Sleeper Picks: 3M Open

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – Ernie Els played with two guys Thursday – Adam Scott and Kiradech Alphibarnrat — who dearly hope to be on his International Team this December at the Presidents Cup in Australia. Given the way Els played in the first round at PGA National, maybe there were three potential players in the group. Els’ 4-under 66 is his best opening round in his last 37 PGA TOUR starts and leaves him near the top of the leaderboard going into Friday. He had a much better day than his two International hopefuls, as the Aussie Scott shot a 2-over 72 while Thailand’s Aphibarnrat had a birdie-free 75. The World Golf Hall of Famer from South Africa turns 50 in October, about two months before he captains the International Team at Royal Melbourne. Unlike his U.S. counterpart Tiger Woods, whom Els expects will be a player-captain now that Woods is back into winning form, Els hasn’t been in contention enough the last few years to merit such talk. Els currently is 94th in the International Presidents Cup standings, but should he win this week, perhaps the chatter would start. When the International Team won its only Presidents Cup in 1998 at Royal Melbourne, Els was 3-1-1 that week. He’s won three Heineken Classics at the course, and in 2004 he shot a 12-under 60 that remains the composite course’s record low. “The success he had at Royal Melbourne, he can pick himself, the way he’s playing,â€� fellow South African Charl Schwartzel said Thursday. But Els told GolfChannel.com after his round that it’s simply “not in the equation.â€� “There’s so much to do, especially on my side of the captaincy,â€� Els explained to GolfChannel.com. “Tiger could be a little bit more comfortable doing it. He’s got a team of guys who have played Ryder Cups and Presidents Cups and who have been around it for many years. “I can see doing it from their point of view, but, from my point of view, I have a lot of work to do. I have to educate the guys around the golf course, how it sets up, how to play it. There’s a lot of things on my mind. It would be a difficult decision.â€� Of course, on top of those protestations, it’ll take more than one good round for the chatter to really crank up. He had just one poor shot – an 8-iron at the par-3 15th that found the water and eventually resulted in a double bogey. “That freaking 15th hole is no good at all on this golf course,â€� he said. After that, though, he was a bogey-free 4-under on his last 12 holes, with his longest putt on the final nine holes less than 8 feet. It was 11 years ago when Els won at PGA National. Although the course has undergone a couple of renovations since then, including one that was completed in November, Els thinks it’s actually closer now to the kind of track he won on in 2008. “The greens are firmer,â€� Els said. “They’re still very new. I remember back in ’08, the course was very dry and the ball was running and the greens were very firm, and it’s kind of similar now. It’s really important to get the ball in play. I don’t think length is going to be a huge factor this week.â€� Els’ last TOUR win was in 2012 at The Open Championship. That was his 19th career win on TOUR, and so he’s now seven years into his quest to get that coveted win No. 20. Last week at the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship, it was Dustin Johnson who won for the 20th time on TOUR. Will Els make it two straight weeks of career-defining milestones? “I’m 49 now, so it’s not going to mean too much, but obviously 20 is a great number,â€� Els said. “Secretly on TOUR among the players, you know when you win 20, you get some benefits. It’s late in my career, but I’ll take any win now. “I’m not thinking about it. I’m just thinking about tomorrow’s round and so forth. But it would be magic.â€� The bigger magic trick, of course, might be swinging a club instead of driving a golf cart this December in Australia. It seems far-fetched, but a string of 66s and a win or two might force him to reconsider the possibility.

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Here are nine tidbits from the second round of the Sony Open at Waialae Country Club (par 70, 7,044 yards) in Honolulu that gamers can use tomorrow, this weekend or down the road. Be looking for the Emergency 9 shortly after the close of play of each round of the tournament. Pain or Gain These were the top five picked golfers in the PGA TOUR Fantasy One & Done presented by SERVPRO: It’s all to play for on the weekend as all of these fellas made the cut! We’ll see what moving day Saturday brings us as everyone is chasing Brian Harman on 13-under-par. Different Day, Different Dawg Brian Harman (Georgia Bulldogs) took the lead from fellow alum Chris Kirk as he backed his opening round 64 with 63 on Friday. Harman is blossoming into a force regardless of course. Last year he won at a difficult Eagle Point (par 72, 7,396 yards) and was T2 at the U.S. Open at Erin Hills (7,800 yards) so his game is translating on all tracks. While he’s not long, he can putt the dimples off the golf ball. He sits No. 1 in SG: Putting through 36 holes and leads by three. Georgia on My Mind Friday saw golfers with college ties to the state of Georgia get moving. Chris Kirk (Georgia Bulldogs) backed up his co-first round lead with 67 to sit three back … Former Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket Ollie Schniederjans fired 65 to finish the day T7 … Kevin Kisner was a great sport yesterday wearing an Alabama jersey on the walk up No. 17. The Golf Gods smiled today as he posted 64 and moved up 31 spots to T10 … The curious case of Harris English (Georgia Bulldogs) caught my eye last fall as he didn’t fire on courses he has in the past. He’s rallied this week on a course he loves and moved up 49 spots with 65, his lowest round since the FedEx St. Jude Classic last June … Stewart Cink (Georgia Tech) loaded up with 64 and moved up 62 spots to T16 … Hudson Swafford has three top-15 finishes in four trips to Waialae and his 66 on Friday moved him to T16. Remember Me? John Peterson won the 2011 NCAA championship at LSU. The following year he finished T4 at the U.S. Open at Olympic Club. He was on the path. Hand surgery forced him to miss the majority of the 2016 season. He has seven starts after this week to rack up 273.76 FedExCup points to meet the terms of his Major Medical Extension. The recent father (#NappyFactor) is making his first start since WD at the Web.com Tour Championship in October. He’s posted 66-64 and is T2. He tweeted today “too blessed to be stressed” and his game is reflecting that through two rounds. Check out all of the exemptions here: One is the Loneliest Number Tom Hoge is one of four players three back tied for second. He was selected by exactly one gamer in PGA TOUR Fantasy One & Done presented by SERVPRO. This is his third trip to Waialae and there’s something about this track that catches his eye. In 2015 he finished T71 but fired a second round 64. He has a pair of 65s this week and will look to eclipse his best finish on TOUR, T4 at Barracuda last August. Fort Knox Russell Knox racked up four birdies and an eagle with 13 pars to jump 53 spots to T12. After missing the cut in his first three trips he’s cashed T11 and T13 in two of his last three. Even the year he MC he still posted a 65. Opening 69-64 makes it four consecutive trips to Waialae recording 65 or lower. I’m writing that down for next year. I Can’t Si I feel like I write this every week but I cannot figure out Si Woo Kim. He opened the season with three events T44 or worse. His last three events have been solo third, MC and 10th last week on Maui. He’s the perfect guy for season-long games as his weekly volatility has me on a steady diet of Pepto Bismol. His 71 after opening with 67 saw him make the weekend on the number. Whew. History’s Mysteries Plenty of gamers RELY on course history in making their weekly selections. I have always suggested that it should be a PART of your formula. Perennial contenders Zach Johnson (T2) Jerry Kelly (T12) and Charles Howell, III (T28) did the business but recent champions Russell Henley, Jimmy Walker and Fabian Gomez all are heading home after Friday. Howell has too many rounds here in the 60s to count so I’m on board with him on Moving Day tomorrow to jump up into the top 10. Study Hall Patrick Rodgers withdrew on Friday citing the flu. Rodgers, who won 11 times at Stanford, has a new caddie on the bag this year as he looks for his first TOUR win … I learned during the telecast that Wesley Bryan is NOT carrying a driver this week nor is he going to until the Florida Swing. Well, something is working as he opened 68-66 and is currently T17. He said he had no confidence in hitting driver so he took it out of the bag. Stay tuned … The biggest jump of the day went to 2009 champion Ryan Palmer as his 64 moved him up a whopping 71 places after an opening round 71. He needs just 29.686 FedExCup in six starts to meet the terms of his Major Medical Exemption … Sangmoon Bae couldn’t back up his 66 yesterday as his 73 saw him slam the trunk.

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