Spieth catches fire, snags lead in Phoenix

GERMANTOWN, Tenn. – Rickie Fowler’s spot in the FedEx St. Jude Championship came by the slimmest of margins. It wasn’t secure until Sunday evening. The first round at TPC Southwind also was Fowler’s first since splitting with the caddie he’d had for his entire professional career. The perfect recipe for Fowler’s best round in nearly a year, right? It wouldn’t seem so, but he shot 65 on Thursday to perhaps start a Cinderella run through the Playoffs. Thursday’s round was Fowler’s lowest score on the PGA TOUR since a third-round 63 in THE CJ CUP @ SUMMIT in October. His third-place finish there was his lone top-10 of the season and accounted for half his FedExCup points. It was still enough to earn the final spot in the Playoffs after missing out for the first time in his career last year. His presence at the Playoffs opener seemed unlikely after he missed the cut at last week’s Wyndham Championship but the final 36 holes played out in his favor, as he finished eight points ahead of Matt Wallace for the 125th spot in the FedExCup standings. With his Playoffs fate out of his control, Fowler didn’t watch the Wyndham Championship’s final round. He played a casual round Sunday at Michael Jordan’s The Grove XXIII in South Florida, occasionally checking the PGA TOUR app to see his FedExCup standing. Now that he’s in, he has nothing left to lose. He was projected to move to the cusp of the top 70 in the FedExCup standings and needs no worse than an 11th-place finish to crack the top 70 and advance to next week’s BMW Championship at Wilmington (Del.) Country Club. It’s been three years since he last qualified for the BMW. “Being 125, obviously need to play well to just make it to next week,” said Fowler, who had Cobra tour rep Ben Schomin on the bag Thursday. “Kind of leave it all out there, see what happens, but definitely happy with the start, especially with not making a whole lot.” Fowler made five birdies, an eagle at the par-5 16th and two bogeys to sit three shots off the lead of Si Woo Kim and J.J. Spaun after the morning wave. Fowler missed just one fairway and hit 13 greens; he gained around two strokes on the field with both his play off the tee and approaching the greens. Fowler, who led the PGA TOUR in Strokes Gained: Putting five years ago and was 13th in that stat in 2019, gained just 0.2 strokes on the greens Thursday. A 12-footer was the longest putt he made all day. He had a new putter in the bag this week, a Scotty Cameron Newport Plus that is slightly wider than the traditional Newport head. It was the latest putter switch for Fowler, who has cycled through several flatsticks this season. The most recent switch came two weeks ago, when he switched back to a Scotty Cameron Newport 2 GSS that had come from a set of heads once reserved for Tiger Woods. Fowler first used the club in 2014. “There was a lot of good out there today. Actually, a lot of really good putts,” Fowler said. “Left a couple short, but other than that, some of it was just a little off on read.” The margins are small on the PGA TOUR. Fowler knows that as well as anyone this week.

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DUBLIN, Ohio – Each shot is a battle. Those are the words used by Jon Rahm who had just forged a four-shot 54-hole lead at the Memorial Tournament Presented by Nationwide at a fiery Muirfield Village. And Rahm expects the battle will only get harder from here despite his incredible efforts. RELATED: Full leaderboard | Tiger feels better, fails to make run | ‘Totally different’ Muirfield Village this week On Saturday the 25-year-old shot a 4-under 68 that shared low round honors with Brendon Todd as the only two rounds in the 60s. The scoring average was 73.7. It moved him to 12 under, four clear of Tony Finau (73) and Ryan Palmer (73) and six clear of the next challenger in former Masters champion Danny Willett (70). Jason Day (72) and Henrik Norlander (71) are seven back at five under. With high temperatures, 15-20mph swirling winds, rock hard fairways, baked out greens and thick luscious rough waiting wayward shots … Muirfield has resembled a mini U.S. Open this week. And yet so far Rahm has tamed the storied course each day as the only player with three rounds in the 60s. In fact he’s the only player with three under par rounds. This could be enough to breed overconfidence but Rahm is smarter than that. While his score might suggest otherwise, Saturday was indeed a battle. Just ask 36-hole leader Finau who had a three-shot lead with seven holes to play. He navigated the last seven holes in four over while Rahm played them four under. It is this sort of rapid swing that has Rahm’s attention as Sunday looms. Conditions are expected to be even tougher with continuing winds and an even firmer course. A lead could evaporate in the blink of an eye. The place that Jack Nicklaus built is set to undertake a restoration immediately after the tournament allowing the Golden Bear and his team to push the greens right to the edge and create major championship level difficulty. “Four shots on a windy, difficult, firm golf course is nothing. It’s me making two bogeys and somebody making one birdie and then suddenly it’s only a one-shot lead,” Rahm said. “Whatever happens tomorrow happens, but it’ll be a great test for me to learn for the future, for major championships, because this is going to be the closest thing we get to a major championship without being one.” Rahm is set to battle not just the conditions but also the fact world No. 1 status is in his reach. He will become just the second Spaniard, joining the late great Seve Ballesteros, to hold that honor with a win as long as Rory McIlroy doesn’t surge from 10 shots back to be the runner up. On previous occasions with this carrot dangling Rahm has failed to close the deal but this represents his best chance yet. “It’s obviously a big deal. I can’t sit here and try to diminish it and avoid it because it would just be lying to myself,” Rahm said of joining Ballesteros. “It’s always tough to put it into words. Seve is a huge influence of mine. I’ve said many times thanks to that Ryder Cup in ’97 and his captaincy and the way he inspired many not only in Spain but in Europe, he’s the reason why I’m playing here today, and any time I can do something remotely close to what he did, it’s pretty emotional. “I can’t lie. It’s something that deep in my core as a Spaniard and as a player I would love to achieve, and if you think about it, major champions that came after him like Sergio and Olazábal never got to be, so it would be quite unique.” To get there Rahm knows he must channel his emotions. This is another battle he has faced throughout his career but one he believes he is starting to win. While having a large lead is clearly handy it now forces Rahm to wrestle with thoughts of playing his natural attacking game or trying to defend. “There’s definitely been moments out there this week where I could have just lost it or maybe any past I would have gotten more frustrated and changed my game plan,” Rahm says. “Maybe a couple years ago I don’t think I would be here with a four-shot lead right now going into tomorrow. “Each shot is a battle. There’s not one shot that you can let down on and you’ve just got to get the job done. It’s as simple as that. Mistakes are going to happen, and I just simply need to remember that I’m not the only one out there making mistakes, so hopefully I can keep hitting it great off the tee and keep giving myself chances to hit some good shots into the green.” Those lining up behind Rahm remain confident knowing anything under par will apply some pressure and put those emotions he speaks of to the ultimate test. “He’ll be the guy to catch tomorrow. I’ve got a four-shot deficit that I’m going to try to make up in the wind, and I think it’s doable,” Finau said. “It’s more like survival tomorrow,” Day added. “If I can be patient out there, I think I have a good shot at it.” Let the battle begin.

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Tiger Woods commands the spotlight as he returns to familiar ground for his first PGA TOUR rounds since his latest back surgery, taking on a strong lineup led by defending champion Jon Rahm and a sizzling Justin Rose. Former World No. 1 Jason Day is ready for his first start since the calendar turned to 2018, having ended 2017 on a sour note at the Australian Open. A strong San Diego ensemble includes 2017 Rookie of the Year Xander Schauffele (San Diego State), plus area natives Phil Mickelson and Charley Hoffman. FULL FIELD: Click here to see who’s playing FIELD NOTES: Hideki Matsuyama and Rickie Fowler help give the lineup four of the top 10 in the world rankings and 11 of the top 25. … Morgan Hoffmann, who disclosed in December that he’s dealing with symptoms of muscular dystrophy, makes his second start since the announcement. The former No. 1 amateur missed the cut in Hawaii. … Maverick McNealy, who also held down the No. 1 amateur ranking a year ago, is in the field on a sponsor exemption. So is Sam Burns (LSU), who captured college golf’s Jack Nicklaus Player of the Year honors last year. FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 500 points. STORYLINES: Woods takes his next test at Torrey Pines, buoyed by a pain-free performance at the Hero World Challenge that left him squarely in the middle of the 18-man field. He’s a seven-time champion in the event, plus winning the epic 2008 U.S. Open for his most recent major. … Mickelson makes his 29th start in the event, having won three of his first 12 but none since. His best finish since 2001 was runner-up in 2010 behind Ben Crane. … Day tees it up for the first time since a closing 73 at the Australian Open allowed Cameron Davis to wrest away the crown. …. Rahm’s win made it seven consecutive Farmers victors to begin their week playing the South Course. Crane was the last winner to play his opening round on the North Course. … Just once in the past 13 years has the 54-hole leader at Torrey Pines closed the deal. That was Woods, who fashioned an eight-shot romp in 2008. COURSE: Torrey Pines GC (South), 7,698 yards, par 72. Meandering along cliffs fronting the Pacific Ocean, William Bell’s 1957 design turned an old World War II army base into one of the PGA TOUR’s more scenic venues. The TOUR’s annual San Diego stop relocated to the city-owned layout in 1968, and it hosts the Junior Worlds each July. A Rees Jones upgrade in 2001 helped Torrey Pines land the 2008 U.S. Open, captured by Woods in an epic playoff over Rocco Mediate, and it has been tabbed to host the major again in 2021. Torrey Pines’ North course (7,258/72), which debuted a Tom Weiskopf redesign last year, again will be used for the first two rounds. 72-HOLE RECORD: 266, George Burns (1987), Tiger Woods (1999). 18-HOLE RECORD: 61, Mark Brooks (2nd round, 1990) and Brandt Snedeker (1st round, 2007) at Torrey Pines North, predating the Weiskopf redesign. South course record: 62, Tiger Woods (3rd round, 1999). Redesigned North record: 65, Justin Rose (1st round, 2017). LAST YEAR: Rahm stamped his first professional win with a stunning eagle finish, watching his 60-foot putt from the back fringe drop into the hole. It was the young Spaniard’s second back-nine eagle that capped a 5-under-par 67, giving him a three-shot triumph. Nine golfers held a share of the lead at some point in the final round, as 54-hole leaders Brandt Snedeker and Patrick Rodgers stumbled. Rahm played his final six holes in 5 under, starting with an 18-foot eagle at No. 13 to tie for the lead. A birdie at No. 17 preceded his closing heroics. Charles Howell III (68) and C.T. Pan (70) shared second; Woods missed the cut in his first TOUR start after a 19-month layoff. HOW TO FOLLOW TELEVISION: Thursday-Friday, 3-7 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday, 2-3:30 p.m. (GC), 4-7 p.m. (CBS). Sunday, 1-2:30 p.m. (GC), 3-6:30 p.m. (CBS). PGA TOUR LIVE: Thursday-Friday, 11:45 a.m.-3 p.m. (featured groups), 3-7 p.m. (featured holes). Saturday, 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. (featured holes). Sunday, 11:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. (featured holes). RADIO: Thursday-Friday, 1-7 p.m. ET. Saturday, 2-7 p.m. Sunday, 1-7 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com).

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