Triple, eagle highlight Rory McIlroy’s topsy-turvy start to TOUR Championship

Newly crowned PGA TOUR Player of the Year Brooks Koepka heads to South Korea for a start on his 2018-19 season, joining defending champion Justin Thomas atop the lineup for the second leg of the TOUR’s Asia Swing. Ian Poulter, whose singles win over Dustin Johnson put Europe on the brink of taking back the Ryder Cup in France, heads a list of four winning Europeans coming to The Club at Nine Bridges. The field also includes Hall of Famer Ernie Els, who will captain the International squad at next year’s Presidents Cup. FIELD NOTES: Billy Horschel, who registered a trio of top-3 finishes in the FedExCup Playoffs, gives the 78-man field four players who placed among last year’s FedExCup top 10. Jason Day and Hideki Matsuyama also are among 13 entrants who were at the TOUR Championship last month. … Paul Casey, Alex Noren and Tyrrell Hatton join Poulter in South Korea off the winning European Ryder Cup roster. Thomas and Koepka are the only representatives from the U.S. lineup. … In all, the field features 15 of the top 40 players in the Official World Golf Ranking. … Koepka, Thomas, Day and Els are among a dozen major championship winners set to tee it up at Nine Bridges. … A total of 22 players will make their third start in as many weeks of the new season. FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 500 points. STORYLINES: Koepka opens his season in quest of something he jokes he doesn’t have enough of – a trophy that isn’t a major. Three of his four career PGA TOUR wins have been majors, including this year’s U.S. Open and PGA Championship. … Thomas, previously a back-to-back winner in Malaysia (2015-16), now seeks to match the feat at another Asian stop. … Matsuyama, who finished no worse than 15th in all four FedExCup Playoffs events, comes to Nine Bridges for the first time in hopes of giving the event its first Asian winner. … Sungjae Im, fourth at the Safeway Open in his rookie debut after topping the Web.com Tour in earnings, is among 12 Korean pros seeking to bring fans a homegrown winner. The list also includes THE PLAYERS 2017 winner Si Woo Kim and former U.S. Amateur champion Byeong Hun An. … The CJ Cup marks the third big event in as many weeks for Korean fans, after Incheon played host to the LPGA’s UL International Crown team event – won by a South Korean foursome – and the KEB Hana Bank Championship that followed. COURSE: The Club at Nine Bridges, 7,196 yards, par 72. The only Korean course ranked among the world’s top 100, Nine Bridges winds its way through rolling pineland on Jeju Island just south of Korea’s mainland. Laid out by David Dale and Ronald Fream, the club opened in 2001 and one year later became one of the first Asian venues to appear on the LPGA schedule, as Se Ri Pak won the inaugural. Korean winners followed the next three years as well. Nine Bridges also is the longtime host of the biannual World Club Championship, where champions from top-level clubs around the world gather to contest a global title. The course actually features eight bridges – the ninth is metaphorical as a link from the club to members and guests. 72-HOLE RECORD: 279, Justin Thomas (2017). 18-HOLE RECORD: 63, Justin Thomas (1st round, 2017). LAST YEAR: Thomas won the inaugural edition for his third Asian crown, opening with a 63 but still needing two playoff holes to outlast Marc Leishman. Three birdies on the back nine lifted Leishman even with Thomas, briefly taking the lead until the freshly crowned FedExCup winner made birdie on No. 18. Both made par on the first replay at No. 18, before Leishman found the water on the second extra pass. Victory capped a rather unusual week for Thomas, who set the bar with his opening 63 but didn’t break 70 in any of his other rounds. It still went into the books as Thomas’ seventh career victory, adding the CJ Cup title to a pair of wins at the CIMB Classic in Malaysia. Australia’s Cameron Smith took third, one shot out of the playoff when he failed to birdie No. 18. HOW TO FOLLOW TELEVISION: Wednesday-Saturday, 10 p.m.-2 a.m. ET (Golf Channel). PGA TOUR LIVE: None. RADIO: None.

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In the final round of The Greenbrier Classic, Xander Schauffele sticks his 162-yard tee shot to three feet to birdie 18 and pick up his first PGA TOUR win at The Old White TPC. Welcome to the Monday Finish, where Schauffele, 23, in just his 24th TOUR start, becomes the latest from the decorated high school Class of 2011 to enter the winner’s circle. FIVE OBSERVATIONS 1. Much has been made of Schauffele’s tee shot on 18, but the start of his hot streak goes back to his ‘tree shot’ on 18—a shot that almost nobody saw. It was June 5, and Schauffele had lost his drive into the trees on the last hole of regulation at the U.S. Open sectional qualifier at Germantown Country Club in Memphis. He didn’t panic. Instead, he threaded his second shot through the timber and back into the fairway; birdied the hole to get into a 5-for-2 playoff; got through that playoff the next morning; and ultimately finished T5 at the U.S. Open at Erin Hills. “Huge for me mentally,â€� Schauffele, a former San Diego State All-American, said of his U.S. Open performance. With the T5 and his win at The Greenbrier three weeks later, he now has punched his ticket to the next four majors. He also jumped from 94th to 27th in the FedExCup, setting himself up for a deep run through the playoffs. “Being a rookie, my only goal was to just make the playoffs and maintain—just stay on the PGA TOUR,â€� he said. 2. “Everyone that knows me knows I’m a late bloomer,â€� Schauffele said. Wait. What? He was a winner at San Diego State, graduated from the Web.com Tour to the PGA TOUR after one year, and at age 23 won in just his 24th TOUR start. But here’s the thing: Schauffele is part of golf’s high school Class of 2011, a group of baton-twirling overachievers that includes, among others, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas and Daniel Berger. Oh, and there’s also Jon Rahm, another guy who picked up a win this season before Schauffele, and who won the European Tour’s Irish Open on Sunday. “I always joke with my buddies saying it’s not cool to be 23 and on the PGA TOUR anymore,â€� Schauffele said, “since everyone that’s been 22, 23, 24, they’re all winning. So, I guess kudos to them for kind of pushing me along.â€� 3. Speaking of the Class of 2011, Colombia’s Sebastian Munoz continues to be a winning personality on TOUR, even if he hasn’t yet won. His putting? Brilliant. (For three of the four rounds, anyway.) His decision to turn off his phone and distract himself with 80s movies like Ferris Bueller’s Day Off? Brilliant. His final-round 72 and T3 finish at The Old White TPC? Okay, that was less than brilliant, but after watching him play so well through two rounds at the FedEx St. Jude Classic, and three at The Greenbrier, it was nice to see Munoz get a nice consolation prize, a berth in The Open Championship. Munoz, who moved from 198th to 140th in the FedExCup, admitted he was feeling dejected as he walked off the 18th green until his caddie reminded him he’d earned a trip to Royal Birkdale. “The first major, I would never have thought it was going to be The Open Championship,â€� Munoz said. “So it’s awesome.â€� 4. Want to win on the PGA TOUR? Statistically, your best bet is still to play from behind. Schauffele was three behind Munoz entering the final round, and was the seventh come-from-behind winner at The Greenbrier in the tournament’s seven-year history. (Technically it’s been around for eight years, but flooding ended last year’s tournament before it began.) Only six of 34 first-round leaders/co-leaders have gone on to win, and 11 of 34 third-round leaders/co-leaders. 5. Phil Mickelson’s first tournament with his brother Tim on the bag was a success. Absent his usual caddie, pal Jim “Bonesâ€� Mackay, who caddied for Mickelson for 25 years, Lefty did more than just make the cut at The Greenbrier. His 6-under 64 Sunday was his best final round since an 8-under 62 at the 2014 World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational. He moved up 41 places to finish T20, and enjoyed the company of his little brother. For his part, Tim Mickelson, a player-agent for Jon Rahm, kept one eye on the Irish Open, which Rahm won hours before the conclusion of The Greenbrier. “That was a nice plus,â€� Phil Mickelson said of Rahm’s victory. “But [Tim is] just a fun guy to be around. I just love being around him. We had a great first week, and I’m looking forward to spending more time with him.â€� FIVE INSIGHTS 1. Schauffele became the seventh TOUR winner this season to rank inside the top 10 in strokes gained: off the tee (+1.224, 2nd) and strokes gained: putting (+1.433, 6th). He made 102 feet, 6 inches of putts per round at The Old White TPC, which was 23 feet more than his season average. He also made the longest putt by a TOUR winner this season, a 59 foot, 6 inch draino at the 12th hole in round three (see Top 3 Videos below). That was barely longer than the previous record-holder, Billy Horschel, whose 59 foot, 3 inch make at the 14th hole propelled him to victory at the AT&T Byron Nelson. 2. Munoz’s putting drop-off was shocking. He made 396 feet of putts while leading through three rounds—the second most through 54 holes on TOUR this season, behind only Russel Henley at the Shell Houston Open (408 feet). He was 35 of 35 inside six feet, and had jarred a field-leading 14 putts of more than 10 feet. Then he went from the sublime to the ridiculous. Suddenly ice cold Sunday, Munoz made just 32 feet of putts, his longest make measuring three feet, 10 inches. 3. Robert Streb finished second for the second straight Greenbrier Classic, although his last runner-up finish, to Danny Lee, came in 2015. (Flooding canceled last year’s tournament.) Streb will rue his double-bogey at the par-4 13th hole, but after his eighth straight round in the 60s at The Old White TPC, he moves from 137th to 68th in the FedExCup. 4. The Greenbrier sits at an elevation of 2,000 feet, which may not seem like much but was enough to skew the driving distance numbers. Although FedExCup leader Dustin Johnson is tied for first, year-to-date, in that stat (312.1 yards), seemingly everyone blew past that number at The Greenbrier. Winner Schauffele averaged 317.9 yards per poke, which was only 15th best in the field. Streb was at 323.9 (sixth). Tops in the field: Tony Finau, at 338.3 yards per drive. 5. Sunday marked yet another TOUR event won by a player under 25, a list of winners that includes but is not limited to Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm, Si Woo Kim, Daniel Berger and now Schauffele. That’s a big season for the kids, and a bright future for golf. TOP 3 VIDEOS 1. 2. 3.

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NORTON, Mass. – Bryson DeChambeau spent a good portion of his third round Sunday chatting up his playing partner. You could’ve sworn he was prepping for an oral exam in quantum mechanics. Meanwhile, he also managed to fit in four birdies in his first seven holes, showing he had lost none of the momentum from last week’s victory in the FedExCup Playoffs opener. He was on top of his game, on top of the FedExCup standings and having a blast. Yet he was nervous. With good reason. “It’s Tiger Woods, guys,â€� DeChambeau explained, the simplest answer always being the best. For the first time in his blossoming career, DeChambeau played a competitive round with his childhood idol. Although they’ve become frequent practice partners, DeChambeau knew Sunday was different. Tiger would have his game face on. As it turns out, DeChambeau can deliver one pretty good game face, too. The FedExCup leader shot an 8-under 63 that left him at 12 under through three rounds of the Dell Technologies Championship and gives him a golden opportunity to claim the first two Playoffs events. For the second straight week, he’ll be in the final twosome in the final round, this time with tournament leader Abraham Ancer, who’s 13 under. Meanwhile, Woods had to settle for a 3-under 68 that left him at 7 under and perhaps too far back to break his five-year victory drought in Monday’s Labor Day finish at TPC Boston. Afterwards, DeChambeau wore a huge smile, and it was tough to tell if it came from moving up the leaderboard or simply because he fulfilled a childhood fantasy. “I’ve admired him my whole entire life,â€� DeChambeau said. “And to be finally able to play with him under tournament conditions, it was different. I was a little nervous, for sure. But I was able to get out there and execute shots and worry about my game and focus on hitting the best shots possible – and I was able to play really well like that.â€� DeChambeau said his nervousness didn’t disappear until after the seventh hole. By then, he was 4 under on his round. Woods was 3 under on his round at that point, but while DeChambeau remained hot on the back nine, Woods quickly cooled off. He wouldn’t post another birdie until the par-5 18th. “I didn’t get a lot out of my round today,â€� Tiger shrugged. Still, it was an interesting, entertaining Sunday – even if Bryson did most of the talking. Told that Woods didn’t always seem this chatty, DeChambeau corrected, “He still isn’t, by the way.â€� Woods was asked if earlier in his career – in other words, the dominant Tiger years — he would have been as willing to engage with his playing partner. He referenced the names of players much older than him: Mark O’Meara, Mark Calcavecchia, Davis Love III, Fred Couples and the late Payne Stewart. “We were always chatty,â€� Tiger said. “When you’re playing with friends, yeah, you’re competing, but you’re still playing with friends.â€� Whether DeChambeau has reached that level of friendship is tough to say. But it’s apparent that Woods has taken a shine to the 24-year-old and fellow California native. “He’s fantastic to play with,â€� Woods said of DeChambeau. “He’s great. … Two friends going out there competing and playing. We both have jobs to do today and try to shoot as low rounds as we possibly could do today. And he did that.â€� It helps, obviously, that DeChambeau has emerged at one of the game’s top young golfers. His win last week at THE NORTHERN TRUST was the third of his PGA TOUR career and made him just the 11th player in the last 30 years to post three wins before turning 25. Besides taking over the FedExCup lead, he also moved to 12th in the world rankings. “Pretty impressive,â€� Woods said. “And just the way he’s played, especially the last couple of weeks. He’s had opportunities and had runs, but I think he’s cleaning up the rounds. He’s not making that many mistakes. And if he does … I’ve talked to him over the past couple of months, he’s missing the ball in the correct spots. That makes all the difference.â€� Their friendship has grown to the point of open speculation that they will be partners at next month’s Ryder Cup. The fact neither of them are yet on the U.S. team seems to be a moot point. Three of Jim Furyk’s four Captain’s picks will be announced next Tuesday, and expectations are that Woods and DeChambeau will be chosen. “I think if all the stars were to align and that were to happen, I think we could feed off of each other pretty well,â€� said DeChambeau, whose focus the next few weeks remains squarely on the FedExCup race. As for Tiger’s perspective on the pairing? Well, Sunday’s 63 at TPC Boston was a pretty strong statement. “If he goes around and shoots 8 under par every time,â€� Tiger said, “that will work.â€�

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