Stewart Cink aces 16th hole at the Masters

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Adam Svensson was in prime position to shoot 59 in the second round of the Wyndham Championship after going 9 under through 13 holes. Alas, he could only manage pars the rest of the way and signed for a 61 that left him tied for the lead at 11 under after the morning wave of players had toured rain-soaked Sedgefield Country Club. He hit 13 of 14 fairways, 16 greens in regulation, and made 132 feet of putts. “Got a little nervous,â€� said Svensson, a 25-year-old Canadian who is 171st in the FedExCup, but projected to move up to 59th. “But I was happy with the way I played.â€� After struggling to 31 putts in the first round, when he ranked 136th in the field in Strokes Gained: Putting, Svensson used his new claw grip to perfection Friday, taking just 25 strokes on the greens. With 59 in play, fans flocked to his group to watch him play the final four holes. Svensson shot 61 at the Sony Open in Hawaii this year, so the round was not a total shocker despite his struggles. Danny Sahl, who also caddies for Vijay Singh, but has been helping Svensson try to keep his PGA TOUR card, was especially unsurprised. This is their fourth week together, and Svensson finished T15 and T18 in the first two, the 3M Open and John Deere Classic, respectively. He worked on switching to the claw putting grip at the Barracuda Championship last week, missing the cut. “Tee to green,â€� Sahl said, “he’s the best I’ve seen besides probably Vijay in his heyday. His demeanor and distance control were still there as we got closer to that famous number.â€� Before the tournament started, Sahl told Svensson to just go out and play, no pressure. That’s a lot easier said than done, but Svensson has responded. He said he was standing in the 14th fairway Friday when it occurred to him that he could shoot 59, assuming Sedgefield was a par 70. Suddenly nervous, he missed the 14th green with his approach, but got up and down for par. He duck-hooked his drive on 15, bouncing back nicely with his next two shots before pushing his short birdie try well right of the hole. He now need to birdie two of the last three. He birdied none. Still, a 61 is nothing to sneeze at, and Svensson makes this the sixth season in the last decade in which a player has shot multiple rounds of 61 or below on TOUR. (Steve Stricker 2009, Troy Merritt 2015, Ryan Moore 2012, Chez Reavie 2017, Troy Matteson 2009.) “Same game plan,â€� he said of his weekend plans. “You know, we play aggressive at some flags and we shoot wedges from other ones. I think I learned a lot from the Sony Open, shooting 61 as well. I just played too aggressive trying to get out front and tomorrow I’m just going to play my normal game.â€�

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Tiger hits full yardages, wants ball rollback

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Marc Leishman is as Australian as they come but some Korean golfing roots have him primed to springboard off last week’s win at THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES. Fresh off a dominant display at the CIMB Classic where he won by five shots, the now four-time PGA TOUR winner returns to Jeju Island in South Korea a year after losing a playoff against Justin Thomas. While some of those in the field have limited experience with Korean culture, Leishman is not one of them. He played on the Korean Tour in 2006, three years before he would become the PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year. A win there catapulted his career forward and more importantly boosted his confidence to a new level. He also grew up fast, looking after himself in a strange foreign land where he didn’t speak the language. “I would just point at something and that’s what I would eat. That was probably the hardest thing for someone like me, who likes food,â€� Leishman said. “Playing in the Korean Tour did help me. Playing on courses that are so narrow really teaches you to hit the ball straighter and handle the pressure. Obviously, winning golf tournaments, which I managed to win one up here, was a great memory and a really good experience for me.â€� While the win last week has the affable Aussie relaxed, the memory of his loss to Thomas last year, where he found the water on the second playoff hole, is certainly driving him forward. Especially as the runner-up finish did not translate to further success. While he had won twice in the 2016-17 season, last season turned out winless although still successful enough to make the TOUR Championship. That goal isn’t enough for him anymore. He wants to win the FedExCup and will have a chance to take hold of the top spot early on this season with a good effort this week. He currently sits just 31 points behind Safeway Open winner Kevin Tway. “Getting off to such a good start to the year obviously here and up until probably the (AT&T) Byron Nelson I played really well and then I kind of cooled off a little bit, so that was a little frustrating,â€� he said of last season. “It was certainly a goal of mine to win this season and to win my first event of the year is great.â€� The win allows Leishman to “focus more on winning for the rest of the seasonâ€� and opens up a return to Maui for the Sentry Tournament of Champions … a clear favorite time of year for the entire Leishman family. He also now leads the International Team standings for the Presidents Cup to be held in his native Australia next year. Leishman is desperate to play under his childhood idol Ernie Els in his hometown of Melbourne. The win in Malaysia was built off some stellar putting (he needed just 102 putts for the week) but also a dialed in approach game. He intends to try to ride the momentum. “The difference was I was hitting it a lot closer to the hole,â€� Leishman said of his CIMB Classic efforts. “I know I had very few putts, I only had 25, 26 putts a round, but I think if we had strokes gained putting last week, it wouldn’t have been as impressive as the iron play numbers. “I had a lot of birdie putts from 8 foot and in, which is nice when you’re feeling good over the putter. Hoping I can continue that trend. “Hopefully, I can play well again and do one better than last year.â€�

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