Things you may have missed, WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play Day 2

The PGA Tour stays in Florida with the Valspar Championship. Here is how to watch it all on ESPN+

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THE OVERVIEW Dustin Johnson leads the PGA TOUR in driving distance with a 312.7-yard average. This week at the RBC Heritage, he takes on a course that doesn’t require much distance off the tee. In fact, of the 50 courses on the PGA TOUR last season, Harbour Town produced the shortest driving distance average and the fewest percentage of 300-yard drives. So, is DJ worried that his most recognizable weapon will be marginalized? Uh, no. “You’ve still got to hit good golf shots, no matter what you’re hitting off the tee,” said Johnson, the South Carolina native making his first start in Hilton Head since 2009. “I like this golf course. I like tight, tree-lined golf courses. It’s what I grew up playing. It’s not like it’s anything new.” Johnson estimates that’ll he still be able to use driver a handful of times each round, depending on wind conditions. There are three par 5s, but he doesn’t expect it to use it on all those holes. Of course, anybody who has seen DJ’s rise to world No. 1 knows that his game is much more well-rounded than just hitting it long off the tee. His strength gives him an advantage anywhere from tee to green, and his short game is ranked inside the top 15 on TOUR. He was pleased with his ball-striking last week at the Masters, but his putter didn’t cooperate, rendering him a non-factor down the stretch while finishing tied for 10th. This week, his putting will be tested on Harbour Town’s small greens. But even though Johnson hasn’t played this course in a while and won’t pull driver very often from his bag, he’s still one of the heavy favorites. “Last time I checked, he’s the No. 1 golfer in the world,” said defending champ Wesley Bryan, paired with DJ in the first two rounds. “He’s the best golfer on the planet. So as long as we’re playing the game of golf, I think that he’s got a good chance of winning anywhere he tees it up. “There’s a lot of holes he doesn’t have to hit his driver. He can hit his 2-irong and be out there with a lot of guys that are hitting driver. It’s an advantage of have that length, especially on this golfer course.” Bryan was asked what it would be like if Dustin tried to win this week without putting a driver in his bag. “That would kind of be like telling me to take putter out of the bag,” Bryan said. “That’s the best weapon he’s got. He definitely has to use it. He drives it plenty straight enough, he hits it far, but he hits it plenty straight. So he can still be able to use it a fair number of times out here.” How would DJ respond to that request? “Well, no,” he said, drawing a laugh. “I have a hard time beating guys with all my clubs, without taking one out.” THREE PLAYERS TO PONDER Dustin Johnson The best news for DJ coming out of the Masters? He didn’t slip on any stairs and injure his back. Luke Donald If ever a player was overdue to win an event, it’d be Donald, a five-time runner-up at the RBC Heritage. Matt Kuchar Won here in 2014 – hard to believe that was his last win on the PGA TOUR. He’s had 32 top-10 finishes since then. THE FLYOVER The 472-yard par-4 18th was easier in 2017 than it was the previous year, but it remains one of the PGA TOUR’s most difficult closing holes. A year ago, the stroke average was 4.151, which tied for 12th among the toughest closest holes. In 2016, the average was 4.415, ranking it third most difficult. Despite the difficulty of the hole, player can take solace in the fact that they will likely hit the fairway – last season, 94.27 percent of all players found the fairway at 18, the highest percentage of any single hole on TOUR. THE LANDING ZONE The drivable 332-yard ninth ranked among the 20 easiest par 4s on the PGA TOUR last season, with a scoring average of 3.771. That made it easier than the par-5 15th. Nearly 28 percent of all players went for the green last year, with four eagles and 128 birdies recorded. Here’s a look at where all tee shots landed last year. WEATHER CHECK From PGA TOUR meteorologist Stewart Williams: “High pressure building from the west will provide mostly sunny skies on Wednesday with highs in the 60s. The high will shift east Thursday into Friday allowing a warming trend to occur with highs in the 70s each day under sunny skies. The warmest day will be Saturday with highs in the upper 70s before an approaching cold front brings a good chance for showers and thunderstorms Sunday afternoon into the evening hours.â€� For the latest weather news from Hilton Head, South Carolina check out PGATOUR.COM’s Weather Hub. SOUND CHECK You have to do everything well. You can’t just say the long hitters or iron players will do well. All aspects of the game. You have to hit it in the fairway, you have to be in the proper position in the fairway to be able to attack the flag. And you obviously have to putt well. But you look at the players that have won here, it’s not one style of player. BY THE NUMBERS 3,700 – The average green size, in square feet, at Harbour Town. The course is regarded as having the smallest greens on the PGA TOUR. 273.4 – Average drive, in yards, by the field last year. That’s the lowest of any tournament on TOUR. 69.28 – Stroke average by Jim Furyk at the RBC Heritage, the best stroke average of any player at the event (minimum 18 rounds) since 2003. Luke Donald is second at 69.38. SCATTERSHOTS Of the top 30 players in FedExCup points, 14 will be in action at Harbour Town, led by Patton Kizzire (2), Dustin Johnson (7) and Paul Casey (10). Kizzire trails No. 1 Justin Thomas by 440 points – that’s the largest separation between No. 1 and No. 2 the week after the Masters since 2009. Luke Donald’s five runner-up finishes at the RBC Heritage ties for the third most by any player at any official PGA TOUR event since 1934. The only players who exceed it – Jack Nicklaus at the RBC Canadian Open (7) and Phil Mickelson at the U.S. Open (6). Saturday is Plain Nation Day at RBC Heritage, with all fans encouraged to wear plaid. It’s appropriate since the winner receives a plaid jacket. In addition, to honor the 50 years of the RBC Heritage, the historic lighthouse behind the 18th hole will be wrapped in plaid.

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It did not take long for us to see a dominant performance in this new PGA TOUR season as Marc Leishman found his mojo in Malaysia and stormed to a five-shot win at the CIMB Classic. Welcome to the Monday Finish where we are recovering from some all-night golf watching just as 6-year-old Harvey Leishman is … although he’s lucky enough to be getting a trophy out of it. Here are five observations and insights from Leishman’s fourth PGA TOUR win. 1. Marc Leishman had a pretty good 2017-18 season – after all he made the TOUR Championship with six top-10s and was runner-up twice. But try telling that to Leishman. After winning twice the season before, the Australian now holds himself to higher standards and being winless was not part of the plan. It was not part of the psyche of his sons Harvey (6) and Ollie (5) who garner much excitement from daddy bringing home trophies. With the pressure starting to mount from his own expectations at that of his high-spirited boys, Leishman went to Asia with a little chip on his shoulder. Having played well on the Asian Swing before he had reason to be confident. He even booked his flights back from planned Christmas time in Australia through Maui with the Sentry Tournament of Champions in mind. And so when he sat on the 54-hole shared lead it was not a nervous time. He felt he belonged. And Sunday he proved his confidence was justified, blowing away the challengers in the first five holes and cruising to victory. This is a guy not afraid of the spotlight. 2. While on the proverbial spotlight … Leishman for whatever reason is still trying to convince some in the golfing world that he is elite. Whenever he gets into contention – which has been a lot for the former PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year (2009) in recent times – it appears as if people are surprised. He now has four wins on TOUR, three in his last 44 starts, but yet he continues to fly under the radar. The reason is mostly the man doesn’t crave or seek out the spotlight. He’s more than content in who he is, which is a great father, husband and golfer. There will however come a time where everyone knows his name and with play like this week it will be sooner rather than later.   3. While the trio of players who finished tied for second at TPC Kuala Lumpur failed to put any heat on Leishman on Sunday, they did prove they are going to be up-and-comers to watch this season. Emiliano Grillo was Rookie of the Year just a few years back before having a mini sophomore slump. Last season he rebounded with more consistent play before falling just short of a TOUR Championship berth. This season shapes up as another with more improvement for the Argentine. Bronson Burgoon was unable to keep the pace of his opening-round 63 going, but he did enough to pull off the second runner-up finish of his career. Burgoon popped up for a mini purple patch in the early summer last season but has eyes on being a more consistent contender. This was a good start. And then Chesson Hadley – a former winner on TOUR who was unable to match his own hype after such a great start to a career – has continued his resurgence. Seven top-10s last season left him 44th in the FedExCup. He has an early one here this season as he chases a first TOUR Championship berth. Don’t be surprised if all three make waves this season. 4. India’s Shubhankar Sharma is another name we need to acquaint ourselves with more. Last year he came from the clouds during the World Golf Championships – Mexico Championship where he threatened a major boil over before fading on the final day. But in 10 other PGA TOUR starts he failed to find the same magic. It had most of us thinking he might be a flash in the pan. But watching him closely in Malaysia it was clear he is supremely talented and is maybe still learning to harness his nerves at key moments while carrying the expectation of being India’s next sporting superstar. It should be an interesting little battle to see who gets a PGA TOUR win first … Sharma or his mate Anirban Lahiri. 5. Don’t think we didn’t notice former two-time CIMB Classic winner Justin Thomas make a final-round surge into a tie for fifth. Thomas now heads to Korea, as the defending champion, looking pretty impressive. Having lost his FedExCup title to Justin Rose last month, Thomas is rededicated to getting it back. He knows a fast start in the fall is a huge part of taking the pressure off the points list for the remainder of the season. Thomas winning early has become a habit so betting against him to keep it up might be unwise. FIVE INSIGHTS 1. Leishman was incredible on the front nine at TPC Kuala Lumpur, going 19 under on those holes for the tournament. On the opening five holes he was 14 under and twice notched up four in a row from the second through the fifth. It set the tone for his rounds and made him the man to catch, forcing others to press. 2. Leishman’s putter was incredible over the tournament. He needed just 102 putts over the four rounds as he drained almost everything. 3. Leishman moved to second in the FedExCup and 16th in the world rankings. It is his fourth PGA TOUR win in 250 starts, but third in last 44 starts. 4. Leishman’s 26-under 262 tied Justin Thomas in his 2015 victory for the lowest 72-hole total since the tournament moved to TPC Kuala Lumpur. 5. Gary Woodland (T5) notched up a third top-5 finish in the event without a win. He has now held the 54-hole lead/co-lead six times in his career and has never converted it into a victory. He previously held the 54-hole lead/co-lead at the 2011 Career Builder Challenge (lost in a playoff), 2013 The NORTHERN TRUST (T2), 2014 Farmers Insurance Open (T10), 2016 the Memorial Tournament (T4) and 2016 OHL Classic at Mayakoba (2).  

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