A new beginning: Spieth ready to turn the page

Charles Barkley was minding his own business in advance of his match with Phil Mickelson against Steph Curry and Peyton Manning. That didn’t stop Curry and Mickelson.

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With The RSM Classic this week, we’ve arrived at the conclusion of official PGA TOUR competition in 2022. The next tournament on the schedule is the Sentry Tournament of Champions on Jan. 5-8. Because this is the last Draws and Fades column until then, the annual extended listing of birthdays in the interim foot the page. RELATED: Horses for Courses, Statistically Speaking The RSM also concludes Segment 1 of PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf. Every gamer will be refreshed with three starts for every golfer by the time Kapalua is ready to host. Also, as persistent reminders via email (and in this space) have explained, the PGA TOUR Fantasy stand-alone app will be discontinuing after the RSM. You’ll still be able to play PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf in the app dedicated to the PGA TOUR and on the desktop. Speaking of the PGA TOUR app, today it was announced that it’s been overhauled. Nothing was untouched. So, play around and become familiar with it. You’re going to have much more control over how you use it, too. The announcement included a note that the website also is undergoing evolution, and that gaming experiences will be included in the process. Of course, we’ll update everything that concerns what we do with fantasy and other considerations when it makes the most sense. Lastly, I want to extend a personal message to you. Because your loyalty is most important to what we do here, I’ve always said that without you, there’s no me. I’d be changing tires on golf carts somewhere if not for your support. I’m always listening to your needs, so the fun never ends for me to adapt and grow with you. With the fierce and ongoing support of the PGA TOUR to supply space and oxygen for our community, the experience is as fulfilling as any other. We’ve all done it together and will continue to. The future is fascinating. Thank you. Raising a glass to you and yours for a peaceful and loving holiday season. POWER RANKINGS WILD CARD Webb Simpson (-120 for a Top 40) … BetMGM has a top-40 market this week, so I’ll capitalize. Then again, it’s a slight to retreat into it for a guy with a glossy record in this tournament. He’s 10-for-10 (that includes a mid-tournament WD in 2017 due to a family matter) with two silvers and a bronze among six top-15 finishes. Aside from that unexpected departure five years ago, he’s finished outside the top 40 just once, and that was by one stroke in 2014. While that’s the kind of overwhelming support every course-history buff savors, he’s been a fraction of his familiar self throughout 2022 and since he suffered a herniated disc in his neck. In his most recent seven starts, he’s cashed just twice, neither time for a top 50. DRAWS Matthew NeSmith (+160 for a Top 20) … Never mind the Wild Card, if I had a Power Rankings Plus, as in a No. 16, it’d be him for the RSM. After a wicked T9-T2-T9 in consecutive weeks in October, he settled for a T53 in Houston, but the expectation is to reignite in the Golden Isles. He’s perfect in three visits with a pair of top 15s and a T29 (2021). And zero worries about the fit on paper. His approach game is sublime. There hasn’t been a first-time winner this season, but he belongs on the short list this week. Sahith Theegala (+150 for a Top 20) … Because of his firepower, it’d be easy to reserve a slot in the Power Rankings every time he plays, but that that is the thought, that’s already enough respect to continue to lean into his possibilities. What never should be downplayed is how often he generates chances. Since splashing as a rookie last season, he’s 30-for-37 with 14 top 25s. Ironically, he missed the cut in his debut at Sea Island last year, but don’t let that stop you from rostering given this short of a promise that he’ll cash. Ben Taylor (+160 for a Top 40) … Sure, it looks like a cinch to endorse the Englishman after his solo third in Houston, but he already had been building toward something special. He just hadn’t put four impactful rounds together yet. Lower the expectations this week but invest with gusto for another contribution in his second try at Sea Island. Troy Merritt (+300 for a Top 20) … He was a Sleeper for the same bet here a year ago and finished T22. That’s OK because it wasn’t a bad beat. He closed with 65 to make it interesting. It was his fourth payday in his last five tries at Sea Island. Now he’s rested since a T3 at Mayakoba. Henrik Norlander (+150 for a Top 40) … When he shows, it’s Groundhog Day at Sea Island. One of the playoff victims in 2016 ripped off four consecutive paydays culminating with a T5 in 2019, and then a positive COVID-19 test thwarted his appearance in 2020. Missed the cut last year, but he presents wonderfully in DFS once again, albeit fractionally due to his propensity to miss more cuts than he makes. Only two paydays in six starts this season, but both went for a top 25. Ryan Armour Wyndham Clark Nick Hardy Chris Kirk Matt Kuchar David Lipsky Taylor Montgomery Taylor Pendrith Scott Stallings Brendon Todd Odds sourced on Tuesday, November 15th at 6 p.m. ET. For live odds visit betmgm. FADES Robert Streb … Maybe as a flier in DFS because both of this PGA TOUR victories occurred in this event, but the 35-year-old has only one other top 25 (T25, 2015) in his other six tries. He’s had just one top 25 (T11, 3M) since April and has missed four of six cuts this season. In short, he’s only a horse for the courses. J.T. Poston … From my consistently conservative position, he’s a bit out of reach despite a handful of electric performances in recent months. Just 1-for-6 at Sea Island (T14, 2019) and he missed two cuts in his last three starts with a cut. Yes, it’s splitting hairs for a guy who’s found a new gear, so there’s reason to slot him as a contrarian in a tournament where he’s earned little faith. Francesco Molinari … Well, I liked him to a point at Mayakoba, but he finished 68th (of 68) in what was his second appearance. He’s making his debut at Sea Island this week, so he’s getting two baptisms by fire for the price of one. If anything, cut up a unit and throw a shard of it into a Make the Cut prop. He’s done that six consecutive times worldwide since July. Tyler Duncan … Included only because he broke through here in 2019. He missed the cut in both return trips and he’s 1-for-6 this season with a solo 72nd at the Shriners. Joseph Bramlett … Although he doesn’t resonate most weeks, it’s worth noting that he’s 4-for-6 this season with a pair of top 15s, so elevate him among your free agents in full-season formats, if applicable. Meanwhile, he’s 0-for-3 with zero red numbers at Sea Island since 2019. Tyson Alexander Dean Burmester Cameron Champ Peter Malnati Sam Ryder Adam Svensson RETURNING TO COMPETITION n/a NOTABLE WDs Tony Finau … So much for the betting favorite, the No. 1 in my Power Rankings and winner in three of his last seven starts. An undisclosed injury was cited. See you at Kapalua, big fella. Si Woo Kim … He’d have been a tough own, anyway, as he’s missed three straight cuts at Sea Island and always presents best in the long-term. That said, he’s opened the season 4-for-4 with a top 10. Erik van Rooyen … Among the throng that was going to miss the cut in Houston, so instead withdrew during their second round instead of completing it on Saturday morning. So, his RSM debut remains on ice. Since returning to competition after sitting out three months with a neck injury, he’s just 2-for-5 worldwide and without a top-30 finish. Brendan Steele … Walked off Memorial Park during his final round with an injured back, so this decision isn’t surprising. The 39-year-old is 2-for-5 on the season with a T18 at Congaree. Mark Hubbard … His brother, Nathan, tweeted that Mark had surgery on a toe scheduled for Monday. This followed a disqualification in Houston. All things considered, if he’s going to have consecutive setbacks, the timing couldn’t be better. He’s 48th in the FedExCup and will have two months to recover before the season resumes after the holidays. Ryan Moore … Cashed in his last two starts and sits 139th in the FedExCup. He’s burning a career earnings exemption this season, so he can be choosy with his schedule. Sure, it’s odd that he’d sit out the last official stop of the calendar year, but he’s never appeared in the tournament. In that context, it was unusual that he committed in the first place. RECAP – Cadence Bank Houston Open POWER RANKINGS Power Ranking Golfer Result 1 Scottie Scheffler T9 2 Sam Burns WD 3 Russell Henley MC 4 Aaron Wise T22 5 Joel Dahmen T9 6 Maverick McNealy T27 7 Denny McCarthy T53 8 Taylor Montgomery T57 9 Mackenzie Hughes T16 10 Jason Day T16 11 Tony Finau Win 12 Matthew NeSmith T53 13 Sahith Theegala T22 14 Sepp Straka MC 15 Davis Riley T27 Wild Card Hideki Matsuyama WD SLEEPERS Golfer (Bet, if applicable) Result Charley Hoffman (+375 for a Top 20) MC Scott Piercy (+450 for a Top 20) T16 Wyndham Clark T16 Beau Hossler MC Walker Lee MC BIRTHDAYS AMONG ACTIVE MEMBERS OF THE PGA TOUR November 15 … none November 16 … Scott Harrington (42) November 17 … none November 18 … Matti Schmid (25) November 19 … Kyle Stanley (35); Max Homa (32) November 20 … none November 21 … none November 22 … none November 23 … Mackenzie Hughes (32) November 24 … none November 25 … none November 26 … Vince Covello (40) November 27 … none November 28 … none November 29 … none November 30 … Smylie Kaufman (31) December 1 … D.A. Points (46) December 2 … none December 3 … none December 4 … Matt Every (39); Harry Higgs (31); Sahith Theegala (25) December 5 … Ryan Moore (40); Lucas Herbert (27) December 6 … none December 7 … Luke Donald (45); Billy Horschel (36) December 8 … Brandt Snedeker (42) December 9 … Wyndham Clark (29); Matthias Schwab (28) December 10 … Brian Stuard (40) December 11 … none December 12 … Nate Lashley (40) December 13 … Rickie Fowler (34) December 14 … Brian Gay (51) December 15 … Sam Ryder (33) December 16 … none December 17 … Tim Clark (47); Davis Riley (26) December 18 … D.J. Trahan (42) December 19 … none December 20 … none December 21 … none December 22 … Richy Werenski (31) December 23 … Daniel Chopra (49) December 24 … Vincent Norrman (25) December 25 … none December 26 … none December 27 … Charley Hoffman (46); Doc Redman (25) December 28 … none December 29 … Martin Laird (40) December 30 … Tiger Woods (47) December 31 … Adam Svensson (29) January 1 … none January 2 … none Responsible sports betting starts with a game plan. Set a budget. Keep it social. Play with friends. Learn the game and know the odds. Play with trusted, licensed operators. CLICK HERE to learn more at HaveAGamePlan.org.

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A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier, the 2019-20 lid-lifter, featured the first hole-in-one of the season (Sungjae Im, 15th hole in round one); the first sub-60 score (Kevin Chappell, 59, second round); and the first-ever PGA TOUR winner from Chile, Joaquin Niemann. Oh, and by the way, he’s also the only player other than Seve Ballesteros and Rory McIlroy to be born outside the United States and win on TOUR before turning 21 in the last 95 years. Welcome to the Monday Finish. Related: What’s in Niemann’s bag? | The stats behind Niemann’s first TOUR win THREE KEYS TO SUCCESS 1. Niemann loves The Greenbrier. It’s not just that he finished T5 there last year, and T29 in 2017, but that he closed with a 64 each time. He shot the same score Sunday. 2. He jumped into a three-way tie for the lead with Scottie Scheffler and Robby Shelton with a second-round 62, his career low on TOUR, and never looked back. The biggest shot of the week may have been his eagle from 51 feet, 6 inches at the 12th hole in round two. 3. He putted great, leading the tournament in Strokes Gained: Putting (+8.8) for the first time in his career, with most of his production on the back nine. It was on the inward nine that he bit off +7.6 of that gaudy SG: Putting total, making double the length of putts than he did on the front, and requiring four fewer strokes on the greens.    OBSERVATIONS Familiarity breeds birdies: As with any endeavor, youth on the PGA TOUR is an advantage (strength, flexibility, resilience) and a disadvantage (not knowing where to stay or eat, which way a putt breaks, or even how to get to the first tee). Niemann has had to feel his way along, and maybe it’s no surprise that his breakthrough happened at The Greenbrier, which he first played at age 18 when he was the top-ranked amateur in the world. “I just never thought this moment was going to come,â€� he said. For more on Niemann’s big win, click here.  Hovland looks like he’s next: Viktor Hovland (T10) of Norway climbed 29 spots with a final-round 64, which also marked his record-tying 17th straight round in the 60s on TOUR. (He will skip the Sanderson Farms Championship and have to wait at least a week to potentially pull ahead of record co-holder Bob Estes.) Hovland also continues to be a fast finisher, with closing rounds of 64 (Greenbrier), 65, 64, 65, 64 in his last five starts, an indication that, like Niemann, the 21-year-old Hovland is learning fast. “I think one of the reasons I’ve been playing so well on Sunday,â€� he said, “is getting more familiar with the courses and just getting comfortable.â€� For more on Hovland, click here. Werenski has had a wild ride: Watching Richy Werenski battle over the last few months has been dizzying. First, he finished 126th in the FedExCup, just 2 points shy of making the Playoffs. Then he finished T24 in the Korn Ferry Tour Finals, becoming the last player, along with D.J. Trahan, to earn his way back to the TOUR through that avenue. Werenski wasted no time in taking advantage, shooting 67-65-65-69 at The Greenbrier to finish T3 with Brian Harman, Harris English and Nate Lashley. It was Werenski’s fourth top-three finish on TOUR; he lost a playoff at the 2017 Barracuda Championship, and last season finished T2 at the Barbasol Championship and T3 at the Mayakoba Golf Classic.   QUOTEBOARD “Next year I’m going again.â€� – Niemann on off-roading with pal Carlos Ortiz at The Greenbrier “What a fantastic win for Joaquin at The Greenbrier. I’m really proud of him, and it’s a wonderful start to his season. I’m looking forward to more of his great play.â€� – International Presidents Cup Captain Ernie Els, in a text message to PGA TOUR officials “Just trying to warm up on the driving range and … fell over and couldn’t move for a while.â€� – Joseph Bramlett (71, T14), on back issues that sidelined him for much of the last five years. “Surreal.â€� – Kevin Chappell, who shot a second-round 59, the 11th sub-60 score in PGA TOUR history, after missing last season due to major back surgery.  SOCIAL SNAPSHOT

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