PGA Tour China to resume with full schedule in 2018

Here are nine tidbits from the third round of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans that gamers can use tomorrow, this weekend or down the road. The TPC Louisiana in Avondale has been the host since 2005 and plays 7,425 yards to a Par-72. PAIN OR GAIN These were the top 10, plus one, picked golfers in the PGA TOUR Fantasy One & Done presented by SERVPRO: *Did not make cut. There was plenty of movement on Saturday as the teams played the final round of the best-ball format. Today was the day to make birdies and make up ground with two chances to score on every hole. Tomorrow is going to test the nerves, trust and execution as alternate shot returns. Remember, there were only five rounds in the 60’s during the first go-around. REDEMPTION SONG The partnership of Scott Brown and Kevin Kisner will enter the final round as 54-hole leaders by a shot. The duo posted another beauty in the best-ball format as their 64 saw them post 20-under-par 196. They’re now 38-under in the best-ball format in this event. Kisner carried the weight today as they counted six of his seven birdies AND two bogeys. It’s no secret that Brown entered this week not in his best form. He’ll need to give his red-hot partner even more help tomorrow. Their 70 in the first alternate shot included only one bogey and no others and I’d bet they’d sign for that right now! UTAH MAFIA Speaking of not playing well recently, Daniel Summerhays currently sits No. 212 in the FedExCup standings. His season and career could change dramatically tomorrow as he looks for his first-career win in his 204th event. Tony Finau has gone close twice this season with a solo-second place finish at the Safeway Open and T2 at the Genesis Open. They fired 72 with five birdies and bogeys in their first attempt at alternate shot. NOT FADE AWAY Michael Kim and Andrew Putnam neither have won on TOUR but that hasn’t prevented them from battling the first three rounds. They haven’t squared a bogey on the week but did have to count a double in their first crack at alternate shot. The signed for 69 on Friday to take the 36-hole lead but couldn’t get obnoxiously low on Saturday to maintain or increase it. They are one of only two groups in the top 13 without a win on TOUR (Tyler Duncan/Adam Schenk is the other). They are currently the only group in the top 13 to break 70 in alternate shot this week. They’ll start one shot behind in the penultimate group so that could ease some of the pressure. WOULDA Sitting alone in fourth place two shots out of the lead is Brice Garnett and Chesson Hadley. They circled 11 birdies Saturday to bounce up 15 spots and have a sniff in the final round. They’ll be lamenting the fact that they had to circle a triple-bogey eight on No. 18 in their alternate-shot round on Friday. It stings even more that No. 18 is a Par-5 hole! They only have one other bogey on the week so keep an eye on them! COULDA Saturday Billy Horschel and Scott Piercy also fired 61 to get into the chase as they will start Sunday three shots out of the lead T5. What’s worse than signing for a triple on a Par-5 hole? How about making back-to-back doubles after opening birdie-birdie on Friday? They added two more bogeys that afternoon and added them up for 73 before bouncing back with 11 birdies Saturday. With seven wins between them, including a FedExCup, TOUR Championship and Zurich Classic, this group has PLENTY of pedigree of those within touching distance. SHOULDA If pedigree is to be an angle, the 2012 Zurich Classic and 2013 PGA Champion Jason Dufner brings five wins to the table. His partner Pat Perez has two of his own in the last 18 months. Neither had any form to speak of entering the week but I couldn’t tell today! They fired 61 with 10 birdies and an eagle. Yep, they had to count a bogey and also have a double on their card from Friday. There’s plenty of experience in this group of 40-somethings! MOVING DAY WRONG WAY! Nate Lashley and Rob Oppenheim opened some eyes when their bogey-free 69 on Friday jumped them into the top three. Just to illustrate how easy TPC Louisiana was playing on Saturday, the pair turned in 68 and dropped 11 spots to T14. The rookie-vet combo will need to dial up another low one to claim either’s first top 10 of the season. Round 1 co-leader Lucas Glover and Chez Reavie gave three shots back on Friday with 75 to drop to T12. Their 67 Saturday was almost two shots above average and they fell seven more spots to T19. Imagine if they didn’t make TWO eagles! The biggest drop of the day went to Chad Campbell and Matt Jones who plummeted from T3 to T24. Their 63-70 to open moved them up. Their 70 on Saturday sees them seven shots out of the lead and in need of serious help. STUDY HALL Slappin’ each other around, Matt Kuchar and Bubba Watson had more giggle than hit today as their 68 dropped them 17 spots to T24. The second time of best-ball resulted in even lower scores than the first round. Saturday’s 65.222 average was more than half-of-a-shot better than 65.887 on Thursday. Round 2’s average score in alternate shot was 73.863 so there’s the benchmark for Sunday. Last year the formats were switched as the final round was four-ball. Gamers preparing for the Wells Fargo Championship next week at Quail Hollow Club should be reminded that this event was NOT played on this track last year. Eagle Point was the host for Brian Harman’s victory as Quail Hollow Club prepared for the PGA Championship won by Justin Thomas.

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DETROIT – Bryson DeChambeau birdies three of the first four holes to seize the lead, and when it gets tight on the back nine he birdies three in a row to finish. His final-round, 7-under 65 is more than good enough to salt away the Rocket Mortgage Classic for his sixth PGA TOUR title. He moves from 12th to 4th in the FedExCup and serves notices that his new style, otherworldly power combined with astonishing touch, might just be changing the game. Welcome to the Monday Finish. THREE KEYS TO SUCCESS 1. He was a master of both touch and power. DeChambeau said he had heard the Donald Ross layout was a bomber’s paradise, and finding that to be the case, he took full advantage, nearly driving the green at the short par-4 first and 13th holes. He led the field in driving distance – he was outdriving even the TOUR’s longest hitters by as many as 30 yards – and in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee (6.672). But in a first for the ShotLink era, the winner also led in Strokes Gained: Putting (7.831). That’s a fearsome combination. 2. He didn’t crumble on 14. The par-5 14th was like a par 4 for DeChambeau, but he hacked his second shot out from the right trees, through the fairway and into the water hazard. Things were not going well, with Matthew Wolff finally finding his game and making a run in the group behind him. Still, DeChambeau didn’t panic. He took a drop, gave himself a par putt (he missed), and resolved to not let the bogey ruin his day. “I held my head high and I was able to almost make par,” he said, “but I just kept moving forward.” 3. He had perfect timing. As DeChambeau eyed his birdie putt from just over 30 feet at the 16th hole, it was time to make something happen. Wolff had bounced back from his own failure to birdie 14 – after being just behind the green in two – with a birdie at the 15th. DeChambeau’s comfortable lead was now down to a shot, but not to worry. He rolled in the 30-footer at 16 for birdie to restore a two-stroke lead, then gave Wolff no chance by making more birdies on 17 (an easy two-putt after hitting the green) and 18 (huge drive, stuck the approach to inside four feet). DeChambeau’s start (three birdies in first four holes) and finish (three straight) were impeccable. OBSERVATIONS McNealy has Motor City roots Stanford product Maverick McNealy isn’t just a product of Silicon Valley, where his dad Scott founded Sun Microsystems. Before that, Scott McNealy lived in Detroit, and Maverick and his three brothers, Dakota, Colt and Scout, are all named after cars. “My dad grew up here in Detroit and my grandpa worked for American Motors,” said McNealy, who shot a final-round 66 to finish 15 under and T8. “… It’s fun thinking back the last time I was here was when my dad caddied for me at the U.S. Amateur at Oakland Hills a couple years ago. “Our family all drives American cars,” he added. “I’ve got my mom’s old Ford Explorer and we have two Explorers and two F‑150s in the family right now between my brothers and I. It’s special.” One brother, he added, is just finishing up his computer science degree at Stanford while working for Autonomic, which McNealy described as Ford’s cloud computing capability. “A lot of Motor City connections with our family,” McNealy said. His final round would’ve been even better were it not for a missed four-foot birdie putt on 18. Still, he was pleased with the performance. “Making East Lake is my goal this year,” he said. Hubbard marches to own drummer Colorado native Mark Hubbard, who now lives in Houston, shot 72 to finish T12. In the third round he played alongside DeChambeau, presenting viewers with a drastic contrast in styles. “Me and my caddie were joking about it on the first tee,” said Hubbard, a devout skier. “I don’t know if there’s two more polar opposite people or players on the PGA TOUR.” DeChambeau’s epic tee shots bring down rain; Hubbard’s low ones run forever. DeChambeau is the Mad Scientist; Hubbard admitted he hadn’t heard about “specs” on a golf club until he was a freshman at San Jose State. Basically, he said, “I just kind of see it and hit it.” His only equipment quirk is his 33-inch putter; he bends so much at the waist to putt that his torso verges on horizontal. “I just see the lines better down there,” he said. His pairing with DeChambeau reached its comic apex at the par-5 14th hole, after DeChambeau “hit his usual drive about 100 past me,” said Hubbard, who was well back in the right rough. When CBS on-course reporter Trevor Immelman asked what club DeChambeau had used, and was told 8-iron, Hubbard chirped that he himself had only needed a 9-iron. “So I one upped him,” he said, “but mine was a layup to 85 yards.” Hubbard (69) was beating DeChambeau (67) until a four-shot swing in the last three holes. QUOTEBOARD “It’s nice to actually play on the weekend.” – Rickie Fowler, who moved up the board with a final-round 67 (14 under, T12) after earlier making his first cut since the Return to Golf. “It’s been a long week, mentally draining week.” – Cameron Champ, a late addition to the field after being medically cleared. He flew in Thursday and shot a final-round 66 (T12). “The level of play on TOUR these first four weeks has been incredible.” – Kevin Kisner (66, solo third, his best result since winning the 2019 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play) WYNDHAM REWARDS The Wyndham Rewards Top 10 is a season-long competition that offers a $10 million bonus for the 10 golfers who end the regular season at the Wyndham Championship inside the top 10 in FedExCup points. The player atop the standings will earn $2 million, with varying payoffs for the others through $500,000 for the 10th place finisher. Bryson DeChambeau enters the Top 10 at No. 4 after winning the Rocket Mortgage Classic, while Lanto Griffin shoots a final-round 69 for a T21 in Detroit to inch up one spot. Webb Simpson (70, T8), meanwhile, maintains the top spot in the standings. Here’s how the standings look heading into this week’s Workday Charity Open. SOCIAL SNAPSHOT

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