Two winning putts â€" and a T.O. celebration â€" keeps the U.S. close

They’re back! After a one-year hiatus, FedExCup bonus points in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf will be returning for the 2019-20 season. Count on managing every tournament and Segment with that promise. Bonus points were eliminated this season, so it took just one week to realize that cuts made would fill the void as the most valuable currency. For gamers who didn’t register or start playing until 2018-19, your starters in every final round were credited with a fraction of FedExCup points applied to their finish. In events with ShotLink, the bonus was one-tenth the actual. In events without ShotLink, the bonus was one-half (to compensate for lighter fantasy scoring overall). While details concerning everything regarding the next iteration of PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf are forthcoming, the absence of bonus points grumbled the masses. Consider yourselves heard, gang! With no bonus points in play and with no cut at this week’s BMW Championship, only the nail-biters among contenders will lose sleep. This does not apply to my little league in which Ben Everill holds a 245-point edge over me in second, this despite one of my best efforts of the season at THE NORTHERN TRUST. I totaled 800 points, but because Ben got four to the weekend, I outpaced him by only 63. So, it’s over; well, as long as he remembers to save a lineup. Shhh… Looking ahead, with a full-field Power Rankings for next week’s TOUR Championship, this preview column will be abridged. It also means that this week’s Sleepers is the last edition until Tuesday, September 10, for A Military Tribute at the Greenbrier. My annual full-membership fantasy ranking should publish by Friday, Sept. 6, but timing on that always is fluid due to the numerous resources required to generate the finished product. As always, keep an eye on the FANTASY page and my Twitter for everything. PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf My roster for the BMW Championship (in alphabetical order): Tony Finau Dustin Johnson Brooks Koepka Louis Oosthuizen Patrick Reed Adam Scott You’ll find my starters in Expert Picks. Others to consider for each category (in alphabetical order): Scoring: Patrick Cantlay; Bryson DeChambeau; Rory McIlroy; Andrew Putnam; Jon Rahm; Justin Rose; Jordan Spieth; Justin Thomas Driving: Paul Casey; Jason Day; Bryson DeChambeau; Tommy Fleetwood; Lucas Glover; Jason Kokrak; Rory McIlroy; Jon Rahm Power Rankings Wild Card Jason Day … Classic rebound candidate. That I loved his short-lived commitment to Steve Williams to spark a relatively lackluster season, I guess you now know in which school I belong. (Hint: It’s not new.) Now handing caddie duties to friend and former PGA TOUR member David Lutterus, he of the different-colored eyelashes – black on the left, blond on the right – Day should have more fun in theory. Quite simply, I’ll buy that and the fresh start at 50th in the FedExCup. Draws Rickie Fowler … Inconsistency is killing this cat, but we have to set aside our emotion and remember that he doesn’t slump. A quietly strong T6 at The Open Championship is his only top-40 finish in five starts, and he’s managed a busy by sitting out the WGC-St. Jude, so fatigue isn’t a factor for the 17-seed. Keep the faith even though you can’t attach anything empirical to it. Bryson DeChambeau Jim Furyk Lucas Glover Kevin Kisner Francesco Molinari Xander Schauffele Vaughn Taylor Fades Keegan Bradley … He’s the defending champion, but he prevailed at Aronimink outside Philadelphia. If only he could find the kind of mojo with the putter that fellow major champions Justin Rose, Webb Simpson and most recently Adam Scott has captured, the 66-seed likely would be enjoying consistently strong form instead of looking up and seeing only one top 25 in his last 13 starts. Tiger Woods … It comes as zero surprise that he devoured the par 5s en route to both victories in the PGA Championship at Medinah. He led the field in 1999 with a scoring average of 4.44 on the set, and then “settled” for T4 at 4.50 in 2006. That narrative applies to every par 72 throughout his career, and he loves this course, but when his health interrupts performance, well, it’s worthy of more concern than just about anyone else. If there’s good news, it’s that he merely strained an oblique muscle. The learning curve continues as he balances how much he needs to rest without getting rusty competitively, but his body rules that court. Seeded 38th, he might need a top 10 to advance. Matt Kuchar … If there’s a bright side, it’s that he can’t miss consecutive cuts for the first time in eight years, but he hasn’t been himself since a closing 79 at Royal Portrush that bumped him 29 spots to a T41. He’s broken par just twice in his last seven rounds and has gone three starts without a top 40. However, he’s been a lock for the TOUR Championship as the top seed for months during the regular season. Currently fourth. J.B. Holmes Hideki Matsuyama Phil Mickelson C.T. Pan Gary Woodland Returning to Competition Rafa Cabrera Bello … Talk about a win-win! The Spaniard sat out THE NORTHERN TRUST for the birth of his first child and he retained position inside the top 70 in the FedExCup after sliding only eight spots to 67th. He’ll need to contend for a spot on the podium at Medinah to advance, but with nothing to lose in a no-cut event and in conjunction with the Nappy Factor, it’s a headline in waiting. Kevin Chappell … Out since November after having a microdiscectomy, the 33-year-old is giving it a go at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship. He’ll receive a Major Medical Extension in 2019-20 with somewhere in the vicinity of 22 starts to earn 268.297 FedExCup points and retain status, but a successful blast through the Korn Ferry Tour Finals would set up a safety net for the entire season. With a price tag of just $257K, full-season salary gamers especially will be monitoring his progress intently, as they should. Notable WDs Kevin Na … Done for the season at 55th in points, but for the best of reasons. His wife is due to deliver the couple’s second child soon. Power Rankings Recap – THE NORTHERN TRUST Power Ranking  Golfer  Result 1  Brooks Koepka  T30 2  Rory McIlroy  T6 3  Webb Simpson  T18 4  Justin Rose  T10 5  Jon Rahm  T3 6  Justin Thomas  T12 7  Rickie Fowler  MC 8  Patrick Cantlay  T12 9  Billy Horschel  T21 10  Francesco Molinari  82nd 11  Matt Kuchar  MC 12  Patrick Reed  Win 13  Tommy Fleetwood  T43 14  Adam Scott  5th 15  Dustin Johnson  T24 16  Sungjae Im  T38 17  Rory Sabbatini  T43 18  Jason Day  MC 19  Collin Morikawa  T52 20  Louis Oosthuizen  T6 Wild Card  Xander Schauffele  MC Sleepers Recap – THE NORTHERN TRUST Golfer  Result Brian Harman  T52 Russell Henley  T59 Troy Merritt  T12 Joaquin Niemann  T30 Kyle Stanley  T71 Birthdays among active golfers on the PGA TOUR August 13 … Tommy Gainey (44) August 14 … none August 15 … Ted Purdy (46); Harold Varner III (29) August 16 … none August 17 … none August 18 … Cameron Smith (26) August 19 … Jhonattan Vegas (35)

Click here to read the full article…

Sergio Garcia frustration over a ruling on a lost ball in the first round of the Wells Fargo Championship on Thursday, said “I can’t wait to leave this tour.”

Click here to read the full article…

AUGUSTA, Ga. - After getting off to a bad start, Rory McIlroy's bid for the Masters and the career Grand Slam isn't completely dead. But he may need a miracle Sunday, plus help from frontrunner Dustin Johnson. Clawing his way back after an opening-round 75, McIlroy shot a third-round 67 that was marred only by his continued frustrations at the par-5 13th hole. He three-putted from nine feet to bogey perhaps the easiest hole on the course for the second time this week. RELATED: Leaderboard | Nine things to know: Augusta National Golf Club McIlroy reached 8 under (75-66-67) and was just outside the top 10 on the leaderboard. "Yeah, 11 under for the last two days, I think that sort of speaks for itself," he said. "The good golf was in there, I just didn’t allow myself to play that way on the first 18 holes. This course can do that. This course can make you a little bit careful and a little bit tentative at times. I’ve always said I play my best golf when I’m trusting and freer, and I’ve been a lot freer over the last 36 holes." The two-time FedExCup champion hit 10 of 14 fairways, and 11 greens in regulation. He birdied the ninth and 10th holes, two of the tougher par-4s on the course, and holed out for birdie from the sand on 12. It was the unlucky 13th, though, that got him again. In the first round "Azalea" bit back when he got caught up in the trees left of the fairway and Rae's Creek, and made bogey. This time his 321-yard drive found the thick right rough. He had an opening, but after a long discussion with caddie Harry Diamond, chose to lay up. The sensible play, it nonetheless didn't pay off. Although his 62-yard third shot stopped just nine feet behind the pin, he missed the birdie and his ball slid four feet past the hole. His par effort power-lipped out. "It was where I left my (birdie) putt," he said, explaining his mistake. "The first two feet of it was uphill, and then it went over the crest and started going down, so you had to give it enough speed to at least get it up and over there, and then it just got away from me a little bit. But the greens are getting quicker. Yeah, you’ve got to think about where you’re leaving it." At the par-5 15th hole he was too aggressive, going for the green in two even though he was too far left off the tee. His second shot found the water, and he did well to get up and down for par. At least he managed to birdie both par-5s on the front. McIlroy, 31, would seem to have plenty of time to win here, and the game to do it. But as he's said, the example of Greg Norman shows there are no guarantees. He looked headed for the green jacket until a final-round 80 in 2011, and his best finish remains a 4th in 2015 Although he hasn't played well since the PGA TOUR resumed in June, McIlroy began to show positive signs in his last start at the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP @ SHERWOOD, when he led the field with 29 birdies. He's been showing more of the same the last two rounds, but he's likely too far back, with Johnson reaching 15 under par even before he'd played his final par 5. "I just need to go out and shoot a good one tomorrow and see where it puts me," McIlroy said, "but I have zero thoughts about winning this golf tournament right now."

Click here to read the full article…