Day: May 30, 2017

“My record is Cups”“My record is Cups”

May 30, 2017May 30, 2017| 19:45

Just about anywhere else in the NHL, Evgeni Malkin would be “The Guy.” The captain. The unquestioned leader. The brightest star. The fulcrum around which to build a franchise. Yet he has found comfort, peace and freedom in Pittsburgh, where the player everyone calls “Geno” has spent the last 11 years not as “The Guy” but “The Other Guy.” That’s not a slight. How can it be when the player a few stalls over in the dressing room happens to be a good friend and the best player in the world? Sure, if he played in another market, Malkin would be the centerpiece. Why do that when you get to chase Stanley Cups every spring with Sidney Crosby? “I don’t want to be No. 1 in Carolina,” Malkin said on the

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Sleepers: the Memorial TournamentSleepers: the Memorial Tournament

May 30, 2017May 30, 2017| 19:01

Rob Bolton lists five against-the-grain fantasy selections for this week’s event at Muirfield Village GC. Jamie Lovemark … The old man on this page at 29 years of age, he recently hit the century mark in career PGA TOUR starts as a professional. Injuries led to years of mediocrity before he connected with consistently strong form last season. It carried over into 2016-17, but he went without a top 20 for four months until a T18 at the AT&T Byron Nelson two weeks ago. While he projects to remain a regular at this level, if he’s going to break through for victory, it would be logical for it to occur at a big-hitter’s ballpark like Muirfield Village. Now, as Jack Nicklaus likes it, the test grows more challenging closer to every hole, so Lovemark must tighten the screws on approach to pay off his power. The last three times he’s ranked inside the top 25 in a field in greens in regulation, he’s recorded a top 20 in the tournament. Harold Varner III … Back for redemption, or is it revenge? In his debut here last year, he sat T16 and just four strokes back of the tri-leaders entering the final round. Then closed with a field-high 79 to finish T57. Fast forward and you can’t rule out that 2016-17 has been a sophomore slump. The 26-year-old slots just 131st in the FedExCup standings with only one top 20 among 11 cuts made. As a rookie, he recorded four top 10s, three of which by the time he arrived at Muirfield Village. It’s a track on which he should feel comfortable given his proclivity to wield driver as often as he can. In addition to some pop, he’s inside the top third on TOUR in greens in regulation. Patrick Cantlay … Since easing his way back into competition in February, he’s picked his spots and he’s picked them well. This is why he demands attention everywhere, including in his first visit to Muirfield Village. The 25-year-old holdover rookie hasn’t missed a cut in his six starts and sits comfortably at 50th in the FedExCup standings with a runner-up finish at Copperhead and a T3 at Harbour Town. He last competed at TPC Sawgrass where he placed T22 despite a 77 in the finale. If he had enough rounds to officially qualify, he’d rank 37th in greens hit, seventh in strokes gained: putting, 23rd in birdie-or-better percentage and 11th in adjusted scoring. Patrick Rodgers … The Indiana native’s second spin with a PGA TOUR card hasn’t been as impressive as he’d have wanted, but he’s done well with a few opportunities he’s manufactured. Just 5-for-17 on the season, but all of his paydays are top 30s. Top 10s at Seaside and Torrey Pines are why he’s 110th in the FedExCup standings. But this has been his M.O. as he’s averaged one top 10 for every five-and-a-half cuts made in 69 starts as a pro. He made noise in his debut at Muirfield Village in 2015, sitting T5 at the midpoint before backing up for a T40. Easing the absence of consistency (read: confidence?) on and around greens this season, he’s a lofty 43rd in greens in regulation. Equipped with advantageous power off the tee this week, the 24-year-old is likely licking his chops for another opportunity to prove that he’s the total package. Ollie Schniederjans … If you covered his name and face and flashed his rookie season in front of a knowledgeable golf fan for a guess, it’s unlikely that he or she would consider the PGA TOUR rookie. He’s 13-for-18 with four top 10s and ranks 44th in the FedExCup standings. Just 23 years of age, well, at least for another two weeks – his birthday is June 15 – the Georgia Tech product has feasted in the analytics that portend success at Muirfield Village where he’s making his debut. He’s currently T20 in proximity to the hole, 25th in strokes gained: approach-the-green, 31st in strokes gained: tee-to-green and T14 in par-5 scoring. Put everything together and he’s 32nd in adjusted scoring.

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Featured Groups: the Memorial TournamentFeatured Groups: the Memorial Tournament

May 30, 2017May 30, 2017| 18:35

The PGA TOUR visits the home of the game’s greatest player for this week’s Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide. A star-studded field has assembled at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, for the tournament Jack Nicklaus created more than four decades ago. This week’s winner will receive 500 FedExCup points, as well as a three-year exemption on the PGA TOUR. Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Rickie Fowler, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Jason Day, Hideki Matsuyama, PLAYERS winner Si Woo Kim and defending champion William McGirt are among the names that can be seen on PGA TOUR LIVE this week. PGA TOUR LIVE’s broadcast will begin at 7:30 a.m. Eastern on Thursday and Friday. It also will be available for free on Twitter from 7:30 a.m. until approximately 8:50 a.m. Three hours of Featured Holes coverage from the par-4 14th and par-3 16th will begin at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday and Friday. (Note: FedExCup ranking in parentheses) Thursday Kevin Kisner (7), Jordan Spieth (5), Justin Thomas (3): This group features three players who will likely team up at this year’s Presidents Cup. Spieth, Thomas and Kisner are Nos. 2-4, respectively, in the U.S. Team standings. The top 10 players in the standings on Sept. 4 will automatically qualify for the team that will play for Captain Steve Stricker at Liberty National Golf Club from Sept. 26 to Oct. 1. Thomas has three wins this season, while Kisner and Spieth have one win apiece. Kisner and Spieth finished 1-2 at last week’s DEAN & DELUCA Invitational.  Tee time: 8:26 a.m. Eastern off 10th tee Dustin Johnson (1), William McGirt (60), Phil Mickelson (40): Johnson, the FedExCup leader, is playing alongside the defending champion (McGirt) and a World Golf Hall of Famer (Mickelson). Johnson finished third at last year’s Memorial, one shot out of the playoff won by McGirt. Mickelson has three top 10s in 16 starts at Muirfield Village. Johnson also leads the U.S. Team’s Presidents Cup standings, while Mickelson ranks 16th and McGirt is 22nd. Tee time: 8:37 a.m. Eastern off 10th tee. Friday Rickie Fowler (10), Hideki Matsuyama (2), Jon Rahm (4): Three popular young players – Fowler is the eldest member at age 28 — highlight this group. All three of these players rank in the top 10 of the FedExCup, as well. Matsuyama, a two-time winner this season, ranks second in the standings. He could overtake Johnson for the top spot with a win this week. Rahm ranks fourth in the standings thanks to a TOUR-high seven top-10s in 14 starts, including a win at the Farmers Insurance Open and a runner-up at last week’s DEAN & DELUCA Invitational. Fowler, the winner of THE PLAYERS Championship 2015, won The Honda Classic earlier this season. He and Matsuyama also will be likely foes at this year’s Presidents Cup. Fowler ranks fifth in the U.S. standings, while Matsuyama is second in the International Team standings. Tee time: 8:26 a.m. Eastern off 10th tee. Si Woo Kim (22), Jason Day (43), Adam Scott (65): These three can discuss strategy for this year’s Presidents Cup, as they’ll likely be teammates on the International squad. Day, a Muirfield Village member, leads the International Team standings, while his countryman Scott ranks third. Kim jumped to seventh in the standings after his impressive victory at THE PLAYERS Championship. Day, who was runner-up at the AT&T Byron Nelson, is looking for his first top-10 finish at the Memorial. Scott finished fourth at this event last year. Tee time: 8:37 a.m. Eastern off 10th tee.

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