Sam Burns wins Sanderson Farms Championship for second PGA TOUR title

LAS VEGAS — Beau Hossler and J.J. Spaun shared the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open lead Saturday after another breezy day at TPC Summerlin. The 22-year-old Hossler birdied the par-4 15th and 18th holes for a bogey-free 5-under 66 — the best round of the day in the difficult conditions. “It was one of those days you couldn’t get ahead of yourself at all,” Hossler said. “As soon as you do that, you get yourself in trouble. I just tried to keep the ball on the fairway and keep it below the hole as much as possible and manage my game. To get out of there bogey free is kind of a miracle, to be honest.” The 27-year-old Spaun, the leader after the completion of the second round in the morning, bogeyed the par-3 17th and saved par with a 10-footer on the 18th for a 73. “I just was trying to get comfortable out there,” Spaun said. “I was really uncomfortable considering the conditions and the position I was in. But, yeah, I kind of kept things together. Those last five holes were pretty brutal. So, to not really give too many shots back on those holes, it’s not so bad as it looks.” Hossler and Spaun, both winless on the PGA TOUR, were at 9-under 204 — the highest leading third-round total by six strokes since the tournament went to one course in 2008. Tony Finau was three strokes back after a 69. Tom Hoge (67), Gary Woodland (68), Chesson Hadley (69) and Patrick Cantlay (70) were 5 under. “It was tough, but you’ve got to control your ball flight,” Finau said. “The balls are flying all over the place, but mentally you’ve just got to try to stay in it and take one shot at a time.” Hossler got used to playing in the wind at the University of Texas. “That was part of the reason why I went to Texas,” Hossler said. “Coming from Southern California you’re kind of in a bubble with perfect weather and no wind. So I was really struggling with that. When I go to school, playing in this kind of wind fairly regularly, not all the time. Certainly there were some windy days in Texas. So that experience has really helped me. I feel like I can control my ball in the wind a little bit better. Also, underrated. It’s sneaky hard to putt when it’s windy.” Hossler tied for 10th last week in Mississippi for his first top-10 finish in 14 starts. Spaun bogeyed three of the first five holes and had his lone birdies on Nos. 10 and 13. “That’s all I could ever want is to have a chance on Sunday,” Spaun said. “I’m looking forward to it. I know it’s not going to be easy. But whatever happens, happens. It’s definitely a learning experience. Hopefully, I get it done.” Spaun is making his 35th career PGA TOUR start. He finished 97th last season as a rookie in the FedExCup.

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Justin Thomas, twice a winner in Malaysia and fresh off a stellar Ryder Cup individual debut, and victorious European Ryder Cupper Paul Casey top the roster as the new PGA TOUR season begins its three-week swing through Asia. Billy Horschel, who notched a trio of top-3 finishes in last month’s FedExCup Playoffs, and BMW Championship winner Keegan Bradley are among nine other entrants who reached last month’s TOUR Championship. Asia’s hopes for a homegrown winner lie largely in Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama and Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat. FIELD NOTES: Brandt Snedeker, who won the regular-season finale in Greensboro, joins Thomas and Horschel to give TPC Kuala Lumpur three former FedExCup champions in the 78-man lineup. … Snedeker and two-time CIMB champion Ryan Moore are among 30 players jetting to Malaysia from the Safeway Open that opened the new PGA TOUR season. … The field boasts seven major champions, including World Golf Hall of Famers Ernie Els and Davis Love III. … Matsuyama and Marc Leishman head a list of six players from the International squad that competed in last year’s Presidents Cup at Liberty National. … Ten berths are reserved for leading Asian Tour players; local exemptions were awarded to Malaysian pros Gavin Green and Kim Leun Kwang. FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 500 points. STORYLINES: Thomas, whose 4-1 mark in his Ryder Cup debut was the bright spot in a flat U.S. effort, seeks to parlay that momentum into a third CIMB title in four visits. He was a combined 49-under par while winning in 2015 and ’16. … Moore also has a chance to become the first to three wins in Malaysia, having won back-to-back in 2013-14. … Defending champion Pat Perez now takes his turn at doubling up, drawing inspiration from the success of Moore and Thomas before him. … Matsuyama comes to Kuala Lumpur on a run of five consecutive top-15 finishes, with a share of fourth at both the Dell Technologies Championship and TOUR Championship. He finished three shots behind Thomas in 2016. … Aphibarnrat makes his debut as a full PGA TOUR member, gaining his card largely via two top-5 finishes in World Golf Championships events. … The CIMB Classic is still seeking its first Asian champion, though Aphibarnrat came close in 2013 when he finished one stroke out of joining Moore and Gary Woodland in a playoff. COURSE: TPC Kuala Lumpur (West), 7,005 yards, par 72. No stranger to high-level events, TPC Kuala Lumpur opened 28 years ago Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club and is the rare venue to serve as host to PGA TOUR, European Tour and LPGA stops. The West course was site of the Malaysian Open for seven years, while the club’s East course was site of the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia for eight editions until a changing financial landscape made last year’s edition its last. With the PGA TOUR’s arrival on the horizon, the West’s original 1991 Nelson & Haworth layout was given a thorough redesign in 2008 by Ted and Geoff Parslow. 72-HOLE RECORD: 261, Bo Van Pelt (2011 at The Mines Resort & GC). TPC Kuala Lumpur record: 262, Justin Thomas (2015). 18-HOLE RECORD: 61, Nick Watney (4th round, 2012 at The Mines), Justin Thomas (2nd round, 2015 at TPCKL). LAST YEAR: Perez augmented his career renaissance with his second victory in 11 months, building a seven-shot advantage before throttling back to win by four over Bradley. A 3-under-par 69 was enough to close things out in humid Kuala Lumpur, giving Perez two wins in 25 starts since returning from shoulder surgery one year earlier. The 41-year-old veteran also won the 2016 OHL Classic in the third start of his comeback, ending a 7 ½-year drought since claiming his only other victory in Palm Springs. Bradley used a Sunday 67 to finish alone in second, his highest finish since sharing runner-up honors at the 2014 Arnold Palmer Invitational. Thomas placed 17th in his bid for a three-peat, falling off the pace by the weekend with early rounds of 70-71. HOW TO FOLLOW TELEVISION: Wednesday-Thursday, 10:30 p.m.-2:30 a.m. ET (Golf Channel). Friday-Saturday, 11 p.m.-3 a.m. (GC). PGA TOUR LIVE: None. RADIO: None.

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PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico – The skies opened and the rain came to delay the OHL Classic at Mayakoba, but amid the umbrellas and the puddles the headliner hung tough. First-time participant Rickie Fowler, the highest ranked player in the field (10), is contending in his first start in five weeks and his first start of the new season. Fowler had three holes remaining and was just one shot off the lead, tied with first-round leader Patton Kizzire (70). They were chasing Patrick Rodgers, who birdied four straight holes to take the lead at 11 under but still had three holes left to play on the front nine when darkness fell over El Camaleon Golf Club. Heavy rain suspended afternoon play for two hours and 15 minutes.  “Today was tough,â€� said Kizzire, who double-bogeyed the first hole, his 10th of the day. “I had a few hiccups out there, but with the wind and the rain and with the wind and rain together, it was tough. And the stop and start was tough. But I hung in there, made a few birdies there towards the end of my round, and then survived that really tough rain that we had there at the end.â€� Fowler was on the 15th tee when he asked how much longer players would be expected to stay on the course as darkness fell. He made par on the hole before play was stopped and players were driven away in vans. Four players have won the OHL Classic in their first start in the event: Johnson Wagner (2011), John Huh (2012), Harris English (2013) and Fred Funk (2007).  OBSERVATIONS HARKINS HANGS TOUGH. The last six holes played by Brandon Harkins, 31, went birdie, bogey, birdie, bogey, birdie, bogey. “Wasn’t quite the finish I was looking for, trading birdies and bogeys like that,â€� said Harkins, who shot 68 to get to 9 under. “But you know, I really can’t complain in the wind like this.â€� Harkins has already shown plenty of bounce-back. He twice missed 72nd-hole putts to force playoffs on the Web.com Tour last year, but finished 21st on the Regular Season Money List to get his TOUR card. Now he’s looking to improve on a T9 at the Safeway Open and a T20 at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. GAY MAKES LIKE 2008. Four-time TOUR winner Brian Gay will turn 46 next month and is making his 522nd career start. He sure didn’t seem to have lost his edge Friday. Gay was five-for-five in scrambling and shot a bogey-free 65 that included an eagle at the par-5 13th hole. He got his first win at Mayakoba in 2008, but hasn’t won since the 2013 CareerBuilder Challenge. After getting to 9-under overall Gay said, “I’ve always loved it since we started coming here.â€� He began last season on a Major Medical Extension, needing to earn 309 FedExCup points or $461,851 in 14 starts to remain exempt for the rest of the season. He accomplished that with back-to-back T6 finishes at the RBC Heritage and Valero Texas Open.   RODGERS SEEKS FIRST WIN. The only player in the field so far without a bogey, Rodgers is beginning his third season on TOUR after a stellar college career. He won 11 times in three years at Stanford, tying Tiger Woods’ win total, accomplished in two years, and compiled a 70.32 scoring average, breaking Woods’ all-time school mark of 70.96. One of the TOUR’s biggest fitness fanatics, Rodgers finished 78th in the FedExCup last season, his best result a runner-up finish at the John Deere Classic, where he led through 36 holes. He is coming off a missed cut at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in his fourth start of the new season. CEJKA LOOKS FOR REDEMPTION. Alex Cejka (67, 6 under) is in contention again after losing a three-man playoff at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open last week. The week before that, Cejka got caught up in an odd rules scenario. He was disqualified from the Sanderson Farms Championship for holing a tap-in putt on his final hole of the second round after the siren had sounded for a suspension of play due to a dangerous weather situation.   NOTABLES SI WOO KIM – Up and down year since becoming the youngest winner of THE PLAYERS Championship in May, but the two-time TOUR winner is lurking at 7 under after a 68. OSCAR FRAUSTRO – A wild start for the low Mexican so far as Fraustro went 5 under for his first four holes on the way to a 66. He’s 7 under at the halfway mark. Fraustro and Carlos Oritz tied for ninth here in 2014, the best-ever finish by a Mexican player in this tournament. RYAN ARMOUR – Just a few weeks removed from nabbing his first win at 41, Armour shot a second-round 69 to get to 5 under and is six back. ZAC BLAIR – Came to El Camaleon as an alternate and was last man in the field, but will play on the weekend after going 3 under for his last 11 holes to shoot 68 and make the cut at 2 under. ROBERTO DIAZ – The last player to graduate from the Web.com Tour, Diaz is making the most of it at Mayakoba. His second-round 65 left him at 6 under, five back. QUOTABLES “No comment.â€� – Cal State-Chico graduate Brandon Harkins (68, 9 under), when asked if his alma-mater lived up to its party-school reputation. SUPERLATIVES Shot of the day: Jonathan Byrd aced the 151-yard eighth hole, the fifth ace of his TOUR career. His most famous hole-in-one came in a playoff at the 2010 Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. CALL OF THE DAY SHOT OF THE DAY BEST OF SOCIAL MEDIA

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