Sybi Kuchar fills in after Zach Johnson’s caddie goes down with illness

ST. LOUIS – Some players like being under the proverbial radar. Jordan Spieth doesn’t mind it. But come Sunday afternoon, Spieth hopes to be the brightest blip on the screen. While Spieth knows the 2017-18 season on the PGA TOUR has not been his best, the 25-year-old has still been a factor in two of the three majors. Spieth was third at the Masters, almost producing the best Sunday comeback in Augusta National history. He held a share of the 54-hole lead at the recent Open Championship only to fade to a ninth-place finish. But at the end of the day, almost winning is not winning. With 10 PGA TOUR wins in the three seasons prior to this one, trophies are now expected from him. Winning this week would be an incredible way to break the recent slump that has seen him drop from world No. 2 at the start of 2018, to his current position of eighth. Because if he claims the Wanamaker Trophy, Spieth enters notable company as just the sixth man to achieve the career grand slam behind Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods. “This tournament will always be circled until I’m able to hopefully win it someday … which will ultimately achieve a life-long goal for me,â€� Spieth said. “So certainly, emphasis in my head on it, but nothing overpowering, nothing that takes over once I start on the first tee, just more going into the week.â€� This is just Spieth’s second chance to complete the slam after last year’s whirlwind where he claimed the Claret Jug and turned up to Quail Hollow as hot property. He admits to being more anxious then because he was in form and going to a course he felt he could contend. But this year the focus is on the likes of four-time winner Woods, world No. 1 Dustin Johnson and defending FedExCup and PGA Championship winner Justin Thomas. “I like to come in in form,â€� Spieth said when asked if he’d prefer his current spot of under the radar or being the brightest spot on it. “I feel somewhat under the radar this year. I’ve kind of felt that way a lot this year, I don’t mind it. “But at the same time, after one round it changes. So ideally, going into Sunday you’re a bright spot.â€� Statistically the problem for Spieth has been putting. He ranks 165th in Strokes Gained: Putting after being inside the top 10 on TOUR in two of the last four seasons and inside the top 40 in all four seasons. But at Carnoustie he lamented “two bad swingsâ€� that took him out of the tournament when he bogeyed the fifth and doubled the sixth hole. 
 He’s seen the good and the bad with majors, winning three and of course letting a few slip. He points out Jack Nicklaus had multiple near misses to go with his 18 wins, which makes the losses easier to accept. “Each week, if I don’t have a chance to win on Sunday, I’m disappointed waking up. But I understand this year’s been kind of a building year for me, and I’ve been working back towards the level that I like to be at,â€� he said. “If I look back, I try and focus on four tournaments a year, I have a huge emphasis on them, and two of them I’ve had a chance to win on Sunday this year. So if I’m looking at it from that standpoint, it’s kind of mission accomplished with one to go.â€� “But obviously, getting in the winner’s circle when it’s been over a year is something that I obviously would like to do. “I don’t feel any added pressure from it, I won’t, but if it happens or doesn’t happen through the rest of this calendar year, I’m working in the right direction, I’m doing the right things, and again if you get yourself in position enough, the bounces will go your way.â€�

Click here to read the full article…

Jordan Spieth has worn one brand since turning pro nearly a decade ago. That relationship will last for at least another six years after the former FedExCup champion signed an extension with Under Armour that will run through 2029. The announcement came on the heels of Spieth’s victory at the RBC Heritage on Sunday. It was the 13th PGA TOUR win for the 28-year-old, who signed with Under Armour upon turning professional in 2013. “Under Armour took a chance on me,” Spieth told Under Armour founder Kevin Plank in 2020. “I was just leaving school, and I guess in other sports I would have been considered a high draft pick but at the same time I didn’t have PGA TOUR status, which in golf means everything.” Accompanying the announcement of the contract extension, Under Armour announced that it would donate $1 million over eight years to the Jordan Spieth Family Foundation, which has provided scholarships, grants and opened youth golf programs with a particular focus on breaking down socioeconomic barriers to the game and furthering education and mentorship opportunities through golf. “I think access is a big thing in golf,” Spieth said in fall of 2021. “It’s a game that I love. I figure maybe there’s some people that don’t know that they love it yet.” Sean Eggert, Under Armour’s Senior Vice President of Global Sports Marketing, said in a statement that Spieth is “an athlete who truly embodies what it means to strive for more.” “We look forward to being with him on this journey as he continues to grow with us, challenge us and make us better at what we do,” Eggert added. “We couldn’t be prouder to have him on our team.”

Click here to read the full article…

Brandon Wu (+170 for a Top 20) … As a rookie in his debut at Port Royal last year, it was the site of his only cut made in his first 11 PGA TOUR starts, and he sat inside the top 25 before backpedaling into a T34 in the finale. Of course, he righted the ship and qualified for the FedExCup Playoffs, but it was a surprising launch into his career at this level for a talent with his pedigree. Already 3-for-4 this season with a T29 at the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP, but he’s still learning on how to make the most of his chances on a consistent basis. At Narashino, he ranked T7 in greens hit and fourth in scrambling, so he squandered his latest golden opportunity to break through, but the ingredients are mixing. Patrick Rodgers (+200 for a Top 20) … He’s gone 219 starts as a professional on the PGA TOUR and he’s still chasing his first victory, but he’s only 30 years of age, so by no means is the sunset within view; well, at least not as it concerns his career. An actual sunset at Port Royal must be a thing of beauty, so maybe his career-defining experience will preface Sunday’s. He hasn’t missed an edition of the Butterfield Bermuda Championship and he recorded a personal-best fourth here last year. He’s also on a patented run of form upon arrival with a T16 at Narashino as the nearest object in the rearview mirror. Chesson Hadley … Although he’s tended to do his best work very late in the season, he placed T16 here in his only prior trip in 2020. So, while I’m not endorsing extending a unit into his direction for a top 20, it wouldn’t be unprecedented for him to deliver on the investment. That aside, supporting his mental adjustment to get the job done under the pressure of qualifying for the FedExCup Playoffs and keeping his card is the fact that he’s executed the plan reliably, and glimmers of that form are still fresh. After all, he connected for four top 10s in a seven-start stretch within just the last four months. Callum Tarren … The 32-year-old Englishman is fresh off one of the most unsung, in-season comeback stories of 2021-22. Consider that he opened his rookie campaign by going 0-for-8 and didn’t cash for the first time in 2022 until the third week of February … on the Korn Ferry Tour (playing time needed because he had plummeted in the KFT graduate reshuffle category on the PGA TOUR). But he battled until he crashed the Playoffs. That opening skid included a disqualification at Port Royal where he signed for an incorrect scorecard following his second round, but he wasn’t going to make the cut, anyway. He’s cashed just once in three tries this season, but that means that he’s way ahead of last year’s, uh, successful pace, and it was for a T13 at the Sanderson Farms Championship. All of his last six cuts made (spanning 10 starts) yielded a top 30, so that’s the target market if you can find it. Austin Eckroat … He’s one of five rookies with as many as three cuts made already this season, but he’s the only among the group without at least one top 10. In fact, his best finish is but a T54 at the Sanderson Farms. Consistency is a marvelous mechanism on which to build, but it wouldn’t be surprising if he rattles a few flagsticks this week especially. He debuted at Port Royal last year and placed T22. (NOTE: I’m managing my coverage of the rookies a little differently this season. For an explanation and the latest Rookie Ranking, please click or tap here. Odds were sourced on Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2022. For live odds, visit BetMGM. Responsible sports betting starts with a game plan. Set a budget. Keep it social. Play with friends. Learn the game and know the odds. Play with trusted, licensed operators. CLICK HERE to learn more at HaveAGamePlan.org.

Click here to read the full article…