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KPMG Women’s PGA Championship Round 3 tee times, Lexi Thompson’s edge kpmg,women,s,pga,championship,round,tee,times,lexi,thompson,s,edge,sbnation,com,front-page,golf,lpga-golf,golf-news

On: June 22, 2024 By: admin

The LPGA is in the Pacific Northwest at Sahalee Country Club for the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.

After a grueling first two days of play, the Top 60 players and ties will play the weekend.

Among those in contention is Lexi Thompson, who fired off an even-par 72 on Friday to sit tied for third place at 4-under.

She is chasing Sarah Schmelzel and Amy Yang, who both signed for 6-under 66s. Jin Young Ko and Thompson will play together alongside Hae Ran Ryu in the second-to-last group.

Some other notable names within reach are Leona Maguire at 3-under. Madelene Sagstrom and Ally Ewing are both at 2-under.

Charley Hull, Maja Stark and Celine Boutier sit at 1-under ahead of moving day. A solid third round could benefit them. Moving Day is for these ladies right in the mix to move up the leaderboard and give themselves a late tee time for Sunday.

Check out the complete tee time list below for Saturday at Sahalee.

KPMG Women’s PGA Championship Round 3 Tee Times (ET):

*indicates going off the 10th tee

12:44 p.m.* — Elizabeth Szokol, Georgia Hall, Lizette Salas

12:49 p.m. — Ruixin Liu, Yu Jin Sung, Akie Iwai

12:55 p.m. * — Linn Grant, Peiyun Chien, Hyo Joo Kim

1:00 p.m. — Pajaree Anannarukarn, Minjee Lee, Mao Saigo

1:06 p.m. * — Arpichaya Yubol, Esther Henseliet, Azahara Munoz

1:11 p.m. — Allisen Corpuz, Ayaka Furue, Xi Yu Lin

1:17 p.m. * — Rio Takeda, Morgane Metraux, Jiwon Jeon

1:22 p.m. — Malia Nam, Minami Katsu, Gaby Lopez

1:28 p.m. * — Paula Reto, Lydia Ko, Mi Hyang Lee

1:33 p.m. — Lilia Vu, Brooke M. Henderson, Ariya Jutanugarn

1:39 p.m. * — Ashleigh Buhai, Gabriela Ruffels, Grace Kim

1:40 p.m. — Bianca Pagdanganan, Lauren Coughlin, Hye-Jin Choi

1:50 p.m. * — Rose Zhang, Atthaya Thitikul, Ruoning Yin

1:55 p.m. — Patty Tavatanakit, Jennifer Kupcho, Celine Borge

2:01 p.m. * — Hannah Green, Na Rin An, Frida Kinhult

2:06 p.m. — Charley Hull, Lindsey Weaver-Wright, Caroline Inglis

2:12 p.m. * — Moriya Jutanugarn, Aditi Ashok, A Lim Kim

2:17 p.m. — Stephanie Kyriacou, Maja Stark, Celine Boutier

2:23 p.m. * — Yuka Saso, Cheyenne Knight, Lindy Duncan

2:28 p.m. — Ally Ewing, Lauren Hartlage, Aline Krauter

2:34 p.m. * — Mariah Stackhouse, Maria Fassi

2:39 p.m. — Miyu Yamashita, Leona Maguire, Madelene Sagstrom

2:45 p.m. * — Angel Yin, Yealimi Noh

2:50 p.m. — Lexi Thompson, Jin Young Ko, Hae Ran Ryu

3:01 p.m. — Sarah Schmelzel, Amy Yang, Hinako Shibuno

Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.

KPMG Women’s PGA Championship: Nelly Korda among big names to miss cut kpmg,women,s,pga,championship,nelly,korda,among,big,names,to,miss,cut,sbnation,com,front-page,golf,lpga-golf,golf-news

On: June 22, 2024 By: admin

The LPGA’s third major championship, the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, is halfway over. Sahalee Country Club showed its teeth through the first two days.

After Friday’s round, half the field went home, and among those was World No. 1 Nelly Korda.

Korda will not play on the weekend for the second major championship and the third straight week. She started the season with five consecutive wins and earned her sixth at the Mizuho’s Americas Open.

Since that victory, though, things have not gone her way. To miss the cut, Korda shot an 80-70 at the U.S. Women’s Open. This week, she tallied 69-81, her highest professional career score.

It was not a good day for the top-ranked player in the world, especially after a strong start to the week on Day 1. Korda started her day by making five bogeys in six of her first holes. She added two more bogeys at the 9th, 11th and 14th before a double bogey at the par-4 15th completely derailed her.

Korda did add one birdie to the card on the par-5 18th, but it was too late.

She is not the only one headed home early. Other notable names who missed the cut at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship include Anna Nordqvist, Alexa Pano, Emily Kristine Pedersen, Robyn Choi, Nasa Hataoka, Andrea Lee, Danielle Kang, Sophia Popov, Carlota Ciganda, Gemma Dryburgh, Stacy Lewis, and Brittany Lincicome.

Sahalee gave these ladies quite the test, and they were sent home after 36 holes.

Travelers Championship Rd. 3 tee times, LIV Golf Nashville party travelers,championship,rd,tee,times,liv,golf,nashville,party,sbnation,com,golf,golf-pga-tour,golf-opinions,golf-news,liv-golf

On: June 22, 2024 By: admin

Welcome to Playing Through’s new morning ritual: Golf Talk Today.

Each morning will feature a Golf Talk Today, in which the crew will discuss various elements of the PGA Tour, LIV Golf and other professional golf tournaments.

It is Saturday at the Travelers Championship, the final PGA Tour Signature Event, and LIV Golf begins its second round in Music City.

Tom Kim leads by two shots over Collin Morikawa, Akshay Bhatia and Scottie Scheffler. It is a birdie fest at TPC River Highlands, so expect moving day to feature a lot of birdies, much like Friday did.

Shane Lowry and Robert MacIntyre fired off 8-under 62s on Friday to jump up the leaderboard. The Irishman moved up 27 spots, while the Scottish player went up 35 places.

The PGA Tour and LIV Golf do not have cutlines this week. Let’s look at the round 3 tee times for the Travelers Championship and take a look at the LIV Golf leaderboard.

Travelers Championship Round 3 Tee times (ET):

*All players will go off 1st tee*

8:00 a.m. — Eric Cole, Justin Rose

8:10 a.m. — Adam Schenk, Russell Henley

8:20 a.m. — Andrew Putnam, Davis Riley

8:30 a.m. — Adam Scott, Ben Griffin

8:40 a.m. — Jason Day, Max Homa

8:50 a.m. — Chris Kirk, Nick Taylor

9:00 a.m. — Jake Knapp, Peter Malnati

9:10 a.m. — Emiliano Grillo, Chris Gotterup

9:25 a.m. — Billy Horschel, Sepp Straka

9:35 a.m. — Nick Dunlap, Matt Fitzpatrick

9:45 a.m. — Cameron Young, Jordan Spieth

9:55 a.m. — Harris English, Taylor Moore

10:05 a.m. — Stephan Jaeger, Victor Perez

10:15 a.m. — Adam Hadwin, Viktor Hovland

10:25 a.m. — Mackenzie Hughes, J.T. Poston

10:35 a.m. — Lee Hodges, Seamus Power

10:50 a.m. — Lucas Glover, Thomas Detry

11:00 a.m. — Austin Eckroat, Corey Conners

11:10 a.m. — Sahith Theegala, Keegan Bradley

11:20 a.m. — Michael Thorbjornsen, Brian Harman

11:30 a.m. — Matthieu Pavon, Ludvig Åberg

11:40 a.m. — Si Woo Kim, Cam Davis

11:50 a.m. — Webb Simpson, Christiaan Bezuidenhout

12:05 p.m. — Hideki Matsuyama, Will Zalatoris

12:15 p.m. — Sam Burns, Adam Svensson

12:25 p.m. — Kurt Kitayama, Wyndham Clark

12:35 p.m. — Brendon Todd, Tommy Fleetwood

12:45 p.m. — Patrick Rodgers, Denny McCarthy

12:55 p.m. — Taylor Pendrith, Rickie Fowler

1:10 p.m. — Tom Hoge, Patrick Cantlay

1:20 p.m. — Tony Finau, Robert MacIntyre

1:30 p.m. — Shane Lowry, Justin Thomas

1:40 p.m. — Xander Schauffele, Sungjae Im

1:50 p.m. — Akshay Bhatia, Scottie Scheffler

2:00 p.m. — Tom Kim, Collin Morikawa

LIV Golf Nashville Update

The Saudi-backed tour is in Nashville for the first time, and the crowds have flocked to the Grove.

Sergio Garcia’s Fireballs GC leads the teams after they posted a combined 14-under. The Crushers GC posted the second-best team score at 10-under.

Abraham Ancer posted a bogey-free 64 on Friday to hold a one-shot lead over Tyrrell Hatton, who signed for a 6-under 66.

U.S. Open winner Bryson DeChambeau continues to win over the crowds, except for Brooks Koepka’s son, Crew. DeChambeau shot a 4-under 67 at The Grove and is three shots back. He is tied for fourth with three other players. His fill-in teammate, John Catlin, fired off a 5-under 68. He shot the best among the Crusher GC.

While DeChambeau may have some fatigue from last week, that did not stop him from entertaining the masses. He put on a show at the party hole, the par-3 15th, and the fans absolutely loved it.

ICYMI: Top stories from across professional golf

Tom Kim in control again; fires impressive round at Travelers to celebrate 22nd birthday

Proud Dad Moment: Brooks Koepka’s son gives Bryson DeChambeau an incredible slight

LIV Golf pro calls out South Africa Olympic team, PGA Tour players should step aside

The Bryson DeChambeau effect is in full force after incredible U.S. Open victory

Travelers Championship: PGA Tour players take advantage of conditions, make golf course look easy

Lexi Thompson delivered at KPMG Women’s PGA Championship to remain in contention

Travelers Championship: PGA Tour players make golf course look easy travelers,championship,pga,tour,players,make,golf,course,look,easy,sbnation,com,front-page,golf,golf-pga-tour,golf-news

On: June 22, 2024 By: admin

The eighth and final PGA Tour Signature Event is an all-out birdie fest at the Travelers Championship. In the second round, there were 297 birdies and 10 eagles made.

TPC River Highlands has ideal conditions and a field of golfers itching to go low.

This is one of the five no-cut tournaments, and some of the world’s top-ranked golfers are taking advantage of it.

The U.S. Open and Memorial Tournament challenged the best players, so seeing the shortest track on the PGA Tour schedule seems welcomed among the 70 players in the field.

There were 30 players at 67 or better, and only 13 scores over par on Friday.

Shane Lowry and Robert MacIntyre posted the lowest scores of the day, signing for 8-under 62.

Collin Morikawa fired off a bogey-free 7-under 63. He went out in 29 strokes with six birdies. The two-time major winner added his seventh birdie at the 16th.

“It’s been steady. I haven’t made too many errors, and when I have missed greens, I’ve been able to have stress-free pars and good looks for pars, at least,” Morikawa said. “Shots are going where I want. [I’m] putting the ball in the fairway, and that’s key out here, especially with some nasty rough. Just got to continue that for the next two.”

Tom Hoge and Justin Thomas also shot 7-under 63s. Five guys signed for 6-under 64, including Scottie Scheffler, Sungjae Im and Michael Thorbjorsen, who made his PGA Tour debut this week.

The birthday boy and leader by two shots, Tom Kim, followed his Thursday 62 with a 5-under 65.

Joining Kim with a 65 on Friday are Akshay Bhatia, Xander Schauffele, Patrick Cantlay, Brendon Todd, Matthieu Pavon, Matt Fitzpatrick, and Chris Gotterup. Friday’s 65 marked Schauffele’s second straight round of 65.

Cameron Young carded a 4-under 66 to sit at 2-under total. Eleven different players finished Friday’s round with a 3-under 67.

The field made 32 more birdies and three more eagles in round two of the Travelers Championship. A rain delay halted play, but the entire field finished before darkness took over. Could the course play easier now that it has gotten some moisture on it?

If scores continue, the 54-hole and 72-hole records that Keegan Bradley set last year could be in jeopardy. How low will the final score be on Sunday? Sound off in the comments below.

Lexi Thompson delivered KPMG Women’s PGA Championship to contend lexi,thompson,delivered,kpmg,women,s,pga,championship,to,contend,sbnation,com,front-page,golf,lpga-golf,golf-news

On: June 21, 2024 By: admin

Lexi Thompson shot an even-par 72 on Friday to remain in contention at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.

She is two shots off the leader, Sarah Schmelzel, who fired a 5-under 67 to move to 6-under.

Thompson sits at 4-under through 36 holes and sits in a tie for second place with the afternoon wave left to tackle Sahalee Country Club.

“Honestly, even is a great score out here, too,” Thompson said after her round on Friday. “Just a difficult golf course.”

“Pars are good out there. Always important to start off with a good round especially yesterday shooting 4-under. So very grateful and took it into today. Had a great front nine and had a few hiccups on the back nine, but it happens out here. Also made a lot of good putts, so going to build on that.”

The 29-year-old started her round on the back nine and made three birdies to turn in 33 strokes. However, her second nine holes were a grind.

She made a double-bogey on the par-5 2nd and dropped another shot at the 4th. Thompson picked up her fourth birdie at six. However, she made a bogey on the par-4 8th to drop her back to even par.

Thompson explained how this golf course is one to stay patient on.

“There will be bogeys. Take advantage of the few birdie opportunities you get out there,” she said.

Despite the tough stretch, the veteran LPGA player felt she still played well.

“You’re going to hit bad shots. You just got to take it, know there will be a bogey or two in there, and move on,” Thompson said. “Could have been worse, so I stayed positive and made a birdie on the back nine as well and made some good putts. Just build on the positives, not focus on anything else and take that into the weekend.”

She will continue to keep that patient mindset heading into the final 36 holes as Thompson chases down her second major championship.

Her first came at 19 when she won the 2014 Kraft Nabisco Championship.

It has been 10 years since that victory, and the 11-time LPGA winner is playing some of her best golf. Thompson finished T2 last week at the Meijer LPGA Classic after she missed four straight cuts. Before those four early weeks, she recorded a T3 at the inaugural Ford Championship.

In the three events that she played all four rounds, her worst finish was a T16 at the season opener, the LPGA Drive On Championship. An injury in her hand and wrist kept her from playing her best. It also seems to be why she missed so many cuts in a row.

Thompson appears healthy now after shooting another impressive round to keep her in contention at Sahalee.

Olympics: LIV golfer calls out PGA Tour players on South African team olympics,liv,golfer,calls,out,pga,tour,players,on,south,african,team,sbnation,com,front-page,golf,golf-news,liv-golf

On: June 21, 2024 By: admin

This past Monday, the International Golf Federation released the golfers who will represent their home countries at the 2024 Olympics in Paris later this summer. That list includes seven LIV Golf players who will represent their nations.

Then, on Thursday, ahead of the LIV Golf Nashville event, Louis Oosthuizen, Branden Grace, and Dean Burmester—all South African players—detailed what it felt like not to make the South African Olympic team. PGA Tour players Erik van Rooyen and Christiaan Bezuidenhout will represent the country instead.

Grace felt strongly that the Olympic committee got it wrong.

“These are the two guys [Burmester and Oosthuizen] that should be representing South Africa this year,” Grace said ahead of the Nashville tournament.

“I think that’s maybe a good call for each country to pick or try to get their own solution on how they get the criteria right for guys to qualify. But the system at this stage is not very accurate. We all know that. We all talk about it, week in and week out, but these should be the two guys probably representing South Africa.”

Burmester won his first LIV Golf title in Miami earlier this year. Not to mention, he has three other top-10 finishes. The worst performance came at LIV Las Vegas, but for the most part, he has played well.

At the two major championships, Burmester tied for 12th at the PGA Championship. He then captured 69th place at the U.S. Open last week.

Oosthuizen, meanwhile, has two runner-up finishes this year at LIV Adelaide and LIV Jeddah. Two more top-10s followed suit at Mayakoba and Miami. While he has been successful, the Olympics are not high on his radar.

“I grew up with the four majors being your main events, and I don’t really see the fit of professional golfers playing golf in the Olympics,” Oosthuizen said.

“I had the opportunity to go to one of the Olympics and pulled out at the end. It was more getting scheduling-wise getting everything—I think it was close to a major, and that was my main focus always, majors, so the Olympics didn’t fit into my schedule that year.”

Oothusizen represented his country at the World Cup and in the Presidents Cup before, so missing the Olympics is not a big deal to him. Regardless of tour affiliation, he wished the two participants good luck.

“I hope the boys play well and that they perform well, and it’s still going to be a strong South African team playing,” Oosthuizen said.

Burmester followed suit, praising van Rooyen and Bezuidenhout for their performances. Van Rooyen has one runner-up finish, three top 10s, and seven top 25s. As for Bezuidenhout, he has second place at the American Express. He also has three top 10s and nine top 25s. Bezuidenhout was solo fourth at The Memorial in one of his most recent starts.

“Christiaan and Erik are going to do South Africa proud, and they’ve also played some great golf in their own right,” Burmester said.

“I think Louis and I look like Olympians, first of all,” Burmester said. “It would be an honor to go to the Olympics and represent your country. I think it’s the field we have, and those two guys are going to have that opportunity, so it’s super special, and we can only wish them well.”

Taking the high road and wishing two of their fellow South Africans luck in Paris is the proper way to handle it. While they did not get chosen to play in the Olympics, it seems they understand why.

Brooks Koepka’s son gives Bryson DeChambeau amazing dig brooks,koepka,s,son,gives,bryson,dechambeau,amazing,dig,sbnation,com,front-page,golf,golf-news,liv-golf

On: June 21, 2024 By: admin

Ahead of LIV Golf Nashville, Brooks Koepka, his wife Jena, and their son Crew attended an event alongside Bryson DeChambeau.

Of course, social media cameras were there and caught one of the cutest disses DeChambeau would get. He tried to give Crew a fist bump, but the baby did not care. Koepka and Jena laughed with DeChambeau as Crew gave him the cold shoulder.

“Like father, like son,” DeChambeau said in the video. Smash GC also captioned the video with the quote, “The only person to ignore Bryson DeChambeau this week… Crew Koepka.”

DeChambeau has been a hot commodity since he won on Sunday, but little Crew did not want any part of the reigning U.S. Open champion.

However, the dig felt playful and not serious at all. Everyone laughed and played it off like it was no big deal.

Koepka and DeChambeau have not always been friends, though. They were bitter rivals for a while. Various memes about the whole ordeal kept golf fans entertained for years. From the Koepka eye roll to people calling DeChambeau ‘Brooksy’—among so many other things, this feud was one for the ages.

But since joining LIV Golf, they have made up and become at least acquaintances. Kopeka, who also has two U.S. Open wins, congratulated DeChambeau on Sunday for his big victory at Pinehurst No. 2.

They are the two LIV Golf players to have won major championships since leaving the PGA Tour. Crew Koepka may not be a fan yet, but give DeChambeau some time.

Travelers: Tom Kim fires another impressive round on 22nd birthday travelers,tom,kim,fires,another,impressive,round,on,nd,birthday,sbnation,com,golf,golf-pga-tour,golf-news

On: June 21, 2024 By: admin

Tom Kim is in complete control of his game in Connecticut.

He fired a 5-under 65 on Friday, one day after posting an 8-under 62 at the Travelers Championship—an event that marks his eighth straight start on the PGA Tour. He now leads Collin Morikawa and Xander Schauffele by two.

“I think the work I’ve been doing over the past few months has just been kind of like making sure that I feel confident out in the competition, not practice rounds, right?” Kim said.

“I think this stretch is making me sharper and more ready, and I think it’s time to show it.”

Kim has confidently waltzed around TPC River Highlands, making 13 birdies to zero bogies through 36 holes. Every aspect of his game is working for him, as Kim currently leads the field in total strokes gained.

Yet, despite Kim shooting the lowest round of the season on Thursday, he still spent 30 minutes on the range afterward.

“I know what I need to do, like what my tendencies are, so just need to make sure after the round I’m doing the right things to keep myself sharp,” Kim explained.

“It’s my eighth week, so swing-wise, just physically, things could get off pretty quickly, so just trying to be in just a sharp form and just doing the right things to kind of keep the momentum going.”

Kim, who turned 22 on Friday, kept the pedal to the medal but was not focused on his score.

“I’m playing really well, and I know what I’m doing on the golf course, so just really executing my game plan, that’s just how I’m doing it, and the score is the score,” Kim added.

“I’ve been playing really, really solid, and I’ve been saying that it’s not about this week, it’s about keep building these momentum blocks for the rest of the season.”

After the Travelers Championship—the final Signature Event of the season—the Open Championship will be the focus for every professional, including Kim. Then, the FedEx Cup Playoffs take center stage after the Olympics in August.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.

Travelers: Will Zalatoris’ “all-day grind session” pays off travelers,will,zalatoris,all,day,grind,session,pays,off,sbnation,com,golf,golf-pga-tour,golf-news

On: June 21, 2024 By: admin

CROMWELL, Conn. — Will Zalatoris looked lost at Pinehurst No. 2, which explains why he missed the cut at the U.S. Open.

But instead of dwelling on his poor play, Zalatoris flew directly from North Carolina to Connecticut to get extra practice ahead of the Travelers Championship. The move has paid off to this point, as Zalatoris shot an impressive 6-under 64 on day one—his lowest round of the season. He now trails leader Tom Kim by two.

“I got out here Saturday night, and then Sunday, I had an all-day grind session to try to figure out what was going on,” Zalatoris explained.

“I got into some bad habits, figured out what I needed to fix, and just dug it out of the dirt. It’s kind of nice to be able to do that.”

Zalatoris missed most of the 2023 season after hurting his back on the driving range at Augusta National, only minutes before the first round of the Masters began. He subsequently missed eight months, returning at the Hero World Challenge in December. The former Wake Forest Demon Deacon then had an up-and-down start to the year, but finally put his game together at the Genesis Invitational and the Arnold Palmer Invitational, tying for second and fourth, respectively.

But he only has one top-10 since then: a tie for ninth at the Masters.

“Early on this season, I would play a tournament, need to take three, four days off, and now I’m able to just keep on going,” Zalatoris said.

“So even though it’s nice and warm, that obviously helps with the back, but I think it’s just trying to find the right cadence of when I’m taking time off, and so far this stretch is the best I’ve felt.”

Now, Zalatoris can hit 300 to 400 balls daily, which helps when you need to find your swing. But he would have issues contending and improving if his back restricted him from doing that. Thankfully for him, those ailments are a thing of the past for now.

“The further I get from the surgeries that I had last year, the more comfortable I’m feeling with my back, the quicker I’m recovering, the better I’m feeling,” Zalatoris said.

“As the year goes on, even though my results haven’t shown it, I felt a lot better; I just got into some bad habits and thought it was just a nice reset after the U.S. Open. I love majors; it’s always been a career goal of mine to win one. I hated how I played, and sometimes you just have to dig it out of the dirt.”

Perhaps his grind sessions will pave the way for a victory this week at the Travelers Championship. Or maybe it will serve as a harbinger of things to come at Royal Troon.

Who knows? Regardless of what happens, seeing Zalatoris back on tour—and being able to grind his way through bad habits—is something everyone loves to see.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.

Travelers: Wyndham Clark battles back, contending after bad stretch travelers,wyndham,clark,battles,back,contending,after,bad,stretch,sbnation,com,front-page,golf,golf-pga-tour,golf-news

On: June 21, 2024 By: admin

CROMWELL, Conn. — Before Thursday’s first round at the Travelers Championship, Wyndham Clark had not recorded a round in the 60s since the RBC Heritage concluded two months ago.

He has had a tough stretch, missing the cut at the PGA Championship and the Memorial. Then, at last week’s U.S. Open, Clark posted a final round 77, which plummeted him down the leaderboard and into a tie for 56th.

Yet Clark has been laboring in recent months, hoping to recreate the magic he had earlier in the year at Pebble Beach, when he set a new course record and won the second Signature Event of the season.

“To be honest, it’s some of the hardest I’ve worked in a long time,” Clark said.

“First, we’re really trying to work on the short game and feel like we’ve gotten that to where it’s in a great spot—same thing with the putting. Then, unfortunately, you do that, and then you lose your swing. So then I was working on my swing, and the last two weeks have been a lot of grinding on the swing. I feel like we made some good headway, and I hit it pretty well today.”

Clark posted a solid round on Thursday. He posted a 4-under 66 to put himself in contention after day one. The 2023 U.S. Open champion now sits four strokes behind Tom Kim, who shot a marvelous 8-under 62 to set the pace.

“I played great. I just didn’t make the putts on the back nine,” Clark added.

“So I felt like it was a complete round, and one blemish on this golf course is pretty good.”

His one mistake came on the par-4 17th, which has water all up the right side and in front of the green. It’s a tricky hole, and finding the fairway is imperative. But Clark pulled his tee shot left and had to settle for a bogey-five.

Despite that, Clark got off to a roaring start, making three birdies over his first five holes. He even made a par-breaker at the challenging par-3 5th, where Clark produced his best shot of the day.

“Just because I’ve been working so hard on my swing and hitting cuts, the iron shot I hit on hole 5, I hit a cut 5-iron in there to about 12 feet,” Clark said.

“That was probably the best shot for me.”

But he hit plenty of terrific shots all day, although the putter abandoned him somewhat on the back nine. Yet, he would much rather miss birdie putts than par tries, which has recently been the case. Surely, Clark would not trade his position on the leaderboard Thursday for what he had to endure since mid-April.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.