Spieth getting accustomed to front-runner role

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Russell Henley played his final six holes in 6 under and finished with a 63 on Friday to take a three-shot lead in the Sony Open. First-round leader Kevin Na fell seven back.

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Brendon Todd … Even if you didn’t pay any attention to the Korn Ferry Tour Finals, you may have caught glimpses of him during the PGA TOUR season that preceded it. The one-time TOUR winner connected for four top 25s among seven cuts made in just 11 starts via Past Champion status. He was off the scene in earnest for three seasons battling the yips off the tee (block long irons right). With the issue having subsided, the 34-year-old has a new lease on his career and results to support reason to remain confident. He opened the Finals with a co-runner-up finish to solidify his return to the PGA TOUR. The timing of Greenbrier as the season opener is serendipitous given he finished a respective T4 and T6 in his last two trips in 2014 and 2015, before his game went sideways, literally and figuratively. Sebastián Muñoz … Thanks to a two-part surge in the second half, the 26-year-old from Colombia is fully exempt and north of the reshuffle category for the first time in his three seasons on the PGA TOUR. Only nine of his last 36 scores in stroke-play competition weren’t red numbers. Relatively balanced throughout his bag, and now riding the mild heater, he returns to The Old White TPC where he spun a career-low 61 to open the 2017 edition. His bid for a wire-to-wire victory was upended by a closing 72 to finish T3, so he’s also seeking redemption. Denny McCarthy … With virtually no wind expected and welcoming bentgrass greens that could be soft due to persistent rain, the PGA TOUR’s leader in Strokes Gained: Putting last season deserves attention at The Old White TPC. He’s unlikely to lead the field in greens in regulation, but even if he threatens the field average, he’ll give himself as good a chance as any to break through for his first title on the circuit. En route to eight top 25s in 2018-19, he ranked fifth in conversion percentage inside 10 feet, first in the putts of 15-20 feet, sixth in putting: birdies-or-better and T7, T43 and T10 in par-3, par-4 and par-5 scoring, respectively. Also signed for four rounds of par or better for a T39 in his debut at Greenbrier in 2018. Lanto Griffin … Back in the big leagues after another consistently strong season on the Korn Ferry Tour, there’s an ease about him that accompanies his talent. He’s also a good fit for The Old White TPC after finishing fourth on the 2019 KFT in both putts per GIR and putting: birdies-or-better. En route to a T7 at the KFT Championship, he ranked fourth in putts per GIR and led the field in par-5 scoring. In his last trip to Greenbrier, he recorded a T26 in 2018. It matched his second-best showing of his rookie season on the PGA TOUR. Harry Higgs … You’re going to enjoy getting to know the 27-year-old product of SMU where he was teammates with Bryson DeChambeau, also in this week’s field. Higgs has enjoyed a brilliant 11 months leading up to his rookie debut on the PGA TOUR at Greenbrier. After finishing atop the Order of Merit on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica (by $64) in 2018, he went on to record a win, a T2, a T3 and a pair of T9s in his first season on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2019. He finished the season slotted third in putts per GIR, fifth in putting: birdies-or-better, fourth in par-5 scoring and sixth in the all-around. After opening the Finals with a pair of top 25s, he’s sat out the finale, so he’s both in form and rested. NOTE: Sleeper is a relative term, so Rob uses unofficial criteria to determine who qualifies. Each of the following usually is determined to be ineligible for this weekly staple: Winners of the tournament on the current host course; winners in the same season; recent major champions; top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking; recent participants of team competitions.

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