Expert Picks: 3M Open

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OVERVIEW In a game increasingly dominated by youth, 36-year-old Francesco Molinari had a career-changing year in 2018. He did it by improving his play with both the longest and shortest clubs in the bag. He took a page out of the youngsters’ playbook by making distance a priority and addressed his longtime struggles with the putter. After going winless in his first 120 PGA TOUR starts, he won twice in a three-tournament stretch this summer. He picked up his first PGA TOUR win at the Quicken Loans National, shooting a final-round 62 to win by eight. Then he stared down Tiger Woods to win The Open Championship at Carnoustie. Molinari sandwiched a runner-up at the John Deere Classic between those victories. He was 48 under in those 12 rounds, including six rounds of 65 or lower. He also qualified for his first TOUR Championship with a career-best FedExCup finish (17th). And, after going winless in his first two Ryder Cups, he led Europe to victory at Le Golf National, becoming the first player to win a major and go 5-0 in the Ryder Cup in the same season. “This year, it’s been incredible,â€� he said. That may be an understatement. — By Sean Martin Click here to see who else made the Top 30 list. BY THE NUMBERS FEDEXCUP UPDATE Current 2018-19 position: 173rd Playoff appearances: 4 TOUR Championship appearances: 2 Best FedExCup result: 17th in the 2017-18 season SHOTLINK FUN FACT Francesco Molinari is one of five first-time winners since the 2013-14 season to win multiple times in the same year as his breakthrough PGA TOUR win. INSIDER INSIGHTS PGATOUR.COM’s Insiders offer their expert views on what to expect from Francesco Molinari in 2019. TOUR INSIDER: Molinari’s work with putting instructor Phil Kenyon undoubtedly paid dividends in 2018. But so did a 20-yard distance gain over the past three seasons, including a 10-yard gain since 2017. And he was able to do it with only a small loss in accuracy. Compared to 2015, Molinari is gaining nearly two additional strokes per event with his tee shots. He gained distance with both changes to his swing and more trips to the gym. “I was more of a couch guy a couple years ago,â€� he joked. – By Sean Martin FANTASY INSIDER: It’d be unfair to predict the kind of success that he enjoyed worldwide in the last six months, but it’s still a reminder of what’s possible when we position expectations properly. For dual-tour threats like the 36-year-old Italian, the customary advice is to invest lightly and surround with busier talent based in the U.S. It provides both insurance for the worst of times and an injection for the best of times. No doubt, his encore will include a few blue notes, but he already was a standard on every set list because of his world-class ball-striking. It’s a skill that rarely strikes the wrong chord. — By Rob Bolton EQUIPMENT INSIDER: Molinari was part of the Nike staff left without an equipment deal when the company left the hard goods industry, and he’s since switched into mostly TaylorMade clubs. He’s currently using a TaylorMade M4 driver, an M3 fairway wood, P-790 driving irons (2 and 4), P-750 irons (5-PW), and Milled Grind wedges. He fills out his bag with a custom Bettinardi Dass BB-0 putter, stamped with a skull in the cavity that has green and red eyes to represent his pride of the Italian flag, and green and red stampings on the back bumpers. — By Andrew Tursky STYLE INSIDER: While many Nike athletes favor the brand’s sporty looks, Molinari gravitates towards the classic designs in Nike’s collection. Expect the reigning Open champ to stick with a neutral palette of colors with the occasional splash of intense pastels in 2019. — By Greg Monteforte

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Sergio Garcia ends a seven-year absence from the PGA TOUR venue he helped design, while Kevin Chappell makes his first career title defense as the TOUR heads back to Texas for the third of five stops this year. Beau Hossler, a former University of Texas standout who just missed a Masters berth in a Houston Open playoff, heads a solid list of players with Texas ties. That also includes Garcia – now an Austin resident – former PGA Championship winner Jimmy Walker and Jhonattan Vegas. FIELD NOTES: U.S. Ryder Cup captain Jim Furyk returns to San Antonio for the first time since 2015, with two top-10 finishes in three visits to TPC San Antonio. … In all, the lineup features six of the top 30 in the current world rankings. … Joaquin Niemann, who held the No.1 amateur ranking for nearly a year, will make the VTO his professional debut. The Chilean teen already holds conditional Web.com Tour status…. The list of international invitees also features two-time major champion Martin Kaymer, India’s Shubhankar Sharma and England’s Chris Paisley. For Paisley, it’s his first start on U.S. soil since his college days at Tennessee. … Julian Suri, a Florida native who has spent the past two years on the European circuit, hopes to build on his top-10 finish in Houston earlier this month. FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 500 points. STORYLINES: Garcia tees it up for the first time since a disappointing title defense at the Masters, where a 13 at Augusta National’s feast-or-famine 15th produced a hole too big to climb out of. Garcia was a consultant on the host AT&T Oaks course, but hasn’t been back since its 2010 debut. … John Senden makes his second PGA TOUR start since taking a nearly yearlong break to deal with his son’s brain tumor. He was on track to make the cut at the RBC Heritage, until a bogey/bogey finish put him on the wrong side of the line. … Chappell now seeks to become the third man this century to win back-to-back in San Antonio. Justin Leonard did it in 2000-01, followed by Zach Johnson in 2008-09. COURSE: TPC San Antonio (AT&T Oaks), 7,435 yards, par 72. Winding through Texas Hill Country north of the city, the Oaks tends toward a minimalist look and feel – often employing native vegetation as a peril for wayward shots. Garcia served as a consultant in the 2010 Greg Norman design, which is widely considered to present a tougher challenge than its sibling Canyons layout built by Pete Dye. The Oaks’ most memorable moment may have come in 2011, when Kevin Na recorded a 16 at the par-4 ninth hole after struggling to free himself from rocks and underbrush. A year later, Na returned with a chainsaw for a good-natured publicity shoot. 72-HOLE RECORD: 254, Tommy Armour III (2003 at LaCantera). TPC San Antonio record: 274, Adam Scott (2010), Martin Laird (2013). 18-HOLE RECORD: 60, Bart Bryant (3rd round, 2004 at LaCantera), Zach Johnson (3rd round, 2009 at LaCantera). TPC San Antonio record: 63, Matt Every (1st round, 2012), Martin Laird (4th round, 2013). LAST YEAR: Chappell finally notched his long-awaited first PGA TOUR victory, ramming home an 8-foot birdie putt on the final hole to hold off Brooks Koepka’s Sunday charge. Chappell began the final day with a one-stroke advantage, but found himself tied going to the 18th tee after Koepka birdied ahead to complete a 7-under-par 65. Two solid shots left the California native 89 yards from the pin, where he got the ball below the hole to set up the winning putt. Chappell’s triumph followed four runner-up finishes the previous season, including THE PLAYERS Championship and TOUR Championship. Tony Finau and Kevin Tway tied for third, three shots behind Chappell. HOW TO FOLLOW TELEVISION: Thursday-Friday, 3:30-6:30 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday-Sunday, 1-2:45 p.m. (GC), 3-6 p.m. (CBS). PGA TOUR LIVE: Thursday-Friday, 8:15 a.m.-3:30 p.m. (featured groups), 3:30-6:30 p.m. (featured holes). RADIO: Thursday-Friday, 1-6:30 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, 1-6 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com).

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