Open Championship 2018: Tournament news, schedule, coverage and analysis

Phil Mickelson would neither confirm nor deny that he has been suspended or banned by the PGA Tour for joining the rival LIV Golf tour and offered his apology for recent controversial comments that led to his decision to take time away from golf.

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Thank you, Kevin Kisner. If you follow my musings in the discussion threads beneath my columns and contributions, you might recall that he’s been my white whale in the Roster game. Spotted and on the line, but never captured (due primarily to technical difficulties of my own); that is, until at Colonial in the One & Done last week. Kisner is my first win of the 2016-17 season. (Yes, I also had him starting in the finale of the Roster game. It’s not quite the recent end of another drought assigned to silly curses that lasted 108 years, but it still feels great.) Kisner’s 500 FedExCup points propelled me into a healthy lead over Jonathan Wall, who connected wins with Dustin Johnson at Riviera and Rickie Fowler at PGA National. I haven’t burned either juggernaut yet and won’t at the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide. While I’m holstering DJ for the TOUR Championship, I have no need to burn him sooner, anyway. Given the available pieces on my board, my decision boiled down to three guys, two of whom I’m endorsing no matter where you rank in your league. Tony Finau is my pick. After Johnson at the top of my Power Rankings, Finau at No. 6 is next-highest who I haven’t burned. What Kisner delivered last week was a bonus because if Finau yields a top 10 at Muirfield Village, I’ll be happy. That’s always the goal. He’s finished a respective T8 and T11 in the last two editions of the Memorial, so all expectations align. Also note that this is the final event for Finau in Future Possibilities. The other dynamic value who has my attention is Byeong Hun An. It’s all coming together for the 25-year-old former U.S. Amateur champion. His devil-may-care philosophy off the tee is perfect in setting the table at Muirfield Village where he tied for 11th last year, but the investment is doubly supported by a strong run of form of late. While you may balk if you’re front-running, all two-man gamers need to be on board. Matt Kuchar rounds out the threesome in my focus. He’d be my pick if I was chasing, but I’ll probably keep him handy for the RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey where he’s hung up a T2 (2013), a T7 (2015) and a T9 (2016) in the last three editions on that course. Kuchar is also serviceable as a bridge, so I’ll hold that card because I’ve earned it. If you’re still sitting on your Jon Rahm chip, end the uncertainty and cash it in regardless of your position. You’re already enjoying watching him perform, but just wait until you’re emotionally invested. It doesn’t get any better. Hideki Matsuyama enters with mild concern, but Muirfield Village is as smart a site to plug him in as any other remaining. If hesitant, Adam Scott sets up wonderfully if you need a jolt. In fact, the Aussie would have been my first pick, but I already called his name for Riviera. While I’d almost never talk you out of Jordan Spieth, note that the Memorial isn’t among his Future Possibilities. Yes, that’s a subjective smattering, but I loosened the reins for that section this season, and this tournament still didn’t resonate. Patrick Reed and Jason Day will get their turns, but later. Use Reed as a bridge, if necessary. Meanwhile, in the Fantasy Insider for the AT&T Byron Nelson, I wrote that if Day “converts on something special, he’ll be poised for a mammoth summer.” He lost in a playoff, so that qualifies as something special. I have him penciled in for the BMW Championship, but might be persuaded to reconsider if he stays hot. It’s funny how perspective changes when you take the lead! In addition to An, two-man gamers should look at Marc Leishman, Patrick Cantlay, Bud Cauley and Steve Stricker. If you’re thinking about Stricker for the John Deere Classic, he’s going to be facing a tough decision since the Constellation SENIOR PLAYERS Championship will be contested the same week (July 13-16). It’s the fourth of five majors on the PGA TOUR Champions. It already wouldn’t be unprecedented for him to choose the PGA TOUR over a major on the 50-and-over circuit. It was just last week when he placed T7 at Colonial instead of trying his luck at the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship. FUTURE POSSIBILITIES NOTE: Select golfers committed to the tournament are listed alphabetically. Future tournaments are sorted chronologically and reflect previous success on the courses on which the tournaments will be held in 2016-17. All are pending golfer commitment. Keegan Bradley … Memorial; WGC-Bridgestone; Dell Technologies Kevin Chappell … Dell Technologies Jason Day … U.S. Open; Canadian; WGC-Bridgestone; PGA Championship; Dell Technologies; TOUR Championship Luke Donald … Wyndham; TOUR Championship Jason Dufner … U.S. Open; TOUR Championship Tony Finau … Memorial Rickie Fowler … WGC-Bridgestone Jim Furyk … Memorial; U.S. Open; Canadian; WGC-Bridgestone; TOUR Championship Bill Haas … Wyndham Charley Hoffman … Travelers; Canadian Billy Horschel … St. Jude; TOUR Championship Dustin Johnson … Memorial; St. Jude; U.S. Open (defending); Canadian; TOUR Championship Zach Johnson … John Deere; Open Championship; WGC-Bridgestone; TOUR Championship Kevin Kisner … Wyndham Russell Knox … Travelers (defending); Dell Technologies Brooks Koepka … St. Jude; U.S. Open; PGA Championship Matt Kuchar … Memorial; Canadian; WGC-Bridgestone Martin Laird … Barracuda Marc Leishman … Memorial; Travelers; Open Championship Hideki Matsuyama … Memorial; PGA Championship; BMW William McGirt … Memorial (defending); Wyndham Phil Mickelson … St. Jude; Open Championship; PGA Championship Ryan Moore … Travelers; John Deere (defending); TOUR Championship Scott Piercy … John Deere; BMW Patrick Reed … Wyndham; Dell Technologies Charl Schwartzel … Memorial; U.S. Open; Open Championship; WGC-Bridgestone Adam Scott … Memorial; U.S. Open; Open Championship; WGC-Bridgestone; Dell Technologies; TOUR Championship Webb Simpson … Greenbrier; Wyndham Jordan Spieth … John Deere; WGC-Bridgestone; PGA Championship; TOUR Championship Brendan Steele … Travelers; Barracuda (already eligible for concurrent WGC-Bridgestone) Kevin Streelman … Memorial Bubba Watson … Travelers; Greenbrier; WGC-Bridgestone; TOUR Championship Gary Woodland … Barracuda; PGA Championship; Dell Technologies; TOUR Championship

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AVONDALE, La. – When Tony Finau posted pictures of his busted ankle on social media after the Masters, it was anyone’s guess when he might return to competition. The one-time PGA TOUR winner made headlines all over the world on Masters eve when he dislocated his ankle while celebrating a hole-in-one in the traditional Par-3 Contest at Augusta National. Amazingly – after popping it back into place himself – he played. Even more amazingly he finished 10th in his Masters debut. But as the pictures graphically showed – he had suffered significant damage to his left ankle. While he admits he is not yet fully healed, Finau returns to competition this week at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, partnered up with Daniel Summerhays. They breed them tough in the Finau family. “We will see how it feels when I get out there and play. I haven’t been doing a lot of that, just a lot of rehab,� Finau said as he started practice at TPC Louisiana. He spent the last few weeks feverishly working on the injury with the help of trainers from the Utah Jazz and professionals from the University of Utah Orthopedic Centre. “I feel like their expertise; their working with something like this every day of the year; it seems like someone in the NBA has a high ankle sprain every day of the week,� Finau said. “I tried to make sure I had the best contacts in Utah to help me not rush the process but get me back asap.� While he could have certainly rested longer, Finau said this week was important to get a feel for just how successful the rehab journey has been. “We felt like it has gotten to a point where it is more mobile and the only way we are really going to know where we are at is to come out and compete and see how it feels,� he added. “The journey is far from over as far as dealing with the foot. I dealt with ankle injuries before, they can linger for a while; I don’t think it’s going to be 100 percent for a while, but I do feel like it’s ready to go and play and compete.� Finau now hopes to use the injury as a positive motivator going forward. His incredible play at Augusta has sparked even more belief into the already confident 28-year-old. While those on the outside of the golf world were impressed by his toughness, Finau was quick to point out many PGA TOUR players are always playing hurt. “I wanted to post those pictures after, but I didn’t want anyone to think I had excuses,� he explained. “When I tee it up I am ready to compete, I am ready to play. Same thing this week. “There is never any excuse, but I wanted people to just understand and respect that was what I was dealing with throughout the week and how much work it took for me to play. “It was an interesting week but man it was something I will never forget. To top it off with a top 10 in my first Masters just puts it in perspective – I think you can accomplish things that maybe your body feels like you can’t if you just put your mind to it.�

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