McIlroy tops Koepka for Player of the Year award

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CROMWELL, Conn. – When he crossed paths with Roberto Diaz in the locker room at TPC River Highlands Tuesday, Chip McDaniel got a greeting that made him smile. “He called me ‘Mr. Monday,’ so I’ve already got a nickname out here, which is really cool,� said the 23-year-old McDaniel. “Here� being the PGA TOUR, where McDaniel longs to be full-time, “whether that’s next year or five years from now or 10.� That’s he’s “temporarily� on the PGA TOUR might not sound like much, but given the way McDaniel earned his spot into this week’s Travelers Championship, and for what he is playing for, there’s good reason why the former University of Kentucky golfer is gaining recognition. When he finished his fourth round at the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach Sunday (at 77 – 297 he was 78th), then flew the red-eye to Boston and drove 90 miles south to Monday qualify for the Travelers by shooting 67 and surviving a nine-for-three playoff, McDaniel’s story trended on social media. “It’s been a really cool experience,� said the young man whose real name is Tyler, though he’s been Chip ever since he was a kid and his mother’s favorite baseball player was Chipper Jones. Sort of fits “because I just so happen to be a golfer.� It’s the third time McDaniel has qualified for a PGA TOUR tournament this year (he was joint fifth at the Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship in March and missed the cut in May at the Wells Fargo Championship) and what factors into the equation right now are non-member FedExCup points. If he accumulates a total equal to, or greater than what No. 200 is on the FedExCup points list at the end of the season, McDaniel would be eligible for the Korn Ferry Tour Final Events, a series of four tournaments that will reward 25 PGA TOUR cards for 2019-20. Presently, with 67.693 non-member points, McDaniel would rank 198th, and No. 200 a year ago was 74 FedExCup points, so clearly, that scenario is very much in play for the unheralded kid from Lexington, Kentucky. That’s why the coast-to-coast rush to get into the Travelers was made. It’s also why McDaniel is signed on for Monday qualifiers for the next three tournaments – the Rocket Mortgage Classic, 3M Open, and John Deere Classic. (Four weeks from now, McDaniel will be playing on a sponsor’s exemption in the Barbasol Championship in his native Kentucky.) Having failed to make it beyond second stage in the Korn Ferry Qualifying Tournament last fall, McDaniel has plenty of incentive to succeed in these rare PGA TOUR opportunities. He saw TPC River Highlands for the first time Tuesday, when he played in the rain, and felt like “all my lines were good,� so he is undaunted by the long odds. Why should he be? After all, McDaniel said, “I didn’t have too many expectations,� at Ellington Ridge Country Club Monday and that worked out nicely, so why change?

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As the calendar flips to a new year, and a new decade, PGA TOUR players such as Rickie Fowler, Dustin Johnson and Joaquín Niemann set goals to strive for in 2020. From charitable impact to multiple wins, check out what they hope to accomplish this year both on and off the course. RELATED: Players to Watch in 2020  Rickie Fowler • Multiple wins • Win a major • Make the Olympics • Start an event with our foundation • Help bring Challenge (Jarrod Lyle’s charity) to the USA to keep Jarrod Lyle’s name alive • Enjoy my free time Dustin Johnson • Return my wedge game (150 and in) to a higher standard • Improve putting inside 10 feet • Go fishing with my kids more Lanto Griffin • Buy Mom and brother a piece of land with a gardening pad • Help Mom start her own tincture business • Make it to East Lake • Enjoy the moments I’ve created Collin Morikawa • Keep improving across the board • Set new goals after achieving others • Make the Olympics • Make the Ryder Cup team Joaquín Niemann • Eat more avocados • Be more positive on short game and putting • Buy a house • Get stronger abs Sebastián Muñoz • Focus more on fitness • Learn how to meditate • Travel more without my golf bag

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