Sleeper Picks: Travelers Championship

Dustin Johnson stepped to the 18th tee at TPC Twin Cities needing birdie to make the cut at the 3M Open late Friday afternoon. When he overcooked a cut with the driver and drowned his tee shot into the water that runs down the right side of the hole, so, too, went his chances to play this weekend. RELATED: Leaderboard | Dustin Johnson looks to find form at 3M Open Ranked No. 2 in the world behind Spain’s Jon Rahm, Johnson was the highest-ranked player in this week’s 3M field, and he had not missed a cut since May’s PGA Championship. He made bogey-6 and shot 1-over 72, finishing two rounds at level par, outside the cutline. “Yeah, just didn’t hit enough fairways on the back nine,” Johnson said afterward. “You know, tried to hang in there. The wind was blowing pretty hard. It played pretty tough.” But Johnson was far from alone in finding a difficult challenge awaiting at the finishing hole at TPC Twin Cities. Though his errant drive was the 24th tee shot to find the water, there many other ways to make a mess of the hole. Roger Sloan came to the 18th at 10 under par and alone in the lead early Friday afternoon, but his approach shot from 268 yards fell shy, tumbling into water fronting the green. He would make 6 and shoot 69. Chez Reavie, who got to 18 sharing the lead, made bogey after pulling his tee shot into a grassy native area down the left side, struggling to advance his second shot down the fairway. It was his lone blemish on the card as well. Usually, a closing par-5 hole represents an opportunity for the best players on the planet to don a bib and feast with eagles and birdies. Friday, the hole was just plain tricky. The 590-yard 18th had been the third easiest hole in the opening round; Friday, it was a real nuisance. It ranked 11th in difficulty. “I think the wind was just quartering a little bit, more cross when I hit,” Sloan said of his second shot on the hole. “I didn’t hit it great, but I thought it should still cover (and reach the green) … I don’t know, maybe just the wind isn’t where guys think it is. It’s a tough tee shot, too, so you’ve got to get the ball in play. It’s a great hole. What a great finishing hole – going to be a lot of drama on the weekend there.” Sloan, who will begin Saturday one shot behind leaders Adam Hadwin and Ryan Armour (both shot 65), tied with three others at 9-under 133, could use a quality weekend. He stands 147th in FedExCup points and needs to climb inside the top 125 in order to qualify for the Playoffs that start Aug. 19 with THE NORTHERN TRUST at Liberty National in New Jersey. He had reached the 18th tee having not made a single bogey through his first 35 holes of the 3M. While Sloan was disappointed with settling for bogey to finish, he actually took a small measure of relief from it, as well. “I didn’t really think about it until my caddie and I were walking off the green,” Sloan said. “He just said, ‘Well, we don’t have to worry about going bogey-free anymore,’ and it kind of loosens you up a little bit. So yeah, maybe donating a shot back there at the last could help us play a little bit more freely on the weekend.” Alas, Armour, who put together one of the day’s strongest rounds, matching the 65 that Hadwin already has posted, got to the 18th hole early Friday evening one shot out of the lead, played it as a three-shotter, and rolled in an 18-foot putt for birdie to tie for the tournament’s midway lead. Good to know at least one man at 3M walked off that final green with a smile.

Click here to read the full article…

AUGUSTA, Ga. - Jon Rahm warned us that he could leave next week's Masters at any moment. He wasn't going to miss the birth of his first child, even if it meant withdrawing from the year's first major. Now he won't have to worry about that scenario. Instead, he'll arrive at Augusta National as a new father. Rahm's wife, Kelley, gave birth to a son early Saturday. Kepa Cahill Rahm was born at 12:15 a.m. on Saturday. "Momma Kelley is doing great and recovering. Kepa is also in great health. Without a doubt the greatest day of my life!" Rahm wrote on Instagram. Rahm called Kepa, who weighed in at 7 pounds, 2 ounces and was 20.5 inches long at birth, a "big boy from Basque country." Rahm, 26, is ranked 12th in the FedExCup and and third in the world ranking. He and defending champion Dustin Johnson are the only players to finish in the top 10 in each of the past three Masters. Rahm said at last week's World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play that Kelley was due between April 10-12, a range that fell from the Masters' third round through the Monday after. "All I can say is if anybody’s thinking of a betting on me on the Masters, maybe think about it twice because there’s a chance I have to just turn around and leave that week," Rahm said in Austin. "I’ve said it before; if I have to leave any event, I’ll leave. Being a father is much more important than any golf event would ever be, so that’s my head right now." Rahm's situation evoked memories of Phil Mickelson, who finished second in the 1999 U.S. Open while awaiting the birth of his first child. He said he would leave as soon as his beeper sounded but his wife, Amy, didn't give birth until the following day. Rahm won't have to worry about such a situation. He'll be able to compete at Augusta National with a clear mind.

Click here to read the full article…

Las Vegas native A.J. McInerney has always been grateful for the opportunity to play professional golf, a sentiment that was magnified earlier this month when he survived the Las Vegas shooting at the Route 91 Harvest music festival. That night, McInerney shielded his girlfriend from danger as bullets flew overhead, and after evacuating the premises, he returned with his truck to help fellow concertgoers evacuate. LEARN MORE: McInerney survives Las Vegas shooting   The University of Las Vegas-Nevada alum didn’t expect anything in return for his altruistic acts on a night of 58 fatalities, but he learned this week of an unexpected reward: a sponsor’s invitation for next month’s Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. McInerney, who finished No. 97 on the 2017 Web.com Tour money list as a rookie, will make his first PGA TOUR start at TPC Summerlin, a week before competing in Second Stage of the Web.com Tour Qualifying Tournament as he strives to regain full status. As he prepares to compete in his first PGA TOUR-sanctioned event since that horrific night, McInerney intends to make his community proud via both his play and conduct. “To play my first PGA TOUR event in my hometown of Las Vegas means the world to me,â€� McInerney said on Monday evening. “I have dreamed of this week since I was 16 years old. “To represent Las Vegas is always something I try to do to the best of my ability, and this week will be no different. Playing for this city during this time is an opportunity I’ll never forget. Vegas strong.â€� Although he admits to being ‘emotionally shaken’ by his experience at the festival – but who wouldn’t be? – McInerney drew inspiration from the community’s response, seeing how sometimes the worst in humanity can bring out the best in humanity. Next month, he’ll hope to parlay that emotion into a big week in front of family, friends and fellow Las Vegans. “I love Las Vegas,â€� McInerney told PGA TOUR Digital a few days after the shooting. “I grew up here and I stayed here for college. I’m based out of here now and I have no plans for leaving. This made me fall in love with Vegas even more. “Everyone knows everyone, and we came together so good. We came together and everyone did what they could to help.â€� Regardless of how things transpire on the course at TPC Summerlin, McInerney’s first PGA TOUR start is sure to be one he’ll always remember. “My goals this week are no different than any other week, which is to win,â€� McInerney said. “This is an amazing opportunity I have been given, and I plan to make the best of it.â€�

Click here to read the full article…