Thomas, Leishman on top at TPC Boston

NORTON, Mass. – News and notes from Sunday’s third round of the Dell Technologies Championship, the third leg of the FedExCup Playoffs. Justin Thomas and Marc Leishman are the co-leaders at 12 under. Click here for more from TPC Boston and click here for the latest FedExCup Update. BETTER NOW THAN 2016 When is being one behind through 54 holes more comfortable than being three ahead? When you’re Paul Casey returning to TPC Boston. “I’m in better shape. I’m not leading, but I feel much better about my game,� said Casey, who came home in 32 in Sunday’s third round to shoot 4-under 67. At 11-under 202, he’s one behind Thomas (63) and Leishman (65), but the comfort factor is way cozier than it was a year ago. Then, he led by three after three rounds, but the final round was cold, windy, and “the day was a struggle.� Rory McIlroy came from six back, shot 65, and won by two over Casey, who shot 73. “Last year the weather was awkward,� said Casey. “(Monday) is meant to be perfect, 80 degrees. I prefer (this year’s) scenario.� He smiled that veteran’s smile, as if to say that he had indeed taken a good, hard look at the leaderboard. Yes, he liked what he saw, even if people would suggest it makes his position more precarious than a year ago. “The cons are, I’ve got way more talent around the leaderboard than there was last year. I know Rory won, but just look up at the depth on top of that leaderboard right now.� What you’ll see is the prototype of what PGA TOUR officials envisioned when they devised these FedExCup Playoffs more than 10 years ago. They were intended to bring the best players in the world together for a series of tournaments to close out the year and it’s hard to say that hasn’t materialized. World No. 1 Dustin Johnson won last week, meaning there have been nine straight FedExCup Playoff tournaments won by a player ranked in the top 15 in the world. What we have this week is Thomas ranked No. 6, Leishman ranked 30th, Casey is 14th, while No. 2 Jordan Spieth (66) lurks just two back and Johnson (66) is ever-so-present in a share of seventh, just three back. Oh, and sitting right there with Johnson is No. 5 Jon Rahm (71). True, Thomas would rank as the man to beat, given that he is bogey-free for his last 40 holes, but incredibly he’s played the par-5s in just 2-under. “That’s a little bit of a bummer,� he said, but the emphasis should be on “little� given his position. Like Casey, he considers it favorable. TALE OF TWO DAYS Jordan Spieth was thrilled that his spirited finish – birdies at 14, 17 and 18 – provided the sort of round that he felt was worthy of his ball-striking day. “I thought I played really solid golf,� said Spieth, who began the day four behind Rahm and ended it two behind Thomas and Leishman. Like others, what caught Spieth’s attention was the star power atop the leaderboard. “There is a heightened something to these playoff events that brings out, you know, certain champions.� Rahm still considers himself worthy of attention, despite a third round that left him unhappy. When he birdied the par-4 seventh to get to 11-under, he either shared the lead or had it outright for a while, but he bogeyed three times coming home. Still, he’s settling into this marquee attention he’s getting at the tender age of 22. “Let me frustrated for a while,� he said with a smile. “But I’ll get to the hotel room, lay down for a little bit, and realize that I’m still (just) three shots back.� MR. CONSISTENCY? HOW ‘BOUT CANTLAY Lost in the glare of all this firepower taking over the FedExCup Playoffs is one of the season’s best stories, 25-year-old Patrick Cantlay. The Dell Technologies Championship is just his 11th tournament of the year and the former amateur sensation is going to qualify for the BMW Championship. If he were to make it into the TOUR Championship – and presently he’s projected at No. 33 in the FEC standings – he would do something that only McIlroy and Steve Stricker have done. That is, make the top 30 in fewer than 15 tournaments. No surprise if you know Cantlay, but that didn’t seem to impress him. Instead, he’s more focused on his standing at the Dell, which is quite solid, thank you very much. Cantlay shot 68 Sunday, running to 24 his stretch of bogey-free holes, and at 8-under 204 he’s tied for ninth. Impressive, considering that he was virtually sidelined for a few years, fighting back issues. But again, Cantlay is low key and incredibly focused on what he does best: Manage golf courses, play to his strengths, and keep the ball in play. He’s made the cut in each of his 10 starts this year, has recorded three top 10s and four other top 20s and will approach Monday no different than he comes into every tournament. “I’m just trying to win every week,� said Cantlay, who played alongside Spieth, the first time they’ve been paired since the 2013 Puerto Rico Open. “If he had had the full year this year,� said Spieth, “I would imagine he’d have been on the Presidents Cup team, no question. He’s extremely talented and he’s going to work his way up into the top 10 in the world, in my opinion.� CALL OF THE DAY SHOT OF THE DAY GARCIA’S BROKEN PUTTER What started nicely – a 13-foot putt for birdie – soured quickly as Sergio Garcia paid the price for damaging his putter on the par-4 fourth. Angered after leaving his second shot, a 35-foot putt, well short at the drivable hole, Garcia jammed his putter against a sprinkler head. He clarified later that “I didn’t break it,� but he chose to take it out of play. “The putter (blade) moved, just a little, but the lie was a little flatter. That’s all. But I wasn’t going to cheat, simple as that.� Unable to replace a club that’s self-damaged, Garcia pulled his 3-wood and curled in the 13-footer. It was about as good as things would get, however. He three-putted the sixth, switched to his driver and putted not very well with that, either. When he missed a 1-foot putt at the ninth, Garcia opted to putt his entire back nine with a 4-iron. For the day, Garcia was a negative 3.412 in the strokes gained putting department. He required 33 putts and made just 66 feet of putts (by comparison, Justin Thomas made 156 feet, 5 inches), a big reason why he shot 75 and fell into a share of 53rd. GRACE, INTERNATIONALS FINDING FORM Pleased as he was to bounce back from an opening 74 to post a sizzling 64 in Saturday’s second round, Branden Grace said that it was double the enjoyment to scan the leaderboard at TPC Boston. Aussie Marc Leishman is tied for the 54-hole lead, Canadian Adam Hadwin is joint fourth, and while South African Louis Oosthuizen (74, tied for 32nd) and Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama (70, tied for 36th) aren’t in the mix here, there seems to be some form taking shape for members of the International Team. And that bodes well for a passionate Presidents Cup member like Grace. “Even though I’m still young (29), this will be my third Presidents Cup, so I feel like one of the veterans,� said Grace, a hard-hitting South African who can churn out the birdies with the best of them. He was tied for 68th after Friday’s first round, but roared back Saturday and tacked on a 69 Sunday to get into a share of 14th at 6-under. Grace started the week 99th in the FedExCup standings, but is currently projected at No. 63. “I need a good day (Monday) to get into the BMW,� he said. NOTABLES Bubba Watson played his first six holes in 4 over, his next 12 holes in 4 under. With 71, he settled into a share of 60th and needs a big day Monday to advance to the third leg of the Playoffs. Jason Day shot 70 and is in a tie for 44th. Ian Poulter added a 69 to his TPC Boston trip and is now joint 36th. Brooks Koepka had birdies at 16 and 17 to shoot 68 and pull into a tie for 21st. ODDS AND ENDS When Kyle Stanley made a 2-1/2 footer to birdie the fourth hole, he was 10-under and in the lead. He then played the next 14 holes in 5-over, shot 73 and fell into a tie for 19th. Kevin Tway has bogeyed the par-3 11th two days in a row after making an ace there Friday. Fourth hole a pushover with an eagle, 36 birdies and 3.671 field average? Don’t tell that to Brendan Steele, who drove it wide left into a bunker, bladed it over the green, needed three shots to navigate a slope, then two-putted for triple-bogey. Rickie Fowler played the par-5s in 1 over the first two days. In Round 3 he played them in 2-under, though he has yet to birdie the 18th this tournament. BEST OF SOCIAL MEDIA

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