McIlroy: ‘Freedom’ tops golf league’s big money

When a golf course is approved to undergo a renovation, it usually means that it’s older and outdated. It’s tired. It’s getting (or has already been) passed by due to the never-ending advancement of equipment and its agronomy has deteriorated beyond the point of sustainable maintenance to achieve expectations. Then there’s what happened at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm. After it hosted the PGA TOUR from 1987-2004 and once more in 2006, it not only required an overhaul to eliminate concern over poor drainage and substandard turf, it likely wasn’t going to rejoin any sort of rotation as a host at this level until something significant occurred. Done and done. A much tougher test is in store for the field of 120 at this week’s Quicken Loans National. Continues to sizzle and remains one of the most active among the elite. Since a T14 at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, he’s 7-for-7 with six top 25s. Season-best T5 last week. The PGA TOUR’s leader in adjusted scoring took a week to lick his wounds after a T5 at the U.S. Open. Fifth in birdie-or-better percentage and 10th in bogey avoidance. To steal his phrase, wouldn’t be surprised if he just won this (the week after sitting atop the Power Rankings, naturally). Tops on TOUR in birdies-or-better percentage. The 2013 champ (a mile away at Congressional) struts in on a T12-T25-T5 burst. Sits eighth in greens in regulation, seventh in scrambling and third in bogey avoidance. His affinity for tough tracks doesn’t hurt, but foreign greens already enhance his ball-striking skill set. Four top 25s since the Masters, including breakthrough title at Valero. Keeps printing top 20s like money. A T14 at TPC River Highlands is his eighth in 2017 alone. A force throughout his bag, he’s also 13th in bogey avoidance. Scratched out four sub-70s for a T17 at TPC River Highlands, his third top 20 in the last six weeks. Ranks 10th in strokes gained: tee-to-green and sixth in adjusted scoring. Heating up again as we near the Presidents Cup. Last week’s T3 occurs just one month after he went T5-solo sixth in the final swing through Texas. Has always enjoyed a tough test. Win at the AT&T Byron Nelson and T4 at the FedEx St. Jude Classic illustrate recent connections with tiptop form. Twelfth on TOUR in GIR. Might fulfill the eye test more than any other golfer because his occasional brilliance transcends data. Always a threat to WD, but nonetheless rested since a T13 at Erin Hills. Radically improved putting has yielded progressively better top 20s in his last three starts. It’s paid off what was already a serviceable tee-to-green game. Captured his only Web.com Tour title here in 2012. Like Reed, the Swede was also sparked by a T14 at the Zurich Classic and is 7-for-7 since, albeit with one less top 25. No stranger to thriving on smaller greens is fresh off a T5 at TPC River Highlands where he ranked T3 in greens in regulation and 15th in proximity to the hole. Duties as a first-time defending champion may be distracting, but practices at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm, so he likes the level of comfort and advantage it presents. The team event in NOLA has marked a turnaround for him as well. The rookie backed up a T5 at the U.S. Open with a T14 at the Travelers. Ranks 24th in GIR. POWER RANKINGS: QUICKEN LOANS NATIONAL RANK PLAYER COMMENT Along with many other notables, Tony Finau, Jimmy Walker, J.B. Holmes and Charles Howell III will be included in Tuesday’s Fantasy Insider. Back when TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm was a regular stop on the PGA TOUR and then known simply as TPC Avenel, it played as a pushover of a par 71. Charles Howell III owns the course record with a 61 in 2004. Three golfers share the tournament record of 263, most recently submitted by Adam Scott, also in 2004. Neither mark is expected to be threatened this week even. To shed perspective on the challenge, we turn to the career of World Golf Hall of Famer Bernhard Langer. He’s made 197 starts on the PGA TOUR Champions, but in only 14 has he completed a tournament over par. One of those occasions was during the Constellation SENIOR PLAYERS Championship in October of 2010 when TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm resurfaced following its overhaul (in 2007). Mark O’Meara prevailed in a playoff after the duo completed the 72-hole competition in 7-under 273. The Web.com Tour then swung into town in October of 2012, and then again on the weekend after Memorial Day in 2013. David Lingmerth’s 8-under 272 was good enough for the first title, while Michael Putnam’s 7-under 273 secured victory in the latter. Only a combined 21 golfers finished under par for the week in the two editions. Jason Gore’s opening 63 in 2012 is the lowest aggregate of any of the three sanctioned competitions since 2010. Since Ben Curtis was the last PGA TOUR winner to pose for pictures at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm, none of the 18 holes were left alone during the upgrade and modernization. Multiple holes were completely redone and all 83 bunkers were rebuilt. Particular attention was paid to land directly affected when water rises on the Rock Run Stream Valley that crosses through the southern edge of the property. The course now tips at 7,107 yards. Bentgrass greens averaging 5,300 square feet and running at about 12 feet on the Stimpmeter place a premium on distance and accuracy on approach. They’ll also help hide poor putters, but the relative unfamiliarity of the surfaces already presents an even playing field. However, as of midday Monday, 17 in the field (including Lingmerth) competed in the Web.com Tour event in 2012 and 21 were here in 2013, including Quicken Loans National defending champion Billy Hurley III. He missed the cut. Overall, 28 played in at least one of the two with 10 pegging it in both. (All former participants will be listed in The Confidence Factor on Tuesday.) Summerlike weather is in store throughout the tournament, and that includes an increasing threat of rain and boomers into the weekend. Warm and muggy air will provide the ingredients, while prevailing winds from a southwesterly direction may play a role at times, especially early. ROB BOLTON’S WRITING SCHEDULE PGATOUR.COM’s Fantasy Columnist Rob Bolton will be filing his usual staples leading up to this week’s event. Look for the following columns this week. MONDAY: Rookie Ranking, Qualifiers, Reshuffle, Medical Extensions, Power Rankings TUESDAY*: Sleepers, The Confidence Factor, Fantasy Insider WEDNESDAY: One & Done THURSDAY: Ownership Percentages in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf and One & Done presented by SERVPRO * – Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COM’s Expert Picks for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO, which also publishes on Tuesdays.

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PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Kevin Streelman, a lifelong Chicago Bears fan, approached Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers before the start of their first round at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. “I respect the heck out of you,â€� Streelman told Rodgers, “but you’ve been beating the crap out of my Bears for 12 years.â€� On Thursday, Streelman pretty much beat the crap out of everybody who played Spyglass Hill, the toughest of the three courses in the tournament rotation. His 7-under 65 gave him a share of the lead with Beau Hossler, whose 65 came at Pebble Beach. Streelman’s amateur partner is Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald. Rodgers is partnering with Packers fans Jerry Kelly. Their group was the first off the No. 1 tee Thursday morning at Spyglass. It couldn’t have been a better day. Streelman not only went low, but he and Fitzgerald combined to go 14 under to lead the team portion by three shots. Plus, it was sunny, the pace of play was quick (by tournament standards) and the banter was light. “It’s a round I’ll remember, just because we played in under five hours in this event, we had a perfect day weather-wise, we were the first group out,â€� said Streelman, who credited a recent putting adjustment as a key to his bogey-free round. “They’re such great guys.â€� Fitzgerald certainly was impressed by his partner’s performance. He and Streelman are members of the same club in Arizona, so they’re quite comfortable as a team. “You just don’t see many people shoot 65 at Spyglass,â€� said Fitzgerald, a 13 handicapper. “That’s crazy.â€� Asked what his gameplan was once he saw Streelman was in the zone, Fitzgerald replied: “Just get out of his way. Don’t do anything that will get him out of his flow.â€� Mission accomplished. Streelman finally gave his Bears a measure of revenge. NOTABLES Defending champion Jordan Spieth shot even-par 72 at Spyglass. He made one early birdie at the fourth hole, gave the stroke back at the sixth hole, then parred out from there. Four-time AT&T Pebble Beach champ Phil Mickelson started off slow, suffering three bogeys in his first seven holes at Spyglass. But he made five birdies in his final eight holes to shoot 69. “A nice way to finish after not getting off to a great start,â€� Mickelson said. “It can be a difficult golf course but it’s also a course you play well, you’ll make some birdies. Unfortunately, I saw both ends of it today.â€� Mickelson was playing with Rory McIlroy, making his tournament debut this week. McIlroy shot 68, with birdies on each of the par 5s. McIlroy is playing with his dad, Gerry. Rory was taking his driver away on the 7th tee when he saw his dad’s shadow move, so he backed off the shot. He then blocked the tee shot way right, then sent his second shot into the water. He gritted his teeth and didn’t say anything to his dad. Rory’s reward? He chipped in for birdie. “So I was like, you’re forgiven,â€� Rory smiled. Jason Day is playing with Bachelor host Chris Harrison. When Day chipped in for birdie at the par-3 fifth at Spyglass, Harrison gave him a rose. “I was pretty happy with that,â€� said Day, who shot 69. Adam Scott, making his first start in this event in eight years, made the turn in 40 en route to a 5-over 77 at Spyglass Hill. “It wasn’t exactly what I wanted today, but it’s a process,â€� said Scott, who’s hoping to fine-tune his game going into next week’s event at Riviera. “The swing didn’t feel too bad, but I hit my clubs the wrong distances at times and left myself in bad spots. Didn’t leave myself easy chips and hit average putts from tough spots so it wasn’t good.” QUOTABLES I’ve definitely been trending in the right direction. I think I’ve kind of been one round away the last few weeks from having a pretty high finish.â€� It was just a full 8-iron and I hit it right where I was looking and it just fell in. Usually most courses, if you hit the fairway and hit the green and make the putt, it turns out all right. But with greens as good as they are here, there’s really not a whole lot of excuse. It’s just the most beautiful place in the world. It’s fantastic. It’s so relaxing to be by the ocean and play a fantastic golf course. It really is special.  SUPERLATIVES Lowest rounds (at each course) – Kevin Streelman’s 65 at Spyglass Hill; Beau Hossler’s 65 at Pebble Beach; Aaron Wise’s 66 at Monterey Peninsula Longest drive – 400 yards by Brendon de Jonge at the ninth hole at Pebble Beach. The next 14 longest drives were all on the 10th hole at Monterey Peninsula, led by Corey Conners’ 391 yards Longest putt – Branden Grace had a 55-foot birdie putt on the third hole at Pebble Beach en route to a 4-under 68 Hardest holes (at each course) – par-3 7th at Monterey Peninsula (3.250 stroke average); par-4 16th at Spyglass Hill (4.231); par-4 10th at Pebble Beach (4.212); Easiest holes (at each course) – par-4 10th at Monterey Peninsula (4.365); par-5 2nd at Pebble Beach (4.365); par-5 11th at Spyglass Hill (4.558). CALL OF THE DAY

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