It was familiar territory for Harold Varner III, climbing to the upper reaches of a PGA Tour leaderboard only to come tumbling down.
But that experience — most notably his collapse in the final round of the PGA Championship last year — served him well Saturday when he weathered a significant rough patch on the back nine at Riviera Country Club to finish with back-to-back birdies.
Varner, who survived a stretch of three bogeys in four holes, closed his round with pinpoint approach shots on Nos. 17 and 18, then drained the putts to stay within striking range of his first tour victory. He’s tied for fourth with Russell Henley at nine under, one shot behind co-leaders Adam Scott, Matt Kuchar and Rory McIlroy.
Varner was tied for second heading into Sunday at last year’s PGA Championship and playing alongside leader Brooks Koepka in the final pairing. But the wheels came off at Bethpage Black, and Varner shot an 81 to tie for 36th.
Nightmarish as that was, Varner draws on the experience now — as he did last August at the Northern Trust, when he finished tied for third.
“It’s massive,” he said Saturday of the lesson from his major championship meltdown. “I used it a lot at Northern Trust. Had a really good chance there. It’s nice to get in that position and play well. I’ve gotten in that position and played poorly. To get in that position and play well, it’s only going to help.
“It doesn’t guarantee that we’re going to play well [Sunday]. But it guarantees that I’m going to be a little bit better, a little bit more mindful of what we’re doing. Experience is priceless.”
This marks the first time in 2020 that Varner has made it to a weekend. He failed to make the cut in his first four tournaments of the year. He has learned to take nothing for granted.
“Just embrace it: Golf’s hard,” he said. “It’s just not going to go your way every time. The biggest thing for me is just keep a good attitude. I still love playing golf. It’s not the end of the world, so I’ve always tried to have that perspective. It’s a privilege to be playing golf on the PGA Tour.”
Varner, 29, is one of four tour players of African American descent, along with Tiger Woods, Cameron Champ, and Joseph Bramlett. Varner is the first to earn his tour card via the Web.com Tour.
He shot a 69 on Saturday with three sets of back-to-back birdies, along with four bogeys. His three rounds have gone 67, 68. 69.
A big NFL fan who played college golf at East Carolina, Varner has struck up a friendship with new Washington Redskins coach Ron Rivera, longtime coach of the Carolina Panthers. They had dinner together twice last week.
“After I shot 81, I went to [Panthers] practice two days later,” Varner said, “and he’s like, `’No, man. Keep learning. Keep having fun. Everyone thinks you should be doing this. Do what’s best for you.’”
Varner, among the most agreeable guys around, also has a sense of humor. He has a head cover on his three-wood that looks like a Cabbage Patch Kids doll. He got the cover as a gift six years ago from a college teammate who was caddying for him and named it Gerald.
“He was like, `We’re going to put it on the three-wood this week,’ and it’s been on there ever since,” Varner said. “We get a new one every year-and-a-half. Now, we’ve put it on a shirt.”
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Adam Scott blasts out of a sand trap on the 15th hole during the final round of the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club on Feb. 16, 2020. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Rory McIlroy hits out of the rough on 18th hole during the third round of the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club on Feb. 15, 2020. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Adam Scott watches hits from the 14th tee during the third round of the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club on Feb. 15, 2020. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Matt Kuchar hits out of the sand trap on the 14th hole during the third round of the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club on Feb. 15, 2020. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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The gallery watches a drive by Tiger Woods on the sixth hole during the third round of the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club on Feb. 15, 2020. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Harold Varner III acknowledges the crowd have sinking a fourth-hole birdie putt during the third round of the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club on Feb. 15, 2020. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Rory McIlroy chips the ball onto the green near the pin to save par on the 18th hole during the third round of the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club on Feb. 15, 2020. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Rory McIlroy reacts after missing a birdie putt on the ninth green during the second round of the Genesis Invitational on Feb. 14, 2020. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Tiger Woods reacts after bogeying the sixth hole during the second round of the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club on Feb. 14, 2020. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Matt Kuchar hits off the 15th tee during the second round of the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club on Feb. 14, 2020. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Bubba Watson lets go of his club after missing the fairway on the 11th hole during the second round of the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club on Feb. 14, 2020. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Rory McIlroy hits an approach shot to the ninth green during the second round of the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club on Feb. 14, 2020. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Harold Varner III rips his drive down the fairway toward the 18th green during the second round of the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club on Feb. 14, 2020. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Tiger Woods hits out of the rough on the edge of the 18th fairway during the first round of the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club on Feb. 13, 2020. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Tiger Woods hits out of a fairway bunker on the 17th hole during the first round of the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club on Feb. 13, 2020. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Tiger Woods reacts after hitting off the 17th during the first round of the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club on Feb. 13, 2020. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Tiger Woods looks at the flag depicting Kobe Bryant’s No. 8 jersey as he walks to mark his ball on the eighth green during the first round of the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club on Feb. 13, 2020. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Matt Kuchar hits off the sixth tee during the first round of the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club on Feb. 13, 2020. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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A large crowd follows Tiger Woods as he hits from the fifth tee during the first round of the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club on Feb. 13, 2020. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Steve Stricker hits out of the bunker on the third hole during the first round of the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club on Feb. 13, 2020. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Tiger Woods as he hits out of the rough on the 18th hole during the first round of the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club on Feb. 13, 2020. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Matt Kuchar sinks a putt for par on the second green during the first round of the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club on Feb. 13, 2020. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Justin Thomas pays tribute to the life of Lakers legend Kobe Bryant with customized golf shoes during the first round of the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club on Feb. 13, 2020. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Shadows of fans in the gallery stretch across one of the bunkers on the 10th hole during the first round of the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club on Feb. 13, 2020. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Justin Thomas gets a ruling from an official after his golf ball landed in a woman’s shopping bag in the rough near the second green during the first round of the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club on Feb. 13, 2020. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Tiger Woods hits off the third tee during the first round of the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club on Feb. 13, 2020. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Wyndham Clark hits out of the rough near the media tent on the second hole during the second round of the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club on Feb. 14, 2020. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Rory McIlroy watches his tee shot on the 16th hole during the third round of the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club on Feb. 15, 2020. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Harold Varner III hits out of a bunker and onto the 10th hole green during the final round of the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club on Feb. 16, 2020. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Rory McIlroy hits out of the rough in between two trees on the 13th hole during the final round of the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club on Feb. 16, 2020. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Matt Kuchar chips out of the rough on the 10th hole during the final round of the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club on Feb. 16, 2020. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Adam Scott celebrates after winning the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades on Feb. 16, 2020. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Adam Scott hugs his caddie John Limanti after winning the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club on Feb. 16, 2020. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
The puppet even has its own Twitter account, referring to Gerald as an “emotional support head cover,” although Varner has no association with that.
“I have no clue who runs that account, that’s the funniest part,” he said. “He or she hasn’t tweeted in months. They’ve only tweeted good stuff, and sometimes it’s pretty funny, so I haven’t tried to track down who it is.”
He has bigger concerns at the moment, with his first victory again within reach.
“I’m getting way more comfortable,” he said. “It’s not all fun and games though there. It’s business.”
