Officialsportsbetting.com Golf Betting Rory McIlroy begins fatherhood with a 64 at TOUR Championship

Rory McIlroy begins fatherhood with a 64 at TOUR Championship

ATLANTA - This has been a life-changing week for Rory McIlroy. It could be a historic one, as well. McIlroy and his wife, Erica, welcomed their first child, a daughter named Poppy, into the world Monday. With wife and baby safely at home, a rejuvenated McIlroy was able to find his form in time for the first round of the TOUR Championship. RELATED: Full leaderboard | Season unlike any other comes to thrilling finish at East Lake "Golf was the furthest thing from my mind the first few days this week," he said. "And then once we got home on Wednesday and everything was good and mom and baby were healthy, that sort of took a load off my mind, and that meant I could come here and somewhat focus on what I’m supposed to do." McIlroy is trying to become the first player to successfully defend the FedExCup and win the season-long title three times. He and Tiger Woods are the only two-time winners of the FedExCup. McIlroy started this week seven strokes behind FedExCup leader Dustin Johnson. His 64 matched the low round of the day, however, and allowed him to pick up three shots on the lead. McIlroy will start Saturday in fourth place, four shots behind Johnson and Jon Rahm. McIlroy started this season with six consecutive top 5s, including a win at the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions, but the 2019 FedExCup champion has struggled since the season resumed. His best finish in eight starts since the Return to Golf is T11. In his last five events, he's a combined 2 over par and has just one finish better than 30th (a T12 at last week's BMW Championship). He admits it has been hard to focus without fans on-site and his pregnant wife at home. His caddie, Harry Diamond, carried a phone on the course and McIlroy was prepared to leave immediately if Erica went into labor. He doesn't have to worry about that anymore. Many players say fatherhood helps their game because it changes their perspective, and McIlroy is no exception. He didn't touch a club this week until arriving at East Lake on Thursday. "Golf was sort of the furthest thing from my mind, and sometimes that’s a good thing just to decompress and get away from it," he said. McIlroy birdied his first hole Friday, hitting a 331-yard tee shot on the uphill first hole and knocking his 137-yard approach to 7 feet. He shot 30 on the back nine, including birdies on his final three holes. He birdied the par-5 18th after hitting a 366-yard tee shot through the fairway. It was reminiscent of his drive in the playoff here four years ago, which McIlroy won to earn his first FedExCup. Today was McIlroy's 25th round at East Lake. He matched his career-low score at the annual site of the TOUR Championship. He shot a final-round 64 in 2016, when he holed out on the 16th hole and then won a playoff with Ryan Moore and Kevin Chappell. Just like today, Johnson was the FedExCup leader and atop the TOUR Championship leaderboard on that fateful day four years ago. He shot a final-round 73, though, and lost his best chance to win the FedExCup. Thursday's 64 was McIlroy's best round since a first-round 63 at the Travelers Championship in late June. He hit 14 greens Friday, including every one on the back nine, and holed two putts apiece from 10-15 feet and 15-20 feet. "Whether I don’t feel like my game is in a good place or I’m not the favorite coming into a tournament, all that stuff, I feel like that’s when I usually play my best and I can play with a bit of freedom, and that’s what I did today," he said.

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3rd Round 2-Balls - M. Greyserman / M. Kim
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Michael Kim+100
Max Greyserman+110
Tie+750
3rd Round 2-Balls - A. Noren / S. Jaeger
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Alex Noren-110
Stephan Jaeger+120
Tie+750
Principal Charity Classic
Type: Winner - Status: OPEN
Miguel Angel Jimenez+150
Cameron Percy+550
Thomas Bjorn+700
Soren Kjeldsen+1600
Michael Wright+2000
Ernie Els+3000
Freddie Jacobson+3000
KJ Choi+3000
YE Yang+3500
Bo Van Pelt+4000
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3rd Round 2-Balls - A. Scott / B. Snedeker
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Adam Scott-160
Brandt Snedeker+175
Tie+750
3rd Round Score - Thomas Detry
Type: 3rd Round Score - Status: OPEN
Over 74.5+120
Under 74.5-155
3rd Round 2-Balls - N. Dunlap / T. Detry
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Thomas Detry-150
Nick Dunlap+165
Tie+750
3rd Round 2-Balls - J. Vegas / H. Higgs
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Jhonattan Vegas-125
Harry Higgs+135
Tie+750
3rd Round Match-Up - H. Matsuyama v V. Hovland
Type: 3rd Round Match-Up - Status: OPEN
Hidei Matsuyama-110
Viktor Hovland-110
3rd Round Score - Viktor Hovland
Type: 3rd Round Score - Status: OPEN
Over 73.5+110
Under 73.5-145
3rd Round 2-Balls - D. McCarthy / V. Hovland
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Viktor Hovland-110
Denny McCarthy+120
Tie+750
3rd Round Score - Sepp Straka
Type: 3rd Round Score - Status: OPEN
Over 73.5+105
Under 73.5-135
3rd Round 2-Balls - S.W. Kim / S. Straka
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Sepp Straka+105
Si Woo Kim+105
Tie+750
2nd Round 3-Balls - B. Van Pelt / T. Pernice / S. Allan
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls - Status: OPEN
Bo Van Pelt+115
Steve Allan+120
Tom Pernice Jr+475
3rd Round Score - Tommy Fleetwood
Type: 3rd Round Score - Status: OPEN
Over 72.5-150
Under 72.5+115
3rd Round 2-Balls - M. Homa / T. Fleetwood
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Tommy Fleetwood-160
Max Homa+175
Tie+750
2nd Round 3-Balls - F. Jacobson / S. Kjeldsen / K.J. Choi
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls - Status: OPEN
Soren Kjeldsen+110
K.J. Choi+200
Freddie Jacobson+250
3rd Round Score - Min Woo Lee
Type: 3rd Round Score - Status: OPEN
Over 73.5-125
Under 73.5-105
3rd Round 2-Balls - M.W. Lee / S. Stevens
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Min Woo Lee-110
Sam Stevens+120
Tie+750
3rd Round Match-Up - C. Conners v A. Novak
Type: 3rd Round Match-Up - Status: OPEN
Corey Conners-125
Andrew Novak+105
3rd Round Match-Up - A. Eckroat v M. McNealy
Type: 3rd Round Match-Up - Status: OPEN
Maverick McNealy-125
Austin Eckroat+105
3rd Round Score - Andrew Novak
Type: 3rd Round Score - Status: OPEN
Over 73.5-115
Under 73.5-115
3rd Round Score - Maverick McNealy
Type: 3rd Round Score - Status: OPEN
Over 73.5-125
Under 73.5-105
3rd Round 2-Balls - A. Novak / M. McNealy
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Andrew Novak+100
Maverick McNealy+110
Tie+750
3rd Round Six Shooter - P. Cantlay / L. Aberg / C. Conners / A. Novak / T. Finau / K. Bradley
Type: 3rd Round Six Shooter - Status: OPEN
Patrick Cantlay+350
Ludvig Aberg+375
Corey Conners+400
Andrew Novak+475
Keegan Bradley+500
Tony Finau+500
2nd Round 3-Balls - S. McCarron / M. Wilson / P. Stankowski
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls - Status: OPEN
Paul Stankowski+140
Mark Wilson+175
Scott McCarron+225
3rd Round Match-Up - P. Cantlay v L. Aberg
Type: 3rd Round Match-Up - Status: OPEN
Patrick Cantlay-115
Ludvig Aberg-105
3rd Round Score - Ludvig Aberg
Type: 3rd Round Score - Status: OPEN
Over 73.5+105
Under 73.5-135
3rd Round 2-Balls - A. Eckroat / L. Aberg
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Ludvig Aberg-145
Austin Eckroat+160
Tie+750
2nd Round 3-Balls - J. Schmid / M. Wright / K. Sutherland
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls - Status: OPEN
Michael Wright+145
Kevin Sutherland+165
Jeff Schmid+230
3rd Round Score - Corey Conners
Type: 3rd Round Score - Status: OPEN
Over 72.5-165
Under 72.5+125
3rd Round 2-Balls - D. Thompson / C. Conners
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Corey Conners-125
Davis Thompson+135
Tie+750
2nd Round 3-Balls - M. Jimenez / C. Percy / T. Bjorn
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls - Status: OPEN
Miguel Angel Jimenez+150
Thomas Bjorn+160
Cameron Percy+225
3rd Round Match-Up - T. Finau v K. Bradley
Type: 3rd Round Match-Up - Status: OPEN
Keegan Bradley-120
Tony Finau+100
3rd Round Score - Tony Finau
Type: 3rd Round Score - Status: OPEN
Over 73.5+100
Under 73.5-130
3rd Round 2-Balls - T. Finau / B. Cauley
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Tony Finau+100
Bud Cauley+110
Tie+750
3rd Round Match-Up - T. Pendrith v R. Fowler
Type: 3rd Round Match-Up - Status: OPEN
Ricky Fowler-110
Taylor Pendrith-110
3rd Round Score - Keegan Bradley
Type: 3rd Round Score - Status: OPEN
Over 73.5-110
Under 73.5-120
3rd Round 2-Balls - K. Bradley / R. Fowler
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Keegan Bradley-120
Rickie Fowler+130
Tie+750
3rd Round Match-Up - R. MacIntyre v H. English
Type: 3rd Round Match-Up - Status: OPEN
Harris English-110
Robert MacIntyre-110
3rd Round Score - Patrick Cantlay
Type: 3rd Round Score - Status: OPEN
Over 73.5+115
Under 73.5-150
3rd Round Score - Robert MacIntyre
Type: 3rd Round Score - Status: OPEN
Over 73.5-130
Under 73.5+100
3rd Round Six Shooter - SJ Im / S. Burns / B. Griffin / R. MacIntyre / H, English / A. Bhatia
Type: 3rd Round Six Shooter - Status: OPEN
Ben Griffin+400
Sam Burns+400
Sungjae Im+400
Harris English+425
Robert MacIntyre+425
Akshay Bhatia+475
3rd Round 2-Balls - R. MacIntyre / P. Cantlay
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Patrick Cantlay-125
Robert MacIntyre+135
Tie+750
3rd Round Match-Up - SJ Im v S. Burns
Type: 3rd Round Match-Up - Status: OPEN
Sam Burns-120
Sungjae Im+100
3rd Round Score - Sungjae Im
Type: 3rd Round Score - Status: OPEN
Over 73.5-120
Under 73.5-110
3rd Round Score - Taylor Pendrith
Type: 3rd Round Score - Status: OPEN
Over 73.5-130
Under 73.5+100
3rd Round 2-Balls - S. Im / T. Pendrith
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Sungjae Im-105
Taylor Pendrith+115
Tie+750
3rd Round 2-Balls - E. Cole / R. Gerard
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Eric Cole+105
Ryan Gerard+105
Tie+750
3rd Round Score - Harris English
Type: 3rd Round Score - Status: OPEN
Over 73.5-120
Under 73.5-110
3rd Round Score - Justin Rose
Type: 3rd Round Score - Status: OPEN
Over 74.5+110
Under 74.5-145
3rd Round 2-Balls - H. English / J. Rose
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Harris English-120
Justin Rose+130
Tie+750
3rd Round Score - Mackenzie Hughes
Type: 3rd Round Score - Status: OPEN
Over 73.5-125
Under 73.5-105
3rd Round 2-Balls - M. Hughes / J. Bridgeman
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Mackenzie Hughes-110
Jacob Bridgeman+120
Tie+750
3rd Round Match-Up - C. Morikawa v S. Lowry
Type: 3rd Round Match-Up - Status: OPEN
Collin Morikawa-120
Shane Lowry+100
3rd Round Score - Collin Morikawa
Type: 3rd Round Score - Status: OPEN
Over 72.5-110
Under 72.5-120
3rd Round Six Shooter - S. Scheffler / X. Schauffele / C. Morikawa / S. Lowry / J. Spieth / R. Henley
Type: 3rd Round Six Shooter - Status: OPEN
Scottie Scheffler+190
Collin Morikawa+425
Xander Schauffele+425
Shane Lowry+550
Jordan Spieth+650
Russell Henley+650
3rd Round 2-Balls - C. Morikawa / R. Fox
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Collin Morikawa-165
Ryan Fox+175
Tie+750
3rd Round Match-Up - S. Scheffler v X. Schauffele
Type: 3rd Round Match-Up - Status: OPEN
Scottie Scheffler-200
Xander Schauffele+165
3rd Round Match-Up - J. Spieth v R. Henley
Type: 3rd Round Match-Up - Status: OPEN
Jordan Spieth-110
Russell Henley-110
3rd Round Score - Russell Henley
Type: 3rd Round Score - Status: OPEN
Over 73.5+105
Under 73.5-135
3rd Round Score - Xander Schauffele
Type: 3rd Round Score - Status: OPEN
Over 72.5-125
Under 72.5-105
3rd Round 2-Balls - R. Henley / X. Schauffele
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Xander Schauffele-125
Russell Henley+135
Tie+750
3rd Round Score - Jordan Spieth
Type: 3rd Round Score - Status: OPEN
Over 73.5+120
Under 73.5-155
3rd Round Score - Tom Hoge
Type: 3rd Round Score - Status: OPEN
Over 74.5+110
Under 74.5-145
3rd Round 2-Balls - J. Spieth / T. Hoge
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Jordan Spieth-135
Tom Hoge+150
Tie+750
3rd Round Score - Sam Burns
Type: 3rd Round Score - Status: OPEN
Over 73.5-110
Under 73.5-120
3rd Round Score - Shane Lowry
Type: 3rd Round Score - Status: OPEN
Over 72.5-155
Under 72.5+120
3rd Round 2-Balls - S. Burns / S. Lowry
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Shane Lowry-120
Sam Burns+130
Tie+750
3rd Round Match-Up - B. Griffin v A. Bhatia
Type: 3rd Round Match-Up - Status: OPEN
Ben Griffin-120
Akshay Bhatia+100
3rd Round Score - Akshay Bhatia
Type: 3rd Round Score - Status: OPEN
Over 73.5-125
Under 73.5-105
3rd Round Score - Scottie Scheffler
Type: 3rd Round Score - Status: OPEN
Over 71.5+150
Under 71.5-200
3rd Round 2-Balls - A. Bhatia / S. Scheffler
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Scottie Scheffler-250
Akshay Bhatia+260
Tie+850
3rd Round Score - Ben Griffin
Type: 3rd Round Score - Status: OPEN
Over 73.5-120
Under 73.5-110
3rd Round Score - Nick Taylor
Type: 3rd Round Score - Status: OPEN
Over 73.5-150
Under 73.5+115
3rd Round 2-Balls - N. Taylor / B. Griffin
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Ben Griffin-120
Nick Taylor+130
Tie+750
Major Specials 2025
Type: To Win A Major 2025 - Status: OPEN
Bryson DeChambeau+500
Jon Rahm+750
Collin Morikawa+900
Xander Schauffele+900
Ludvig Aberg+1000
Justin Thomas+1100
Joaquin Niemann+1400
Shane Lowry+1600
Tommy Fleetwood+1800
Tyrrell Hatton+1800
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US Open 2025
Type: Winner - Status: OPEN
Scottie Scheffler+275
Rory McIlroy+650
Bryson DeChambeau+800
Jon Rahm+1200
Xander Schauffele+2000
Collin Morikawa+2200
Ludvig Aberg+2200
Justin Thomas+2800
Brooks Koepka+3500
Viktor Hovland+3500
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The Open 2025
Type: Winner - Status: OPEN
Scottie Scheffler+400
Rory McIlroy+500
Xander Schauffele+1200
Ludvig Aberg+1400
Collin Morikawa+1600
Jon Rahm+1600
Bryson DeChambeau+2000
Shane Lowry+2500
Tommy Fleetwood+2500
Tyrrell Hatton+2500
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Ryder Cup 2025
Type: Winner - Status: OPEN
USA-150
Europe+140
Tie+1200

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Cantlay has one-shot lead into final round at BMW ChampionshipCantlay has one-shot lead into final round at BMW Championship

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — Patrick Cantlay was part of an All-Star chasing pack until he holed out from 106 yards for eagle and carried that to a 6-under 65 on Saturday, giving him a one-shot lead and a chance to become the first back-to-back winner of the BMW Championship in the FedExCup era. RELATED: Leaderboard | Will Zalatoris withdraws from BMW Championship Next up is another round with a familiar face. Xander Schauffele, his closest friend on the PGA TOUR, had a bogey-free 66 and was a shot back, along with Scott Stallings (66). Cantlay and Schauffele play practice rounds together just about every week when they’re at the same tournament, just never with this much on the line. More than just $2.7 million for the winner, Cantlay or Schauffele could go to No. 1 in the FedExCup — that also depends on how Masters champion Scottie Scheffler fares — with a win and start the TOUR Championship with a two-shot lead. Cantlay knows the value of that from experience. After his dynamic playoff win in the BMW Championship last year at Caves Valley, he had the No. 1 seed and a two-shot lead at the start and wound up winning by one shot to claim the $18 million prize. “My head is not even there right now,” said Cantlay, who was at 12-under 201. “I think the best way to handle this playoff system is to just focus on doing your best in the tournament that you’re in and not worry too much about the points. So that’s what I’m going to do.” And there’s another reason. This is far from a two-man show on the South course at Wilmington Country Club that is sun-baked and fast on the greens. Adam Scott, trying to work his way into the top 30 who reach the TOUR Championship, held his own with a 69 and was only two shots behind. He started the postseason at No. 77 and is coming off a tie for fifth last week just to make it to the BMW Championship. Also two back was Scheffler, the world No. 1 who answered consecutive bogeys late in his round with a 4-foot birdie for a 68. Collin Morikawa (65) and Aaron Wise (67) made it seven players separated by three shots. Rory McIlroy started slowly and could only manage a 70, leaving him five shots off the lead. Jordan Spieth, who began the weekend just one shot behind, missed par putts of 3 feet and 2 feet and didn’t have much else go right in his round of 74 that took him out of contention. Cantlay and Schauffele became fast friends at the Presidents Cup in 2019 at Royal Melbourne and now take holidays together, along with countless practice rounds. It’s different with a scorecard in hand, though the comfort level is obvious. “I know how he hits the ball, he knows how I hit the ball. If I flush one or he flushes one, it sort of is extra information that we can use. I like to use that as an advantage, and we’re good friends, so it’s a very sort of easygoing pairing even though we’re trying to beat each other,” Schauffele said. Give this round to Cantlay, just barely. Schauffele was leading when Cantlay missed a 3-foot par putt — he also missed one from a little closer on the 17th — and after they matched two-putt birdies on the 12th, Cantlay holed a birdie putt from 8 feet on the 13th and then spun back a lob wedge for eagle at the 14th. That put him in the lead, and after the shocker of a short miss for par, he finished with another lob ledge that expertly used a backstop and rolled down to 8 feet for birdie. Delaware has never hosted a PGA TOUR event, so this is new for everyone. That explains why Cantlay with a wedge in hand was walking to the front of every green to see the slopes and find the best play. It worked on the 14th for his eagle, and on the 18th for his birdie. Stallings has plenty at stake on Sunday, too. He came into the BMW Championship at No. 46 in the standings and now is clearly within range of playing one more week. “That was my No. 1 goal to start the year,” Stallings said. This is his 12th year on the PGA TOUR and the closest he has ever been to the TOUR Championship.

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Top 30 Players to Watch in 2019: No. 6 Rory McIlroyTop 30 Players to Watch in 2019: No. 6 Rory McIlroy

OVERVIEW Rory McIlroy has signaled his intentions for 2019 — he wants back at the top of golf. The 14-time PGA TOUR winner and former FedExCup champion wants nothing less than excellence and with a more condensed schedule on the horizon, he has doubled down on his presence in the USA. Having split his time between the PGA TOUR and European Tour in recent seasons, McIlroy says his focus, at least for the first six months of the year, will be in the U.S. And this means he is set to fire things up at the Sentry Tournament of Champions for the first time after forgoing an invitation six times prior. More Rory for us to feast on can never be a bad thing. As always the key for McIlroy is putting. He has the length and accuracy to match anyone in the world, so when he gets the putter pumping you can be sure he’s in contention. Last season he was 97th in Strokes Gained: Putting – which was actually his best result in the statistic since 2014 (41st). He won the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard when he was ranked first in the metric for the four rounds at Bay Hill. For McIlroy golf is now about increasing his legacy. He won the last of his four majors in 2014, but he has at least two top 10s across the four majors during each of the last four seasons since. McIlroy is always unquestionably one to watch and thankfully it appears we are about to get more of him to do just that. — By Ben Everill Click here to see who else made the Top 30 list. BY THE NUMBERS FEDEXCUP UPDATE Current 2018-19 position: 186th Playoff appearances: 8 TOUR Championship appearances: 5 Best FedExCup result: Won the FedExCup in 2016. SHOTLINK FUN FACT Rory McIlroy led the PGA TOUR in driving distance last season, averaging 319.8 yards on all measured holes. That’s the second-highest average since 1980 (Hank Kuehne averaged 321.4 yards in 2003). INSIDER INSIGHTS PGATOUR.COM’s Insiders offer their expert views on what to expect from Rory McIlroy in 2019. TOUR INSIDER: McIlroy’s decision to concentrate hard on the PGA TOUR early in 2019 is set to pay huge dividends. With a settled travel schedule and a real focus on his FedExCup charge, I expect he will once again add to his win column and make a play towards another stint at the top of the world rankings. If his putter turns up just half the time, he can be near-unbeatable. — By Ben Everill FANTASY INSIDER: Rory McIlroy … Since he appeared in my full-membership ranking that published in late September, and already with higher expectations slotted at No. 4, he’s reversed his decision to forego membership on the European Tour in 2019, so he’s retaining his dual-tour profile. However, it’s not a development that should concern PGA TOUR gamers because he’s not compromising his focus to complete the career grand slam at the Masters – his last major as a 20something – and he’s always maintained a controlled, predictable schedule in the U.S. His baseline is at least one victory among 7-8 top 10s in no more than just 18 starts. — By Rob Bolton EQUIPMENT INSIDER: Like a few others on this list, McIlroy was using a Mitsubishi Tensei CK Orange shaft for a portion of 2018, but he’s since switched back to ol’ faithful, a Mitsubishi Kuro Kage Silver 70X shaft in his TaylorMade M3 driver (8.5 degrees). McIlroy also made equipment news in 2018 by using a TaylorMade TP Black Copper Soto putter with a red Surlyn face insert to win the 2018 Arnold Palmer Invitational. While he used the putter off and on through the 2018 Ryder Cup, he’s since switched back into a TaylorMade putter with a milled face, however. I’d be remiss not to mention his irons, as well; he’s still using the TaylorMade P-730 Rors proto irons (5-9) that shook up the equipment world when he first put them into play in 2017. But could it be time for an iron switch in 2019? — By Andrew Tursky STYLE INSIDER: When you see Rory in 2019, he will be wearing the latest and greatest from Nike. He already gave us a preview of his footwear choice for the new year when he debuted Nike’s React Vapor 2 at the TOUR Championship. McIlroy first experienced the lightweight and responsive React foam in a pair of Nike running shoes and has called it “a game changerâ€� on the course. — By Greg Monteforte

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