Martin

Trainer

Munoz just had an emotional few days of battling with the World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler at the Presidents Cup. It was Munoz who got the better end of those duels and he left Quail Hollow with a lot of confidence, despite his team not winning the event. The North Texas product won the 2019 edition of the Sanderson Farms Championship but he won’t make the trip this week. Gamers should be quick to reinvest when he returns to action as this WD is likely just to recharge his batteries after a big week, not injury related.

The French-born American’s exemption from his lone TOUR win at the opposite-field Puerto Rico Open (2019) runs out this week and checked in 135th in the FedExCup standings. After a four-birdie one-bogey showing on Friday (link below): “I mean, obviously I know what’s at stake, I’m trying to get in the Top 125, so I’m just going out there and doing my best.” At the midpoint, the 31-year-old has handed in laps of 67-67, totaled one eagle and eight birdies versus two bogeys and a double, and ranks 93rd SG: Tee-to-Green (-1.262) and 2nd SG: Putting (6.595), including a 2.632 SGP in R2. He owns two top 10s this season in 30 events, his first top 10s since the aforementioned win in 2019 (96 starts ago), and at the moment is projected at No. 126 in the season-long points race (up 9).

Trainer has gotten the job done this week with just two total bogeys through 36 holes. That is despite some sub-par driving as he split just 13-of-28 fairways, ranking 148th in the field. The highlight of his round today was an eagle at the par-5 12th hole. Eagles are always nice, but even more so this week in Tahoe as they are worth 5 points in the Modified Stableford scoring format. Trainer had missed the cut in his previous two visits to Tahoe Mountain Club but is flipping that script this week as he makes a run at the FedExCup Playoffs, entering the week at 136th in the standings.

The French-born American played this morning and labored to a 6-over 76, outbalancing three birdies with four bogeys, a double and a triple. This was his third WFC appearance, missing the cuts in 2021 and 2019, and checked in off a T11 last week in Mexico, his fourth top 25 in 20 events on the season. The Southern Cal alum is a mid-tourney WD for a third time in 97 events, first since last season’s Farmers Insurance Open, where he WD (ankle) prior to R2 after a 5-over 77 in R1, and today’s exit will leave Martin Laird and Chez Reavie as a 2-ball for R2.

Trainer came out firing with three birdies on the first seven holes. At that point he was still bogey-free on the front nine this week but swallowed a bogey at the very next hole. His homeward nine was more colorful on the card, trading five birdies with a pair of bogeys to position himself just four off the lead set by Ben Martin. This will be just the third time in his TOUR career that he’s been inside the top 15 thru 54 holes. On the bright side, he finished strong in those events, winning the 2019 Puerto Rico Open and snagging a T5 at the 2021-22 Houston Open.

The 30-year-old, who opened 65-65 to co-lead after R1 and lead by one at the midpoint (as a pre-tourney 1000/1 outright), ends 74-70 for his second career top 10 in 82 events. The first was a win during his rookie campaign 71 starts ago, claiming the opposite-field Puerto Rico Open on debut in 2019 as a pre-tourney 100/1 in his 11th career event, ninth as a member. The Southern Cal alum, who drops to 0-for-1 both as an 18- and 36-hole leader/co-leader, began the finale in a five-way T2, took a 2-shot lead thru 11 holes after his fourth circle against one square at the par-4 11th (from 71'1'), but stalled out to three bogey-5s at 14, 17 and 18, the latter two 3-jacks. For the week, he tallied 17 birdies versus nine bogeys and one double, and ranked 4th in SG: Putting (7.727) and 38th SG: Tee-to-Green (1.664), but lost 4.874 tee-to-green over his final 36 holes.

The French-born American was an improbable midpoint leader (65-65) as a pre-tourney 1000/1 outright, having missed 17 of his last 18 cuts (T58, 2021 3M Open). After sleeping on his first 36-hole lead/co-lead in 82 events, he mustered two birdies in R3 on six (of 13) fairways and 11 greens in regulation, outbalanced by four squares and a double bogey-6 at six (3-putt from 51'7"). The Southern Cal alum gained 0.385 strokes off-the-tee and 0.426 on-the-green, but lost 2.456 on approach and 1.251 around-the-green. He’ll play out of the penultimate threesome on Sunday with Kramer Hickok and Kevin Tway, in search of his second TOUR win, first since the opposite-field Puerto Rico (on debut) 71 starts ago in 2019, where he came from two back (3rd) with 5-under 67 to win by three. See link below to post-round comments.

The Texas alum, who arrived off a solo 4th last week in Mexico (67-64-70-66), sets a new course record and matches the tournament-course record with two others when the event was held in The Woodlands, Texas. Yesterday, he was 1-over thru 12 holes beginning off No. 10 tee, when play was suspended, and returned today to finish-up a 2-over 72. Today, the Dallas resident was even-par thru four holes (1 birdie, 1 bogey), and then played his next 14 in error-free 8-under. In all, he camouflaged one bogey with nine birdies on nine (of 13) fairways and 12 greens in regulation, posting 1.149 SG: Off-the-Tee, 2.746 SG: Approach, 1.188 SG: Around, and 3.434 SG: Putting after a -1.263 SGP in R1. See link below to post-round comments.

Tway, who’s had prior success in Texas, is chasing his second TOUR win in 164 events, first since a P1 at the 2019 Safeway Open 73 starts ago, where he was T5, four back, at the halfway pole (68-67-68-71). Yesterday, Thursday, he was one of 66 players stranded due to darkness, and returned today to 28 holes of golf, playing 27 of them error-free. On eight (of 13) fairways and 10 greens in regulation, the Oklahoma native squared a lone bogey-5 at 17 (missed par-saver from 4'11"), smothered by two hole-out eagles and three birdies, highlighted by a 2 at the par-4 13th from 107 yards away. At last check, he eked out a 0.007 SG: Approach but had sizable gains around-the-green (2.263) and with the flat stick (3.457), including four par-savers from between eight and 18 feet. See link below to post-round comments.

The French-born American, who was previously 0-for-2 at this event, arrived off an 0-for-5 start to begin the season and overall, had missed 17 of his last 18 cuts (T58, 2021 3M Open). If he maintains the lead/co-lead when R2 is completed tomorrow (Saturday), it would be his first 36-hole lead/co-lead in 82 events, and just his second lead/co-lead after any round (in 184 rounds), after being in a five-way T1 after 18 holes. When the Southern Cal alum won the opposite-field Puerto Rico Open on debut in 2019 during his rookie campaign, his maiden and lone TOUR title, he was T4, one back at the midpoint before going on to a 3-shot victory as a pre-tourney 100/1 outright (70-67-69-67). Today’s lap, which began off No. 10 tee, featured five birdies on seven (of 13) fairways and 16 greens in regulation, posting 0.917 SG: Off-the-Tee, 2.666 SG: Approach, 0.101 SG: Around, and 1.681 SG: Putting. See link below to post-round comments.