Officialsportsbetting.com Golf Betting Cut prediction: Rocket Mortgage Classic

Cut prediction: Rocket Mortgage Classic

2019 Rocket Mortgage Classic, End of Round 1. Course scoring averages: Overall: -2.29 strokes per round Morning wave: -2.24 Afternoon wave: -2.35 Current cutline: 74 players at -3 or better (T55th position) Top 3 most likely projected cutlines: 5 under par: 26.8% 6 under par: 23.8% 4 under par: 18.5% Top 10 win probabilities: Chez Reavie (T4, -7, 8.8%) Rory Sabbatini (T4, -7, 6.1%) Nick Watney (T2, -8, 5.8%) Nate Lashley (1, -9, 5%) Charles Howell III (T4, -7, 4.9%) Hideki Matsuyama (T33, -4, 4.7%) Kevin Streelman (T11, -6, 4.2%) Jason Kokrak (T11, -6, 4%) Rickie Fowler (T33, -4, 3.8%) Ryan Armour (T2, -8, 3.7%) NOTE: These reports are based off the live predictive model run by @DataGolf. The model provides live “Make Cut�, “Top 20�, “Top 5�, and “Win� probabilities every 5 minutes from the opening tee shot to the final putt of every PGA TOUR event. Briefly, the model takes account of the current form of each golfer as well as the difficulty of their remaining holes, and probabilities are calculated from 20K simulations. To follow live finish probabilities throughout the remainder of the Rocket Mortgage Classic, or to see how each golfer’s probabilities have evolved from the start of the event to the current time, click here for the model’s home page.  

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Veritex Bank Championship
Type: Winner - Status: OPEN
S H Kim+1800
Hank Lebioda+2000
Johnny Keefer+2000
Alistair Docherty+2500
Kensei Hirata+2500
Neal Shipley+2500
Rick Lamb+2500
Trey Winstead+2500
Zecheng Dou+2500
Seungtaek Lee+2800
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Zurich Classic of New Orleans
Type: Winner - Status: OPEN
Rory McIlroy / Shane Lowry+350
Collin Morikawa / Kurt Kitayama+1600
J.T. Poston / Keith Mitchell+1800
Nicolai Hojgaard / Rasmus Hojgaard+2000
Thomas Detry / Robert MacIntyre+2000
Wyndham Clark / Taylor Moore+2000
Aaron Rai / Sahith Theegala+2500
Ben Griffin / Andrew Novak+2800
Nico Echavarria / Max Greyserman+2800
Brice Garnett / Sepp Straka+3500
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Tournament Match-Ups - R. McIlroy / S. Lowry vs C. Morikawa / K. Kitayama
Type: Tournament Match-Ups - Status: OPEN
Rory McIlroy / Shane Lowry-210
Collin Morikawa / Kurt Kitayama+160
Tournament Match-Ups - J.T. Poston / K. Mitchell vs T. Detry / R. MacIntyre
Type: Tournament Match-Ups - Status: OPEN
J.T. Poston / Keith Mitchell-130
Thomas Detry / Robert MacIntyre+100
Tournament Match-Ups - J. Svensson / N. Norgaard vs R. Fox / G. Higgo
Type: Tournament Match-Ups - Status: OPEN
Ryan Fox / Garrick Higgo-125
Jesper Svensson / Niklas Norgaard-105
Tournament Match-Ups - N. Hojgaard / R. Hojgaard vs N. Echavarria / M. Greyserman
Type: Tournament Match-Ups - Status: OPEN
Nicolai Hojgaard / Rasmus Hojgaard-130
Nico Echavarria / Max Greyserman+100
Tournament Match-Ups - M. Fitzpatrick / A. Fitzpatrick vs S. Stevens / M. McGreevy
Type: Tournament Match-Ups - Status: OPEN
Sam Stevens / Max McGreevy-120
Matt Fitzpatrick / Alex Fitzpatrick-110
Tournament Match-Ups - N. Taylor / A. Hadwin vs B. Garnett / S. Straka
Type: Tournament Match-Ups - Status: OPEN
Nick Taylor / Adam Hadwin-120
Brice Garnett / Sepp Straka-110
Tournament Match-Ups - A. Rai / S. Theegala vs B. Griffin / A. Novak
Type: Tournament Match-Ups - Status: OPEN
Aaron Rai / Sahith Theegala-120
Ben Griffin / Andrew Novak-110
Tournament Match-Ups - J. Highsmith / A. Tosti vs A. Smalley / J. Bramlett
Type: Tournament Match-Ups - Status: OPEN
Joe Highsmith / Alejandro Tosti-130
Alex Smalley / Joseph Bramlett+100
Tournament Match-Ups - A. Bhatia / C. Young vs M. Wallace / T. Olesen
Type: Tournament Match-Ups - Status: OPEN
Akshay Bhatia / Carson Young-120
Matt Wallace / Thorbjorn Olesen-110
1st Round Match Up - Gerard / Walker vs Hoey / Ryder
Type: 1st Round Match Up - Status: OPEN
Gerard / Walker-110
Hoey / Ryder-110
1st Round 2 Ball - Fishburn / Blair v Byrd / Hadley
Type: 1st Round 2 Ball - Status: OPEN
Fishburn / Blair-140
Byrd / Hadley+115
1st Round 2 Ball - Hoey / Ryder v Smalley / Bramlett
Type: 1st Round 2 Ball - Status: OPEN
Hoey / Ryder-115
Smalley / Bramlett-105
1st Round Match Up - McIlroy / Lowry vs Poston / Mitchell
Type: 1st Round Match Up - Status: OPEN
McIlroy / Lowry-180
Poston / Mitchell+150
1st Round 2 Ball - Streb / Merritt v Ramey / Lower
Type: 1st Round 2 Ball - Status: OPEN
Ramey / Lower-155
Streb / Merritt+130
1st Round 2 Ball - Poston / Mitchell v Gerard / Walker
Type: 1st Round 2 Ball - Status: OPEN
Poston / Mitchell-145
Gerard / Walker+120
The Chevron Championship
Type: Winner - Status: OPEN
Jeeno Thitikul+850
Nelly Korda+900
Lydia Ko+1400
A Lim Kim+2000
Jin Young Ko+2000
Angel Yin+2500
Charley Hull+2500
Haeran Ryu+2500
Lauren Coughlin+2500
Minjee Lee+2500
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1st Round 2 Ball - Kohles / Kizzire v Hubbard / Brehm
Type: 1st Round 2 Ball - Status: OPEN
Hubbard / Brehm-110
Kohles / Kizzire-110
1st Round 2 Ball - Pavon / Perez v Bezuidenhout / Van Rooyen
Type: 1st Round 2 Ball - Status: OPEN
Bezuidenhout / Van Rooyen-115
Pavon / Perez-105
1st Round Match Up - Garnett / Straka vs Davis / Svensson
Type: 1st Round Match Up - Status: OPEN
Garnett / Straka-130
Davis / Svensson+110
1st Round 2 Ball - Straka / Garnett v Hardy / Riley
Type: 1st Round 2 Ball - Status: OPEN
Straka / Garnett-130
Hardy / Riley+110
1st Round 2 Ball - Thorbjornsen / Vilips v R. Hojgaard / N. Hojgaard
Type: 1st Round 2 Ball - Status: OPEN
R. Hojgaard / N. Hojgaard-130
Thorbjornsen / Vilips+110
1st Round Match Up - Rai / Theegala vs Horschel / Hoge
Type: 1st Round Match Up - Status: OPEN
Horschel / Hoge-110
Rai / Theegala-110
1st Round 2 Ball - Malnati / Knox v Davis / Svensson
Type: 1st Round 2 Ball - Status: OPEN
Davis / Svensson-155
Malnati / Knox+130
1st Round 2 Ball - Hoge / Horschel v Lowry / McIlroy
Type: 1st Round 2 Ball - Status: OPEN
Lowry v McIlroy-180
Hoge / Horschel+150
1st Round 2 Ball - Hodges / Dufner v Snedeker / Reavie
Type: 1st Round 2 Ball - Status: OPEN
Hodges / Dufner-125
Snedeker / Reavie+105
1st Round 2 Ball - Theegala / Rai v Bhatia / Car Young
Type: 1st Round 2 Ball - Status: OPEN
Theegala / Rai-125
Bhatia / Car Young+105
1st Round 3 Balls - J. Thitikul / H. Ryu / Y. Tseng
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls - Status: OPEN
Jeeno Thitikul-140
Haeran Ryu+150
Yani Tseng+850
1st Round 2 Ball - Shelton / Mullinax v Pak / Montgomery
Type: 1st Round 2 Ball - Status: OPEN
Shelton / Mullinax-125
Pak / Montgomery+105
1st Round 2 Ball - F. Capan III / Knapp v Cole / Saunders
Type: 1st Round 2 Ball - Status: OPEN
F. Capan III / Knapp-130
Cole / Saunders+110
1st Round 3 Balls - J.Y. Ko / Y. Saso / B. Henderson
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls - Status: OPEN
Jin Young Ko+115
Brooke Henderson+175
Yuka Saso+275
1st Round 3 Balls - A. Yin / G. Lopez / M. Sagstrom
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls - Status: OPEN
Angel Yin+125
Gaby Lopez+185
Madelene Sagstrom+230
1st Round Match Up - McGreevy / Stevens vs Hisatsune / Kanaya
Type: 1st Round Match Up - Status: OPEN
McGreevy / Stevens-115
Hisatsune / Kanaya-105
1st Round 2 Ball - Hisatsune / Kanaya v B. Taylor / Skinns
Type: 1st Round 2 Ball - Status: OPEN
Hisatsune / Kanaya-145
B. Taylor / Skinns+120
1st Round 2 Ball - Stevens / McGreevy v Sigg / Kisner
Type: 1st Round 2 Ball - Status: OPEN
Stevens / McGreevy-160
Sigg / Kisner+135
1st Round 3 Balls - N. Korda / L. Vu / P. Tavatanakit
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls - Status: OPEN
Nelly Korda+110
Lilia Vu+200
Patty Tavatanakit+250
1st Round 3 Balls - C. Hull / L. Grant / S. Lewis
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls - Status: OPEN
Charley Hull-110
Linn Grant+160
Stacy Lewis+450
1st Round 2 Ball - Dickson / Crowe v Hoshino / Onishi
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Dickson / Crowe+120
Hoshino / Onishi+110
Tie+500
1st Round 2 Ball - Peterson / Rosenmuller v Roy / Cone
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Peterson / Rosenmueller+120
Roy / Cone+110
Tie+500
1st Round 2 Ball - Canter / Smith v Salinda / Velo
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Canter / Smith-110
Salinda / Velo+145
Tie+500
1st Round 2 Ball - Ventura / Rozner v Widing / Fisk
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Ventura / Rozner+115
Widing / Fisk+115
Tie+500
1st Round Match Up - Cauley / Tway vs Valimaki / Silverman
Type: 1st Round Match Up - Status: OPEN
Cauley / Tway-115
Valimaki / Silverman-105
1st Round Match Up - Ghim / C. Kim vs Hossler / Putnam
Type: 1st Round Match Up - Status: OPEN
Ghim / C. Kim-120
Hossler / Putnam+100
1st Round 2 Ball - Cauley / Tway v Ghim / C. Kim
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Cauley / Tway+125
Ghim / C. Kim+105
Tie+500
1st Round 2 Ball - Champ / Griffin v Hossler / Putnam
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Champ / Griffin+130
Hossler / Putnam+105
Tie+500
1st Round 2 Ball - Haas / Laird v Lipsky / D. Wu
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Haas / Laird+140
Lipsky / D. Wu-105
Tie+500
1st Round 2 Ball - Phillips / Bridgeman v Valimaki / Silverman
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Bridgeman / Phillips+105
Valimaki / Silverman+125
Tie+500
1st Round Match Up - Vegas / Yu vs Duncan / Schenk
Type: 1st Round Match Up - Status: OPEN
Vegas / Yu-135
Duncan / Schenk+115
1st Round 2 Ball - Duncan / Schenk v List / Norlander
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
List / Norlander+105
Schenk / Duncan+125
Tie+500
1st Round 2 Ball - Higgs / Dahmen v Novak / Griffin
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Higgs / Dahmen+160
Novak / Griffin-120
Tie+500
1st Round Match Up - M. Fitzpatrick / A. Fitpatrick vs Echavarria / Greyserman
Type: 1st Round Match Up - Status: OPEN
Echavarria / Greyserman-120
M. Fitzpatrick / A. Fitpatrick+100
1st Round 2 Ball - Echavarria / Greyserman v Vegas / Yu
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Greyserman / Echavarria+105
Vegas / Yu+130
Tie+500
1st Round 2 Ball - Moore / Clark v Morikawa / Kitayama
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Kitayama / Morikawa+105
Moore / Clark+130
Tie+500
1st Round Match Up - Fox / Higgo vs Detry / MacIntyre
Type: 1st Round Match Up - Status: OPEN
Detry / MacIntyre-120
Fox / Higgo+100
1st Round 2 Ball - Detry / MacIntyre v M. Fitzpatrick / A. Fitzpatrick
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
A. Fitzpatrick / M. Fitzpatrick+150
Detry / MacIntyre-110
Tie+500
1st Round 2 Ball - Johnson / Palmer v SW. Kim / Bae
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Johnson / Palmer+135
SW Kim / Bae+100
Tie+500
1st Round 3 Balls - C. Boutier / A.L. Kim / M. Khang
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls - Status: OPEN
A Lim Kim+140
Celine Boutier+175
Megan Khang+220
1st Round 3 Balls - H. Green / L. Coughlin / N. Hataoka
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls - Status: OPEN
Lauren Coughlin+165
Nasa Hataoka+170
Hannah Green+190
1st Round 2 Ball - Fox / Higgo v N. Taylor / Hadwin
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Fox / Higgo+115
N. Taylor / Hadwin+115
Tie+500
1st Round 2 Ball - Watney / Hoffman v Villegas / Donald
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Villegas / Donald+140
Watney / Hoffman-105
Tie+500
1st Round 3 Balls - A. Furue / L. Ko / A. Yang
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls - Status: OPEN
Lydia Ko+115
Ayaka Furue+165
Amy Yang+300
1st Round 2 Ball - Cummins / Gotterup v McCarty / Andersen
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Cummins / Gotterup-105
McCarty / Andersen+140
Tie+500
1st Round 2 Ball - Tosti / Highsmith v Wallace / Owen
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Olesen / Wallace+110
Tosti / Highsmith+120
Tie+500
1st Round 2 Ball - Gordon / Riedel v Meissner / Goodwin
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Gordon / Riedel+130
Meissner / Goodwin+105
Tie+500
1st Round 2 Ball - Lashley / Springer v Whaley / Albertson
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Lashley / Springer+100
Whaley / Albertson+135
Tie+500
1st Round 2 Ball - Chandler / NeSmith v J. Paul / Y. Paul
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Chandler / NeSmith+160
J. Paul / Y. Paul-120
Tie+500
1st Round 2 Ball - J. Svensson / Norgaard v Thornberry / Buckley
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Svensson / Norgaard-140
Thornberry / Buckley+190
Tie+500
1st Round 2 Ball - Del Solar / Manassero v Ayora / Del Rey
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Ayora / Del Rey+110
Del Solar / Manassero+120
Tie+500
1st Round 2 Ball - Mouw / Castillo v Suber / Coody
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Mouw / Castillo+115
Suber / Coody+115
Tie+500
Mitsubishi Electric Classic
Type: Winner - Status: OPEN
Steven Alker+700
Stewart Cink+700
Padraig Harrington+800
Ernie Els+1200
Miguel Angel Jimenez+1400
Alex Cejka+2000
Bernhard Langer+2000
K J Choi+2000
Retief Goosen+2000
Stephen Ames+2000
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Major Specials 2025
Type: To Win A Major 2025 - Status: OPEN
Scottie Scheffler+160
Bryson DeChambeau+350
Xander Schauffele+350
Ludvig Aberg+400
Collin Morikawa+450
Jon Rahm+450
Justin Thomas+550
Brooks Koepka+700
Viktor Hovland+700
Hideki Matsuyama+800
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PGA Championship 2025
Type: Winner - Status: OPEN
Rory McIlroy+500
Scottie Scheffler+500
Bryson DeChambeau+1400
Ludvig Aberg+1400
Xander Schauffele+1400
Jon Rahm+1800
Justin Thomas+1800
Collin Morikawa+2000
Brooks Koepka+2500
Viktor Hovland+2500
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US Open 2025
Type: Winner - Status: OPEN
Rory McIlroy+500
Scottie Scheffler+500
Bryson DeChambeau+1200
Xander Schauffele+1200
Jon Rahm+1400
Ludvig Aberg+1400
Collin Morikawa+1600
Brooks Koepka+1800
Justin Thomas+2000
Viktor Hovland+2000
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The Open 2025
Type: Winner - Status: OPEN
Rory McIlroy+500
Scottie Scheffler+550
Xander Schauffele+1100
Ludvig Aberg+1400
Collin Morikawa+1600
Jon Rahm+1600
Bryson DeChambeau+2000
Shane Lowry+2500
Tommy Fleetwood+2500
Tyrrell Hatton+2500
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Ryder Cup 2025
Type: Winner - Status: OPEN
USA-150
Europe+140
Tie+1200

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Dustin Johnson may miss PGA cut, but sees promise with new driver shaftDustin Johnson may miss PGA cut, but sees promise with new driver shaft

Despite having a reputation as a tinkerer, Dustin Johnson said he doesn’t change equipment all that much, stating in his pre-PGA Championship press conference, “I really don’t like to change clubs ever, but when one’s not working … I have to find something else.” This is, in a couple of senses, true. The centerpieces of his golf bag have been cemented for years (P730 DJ Proto irons, for example) and when he does make a change he often rapidly reverses course. Johnson is often spotted with multiple flatsticks on the putting green early in tournament weeks, but in recent years, he’s almost always stuck with his TaylorMade Spider Limited Itsy Bitsy once competition began. In fact, after putting a TaylorMade TP Bandon 1 Prototype in play two tournaments ago, he has returned to the Spider this week. At the other end of the bag, Johnson has bounced between TaylorMade SIM2 and SIM heads this season but he has always showed up to the first tee with a Fujikura Speeder 661 Evolution 2.0 Tour X Flex shaft in his driver (with one exception, the Sentry Tournament of Champions in January). In fact, the reigning FedExCup champion has played the Speeder 661 for the better part of five years — all the way back to the days of the TaylorMade M1. So it was big news in the equipment world, and shafts in particular, when Johnson was spotted with an LA Golf Prototype in a SIM2 Max head ahead of the competition at Kiawah Island. If LA Golf sounds familiar, that is because it’s the company that makes the shafts for all 14 of Bryson DeChambeau’s clubs, including his putter. Of course, given Johnson’s propensity for pre-tournament testing, it remained to be seen whether he’d put the combo in play at the PGA Championship. But when Johnson stepped inside the ropes shortly after 2 p.m. for his first-round tee time Thursday, he uncorked a 295-yard drive with the aforementioned TaylorMade SIM2 Max head with an LA Golf Proto shaft. Johnson shot 76 in the first round but gained +0.8 strokes off the tee. The shaft was back in the bag for the second round but that will be the only action it sees this week. Johnson will likely miss the cut after shooting 74 on Friday. He gained another +0.9 strokes off the tee in the second round but struggled with his iron play. According to TaylorMade’s Keith Sbarbaro, Global Vice President, Tour Operations & Sports Marketing at TaylorMade, the shaft is “a stiffer tip version with a lower balance point to help promote more of a fade,” which is DJ’s preferred ball flight. Adding further intrigue to the story, similar to the prototyping process DeChambeau and LA Golf have engaged in for the development of his wood, iron, and putter shafts, Johnson and LA Golf have been collaborating on the shaft design. Reed Dickens, LA Golf’s CEO had this to say about Johnson’s prototype: “We custom designed a low torque shaft for Dustin for lower trajectory and have been iterating with him for a few months. We’re excited that the No. 1 player in golf trusts LA Golf enough to put our product in play for the first time at a major championship.” After appearing almost unbeatable last fall – he tore through the FedExCup Playoffs before winning the Masters – Johnson has struggled in the spring and may be searching for answers. He is 26th in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee after ranking in the top five of that statistic from 2014-19. Johnson entered this week gaining 0.44 strokes off the tee per round, which would be his worst performance in that statistic since 2013. He hasn’t had a top-10 on TOUR since The Genesis Invitational in February. He has just one top-25 in six starts since and withdrew from last week’s AT&T Byron Nelson with knee pain. Whether Johnson makes a return to his beloved Speeder remains to be seen, but for now, one of the longest-tenured shafts in pro golf has been bumped from its position.

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Phil Mickelson’s legacy will be longevityPhil Mickelson’s legacy will be longevity

KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. (AP) — Among the congratulations that poured in for Phil Mickelson becoming the oldest major champion in golf was a video tweet from Jack Nicklaus, who is still good at math. “You know, something sort of strikes me that 50 years old is older than 46,” Nicklaus said with a grin. “Well done, my friend. Many more.” Many more? At age 50? Mickelson plays a game with which Nicklaus might not be familiar, even though the most iconic of his 18 majors was Nicklaus winning the Masters at age 46. During an interview at the end of 2016, Nicklaus said that sixth Green Jacket “was an accident in many ways.” He started to scale back his schedule after winning two majors in 1980. He won twice more before the 1986 Masters, but he really wasn’t playing much golf. “It’s really difficult when you’ve had as much success as I had over a long period of time to charge your batteries, day after day, and go back out and say, ‘Man, I want to do this again,’” Nicklaus said. That’s where Mickelson stands alone. The list of 24 players who have reached No. 1 since the world ranking began in 1986 does not include Mickelson, who is more accomplished than all but one of them. He has never won a PGA TOUR money title. He has never been PGA TOUR Player of the Year. He is not among the most elite group in golf with the career Grand Slam. Only one of those can change. And even in the glow of his two-shot victory at Kiawah Island to win the PGA Championship, adding the U.S. Open still seems like a long shot. That would stand as his greatest major. It might even top Tiger Woods winning the Masters after overcoming four back surgeries that left him wondering if he could ever play again. What won’t change regardless of what Lefty does next is his legacy of longevity. It doesn’t sound all that sensational. But it is. Never mind Mickelson becoming the oldest player to win a major, breaking a record that had stood for 53 years. Mickelson set another record Sunday as the first player in PGA TOUR history to go 30 years between victories. He won his first when he was a junior at Arizona State. He won his 45th when his daughter was a senior at Brown. “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, even when it hasn’t been working, it’s truly admirable.” From his first full season on the PGA TOUR, Mickelson never finished lower than 60th on the money list. That was last year, at age 49, during a season disrupted by the pandemic. He made the TOUR Championship 19 of his first 20 full seasons, the exception in 2003 when his wife went through a scary and troublesome pregnancy that ended well with their third child. As for team competitions, Mickelson played his first Presidents Cup in 1994 and was part of every U.S. team until the last one in 2019 at Royal Melbourne. He hasn’t missed a Ryder Cup since his 3-0 debut at Oak Hill in 1995. Whether he’s at Whistling Straits in September is to be determined. The last American to win a major and be left off the Ryder Cup team was Todd Hamilton, the British Open winner in 2004. The last American major winner left off any team was Keegan Bradley, who won the PGA Championship as a rookie in 2011. The final pick for the Presidents Cup went to Bill Haas, the FedExCup champion. Neither was named Phil Mickelson. Most remarkable about his longevity is that he kept working harder even as progress was difficult to see. Mickelson had gone more than two years without winning — except for two times he played on the 50-and-over PGA TOUR Champions — and nine months without finishing in the top 20. He fell out of the top 100 in the world in March. The last time he was outside the top 100 was August 1993, three weeks after Jordan Spieth was born. And still he pressed on without any secret sauce except to keep trying. “My desire to play is the same,” he said. “I’ve never been driven by exterior things. I’ve always been intrinsically motivated because I love to compete, I love playing the game. I love having opportunities to play against the best at the highest level. That’s what drives me, and the belief that I could still do it inspired me to work harder. “I just didn’t see why it couldn’t be done,” he said. “It just took a little bit more effort.” Winning is why he plays, and winning can be exhausting. That’s 48 victories worldwide to go along with 39 runner-up finishes and as much heartache as joy in some of the majors, particularly the U.S. Open. Mickelson is still finding ways to get better. The topic in that Nicklaus interview was Woods, who had just returned from 15 months off after a third of what would be four back surgeries. Nicklaus ended his thoughts on motivation by adding as aside, “Phil is not done yet, either.” That was five years ago. Nicklaus could say the same thing today.

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