Shubhankar Sharma soars into the lead in Mexico

MEXICO CITY – What a difference a day makes. One day after he was lucky to escape his first-ever hole in Mexico with a double-bogey, Tiger Woods moved up the leaderboard with a second-round 66 at the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship at Club de Golf Chapultepec. “I had that one three-wiggle there at 17,� he said, “but overall it was a pretty good day. I felt like I got a lot out of the round and plotted my way around the golf course nicely and never really got out of position.� Making his third start of the season after a couple of top-20 finishes at the Farmers Insurance Open and Genesis Open, Woods hit 11 of 14 fairways, hit 13 greens in regulation and took just 26 putts. He also made 108 feet of putts. Those numbers would have been even better had his last birdie try, from just over 11 feet, not taken a hard lip-out. The performance moved him well up the leaderboard, from a tie for 25th place to tie for 7th when he signed his card. “Just keep plodding along,� he said of his plans for the weekend. “I think that the winning score here really hasn’t been all that low.� Woods was injured for the first edition of the WGC-Mexico Championship in 2017, and didn’t qualify to play last year, when he was just starting to play his way back into form. He captured his 80th PGA TOUR title at the TOUR Championship to culminate his comeback season. Even in a field that boasts 46 of the top 50 ranked players in the world, his presence has thrilled galleries here, who have been grateful and at times deliriously excited to see him in person for the first time. Even the first-tee announcer got into the act as his wild introduction of the main attraction Thursday was more boxing or soccer than golf, and cracked up Woods. “Yeah, because he said my name three times,� Woods said with a smile. It was right after his wild intro that he hooked a 5-wood out of bounds with his first swing. There were no such problems Friday. “The ball wasn’t flying as far today,� he said. “It wasn’t as warm, wasn’t as windy, so it was a little bit easier to do the calculations, and with my feels. Yesterday was tough; today was easier, and I hit a lot of shots pin-high today.�

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Since Day One on this job, I’ve professed that gamers are always learning. We make mistakes and we get unlucky as we attempt to hit moving targets, but we should always move forward with something of value regardless of the result. Last week’s lesson was not to invest in a typical option due to the team format. Lo and behold, Justin Rose, Rickie Fowler, Daniel Berger, Henrik Stenson, Jason Day, Billy Horschel, Kevin Chappell, Gary Woodland, Daniel Berger, Russell Knox, Tony Finau, Thomas Pieters and Tyrrell Hatton were among the notables who missed the cut at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. The first four of that smattering ranked among the top nine in ownership percentage in PGA TOUR Fantasy One & Done presented by SERVPRO, but that’s another story that played out in my investment recap on the Thursday of the tournament. The majority of gamers clearly didn’t understand that teammates shared FedExCup points. While 3.4 percent collected Brooks Koepka’s 58.917 points, gamers would have accomplished the same objective by burning his brother Chase, something only nine gamers were savvy enough to do to retain the possibility of Brooks for another week. Meanwhile, only four gamers rostered champion Cameron Smith. Teammate Jonas Blixt was selected only once. Surely, they represented an unlikely pair to prevail, but only in name, not in terms of the potential outcome in a that format. My advice, which will carry over into the 2018 edition, was to burn a guy you won’t miss who is attached to a superstar. The stars aligned for 3.9 percent of us (including this fantasy columnist) who plugged in Justin Thomas’ partner, Bud Cauley. But again, as my recap of investments last Thursday revealed, the two actually tied for seventh place in ownership percentage. Why, oh why. If there’s any solace, FedExCup points distribution was softened due to the splits. For example, the trio of teams that placed T11 banked only 38.250 per golfer, which equates to a finish just inside a top 25. Good, but not great. Moving on, we’re facing a different challenge at the Wells Fargo Championship. Eagle Point Golf Club is an unknown, so it presents as close to a even playing field as we see. This adds another layer of enjoyment to our experience, but the random element ratchets up the anxiety. Note that the WFC is omitted in Future Possibilities. Webb Simpson and Carl Pettersson are members, but only Simpson warrants consideration. Bill Haas is also familiar with the turf, but we’re always hesitant to pull the trigger no matter how good he looks due to inconsistency. Because simple is better in situations like this, stick with a proven talent who transcends concern. If you’ve yet to burn Jon Rahm, now’s the time. If you drafted a list of golfers who have excelled on sites new to them in the recent past, he’d sit at the top. If Rahm is gone and you’ve struggled finding a spot for Francesco Molinari, he’s another easy call as one of the preeminent ball-strikers on the planet. Unfortunately, I’ve exhausted Haas, both Europeans and even Adam Scott (for whom it’s worth waiting, anyway), so the hunt continues. I’m saving Dustin Johnson for the TOUR Championship and the quadrupled points in the Playoffs. Kevin Kisner is in my crosshairs for THE PLAYERS. And I have Phil Mickelson earmarked for the FedEx St. Jude Classic. Continuing to focus only on the top half of my Power Rankings, that leaves me with Simpson and Paul Casey. If I was competing in a two-man format, that would be my tandem, but I’d lead with the Englishman because, well, it’s simple. Of the two, he’s the one not having to deal with the attention and potential distractions of a home game. FUTURE POSSIBILITIES NOTE: Select golfers committed to the tournament are listed alphabetically. Future tournaments are sorted chronologically and reflect previous success on the courses on which the tournaments will be held in 2016-17. All are pending golfer commitment. Daniel Berger … St. Jude (defending) Jason Bohn … Greenbrier Paul Casey … Travelers; WGC-Bridgestone; TOUR Championship Harris English … DEAN & DELUCA Jim Furyk … Memorial; U.S. Open; Canadian; WGC-Bridgestone; TOUR Championship Bill Haas … Wyndham Dustin Johnson … Masters; Byron Nelson; Memorial; St. Jude; U.S. Open (defending); Canadian; TOUR Championship Zach Johnson … PLAYERS; DEAN & DELUCA; John Deere; Open Championship; WGC-Bridgestone; TOUR Championship Chris Kirk … DEAN & DELUCA Kevin Kisner … PLAYERS; DEAN & DELUCA; Wyndham Martin Laird … Barracuda Graeme McDowell … Open Championship; WGC-Bridgestone; Wyndham William McGirt … Memorial (defending); Wyndham Phil Mickelson … St. Jude; Open Championship; PGA Championship Francesco Molinari … PLAYERS Kevin Na … Memorial; John Deere; Wyndham Patrick Reed … Wyndham; Dell Technologies Adam Scott … Memorial; U.S. Open; Open Championship; WGC-Bridgestone; Dell Technologies; TOUR Championship Webb Simpson … Greenbrier; Wyndham Kevin Streelman … Memorial CHAMPIONS ONE & DONE POSSIBILITIES Insperity Invitational The Tournament Course at Woodlands Country Club in Texas has hosted this tournament since 2008. After four years contested in October, it’s been a staple on the schedule in early May. It also hosted the Shell Houston Open from 1985-2002. Golfers listed alphabetically. Rob’s serious considerations in bold. Michael Allen … First-round 63 in 2011 equaled the course record, which still stands today. Two T4s and no worse than T16 in last five trips. Still pursuing first top 10 of 2017. Stephen Ames … Captured the Mitsubishi Electric for his third top 10 in five starts this season. He’s also gone a respective T9-T12 in the last two editions of the Insperity. Billy Andrade … Pesky slate with seven top 25s in as many starts this season, but only one went for a top 10. Best finish in three tries at The Woodlands was a T5 last year. Woody Austin … T9 here in 2015. Solid not spectacular 2017 features five top 25s. Olin Browne … Five top 15s in seven appearances, but outside the top 40 in his last four starts in individual competition in 2017. Fred Couples … Winner here in 2010 and runner-up in his last trip in 2014. Also shares the course record (63). Currently second in Schwab Cup money with no worse than a T6 in five starts. Joe Durant …  T4 (2015) and 11th (2016) in his two appearances. Four top-11 finishes in individual competition this year. David Frost … Steady as he goes. Co-runner-up here last year and currently 19th in Schwab Cup money thanks in large part to a T3 at the Mitsubishi Electric in mid-April. Fred Funk … The 2012 champ has only one top 10 here since (T9, 2014), but he’s 11th in Schwab Cup money in 2017. T3 at the Mitsubishi Electric three weeks ago. Mike Goodes … Horse for a course. Has a P2 (2013), a T2 (2016) and a solo third (2012) among nine visits. Still chasing his first top 20 of 2017, however. Jay Haas … Second in all-time earnings here with five top-six finishes. One top 10 in individual competition this season (10th, Mississippi Gulf Resort). Miguel Angel Jiménez … Tournament debut. Third in Schwab Cup money with a win and a second. Tops on tour in total driving and third in scoring average. Under par in every round. Bernhard Langer … Two-time champ at Woodlands CC and the tournament’s all-time money leader. Atop the Schwab Cup money right now. So, it’s business as usual. Tom Lehman … Two-time runner-up, a pair of T4s and no worse than T12 in six trips. Winner in Tucson in March. Jeff Maggert … Knows Woodlands CC better than anyone. Respectively T9-8th-T2 since his debut here in 2014. Four top 20s in individual competition in 2017. Scott McCarron … T12 in his first look last year. Fourth in Schwab Cup money upon arrival this time. A little inconsistent since winning the Allianz Championship in February. Colin Montgomerie … Just his fourth start of the year. Top 20s in the first three. Solo third here in 2014. Answered with T14 in 2015. Jesper Parnevik … Defending champ. Four-stroke title is his only win on the circuit. Scuffling in 2017. Kenny Perry … Lost in a playoff here in 2015. Surprisingly, it’s his only top-15 finish in six tries. Sits 14th in Schwab Cup money with four top 20s in individual competition. Gene Sauers … Lost in a playoff in Mississippi a month ago. It’s one of three top 10s on his season, but he landed outside the top 25 in his other three. P2 here in 2013; T23-T24-T12 since. Kevin Sutherland … Never a risky pick. Four T6s and a T7 in five individual starts this year. Top 20s in every starts over the last 12 months-plus. Esteban Toledo … Recorded his first PGA TOUR Champions here in 2013. Solo fourth in his title defense. Up-and-down 2017 features four top 25s and a pair of finishes outside the top 50. Kirk Triplett … A trio of top 10s offset a trio of results outside the top 20 this season. Top 20s in the last two editions of the Insperity, however, including a T7 last year. Duffy Waldorf … Top 10s in the last two editions. Solid 2017 slots him ninth in Schwab Cup money. Simply a strong option to connect the dots of the season in this format. Ian Woosnam … The Woodlands is the site of his only PGA TOUR Champion victory (2015) in 68 starts. No top 30s in individual competition this season.

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KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. — Amid the wind and the havoc at Kiawah Island, there was a semblance of simplicity to the way Corey Conners navigated his way around the Ocean Course for a 5-under 67 and a two-shot lead Thursday in the PGA Championship. RELATED: Once again, 17 provides best theater at Kiawah | Leaderboard He birdied all the par 5s. He made a couple of long putts for birdie. He dropped only one shot. The scorecard alone made it look like a walk on the beach. It just didn’t feel that way. “I’d say it’s impossible to be stress-free around this golf course,” Conners said. “You can’t fall asleep out there on any holes. It’s very challenging. I was fortunate to have a good day. Made it as least stressful as possible on myself.” With a stiff wind into his face for his last five holes, the 29-year-old Canadian played the tough closing stretch in 2 under, one of those birdies a 55-foot putt from just short of the green. He led by two shots over a half-dozen players. That group included Brooks Koepka, who started his day with a double bogey and stayed largely out of trouble the rest of the way; and Cameron Davis, who overcame a triple bogey on the sixth hole. Keegan Bradley, Viktor Hovland, Aaron Wise and Sam Horsfield also were at 69. The seven players to break 70 were the fewest for the opening round of the PGA Championship since there were five at Hazeltine in 2002. “I definitely knew in my preparation that it was possible to have a decent round out here and shoot a 5-, 6-under par round,” Conners said. “So kind of started the day thinking, ‘Why not me?’ There’s birdies to be had.” No one needed them like Koepka, a major presence when conditions are severe. One hole into this major, he had reason to be more worried about his brain than his ailing right knee. His opening tee shot on the 10th hole at Kiawah Island was struck poorly and didn’t quite clear a waste area. Koepka tried to do too much from a soft lie in the sand and barely got it out. It led to a double bogey, and the toughest part of the Ocean Course was still to come. But this is a major, and this is Koepka, and that’s when he’s at his best. He knuckled down from that mess by running off six birdies the rest of the way. “You can’t do that stuff if you want to win. You’ve just got to be more focused,” said Koepka, who has played only twice in the last three months because of surgery to repair ligaments in his knee. “I don’t know if that’s a lack of not playing or what. It was just stupid. I was able to recover, I guess.” So did 50-year-old Phil Mickelson, who had four bogeys through six holes and nothing but birdies and pars the rest of the way to join the large group at 70 that included defending champion Collin Morikawa and former U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland. More telling were those on the other side of par, some of whom will be scrambling to make it to the weekend. Dustin Johnson, the No. 1 player in the world in the midst of his worst stretch in nearly two years, took a double bogey from a wild tee shot on the front nine and a double bogey on the 18th for a 76. He’s in jeopardy of missing the cut in consecutive majors in the same year for the first time in his career. Justin Thomas took double bogey on the 18th hole in the morning and two holes later sent a sand shot over the green and just into a hazard for another 6 on the par-5 second. He had a 75. Rory McIlroy, coming off a victory at Quail Hollow two weeks ago, sent his opening tee shot into a water hazard. He salvaged a bogey, but certainly not his round. McIlroy made bogey on three of the par 5s for a 75, his worst start ever in a PGA Championship. Jordan Spieth, who needs a victory to complete the career Grand Slam, shot 73. The PGA of America moved up tee boxes, as expected, to account for the wind. The course played to 7,660 yards — 178 yards shorter than the scorecard — though that didn’t make it easy. Thomas, for one, still hit 7-wood into the 214-yard 17th. John Daly was among 12 players who shot in the 80s. On the 30-year anniversary of his PGA Championship victory at Crooked Stick, he shot 85. There were birdies to be had, and mistakes to be made, and Martin Laird was example of both. So wild was his round that he made bogey on No. 12, ran off four straight birdies and then closed with two bogeys. That added to a 70, not a bad day’s work. “I kind of went out with the mindset this week, even though it’s hard, don’t give the course too much respect,” Laird said. “You still have to take on shots when you have the chance. When I had a spot where I could go at the flag, I was making sure I kept doing it and hit a lot of really nice shots and managed to make some birdies. “You’re going to hit bogeys on this golf course,” he said. “It’s nice when you can throw in a bunch of birdies, too.” Finally heeled from a left knee injury, Koepka injured ligaments in his right knee in March and has played only twice since then, the Masters and last week in Dallas. He began with a poor 3-wood on No. 10 that didn’t clear the waste area. He took on too much with a soft lie in the sand and barely got it out, leading to a double bogey. But he didn’t flinch and had few complaints about his start. “It’s a major. I’m going to show up. I’m ready to play,” he said. “I love it when it’s difficult. I think that’s why I do so well in the majors. I just know mentally I can grind it out.”

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