Live leaderboard: First round of Sony Open

Amid numerous accommodations and considerable restructuring, the 2020-21 PGA TOUR season also has had a series of checkpoints that have contributed to reconnecting with the customary arc of an uninterrupted season. Every step along the way has presented a different feel in how we consume it as fans. This week’s Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide also is distinguishing. It’s the 36th of 50 scheduled events of 2020-21. Because of the pandemic, last season had a total of 36 tournaments. So, if you wondered how the super season might feel in real time, think about everything you experienced in 2019-20 before realizing that 15 tournaments remain to be contested this season. While interesting to contemplate, it’s far from the most important matter concerning the annual trip to Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio. For details on that and more, continue reading past the projected contenders. RELATED: The First Look | How the field qualified POWER RANKINGS: THE MEMORIAL Tuesday’s Fantasy Insider will include reviews of Patrick Reed, Sam Burns, Matt Fitzpatrick, Rickie Fowler and other notables. If it’s possible to play the same golf course three different ways in as many consecutive tournaments, then Muirfield Village is where the magic happens. You’ll recall that Jack Nicklaus’ home club served as the site of the Workday Charity Open immediately before the annual Memorial last year. As expected, scoring for the Workday was measurably easier than the nightcap of the twin bill. The one-time expanded field of 132 at the 2020 Memorial averaged 74.007, its highest in 12 years. The 157-man Workday checked up at 71.853. In contradiction to its profile over time, fairways and greens were harder to hit for the Memorial. The field averaged just 7.46 (of 14) fairways and 10.36 GIR per round last year. That ranked sixth- and fifth-stingiest of all courses last season in those stats, respectively. Jon Rahm’s winning pace of 9-under 279 was the highest since Tiger Woods posted the same as the 2012 champion. Gusty winds inflated the 2020 final-round scoring average to 75.96, highest of any tournament since the 2016 Farmers Insurance Open. This time around, the stock par 72 will look different to those in the field of 121 who have played it before. Beginning as the final round of the 2020 Memorial was concluding – you read that right – Muirfield Village since has undergone a significant renovation. All greens were rebuilt, 12 of which reshaped in some noticeable way on and around the targets. They still average 5,000 square feet, but because they are new, the bentgrass surfaces will have some spring to them on approach, so they might play even smaller but they’ll likely run no longer than 12 feet on the Stimpmeter. (At some point in the near-future, it would be surprising if they don’t mature to stretch to 13 feet or so to align with Nicklaus’ historical preference as the slickest putting surfaces of all PGA TOUR-operated competitions.) All bunkers were upgraded and, by default, some may serve as a greater hazard as compared to recent editions. See, the sweeping modifications across the property generated a net gain of 87 yards on the scorecard, just two of which on the inward side. At 455 yards, the par-4 13th is the only hole that hasn’t changed. The course now tips at 7,543 yards. The primary rough is four inches high. It’d be incorrect to label Muirfield Village as a new test, but many elements of it are just that. Fresh sightlines off a few tees and unfamiliar undulations on the greens could be confusing. It’s the kind of mind game for which success piling onto impressive course history could be classified as coincidental. Then again, Nicklaus has nipped and tucked the course almost every year, and the leaderboards have sparkled with household names, but just like with the Golden Bear himself, class is permanent. En route to 550 FedExCup points, a three-year membership exemption (or one-year extension to the maximum of five) and a three-year exemption into THE PLAYERS Championship, the winner likely will navigate inclement weather, at least until the cut line. A very good chance of rain and possibly storms populates Thursday’s forecast. Another threat will emerge on Friday, but the limited field makes it easier to complete both rounds on time at this latitude in early June. Daytimes temperatures will rise into the 80s for what should be a dry weekend. ROB BOLTON’S SCHEDULE PGATOUR.COM’s Fantasy Insider Rob Bolton recaps and previews every tournament from numerous angles. Look for his following contributions as scheduled. MONDAY: Power Rankings TUESDAY*: Sleepers; Fantasy Insider SUNDAY: Qualifiers, Reshuffle, Medical Extensions, Rookie Watch * – Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COM’s Expert Picks for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf, which also publishes on Tuesday.

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Pebble Beach was easy. Will the USGA stand for that? Will Rory or Phil or Brooks make a big move? We get you set for Round 2 of the U.S. Open.

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The FedEx St. Jude Classic holds its qualifier on Sunday so that it doesn’t conflict with U.S. Open qualifying. Even on a different day of the week, T.J. Vogel had the same success. Vogel shot 4-under 66 on Sunday at Windyke Country Club’s East Course to qualify for a sixth event this season, and his third in a row. Here’s a closer look at the four players who played their way into the FedEx St. Jude Classic. T.J. VOGEL (66) Age: 27 Hometown: Hollywood, Florida Alma mater: USC/Florida PGA TOUR starts: 9 Best TOUR finish: T16, 2018 Valspar championship Notes: Vogel has made the cut in his last three TOUR starts. He has earned 51 non-member FedExCup points. He can qualify for the Web.com Tour Finals by earning as many points as No. 200 in the FedExCup standings. Last year, it took 82 points to qualify for the Web.com Tour Finals. He finished 10th on last season’s Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada Order of Merit. He also won the 2012 U.S. Amateur Public Links and played in the 2013 Masters. OMAR URESTI (66) Age: 49 Hometown: Austin, Texas Alma mater: Texas PGA TOUR starts: 362 Best PGA TOUR finish: 3rd, 1997 Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard and 2006 AT&T Byron Nelson Notes: Uresti, a PGA TOUR veteran member, has made 179 cuts on TOUR and is a two-time winner on the Web.com Tour. He also is the reigning PGA Professional National Champion. He made the cut in last year’s PGA Championship, and has made the cut in two of four starts this season. He’s made the cut in eight of 11 starts at the FedEx St. Jude, including a T10 in 1999. A.J. McINERNEY (66) Age: 24 Hometown: Henderson, Nevada Alma mater: UNLV PGA TOUR starts: 2 Best PGA TOUR finish: T10, 2017 Shriners Hospitals for Children Open Notes: McInerney, who grew up in the Las Vegas suburb of Henderson, was in the headlines after surviving last year’s Las Vegas shooting. He received a sponsor exemption into the PGA TOUR event at TPC Summerlin and impressed with a T10. McInerney finished 97th on last year’s Web.com Tour money list. BEN CRANCER (66) Age: 24 Hometown: Kirkwood, Missouri Alma mater: Texas A&M PGA TOUR starts: Debut Notes: The Texas A&M alum has been competing this season on the Adams Pro Tour, where he has three top-10s in five starts. AT&T BYRON NELSON QUALIFIERS T66. T.J. Vogel, 66-71-73-69 MC. Steven Ihm, 73-70 MC. Ryan Baca, 76-69 MC. Tom Whitney, 72-74 THIS SEASON’S QUALIFIERS Qualifiers: 63 Made cut: 21 (33%) Top-10s: 3 (Scott Strohmeyer, T4 at Sanderson Farms; Trey Mullinax,T8 at Valspar; Julian Suri, T8 at Houston) Top-25s: 5 Most times qualified: T.J. Vogel (6)

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