Three teams enter Sunday with share of lead at QBE Shootout

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Jason Day said he felt good about his game, and the positive impact he had on a junior golfer, as he prepares to defend his title at the site of his most recent PGA TOUR triumph. Day played with Kobe Narcisse, 14, in the tournament’s pro-am at Quail Hollow Club. It was Narcisse’s prize for winning Wells Fargo’s Succeeding Together essay contest. “It was a dream of mine,â€� Narcisse said. Day dispatched putting tips to his young pro-am partner, and there may not be a better source for such information. Day is fourth on TOUR in Strokes Gained: Putting. That club was key to his success at Quail Hollow last year. Day leaned heavily on his short game, finishing first in Strokes Gained: Around-the-Green and second in Strokes Gained: Putting, to beat Aaron Wise and Nick Watney by two shots. “I was hitting it off the map and I was trying to get it in the hole,â€� Day said. He may not have won since last year’s Wells Fargo, but he’s 33rd in this season’s FedExCup. He has five top-10s in 11 starts this season, including an eighth-place finish at THE PLAYERS Championship and T5 at the Masters. “Obviously it’s hard to be patient sometimes because you know you want to win. I feel it’s right there,â€� Day said. Narcisse, a member of The First Tee of New Orleans, started the first golf team at his school. He overcame early resistance by explaining the game’s benefits to his classmates. Related: Featured Groups, tee times | Power Rankings | Rose looks to rebound | The harsh lessons of losing can pay big dividends | Tiger’s inspiring message to Varner’s friend | Best-selling books gains popularity on TOUR “I explained that golf is the kind of sport that strengthens one’s mental stamina, one’s ability to focus,â€� Narcisse wrote in his winning essay. “Before long, we had enough interested students to start a team. “Rather than back away from the idea because of indifference, I felt confident in my ability to help my peers realize the benefits of learning to play. Although we are still a very young team in terms of skill, we are indeed a team.â€� Narcisse also wrote that his father, who helped him develop a strong work ethic, is his biggest role model. “I will never forget when he said, ‘If you want to get to where you’re at the top, you have to work harder than the next person because others are trying to work just as hard to achieve their goals,’â€� Narcisse wrote. “From that moment on, I began to look at life differently. I realized that consistency was the key in everything I did. … Consistently excelling is the discipline I now live by.â€� On Wednesday, that pursuit of excellence earned him a spot alongside one of the PGA TOUR’s top players.

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JACKSON, Miss. — Tom Hoge felt relieved to make his way back to the PGA TOUR. He is starting the new season with a clear head, no stress and great scores. One week after he was runner-up at A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier for the best finish of his PGA TOUR career, Hoge opened with three straight birdies and closed with a 45-foot birdie putt for an 8-under 64 and a one-shot lead among the early starters Thursday in the Sanderson Farms Championship. Robert Streb, Cameron Percy and Seamus Power each shot 65. Thunderstorms moved in over the Country Club of Jackson in the afternoon and led to play being suspended for the day. First-round play is set to resume at 7 a.m. CT Friday morning. Of the late starters, Byeong Hun An and J.T. Poston were at 5 under. Joaquin Niemann, the 20-year-old from Chile coming off a six-shot victory at the Greenbrier, opened with a 68. Hoge, a 30-year-old from North Dakota, is winless in 134 career starts on the PGA TOUR and has only advanced to the FedExCup Playoffs once. Last month was the third time since 2015 he had to earn his card back through the Korn Ferry Tour Finals. But he’s back again, and he wants to make the most of it. “There was so much pressure there for a few weeks to play well and get back out here on the PGA TOUR,” Hoge said. “Once you get that done, it frees you up a little bit. At the same time, you know you played well, so just kind of keep it rolling.” That he did. After a three-week break, he started the new season by posting all four rounds in the 60s for only the second time in his career. He contended on Sunday until Niemann pulled away, but it was his first runner-up on TOUR and took some of the pressure off. Thursday was more of the same. He missed only four greens, and twice saved par with big putts, including one from 12 feet after finding a bunker on the 16th hole. His start, however, was ideal. He holed a 6-foot birdie putt at No. 1, stuffed a wedge into tap-in range on the next hole and made a 12-footer on No. 3. The finish was a bonus, a 45-foot putt that rolled in the center of the cup with perfect pace. “Nice way to end for sure,” Hoge said. This is the first time the Sanderson Farms Championship is not sharing the week with another, bigger PGA TOUR event. Years ago, it was held opposite the TOUR Championship before the FedExCup era. More recently, it was held opposite the WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai. Now it gets full FedExCup points, and the winner gets an invitation to the Masters. For Hoge, it’s a chance to get his season off to a quick start. He knows from experience how valuable that can be. Two years ago, he tied for seventh in Las Vegas and then played in the final group and finished third in Honolulu. That was the one year he kept his card. “Just frees up the rest of the year,” Hoge said. Brandt Snedeker, playing the Sanderson Farms Championship for the first time, opened with a 69. Among those playing in the afternoon was 17-year-old Akshay Bhatia, who turned pro this week. He was even par through four holes.

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Koepka the man to beat at the U.S. Open

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