There are still 15 million reasons to care about the FedEx Cup finale

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – Notes and observations from the third round of The RSM Classic at Sea Island Resort’s Seaside Course. LEADING LIGHT Charles Howell III had a chance to put away The RSM Classic before Sunday began. Instead, he’ll start the final round with the slimmest of leads. Howell, who started the week with consecutive 64s, shot 68 on Sunday to post a career-best 54-hole score of 196. He is one shot ahead of Jason Gore and Cameron Champ, who both shot 66. Those three will play in the final group for the second consecutive day. Howell started Saturday with a three-shot lead. He birdied two of the first three holes to pull ahead by five, and he still led by four when he made the turn. Champ was the only player within six shots. Howell shot 1 over par on the back nine, though. He sandwiched a birdie at the par-5 15th between bogeys at Nos. 14 and 16. He missed the fairway at 14 and hit a tree with his approach shot. He three-putted the 16th from 18 feet. Gore shot 30, including an eagle on the par-5 15th, and Champ birdied the last hole to shoot 33. Nine players are now within five shots of Howell. Howell is seeking his third win in 529 PGA TOUR starts. Only two players needed more starts to win for the third time, Leonard Thompson (553) and Howard Twitty (532). Howell’s last win was more than a decade ago. He has never won when holding the lead, either. This is the sixth time that he’s held at least a share of the lead after 54 holes. This week, he leads the field in greens hit (49 of 54) and is 10th in driving accuracy (36 of 42). NOTABLES EAGLE HAS LANDED: Webb Simpson almost withdrew on Friday. He shot 63 on Saturday and now has a chance to win for the second time in 2018. Simpson, the reigning PLAYERS champion, is 13 under par. He holed a wedge shot for eagle and made three putts outside of 20 feet on Saturday. Simpson received an I.V. at the course before teeing off Friday. He still shot 68. He had to withdraw from last year’s RSM after sitting in 12th place at the halfway mark. He withdrew before the third round to be with his ailing father, who passed away shortly after. “Last year was a sad time for me, my whole family, but my wife and I, we love coming here,� Simpson said. “It’s a great spot to bring our kids and I love the golf course. It’s good to be back here.� TWO-TIME CHAMP?: Champ has a chance to make some FedExCup history. Since the advent of the wraparound season, no one has won twice in the fall portion of the schedule. Champ already won this season’s Sanderson Farms Championship. He also could set the record for most FedExCup points earned in the fall (921) and the largest lead after the fall. Champ has been in the top 10 after 12 of his last 15 rounds. Fourteen of his last 16 rounds have been in the 60s, including seven scores of 66 or lower. He is 70 under par this season with a 67.7 scoring average. This week, he leads the field in Strokes Gained: Putting, gaining 6.3 strokes in his two rounds at Seaside. He has holed more than half his putts from 10-15 feet (5 of 9) and has made four putts from outside 15 feet. PEP TALK: Gore admitted there were some bad words running through his head after his three-putt on the ninth hole. He was seven shots behind Howell after missing that 4-footer for par. Gore shot 30 on the back nine for the second straight day to pull within one shot of the lead, though. He birdied three of his next four holes, then hit 3-wood to 18 feet for an eagle on the par-5 15th. Gore, who received his insurance license last week, received a sponsor exemption into this event. Only eight players have won in the past quarter-century when playing on a sponsor exemption. He is one of them (2005 84 Lumber Classic, his lone TOUR win). Gore also is the Web.com Tour’s all-time victory leader (7). QUOTABLES I just love being around the ocean, around water. SUPERLATIVES Lowest round: Patrick Rodgers fired a third-round 61 to move from the cut line to contention. He is in seventh place, five shots behind the leaders. Longest drive: Champ’s 343-yard drive on the ninth hole was the longest of the day by eight yards. He also had the day’s second-longest tee shot, a 335-yarder on the 15th hole. He birdied both holes. Longest putt: Tournament host Davis Love III holed a 48-footer. Hardest hole: The 469-yard, par-4 18th played to a 4.13 scoring average. Champ was one of just seven players to birdie the hole Saturday. Easiest hole: The 530-yard, par-5 15th hole played to a 4.22 scoring average. Gore’s eagle was one of five made Saturday on that hole. SHOT OF THE DAY CALL OF THE DAY

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – How do you celebrate the inevitable? The answer is you don’t, certainly not in golf, and certainly not at TPC Sawgrass — even if you’re leading by seven shots with 18 holes to play. History told us Webb Simpson was safe on Sunday, that his advantage was insurmountable, that no one in the history of the PGA TOUR had ever lost when entering the final round with such a cushion. Winning THE PLAYERS Championship would be a mere formality, an 18-hole coronation, a nice Sunday stroll on Mother’s Day. On the surface, that’s exactly what happened. Simpson shot a final-round 1-over 73 marred by a meaningless double bogey at the final hole, to win by a comfortable four strokes over Charl Schwartzel, Jimmy Walker and Xander Schauffele. It was, seemingly, a drama-free day. No mystery here. Move along. And yet … “Harder than I thought,â€� Simpson said. “Longest round of golf I’ve ever caddied in my life,â€� added sidekick Paul Tesori. While Simpson is a past U.S. Open champ (2012), he had not posted a TOUR win in his previous 107 starts. In that span, he had experienced two traumatic moments – one that affected his career; the other, more emotionally challenging one, that affected his life. At one point, those closest to him wondered if the 32-year-old would ever achieve the kind of success that appeared inevitable after his major win at the Olympic Club. The ban on anchor putters starting in 2016 had crippled Simpson’s game. He questioned his ability, with tough nights of self-examination. “I don’t know if he’ll say this, but I’ll say it – I don’t know if we would ever get to experience this again,â€� Tesori said in the afterglow of Sunday’s win. Meanwhile, Sam Simpson – not just Webb’s dad but his best friend — had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Their bond of golf has always been a key part of their relationship, but just when Webb could have used him the most, Sam was simply too sick to offer specifics on how to fix his game. Still, there were much-needed words of encouragement. “He was still helping me through it and mentoring me,â€� Simpson said. It was a year ago that Webb finally found his putting stroke with his new grip, having solicited help from a variety of sources, including Phil Mickelson, Bernhard Langer and THE PLAYERS winner in 2010 Tim Clark. And then in November, Sam Simpson passed away at the age of 74. The loss was tough, but for the faith-minded Simpson, at least there was closure. Winning, though, remained elusive. And so that’s why, even with a seven-stroke lead, neither Simpson nor Tesori let their minds drift beyond the task in hand. No need to tempt the golf gods with a premature celebration of the inevitable. In fact, on Saturday night, Tesori was watching golf highlights with his wife Michelle at their house just a few miles from TPC Sawgrass when the history of safe leads was brought up on TV. Tesori told his wife that no lead was insurmountable. He had grown up in the area, and remembered that Davis Love III shot 64 to win in 2003 and that Fred Couples shot 64 to win in 1996.  If someone shot 64 on Sunday, then Simpson would need to shoot under par. Plus, Tesori had first-hand experience with losing large leads. He was on the bag for Sean O’Hair in 2009 when he took a five-shot lead entering the final round at Bay Hill. After the first six holes, Tiger Woods had tied O’Hair for the lead and eventually went on to a one-stroke win. “I’d much rather be 7 up than 5 up,â€� Tesori said. “But when I saw it on TV, I thought, man, you don’t want to make history that way.â€� So the key would be to not deviate from what got them that lead. For Simpson, that meant staying in his routine. This week, he’s been a frequent visitor at a couple of Starbucks in the area. His favorite drink is a six-shot ristretto espresso that gives him an afternoon boost. But when he has coffee in the morning before a round, it’s always decaf. Well, usually decaf. Before the final round of the 2012 U.S. Open, Webb and his wife Dowd were having breakfast. Webb asked her to order him a cup of decaf, but Dowd forgot and accidentally ordered a regular cup. “It served him well,â€� she recalled with a laugh. On Sunday morning before heading to TPC Sawgrass, Webb was having coffee at the Starbucks in Jacksonville Beach when Dowd called him. She was coming to town to watch the final round, although their four kids stayed back home in North Carolina. She thinks Webb was drinking decaf but “maybe he did have regular again.â€� Dowd and Webb first met as students at Wake Forest. It was, interesting enough, Sam Simpson that set them up. Dowd had attended a party for one of her best friends who had grown up with Webb. Sam was at the party, spotted Dowd across the room and made a bold offer: If she would go out with her son, he would pay her $100. Dowd told Sam, “If he’s half as cute as you, I’d do it for free.â€� As it turned out, she took the money, used it for the date to a local steakhouse. It was love at first sight – all thanks to Sam. “I think he just wanted his dorky golfer son to be seen with an older girl on campus,â€� Dowd said. Dowd had no doubt that her husband would keep the proper focus Sunday after that cup of coffee. Tesori liked his man’s mindset too, albeit a couple of alarming moments on the course. An early three-putt was disturbing. Then a couple of mental errors around the turn. After a bogey on the 10th hole reduced Simpson’s lead to four strokes, Tesori spoke up. “Hey, bud, are you really dialed in? “Yeah,â€� replied Simpson. “I don’t think you are,â€� said Tesori, noting that Simpson was missing his yardage numbers far more on Sunday than the previous three days. That’s when they got back to business. Their mantra all week had been: Be aggressive to conservative targets. At the par-5 11th, Simpson launched a 281-yard tee shot that split the fairway – “The biggest shot of the entire day,â€� Tesori said – and eventually birdied the hole. Crisis averted. Once Simpson landed his tee shot safely onto the island-green 17th, only then could the celebration truly start. “It’s hard not to future cast and start thinking about 7 p.m. (when the tournament ended) and what might happen,â€� Simpson said. “But you do your best to not stay in that place, and I kept reminding myself today that the only thing that matters is the next shot. It’s easy to do on Thursday; it’s a lot harder to do today.â€� It’s even harder to do after a four-year drought and a rollercoaster ride of emotions. In the end, it simply took great putting, the proper focus … and a cup of coffee.

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Summertime presents numerous opportunities for all walks of PGA TOUR membership. As some rank-and-filers moonlight on the Web.com Tour and others even deeper in the trenches break into fields on the PGA TOUR Champions, the movement for playing time in standard TOUR stops can be dizzying. This is one of the reasons why I always tweet all field changes. Even if you already know that you don’t have to register for Twitter to read my page (like any website), you may not know that all of my tweets that aren’t replies to others appear on the FANTASY page at PGATOUR.com. The format of my TWITTERFEED truncates for length, but you can view entire messages by clicking on my avatar, the left arrow or the heart. I almost always tweet the updated Qualifiers, but that page will be appointment reading next week. At the conclusion of this week’s RBC Canadian Open, the top 70 on the year-long special money list will earn exemptions into the PGA Championship. To complete the field of 156 at Bellerive Country Club on Aug. 9-12, the PGA of America then will use a combination of the golfers outside the top 70 with those outside the top 100 (traditionally) in the Official World Golf Ranking. This is why the field is annually considered the deepest in professional golf. Whichever resource(s) you choose to use, you’re covered. PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO My roster for the RBC Canadian Open (in alphabetical order): Tony Finau Charley Hoffman Dustin Johnson Brooks Koepka Matt Kuchar Joaquin Niemann You’ll find my starters in Expert Picks. Others to consider for each category (in alphabetical order): Scoring: Tommy Fleetwood; Martin Laird; Keith Mitchell; J.J. Spaun; Jimmy Walker Driving: Keegan Bradley; Joel Dahmen; Tommy Fleetwood; Billy Horschel; Martin Laird; Keith Mitchell; Sam Ryder; J.J. Spaun; Gary Woodland Approach: Keegan Bradley; Stewart Cink; Joel Dahmen; Chris Kirk; Chez Reavie; Sam Ryder; J.J. Spaun; Steve Stricker Short: Billy Horschel; Kevin Kisner; Martin Laird; Brandt Snedeker; Jimmy Walker Power Rankings Wild Card Billy Horschel … Loyal readers understand how this pick can oscillate between something of a sleeper to an up-and-comer to a talent who should be in the Power Rankings but has been demoted. It’s also served the role as an extension of the Monday column. That’s where the co-runner-up at the Barbasol Championship fits in. Notoriously streaky, our confidence should remain high given he finished T17 at the Quicken Loans National in his previous start. The T2 at Keene Trace wasn’t unexpected inasmuch as it didn’t align with his usual preference for tough tracks. From strokes gained: off-the-tee (16th), greens in regulation (34th) and par-5 scoring (T14), he checks every box that projects success at Glen Abbey, and he’s 23rd in strokes gained: putting for good measure. Draws Chez Reavie … Celebrating the 10th anniversary of his breakthrough title at Glen Abbey this week. It’s rolled around at a great time because he needs a reversal of fortune as he arrives on an 0-for-4 skid. He’s survived the cut in the last four editions of the RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey, posting top 25s in the last two. The success and experience here should lay the foundation for confidence to let his skill as a sharpshooter to shine once again. Stewart Cink … Still lacing it tee to green. He followed consecutive top fives with consecutive top 25s, including a T24 at Carnoustie. Tied for fifth at Glen Abbey in 2015 and makes his fourth straight visit. Adam Hadwin … At 55th in the Official World Golf Ranking, he’s tops among Canadians, but that still represents a mild slide in recent months. He’s overcome below-average putting compared to his reputation. Still, as one of the most reliable to make any cut and with experience and some success at Glen Abbey (a T7 in 2015 most notably), he’s a safe own no matter your format. Ben Silverman … The rookie from Canada is getting his first look at Glen Abbey in competition, but he carries the buoying effects of a T12 at the Barbasol with him. Going to come cheap in DFS, so give him a chance. Jimmy Walker … I’m buying for at least one more week, but he’s probably overvalued in DFS. No stranger to Glen Abbey having placed T14 in his last visit in 2016 and still among the better scorers on TOUR. Gary Woodland … Glen Abbey is the kind of yard where Gary can get his groove back. Since his playoff victory at TPC Scottsdale in early February, he’s connected for only one top 25 (T23, Memorial). After a similarly quiet lead-in to last year’s RBC Canadian Open due in part to a personally challenging few months, he rose to a fourth-place finish. J.J. Spaun … It’s impossible for gamers in particular not to love how he plays the game and how he carries himself. His profile as an attack artist is ideal for Glen Abbey. Only short-sighted course history buffs who can’t look away from a pedestrian 1-for-2 record (with a T41 in 2015) will ignore that he’s still a talent on the rise. Slot him into your DFS lineup without hesitation. Steve Stricker … Forgoing the last major on the PGA TOUR Champions for his first trip to Glen Abbey since a T63 in 2015. With this and one more start on the PGA TOUR this season, he’ll retain his voting privileges as a member, but he’s 141st in the FedExCup standings, so the greater urgency is to kick it into gear to make the FedExCup Playoffs. Worth the price tag in DFS, especially. Keegan Bradley (all) Tyler Duncan (DFS) Jim Furyk (DFS) J.B. Holmes (DFS) Chris Kirk (all) Jamie Lovemark (all) Patrick Rodgers (SERVPRO) Fades Troy Merritt … While victory is always a bonus, he trended toward something special before emerging with the title at the Barbasol Championship on Monday. Now, because he converted instead of, say, merely recording a top 10, we have to guard against a letdown even though this isn’t his first rodeo. His 1-for-3 record at Glen Abbey doesn’t help (or hurt, depending on your perspective), but it doesn’t matter, either. Sergio Garcia … Just his 12th start of the season and he’s 132nd in the FedExCup. Teased gamers with a T12-T8 ramp into The Open Championship, a tournament for which he’s a perennial short-lister, but he missed the cut at Carnoustie. Now he’s getting his first look at Glen Abbey since his debut in 2000, but even contrarians have to shop elsewhere based on a primarily lackluster 2018 that includes MCs in all three majors and a 70th at THE PLAYERS. John Huh … Erased the last shred of doubt to get into the Playoffs with a T7 at the John Deere Classic. Now 95th in FedExCup points, it’s entirely about building, but it would be the first time for that to happen in five appearances at Glen Abbey. He’s never made the cut and his scoring average is 73.625 in eight rounds. Bill Haas Si Woo Kim Shane Lowry Ryan Palmer Andrew Putnam Returning to Competition Rory Sabbatini … Withdrew after a first-round 72 at the John Deere Classic. An explanation wasn’t released. The short week extended his drought without a top-35 finish to five straight starts. He’s enjoyed success at Glen Abbey over the years, most recently in the forms of a T11 in 2015 and a faded T23 last year. So, there’s merit to fractional ownership in DFS. Notable WDs Austin Cook … With starts at Firestone and Bellerive lined up the next two weeks, and after going T5-T34-T28 the last three weeks, this is the perfect time for a breather. Beau Hossler … The first-time PGA TOUR member has enjoyed a phenomenal season. While short of a victory, he’s finished second twice and banked over $2.3 million and sits 32nd in the FedExCup standings. He’ll qualify for the PGA Championship at the end of the week. Chesson Hadley … Currently 18th in the FedExCup standings. He’ll gain entry into the PGA Championship at the conclusion of the RBC Canadian Open. Martin Kaymer … This would have marked his 11th start of the season. Positioned 216th in the FedExCup standings, he’d need to contend at the PGA Championship to trigger more playing time in the Playoffs. Short of that, he won’t reach the membership minimum of 15 starts for the second time in four seasons, which means that he wouldn’t be fully exempt in 2018-19 during what is the last season of his five-year exemption for winning the 2014 U.S. Open. Derek Fathauer … Easily the most surprising of all of this week’s early withdrawals. He’s 136th in the FedExCup standings. Interestingly, the last time he withdrew after a commitment deadline and before an opening round was at last year’s RBC Canadian Open. Denny McCarthy … Withdrew early from last week’s Barbasol Championship as well. No news has surfaced to help explain why and he’s inactive on social media. Sits 146th in the FedExCup. Nate Lashley … In his return from knee surgery, he missed the cut on the Web.com Tour last week. The rookie is taking this week off. Power Rankings Recap – The Open Championship Power Ranking  Golfer  Result 1  Dustin Johnson  MC 2  Rickie Fowler  T28 3  Justin Rose  T2 4  Brooks Koepka  T39 5  Alex Noren  T17 6  Jon Rahm  MC 7  Tommy Fleetwood  T12 8  Francesco Molinari  Win 9  Patrick Reed  T28 10  Paul Casey  T51 11  Zach Johnson  T17 12  Rory McIlroy  T2 13  Marc Leishman  60th 14  Tyrrell Hatton  T51 15  Branden Grace  MC 16  Sergio Garcia  MC 17  Jason Day  T17 18  Phil Mickelson  T24 19  Justin Thomas  MC 20  Hideki Matsuyama  MC Wild Card  Jordan Spieth  T9 Sleepers Recap – The Open Championship Golfer  Result Byeong Hun An  T51 Alexander Björk  MC Nicolas Colsaerts  MC Jason Dufner  T51 Paul Dunne  T67 Grant Forrest  MC Ryan Fox  T39 Dylan Frittelli  MC Emiliano Grillo  MC Russell Henley  MC Jazz Janewattananond  MC Anirban Lahiri  MC Hao Tong Li  T39 Thorbjørn Olesen  T12 Thomas Pieters  T28 Matthew Southgate  T67 Julian Suri  T28 Peter Uihlein  MC Matt Wallace  MC Chris Wood  T28 Power Rankings Recap – Barbasol Championship Power Ranking  Golfer  Result 1  Chris Kirk  T40 2  Joel Dahmen  T15 3  Brian Gay  6th 4  Tyler Duncan  T49 5  Billy Horschel  T2 6  Corey Conners  MC 7  Sam Ryder  T7 8  Whee Kim  T66 9  Scott Brown  T21 10  Andres Romero  T21 Birthdays among active golfers on the PGA TOUR July 24 … Danny Lee (29) July 25 … none July 26 … none July 27 … Jordan Spieth (25) July 28 … Frank Lickliter II (49) July 29 … Harrison Frazar (47) July 30 … Graeme McDowell (39); Justin Rose (38); Sam Saunders (31)

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