Round 4 - Jon Rahm wins CareerBuilder Challenge in playoff

January 21, 2018

Spain's Jon Rahm birdied the fourth playoff hole to beat Andrew Landry and capture his second US PGA Tour title at the CareerBuilder Challenge in California.

Rahm, projected to rise one spot to number two in the world when the world rankings are updated on Monday, had five birdies in his bogey-free five-under 67 on the Stadium Course in La Quinta to seize the clubhouse lead on 22-under par 266.

But Landry, seeking a first PGA Tour title, rolled in an 11-foot birdie putt at the 72nd hole to cap a four-under 68 and force the playoff.

Both players parred the first three playoff holes -- although each had birdie chances to win.

Rahm finally broke through when they returned to the 18th for the third time in the playoff. After finding the fairway at each of the first three playoff holes he was in the right rough, but still reached the green in two.

After he rolled in his birdie putt, Landry missed his from a similar distance on the other side of the hole.

"It's an amazing feeling ... to play the way I did and give myself a chance," said the 23-year-old Rahm, who has four victories worldwide in the past year.

"Obviously props to Andrew. To birdie 18 from the right rough, having to birdie it, that's a heck of an accomplishment.

"Either one of us would have been a deserving champion," added Rahm, who defends his first PGA Tour title at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines starting on Thursday.

"I never thought I was going to be at this point in my life right now," he said, adding that it was "hard to believe" that he would move past three-time major winner Jordan Spieth into second place in the world rankings led by American Dustin Johnson.

Rahm, the highest ranked player in the field, opened the week in impressive style with a 10-under par 62.

He couldn't maintain that pace, and after a third-round 70 was two strokes behind rookie Austin Cook heading into the final round.

He was tied for the lead at 20-under after rolling in an 18-foot putt for his third birdie of the day at the 10th, and kept the chasing pack at bay with back-to-back birdies at 13 and 14 that moved him to 22-under.

Despite his impressive ball-striking, Rahm missed opportunities to give himself more of a cushion.

At the par-five 16th he followed up an impressive tee shot with a second shot that left him short of the green. His third shot gave him seven feet for a birdie but he missed that -- unable to pick up strokes at any of the Stadium Course's three par-fives.

In the meantime, Landry was putting together a round that included five birdies and a bogey.

While Cook's bid for a second PGA Tour title was doomed by a pair of double-bogeys, a string of other players threatened the lead.

John Huh carded a six-under par 66 to head a group sharing third on 268 that also included Canadian Adam Hadwin (68) and American Martin Piller (70).

Kevin Chappell's 67 included four birdies in a row from the ninth through the 12th and put him on 269, tied with fellow American Scott Piercy who carded a 70.

Jason Kokrak birdied five straight holes on the back nine to get to 21-under but closed with a bogey and a double-bogey in a 69 that saw him tied on 18-under 270 with Sam Saunders (64) and Brandon Harkins (70).

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Round 3 - Austin Cook hits 64 and takes lead heading into final round

January 20, 2018

Austin Cook hit a hybrid into the fairway bunker on the par-4 18th on a breezy Saturday afternoon at La Quinta Country Club, then chunked a wedge and raced a chip 20 feet past the hole.

Kip Henley, the longtime PGA Tour caddie who guided Cook to a breakthrough victory at Sea Island in November, stepped in to give the 26-year-old former Arkansas star a quick pep talk.

''Kip said, 'Let's finish this like we did on the first day at the Nicklaus Course.' We made a big par putt on 18 there and he said, 'Let's just do the same thing. Let's get this line right and if you get the line right it's going in.'''

It did, giving Cook an 8-under 64 and a one-stroke lead in the CareerBuilder Challenge going into the final round on the Stadium Course at PGA West. Fellow former Razorback Andrew Landry and Martin Piller were tied for second, and Jon Rahm and Scott Piercy were a another stroke back after a tricky day in wind that didn't get close to the predicted gusts of 40 mph.

''I know that I wouldn't have wanted to play the Stadium today,'' Cook said. ''I think we got a great draw with the courses that we got to play on the days that we got to play them.''

Cook played the final six holes on the front nine in 6 under with an eagle and four birdies.

''Starting on my fourth hole, I was able to make a birdie and kind of get the ball rolling and it never really stopped rolling,'' Cook said. ''Kip and I were doing really good at seeing the line on the greens.''

After a bogey on 10, he birdied 11, 12 and 15 and parred the final three to get to 19-under 197.

''I think that tonight the nerves, the butterflies, all that will kind of be a little less,'' Cook said. ''I've been in the situation before and I was able to finish the job on Sunday. I think it would be a little different if I didn't play like I did on Sunday at Sea Island.''

He's making his first start in the event.

''I came in from Hawaii on Monday, so I only had two days to prepare for three courses,'' Cook said.

Landry, the second-round leader, had a 70 at the Stadium. Piller, the husband of LPGA Tour player Gerina Piller, shot a 67 at La Quinta. Winless on the PGA Tour, they will join Cook in the final threesome.

''Piller's a good guy and we have played a lot together and same with Cookie,'' said Landry, the only player without a bogey after 54 holes. ''Hope the Hogs are going to come out on top.''

Rahm had a 70 at the Stadium to reach 17 under. The third-ranked Rahm beat up the par 5s again, but had four bogeys - three on par 3s. He has played the 12 par 5s in 13 under with an eagle and 11 birdies.

''A little bit of a survival day,'' Rahm said.

The wind was more of a factor on the more exposed and tighter Stadium Course.

''The course is firming up,'' Rahm said. ''I know if we have similar wind to today, if we shoot something under par, you'll be way up there contesting it over the last few holes.''

Piercy had a 66 at the Stadium.

''I controlled my ball really well today,'' he said.

Adam Hadwin had a 67 at La Quinta a year after shooting a third-round 59 on the course. The Canadian was 16 under along with Grayson Murray and Brandon Harkins. Murray had a 67 on the Nicklaus Course, and Harkins shot 68 at the Stadium.

Phil Mickelson missed the cut in his first tournament of the year for the second time in his career, shooting a 74 on the Stadium to finish at 4 under - four strokes from a Sunday tee time. The 47-year-old Hall of Famer was playing for the first time since late October. He also missed the cut in the Phoenix Open in his 2009 opener.

Charlie Reiter, the Palm Desert High School senior playing on the first sponsor exemption the event has given to an amateur, also missed the cut. He had three early straight double bogeys in a 77 on the Stadium that left him 1 over.

John Daly had an 80 at La Quinta. He opened with a triple bogey and had six bogeys - four in a row to start his second nine - and only one birdie. The 51-year-old Daly opened with a 69 on the Nicklaus layout and had a 71 on Friday at the Stadium.

Round 2 - Landry seizes lead in CA, Rahm 1-behind

January 19, 2018

Andrew Landry fired seven birdies in a seven-under par 65 on Friday to seize a one-stroke lead over world number three Jon Rahm in the US PGA CareerBuilder Challenge in California.

Landry nabbed five of his seven birdies on the back nine at the Nicklaus Tournament Course at PGA West-- one of three in use over the first three days of the event in La Quinta in the desert east of Los Angeles.

Landry, ranked 184th in the world and in search of his first US PGA Tour title, missed just three greens in regulation and has yet to make a bogey this week.

His 16-under total of 128 put him one ahead of Spain's Rahm, the overnight leader after a sizzling first-round 62 who carded a 67.

Rahm teed off on the 10th on the Nicklaus Tournament Course. He opened with back-to-back birdies before a bogey at the 12th, He sandwiched two more birdies at 13 and 15 around a bogey at 14 before notching three more birdies coming in.

"I wasn't as pure as yesterday," Rahm said. "Everything was just a little bit off."

It was a further stroke back to American Jason Kokrak, who had six birdies in a five-under 67 on the Nicklaus Tournament Course.

Two-time major winner Zach Johnson led a group sharing fourth on 131 alongside Michael Kim and Martin Piller. Johnson and Kim both carded 64s on the Nicklaus Tournament Course, where Kim notched an eagle and six birdies without a bogey, Piller posted a 67 on the Stadium Course.

"Doing a lot of good things," Johnson said. "If we're going to pick apart a weakness it's probably I haven't been putting great ... but ball strike's good. I'm hitting my driver in the fairway, I'm getting more loft into these greens the last two weeks than I've ever been accustomed to."

Five-time major-winner Phil Mickelson, making his 2018 debut, carded a 68 on the Nicklaus course to find himself 10 off the pace.

"I've been pretty pleased, overall, with the way I've been driving the ball, and very displeased with the way my iron game has been," Mickelson said.

"Usually my iron play is a lot better than what it's been," added Mickelson, who has hit just 21 of 36 greens in regulation over the first two rounds.

"So I'll go work on it and hopefully improve each round ... I feel like if I continue to drive the ball the way I am, and if I got my iron play back to my normal standard, I should have the results that I've been expecting."

Round 1 - Rahm seizes lead with career-low 62

January 18, 2018

Spain's Jon Rahm fired a 10-under par 62 on Thursday to seize a one-stroke lead in the first round of the US PGA Tour CareerBuilder Challenge in La Quinta, California.

Rahm, the highest-ranked player in the field at number three in the world, sizzled on the La Quinta Country Club course -- one of three in use over the first three rounds -- with eight birdies and an eagle.

He was one stroke in front of Americans Austin Cook, Jason Kokrak and Andrew Landry.

It was a further stroke back to Brandon Harkins, Martin Piller, Beau Hossler and Aaron Wise.

With back-to-back birdies to start, an eagle at the par-five fifth and birdies at six and seven Rahm was six-under through his first seven holes.

He couldn't help but remember Canadian Adam Hadwin's 59 on the La Quinta course last year.

"Any time you have that going for you, you get thoughts come in your head, 60, maybe 59," Rahm said. "I knew that if I kept playing good I was going to have more birdie opportunities, and I tried not to get ahead of myself."

Although he couldn't break 60, Rahm was pleased with the lowest round of his career on the PGA Tour.

"That's golf," said Rahm, who picked up four more birdies coming in. "You're not going to make every single putt, you're not going to hit every shot perfect. I birdied the last hole, had a couple of great sand saves coming in, shot 10-under par.

"There's not much more I can ask for," added Rahm, who hit 12 of 14 fairways and 15 of 18 greens in regulation and needed 25 putts.

Kokrak seized his share of second by playing his last five holes, the fifth through ninth at La Quinta, in five-under par, with three birdies and an eagle.

Landry had five birdies and an eagle on his outward run at La Quinta and picked up two more birdies coming in while Cook fired seven birdies and an eagle on the Nicklaus Tournament course.

Five-time major-winner Phil Mickelson making his first start since the WGC-HSBC Champions in October, got off to a fast start with four birdies in his first six holes at La Quinta.

But Mickelson had three bogeys and just one more birdie the rest of the way, capping his round with a bogey at the par-four 18th.

"It was fun to get back out and be competitive," Mickelson said. "I for some reason am stuck on 70 here at La Quinta, whether I get off to a good start or a bad one I end up shooting the same score."

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