Video: On The Rocks At The Palmer Course, Two Final Times

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A four-way tie for the lead includes Erik Compton, Michael Putnam, Justin Thomas and Bill Haas heading into Sunday's Humana Challenge with Matt Kuchar one back after a poor finish. Besides Humana's departure after Sunday's final round and the Palmer course leaving the rota, there's a very good chance this is the last year they will play a course hugging the rocky Santa Rosa mountains.

Anyone who recalls Lanny Wadkins and Craig Stadler's epic Hope Classic playoff at Indian Wells or some of the down-the-stretch fun at the Palmer course will lament the loss of this eye-catching once-a-year hazard.

In the meantime, we have two weird shots off the rocks Sunday by James Hahn and Scott Piercy. Both cases appeared to benefit from a deadening effect when hitting the mountainside. How, is the question?

Hahn’s 143-yard tee shot that rolls just past the cup to 3 feet on the par-3 17th hole where he made the putt for birdie.

Piercy’s shot hitting the rock ledge and where the cameraman rightly anticipates the bounce the ball should have taken. Piercy ends up making the 8-foot putt for birdie.

Rio Olympic Course Has No Name, But Grass Is Growing

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Ryan Herrington of GolfDigest.com reports on the PGA Show unveiling of initial images (below) from Rio of the 2016 Olympic course, where the name has not been settled on but at this point no one seems to mind.

Herrington writes:

"We're just happy to have a golf course right now," joked Gil Hanse (below right), who along with Amy Alcott designed the course and participated with Peter Dawson of the R&A, Ty Votaw of the PGA Tour and tour pros Graeme McDowell and Suzann Pettersen in the discussion.

The laughter that followed from the entire panel underscored the relief being felt that finally, albeit months later than expected, all 18 holes of the course had been grassed and legal challenges to its construction had ended.

Golfweek's Brad Klein writes about the initial impressions of the layout, which have arrived as Hanse and Alcott billed in their presentation to win the job.

What counts is that the layout – at 7,350 yards, a par 71 – has a wide-open, linksy feel to it. It’s built on sand, brings no trees into play and offers several paths and avenues for greenside recovery from the side and behind. It also features lots of what Hanse calls “half-par” holes – short and long par 3s and par 4s and reachable, risk-reward par 5s. Amy Alcott, an LPGA Hall of Famer and design consultant to Hanse on the project, is especially proud of the finishing stretch. Those present opportunities for birdies if players take the risk – as they well might at the reachable par-4 16th hole.

The images presented in Orlando and courtesy of Hanse Design. The sandbelt influence is strong in this one!