Simpson runs away with Players Championship

IRVING, Texas – News and notes from Saturday’s third round of the AT&T Byron Nelson, with James Hahn taking a one-shot lead after shooting a 6-under 64. Click here for more from TPC Four Seasons Las Colinas. LEADERS NEED YOUR SUPPORT James Hahn is the tournament leader. That puts him in Sunday’s final group with his closest pursuer, Billy Horschel. He wonders if anybody will be watching. After all, Jason Day is in the group immediately ahead of the leaders. Sergio Garcia is in the group ahead of that. Both are past Byron Nelson champions and currently ranked inside the world’s top five. Meanwhile, FedExCup leader and world No. 1 Dustin Johnson will also start inside the top 20 on the leaderboard. “With DJ and Jason Day,â€� Hahn said, “… I don’t think there’s going to be people watching the final group tomorrow.â€� OK, Hahn was only joking … sort of. That’s certainly a lot of notable firepower going into a final round that could very well become a shootout. But perhaps playing in the shadows of the bigger names will be beneficial. After all, Hahn has won a TOUR event in each of the last two years, both against stellar fields. He’s in his fifth full season on TOUR. He’s ready to handle the pressure of his second 54-hole lead (he tied for third after leading the 2013 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am). “I think having the lead in the golf tournament in itself creates a lot of anxiety and nerves,â€� Hahn said. “If you weren’t nervous leading a golf tournament, there’s probably something wrong with you. I welcome the opportunity. For me, it’s just another test.â€� As for Horschel, he’s chasing after his first win since claiming the 2014 TOUR Championship and the FedExCup. Earlier this season, he was among five players making a playoff at The RSM Classic but was eliminated on the first extra holes. Since the start of the new year, though, he’s rarely been in the mix. He came into this week having missed four consecutive cuts – his longest streak since his rookie season in 2011. But thanks to three consecutive birdies to end his round Saturday, Horschel now has a chance to end his drought after his 4-under 66. “It’s great to be back in the final group,â€� Horschel said. “It’s been a little while. The last four to six weeks hasn’t been ideal for me.â€� Horschel said he found something positive last Friday at THE PLAYERS Championship when he shot 76 after enduring some bad breaks. He left TPC Sawgrass feeling better about his game and the direction it was headed. After three rounds in the 60s this week, his outlook seems to be warranted. “Just felt like this is a turning point,â€� Horschel said. “We’re going to look back at the end of this season and [consider] the second round of PLAYERS Championship [as] the turning point for my season.â€� While the bigger crowds may be elsewhere, Hahn and Horschel should have fun. Both use PXG equipment. In fact, Hahn already was in prime promotion mode Saturday night. “Go PXG,â€� he said. “Buy some clubs. They work.â€� DEFENDING CHAMP IS LURKING Prior to Saturday’s third round, Sergio Garcia told his fiancée, Angela Akins, that he needed to shoot a 65 to get back into contention. He went one better. Thanks to six birdies in his final eight holes, Garcia’s 6-under 64 has him just four shots off the lead. That gives him a chance to successfully defend his AT&T Byron Nelson title. He can also become just the third player in tournament history to win this event three times. The other two are Tom Watson and Sam Snead. “If I can play the same way I played the last couple of days and hopefully put another good round, see what happens,â€� said this year’s Masters champ. “… Still going to be a little bit of ground there to make up, quite a bit more than I would like to. “Obviously that 73 in the first round, it put me in that position. But at least we’re able to put two really solid rounds yesterday and today and hopefully into tomorrow.â€� SHOT OF THE DAY VANISHING FIVE-SHOT LEAD Jason Kokrak entered Saturday’s third round with a five-shot lead, the largest in tournament history. It didn’t last long. Kokrak suffered a triple-bogey at the par-3 fifth and by the time he reached the turn, he had been tied by James Hahn and then Jason Day. Give credit to Kokrak for plugging the leak, though, as he played the next 11 holes in 2 under before a late bogey dropped him into a tie for third with Day. His 72 was the highest third-round score of the top 29 players on the leaderboard. “I’m definitely not out of this golf tournament,â€� Kokrak said. “… I’d rather be stalking people than any other way. … I’m happy with where I’m at.â€� Kokrak said the fifth hole meltdown was caused by new sod in front of a greenside bunker. Instead of being able to splash out of the bunker, he had an awkward lie on the grass. His second shot finished on the other side of the green. After chipping on with his third shot, he then three-putted. “One of those things that happens in golf,â€� Kokrak said. “It was a bad break. If it’s in the bottom of the bunker, it’s not really that hard of a bunker shot. Maybe at worse make bogey there.â€� CALL OF THE DAY   ODDS AND ENDS Dustin Johnson’s 1-over 71 snapped a streak of 14 consecutive par-or-better rounds at the AT&T Byron Nelson. He’ll enter the final round seven shots off the lead. “I’ve got to go out and be aggressive and try to get you a low number,â€� Johnson said. “There’s some good scores to be shot out here at this golf course. I felt like I’m hitting it good enough, if I can roll some putts in tomorrow I’ll shoot a really low number.â€� … Jason Dufner certainly has good vibes here, having won in 2012 and posting two other top-10 finishes. His third-round 65 – which included an eagle at the par-5 16th from inside 7 feet – moved him into a tie for sixth at 8 under. He said he’s a little sad that Sunday will be the final round at this course before the tournament moves to Trinity Forest next year. “In good position going into tomorrow,â€� Dufner said. “Maybe we can send it out with a win.â€� … The 54-hole leader/co-leader has won just four times in the last nine years in this event: Adam Scott in 2008, Dufner in 2012, Brendon Todd in 2014, Steven Bowditch in 2015. … The largest come-from-behind victory after 54 holes is four strokes: Keegan Bradley in 2011, John Cook in 1998, Bob Eastwood in 1985 and Lanny Wadkins in 1973. BEST OF SOCIAL MEDIA That’s golf. ⛳ï¸�#QuickHits pic.twitter.com/cVP1B8O480— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 20, 2017 Lots of contenders making moves on Saturday. With 5 birdies in his last 7 holes, @TheSergioGarcia is one of them.#QuickHits pic.twitter.com/iNm33TgJQK— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 20, 2017 Three in a row to finish. ðŸ�¦ðŸ�¦ðŸ�¦@BillyHo_Golf books his tee time for the final group on Sunday.#QuickHits pic.twitter.com/EEYFfwo6Zl— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 20, 2017

Click here to read the full article…

Click here to read the full article…

The fourth and final tournament in the Florida Swing is The Honda Classic, which will play on the Champion Course at PGA National. The course is a par 70, measuring 7,125 yards and will be putt on Bermuda greens. Last season, the tournament was first in the Florida Swing and won by Sungjae Im (+1300, $11,000). Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $750K Flop Shot [$200K to 1st] STRATEGY PGA National is a Tom Fazio design that was renovated a few times over the past couple of decades by Jack Nicklaus. One of the more evident and consequential changes was back in 2018 when the greens increased close to 30% in size to around 7,000 feet on average. Past winners also include Keith Mitchell (+10000, $7,200), Justin Thomas, Rickie Fowler (+4500, $8,900), Rory McIlory, Russell Henley (+3000, $9,800), Padraig Harrington (+25000, $6,800) twice and Adam Scott. PGA National is a challenging course. In scoring relative to par, The Honda Classic has ranked inside the top 5 most difficult courses over the past few years and has been one of the few non-major tournaments annually to rank this high. The greens have consistently played difficult, recording around 59 percent hit in regulation rate, which is more than 10 percent less than the TOUR average. Something we've seen consistently on the Florida Swing is golfers electing accuracy off-the-tee over distance and PGA National is no exception. A ton of water, which is in play on virtually every hole, and the potential for windy conditions play a pivotal role in why average driving distance is 11 yards less here than the TOUR average. Since 2016, 25 percent of rounds have played in extremely windy conditions, and only 10 percent have played in calm conditions. The infamous "Bear Trap," hole Nos. 15-17, is a daunting challenge coming in. Per SHOT LINK data from last season, these three rank as the third-toughest stretch on TOUR among courses that have been played in at least 10 or more seasons since 2007 (non-majors). Two of the holes are par 3s, which rank as the fourth- and fifth-toughest on the course. Those who finish inside the top 5 are gaining more strokes on the par 3s than the par 4s and par 5s. Par 4 efficiency will be important as it is with all par 70s. GOLFERS TO CONSIDER Joaquin Niemann (+2000 to Win, $10,400 on DraftKings) Niemann struggled on Sunday last week but still finished inside the top 30, gaining 1.2 strokes tee-to-green. Niemann doesn't have the best record on Bermuda greens but has gained strokes in six of his past 12 rounds with his flat stick on said surface. Putting will matter at PGA National, but not as much as ball striking, and Niemann, who's one of the best drivers of the ball, should do well here, ranking third in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee and 19th in approach over his previous 24 rounds. His work on the par 4s over his last two dozen rounds has gotten him inside the top 20 in par 4 efficiency, and he hasn't lost strokes tee-to-green in nine measured rounds this season. Russell Henley (+3000 to Win, $9,800 on DraftKings) Henley couldn't make the weekend at TPC Sawgrass last week, losing close to three strokes with his irons, which is unlike him. Still, Henley has been one of the best ball-strikers on TOUR over the past couple of seasons and has an impeccable record at PGA National, ranking seventh in Strokes Gained: Total here since 2016. Henley's extremely accurate Off-the-Tee and is precise with his approaches from 175 to 200 yards, ranking 21st in the field over the past 24 rounds. Hopefully, his missed cut last week keeps his roster percentage lower than it should be at a par 70, Bermuda course in Florida. Chez Reavie (+12500 to Win, $7,000 on DraftKings) Reavie suffered a similar fate as Henley at THE PLAYERS, but it was at the hands of his putter, losing 6.1 strokes on the greens last week. Conversely, he gained four strokes with his irons and 1.4 Off-the-Tee. His short game has been dreadful, but he's gained with his ball-striking in four straight starts. Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $750K Flop Shot [$200K to 1st] Put your knowledge to the test. Sign up for DraftKings and experience the game inside the game. For Masters odds, head over to DraftKings Sportsbook or download the DraftKings Sportsbook app. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL). Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ/WV/PA/MI), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (NH/CO), 1-800-BETS OFF(IA), 1-888-532-3500 (VA) or call/text TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN). 21+ (18+ NH). CO/IL/IN/IA/NH/NJ/PA/TN/VA/WV/MI only. Eligibility restrictions apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for full terms and conditions. I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is reidtfowler) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.

Click here to read the full article…