Power Rankings: Travelers Championship

AUGUSTA, Ga. - Tiger Woods hasn't won or contended in over a year, his brittle back is a day-to-day proposition, and he'll turn 45 next month. He has looked old or human, take your pick. But in a PGA TOUR season that has already featured three 40-something winners (Stewart Cink, Sergio Garcia, Brian Gay), Thursday reminded us nothing rolls back the odometer like the Masters and Augusta National. After rain pushed back tee times three hours, five-time champion Woods, in a title defense that has been 19 months in the making, shot a no-drama, 4-under 68. RELATED: Leaderboard | Remembering the final round of the 2019 Masters "Yeah, I did everything well," Woods said after his first-ever bogey-free opening round here. "I drove it well, hit my irons well, putted well. The only real bad shot I hit today was I think 8. I had a perfect number with a 60-degree sand wedge and I hit it on the wrong shelf." He made par on the hole. It was Woods' first bogey-free effort in his last 106 rounds in the majors, and first at Augusta National since 2008. He hit 10 of 14 fairways and 15 of 18 greens. "The only thing I could say is I wish I could have made a couple more putts," Woods said after taking 30 strokes on the greens. "I missed everything on the high side. Putts just aren’t moving." The added Bermuda grass in November, plus the rain, accounted for that. England's Paul Casey, 43, shot a 7-under 65 to lead the tournament. He was about to start his round when play was called on account of rain, and after a nearly three-hour delay, he played all 18 holes in postcard-perfect conditions. "That was a very good break," Casey said. Fellow Brit Lee Westwood, 47, who hadn't played here since 2017 and got in via his T4 at The Open Championship last year, made an adventurous par on 18 to sign for a 4-under 68. He's of an age, he has said, when nobody expects much from him. It's freeing. Oh, and Augusta's own Larry Mize, 62, was briefly on the leaderboard. He made six birdies and shot 70. "Experience counts a lot around here," Westwood, who has six top-10s in 18 starts here, said earlier this week. "There is definitely a knack for playing this golf course, and it’s a knack that you learn only really by playing the tournament here." The high-water mark for oldies at Augusta may forever be Jack Nicklaus winning at age 46 in 1986, but he also contended deep into the back nine in 1998, at 58. It was like an old film reel suddenly colorized and in real time. Woods mentioned that day earlier this week; if he uses Nicklaus as any kind of guide it would give him another 15 years or so to potentially win a sixth or even seventh Masters. "My body is feeling better than I did last year," he said. He proved it in the first round, when he started on the back nine and showed total command early. He'd never started the tournament on the 10th hole, nor had he ever heard a drone flying overhead, as he did absent the buzz from the patrons Thursday. "I got off to a fast start today, which is good, but I think everyone is," said Woods, who with one more victory would set the all-time wins record on TOUR with 83. "Everyone is going low out there today. With these conditions, you have to. You have to be aggressive. "There’s no reason why you can’t fire at a lot of the flags." And no reason why those who have contended in the past can't keep right on going. It's always age before beauty at Augusta National.

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The Asian Swing is upon us. You know what that means. Roster deadlines will fall on Wednesday in the U.S. THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES is scheduled to tee off at – are you ready? – 7:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday. That’s 4:00 p.m. on the West Coast and 1:00 p.m. in Hawaii. Set an advance reminder for this adventure through time. RELATED: Power Rankings | Horses for Courses | Daily fantasy advice  The tournament is the first of three in a row contributing to PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf that will not have a cut. Barring a mid-tournament withdrawal or disqualification, all 78 entrants in each event is guaranteed four rounds. If you’re running low on starts for any golfer, the elimination of the fear factor presents the opportunity to invest elsewhere without pause. However, since bonus points are back this season, for most intents and purposes, because there will be little variance between golfers in every round, the decision to target leaderboard finish is greater. The absence of ShotLink in South Korea, Japan and China also contributes to the reasoning to line up the chalk. In fact, none of the remaining five tournaments in Segment 1 will have ShotLink activated. It’ll be used in earnest on the Seaside Course for The RSM Classic, but because the co-hosting Plantation Course isn’t lasered, all measured shots on Seaside will not apply to PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf. As referenced in my preseason full-membership fantasy ranking, THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES and next week’s ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP reserve space for the top 60 in the 2018-19 FedExCup standings. Not all commit, of course, but it’s still interesting to learn how deep into the ranking the tournaments need to go to fill their fields. As of midday Tuesday, Luke List was the last man in the field at Nine Bridges. He finished 92nd in the FedExCup last season. Believe it or not, his position aligns with the first two editions of the tournament. In 2017, Camilo Villegas was the last man in despite finishing 96th in the 2016-17 FedExCup. Last year, Branden Grace rounded out the field after finishing 88th in the FedExCup in 2017-18. PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf My roster for THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES (in alphabetical order): Rafa Cabrera Bello Tommy Fleetwood Viktor Hovland Sungjae Im Brooks Koepka Justin Thomas You’ll find my starters in Expert Picks. Others to consider for each category (in alphabetical order): Scoring: Collin Morikawa; Kevin Na; Ryan Palmer; Andrew Putnam; Cameron Smith; Jordan Spieth; Matthew Wolff; Gary Woodland Driving: n/a Power Rankings Wild Card Jason Day … Well, he’s done almost nothing to get us excited for his third appearance at Nine Bridges. Because he’s finished a respective T11 and T5 in the tournament, only course-history buffs will ignore the fact that he’s connected for only one top 20 in the last six months. His best finish in his last five starts is but a T40 at TPC Southwind. If you’re keen on keeping expectations high, that has been the narrative as he’s scuffled. At best, consider him only fractionally in DFS because you can round out a roster with the confidence that all will contribute. Draws Jordan Spieth … This is his first appearance on the Asian Swing since the 2015 WGC-HSBC Champions. The promise of 72 holes is most valuable, but the fact that Nine Bridges has ample room to spray it off the tee (not to mention that the fairways are unlikely to run out given how much rain has fallen in recent weeks) and large, soft targets for approaches conjoin for a close second for the 26-year-old. He can work on what ailed him throughout last season during competition. From our vantage point, that his value arguably is at all-time low, this is exactly when you want to hop aboard. Ian Poulter … With a T15 and a T10 in the first two editions of THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES, respectively, no one would have griped if the Englishman appeared in the Power Rankings, but he’s been too up and down in recent months to warrant that level of confidence. It’s not like he’s slumped, either. If anything, he’s regressed to a familiar pattern of mixing leaderboard crashing with the occasional struggle. Do not hesitate to make room. Sergio Garcia … Once again, he’s flipped a switch from bad to great. Since concluding the PGA TOUR season with a missed cut at THE NORTHERN TRUST that effectively retained his membership privileges as his 15th start of the season, he’s gone T23-Win-T7 on the European Tour. Now that we’re in a new season and he’s debuting at Nine Bridges, he figures to make noise once again. Byeong Hun An Billy Horschel Charles Howell III Collin Morikawa Andrew Putnam Matthew Wolff Fades Joaquin Niemann … If you’re new to my fantasy contributions, it might seem silly not to endorse everyone in a no-cut event, but gamers are fickle. We’re a tough crowd. Despite our preparation, it’s not as much due to a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately as it is what-will-you-do-for-me-now. Since winning at The Greenbrier, he’s gone T54-MC. It’s understandable given the career-defining achievement, but it’s also the first time in six months that he’s failed to crack the top 40 in consecutive starts, and that was at the tail end of a long stretch without making noise. So, I remain in a wait-and-see mode. Chez Reavie … He’s gone T15-T7 at Nine Bridges and he’s turned around his form here before, but since winning the Travelers in June, his only top 25 was a solo eighth at the 30-man TOUR Championship. Scott Piercy … Curiously performing below expectations for a few months, so his T5 in his debut here last year supports a trap. It’s a deep field, so you don’t need to reach. Kiradech Aphibarnrat Nate Lashley Graeme McDowell Phil Mickelson Ryan Moore Returning to Competition Matt Jones … Off to a strange start. Since opening with a T10 at The Greenbrier, he’s just 1-for-3 with two withdrawals. The first (at the Sanderson Farms) was due to a sore back. An explanation wasn’t released for his early exit in Houston last week. If this is the way it’s going to be with the Aussie, even full-season investors need to keep him on a tight leash. Notable WDs None Power Rankings Recap – Houston Open Power Ranking  Golfer  Result 1  Henrik Stenson  MC 2  Russell Henley  T61 3  Daniel Berger  MC 4  Brian Harman  MC 5  Denny McCarthy  T9 6  Keegan Bradley  MC 7  Sam Ryder  T28 8  Cameron Tringale  T13 9  Scottie Scheffler  T28 10  Richy Werenski  MC 11  Lanto Griffin  Win 12  Luke List  T28 13  Brian Gay  T42 14  Pat Perez  DNP 15  Bud Cauley  T9 Wild Card  Kevin Chappell  MC Sleepers Recap – Houston Open Golfer  Result Doc Redman  T13 Zach Sucher  MC Michael Thompson  MC Peter Uihlein  MC Xinjun Zhang  T4 Birthdays among active golfers on the PGA TOUR October 15 … none October 16 … Ryan Blaum (36) October 17 … Ernie Els (50) October 18 … Todd Hamilton (54) October 19 … Louis Oosthuizen (37) October 20 … none October 21 … none

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