Stricker: U.S. team will stand for National Anthem

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – Gary Woodland entered The Honda Classic this week riding a PGA TOUR-leading streak of 20 consecutive made cuts. With two holes left in Friday’s second round, that streak was in serious danger of ending. But Woodland took an aggressive line with his tee shot over the water at the par-3 17th, setting up his successful birdie putt from 4-1/2 feet. He followed with two great swings at the par-4 18th, then drained another birdie putt, this one from 15 feet, 10 inches, to keep his cuts streak alive at 21 straight. “I knew what I had to do those last two holes,â€� Woodland said. “That frees you up a little bit … knowing I had to make birdies, so I had to play more aggressive.â€� MUST READS: Round 2, The Honda Classic Keith Mitchell shares lead in return to Bermudagrass Justin Thomas struggles with ‘dead arm’, makes cut on the number Freddie Jacobson finds form after three hand surgeries In shooting an even-par 70, Woodland made the cut on the number at 2 over and will have an early start time for Saturday’s third round. He’s not in contention right now, but with fresh morning greens, a tough course and potentially windy conditions for the leaders, he’s not counting himself out just yet. If nothing else, drilling that final putt when he needed it might serve him well at some future point. “Knowing you have to make a putt and making it – whether it’s for anything – gives you confidence going forward,â€� he said. “It’s nice to be under the pressure. I’ll remember that putt when it means something a little more.â€� A total of 83 players made the cut, which means a secondary cut looms after the third round to the top 70s and ties.

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Stars lurk around Nelson leaders Hahn, Barnes

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Cameron Champ continued his quest to bring people together through his profile in golf, sporting one black and one white shoe during his opening round at The Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club. He also paid homage to his late grandfather Mack with a new Nike polo patch dedicated to preserving Mack’s legacy. Champ is repeating his footwear move from last season during Black History Month, following the lead of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James as a way to continue awareness, spark conversation and promote diversity and equality. “With my interracial background, my dad’s side being African-American, my mom’s side being Caucasian, it’s something that means a lot to me and something I wanted to support,â€� Champ said at the time. But his new polo patch is a very personal touch. Champ’s grandfather Mack was his driving force in golf. It was Mack who spent countless hours with a young Champ honing his skills in the sport. When he was a college player at Texas A&M, Mack decided his grandson was ready for the stories of his past that included being unable to play golf at courses where he had caddied and being refused service at restaurants because of the color of his skin. It wasn’t about anger for Mack. It was about showing Champ how to move forward with a sense of responsibility and to use his privilege for good. Champ is taking his grandfather’s words of “It’s not where you come from, it’s where you’re going,â€� very seriously. The often used message from Mack is written on Champ’s mixed shoes. Last September, just days after finding out Mack was moved to hospice care with terminal cancer, Champ played in the Safeway Open at his grandfather’s insistence. Driving back and forth each day from Sacramento to the tournament in Napa, he was able to claim an emotional second PGA TOUR win. Champ called Mack on the 18th green and said, “This one’s for you, Pops.â€� And afterwards remarked, “No matter what… even if I never win another tournament again or I win however many, this will definitely be the greatest moment of my golfing career.â€� Sadly, Mack lost his battle in October. The unique patch on his shirt has a dual black and white background to speak to his mixed heritage and sports grandpa Mack’s silhouette swinging a driver. The shoes on the silhouette are also mixed black and white. A limited run of shirts with the unique patch is now on sale at Nike.com.

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