Win probabilities: Workday Charity Open

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HAIKOU, CHINA — American Joseph Winslow shot a 4-under 68 to take a three-stroke lead heading into the final day of the PGA TOUR Series-China International Qualifying Tournament No. 2 at Mission Hills Haikou’s Sandbelt Trails Course. Winslow, 25, moved to 9 under, three clear of 23-year-old compatriot Ryann Ree (68), while second-round co-leader William Harold (72) of England, Chinese Taipei’s Haosheng Hsu (68) and Americans Jesse Speirs (70) and Matthew Negri (68) shared third at 5 under. Malaysia’s Arie Irawan birdied his last three holes to shoot a 68 and move to 4 under, tying for seventh place with Argentine Martin Kim (70), Philippine amateur Lloyd Jefferson Go (70) and Americans Brett Munson (67) and Kevin Techakanokboon (71). Earlier in the day, Chinese Taipei’s Minhsuan “Max� Hsieh carded two eagles and a hole-in-one in his final seven holes for a 65, following opening rounds of 79 and 76. He moved from a tie for 92nd at the start of the day to a share of 39th at 4 over. The top-15 finishers will earn full cards and the next 25 and ties will be conditionally exempt for a Series that rewards the top-five money winners with places on the Web.com Tour, the path to the PGA TOUR. Standing 6-foot-5, the big-hitting Winslow showed his intentions from the first when he hit driver and his playing partners took an iron and a hybrid. The Kansas native birdied No. 2 and then eagled the par-4 third by holing out from the sand after pushing his drive into a greenside bunker. A bogey on No. 6 was followed by birdies on Nos. 8, 9, 11 and 14 as he moved to 11 under, but he gave the chasing pack hope when he double-bogeyed the par-3 16th. “Today was pretty solid again. I hit the ball pretty well, especially for the first 10, 11 holes, putted pretty solid, had some good short-game shots, but didn’t quite take advantage of some of the holes. I felt I had a few opportunities out there. Overall, solid, did what I needed to, but could have played better,� said Winslow. Although on track to earn a full card on the Tour, Winslow’s taking little for granted after last month’s PGA TOUR Latinoamerica qualifier in Bogota, Colombia, when a closing 80 dropped him from solo second to 17th, securing only conditional status on that Tour. “That was a really important day for me, probably one of my biggest lessons and something I needed to learn here for 2018. As soon as I got done that day, I’ve been thinking about this specific day for two weeks now, how I wanted to get ‘revenge’ at the PGA TOUR China qualifier and to get back into that position,� said Winslow, who played 12 events on last year’s PGA TOUR Latinoamerica. “I’m comfortable at the top of the leaderboard, I just had a bad day over there, but I learned the lessons that I needed to and adjusted my preparation. We started to do that today, and it worked pretty well. It’s now time to make a couple more adjustments on the nutrition side for tomorrow and be ready to rock and roll.� Irawan, 27, started the week with a 75 but rounds of 69 and 68 have put him position to become the first Malaysian to hold a full card on PGA TOUR Series-China. “I feel great. I really stayed patient out there. I didn’t hit as close as I did yesterday, didn’t make as many putts, but I’m quite happy because I finished with three birdies – better than yesterday’s double bogey – so that’s good. I just got to look at things positively,� said Irawan, a former Asian Tour player and two-time winner on the Asian Development Tour. “Now, I just have to play my game, just stay patient, hit fairways, hit greens and be as relaxed as I can be. I know the last day people get more nervous, and I know the pins will be tougher, but whatever happens, happens. That’s it.� Irawan is seeking a new career direction after recovering from a moped accident in early 2016 that left him with metal plates in his shoulder. Now, he’s aiming for a full season in China and an eventual place on the Web.com Tour. “I look at things positively in life, and after that accident I knew it was always going to be a good thing. There’s always a reason things happen, so it gave me time to re-think: Should I think about PGA TOUR China, should I stick to Asian Tour, what is my plan? It’s great that PGA TOUR China is back, and this is the road that I really want to take, for sure.�

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WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, West Virginia – You can bet the next time Harold Varner III plays a practice round with Tiger Woods he won’t be checking his smart phone on the tee or between shots. Varner did sneak some glances the first time the two teed it up. The second time, Woods laid down the law. “He made me put my phone up, because the first time I played with him, I was like, dude, relax, it’ll be okay,â€� Varner said with a grin. “And then he wasn’t having it the next time.â€� That was part of a broader lesson, though. Woods was trying to teach the affable Varner how to focus, how to block out the extraneous and concentrate on the task at hand. And should Varner win A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier on Sunday, the former world No. 1’s words of advice just might pay dividends. “He said that focusing is like reading a book while you’re watching TV,â€� Varner said. “So like you hear the noise but you focus on the book. So the golf course is the book, so don’t act like you don’t hear it. “And I thought that was awesome.â€� Varner enters the final round at the Old White TPC holding a share of the lead with Kelly Kraft. Both are seeking their first PGA TOUR win in their 85th starts. Neither has led entering the final round. Varner’s previous best TOUR finish came when he tied for fifth at the 2015 OHL Classic at Mayakoba. He did win the 2016 Australian PGA Championship, though, and feels like he’s getting better with each passing year. “I want to see how good I can get, and every year I find a way to just keep learning, keep growing,â€� Varner said. “… I’m going to wake up tomorrow and give it all I’ve got.â€� So far, Varner has been extremely steady. He’s only made two bogeys this week and hasn’t dropped a shot to par since the 12th hole of his first round. He’s tied for the lead in scrambling, too. “I’m pretty hungry,â€� Varner said. “I’m ready to see what happens. This is what you work for. This is what I get so pumped up to do.â€� At the same time, Varner plans to keep the day in perspective, a word he mentioned more than once in his post-round interview. He’ll be the same person when Sunday’s round is over regardless of whether he wins or not. “You know, if I shoot 90 tomorrow, I’m going to be able to go home and my mom is going to give me a kiss and say, You’re still a winner. I’m going to be mad, but that’s just how it is,â€� he said. “And then if I win, she’s going to humble me and be like, You’re not better than me, and I thoroughly enjoy that. I’m going to mow my parents’ grass on Monday, so that’s just what I’m going to do.â€� NOTABLES A year ago, Kelly Kraft was the one chasing the leaders at The Greenbrier. He was four strokes off the lead held by Sebastian Munoz and ended up shooting 69 to tie for fifth. This year, though, he and Varner are the hunted, one stroke ahead of defending champion Xander Schauffele and Kevin Na. “I’m looking forward to going out in the last group and having some fun,â€� Kraft said. “It will play firm again, so I will get after it with wedges and hit it to more conservative lines when need be. Hopefully I’ll roll in a few long ones. It will be a fun day. This is what we play for, to be in contention.â€� The Greenbrier has been played seven times previously and believe it or not, a first-, second- or third-round leader has never gone on to win. Schauffele was one of those come-from-behind winners, making up a three-stroke deficit last year with a final-round 67. He finds himself in a similar position this year, although only trailing by one, and is among15 players within five strokes of the lead. Schauffele feels the experience he gained in 2017 should serve him well on Sunday. “Instead of getting nervous, I’ve been trying to relive some of those moments last year and remind myself that I do play well here, obviously, and sort of keep that on the forefront versus getting nervous,â€� he explained. Bubba Watson delighted the crowd on Saturday as h climbed the leaderboard with a 65 that left him 11 under. Watson, who has a summer home here at The Greenbrier, is seeking his fourth win of the season and second in the last three weeks. His best finish in four starts at The Old White TPC, though, is a tie for 13th in 2015. Even though his 65 was his lowest in competition here, Watson knows he needs to improve his putting. He ranks third in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee and Strokes Gained: Tee to Green but 49th in Strokes Gained: Putting. “Still not comfortable,â€� Watson said. “I think I left at least two from inside 15 feet, dead in the heart short. Maybe three today. So even though I made a lot of birdies there was a couple, one extra roll and I would have made a couple more birdies. But like I said, it’s my own frustrations. The score is great, but I want to be lower because I want to have a chance to lift that trophy.â€� QUOTABLES Every time I get in contention, I’m hungry to win. When I won, it took me eight years, and I told everybody that it will not take that long to win my second one, and I’m running out of time. Hopefully I get this done.I’m an athlete. I want to win. So let’s go with that first. Then all these other guys are trying to beat me, so I’m trying to beat them. Then another trophy on the mantle would be nice. Having a house here, being a member here at the club, The Greenbrier has been so good to me, the fans and everything, so it would be nice to win. I’ll call myself a local boy. It would be good to have the trophy stay here. SUPERLATIVES Lowest round: Bronson Burgoon, Kevin Na, J.T. Poston, Xander Schauffele and Bubba Watson each shot 65. Longest drive: Tony Finau hit a 369-yarder on the sixth hole. Longest putt: Brett Stegamaier made a birdie putt of 59 feet, 11 inches on the par 4 14th hole. Hardest hole: The par-4 13th hole played to an average of 4.247 with just 4 birdies, 53 pars, 18 bogeys, 1 double bogey and one “other.â€� Easiest hole: The par-5 17th hole played to an average of 4.571 with 1 eagle, 35 birdies, 38 pars, just 2 bogeys and one double bogey. CALL OF THE DAY For play-by-play coverage of the final round at A Miltary Tribute at The Greenbrier, listen at PGATOUR.COM. SHOT OF THE DAY

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