Will Day return to the top?

Dustin Johnson stepped to the 18th tee at TPC Twin Cities needing birdie to make the cut at the 3M Open late Friday afternoon. When he overcooked a cut with the driver and drowned his tee shot into the water that runs down the right side of the hole, so, too, went his chances to play this weekend. RELATED: Leaderboard | Dustin Johnson looks to find form at 3M Open Ranked No. 2 in the world behind Spain’s Jon Rahm, Johnson was the highest-ranked player in this week’s 3M field, and he had not missed a cut since May’s PGA Championship. He made bogey-6 and shot 1-over 72, finishing two rounds at level par, outside the cutline. “Yeah, just didn’t hit enough fairways on the back nine,” Johnson said afterward. “You know, tried to hang in there. The wind was blowing pretty hard. It played pretty tough.” But Johnson was far from alone in finding a difficult challenge awaiting at the finishing hole at TPC Twin Cities. Though his errant drive was the 24th tee shot to find the water, there many other ways to make a mess of the hole. Roger Sloan came to the 18th at 10 under par and alone in the lead early Friday afternoon, but his approach shot from 268 yards fell shy, tumbling into water fronting the green. He would make 6 and shoot 69. Chez Reavie, who got to 18 sharing the lead, made bogey after pulling his tee shot into a grassy native area down the left side, struggling to advance his second shot down the fairway. It was his lone blemish on the card as well. Usually, a closing par-5 hole represents an opportunity for the best players on the planet to don a bib and feast with eagles and birdies. Friday, the hole was just plain tricky. The 590-yard 18th had been the third easiest hole in the opening round; Friday, it was a real nuisance. It ranked 11th in difficulty. “I think the wind was just quartering a little bit, more cross when I hit,” Sloan said of his second shot on the hole. “I didn’t hit it great, but I thought it should still cover (and reach the green) … I don’t know, maybe just the wind isn’t where guys think it is. It’s a tough tee shot, too, so you’ve got to get the ball in play. It’s a great hole. What a great finishing hole – going to be a lot of drama on the weekend there.” Sloan, who will begin Saturday one shot behind leaders Adam Hadwin and Ryan Armour (both shot 65), tied with three others at 9-under 133, could use a quality weekend. He stands 147th in FedExCup points and needs to climb inside the top 125 in order to qualify for the Playoffs that start Aug. 19 with THE NORTHERN TRUST at Liberty National in New Jersey. He had reached the 18th tee having not made a single bogey through his first 35 holes of the 3M. While Sloan was disappointed with settling for bogey to finish, he actually took a small measure of relief from it, as well. “I didn’t really think about it until my caddie and I were walking off the green,” Sloan said. “He just said, ‘Well, we don’t have to worry about going bogey-free anymore,’ and it kind of loosens you up a little bit. So yeah, maybe donating a shot back there at the last could help us play a little bit more freely on the weekend.” Alas, Armour, who put together one of the day’s strongest rounds, matching the 65 that Hadwin already has posted, got to the 18th hole early Friday evening one shot out of the lead, played it as a three-shotter, and rolled in an 18-foot putt for birdie to tie for the tournament’s midway lead. Good to know at least one man at 3M walked off that final green with a smile.

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If you’re new to PGA TOUR Pick ‘Em Live and wondered if you need to be invested in the winner of the tournament to cash as a top-five finisher, nope! At last week’s Travelers Championship, the only gamer in the prize money who connected with champion Xander Schauffele was the previously inaccurately named Didiwinyet. However, only 18 of that entry’s 6,294 coins were as a result of the victory because it didn’t snare Schauffele until he was at (-555). The highest finisher with Schauffele at plus-odds was Ggrich1951 in ninth place. It had Schauffele at +2200, but was worth just under 60 percent of its total of 3,702. The lesson is that, when a favorite wins, prizewinners likely will have hauled in their coins in the bets for Top 10s, Top 20s and round leaders. Ties in 2-balls also are valuable. As Rob has illustrated over time, there’s virtually no reason in not picking ties when available. You’d have to finish inside the top five for a winner of a 2- or 3-ball to make a difference, but first you need to be inside the top five. One hurdle before the other. Placing fifth just once is infinitely more lucrative than finishing sixth every week (unless, of course, when payouts are extended, as they were in the last two majors). Last week’s fifth-place finisher, Girazi, rode the rail with Michael Thorbjornsen in all three weeklong bets. Sure enough, the amateur finished fourth and yielded 4,000 coins for the Top 10 and 1,200 coins for the Top 20. The aggregate 5,200 comprised all of Girazi’s coins for $250. It that’s your kind of action, this week’s John Deere Classic is for you. As Glass and Rob demonstrate below, ownership dispersion will be vast, and rightly so. It’s wide-open. Exploit it. Register for PGA TOUR Pick ‘Em Live here and monitor Rob’s and Glass’ progress as Influencers. For a broader explanation of the format and FAQs, click here. TOURNAMENT TO WIN Glass … Scott Brown (+12500) The value on the board this week is interesting and perhaps even non-existent. It happens. The beauty of this game is the ability to shift, zag or zig on the fly, so let’s use this to our advantage. Brown’s worst payday here is T27 from seven weekends (nine starts), so the course angle is covered. T10 last week on the Korn Ferry Tour suggests he’s showing enough form. If not, we’ll move on. A shootout leaves more doors open to start big and work back as needed! Rob … Martin Laird (+6000) Hear me out here. Because I’m not in love with any of the longshots, I believe that the winner will open shorter than +10000. Of that subset, if Laird opens strong, his odds won’t be as favorable as they are pre-tournament, obviously, so the idea is to buy high on a former PGA TOUR winner with experience at TPC Deere Run. Shootouts demands accuracy on approach. It’s a strength he’s wielded throughout his career. His weakness is the putter, but – BUT! – as noted in my Power Rankings, it’s one of the easiest to avoid three-putting, and – AND! – he’s one of the best scramblers, so what bothers him most is given a week off. TOP 10 Glass … Chesson Hadley (+1000) If we’re gonna play with fire, let’s get that fuse lit! Hadley opened with 63 here last year and rolls in with a solo fifth last week. HEY, IT’S SOMETHING. The fireworks on the weekend stateside should wake you up early enough to adjust either Saturday or Sunday morning. Rob … Scott Brown (+1300) Don’t know why Glass didn’t double down on Brown given that his odds are longer than Hadley’s, but it’s not the first, second or 39th time that Glass has made a decision that’s baffled me. So what? I’m reaching here because the odds are shorter than the board for the outrights, of course. Let’s play Home Run Derby. TOP 20 Glass … Austin Cook (+800) OK, let’s gamble! Panning for gold to find a number here, but I’m trying to connect a couple of dots and catch a big fish. Cook posted 64 in Round 2 in Canada and 65 at TPC River Highlands last week so there’s something brewing until there isn’t. His last top 10 was P2 at TPC Summerlin. Those who have done the business there have shown fleeting success in the Quad Cities. Please keep all arms and legs inside the ride at all times! Rob … John Huh (+210) I’ve let Glass lead off in each bet because he’s mopped the floor with me for about a month. He’s earned the honor. However, unless he pivots at the midpoint, if necessary, he could be stuck with Cook. This bet hasn’t been open for me as late as 2:15 a.m. West Coast Time in recent weeks. I have no problem limping to the window with Huh at this value. Top 20s are hard but he’s hung up two in his last three starts. The other resulted in a T25. That’s good enough for me from a guy in form who shreds it tee to green. ROUND 1 LEADER Rob … Martin Laird (+8000) Since the finishing holes of both nines at TPC Deere Run are long, challenging par 4s, I like a guy who starts on the par-5 10th and cycles through all three par 5s in his first 11 holes. It eases him into the round and presents the opportunity to generate momentum. The flip trip is a heavier lift in the context of the flow. It’s a coincidence that Laird is my outright. Even if he wasn’t, he’d be this pick. He opened with 63 at TPC River Highlands last week and he averaged 68.375 with all red numbers across all four rounds of the last two editions of the JDC. He goes off No. 10 at 7:40 a.m. Coincidentally, one of his playing partners is my old FRL nemesis, Patton Kizzire. This is to say that I’m expecting to revise my selection sometime midday on Thursday. Glass … Scott Stallings (+5000) Played his final 54 holes at the Travelers Championship 64-68-63 in red-hot form, so I’m going to pay money and take my chances that it continues. He’s off on No. 10 at 7:07 a.m. (local), so if he isn’t a morning person, I’ll find a replacement as the day moves along. If you prefer a guy who opened with 62 and closed with 64 last week, J.T. Poston is off at 7:27 a.m. (local). NOTE: While Glass and Rob typically stick with their selections as detailed in Pick ‘Em Preview, they are allowed the right to make changes at any time.

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The PGA TOUR returns to TPC Louisiana this week for the 2018 Zurich Classic of New Orleans. This marks the first year of team play at the event, and with the new format comes plenty of questions. Click here for the list of the teams set to compete. Here is the breakdown of this year’s team format. HOW IT WORKS TEAM FORMAT: Round 1 and 3 are Four-Ball (Best-Ball) and Rounds 2 and 4 are Foursomes (Alternate Shot). For Foursomes play, players will rotate tee shots. One player will hit the tee shots on all the odd-numbered holes, and the other will hit the tee shot on even-numbered holes. Example: Player A and Player B are partners. On the first hole, Player A tees off; Player B plays the second shot; Player A plays the third shot; and so on until the ball is holed. The total strokes taken will result in the team’s score for that hole. For Four-Ball play, the players on each team will each play his own ball throughout the entirety of the round, with the best score on each hole recorded. Example: On the first hole, both golfers on each team tee off. Player A pars the hole and Player B birdies it. The team will be credited with a birdie. FIELD: The starting field will consist of 80 teams (160 players). Each of the top available players from the PGA TOUR Priority Rankings who commits to the tournament will choose his partner, who in turn must have PGA TOUR status unless he is chosen as a tournament sponsor exemption. SCHEDULE: Thursday’s Foursomes round begins at 8 a.m. local time (9 a.m. ET), with the last tee time at 1:56 p.m local. Friday’s Four-ball round begins at 7 a.m. local (8 a.m. ET) with the last tee time at 2:02 p.m. local. Teams will go off two tees in each of the first two days. Saturday’s start time is approximately 9 a.m. local off one tee. Sunday’s start time will be determined later. MAKING THE CUT: Following the conclusion of the second round, there will be a cut to the low 35 teams and ties at the 35th position.  IN CASE OF A TIE: A hole-by-hole (sudden death) playoff will be contested with the first hole played as foursomes (alternate shot), the second hole played as four-ball (best ball) where the formats alternate every hole, thereafter, on a set rotation of holes. WITH A WIN: The Zurich Classic of New Orleans will continue to award FedExCup points and official money, and will count as an official victory for the members of the winning team. As such, both players will receive a two-year winner’s exemption and an eligibility into Invitational fields, including the Tournament of Champions and THE PLAYERS Championship. Additionally, the PGA of America will include both members of the winning team in the Tournament Winners category for the PGA Championship. PRIZES: FedExCup points and prize money will be awarded to teams making the cut based on combining every two positions from the distribution table for a standard TOUR event, with each team member receiving an equal share. For instance, the winning team will evenly split first and second place FedExCup points (500 for first and 300 for second for 800 total points, or 400 for each player). Official prize money will be distributed in the same manner.  KEY QUESTIONS Why was the format changed? The PGA TOUR Policy Board approved the change in November, 2016 as a way to introduce team competition into the regular TOUR schedule. Said Andy Pazder, Chief of Operations for the PGA TOUR: “We have seen the growth of popularity with the biennial team competitions like the Presidents Cup, Ryder Cup and World Cup and the excitement that they produce. We believe the fans will love to see this sort of competition as a regular part of our season.” Has there ever been a team competition on the PGA TOUR? Yes. The PGA TOUR has held 61 previous official team events, with two pros paired together, using various formats. The PGA TOUR has contested 13 official team tournaments with a pro paired with an amateur (the pro always earning official-win designation). The last official TOUR team event was the 1981 Walt Disney World National Team Championship, won by Vance Heafner and Mike Holland.  How is the Zurich Classic format different? The Zurich Classic will use an alternating-round Foursomes and Four-ball format for the first time. The closest the PGA TOUR has previously come to using a Foursomes format in an official event was at the 1934 Pinehurst Pro-Pro played at Pinehurst’s famed No. 2 course and won by Tommy Armour and Bobby Cruickshank. That tournament played under Scotch Foursomes rules, a setup that allows each player to hit a drive on each hole and then whichever player’s ball is in the best position, the teammate hits the next shot in alternate-shot fashion until the ball is held. The Foursomes format at TPC Louisiana will strictly be alternate shot for every shot played on the hole.

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