No surprise: Koepka in contention at a major

Adam Hadwin ... As understandable as it is to accept that he went six months post-shutdown without a top 25 because his first child was born very early in 2020, it's also reason to elevate the expectations again now. After taking time to celebrate his daughter's first birthday a few weeks ago, he returned to competition with a T32 at PGA WEST and a T18 at Torrey Pines. Not only did the latter end the top-25 drought, it also was a personal-best finish of six appearances. The 33-year-old Canuck carries that momentum into TPC Scottsdale where he's been a fixture since his rookie season of 2014-15. Dating back to a T17 in his second start in 2016, he's 5-for-5 with a pair of top 20s. Patton Kizzire ... With his 35th birthday a month away (on March 3), his recent performances align with being in his prime. He's strung together eight consecutive paydays, four of which for a top 25. The latest was a T7 at Waialae where he prevailed three years ago. He's also 4-for-5 at TPC Scottsdale but he's still in pursuit of his first top 30. If his play upon arrival isn't enough to convince that he'll record a personal best this week, consider that he's currently T18 on TOUR in total driving, 43rd in greens hit, 22nd in Strokes Gained: Putting and 20th in adjusted scoring. Keith Mitchell ... The 29-year-old has been enduring the learning curve since a successful rookie season of 2017-18 and breakthrough victory at The Honda Classic in 2019. Only a chosen few are immune from its gravitational pull. For those who survive it, it should be referred to instead as the rite of passage. He had been mostly quiet since a T5 at Bay Hill in the week before the pandemic wiped away three months of competition in 2020. Then, as unpredictable as golf can be, he went off for respective middle rounds of 62 and 63 at Waialae three weeks ago and finish T14. If that indicates that he's "close" - and why shouldn't it? - perhaps he can find some of the same magic at TPC Scottsdale where he led the field in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee and total driving en route to a T16 last year. Nate Lashley ... Among the throng of Scottsdale residents sleeping in their own beds this week. While it can be a distraction seemingly as often as it's beneficial, he proved the latter in his debut last year. After withdrawing from his previous start at PGA WEST with an injured wrist two weeks prior, he went on to connect four sub-70s for a three-way tie for third place with consistently strong approach play taking the pressure off his putter and allowing it to do work. It's the kind of formula that defines local knowledge even in a tournament debut. Furthermore, there wasn't much in advance to suggest that a reversal of form was on tap. It's a narrative that could be repeated in his return. Since the podium finish at TPC Scottsdale, he's recorded only one top-35 finish, that a solo fourth at Corales in September. Bo Hoag ... The PGA TOUR sophomore isn't taking his card for granted after squeaking into the 2020 FedExCup Playoffs as the last man inside the top-125 bubble. He's 5-for-11 this season with three top 25s and sits 97th in points. After stumbling out of the gate in the fall, he's signed for 16 red numbers following 18 rounds, including both on the South Course at Torrey Pines on the weekend where he finished T18 for his second top 20 in as many weeks. Now he descends on TPC Scottsdale for the first time with a solid blend of precision on approach and confidence with the putter. He ranks 12th in conversation percentage inside 10 feet. NOTE: Sleeper is a relative term, so Rob uses unofficial criteria to determine who qualifies. Each of the following usually is determined to be ineligible for this weekly staple: Winners of the tournament on the current host course; winners in the same season; recent major champions; top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking; recent participants of team competitions.

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SAINT SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. — Veteran PGA TOUR caddie Kip Henley has seen his share of spectacular golf, but he said he’d never seen two stress-free, back-to-back rounds as those turned in by Austin Cook at The RSM Classic. In fact, Cook made it look so easy on Friday at the Seaside Course that Henley didn’t even realize Cook had signed for an 8-under 62. “I knew it was good, but I didn’t know it was that good,” Henley said. Cook hit 17 greens while carding eight birdies in the second round. He equaled the best 36-hole score at The RSM Classic, 14-under 128 and grabbed a 1-stroke lead over Brian Gay. Cook, who played his college golf at Arkansas, remembers playing in the Southeastern Conference Championship here, but never quite like this. He made four birdies in a row on the back nine beginning at No. 13, and said the 5-iron he stiffed from 179 yards at the 14th hole was his best shot of the day. “I never remember doing what I just did on that golf course,” he said, adding, “I was close to a 62 for nine in one SEC.” Cook, 26, is a PGA TOUR rookie after finishing 15th on the 2017 Web.com Tour money list. He solidified his spot in “The 25” with a runner-up finish at the Utah Championship. “It’s been a lifelong dream,” he said of earning his TOUR card. Next Tuesday, his hometown club, Jonesboro Country Club in Arkansas, is throwing a party for him in recognition of his achievement. When told he could have a lot more to celebrate if he were to become The RSM Classic’s fifth PGA TOUR first-time winner, Cook hesitated to look too far ahead. “Well, you know…” he said, taking a pregnant pause. “Yeah, we can have a lot to celebrate.” OBSERVATIONS GAY’S PUTTER HEATS UP. Brian Gay is regarded as one of the TOUR’s top putters and it keyed another vintage performance. Gay, 45, drained a 38-footer at the 6th hole for birdie, one of seven birdies in a round of 6-under 64 at the Seaside Course. He ranked third in strokes gained: putting (+3.538) on Friday, and heads into the weekend trailing Cook by one shot. Gay, who missed 18 months due to neck surgery and a thumb injury, regained his TOUR privileges last season on a major-medical exemption. Now he’s looking to get back into the winner’s circle. “It feels like it’s been a while,” said Gay, who last won at the 2013 CareerBuilder Challenge. “It really does.” WEEKEND PLANS FOR de JONGE. The putter case for Brendon de Jonge is a sun with shades and a smile and it matched its owner’s disposition after he shot a second-straight round of 67. That’s because de Jonge made his first PGA TOUR cut since the Shell Houston Open in April. “It feels really nice,” de Jonge said. “It’s a small monkey off my back.” Missing 16 of your last 17 starts, and finishing 221st in the FedEx Cup standings can lead to dark feelings. It has de Jonge contemplating a life after golf. He said he and his wife have started a company and invested in real estate. But he’d still like to get that elusive first TOUR win. De Jonge is fully-exempt on the Web.com Tour and plans to play out of the Veteran member category on the TOUR this season as much as he can. “The last few years have been a mental battle if whether this is what I want to keep doing,” he said. “I need to play one really good week and that’s how I’m going to figure out if that’s what I really want to do.” De Jonge, 37, wore a smile on his face as he described holing his second shot for eagle, a 9-iron from 138 yards on the 13th hole. He’s also enjoyed having childhood friend Bruce McDonald on the bag and staying with Sea Island teaching pro Mike Taylor this week. De Jonge and Taylor spent an hour on the putting green Wednesday, and it has paid quick dividends. “Sometimes you need a few to go into the hole to start believing,” McDonald said. KIRK USES AN OLDIE BUT A GOODIE. Chris Kirk blames a balky putter for his dip in performance last season. He slipped to a career-worst 125th in strokes gained: putting. But this week his short stick is behaving, and he credits a switch to a Scotty Cameron by Titleist center-shafted Laguna model that he used during the 2010 Web.com Tour. “That was one of the best putting seasons I’ve ever had,” he said. Kirk, a Georgia Bulldog alum, pulled the Laguna putter out of his storage closet last weekend while watching the Georgia-Auburn football game. “The game wasn’t going so well so I started messing around with it on my putting rug,” he said. It ended up in the bag this week. The 2013 RSM Classic champ took just 23 putts Thursday en route to a 9-under 63 at the Plantation Course, and though he needed 31 putts during Friday’s even-par-70 at Seaside Course, he said he rolled it “incredibly well.” Kirk, who is winless since 2015, enters the weekend at 9 under and in a share of third place. NCAA CHAMP IMPRESSES AGAIN. Amateur Braden Thornberry, a 20-year-old junior at Ole Miss, fired a 6-under 64 at the Seaside Course on Friday. Count veteran TOUR caddie Don Donatello, who is on the bag for the reigning NCAA champ this week, impressed. “He’s the youngest player I’ve ever caddied for, and he handles himself like he’s been playing this game for 30 years,” Donatello said of Thornberry. Thornberry, the Haskins Award winner as college golf’s best player, continues to show that his game can translate to the next level. He finished tied for fourth at the FedEx St. Jude Classic in June in his TOUR debut. After an opening-round 72 at the Plantation Course, Thornberry canned a 34-foot birdie putt at the first hole at Seaside Course and birdied five of his first 10 holes. He enters the weekend tied for 22nd. “I was surprised how comfortable I do feel out here,” he said. NOTABLES Brandt Snedeker – The eight-time TOUR winner used his 14-week layoff with a rib injury to good effect. He and instructor John Tillery changed his natural draw ball flight to a fade through a series of drills and exercises.” I was anxious to see how it would perform under pressure,” said Snedeker, who carded a second-straight 67 to improve to 8 under. “I hit a 4-iron from 220 into the wind today at the second and it never left the pin. Hit it straight to 5 feet and made birdie. I feel like my swing is starting to feel natural.” C.T. Pan – He finished in style, making eagle at the 18th hole en route to shooting 7-under 65, the low round on Plantation Course. Pan, 25, enters the third round at 9-under overall and in position to improve upon a T6 finish at The RSM Classic last season. Bud Cauley – Cauley, who grew up just across the Georgia border in Jacksonville, improved nine strokes on Friday. Cauley, 27, carded a bogey-free 7-under 63 on the Seaside Course. That was a stroke off Cauley’s personal-best on the TOUR — a 62 during round one of The 2012 RSM Classic. Cauley rallied on Friday to make his sixth consecutive cut dating back to last season. Bubba Watson – The nine-time TOUR winner made eight threes and a five on the par-5 seventh hole of the front nine at the more difficult Seaside Course and signed for a 6-under 64. Watson, who finished 75th in last season’s FedExCup and had intended to take a long layoff, is making his second start in the fall season. He improved to 7 under overall and T12 heading into the weekend. QUOTABLES “My mind kind of got off of golf. Being home and being with the family and everything, I realized how much I missed the game of golf and that’s why I wanted to come and play in these tournaments.”– Bubba Watson, who after a subpar year, decided to play in two fall events” He has the confidence on the greens like Jordan Spieth in that he thinks he can make anything.”– Caddie Don Donatello on reigning NCAA champion Braden Thornberry SUPERLATIVES Low round: 62. Austin Cook at the more difficult Seaside Course. Longest putt: Scott Brown went long distance at the par-4 14th hole, draining a putt from 69 feet, 4 inches. Longest drive: Trey Mullinax gripped it and ripped 357 yards on the ninth hole at Seaside Course. Fewest putts: Bubba Watson led the field with 13 one-putt greens and took just 23 putts in Round 2 at the Seaside Course. Hardest hole: The par-4 14th hole at Seaside played to a stroke average of 4.429. Only four birdies were recorded on the day. Easiest hole: The par-5 15th hole at Seaside played to a stroke average of 4.506. There was one eagle and 41 birdies in round two. CALL OF THE DAY

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Newly-crowned U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland returns to action for the first time since his triumph at Pebble Beach, highlighting the PGA TOUR’s first visit to Michigan after a decade of absence. Dustin Johnson and Rickie Fowler also headline the roster coming to Detroit Golf Club, along with former Masters winners Bubba Watson and Patrick Reed. It’ll also be a showcase for fresh talent, as U.S. Amateur titleholder Viktor Hovland and NCAA champion Matthew Wolff tee it up. FIELD NOTES: Xander Schauffele, who tied for third behind Woodland at Pebble Beach, helps give the lineup no fewer than 11 of the top 30 in the current FedExCup standings. … Woodland, Schauffele and Fowler help give the event 12 of this season’s PGA TOUR winners. … Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama also is among those giving the new event a test run. Detroit isn’t all that far from Akron, where Matsuyama recorded his last win at the 2017 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. … Smylie Kaufman is set for just his third PGA TOUR start of 2019, playing on a medical extension for elbow issues that ended last season prematurely. … In addition to Hovland and Wolff, former USC standout Justin Suh has accepted a sponsor invitation. FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 500 points. STORYLINES: The PGA TOUR is back in Michigan for the first time since 2009, when the former Buick Open ended a 33-year run at Warwick Hills G&CC outside Flint. Tiger Woods and Vijay Singh each were three-time winners of that event. … Woodland will step on the tee for the first time as a major champion, two weeks after his gritty performance at Pebble Beach brought him the U.S. Open trophy. He has four other top-10 finishes since the turn of the calendar in January. … A victory could vault Schauffele to the top of the FedExCup standings with a third win of the season. He tied for third at Pebble Beach. … Two British Open berths are available for players among the top eight not already booked for Royal Portrush. After Sunday, just one slot remains for the John Deere Classic’s top non-qualified finisher among the top 5. COURSE: Detroit Golf Club (North), 7,334 yards, par 72. One of two Donald Ross designs on the property, the North course opened in 1916 and recently underwent an upgrade to get ready for the TOUR’s arrival. The club itself dates back to 1899, when William Ferrand and a handful of close friends acquired property on the city’s north side. Originally, the club was limited to just 100 memberships. Horton Smith, winner of the inaugural Masters among 32 PGA TOUR wins, served nearly two decades as DGC’s head professional until his death in 1963. The Horton Smith Invitational was established a year later in his honor. The U.S. Mid-Amateur came to DGC in 1992, as Danny Yates claimed a 1-up victory in the final over David Lind. 72-HOLE RECORD: Debut event. 18-HOLE RECORD: Debut event. HOW TO FOLLOW TELEVISION: Thursday-Friday, 3-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday-Sunday, 1-2:45 p.m. (GC), 3-6 p.m. (CBS). PGA TOUR LIVE: Thursday-Friday, 7 a.m.-6 p.m. (featured groups). Saturday-Sunday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. (featured groups), 3-6 p.m. (featured holes). International subscribers (via GOLF.tv): Thursday-Friday, 11:030 to 22:00 GMT. Saturday-Sunday, 13:00 to 22:00. RADIO: Thursday-Friday, noon-6 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 1-6 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com).  

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