Winner’s Bag: Dustin Johnson, THE NORTHERN TRUST

Chesson Hadley … Enduring an up-and-down season is a lot easier when there’s considerable “up” baked in. To wit, he’s registered five top 20s, the last two to open the Florida Swing. He’s 50th in the FedExCup standings thanks primarily to laser-like precision with his irons. When he descended for his fifth appearance at TPC San Antonio, where he finished T4 in 2015 and T20 last year, he was T2 on TOUR in proximity to the hole and 14th in strokes gained: approach-the-green. Kevin Streelman … Among a handful in the field who arrive hoping to find form on a track that isn’t expected to be friendly, but he’s 5-for-5 at TPC San Antonio with three top 15s, including a T8 last year. For the week, he ranked second in strokes gained: around-the-green and fourth in strokes gained: tee-to-green. If one thing’s for certain, he’ll keep his ball in play in the Hill Country. Currently 10th on the PGA TOUR in fairways hit. Chris Kirk … Like Streelman, the Georgian could use a little TPC San Antonio in his life. Spanning his last 15 starts, Kirk has connected for only one-40 finish. It was less than a month ago at Bay Hill (T15), so it’s relatively recent, but it’s an anomaly nonetheless. In the last four editions of the Valero Texas Open, he’s recorded a pair of T8s and a T13. His putting leaves much to be desired, but his tee-to-green game is still solid enough to warrant consideration as a threat. He’s also done his best scoring on par 5s this season. Sung Kang … The 31-year-old is quietly assembling a sturdy season with five top 20s that have lifted him to 60th in the FedExCup standings. He capped a 4-for-4 on the Florida Swing with a T18 at the Valspar Championship where he ranked fourth in total driving, T9 in par-5 scoring and 17th in strokes gained: putting. His sum is greater than his parts overall, but he’s T23 in par-5 scoring for the season. He’s also no stranger to TPC San Antonio, which has boggled everyone who’s played it at some point, but he survived the battle in 2017 with a share of sixth place. Julián Etulain … The native of Argentina didn’t enter his second spin with a PGA TOUR card with any momentum, but he’s drummed up nine paydays to sit 113th in the FedExCup, eight of which in 2019 alone. He prevailed just over a year ago at the Web.com Tour’s Chitimacha Louisiana Open presented by MISTRAS, and then chased it with a T5 at the Savannah Golf Championship, but hasn’t recorded a top 10 on either circuit since. Still, he lines up as a game-changer around and on greens at 21st on the PGA TOUR in scrambling and 16th in strokes gained: putting, but his improvement tee to green is why he’s found consistency of late. NOTE: Sleeper is a relative term, so Rob uses unofficial criteria to determine who qualifies. Each of the following usually is determined to be ineligible for this weekly staple: Winners of the tournament on the current host course; winners in the same season; recent major champions; top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking; recent participants of team competitions.

Click here to read the full article…

HARTFORD, Connecticut – The Travelers Championship today announced that its three-time winner Bubba Watson has donated $200,000 to the tournament in support of The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp. With Watson’s donation, the 2018 Travelers Championship has generated $2 million for charity. The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp is the tournament’s primary beneficiary. The organization was founded in 1988 by Paul Newman and provides a camp experience for children facing serious illnesses. Three campers — Tyler Backus, Carly Demartino and Jeremy Brown — served as the Honorary Co-Chairs this year, helping to raise awareness about the important role Camp plays in the lives of more than 20,000 children and family members each year. “Bubba is a tremendous person with a huge heart, and this unbelievable gesture is a demonstration of how much he cares about others,� said Andy Bessette, Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer of Travelers. “On behalf of everyone at Travelers, I want to thank him and his family for their ongoing support of our goal of raising more money for charity.� “Bubba’s generous donation is an example of how he has embraced our tournament and our region,� said Nathan Grube, Travelers Championship Tournament Director. “We are extremely grateful to Bubba and everyone who has supported our mission to help nonprofit organizations like The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp.� The Travelers Championship contributes 100 percent of its net proceeds to nonprofits throughout the region, and this year’s funding will support approximately 130 worthy organizations. Connecticut’s PGA TOUR event has generated more than $16 million for more than 700 local charities since Travelers became title sponsor in 2007. For more information, visit TravelersChampionship.com.

Click here to read the full article…

Click here to read the full article…