Woods (66) tied for 19th at PGA, laments bogeys

The Round of 16 begins Saturday at the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play. RELATED: Live scoring, tee times, bracket | Recaps from Friday Before play begins at Austin Country Club, here’s a look at the early matches slated for Saturday. And tune into PGA TOUR LIVE to catch the early action. Tommy Fleetwood vs. Dylan Frittelli, 8:35 a.m. ET Billy Horschel vs. Kevin Streelman, 8:46 a.m. ET Sergio Garcia vs. Mackenzie Hughes, 8:57 a.m. ET Robert MacIntyre vs. Victor Perez, 9:08 a.m. ET Scottie Scheffler vs. Ian Poulter, 9:19 a.m. ET Jon Rahm vs. Erik van Rooyen, 9:30 a.m. ET Bubba Watson vs. Brian Harman, 9:41 a.m. ET Matt Kuchar vs. Jordan Spieth, 8:52 a.m. ET MATCH RECAPS Check back here as matches conclude for analysis and player reaction.

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No more majors, no more invitationals and no more additional events. From now until the conclusion of the regular season, it’s nothing but fastballs right down the middle. See ‘em, hit ‘em and score. RELATED: Play Pick ‘Em Live | The First Look | Inside the Field The 3M Open is the first of three consecutive, 156-man opens that serve as the home stretch to determine the 125 qualifiers for the FedExCup Playoffs, and TPC Twin Cities is ready. Scroll past the projected contenders for what it likely will require to contend, an analysis of the host course and more. POWER RANKINGS: 3M OPEN Hideki Matsuyama, Jason Day and defending champion Cameron Champ will be among those reviewed in Draws and Fades. TPC Twin Cities is in its fourth year as host of the 3M Open. It’s a par 71 with three par 5s. After surrendering scoring averages below 70 in its first two spins, last year’s field checked in at 70.44 with all four rounds within 0.13 strokes in either direction of that average. Calling that statistically even wouldn’t be inaccurate, and it’s what anyone involved in any competition would want. Drilling too deep into why scoring was higher overall isn’t encouraged given that variables including hole locations and makeups of fields vary. However, there was a odd correlation to how last year’s field hit fewer greens (but still at a clip of 70.38 percent) and converted with less frequency on those chances and inside 10 feet (again, anomalies, if barely). Yet, because the champion will conclude four rounds at double digits under par, what yields that scoring is fortified as the game plan – to pile up scoring opportunities and sink putts. At 7,431 yards, TPC Twin Cities tests the same as it has since 2020, although the longest rough is up to four inches this week. That reflects a rise of half an inch. Bentgrass greens averaging 6,500 square feet again are poised to reach 12½ feet on the Stimpmeter. The tournament will open to potentially breezy air, but it will be dry and warm. Daytime temperatures will climb into the mid- and upper-80s throughout, while the impactful threat for inclement weather is forecast to hold off until Saturday. It will extend into Sunday’s scheduled conclusion. ROB BOLTON’S SCHEDULE PGATOUR.com’s Rob Bolton recaps and previews every tournament from numerous perspectives. Look for his following contributions as scheduled. MONDAY: Power Rankings TUESDAY*: Sleepers, Draws & Fades WEDNESDAY: Pick ’Em Preview SUNDAY: Medical Extensions, Qualifiers, Reshuffle, Rookie Ranking * – Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COM’s Expert Picks for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf, which also publishes on Tuesday.

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ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – Joel Dahmen has earned nearly $10 million on the PGA TOUR. He’s kept his card for five consecutive seasons, won for the first time in 2021 and contended at this year’s U.S. Open. Yet Dahmen admits that he was afraid at the start of this season. Why? Because if playing professional golf is akin to tightrope walking — both professions have severe penalties for those on the wrong side of small margins — then Dahmen embarked on the 2023 season without a safety net. The two-year exemption that Dahmen earned with his win at last year’s Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship expires at season’s end. He’ll have to earn his return to the TOUR for 2024, and if there is one thing that Dahmen does not want to do it is lose his TOUR card. “I’m scared to death of having a job,” said Dahmen, whose vocational experience includes working at a golf course and as a valet. “Golf is very hard and it can go sour quickly,” he added. “Teeing it up in Napa (in September for the season-opening Fortinet Championship) was like OK, we’re back at square one. If you don’t play well, you don’t have a job. I was very aware of that.” Dahmen doesn’t have to dust off his resume quite yet. His quest to keep his TOUR card is off to a good start. He arrived at Sea Island ranked 19th in the FedExCup, including top-10s in his previous two starts. He’s made his last five cuts and four of those finishes have been T16 or better. Dahmen also is just a shot off the lead at The RSM Classic’s halfway point and in good position to earn another of those coveted two-year exemptions. He opened this week with a 67 on Sea Island’s Seaside Course and a 64 on Friday at the Plantation. Dahmen played the first two rounds with FedExCup leader Seamus Power, another player who’s saved his best golf for his mid-30s. They offer a stark contrast to the young studs on The RSM leaderboard, such as Sahith Theegala, Cole Hammer and Chris Gotterup. Hammer and Gotterup are both competing on sponsor exemptions after turning pro earlier this year. Gotterup was this year’s collegiate player of the year, while Hammer is a former No. 1 in the world amateur rankings who made headlines after qualifying for the 2015 U.S. Open at age 15. Theegala was college golf’s top player just two years ago and is coming off a rookie season that concluded at this year’s TOUR Championship. Hammer holds a share of the halfway lead at 12-under 130 (64-66), while Theegala (68-63) is one back and Gotterup (65-68) is three back. Gotterup and Hammer were each in the top 10 of this year’s class for PGA TOUR University presented by Velocity Global and have Korn Ferry Tour status for next year. Dahmen and Power first met during their freshman year of college, so along ago that the course they were playing (Arizona State’s Karsten Course) no longer exists. They both spent several years on the mini-tours before making it to the Korn Ferry Tour, then waited a few more seasons for that first TOUR title. Now one of them could start 2023 atop the FedExCup standings. Power currently holds that position after earning his second career TOUR win at last month’s Butterfield Bermuda Championship and then finishing T3 in the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba. Power is just four off the lead at The RSM after shooting 66-68. “I’m like, if I can keep up with Seamus it means I’m probably in a really good spot today,” said Dahmen, who’s 35 years old. “It wasn’t so much competition, it’s like, hey, this guy’s kind of leading right now and he’s ahead of the game, so if you can hang with him, you’re probably going to be in a good spot.” They were tied with four holes remaining Friday, but Dahmen made three birdies while Power played those holes in even par. Dahmen said his ability to convert some breaking short putts on Sea Island’s slick greens was one of the most satisfying parts of his play this week, “I’ve been improving a lot on my putting. Stats aren’t showing that, but I promise it’s improving. My short game’s improved a ton this fall,” Dahmen said. “Obviously this fall’s been really good for me, but I think my best golf is in front of me, yes.” Fear can be a great motivator.

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