Walker adds 58 penalty shots at Senior LPGA for new rule

PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. – Graeme McDowell was being interviewed on Sky Sports this week when the UK network posted a graphic showing his track record at Riviera. “Didn’t make for very great reading,� G-Mac said. “I was like, ‘Please, switch that off.’� In five previous trips to this week’s Genesis Open host course, McDowell has three missed cuts and a best result of T-41. Of those first 14 rounds, just two were in the 60s. The results are surprising given that Riviera is Hogan’s Alley, a course that should favor shotmakers such as McDowell. Although recent winners like defending champ Dustin Johnson and two-time champ Bubba Watson are among the TOUR’s longest hitters, McDowell doesn’t consider Riviera a bomber’s course – at least not this week. He said the dry weather has firmed up the course, forcing the big hitters to scale back and giving the shorter hitters such as G-Mac a chance to succeed in tougher scoring conditions. He’s making the most of it. Through two rounds, McDowell is 7 under, his 5-under 66 on Friday vaulting him into a tie with first-round co-leader Patrick Cantlay and Sam Saunders, who still has three holes left before finishing his second round. The 66 ties for G-Mac’s lowest round in his last 21 TOUR starts. “This is the first real dry year I can remember being here for the last four or five, and I think the firmness of the golf course is taking guys by surprise,� McDowell said. “… Historically, I’ve played well in tough setups. I’m relishing the opportunity to continue playing this tough set-up this week. I like my game plan; I’ve just got to keep executing.� The confidence is good to hear from McDowell, who entered this week ranked 219th in the world. After he won the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach in 2010, he was ranked 13th and eventually rose to sixth. The last few years have been discouraging – his last top-3 finish was third place at The RSM Classic in 2015. “Of course, it’s tough to fight off,� McDowell said. “This game is very difficult and you do ask yourself some deep, dark questions sometimes.� His goal now is to stay out of his own way and not dwell on the negatives. He calls it “Dustin Johnson golf.� “Have that carefree attitude, have that ‘I’m really good at this game’ and get out of your own way and let your talent come through a little bit,� G-Mac explained. “I might try and keep that going this weekend. He’s pretty good.� CALL OF THE DAY Notables Considering his hot hand, Sam Saunders could be forgiven if he wanted to play through the darkness Friday. He was on fire when the horn sounded, having birdied six of his last eight holes to grab a share of the lead. But Saunders was fine with the suspension of play. “I knew going into today that I wasn’t going to finish, so I didn’t even try,� he said. “… It was nice to finish those last few holes in the dark with some birdies out there.� Saunders has three holes left and will resume play at 10:15 a.m. ET (7:15 a.m. local). Just five missed greens through the first two rounds for Patrick Cantlay seems like a good way to eliminate the stress on the tree-lined Riviera layout. “I’m hitting it really well right now,� said Cantlay, whose 2-under 69 on Friday included a string of three consecutive birdies. “Ball’s coming out of the middle of the clubface and it’s going where I’m looking. It’s always nice to play golf like that. I really feel comfortable with the golf course and how I feel about the course and how I’m hitting it. I’m really not surprised.� When Bubba Watson won at Riviera for the first time in 2014, he was bogey-free for his last 45 holes. Two years later, he had a bogey-free second round en route to another win. Watson hasn’t been bogey-free this week, but he has put together a couple of solid scores (68-70) to give himself a chance going into the weekend at 4 under. “Around here, it’s very difficult,� Watson said when asked about playing bogey-free golf at Riviera. “You know, there was a great champion that went bogey-free on the weekend one time.� A slight smile ensued. Yes, it was a self-reference. Tiger Woods’ mother Kultida was in the gallery Friday following her son, who missed the cut after shooting a 5-over 76. “It was nice to have her out there. She misses it,� Woods said. “She’s seen me go through the struggles and for her only child to go through those struggles was a little rough on her. So she’s very proud of me getting back out there and playing, and she’s very excited about it.� The other two members of Woods’ group are lurking entering the weekend. Justin Thomas shot an even-par 71 and is 2 under; Rory McIlroy also is at 2 under after a 69 when he birdied two of his last six holes. “Hit the ball really well the last nine holes yesterday and then 18 today, so last 27 I played really nicely,� McIlroy said. Defending champ Dustin Johnson shot a 2-under 69 and is 1 over for the tournament. He’ll likely make the cut but he has some work to do this weekend. Jordan Spieth, meanwhile, is 1 under after his 70. With 15 players yet to complete their second rounds, the third round will be played in threesomes off split tees beginning at approximately 11:30 a.m. ET (8:30 a.m. local). QUOTABLES No one’s getting away out there. It’s very tricky. It’s very U.S. Open-like conditions. … It’s sort of anyone’s tournament right now.I may or may not have taped a Jay Leno Garage show, went and saw who I consider a friend of mine, Ellen, and then went over and watched a taping of Big Bang (Theory). So there’s some other things we’re doing besides the All-Star Game that nobody knows about, but it’s been a blast. When you come here, it’s Hollywood. I mean, do stuff, you know? Let’s have some fun and enjoy life.I dreamt of winning everywhere. Superlatives Lowest round – Graeme McDowell and Austin Cook each shot 5-under 66s. Scott Stallings is also at 5 under on his round and still has two holes left after play was suspended for darkness. Longest drive – Tony Finau had a 375-yard drive at the 18th and made par. Longest putt – Adam Scott (who started his round on the 10th tee) rolled in a putt of 76 feet, 7 inches on the par-5 first for birdie. On his previous hole, the 18th, he made a putt of 21 feet, 5 inches. Hardest hole – The 495-yard par-4 12th played to a stroke average of 4.387, yielding just seven birdies against 48 bogeys, 4 double bogeys and 2 others. Easiest hole – The 511-yard par-5 first also played to a stroke average of 4.387, with nine eagles and 76 birdies against 5 bogeys and 1 double bogey. Bogey-free rounds – Martin Kaymer (67) and Cameron Smith (68). Scott Stallings, still on the course, is also bogey-free.

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There was something about the eyes. Jonathan Randolph had just seen one of the “Star Warsâ€� movies, and when he looked at that puppy he and his wife Lacy had adopted, well, let’s just say a light dawned. “I just kept looking at these dogs and they looked like Yoda; eyes way off the side and stuff,â€� Randolph says. “So that was in the back of my mind. When we found her, Yodi for some reason just came out. “Seemed like a good dog name.â€� Indeed, and the name stuck. So did Yodi, a brown and black and white Chihuahua, who has traversed the PGA TOUR and Web.com Tour with Randolph for nearly three years now. Randolph and his wife have recently added another traveling companion, too. Their son, Boyd, was born in March, and made his first trip – with Yodi in tow, of course – to A Military Tribute At The Greenbrier in July. “We said it was a traveling circus before, because we had a dog with us,â€� Randolph says with a grin. “And now we’ve got a baby. “It’s a lot more bags and stuff, but when they’re able to be on the road with me it’s just so awesome. It makes you feel a little bit more like home.â€� There are days when an excited Yodi entertains her humans by running circles around the hotel room. And she’s happy to help Randolph when he practices putting on the carpet, picking up golf balls and bringing them back to him. Yodi is still getting used to the new addition to the family, though. When Lacy picks Boyd up, for example, Yodi clamors to be in her arms as well. “She’s definitely gotten jealous, but also shows off like crazy when she knows he’s watching and she’s playing,â€� Randolph says. “She’ll start high stepping around and doing stuff to make him happy, which is pretty awesome.â€� In time, though, Randolph knows the Yodi and Boyd will be thick as thieves. “She’s got a new best friend,â€� Randolph says. “She just doesn’t know it yet. He’s been grabbing at her and doing that fun stuff. … Her life is going to get a whole lot more interesting when he gets mobile and can grab her. “For now, she’s got it made.â€� Yodi, who will be 3 years old in December, joined the family in early 2016. The couple was looking for a dog and Lacy had owned Chihuahuas in the past. When Randolph headed to South America to open the Web.com Tour season, the puppy stayed behind with Lacy at the couple’s home in Oxford, Mississippi. Once the Web.com Tour went stateside in March, their adventure began. “She’s been to almost 40 states,â€� Randolph says. “She’s well-traveled.â€� Yodi is remarkably calm for a breed that is known to be a bit skittish. And she’s perfectly content when Randolph puts her in a carrier and takes her on a plane. “She just sits there and looks at everything,â€� Randolph explains. “We’ve never gotten a complaint. So it’s a credit to her, not to us.â€� Yodi has been a positive influence in other ways, too. The first time Yodi came out to the golf course during competition, Randolph finished birdie-eagle-birdie-birdie-par at the 2016 BMW Charity Pro-Am. A year ago at the Albertsons Boise Open, the puppy watched as he played the final three holes in 7 under for the week. “I’m not going to say she’s a good luck charm, but good things happen when she’s around,â€� the Ole Miss grad says. On Tuesday, Yodi made her second straight appearance in the media center at the Sanderson Farms Championship. Randolph’s a member at the Country Club of Jackson, which hosts the tournament, and tied for third last year. “She had a good run here last year so she’s allowed to come back, I guess,â€� Randolph says. “I had my best finish on TOUR the only time she’s ever come to the media center, so it’s good to have her back in here.â€� The family has also been there for the not-so-good times, too, though. Take a month ago when Randolph found himself back at the Web.com Tour Finals after finishing 174th in the FedExCup. He thought his game was rounding into form but he ended up missing the cut in three of the four events – a stretch he called “one of the most devastatingâ€� of his career. Lacy, Boyd and Yodi were waiting for him beside the 18th green, though, and suddenly life was good again. “Just to have them there — it’s hard to put into words, you know, like what that’ll do for you,â€� Randolph says. “But it’s pretty awesome to have the little guy on the road. “Last year I said we were a traveling circus. We are legitimately a traveling circus now with the baby and the dog and everybody, but it’s like the most fulfilling thing ever.â€�

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Doug Ghim is one of this year’s highly-touted prospects. George Cunningham found success in Canada after graduating from Arizona. Cole Nygren is making his TOUR debut, but he’s beaten the pros in another form of competition. All three made it through the Monday qualifier for this week’s Shriners for Hospitals Open, as did veteran pro Rob Oppenheim. Here’s a closer look at the players who earned their way into the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. GEORGE CUNNINGHAM (64) Age: 23 Hometown: Tucson, Arizona Alma mater: Arizona PGA TOUR starts: 1 Cuts made: 1 Best finish: T29, 2018 RBC Canadian Open Notes: Finished second on the 2018 Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada Order of Merit after turning pro earlier this year. … Was in the top 10 in half of his 12 starts. … Won in his third start, at the GolfBC Championship, and had a runner-up and two third-place finishes. … Was a second-team All-American at Arizona in 2018. … Birdied his final five holes Monday. ROB OPPENHEIM (64) Age: 38 Hometown: Andover, Mass. Alma mater: Rollins College PGA TOUR starts: 54 Cuts made: 27 Best finish: T8, 2017 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am Notes: Has played two seasons on the PGA TOUR, finishing 158th in the 2016 FedExCup and 180th last season. … A T15 at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, where he holed a 261-yard shot for an albatross, was his best finish last season. … His lone Web.com Tour win came at the 2015 Air Capital Classic. … Earned his first PGA TOUR card at age 35 after Lucas Glover bogeyed the final hole of the Web.com Tour Championship, allowing Oppenheim to earn the final card by $101. … Had left the course and was pumping gas when he learned that he had qualified for the PGA TOUR. COLE NYGREN (65) Age: 23 Hometown: Longmont, Colo. Alma mater: Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo PGA TOUR starts: Debut Notes: Won last year’s Major Series of Putting in Las Vegas, beating PGA TOUR player Colt Knost in the final match. Brad Faxon also was in the field. … Nygren entered the competition one day after falling one stroke short in the Shriners’ Monday qualifier. … Was a first-team all-conference selection at Cal Poly in 2017. DOUG GHIM (66) Age: 22 Hometown: Arlington Heights, Ill. Alma mater: Texas PGA TOUR starts: 8 Cuts made: 5 Best finish: T20, 2018 Wyndham Championship Notes: Finished 71st while competing on a sponsor exemption in last week’s Sanderson Farms Championship. … Winner of this year’s Ben Hogan Award as the top player in college and amateur golf. … Was low amateur at the Masters (T50), co-medalist at the Big 12 Championship and winner of an NCAA regional. … Also was a member of the 2017 Walker Cup team that included Sanderson Farms winner Cameron Champ. … Was runner-up in two USGA championships, the 2017 U.S. Amateur and 2014 U.S. Amateur Public Links. … Best pro finish was a T8 at the European Masters in September. … Beat Walker Cup teammate Maverick McNealy, Sean Dale, Taylor Montgomery and amateur Harry Hall in a playoff for the final spot in the Shriners. THIS SEASON’S QUALIFIERS Qualifiers: 8 Made cut: 5 Best finish: T4, Aaron Baddeley (Safeway Open) Top-10s: 1 Top-25s: 2 SANDERSON FARMS QUALIFIERS T26. Chad Ramey, 67-70-70-73 T63. Dawson Armstrong, 69-73-71-74 72. Tim Wilkinson, 72-71-78-76 MC. Garrett Osborn, 79-71

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