U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau is within one stroke of the lead after two rounds in Las Vegas. See who makes a move on moving day.
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NAPLES, Fla. (AP) — Brendon Todd and Billy Horschel shot a 6-under 66 in modified alternate shot Saturday for a share of the second round lead on the QBE Shootout. Rory Sabbatini-Kevin Tway (67), Harold Varner III-Ryan Palmer (70), Jason Kokrak-J.T. Poston (68) and Charles Howell III-Bubba Watson (66) also were 19 under. Ian Poulter and Graeme McDowell (65) were a stroke back. The tournament will close Sunday with a best-ball round. Related: Leaderboard Todd, the FedExCup points leader after victories this season at Bermuda and Mayakoba, ended up with Horschel when Brandt Snedeker withdrew because of an injured left ring finger. “I knew when Brendon was going to be my partner when Sneds had to withdraw I got a better partner,” Horshell said. Sorry, Sneds”, but Brendon’s been playing really well, two wins, fourth-place finish. I was probably the happiest guy in the world at that point. I’ve known Brendon since college days, he’s a great putter. They had six birdies in windy conditions after morning rain at Tiburon Golf Club. “Billy’s hitting the ball really well, we’re both putting two shots in the fairway,”Todd said. The tricky part is you’re not putting every hole, so to get the speed of the greens down is just tough out there, but I think we ham-and-egged it pretty good.” Lexi Thompson and Sean O’Hair were last in the 12-team field at 6 under after a 74.
PALM HARBOR, Fla. – Luke Donald didn’t know what to expect when he arrived to the first tee at Innisbrook’s Copperhead Course on Thursday morning. He has made only 10 starts in two seasons due to a temperamental back that has refused to cooperate with him. But making his first start since toughing out two rounds at the Sony Open in January, Donald appeared to be his vintage self for much of the day. He exhibited solid play, sound course management, and some deft touch around the greens, always a great strength of his. Even a closing bogey at the end of the Snake Pit, Copperhead’s par-4 18th, could do little to dent a day in which he’d played so solidly, opening the Valspar Championship at 4-under 67. Hard to fathom that Donald, now 41 and a married father of three, has not held a trophy since that Sunday at Innisbrook in 2012 when he stood tallest in a four-man playoff – the Valspar Championship’s very first – to win his fifth PGA TOUR title. “He was still No. 1 in the world then,â€� said Pat Goss, Donald’s longtime coach, the man who recruited Donald to play college golf at Northwestern from England. “This is a fickle game. You get going in the wrong direction and your confidence takes a hit and it’s hard to build it back. But as I always say to him, form is temporary. You’ve just got to keep working at it.â€� A problem with Donald’s L-4 and L-5 – partly a result of too much lateral movement in his swing – has kept Donald from doing much on the golf front these last two seasons. He made only nine PGA TOUR starts last season, and Valspar marks only his second tournament of 2018-19. Donald is playing on a major medical extension in 2018-19 and has 15 starts to earn enough FedExCup points to regain full membership on the PGA TOUR. Donald felt good heading into Sony, but on Monday of tournament week his back flared up and he struggled to get through his two rounds. He’s been taking things slowly on the way back. Goss said Donald had been chipping and putting for about a month, but only started hitting drivers about two weeks ago. That’s why Thursday’s round – perfectly clean until he blocked a drive into the right trees at 18 – proved so encouraging. “Honestly my goal this week is to play four rounds and feel pretty good at the end of four rounds and then keep going,â€� Donald said. “But to play well is a nice bonus.â€� Innisbrook’s Copperhead Course, which calls upon players to display sound course management, old-fashioned grit and good scrambling abilities, has been one of Donald’s happy hunting grounds through the years. After shooting 13-under 271 to win in 2012, he followed by tying for fourth in each of the next two years. On Thursday, a par at the 18th – where he failed to get up and down from a long-range bunker shot, missing a 10-footer – would have tied his low career round on the Copperhead. He has found his time away from golf spent in his adopted residence in Jupiter, Florida, to be something of a mixed blessing. Sure, he misses the competition and competing against the game’s best. You don’t spend 56 weeks at No. 1 in the world without a considerable amount of drive. But time off has given Donald some quality weeks to spend observing his three young daughters. “If I’m spending some time with them, it’s not the worst thing in the world,â€� he said. “And obviously I’ve had a pretty good career, I would like that to continue, but, yeah, it’s not end of the world stuff, certainly. My kids are 9, 7 and nearly 5 now, and it’s great ages to watch them and be around them a lot, so I’ve tried to frame it that way. It’s just a good opportunity to spend some time with them and have some time at home. But, yeah, I’m ready to get back out here.â€� Goss said Donald’s time off and challenges with the health of his back have led the pair to re-emphasize basic fundamentals such as posture, and that’s been good. And any chance Donald has extra time to hone his world-class short game, that’s only going to help, too. He always has been a good chipper, outstanding bunker player and excellent putter. Donald never will bomb it out there where today’s young guns are hitting it, but his coach sees many more quality seasons in Donald’s future. “His fitness is good, and his desire is strong, for sure,â€� Goss said. “He’s just got to get healthy and back to competing.â€� Donald said his plan is to make upcoming starts at the Valero Texas Open and the RBC Heritage, but he is taking it day by day and week by week. Health willing, he’ll climb back to golf’s upper echelon. “I still think I’m good enough to compete and win and be one of the better players in the world,â€� Donald said. “I’ve done it before so there’s no reason why not. “We have seen lots of players around my age have been very successful – even Justin Rose is only a couple years younger than me and still playing great golf. It’s a little bit of a different style of golf that I play because there’s certain courses that I’m just going to struggle on just because I don’t hit it quite far enough these days. But there are courses out there I can compete and do well at and win, hopefully.â€� The Copperhead is one of those courses. Rusty or not, Luke Donald is off to a great start.
Here are nine tidbits from the opening round of The RSM Classic that gamers can use tomorrow, this weekend or down the road. Be looking for the Emergency 9 shortly after the close of play of each round of the tournament. Change in Course: Yesterday, 22 of the top 27 players posted their rounds on the par-72 Plantation course. With similar weather conditions on the cards Friday, I thought those playing Plantation would have the advantage again. Wrongo. Of the eight lowest rounds of the day, seven were carded on the par-70 Seaside course. The winning scores the last two years have been 22-under-par and 17-under-par, so there are still birdies to be made on the weekend. What’s Cookin’?: Veteran gamers will remember the summer of 2015 when Austin Cook burst on the scene. He racked up five T22 or better finishes in his first six events, which included a T11 and a pair of top 10’s. Flash forward two years and he’s posted two top 25’s in three starts in the new season playing from the Web.com priority list. His bogey-free 62 on Seaside was the best of the day. Add that to his bogey-free 66 on Plantation yesterday, and he’s our leader by one. Hey, Bud. What’s your problem? No problem at all! After an even-par round at Plantation yesterday, Bud Cauley jumped right back into the tournament by signing for 63 on Seaside, moving him up a whopping 83 places (T12). The first two years Cauley played here he finished T15 (2011) and T20 (2012) but the last two years he’s MC. He’s already posted a top 10 (T7, Safeway Open) in three events this year. Hubba Hubba, Bubba: Bubba Watson, coming off his worst season since his rookie year of 2006, made his season debut this week. I guess gamers love a famous name as almost THIRTY percent of you made Watson the sixth-most selected player in the PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO game. After shooting a 71 at Plantation yesterday, he repaid your faith with 64 on Friday that included 23 putts and a double bogey. He moved up 61 places and sits T12 entering the weekend. Welcome back, Brandt: The last time we saw Brandt Snedeker in tournament action he was firing a final round 64 at TPC River Highlands (T14). His sternum injury caused him to miss time and eventually change his swing. The change is working as he hit all 14 fairways on Thursday and nine of 14 on Friday. A pair of 67’s positions him inside the top 10 at T6. OAD Crash and Burn: Charles Howell III was the most popular selection in the PGA TOUR Fantasy One & Done presented by SERVPRO. His percentage was almost DOUBLE of second choice Kevin Kisner. With three holes remaining, he sat three-under on the day and one shot above the cut line (-4). After a double on No. 16 and a bogey on No. 17, he was two shots underwater. Brutal result for gamers as Howell had never MC in seven previous trips. OAD Crash and Burn II: PGA TOUR Fantasy One & Done presented by SERVPRO gamers saw the fourth-most selected player, Ollie Schniederjans, fall short as well. There are two schools of thoughts in OAD that will always push and pull gamers. With only 48 tournaments, there’s no need to select players off the radar. Just play the chalk! Others suggest fortune favors the bold and stealing top 10’s throughout the year with outliers is the key to victory. Chose wisely, my friends. Blame me for Jamie? Nope, but you’re welcome for Howell! Turn your furor to Rob Bolton as Lovemark was his choice in the experts One & Done. After a win with Patrick Cantlay at Shriners, I have thrown out Kevin Chappell (MC) at Mayakoba and Howell (MC) this week. I’m not expecting the phone to ring from that group anytime soon! Fantasy Golf is hard, Part 1,293,399: Si Woo Kim (MC) was third last week at Mayakoba and didn’t break par in two chances this week…Patrick Rodgers (MC) gave it a sniff last week and returned to a course where he was T10 last year…Mac Hughes had a baby, changed his name and was defending for the first time. That’s a full plate, and his MC is not surprising…After my terrible suggestion of lining up Brandon Harkins for Friday, move cautiously with my next suggestion. Kevin Streelman is bogey free through 36 holes and finished T6 in 2011. He’s played 10 rounds on Seaside and four of them are 66 or 67. Good luck!
