A.J. McInerney receives sponsor invitation for Shriners Hospitals for Children Open

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Whew. And ouch. Sort of. What transpired – or didn’t – at last week’s U.S. Open would have crushed a few gamers in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO if not for the fact that only actual scoring and bonus points were measured. As noted last week and many times before, we can absorb a bad week when ShotLink is turned off so much better than when everything applies. It also didn’t hurt that so many notables failed to survive the cut at Erin Hills. Note that eight of the top 10 in my Power Rankings (see the Recap below) fell short. Plainly, and crudely, the majority of gamers were stung by the mass exodus, but likely experienced little impact in the overall standings and in private leagues. Segment 3 concludes at this week’s Travelers Championship. However, while starts for anyone available to you won’t be an issue, the full array of fantasy scoring is back, so it’s once again critical to get at least four to the weekend and avoid costly goose eggs. PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO My roster for the U.S. Open (in alphabetical order): Paul Casey Jason Day Rory McIlroy Brandt Snedeker Brendan Steele Justin Thomas You’ll find my starters in Expert Picks. Others to consider for each category (in alphabetical order): Scoring: Daniel Berger; Tony Finau; Brian Harman; Charley Hoffman; Marc Leishman; David Lingmerth; Patrick Reed; Jordan Spieth Driving: Daniel Berger; Keegan Bradley; Graham DeLaet; Tony Finau; Zach Johnson; Marc Leishman; Kyle Stanley; Kevin Streelman; Bubba Watson Approach: Keegan Bradley; Chad Campbell; Graham DeLaet; Jim Furyk; Zach Johnson; David Lingmerth; Chez Reavie; Webb Simpson; Jordan Spieth; Kyle Stanley Short: Daniel Berger; Graham DeLaet; Harris English; Brian Harman; Marc Leishman; David Lingmerth; Seung-Yul Noh; Chez Reavie; Patrick Reed; Jordan Spieth Power Ranking Wild Card Webb Simpson … TPC River Highlands is in that next tier of reliable sites for us to consider plugging him in, regardless of concerns with his putting. He opened his record with six straight paydays before sitting out the 2014 and 2015 editions. Last year’s return resulted in a T34. Of his 28 trots around the place in competition, he’s signed for only three over-par scores. Twenty-two were in the red. His scoring average is 68.11. Launched his current streak of four consecutive cuts made with a T16 at TPC Sawgrass and a solo fifth at Colonial. Draws Zach Johnson … In ZJ we trust. His numbers on approach have declined since he turned 40 years of age 16 months ago, but TPC River Highlands is still the kind of joint where he’s expected to make the cut at worst. He’s done that in nine of his 11 trips and finished sixth just two years ago, but he’s likely overpriced in DFS because of the slower rollback that usually occurs with talents of his cachet. Now, what is concerning is how he’ll be performing when he shows up at the John Deere Classic in three weeks. If that tournament was this week, he wouldn’t be an automatic in as many fantasy formats as usual in that event. Jim Furyk … If we’re having fun with the common narrative, it’s fair to wonder how he chases a low round, albeit 10-and-a-half months later. His 58 in the finale of last year’s Travelers is a PGA TOUR record, of course, but he might settle for quad-68s this week. As noted too often in this column, it’s been a tough 2017 for the Ryder Cup captain, but TPC River Highlands sets the stage for a continuation of form found at Erin Hills of all places. The stats are irrelevant. Instead, approach him as a potential complement in any format where you can surround him with reliability. Given his penchant to contend, not to mention his feel for the track, it wouldn’t be surprising if he’s in the mix. Kevin Streelman … The 2014 champ hasn’t skipped out on a trip since he was first eligible in 2008. While he’s missed the cut the last two years, he presents well on the strength of top 20s in his last two starts upon arrival. Chez Reavie … Loyal readers know that he’s been on my radar all season, even during the rough four-month patch earlier this year, so it’s rewarding (and reassuring) to see him put it all together in his last two starts. He chased a T4 in Memphis with a T16 at the U.S. Open, easily his best finish in 11 career starts in the majors. Co-leads the PGA TOUR in proximity to the hole and ranks T33 in scrambling. He’s the definition of how keeping his ball in play at TPC River Highlands yields success, so look no further in his price range in DFS. The 35-year-old is perfect in five tries here since 2009 with a pair of top 25s. David Lingmerth … When he’s going good, he’s one of my favorites. It’s just that it occurs so infrequently, but that’s the nature of the beast for the rank and file. Quite simply, gamers can’t get enough of his confidence. The 29-year-old’s best weapon is his putter. It’s the reason why he’s been simmering of late. Strolls in for his third crack at TPC River Highlands with top 25s in four of his last five starts (preceded by a T14 at the two-man event in New Orleans). Seung-Yul Noh … We still don’t know why he called it quits after one round at Colonial, but he returned at TPC Southwind and placed T37. That relieves any doubt entering his sixth appearance at TPC River Highlands where he’s never missed a cut and has averaged 68.90 with a pair of top 20s. Beau Hossler … It was just a matter of time, and sooner than later at that, before he was going to make noise again in PGA TOUR-sanctioned competition. Last week’s runner-up finish on the Web.com Tour in Wichita, Kansas, secured status on that circuit for the remainder of 2017. That opens all kinds of doors, including the competitive freedom to parlay it into something special in his first look of TPC River Highlands. Ranked fourth at the Air Capital Classic in greens in regulation and ninth in scrambling. Both are keys to success this week. Fades Russell Knox … It’s been just under 11 months since he answered the winning putt with a cap throw for the record books. Alas, my confidence was greater two weeks ago in Memphis where he settled for a T37. Yet, it’s his second-best finish in the last five months. So, let the course history buffs among your competition nibble while you look elsewhere for a bite. Daniel Summerhays … Hasn’t recovered from fading to T10 at Muirfield Village to start the month, but that’s also nothing out of the ordinary for the occasional threat. He owns the same reputation at TPC River Highlands where he debuted with a solo 74th in 2011, followed with three missed cuts, and then hung up four red numbers for a T11 last year. Kevin Na … It’s too bad that his humor on social media wasn’t more obvious before I faded him outright for the U.S. Open. When watching him hack away in the fescue, it seemed like a joke, but it would have been irresponsible not to take him seriously in the absence of an obvious cue to express otherwise. Nevertheless, he’s manufactured only one top-30 finish in seven attempts at TPC River Highlands and it’s been 10 years since that. Without a strong run of form entering the week, there’s simply no reason to force him. Ryan Palmer … Given the value of confidence off the tee at Erin Hills last week, it’s an upset that he didn’t factor. Case in point, Tommy Fleetwood finished fourth with essentially the same profile of a guy who does work tee to green. Palmer can sustain form due to the confidence borne from lacing tee ball after tee ball. We’re reminded of this as he grinds through his current trough. He also hasn’t seen TPC River Highlands since 2009 and his only cut made in three starts was way back in his rookie season of 2004. Lucas Glover … Same goes for this guy. In retrospect, his proficiency tee to green should have played at Erin Hills, but he also missed the cut. It was the latest of three substandard efforts since a T6 at THE PLAYERS. With a 1-for-4 slate at TPC River Highlands since 2012, we can leave him alone this week. Byeong Hun An … Really liked his fit at Erin Hills but he missed the cut. Now that he has to throttle back in his debut at TPC River Highlands, it’s time to abstain. Returning to Competition Padraig Harrington … As promised, he’s returning from an injury suffered when an amateur clocked him in the left elbow during a corporate outing two weeks ago. The three-time major champion required stitches. He alerted followers on Twitter on June 16 that he’s “on track to play” the Travelers. TPC River Highlands has been good to him, so there’s an element of bewaring the injured golfer in play. However, even with just one missed cut in seven appearances, gamers don’t need to roll the dice given his recent brush with bad luck. Nicholas Lindheim … Back in action after an illness knocked him out of the FedEx St. Jude Classic after an opening 76. The PGA TOUR rookie is just 7-for-14 with one top 25. He’s 175th in the FedExCup standings. Notable WDs Si Woo Kim … Proven big-stage performer placed T13 at Erin Hills. His early exit from the Travelers is his third such decision of the season (Sony, Byron Nelson) to go with five mid-tournament withdrawals. If only he could stay healthy, he just might be eclipsing the crazy numbers he put up as a rookie in 2015-16. Power Rankings Recap – U.S. Open Sleepers Recap – U.S. Open Birthdays among active golfers on the PGA TOUR June 20 … Charles Howell III (38) June 21 … Matt Kuchar (39); William McGirt (38); Russell Knox (32); Sangmoon Bae (31); Julian Etulain (29) June 22 … Dustin Johnson (33) June 23 … Roberto Castro (32) June 24 … none June 25 … John Rollins (42) June 26 … Colt Knost (32)

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Once upon a time, and as recently as 2016, La Quinta Country Club was not the easiest of the host courses of The American Express. That was the last edition that the Nicklaus Tournament Course at PGA WEST was the friendliest of the trio, although it wasn’t by much over La Quinta CC. From 2017-2020, La Quinta CC has been the easiest par 72 of all courses in every season. In the context of only the three par 72s used for this tournament, it was comfortably the easiest until 2020 when Nick Tourney was mere percentage points harder. RELATED: Five Things to Know about Stadium Course | PGATOUR.COM Expert Picks As noted in Monday’s Power Rankings, this is the second edition since the greens on Nick Tourney were transitioned to TifEagle bermuda. Also noted, other factors may have (and probably) contributed to a measurably higher scoring average (70.949) compared to previous years. The Stadium Course averaged 71.032 over the same two first rounds last year before settling at 70.809 cumulatively for the tournament. Mildly inclement weather including gusty winds at times can’t be ruled out as having an impact in the second and third rounds. All right, so those are the pieces on the board. With an aggregate 12 scores contributing to your first three rounds in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf – assuming you play four starters per round – the objective is to max out on all six on La Quinta. That much is simple. The question is when. Weather in the first two rounds is going to be perfect, but winds are forecast to freshen for Saturday’s third round. It shouldn’t get crazy out there, but it’s enough to consider modifying your roster for an edge. My fantasy philosophy follows reality. If you’re one of the 156 in the tournament and you know that you’re going to have to take advantage of the easiest course when it’s playing the easiest, you’re going to prefer a tee time on La Quinta CC in the first or second round. So do I as a gamer. If you’re not familiar with this approach, it’s going to feel counterintuitive, and you’re going to want to argue that you should lean on La Quinta CC when the winds blow, but all of the courses still will surrender red numbers on Saturday. That’s insurance. If you back-end for La Quinta CC in the third round, and the wind forecast holds, all you’re going to do is invest in a scoring average that likely will be a little higher and possibly closer to the same on the other two tracks, and then you’ll have wasted the opportunity on a greater probability of very low scores in the first two rounds, not to mention the bonus points that go with low rounds of the day and bogey-free scores. For the course rotation, read my tweet immediately below. Tee times for all three rounds can be found here. PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf My roster for The American Express (in alphabetical order): Patrick Cantlay Sungjae Im Seamus Power Jon Rahm Scottie Scheffler Matthew Wolff You’ll find my starters in Expert Picks. POWER RANKINGS WILD CARD Si Woo Kim (+200 for a Top 20) … It’s not often when the defending champ lands here, but it makes sense, doesn’t it? While we could say the same thing for close to 100 percent of membership every week, we never know what to expect from this guy in the short-term. Even when he’s humming along, we hold our breath that his back will be fine. The weather won’t be the problem this week, so it’s a good time to exercise an elevated expectation. Of course, the issue with that is that you’ll be swimming among casual gamers that think that he’s an automatic play as the defending champ. In the strategic world of gaming, that slot him as a no-play. DRAWS Rickie Fowler (+240 for a Top 20) … In doses, but yes. He connected for a T3 at THE CJ CUP @ SUMMIT and added a pair of middling paydays before separating for the birth of his first child in November. Obviously, we can’t rule out the Nappy Factor in advance of the best of life experiences, nor should we dismiss it in its wake. He also finished T10 and T21 in the last editions of the Amex, respectively, so even as he’s endured a slow slide in form, PGA WEST has been kind. Jhonattan Vegas (+240 for a Top 20) … He’s celebrating the 11-year anniversary of his breakthrough victory at the Amex. While he’s managed only one top 30 in nine returns (T11, 2018), that’s in part due to the dynamic scoring that the tournament yields (a fact that strengthens the support for others who have demonstrated consistently strong form here), but he deserves this endorsement thanks to his own dynamite play over the past 11 months. Sets up nicely in DFS, especially. K.H. Lee (+300 for a Top 20) … He’s been a regular contributor in all formats, and there’s no reason to think he’s going to quit anytime soon. Five consecutive cuts made upon arrival, the first three going for a top 25. Also cashed in his last two trips to PGA WEST. Christiaan Bezuidenhout (+225 for a Top 20) Adam Hadwin (+300 for a Top 20) Brian Harman (+300 for a Top 20) Russell Knox (+300 for a Top 20) Alex Noren (+275 for a Top 20) Odds sourced on Tuesday, January 11 at 5 a.m. ET. For live odds visit betmgm. FADES Russell Henley … He’s a professional and he knew that he was making the trip before the weekend at Waialae, so our speculation concerns only how he’s digesting getting edged by hungry Hideki Matsuyama on Sunday. Henley still closed with 65, so I’m defaulting to him tipping his cap to the champ. At the same time, the energy spent takes a toll. The clincher is that he’s missed four consecutive cuts at PGA WEST. Phil Mickelson … He’s 0-for-2 since rising from tournament ambassador to host in 2020 and, of course, he’s also turned 50 along the way. What’s great is that the 2021 PGA Championship title always is his, but it’s an outlier at this level. Unless he starts connecting top 25s again, he likely won’t be appearing on this page even infrequently. Gary Woodland … In his last 12 starts dating back to Memorial in June, he’s missed seven cuts but also hung up a trio of top-11 finishes. He hasn’t complained about residual pain in his back and as a result of a torn labrum in his hip, but we still must wonder if those injuries in late 2020 generated habits that have been harder to break than usual. Jason Day … It hasn’t penalized many others before him, but it’s still noteworthy that he’s making his tournament debut. The 34-year-old Aussie connected top 15s last summer, but they’ve remained his only top 30s in 10 months. Troy Merritt Francesco Molinari Pat Perez Brandt Snedeker Hudson Swafford Harold Varner III RETURNING TO COMPETITION Cameron Champ … All set to get back after it at Kapalua after shutting it down in the fall due to an injured left wrist, but he tested positive for COVID-19 and couldn’t play. It was the second time that he was bumped from a field due to a positive test (2020 Travelers Championship). Full-season investors will trust that he’s at or close to 100 percent again, but weekly gamers are resorted to slotting him as a flier, if at all. His inconsistency surrounding moments of glory is baffling. Carlos Ortiz … Remember that intense fortnight in the fall? He traveled to Japan for the no-cut ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP only to withdraw at the midpoint with a sore left shoulder. Two weeks later at Mayakoba in his native Mexico, he circled five birdies in his last seven holes and still checked up four strokes back of champion Viktor Hovland. After that gutty performance, Ortiz succumbed to the injury and forewent his only title defense on the PGA TOUR in Houston. PGA WEST guarantees three rounds to test the shoulder and shed the rust. He’s 2-for-4 in the tournament but neither payday went for a top 45, so that cements the decision to use this week for observation only. Joshua Creel … Tested positive for COVID-19 after his opening round at Waialae and was forced to withdraw. The rookie is 1-for-4 on the season with a T40 at Sea Island. Seung-Yul Noh … Late scratch to a sore back in Houston, so he hasn’t pegged it in meaningful competition since Halloween. Still has 12 starts on his Major Medical Extension (link: https://www.pgatour.com/fantasy/medical-extensions.html) to gather 265.815 FedExCup points and retain status, but he hasn’t connected for a top 25 on the PGA TOUR since early summer of 2020. He’s also missed the cut in his last three trips to PGA WEST. Grayson Murray … Missed the cut by two strokes in the Korn Ferry Tour’s season-opening stop in The Bahamas. Since he has two starts remaining on a medical extension, it was the first of up to five rehab starts he can use. The 28-year-old hadn’t played since an injured right knee forced him to walk off TPC Twin Cities during his second round of the 3M Open last July. NOTABLE WDs Charley Hoffman … Although he wouldn’t have ranked highly among ownership percentages in any format, this is a bummer. The 2007 breakthrough champion of the Amex was slated to end a two-month break after a sore back forced him out just before Houston. The same malady knocked him out during the third round of last year’s annual trip to the Coachella Valley. Because he’s sustained inspiring form this long, remain patient if you’re in a full-season format. After all, he retained this commitment until after the deadline, so that’s the silver lining. Martin Laird … This is his first withdrawal after a commitment deadline and before the opening round since Valspar in 2019, so it’s uncommon for him. Also, since joining the PGA TOUR in 2008, this is his first-ever DNP in the Amex. That said, we’re not going to miss him since he cashed in only one of the last four editions. He’s better suited as complementary material in deeper long-term formats, anyway. RECAP – SONY OPEN IN HAWAII POWER RANKINGS Power Ranking Golfer Result 1 Corey Conners 11th 2 Marc Leishman T36 3 Webb Simpson T61 4 Cameron Smith MC 5 Sungjae Im MC 6 Hideki Matsuyama Win 7 Kevin Na T20 8 Russell Henley P2 9 Talor Gooch T27 10 Kevin Kisner T3 11 Charles Howell III T36 12 Billy Horschel T36 13 Matt Jones MC 14 Abraham Ancer MC 15 Seamus Power T3 Wild Card Jason Kokrak T17 SLEEPERS Golfer (Prop) Result Joel Dahmen (top 20) MC John Huh (top 20) MC Chan Kim (top 20) MC Peter Malnati (top 20) MC Aaron Rai (top 20) MC GOLFBET Bet, Result Hideki Matsuyama, Marc Leishman & Corey Conners all to make the cut (+120) Matsuyama, Win; Leishman, T36; Conners, 11th BIRTHDAYS AMONG ACTIVE MEMBERS OF THE PGA TOUR January 18 … none January 19 … Brian Harman (35); Tommy Fleetwood (31) January 20 … none January 21 … none January 22 … Graham DeLaet (40) January 23 … none January 24 … Jim Knous (32) Visit BetMGM.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ years of age or older to wager. 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