Pick ‘Em Preview: RBC Canadian Open

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — The second round of THE PLAYERS Championship finished as darkness settled over TPC Sawgrass. PGATOUR.COM’s writers weigh in on their observations after Friday’s play on the Stadium Course. Do we make too much of the English drought or jinx at TPC Sawgrass? BEN EVERILL: No. They can certainly get a life of their own having sat through many an Australian Masters heartache before Adam Scott rescued a nation. But as Scotty showed… droughts are meant to be broken at some point. Plus, Fleetwood and Poulter are studs. Perhaps now is the time. MIKE McALLISTER: Yes. As Fleetwood said, it’s mere coincidence. But given the fact that Sunday is St. Patrick’s Day, maybe the stars are aligning for an (Northern) Irish winner. JIM McCABE: Methinks yes, big time. It hasn’t been that long in history that this tournament factored into the plans for the best of England – Lee Westwood, for instance, didn’t play here a half-dozen times between 1998 and 2016. RELATED: Tiger hits two in the water on 17 | A day in the life of the Island Green | Furyk goes low in Round 2 CAMERON MORFIT:  A drought like that is just a quirk. We all used to say no Englishman had won the U.S. Open since Tony Jacklin, and then Justin Rose won.  HELEN ROSS: I think so. It’s a numbers game. Take this year. Of the 144 players in the starting field, only 10 are from England – and two of them are playing in the tournament for the first time (which is a whole ‘nother kind of jinx.) Those just aren’t good odds. ANDREW TURSKY: No matter what country a player was born in, TPC Sawgrass requires steely nerves and steady ball striking throughout the week, particularly on Sunday. If you want to argue that the target-style course doesn’t set up well for certain players, I can get on board with that. But I don’t think the ponds and slopes around the Stadium Course are biased.  Speaking of droughts, locals have often struggled at THE PLAYERS. Has Furyk finally uncovered the secrets of TPC Sawgrass after shooting 64 on Friday? EVERILL: Ask me again tomorrow. As awesome as the veteran played today in hitting every fairway … I can’t imagine he will back that up.  McALLISTER: From an historical standpoint, Furyk has shown that when he’s on, nobody on TOUR can go lower (hello Mr. 58/59). And he does seem to have a comfort level here now that he didn’t have before. Whether the 48-year-old can sustain that for another 36 holes is the big question. McCABE: Hope David Duval and Fred Funk don’t take offense, but Furyk’s record here was always something difficult to comprehend. He seemed so suited to the place. Would be great to see him stick around and continue to contend. MORFIT: Furyk said he used to be too conservative and not pick his spots to be aggressive. It’s not like his PLAYERS record is that terrible, with a runner-up in 2014 and three other top-10 finishes. He now has to take inspiration from Fred Funk, another local who was 48 when he won here in 2005. ROSS: If ever a guy deserves to win THE PLAYERS, it’s Furyk. He’s playing in the tournament for the 23rd time and he’s such a huge part of this community. But it’s one round, and just his 10th in the 60s at TPC Sawgrass. He’ll need more this weekend to win. TURSKY: t’s no secret that Sawgrass isn’t Furyk’s favorite layout of all time, but his game of late has suggested he’d play well this week. Furyk hits fairways, hits greens, and with a new armlock-style of putting, is making putts too. That’s a good recipe for success around here.   Which player who missed the cut surprises you the most, and why? EVERILL: Xander Schauffele: The FedExCup leader was runner up at TPC Sawgrass last season and clearly is in form again this season. But now he faces the prospect of losing his spot atop the Wyndham Rewards Top-10. McALLISTER: Paul Casey, who had two seconds and a third among his last four starts. I didn’t expect an opening 78 from the world’s 15th-ranked player. McCABE: Jordan Spieth would be the popular answer. But Xander Schauffele had finished first, T-25, T-10, T-15 and T-15 since January and when he opened the tournament with three birdies in five holes it looked so promising for the guy who tied for second in his PLAYERS debut a year ago. MORFIT: I’m surprised any time Jordan Spieth misses a cut, even though he’s trying to dig his way out of a slump.  ROSS: It’s hard to look past Xander Schauffele, who tied for second last year in his PLAYERS debut. After all, he’s the FedExCup leader and has already won twice this season. TURSKY: Paul Casey finished second at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, he tied for third at the WGC-Mexico Championship, and then he nearly finished in last place (T136, 8-over) at THE PLAYERS? There’s a head-scratcher for you. Maybe the English jinx is real!  Pick a sleeper at 8 under or worse and make the argument why he’ll win on Sunday. EVERILL: Jason Day. The 2016 PLAYERS Champion knows what it takes around TPC Sawgrass to get it done and is rested after last week’s WD. But Day is not really a “sleeperâ€� so keep an eye on Keith Mitchell. The Honda Classic champion was called a no-name recently… if he wins this week everyone will know his name. McALLISTER: Not sure if Keith Mitchell qualifies as a sleeper anymore (and of course, he’s certainly not a no-name, despite what some headlines might say). But geez, he’s playing great right now, and he loves these Florida greens. McCABE: Keith Mitchell. Aggressive, on a roll, and terrific kid. A nice combination. MORFIT: Keep an eye on Luke List at 7 under. He absolutely crushes the ball, which could be big if the weather gets blustery, and also doesn’t mind a bit of water as he showed at The Honda Classic a few years ago.  ROSS: If you consider his record at TPC Sawgrass, Dustin Johnson – who has never had a top 10 in 10 starts here – could be a sleeper at 7 under.  But in lieu of the No. 1 player in the world, I’ll pick Keith Mitchell, who has a win and a tie for sixth in his last two starts and a 65 on his scorecard today TURSKY: Luke List at 7-under, given how far he hits the ball (he’s averaging 303 yards off the tee this week and ranks No. 3 in Driving Distance in 2019) has the fire power to make up ground with an eagle or three over the weekend. To prove this point, he made an eagle on No. 16 today. 

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Alex Noren and Webb Simpson begin the round tied for the lead while big names sit just a few shots off the lead at The Honda Classic.  Second round tee times Second round leaderboard HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN TELEVISION: Thursday, 2-6 p.m. (Golf Channel) PGA TOUR LIVE: Sunday, 7 a.m. – 6 p.m. (featured groups).  RADIO: Sunday, 12-6 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com) NOTABLE PAIRINGS (All times are ET) Ryan Armour, Billy Horschel, Webb Simpson 7:15 a.m. off the 10th tee Kevin Kisner, Rickie Fowler, Patrick Reed 7:35 a.m. off the 10th tee Rory McIlroy, Adam Scott, Padraig Harrington 7:45 a.m. off the 10th tee Daniel Berger, Justin Thomas, Sergio Garcia 12:25 p.m. off the 1st tee Patton Kizzire, Tiger Woods, Brandt Snedeker 12:35 p.m. off the 1st tee Gary Woodland, Alex Noren, Tommy Fleetwood 12:45 p.m. off the 1st tee  

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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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