The leaderboard at the Rocket Mortgage Classic is far from boring

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The PGA TOUR’s Asia Swing concludes with the 15th World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions. This is the 11th time the tournament will be contested as part of the WGC calendar. A year ago it was Xander Schauffele who topped Tony Finau in a playoff. It was Schauffele’s first win of the season (he’d also go on to capture the Sentry Tournament of Champions in January). FIELD NOTES: Xander Schauffele returns to defend his title in China. It’s his second event of the season after teeing it up at the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP… Five of the last six winners at the WGC-HSBC Champions will be in the field. The only golfers who are not teeing it up from that group are Dustin Johnson (2013) and Russell Knox (2015)… 2017 winner Justin Rose is making his PGA TOUR season debut… Kevin Kisner is the lone 2019 World Golf Championships winner who will be in the field this week (Johnson and Brooks Koepka are not playing)… Seven golfers who are teeing it up at the Presidents Cup are in the field including six from the International Team. Only Schauffele from the U.S. Team is in the field… Six Chinese golfers will be selected to play in the WGC-HSBC Champions including Xinjun Zhang, who topped the Korn Ferry Tour’s Regular Season Points List this season… Presidents Cup hopeful Jazz Janewattananond will play his second PGA TOUR event of the season after he played THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES… Seventy-eight golfers are in the field, including reigning FedExCup champion Rory McIlroy. FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 550 points COURSE: Shenshan International GC (West), 7,261 yards, par 72. The course, one of China’s most exclusive, has hosted every edition of the WGC-HSBC Champions save for one. In 2012, the tournament was played at Mission Hills. STORYLINES: 14-under has won the last two WGC-HSBC Champions… Although not in the field this year, Dustin Johnson has feasted on World Golf Championship events in his career, including in China, having both win and finishing runner-up the last five years… Two events remain in the PGA TOUR calendar this portion of the season: the Mayakoba Golf Classic and The RSM Classic… Last year’s runner-up Tony Finau looks to have more success this year as he looks for his second career PGA TOUR title… Phil Mickelson, who won the 2009 HSBC Champions, will be returning to China for the first time since 2017 when he finished T15. 72-HOLE RECORD: 264, Dustin Johnson (2013). 18-HOLE RECORD: 62, Martin Kaymer (3rd round, 2013), Danny Willett (4th round, 2015). LAST TIME: After shooting the round of the day on Sunday, Xander Schauffele’s 4-under-par 68 was enough to get him into a playoff with Tony Finau. Schauffele, who birdied his final two holes Sunday, also birdied the first extra hole while Finau made par, en route to winning his first WGC title. Defending champion Justin Rose just couldn’t get anything going on Sunday and stalled with an even-par 72. He ended up in third place. Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Andrew Putnam rounded out the top-five finishers. It was Aphibarnrat’s second top-5 result in a WGC that year, and it was Putnam’s first-ever WGC event. HOW TO FOLLOW Television: Wednesday-Thursday, 10 p.m.-4 a.m. ET (Golf Channel). Friday-Saturday, 10:30 p.m.-4 a.m. ET (Golf Channel). Tournament ends early Sunday morning and starts Wednesday night Eastern Time. PGA TOUR LIVE: N/A Radio: N/A

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Tiger Woods opened the third round of the TOUR Championship with six birdies in his first seven holes. He made the turn in 5-under 30 with his only blemish coming on No. 9 when his tee shot went long right. The birdie hot-streak included five straight from Nos. 3 – 7 to take a five-shot lead. Can he hold off Justin Rose, 2016 FedExCup champion Rory McIlroy and the rest of the top 30?

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