Rahm wins Irish Open with record score

Here are nine tidbits from the first round of the Wells Fargo Championship that gamers can use tomorrow, this weekend or down the road. Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte has been the host since the creation of the event in 2003 and plays 7,544 yards to a Par-71. The 2017 WFC was played at Eagle Point Golf Club in Wilmington, NC.  Know Thy Enemy These were the top-10 picked golfers in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf game presented by SERVPRO. With swirling winds and tricky pin positions, John Peterson holds the lead alone after posting 65 (-6). Only 33 players are in red figures and only three of them occupy the list above. McIlroy is the low-man of the group with 68 followed by Finau and Day with 69. People’s Choice Rickie Fowler was the clear choice this week by gamers by almost 20 percent. While I don’t think that is a wrong decision, I’m curious how McIlroy was the THIRD choice here. Fowler, who defeated McIlroy and D.A. Points in a playoff here in 2012 to win on TOUR for the first time, hasn’t won this season but was coming off a back-door runner up at the Masters. Fowler hit 14-of-18 greens and was seventh in proximity yet only made one birdie against two bogeys for 72 (T59). If his putter warms up, he’ll be fine, so he’s sticking in my lineup. The Landlord The THIRD choice this week is the guy who holds the tournament record (-21), the course record TWICE (62, 2010; 61, 2015) and is the only multiple champ at this event. Rory McIlroy only hit four of 14 fairways but managed 14 of 18 GIR. He birdied all three par fives and had the putter rolling (T22, SG: putting) for his 68 (T7). On the Prowl He hasn’t visited Quail Hollow Club since 2012 (MC) but the 2007 champion Tiger Woods gave his investors hope in Round 1 with 71 (E). The one aspect I’ve taken away from Woods in this latest comeback is the tracks he is playing. Plain and simple, they’re not easy. I haven’t seen THAT nine holes yet where he’s circling birdies for fun. He’s grinding and, just as I predicted in my preview, is frustrated with the greens, their grain and speed. He finished No. 119 in SG: putting and yet is T34. Not the Norm, Peterson Texan John Peterson made back-to-back eagles late in Round 1 to post 65 (-6) and a two-shot lead. He was the second player to have back-to-back eagles on the day but the only one leading. Playing on a Major Medical Exemption, Peterson has only eight events this season to earn 274 FedExCup points to keep his full privileges. After playing five events he’s earned 20 of those 274 so a big result this week would go a very long way. Defending Champions The event defending champion is Brian Harman who won last year at Eagle Point Golf Club. Harman leads the TOUR in top-10 finishes this year so if you didn’t know that he didn’t win on this track last year, you’ve still picked a good one. He posted 72 and is T59. … The last player to win on this track at the 2017 PGA Championship was Justin Thomas. He sits T79 as he only found 10 GIR and checked in at 102nd in SG: putting. Gamers won’t like to hear that Round 2 is his worst scoring average of the four this season. He’ll need something positive to avoid missing his second straight weekend. Home Cookin’ Charlotte resident Johnson Wagner (T2) also made back-to-back eagles and added a birdie as he played his first six holes in five-under-par. He gave a couple back on “The Green Mile” (Holes Nos. 16-18) before playing the front in one-under 34. His 67 was his second best loop here in 33 rounds proving that home court advantage doesn’t mean much. His best finish in the previous 11 tries is T28.  Shock and Awe There are six players that are four-under or better after Round 1. Quail Hollow Club annually plays as one of the most difficult on TOUR so riddle me this: Study Hall The only two bogey-free rounds were turned in by Keegan Bradley (68) and Sam Burns (69). … Patrick Reed (71) didn’t make any birdies either but did have a double bogey. … Round 1 played 72.883 (+1.883). … Andrew Landry, winner at the Valero Texas Open two weeks ago, WD after Round 1 with an illness. … Martin Piller was a last-minute WD last week as he was headed home for the birth of his first child. He’s back playing this week but the #NappyFactor stork must have missed his house as he posted 75.

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RIO GRANDE, Puerto Rico — Chase Seiffert started fast and closed with a birdie for a 7-under 65 and a share of the Puerto Rico Open lead with Michael Kim on Thursday. Trying to win for the first time on the PGA TOUR, Seiffert birdied Nos. 2-5 at breezy Grand Reserve, bogeyed the sixth and added birdies on Nos. 9, 13, 16 and 18. “Absolutely stoked,” Seiffert said. “We have wonderful conditions. I came out of the gates really putting well. That got my round off to a nice start. … It seemed like every time I missed the green, it was an easy up-and-down, so… Just kind of stress-free golf.” Kim had a bogey-free round. Since winning the John Deere Classic in 2018, he has made only 15 cuts in 75 starts on the PGA TOUR, including one stretch of 25 consecutive events without making it to the weekend. He was No. 75 in the world when he won and now is at No. 1,030. The event is being played opposite the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard in Orlando, Florida. The winner will receive a two-year exemption and gets in the PGA Championship. Ryan Brehm was a stroke back, and Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Aaron Baddeley shot 67. University of Oklahoma senior Chris Gotterup had a 68 in his first TOUR round. He won the Puerto Rico Classic collegiate event two weeks ago at Grand Reserve. Vaughn Taylor also was at 68 with Ben Kohles, Nick Hardy, Patrick Flavin, Greg Chalmers, Peter Uihlein and Satoshi Kodaira. Puerto Rico native Rafa Campos birdied his last two holes for a 70. Kurt Kitayama, third last week in the Honda Classic, shot a 76.

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THE OVERVIEW By Ben Everill, PGATOUR.COM He’s built like a human hat rack; he plays like a human highlight film. The 6-foot-4, 160-pound Hadley won twice on the Web.com Tour last season, then opened eyes in his return to the PGA TOUR with three top-five finishes in his first three starts in the fall. He left the fall events at No. 8 in FedExCup points while moving up 42 spots in the world rankings, looking a lot like the superstar who burst onto the TOUR with a victory at the 2014 Puerto Rico Open. “That’s my thing, for me only,â€� Hadley said when asked how he reignited his career at the Sanderson Farms Championship, where he finished second to Ryan Armour. “I’m not looking to help anybody else, if that doesn’t come across cross as selfish or arrogant. I’ve just kind of found something that works for me. Hopefully I can remember it and keep doing it.â€� TOP 30 PLAYERS TO WATCH IN 2018: We’ll countdown our list with one new player each day in December. Click here for the published players. MORE: Top 30 explanation and schedule Low-key off the course, where he unwinds with wood-working and crossword puzzles, Hadley makes must-see moments on it. He won with style at last season’s LECOM Health Challenge and Albertsons Boise Open presented by Kraft Nabisco, the latter by shooting a final-round 65 to complete the biggest comeback win in the event’s 28-year history. And he went down swinging at three other tournaments, two of which he lost in wild sudden-death playoffs. A proven closer, Hadley, 30, now looks readier than ever to compete, and win, at the game’s highest level. Click here to follow Ben on Twitter FEDEXCUP 2017-18 position: 8 Playoff appearances: 2 TOUR Championship appearances: 0 Best result: 49th (2014) BY THE NUMBERS INSIGHTS FROM OUR INSIDERS TOUR INSIDER by Ben Everill He’s on this list for a reason — most of us around the PGA TOUR expect Hadley to enter the winner’s circle this season. Clearly a cut above last year on the Web.com Tour, Hadley’s confidence has returned after it went missing for a few seasons. After winning the Puerto Rico Open in 2014, the sky appeared the limit; instead he lost his card two years later. The learning curve appears to have worked — he’s already got three top three finishes this fall. He’s here to stay this time. Click here to follow Ben on Twitter  FANTAY INSIDER by Rob Bolton This is already a different time and space from when he paced the Web.com Tour in combined earnings in 2013. Now 30 years of age and a father of two, he’s made no secret of how fortunate he knows he is to climb back to the big leagues. With a lights-out fall already paving his way to the Playoffs, the next challenge will be how to sustain and parlay his 2017 Web.Com Tour Player of the Year award into the next big thing. With renewed perspective and experience that includes both success and humility, gamers are advised to invest in him time and again. Click here to follow Rob on Twitter EQUIPMENT INSIDER by Jonathan Wall Plays a fairly stock setup with 13 Titleist clubs. 917D3 driver has 10.5 degrees of loft. Carries a 718 T-MB 3-iron instead of a traditional long iron. Has four-degree loft gaps between his gap wedge (52), sand wedge (56) and lob wedge (60). Only non-Titleist club in the bag is an Odyssey White Hot 2-Ball putter.  Click here to follow Jonathan on Twitter STYLE INSIDER by Greg Monteforte Colorful preppy looks have been Chesson’s go-tos since arriving on TOUR. His recent move to Peter Millar’s luxurious threads will provide him with a style upgrade for 2018. Opting for tailored shirts with a slimmer cut would be a good New Year’s resolution for Hadley.  Click here to follow Greg on Twitter

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