VIDEO: Dustin Johnson nearly makes hole-in-one at 382-yard par 4

From Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlory, Michael Collins went through the 156-field and found everyone a spot. It wasn’t easy.

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Joseph Bramlett … If you’ve missed it, the Korn Ferry Tour also restarted when the PGA TOUR got back to business two weeks ago. If you did, then you’ve overlooked him finishing a respective T2 and T3 at the first two tournaments on the developmental circuit. Playing time always is a tough get in invitationals at the highest level, but that reality has been multiplied in the era of the pandemic. So, he just went ahead and led the field at the Korn Ferry Challenge at TPC Sawgrass in greens in regulation and The King & Bear Classic at World Golf Village in putts per GIR. Oh, and he’s just inside the top-125 bubble of the FedExCup race thanks to an 8-for-12 season with a T9 among three top 20s. Patrick Rodgers … The last time he made the trip to TPC River Highlands, he was a Sleeper. That was in 2018. He finished T26. It was his fifth consecutive payday in as many editions on the course. The highlight was a T3 in 2016. This season, he’s gone for five top 25s, the latest just two weeks ago at Colonial (T14) where he showcased both his muscle off the tee and touch on the greens. With his familiarity of the routing this week, the Travelers Championship presents as strongly as any tournament on the schedule where he could break through for his first victory. Including three appearances on the PGA TOUR as a decorated amateur out of Stanford, this marks his 150th career start. Brice Garnett … The 36-year-old last appeared in Sleepers for the Mayakoba Golf Classic and promptly delivered with a T11. He’s added three top 20s since to sit a comfortable 86th in the FedExCup. His latest effort was a T17 at last week’s RBC Heritage where only runner-up Abraham Ancer hit more greens in regulation. Garnett is making his fifth appearance at TPC River Highlands. He logged a personal-best T20 in 2015 despite fading late after sitting T8 through 54 holes. Kevin Tway … It feels like ages ago that he broke through at the 2018 Safeway Open because it’s been over 10 months since his last top 25. Yet, because of the valuable timing of the win, he already was exempt through next season without the aid of the lifeline extended by the PGA TOUR during the hiatus. Still, he’s just 169th in the FedExCup, so there’s work to be done to shore up that bonus. Makes sense that he makes a dent in the deficit this week as he been a monster at TPC River Highlands in the last two years with a T6 (2018) and a T5 (2019). Will Gordon … Don’t forget about this guy. While Sahith Theegala and Peter Kuest will generate the lion’s share of the attention at TPC River Highlands this week, it’s the 2019 SEC Player of the Year who’s already on his way at the professional level. Like the recently turned professionals out of Pepperdine and BYU, respectively, Gordon, a product a Vanderbilt, also is making his tournament debut, but he’s already recorded a T10 and another two top 20s on the PGA TOUR this season. His equivalent of 133.533 FedExCup points would slot him 147th among members, so he’s all but a lock to secure eligibility for the 2021 Korn Ferry Tour Finals. This week’s appearance is his fifth of an allotted seven sponsor exemptions. NOTE: Sleeper is a relative term, so Rob uses unofficial criteria to determine who qualifies. Each of the following usually is determined to be ineligible for this weekly staple: Winners of the tournament on the current host course; winners in the same season; recent major champions; top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking; recent participants of team competitions.

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The PGA TOUR heads to Bermuda for the third Butterfield Bermuda Championship. Brian Gay returns to defend his title – his first PGA TOUR triumph since 2013 – while a mix of major champions, TOUR winners, and up-and-coming stars round out the field. FIELD NOTES: Masters winners Patrick Reed and Danny Willett are set to tee it up in Bermuda… Matt Fitzpatrick – fresh off his second Ryder Cup start and recent European Tour victory at Valderrama – is in the field… Ryder Cup assistant captains Graeme McDowell and Luke Donald are heading to Bermuda. McDowell competed in the Grand Slam of Golf here, an event that pitted the year’s four major winners against each other, as did Lucas Glover and Jason Dufner, who also are in this week’s field… Plenty of graduates from the Korn Ferry Tour are in the field looking for some early-season success on the FedExCup standings. Some notables include Stephan Jaeger and Joseph Bramlett, who were the leading points winners from the Regular Season and Korn Ferry Tour Finals, respectively, and Mito Pereira, who earned a three-win promotion in 2021… Sponsor exemptions include 2021 Walker Cup teammates Austin Eckroat and John Pak, who have since turned pro, and Texas Tech’s Ludvig Aberg, the world’s third-ranked amateur. Pak was the No. 1 player in this year’s PGA TOUR University rankings and swept college golf’s player of the year honors, winning the Haskins, Hogan and Nicklaus awards. Eckroat finished third in the PGA TOUR U rankings and parlayed the Korn Ferry Tour status that he earned into two top-15s in three starts. By virtue of finishing in the top five of PGA TOUR University, they are exempt into the final stage of Korn Ferry Tour Q-School, which will be held Nov. 4-7 in Savannah, Georgia. FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 500 FedExCup points. COURSE: Port Royal GC in Southampton, Bermuda, par 71, 6,828 yards. Designed by Robert Trent Jones, Port Royal is the longest course on the island. At under 7,000 yards, though, it demands tight shot-making and straight driving. The course, which hosted the Grand Slam of Golf from 2009-14, underwent a $14.5-million renovation just over a decade ago to prepare for the TOUR’s arrival. STORYLINES: Port Royal GC in Southampton, Bermuda, par 71, 6,828 yards. Designed by Robert Trent Jones, Port Royal is the longest course on the island. At under 7,000 yards, though, it demands tight shot-making and straight driving. The course, which hosted the Grand Slam of Golf from 2009-14, underwent a $14.5-million renovation just over a decade ago to prepare for the TOUR’s arrival. 72-HOLE RECORD: 260, Brendon Todd (2019) 18-HOLE RECORD: 62, Scottie Scheffler (first round, 2019), Brendon Todd (fourth round, 2019). LAST TIME: Brian Gay, then 48 years old, won on the PGA TOUR for the first time since 2013, defeating Wyndham Clark in a playoff. Gay, who had made 169 starts on TOUR since his previous victory – and had eyes on joining PGA TOUR Champions come 2022 – fired a closing 64 (capped off with a birdie on the 72nd hole). He birdied the first playoff hole and won for the fifth time on TOUR. He became the oldest TOUR winner since Davis Love III at the 2015 Wyndham Championship in the process and built off a T3 results at the Bermuda Championship the year prior. Clark’s runner-up result was his best career finish on the PGA TOUR. Ollie Schniederjans, Stewart Cink, Matt Jones, Doc Redman, and Denny McCarthy – whose 8-under 63 in the final round was the round of the week – rounded out the top five. HOW TO FOLLOW Television: Thursday-Friday, 1:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday-Sunday, 1 p.m.-4 p.m. (Golf Channel) Radio: Thursday-Friday, 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com/liveaudio).

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