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Quicken Loans National 2017: 5 groups to watch in Rounds 1 & 2

By Luke Norris

HARTFORD, WI - JUNE 17: Justin Thomas of the United States plays his shot from the 17th tee during the third round of the 2017 U.S. Open at Erin Hills on June 17, 2017 in Hartford, Wisconsin. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)
HARTFORD, WI - JUNE 17: Justin Thomas of the United States plays his shot from the 17th tee during the third round of the 2017 U.S. Open at Erin Hills on June 17, 2017 in Hartford, Wisconsin. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images) /
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Quicken Loans National
Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Si Woo Kim, Jimmy Walker, Billy Hurley III

Round 1: 10th tee, 8:10 a.m.

Round 2: 1st tee, 1:10 p.m.

THE PLAYERS champ Si Woo Kim leads this group of early starters at the Quicken Loans National and the 21-year-old is looking to continue his rise in 2017. At this time last year, Kim was ranked 146th in the world and now sits at No. 30 following another solid showing at a big event. If anyone was thinking that his win at THE PLAYERS was a fluke, especially with a missed cut and a withdrawal in his next two starts, Kim silenced some critics with a great performance at the U.S. Open. Sure, the final-round 75 wasn’t his best day but he was right in the thick of things the first three days and is becoming one of the best young players on the PGA TOUR.

Reigning PGA Championship winner Jimmy Walker is gearing up to defend his title soon and could use a good showing at TPC Potomac this week. He hasn’t played much since revealing in April that he’s been battling Lyme Disease, which causes a lot of fatigue, so he could certainly benefit from just getting some reps in. He made the announcement just before the Valero Texas Open, where he finished tied for 13th. Since then, he’s only made starts at THE PLAYERS, where he tied for 56th, and then missed the cut at the U.S. Open. Getting some swings in can only be a good thing for Walker. Let’s hope he gets to make them for four days.

Certainly, we can’t forget about reigning and defending Quicken Loans National champion Billy Hurley III. The 35-year-old vaulted from 607th in the world rankings to 169th a season ago with a brilliant performance at Congressional, shooting four rounds in the 60s to win by three strokes over Vijay Singh. The win last year was his first on the PGA TOUR. Since his victory, Hurley has just two top-10 finishes, his last coming at the Wells Fargo Championship. In the last five tournaments he’s played since then, he has two T-41 finishes, a T-50 and has missed the weekend in his last two starts.

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