,â€� he joked. “Amanda’s very supportive. She’s always been: ‘Dad, I know you love the Open.’ But it’s one of those things that you just show up. You just need to be there. It wasn’t really something that we discussed, because it really wasn’t much of a decision.â€�

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