Win probabilities: BMW Championship

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DUBLIN, Ohio — Cameron Smith believes he is playing the best golf of his life, and it shows. He is in the lead at the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday, a tournament where the Australian doesn’t have a great history. Smith elicited one of the loudest cheers of a glorious afternoon Friday at Muirfield Village — another anomaly for this weather-plagued tournament — when he holed out with a downhill chip from beyond the green on the par-3 12th that carried him to a 3-under 69. He kept his one-shot lead over Denny McCarthy and K.H. Lee the rest of the day by doing what Smith does best. He holed a 15-foot putt for par on the next hole and twice made 6-foot par putts for bunker saves down the stretch. “I think I’m just happy with the way I stuck in there,” Smith said. “Really happy with where my short game’s at. I feel like I’m rolling the ball really good. Just need to sort out that longer stuff.” As for his history at the Memorial? In six previous appearance, Smith only made the cut twice and both times and finished outside the top 60. His best round was a 71. But this is a new Smith, the winner of THE PLAYERS Championship and the Sentry Tournament of Champions. So his rounds of 67-69 to reach 8-under 136 and be in the lead going into the weekend is hardly a surprise, even at Muirfield Village. “I think my game’s in a good spot. There’s no reason why I shouldn’t be,” he said. “I’m playing some of the best golf of my life, and I feel I’m getting more consistent with the longer stuff. So just looking forward to everything coming up.” Billy Horschel putted for birdie on every hole and made four of them for a 68 that left him in the group two shots behind with Torrey Pines winner Luke List, PGA TOUR rookies Cameron Young and Davis Riley, and Jhonattan Vegas. Rory McIlroy had a 69 and was three shots behind. Defending champion Patrick Cantlay closed with two big par putts for a 69 and was at 3-under 141. The cut was at 2-over 146. Among those missing out on the weekend were Bryson DeChambeau and Harris English, both returning from injuries. DeChambeau (hand surgery) had not played since the Masters. English (hip surgery) had not played since the Sony Open in January. McCarthy’s name was mentioned prominently even before the Memorial began, and then he lived up to the praise. He took only 25 putts Friday — he only had 24 putts the day before — for a 3-under 69 that put him one shot behind. For those who don’t pore over the litany of statistics available on the PGA TOUR, it was a little surprising when McIlroy was asked earlier in the week whom he considered the better putters in today’s game. He mentioned Jordan Spieth. Everyone knows him. He was impressed with Sam Burns, a three-time winner over the last eight months. And he mentioned McCarthy. Told of McIlroy’s comments earlier in the week, McCarthy smiled and said, “I would like to drive it like Rory.” “Everyone has the best part of their game. Obviously, putting is part of mine,” said McCarthy, who is No. 5 in the key putting statistic for the season. “Driving the ball is the best part of his game. I’m no slouch around the course, like putting is not the only thing I do well. Everyone brings up my putter; yes, I’m a good putter. But I need to do good things to get to those putts.” McIlroy, meanwhile, has been picking up a little momentum since his closing 64 at the Masters for a runner-up finish. He finished four shots behind at the Wells Fargo Championship and three shots out of a playoff at the PGA Championship. McIlroy surged into the mix at the Memorial with a fairway metal that was high and true and into a freshening breeze to 6 feet for eagle on the par-5 fifth toward the end of his round. His momentum was slowed by a bogey from the bunker on the par-3 eighth, but his 69 left him in reasonable shape going into the weekend. Jon Rahm overcame a shank on the second hole — he made birdie on the next one — to scratch out a 70 without his best iron game. He was at 2-under 142, six shots behind. Rahm won in 2020. He was six shots ahead after three rounds last year until his positive COVID-19 test knocked him out of the final round.

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Professional golf resumes with Sunday’s charity exhibition, the TaylorMade Driving Relief best-ball Skins match, with the team of Rory McIlroy-Dustin Johnson facing the team of Rickie Fowler-Matthew Wolff at legendary Seminole. All proceeds from the match will go to COVID-19 relief. Although not long by today’s standards, Seminole is tough and will require the very best of each player to navigate the famed track. GolfWRX has identified a key club for each of the four golfers. Rickie Fowler’s Cobra RF “Rev33â€� MB irons (4-PW) RF SPECS 4 – 23° / 61.5° / D3 5 – 27° / 62° / D3 6 – 31° / 62.5° / D3 7 – 35° / 63° / D3 8 – 39° / 63.5° / D3 9 – 43° / 64° / D3 PW – 47° / 64.5° / D3 Length: -.5 inches from standard Shaft: KBS C Taper 125 S+ Grip: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Align “un-brushed RF style” Rickie Fowler thrives on courses where precision is at a premium. Long in his own right, but not in the same category as a Johnson or McIlroy, Rickie will rely on his iron game as the key to success at Seminole. This week he will have a brand new setup to show off to the world with the new Cobra Golf RF “Rev 33” muscleback irons. WRX spoke with Head of Cobra Golf Tour Operations Ben Schomin on the unique profile of Fowler’s irons and what exactly “Rev 33” stands for. WRX: Let’s get this outta the way — REV 33, what does it mean? BEN SCHOMIN: “It represents the 33 revisions that it took Rickie, myself and our engineering team to finally hone in and get to where we are today. Rickie and I worked closely over the course of a year to find and create his dream iron. This is the finished product.â€� WRX: As the man who put them together, what is the part of this iron that really stands out to you? SCHOMIN: “The engineering and creativity of this iron is quite unique. The blade has ZERO offset and even more, there is very little if any separation from the heel to the scoring lines. Even irons with minimal offset have some room there; these have none. I’d say the most unique aspect of this iron is what it represents to Rick. It’s his iron and represents his creativity and what inspires confidence. It’s not necessarily a guaranteed success when players are involved in creating their own clubs, but Rickie is one of the rare breeds that can make it work.â€� WRX: What influences from the past inspired the RF Iron? SCHOMIN: “That’s where this project got really interesting. It was more of a history lesson/reality check on how things have changed. I went into our archive for inspiration. Gathering iconic blades from years past; MP14/29, Ram FX Tour Grinds, Wilson Staff Fluid Feel sets, Cobra Norman grinds, etc. .. The crazy thing was I forgot how much offset many of those old school blades had. That’s when I realized we could pick out certain design features and aesthetics, but ultimately this new iron idea was going to be just that, an entirely new creation. Remember — Muscle Backs typically follow the similar design rules, where we and many other great companies get creative is in the engineering of it all. Edges, lines, widths, etc. — all while making sure they hold up for the best players in the world. No easy task.â€� Text provided by GolfWRX Director of Content @johnny_wunder Click here for more information on Cobra irons at PGA TOUR Superstore PREVIOUSLY: Rory McIlroy’s driver, Dustin Johnson’s wedges, Matthew Wolff’s putter

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