Young Sharma continues to lead in Mexico

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PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic – After a disappointing finish Thursday at the Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship, Graeme McDowell knew exactly what he needed to work on before teeing off on Friday. The pre-round range session did wonders, as McDowell shot an 8-under-par 64 in the second round – his lowest round on TOUR in relation to par since an 8-under 63 at the Mayakoba Golf Classic in 2015, which he went on to win – that included hitting 17 greens and making no bogeys. McDowell made a double-bogey on the par-3 9th Thursday – his final hole of the day – and used that as motivation for this morning’s practice session. He said his ninth hole Thursday (he lost a ball off the tee) was a reflection of how his iron play was in general in the opening round. “(My iron play) wasn’t good enough and (the double bogey) made sure that I had something to work on this morning before I went on the golf course,â€� he said. “So I was able to just focus on fixing that left shot that I had. I hit it several times yesterday and it got me in trouble of couple of times. I kind of needed a rescue today.â€� McDowell is exempt into this year’s U.S. Open at Pebble Beach – where he won in 2010 – but has yet to earn a spot in The Open Championship at Royal Portrush, his pseudo home club in Northern Ireland. He played the Puerto Rico Open last month as well as this week’s alternate-field event with a specific goal in mind – he needs to earn more FedExCup points. Related: Three tied for lead after Round 1 | Romo ready for Friday “I would rather be at the Match Play, of course, but coming down here it’s so important to get the mentality right. … This is an opportunity to come here and play great, and I came here last year with that attitude and I’m down here again with this attitude, probably even more so this year,â€� he said. McDowell was in contention at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard a few weeks ago before he faltered Sunday. He admitted he got ahead of himself in the final round and is now trying to stay in the present. “I’ve got to just focus on every hole, every round at the minute and try and just … I want to be back up there in the top 50 in the world competing against these guys week in and week out. I believe I’m still good enough and I believe that I’m still motivated enough to do that,â€� said McDowell. “It’s been a frustrating few years, but I’m enjoying the challenge of digging myself out of this hole that I’ve got myself into and I really am starting to play well.â€� McDowell’s 8-under-par 64 has been the round of the tournament so far, and he said his ability to go low Friday was the positive feedback he needed. Golfers on the PGA TOUR, he said, will work with sports psychologists to feel good about their mental approach, but on-course outcomes are important as well. “It’s important to get that little bit of feedback that you’re on the right track,â€� he said. “That was nice. I’ll bank that 8-under from this morning, feel good about it, go back and chill this afternoon, get ready, and let’s have a big weekend.â€�

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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Johnny Miller is retiring, and cheese whiz will never be the same. Miller and his longtime broadcast partner, Dan Hicks, met the media Friday as they brace for the final telecast of Miller’s illustrious career at the Waste Management Phoenix Open on Saturday. Miller reminisced about his 29 years in the broadcast booth and his illustrious playing career before that, but the atmosphere was one of raucous laughter more than tears. Asked if there was a Miller quirk that he will miss after sitting next to the outspoken legend for the last three decades, Hicks didn’t hesitate. His answer: liquid cheese. “If had to single out one thing that I think typifies Johnny is and it’s going to sound crazy see but it’s cheese whiz,â€� Hicks said. “Easy Cheese whiz, there’s a brand.â€� The assembled media laughed uneasily as Miller, a World Golf Hall of Famer and eight-time Emmy nominee, nodded in agreement. “So, Johnny would get in,â€� Hicks added. “I would look over there and he would have the nozzle of the cheese whiz thing implanted, basically mainlining cheese whiz like — and I go, ‘You’re actually sticking that in your mouth. The rest of us probably shouldn’t be using this.’ So, our illustrious stage manager, Kathy, would actually put a piece of gaffer’s tape on it, on the cheese whiz bottle.â€� Miller also did almost half of his 232 telecasts in bare feet, Hicks added. And Miller said his TV career almost last just a single day at the 1990 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic. “I quit after the first day,â€� he said. “It was like, Holy mackerel, what have I got into? I’m not an announcer, I’m a player. They said, ‘It would be good if you could at least finish out the tournament, you know.’â€�  But it was the cheese whiz story that stole the show. Miller has about 20 friends and family members here this week, and many of them assembled at the NBC crew’s hotel Thursday night to toast the departure of a broadcast legend. The twist: They raised cans of Easy Cheese. “This week has just been This Is Your Life,â€� Hicks said, “and we have been just kind of going over all the great memories of having Johnny at 18. But I would say cheese whiz is at the top of the list, believe it or not.â€�

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