Sleeper Picks: Wells Fargo Championship

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Jason Day said he felt good about his game, and the positive impact he had on a junior golfer, as he prepares to defend his title at the site of his most recent PGA TOUR triumph. Day played with Kobe Narcisse, 14, in the tournament’s pro-am at Quail Hollow Club. It was Narcisse’s prize for winning Wells Fargo’s Succeeding Together essay contest. “It was a dream of mine,â€� Narcisse said. Day dispatched putting tips to his young pro-am partner, and there may not be a better source for such information. Day is fourth on TOUR in Strokes Gained: Putting. That club was key to his success at Quail Hollow last year. Day leaned heavily on his short game, finishing first in Strokes Gained: Around-the-Green and second in Strokes Gained: Putting, to beat Aaron Wise and Nick Watney by two shots. “I was hitting it off the map and I was trying to get it in the hole,â€� Day said. He may not have won since last year’s Wells Fargo, but he’s 33rd in this season’s FedExCup. He has five top-10s in 11 starts this season, including an eighth-place finish at THE PLAYERS Championship and T5 at the Masters. “Obviously it’s hard to be patient sometimes because you know you want to win. I feel it’s right there,â€� Day said. Narcisse, a member of The First Tee of New Orleans, started the first golf team at his school. He overcame early resistance by explaining the game’s benefits to his classmates. Related: Featured Groups, tee times | Power Rankings | Rose looks to rebound | The harsh lessons of losing can pay big dividends | Tiger’s inspiring message to Varner’s friend | Best-selling books gains popularity on TOUR “I explained that golf is the kind of sport that strengthens one’s mental stamina, one’s ability to focus,â€� Narcisse wrote in his winning essay. “Before long, we had enough interested students to start a team. “Rather than back away from the idea because of indifference, I felt confident in my ability to help my peers realize the benefits of learning to play. Although we are still a very young team in terms of skill, we are indeed a team.â€� Narcisse also wrote that his father, who helped him develop a strong work ethic, is his biggest role model. “I will never forget when he said, ‘If you want to get to where you’re at the top, you have to work harder than the next person because others are trying to work just as hard to achieve their goals,’â€� Narcisse wrote. “From that moment on, I began to look at life differently. I realized that consistency was the key in everything I did. … Consistently excelling is the discipline I now live by.â€� On Wednesday, that pursuit of excellence earned him a spot alongside one of the PGA TOUR’s top players.

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HILTON HEAD, S.C. – It was only one putt. And it was just the first round of the RBC Heritage. But that 8-footer Jordan Spieth made for birdie on No. 9 at Harbour Town Golf Links onThursday, his final hole of the day, felt important. It got him back to even par for the tournament and headed into an uncertain second round with a modicum of momentum. “It’s one stroke, but to shoot over par versus even is actually kind of a big deal,â€� said Spieth, who is six shots behind the leader, Shane Lowry. “It doesn’t feel like the golf course beat you today. It’s a three-round tournament, just kind of one round, tied the course.â€� Spieth felt like he stayed patient and kept himself in the hunt on a day when he could have shot 2 or 3 over. The man who ranks 212th in driving accuracy only hit eight fairways on this tight, tree-lined Pete Dye creation but his iron play was spot on as he managed to find 15 greens in regulation. “One of my irons went in the water, but it’s the best 8-iron I’ve hit in a year-and-a-half,â€� Spieth reported. “I caught an into gust when it was supposed to be down. Another one of my missed greens, two of them were kind of just on the fringes. “All in all very pleased with what I did to get myself on or around the greens in a couple of strokes. And I really have to bust it out here.â€� The putter was another story, though. Spieth felt like he had the lines but had trouble adjusting to the speed after playing on those lightning-fast greens at the Masters where he tied for 21st last week. Related: Lowry cards bogey-free 65 to lead | Donald returns to RBC Heritage after back injury | Featured Groups, tee times | Insider: Big week for small ball | Kisner keeps perspective as lifelong friend battles tumor  And with winds expected to blow 20-30 mph – and gust to 40 – on Friday, Spieth knows the contrast between the speeds at Augusta National and Harbour Town will only be more pronounced. “I really got Augusta’d out here,â€� he said. “What I mean is I was still putting to the speed of Augusta. I haven’t fully made the transition away from that. “And as we are expecting high winds, I’m sure the greens will slow down even more to make it fair. I’m really going to need to dial in my speed on the greens. Just tough out there coming off last week to this week, to get yourself to pop it harder than you really want to.â€� Spieth, who is playing the RBC Heritage for the first time since 2015, is looking for his first top-10 in 12 starts this season. In three previous appearances at Harbour Town, the affable Texan has finished 11th or better, and to hear him talk, one wonders why he took the four-year break. “I feel like I’m doing myself a disservice, just because it’s after the Masters, not coming to this event,â€� said Spieth, whose career-low in Hilton Head is 62. “I’m trying to play golf courses where the greens and the grass type and the conditions suit my game. “And I haven’t done a great job in my scheduling this year thus far with this new schedule. But I think adding this event was really good for me.â€�

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