Canadian Nick Taylor blasted an 8-under-par 63 to take a one-shot lead after the first lap of the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas. (Getty Images)
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Kudos to Aaron Wise on his sizzling back-to-back 64s to seize the 36-hole lead at the Honda Classic. At 24, Wise is a promising power player with plenty of accolades and lots of promise. Wise already owns a PGA TOUR victory (2018 AT&T Byron Nelson), captured the same season in which he was the TOUR's Rookie of the Year. RELATED: Wise leads by three | Westwood confident despite missed cut Wise leads at 12-under 128, and holds the 36-hold lead for the first time in his career. At PGA National this weekend, though, a good deal of focus could shift to a few players that are giving chase. Week to week, PGA TOUR events are billed as opportunities that really could change lives, and here are five players who could use a great weekend: Camilo Villegas (FedExCup rank: 128th): The Colombian needs a quality finish at PGA National, as he is on the final start of a medical extension and needs 135 FedExCup points (a three-way tie for third, or better) to extend his playing privileges. Should he earn less than the necessary 135 points, Villegas would still hold status but in a different qualifying category. Villegas, 39, had not made a cut in his five previous starts, but he feels a good vibe competing in South Florida (he has a home in Jupiter) and his Friday 65 moved him just a stroke off fifth place. "You know what, I love this place, I love this golf course and yeah, I just, I played nice today," said Villegas. Heading off the 10th tee in the afternoon, he was 2 over through eight holes, then eagled the par-5 18th and added five birdies on his next nine. "I didn’t get off to a good start, but I got it rolling on the back nine and that’s awesome." He has had a rough go the last few years. Villegas and and his wife, Maria Ochoa, lost their 22-month-old daughter, Mia, to cancer in July. Last week, as part of the foundation that honors Mia, Villegas and his wife unveiled "Mia's Serenity Space for Staff" at nearby Nicklaus Children's Hospital, where they have a partnership. The room is for hospital staffers to be able to escape for some quiet moments "where they can recharge and continue to provide the best care." Villegas owns four PGA TOUR victories, but none since 2014 (Wyndham Championship). He will have lots of folks in his corner this weekend. Brandon Hagy (178th): Hagy played brilliantly on Friday, shooting 8-under 62, making six birdies as well as an eagle at the 18th hole, where he ran in a 47-foot putt. Folks have been waiting for the 29-year-old Hagy to break through for some time. In 80 career TOUR starts, he has a single top 10, a T5 at the 2017 RBC Canadian Open. Hagy can bomb it (he ranks 14th on TOUR in driving distance, at 308.5 yards). He has jumped out to some good starts this season, and now needs to finish strongly to establish himself in the FedExCup Playoffs race (he is 178th in points). Hagy wasn't in the Honda field at the start of the week. He was on the tournament's alternate list, and practicing at home in Scottsdale. He saw he was only two players out on Tuesday, so he booked a flight and was in Florida Wednesday to do his COVID-19 testing. When Kramer Hickok withdrew, Hagy was in. He knows the course, as he has played in The Honda before, as well as Korn Ferry Tour Q-School. For a guy not planning to play this week, this all could be a great bonus. Hagy had made only four cuts in 11 starts this season. "Maybe I'm feeling like I'm playing a little bit on house money," he said. "I'm grateful for the opportunity." Sam Ryder (155th): Ryder, like Hagy, played early on Friday and turned in a great round, shooting 63, one off Hagy's pace. The 63 was his lowest round in almost three years (2018 Barbasol Championship). Ryder, 31, had missed nine cuts in 14 starts heading into The Honda, but did have a T10 at the Farmers Insurance Open. This is his 90th start on the PGA TOUR, and he appears ready to make a bigger splash. He enjoys the challenge of the Champion course, having played it last year for the first time. With 12 birdies through two rounds, he should be a player to watch over the weekend. He is alone in fourth at 8-under 132. "I feel comfortable with my game plan out here," Ryder said, "it changes based on the wind directions and stuff, so I can’t really try and overpower it too much. You just take your opportunities when they come and make a lot of pars ... and I had a couple really nice saves that kept the round going. That’s huge out here." Denny McCarthy (92nd): The diminutive McCarthy is a quality player who doesn't bomb it (he is 115th on TOUR in driving distance, at 294.3 yards) but is very accurate off the tee, a valuable asset when the wind blows around PGA National. McCarthy, 28, has made 91 PGA TOUR starts and he does own nine top 10s. Earlier this season, he tied for fourth at the Bermuda Championship, where he got hot in the final round and shot 63. He also finished T6 at Sanderson Farms. McCarthy missed six cuts in seven starts from the RSM through the Genesis, but he now has played on the weekend in each of his three starts in Florida. He played very steadily on Friday, making six birdies against one bogey. He is tied for fifth heading to the weekend. "The golf’s been really solid the last three weeks," said McCarthy, who was T26 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and T55 at PLAYERS, "so I think I just continue what I do, what I have been doing, and I’ll be in good shape." Scott Harrington (145th): Who doesn't want to see a 40-year-old win for the first time on the PGA TOUR? Harrington played in his first PLAYERS last week, making the cut, and is following his solid play with a good performance at PGA National. Harrington birdied his first three holes and went out in 32 Friday, shooting 67 on the day. Harrington endured a brutal stretch earlier this season, missing the cut eight times in nine starts. But he has shown more form of late, now making the cut in his last four starts. Harrington's best finish in 2020-21 is a T14 at the Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship, played in late September. In his 41st start on TOUR, Harrington will be chasing his second career top 10 (T2, 2019 Houston Open), and sitting only five shots off the lead, who knows? He may just hold his first PGA TOUR trophy. At The Honda, we could be on the cusp of a life-changing weekend.
Four of the top five in the FedExCup are at historic Hamilton Golf & Country Club for this year’s edition of the RBC Canadian Open. FedExCup leader Matt Kuchar, PGA Championship winner Brooks Koepka and defending champion Dustin Johnson are among the headliners this week. There are also more than 20 Canadians in the field trying to become the first of their countrymen to win this event since Pat Fletcher in 1954. Here’s a look at this week’s Featured Groups (note: FedExCup ranking in parentheses): HOW TO FOLLOW TELEVISION: Thursday-Friday, 3-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday-Sunday, 1-2:45 p.m. (GC), 3-6 p.m. (CBS). PGA TOUR LIVE: Thursday-Friday, 7 a.m.-6 p.m. (Featured Groups). Saturday-Sunday, 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. (Featured Groups), 3-6 p.m. (featured holes). International subscribers (via GOLF.tv): Thursday-Friday, 11:00 to 22:00 GMT. Saturday-Sunday, 12:30 to 22:00. RADIO: Thursday-Friday, noon-6 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 1-6 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com). Thursday Graeme McDowell (53) – He earned his fourth PGA TOUR title at this year’s Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship. Next week, he returns to the site of his 2010 U.S. Open victory. Bubba Watson (68) – The 12-time PGA TOUR winner is making his ninth start north of the border. He was runner-up in the 2015 RBC Canadian Open. Scott Piercy (21) – Piercy was the victor the last time this tournament visited Hamilton. He shot a first-round 62, then rode three consecutive 67s to a one-shot victory. Round 1 tee time: 12:40 p.m. ET Round 2 tee time: 7:40 a.m. ET Brooks Koepka (2) – He’s one of three two-time winners this season. This is his first start since winning the PGA Championship. Next week, he’ll try for his third consecutive U.S. Open. Brandt Snedeker (43) –The 2013 RBC Canadian Open champion has finished in the top 10 in his last two trips to this tournament. Justin Thomas (14) – Thomas, one of two FedExCup champions in this group, is making his first trip to the RBC Canadian Open. Round 1 tee time: 12:50 p.m. ET Round 2 tee time: 7:50 a.m. ET Related: Tee times | Conners on home turf | Power Rankings | The First Look Friday Rory McIlroy (4) – This year’s THE PLAYERS champion headlines this group of three former winners at TPC Sawgrass. McIlroy is playing the Canadian Open for the first time. Matt Kuchar (1) – The 2012 PLAYERS champion has two wins this season. Webb Simpson (42) – The 2018 PLAYERS was Simpson’s most recent victory. He has three top-10s this season, including a third-place finish at The RSM Classic and fifth-place finish at the Masters. Round 1 tee time: 7:40 a.m. ET Round 2 tee time: 12:40 p.m. ET Corey Conners (23) – The Canadian started the season with conditional status but arrives in his home country as a PGA TOUR winner after claiming the Valero Texas Open. Dustin Johnson (5) – The defending champion won this year’s World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship. Jim Furyk (32) – The 2010 FedExCup champion counts two Canadian Opens (2006, ’07) among his 17 PGA TOUR wins. His 2006 win came at Hamilton. Round 1 tee time: 7:50 a.m. ET Round 2 tee time: 12:50 p.m. ETÂ
Wyndham Clark carded a brilliant 10-under-par 61 to grab a two-shot first round lead in the Waste Management Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale. (Getty Images)
