By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- When he was growing up, one of Kyle Stanley's favorite players was Vijay Singh.

Small wonder, then, that he gained a reputation for a work ethic similar to the Fijian when he went to school at Clemson. In fact, one of the reasons he decided to play for the Tigers was that head coach Larry Penley had built a lighted practice range near the football field.

"You could pretty much practice whenever you wanted," said Stanley, who remembers hitting balls on the range as late -- or as early -- as 3 a.m. "It was pretty cool."

That said, Stanley, who punched his ticket to the Masters in February when he made the Waste Management Phoenix Open the first win of his PGA TOUR career, didn't always have that kind of affinity for the practice range. In fact, Stanley remembers a heart-to-heart with his dad after he missed the cut at Washington's state high school tournament.

"We had a four- or five-hour drive back (from Spokane to Gig Harbor),” Stanley said. “I remember just talking to my dad and he just kind of explained to me, listen, if you want to be really good, if you want to be one of the best players in the world, you know you're going to have to work at it."

Stanley said he made the transformation "pretty quickly." The hard work paid off, too, with a scholarship to Clemson where he earned All-America honors and played on the Walker Cup team. After another speedy transition that included one year on the Nationwide Tour, he found himself on the same range with Singh.

"I've always loved golf," said Stanley, who shaved off his beard on Monday morning. "It's always kind of been my biggest passion. ... But it is one of those deals where you just kind of have to figure out what your priorities are, and once I did that, it just really gave me something to focus on."

He’s so focused now that Stanley will even shyly admit to leaving the course, then turning the car around so he can return to the range and hit one last, good, shot.

"I always want to finish off a practice session on a good note," he said grinning. "It's probably a little bit of an OCD thing, to be honest."

Stanley came to Augusta National last week prior to playing in the Shell Houston Open to learn the nuances of the course and get used to the "aura" of the Masters. He played here as a sophomore at Clemson but that hardly prepared Stanley for what he'll face this week. 

"There are a lot of subtleties here especially on the greens," said Stanley, who ranks 159th in strokes gained putting. "I don't think it matters where you're from; you still have to learn them.  You can't really do it in one or two days. That's why I came in last week prior to the event and spent a lot of time on these greens.  I don't think you can ever get too comfortable on them. They are very difficult."

Stanley, who ranks sixth on TOUR in driving distance, certainly has the length to play Augusta National, though, and he's 12th in greens in regulation. He says he's happy with his play tee-to-green but has put extra time in on his wedge game and his putting leading up the the Masters.

One area of his game Stanley shouldn't be worried about is resiliency, though. After all, this is a man who squandered a five-stroke lead in the final round of the Farmers Insurance Open but rebounded seven days later in coming from eight strokes off the pace on Sunday to win in Phoenix.

"I knew probably the biggest thing that I was going to take out from it was I just kind of challenged myself to see if I could put it behind me," Stanley said. "I think probably the biggest thing I learned was just mentally maybe I'm a little bit tougher than I thought I was."

HUMBLE, Texas -- The 36-hole cut at the Shell Houston Open left 90 players in the field for Saturday’s third round. Only once (91, 1981 Travelers Championship) have more than 90 players made a 36-hole cut in a non-major championship. With more than 78 players making the initial cut, a secondary cut was needed after Round 3 -- again, to the low 70 and ties. Among those missing the secondary cut were FedExCup No. 3 Kyle Stanley and Texas native Justin Leonard. Stanley made the initial cut on the number (2-under 142) but posted a 3-over 75 in Round 3 to fall below the line. Leonard was at 3 under after 36 holes but was one of five players to post a score in the 80s Saturday to eliminate themselves from Sunday’s final round. Padraig Harrington (74), Charley Hoffman (75) and Robert Allenby (78) were among the others to miss the secondary cutline. Miguel Angel Carballo (1-under 215) was the only player to make the cut on the number and will start Sunday at 70th on the leaderboard.

The pairings have been unveiled for this week’s PGA TOUR Matchups Game on Facebook. You can check out the Matchups for the Shell Houston Open below, or on the PGA TOUR’s Facebook page.

Participants have until 6 a.m. ET Thursday to make their picks. Log on to the PGA TOUR Facebook page and click the Matchups link to make your picks for this week, or to sign up.

GO TO FACEBOOK PAGE TO PLAY MATCHUPS GAME

Phil Mickelson vs. Fred Couples	Phil defends his title while Fred won his last TOUR event here
Johnson Wagner vs. Kyle Stanley	It's a battle of FedExCup leaders current and former
Graeme McDowell vs. Lee Westwood	These Europeans bring Texas-sized game to the Lone Star State
Ernie Els vs. Anthony Kim	The Big Easy takes on the 2010 champion at Redstone
Rickie Fowler vs. Bud Cauley	2010 Rookie of the Year vs. an early favorite for the 2012 award

Tuesday, March 27 Lee Westwood: 12:30 p.m. ET Johnson Wagner: 3 p.m. ET Wednesday, March 28 Kyle Stanley: noon ET Graeme McDowell: 2 p.m. ET

DORAL, Fla. -- Former FedExCup leader Johnson Wagner emerged Saturday to join Keegan Bradley as prime threats to Kyle Stanley's FedExCup lead at the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship. Stanley, who posted a 4-over 76 in Round 3, opened the door a bit wider for Wagner, the current No. 2. Stanley's round dropped him from a tie for 10th into a 42nd-place tie. If the tournament ended Saturday night, his lead over Wagner would have been just six points. Bradley, who needs a victory to catch Stanley atop the standings, had six birdies in his bogey-free third round that landed him in Sunday's final pairing with 54-hole leader Bubba Watson. Bradley will enter the finale three shots off the pace. A victory would be the third of his career, and likely place him atop the FedExCup standings for the first time. Here’s a quick look at how Stanley and his pursuers are stacking up at the Cadillac Championship. Listed below are each player’s current FedExCup standing, the minimum finish they will need this week to have a chance at becoming No. 1, and where they stand at TPC Blue Monster.

Player Points Points back Finish needed Currently Proj. points Proj. total 1. Kyle Stanley 935   N/A T42 26 961 2. Johnson Wagner 860 -75 10th 7th 95 955 3. Mark Wilson 840 -95 6th T42 26 866 4. Rory McIlroy 815 -120 4th T8 76 891 5. Phil Mickelson 807 -128 4th T42 26 833 6. Bill Haas 752 -183 3rd T42 26 777 7. Hunter Mahan 745 -193 3rd T18 52 794 8. Brandt Snedeker 716 -219 2nd T42 26 741 9. Steve Stricker 598 -337 1st T14 58 656 10. Keegan Bradley 563 -372 1st T2 258 821 11. Ben Crane 514 -421 1st T60 10 524 13. Martin Laird 465 -470 1st T23 44 509

DORAL, Fla. -- FedExCup leader Kyle Stanley slipped from T5 to T10 during Friday's second round of the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship, but his FedExCup lead is looking a little safer than it did last night. Stanley is competing at TPC Blue Monster and trying to maintain his lead in the season-long race for the FedExCup for the sixth consecutive week. Johnson Wagner enters the week at No. 2, needing a top-10 finish to have a chance at passing Stanley, but is currently tied for 15th, projected to lose a little ground to the leader. The only player chasing the No. 1 position this week in a better spot than Stanley is Keegan Bradley. Bradley was 5 under Friday and finished the afternoon tied for 5th. The reigning PGA Champion will need to win this week to have a chance to move atop the FedExCup standings. Here’s a quick look at how Stanley and his pursuers are stacking up at the Cadillac Championship. Listed below are each player’s current FedExCup standing, the minimum finish they will need this week to have a chance at becoming No. 1, and where they stand at TPC Blue Monster.

Player Points Points back Finish needed Currently Proj. points Proj. total 1. Kyle Stanley 935   N/A T10 69 1,004 2. Johnson Wagner 860 -75 10th T15 54 914 3. Mark Wilson 840 -95 6th T28 41 881 4. Rory McIlroy 815 -120 4th T28 41 856 5. Phil Mickelson 807 -128 4th T34 32 839 6. Bill Haas 752 -183 3rd T45 22 774 7. Hunter Mahan 745 -193 3rd T34 32 774 8. Brandt Snedeker 716 -219 2nd T45 22 738 9. Steve Stricker 598 -337 1st T15 54 652 10. Keegan Bradley 563 -372 1st T5 110 673 11. Ben Crane 514 -421 1st T45 22 536 13. Martin Laird 465 -470 1st T54 16 481

DORAL, Fla. -- Kyle Stanley's name has been atop the FedExCup standings for the last five weeks but his status is in jeopardy this week at the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship. Eleven players teeing it up this week at TPC Blue Monster have a chance to move ahead of Stanley and into the driver's seat of the FedExCup race. Seven of them could become No. 1 with a runner-up finish or better. The 24-year-old Stanley has held his own thus far and projects to not only maintain, but improve upon his lead. Here's a quick look at how Stanley and his pursuers are stacking up at the Cadillac Championship. Listed below are each player's current FedExCup standing, the finish they will need this week to have a chance at becoming No. 1, and where they stand at TPC Blue Monster.

Player	Points	Points back	Finish needed	Currently	Proj. points	Proj. total
1. Kyle Stanley	935		N/A	T5	88	1,023
2. Johnson Wagner	860	-75	10th	T13	56	916
3. Mark Wilson	840	-95	6th	T25	42	882
4. Rory McIlroy	815	-120	4th	T35	32	847
5. Phil Mickelson	807	-128	4th	T25	42	849
6. Bill Haas	752	-183	3rd	T44	22	774
7. Hunter Mahan	745	-193	3rd	T21	49	791
8. Brandt Snedeker	716	-219	2nd	T54	12	728
9. Steve Stricker	598	-337	1st	T5	88	686
10. Keegan Bradley	563	-372	1st	T5	89	652
11. Ben Crane	514	-421	1st	T35	32	546
13. Martin Laird	465	-470	1st	T25	42	507

Who’s was the best PGA TOUR player in February? Now you can help determine the winner.

Avis Rent A Car and the PGA TOUR have redesigned the PGA TOUR’s Player of the Month award program for 2012. The monthly honor will now be determined by a fan vote via PGATOUR.COM.  In January, Johnson Wagner became the first winner of the award.

On the first Tuesday of each month, fans can vote online at PGATOUR.COM for one of four players nominated for their outstanding play the previous month by a panel of national media.

The four nominees for February are: Phil Mickelson, Kyle Stanley, Bill Haas and Hunter Mahan.

Mickelson won the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am and finished second at the Northern Trust Open. Kyle Stanley won the Waste Management Phoenix Open in a dramatic comeback, and Haas won the Northern Trust Open in a thrilling two-hole playoff. Mahan wrapped up the month with a strong run through the bracket at the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship. It was Mahan's second WGC win.

To cast your vote, just click here .

The voting ends on the following Sunday, and the player with the most votes will be named the PGA TOUR Player of the Month. In addition, Avis, the “Official Rental Car Company” of the PGA TOUR, will present the winner with a $50,000 check payable to his charity of choice.

Results will be posted next Tuesday on PGATOUR.COM.

And  if you want to state your case for why your favorite player should win the February award, just fill out the form below and let us know.

The tee times for the first round of this week’s The Honda Classic have been released. CLICK HERE for the tee times. Use the space below to comment about the pairings at PGA National.

Here’s a look at some of the notable groups in the first two rounds:

Jim Furyk/Y.E. Yang/Henrik Stenson
Yang has owned PGA National in recent years, with a win and a second-place finish.

Kyle Stanley/Keegan Bradley/Rory McIlroy
Three of the best players in the world under the age of 30, and all three bomb the ball.

Mark Wilson/Rory Sabbatini/Camilo Villegas
These three players won at PGA National in 2007, 2011 and 2010, respectively. Villegas and Wilson squared off in a four-man playoff (with Boo Weekley and Jose Conceres) on a steamy Monday in 2007, which Wilson won.

Lee Westwood/Ian Poulter/Tiger Woods
No introduction needed for this trio. Tiger makes his first start at PGA National. This is the third consecutive year Westwood has teed if up here. Tied for ninth in 2010.

John Huh/Charl Schwartzel/Ernie Els
The PGA TOUR's newest winner (Huh) immediately graduates to an A-list tee time with a pair of major champions.

Anthony Kim/Mike Weir/Mark Calcavecchia
Can Kim and Weir get their games turned around at the start of the Florida Swing? And don't count out Calcavecchia, who has lived in Palm Beach for many years. He tied for fourth here in 2008.

Now, it’s your turn: Which groups are you most interested in following this week?