Park leads day one at World Championships

LOS ANGELES – The fans laughed and pointed as they walked past Viktor Hovland in the early hours of Friday’s second round of The Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club. The Norwegian superstar was sizing up his approach shot at the notoriously difficult par-4 15th, but doing so from the 17th fairway, which to the untrained eye appeared to be significantly off target. But Hovland was over there for the second consecutive round having devised a strategy to play down the wrong fairway to minimize the danger of the tough dogleg right hole. It was a strategy years in the making having first attempted it as an amateur. And with some lost trees in recent times thanks to a few big storms, the method became even more tempting for Hovland. In the lead up to the tournament he and caddie Shay Knight talked about the strategy but didn’t unveil it until Thursday. “We were obviously talking about it in the practice rounds and trying to be as stealthy as we could,” Hovland laughed during his explanation after making a stress-free par for the second day running. The 14th traditionally demands an extremely accurate tee shot down a narrow shoot with tall trees down the right and a significant bunker complex protecting the same side. The dogleg shortens the space on the left side with rough ready to catch errant shots. Even an accurate drive creates a demanding and long second shot to a V-shaped green of significant slope. Over the past five editions of The Genesis Invitational, it has averaged well over par at 4.247, 4.306, 4.272, 4.257 and 4.177 and in Thursday’s opening round the field averaged 4.378 with just eight birdies. But with the space to aim through Hovland punished his drives backwards down the par-5 17th – careful to be aware of fellow competitors and fans of course – and attacked the green from there. “I did that at the U.S. Amateur here in 2017. Actually, got to give my buddy Zach Bauchou some credit. He was the guy that first mentioned it,” Hovland continued. “I did it there and I did it once last year, I believe it was the third day and it was humming downwind. I think I hit a driver and a sand wedge in there. And there’s not too much trouble there I thought. “Obviously that bunker on the left side (of 17) is no good, but at the same time the bunker down 15 on the right is no good either. (This way) just fits my eye.” With rounds of 71-64 Hovland sits 7-under heading to the weekend and inside the top-10, albeit well back of leader Joaquin Niemann (16-under). The strategy will continue as he looks to reel in the Chilean over the weekend. “Regardless of how the other guys play, I know my game plan and I’ve just got to go and execute,” he said. “If I play more like I did today the next couple of days, it could be interesting.”

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In the final round of the 2017 RBC Canadian Open, Jhonattan Vegas shoots 65 and birdies the par-5 18th hole in a sudden-death playoff to dispatch Charley Hoffman. Welcome to the Monday Finish, where Venezuelan-turned-Texan Vegas became the fourth man to successfully defend a title on the PGA TOUR this season, notching his third win overall. FIVE OBSERVATIONS 1 Vegas had missed five straight cuts coming to Glen Abbey. His victory recalls, most recently, Billy Horschel at the AT&T Byron Nelson, where the former FedExCup champion was trying to break a streak of four straight MCs and — seemingly out of nowhere — won the tournament. “Just being the defending champion was something really positive,â€� Vegas said. “Having the fans really support me through the whole week, seeing the enthusiasm when I got here, everyone was like: ‘You know what, you’re going to repeat again and you’re going to win for us.’ The positive energy really helped me to play good golf.â€� What happened in Canada only reinforces the truism that any player can win in any given week. Vegas moves from 87th to 28th in the FedExCup standings, and is looking to improve on his career-best 29th-place finish last year, when he was T24 at the TOUR Championship.    2 Just three South American countries have been represented in The Presidents Cup: Argentina (Angel Cabrera, four times), Colombia (Camilo Villegas, once) and Paraguay (Carlos Franco, twice). With the win at Glen Abbey, Venezuela’s Vegas moved from 17th to ninth on the International team’s points list. He said he would relish the opportunity to take on the powerhouse U.S. squad at this year’s Presidents Cup at Liberty National Sept. 26-Oct. 1. How would he do in match play? If form holds, pretty well. Vegas is 2-0 in sudden-death playoffs on TOUR, and he went 2-1-0 at the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play earlier this season. Vegas notched 3-and-1 victories over Thomas Pieters and Scott Piercy but lost 1 up to Bubba Watson, who won the group to advance to the round of 16.  3 Sam Saunders was briefly the feel-good story of the week as he went for his first TOUR win at the same tournament where his late grandfather Arnold Palmer got his, way back in 1955. Things were looking good as Saunders went out in 3-under 32 Sunday, but he made five bogeys on the back nine, including two on his last two holes, to shoot 72 and finish 19th. Had he succumbed to nerves? Saunders, who turned 30 on Sunday, admitted he probably had. “I’ve been at this for long enough now,â€� he said. “I’ve got a lot of scar tissue, you know. And that’s okay. Most guys struggle before they break through. I’m not doing that bad. My third full year on the PGA TOUR, it could be a lot worse. “There are so many great players out there that never even make it to this level. So, I’m glad that I’m here, and it will feel that much sweeter when eventually I do get that first win.â€� Steve Flesch at the 2004 DEAN & DELUCA Invitational is the last man to win on his birthday. 4 Starting the week at 71st in the Official World Golf Ranking, Ian Poulter would’ve needed a win in Canada to make it to this week’s WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. Although he didn’t quite get there, he shot a final-round 64 to finish solo third at Glen Abbey, continuing a career revival that began with his runner-up finish at THE PLAYERS Championship earlier this season. Poulter led the field in strokes gained: putting at the RBC on Sunday, making more than 128 feet of putts. And a week after he finished T14 at The Open Championship, his third-place finish vaulted him from 77nd to 43rd in the FedExCup race. Oh, he’s also up to 62nd in the OWGR. All in all, he’s not doing too bad for a guy who was just hoping to hang onto his TOUR card this year. “It’s amazing how things change,â€� he said. The one flaw in his final round, he said, was his failure to birdie two of the three back-nine par 5s. He finished a shot out of the playoff. 5 Third-round leader Charley Hoffman could manage only a 4-under 68 Sunday and remained winless this season. After making a birdie at the par-5 18th to force extra holes, Hoffman got out of position in the sudden death on the same hole, losing when he failed to match Vegas’ birdie. “Didn’t make that many putts of any significance at all on the back nine, unfortunately,â€� Hoffman said. Sunday marked the 17th time that Hoffman has had the lead or co-lead after any round on TOUR (six first-round, seven second-round and four third-round leads/co-leads). A four-time winner, he has nevertheless failed to convert any of those leads to victory. The silver lining: He moved from 24th to 12th in the FedExCup, and from 16th to 10th in Presidents Cup points. FIVE INSIGHTS 1 Vegas putted better than most, finishing 14th in strokes gained: putting (.837) for the week. But he was red-hot when it mattered most Sunday, rolling in better than 142 feet of putts, his best performance on the greens all season and the fourth best day of his career. Vegas had averaged just 66 feet of made putts for his first three rounds at Glen Abbey. 2 Gary Woodland (solo fourth, 19 under) tied Vegas with 27 birdies for the week, tops in the field. The two figured prominently in Vegas’ first win as well, at the 2011 CareerBuilder Challenge, where Vegas beat Woodland and Bill Haas in a sudden-death playoff. 3 Dustin Johnson, No. 2 in the FedExCup and No. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking, said he was encouraged with his game after finishing T8 at the RBC, as well he should be. Johnson led the field in greens in regulation (57/72) as he heads to this week’s WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, where he is the defending champion. 4 Keegan Bradley, who fired a final-round 65 to finish T14, led the field with a gaudy 6.508 in strokes gained: off the tee on Sunday, and leads the TOUR in total driving this season. 5 Sean O’Hair, who also shot a final-round 65 and finished T10, birdied all four par-3s Sunday. It was the first time in his career that he has birdied all four par-3s in a single round. TOP 3 VIDEOS 1. We wonder how many people have attempted this shot since 2000? 2. Half man. Half amazing. Nothing but cup. 3. These guys are good.

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CROMWELL, Conn. – Notes and observations from Saturday’s third round of the Travelers Championship, where Jordan Spieth birdied three of his last four holes to shoot 66 and keep the lead. Boo Weekley had a 5-under 65 to reach 11 under, a shot back, while Daniel Berger (66) came in at 9 under, in solo third as he aims for his second win in the last three weeks. For more coverage from TPC River Highlands, click here for the Daily Wrap-up. SPIETH LEANS ON PAR SAVES Jordan Spieth made three birdies in the last four holes to maintain the solo lead for the third straight day in this, his first career start at the Travelers Championship. Still, what stood out to him were two par saves. He missed the green right at the 490-yard, par-4 fourth hole, but got up and down with a chip and a tap-in par. At the 227-yard, par-3 fifth, Spieth splashed out of the right greenside bunker and made a 16-foot putt. He didn’t even need to putt at the sixth hole, chipping in for birdie from 28 feet. “I thought those two up-and-downs along with obviously the chip in on 6 were massive,â€� Spieth said. “I very well should have been 2-over through six holes and I was 1-under. “So, I stole some there around the greens, which is what I’ve been looking to do when something gets a little bit off elsewhere. It was really nice to see, through there, to gather that momentum and kind of calm down and get into the round.â€� Much as he was throughout his Player of the Year season in 2015, Spieth was lethal around the greens Saturday. He hit just 10 greens in regulation, his lowest total of the week, but was 3-for-3 in sand saves, and took 24 putts. Not surprisingly, he’s leading the field in strokes gained: around the green for the week, but he’s also first in strokes gained: tee-to-green. That’s a tough combination to beat. Should he win Sunday, it would mark his first wire-to-wire victory since the 2015 Masters, and his 10th title on the PGA TOUR at just 23 years old. CALL OF THE DAY WEEKLEY BACK IN THE SWING Jordan Spieth hadn’t met with the media in 24 hours. Boo Weekley hadn’t met with the media in — well, he couldn’t remember how long. “A lot of faces in here I ain’t seen in a while,â€� he said as he sat down after his round, in which he fired a back-nine 30 to play his way into the final twosome with Spieth on Sunday. Weekley has three TOUR victories, but hasn’t won since the 2013 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. At 43, he could have been excused if he thought his best golf was behind him, especially since he came into this week at 193rd in the FedExCup standings. His best finish all season? Well, that would have been his thrilling tie for 37th place at the Puerto Rico Open. But one good tournament can change everything, and Weekley has been back to his old self at TPC River Highlands thanks in part to a relatively new putter and left-hand-low stroke. The putter is an Odyssey that Matt Every had given up on at Colonial earlier this season, and that Weekley’s coach wound up with only to give it to Weekley. It’s working. Weekley made 128feet, 4’inches of putts Saturday, and was third in strokes gained: putting (3.261). Like Spieth, Weekley finished strong with birdies on three of the last four holes. “I change putters like I change underwear, man,â€� Weekley said before estimating he’s gone through about 20 different makes and models this season alone. Spieth smiled at the prospect of playing with Weekley on Sunday. “I hope I’m having as much fun each day as Boo’s having,â€� Spieth said. “I mean, he lives it up. It’s fun to be around Boo. He’s always very nice to everybody he sees, has some kind of a joke. If he’s had a couple pops, you barely understand him with his country accent. “He’s a guy everybody very much respects and really likes being around, and that’s fun, that’s fun to play with. He’s a really good ball striker who, a couple events that I’ve been involved in, in the heat of things, he shot very low numbers on Sundays. He’s not afraid to do so.â€� CASEY THRIVES WITH CADDIE SUB Paul Casey’s usual caddie, John McLaren, asked for this week off and Casey granted it. He also let McLaren pick who would caddie for Casey in his place, and the veteran McLaren, who is known for his long socks and high-top sneakers, picked Shannon Wallace. So far, so good. Casey, who lost to Bubba Watson in a playoff at the 2015 Travelers, shot 66 to get to 8 under, just four off Spieth’s lead. “Shannon’s perfect,â€� said Casey, who came into this week 27th in the FedExCup race.  “He’s been on the bag for Faldo and some guys. Maybe he hasn’t had the results he’s wanted as a caddie. And I love the fact that he’s channeled his inner Johnny Longsocks this week and turned up with long socks to try to make me feel better. “We failed to get him high tops,â€� Casey added. “That’s the only thing I’ve failed, on my behalf. I’ve known Shannon for a long time since we’ve been on TOUR. So, a good blend. We actually, worryingly for Johnny, we are working very well together.â€� WIND KEEPS PLAYERS ON THEIR TOES The wind gusted from 8-16 mph when it blew, but sometimes it stopped entirely. Paul Casey said Saturday was the toughest day so far. Keegan Bradley (66) called TPC River Highlands “a tricky little courseâ€� in the gusts. Boo Weekley admitted he was posing over approach shots only to watch them come up 10 yards short. “First time I’ve ever played here with the wind blowing this hard,â€� Weekley said. And those were the guys who played well.   “It’s tricky today—we have a north wind, which we haven’t seen all week here,â€� said Canadian David Hearn, who shot 66 to get to 7 under, five off the lead. “So it just makes — especially on the back nine, you get into those chutes and around those water hazards, and it just makes it a little tricky to pick your lines when you’re not used to this wind.â€� Players went off both tees in threesomes to accommodate a storm that dumped a modest amount of rain on TPC River Highlands overnight and Saturday morning. ODDS AND ENDS C.T. Pan, who played for Chinese Taipei in the Rio Olympics (T30) last summer but lives in Bellevue, Washington, took advantage of calm morning conditions for a bogey-free 64. He tied for second at the Farmers Insurance Open earlier this year, but is 88th in the FedExCup after missing 12 cuts in his last 17 starts. “This is my first year,â€� said Pan, who leads the field in scrambling (11/11). “I keep telling myself if you just keep knocking on the door, one day will be your day.â€� … Keegan Bradley (7 under), who is going for his first TOUR win since the 2012 World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, made a 40-foot birdie putt at the fourth hole to kick-start his round. “That was a big putt,â€� said Bradley, who hit 16 greens in regulation for the second straight day. “Then I made a really good [12-foot] birdie putt on 13, a hole I needed to birdie. So a lot of good putts I holed today.â€� Bradley is 56th in the FedExCup standings, with his best result this season a T4 at the Farmers Insurance Open. … Daniel Berger, 12th in the FedExCup, erased a three-shot deficit as he successfully defended his FedEx St. Jude Classic title two weeks ago. His deficit going into Sunday? Three shots. “Couple weeks ago I was in the same position and got it done,â€� Berger said. “So obviously trying to run down Jordan’s going to be tough, but if I play well, I’ve got a chance.â€� …  Charley Hoffman, who took the outright lead after going eagle, birdie, birdie, went 4 over for his last three holes in a 68. He’s at 6 under, six shots behind. BEST OF SOCIAL MEDIA

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