Rory McIlroy off to another strong start at The Open

NORTON, Mass. (AP) — PGA champion Justin Thomas ran off eight birdies on a long, wet TPC Boston for a tournament-best 63, giving him a share of the lead with Marc Leishman going into a Labor Day finish in the Dell Technologies filled with the game’s best players. The FedExCup Playoffs event in Boston has a history of delivering big moments, and this was set up for another. Leishman, who won at Bay Hill this year, also played bogey-free for a 65 on Sunday to join Thomas at 12-under 201. Eight players were separated by three shots going into the final round, a listed that included Jordan Spieth and Dustin Johnson, Paul Casey and Jon Rahm. Still very much in the mix was Phil Mickelson, only four shots behind. “There is a heightened something to these playoff events that bring out certain champions for the most part,” Spieth said Sunday after finishing with two straight birdies to nudge closer to the lead, just two shots behind. “It’s going to be a throw-down tomorrow.” Thomas had his third round this season at 63 or better — a list that includes his 59 at the Sony Open and a 63 at the U.S. Open — to turn a five-shot deficit into a share of the lead and a chance to win for the fifth time this year. He birdied six of the first 10 holes, the longest at about 12 feet. He played down the 13th fairway on the redesigned 12th hole for the third time this week and holed a 50-foot birdie putt, and then added a pair of 25-foot birdie putts. And he didn’t even birdie any of the par 5s. “I just felt I had total control of my game,” Thomas said. “But it’s crazy to think I did that and parred all the par 5s. That’s a little bit of a bummer, if I could somehow have a downside to the day. But like I said, I’m extremely pleased and put myself in a great position to win the tournament.” And he has plenty of company. Casey played in the final group at the TPC Boston last year, but Rory McIlroy ran him down with a 65 to overcome a six-shot deficit. Casey also played the three par 5s without a birdie, missing a 12-footer on the final hole that would have given him a share of the lead. Then again, the TPC Boston played longer than ever with heavy air and a light rain that never left Sunday. Thomas was stunned when he smashed a driver on the 18th and couldn’t carry a bunker complex only 260 yards out. He normally flies a tee shot like that 300 yards. The forecast for Monday was mostly sunshine, and if the course remains softer from rain, this could be a typical shootout. Leishman figured the winning score would be in the 15- or 16-under range. “That would be my plan, to just try and do what I’ve been doing — give myself as many chances as I can and try and make them,” he said. Rahm had a two-shot lead and still had the lead until running into trouble on the back nine, making three bogeys until he ended his round with a birdie for a 71. . “I will be a little bit frustrated for a while because it always is bad when you’re making good swings and things don’t happen,” Rahm said. “I’ll probably get to the hotel, lay down for a little bit and realize the fact that I’m still three shots back.” Most frustrating was that everyone around him was making a move. It was especially critical for Johnson, who played the third round with Thomas and couldn’t buy a putt. Johnson, coming off a playoff victory last week in New York, sarcastically pumped his fist when he made a birdie on No. 14, and then he kept right on going. The only hole he didn’t birdie coming in was at No. 17, where he missed a birdie chance for 10 feet. “I just wanted to get myself in position to be in range of the leaders,” Johnson said. He was three behind Spieth going into the final round of THE NORTHERN TRUST and ended up winning in a sudden-death playoff. PGA TOUR rookie Grayson Murray (67) and Adam Hadwin (68) were at 10-under 203 along with Spieth, who has made only two bogeys over his last 45 holes. Spieth shot a second straight 66 and was surprised that left him two shots behind, all because of Thomas and Leishman. “I couldn’t have shot a whole lot better,” Spieth said. “I thought four back starting the day, if I could cut that in half, then that would be a tremendous goal. So goal achieved, maybe.” Mickelson dropped a shot on the par-5 seventh with a wild tee shot and missed a 4-foot birdie putt on the ninth hole, but otherwise kept in the game. This is the first time Mickelson has opened with three straight rounds in the 60s since the St. Jude Classic in June, which also was his last top-10 finish. Monday could go a long way in persuading U.S. captain Steve Stricker to pick him for the Presidents Cup. Still to be decided is the final 10 who automatically make the team. Kevin Chappell shot a 69 and moved into position to overtake Charley Hoffman for the 10th spot.

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While history shows several longshot winners at The RSM Classic in recent times, including Robert Streb (300/1 in 2020) and Tyler Duncan (150/1 in 2019), bettors are ignoring that trend when it comes to pre-tournament betting at the BetMGM online sportsbook. The PGA TOUR’s final FedExCup event of the calendar year has seen action coming for those nearer the top of the boards, perhaps in response to dominant victories from Tony Finau and Russell Henley in the last two weeks. As of Tuesday, Tom Hoge, who is tied for the second-best odds at +2200, is pulling in the most tickets (7.2%) and second-most handle (10.1%). Matthew NeSmith, who is tied for the seventh-best odds (+3300), is drawing the most handle (11.5%) on the second-most tickets (4.1%). These selections are likely based on course fit at the Sea Island Golf Club’s Plantation and Seaside Courses. The first two days will be split between the two courses, and then play will exclusively be at the Seaside Course over the weekend. Both courses are not particularly long, and distance is not required to have success; it’s more about accuracy. This is why it’s no surprise these two players are taking in the action. Hoge is ranked ninth this season in greens in regulation, while NeSmith is 146th in driving distance but 24th in greens in regulation. NeSmith also has solid course history with finishes of T29-T15-T14 in three starts at the event, with 10 rounds of 68 or better in 12 tries. Meanwhile, Hoge finished fourth at the event a year ago. Both players have seen their odds move quite a bit. Hoge opened at +3000, while NeSmith opened at +5000. Current Handle & Tickets Handle Matthew NeSmith – 11.5% Tom Hoge – 10.1% Keith Mitchell – 9.4 Andrew Putnam – 7.1% Harris English – 4.5% Tickets Tom Hoge – 7.2% Matthew NeSmith – 4.1% Seamus Power– 3.6% Sahith Theegala – 3.3% Jason Day – 2.9% Following Tony Finau’s withdrawal, Brian Harman is the betting favorite at +1800. Harman is drawing 2.6% of the tickets and 0.7% of the handle. In terms of scoring, there should be plenty of birdies. The winning score was -22 a year ago and -19 in 2020. * Visit BetMGM.com for terms and conditions. 21+ years of age or older to wager. BetMGM is available in AZ, CO, DC, IA, IN, IL, KS, LA, MI, MS, NJ, NV, NY, PA, TN, VA, WV, or WY only. All promotions are subject to qualification and eligibility requirements. Paid in free bets. Free bets expire in 7 days from issuance. Minimum deposit required. Excludes Michigan Disassociated Persons. Please Gamble Responsibly. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-NEXT-STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO, DC, LA, NV, WY, VA), 1-800-270-7117 for confidential help (MI), 1-800-GAMBLER (IN, NJ, PA & WV), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA) or call (877-8-HOPENY) or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), call or text the Tennessee REDLINE: 800-889-9789 (TN) or call 1-888-777-9696 (MS). Sports betting is void where prohibited. Promotional offers not available in Nevada. Responsible sports betting starts with a game plan. Set a budget. Keep it social. Play with friends. Learn the game and know the odds. Play with trusted, licensed operators. CLICK HERE to learn more at HaveAGamePlan.org

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ORLANDO, Fla. — Rory McIlroy, who led after one round at the Arnold Palmer Invitational after a 7-under 65 on Thursday, recently put a new 3-iron in his bag at The Genesis Invitational at Riviera, and it’s in his bag at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. McIlroy said it gives him more “flight.” “It’s the (TaylorMade P790) head; I have the blades in everything else,” he said after his round. “It just gives me a bit more flight; I hit it up in the air. I can hit it up in the air, and it’s just easier to hit. “If I flush my blade with my 3-iron, it should go about 245-247 (yards), but if I miss it, it goes the same distance as my 4-iron. Whereas, if I miss this 3-iron it doesn’t go quite as short.” Long-iron play can be especially important at Bay Hill, which has seen more approach shots from 200-plus yards than any course on TOUR since 2016, according to Justin Ray of Twenty First Group. That’s due in large part to the course’s long par-3s and reachable par-5s. Last year’s Bay Hill champion, Bryson DeChambeau, led the PGA TOUR in average proximity from 200-plus yards last season. Like DeChambeau, McIlroy is known for his ability to hit the ball sky high. Entering this week, McIlroy had an average proximity of 43 feet, 6 inches on approaches greater than 200 yards. That would rank him ninth on TOUR if he’d played enough rounds to be included in this season’s statistical rankings. His average proximity from 225-250 yards (38’, 2”) would rank sixth. According to TaylorMade, the P790 has a forged hollow-body construction that uses newly-engineered SpeedFoam Air, which is 69% lighter than its predecessor, inside the head. That helped TaylorMade to create a thinner face for increased ball speeds and move the center of gravity lower for increased forgiveness and higher ball flights. Thirty-one grams of tungsten in the toe creates more stability and forgiveness. The irons are also more forgiving on strikes low on the face because of a Thru-Slot Speed Pocket. McIlroy at first tried a steel shaft in the new 3-iron, like he had in the previous one, but transitioned into a Fujikura Ventus Black shaft, which he also has in his woods. Did he have any challenges in matching it up? “Graphite nowadays is so much stronger than steel,” he said. “I tried a steel shaft before, and the thing just kept going left. It just wasn’t strong enough at the bottom. So then we tried this Ventus, and they’re very tip-stiff anyway. Yeah, it straightened the ball flight out.” Armed with a new club that only exacerbates one of McIlroy’s advantages, he finished T10 at The Genesis Invitational and now is in the lead at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, which he won in 2018.

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