Win probabilities: Shriners Hospitals for Children Open

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – “Train hard. Fight easy.” It’s a military mantra that Earl Woods, who served in Vietnam as a Green Beret, passed to his son, Tiger. Now, Tiger uses it to inspire his children in their own athletic endeavors. RELATED: Tiger Woods, daughter Sam share emotional World Golf Hall of Fame induction | Woods, Finchem enter together after parallel careers The message is simple: the more intense the preparation, the easier the task becomes. Tiger’s daughter, Sam, shared it while introducing her father at Wednesday’s World Golf Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Those words shaped Tiger’s approach to golf, and it changed the game, bringing a newfound emphasis on physical training to what had been a country-club sport. “I made practicing so difficult, hurt so much, because I wanted to make sure that I was ready come game time,” Tiger said. “I hit thousands of balls, hands bleeding, aching, just so that I could play in a tournament.” The fruit of all those long hours – the record-tying 82 PGA TOUR wins and 15 major championships – earned him his spot in the World Golf Hall of Fame on Wednesday, as Woods was inducted alongside former PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem, three-time U.S. Women’s Open champion Susie Maxwell Berning and pioneer Marion Hollins in a ceremony at PGA TOUR headquarters. Tiger spoke for approximately 15 minutes at Wednesday’s ceremony, making it the longest we’ve seen him speak in public uninterrupted. He didn’t fill those 15 minutes with stories from his 15 major triumphs, though. This opportunity to reflect on his career was filled with stories from his earliest days, showing that his fondest memories are from the days before he was famous. All of the anecdotes he shared were confined to the first half of his life, none of them occurring after 1999. Woods’ spot in the World Golf Hall of Fame has been guaranteed for two decades. But it certainly means more now. Twenty years ago, it would have been just another accomplishment to add to the resume. There isn’t time to reflect while you’re creating history. But now that Tiger is a parent, a survivor and a man who’s experienced the full spectrum of life’s experiences, it made his induction more meaningful. “We didn’t know if you’d come home with two legs or not,” Sam said. “Now, not only are you about to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, but you’re standing on your own two feet. This is why you deserve this, because you’re a fighter.” Berning said in Wednesday’s speech that she earned just $16,000 combined in her three U.S. Women’s Open wins. She asked Tiger if he’d like to trade just one paycheck. But it was clear Wednesday moments in the game that were most important to him didn’t earn him a dollar. He told stories of sneaking on the Navy Golf Course to play with his father and about the second mortgage that his parents took out so that he could travel the country to play junior events. Paying off that debt was one of the first things he did after he turned pro. Tiger teared up twice during Wednesday’s speech, after Sam introduced him and when he looked at his mother. The victories he did discuss were the ones on the putting green at the Heartwell Golf Park in Long Beach, California, where he won quarters, and then dollars, in putting contests. He talked about playing in the dark with his dad until they lost a golf ball. Those rounds in the moonlight obviously meant more than the years in the spotlight. Woods’ favorite memories clearly occurred before his passion became a profession. Wednesday’s ceremony was about celebrating lives that defined golf. But golf did not define their lives. “This is an individual award, but it’s actually a team award,” Tiger said. “All of you allowed me to get here.” And those people are more important than any trophy.

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HONOLULU – Former FedExCup champion Justin Thomas will likely not be repeating his Hawaii double from three years ago after projecting towards a missed cut on Friday. RELATED: Leaderboard | Players to Watch in 2020: Justin Thomas Thomas was one shot better than Thursday as high winds continued to buffet Waialae Country Club but his 72-71 start left him 3 over and projected a shot or two outside the likely cut. A winner a week ago at the Sentry Tournament of Champions, his 12th TOUR win, Thomas was hoping to have history repeat in Honolulu. Three years ago after winning in Maui he opened with a 59 at Waialae before going on to win in record fashion. Wet and windy conditions have ensured there will be no scoring records this time around but Thomas was still disappointed to fall out of contention. While he admitted the near 40 mph gusts make things hard, he still felt like a better performance could have been forthcoming. “I played like crap so I deserve to have a weekend off … it’s pretty terrible to miss the cut here the way I’ve been playing,â€� Thomas said. “Everybody had to play (in the wind) so there’s no excuse. If anything I should have had an advantage, I had a week in it last week to get ready for it if you will. I just wasn’t sharp, making some mental mistakes, I just really struggled.â€� Thomas – who had been proud of his ability to stay focused on the greens in Maui – said he couldn’t maintain the same execution this week. When he signed his card, albeit with half the field left to finish their second round, Thomas had lost over 4.5 strokes to the field in putting for the week. “I played fine. I played plenty good enough to be at 4- or 5-under and right in contention. (But) I missed about every putt,â€� he confirmed. “I think honestly playing the course as often as I have in the past hurt me this year because it’s just so weird the greens being as soft as they are, especially out of the rough when the ball flies as much as it does.â€� It would be the first missed cut for Thomas this season and first since the U.S. Open last June. At this stage Thomas is still projected to maintain the lead in the FedExCup despite the early exit although a few players could steal it from him with a hot weekend.

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The PGA TOUR hits Detroit this week for the third edition of the Rocket Mortgage Classic. Detroit Golf Club’s North Course, a classic Donald Ross design that plays as a relatively easy par 72 at 7,370 yards, will host. The course features a blend of Bentgrass and Poa greens and is one of the easier venues on TOUR, with the two winners here reaching 23 and 25 under par, respectively. Bryson DeChambeau (+750; $11,400) defends in this full-field (156 man) after he bested Matthew Wolff (+3500; $9,100) by three shots. Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $750K Flop Shot [$200K to 1st] STRATEGY The Rocket Mortgage Classic has quickly set itself up as a birdie-fest, where the players will need to capitalize on their scoring chances or run the risk of going home early. Last season, the cut was 5-under making the venue the fourth easiest courses on TOUR (38th out of 41). Detroit Golf Club is one of the flattest courses on TOUR in terms of elevation changes, so if you are finding fairways and greens here you won’t have a ton of other elements to throw your approach shot off. The rough can be grown out, but the fairways have been very easy to find for the pros since this event’s inception, with cut makers averaging 3-5% higher Driving Accuracy rates for the week compared to the TOUR norm. Detroit Golf Club is also what you’d consider a “driver-heavy” venue with the average driving distance here being 10 yards more than what it is at other venues on TOUR. You would figure the event favors big hitters, and a DeChambeau / Wolff showdown last season certainly confirms that belief somewhat. Still, the name of the game is birdie conversion and both Wolff and DeChambeau gained over six strokes putting here last season. In fact, none of the players in the top 10 last season gained less than 1.4 strokes putting for the week, which gives you an idea of how important that club is. If you’re targeting shorter hitters, make sure they are firing with their approach shots as they’ll have to make up for the lack of distance with solid iron play. The 125-150 and 150-175 range will be very popular, so short-to-mid-iron play will be one to key in on. As for players to target, Hideki Matsuyama (+1600; $10,400), Kyle Stanley (+6500; $7,600) and Henrik Norlander (+15000; $6,800) are all players who rank in the top 10 in proximity in both the 125-150 and 150-175 approach range. GOLFERS TO CONSIDER Hideki Matsuyama (+1600 to Win, $10,400 on DraftKings) Matsuyama has found some consistency at this event the last two years, even when struggling with his overall game. He finished T19 in 2019 and T26 here last season when he gained five strokes on his approaches. Matsuyama is one of the most consistent performers in terms of proximity from the 125-175 range so you can expect him to be firing at pins from the get-go. He’s had some decent results at other Donald Ross-designed venues (third at the 2016 Wyndham Championship and T15 at the 2018 BMW Championship) and comes in with solid form after a T26 finish at the U.S. Open, where he gained over six strokes on approach. The odds to win are more than reasonable given the upside he’s shown in 2021, and for DraftKings contests, using him as an anchor is very affordable. Charley Hoffman (+2500 to Win, $8,800 on DraftKings) Hoffman has been on an incredible run for DFS purposes over the past couple of months. The veteran has made over 10 cuts in a row and finished T30 last week while piling up 16 birdies. Hoffman looks like a great fit in a lot of different ways, but it’s his birdie conversion rate that really sticks out. He ranks first in SG: Approach stats, second in Birdies or Better gained over the past 50 rounds and is third in DraftKings points gained over that same span. Despite the consistency, though, he still comes in under $9K in price on DraftKings and has typically been a player who has excelled at easier venues over his career. He looks well priced to load up on this week once again. Doc Redman (+6000 to Win, $7,900 on DraftKings) Redman has really picked up his play after a slow start to 2021. Despite a uneventful T61 last week, the third-year player has made the cut in five straight events and has gained strokes putting and on his approaches in all five of those. Redman ranks well enough in the key proximity ranges and has also proven himself as somewhat of a Donald Ross-design specialist, having grabbed a runner-up finish at this event in 2019 and a third-place finish at the Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Country Club – another Ross design – in 2020. Given how well he’s trending on the greens, his DFS price looks very attractive, and at +6000, there’s still enough juice there to take a shot on the outright on DraftKings Sportsbook. Redman’s a player who seems likely to pop for a win soon and this is a great venue to take a shot with him. Chris Kirk (+5500 to Win, $7,400 on DraftKings) Kirk is coming off a missed cut last week, but the veteran still ranks very well in a lot of the long-term form stats. In fact, Kirk comes in ranked top 45 in the field in all major strokes gained stats, including 12th in SG: Tee to Green and third in SG: Around the Green over the past 50 rounds. While his results have tapered off a bit, his approach game has remained strong and he ranks 10th in proximity from 125-150 yards and ninth from greater than 200 yards over the last 50 rounds, which should set him up very well for this course. Kirk’s a solid birdie maker who can easily make up his lack of length off the tee with his approach game and putter on this softer setup, making him a good low-owned target for big GPPs. Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $750K Flop Shot [$200K to 1st] Refer a friend and get $20 DK Dollars! Head to the DraftKings Playbook Promo page for more details! Put your knowledge to the test. Sign up for DraftKings and experience the game inside the game. I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is wavegoodbye) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information. 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