Top equipment stories of 2020

Round 1 belonged to Kevin Streelman and Beau Hossler, who fires a flawless, 7-under 63s to tie for the lead after 18 holes. TOUR rookies Julian Suri and Aaron Wise trail by just a stroke, while Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson all postes sub-par rounds early. Another day, another course in Monterey. Who shines in Round 2 at Pebble Beach? THE STARS ARE OUT: Tony Romo, Aaron Rodgers, Justin Verlander, Larry the Cable Guy and all the other celebrity faces. FULL FIELD: Defending champion Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson and more! Round 2 tee times Round 2 leaderboard HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN TELEVISION: Friday, 3-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday, 2-3:30 p.m. (GC), 4-7 p.m. (CBS). Sunday, 1-2:30 p.m. (GC), 3-6:30 p.m. (CBS). PGA TOUR LIVE: Friday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. (featured groups), 3-6 p.m. (featured holes). Saturday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. (featured holes). Sunday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. (featured holes). RADIO: Friday, 12-6 p.m. ET. Saturday, 1-7 p.m. Sunday, 1-6:30 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com) NOTABLE PAIRINGS (All times Eastern) * – Notable amateur PEBBLE BEACH GOLF LINKS Pat Perez, Vaughn Taylor 11:11 a.m. off the 10th tee Jon Rahm, Patrick Cantlay 11:22 a.m. off the 1st tee Bubba Watson, Aaron Baddeley 12:50 p.m. off the 1st tee Bryson DeChambeau, Jim Herman 1:01 p.m. off the 1st tee SPYGLASS HILL Patrick Reed, Paul Casey 12:50 p.m. off the 1st tee Graeme McDowell, Sangmoon Bae 12:50 p.m. off the 10th tee Beau Hossler, Cameron Davis 1:01 p.m. off the 10th tee MONTEREY PENINSULA Brandt Snedeker, Matt Kuchar 11:11 a.m. off the 1st tee Phil Mickelson, Rory McIlroy 11:11 a.m. off the 10th tee D.A. Points, Chris Stroud, Bill Murray*, Darius Rucker* 11:22 a.m. off the 10th tee Russell Knox, Jimmy Walker, Justin Verlander* 12:06 p.m. off the 1st tee Mac Hughes, Kevin Na, Steve Young*, Alex Smith* 12:17 p.m. off the 10th tee Jerry Kelly, Kevin Streelman, Aaron Rodgers*, Larry Fitzgerald* 12:39 p.m. off the 10th tee Jason Day, William McGirt, Alfonso Ribeiro* 12:50 p.m. off the 1st tee Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Wayne Gretzky*, Jake Owen* 1:01 p.m. off the 10th tee Keith Mitchell, Tom Lovelady, Ray Romano*, Larry the Cable Guy* 1:12 p.m. off the 10th tee

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AVONDALE, La. — Chez Reavie and Lucas Glover teamed to shoot a 12-under 60 on Thursday for a share of the Zurich Classic lead with China’s Zhang Xinjun and Dou Zecheng. Reavie and Glover each had six birdies in the best-ball format, pushing through soggy weather early in the round before conditions cleared at TPC Louisiana. Zhang and Dou birdied four of their final five holes. Tony Finau-Daniel Summerhays, Chris Paisley-Tommy Fleetwood, J.J. Henry-Tom Hoge, Michael Kim-Andrew Putnam, Kevin Kisner-Scott Brown and Troy Merritt-Brendon de Jonge were tied for third at 62. Jason Day and Ryan Ruffels shot 64, Masters champion Patrick Reed and Patrick Cantlay had a 65, and Jordan Spieth and Ryan Palmer were at 66. This is the second year that two-player teams have competed at the Zurich Classic. The unusual tournament features best-ball play in the first and third rounds and alternate shot in the second and final rounds.

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BROOKLINE, Mass. – Get ready for bonus golf this week at the U.S. Open. History says a playoff at The Country Club will be needed to decide the champion. RELATED: Power Rankings | Nine Things to Know: The Country Club | Five Cinderellas to watch Playoffs were necessary to crown a winner in the three previous U.S. Opens at the celebrated venue just outside Boston, and taking things a step further, playoffs have been needed to decide the last six US Opens played in the state of Massachusetts. So, despite the fact it’s been a record 14 years since Tiger Woods outlasted Rocco Mediate in extra holes at Torrey Pines in the 2008 U.S. Open, history suggests 72 holes won’t be enough to get a winner this week. Francis Ouimet famously won the 1913 U.S. Open at Brookline with an 18-hole playoff win over Harry Vardon and Ted Ray and it was another three-man battle to get a winner in 1963 when Julius Boros took down Arnold Palmer and Jacky Cupit. And Curtis Strange beat Nick Faldo over 18 holes in a playoff in the most recent U.S. Open at The Country Club, in 1988. The Boston area also saw Fred McLeod win over Willie Smith in 1908 at Myopia Hunt Club and Walter Hagen defeated Mike Brady in 1919 at Brae Burn Country Club over 18 extra holes. Willie Macfarlane took down Bobby Jones in 1925 in a 36-hole playoff after they tied again in the first 18-holes at Worcester Country Club, as well. Woods’ win over Mediate took 19 extra holes but since then the United States Golf Association’s premier event has moved to a two-hole aggregate playoff format. They just haven’t had to use it yet. Despite the weight of history BetMGM Sportsbook are offering odds of +350 for Brookline to keep its 100% playoff record intact. And if you think the record gap for U.S. Opens without the extra holes will stretch to 14 years, they’re offering -500. Any playoff in 2022 would be played on the 17th and 18th holes, and if still tied after two holes the players would continue that loop in a sudden death mode. Here’s a closer look at the three previous playoffs at The Country Club. 1913: A WIN FOR THE LOCAL LAD This U.S. Open was so good Hollywood made a movie about it called “The Greatest Game Ever Played” where a young Shia LeBeouf plays the Ouimet role beautifully. Ouimet, a 20-year-old amateur and former caddie at Brookline who lived across the road from this week’s 17th hole, was not expected to factor as anything but a local prospect for fans to cheer for. But with his 10-year-old caddie Eddie Lowery by his side, the pair forced their way to the top of the leaderboard against the British superstar duo of Harry Vardon and Ted Ray. A 71st hole birdie proved extremely pivotal. Faced with the task of keeping the trophy in American hands (Scottish or British golfers won the first 16 U.S. Opens before John McDermott became the first American to win in 1911 and 1912) Ouimet was brilliant in the 18-hole playoff on his way to a 72 that bested Vardon’s 77 and Ray’s 78. The trio were all tied through the opening nine holes with Vardon establishing a one-shot lead early on but giving it back before the turn. As the pressure ratcheted up on the back nine, Ouimet was steadfast with seven straight pars leaving him one ahead of Vardon with two to play. His lead was three when he birdied the hole and Vardon bogeyed before closing it out on 18. “I frankly admit that my victory was probably more surprising to me than to any person at The Country Club,” Ouimet said. 1963: BOROS BEATS FATHER TIME The U.S. Open returned to The Country Club to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Ouimet’s famous win and it was New England’s Julius Boros who gave the locals something to cheer about this time around. At 43, Boros become the second-oldest U.S. Open winner ever at the time when his 1-under 70 beat Jacky Cupit’s 73 and Arnold Palmer’s laboring 76 in an 18-hole playoff after the trio all finished at 9 over in regulation. Boros needed two birdies in his final three holes during the final round to tie Palmer at the top while Cupit was left to lament a 71st hole double-bogey and a missed 12-foot putt on the 72nd hole that would have claimed the win. In the playoff, Cupit led by one after just two holes before Boros took control. Three front nine birdies helped him to a three-shot lead over Palmer and a four-shot cushion over Cupit at the turn. He was five clear after 12 holes and despite doubling the 13th, he cruised to his second U.S. Open title. 1988: STRANGE REIGNS SUPREME Curtis Strange persevered to claim the first of his back-to-back U.S. Open titles after a wild final round finish left him tied with Nick Faldo at The Country Club. The 54-hole leader infamously three-putted the 71st green to lose his one-shot advantage over Faldo during the final round and then found a greenside bunker on his approach to the 18th, much to the chagrin of the partisan American crowd. Seemingly in the midst of throwing the championship away Strange produced a clutch up and down for par to ensure England’s Faldo would have to return for an 18-hole Monday playoff. The American would never trail in the playoff, setting up a one-shot lead at the turn, before prevailing with an even-par 71 against Faldo’s 4-over 75. While Strange was steadfast down the stretch, Faldo bogeyed three of his last four to surrender his hopes. “This is for my dad. … I’ve been waiting a long time to do this. … This is the greatest feeling I’ve ever had,” Strange, who lost his golf professional father at just 14, emotionally said. “Sometimes dreams don’t come true. Ninety-nine percent of the time they don’t. My dream has come true.”

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