Seminole Golf Club will host Walker Cup again … but not for a long time

JACKSON, Miss. — Sergio Garcia made it look as simple as closing his eyes and waking up to a share of the 54-hole lead, keeping a clean card on his way to a 6-under 66 and a three-way tie at the top Saturday in the Sanderson Farms Championship. In his debut at the Country Club of Jackson with its pure, fast greens, Garcia stuck to his routine of closing his eyes over putts to get a better feel. He converted most of his chances to share the lead with J.T. Poston and Cameron Davis. They were at 14-under 202 going into a final round in which 10 players were separated by four shots. RELATED: Full Sanderson Farms leaderboard | Why Garcia is putting with his eyes closed Davis opened with five straight birdies, and the Australian’s biggest highlight was a fairway metal into 10 feet for eagle on the par-5 14th hole that carried him to a 9-under 63. He was the first to post at 202, and then Garcia and Poston caught up to him. Poston reached 15 under with a two-putt birdie on the 14th and a pitch from the rough to 4 feet on the reachable par-4 15th. But he was too steep on a bunker shot on the 16th, coming up 30 feet short and leading to bogey. Poston stayed in a tie by saving par from a bunker on the 18th with a 12-foot putt for a 69. Brandt Snedeker, looking confident with that pop of a putting stroke, shot a 67 and was one shot behind along with Kristoffer Ventura, the former Oklahoma State Cowboy from Norway who had a 68. For Keegan Bradley, it was a battle. Staked to a two-shot lead going into the weekend, he had three bogeys on the front nine before he hit a hybrid from 255 yards to 15 feet for an egle on the 11th hole. He finished with seven pars for a 73, though he was very much in the picture. Bradley was at 12-under 204 along with Aaron Wise (67) and Dan McCarthy (69). Garcia is trying to extend a streak in which he has won somewhere around the world each of the last nine years dating to 2011, which also was the last time he was outside the top 50 in the world. Garcia slipped out to No. 51 this week and decided to play the Sanderson Farms Championship for the first time. He also reverted to putting with his eyes closed, which he said he has done at various points during his career, including the 2017 Masters that he won in a playoff with Justin Rose. That Masters is the last time Garcia had a share of the 54-hole lead on the PGA TOUR. Charley Hoffman had a 72 and was four shots behind along with Tyler McCumber, a runner-up last week in the Dominican Republic, who shot 66 to get back in the picture for a final round that figures to be wide open.

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ATLANTA – Chez Reavie wasn’t aiming at the hole with his tee shot on East Lake’s ninth hole. It doesn’t matter. He still collected the first ace on East Lake’s long ninth hole. Reavie was just trying to hit his hybrid in the middle of the green. It’s the sensible play on East Lake’s longest par-3, especially with the pin tucked behind a bunker on the left side of the green. The hole played 230 yards Friday, and less than half the field hit the green in regulation. “I kind of just overdrew it a little bit. Got a fortunate bounce, kicked a little right, and got lucky and it went in the hole,� Reavie said. RELATED: Leaderboard | Tee times | How new format works This is the 19th TOUR Championship at East Lake. Reavie’s was the first ace on the ninth hole, which used to serve as the finishing hole until the nines were flipped three years ago. Reavie has a knack for hitting his tee shots into the hole. He said this was the 21st ace of his life, and fifth of his PGA TOUR career. His secret? “Just aim it at the hole and get lucky a few times, I guess.� He made the turn in 30 and shot 64 on Friday, matching the low score of the tournament. Reavie was one of eight players to complete their round before play was delayed by weather. There was only one other under-par score posted Friday before the delay (67, Jason Kokrak). Reavie, winner of this year’s Travelers Championship, was in eighth place and seven shots behind Justin Thomas and Brooks Koepka. The co-leaders had just made the turn when play was called.

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JEJU ISLAND, South Korea (AP) — Chez Reavie overcame cool, windy conditions for a 4-under 68 and a one-stroke lead after the first round of THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES on Thursday. Danny Willett and Si Woo Kim shot 69s while the large group at 70 and tied for fourth included Ian Poulter, Nick Watney and Michael Kim. Brooks Koepka, playing in his first tournament since being voted PGA TOUR Player of the Year, shot 71 and was in a group three strokes behind and tied for 11th which included Paul Casey and Hideki Matsuyama. THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES defending champion Justin Thomas shot 73, as did Jason Day, while fellow Australians Marc Leishman, who won last week’s CIMB Classic in Malaysia, and Adam Scott had 75s. The second of three PGA TOUR events in three weeks in Asia has a 78-player field and no cut. Only 19 players broke par on Thursday.

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