Matthew Wolff is one of the hottest players and names in golf. So why won’t he be at Royal Portrush this week?
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Last PGA TOUR event this fall, and last one on the TOUR’s calendar in 2018. That means last chance for players to claim a victory or important FedExCup points before going into hibernation (theoretically speaking, of course) until January. We know this – tournament host Davis Love III always provide a terrific send-off at Sea Island. THE FLYOVER The 565-yard par-5 15th at the host Seaside course isn’t the easiest hole in that tournament – that belongs to the par-5 18th at the Plantation course, which was the third-easiest hole on the PGA TOUR last season – but the 15th should be the easiest on the weekend when the tournament shifts entirely to Seaside after the cut. It yielded 16 eagles and 151 birdies last year. Here’s a look at how best to play the 15th. LANDING ZONE The 368-yard par-4 eighth at Seaside isn’t quite drivable, although Trey Mullinax came closest last year. His 345-yard drive in the final round finished in the greenside bunker. No surprise that the eighth is the easiest par-4 on the course, although it did not yield any eagles last year. Here’s a look at where all tee shots ended last year. WEATHER CHECK From PGA TOUR meteorologist Stewart Williams: “Scattered showers Wednesday morning will increase in coverage during the afternoon as a low-pressure system develops over Florida. It will be windy out of the NE 15-25 gusting to 35 mph. Rain and embedded t-storms will be likely Wednesday night into early Thursday morning as the low lifts northward along the coast. Showers may linger through mid-morning Thursday before tapering off. Much cooler conditions can be expected Thursday afternoon with temperatures in the upper 50s. Cool and dry conditions can be expected the rest of the week with sunny skies.â€� For the latest weather news from Sea Island, Georgia, check out PGATOUR.COM’s Weather Hub. SOUND CHECK I know that those 8 unders aren’t going to come every day. BY THE NUMBERS 2 – Bogeys suffered by Austin Cook in winning the RSM last year, and by Kevin Kisner in winning in 2015. Those are two of the six PGA TOUR winners since the 2015-16 season to make as few as two bogeys en route to victory. 18.56 – Percentage of drives over 300 yards last year at the host Seaside Course. That was the sixth-lowest percentage of any course played on TOUR in 2017-18 (minimum of 1,000 rounds). 73.76 – Percentage of greens in regulation by the field last season at the Seaside Course. That was the second-highest percentage of any course (the Plantation Course at Kapalua was 80.02 percent). 761 – Number of starts tournament host Davis Love III will have made in his PGA TOUR career when he tees it up this week. SCATTERSHOTS Of the top eight players this season in birdies made, three are in the field this week – Cameron Champ (96), J.J. Spaun (90) and Whee Kim (89). This is significant for the Birdies Fore Love, a charitable competition based on the amount of birdies made in the eight fall events this season. The top three players who accumulate the most birdies this fall will earn $300,000, $150,000 and $50,000 respectively for children or family-based charitable organizations of their choice. “It’s huge,â€� Champ said about the birdie competition. “Charity and giving back has always been a thing of mine and my family personally.â€� Gary Woodland (not in the field this week) currently leads the TOUR with 97 birdies. Will be interesting to see how much the players will take advantage of the reduced length of the par-4 10th at the Plantation course. Last year, it was 452 yards, but it was shortened to 301 yards now to make room for a one-acre putting course as well as some villas. That brings the overall length of the Plantation course to 6,907 yards, which means it will join Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill as the only par-72 courses on TOUR less than 7,000 yards. Last season, there were 11 first-time winners on the PGA TOUR. Those 11 winners averaged 58.2 starts needed to produce their first win, the lowest average in the last five seasons. This year, there have been two first-time winners. Kevin Tway won in his 91st start; Cameron Champ won in his ninth start. That averages out to 50 starts.
Chapultepec Golf Club now has a plaque commemorating the bunker shot Tiger Woods hit last year on the ninth hole.
Danielle Kang continued to sail along at the LPGA Tour’s season-opening Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions on Friday, shooting a 6-under 65 to stretch her lead to two shots. A five-time LPGA Tour winner ranked fifth in the world, Kang had a 13-under 129 total at Four Seasons Golf and Sports Club Orlando. Nelly Korda, at No. 4 the top-ranked player in the 25-woman, winners-only field, was second after a 66.
