Pep talk from caddie inspires McIlroy at British Open

NORTON, Mass. – How will the top five players entering the final round of the Dell Technologies Championship handle the pressure of Monday’s Labor Day finish? Tournament leader Abraham Ancer (13 under) will be drawing from the lessons learned earlier this year at the Quicken Loans National. He was the co-leader through 54 holes but failed to break par in the final round. A tough result but the experience could prove beneficial as he seeks his first PGA TOUR title. “I’ll probably go back today and just think about how I felt that day and what I could have done better,â€� Ancer said. One shot behind Ancer is Tyrrell Hatton (12 under). He’s also seeking his first TOUR win, but the Englishman already has enjoyed success on the European Tour, having won three times. He shot a 2-under 69 on Sunday that included a double bogey at the long par-4 12th. He shook that off by playing the last six holes in a bogey-free 1 under. That might seem unimportant on the surface, but it was a pretty significant stretch for Hatton. “I feel like I took it well,â€� Hatton said. “In the past, maybe my head would have properly come off, which is always a battle with me. But I was pretty chilled out. I took it on the chin.â€� Tied for second with Hatton is Bryson DeChambeau (12 under). He’s riding the momentum from last week’s win at THE NORTHERN TRUST that elevated him to the top of the FedExCup standings. But this finish sets up differently for him. He entered the final round at Ridgewood with a four-shot lead and never wavered. This time he’s the chaser. Given his form – he shot the low round on Sunday, an 8-under 63 to move up 19 spots on the leaderboard – his confidence is extremely high. “Like last week, if I go out there and execute the best that I can and make the right decisions out there … and make sure I miss it in the right places and attack flags that are attackable – I know it’s cliché to say all that stuff, but that’s honestly what it is,â€� DeChambeau said. Cameron Smith (11 under) has won a TOUR event, but that was the team title he shared with Jonas Blixt at the 2017 Zurich Classic of New Orleans. He’s still winless in individual events, although he tied for third last week. He enters Monday with a share of fourth, two strokes back. “My game feels really good,â€� said the Australian. “… Everything has fallen into shape.â€� Rounding out the top five is the player with the most impressive credentials. Justin Rose (11 under) has a major, an Olympic gold medal and 20 worldwide wins. He was not happy with his 1-under 70 on Sunday – but that could be the very thing that propels him to a 10th win on the PGA TOUR. “There will be a lot of pressure on those guys,â€� Rose said of the leaders. “It’s hard to follow up a really low round with another one. I like being around the top-10. And I feel like the frustration that I feel for this round is going to lead to some motivation to tomorrow.â€� NOTABLES Abraham Ancer was born in Texas but grew up in Reynosa, Mexico, and has dual citizenship. He’s seeking to become just the third Mexican to win a PGA TOUR event (Victor Regalado, Cesar Sanudo were the first two). “Obviously immigration-wise, it’s kind of nice having dual citizenship,â€� Ancer said. “It makes everything easier. All my friends know me, and they know I’m very Mexican.â€� Justin Rose and his playing partner, fellow Englishman Tommy Fleetwood, fell off the pace midway through their rounds. Rose said it was costly, as he bogeyed the 11th and 12th holes to fall out of the lead. “We kind of got a little bit behind timewise and I felt like I was struggling really around the turn, and I don’t know if I was rushing a little bit,â€� he explained. Two-time Dell Technologies champ Rory McIlroy moved into contention with a 5-under 66 that leaves him at 9 under. But he was disappointed not to be a stroke closer. Having made three birdies in his previous four holes, McIlroy had another birdie chance from 6 feet at the 18th. But he missed the putt and then smacked his putter. It’s only the second putt he’s missed this week in 47 putts from inside 7 feet. Jordan Spieth joins McIlroy at 9 under thanks to a 68 that included five birdies in his first seven holes, then three bogeys over the next four-hole stretch. “I feel like I’ve been on the bad end of some breaks, divots and just stymied on some knobs around the green to where I don’t have much of a shot,â€� Spieth said. “If I hit a worse of a shot, I’d be better off. It’s like the weirdest things this week.â€� Tiger Woods played his first seven holes in 3 under but then stalled after that to shoot 3-under 68. At 7 under, he’s six shots off the lead but with 15 players in front of him on the leaderboard. “Just got to go something low,â€� Woods said. “I don’t know if it will be good enough to win, with the guys right now at 13. … Even if I shoot a low round, I’m not really in control of my destiny in that regard, because I’m pretty far back.â€� Second-round leader Webb Simpson had a tough day, with four bogeys and a double at the 15th en route to a 5-over 76. Just two other players of the 77 who made the cut had higher scores on Sunday. Simpson is now at 6 under and tied for 25th. QUOTABLES There were a couple of instances today that I could have lost it mentally but I didn’t. I regrouped and managed to bounce back. I heard the crowd get louder and louder and louder, and I looked up and finally saw the ball peak over that hill. Oh, it’s like a foot. Sweet.I think most rounds of golf for me are roller-coasters, to be honest. SUPERLATIVES Low round: Bryson DeChambeau’s 8-under 63 that moved him to 12 under for the tournament. Longest drive: Peter Uihlein’s 344-yard drive at the par-4 13th. Unfortunately, he found the rough near the cart path and ultimately bogeyed the hole. Longest putt: Hideki Matsuyama’s birdie putt from 64 feet, 2 inches at the par-4 fifth. Matsuyama also made a 46-1/2 footer at the 16th; overall, he made 192 feet, 7 inches of putts on Sunday. Hardest hole: The par-4 12th playing at 518 yards on Sunday. The field stroke average was 4.325, with just five birdies made against 24 bogeys and three doubles. Easiest hole: The 531-yard par-5 18th played to a stroke average of 4.494. Eight eagles and 29 birdies were made against just six bogeys. Bogey-free round: Kyle Stanley’s 66. CALL OF THE DAY For play-by-play coverage of the final round of the Dell Technologies Championship, listen at PGATOUR.COM. SHOT OF THE DAY

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RIO GRANDE, Puerto Rico – On the course, it wasn’t the week Rafa Campos was looking for. But outside the ropes, it couldn’t have gone better. “I’m proud every day to be Puerto Rican, but to see all the support and the people who go out and follow me, that’s huge. I love being a Puerto Rican,� said Campos after a final-round 1-under-par 71. The Puerto Rico Open returned to the PGA TOUR schedule for 2018-19 after Hurricane Maria blew through the island in late 2017 causing record damage. Campos said the tournament’s return has been a resounding success for the island – another event that makes things feel normal again. “It’s huge,� said Campos, who didn’t return to his apartment for three months after the hurricane. “This is huge for tourism, huge for Puerto Rico just able to broadcast worldwide. It’s really big. I’m really happy this came back and I hope it continues to come back for another 10 years.� Campos won the second event of the Web.com Tour season earlier in January and currently sits third on The 25. He’s missed only one cut this year but after five weeks in a row on the Web.com Tour, plus this week on the PGA TOUR, he’s happy for a break. “It’s a great time for a break, also for my caddie. I saw him struggling a bit,� said Campos with a laugh. “It’s going to be good to have two-and-a-half weeks off. I’ll take a couple days really off, to get some energy back, but I’m going to get back to work soon. “I really want to play good golf when I start the Web.com Tour season again.� In both 2016 and 2017 Campos parlayed top-10 finishes in Puerto Rico to other starts on the PGA TOUR. That will not be the case this week as Campos (73-68-74-71) will finish well down the leaderboard. He admitted it was a week where things didn’t go his way, but he was happy to test his mettle on the PGA TOUR once again as he prepares for the opportunity to potentially earn his first TOUR card by year’s end. “It wasn’t meant to be,� he admitted. Campos had battled injuries the last few years but said he’s been feeling great so far in 2019. He said he was “scared� coming into this year how his back was going to respond to a lot of golf all in a row, but he said he’s feeling good. The 30-year-old was the lone Puerto Rican to make the cut this week, and he said the hometown crowds that greeted him on every tee box and every green buoyed him. Even on days when he played poorly, the crowds were out in force. Campos played with Jim Knous on both Saturday and Sunday, who said it was “a blast� to play in front of such a big crowd. “They love Rafa,� said Knous. “Weren’t playing great on the weekend but they were giving him applause on every shot, and me too. It was just fun to see the home crowd get behind him so much.� Campos said it was awesome to play in front of the Puerto Rican crowd once again this week, and although it wasn’t the result he was looking for, he couldn’t help but smile on the 72nd green. He blew kisses and tipped his cap to the hometown faithful. “It’s a really special week for me,� Campos said. “It’s huge, and I love every bit of it.�

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