Jordan Spieth might be the most famous golfer from Texas right now, and a favourite to win the British Open, but he thinks another Texan has a chance at surprising some people at Royal Birkdale this week.

Austin Connelly, who is a dual Canadian-American citizen, has known Spieth for several years through swing Coach Cameron McCormick. Connelly, 20, will be making his major debut at the British Open this week. He and Spieth played a practice round on Monday.

“This is the type of golf where he (Austin) can really, really make a move and prevail. He really works the ball extremely well. He hits his long clubs dead straight,” Spieth told TSN’s Bob Weekes. “And he’s got a killer instinct on the greens.”

Nice practice round at The Open for Canadian Austin Connelly yesterday, who pegged it with good friend Jordan Spieth

— Adam Stanley (@adam_stanley) July 18, 2017

Connelly, a graduate of the Team Canada Amateur Squad, is playing on the European Tour this year and has already notched two top-10s in his rookie season on the circuit.

He qualified for the British Open by winning a four-man playoff at the Royal Cinque Ports Qualifier – demonstrating the killer instinct Spieth spoke about by sinking a 15-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole.

Adam Hadwin – the other Canadian in the field this week – is also making his British Open debut. Hadwin, 29, comes to Royal Birkdale ranked No. 54 in the world.

A little bump and run practice for @ahadwingolf ahead of @TheOpen at Birkdale. pic.twitter.com/5k4X9l1RoD

— Bob Weeks (@BobWeeksTSN) July 18, 2017

The Abbotsford, B.C., native notched his first career PGA TOUR win earlier this year at the Valspar Championship in March and shot a 59 at the CareerBuilder Challenge in January.

Hadwin will tee off Thursday with Andrew “Beef” Johnston and Todd Hamilton at 11:36 a.m. local time. Connelly will go at 12:09 p.m. with Matthew Griffin and Matthew Southgate.

Click here for the full Thursday tee times at the British Open.

Beef is back on the menu at the British Open, and Andrew Johnston can only hope there’s as much sizzle to be found at Royal Birkdale as there was last year when he made an entertaining run on the weekend at Royal Troon.

There are brains here, too, thanks to a last minute win Sunday by Bryson DeChambeau, who defies golf convention with his swing thoughts and has physics formulas stamped on the back of his wedges.

Golf in what seems now to be a permanent post-Tiger era remains alive and somewhat well. That’s especially true on this side of the pond, where huge crowds will turn out this week for the 146th version of what they prefer here to call simply The Open.

The winner on Sunday will be crowned championship golfer of the year. Based on the small sample size of recent major championships, it is likely to be someone you know little about.

The last seven major championships have been won by players who had never won a major in their lives. That could go to eight this week if an up and coming player the likes of John Rahm – who dominated the Irish Open in his last outing – can win this Open.

'If I can do a quarter of what Seve did, I'll be really satisifed with my career.' – @johnrahmpga pic.twitter.com/VrfklGMEcd

— The Open (@TheOpen) July 18, 2017

Or maybe local resident Tommy Fleetwood, who didn’t exactly come in through the front door of the pro shop when he played a few holes here and there growing up.

“It was a course I would have crept on now and again,” Fleetwood said.

The revolving cast of new winners is part of the reason this Open – and golf itself – seems to be struggling for a story line. The course may be the best in England and the field full of great talent, but even the bookies here can’t figure out who should be favoured.

Gone forever are the days when Woods dominated and every conversation in the sport revolved around what he was doing.

“It shows the quality of golf that everybody plays at right now,” said Sergio Garcia, the Masters champion who is still looking for his first Claret Jug. “It’s a really high level and it doesn’t matter if you’ve won a major or not, everybody can definitely do it.”

That everybody certainly includes Garcia himself, who spent the better part of the last two decades tantalizing fans with his talent but never delivering in a major before a brilliant back nine comeback gave him the green jacket at Augusta National this year.

A kiss for good luck! @TheSergioGarcia with his fiancee Angela Akins who are set to get married in Texas in two weeks time. ?? pic.twitter.com/jyS0kaVeJI

— The Open (@TheOpen) July 18, 2017

His Open career began as an amateur at Royal Birkdale in 1998, and he’s had several legitimate chances to win the Open, only to kick them away. But he’s now a major champion and, with a wedding set for next week, he could be a storybook champion should he emerge with the iconic jug engraved with winners of years past.

“Obviously I am excited about it,” Garcia said. “I am confident about my possibilities but I can’t tell you if I’m going to be right up there on Sunday with a chance. I’m hoping that I will be, but unfortunately it doesn’t work like that every week.”

The player nicknamed Beef certainly understands that. The bearded, portly Johnston entertained the crowd at last year’s Open, nearly upstaging a tremendous duel between Phil Mickelson and eventual winner Henrik Stenson in the final round before finishing eighth.

But Johnston has struggled to make cuts ever since, as did DeChambeau until he came through Sunday with a blistering back nine to win for the first time in the John Deere Classic.

That gave him the final qualifying berth in the Open, and a chance to demonstrate some unusual theories he has about golf, including using the same length shaft in all of his irons.

.@JDCLASSIC winner @b_dechambeau has the physics equation for work on one of his wedges with the word "Do" in front of it.

Do work. pic.twitter.com/NrgE22qI6z

— Matt Cochran (@PGATOURCochran) July 16, 2017

A win here would be an extreme longshot, but strange things can happen in golf. That’s especially true at a tournament where just a few years back 59-year-old Tom Watson came within a par of winning before losing to Stewart Cink in a playoff.

So maybe the search for a new hero will focus on the hometown kid with the flowing bangs who used to sneak onto Royal Birkdale to play a few holes while his dad walked the dog around the course perimeter.

A win for Fleetwood – now the No. 1 player on the European Tour – might even get him noticed in the town where he grew up. So far, his appearance here has been welcomed with a collective shrug.

“There’s nobody fainting in the street as I walk past,” Fleetwood said. “So I’m still waiting.”

Abbotsford, B.C.’s Adam Hadwin is the top Canadian in the field, coming to Royal Birkdale ranked No. 54 in the world. He is joined by Austin Connelly who is a dual Canadian-American citizen playing on the European Tour.

Click here to view the tee time for Thursday’s first round at the British Open.

Third-round leader Patrick Rodgers knew that it would take a ton of birdies Sunday to win the John Deere Classic.

Bryson DeChambeau took that advice to heart.

DeChambeau overcame a four-stroke deficit to beat Rodgers by a stroke for his first PGA Tour title _ and a spot next week in the British Open.

The 23-year-old DeChambeau birdied four of the final six holes at TPC Deere Run for a 6-under 65 and an 18-under 266 total. In 2015, the unconventional former SMU star became the fifth player to win the NCAA individual title and U.S. Amateur in the same year.

The win punctuated a comeback of sorts for DeChambeau, who capped a string of eight consecutive missed cuts last month in the U.S. Open – where he was 6 over for two rounds.

New TOUR winner @b_dechambeau comments following his emotional first victory at the @JDCLASSIC. https://t.co/gJmaaQhHie

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 16, 2017

“I was able to right the ship about three or four weeks ago, and it’s been steady Eddie ever since,” DeChambeau said. “It is vindication.”

Rodgers closed with 70.

DeChambeau made a 14-foot birdie putt on No. 18 to pull even with Rodgers. Rodgers then had a par putt on No. 17 lip out, and sent his tee shot on 18 into the rough.

“He’s a great competitor, and I was kind of shocked he bogeyed 17,” DeChambeau said about Rodgers. “I thought I was going to be in a playoff.”

Wesley Bryan (64) and Rick Lamb (66) tied for third at 16 under, and past tournament champions Steve Stricker (64) and Zach Johnson (67) topped the group at 15 under.

DeChambeau played the front nine in even par, then birdied six of the final nine holes to surge to the top of the leaderboard.

Rodgers, on the other hand, had four bogeys _ and his approach on No. 18 sailed past the green. Rodgers nearly chipped in from 50 feet to force a playoff, missing the cup by a foot.

DeChambeau became the 10th first-time winner on the PGA Tour this season.

“Our tendency when you have the lead is to kind of hold on and play safe and guard against making mistakes,” said Rodgers, who remained winless on the PGA Tour. “But I had guys coming at me with some really low rounds. Obviously, Bryson shot a great one.”

Bryan, who won the RBC Heritage in April for his first career victory, shot a 30 on the back nine. Lamb was 13 under for the final two rounds but was done in by pedestrian efforts in the first two rounds.

Stricker, who won at TPC Deere Run from 2009-11, grabbed a share of the lead before Rodgers teed off Sunday.

A terrific effort by Rodgers, but Bryson DeChambeau secures his first TOUR victory. #QuickHits pic.twitter.com/t0rvIBfEsv

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 16, 2017

The 50-year-old Stricker went 8-under par through 14 holes to jump all the way up from 34th place. But his only bogey came on the 18th hole, when his par putt grazed the cup.

“Realistically, if I could have made a couple more birdies there and could have got it to 18-under, who knows? Just couldn’t get it in there,” Stricker said.

Johnson, who won the tournament in 2012 and has finished in the top three six times in his last eight appearances, challenged the leaders yet again before falling back. Johnson picked up bogeys on a pair of par 4s on the back nine, and he missed a 4-foot birdie putt on 14.

“My goal was to birdie every hole and give myself a chance on every hole. Early on it looked like my game plan was being executed,” Johnson said.

Bubba Watson shot a 68 to finish at 9 under.

Click here for the full leaderboard

Patrick Rodgers is 18 holes away from his first PGA Tour win.

But the 25-year-old former Stanford star knows that it’ll likely take a lower score than the one he shot Saturday to secure such a milestone victory.

Rodgers shot a 3-under 68 in the third round, maintaining a two-stroke lead in the John Deere Classic.

Rodgers had a 16-under 197 total at TPC Deere Run. He’s trying to become the third player in five years to win the Quad Cities event for his first PGA Tour title.

“It’s going to be a shootout because there’s a lot of birdies to be made out here, and I’m going to have to make my fair share in order to stay at the top,” Rodgers said.

Daniel Berger had a 63 to match Scott Stallings (64) at 14 under.

Nicholas Lindheim (66) was 13 under, and Jamie Lovemark (66), Bryson DeChambeau (70) and J.J. Henry (68) were another stroke back. Area favourite Zach Johnson had a 70 to drop five strokes back.

Rodgers, who opened with rounds of 65 and 64, was hampered by a pair of bogeys. But Rodgers also had five birdies, and he saved par on the 17th after hitting his tee shot into the gallery.

“I wasn’t as sharp as I was the past couple of days. So, I guess I did a good job mentally to get in at 3-under par,” Rodgers said. “All in all, if you told me at the start of the day that I’d have the same lead I started with, that’s a positive thing.”

Berger, who won the St. Jude Classic last month in Memphis and lost a playoff at the Travelers Championship in his last event when Jordan Spieth holed out a bunker shot, birdied seven of his first 11 holes. Six of those birdie putts came from inside 10 feet.

Berger and Rodgers are among four players with a tournament-high 19 birdies.

“In Memphis I drove the ball phenomenally. This week I haven’t driven it that well, but I’ve kind of kept it in play for the most part and I’ve made a bunch of putts, which has been the difference,” said Berger, one of only two players in the top 10 in the FedEx Cup standings in the field.

Stallings shot a 30 on the back nine and eagled the par-5 17th hole with a 22-foot putt. He’s shot back-to-back 64s after opening with a 71 on Thursday.

“I can’t control what anyone else does. I couldn’t event tell you some of the other guys that are on the leaderboard,” Stallings said. “We’ve gotten ourselves this far, and we’re happy to be in the position we’re in.”

Johnson, a Cedar Rapids, Iowa, native who won at TPC Deere Run in 2012 and notched six top-three finishes in his last eight appearances, again drew the biggest galleries. But he followed an eagle on the 14th hole with a double bogey on No. 15.

Bubba Watson’s decision to skip the Scottish Open for the chance to accumulate FedEx Cup points might not work out in his favour. Watson had a 68 and was tied for 57th at 6 under.

Kelly Kraft made arguably the day’s most impressive shot on No. 17. His tee shot landed on a walkway behind a hospitality tent, and Kraft hit his second shot over 200 yards and eventually saved par.

Patrick Rodgers shot a 7-under 64 on Friday to take a two-shot lead after the second round of the John Deere Classic.

Rodgers had eight birdies and a bogey to finish at 13-under 129 at TPC Deere Run. Finishing on the front nine, he had five birdies in a seven-hole stretch before closing with a bogey on the par-4 ninth.

“It was nice to keep making birdies and keep the gas pedal down,” Rodgers said. “It was tricky with some breeze, but I know 13 under is not going to win the golf tournament. So, I got to keep that same mindset for the next two rounds.”

Bryson DeChambeau was second after a 65.

Local favourite Zach Johnson, the 2012 winner, had a 67 to join Charles Howell III, the co-leader after the first round, at 10 under. Howell followed his opening 63 with a 69.

Kevin Tway (63), Chesson Hadley (64), Chad Campbell (68) and J.J. Henry (64) were 9 under.

Tway had nine birdies in a 10-hole stretch en route to the best round of the day.

Hadley is coming off a victory Sunday in the Web.com Tour event in New York.

Rodgers, the 25-year-old former Stanford star who is winless on the PGA Tour, has followed the formula that many players have used to win at TPC Deere Run _ converting makeable birdies and largely avoiding mistakes.

Rodgers also made his fair share of tough shots, notably chipping in from 50 feet on the par-3 third hole and holing a 50-foot birdie putt on the seventh hole.

“I put together a really nice round. Was very much in control. Rolled in some nice putts and stayed very patient,” Rodgers said.

DeChambeau, who was just above the FedEx Cup playoff cut line entering the weekend, survived a pair of early bogeys to grab second place.

Tway was struggling to stay above the cut line when he went on his birdie binge, making seven in a row at one point. But Tway’s tee shot on his 17th hole found the rough and he was forced to settle for a bogey.

Tway’s round, the best of his career, was highlighted by a 28-foot birdie putt on the forgiving third hole.

“I was kind of hoping it would never stop,” Tway said. “You’ve got to make a lot of birdies around here.”

Hadley said after his bogey-free round that he felt like he was playing with “house money” after wrapping up a PGA Tour for next season card last week.

“I’ve been heading in the right direction for a while, and I think it kind of starts with your attitude, how you think about and handle things,” Hadley said. “So I kind of finally got that right, and then everything came together last week obviously.”

First-round co-leader Ollie Schniederjans had a 74 to drop eight shots behind Rodgers.

Two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson shot a 70 to make the cut at 3 under, as did Davis Love III (68). Three-time tournament winner Steve Stricker (67) made the cut on the number at 2 under.

Defending champion Ryan Moore shot a 71 and missed the cut, finishing at 3 over after two rounds. Moore missed the previous five weeks with a left shoulder injury.

Click here for the full leaderboard.

Charles Howell III and Ollie Schniederjans each shot 8-under 63 on Thursday to share the first-round lead in the John Deere Classic.

Playing alongside local favourite Zach Johnson, Howell birdied seven his first nine holes and added a birdie on No. 7 in his morning round at rain-softened TPC Deere Run. The two-time PGA Tour winner lost a playoff to Kyle Stanley two weeks ago in the Quicken Loans National.

“This morning without traffic, they were rolling like carpet,” Howell said. “This morning was absolutely the best scoring we’ll see all week, which would also lead me to believe that tomorrow morning you’re going to see some low scores as well. Here, it’s about minimizing bogeys as much as you can and take advantage of the holes that you need to.”

Schniederjans birdied five of his last eight holes in his lowest round of the PGA Tour. The 24-year-old former Georgia Tech star earned a PGA Tour card last year through the Web.com Tour.

“I haven’t had a great start really all year on the first round,” Schniederjans said. “I have had some decent first rounds and good Fridays, but this is the first really goof round I’ve had on Thursday. It’s nice to get off to a good start and hopefully keep it going.”

Johnson was two strokes back at 65 along with Rory Sabbatini, Patrick Rodgers and Chad Campbell. Johnson, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, won the 2012 tournament.

“With this Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday rain we had, it’s one of those you feel like you got to keep the pedal down,” Johnson said. “The course is still nice. I was surprised we didn’t play it up today. I technically only had 1 1/2 mud balls probably, so that was pretty good considering.”

He holed a 24-foot birdie putt on his second-to-last hole to get within two strokes.

“I’m very comfortable with this golf course, essentially any condition,” Johnson said. “All that being said, you still have to execute. (Thursday) was one of those good days.”

Howell and Schniederjans are coming off injuries.

.@Ollie_GT has all the shots. #QuickHits

Proof: pic.twitter.com/kNCKanTqtE

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 13, 2017

“I had nine weeks off prior to the Quicken Loans with a rib injury, and it was my first injury – knock on wood – I’ve had in my career,” said Howell, making his 11th at Deere Run. “I went to Quicken Loans quite honestly not prepared to play well. I had only been hitting balls for four or five days prior to that event. Expectations were extremely low and I played well.”

Schniederjans has been fighting a pulled muscle in his back since Colonial in late May.

“It kind of lingered and I tried to play through it, and then ended up taking like 15 days off without hitting a ball and still is sort of there,” Schniederjans. “Kind of have to have maintenance. … It’s been fine the last three weeks, but my game has been getting better as the days have gone on, too.”

David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., is the top Canadian after shooting an even 71. Ottawa’s Brad Fritsch is 1 over while Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., shot a 5-over 76.

Bubba Wastson, the two-time Masters making his first Quad Cities start in seven years, opened with a 69. Fifty-year-old Steve Stricker, the winner from 2009-11 at Deere Run, had a 73.

Defending champion Ryan Moore had a 74 in his return from a strained tendon in his left shoulder that sidelined him for five weeks.

The British Open is holding one spot for the leading player among the top five who is not already exempt next week at Royal Birkdale.

Click here for the full leaderboard.

A strong finish in the U.S. Open late month helped prepare Xander Schauffele for the nerve-racking grind of chasing a title on the PGA Tour.

The rookie made a 3-foot birdie putt on the final hole Sunday to win The Greenbrier Classic by a stroke over Robert Streb for his first tour victory.

Schauffele closed with a 3-under 67 and finished at 14-under 266 to cap a daylong duel with Streb and third-round leader Sebastian Munoz.

Streb shot 69. Munoz had a 72 to tie for third with Jamie Lovemark at 12 under. Lovemark shot 69.

The 23-year-old Schauffele, who took up golf after giving up soccer because his coaches wanted him to switch from offence to defence, tied for fifth in his first U.S. Open at Erin Hills.

“The U.S. Open was a huge moment in my career,” Schauffele said. “It was one of the biggest stages, and for me to be calm and collected throughout the week and just kind of hang on and tie for fifth was huge for me mentally. It kind of gave me the confidence and allowed me to play to win this week.”

Watching fellow youngster Jon Rahm of Spain win the Irish Open earlier Sunday also served as motivation for Schauffele, who shot from 94th to 27th in the FedEx Cup standings.

“Everybody knows I’m a late bloomer,” Schauffele said. “To jump into the top 30 is something special for me.”

Schauffele, Streb, Munoz and Lovemark earned spots in the British Open in two weeks. The leading four players not already exempt from the top-12 finishers qualified. Russell Henley was the only player among the top 10 finishers who already was in.

Abbotsford, B.C., native Nick Taylor was the top Canadian finishing at 9 under par in a tie for ninth. Brantford’s David Hearn was T14 at 8 under. Mackenzie Hughes (Dundas, Ont.) and Graham DeLaet (Weyburn, Sask.) were T20 at 6 under par.

Schauffele also punched a ticket to this year’s PGA Championship and next year’s Masters. He already had a spot in the 2018 U.S. Open for last month’s performance.

He’s the third rookie to earn their first tour victory in West Virginia and the fourth overall. The others were former U.S. Amateur champion Danny Lee in 2015 and Scott Stallings in 2011, along with Ted Potter Jr. in 2013.

It was another close finish in a tournament that narrowly avoided its fourth playoff since debuting in 2010.

Munoz, Streb and Schauffele traded the lead all day with each having their share of troubles.

As Schauffele reached the 161-yard 18th with a pitching wedge, Munoz and Streb heard the crowd’s roar from the par-5 17th green and both missed birdie putts.

Streb then found the left rough on 18 and his chip that would have forced a playoff came up short. Munoz needed to ace the 18th to tie it, but settled for par.

Munoz couldn’t become the first-to-wire winner of the tournament, which no third-round leader has ever won. The rookie also led the St. Jude Classic at the halfway point last month, but tied for 60th. Sunday marked his first top-10 finish.

“I’ll take it as a positive,” he said. “It’s my best finish ever. It’s not like I can be mad about it.”

Munoz’s putter was his strength in the first three rounds and his downfall Sunday. The 24-year-old Colombian made four bogeys on the front nine, including a pair of three-putts.

Streb had his second straight narrow miss in the tournament. He lost in a four-man playoff in 2015.

Streb retook a share of the lead with Munoz with a 32-foot birdie putt at No. 14, only to witness Schauffele pull it out in the end.

“I heard the racket. You could see it,” Streb said. “I had my chances and just didn’t do very well with them.”

Lovemark doubled-bogeyed the first hole to fall five shots back and made three birdies over his next 12 holes but never held the lead. He had his fourth top-10 finish this season.

At age 53, Davis Love III fell short in his bid to become the oldest-ever winner on tour. Love started his round four strokes back, bogeyed the first two holes and was never a threat. He shot 75 and tied for 29th at 5 under.

Click here for the full leaderboard.

Sebastian Munoz shot a 2-under 68 on Saturday to maintain a two-stroke lead over Robert Streb after the third round of The Greenbrier Classic, keeping the PGA Tour rookie in position to become the tournament’s first wire-to-wire winner.

The 24-year-old Colombian was at 14-under 196 at Old White TPC. Streb shot a 65.

Rookie Xander Schauffele and Jamie Lovemark were 11 under after 66s.

Davis Love III was at 10 under after a 68. At 53, he’s trying to become the oldest winner on the PGA Tour.

Kelly Kraft (67) and Russell Henley (68) also were 10 under.

After Round 3 of @GbrClassic, @jsmunozgolf holds the 54-hole lead for the first time in his career. pic.twitter.com/7v80PF7sEd

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 8, 2017

Nick Taylor (69) of Abbotsford, B.C., was the low Canadian at 8 under and tied for eighth. Brantford native David Hearn (70) is 6 under, Graham DeLaet (71) of Weyburn, Sask., is 5 under and Mackenzie Hughes (71) of Dundas, Ont., is 3 under.

While his birdie pace slowed to a trickle, Munoz overcame several miscues to stay atop the leaderboard. He saved par on the ninth hole after driving under a tree, regained the lead with a 26-foot birdie putt on the par-4 13th after driving into the rough, and added a 36-footer for birdie on the par-4 15th.

Streb, five strokes behind Munoz entering the day, birdied the 490-yard 11th and hit his 231-yard approach shot next to the flag and made eagle at the par-5 12th.

He’d like to do a little better than in 2015 at the tournament, when he lost in a four-man playoff won by Danny Lee.

That year, Streb broke his putter on the ninth hole in the final round when he tossed it at his bag next to the green. He made five birdie putts on the back nine with a 56-degree wedge. He was able to put a new putter in his bag for the playoff but was eliminated on the first extra without ever getting to use it.

From 231 yards in the rough to 1' 6".#MustSeeMoments https://t.co/FsTIfvRzbO pic.twitter.com/dPj0ruAsGx

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 8, 2017

That year, Streb broke his putter on the ninth hole in the final round when he tossed it at his bag next to the green. He made five birdie putts on the back nine with a 56-degree wedge. He was able to put a new putter in his bag for the playoff but was eliminated on the first extra without ever getting to use it.

Streb’s only top-10 finish this season was a tie for ninth at the Farmers Insurance Open. Munoz is still looking to crack the top 10. At the St. Jude Classic last month, Munoz was tied for the lead through 36 holes, but he played the final two rounds in 11 over and tied for 60th.

Love is among those trying to earn a spot in the British Open in two weeks. The leading four players not already exempt from the top 12 finishers will earn spots. Henley is the only player in the top 10 who has already qualified.

Age record-holder Sam Snead won the last of his eight titles at Greensboro in 1965 at 52 years, 10 months, 8 days. Love will try to break the mark at Snead’s former playground. Snead was the longtime head pro and pro emeritus at The Greenbrier resort. He died in 2002.

Kraft was tied for the lead with Munoz until making a double bogey at No. 13 and bogey at No. 14. Schauffele, another PGA Tour rookie, shot onto the leaderboard with a 60-foot eagle putt at No. 12.

Click here for the full leaderboard

PGA Tour rookie Sebastian Munoz has found a comfortable routine at The Greenbrier Classic _ go play golf, then watch a movie at night.

After catching “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” following an opening-round 61, Munoz kept it going Friday, shooting a 3-under 67 for a three-stroke lead over Ben Martin and Hudson Swafford heading into the weekend on the Old White TPC.

On Friday night, his plans were the same.

“I’m here with one of my best buddies, so we’re just going to hang out and watch a movie and be ready for tomorrow,” Munoz said.

Munoz has been in this situation before. At the St. Jude Classic last month, Munoz was tied for the lead through 36 holed, but he played the final two rounds in 11 over and finished tied for 60th.

“I feel like Memphis taught me that maybe I was caring too much, trying to hit too many perfect shots all the time,” Munoz said. “(I’ll) just take those past experiences and use them this week.”

The 24-year-old Colombian played his college golf at North Texas and said he got a wake-up call when his coach threatened to take away his scholarship for his senior year. Then, former college teammate Carlos Ortiz won three times in his first season on the Web.com Tour in 2014.

“I talked to him and was like, ‘Hey, man, I know you’re good, but come on. Like, I can get you sometimes,”’ Munoz said. “So that really helped me kind of push through and realize I was good as well.”

“I just feel comfortable.”@jsmunozgolf takes a three-shot lead into the weekend. pic.twitter.com/YRTKFlRzft

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 7, 2017

Munoz won the Conference USA individual title in 2015 and earned his PGA Tour card through the Web.com Tour last year. He’s still looking for his first top-10 finish.

Starting his second round on the back nine, Munoz birdied four of his first seven holes, making three putts of over 20 feet. After two bogeys on the front nine, he made a 13-footer for birdie from the fringe on the par-4 seventh. He was at 12-under 128.

No first-round leader has won at Old White TPC since the tournament debuted in 2010. Munoz’s closest challengers all have victories on tour.

Swafford, who hit 17 of 18 greens in regulation Friday, won the CareerBuilder Challenge in January and has two other top 10 finishes this season.

Martin, who won in Las Vegas in 2014, is coming off his first top 10 finish of the year last week at the Quicken Loans National.

Martin shot 67 and Swafford had a 66. Both were at 9 under.

Davis Love III, seeking to become the oldest-ever winner on the PGA Tour, followed up his first-round 63 with a 69. He was at 8 under, along with defending champion Danny Lee (68) and Russell Henley (64).

.@Love3D will have that left for back-to-back ?#QuickHits pic.twitter.com/uZ4rZuIfdc

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 7, 2017

Nick Taylor (69) of Abbotsford, B.C., was five shots back while David Hearn (69) of Brantford, Ont., Graham DeLaet (70) of Weyburn, Sask.,were six back at 6 under. Mackenzie Hughes (67) of Dundas, Ont., was eight back.

Phil Mickelson accomplished one thing he never managed with longtime caddie Jim “Bones” Mackay on the bag – he made the cut at The Greenbrier Classic. He did not play the weekend in three previous starts.

Mickelson had five bogeys and three birdies to shoot 72 and make the cut on the number at 1 under.

“This has been probably the two worst putting days I’ve had this year,” Mickelson said. “The greens are perfect. I just haven’t putted well.”

Mickelson and Mackay announced after the U.S. Open they were parting ways. Tim Mickelson is carrying his brother’s bag for the rest of the year. Mackay has signed to do on-course commentary for NBC and Golf Channel.

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Davis Love III can still get some solid work done in a PGA Tour event.

Heading into the World Golf Hall of Fame in September, the 53-year-old Love shot a 7-under 63 on Thursday in The Greenbrier Classic, leaving him two strokes behind first-round leader Sebastian Munoz.

Love is looking for his first win since the 2015 Wyndham Championship, which made him the third-oldest winner in PGA Tour history. He would be the oldest if he wins in West Virginia.

Slowed this year by a bad back and a broken collarbone sustained in a January snowboarding accident in Sun Valley, Idaho, Love took advantage of a course softened by overnight rain for his best round of the season. He birdied four of his first five holes in the morning round on Old White, the course that was reconstructed after deadly floods forced the cancellation of last year’s tournament.

Have a day, @Love3d!

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-7 and the early lead. pic.twitter.com/wlpZCNYDlc

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 6, 2017

His son, Davis Love IV, also is in the field, receiving a sponsor exemption. It’s the second time they are playing the same tournament; the other was the RSM Classic two years ago. The elder Love served as his son’s caddie in the U.S. Open last month.

“I’ve been working real hard the last couple of weeks on trying to fix my swing to kind of swing around a stiff back and a stiff hip,” the elder Love said. “I’ve given up on hitting it a long way. I’m just saying I’ve got to hit it straight, and this is the perfect golf course for me to get it in the fairway. A lot of hard work is kind of starting to pay off.”

Munoz, a 24-year-old Colombian, was boosted by five birdies on the back nine for a 61.

Defending champion Danny Lee was at 64 along with David Lingmerth, Ben Martin, rookie Xander Schauffele, and Canadians Graham DeLaet and Nick Taylor.

Taylor, from Abbotsford, B.C., had seven birdies, including a tap-in on No. 7, and just one bogey on his card.

Another #MackenzieTour alum making his move at the @GbrClassic.@ntaylorgolf59 is making a bucket of birdies. pic.twitter.com/0KOEEovbYd

— Mackenzie Tour (@PGATOURCanada) July 6, 2017

DeLaet (Weyburn, Sask.) was bogey-free with six birdies in round one.

David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., was 5 under while Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., and Ottawa’s Brad Fritsch were both 1 under.

Players were allowed to lift and clean their golf balls in the fairway because of the wet conditions. It took a full year after the June 2016 floods that killed 23 statewide to get Old White back to playing conditions.

“To get anything back in order out there would’ve been an incredible feat,” Love said. “But what they did with the renovation, to take really, really good golf course with a lot of history and make it even better, the redesign is incredible. The players are just raving about it.”

Round 1 complete @GBRClassic

1. Muñoz -9
2. Love III -7
3. Martin -6
3. Lingmerth -6
3. DeLaet -6
3. Schauffele -6
3. Taylor -6
3. Lee -6 pic.twitter.com/nuf9gxrmF0

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 6, 2017

Munoz is looking for his first top 10. His best finish is a tie for 27th at the Texas Open.

The PGA Tour rookie was 6 under through 10 holes. He missed a short birdie putt on the par-5 12th and bogeyed the par-4 13th after his approach shot found the greenside rough. He then took charge with birdies on the next four holes.

Phil Mickelson shot 67 in his first tournament since parting ways with his caddie of 25 years, Jim “Bones” Mackay. Mickelson’s brother, Tim Mickelson, is his caddie for the rest of the year.

“I think any time you have a change of environment it brings about a new energy,” Phil Mickelson said. “But more than that, Tim is one my favourite people to be around. We really had a lot of fun together today.”

Mickelson missed the cut in his three other Greenbrier Classic appearances and he hit some erratic shots Thursday, including striking a fan in the head on his approach to the par-4 11th.

Lingmerth is looking to atone for a collapse last week in the Quicken Loans Invitational. The Swede led after each of the first three rounds but shot 3 over in each round on the weekend to tie for fifth, along with Martin.

“I’m not going to dwell on it too much,” Lingmerth said. “A nice little start today. I didn’t really have my best stuff. I never really got into trouble. I gave myself a couple of opportunities.”

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