14-year-old makes cut in European Tour debut with 15-foot par on final hole

Putting a bow on the West Coast swing, the PGA TOUR makes its way to Scottsdale, Arizona, for the Waste Management Phoenix Open (WMPO) at TPC Scottsdale on the Stadium Course. The tournament will play as a par 71, measuring 7,261 yards and will be putt on Bermuda greens this week. Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $750K Flop Shot [$200K to 1st] STRATEGY Always well attended in previous years, the WMPO will go from averaging 210,000 fans, depending on the day, to a maximum of 5,000 fans a day due to COVID-19 protocols. On paper, the course profile doesn't lean toward golfers who hit it far, especially not as much as last week at Torrey Pines, but this could be a potential contrarian strategy for lineup construction this week. 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. Distance hitters like Tony Finau, Gary Woodland (+7500, $8,300) and Bubba Watson (+5500, $8,500) routinely play well here, with the latter two winning this tournament. Bubba's admitted to hitting driver a lot at this course 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. Driving distance is not the end-all, be-all here by any stretch, but it's a way to differentiate your lineups from others. Conversely, and just as important, is driving accuracy with 70 bunkers and three water hazards that come into play on six holes. Golfers like Chez Reavie (+17500, $7,000), who ranks fourth in fairways gained over the previous 50 rounds, and 2020 champion Webb Simpson (+1500, $10,100), who ranks 15th in off-the-tee accuracy over the same timeframe, have done well with their ability to keep it in the short grass. Currently set at 132 golfers, the field is 15% less than what we've seen over the past two weeks, which could help us get our golfers through the cut line. Getting your guys to play the weekend is vital at most tournaments, but especially this week. Only two out of the past 11 golfers have held on to win when leading after 54 holes, and five of the previous eight have come from two or more back to win this tournament. Another potential strategy is rostering golfers in the afternoon tee draws when building lineups for the classic four-day or single-round Showdown contest. Golfers like Martin Laird (+17500, $7,000) have mentioned the course can play longer in the morning and shorter in the afternoon after the humidity burns off. GOLFERS TO CONSIDER Jon Rahm (+625 to Win, $11,200 on DraftKings) This stretch of golf is Rahm season, even though he didn't win last week. With his third straight seventh-place finish this season, Rahm is coming home, literally. Being in contention last week with the new Callaway clubs, especially the new putter, should only help Rahm, who ranks fifth in Strokes Gained: Total at the WMPO since 2016. Surprisingly, Rahm has yet to win here. Not surprisingly, he is gaining an average of 5.82 strokes tee-to-green at TPC Scottdale over his five appearances. Daniel Berger (+1700, $9,600) should also be a consideration this week. Berger's game should work well here, ranking 26th in Strokes Gained: Approach-the-Green over the previous 12 rounds and 11th in Strokes Gained: Total here over the past five years. Coming off of back-to-back top 10s, Berger should feel great about where his game is at right now. Will Zalatoris (+5000 to Win, $9,000 on DraftKings) Zalatoris found himself in the mix last week, but the greens at Torrey Pines got the better of him on Sunday, losing 1.3 strokes putting. Despite his flastick foibles, Zalatoris gained 3.53 strokes tee-to-green over the weekend, finishing seventh in his first tournament of the calendar year. Three top 10s at Winged Foot, TPC Summerlin (a top 5 at the Shriners) and Torrey Pines prove he can play on all types of courses. Russell Henley (+7500 to Win, $8,200 on DraftKings) Henley deserves some consideration this week when it's a ball-striking course with Bermuda greens. Even though he missed the cut here last season and in 2018, he proved he can play well, finishing top 15 in 2019 and 16th in 2017. With two missed cuts in the past four years and a missed weekend in San Diego last week, this could be a spot we get a low-rostered Henley who ranks inside the top 40 in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee, third in Tee-to-Green and first in Strokes Gained: Approach-the-Green. Another player in this range who deserves attention is Sebastian Munoz (+17500, $7,100). Munoz's ability to make birdies in bunches is as good as anybody's on TOUR and presents value in this range, ranking 23rd in birdies or better gained over the previous 50 rounds. A top 30 at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open and a top 10 at the CJ Cup, another desert course, should be enough to give him a look this week. Harold Varner III (+17500 to Win, $6,700 on DraftKings) Varner finished last season ranked inside the top 20 in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee and was hitting it great toward the end of last year, ranking fifth in Tee-to-Green over the previous 24 rounds. Varner also has a solid track record at correlated tournaments like the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, finishing 13th at TPC Summerlin last season. The short game wasn't great last week, but Varner was still able to gain with his Approach and Off-the-Tee. TPC Scottsdale should fit his game a little more than Torrey Pines; over his previous three WMPO outings, he's gained an average of 3.6 strokes Tee-to-Green. Varner needs to equalize his putting in Scottsdale, or we may see similar results from his 2020 effort when he missed the cut. Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $750K Flop Shot [$200K to 1st] Put your knowledge to the test. Sign up for DraftKings and experience the game inside the game. For sports betting, head over to DraftKings Sportsbook or download the DraftKings Sportsbook app. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL). Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ/WV/PA/MI), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (NH/CO), 1-800-BETS OFF(IA), 1-888-532-3500 (VA) or call/text TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN). 21+ (18+ NH). CO/IL/IN/IA/NH/NJ/PA/TN/VA/WV/MI only. Eligibility restrictions apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for full terms and conditions. I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is reidtfowler) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.

Click here to read the full article…

That’s right! PGA TOUR Pick ‘Em Live is, uh, live for the Presidents Cup. Strap in for an experience unlike all others. As alluded to by our guys in their weeklong picks below, dispose of the conventional wisdom you’ve used if you’ve played before. We’ll pick up on that strategy again next week. The general advice regarding weeklong odds is that it’ll be unlikely for any bet to grow longer and still result in coins. If it does, it’s most likely to occur in the “To Win” bet. That said, there isn’t any doubt about who’s favored, so neither Rob nor Glass has selected the U.S. They’ve explained why below. Odds also will not fluctuate as wildly as they do during stroke-play competition. Because aggregate points totals will determine who yields coinage in the Top USA Points Scorer and Top International Points Scorer bets, it’s possible that at least one guy will be shut out from paying off halfway into Saturday’s pair of sessions. So, if he’s still on the board as an option, ignore him. Just a note that R1 bets were not released in time to make Pick ‘Em Preview. 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 … Draw (+2000) Before knowing which bets will be presented for every round, the nature of the competition suggests that overall scoring will be low and/or condensed. So, with still just the five real-money payouts, there’s no reason not to go heavy on this bet to open. That the Internationals are 7-to-1 dogs to win is actually respectful because expect that to balloon in this mismatch. The opening line for the USA at (-714) would yield only 14 coins, so I’ll trust that I can make that up at some point during the competition. Glass … Internationals (+700) I don’t think anyone is confused WHY the USA is a massive favorite. The OWGR rank. The host course. The most experience. Right, got it. Putting up seven to win one is a bit lopsided and unnecessary on a game that isn’t played on paper. Pressure is real and taking care of business in front of a home crowd for six newbies won’t be as easy as some believe. The Internationals have EIGHT fresh faces and probably are tired of hearing how bad they will get killed this week. Frees the mind and the body, no? I wouldn’t touch the favorites or the draw, but since we’re here, I’ll risk a little to win a lot instead of getting stuck on the wrong end of a major upset. TOP USA POINTS SCORER Glass … Tony Finau (+900) I would think that he would be happy hanging in the shadows and not having to answer why he hasn’t won recently. The flourish of fun continues after his two wins, and who wouldn’t want a big hitter in this massive ballpark? Opponents will get tired of the bomb-and-gouge, and if he makes anything, look out. Sits in the top 15 of all Strokes Gained ball-striking categories and has no problem making birdies (11th on TOUR). By playing in either the fourth or fifth pairing, he’ll avoid the heaviest International hitters and should feast. Rob … Jordan Spieth (+1000) Not unlike an outright bet, this will help separate gamers because of ownership dispersion before the opening session. However, only three golfers are longer than +1000 to open, so you might as well reach. Not that my Man of the Match is that at all. I’ve been looking forward to watching how Spieth’s added length off the tee will play at Quail Hollow. While I’m holding my breath that he’ll get at least one chance in Four-ball, he’s 5-0-0 in Foursomes in the Presidents Cup, so that alone is worth the plunge. TOP INTERNATIONAL POINTS SCORER Rob … Sungjae Im (+600) There’s always at least one surprise on both teams, but 2½ points might reward you for the visitors. While I leaned on Spieth’s quality of potential quantity for the U.S. – maybe he sits out one Four-ball – I’m riding the South Korean who is all but guaranteed to play in all five sessions. To my delight, he opens as the third-longest on the board, albeit only +50 longer than Adam Scott and Hideki Matsuyama for whom the house is careful due to projected handle on those two pillars of the competition. A guy like Cam Davis at +1100 is intriguing, but by opening with Im, it gives me (probably) at least one session to determine if I want to pivot from Im to the Aussie, who might still be longer than +600 at the time. Glass … Christiaan Bezuidenhout (+1100) If I’m on the upset, I’ll need some help from the rank-and-file after Scott and Matsuyama. I’ll ride the cut-making machine from South Africa who holes just about every putt he sees. He won’t be bothered by another new course as he’s playing a new layout every week in his first months on the PGA TOUR. Holing putts to save pars and racking up birdies is fantastic for morale and momentum. A captain’s pick, he’ll be excited to pay off his fellow countryman for having the faith to stick him in. 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.

Click here to read the full article…

LOS ANGELES — Rory McIlroy had a 3-under 68 on Saturday at Riviera and shared the 54-hole lead with Matt Kuchar and Adam Scott going into the final round at The Genesis Invitational. Riviera is a thorough test, and the greens are difficult enough that no one could run away with it. Tiger Woods managed to run the other direction with a 76 that left him 15 shots behind. Kuchar had a two-shot lead at the start of the gorgeous day and kept there with three birdies and no bogeys through 12 holes. But he started to miss short putts, made three bogeys in a four-hole stretch and had to rally with a birdie on the 17th to regain a share of the lead with a 70. Scott holed a 10-foot birdie putt on the 18th for a 67 that gives him a great chance to start his new year off with a win. Scott last played about two months ago when he won the Australian PGA Championship. He has a trophy from Riviera in 2005, even if the PGA TOUR doesn’t count it as an official win because it was shortened to 36 holes by rain. They were at at 10-under-par 203, and the final round figured to be wide open. Sixteen players were separated by four shots. Harold Varner III birdied his last two holes for a 69 and was one shot behind, along with Russell Henley (68). Dustin Johnson, who won at Riviera three years ago, had only two pars over his final 12 holes. That stretch also featured five birdies and an eagle for a 67. He was two shots behind, along with Joel Dahmen (66). Still in the mix was Hideki Matsuyama, who bogeyed his last hole Friday and was the last player to make the cut. Matsuyama played in the final group off the back nine, away from all the attention, and posted a 64. He was four shots behind and very much in the picture. Woods will have to wait another year to win at Riviera, another week to seek his record 83rd victory on the PGA TOUR. In a spot where he couldn’t afford to drop shots, he made more mistakes than he had all week, especially on the greens. He four-putted from 18 feet on No. 13, his second four-putt in as many tournaments this year and the first times since 1998 that Woods had multiple tournaments with a four-putt. He three-putted the 17th for par. He finished with a three-putt bogey from about 12 feet on the 18th. It added up to a 76, leaving him at the bottom of the pack. It was his highest score since he opened with an 81 at Royal Portrush in The Open Championship last summer, and the first time since the PGA Championship in May that Woods had consecutive rounds over par. “I hit the ball quite a few times, especially on the greens, and it was a long day,” Woods said. “I didn’t have a feel for it, I didn’t see my lines, I couldn’t feel my pace and I was just off. … Obviously, there wasn’t a whole lot I did right today, and figure it out tomorrow.” Woods said he wasn’t ready for the WGC-Mexico Championship next week and was not sure when he would play next. The idea is to peak for the Masters, still about two months away. Woods wasn’t alone in his struggles. Sung Kang missed a 2-foot putt during a stretch of three straight bogeys. Ryan Palmer took six shots to get out of a greenside bunker on No. 14 and made 9.

Click here to read the full article…