Sponsor’s invite Thompson atop suspended Rocket

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NAPLES, Fla. – Wait. What are the rules again? At the unofficial QBE Shootout at Tiburon Golf Club, half the fun is playing three rounds of no-cut golf with a friend, and the other half is trying to remember what the format is that day, and how it works. On a blustery, rainy Saturday, the name of the game was modified best ball, and Ireland’s Shane Lowry and Graeme McDowell made the biggest move with a 64 to tie first-round leaders Sean O’Hair and Steve Stricker (69) at 18-under going into Sunday’s final round. “I feel like we both played a lot of alternate-shot golf growing up,� McDowell said. “I was going to say it’s a format we’re comfortable with, but I think it’s one of the hardest formats in golf, to be honest. Obviously having the modified alternate, having two goes with the tee shots, makes it a little bit more relaxing, but such a difficult format.� In modified best-ball, both players tee off, then choose their favorite tee shot and alternate shots from there. (The player whose tee shot is not chosen hits second.) Lowry and McDowell’s 64 was the best round of the day by two shots, and was only two shots higher than their 62 in Friday’s first round, which is played using the far easier scramble format. “Yesterday I was a bit confused at the start,� said Lowry, who has a year of eligibility left for his 2015 World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational win, and intends to play more on the PGA TOUR in 2018. “Because, like, you just put your marker down beside the ball and you place the ball beside it, but it’s not exactly where, you know? You just get as close as you can. It’s a bit weird. “But it’s great fun,� he added. “Golf is pretty monotonous at times, and you’re just playing 18 holes, strokes, all year, and 72-hole tournaments. To be in an event like this, it’s great fun.� The final round will be played using a best-ball format, which is more well-known as it’s one of the formats used in both the Presidents and Ryder Cups. Keegan Bradley and Brendan Steele, the 2011 champions here, were in third after a topsy-turvy 70 left them at 16-under, two back. They made a double-bogey, rare for this event, at the par-5 sixth hole. The biggest surprise of the tournament, and the biggest draw, has been the team of Tony Finau and Lexi Thompson. They birdied their last five holes, shot 66 (second best of the day) and were just three off the lead. Thompson, who played here last year with Bryson DeChambeau, is playing from the men’s tees this week. Finau is a rookie in this event. Tiburon Golf Club lost around 1,400 trees in Hurricane Irma, but the course is not without its hazards and even a few sneaky-tough holes. Even in Friday’s birdie-friendly scramble format, three teams bogeyed the par-3 fifth. And unsettled weather that blew in early Saturday morning further strengthened the course’s defenses. O’Hair and Stricker, who have both won this event, albeit with different partners (Kenny Perry and Jerry Kelly, respectively), were hanging onto the lead until making bogey at the short, par-4 10th hole. They made yet another bogey at the par-4 11th, where O’Hair rolled in a 10-foot putt to avoid a double. O’Hair chipped in for birdie at the 13th hole to spark a run of three straight birdies, but their ball wound up at the base of a sod wall in a bunker and bogeyed the 17th hole, as well. “It was a difficult day,� Stricker said. “For me, I struggled a little bit to feel comfortable. We should have probably been two or three shots better than what we were. I put Sean in a couple poor spots. It’s just a tough day with the weather the way it is, and the format the way it is, it’s just—it’s hard to get comfortable. I didn’t do a very good job of that.� No team looked more comfortable than Lowry and McDowell, who play the same ball, which helps, and who have played in two World Cups together for Ireland. They didn’t fare very well in those events, but they had fun, as they have again at the QBE. They’ve taken some ribbing for being the only team to wear uniforms, top to bottom, but they’ve had fun with that, too. “We’re trying to get into the spirit of the competition,� McDowell said with a laugh. Since 1989, laughter itself is the spirit of the QBE Shootout, but there’s money on the line, and pride, and like O’Hair and Stricker, the Irish team will wear their game faces Sunday. “Shane mentioned earlier, we both haven’t won this season,� McDowell said. “You know, a win’s a win. We’d dearly love to hold a trophy tomorrow night.�

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — The second round of THE PLAYERS Championship finished as darkness settled over TPC Sawgrass. PGATOUR.COM’s writers weigh in on their observations after Friday’s play on the Stadium Course. Do we make too much of the English drought or jinx at TPC Sawgrass? BEN EVERILL: No. They can certainly get a life of their own having sat through many an Australian Masters heartache before Adam Scott rescued a nation. But as Scotty showed… droughts are meant to be broken at some point. Plus, Fleetwood and Poulter are studs. Perhaps now is the time. MIKE McALLISTER: Yes. As Fleetwood said, it’s mere coincidence. But given the fact that Sunday is St. Patrick’s Day, maybe the stars are aligning for an (Northern) Irish winner. JIM McCABE: Methinks yes, big time. It hasn’t been that long in history that this tournament factored into the plans for the best of England – Lee Westwood, for instance, didn’t play here a half-dozen times between 1998 and 2016. RELATED: Tiger hits two in the water on 17 | A day in the life of the Island Green | Furyk goes low in Round 2 CAMERON MORFIT:  A drought like that is just a quirk. We all used to say no Englishman had won the U.S. Open since Tony Jacklin, and then Justin Rose won.  HELEN ROSS: I think so. It’s a numbers game. Take this year. Of the 144 players in the starting field, only 10 are from England – and two of them are playing in the tournament for the first time (which is a whole ‘nother kind of jinx.) Those just aren’t good odds. ANDREW TURSKY: No matter what country a player was born in, TPC Sawgrass requires steely nerves and steady ball striking throughout the week, particularly on Sunday. If you want to argue that the target-style course doesn’t set up well for certain players, I can get on board with that. But I don’t think the ponds and slopes around the Stadium Course are biased.  Speaking of droughts, locals have often struggled at THE PLAYERS. Has Furyk finally uncovered the secrets of TPC Sawgrass after shooting 64 on Friday? EVERILL: Ask me again tomorrow. As awesome as the veteran played today in hitting every fairway … I can’t imagine he will back that up.  McALLISTER: From an historical standpoint, Furyk has shown that when he’s on, nobody on TOUR can go lower (hello Mr. 58/59). And he does seem to have a comfort level here now that he didn’t have before. Whether the 48-year-old can sustain that for another 36 holes is the big question. McCABE: Hope David Duval and Fred Funk don’t take offense, but Furyk’s record here was always something difficult to comprehend. He seemed so suited to the place. Would be great to see him stick around and continue to contend. MORFIT: Furyk said he used to be too conservative and not pick his spots to be aggressive. It’s not like his PLAYERS record is that terrible, with a runner-up in 2014 and three other top-10 finishes. He now has to take inspiration from Fred Funk, another local who was 48 when he won here in 2005. ROSS: If ever a guy deserves to win THE PLAYERS, it’s Furyk. He’s playing in the tournament for the 23rd time and he’s such a huge part of this community. But it’s one round, and just his 10th in the 60s at TPC Sawgrass. He’ll need more this weekend to win. TURSKY: t’s no secret that Sawgrass isn’t Furyk’s favorite layout of all time, but his game of late has suggested he’d play well this week. Furyk hits fairways, hits greens, and with a new armlock-style of putting, is making putts too. That’s a good recipe for success around here.   Which player who missed the cut surprises you the most, and why? EVERILL: Xander Schauffele: The FedExCup leader was runner up at TPC Sawgrass last season and clearly is in form again this season. But now he faces the prospect of losing his spot atop the Wyndham Rewards Top-10. McALLISTER: Paul Casey, who had two seconds and a third among his last four starts. I didn’t expect an opening 78 from the world’s 15th-ranked player. McCABE: Jordan Spieth would be the popular answer. But Xander Schauffele had finished first, T-25, T-10, T-15 and T-15 since January and when he opened the tournament with three birdies in five holes it looked so promising for the guy who tied for second in his PLAYERS debut a year ago. MORFIT: I’m surprised any time Jordan Spieth misses a cut, even though he’s trying to dig his way out of a slump.  ROSS: It’s hard to look past Xander Schauffele, who tied for second last year in his PLAYERS debut. After all, he’s the FedExCup leader and has already won twice this season. TURSKY: Paul Casey finished second at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, he tied for third at the WGC-Mexico Championship, and then he nearly finished in last place (T136, 8-over) at THE PLAYERS? There’s a head-scratcher for you. Maybe the English jinx is real!  Pick a sleeper at 8 under or worse and make the argument why he’ll win on Sunday. EVERILL: Jason Day. The 2016 PLAYERS Champion knows what it takes around TPC Sawgrass to get it done and is rested after last week’s WD. But Day is not really a “sleeperâ€� so keep an eye on Keith Mitchell. The Honda Classic champion was called a no-name recently… if he wins this week everyone will know his name. McALLISTER: Not sure if Keith Mitchell qualifies as a sleeper anymore (and of course, he’s certainly not a no-name, despite what some headlines might say). But geez, he’s playing great right now, and he loves these Florida greens. McCABE: Keith Mitchell. Aggressive, on a roll, and terrific kid. A nice combination. MORFIT: Keep an eye on Luke List at 7 under. He absolutely crushes the ball, which could be big if the weather gets blustery, and also doesn’t mind a bit of water as he showed at The Honda Classic a few years ago.  ROSS: If you consider his record at TPC Sawgrass, Dustin Johnson – who has never had a top 10 in 10 starts here – could be a sleeper at 7 under.  But in lieu of the No. 1 player in the world, I’ll pick Keith Mitchell, who has a win and a tie for sixth in his last two starts and a 65 on his scorecard today TURSKY: Luke List at 7-under, given how far he hits the ball (he’s averaging 303 yards off the tee this week and ranks No. 3 in Driving Distance in 2019) has the fire power to make up ground with an eagle or three over the weekend. To prove this point, he made an eagle on No. 16 today. 

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