Matt Kuchar takes 1-shot lead at Sony Open

When the favorite wins, you probably don’t because everyone is given the putt inside the leather, but when the long shot connects, well, you probably still need to build to finish inside the prize money, because he’s a lottery ticket. Tony Finau delivered as the target at the 3M Open. His odds were barely into quadruple digits, so everyone who went with a set-and-forget approach on the weeklongs might as well not have. Out-of-nowhere Scott Piercy yielded 2,500 coins to be the R1 Leader at TPC Twin Cities, so PGA TOUR Pick ‘Em Live proved how much “and” is more valuable than “or.” Other than hovering your fingerprint over the mouse to click on a guy at long odds halfway through his final round – and hoping he hangs on – your most important period of time can be the entirety of the opening round. Of course, it doesn’t always play out like that, but as we’ve conveyed throughout the existence of this experience, that’s part of the elegance of the format. Remain fluid and good things can happen. Register for PGA TOUR Pick ‘Em Live here and monitor Rob’s and Glass’ progress as Influencers. For a broader explanation of the format and FAQs, click here. TOURNAMENT TO WIN Rob … Taylor Pendrith (+6000) The rookie is No. 13 in my Power Rankings. Even if this were the real thing, I’d reserve a unit for him. He’s just that good. At 11th in distance of all drives, 17th in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee and ninth in greens hit, he can bring parts of Detroit Golf Club to its knees. With a cooperative putter, who knows?! He enters with three straight top-15 finishes, but the first two were separated by four months due to a fractured rib. It’s another why I like him even more right now. He’s not fighting for a Playoffs spot (at 104th in the FedExCup) and he’s relatively fresher than most vying alongside. Worth adding is that two of the three winners of the RMC were first-timers. Glass … Hayden Buckley (+15000) The first three editions at Detroit Golf Club have produced winners consisting of an alternate, a chalk favorite and a young bomber, the last two of whom were 26 years of age. I’m hoping to add a third consecutive 26-year-old in a guy who stripes it. Buckley is 18th in fairways hit, 17th in GIR and 53rd in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green. That’s the first requirement in a shootout. I’ll need a week from his putter to pull off this upset, but I can always retreat to the chalk on the weekend. TOP 10 Rob … Callum Tarren (+800) His pre-tournament trading at the 3M Open was so volatile, it was like Blue Horseshoe fell back in love with Anacott Steel. The Englishman rallied for a T7 to pay off this crowd – his second top 10 of July, wrapped around a T22 at Barracuda – so let’s make the same call in Motown. Currently 118th on the Eligibility Points List, he’s one payday from a spot in the Playoffs, if that, so the heaviest lifting is behind him. Even better, his combination of power and precision is sturdy enough to warrant the reach. Glass … Michael Gligic (+1000) Five straight paydays and nine of the last 10 for the Canadian. Ironically, his only non-payday was a withdrawal from his national open in June. He opened with 64 at TPC Deere Run en route to his first top 10 (T10), and then shot 63 in the second round at Keene Trace a week later (T21). Add a T16 last week at the 3M Open and that’s three top 25s in his last four. TOP 20 Glass … Sepp Straka (+550) The easy route would have been to double down on Gligic, which I still might do, but Straka was 31-under in his first two trips here (T8-T11) before missing last year’s cut. Of his 10 rounds, six are 68 or better, so something definitely fits his eye. Trying to find any value down here this week is challenging. Rob … Chris Naegel (+1000) In lieu of the scarcity of value that Glass referenced, I’ll give the non-member a spin. All Naegel has done is Monday qualify for four events in July alone! The first resulted in a T16 at the John Deere Classic, so we know he has Thursdays, Friday, Saturday and Sundays in him, too. Yes, I’m skittish about getting stuck with this bet that hasn’t opened with any reliability since the game launched but having fun always in rule No. 1. ROUND 1 LEADER Rob … Mark Hubbard (+6600) With wind expected to freshen midday, not only do I expect that these coins will go to an a.m. waver, but I devoted my attention to guys who go off No. 1. The front nine at Detroit GC is the easier half, so I want a guy who will pounce on it and hang on when the breezes arrive. Of course, the track should be more receptive in the morning as well, so I’m sold on this quarter of the draw. Hubbard goes off in the second threesome. He was the FRL in his last start at Barracuda (with 13 points) and he connected eight sub-70s in traditional stroke-play competition to open July. He’s among the hottest players on TOUR right now and he opted for rest since the solo fourth at Old Greenwood. Glass … Brandon Hagy (+10000) Tee No. 10 at 8:24 a.m. ET gives me PLENTY of time to ditch this daydream, if necessary, and scramble for a result. The last two years, he’s opened with 65 and 67, and posted 62 at Keene Trace two weeks ago. Let’s gamble! NOTE: While Glass and Rob typically stick with their selections as detailed in Pick ‘Em Preview, they are allowed the right to make changes at any time.

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Round 4 begins today at the Sentry Tournament of Champions at Kapalua. Here’s everything you need to know to follow the action. Leaderboard Full tee times HOW TO FOLLOW Television: Thursday-Friday 6-10 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); Saturday 6-10 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); Sunday, 4-6 p.m. ET (NBC), 6-8 p.m. ET (Golf Channel) Radio: Thursday-Friday, 4-10 p.m. ET; Saturday, 5-10 p.m. ET; Sunday, 3-8 p.m. ET. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com/liveaudio) MUST READS Palmer avoids penalty, shares lead at Sentry English, Palmer lead by one Scheffler contends despite losing cherished club Win probabilities: Sentry Tournament of Champions DeChambeau continues to push the speed barrier Schauffele reveals he had COVID-19 during holiday break Computer predicts top 30 for TOUR Championship CALL OF THE DAY

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The Charles Schwab Challenge is scheduled to restart the 2019-20 PGA TOUR season on June 11-14. Presuming it does, the Power Rankings for the 144-man field is guaranteed to embody reliable trends that have identified the champion for some time. Consider that Sergio Garcia in 2001 remains the last first-time PGA TOUR winner at Colonial Country Club and the last first-time participant to prevail. As a result, the Charles Schwab Challenge is poised to be as hot a reentry as it gets in the context of sizing up any field. Meanwhile, there is zero question who belongs atop the all-time Power Rankings for the tournament. With five victories, Ben Hogan essentially and single-handedly legitimized this annual TOUR stop. Even though he never has been directly associated with the name of the tournament, Hogan’s Alley has been the only host of all 72 editions (since 1946). ALL-TIME POWER RANKINGS: CHARLES SCHWAB CHALLENGE 15. Cary Middlecoff … Of the six runners-up to Ben Hogan’s five wins at Colonial, Middlecoff is the only with an overall record strong enough to warrant this kind of attention. His silver came in 1953, but he captured victory in 1951. Among 17 cuts made through 1964, he amassed seven top 10s and another pair of top 20s. 14. Billy Casper … Collected two of his 51 trophies on the PGA TOUR with wins at Colonial in 1964 and 1968. Added a solo third and another four top 25s, all within the span of nine cuts made from 1958-1968. 13. Phil Mickelson … For many, the first (and maybe the only) memory of him at Colonial is of the fan who cannonballed into the greenside pond beside the 18th hole when he sealed victory in 2008. However, the lefty first won the tournament in 2000 and finished T2 in his defense of that title in 2001. Of his 12 cuts made, four were top 10s; another four were top 25s. 12. Bruce Lietzke … Owner of a characteristically solid record at Colonial. Went 22-for-26 with four top 10s among 12 top 25s. He won twice (1980, 1992) and placed T3 in 1983. A T58 two months before his 50th birthday not only represented his last cut made of 401 in his career, it also was his last of 506 PGA TOUR starts. 11. Gardner Dickinson … Half of his 18 cuts made were top 10s (among 11 top 15s), the last of which a victory in his 15th start in 1969. He also finished third three times. 10. Kenny Perry … When he followed a T2 in 2002 with a six-stroke victory in 2003, he established the tournament record of 19-under 261. He matched it in 2005 for his second win, this time by seven shots. His target times two stood until Zach Johnson went two lower in 2010. All told at Colonial, Perry is 19-for-24 with four top 10s and another four top 25s. 9. Zach Johnson … Since we started this series with the Valero Texas Open, the most vocal disapproval concerning an omission has been for ZJ at that tournament. Despite two wins among four top 10s in eight appearances, he didn’t even crack the Honorable Mentions. Now, there have been 17 more editions of that tournament than there have of the Charles Schwab Challenge, and the all-time Power Rankings proper went only 10 deep that week, but there is no love lost for him at Colonial where he’s also won twice. From 2009-2013, he finished no worse than T9 and he’s totaled eight top 20s. His 21-under 259 in 2010 is the tournament record. 8. Nick Price … Given his strength tee to green, it’s hardly a surprise that he enjoyed considerable success at Colonial. In 17 starts, he posted five top 10s and another four top 25s. In addition to a T2 in 1990, he prevailed in 1994 and 2002, the latter his last of 18 PGA TOUR victories and at the age of 45. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame the following year. 7. Tom Watson … From 1977-1986, he finished third twice and fourth four times. Then, and finally, in his 21st start in 1998 and at the age of 48, he connected for only victory at Colonial. It was the last of 39 titles in his PGA TOUR career. His final appearance in 2002 resulted in a solo seventh, giving his 10 top 10s and 13 top 25s among 20 cuts made in the Charles Schwab Challenge. That last hurrah also was his second-to-last of 219 career top 10s (P2, 2009 Open Championship). 6. Lee Trevino … What the Dallas native never accomplished over at the AT&T Byron Nelson, he achieved twice at Colonial with victories in 1976 and 1978. They punctuated seven top 10s among 12 top 25s. He also lost by one stroke in 1970. 5. Ben Crenshaw … He and Corey Pavin effectively are Nos. 4 and 4a given the similarities in their career records at Colonial. Each won twice, finished second twice and totaled eight top 10s among 15 top 25s in 32 starts. The differences that favor Pavin is that Crenshaw didn’t have a chance at a third victory in a playoff. He also “settled” for 21 cuts made. 4. Corey Pavin … In addition to the résumé laid out above beside Ben Crenshaw, Pavin lost in a playoff in 1992 and rung up 25 paydays. His T7 as a 50-year-old in 2010 was the penultimate of 107 career top 10s on the PGA TOUR. 3. Gene Littler … Indeed, Colonial Country Club was Hogan’s Alley, but if not for a handful of close calls, it also may have been known as Littler’s Lane. Among his 23 cuts made, he won once (1971) and earned runner-up honors four times, three of which by one stroke (1960, 1970, 1979). He also placed third, T4, fifth, T6, T7, T8 (twice) and inside the top 25 another six times. 2. Julius Boros … Compiled the strongest overall record among the 11 two-time champions. Logged six top-five finishes including titles in 1960 and 1963, three of which after the age of 51! Totaled nine top 10s and 15 top 25s among 24 paydays. 1. Ben Hogan … Not a native of Fort Worth, Texas, but don’t try to win any arguments confirming it. He relocated to the city as a boy and dropped anchor for life. He’s the only golfer in tournament history to win consecutive editions, and he did that twice (1946-1947 and 1952-1953). His fifth title at the age of 46 in 1959 was the last of 64 in his career. He also finished T2 once and T3 twice en route to 15 top 10s among 19 top 20s. Finished T56 in his last appearance in 1970. It marked his final payday of 293 in his career. HONORABLE MENTIONS David Toms Incrementally speaking, he edges numerous one-time winners with multiple podium finishes because of the depth of his 15-for-20 record. His title in 2011 was the fifth of six top 10s that also included a T2 in 2002 and a T3 in 2005. He logged his last top 10 with a T5 in 2014 and his last of nine top 25s with a T25 as a 49-year-old in 2016. Bruce Crampton He and Jack Nicklaus authored the same records except that Crampton cashed in 13 starts to Nicklaus’ 10. The Aussie prevailed in 1965 and shared runner-up honors in 1973. He also finished third in 1962 en route to six top 10s and eight top 25s. Jack Nicklaus While Bruce Crampton made three more cuts, the quality of Nicklaus’ top 10s were a little better. In addition to his victory at the age of 42 in 1982, which signified his first trip to the tournament in eight years, he was the runner-up in the previous visit (in 1974). He also placed third in 1963 and fourth twice. Tommy Bolt Depending on the fan, his temper, or the perception thereof, overshadowed the fact that he won the 1958 U.S. Open in his native Oklahoma at Southern Hills. He also didn’t begin competing regularly on the PGA TOUR until his age-34 season of 1950, but he went on to win 15 times, including at Colonial the month before his U.S. Open title. He also finished second, third and T9 twice, the latter as a 52-year-old in 1968. Of his 19 cuts made, five went for a top 10 and another three were top 25s. Tom Kite There’s no disputing that other non-winners have better career records at Colonial, but it’d be an injustice to ignore his. The Texan missed only one edition from 1972-2002 and only one cut – his last – so he made 28 consecutive cuts through the age of 51 (in 2001). His best finish was a T3 in 1981, but he had three other top fives en route to six top 10s and 11 top 25s. Gary Player (16 paydays, two seconds, eight top 10s, 14 top 25s), Lloyd Mangrum (15 paydays, one second, one third, eight top 10s, 12 top 25s) and Don January (21 paydays, a T2, three thirds, seven top 10s, 14 top 25s) also deserve recognition.

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