Featured Groups: RBC Heritage

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – It would be fitting if a tip from former THE PLAYERS champion Tim Clark produced the newest member of the club to win at TPC Sawgrass. A year ago Clark approached Webb Simpson on the eve of THE PLAYERS Championship and offered his fellow former anchored putting buddy a tip. Simpson was in the putting wilderness after being forced to switch from his near life-long method of belly-putting thanks to the anchor ban. The former U.S. Open champion had ranked inside the top 53 players for Strokes Gained: Putting from his debut year in 2009 through the 2014 season with a high mark of 15th. But after switching he plummeted to 174th in 2015 and 177th in 2016. He was lost. “Tim asked me how I’ve been putting, and I told him, pretty inconsistent. He asked me had I ever tried the claw grip, and I said no. So I tried it. I liked it,â€� Simpson explained of the encounter a year ago. “So thanks to Tim, I started putting better last year.â€� The combination of a mid-length putter that rests against the forearm – ala Matt Kuchar – and the claw grip has been a game changer. He put it in to place and finished T16 last year. Last season Simpson’s strokes gained ranking improved to 88th. This season he entered this week ranked 10th. This week he’s first – gaining an incredible 9.079 shots on the field so far through two rounds. Round one was the 10th best of his career in the stat. Round two the fifth best. “It turned his whole season around and turned his career around, getting it to where we thought it was going to be. The putter isn’t a problem anymore,â€� long-time caddie and friend Paul Tesori says of the change a year ago. “For us, it’s nothing short of miraculous. We got to a two and a half year stretch where we didn’t know if we ever would see it again. “We’ve had some battles. It’s been stressful.â€� On Friday, Simpson officially made 142-feet, eight inches worth of putts. But this didn’t include an 18-footer he made from the fringe on the 12th hole and a 28-footer he drained from behind the 15th green. “Obviously I’ve been with guys who have shot some incredible rounds, but it was just amazing how many putts he made,â€� playing partner Jhonattan Vegas said. “He hit the ball really well, but he was just making it from everywhere. I was rooting for him to break the course record; he definitely had it. “The putt that shocked me was the putt he made on 15, which would have gone way far by but went in. Right there we knew he had something special at that point, so we were just rooting. We were fans at that point.â€� Adam Scott, another of the players forced to change once the anchor ban came in, tipped his hat to Simpson’s transformation. Scott himself has spent the last few seasons changing between a short and long putter, still searching for something he can reliably trust. “There is some psychological stuff involved,â€� Scott said. “In the two or three years between the making of the decision and the rule coming into effect we were being called cheats and all sorts out there. “Then the not knowing what’s going to happen… how you’ll go. Learning a new technique and feels. Lots of things played into it. “The guy spent thousands of hours in his life working on a particular method and he’s sent back to square one. So all credit to him.â€� As much as anything Simpson himself is happy just to have belief in himself again. In the dark times it was hard not to wonder if he’d ever find a way. “Confidence is so big, and it can change the way you think… Even more so maybe with putting,â€� Simpson said. “Putting there’s read, there’s grain, there’s speed… there’s the stroke, the aimer, and then there’s you. “I had tournaments where I putted well, but I never had stretches of three months, six months, eight months where consistently I was a lot better. “Once that kind of four, five, six months of good putting hit, I started to believe again that I’m a good putter. It had been a long time since I had really felt that and believed it.â€� We believe it to now.

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – PGA TOUR professional and First Tee alumnus Austin Smotherman has been named an official ambassador of First Tee. A Loomis, California native, Smotherman participated in the Greater Sacramento chapter from age 7-18 and developed his golf game and character during his time in the program. As an ambassador, Smotherman will showcase his involvement with the youth development organization and the impact it has on his life to help inspire the next generation. Smotherman is debuting the First Tee logo on his bag this week during the Barracuda Championship in support of the program and its mission to empower kids and teens to build their strength of character through golf. As an ambassador, he will also give his time to meet with participants, donors, and chapter leadership to inspire more support of its mission and participation of the program. “I’m honored to take on this role as First Tee Ambassador,” said Smotherman. “Looking back at my time as a participant, I really value the balance of developing my character while I was also developing my golf swing. Those experiences and the skills I acquired helped shape who I am as a person and now as a professional athlete. They still guide me today as I navigate the ups and downs of this game that I love.” “On behalf of the PGA TOUR, congratulations to Austin Smotherman on today’s announcement regarding his new role as official ambassador of First Tee,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan. “Competing on the PGA TOUR requires hard work and perseverance and his story and the character strengths he developed during his time in First Tee will help inspire many kids and teens as they explore the many opportunities golf can provide. Austin paying it forward is another example of what makes the PGA TOUR – and our members – so special.” During his time in First Tee, Smotherman progressed through the program, transitioning from a participant to a junior coach and mentor to the younger kids. In 2009 and 2010 he played in the PURE Insurance Championship Impacting First Tee and in 2011 he earned First Tee – Greater Sacramento’s Core Value Award. In 2016, he graduated from Southern Methodist University where he played on the men’s golf team. After competing for two seasons on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica (2017 –2018) he transitioned to the Korn Ferry Tour (2019-2021) until he earned his PGA TOUR card in August 2021. Smotherman is the third First Tee alum, following Scott Langley (retired) and Cameron Champ, to achieve this milestone. “We are proud to welcome Austin as our First Tee ambassador,” said Greg McLaughlin, First Tee CEO. “This is a special moment as we celebrate our 25th anniversary and the lasting impact we are having on youth and alumni across the country as they pursue their careers and passions, both on and off the golf course. His commitment to giving back and dedication to living out his values is an inspiration and will impact many lives.” Launching in 1997, First Tee is celebrating 25 years of enabling kids to build the strength of character that empowers them through a lifetime of new challenges. By seamlessly integrating the game of golf with a life skills curriculum, First Tee creates active learning experiences that build inner strength, self-confidence and resilience that kids can carry to everything they do. These character education programs are offered at golf courses, schools and youth centers in all 50 states and at six international locations.

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Putting a bow on the West Coast Swing, the TOUR makes its way to Scottsdale, Arizona, for this week’s WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale’s Stadium Course. The course will play to par-71, measuring 7,261 yards and contested on Bermuda greens. Currently, the field is 15% less than what we’ve seen in recent weeks. Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $800K Pitch + Putt [$200K to 1st] STRATEGY Strokes Gained: Approach-the-Green is still the priority, but Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee measures almost the same as approach in average strokes gained per round by former winners. On paper, the course doesn’t lean toward golfers who hit it far, especially not as much as Torrey Pines a couple of weeks ago, but this could be a contrarian strategy for lineup construction this week. Distance hitters like Tony Finau (+3500, $8,900), Gary Woodland (+10000, $7,300), and Bubba Watson (+4000, $9,000) routinely play well here, with the latter two winning this tournament. Bubba’s admitted to hitting drivers a lot here in the past, with the rough not being penal. Like Bubba, longer hitters have the advantage of hitting shorter irons into these fast greens. The course sits over 1,500 feet above sea level, which could be another reason we see the average driving distance 12 yards higher (293 yards) than the TOUR average. Also, consider golfers trending well in Par 4 efficiency between 450 and 500 yards and Par 5 efficiency this week. All the par 5s are reachable in two and need to be taken advantage of this week, with three of the last four winners ranking inside the top 11 in Par 5 efficiency in the years they won. Conversely, and maybe just as important, is driving accuracy with 70 bunkers and three water hazards. Golfers like Abraham Ancer (+5500, $7,900), who ranks top 10 in fairways gained over the previous 24 rounds, could fare well with accuracy this week like 2020 champion Webb Simpson (+3500, $8,600), who ranked third in fairways gained en route to his victory. The WM Phoenix Open has proven challenging to win as a 54-hole leader — only two out of the past 12 golfers have held on to win when leading after Round 3 — and six of the previous nine winners have come from two or more strokes back to earn the victory. Brooks Koepka (+3000, $9,400) was five shots behind Jordan Spieth (+1600, $9,900) and Xander Schauffele (+2000, $9,700) heading into the final round last year. GOLFERS TO CONSIDER Justin Thomas (+1000 to Win, $11,000 on DraftKings) Those looking to chase the elite should consider Thomas, who’s finished 13-3-3 in his previous three starts in Phoenix. His ball-striking is elite, ranking 21st in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee and third in Strokes Gained: Approach-the-Green over the past 24 rounds. It’s all about putting with Thomas, and two of his top-20 putting performances on TOUR have been at TPC Scottsdale. It’s been 16 weeks since Thomas’ last win on TOUR, his longest drought since 2018. That streak could come to an end this week. Scottie Scheffler (+2200 to Win, $9,100 on DraftKings) Successful finishes preceding the WM Phoenix Open haven’t been a prerequisite, but it never hurts. Looking deeper into his stats, Scheffler ranks top five in Par-5 efficiency and Greens in Regulation Gained over the previous 24 rounds and was top three in Strokes Gained: Approach-the-Green at Torrey Pines. A top-25 finish at The American Express and a top-20 finish at the Farmers Insurance Open is a good start for Scheffler, but he’s looking for his first win and it could easily be this week. Aaron Wise (+6500 to Win, $7,100 on DraftKings) Just missing the cut during his season debut at the Farmers Insurance, Wise comes into Phoenix well suited for a solid finish. Recently, few have been better than him on desert locales, finishing eighth at the 2021 Shriner’s Childrens Open (TPC Summerlin) and fifth at the CJ Cup (Summit Club). His putting looks good, gaining strokes on the greens in five-straight measured events heading into this week. Wise also looks solid on the par 5s, ranking 11th in Par-5 efficiency and fifth in eagles gained over his past 24 rounds. He also had one of the best Fall swings of anyone not named Talor Gooch (+5000, $7,800), finishing no worse than 26th in five starts across October and November last year. Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $800K Pitch + Putt [$200K to 1st] Put your knowledge to the test. Sign up for DraftKings and experience the game inside the game. 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