Phil Mickelson leads by three as play suspended at AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am

Presidents Cup Captains Ernie Els and Tiger Woods will unveil their partnerships next week at the Presidents Cup. In case they need any last-minute advice (hint: They don’t, certainly not from us), the PGATOUR.COM staff writers offer up five predicted partnerships for both the International and U.S. Teams at Royal Melbourne. U.S. Team BEN EVERILL’S PREDICTIONS Xander Schauffele-Bryson DeChambeau (Four-Ball) – It is hard to commit to having DeChambeau play alternate shot given his individuality but in Four-Ball, Schauffele could be a great partner for him. They both have such a competitive will to win and might even try to outdo the other. Patrick Reed-Patrick Cantlay (all) – They have proven themselves a good duo at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans and have a level of comfort that will put them in good stead. Tiger Woods-Gary Woodland (Four-Ball) – The Woodies. I’m not convinced that Woods will play in the Foursomes despite experience in the format but I can see him having fun with Woodland, who is not one to try too hard to impress his captain. Rickie Fowler-Justin Thomas (all) – Seems like this one might be a slam dunk given the pair are good friends and were successful together at Liberty National. Matt Kuchar-Webb Simpson (Foursomes) – If you are looking for a steady alternate shot option this one appears a no-brainer. They might beat you down with solid pars and have enough birdies in them to roll anyone. SEAN MARTIN’S PREDICTIONS Webb Simpson-Tony Finau (Foursomes): Last season, Simpson finished in the top 20 in every Strokes Gained category except Off-the-Tee. You let the long-hitting Finau tee off on half the holes and you have a well-rounded team. Plus, with a combined nine kids between them they’ll have plenty to discuss between shots. Rickie Fowler-Justin Thomas (all): They were a hit during the 2017 Presidents Cup, so there’s no reason not to reunite them. Matt Kuchar-Gary Woodland (all): They partnered to win the 2011 World Cup. Kuchar stuck around to congratulate Woodland after his U.S. Open win. Their chemistry makes them a good fit, and I’m sure Kuchar wouldn’t mind borrowing Woodland’s length off the tee. Xander Schauffele-Patrick Cantlay (Foursomes): They’re both economical with their words and dangerous with the clubs. I think they’d complement each other well. Tiger Woods-Patrick Cantlay (Four-Balls): They’ve known each other since Cantlay was an amateur, having played together at the 2011 Frys.com Open. They’re represented by the same agency. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them pair up. MIKE McALLISTER’S PREDICTIONS Rickie Fowler-Justin Thomas (all): A formidable partnership two years ago at Liberty National. No need to overthink it. Tiger Woods-Patrick Reed (Foursomes): Didn’t work a year ago in Paris, but Tiger’s rested now and Reed’s in better form. Dustin Johnson-Gary Woodland (Four-Balls): Big bombers who each ranked inside the top 15 in birdie average last season. Webb Simpson-Bryson DeChambeau (Four-Balls): The veteran Simpson could be the super-steady partner for DeChambeau. Xander Schauffele-Patrick Cantlay (all): Seems like a natural pairing given their similar demeanors. CAMERON MORFIT’S PREDICTIONS Tiger Woods-Gary Woodland (all): They enjoyed each other’s company at The ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP, they have a healthy mutual respect, and they both enjoy winning at Pebble Beach. Do similar last names count for anything? Rickie Fowler-Justin Thomas (all): This is the one partnership that I would put money on happening. They’re good friends, they’re friends of Tiger, and they earned two wins and a halve together at the ’17 President Cup. Dustin Johnson-Tony Finau (Four-Balls): A team that could overwhelm the competition with its power, D.J. and Finau rock the tee and make a bunch of birdies. Not sure about them in Foursomes, though. Patrick Reed-Patrick Cantlay (all): Team of Patricks, who have found success at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, is the second most likely, after Fowler and Thomas. Familiarity and mutual respect runneth over. Matt Kuchar-Webb Simpson (Foursomes): Two former winners of THE PLAYERS Championship are classic point-to-point players who will rarely if ever leave the other in a terrible spot. Veterans are plenty familiar with each other. International Team BEN EVERILL’S PREDICTIONS Marc Leishman-Cameron Smith (all): These two will play all four sessions together as a successful pairing who were T2 at last year’s World Cup and who can harness the crowd for Els and his team. Louis Oosthuizen-Abraham Ancer (all): The experience of Oosthuizen and the fire of rookie Ancer could make an incredible pairing. Ancer plays Australian conditions well, giving Oosthuizen a steady rock to fire with. Adam Scott-Joaquin Niemann (all): Scott has long been a guy to bring rookies into the fold and although that was originally set to end this time with a likely Jason Day pairing. Now that his fellow Aussie is out, the of Niemann could be a great replacement. Big crowds will fire Niemann up also. Hideki Matsuyama-Sungjae Im (all): To unlock the best of Matsuyama in this format, he needs someone to talk to. Im is not fluent in Japanese but has played on the Japan Tour and speaks one language they both understand — birdies. Byeong Hun An-Adam Hadwin (all): Two guys who played really nice consistent golf though the fall should also complement each other in team play. Hadwin’s putting and An’s ball-striking could make a nice combination. SEAN MARTIN’S PREDICTIONS Adam Scott-Cameron Smith (all): This is one to get the Australian fans riled up. They’ll have the home crowd behind them, and this will give Scott to take the young Aussie under his wings. Scott’s strong ball-striking and Smith’s nifty short game should make for a great combo. Louis Oosthuizen-Marc Leishman (Four-Balls): Captain Els may want to spread out his veterans and pair them with rookies, but I could see these two veterans pairing up now that Oosthuizen’s long-time partner, Branden Grace, isn’t on the team. Byeong Hun An-Sungjae Im (Foursomes): Foursomes is the format that demands the most communication, so it would make sense to pair the two South Korean players together. They’re also two of the hottest players on the International Team, so that would make a strong pairing. Abraham Ancer-Joaquin Niemann (all): Two strong ball-strikers will make for a formidable team around Royal Melbourne. Hideki Matsuyama-Adam Hadwin (Four-Balls): They earned a half-point against the indomitable Spieth-Reed team in 2017. That’s a good enough reason for them to reunite this year. MIKE McALLISTER’S PREDICTIONS Marc Leishman-Cameron Smith (all): Expect this all-Aussie partnership to be the emotional fulcrum for the International Team. Haotong Li-C.T. Pan (Four-Balls): They’ve spoken to each other about playing in the Presidents Cup, so it wouldn’t be a surprise. Adam Hadwin-Abraham Ancer (Foursomes): My NAFTA special. Plus, Hadwin (among Els’ best putters) is a nice balance to Ancer (terrific off the tee). Adam Scott-Hideki Matsuyama (all): Scott’s last Presidents Cup partnership win was with Matsuyama in 2013. Els desperately needs his supergroup to lead by example. Sungjae Im-Byeong Hun An (Four-Balls): Both ranked inside the top 45 in birdie average last season, so there is plenty of upside. CAMERON MORFIT’S PREDICTIONS Adam Scott-Marc Leishman (all): I originally had Scott playing with Jason Day, which was a lock, but now he’ll wind up with another countryman with no shortage of experience in this event. Cameron Smith-Adam Hadwin (Four-Balls): They make a lot of birdies and fulfill the need to pair a rookie (Smith) with a veteran (Hadwin). Not sure how well they know each other, but that’s always an issue with the International Team. At least they speak a common language. Sungjae Im-Byeong Hun An (Foursomes): With Jason Day out, Captain Els has seven rookies, so at some point he will likely put two together. Im and An are unusually steady players (loads of top-10s), which plays well in this format. Niemann and Hadwin (Foursomes): The steady, confident Hadwin can help usher in excitable, wide-eyed rookie Niemann. Scott or Leishman could do the job but one has to assume they will be paired with each other, or Cameron Smith. Oosthuizen and Ancer (all): Get ready for the surprise hit on the International Team. After the veteran Oosthuizen helps rookie Ancer calm his nerves, the fiery, cocksure Ancer will rev up low-key Oosthuizen nicely.

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South Korea has the top two golfers in the world. Three of the top four. 11 of the top 20. 23 of the top 50 and 41 of the top 100. Not bad for a country of around 51 million people. Of course, I am referring to the women’s game. It is a dominance of extremely impressive proportions from a golf mad country. So why then are these numbers not mirrored on the men’s side of the game? Is it possible they ever will? “I think getting to the level of the women might be a bit of a stretch,â€� Australian Adam Scott says. “But I think that the potential growth of the Korean players on the PGA TOUR is very big. It wouldn’t surprise me to see double the number of the Korean players on the PGA TOUR in the next five to ten years.â€� Certainly, taking the PGA TOUR to the region is a step in the right direction. Amongst the impressive field at the inaugural CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES this week will be 17 Korean players flying the flag proudly in their country’s new PGA TOUR event. They’ll each harbor a dream of producing four epic rounds of golf and etching themselves into history. THE PLAYERS Champion Si Woo Kim leads the group as the best ranked Korean player at 41 in the world. He is one of just four Koreans in the world top 100, joined by Byeong Hun An (79), Sunghoon Kang (80) and Jeunghun Wang (87). But the spiritual leader of the pack is perhaps the godfather of Korean men’s golf in K.J. Choi. Like Kim, Choi has a PLAYERS Championship to his name, but it is one of eight PGA TOUR wins in a dazzling career spanning 442 starts. The pride he feels this week is clear to see. While his efforts have failed to spark things on the same levels as Se Ri Pak did in the women’s game, Choi has been a big factor in the growth of the sport in his home country. He believes a stronger presence on the world scene, and the PGA TOUR, is on the horizon. “Of course, the number of the Korean players on the PGA TOUR is fewer than the number of Korean LPGA players but, Korea has the most number of PGA players from the Asian countries,â€� he explains. “About 14 Koreans and Korean-Americans are playing on the TOUR and the number of players may differ from the LPGA but, I don’t think the level of performance is too different. “I think that this event will help in that many players will be given the chance to gauge what they need to do to join the TOUR. It will give them a chance to see it for themselves what they need to improve, what they lack, what preparations they need. This event, in that sense, will push Korean golf one step ahead.â€� Of course, one of the factors is the duty of Korean men to undertake two years of military service before they are 30. Sangmoon Bae had to step away from the game just as the two-time TOUR winner was really flourishing, going out as a member of the 2015 Presidents Cup team. Sung Kang, the runner-up earlier this year at the Houston Open had another interesting theory on why Korean women golfers are having more of an impact than their male counterparts. “The women don’t have a decided disadvantage physically,â€� Kang told PGA TOUR.com’s Mike McAllister. “I think we’re at a disadvantage to the Americans. We’re a little smaller, a little weaker. The Americans (men) are stronger, taller, bigger.â€� Haewon Kang, the senior producer of Korean content at the PGA TOUR, says Asian culture brings with it a fierce mentality in terms of working for success, particularly in women. Parents can be very strict on their kids to work harder in whatever their chosen field might be and Kang says young girls are traditionally a little more obedient than boys. But for things to really go to another level in the men’s game she believes a dominant star needs to emerge from the pack. Korea needs its own Jordan Spieth or Justin Thomas to light up the stage often. On the women’s side Pak provided this by winning five majors as part of 39 professional wins. It inspired countless others to strive for greatness. While Y.E. Yang broke the major barrier in 2009 at the PGA Championship he failed to remain a long-term factor. Choi’s career has been brilliant also but not quite dominant enough. “After Se Ri lead the success in golf, so many kids dreamed of being a golf players,â€� Haewon explains.  “In women’s golf, there has been one dominant player who has won multiple times in a season and people remember the name and have more interest. “However, we cannot find a good star player in men’s golf. We have some players who win once or twice but it is not enough to be remembered. People will remember a star player better. That is a big reason that men’s golf is falling behind the women.â€� Kim could yet be that star. Already with two PGA TOUR wins at just 22, including THE PLAYERS, Kim has shown a unique talent. But consistency has been a major problem. The recent Presidents Cup player made 30 starts on the PGA TOUR last season with 11 missed cuts and six WDs scattered amongst his big win. His International Team members at Liberty National privately spoke in glowing terms of his raw talent, calling it almost robotic. When he was told where to hit the ball from an outside source he would do so effortlessly time and time again. They were also mightily impressed with his fight and determination. His issues come when he’s thinking too much, something that will hopefully rectify itself with more experience. Maybe it could be Wang, a two-time winner on the European Tour in back-to-back weeks in 2016. Also, just 22 now, he was the youngest player, at 20 years and 263 days, to win consecutive events on the European Tour. Perhaps it will be a young player in the galleries this week who will be inspired by seeing his heroes up close. With a clear path and opportunity to get to the PGA TOUR now in front of his countrymen, Choi believes his career stats will be dwarfed by his countrymen in the future. “You will see my fellow Korean players show you performance and play that you have not seen from myself. I believe that they will exceed me,â€� Choi said. “This will be an invaluable experience for the younger players. Through this opportunity, I believe that many will be setting higher and more ambitious goals.â€� KOREANS IN THE FIELD Si Woo Kim – 22, has two PGA TOUR wins including the 2017 PLAYERS Championship. Member of the 2017 International Team at the Presidents Cup. K.J. Choi – 47, eight time PGA TOUR winner including the 2011 PLAYERS Championship. Young-han Song – 26, Won SMBC Singapore Open on Japan Tour where he beat Jordan Spieth by one stroke. Has six PGA TOUR starts and his TOUR debut at the 2016 World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, where he finished T21, remains his best result along with a T21 at the 2016 CIMB Classic. Jinho Choi – 33, Four Korean Tour victories most recently at the 2016 Nefs Heritage. The 2017 Genesis Open, where he withdrew after a first-round 76, was his PGA TOUR debut. Jung-gon Hwang – 25, three-time winner on Japan Golf Tour, including his first title at the 2011 Mizuno Open. This win earned him entry into The Open Championship in 2011 where he finished 71st. Last June, he won the KPGA Championship. Hyungjoon Lee – 25, recently captured a two-shot victory at the KPGA Caido Series Jeonbuk Open. Seung Hyuk Kim – 31, Has four Korean Tour and one Japan Tour win. JungHwan Lee – Won the 2017 Caido Golden V1 Open in sudden death playoff over Seung Hyuk Kim a week after losing a playoff against the same opponent. Sangmoon Bae – 31, Two PGA TOUR wins and a member of the 2015 Presidents Cup International Team. Returning this season after two-year military stint. Gyu Min Lee – joined Yun-ji Jeong to represent South Korea at the APGC Junior Championship Mitsubishi Corporate Cup in Hong Kong last August. The pair won the event the previous two years. Whee Kim – 25, PGA TOUR member. 89th in FedExCup last season. K.T. Kim – 31, 13-time winner on Japan Tour. 2011 Presidents Cup team member. Seung-Yul Noh – 26, PGA TOUR winner at 2014 Zurich Classic. 110th in FedExCup last season. Kyoung-Hoon Lee – 26, Two-time Japan Tour winner and Web.com Tour player. Sung Kang – 30, PGA TOUR member. Eight career Top-10s. 59th in the FedExCup last season. Byeong Hun An – 26, PGA TOUR member. Former U.S. Amateur winner. 102nd in FedExCup last season. Jeunghun Wang – 22, two-time winner on the European Tour in back-to-back weeks in 2016. Olympian. 

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DUBLIN, Ohio – Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning will be paired together in the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance pro-am on Wednesday, May 30. In addition to Woods and Manning, the pro-am will feature top players from the tournament’s field of competitors, as well as NFL royalty Anthony Muñoz, Greg Olsen and LaDainian Tomlinson. Manning, Muñoz and Tomlinson are all former winners of the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award and Olsen is a two-time finalist.     Woods, along with FedExCup No. 1 Justin Thomas and a host of other PGA TOUR stars have committed to the 43rd edition of the Memorial Tournament. The field also includes Patrick Reed, Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson, Jason Day, Bubba Watson, Zach Johnson and Jason Dufner, the 2017 Memorial winner. “I am pleased that the Memorial Tournament once again is drawing a wonderful field,â€� said tournament founder and host Jack Nicklaus. “To have the additional commitments of Tiger Woods and Justin Thomas gives the golf fans of Central Ohio that much more to look forward to tournament week. I have been so impressed with Tiger during his comeback, and as I said after last weekend, I think he is on the verge of winning for the first time in several years. He’s been very close, and having won five times at Muirfield Village, I wouldn’t be surprised if he contended to win his sixth. Justin Thomas, meanwhile, just ascended to No. 1 in the world, and he has been playing great golf for a while now. It is an honor well deserved, and I expect he will be among the contenders come Sunday.â€� To purchase badges for this year’s edition of the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide, the public may call the tournament ticket Office 9 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays at 877-MT BADGE (877-682-2343) or visit www.memorialbadges.com. Kids 18 and under can attend for free with a ticketed adult. Daily practice round tickets for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday are also available. The cost is $35 and they are valid for all three practice-round days.

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