Inside the Field: The Honda Classic

KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. — Phil Mickelson has delivered so many thrills and spills over 30 years of pure theater that no one ever knows what he will do next. RELATED: Ben Cook wins low club professional at PGA Championship | Final leaderboard His latest act was a real stunner: A major champion at age 50. Mickelson captured his sixth major and by far the most surprising Sunday at the PGA Championship. He made two early birdies with that magical wedge game and let a cast of contenders fall too far behind to catch him in the shifting wind of Kiawah Island. He closed with a 1-over 73, building a five-shot lead on the back nine and not making any critical mistakes that kept him from his place in history. Julius Boros for 53 years held the distinction of golf’s oldest major champion. He was 48 when he won the 1968 PGA Championship in San Antonio. Pure chaos broke out along the 18th hole after Mickelson hit 9-iron safely to just outside 15 feet that all but secured a most improbable victory. Thousands of fans engulfed him down the fairway — a scene typically seen only at the Open Championship — until Mickelson emerged into view with a thumbs-up. Chants of “Lefty! Lefty! Lefty!” chased him onto the green and into the scoring tent, his final duty of a week he won’t soon forget. Three months after 43-year-old Tom Brady won a seventh Super Bowl, Mickelson added to this year of ageless wonders. Mickelson became the first player in PGA TOUR history to win tournaments 30 years apart. The first of his 45 titles was in 1991 when he was still a junior at Arizona State. Mickelson became the 10th player to win majors in three decades, an elite list that starts with Harry Vardon and was most recently achieved by Tiger Woods. “He’s been on TOUR as long as I’ve been alive,” Jon Rahm said. “For him to keep that willingness to play and compete and practice, it’s truly admirable.” Brooks Koepka and Louis Oosthuizen had their chances, but only briefly. Koepka was 4 over on the par 5s when the game was still on and closed with a 74. Oosthuizen hit into the water as he was trying to make a final run and shot 73. Mickelson finished at 6-under 282. The victory came one week after Mickelson accepted a special exemption into the U.S. Open because at No. 115 in the world and winless the last two years, he no longer was exempt from qualifying. He had not finished in the top 20 in his last 17 tournaments over nearly nine months. He worried that he was no longer able to keep his focus over 18 holes. The PGA Championship had the largest and loudest crowd since the return from the COVID-19 pandemic — the PGA of America said it limited tickets to 10,000 — and it was clear what they wanted to see. The opening hour made it seem as though the final day could belong to anyone. The wind finished its switch to the opposite direction from the opening rounds, and while there was low scoring early, Mickelson and Koepka traded brilliance and blunder. Koepka flew the green with a wedge on the par-5 second hole, could only chip it about 6 feet to get out of an impossible lie and made double bogey, a three-shot swing when Mickelson hit a deft pitch from thick grass behind the green. Mickelson holed a sand shot from short of the green on the par-5 third, only for Koepka to tie for the lead with a two-shot swing on the sixth hole when he made birdie and Lefty missed the green well to the right. Kevin Streelman briefly had a share of the lead. Louis Oosthuizen was lurking, even though it took him seven holes to make a birdie. And then the potential for any drama was sucked out to sea. Oosthuizen, coming off a birdie to get within three, had to lay up out of the thick grass on the 13th and then sent his third shot right of the flag and into the water, making double bogey. Just like that, Mickelson was up by five and headed toward the inward holes, the wind at his back on the way home with what seemed like the entire state of South Carolina at his side.

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As I explained in the Fantasy Insider on Tuesday, even if you’ve exhausted one start per each of six golfers during every event of Segment 4, you cannot burn through so many starts as to be left without a full lineup for the TOUR Championship. However, who you save and for when still matters. With THE NORTHERN TRUST leading off the FedExCup Playoffs, the focus drifts outside the top 10 to see who your opposition might be reserving for later. Rickie Fowler (11th), defending champion Patrick Reed (14th) and Jason Day (12th) jump off the screen, although with two majors and a World Golf Championship previously in the Segment, it’s possible that gamers are already out of starts on one or more of those guys. Stay tuned. It’s interesting that Hideki Matsuyama paces the field of 120 with less than 50 percent. While that’s a low leader as compared to most weeks, it could become the norm as gamers scramble to fill rosters the rest of the way. PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO NOTE: Rob’s Rating refers to where our Fantasy Insider slotted a golfer in his Power Rankings (“PR”) and other preview material. Golfers in the Power Rankings and outside the top 10 in most owned: Other notables: PGA TOUR Fantasy One & Done presented by SERVPRO Well, here we go. With the potential of 8,000 FedExCup points to be collected, this game takes on an entirely different feel during the FedExCup Playoffs. As a result, and assuming all gamers are aware of how performance is measured for the remainder of the season, we’re going to get a terrific sense of who’s left on the board and who’s already been burned. On cue, we’re treated to the sensible timing of sending Jason Day out as the majority pick for THE NORTHERN TRUST. Of all of the faces of the sport, he’s at the top of the list of guys who misfired more often than not during the PGA TOUR Season, so it stands to reason that he’s the most available right now. If you visit this space again during the last three tournaments, get used to seeing Rickie Fowler, Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy outside the top 10. Of the trio, only Spieth presents as a possibility to sneak back inside if not threaten for the top spot at the TOUR Championship. There’s so much to learn about how other gamers plan for the Playoffs. And so much to gain. Other notables:

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Take the week off, gang. PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO does not include the Zurich Classic of New Orleans because of the team format. We’ll crank the game back on for next week’s Well Fargo Championship. The condensed version of this weekly column includes the staples that are most relevant. However, Wednesday’s One & Done preview will be as usual because that game never rests. You’ll want to be sure to check it out for advice on strategy, Experts’ picks and Future Possibilities for those in the field at TPC Louisiana. Power Rankings Wild Card Billy Horschel & Scott Piercy … Along with the teams of Jon Rahm/Wesley Bryan and Jason Day/Ryan Ruffels, Horschel and Piercy can be categorized as snubs in the Power Rankings and others considered (listed on that same page). The American duo presents a proper blend of course experience and success – it’s been five years now since Horschel broke through for victory with an emotional release for the ages at TPC Louisiana – with form upon arrival. Quite simply, it’s an insult to label them as a Wild Card. Returning to Competition Brooks Koepka … There are multiple layers of good news here. First, and obviously, it’s great to know that he’s ready to compete again. The 2017 U.S. Open champ has been recovering from a partially torn tendon in his left wrist since early January. When that body part is the reason for time off, gamers are prepared to spring even the most valuable of assets because the sabbatical can last months. That he’s back in play without surgery this week quickly is a coup for full-season owners who have been wringing their hands for an update. Because the Zurich Classic of New Orleans isn’t included in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO, we also get a free look at him. This is not unlike how Tiger Woods gave us a peek at the Hero World Challenge in December. So, a good score is a bonus this week, but the goal is the absence of an aggravation to Koepka’s injury. He’s teamed with Marc Turnesa, a fellow resident of Jupiter, Florida. Chris Stroud … Withdrew after an opening 79 at the Valero Texas Open. An explanation wasn’t released. He’s partnered again with 2016 Zurich champ Brian Stuard, and why not. They shared 11th place in this format last year. Power Rankings Recap – Valero Texas Open Power Ranking  Golfer  Result 1  Charley Hoffman  T64 2  Brendan Steele  T30 3  Billy Horschel  T11 4  Pat Perez  MC 5  Kevin Chappell  T30 6  Luke List  MC 7  Ryan Palmer  MC 8  Ryan Moore  7th 9  Chesson Hadley  T20 10  Matt Kuchar  T51 11  Sergio Garcia  MC 12  Si Woo Kim  T45 13  Beau Hossler  T51 14  Brandt Snedeker  15th 15  Abraham Ancer  T58 Wild Card  Jimmy Walker  4th Sleepers Recap – Valero Texas Open Power Ranking  Golfer  Result Chris Kirk  T8 Nate Lashley  MC Joaquin Niemann  6th Daniel Summerhays  T58 Shawn Stefani  MC Birthdays among active golfers on the PGA TOUR April 24 … Jason Bohn (45); Jonas Blixt (34) April 25 … Kyle Thompson (39); Nick Watney (37) April 26 … J.B. Holmes (36) April 27 … none April 28 … none April 29 … Justin Thomas (25) April 30 … none

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