Two more major champions, Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Reed, are joining the LIV Golf Invitational Series, according to multiple reports on Wednesday.
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PARAMUS, N.J. — Bryson DeChambeau kept pouring in birdies as everyone around him went the other direction Saturday in THE NORTHERN TRUST. DeChambeau finished with two birdies, making an 18-foot putt on the last hole to cap off his 8-under 63 that gave him a four-shot lead over Keegan Bradley. Along with seizing control of the opening FedExCup Playoffs event, DeChambeau might make it tough for Ryder Cup captain Jim Furyk to ignore him. He narrowly missed earning one of the eight automatics spots on the U.S. team. Furyk makes three of his picks a week from Tuesday. DeChambeau made nine birdies, four in a five-hole stretch to start pulling away. What made him stand out, even more than his tam o’shanter cap and single-length shafts, was all the stars around him were in reverse. Of the final 10 players to tee off, DeChambeau and Adam Scott were the only ones to break par. Scott had to birdie three of his last four holes for a 70. Brooks Koepka, who shared the 36-hole lead with Jamie Lovemark, had a 13-hole stretch in the middle of his round with three bogeys and 10 pars. He shot 72 and fell seven shots behind. Dustin Johnson, who started the day tied with DeChambeau, added a double bogey to a week that already included two triple bogeys. Johnson birdied his last hole for a 72 to fall nine shots back. Scott was one shot behind when he made two bogeys, then chopped up the par-3 11th for a double bogey. “I really switched off there for five holes and made a mess of things around the turn,” Scott said. “Might have shot myself out of the tournament. We’ll see how it goes tomorrow, but it’s going to be costly and make life difficult for me to win this thing now.” Bradley finished his round about an hour after the leaders teed off, making five birdies over his last seven holes for a 62. He was leading at the time and figured he would be at least a few shots behind when the third round ended. He might not have expected DeChambeau to be the one he was chasing. “Just looking at who is at the top of the leaderboard, when I got to 10, I was like any birdie from here on out is really going to be big going into tomorrow,” Bradley said. Tony Finau (66) and Cameron Smith of Australian (65) were five shots behind, with Billy Horschel (65) and Scott another shot back. Jordan Spieth finally got his putter going and shot a 64, leaving him seven shots behind but in a tie for seventh, boosting his bid to return to the TOUR Championship. Spieth, who hasn’t won this year, started the Playoffs at No. 43. The top 30 after three playoff events go to East Lake for a shot at the $10 million prize. For players like Bradley and Horschel, making it to East Lake means getting into three of the majors and two World Golf Championships. And for DeChambeau, it’s simply the process of winning. “I’ve got a four-shot lead, and never really been in this spot before,” DeChambeau said. “But I’m excited because this is a new challenge for me, and I always like challenges.” Tiger Woods had his first bogey-free round of the year, but managed only three birdies for a 68. He was 13 shots behind. In scoring conditions, Woods has seven birdies in 54 holes. DeChambeau made that many in 12 holes Saturday. “That’s not going to get it done,” Woods said. “As soft as it is, these guys are making a boat load of birdies. And I just haven’t made any.” DeChambeau’s big run began from the rough on No. 8, one of the par 5s converted into a par 4 for the tournament. He carved a 5-iron onto the green to about 8 feet, made a short birdie on the next hole, hit 8-iron to 10 feet on the par-3 11th and then chopped out of the rough to below the short par-4 12th to a few inches for birdie. “I was so focused on my game today that I didn’t even worry about anything else,” DeChambeau said. “And so you just get in the zone every once in a while and block everything out and I really didn’t notice anybody else, actually. It’s a great feeling to have and I hope to bring it tomorrow.” The top 100 in the FedExCup after Sunday advanced to the second Playoffs event at the TPC Boston. Among those on the bubble is Sean O’Hair, who is No. 121 and played with DeChambeau. O’Hair had a 72 to fall 10 shots behind, leaving him right on the bubble. Â
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Rickie Fowler guesses he’s 10 yards longer this season after making a golf ball change at the outset of 2019. But is he also straighter? Fowler hit 11 of 14 fairways and shot a third-round 64 to open up a four-shot lead at the Waste Management Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale on Saturday. “If he keeps driving it like this, he’s going to be tough to catch,â€� said Justin Thomas, his friend and housemate for the week, and also one of his third-round playing partners. Told that Thomas was wowed by his driving, Fowler jokingly pumped his fist. “Yes!â€� he said. He is four shots clear of second-place Matt Kuchar (65), who is enjoying a career revival at 40 and will be going for his third win in his last three starts. MUST READS: Round 3, Waste Management Phoenix Open Jarrod Lyle memorial at No. 16 brings perspective Denny McCarthy rules violation rescinded “It’s been nice to kind of have some things click on the swing this week,â€� Fowler said. “We have been working on some things the last few weeks pretty hard and trying to just get into some better positions to make things more efficient and ultimately more consistent.â€� Thomas shot 68 and was five back, in solo third. He and Fowler paired up to go unbeaten at the 2017 Presidents Cup, but there was little doubt which one came to play Saturday. “I really didn’t play very well today,â€� Thomas said. In all fairness, playing alongside Fowler may have made his round look and feel worse than it was. Fowler has now hit 30 of 42 fairways for the week, which is tied for fourth in Driving Accuracy. He is third in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee, and first in SG: Tee to Green. The question now is whether Fowler can keep it going, silencing the one consistent knock on one of the most liked players on TOUR: He doesn’t win enough. “Yeah, but the thing about Rick though is he doesn’t listen to that,â€� Thomas said. “And that’s why he has the probably the best demeanor on TOUR, that’s why he continued to play great golf, he continues to get himself in contention in the biggest tournaments.â€� Should he hang on to win Sunday, Fowler would notch his fifth TOUR victory and first since The Honda Classic in 2017. He has posted an over-par score in the final round following each of his previous six 54-hole leads/co-leads, converting for the win just once. “Everybody goes through stretches like that,â€� Thomas said. “And he would be the first to tell you he should have won more than he has. But it’s hard to win, there’s only one winner every week, and he’s played plenty well enough, and I’m sure it’s going to happen plenty of times.â€� Fowler came into this week 65th in the FedExCup, but with a history of stellar play at TPC Scottsdale. All he got out of it was two runner-up finishes, and heartache. He lost to Hideki Matsuyama on the fourth hole of a playoff in 2016, and by a shot to Hunter Mahan in 2010. He turned 30 last month, and just keeps knocking on the door. “I played with Rickie the first two days; he’s playing great golf,â€� said Kuchar, who won the Mayakoba Golf Classic and Sony Open in Hawaii, and has shot a perfect 19 of 19 rounds of par or better this season. “Certainly he’s going to be the player to beat, especially if he keeps up on the form he’s on, but, however, I feel like my form’s pretty good, as well.â€� Asked what a victory here would mean after the close calls, Fowler didn’t mince words. “It would be awesome,â€� he said. “It’s been a long time coming. I obviously want to win here. This is a special place. The Thunderbirds have been amazing to me, the fans are awesome and obviously very supportive of me. I always have friends and family in town here; it would be great. Like I said, another good solid 18 holes of golf and we’ll be in the right spot.â€�
Tiger Woods played his first competitive round in the post-pandemic restart, and he finished with a respectable 1-under 71 at the Memorial.
