Power Rankings: the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide

On Nov. 27, 2009, Tiger Woods ran into a fire hydrant. That was just the beginning of a decade in which so much — good, bad and ugly — enveloped his life.

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GREENSBORO, N.C. – Russell Henley planned to head back to the hotel on Saturday night and help his wife entertain their two young children. RELATED: Tee times moved up for final round | FedExCup update from Saturday He’d probably read to them before they go to bed. Shoot, the man who owns a three-stroke lead through three rounds of the Wyndham Championship might even change a dirty diaper or two. “They’ll wear you out,” Henley said, good-naturedly. How’s that for putting life in perspective? And it’s just what Henley figures he needs as he contemplates Sunday’s run at what would be his fourth PGA TOUR title. It will be a quick turnaround, with tournament officials opting to start off two tees with players in threesomes from 7-9:01 a.m. on Sunday to beat what approaching storms. And the field will face a different course at Sedgefield Country Club that absorbed heavy overnight rains. Henley plans to be ready, though. The lanky Georgian admits that he was a little tentative on Saturday. Nervous, even. And he never could quite get things going like he had in shooting rounds of 62 and 64 to grab the lead at the midway point of the tournament. In fact, until Henley made a 33-footer for eagle at the 15th hole, a third-straight score in red numbers on the normally generous Donald Ross layout was hardly a sure bet. He eventually closed with a three-putt bogey for a 69 that sent him home looking to clear his mind. “I’ve never had a four-shot lead, so just kind of dealing with all the thoughts that are not wanted in my head and just trying to focus on what I want to do,” Henley explained. “The first two days everything was obviously going my way and I was playing really well and scoring well, so that’s not going to happen every time. “These rounds are kind of what make and break really good tournaments, so I’m really thankful to be under par today.” Three other players have held the lead outright after each of the first three rounds this year – Sam Burns at The Genesis Invitational, Louis Oosthuizen at the Open Championship and Harris English at the World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational. If Henley comes out on top Sunday, though, he would be the first of the four to go on to win. He would also be the first wire-to-wire winner at what is usually a volatile Wyndham Championship since Brandt Snedeker won his second title in 2018. Among those chasing Henley on a generally generous course that yielded a 59 to Snedeker in 2018 are Tyler McCumber, who is alone in second, and a pack of six tied at 11 under that includes the recent Olympic silver medalist who represented his wife’s homeland of Slovakia, Rory Sabbatini. Sabbatini came to Greensboro after celebrating in Bratislava and quickly got down to business. There is a sense of urgency this week because he’s doesn’t have his playing privileges locked up for the 2021-22 season – although he’s currently projected to move from No. 141 to 122 in the FedExCup. If he stays inside the top 125 come Sunday, he’ll keep his card and can save his career-money exemption for another rainy day. As an added bonus, Sabbatini would be headed for Liberty National and THE NORTHERN TRUST, the first FedExCup Playoffs event. “I do potentially have a flight reservation, but I don’t know which direction,” he said earlier in the week. Also among those tied for third is Kevin Kisner, a fan favorite and like Henley, a former Georgia Bulldog, who has finished tied for eighth, 10th and third in three of his last four starts at Sedgefield. He would have owned second alone, too, on Saturday had it not been for bogeys on his last two holes. The mission on Sunday is simple for the 37-year-old from Aiken, South Carolina. “Struck it nicely all day and gave myself a ton of chances,” Kisner said. “Two three-putts. Could have been really special. I gave myself chances all day, I don’t think I missed but two greens, the first and the last. Keep that up and try to get rid of those dumb bogeys.” McCumber is also a lock to make the FedExCup Playoffs for the first time in just his second year on TOUR. He’s found some momentum at Sedgefield, which he calls a “thinker’s course,” too, after missing the cut in his last six starts. “Golf doesn’t always give you the results you want,” said McCumber, who finished second at the Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship last fall. “You’ve got to stay in the process, and I feel like I’ve been doing that pretty well and getting rewarded for it through the first three rounds this week, so taking that momentum into tomorrow.” He won’t be the only one, though. There are 14 players within five shots of Henley’s lead, including Webb Simpson, the 2011 champ, who has finished tied for third or better in each of the last four years. The 70 he shot on Saturday ended a streak of 18 consecutive sub-par rounds at the Wyndham and included his first triple bogey at Sedgefield in 846 holes. He’s in a group of six tied at 10 under – that includes former major champions Adam Scott and Justin Rose — after chipping in for par on the final hole. “It was a perfect ending to a very weird day, very frustrating day,” said Simpson, who was headed to the range to work out a recurring miss-hit to the left. “I had the position to shoot 4, 5 under again and just didn’t get it done.” Don’t be surprised to see someone go even lower than that on Sunday as they race to the finish line.

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Here’s how the field qualified for The Honda Classic as of 3/12/2021. Check here for updates. Winner – PGA/U.S. Open Championship Jimmy Walker Gary Woodland Winner – THE PLAYERS Championship Rickie Fowler Winner – The Masters Danny Willett Winner – The Open Championship Zach Johnson Shane Lowry Henrik Stenson Winner – World Golf Championship Event Phil Mickelson Winners of the Arnold Palmer, Memorial, Genesis (Last 3 Years) Jason Dufner Adam Scott Tournament Winner in Past Two Seasons Ryan Armour Daniel Berger Keegan Bradley Stewart Cink Austin Cook Tyler Duncan Dylan Frittelli Brice Garnett Brian Gay Jim Herman J.B. Holmes Sungjae Im Sung Kang Michael Kim Patton Kizzire Russell Knox Satoshi Kodaira Andrew Landry Nate Lashley Adam Long Graeme McDowell Troy Merritt Keith Mitchell Joaquin Niemann Cheng Tsung Pan Pat Perez Scott Piercy J.T. Poston Ted Potter, Jr. Ian Poulter Chez Reavie Brendan Steele Robert Streb Hudson Swafford Nick Taylor Michael Thompson Martin Trainer Richy Werenski Aaron Wise Career Money Exemption K.J. Choi Luke Donald Jim Furyk Hunter Mahan Steve Stricker Bo Van Pelt Sponsor Exemptions: 2018-19 FEC / 2019 Korn Ferry Tour Category Rafa Cabrera Bello Matt Wallace Sponsors Exemptions – Members not otherwise exempt Padraig Harrington Martin Kaymer Sponsors Exemptions – Unrestricted Lucas Herbert Ryo Ishikawa Kamaiu Johnson Chase Koepka PGA Section Champion\Player of the Year Alan Morin Life Member. Vijay Singh Top 125 on Prior Season’s FedExCup Points List Mackenzie Hughes Kevin Streelman Byeong Hun An Brian Harman Mark Hubbard Tom Hoge Alex Noren Adam Hadwin Harry Higgs Russell Henley Talor Gooch Robby Shelton Maverick McNealy Doc Redman Denny McCarthy Henrik Norlander Xinjun Zhang Sepp Straka Harold Varner III Cameron Tringale Cameron Davis Vaughn Taylor Patrick Rodgers Brian Stuard Matt Jones Kyoung-Hoon Lee Scott Harrington Matthew NeSmith Ryan Moore Sam Ryder Adam Schenk Wyndham Clark Sam Burns Scott Brown Beau Hossler Lucas Glover Luke List Scott Stallings Rory Sabbatini Tom Lewis Bo Hoag Top 125 (Prior Season Nonmember) William Gordon Frederick van Rooyen Major Medical Extension Chris Kirk James Hahn Charl Schwartzel Kevin Chappell William McGirt Sean O’Hair Jamie Lovemark Camilo Villegas Wesley Bryan John Huh Seung-Yul Noh Kelly Kraft Top 10 and Ties from the Previous Event Jhonattan Vegas Grayson Murray Rafael Campos Rob Oppenheim Brandon Wu Cameron Percy Lee Westwood 2018-19 Top 125 FEC/2019 Top Finishers Korn Ferry Tour (reordered) Peter Malnati Tyler McCumber Doug Ghim Kyle Stanley Kramer Hickok Anirban Lahiri Kristoffer Ventura Michael Gligic David Hearn Chesson Hadley Hank Lebioda Chase Seiffert Roger Sloan

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