Plenty of storylines ahead of 2019 U.S. Open

Rickie Fowler is off to a great start in pursuit of his first major title. The 28-year-old Fowler closed out a 7-under 65 with par on the tricky No. 9 at Erin Hills. He finished his first round with seven birdies and no bogeys with six of those coming in his first 11 holes. Fowler’s opening-round 65 tied the record for the lowest round shot in relation to par in U.S. Open history. While Rickie Fowler is making Erin Hills look like something other than a brutal U.S. Open course, Dustin Johnson made it look every bit as tough as advertised. Johnson spent lots of time in the knee-high fescue in his first round as the defending U.S. Open champion. Johnson hacked out of the tall grass on 14 en route to a double-bogey, then had to step into it twice on 17, but managed to save bogey there. Johnson finished his round at 3-over par. Brian Harman, Tommy Fleetwood and Brooks Koepka each carded a 5-under 67 and are two behind Fowler’s lead in a tie for second. Patrick Reed closed his round with a birdie at the last that moved him into fifth at 4-under par. The course is playing at 7,845 yards for the first day.

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PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – Justin Thomas hopes his winner’s check doesn’t take too big of a hit, but he just couldn’t help himself. Thomas used an expletive to emphasize his excitement after winning The Honda Classic on the first playoff hole. He admitted afterward that he’d hoped the cameras missed his celebratory remarks “Let’s go. (Expletive) yeah, baby,� he said after holing his 3-footer for the win. He just got caught up in the moment after a hard-fought victory on one of the PGA TOUR’s toughest tests. “Please don’t fine me very much, PGA TOUR,� he sheepishly pleaded in his post-tournament press conference. “That’s not something I wanted to get on TV. It just was an emotional win and I was happy to get it done.� Thomas continued his incredible play with his second win of the season. The reigning FedExCup champion now leads this season’s standings. He’s won seven of his past 31 PGA TOUR starts (23 percent). Increased consistency was his goal after last season’s five-win campaign. He seems to be on the right track, finishing no worse than T22 in seven starts this season. He believes he’s playing even better than in his FedExCup-winning campaign, which also included six missed cuts and nearly as many top-10s (12) as finishes outside the top 25 (11). “I feel very confident in pretty much every part of my game right now,� he said. It showed as Thomas parred PGA National’s penal finishing holes, then stiffed a wedge shot on the final hole of regulation to tie Luke List atop a tightly-packed leaderboard. On the first playoff hole, Thomas flew a 5-wood over water and two-putted for victory. His victory at last year’s PGA Championship also came on a tough track with a finishing stretch notorious enough to earn its own nickname, but the margins were much slimmer this time. At Quail Hollow, Thomas had some shots to work with after his chip-in at the 13th hole. The final-round leaderboard at The Honda Classic saw as many as four players share the lead on the back nine. “I just hit some really, really well-executed shots coming down the stretch. I haven’t done that on this difficult of holes before,� Thomas said. “One swing equals a double on those holes. It just was a big confidence booster, really.� It’s surprising Thomas would need one, considering his success over the past year, but each win is unique. He spoke on the eve of the final round about the satisfaction he’d get from winning on a course with such a penal reputation. The scoring average on the par-70 Champion Course at PGA National was more than two strokes over par. Thomas and List tied for the lead at 8-under 272; only 11 players broke par this week. Thomas’ five bogeys were second-fewest in the field (he also made one double-bogey). “When you get out of position, you have to get back in and try to salvage a par. That’s what I did so well,� he said. Three years ago, he estimates that he took nine penalty drops in 36 holes en route to a missed cut. He finished third here in 2016, but missed the cut again last year. He returned to PGA National to congratulate Rickie Fowler on his win, and Fowler returned the favor this year. “It’s definitely very satisfying when you can get the job done on a course that tests all parts of your game,� Fowler said as he watched Thomas accept the trophy. Thomas was bogey-free on the back-nine, making birdies on 13 and 18 and executing several clutch up-and-downs. He drove in the rough on the final hole before stuffing a 117-yard wedge shot to make birdie and match List.   “This was a hard win, it was,� Thomas said. “I was very calm and comfortable kind of those first 14 holes, and that’s the first time I’ve had to play the Bear Trap in that much pressure, and it was pretty nerve-wracking.� Mike Thomas was impressed with his son’s ability to go 72 holes without a penalty shot on a course lined by so many water hazards. “He’s ultra-aggressive, and he’s good enough to be aggressive,� Mike Thomas said. “I think he’s learned that he doesn’t have to attack every flag. … He just didn’t make any mistakes.� And so he walked away with yet another trophy.

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THE OVERVIEW OAKVILLE, Ontario — Although Glen Abbey Golf Club is hosting this week’s RBC Canadian Open for the 29th time — and for the fourth time in five years – PGA TOUR pros think the venerable Jack Nicklaus design will offer a different challenge this time. “It’s a completely different golf course this year,â€� Canada native Graham DeLaet said. “The rough is thick, it’s not super long, but around the greens there’s kind of dodgy lies here and there.â€� The Greater Toronto Area experienced a drought a year ago, causing Glen Abbey to burn out in some places. That forced the players to adjust for how far their balls were running out on the fairways. This year, the Oakville area has experienced near-record rainfall totals in 2017, forcing the players to make a 180-degree adjustment. A year ago, DeLaet had a 346-yard drive on the par-4 10th in the second round, leaving him less than 100 yards to the pin. He doesn’t anticipate getting that close this week. During practice on Tuesday, he hit driver and then a full wedge with his second shot. Although the course is playing differently this year, fellow Canadian Nick Taylor says it’s in the best shape he’s ever seen it. Jhonattan Vegas, who won here in 2016 on the heels of an 8-under 64 on Sunday, acknowledged that the course is a lot softer than last year but is excited to get going again. He said Glen Abbey is a course where he feels comfortable. He also said golfers will have to adapt to the course conditions this week. “You’re going to have to fly things right next to the hole,â€� Vegas said. “Especially some of these holes around here, where some of those pin positions are so protected from bunkers and water … you’re going to have to hit your irons really well to score. But obviously that opens up a lot of opportunities, as well. So I think you’re going to see low scores again.â€�  THREE PLAYERS TO PONDER THE FLYOVER Last week, Royal Birkdale had two par 5s in its last four holes. This week, Glen Abbey offers two par 5s among its last three holes, including the finishing hole. The 524-yard 18th played to a stroke average of 4.585, just a shade tougher than the 516-yard 16th. Here’s a closer look at the 18th. THE LANDING ZONE The 457-yard par-4 14th was the most difficult hole on the course last year, playing to a stroke average of 4.422. That made it the ninth toughest par 4 on the PGA TOUR last season. Players have to navigate Sixteen Mile Creek that runs alongside the dogleg-right fairway, as well as try to avoid the bunkers on the far side, making it an especially tight landing zone. Check out where all tee shots landed last year. WEATHER CHECK It’s been a very wet year in the Oakville area, part of the Greater Toronto Area. No surprise that rain is in the forecast for at least one day this week. TEMPS: In the high 60s/low 70s, so expect pleasant temperatures this week. Humidity will be highest in the opening round RAIN: Expected to rain on Thursday, but the other three days might be relatively dry. WINDS: Shouldn’t be much of a factor, with the middle two rounds creeping over 10 mph speeds. For the latest weather news from Oakville, Ontario, check out PGATOUR.COM’s Weather Hub. SOUND CHECK If I’m ever going to win one of these, it better be soon, because obviously the times that I’m going to play are running out. But there’s obviously a lot of other great Canadians coming up. ODDS AND ENDS 1. CANADIAN HOPEFULS. There are 17 Canadians in the field this week – Adam Hadwin, Nick Taylor, Graham DeLaet, Mackenzie Hughes, Mike Weir, David Hearn, Daniel Kim, Jared du Toit, Brad Fritsch, Riley Wheeldon, Matt Hill, Bryn Parry, Ryan Williams, Drew Nesbitt, and amateurs Garrett Rank, Hugo Bernard and Austin James. These are the guys who hope to become the first Canadian winner of their national Open since Pat Fletcher in 1954. Hadwin and Hughes have already won on TOUR this season. 2. MACKENZIE TOUR EXEMPTIONS. The top-three players in the Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada Order of Merit earned exemptions into this week’s event – Americans Robby Shelton ($55,473), Johnny Ruiz ($54,413) and Kramer Hickock ($47,719). Each has won on the Mackenzie Tour this season. Incidentally, Hickok is a roommate of Open Championship winner Jordan Spieth in Dallas. With Spieth not in the field, Hickok will represent the house. 3. 20-SOMETHINGS ON A ROLL. With Spieth and Grayson Murray (Barbasol Championship) winning last week, that means the last eight tournaments have been won by players in their 20s. That’s the longest streak by the 20-somethings ever on the PGA TOUR. 4. FURYK LOVES CANADA. Jim Furyk has played 31 of his last 34 rounds at the RBC Canadian Open in par or better, including his last 19 rounds. No player has won more money in this event that Furyk at $3,129,703 in 14 appearances. WATCH THE PREVIEW

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