Top 30 Players to Watch in 2019: No. 25 Charles Howell III

DUBLIN, Ohio – Jon Rahm’s storied history with the 16th hole at Muirfield Village continued Saturday morning as the defending Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide champion made a stunning ace to surge into the outright lead. The Spanish superstar slotted the ball home on the iconic par-3 with an 8-iron from 183 yards a year after he chipped in from greenside rough on Sunday only to be penalized two shots for being deemed to make his ball move prior to his swing. The penalty in 2020 ended up being inconsequential as he held on for victory over the final two holes although Saturday’s shot still felt like a bit of retribution for the five-time PGA TOUR winner. “I told Adam (caddy), I was walking down after I picked up the ball, I’m, like, well, that is some good karma and payback from last year,” Rahm joked. “It was just one of those good numbers. It helped to see Xander’s shot because I knew if I pulled the 8-iron it would be over the pin, so I just aimed between the pin and the edge of the bunker, hit a straight 8-iron and let the wind do the rest, and it went in. “I did not think any ball landing short of the pin would go in just because it’s coming in with such height from the elevated tee and the greens are soft. But hey, I think you can kind of see my face of surprise, right, early on, because I was pretty sure that ball was going to be past the hole about 15 feet.” Returning to finish the last five holes of his second round thanks to earlier weather delays Rahm had dropped a shot on the par-4 14th and failed to birdie the par-5 15th before the sensational shot. He backed up the ace with a birdie on the 17th and was within a whisker of another on 18 to shoot a 7-under 65 leaving him at 10-under and two shots clear of 2019 champion Patrick Cantlay at 8-under. Collin Morikawa, Xander Schauffele, Scottie Scheffler and Max Homa sit tied third at 6-under. “I wasn’t too happy to have to stop yesterday because I was 5-under through 13 playing unbelievable golf. I was feeling really, really solid. Had you given me a flashlight, I probably would have tried to finish yesterday,” Rahm added. “I’m leading the tournament after 36 so I’m in a good position. I’m comfortable. I’ve been looking forward to it, like I said earlier in the week. I’ve been doing a lot of backdoor top 10s and I’m happy I’m in contention for once.”

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ORLANDO, Fla. — Viktor Hovland had the lowest round of the day with a 6-under 66 and is off to another great start at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard. This time, he has a good idea what to expect on the weekend at Bay Hill. RELATED: Full leaderboard | Inside the Field: THE PLAYERS Championship Rory McIlroy got a sneak preview. Hovland played Friday morning and set the target on a warm day with increasing wind, making seven birdies and a few key pars saves late in the second round. He posted a 9-under 135. McIlroy played in the afternoon and was poised to catch him until his putter let him down on greens that were getting crisp and slippery. Tied for the lead, McIlroy missed a 4-foot par putt, putts from 8 feet on the next two holes for birdie and par, and he finished off his 72 by missing a good birdie chance from 15 feet. He was two behind along with past Bay Hill winner Tyrrell Hatton (68) and Talor Gooch (68), who won his first PGA TOUR title in the final official event last year. Hovland was two shots out of the lead going into the weekend last year when he closed with rounds of 77-78 and wound up 15 shots behind. “I kind of try to forget the weekend here last year,” he said. “I played really well the first few days, very similar to how I played so far this year. The course just gets harder and harder every single day, and it started blowing. A few too many bad swings and I ended up in bad spots and just didn’t really take my medicine.” McIlroy opened with a 65 in slightly softer conditions Thursday morning and it didn’t take long for him to realize how much the course had changed. He bogeyed the opening hole and did well to battle back with three birdies. And then it was a diet of pars until those dried up. He was seven shots worse, and said it didn’t feel that way. “Those are the sort of greens you expect to see late on a Sunday, not late on a Friday,” McIlroy said. “It’s going to be interesting to see where they go from here, but it’s going to be a good test over the weekend. I’m glad I got 18 holes in those conditions because the course definitely changed a lot from when I played it yesterday morning to this afternoon. “I’ll be a little more prepared for it tomorrow.” As for Hatton, he wasn’t sure what to think except that he putted well. That much was evident from his 22 putts. He won here two years ago — the last PGA TOUR event before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down golf for three months — and does have a good feel for the greens. That’s about the only part of his game that felt right. “I’m not particularly happy with how I hit the golf ball the last few days,” Hatton said. “I think the score is pretty flattering. I’ve putted really good, which is why I’ve got the score that I have, but I know that I can’t keep hitting it that badly certainly with how it’s going to be playing much tougher this weekend. “Hopefully, I can find a golf swing, and hopefully the putt stays up this weekend.” Gooch didn’t drop a shot until his final hole. Still, it was a stout performance considering he played in the afternoon. His round included a 40-foot eagle putt down the slope on the par-5 16th, and he was rarely out of position until going from thick rough right of the ninth fairway to the front bunker, leaving himself nearly 40 yards from the back pin. Bay Hill was such a test that Jon Rahm still couldn’t find his groove with the putter and was one shot outside the top 10. He had a 70 and was among those seven behind. The cut was at 3-over 147, the sixth straight year it was over par. Patrick Reed missed it by one shot, his third straight tournament missing the cut. That hasn’t happened to Reed since 2017. Seven players shot 80 or higher. Hovland had no such concerns, and he was particularly good on the back nine when he ran in a 25-foot birdie putt on the 15th, two-putted for birdie on the 16th and then smashed a 5-iron from 230 yards to 10 feet on the par-3 17th for a third straight birdie. McIlroy, who had 30 putts, was told that Hovland needed only 23 putts and Hatton only 22. He had the same response to both questions, knowing all of them would be playing late. “See how he does tomorrow.”

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