Tag: Jason Day

No joke, Jason Day could finally be healthy — and he’s in contention in Houston

On Saturday, Day didn’t look like a hospital case, but rather like the guy once on top of the Official World Golf Ranking.

HOUSTON — Ask again if you must, but Jason Day is feeling no pain. He swears it.

He’s been consistent with that message throughout this week at the Vivint Houston Open. Each time Day comes to the virtual podium he’s asked about his neck, his back, his overall well-being. The question comes up so frequently that he makes little jokes or nods as if to brush it away quickly. On Thursday, he smiled and said he feels he’s faced that question plenty in his career.

There’s logic behind the daily interrogations. Just a year ago, Day talked with his wife about hanging it up for good, the pain too much for him to bear. And just a few weeks ago, Day withdrew from the CJ Cup with neck problems after completing the first three rounds at 10 under.

The good news is this: Day’s getting more and more questions about his consistent play as well. And for a guy who hasn’t won since the 2018 Wells Fargo Championship, he’s more than happy to field those.

VIVINT HOUSTON OPEN: Leaderboard

During Saturday’s third round of the Vivint Houston Open, Day didn’t look like a hospital case, but rather like the guy once on top of the Official World Golf Ranking. Until the final hole, he played nearly mistake-free golf in posting his second 67 of the week, sandwiched around an also-solid 68.

Jason Day after finishing 8 under during the third round of the Houston Open golf tournament at Memorial Park Golf Course. Photo by Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports

At times when he’s struggled, Day has talked about his swing being in between patterns, but there’s been little of that this week. When asked the difference between those patterns and positive swings, he singled out his final drive of the day.

“The feel of swinging well is the drive on 18, and then anytime that I get the weak one to the right or kind of the smother draw, that’s kind of in between patterns. I’m just not really pleased with it. It’s just a work in progress, I’ve got to be patient with it,” Day said. “Right now I’m in contention, I’m one back going into tomorrow’s round, so it’s positive in regards to how I feel like I’m playing. I think the golf swing is holding up quite nicely and the body is, too.”

Unfortunately, after a solid round at Memorial Park Golf Course, Day followed that final drive with a three-putt that dropped him one behind leader Sam Burns heading into Sunday’s final round. Burns’ 68 has him leading at 9 under, but Day and Carlos Ortiz are both a single stroke behind.

“Obviously, you’d like to hole that one, which I was trying to,” Day said.
“Unfortunately, I just gave it a little bit too much gas. Overall it was a solid day. I think I drove it nice, hit a lot of good iron shots and I was just very patient out there today, so it was good to see. Looking forward to tomorrow.”

Perhaps his best shot of the day came on No. 12 when he briefly took the lead. On Thursday, Day pulled his tee shot on 12 to the left, then he pushed it right on Friday. But on Saturday, he piped a drive down the middle of the fairway —he was third in strokes gained off the tee on Saturday — leaving a tricky, but attackable 166-yard approach. Day stayed aggressive and stuck it to inside five feet.

 

“The miss, if you’re going to miss the green, it’s in that bunker to the right, but anything left of that pin is kind of death, hitting back up that hill and it’s very tough to judge,” he said. “I think the whole group kind of was feeding off each other today, everyone was playing some nice golf out there. Once again I was just trying to be as patient as possible. I know it’s a Saturday round, obviously can’t win it today, you’ve got to just give yourself an opportunity to get into tomorrow’s round.”

The energy that fed the group of Day, Burns and Ortiz kept the trio in the same position they entered in the morning.

Since Day is the only one of that trio who’s captured a PGA Tour title — and in fact, his first one came in Texas via the 2010 AT&T Byron Nelson at TPC Four Seasons Resort in Irving — does he have the edge heading into Sunday?

“No, I don’t think so,” Day said. “I would say that I’d probably be a
little bit more calmer than both those guys, but everyone’s going to be nervous on the first tee tomorrow.

“What I saw out of Carlos and Sam Burns, I think they’re playing some pretty good golf, too, so they’re going to be tough to beat tomorrow.”

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When in need of advice, Jason Day dials up Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods and Jason Day have spent hours on the phone. Recently, their conversations have become more in depth.

OLYMPIA FIELDS, Ill. – For years, Jason Day has called upon Tiger Woods for advice on a variety of matters.

In 2015, for instance, when he started his journey to World No. 1 with seven wins in 17 starts, including the 2015 PGA Championship and BMW Championship and the 2016 Players Championship, Day was all ears when Woods spoke to the challenges of growing fame and fortune.

They’ve spent hours talking putting, too.

Recently, however, when Day was dealing with a rough patch of play, he again dialed up the digits belonging to the man in the red shirt. Day recently split with long-time coach and mentor Colin Swatton and was looking for something to turn things around after missed four cuts and one WD in six starts.

BMW Championship: Tee times | Odds | Tiger’s new venture

The main topics on these recent calls? Dealing with a troublesome back and easing the pain and damage by making swing changes.

Woods, who has had four surgical back procedures, the most recent spinal fusion, also remains one of the best iron players in the game and has plenty of answers.

“Ever since me and (swing coach Colin Swatton) kind of split up, I kind of reached out to him and started chatting to him about the swing,” Day said ahead of Thursday’s start of the BMW Championship at Olympia Fields Country Club. During Day’s best days, he would practice up to 10 hours per day, three to four times a week. Now he said it’s a grind to get to five hours because of his back woes. And at the start of 2020, Day would practice putting for 30 minutes; four years ago it was three hours per day.

“I know that his back is far worse off than what mine is,” Day, 32, said. “So right now I talk to him about certain positions in the golf swing to kind of help me in regards to making sure that my swing doesn’t hurt it along even further than what it is right now. Obviously, someone that’s won 82 times, you kind of have to listen.

“Every swing I have on my phone is either myself or Tiger’s swing, so any time I get a Tiger swing from my buddies, I send it straight to him and then we chat about the swing. You know how sometimes Tiger will talk in circles and you don’t understand what he’s talking about? When it comes to the golf swing, I completely understand him. It’s been actually quite refreshing that way.”

Jason Day and Tiger Woods during the 2017 Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego, California. (Stan Badz/PGA TOUR)

Woods has been dishing advice for years to a variety of players, especially during his work as an assistant captain at the 2016 Ryder Cup, 2017 Presidents Cup and as captain in the 2019 Presidents Cup.

“Well, Jason and I have had a great relationship for a very long time, since he’s been on Tour, and we’ve talked about a number of things, and obviously one of the topics we do tend to talk about because we both have bad backs now and mine is a little bit more progressed than his, is trying to deal with it, trying to manage it, and the evolution of the swing,” Woods said. “We can’t do what we used to do, and how do you evolve that and still be effective. But also recovery from day-to-day. Recovery techniques have changed over the years and lifting protocols have changed. So there’s a lot to do with it.

“You can only swing the club how the body allows you to, and I know that firsthand from all my nine previous procedures that I’ve had done to my body. It’s just one of those things that as we age we wear things out.”

Day has tinkered here and there and has been swinging better of late. The 12-time PGA Tour winner notched four consecutive top-10s, including a tie for fourth in the PGA Championship. But Day, who last won on the Tour in the 2018 Wells Fargo Championship, missed the cut last week in the FedEx Cup Playoffs opener in the Northern Trust and stands 50th in the standings entering the BMW Championship. If he’s to make it to next week’s Tour Championship for the final event of the postseason, he likely needs a top-4 finish.

“I’ve got to play kind of lights-out here,” Day said. “I feel like this is a week where everything has to align correctly for me. I don’t want to take off next week. I feel that my game has been trending upward in good position going into these weeks, but unfortunately last week, I went backwards.

“This is a kind of do-or-die moment for me in this season. I’ve just got to really kind of bear down here and play good.”

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Jason Day, Brendon Todd ride momentum to PGA Championship lead

Jason Day is atop the leaderboard alongside a resurrected Brendon Todd after the first round of the 102nd PGA Championship.

SAN FRANCISCO – Hindered by an assortment of injuries since his reign as the best player in the world back in 2015 and 2016, Jason Day has struggled at times to keep his spirits up while his body’s well-being has been down.

Chief among his pains have been chronic back issues that have forced him to miss tournaments and severely cut into prep work in the weight room and on the practice ground. After winning 10 PGA Tour titles from 2013 through 2016, he’s won twice since – both coming in 2018. In 32 starts since the onset of 2019, he doesn’t have a top-3 finish. Earlier this year fell to No. 63 in the world and he recently he split with mentor and longtime coach, Collin Swatton.

But heading into the first major of the year, Day awoke and his body healed a bit. In his most recent three starts coming into this week’s PGA Championship, Day posted ties for fourth, sixth and seventh.

Now he’s at the top of the leaderboard alongside a resurrected Brendon Todd after the first round of the 102nd PGA Championship at TPC Harding Park.

Leaderboard | TV info | Tee times | Photos

“There was definitely a lot of momentum coming in off the previous finishes that I’ve had,” said Day, who won this championship in 2015, his lone major. “The game feels like it’s coming around. I’m pleased with it.”

Day shot a bogey-free, 5-under-par 65 while Todd, a two-time winner this season, negated his two bogeys with seven birdies. The two were one shot clear of a group that includes four-time major champion Brooks Koepka, two-time major winners Martin Kaymer and Zach Johnson, and 2013 U.S. Open champion Justin Rose.

Todd is riding some momentum, too. He’s held two 54-hole leads in the last four tournaments before falling back in the final round. But he has risen from the abyss with two wins in the fall after contemplating quitting the game a couple years back as he battled driver yips and missed 37 of 41 cuts. He has missed the cut in four of the eight majors he’s played, with a tie for 17th his best finish.

“I don’t really compare rounds, but it was one of my better rounds today,” Todd said. “I have a lot of confidence. I’m playing the game of golf really well, not a lot of golf swing going on. That’s the key for me.”

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Koepka has won four of the last 10 majors he’s played and is trying to become the first to win the PGA Championship in three consecutive years since the tournament went to stroke play. Koepka has battled a left knee injury for more than a year (he had a stem-cell procedure last September) but looked fit and his usual powerful self in the first round.

“It’s only 18 holes right now. I feel good. I feel confident,” Koepka said. “I’m excited for the next three days. I can definitely play a lot better, and just need to tidy a few things up, and we’ll be there come Sunday on the back nine.”

Tiger Woods, seeking his fifth Wanamaker Trophy and 16th major, looks like he could be there on the back nine, too, after his 68. Woods has played just one tournament in nearly six months but looked spot on and pain-free. And he looked just fine with a new putter – a Scotty Cameron prototype – that he used instead of his Scotty Cameron that he’s used to win 14 of his 15 majors.

“I made some good putts,” Woods said. “For the most part of the day, I missed the ball on the correct sides. This golf course, you have to hit the ball in the fairway. You get a ball in the rough, into the grain, there’s no chance you can get the ball to the green. I felt like I did a decent job of doing that, and the golf course is only going to get more difficult as the week goes on.”

Getting better

Day has gotten better as the year has gone on. After a stretch of four missed cuts, one withdrawal and a tie for 46th in six starts, he reeled off his trio of top-10s.

“I shouldn’t say I’m not excited,” Day said. “I am excited to come out and play every day, but I know that I can improve, and mainly my putting can improve a little bit more.

PGA Championship
Jason Day on the 10th green during the first round of the 2020 PGA Championship at TPC Harding Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

“I feel like I’ve been working very hard in the off-weeks and especially when I come to a tournament to be able to get my putting back to where it is because it’s always been a strength of mine, and I feel like the game is slowly coming around, the confidence is coming around because I’m starting to see the results.”

And he’s starting to look forward to the next day. During his painful stretch, which has been mentally draining as well as physically uncomfortable, it’s been tough to get out of bed or off the couch. Now he can’t wait for the sunrise.

“I finally had enough of feeling sorry for myself, and it’s easy to do that in this game because it is so mentally tough,” he said. “You can start blaming everything else but yourself. Sometimes you’ve just got to pull your pants up and just move on, you know.

“I feel like the momentum that I’ve had over the last three starts has kind of seeped into this week. The funny thing is that every day I’m excited to go back to the golf course and play, whereas before I was struggling to get up and going, oh, do I want to kind of put myself through this again. To be honest, I’m excited to get out and play every week now.”

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2020 Workday Charity Open, Round 2 Schedule, PGA Tour, Live Leaderboard, TV Channel, How to Watch

The PGA Tour is back again this weekend with the Workday Charity Open live from Muirfield Village, watch it right here.

The PGA Tour continues on Friday with Round 2 of the Workday Charity Open from Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio. We have a fantastic field of top golfers to watch in this event featuring Phil Mickelson, Jordan Spieth, Brooks Kopka, and Rickie Fowler to name a few. You’ll find everything you need to know right here to follow the action!

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Workday Charity Open Round 2

  • When: Friday, July 10
  • Live Coverage: 3:00 p.m. ET
  • TV Channel: Golf Channel
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)

The golfers in the featured groups will have their work cut out for them if they want to stay close to the leader, Collin Morikawa (-9). Justin Thomas is the next closest golfer at (-4) and they will need to gain some ground if they want to have a chance this weekend.

Featured Groups

Justin Thomas, Brooks Koepka, Jason Day
Friday: 1:10 p.m. (No. 1 tee)

Patrick Cantlay, Phil Mickelson, Jordan Spieth
Friday: 7:45 a.m. (No. 10 tee)

Patrick Reed, Matthew Wolff, Rickie Fowler
Friday: 7:34 a.m. (No. 10 tee)

Viktor Hovland, Jon Rahm, Gary Woodland
Friday: 12:59 p.m. (No. 1 tee)

Workday Charity open  Leaderboard

1. Collin Morikawa (-9)

T2. Joaquin Niemann (-6)

T2. Andrew Putnam (-6)

T2. Roger Sloan (-6)

T2. Adam Hadwin (-6)

T6. Keegan Bradley (-5)

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Bubba Watson, Harold Varner III win Rocket Mortgage Classic exhibition, raise nearly $1 million

Bubba Watson and Harold Varner III teamed up to beat Jason Day and Wesley Bryan, 3-up, in a nine-hole charity exhibition at Detroit Golf Club.

If you combine a good cause with good friends in good spirits playing some pretty good golf, you get exactly what you got Wednesday: A good time.

Almost too good a time.

Bubba Watson and Harold Varner III teamed up to beat Jason Day and Wesley Bryan, 3-up, in a nine-hole charity exhibition at Detroit Golf Club, which hosts the first round of the PGA Tour’s Rocket Mortgage Classic on Thursday.

Watson helped organize the event, which raised nearly $1 million for the tournament’s initiative to help end the digital divide in Detroit and ensure every resident has access to the internet, technology and digital-literacy training.

Quicken Loans founder Dan Gilbert’s philanthropy in Detroit inspired Watson to put the match together.

“And then when the Tour, I took the idea to the Tour, they blessed me with the opportunity,” he said. “Obviously with the Rocket Mortgage team behind us, they let us do it and run wild with it. So it was a dream come true that they let me do it.”

With Tour commissioner Jay Monahan watching the group tee off on the 10th hole from a safe distance, the antics started right away when someone mentioned Watson would tee off first.

“I’m teeing off first!” Varner insisted like a jealous sibling, as he began to tee up his ball. “He always goes first.”

And go first he did again.

It was a casual match, with players walking and talking the whole time, much like a practice round. On the 12th green, Day stood near the hole when Watson missed a 20-footer for birdie. Watson shot him a glare and said, “You wished that out.”

Day took it a step further.

“I willed that out,” he said. “I didn’t wish that out.”

As they walked off the green, Varner had a question.

“Hey, Bubba,” he said. “How do you hit it so far when you’re so old?”

Varner is 29. Watson is 41.

“It’s God-given,” Watson said, before he blasted a towering fade over the trees on the 13th hole.

The teasing was incessant. When Varner dropped an iron on the 13th tee that knocked his ball off the tee, players yelled at him: “Penalty!”

The players walked the course. But Varner fell behind and hitched a ride in a cart to the 14th tee. As he approached, Day noticed Varner had suddenly put on a mask.

“Hey, man,” Day said. “Did you catch COVID on the way up?”

“No,” Varner said. “You can’t ride in a cart without a mask.”

On the 16th green, Watson got the revenge he was waiting for when he stood by the hole as Day missed a 20-foot putt.

“Hey,” Watson said to Day, “I wished it out.”

Varner clinched the match when he made a 30-foot Eagle putt from just off the 17th green. He and Watson celebrated with a socially distanced air fist bump.

“Oh, my God it feels good to be a champion again,” Watson crowed as he walked off the green.

After the match, Rocket Mortgage Classic tournament director Jason Langwell told the players how much money was raised and presented the winners with championship belts. Watson said he would kick in $25,000 and Varner thought about why he agreed to play in the match in the first place.

“I mean, the cool thing is, Bubba was riding in his car and he was like, ‘Would you play?’ ” Varner said. “I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’ll play.’

“But as it got closer to things we were doing, I just thought it was really cool (that’s) what it’s about. I just couldn’t remember not having internet growing up. Like some kids had internet and then we got it like a year later, but like I couldn’t imagine being in high school and not having internet.”

Carlos Monarrez is a reporter for the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA Today Network. Contact him at cmonarrez@freepress.com and follow him on Twitter @cmonarrez.

The Players Championship odds, predictions, picks and PGA Tour best bets

Analyzing the golf betting odds to win the 2020 Players Championship, with PGA Tour betting odds, picks, predictions and best bets.

The top names in golf are in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., this week for the 2020 Players Championship. Below, we break down the 2020 Players Championship outright odds to win, with betting picks, tips and best bets.

Tiger Woods is one of just four players from the top 50 of the Golfweek/Sagarin world rankings not part of the 144-man field. He’ll finalize his preparations for his Masters defense next month, while world No. 1 Rory McIlroy attempts to hold off the strongest field in golf for the second straight year at TPC Sawgrass.

The key stats for the 7,189-yard, par-72 TPC Sawgrass:

  • Strokes Gained: Ball Striking
  • Strokes Gained: Around the Green
  • Opportunities Gained
  • Greens in Regulation Gained
  • Proximity from 120-150 Yards

My model at Fantasy National looks at the most recent 36 rounds for each golfer in the field on courses shorter than 7,200 yards.

The Players Championship Betting Picks – Tier 1

(Photo Credit: Orlando Ramirez – USA TODAY Sports)

Odds provided by BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Monday at 7 p.m. ET.

Dustin Johnson (+2500)

One of many former world No. 1’s in the field, Johnson enters the week ranked ninth by the Golfweek rankings, but he shares the sixth-best odds at BetMGM. He tied for fifth last year, following a T-17 in 2018 and a T-12 in 2017.

Johnson leads the field in Opportunities Gained while ranking fourth in SG: Ball Striking and eighth in Greens in Regulation Gained. He won at least twice internationally in each of the last four years and won’t often carry these lofty odds.

Looking to place a bet on this tournament? Get some action on it at BetMGM. Bet Now!

Adam Scott (+3300)

Scott hasn’t finished worse than T-12 in any of the last four years at TPC Sawgrass. His 1.95 strokes gained per round across 66 career rounds on the Stadium Course ranks third in the field, according to Data Golf. He has two worldwide wins since late December after not winning since 2016.

The Players Championship Betting Picks – Tier 2

(Photo Credit: Reinhold Matay – USA TODAY Sports)

Jason Day (+6000)

Day withdrew from the Arnold Palmer Invitational last week due to a back injury, but he remains in the field for an event he has won and dominated in recent years. The 2016 Players champ tied for fifth in 2018 and tied for eighth last year.

He’s one of the best in the field/world around the greens and his odds are inflated solely by last week’s injury. If he’s healthy, he’s an incredible bargain.

Scottie Scheffler (+9000)

Scheffler has climbed all the way to No. 27 early in his rookie season on the PGA Tour. He finished T-15 in a strong field at the API last week and has shown he can be a regular contender. He ranks 18th in the field in Opportunities Gained and has the ability to score low on these shorter courses.

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The Players Championship Betting Picks – Longshots

(Photo Credit: Orlando Ramirez – USA TODAY Sports)

Corey Conners (+15000)

Conners tied for 41st last year ahead of his breakout win at the Valero Texas Open. He missed the cut in three of his last four events and each of his past two, but he’s an expert ball striker and low scorer. He gained 7.8 strokes tee-to-green and 4.4 strokes on approach here last year and just needs a decent putting week.

Jim Furyk (+15000)

Furyk will be eligible for the PGA Tour Champions circuit in May, but will give it another go at TPC Sawgrass following his runner-up finish last year. It was his second second-place result since 2014, losing both times by just a single stroke. He entered in better form last year, but he’s well-versed on a course designed by Pete Dye to level the playing field.

Get some action on this tournament by signing up and betting at BetMGM. If you’re looking for more sports betting picks and tips, access all of our content at SportsbookWire.com.

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Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Jason Day withdraws during second round of Arnold Palmer Invitational

Citing a back injury, Jason Day got to the fifth hole on Friday before determining he couldn’t continue.

Jason Day withdrew from the Arnold Palmer Invitational during Friday’s second round, making this the second year in a row he has had to pull out of the event.

He was in the fairway on the fifth hole when he started to gather his things and stuff them into his golf bag.

Day then got a ride on a cart and rode back to the clubhouse. The PGA Tour cited a back injury as the reason.

Day was in a group with Adam Scott and Brooks Koepka.

API: Tee times, TV | By the rankings | Photos | Scores

One month ago, Day opened 67-64 at the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

Hurt all of 2019, Day, a former world No. 1 with 12 PGA Tour wins, including the 2015 PGA Championship, was thinking the time to put away the clubs was near despite being just 32. He is winless since the 2018 Wells Fargo Championship.

Chronic back pain and an assortment of injuries forced him to miss events, including the Presidents Cup in his native Australia.

“I’ve talked to my wife about this a lot. I’m like, I think I’m nearly done here, just because of how much pain I was in,” Day said at Pebble Beach. “I feel like it’s been a long time since I’ve actually been out there and felt the way that I felt out there today and played well like that. … It’s hard because you compete week-in and week-out and you expect so much of yourself, and everyone does, but sometimes when you’re injured, like for the most part I was all last year, it gets frustrating. … And you feel like your world is kind of crumbling around yourself, especially as an athlete who plays injured. And it’s not a good feeling because there’s some dark moments in there that you got to kind of fight through.”

Golfweek’s Steve DiMeglio contributed to this article.

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On a roll: Adam Scott says he didn’t want to be lagging behind fellow Aussies

Adam Scott joins Aussies Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman as winners on the PGA Tour in 2020.

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Aussie, Aussie, Aussie.

Adam Scott’s resolute victory in Sunday’s Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club kept his home country of Australia rolling on the PGA Tour in 2020. With his first victory on the PGA Tour in nearly four years – and the 14th of his career – the 2013 Masters champion became the sixth man from Down Under to win on professionals tours around the world this year.

Last year, just two Australians registered victories around the world. Well, the men from Oz passed that the first month of 2020.

Scott joined Cameron Smith (Sony Open) and Marc Leishman (Farmers Insurance Open) as winners on the PGA Tour, while Lucas Herbert (Omega Desert Classic) and Min Woo Lee (Vic Open) earned their maiden victories on the European Tour. Wade Ormsby won the Hong Kong Open on a tour co-sanctioned by the Asian and European tours.

Scott, who got the best of rugged Riviera and won by two shots over Scott Brown, Sung Kang and Matt Kuchar and by three over world No. 1 Rory McIlroy, credits the Presidents Cup in Australia in December for spurring on his countrymen.

The Internationals nearly pulled off the upset of the Americans before falling late, 16-14, at Royal Melbourne. Scott, Smith and Leishman played on that team.

“I’ve seen it before, with some guys off the back of an incredible Presidents Cup experience where there’s pressure out on the golf course and guys really learning and elevating their games and then putting that into practice the next time they’re in a pressure situation,” Scott said Sunday. “I know I did that back in 2003, we played in December in South Africa and I remember leading the Players going into Sunday but using that pressure situation playing with Ernie (Els) in South Africa as a way to know that I can handle it, and I think some of us might have done that off the back of this Presidents Cup.

“And it’s certainly motivation for me seeing Cam and Marc win to come out and make sure I’m not the one lagging behind, so over to Jason (Day).”

Day, who has played well but is winless since 2018, won’t join his mates with a victory this week as he’s not playing the WGC-Mexico Championship. But Australia will be well represented with Scott, Smith, Leishman, Herbert and Scott Hend in the field.

While three of the top-10 players in the world are bypassing the Mexico Championship – world No. 2 Brooks Koepka, No. 6 Patrick Cantlay and No. 9 Tiger Woods – the field is still stacked.

McIlroy, No. 3 Jon Rahm, No. 4 Justin Thomas, No. 5 and defending champion Dustin Johnson, No. 7 Scott, No. 8 Webb Simpson and No. 10 Xander Schauffele are teeing it up in the second WGC event of the season.

Tommy Fleetwood, Patrick Reed, Matt Kuchar, Bryson DeChambeau, Louis Oosthuizen, reigning British Open champion Shane Lowry, reigning U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland and Leishman make it 15 of the top 20 in the field.

Major champions Sergio Garcia, Jordan Spieth, Bubba Watson, Graeme McDowell and Francesco Molinari are among others playing.

Scott is definitely one of the favorites this week. The last time he ended a winless drought came in 2016 when he won the Honda Classic. The following week his won the WGC-Cadillac Championship.

“I think anytime you’re coming off a drought of wins, I’ve always kind of judged myself and graded myself on winning tournaments and I’ve done that fairly consistently throughout my career, but it’s been nearly four years since I won on the PGA Tour,” he said. “This is an important step for whatever this next few years is in my career. So I think it is important, it can definitely be used for momentum.”

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Genesis Open Invitational Round 3, PGA Tour Live Stream, Leaderboard, TV Channel, How to Watch

Watch Genesis Open Live Online.

The third round of the Genesis Open will begin on Saturday, also the first time this tournament is being played as an invitational. American Matt Kuchar (-9) is leading going into the third round with Rory Mcllroy hot on his heels at (-7). This should be an exciting weekend of golf.

PGA Golf: Genesis Open Invitational 

  • Date: Saturday, February 15th
  • Tee off: 11:05 a.m. ET
  • TV Channel: CBS
  • Live Stream: CBS All Access (Try it FREE now)

The Genesis Open will be held at the beautiful Riveria Country Club, which is a 7,322-yard course in Pacific Palisades, California. Tiger Woods is only five shots behind Kuchar and will look for a solid day to try and catch up to the leaders, Kuchar and McIIroy.

Notable Pairings

Phil Mickelson, Patrick Rodgers, Tommy Fleetwood
12 p.m. off the 1st tee

Jordan Spieth, Brandon Harkins, Xander Schauffele
12:10 p.m. off the 1st tee

Justin Thomas, Rory McIlroy, Aaron Baddeley
12:31 p.m. off the 1st tee

Dustin Johnson, Kelly Kraft, Talor Gooch
12:31 p.m. off the 10th tee

Sam Saunders, Tony Finau, Bubba Watson
1:34 p.m. off the 1st tee

Ryan Moore, Patrick Cantlay, Graeme McDowell
1:45 p.m. off the 1st tee

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No ‘W’ for Jason Day at Pebble Beach, but stops to celebrate mom’s improved health

Not even four three-putts on the final nine holes could keep Jason Day from stopping to snap a photo with his mom and family at Stillwater Cove.

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Jason Day didn’t take home the trophy from the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Four three-putt greens on the inward nine did him in en route to a final-round 3-over 75 and a 4th-place finish, his seventh top-six result in 11 starts there since his debut in 2008.

But he did take a moment to savor having his mother, Dening, with him this week.

In early 2017, she was diagnosed with a mass in her left lung that turned out to be Stage 4 non-small-cell lung cancer. Day withdrew from the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play during a teary-eyed news conference to spend time with her when he was told that she had only a few months to live.

But her cancer is now in remission and Day told the Associated Press at the Farmers Insurance Open that her scans recently came back “awesome.”

PEBBLE BEACH: Scores | Photos | Trophies | Winner’s bag | Money

Day may have been disappointed to fall short of claiming his 13th Tour title – it did mark his first top-five finish on the PGA Tour since the Masters – but he didn’t let it stop him from posing for a photo overlooking Stillwater Cove with his mom, son Dash and wife Ellie.

Day’s mom has been in the U.S. for more than a month, spending time with her grandkids after Day was forced to skip the Presidents Cup and didn’t go home to Australia. She is expected to return to Australia after the Genesis Invitational.

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