Mickelson awarded for 25 straight years in top 50

It’s mid-November, this is the last Fantasy Insider of the calendar year and The RSM Classic is the final stop before we welcome the holiday break, so there’s a lot to review. • While ShotLink will be utilized to measure every stroke on the Seaside Course at Sea Island Resort, because the technology isn’t being used on the Plantation Course, shot values on Seaside will not be contributing to PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO. The same twist will apply at the Desert Classic, Farmers Insurance Open and AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, all events contested over multiple courses with ShotLink used only on the host course. • Segment 1 of PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO concludes this week. Fore What Its Worth leads all gamers with 4,512 points. Hackerbrats sits alone in second with 4,491. GUNGA GALUNGA14 and Wally-ShirleyTeam share third at 4,487 points apiece. Every Segment champion receives a driver valued at $499, while every Segment runner-up will win a putter that retails at $349. • Because the Plantation Course is a par 72 with four par 5s and Seaside is a par 70 with the standard pair of par 5s, consider balancing your lineup to include three golfers in each draw, and then max out on six starts on Plantation during the first two rounds. Given the fine lines between first, second and so on, both overall and in league play, every opportunity on which to capitalize is critical. • Once The RSM is in the books, the Web.com Tour graduate reshuffle category will reorder for the first time this season. For full-season gamers who have the power to make drop-adds, this is one of the busiest times because playing time for those in the bottom half or so will be reduced through late April. Every season is unique, but consider that just two years ago, Joel Dahmen started near the bottom of the category and went 0-for-2 in the fall. He then cracked the fields at only the Desert Classic, Pebble Beach and Puerto Rico until field expanded to 156 two weeks after the Masters. This season’s schedule is different, and the earlier and more regular schedule of the Web.com Tour will attract guys who aren’t getting into concurrent PGA TOUR events, so your leashes on investments that won’t have panned out this fall should be shorter than ever. • The European Tour’s season concludes at this week’s DP World Tour Championship. When it does, the top 20 in the Race to Dubai standings will earn an exemption into the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship. The top 30 will be exempt into The Open Championship. This is fertile ground for salary gamers with eyes on the horizon who also can make in-season moves. • The Open Qualifying Series for The Open Championship begins with this week’s Emirates Australian Open. The top three inside the top 10 who aren’t already exempt into the season’s final major will gain entry. All 13 events contributing to the Series have been slotted in REMAINING QUALIFYING CRITIERIA on the page dedicated to Qualifiers. • Because this is the last FI of 2018, all of the birthdays between now and the FI for the Sentry Tournament of Champions on Jan. 1 are listed chronologically at the bottom of this column. • As for me in the interim, I’ll have full-field Power Rankings for next week’s World Cup of Golf and the Hero World Challenge the week after. You’ll also see me contributing to the annual Top 30 series throughout December. It’ll include fresh analysis, insight and opinion. Of course, you can always connect with me via Twitter (public or private) and in the discussion threads beneath pages with my byline. (I hope to have email up and running again in 2019.) As always, and with the most sincerity that I can convey, thank you for your loyalty as a reader, gamer and fan of the PGA TOUR. Wishing you and yours an outstanding holiday season! PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO My roster for The RSM Classic (in alphabetical order): Stewart Cink Lucas Glover Charles Howell III C.T. Pan Webb Simpson J.J. Spaun You’ll find my starters in Expert Picks. Others to consider for each category (in alphabetical order): Scoring: Bud Cauley; Cameron Champ; Austin Cook; Chesson Hadley; Keith Mitchell; Seth Reeves; Sam Ryder Driving: n/a Power Rankings Wild Card Michael Thompson … Could’ve been in the Power Rankings, but this is fine. He’s fully exempt as a Web.com Tour graduate, but if he finishes no worse than solo 16th at The RSM Classic, he’ll be promoted to the Major Medical category for the remainder of the 2018-19 season. This is his second and final start via a medical extension for which he needs 52.977 FedExCup points to fulfill its terms. He picked the perfect spot to burn it since he’s 4-for-5 on Sea Island with four top 20s, including in each of the last two editions. Draws Bill Haas … In the field on merit via conditional status, he carries a modest consecutive cuts made streak of four in with him. It includes a pair of top 15s to open the season. They also were his first two starts after having surgery on his right knee after the Wyndham Championship in August. He’s 4-for-5 at Sea Island with a runner-up finish in the inaugural edition in 2010 and another two top 25s. Bottom line, this is simply another opportunity to contribute to faithful gamers who understand that his potential far exceeds all long-term concern. The last 11 months or so have been as challenging to him physically and emotionally as any throughout his career. Sam Ryder … Every gamer’s shiny new toy at the moment, and rightfully so. With four top 10s sprinkled into his current streak of nine straight paydays, and with virtually zero baggage as he launches his sophomore season, he’s going to be loved. One school of thought is that it’s more sensible to abstain and let your opposition who’s wearing the rose-colored glasses ride the wave. If he doesn’t wipe out, tip your visor, but you’re not going to lead with him, anyway. I like him best as a defensive measure in aggressive DFS. Patrick Rodgers … Since skipping the Playoffs in favor of a wedding in Europe, he’s hung up a pair of top 25s. He’s also one of the most underrated good putters on TOUR, and that matters at Sea Island. A T10 here two years ago is evidence that he can tackle both courses. This week’s appearance is his fourth. Hudson Swafford … Among the throng of locals who are staples of this tournament. Since breaking onto the PGA TOUR in 2013-14, he hasn’t missed an edition, although he’s missed two cuts (2013, 2015). Perfect in his last seven starts dating back to late July, so he’s sneaky complementary material in DFS. Joel Dahmen … This will put to the test his profile as a performer in a shootout. It didn’t materialize in his first two tries at Sea Island, but he’s on another plane today. Could be a game-changer in DFS as a result. Ryan Armour Brice Garnett Chesson Hadley Whee Kim Keith Mitchell Joaquin Niemann Ted Potter, Jr. Richy Werenski Fades Chris Kirk … His record at Sea Island essentially is identical to Kevin Kisner’s. Both are former winners with two T4s. Kisner appeared in Monday’s Power Rankings in part because he’s been known to spike with some regularly, whereas Kirk is a known commodity who surges. This is to say that he’s a better long-term own even as he presents wonderfully on course history alone this week, but he’s fared no better than a T35 (Dell Technologies Championship) in his last seven starts. Zach Johnson … He finished T8 here last year and twice before in the top 20, but he’s not a short-lister in a shootout. His value is directly proportional to par. What’s more, he’s back in a lull without a top 30 in four straight starts. No question he’s comfortable in the Golden Isles – this is a home game – and even though Damon Green returns to the bag this week, use ZJ in defensive schemes only. Brian Harman … This isn’t too hard, but it should be. In 10 starts over the last four months, he’s failed to find a top-35 finish. Only three resulted in a top 50. The Savannah, Georgia, native loves it at Sea Island, and he finished T4 last year, but he was on a heater at the time. He missed the cut in the previous two editions. Trey Mullinax … The St. Simons Island resident is 2-for-3 at The RSM Classic, but he’s 0-for-3 this season and has only one top-50 finish in 11 starts over the last five months. Jon Curran … Exhausting the final start on his Major Medical Extension during which he’s made only one of 17 cuts, and that was but a T75 at the no-cut CIMB Classic a month ago. Even a runner-up finish at The RSM Classic (worth 300 FedExCup points) wouldn’t be enough to meet the terms as he’s 303.115 points shy. Short of that, he’d need no worse than a three-way T2 (worth 208.333 points) to secure conditional status for the remainder of 2018-19. He’s 206.315 short of that secondary objective. If he fails, he’ll lose his PGA TOUR status. Sam Burns Jason Dufner Andrew Landry Ollie Schniederjans Kevin Streelman Nick Watney Returning to Competition Sam Saunders … A sore back forced him to withdraw on just his third hole of the second round in Mexico last week. He had survived five straight cuts dating back to the Barracuda Championship in August. If he starts a new streak on Sea Island, it’ll be an upset given he’s just 1-for-4 with a T57 in 2016. Will MacKenzie … The 44-year-old hasn’t shown in a PGA TOUR event since the 2017 Travelers Championship. News hasn’t surfaced to detail what’s prevented him from appearing, but he’s tried to play five times on the Web.com Tour since. He missed the cut three times and withdrew during the other two. Now in his second season with a medical extension in the reshuffle category to earn 238.357 FedExCup points in six starts, he presents as a sleeper in the deepest of full-season salary formats. Expectations are virtually zero right now, of course, but it was only four years ago that he lost in a playoff at Sea Island. Ben Martin … Making his first start since shutting it down in late June due to ongoing discomfort in his back. He finished 150th in the FedExCup standings, and then was given a Minor Medical Extension to begin 2018-19. Because his time away extended beyond four months, his medical was modified to a Major, so he’ll play out of that category in his next seven starts beginning at The RSM Classic. If he earns 111.322 FedExCup points in the first seven, he’ll retain status. If he falls short, he’ll tumble into the conditional status category for the remainder of the season. Despite his break, odds are decent that he’ll take a bite out of his goal as he’s 3-for-5 at Sea Island with a pair of top 25s. Therefore, treat him as a smart flier for fractional DFS purposes. Greg Chalmers … Scheduled to appear in this week’s Emirates Australian Open in his homeland, it’ll mark his first live action in over five months. Like with Martin above, Chalmers started the 2018-19 on a Minor Medical Extension but was promoted to the Major Medical category after four months elapsed. Whenever he returns to the PGA TOUR, the lefty has seven starts to collect 244.707 FedExCup points and retain status. He’s 133.385 points from the minimum for conditional status. Turned 45 in October. Henrik Stenson … Slated to peg it at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai. It’ll be his first competition since he has surgery on his left elbow on Oct. 11. K.J. Choi … I overlooked his return at, where else, the Hyundai Insurance KJ Choi Invitational on the Korean PGA in late October. He missed the cut. The 48-year-old has a Major Medical Extension on the PGA TOUR affording nine starts to earn 267.570 FedExCup points. Notable WDs Chez Reavie … Off to a flying start with one top 10 among five paydays in as many events. Sits 30th in the FedExCup standings. Chris Stroud … Withdrew from last week’s Mayakoba Golf Classic before the second round with an injury to his neck. He battled a sore knee earlier this year and has four mid-tournament WDs in his last 17 starts. He’s in the last season of his multi-year exemption for winning the 2017 Barracuda Championship. Grayson Murray … Like Stroud, Murray also has withdrawn during four starts in 2018, but all of his have occurred in his last 10. Last week, he walked off El Camaleón with an issue in his back. Similar to Stroud, Murray is fully exempt this season thanks to his victory at the 2017 Barbasol Championship. Roberto Díaz … This isn’t a surprising decision given that he’s partnering with Abraham Ancer to represent Mexico in next week’s World Cup of Golf in Australia, but Díaz is just 1-for-4 with a T57 at the Shriners this season, so he’s poised to plummet in the Web.com Tour reshuffle category. Currently 24th, he’s going to lose approximately 20 spots. Power Rankings Recap – Mayakoba Golf Classic Power Ranking  Golfer  Result 1  Rickie Fowler  T16 2  Emiliano Grillo  15th 3  Gary Woodland  T41 4  Tony Finau  T16 5  Si Woo Kim  T26 6  Charles Howell III  MC 7  Aaron Wise  T10 8  J.J. Spaun  T3 9  Abraham Ancer  T21 10  Scott Piercy  T6 11  Jordan Spieth  MC 12  Ryan Moore  MC 13  Joaquin Niemann  T60 14  Chez Reavie  T26 15  J.B. Holmes  T48 Wild Card  Zach Johnson  MC Sleepers Recap – Mayakoba Golf Classic Golfer  Result Adri Arnaus  MC Adam Hadwin  T10 Viktor Hovland  MC Denny McCarthy  T41 Nick Taylor  MC Birthdays among active golfers on the PGA TOUR November 13 … none November 14 … Martin Piller (33); Talor Gooch (27) November 15 … Ben Silverman (31) November 16 … none November 17 … none November 18 … none November 19 … Kyle Stanley (31); Max Homa (28) November 20 … none November 21 … none November 22 … none November 23 … Mackenzie Hughes (28) November 24 … none November 25 … none November 26 … none November 27 … none November 28 … none November 29 … none November 30 … Smylie Kaufman (27) December 1 … D.A. Points (42) December 2 … Alex Cejka (48); Shawn Stefani (37) December 3 … none December 4 … Matt Every (35) December 5 … Ryan Moore (36) December 6 … none December 7 … Luke Donald (41); Billy Horschel (32) December 8 … Brandt Snedeker (38) December 9 … Wyndham Clark (25) December 10 … Brian Stuard (36); Wes Roach (30) December 11 … none December 12 … Nate Lashley (36) December 13 … Rickie Fowler (30) December 14 … Brian Gay (47) December 15 … Sam Ryder (29) December 16 … Trevor Immelman (39) December 17 … Tim Clark (43) December 18 … D.J. Trahan (38) December 19 … none December 20 … none December 21 … none December 22 … Richy Werenski (27) December 23 … Daniel Chopra (45) December 24 … none December 25 … none December 26 … none December 27 … Charley Hoffman (42); Lee Williams (37) December 28 … Martin Kaymer (34) December 29 … Martin Laird (36) December 30 … Tiger Woods (43) December 31 … Adam Svensson (25)

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DALLAS — Aaron Wise cruised to his first PGA TOUR victory Sunday, shattering the AT&T Byron Nelson record at 23 under on a new course in a race to finish before nightfall after a four-hour rain delay. The 21-year-old rookie shot a 6-under 65 to beat Marc Leishman by three strokes as both became the first to finish the Nelson at 20 under or better in the first year at Trinity Forest. The treeless links-style layout was defenseless with softer fairways and greens and no wind once the morning storms passed. The Nelson celebrated its 50th anniversary with a return to Dallas after 35 years at the TPC Four Seasons in suburban Irving. Rory Sabbatini set the previous record on that par-70 layout at 19-under 261 in 2009. Wise, the 2016 NCAA individual champion at Oregon, reached 20 under with his third birdie in the first seven holes. Branden Grace matched his career-best 62 from last year’s Open Championship — which was the lowest round ever in a major — and finished at 19 under with J.J. Spaun and Keith Mitchell, who had matching 63s. Hometown star Jordan Spieth shot 67 to finish 11 under.

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Twenty-five high school graduates have been selected to the First Tee College Scholarship Program. This is the largest class to date and a significant milestone as the youth development organization celebrates 25 years of helping young people build their strength of character through golf. The Scholars Class of 2022 includes aspiring physicians, computer scientists and lawyers, all of whom will be attending stand-out colleges and universities, including Harvard University, New York University and Columbia University. Selected from a national pool of First Tee teens, the diverse group of Scholars – 15 young women and 10 young men – are from both urban and rural communities across the United States. Nine of the Scholars will play on their college’s golf team; several are heading into STEM, business, and medical fields; and many already have impressive plans for careers that will support underrepresented and underserved populations. “I offer congratulations and a warm welcome to our Class of 2022 First Tee Scholars,” said Greg McLaughlin, CEO of First Tee. “With the support of our donors, we’re able to provide this ongoing support as they matriculate through college and prepare for future careers. These outstanding young leaders have bright futures ahead, and we believe the skills and values developed through First Tee will empower them throughout their collegiate journey and beyond.” First Tee College Scholarship Program extends its impact to alumni by providing support throughout their post-graduate careers. Each of the Scholars is paired with a dedicated, trained adult mentor who will help encourage and guide them throughout their college experience, including virtual and in-person meetups. The program also provides professional development workshops held in-person throughout the year, and up to $5,000 per year toward tuition. The program, which re-launched in 2020, is an evolution from the First Tee Scholars Program established in 2003. The program began after participant Steven Outlaw gave a moving speech in 2001 at the age of 16 and was provided an impromptu scholarship from a generous donor. Two years later, Outlaw graduated high school and was part of the inaugural First Tee Scholars Class. Since 2003, First Tee headquarters and its chapter network have awarded more than $15 million in college scholarships to alumni. Applications for the Class of 2022 were received from participants across the First Tee network. Following an online application process, finalists were selected by a committee for one-on-one interviews. In addition to academic performance, applicants were considered based on financial need, chapter involvement, volunteerism, and other criteria. First Tee College Scholarship Program is made possible by donors and corporate partners who stand behind the program and First Tee’s mission, including 3M, A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation, The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, Astros Golf Foundation, Brendan and Shay Cavanagh, Charles Schwab, Chevron Corporation, David and Geri Epstein Private Foundation, Delores Barr Weaver Legacy Fund, Edward and Lisa Vaughan, Jon Clay, Nelson and Michele Carbonell Family Foundation, Paul and Ruth Flowers, Peter A. Bonanni Scholarship Fund, PURE Insurance, Timothy W. Finchem Scholarship Fund, TruGreen, USSGA Memorial Fund, and Zotec Foundation. First Tee College Scholarship Class of 2022: Average GPA: 4.1 on a 4.0 scale Average SAT score: 1,470 out of 1,600 Average ACT score: 31 out of 36 Breonna Boyd, First Tee — Tennessee University of Michigan; Major: Business Administration Breonna plans to start a nonprofit that will provide natural hair care products to African American girls who need them. Nicholas Canales, First Tee — Greater Houston University of Nebraska; Major: Political Science and History Nicholas is a first-generation college student and will play on the men’s golf team. Antonio DelCastillo, First Tee — Orange County University of Alabama; Major: Pre-Med Pursuing a career as either a neuro-orthopedic surgeon or anesthesiologist. Srishti Dhurandhar, First Tee — Metropolitan New York New York University; Major: Electrical and Computer Engineering Srishti will play on the women’s golf team under the leadership of her former First Tee coach and NYU head coach, Katie Rudolph. Vivian D’Orazi, First Tee — Metropolitan New York York College of Pennsylvania; Major: Marketing; Minor: Hospitality Management Vivian will play on the women’s golf team and aspires to work in the golf industry post-graduation. Dylan Ebs, First Tee — Greater Austin George Washington University; Major: Journalism Dylan plans to pursue his goal of becoming a political reporter in Washington, D.C. Esther Etherington, First Tee — Indiana Franklin College; Major: Elementary Education Esther will play on the women’s golf team and plans to later receive a Master’s degree in Special Education. Maleyna Gregorio, First Tee — Coachella Valley University of California Riverside; Major: Business Maleyna will play on the women’s golf team and aspires to work in the golf industry. Raiyan Johnson, First Tee — Savannah Georgia Institute of Technology; Major: Astrophysics Raiyan will pursue her goal to become an astrophysicist and ultimately an astronaut. Lea Han, First Tee — Greater Sacramento Harvard University; Major: History Lea plans to become either an immigration or civil rights lawyer and pursue her passion for social justice. Zara Karim, First Tee — Greater Washington, D.C. George Washington University; Major: Computer Science Graduating with 4.5 GPA, Zara aspires to become a computer scientist or software engineer. Nelia Leong, First Tee — Upstate South Carolina University of Florida; Major: Public Health Nelia will be pursuing the pre-dentistry track with plans to use her degree to have her own pediatric dentistry practice. Myles Manor, First Tee — Greater Washington, D.C. North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University; Major: Chemistry Myles has a desire to bring interest and awareness to STEM careers in his community. Abigale Morris, First Tee — Phoenix Biola University; Major: Cinematography Abigale will play on the women’s golf team. She aspires to own a film company that provides film and media for nonprofits. Hannah Newell, First Tee — Greater Houston LeTourneau University; Major: Chemical Engineering Hannah will play on the women’s golf team while working toward her goal of building a career in chemical engineering. Sabrina Poole, First Tee — Greater Seattle St. Martin’s University; Major: Psychology Sabrina will play on the women’s golf team. Her future aspirations include helping high school and college student-athletes with mental and psychological struggles or crises as a clinical psychologist. Nancy Rivera, First Tee — Silicon Valley Middleburg College Vermont; Major: Pre-Med Nancy wants to be the voice for Latinx families who have had limited representation in the medical field. She plans on becoming an OB-GYN. Ahmad Raoul, First Tee — Greater Chicago Winston-Salem State University; Major: Computer Science While playing on the men’s golf team and majoring in computer science, Ahmad plans to leverage his STEM knowledge to further his passion for golf and improve his golf performance. Daniel Sears, First Tee — Massachusetts Franciscan University of Steubenville; Major: Philosophy and Finance Daniel plans on a career in either real estate or law. Connor Shooks, First Tee — Benton Harbor Loyola University Chicago; Major: Sports Management Connor aspires to either be an athletic trainer or physical therapist. Kenneth Treece, First Tee — Pine Mountain University of Alabama; Major: Aerospace Engineering and Political Science Obtaining a 35 out of 36 on the ACT, Kenneth has plans to become a public defense attorney. Alexa Vela, First Tee — Greater Houston Rice University; Major: Psychology and Pre-Law Alexa aspires to become a lawyer to grant the underrepresented the opportunity to recognize their constitutional rights and the powers granted to them by their government. Jaylon Wilson, First Tee — Metro Atlanta North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University; Major: Finance With plans to become a financial advisor, Jaylon aspires to serve the African American community through providing financial literacy, specifically to athletes and musicians. Iris Xue, First Tee — Greater Washington, D.C. Columbia University; Major: Computer Science and Engineering Iris hopes to one day build artificial intelligence models that tackle healthcare challenges, such as disease modeling and disease prevention. Jacob Zakaria, First Tee — Central Coast University of California Berkeley; Major: Biology Inspired by his father’s family being raised in a war-struck refugee camp in Lebanon without access to healthcare, Jacob plans on becoming a medical doctor.

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