What this month has meant to the return of Jordan Spieth

ORLANDO, Fla. — Lee Westwood made a pair of 30-foot putts over the final three holes Saturday, one for eagle and the other a closing birdie, for a 7-under 65 that gave England’s ageless wonder a one-shot lead in the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard. RELATED: Leaderboard | Tyrrell Hatton continues charging up leaderboard at Bay Hill Westwood turns 48 next month and is feeling younger by the years. Now he goes up against U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau, whose 68 included a birdie on the par-5 sixth hole in which he cut off so much of the water he had only 70 yards for his second shot on the 531-yard hole. Corey Conners of Canada, who started with a one-shot lead, could only manage a 71 on a cool, breezy day at Bay Hill with only a few drops of rain. He also was one shot behind. “It’s nice to still be playing in these tournaments,” Westwood said. “You’ve got to be top 50 in the world and if you would have said to me 20 years ago will you still be top 50 in the world at 48 I might have been slightly skeptical. And it just shows that I’m still capable of playing well in these tournaments with all the good young players around me and obviously contending, because that’s what I’m doing this week.” Sunday was shaping up as another thriller at Bay Hill. Jordan Spieth opened with a birdie and a hole-in-one, took the lead by holing a bunker shot on the par-3 seventh, saved par after a tee shot into the water and shot 68 with the kind of round he’d rather do without. Spieth prefers boring golf, and this was anything but that. He was two shots behind, along with former PGA champion Keegan Bradley, who had the low score of the week at 64. Spieth didn’t have the only ace. Jazz Janewattananond made on on the 14th hole that thrust him into the ix with a 69, leaving him four shots behind in a group that included Rory McIlroy, who bogeyed the last for a 72. Despite such a pedestrian round, McIlroy was very much in contention. They will be chasing Westwood, who first played the Arnold Palmer Invitational in 1998. He was at 11-under 205. Westwood posted his lowest score ever at Bay Hill and made only six pars. He had eight birdies and the eagle on the 16th hole, along with a pair of three-putt bogeys. Westwood has five victories since turning 40, including last year in Abu Dhabi, among the strongest fields on the European Tour. He rallied to win the Race to Dubai late last year, his third time finishing the year as Europe’s No. 1. So this didn’t surprise him, especially on a course that fits his eye, even though he has only one finish in the top 10. “I haven’t lost any of my length and I haven’t lost any of my enthusiasm to go and work in the gym,” Westwood said. “My nerves are still intact, I still get into contention and enjoy it rather than kind of back off.” Spieth is getting used to being in contention, too. He had chances in Phoenix and Pebble Beach, and he was in the peripheral of contention at Riviera. Starting four shots behind, he made up ground quickly with an 18-foot birdie on the first hole and then hit a 5-iron that rolled up the right side of the green, turned toward the cup and dropped for an ace. “That was obviously a really cool moment,” Spieth said. He will play Sunday with Tommy Fleetwood, who had a 68 and was three behind. Spieth had to play as a single most of Saturday when Justin Rose, who made a 9 on the third hole, withdrew soon thereafter citing back spasms. DeChambeau got one of the loudest cheers of the day by hitting into the rough. The biggest gallery lingered behind the sixth tee to see if he would go for the green. He aimed well to the right, but it still was a thrill to them to see DeChambeau grab driver and blast away. The fans packed behind the ropes on the other side of the water let out a huge cheer when his ball descended and tumbled into the rough, 70 yards from the pin. “Oh, man, I felt like a kid again, for sure,” DeChambeau said. “It was exciting, especially when you pull it off. It was almost like winning a tournament. It’s kind of the feeling I had. It was like, `Oh, I did it.’ I got the same chills and feeling when I saw it clear and there was no splash. I gave the fans what they wanted.” The tournament isn’t decided until Sunday, and with hardly any rain, the greens are unlikely to lose their speed and firmness. McIlroy likes his position. Westwood likes his even more.

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The John Deere Classic’s Monday qualifier at Oakwood Country Club ended in a rarity for 2021. No playoff was needed to determine the final spots in the field of this week’s PGA TOUR event. Luke Gannon, 22, was medalist after shooting 63 (-8). He will make his PGA TOUR debut at TPC Deere Run. Gannon has worked a maintenance job for his dad’s church while trying to make ends meet as a professional golfer, per Ryan French’s Monday Q Info account on Twitter. Alex Smalley, Eric Cole, and Rodrigo Lee finished in a 3-way tie for second at 6 under. An elite group that include Brooks Koepka’s younger brother (Chase Koepka), a former TOUR winner (Eric Axley), and a player who successfully Mondayed just two weeks ago (Stephen Stallings Jr.) finished a shot back. Rodrigo Lee will join Gannon in making his PGA TOUR debut. Q&A with Alex Smalley PGATOUR.com spoke with Alex Smalley after he successfully qualified Monday for his fifth career PGA TOUR start. PGATOUR.COM: What did your back-to-back top-5 finishes on the Forme Tour do for your confidence leading into this Monday qualifier? Alex Smalley: I knew I was playing well coming into this week, so I just had to do the same things I’ve been doing. I played in the Rocket Mortgage qualifier last week and missed the playoff by one, so I knew I was close. It was certainly nice to be able to get over the hurdle this week. PGATOUR.COM: How hectic will preparation be this week after you revise the travel and lodging plans? Alex Smalley: Travel and lodging are always difficult when you qualify because most hotels in the area (especially this week) are sold out. Thankfully I was able to find a place. The TOUR gives out courtesy cars for players, so that certainly helps the finances for the week not having to worry about a rental car for seven days. I am currently trying to cancel my return flight to Atlanta that I booked for 6 a.m. Tuesday if I didn’t make it. That is currently the most difficult thing that I’m dealing with right now. PGATOUR.COM: How have your expectations matched your goals since turning professional? Alex Smalley: I’m not sure I had a whole lot of expectations turning pro. I was trying to feel it out the first few months. The thing I did realize pretty quickly is just how competitive all levels of pro golf are. Monday qualifiers, mini-tour events, and Q-School are all crazy competitive, so I’ve had to adjust my expectations after competing in a few of those. Especially for Monday qualifiers, you could go a whole year playing well in those and never make it into an event. Just trying to manage that part of it is difficult, mentally speaking. PGATOUR.COM: What has been the most surprising to you the most about the grind of a professional golfer? Alex Smalley: I think the most shocking thing is how lonely it can all be. Traveling back and forth between events is tough, but doing it alone would be even tougher. I’m lucky that my mom travels with me and caddies for me in the Monday qualifiers and mini-tour events. She actually caddies for me in the Forme events as well. Going back to what I said in the last question, it’s just so competitive. I was 20 under last week at the Forme event in Auburn and finished T3 with four other guys. That’s just crazy. I’ve also played in three-day mini-tour events where the winning score was -24. If you’re not shooting 6 to 8 under every day in some of these events, especially Monday qualifiers, you’re not going to sniff winning. That’s probably been the thing I’ve realized most. Everyone is so hungry and driven to get to the PGA TOUR. Qualifiers Luke Gannon Age: 22 College: Southern Illinois University Turned pro: 2019 PGA TOUR starts: 0 Cuts Made: 0 Notes: Gannon has played in three Korn Ferry Tour events in the 2020-21 season. He finished in the top 20 in two consecutive events on the Adams Pro Tour in June. Gannon helped lead Southern Illinois University to two NCAA Regional appearances in 2016 and 2019. He was ranked the No. 7 junior in Kansas in 2015. Alex Smalley Age: 24 College: Duke University Turned pro: 2019 PGA TOUR starts: 4 Cuts Made: 2 PGA TOUR earnings: $93,000 Twitter: @asmalley_golf Notes: Smalley made the cut at Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship in 2020 (T14) and 2021 (T22). Before Monday, Smalley finished in the top 5 in consecutive starts on the Forme Tour. Smalley was a member of the 2019 U.S. Arnold Palmer Cup team and the Walker Cup team, registering a 3-1-0 record in each event. He also finished one stroke back of the all-time scoring record during the 2016 U.S. Amateur stroke play, winning medalist honors by shooting 65-68. He also competed in the 2017 U.S. Open, missing the cut after rounds of 73 and 74. He won the prestigious Sunnehanna Amateur in 2018 and 2019, the first player to go back-to-back in that event since Rickie Fowler. Eric Cole Age: 33 College: Nova Southeastern University Turned pro: 2009 PGA TOUR starts: 2 Cuts Made: 1 PGA TOUR earnings: $28,000 Notes: Has won more than 50 times on the Minor League Golf Tour. Finished T23 at Final Stage of Korn Ferry Q-School in 2017 to earn temporary status. Cole has made 26 starts on the Korn Ferry Tour in the 2020-21 season, including a third-place finish. His dad, Bobby Cole, won the 1966 British Amateur and won his solo PGA TOUR title in 1977 at the Buick Open. His mother, Laura, is the youngest player to win the U.S. Women’s Amateur at age 16 in 1971. She was the 1973 LPGA Rookie of the Year and finished in the top 10 of 70 LPGA tournaments. Rodrigo Lee Age: 33 Turned pro: 2010 PGA TOUR starts: 0 Cuts made: 0 Notes: The John Deere Classic will be Lee’s first PGA TOUR start. He has recorded a top-10 on PGA TOUR Latinoamerica every year since 2017. He was 2011 Rookie of the Year on the China Tour. Notes Notables who missed qualifying: Stephen Stallings Jr., Eric Axley, Chase Koepka, Robert Garrigus, Tain Lee, Akshay Bhatia, John Augenstein, Hayden Springer, M.J. Daffue, Justin Suh, Dylan Meyer, Ben Crane, Andrew Loupe, and Broc Everett. 2020-2021 Monday Qualifier statistics: Last event’s qualifier result (Rocket Mortgage Championship): Connor Arendell (MC), Justin Suh (MC), Daniel Wetterich (MC), and Tain Lee (MC) Total money earned by Monday qualifiers on TOUR this season: $1,002,323 Best finish: M.J. Daffue (T12, Sanderson Farms Championship). Next Monday Qualifier: Barbasol Championship at Boone’s Trace National Golf Club in Richmond, KY (July 12, 2021)

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