Sam Burns finding his own on TOUR

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Justin Thomas was growing up outside Louisville, Kentucky, during Tiger Woods’ prime years. He had a prime seat in Valhalla’s clubhouse for one of Woods’ most memorable major triumphs, at the 2000 PGA Championship. “That week was the reason that I was like, ‘Okay, this is really what I want to do,’â€� Thomas said after his triumph at last year’s PGA Championship. On Wednesday, Thomas elaborated on the ways that Woods inspired him. If you look at childhood videos of Thomas competing in tournaments, he’s wearing black pants and a red shirt. That’s not a coincidence. Thomas even emulated Woods’ grip. “He’s someone that I’ve looked up to ever since my first memories of golf and someone I’ve always tried to model my game after,â€� Thomas said in his pre-tournament press conference at The Honda Classic. “I wore black pants and red shirt every tournament I played when I was a junior because of him. I use an interlocking grip because I saw a picture of him when I was a kid following through and he had an interlocking group and that was the day I started using interlocking and I’ve done it ever since.â€� Woods is nearly two decades older than Thomas, and made his PGA TOUR debut a year before Thomas was born, but their relationship has changed now that they are PGA TOUR peers. Woods was a Captain’s Assistant for last year’s U.S. Presidents Cup Team, which Thomas was a member of. Thomas and Woods flew together to last week’s Genesis Open, where they were paired for the first two rounds. The reigning FedExCup champ and only two-time winner of the FedExCup are now friends. “We have a great friendship, and I’m very lucky and I cherish that,â€� Thomas said. “He’s definitely somewhat of a mentor for me.â€�

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BLAINE, Minn. – James Hahn cracked a bottle of Michelob Ultra upon approaching the podium to meet the media Sunday afternoon at the 3M Open. It was well earned. Hahn, 40, had just completed a final-round, 6-under 65 at TPC Twin Cities, marking the day’s low round in windy conditions outside Minneapolis. The performance propelled Hahn to a season-best T4 finish, moving him from No. 133 to No. 109 in the FedExCup standings. Hahn arrived at the 3M Open knowing it was crunch time to earn a spot in the FedExCup Playoffs for the eighth time, with this week marking the third-to-last event of the PGA TOUR’s regular season. With a stretch of six consecutive 3s on the back nine Sunday, including a hole-out eagle from 69 yards on the par-5 12th, Hahn all but secured a Playoffs berth. “Magical,” said Hahn of his final-round performance in Minnesota. “That’s what it felt like. We’re getting gusts up to 25 miles per hour and then it would lay down and then it would gust again for 25 miles per hour. I’m hitting some pitching wedges 170 yards and on the next hole you’re hitting 6-iron from 150. “It’s just one of those days where you had to pick your clubs very well and commit to it, and I felt like I did a good job of that today.” Hahn entered the week with back-to-back T9 finishes in early May marking his best showings to this point in the season (Wells Fargo Championship, AT&T Byron Nelson). The former shoe salesman has won twice in a successful TOUR career, meaning at worst he will always carry past champion status. The University of California-Berkeley alum knows the importance of fully exempt TOUR status, though, and he doesn’t shy away from the implications of Playoffs qualification. “Coming down the stretch, we’re obviously trying to win a golf tournament, but one stroke here or there could also mean not keeping my card for next year,” Hahn said. “It means a lot to be able to make the Playoffs, to earn full status for next season, but just to feel like you’ve accomplished something, that’s definitely a goal for everyone starting the season that, A, you want to make it long into the Playoffs, but you have to make the Playoffs to start. For me, I just feel like it’s a long season, and I’m going to enjoy this beer.” That beer was very much earned. Other pros to move inside the top-125 on the FedExCup with strong showings at the 3M Open included Scott Piercy, Greyson Sigg and Robert Streb. Piercy, a four-time TOUR winner, held a four-stroke lead through 54 holes at TPC Twin Cities but was undone by a triple bogey on the par-4 14th hole Sunday en route to a T4 finish. The San Diego State alum entered the week at No. 138 on the FedExCup and moved to No. 112, on the verge of securing a Playoffs berth. Sigg finished T7 at the 3M Open to move from No. 126 to No. 107, all but cementing a Playoffs berth in his rookie TOUR season. Streb, a longtime pro and two-time TOUR winner, finished T11 at TPC Twin Cities and moved from No. 128 to No. 115. TOUR rookie Callum Tarren finished the week T7 to move from No. 144 to No. 126. For a player who went until The Honda Classic in February before his first made cut of the season, he’s trending at the right time as he strives to secure his first Playoffs berth – and avoid a trip to the Korn Ferry Tour Finals. Players who finish Nos. 126-200 on the FedExCup, not otherwise exempt, will have the opportunity to regain status via the three-event Korn Ferry Tour Finals in late August and early September. Nos. 126-150 will be assured no worse than conditional TOUR status next season. The PGA TOUR regular season concludes across the next two weeks with the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit and the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, North Carolina.

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