Win probabilities: Charles Schwab Challenge

At 19 years, 25 days, Atthaya Thitikul is the youngest winner on the LPGA Tour since Brooke Henderson in the 2016 Portland Classic at 18 years, 9 months, 23 days.

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Granted, it was a wet first round of THE PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass, but it was still surprising to hear Keith Mitchell credit a swimmer for the assist after shooting a 5-under 67 to trail co-leaders Tommy Fleetwood and Tom Hoge by one. Over a year ago, Mitchell, 30, was well into a promising career had yielded one PGA TOUR victory at The Honda Classic, but he suspected he wasn’t getting the most out of his game. The culprit: his bad attitude. To address the problem, he reached out to 23-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps, the most decorated U.S. swimmer of all time. “I was not giving it my all,” Mitchell said after his opening round Thursday, which featured an eagle at the par-5 ninth hole. “And he was kind of helping me through some like downs and kind of really hit the reset button about a year ago. That kind of started everything, getting a mentality, getting some coaching, and really just not just feeling sorry for yourself out here.” With weather delays that eclipsed five hours, the first round tested everyone in the field. Mitchell said he had fun hanging out in the locker room and maintained a positive attitude. That hasn’t always been easy, but his work with Phelps, an avid golfer, has helped. Before they began their skull sessions, Mitchell said, he felt beat up, and like he had hit some sort of wall. “We had dinner a long time ago in Phoenix,” Mitchell said, “and he was talking about some really thoughtful things that apply to every sport. I’ll never forget, it really made an impact on me. It’s not just your typical golf stuff like one shot at a time and stay patient. It was more of kind of how to act and focus on the course, which is how you would do in swim meets. “… I just remember feeling like a loser talking to him sometimes,” he continued, “how I felt on the golf course, like pity and sorrow, and this game is hard. He just pretty much said there’s no place for that if you want to be at the top. That was probably a year, year and a half ago, when I was probably the lowest I’ve been in the World Rankings since I got on the PGA TOUR.” Mitchell had dropped all the way to 249th in the world after the Valspar Championship last year but began his comeback with a T3 at the Wells Fargo Championship. Since then, he has made a steady climb, and top-10s at The Honda Classic and WM Phoenix Open have him up to 73rd. Asked how often he sees Phelps, Mitchell said not often, but they still talk on the phone. “One call with him is pretty impactful,” he said. “I can promise you that.”

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. - Let's try this again. For the second straight Sunday on the PGA TOUR, Lee Westwood (68, 13 under) and Bryson DeChambeau (67, 11 under) will make up the last group on the last day at THE PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass. "Really looking forward to it," said Westwood, who made nine straight pars to start his third round but made four back-nine birdies. "I enjoy playing with him. I enjoy his company and his caddie's company. It's like round two, the rematch." RELATED: Full leaderboard | Inside THE PLAYERS’ greatest comeback | 20-year anniversary of ‘Better Than Most’ Westwood, 47, will be vying for what he said would be the biggest victory of his career, one that has seen him rack up 42 worldwide victories - including two TOUR wins - but no majors. DeChambeau, 27, would be the first FedExCup leader to win here since Tiger Woods (2013). The final twosome will have plenty of accomplished players behind them. A resurgent Justin Thomas (64) and first-timer Dough Ghim (68) are at 10 under, just three back, while Paul Casey (67) - who made the cut here for just the fifth time in 13 starts - Jon Rahm (67) and Brian Harman (69) are also right in the thick of it at 9 under, four behind. It's the Westwood-DeChambeau reprisal, though, that has people talking. Westwood went into the final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard last Sunday with a one-shot lead over DeChambeau, who wound up beating him by a shot. This time the leader Westwood, who will turn 48 next month and would be the second oldest PLAYERS Champion (Fred Funk, 2005), will take a two-shot cushion into Sunday. "Well, in junior golf," DeChambeau said, when asked when he'd last gone head-to-head with the same player in two consecutive tournaments. "That’s about it. But it was the same couple guys." In the ShotLink era (2003) the only other time the same two players have gone head-to-head in the final group in two straight stroke-play events on TOUR was when Adam Scott and Vijay Singh battled for the 2006 TOUR Championship and '07 Sentry Tournament of Champions. Asked what stands out about Westwood after playing with him a week ago, DeChambeau, who ranks eighth in Strokes Gained: Approach The Green through three rounds, didn't hesitate to cite Westwood's girlfriend and caddie, fitness instructor Helen Storey. "She’s keeping him steady and level-headed," he said, "and she’s a rock. Keeps his mind focused on the right things, and she’s been awesome for him. That’s one of his secret weapons, I think." Westwood elaborated. "Yeah, I think at my stage of my career, there’s not a lot a caddie can tell me," he said, "but obviously Helen gets me in a fantastic mood out there, and psychologically she can help me and say the things that I need to hear. She helps me in that aspect an immeasurable amount." As for what impresses him about DeChambeau, Westwood mentioned versatility. Bay Hill, he said, is a different sort of course, allowing a player to "open up the shoulders" and hit the long ball. The Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass, where hazards lurk seemingly everywhere? Not so much. "Credit to Bryson," said Westwood, who is one for six in converting 54-hole leads/co-leads into victories on TOUR. "You wouldn't association this golf course with his style of game." Not that the Stadium Course is a bad fit, he clarified. It's just not as good a fit as Bay Hill. "But he's up there," Westwood said. "It just shows he can adapt his game." Westwood is seeking to win in his 15th start at THE PLAYERS, which would match the most starts by a first-time winner in tournament history (Tom Kite, 1989; Funk, '05). DeChambeau is seeking to become the fourth to win the week immediately preceding a victory at THE PLAYERS, and first since Woods in 2001. "Definitely not a two-horse race," said Westwood, who had five top-10 finishes in 14 starts here coming into this week. "And this golf course is one of the hardest to front-run on, as well." One hazard neither Westwood nor DeChambeau will encounter Sunday: a lack of familiarity with their playing partner.

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