She don’t want a chump, baby want a champ

Through two rounds in Shanghai, Tony Finau leads the WGC-HSBC Champions. Finau has tallied 15 birdies through two rounds to sit at 11-under, three clear of the field. Behind Finau is the trio of Patrick Reed, Tommy Fleetwood and Justin Rose. After a breakout 2017-2018 season that included 11 top ten finishes, Finau will look to add his second career PGA Tour win. Leaderboard

Ball Go Far

Rookie Cameron Champ leads after one round at the Sanderson Farms Championship. The former Texas A&M player made 8 birdies and just 1 bogey during his opening round 65. Leaderboard

While he is a rookie, Champ has already been a household name for some time. He burst onto the scene at the 2017 US Open with his prodigious length and continued to show his talents on the Web.com Tour last season. He won the Utah Championship over the summer and also notched four other top 10s. Through one round he leads the event in strokes gained off the tee and is 7th in strokes gained approach.

Champ left college after just a year and a half…I’d say he made a good decision.

Other Leaderboard Notes

A very interesting cast of characters is within a few shots of Champ. Cameron Tringale, Rory Sabbatini, DJ Trahan, Andres Romero, Chad Ramey, Seth Reeves, and Robert Streb are all within 2 shots. If you asked me to pick 7 of the most random people on the PGA Tour I think that list is the exact group I would select.

Former NCAA standouts Scottie Scheffler (Texas) and Norman Xiong (Oregon) find themselves just 3 shots off the pace. Both are prepping for the second round of Web.com Q School but could use this week as a springboard into better status.

Scott Langley shot a magical 68 on Thursday despite being 130th in strokes gained off the tee. He gained nearly 5 shots on the greens so he’ll need to figure out the rest of his game if he is to compete this week.

Shotgun Start: A surprise host joins from Mississippi to discuss Cam Champ and Matt Wolff

Andy is indisposed on the road so a surprise guest host calls in from the Sanderson Farms Championship. Brendan and guest host discuss Pat Reed going low in China, compare the Sanderson to an NBA “League Pass Team,” and assess Cam Champ’s early lead in Jackson. Then they briefly marvel at Matthew Wolff, the Oklahoma State stud tearing it up this fall in the college ranks. Finally, a Flashback Friday segment covers that one time an HSBC executive called out Tiger for not playing the company’s China WGC event. Listen on iTunes, Stitcher or Spotify

Michael Scott’s Dunder Mifflin Scranton Meredith Palmer Memorial Celebrity Rabies Awareness Pro-Am Fun Run Race for the Cure..aka “The Match” featuring Tiger and Phil

Final details for Tiger and Phil’s match were released on Thursday. The Payperview will cost $19.99 and will start at 3 pm ET the Friday after Thanksgiving. Both players and their caddies will be wearing mics for the event.Story

In New York

Come out to meet Andy at the launch party of Silver Club Golfing Society tonight at Five Iron Golf in NYC. Drinks and appetizers will be served from 7:30-10pm, register here.

Quick Hooks

Jon Cavalier took a hall of fame photo of Cypress Point last night. Photo

Jodi Ewart Shadoff leads a crowded leaderboard at the Swinging Skirts LPGA Taiwan Championship. Leaderboard