Tony Finau shoots 9-under 62 to take Phoenix Open lead

ATLANTA – Paul Casey sits in his post round press conference and awaits the question. He knows it is coming. He’s already answered it 100 times but he knows, it’s coming again. Or at least some version of it. “How can you turn all these close calls into a win?â€� “What have you learned from the close calls you can use tomorrow?â€� “What would it mean to finally close the deal after so many close calls?â€� “How have you managed the frustration of coming so close so often?â€� Whichever way you spin it – the fact Casey has nine top 10s in the FedExCup Playoffs, including three runner ups, without winning one – has become a hot topic. In his last eight FedExCup Playoff events, he has six top-5 results. In the last two Playoff seasons he’s 80-under par, the best of anyone. He has 28 of 31 rounds in the FedExCup Playoffs at par or better since the start of 2016. In his last three seasons, he has 23 top 10s on the PGA TOUR but still only boasts the 2009 Shell Houston Open as his lone victory in the USA. The Englishman does have 12 career European Tour wins, so it is not as if he’s foreign to the top spot. The last of those though came at the KLM Open in 2014. But now he stands on the edge of ending the drought, and perhaps doing it in dramatic fashion. After opening the TOUR Championship 66-67-65 he sits at 12-under par and in the lead alone. He’s two shots clear of Kevin Kisner and Xander Schauffele and five shots clear of the next best contenders in Patrick Reed, Brooks Koepka and Justin Thomas. He could not only win the event, but also the season long FedExCup. “I don’t get frustrated when you ask. I take it as motivation. I take it as a compliment and then take a serious look at it as to okay, how can I make it happen. Because if you didn’t think I was capable, you wouldn’t ask me,â€� Casey said of the constant questioning as he faces a potentially restless night sleeping on the lead. The 39-year-old says many of his top-10 finishes haven’t really been true great opportunities. This one is. And given he has been to East Lake three times before and finished T4 (2010), T5 (2015) and 4th (2016) in those campaigns, he’s feeling confident. Not only is he in the box seat to win the TOUR Championship, but currently he is projected to also claim the season long FedExCup given the leaderboard. Coming in at 10th on the points list Casey needs to win the TOUR Championship and hope for the following help… Jordan Spieth needs to finish in a 3-way tie for 4th or worse. Spieth sits T13. Justin Thomas needs to finish T3 or worse. Thomas sits T4. Dustin Johnson needs to finish in a 3-way tie for 2nd or worse. Johnson is T13. Marc Leishman needs to finish T2 or worse. Leishman is T22. Jon Rahm can force a playoff for the FedExCup if he is 2nd alone behind Casey. Rahm is T6. “It would be amazing. I haven’t thought about it too much because I’m just trying to get the job done,â€� he added about the prospect of the FedExCup trophy and $10 million bonus. “Certainly it would be very satisfying knowing that I’ve had ups and downs in my career and this would be the biggest victory of my career.â€� Fellow Englishman Justin Rose, who also has desires of winning but sits seven shots back in a tie for ninth, knows it must be tough for his friend. “He’s had a great season. I think that’s obviously what’s got to be on his mind, when is it going to convert to a victory, for sure,â€� Rose said.  “He’s been knocking on the door and he loves this golf course. This is obviously a place he feels very comfortable so it could be good timing for him as well if he keeps playing well.â€� Casey has been the 54-hole leader twice on TOUR, converting one time in Houston over eight years ago. He averages 68.77 on Thursday’s this season on the PGA TOUR, ranked 1st on TOUR. Come Sunday its 70.33 which has him T67th on TOUR. The reason, he says, is putting too much pressure on himself. As such he will try to remain as relaxed as possible in the final round. “I’m probably trying too hard and maybe taking risks that are probably unnecessary,â€� Casey explained. “I have to hit fairways, I have to continue to hit quality tee shots. Same attitude. Maybe I’ll be a bit more nervous… It’s all those things. It’s just sort of maintaining the process. If I do that, then fingers crossed, everything takes care of itself.â€� The shakiness over the last few years gives life to the chasers. Jason Day, who will start six shots back in a tie for seventh, was ready to apply the heat. “That kind of gives us a little bit of hope knowing that he’s probably had opportunities before and hasn’t quite got over the line,â€� Day said.  “You never want to wish something bad against someone, but obviously if you can get yourself in contention and kind of capitalize on maybe the experiences that he’s had since 2009, he hasn’t won, that’s just how the game works.â€� Casey feels he’s ready to stand up to the heat this time. It won’t be long and we’ll know.

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SYDNEY, Australia – You could argue that Smylie Kaufman has been figuratively down under for a while. Now, he’s literally there as the search for his game continues halfway around the world. Kaufman has popped up in the Australian Open in Sydney this week and will play the Indonesian Masters in Jakarta on Dec. 12-15 before returning to Australia for the Australian PGA Championship on Dec. 19-22. The now 28-year-old won the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in just his fifth PGA TOUR start back in the 2015-16 season and then shot further into stardom in the months that followed. In his first Masters start in 2016, he sat just a shot off the lead through 54-holes and was part of a viral spring break trip with fellow young studs Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler and Justin Thomas. But as the rest of that group continued a climb into the stratospheres with FedExCup, THE PLAYERS Championship and major championship victories, Kaufman started a freefall. Since being tied fourth at the Sanderson Farms Championship in October 2017, Kaufman has missed the cut in 25 of 27 PGA TOUR starts with a WD in another. He had the same troubles in a handful of Korn Ferry Tour starts and even pegged it up on a mini tour a few months ago. The reason for the demise is a mix between a right wrist and left elbow injury and some shattered confidence that was initially exaggerated by a steady stream of social media criticism. Like other players who have gone through rough patches, Kaufman says it is the unknown that plagues him. His iron play particularly had gone awry and sent his trust levels into cavernous territory. Sound familiar? FedExCup leader Brendon Todd has just come out the other side of a similar dark place, winning twice already this season after years of heartache. His recent success gives Kaufman heart. “Guys out here… they have something they can rely on. That’s where the struggle comes, when a player feels they don’t have something they can trust or rely on and they don’t know what the ball is going to do and how it is going to react,â€� Kaufman said. This is not easy golf out here and I think people don’t always understand how hard the game can be if you don’t know exactly what your ball is going to do. “It’s just a guessing game when it comes down to it.â€� Amidst all the gloom, there have been a few glimmers of hope in recent times. Kaufman has learned how to deal with those who take shots at him from behind a keyboard and is looking at positives rather than negatives. And he feels his ball-striking is not as loose as it had been, putting him on a path back to belief. His last round on the PGA TOUR was a 4-under 67 in the second round of the Bermuda Championship and while he still missed the cut after an opening 76, it was his lowest round on either the PGA TOUR or the Korn Ferry Tour in 531 days. He had been +136 in 35 rounds since shooting 67 in the second round of the 2018 AT&T Byron Nelson. And so, with only past champion status to call on in America, a trip across the Pacific was arranged. Kaufman wants tournament reps while he finds himself in a more positive mindset. Sadly, he opened with a 4-over 75 at The Australian Golf Club – a theme he has been fighting for so long now. A missed flight from the U.S. left him arriving on Tuesday and suffering some severe jetlag, but he refused to blame his fatigue on his score. “It has been mainly Thursdays for me. Just the buildup and the pressure has made Thursdays feel like Sundays,â€� Kaufman said after his first competitive round down under. “It’s hard for me to just go out there and be comfortable and ready to go. So I think that’s huge for me these next three weeks. I get three Thursdays and Fridays to try to feel more and more comfortable. The more tournament golf the better.â€� Kaufman had politely declined media requests over the last few months as he focused on finding his game, but in Australia he seems to have turned a corner in confidence. His trademark smile returned at times, fueled by the generous support afforded to him by the galleries. While he has scaled back his social media presence from the early days, Kaufman has noticed a shift in the landscape of late. There are less haters and more and more supporters and votes of confidence. More and more golf fans are now appreciative of the dedication and sacrifice Kaufman is making to turn things around. “The fans here were great. That was fun. There were some key marquee groups behind so we played with some big crowds and that was a nice change for me from home where I haven’t really been playing in front of anybody much lately,â€� Kaufman adds. “I was actually surprised to see how many people seem to know who I am so it was kind of nice to have fans here who enjoy following me and watching and hopefully I can give them a little more of a show tomorrow. “I have always believed your talent doesn’t go anywhere. I don’t feel that far off, that’s the thing. I really don’t.â€� Kaufman says he is a visual learner and when he is able to clear his mind golf becomes easy. But clearing the nagging thoughts has proven difficult at times. “When you play so bad for so long… you’re always trying to figure out a Rubik cube,â€� he says. “I was in a funk there… When you go through a tough stretch, you’re more in analytical mode and you’re using a different part of your brain. Now I’m basically working on strong visuals. I can do it on the range. I can do it on the putting green. I just have to take it to the course.â€�

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Lydia Ko and Eun-Hee Ji share the lead at the winners-only LPGA Tour season opener in Florida.

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