Blockbuster groups and tee times announced for THE PLAYERS

Ryo Ishikawa … Life inside and outside the ropes grew complicated in 2016 for the former wunderkind. Right around the time he got married, he was dealing with lumbar discopathy, so he shut it down for a few months. Still fully exempt on the PGA TOUR at the time, he then prevailed in his second start post-injury. The victory occurred in his native Japan in late August of that year. A T2 and a solo third followed immediately. After returning to the TOUR early in the 2016-17 season, his form didn’t translate and he lost his status despite 20 starts on a medical extension. The veteran of 145 TOUR starts hasn’t played on the circuit since until The ZOZO Championship. Now 28 years of age, he’s third on the Japan Golf Tour’s money list with two wins among eight top 20s this season. He’s also second in putts per GIR and third in scoring. Nate Lashley … It’s been a remarkable year for the 36-year-old who started last season on a Minor Medical Extension. After securing conditional status with strong play early, he was outside the top 125 in the FedExCup when he broke through at the Rocket Mortgage Classic where he got in as the last man in the 156-man field. He did OK the rest of the way but he’s back to his noise-making ways. He opened this season with a T3 at Greenbrier and just finished T20 at Nine Bridges where he co-led the field in par-5 scoring. Vaughn Taylor … It’s possible that he’s still pinching himself for how the value of one victory, and an unlikely one at that, continues to pay it forward. It was in February of 2016 when he gained entry as the sixth-to-last man in the field of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, via Past Champion status no less, and prevailed for his first PGA TOUR title in 11 years. That not only regained him fully exempt status for the first time since 2012, it’s also granted him time and space to stretch his career. In his age-43 season of 2018-19, he finished 49th in the FedExCup with four top 10s among 20 cuts made. That’s yielded appearances in his first two events in Asia. Although he placed T60 at Nine Bridges last week, he’s a better fit for cozier Narashino CC this week. Kevin Streelman … He’s hung up seven top 15s since February, but with a T4 at the Sanderson Farms Championship and a T12 at THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES as his only cuts made in his last seven starts, he’s been a tease of late. It’s also possible that his early success this season reflects but a spike with his putter. The flat stick usually is his nemesis, but he ranked third in putts per GIR at Nine Bridges and sits 24th in Strokes Gained: Putting with 10 measured rounds contributing. The 40-year-old also co-led the field in South Korea in par-5 scoring. Shaun Norris … The South African was a long-time regular on his native Sunshine Tour before joining the Japan Golf Tour in 2016. Since, he’s won exactly once in each of the last four seasons on the JGTO, most recently in the first weekend of this month. He also placed T2 in last week’s Japan Open to give him five top 10s in his last six starts. He finished seventh on the circuit’s money list in 2017, second in 2018 and sits fifth in this season’s chase. The 37-year-old also ranks eighth in greens in regulation and seventh in putts per GIR. 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.

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Dustin Johnson has had a strange run since golf restarted. He’s won. Almost claimed his second major. He’s missed a cut. He withdrew once. He’s nearly broken 60 and twice shot 80. Now, he has a chance to win the FedEx Cup opener.

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LOS ANGELES - Willie Mack III has made the best start by a Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption recipient at The Genesis Invitational since a 23-year-old Harold Varner III made a splash in 2014. Mack III produced an eventful but ultimately impressive 1-under 70 on Thursday morning at Riviera Country Club as the iconic course showed some teeth in firm and fast conditions. The Sifford Memorial Exemption has been awarded to a deserving minority golfer each year since 2009 but not since Varner III's opening 69 in 2014 has a recipient started the tournament under par. Mack III joins the now popular TOUR member, and Vincent Johnson (70, 2009), as the only three to start under par. After years of battling away on mini tours Mack III now hopes to surge further ahead on Friday in just his second PGA TOUR start. His journey has been long and eventful. His first start came just last month at the Farmers Insurance Open after he received an 11th hour call up. Mack III shot 74-75 at Torrey Pines to miss the cut after replacing fellow APGA Tour player Kamaiu Johnson on tournament eve after Johnson tested positive for COVID-19. "It was pretty good. I hit the ball pretty good. I left a couple out there, but it’s a good start to the week," Mack III said nonchalantly after his five birdie, four bogey effort. "You have really got to keep the ball below the holes out here. I kind of managed to do that and got in with an under-par score. Getting experience at Torrey helped out a lot. I played good at Torrey; I just was in the rough probably 90 percent of the time." The 32-year-old journeyman will return Friday hoping to continue his good form, particularly on the greens where he made near 100-feet of putts on Thursday. When he signed his card after the morning wave, he sat inside the top 30. Only three Charlie Sifford Memorial exemption recipients have made the 36-hole cut - Joseph Bramlett (2020, T51), Varner in 2014 (T70) and Jeremiah Wooding holds the high-water mark finish with his T42 in 2013. Mack III will try to be the next without placing focus on the feat - besides he has much higher aspirations. "I’m out here trying to win like everybody else. I tee it up just like everybody else, so why not come out here and try to win," he said.

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