Power Rankings: Bermuda Championship

DALLAS – Sung Kang was in his mid-teens when he first came to Dallas from his native South Korea. His dad sent him to the area in the winter and summer stretches to hone his golf skills. Then in 2011, in his rookie year on the PGA TOUR, Kang moved permanently to North Texas, setting up shop in the suburb of Coppell, near the airport. On Friday, prior to the start of his second round at the AT&T Byron Nelson, the 31-year-old woke up to conditions he had never seen in May in Texas – cool temperatures in the mid-50s, along with brisk early breezes. That forced players to wear long sleeves and sweaters; some even wore beanies, an unusual look for a tournament that’s normally closer to sweltering. Dallas native Jordan Spieth acknowledged he wasn’t prepared for it – he was on the range when he called his wife and asked her to bring him some cold-weather apparel from their house. “No excuses if you’re in your hometown,â€� Spieth joked. Sweden’s Henrik Stenson was properly bundled up. “Had four layers on and felt a little bit like the Michelin Man,â€� he said. Martin Laird, a native of Scotland, was very familiar with the weather. “Definitely more of a Scottish weather today than Dallas this time of year,â€� he said. The cool weather might have thrown off a few players. Kang was not one of them. “It’s like perfect and awesome,â€� he said. “Nice conditions for a low score.â€� Nice conditions for a 10-under 61, which is what Kang shot Friday to tie the course record set by Marc Leishman last year when Trinity Forest made its debut as the host venue. Spieth, a member at Trinity Forest, called it “an absurd round.â€� Compared to the rest of the field, it certainly was – Kang’s 61 was more than 10 strokes better than the field average when he finished early Friday afternoon. At 16 under through 36 holes, Kang had the clubhouse lead, four strokes ahead of playing partner Matt Every, who shot a 65. “An impressive round of golf,â€� Stenson replied when asked about Kang, who is seeking his first TOUR win. “He seems to have left some space between him and the rest of the field as of now.â€� It wasn’t Kang’s lowest score on TOUR – in 2016, he shot a course-record 11-under 60 at Monterey Peninsula while playing the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. His celebrity partner that week was comedian/TV actor Ray Romano, who had never heard of Kang prior to that week. On the flip side, Kang had never heard of Romano – he did a Google search to find out more — but they had four rounds to really get to know each other. Ironically, that week at Pebble Beach also had unusual weather – hot temperatures and sunny skies, and none of the “Crosby weatherâ€� the tournament is famous for in February. Related: Tee times | Hoops title gives McCarthy a lesson in toughness | A chip-in eagle – and then reality – for Romo | Nine holes blind, but Koepka still walks away with a 65 at Trinity Forest | Leishman withdraws with back injury | Origin story: Arm-lock putting  Obviously, Kang has shown the ability to compensate for different conditions. After checking the weather and noting the cool temperatures Friday, Kang adjusted his yardages on the driving range prior to his round, estimating that his shots were traveling five percent shorter than on Thursday. “So we just trust the number and five percent, just hit it and then worked out good,â€� Kang said. It certainly did during his run of six consecutive birdies in the middle of his round. At the short par-4 fifth, Kang nearly holed his wedge shot, then tapped in to start his birdie streak. His approach at the sixth from 135 yards landed 6-1/2 feet from the pin. He reached the fringe of the par-5 seventh green for a birdie there. His tee shot at the par-3 eighth finished 8 feet away and his approach with a 4-iron from 217 yards at the par-4 ninth left him 6 feet for birdie. Once he made the turn, he let his putter take over, as he rolled in birdie putts from 21-1/2 feet at the 10th, 18-1/2 feet at the 13th, 12 feet at the 14th and 11 feet at the 16th. As if that wasn’t enough, he saved par on his final hole with a 14-footer. Every was playing so well that it wasn’t until the back nine that he realized his playing partner was playing better. “I didn’t even know Sung was playing that good until 10, 11 there, looked on the board, said he made six in a row,â€� Every recalled. “Really, he’s made six in a row? I was kind of doing my own thing. “Yeah, it was a good day for both of us.â€� Kang said 59 did cross his mind after his birdie putt at the 16th. He needed birdies on the closing two holes, but neither one is easy, and he didn’t want to ruin his round with a late bogey. So he played conservative, not wanting to step back to the field “Conditions were so hard,â€� he said. “You try to force it and the course is playing so tough out there. So, just try to get the opportunity, probably try to hit it within 15 feet and if I make the putt, good. If I don’t, make par and get me going. “I still think it was a great round.â€�

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Tournament host Greg Norman announced today the 24 players set to compete in the 2017 QBE Shootout, scheduled for December 6-10. Fifteen of the top 50 players in the world will comprise this year’s field which includes Lexi Thompson, the highest ranked American player on the LPGA Tour at No.3, as well as defending champions Harris English and Matt Kuchar, who’s ranked No. 14 in the world on the men’s circuit. Tournament officials also announced today that Sunday’s final round will be broadcast live on NBC from 2-4 p.m. The first two rounds will be carried live by Golf Channel as the event returns for the 17th year to Tiburón Golf Club at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort in Naples, Fla. The field includes ten players who have either won last season or the early part of this year’s PGA TOUR schedule for a combined 12 victories. That group is led by Brendan Steele and Pat Perez who have won twice during that span, including this month’s Safeway Open and CIMB Classic, respectively. Other current champions are Daniel Berger, Kevin Chappell, Jason Dufner, Brian Harman, Russell Henley, Billy Horschel, Kevin Kisner and Kyle Stanley. Steele and Dufner are also part of a group of eight past QBE Shootout champions scheduled to compete. Sean O’Hair, Brandt Snedeker, this year’s U.S. Presidents Cup captain Steve Stricker, Keegan Bradley, English and Kuchar are the others. Six players will compete for the first time in the $3.3 million event–Tony Finau, Shane Lowry, Harman, Perez, Henley and Stanley. Two-time TOUR winner Gary Woodland as well as four-time champion and a member of this year’s Presidents Cup team Charley Hoffman are among the 18 players returning to the Shootout field. Bubba Watson, the two-time Masters champion, is part of a five-some that has won major championships during their careers. Zach Johnson, winner of the Masters and Open Championship, as well as U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell, and PGA Championship winners Bradley and Dufner are among that elite group. “Looking at this list of players for our 29th edition I can’t help but be excited about the prospects for this year’s tournament,â€� Norman said. “Not only is this a group of competitive and successful players in the game of golf but they are also quality people away from the game. Bringing them all together for a week, along with our amateurs and corporate partners, is a recipe for another memorable moment in the history of this event as we welcome QBE Insurance.â€� “As we prepare for QBE’s first Shootout as title sponsor, we could not be happier with the collection of players who have been assembled to compete this December. QBE is looking forward to welcoming many of golf’s best to Naples and is excited to have our customers interact with this world class field,â€� Russ Johnston, Chief Executive Officer of QBE North America said. The 12 two-person teams will be finalized in early November. The criteria for players qualifying for the 24-person field was adjusted this year to accurately reflect today’s PGA TOUR standards. The Shootout’s field is comprised of its defending champions playing as a team, the top 12 committed professionals from the final 2017 FedExCup standings and 10 special exemptions; a minimum of four which will come from the top 40 on the PGA TOUR Career money list. The QBE Shootout will once again feature a scramble format during the first round, a modified alternate shot format on Saturday and a final-round better ball on Sunday. CureSearch for Children’s Cancer is the tournament’s primary charitable beneficiary. Additionally, to support the relief efforts of Hurricane Irma, the QBE Shootout has recently launched a hurricane relief fund to support the local recovery efforts. Since 1989, the Shootout has raised more than $13 million for charitable causes. New for this year’s tournament will be a Friday night concert featuring the popular Ben Allen Band from 5-8 p.m. on the Tiburon clubhouse lawn. The Family Golf Clinic returns and will be held Saturday, December 9th immediately following play on the practice facility. Tickets are currently on sale with prices starting at $25 for grounds tickets. The popular Shark Pass Booklets are available for $110.   THE FIELD Daniel Berger Matt Kuchar Keegan Bradley Shane Lowry Kevin Chappell Graeme McDowell Jason Dufner Sean O’Hair Harris English Pat Perez Tony Finau Brandt Snedeker Brian Harman Kyle Stanley Russell Henley Brendan Steele Charley Hoffman Steve Stricker Billy Horschel Lexi Thompson Zach Johnson Bubba Watson Kevin Kisner   

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LAS VEGAS — Kevin Na matched his career-low Saturday with a 10-under 61 on a day of low scoring in Las Vegas to build a two-shot lead over Patrick Cantlay in the Shiners Hospitals for Children Open. Na was pumping his fist after every putt down the stretch at the TPC Summerlin, which yielded six scores of 63 or better. Na, who lives in Las Vegas and won the 2011 event for his first PGA TOUR title, set the tournament’s 54-hole record at 22-under 191. Cantlay was staying with him until he failed to get up-and-down from a bunker on the reachable par-4 15th and made bogey from the bunker on the par-3 17th. He closed with a 15-foot birdie putt for a 63. Cantlay won the tournament two years ago and was runner-up last year. Pat Perez had a 62 and was four shots behind. Sam Ryder (64) and Lucas Glover (66) were another shot back. Conditions were warm and calm, ideal for scoring and it showed. Tony Finau had a 62 to take the lead as the final groups were teeing off. He finished the day seven shots behind. Denny McCarthy and Luke List each posted 63. “It’s hard to look at some of those numbers when you haven’t even teed off — you see 8s and 9s (under) out there — and not play impatient,” Ryder said after a bogey on the 18th for his 64. Na and Cantlay came out firing. Na has been doing his damage on the greens. In each of the last two grounds, he has gained an average of about 5.5 strokes on the field in putting and leads the tournament in that key statistical category. He doesn’t see any change for Sunday, when he goes for his second victory of the year. Na won at Colonial in May. “Still got to keep the pedal to the metal. Anyone can shoot 8 or 9 under,” Na said. “I believe we’re going to get a little more wind tomorrow. Got to go out and post a good number.” Na also shot 61 in the 2010 Wyndham Championship and at Colonial in 2018. He posted this number even with a par on the 16th hole, the par 5 over water that played as the easiest on the TPC Summerlin. His tee shot was blocked by a tree and he had to lay up short of the water, but he hit wedge to a tight pin on the front of the green to about 4 feet. Cantlay had six birdies on the tougher front nine — none longer than the 8-foot range, three of them tap-ins — for the lead. Na played in the group ahead, made birdie on the 10th to tie and then pulled away in the final hour. Na drove to the back of the 15th green and converted the long two-putt birdie from just off the green with a 6-footer. Cantlay put it in the right bunker and missed his 8-foot birdie putt. That was the separation Na needed, and he stretched it with a pair of closing birdies. The average score was 67.75. Low scores weren’t available to just anyone. Phil Mickelson started the third round just four shots behind and was 5 over through 11 holes. He rallied with a few birdies to salvage a 74.

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