Schauffele holds onto 1-shot lead at Kapalua

Given the construct of its field, the Butterfield Bermuda Championship won’t be for the faint of heart. Yet, it also increases the possibility of record-high scoring in PGA TOUR Pick ‘Em Live. To play or not to play isn’t even questioned. Though you fight to stay alive, your body starts to shiver. For no mere gamer can resist the evil of the thriller. Register for PGA TOUR Pick ‘Em Live here and monitor Rob’s and Glass’ progress as Influencers. For a broader explanation of the format and FAQs, click here. TOURNAMENT TO WIN Rob … Henrik Norlander (+8000) As eager as I was in launching the board, I can’t justify pointing an arrow at anyone longer than these odds, so we’ll start here and adjust as always (unfortunately). The Swede’s strongest skills keep the ball in play from tee to green, so he’s a lottery ticket with the putter. A lot like Sepp Straka, who broke through at The Honda Classic – I’ll never forget it! – Norlander has multiple seasons of experience without a victory on the PGA TOUR, so if he wants to make a change, he can start with the man in the mirror. This is his third appearance at Port Royal. He cashed in the inaugural edition in 2019 when you’d expect a ball-striker to step out front. Five of his six career rounds on the course are under par. Glass … Vaughn Taylor (+20000) Absolutely NO REASON this week not to have fun with this pick PRE-TOURNAMENT, so let’s dance. His last top 10 was in a similar field in Puerto Rico last March when he picked up T7. You bet I’m grasping at straws! His last win on TOUR came out of nowhere when he won at Pebble Beach in 2016, so I’m looking to recreate history in Bermuda this week. The format allows us to reload once the pipe dream wakes up covered in bogeys. TOP 10 Glass … Ryan Armour (+625) Traditional Horse for Course has witnessed Brian Gay pulling this off at an, ahem, extended age, so he’ll believe as well. Nothing wrong with a bit of veteran love this week as they know how to survive the elements and keep the ball in play in tough situations. Rob … Austin Eckroat (+625) It’s black and white. Although he’s one of my Sleepers, rising for this finish would be a bonus. Good thing we’re likely going to have multiple opportunities to pivot! Actually, I noted that he’s the only rookie with as many as three paydays and without a top 10, so that’s the kind of bulletin-board material that I expect to inspire him. He’s also not a debutant what with a T22 here last year. TOP 20 Rob … Austin Eckroat (+225) This is where I plan on retaining the investment even if given a choice. Getting back more than double the virtual investment is sufficient. His proclivity to find fairways and greens is the peace of mind we all want if this bet proves to be a hit-it-and-hope experience. It’s as easy as 1-2-3, at least in theory. Glass … Kevin Yu (+300) Won’t be intimidated by the field and has enough chops throughout the bag to factor this week. Always the most conservative of the three BIG BETS of the week as the window can get sticky or stuck closed on the weekends. I’m going to ride the youth to figure out a way to crash the party in Southampton. ROUND 1 LEADER Glass … Austin Smotherman (+7000) Start early so you can play often! Fantastic player tee to green means I’ll need a hot ROUND, not week, with the flat stick to cash in here. MC here last year but posted 67 in the second round suggests he might have figured it out. If not, I have all morning (minus the one-hour time difference) to adjust. The front nine on which Smotherman opens doesn’t have the four most difficult holes on the ledger, so I’d start on this side first. Rob … Henrik Norlander (+7000) I’m always so impressed at Glass’ positive energy for the FRL. I mean, why not, but rotating the bingo ball and hoping that my guy is B1 (be the one!) requires so much more luck than know-how. I can’t beat it. With threatening weather in the forecast, it’s possible that R1 won’t finish on Thursday, but if there isn’t a delay, scoring should be equitable across the waves, anyway. In other words, even though we always want to target an early starter, keep a finger on eject unless your guy matches Taylor Pendrith’s course-record 61. Norlander is my outright and he goes off in the second threesome (off 10). He’ll have signed his card by the time I’m lucid, so firing up the glowing rectangle to see if I’m in position to deposit 1,750 coins could be almost as much fun as any Halloween party that I’ve attended. Whatever happens here, enjoy it out there this weekend. NOTE: While Glass and Rob typically stick with their selections as detailed in Pick ‘Em Preview, they are allowed the right to make changes at any time. 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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MELBOURNE, Australia – “I love me some me.â€� Now you know what Justin Thomas kept yelling at Tiger Woods after rolling in a 17-foot birdie putt to win the 18th hole and their Foursomes match Friday against Hideki Matsuyama and Byeong Hun An at Royal Melbourne. RELATED: Scoring | Day 2 match recaps | Day 3 morning match previews| Quiz: Which team should you support? A half-hour earlier, Patrick Cantlay also produced some 18th hole heroics, his birdie from just inside 14 feet giving he and partner Xander Schauffele the win over Adam Hadwin and Byeong Hun An. Until those two putts dropped, the U.S. Team was headed for its first Foursomes session defeat in 14 years at the Presidents Cup. Even more relative, those putts jolted the Americans into life after a relatively listless afternoon in which they appeared headed for a massive deficit. At one point, the Internationals led in all five matches. Had Cantlay and Thomas not made their putts – and had Sungjae Im made his birdie putt from 13 feet on the 18th hole in the final match – the U.S. would be trailing 8-2. Instead, the Americans won two matches and tied the last one, making the deficit a more manageable 6.5-3.5 entering Saturday’s two sessions, followed by Sunday’s Singles. “I know one thing — if we don’t make those putts, this is a pretty deep deficit,â€� Thomas said. And if Thomas didn’t watch a YouTube video — featuring former NFL wide receiver Terrell Owens — on the long bus ride to the course Friday, who knows what he would’ve yelled at Woods after making his putt. Fellow TOUR pro and former Alabama teammate Bud Cauley sent the 11-second clip of Owens. Thomas had seen it before, but this time he also showed it to his U.S. teammates. “When you have an hour-long bus ride, you go into a deep hole on the Internet,â€� Thomas explained. “They had not seen it. It’s a really funny video. I said, ‘If I make a big putt today, I’m yelling it.’ “Today that was a pretty big putt, so I thought it was the appropriate time to yell it.â€� Indeed, when Thomas’ putt fell in, he dropped his putter and started yelling, “I love me some me.â€� Woods did the same thing before the two shared a huge hug. “Very familiar with it, yes,â€� Woods said when asked about the T.O. video. “We were looking at it and we had our moment on the last hole, and we both said it at the same time.â€� Thirty minutes earlier, Cantlay rolled in his winning putt to rally past Niemann and Hadwin, who were 1 up through 14. While his celebration wasn’t nearly as exuberant as Thomas, Cantlay’s fist pump was still pretty demonstrative by his standards. “It was nice to see my boy P. here with some emotion,â€� Schauffele said. “I think it just shows how much it means to us.â€� Said Cantlay: “There’s no place I’d rather be than on the 18th green with a putt to win. There’s nothing like the focus that it brings out and the attention to the moment that it brings out, and that’s exactly why I play the game and I think that’s why we all play. Making those putts on 18 were so big for the momentum shift.â€� Despite the Americans’ two wins on 18, the Internationals still had a chance to win the session. Im and partner Cameron Smith were 2 up with three holes to play against Gary Woodland and Rickie Fowler. But Fowler’s terrific approach at the 16th set up Woodland for an 8-foot birdie putt. Woodland then reciprocated with an approach at the 17th inside 5 feet for a Fowler birdie. Tied going into the 18th, Im had a birdie opportunity from 13 feet after Woodland rolled his 44-footer well past the pin. But Im missed and Fowler made the 5-footer to save par and secure the half-point. “Whether it’s for a half-point, or if it’s to win, that’s why we play,â€� Fowler said. “You know, that little adrenaline rush that you get when you do make those putts, they are confidence-boosters.â€� Although the U.S. still trails, Woods and his players are at least feeling better about their chances. And if the Americans rally this weekend to retain the Presidents Cup, they’ll look back at those two winning birdie putts on the 18th hole Friday as the catalyst. “I felt like all day out there, it was another beating and we were getting beat up,â€� Cantlay said. “I looked up on the board and we were down in almost all the matches all day. Being able to flip the whole deal; we’re going to go to bed tonight feeling great and we’re going to have the momentum going into tomorrow. We are still down but there are a lot of points up on the board for tomorrow, available points. “I really thought this afternoon was huge and I think it’s going to be a big paradigm shift going forward.â€�

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