Valspar Championship. Paul Casey with One Shot lead.

Paul Casey, the defending champion from England leads after 54 holes at Copperhead in Florida.

Paul / getty

Paul fell over on the last hole of the snake pit carding bogey for a third round -3 under par 68, giving him a Valspar Championship total of -9 under, and a one stroke lead going into the final round tomorrow.

World number one Dustin Johnson is that one shot back at -8 under, in second place alone, after his third round-4 under 67, making a 35 ft birdie putt;

“Luckily, I made really good contact with it and it flew just past the hole, even then, I still had a big, swinging, downhill putt.”

“Makes up for the other two.”

Jason Kokrak is third at -7 under, his third round -5 under 66 included a Hole in One, at the par three 15th, voted the shot of the day.

Luke Donald, England and Scott Stallings, USA, both with -1 under 70 today are tied in fourth place at -6 under.

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Valspar Championship. Two at the Top.

Two players are tied at the top of the Valspar Championship leaderboard, Paul Casey, England, and Austin Cook, USA, share the 36 hole lead.

Paul Casey/ getty

Paul -5 under 66 today and Austin, -4 under par 67, share the 36 hole Valspar Championship lead at Copperhead in Florida with -6 under par totals.

Paul is the defending champion, and has yet to successfully retain a title;

“I’ve never defended a professional event. I would love to do that.”

“Mentally last year I was hoping I would win, wanting to win.”

“This year, knowing that I have won around here, I have a slightly different approach to it, and I played today quite aggressively and tried to take advantage of the golf course that I knew was going to get very, very tough this afternoon.”

Scott Stallings, USA, -3 under 68 today, Sungjae Im, South Korea, 4 under 67, and the comeback kid Luke Donald, England, -2 under 70, are tied in third place at -5 under.

Luke is ready for the challenge;

“This is my first event back since the Sony and I really haven’t had too many reps, so I maybe lost a little bit of focus down the stretch there the last few holes, but overall I’m in a great position and thankful that I feel good and healthy and ready for a weekend. It’s been a while.”

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Valspar Championship. Two-Way Tie at the Top.

There is a two-way tie at the top of the Valspar Championship leaderboard after round round one,  Joel Dahmen, USA, and Sepp Straka of Austria are at – 5 under par.

Joel & Sepp /  getty

Joel and Sepp carded round first rounds of 66 to top the Valspar Championship leaderboard by one shot at Copperhead Gold Club in Florida.

In third place at -4 under were Russell Knox, Scotland, Kevin Kisner, USA, and ex world number one Luke Donald of England.

Russell played so well he did not need to putt well;

 ”Didn’t even have to putt, which was great.”

 ”I’ve been building a bit of momentum. The Masters has been on my mind since the first of the year.”

Luke felt better after he had holed a few putts;

”It makes your back feel better, actually, when you make a few birdies and hole a few putts,.’

”It’s good for the soul. And it’s been a while since I had a really good round like that, and it does feel good.”

“I felt very relaxed out there, which is somewhat unusual. The last year or two hasn’t really been that way.”

 

Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. Tyrrell Hatton Has One Hand on the Trophy.

Defending champion Tyrrell Hatton, from England, has one hand on the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship trophy after 54 holes in Scotland.

Tyrrell Hatton / getty

Tyrrell hauled himself clear of the field with third round -7 under par 65 at Kingsbarns, to post -18 under par at the top of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and will take a five shot advantage into the final round at St Andrews tomorrow, on the Old Course;

“To win at the home of golf once is incredible but to do it again and defend would be a dream come true.”

“Last year, this event was a fantastic moment for me.”

“It’s great to be back and I’m enjoying my first defence.

“Last year was a new experience for me going out leading a tournament and I managed to do a really good job. Made myself very difficult to catch, hopefully I can do that again tomorrow.”

“I’ll certainly try my best to do that. That’s all anyone can ever do is try their best and I’ll certainly do that.”

In second place is Grégory Bourdy, France, a -6 under par 66 at Carnoustie levering him up the leaderboard, but at -13 under for the tournament he has a long way to go to catch the leader;

“Very pleased for sure but it’s one of my favourite links courses as well. I feel good on it and I knew I could do a good score there.”

Paul Dunne, Ireland, -2 under 70 at Kingsbarns has third place at -11 under par, while Luke Donald, England, -6 under 66 at Kingsbarns, makes a rare but pleasing return to the higher end of a leaderboard, and Ross Fisher, England, -5 under 67, Kingsbarns, both players at -10 under for the tournament, but all will be fighting it out for the minor placings tomorrow.

Luke was a happy man;

“Happy with that score.”

“Happy to be in the mix, and go out there and shoot a low one.”

 

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Valero Texas Open. Two Tied at the Top.

There are two players tied at the top of the Valero Texas Open leaderboard after 36 holes at TPC San Antonio in the Lone Star State of Texas. Bud Cauley and Tony Finau share the limelight at the half way stage.

 

Bud and Tony at -8 under par for the tournament.

Bud scrambled very well, getting up and down nine times in the first two rounds, and needed only 22 putts today, shooting  a bogey free -6 under par 66;

“I scrambled really well.” 

“I didn’t drive it poorly but, you know, just with the wind out there it was tough to get some of the iron shots close. When I did miss the green I was able to leave it in a relatively easy spot and get up and down which kind of kept my round going.”

“Just driving the ball well,”

“”You know, obviously last week there’s no faking it around there. You have to drive it well or you can’t play. I worked on that a lot the week before and I was able to do that last week and carried that over to these two rounds.”

“I got a lot out of my round today. I hit the ball really well yesterday and just kind of left some shots out there. Today was nice to scramble well and look forward to this weekend.”

Tony, -7 under par 65 today, is looking forward to the week-end;

“I feel good. I’ve hit a lot of good shots, have had a good season so far.”

”Look forward to the weekend.”

There are then four players on -7 under, Cameron Smith, -7 under 65 today, 51-year-old Bob Estes -3 under 69, Kevin Chappell, -4 under 68 and Robby Shelton who carded -3 under 69.

Luke Donald, who was second last week, and Ian Poulter both missed the cut, and with it Ian also lost his PGA Tour card;

“The most frustrating thing is that I can’t plan a schedule. So, I have to be ready to go any given Monday for an event.”

“Obviously, I will try to qualify for the U.S. Open and the Open Championship, but it’s just very, very frustrating.”

“It’s not like I’m going to go away and you’re never going to see me again. I’m playing next week with Geoff Ogilvy in New Orleans [at the Zurich Classic].”

Ollie Schniederjans -5 under 65 today, spent an hour in his hotel room last night, looking for a putting groove. Looks like he found it rolling one putt from 34 feet, and three putts between 15-20 feet, followed by two more putts from just outside 10 feet. He also managed to hole out from 10 feet from the fringe;

“I’ve been working really hard on my putting, awesome to see it pay off today.”

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RBC Heritage. Wesley Bryan Wins Maiden Tour Title.

Wesley Bryan wins Maiden PGA Tour title the RBC Heritage, at Hilton Head Golf Links.

Maiden Tour Winner Wesley Bryan / getty

Wesley shot a final round -4 under par 67 to win the RBC Heritage by one shot with a -13 under par total;

“This is as good as it gets.”

“It’s one that I grew up dreaming on the practice green late at night when I was a kid, like this putt’s to win the Heritage.”

“And to get it done here is one of the coolest experiences ever.”

“I hit a lot of really, really bad shots out there.”

“Even today, I hit some of the worst I’ve hit in a long time. But was able to stay composed and had a couple good up-and-downs for bogeys this week.”

“They’re going to be bogeys on the scorecard, but they were kind of the momentum keepers, so to speak.”

Ex World number one Luke Donald is on the comeback trail, finishing second here at -12 under par, with a last round -3 under 68. Luke has been close to winning here before;

“I just keep trying.”

“Obviously the worst possible start. A double on two, which is kind of a birdie hole.”

“Just never felt very comfortable on that tee shot all week. But really happy with the grinding and the grit that I showed today to come back and give myself a chance.”

“It’s a place I feel comfortable and I like, and I’ve had a lot of success. I’ve just got to keep pounding away, and hopefully I’ll get there.”

Sharing third place at -11 under par were; Patrick Cantlay, -4 under 67 today, Ollie Schniederjans, -3 under 68, and William McGirt, -2 under 69.

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RBC Heritage. Luke & Graham Share Lead

Luke Donald, England, & Graham DeLaet, Canada, share the RBC Heritage lead after 36 holes at Harbour Town Golf Links.

Luke / getty

Luke and Graham share the RBC Heritage lead at -10 under par at the half-way stage on Hilton Head Island.

Luke chipped in for a birdie on the iconic 18th, the Lighthouse hole, to put himself in position to go on and win. that gave him -4 under 67 on the day;

“I’ve been in this position before and I’ve got to go out there and be aggressive and make some birdies.”

 “Certainly playing for pars won’t get it done out there.”

Graham made a chip in Eagle 2 at the par four ninth, he also carded -4 under 67 today;

“We couldn’t see the bottom of the pin, but there was reaction from the crowd so we figured it was in.”

Ian Poulter, -3 under 68 and Webb Simpson,-3 under 68, both share third position on the leaderboard at -8 under par.

Ian is playing on a medical exemption, and needs a good finish here to remain on the PGA Tour;

“I’m playing golf like I really don’t care, to be honest.”

“I’ve had to work on clearing everything out of my mind to go play good golf.”

A group of five players are at -7 under par for the tournament, Bud Cauley, Pat Perez, Jason Dufner, Nick Taylor and Sam Saunders.

Get in the Hole

RBC Heritage. Bud Cauley Shoots 63 To Lead.

Bud Cauley shoots 63 to lead the RBC Heritage after the first round at Harbour Town Golf Links.

 

Bud Cauley / getty

Bud dislocated his shoulder during a swing at the 2014 John Deere Classic, it has been a long road back;

“It’s tough. It’s just something that’s out of your control.”

“You can prepare and play and do all the things you’re supposed to and then you get hurt and there’s kind of nothing you can do.”

“I guess it’s better that it happened when I was younger, as opposed to later, it’s easier to recover from something like that.”

“It’s also something I’ll have to deal with the rest of the career but as long as I stay up with the physical therapy and do the right things I think I’ll be able to stay healthy and hopefully it will be something 20 years from now I barely remember.”

“You never go out thinking you’re going to shoot that.”

 “I just got into the round and was swinging well and tried to give myself as many looks as I could.”

Sharing second place at -6 under par are Luke Donald, Graham DeLaet and Sam Saunders, all with opening rounds of 65.

Ex world number one Luke was upset at missing out on The Masters last week, and says this course suits the shorter hitters;

Luke Donald / getty

“It’s never fun to be sitting at home, but in a way, it motivates you.”

“It gets the fire under you and you get a little bit more inspired.”

“The long hitters, it’s taking driver out of their hands a lot.”

“So I feel like the playing field’s leveled out.”

“This place has been kind to me. It’s nice to get off to a great start.”

“It’s always nice to come back to places you feel comfortable and you’ve had success. “

“Obviously, I’ve had a lot of success here in the last eight years. I’ve done everything but win. And it would be nice to give myself another chance to try and finally get over that hurdle.”

 

Wyndham Championship, Si Woo Kim Wins.

Si Woo Kim wins the Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Country Club, his maiden PGA Tour victory.

Si Woo Kim / getty

Si Woo carded a final round -3 under par 67 to claim the Wyndham Championship title with a -21 under par score, which equaled the tournament low record;

“I feel confidence so I don’t have any fear to attacking the pin.”

“Before this tournament I was tough to gain that top 30 but right now I can get in so I’m very happy about that and want to get through it.”

A back in form Luke Donald was second, a last round -3 under par 67 giving him a tournament total of -16 under par, and he congratulated Si Woo on his victory and also was excited to jump from 99th to 48th in the FedExCup rankings;

“It’s never easy leading from the front but he seems to cope with it extremely well.”

“I didn’t realize my jump was going to be that extreme, obviously I can play with a little bit more freedom and go out there and hopefully keep playing the way I played this week.”

“I played pretty solidly today, I didn’t quite get it in the fairway quite enough to be able to attack enough pins and really put some pressure own Si.”

“He looked like he was very much in control of his game and he was going to be a hard man to catch. Lot of positives from this week and good time heading into the Playoffs to find in form.”

Sharing third place at -15 under par were Hideki Matsuyama and Brandt Snedeker, both -3 under 67 today.

Brandt summed his tournament;

“I’m rolling the ball fantastic, playing some great golf.”

“Got to find the one thing that kind of ties it all together. I can do it on the range occasionally.”

“On the golf course I do it quite a little bit every once in a while, or one or two will sneak in.”

“I wasn’t worried about second, I was trying to put some pressure on him.”

“Got to get those out of there before next week. Tough golf course next week. Make sure I’m hitting on all cylinders to handle Bethpage.”

“Got to think your way around the course, pull from the great finish I had four years ago, go up with some confidence and try the recreate it.”

“I got to go up there and play well, I need to be in the top five heading to Atlanta. I got three solid weeks to get that done.”

 

Wyndham Championship. Kim in Control.

Si Woo Kim has a four shot lead at the top of the Wyndham Championship leaderboard after 54 holes at Sedgefield County Club.

Si Woo Kim

Si Woo followed his record breaking second round -10 under 60, with a -5 under 65 today at the Wyndham Championship, increasing his lead at the top to four shots with a -18 under par tournament total;

“I think tomorrow is much pressure, but I’m just trying to keep confidence. That’s it.”

“I feel very good now. My shots like much more consistent. Only problem have pressure.”

” I’m experienced before like Alabama in Barbasol, that’s good experience. Good for tomorrow.”

“I feel like really pressure because first time, first time I lead third round, but start very good, first hole and second hole start birdie.”

 “But after little pressure, I felt little better.”

Rafa Cabrera Bello is in second place on his own at -14 under par, he also carded a third round -5 under par 65. He especially likes the greens, they help to roll the putts in;

“The greens are brilliant.”

“You play good and give yourself chances you will roll putts and that’s what I’m going to try to do tomorrow.”

A blast from the recent past, Luke Donald, -6 under 64 today, shares third place at -13 under par, along with Kevin Na -3 under 67 and Jim Furyk, who sunk a 60 foot putt for Eagle on the 15th, and then ruined it with bogey on the last two holes, finishing with a -3 under 67 round.

Jim was disappointed with his finish, but happy with his overall position for tomorrow;

“Had it rolling and then missed the fairway at 17 and I missed the fairway at 18 and the rough here doesn’t allow you to hit a ball.”

“It’s hard to control. I’m disappointed with the two bogeys.”

“Overall, still some good position with the tournament. Need to get over that and play a good round tomorrow.”

Luke also struggled with the rough off the fairway, but did recover for par;

“I hit a poor tee shot left and had to chip out.”

 “I had a good number with a little wedge, stick it to that pin. Would have been disappointing to drop one there after playing so well for the rest of the round.”