Fantasy golf advice: One & Done, AT&T Byron Nelson

ST. LOUIS – Tiger Woods knows Father Time is undefeated and as such his focus leading into the PGA Championship has been on recovery. The 42-year-old 79-time PGA TOUR winner has a hectic schedule going forward, this being the second tournament of likely five he will play in a six-week span. Mindful of the stress on his surgically fused back and just his all-around energy levels, Woods has taken a less-is-more approach. So despite having not seen Bellerive Country Club short of half a practice round in 2001, Woods took Monday off to recover from his performance at the World Golf Championships–Bridgestone Invitational. And with thunderstorms pulling players off the course in St. Louis on Tuesday, he was once again limited in practice, playing just five holes. “I needed that day off. Yesterday I spent a few times in the ice bath just trying to get some inflammation down and just trying to get ready for the rest of the week,â€� the 1999, 2000, 2006 and 2007 PGA Championship winner admitted. “And a lot of stretching. Did a leg lift yesterday as well and was ready to go for today.â€� Woods wouldn’t go into details about where the inflammation was other than to say “everywhereâ€� and said he went into the ice three times. Athletes regularly use ice baths with the belief it speeds up recovery and reduces muscle soreness. With temperatures soaring in Akron last week and the same high heat expected again here in St. Louis, freshness is key for the veteran. “There’s going to be certain days that I’m just not going to have the speed and the flexibility and the movement that I once did,â€� Woods continued. “I’m 42 now, and I’ve had four back surgeries. So things are going to be different from day-to-day, and it’s just about managing it. “I didn’t really have any of those issues early in my career because I didn’t have a fixed point in my back. My knee used to hurt a lot, but I could play around that. Playing around my spine’s a little bit different.â€� Woods says this season – which has netted four top-10s including a T6 at the recent Open Championship – has been a learning curve as far as his physical limitations go. As he figures those out, he adjusts accordingly. In the past he would use weather delays like those on Tuesday to lift more in the gym or go for long distance runs. Not so now. And while Wednesday will be hectic as players try to cram in last-minute practice time, Woods will be mindful of his energy levels. “I’ll try and get as many holes as I possibly can but also make sure that I’m ready for an a.m. start on Thursday,â€� he said Woods starts his campaign at 8:23 a.m. CDT Thursday with Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas off the 10th tee.

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In the final round of the 2017 RBC Canadian Open, Jhonattan Vegas shoots 65 and birdies the par-5 18th hole in a sudden-death playoff to dispatch Charley Hoffman. Welcome to the Monday Finish, where Venezuelan-turned-Texan Vegas became the fourth man to successfully defend a title on the PGA TOUR this season, notching his third win overall. FIVE OBSERVATIONS 1 Vegas had missed five straight cuts coming to Glen Abbey. His victory recalls, most recently, Billy Horschel at the AT&T Byron Nelson, where the former FedExCup champion was trying to break a streak of four straight MCs and — seemingly out of nowhere — won the tournament. “Just being the defending champion was something really positive,â€� Vegas said. “Having the fans really support me through the whole week, seeing the enthusiasm when I got here, everyone was like: ‘You know what, you’re going to repeat again and you’re going to win for us.’ The positive energy really helped me to play good golf.â€� What happened in Canada only reinforces the truism that any player can win in any given week. Vegas moves from 87th to 28th in the FedExCup standings, and is looking to improve on his career-best 29th-place finish last year, when he was T24 at the TOUR Championship.    2 Just three South American countries have been represented in The Presidents Cup: Argentina (Angel Cabrera, four times), Colombia (Camilo Villegas, once) and Paraguay (Carlos Franco, twice). With the win at Glen Abbey, Venezuela’s Vegas moved from 17th to ninth on the International team’s points list. He said he would relish the opportunity to take on the powerhouse U.S. squad at this year’s Presidents Cup at Liberty National Sept. 26-Oct. 1. How would he do in match play? If form holds, pretty well. Vegas is 2-0 in sudden-death playoffs on TOUR, and he went 2-1-0 at the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play earlier this season. Vegas notched 3-and-1 victories over Thomas Pieters and Scott Piercy but lost 1 up to Bubba Watson, who won the group to advance to the round of 16.  3 Sam Saunders was briefly the feel-good story of the week as he went for his first TOUR win at the same tournament where his late grandfather Arnold Palmer got his, way back in 1955. Things were looking good as Saunders went out in 3-under 32 Sunday, but he made five bogeys on the back nine, including two on his last two holes, to shoot 72 and finish 19th. Had he succumbed to nerves? Saunders, who turned 30 on Sunday, admitted he probably had. “I’ve been at this for long enough now,â€� he said. “I’ve got a lot of scar tissue, you know. And that’s okay. Most guys struggle before they break through. I’m not doing that bad. My third full year on the PGA TOUR, it could be a lot worse. “There are so many great players out there that never even make it to this level. So, I’m glad that I’m here, and it will feel that much sweeter when eventually I do get that first win.â€� Steve Flesch at the 2004 DEAN & DELUCA Invitational is the last man to win on his birthday. 4 Starting the week at 71st in the Official World Golf Ranking, Ian Poulter would’ve needed a win in Canada to make it to this week’s WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. Although he didn’t quite get there, he shot a final-round 64 to finish solo third at Glen Abbey, continuing a career revival that began with his runner-up finish at THE PLAYERS Championship earlier this season. Poulter led the field in strokes gained: putting at the RBC on Sunday, making more than 128 feet of putts. And a week after he finished T14 at The Open Championship, his third-place finish vaulted him from 77nd to 43rd in the FedExCup race. Oh, he’s also up to 62nd in the OWGR. All in all, he’s not doing too bad for a guy who was just hoping to hang onto his TOUR card this year. “It’s amazing how things change,â€� he said. The one flaw in his final round, he said, was his failure to birdie two of the three back-nine par 5s. He finished a shot out of the playoff. 5 Third-round leader Charley Hoffman could manage only a 4-under 68 Sunday and remained winless this season. After making a birdie at the par-5 18th to force extra holes, Hoffman got out of position in the sudden death on the same hole, losing when he failed to match Vegas’ birdie. “Didn’t make that many putts of any significance at all on the back nine, unfortunately,â€� Hoffman said. Sunday marked the 17th time that Hoffman has had the lead or co-lead after any round on TOUR (six first-round, seven second-round and four third-round leads/co-leads). A four-time winner, he has nevertheless failed to convert any of those leads to victory. The silver lining: He moved from 24th to 12th in the FedExCup, and from 16th to 10th in Presidents Cup points. FIVE INSIGHTS 1 Vegas putted better than most, finishing 14th in strokes gained: putting (.837) for the week. But he was red-hot when it mattered most Sunday, rolling in better than 142 feet of putts, his best performance on the greens all season and the fourth best day of his career. Vegas had averaged just 66 feet of made putts for his first three rounds at Glen Abbey. 2 Gary Woodland (solo fourth, 19 under) tied Vegas with 27 birdies for the week, tops in the field. The two figured prominently in Vegas’ first win as well, at the 2011 CareerBuilder Challenge, where Vegas beat Woodland and Bill Haas in a sudden-death playoff. 3 Dustin Johnson, No. 2 in the FedExCup and No. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking, said he was encouraged with his game after finishing T8 at the RBC, as well he should be. Johnson led the field in greens in regulation (57/72) as he heads to this week’s WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, where he is the defending champion. 4 Keegan Bradley, who fired a final-round 65 to finish T14, led the field with a gaudy 6.508 in strokes gained: off the tee on Sunday, and leads the TOUR in total driving this season. 5 Sean O’Hair, who also shot a final-round 65 and finished T10, birdied all four par-3s Sunday. It was the first time in his career that he has birdied all four par-3s in a single round. TOP 3 VIDEOS 1. We wonder how many people have attempted this shot since 2000? 2. Half man. Half amazing. Nothing but cup. 3. These guys are good.

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Round 2 of the Valero Texas Open takes place Friday. Here’s everything you need to know to follow the action. Live leaderboard Full tee times HOW TO FOLLOW Television: Thursday-Friday, 4-7 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday, 1-3:30 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3:30-6 p.m. (NBC). Sunday, 1-2:30 p.m. (Golf Channel), 2:30-6 p.m. (NBC). PGA TOUR LIVE: Thursday-Friday, 8:15 a.m.- 7 p.m. (Featured Groups). Saturday, 8:15 a.m.-3:30 p.m. (Featured Groups), 3:30 p.m.-6 p.m. (Featured Holes). Sunday, 8:15 a.m.-2:30 p.m. (Featured Groups), 2:30 p.m.-6 p.m. (Featured Holes). Radio: Thursday-Friday, 1-7 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, 1-6 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com/liveaudio). TOURCast: Get shot-by-shot info in real time with shot tracks and video with TOURCast. TOUR Pulse: Get the PGA TOUR app to utilize TOUR Pulse, which provides users the ability to experience a mix of content, such as video highlights, written hole summaries and stat graphics on every player after every hole they complete. FEATURED GROUPS Gary Woodland, Rickie Fowler, Scottie Scheffler Jordan Spieth, Ryan Palmer, Corey Conners Tony Finau, Cameron Champ, Joel Dahmen Phil Mickelson, Matt Kuchar, Hideki Matsuyama For more, read the Featured Groups roundtable. MUST READS Camilo Villegas leads by two at Valero Texas Open Jordan Spieth starts strong at TPC San Antonio Cut prediction: Valero Texas Open How the Valero Texas Open changed Corey Conners’ career CALL OF THE DAY

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