Augusta National postpones Masters golf due to coronavirus

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – Tadd Fujikawa will not sweat making the cut at The RSM Classic at Sea Island this week, and while others worry about staying out of the rough at the last official PGA TOUR event of 2022, Fujikawa will preach staying out of the kitchen. The head pickleball pro at Sea Island, Fujikawa is no longer a golfer – at least for now. “I taught a little bit of golf, so the teaching part of it transferred,” Fujikawa, 31, said on a warm fall day as he hosted the PGA TOUR at the bustling Sea Island pickleball complex. One man in his time plays many parts, the Bard wrote, and so it is with Fujikawa. You may recall his smile and uppercut as he eagled the 18th hole to advance to the weekend at the 2007 Sony Open in Hawaii (T20), his hometown tournament. At barely 16 (and barely 5 feet tall) he was the youngest in a half-century to make a PGA TOUR cut. Fujikawa won the Hawaii Pearl Open later that year and turned pro, moving with his mom to Sea Island to be closer to the best instruction, but it was a grind. Playing on sponsor exemptions, he got 16 PGA TOUR starts from 2006-17, made five cuts, and never found his footing. “I was working with an instructor and making changes,” he said, “and it got to the point where I was in transition between the two, my old stuff and my new stuff, which wasn’t all the way there yet. It was mainly physical, mechanics issues, and then it became mental.” The high point of Fujikawa’s career may have been 2009, when he got four TOUR starts and made three cuts. He shot a third-round 62 and was tied for sixth through 54 holes of the Sony that year; alas, he shot a final-round 73 to finish T32. Soon the exemptions dried up, and he mostly struggled to find it on the minitours in the Carolinas and PGA TOUR Canada. His mood suffered, but not just because he was struggling on the course. Coming out on World Suicide Prevention Day in 2018 helped, as did playing tennis to take his mind off golf. He could not have known what was in store when he first picked up a pickleball paddle in March of 2021. “I was so hooked,” he said, a common refrain in this rapidly growing sport. “I initially tried to play both, and then my tennis game got all messed up. So, I committed to pickleball for a month to see how it felt. I thought maybe it might wear off, but after that it was all pickleball.” He played singles and doubles, in tournaments and with friends. As fate would have it, Sea Island was putting the finishing touches on its new pickleball courts and needed a head pro. Trey Weiss, head of tennis and racquet sports at Sea Island, mentioned the job to Fujikawa. “He has great hand-eye coordination; I think that’s transferred over from golf,” Weiss said. “It’s a lot of the same type of movements when we talk about body-wight transfer. He’s a great athlete, great footwork. For us as a club and as a resort the biggest skillset that’s transferred over is his people skills, because he had so much experience from golf. Our membership loves him. We have guests doing repeat lessons with him because of his personality. “He’s got a great story, great disposition,” Weiss continued. “From working as hard as he did with golf, he’s able to share that with people on the pickleball court.” Several sports celebrities have fallen hard for pickleball, among them Masters champions Jordan Spieth and Scottie Scheffler, who took on tennis player John Isner and retired NBA player Dirk Nowitzki in a celebrity pro-am match in Frisco, Texas, last month. But Fujikawa has taken it to the next level. He began teaching after failing to get through the first stage of Q school last year, and to watch him play, you’d never know he’s as new to the sport as most everyone else. “I picked it up pretty fast,” he said. “I think golfers can transition over to pickleball more easily than tennis, which is tough because the ball bounces so high.” He lives alone these days – his mom, Lori, went back to Hawaii shortly before the pandemic reached America – and likes having a steady paycheck. He likes being “part of a family” at Sea Island. He is not a big golf watcher and will avoid The RSM this week, which is just as well, as he’ll probably be too busy to attend, anyway. He’s giving 15-20 lessons per week. “I’ve played professional golf for 15 years pretty much fulltime,” Fujikawa said. “And having that little bit of break and off-time away from it has been very nice for sure.” Will he ever pick up the clubs again? He gets playing privileges as an employee at Sea Island, but as Fujikawa continues to settle into his new pickleball role, he finds himself not using them. “I’m just taking it day by day,” he said, “and trying to enjoy life.”

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Our guys take very different directions for the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba, but both have merit because of the construct and quality of the field. Pick your poison. So as not to generate confusion, only their TOURNAMENT picks as presented on the interface at the time they filed are provided below. Like you, they are unaware of which bets will be offered in ROUND 1 and beyond. Register for PGA TOUR Pick ‘Em Live here and monitor Rob’s and Glass’ progress as Influencers. For a broader explanation of the format and FAQs, click here. TOURNAMENT TO WIN Rob … Brendon Todd (+4000) When a favorite wins, I’ve been left behind. This happened (again) last week in Bermuda where had I opened with Seamus Power at +2000 like the majority (I got him at just +185 late on Sunday), I’d have finished inside the top 10 overall. So, perhaps the final piece of this puzzle is to stop reaching because we can and compromise with a pick more likely to convert. The field at Mayakoba is considerably deeper than the one that Power – I’m going for it, you know me – overpowered, so there’s a greater likelihood that a similarly strong week with 3-balls – and 2-balls if offered – won’t require the favorite to fare better. Yet, I’m tickled by the value of this kickback for the 2019 champion of the tournament. He’s added a T8 and a T11 since, and his scoring average in his last dozen rounds around the place is sub-67. So, I’ll start here, but I plan to finish here, too. Glass … Danny Lee (+20000) Saddling up a HORSE FOR COURSE on one of his favorite venues. Recent form suggests 200-1 is just about right, but the light goes on when he lands at Mayakoba. Start on the fringes and work your way back to the chalk as the event moves forward. TOP USA PLAYER Glass … Aaron Wise (+1800) Going a bit more conservative here as I don’t have time all weekend to wait for windows to open or close. Wise has gone close here before and he’s teeing it up for the seventh time. He’s won a shootout before (Trinity Forest) where 23-under was required to win. T6 last time out at Congaree. Should have the flight plan for takeoff. Rob … Brendon Todd (+2500) Sure, I could hedge, but doubling down on my outright is more fun. Despite this mild kickback, 10 other Yanks open with shorter odds. So, because the board is relatively flat, those who win the direct deposit likely will have connected with this prop. Remember, only the outright stays open during competition. If this bet opens, it would be late in the evening and during the overnight hours in North America. TOP 10 Glass … David Lipsky (+1000) Two top 10s in 2022, both on paspalum. One was at Vidanta, a Greg Norman design just like El Camaleón. The other was at Corales. Sweet spot at age 34. Here’s where the gambling begins as we need to be on our toes to catch the window as the event rolls on. If necessary, of course. Rob … Brendon Todd (+400) It’s not customary to bury a link to my Power Rankings this deep on the page on which I’ve endorsed Todd throughout, but it’s most relevant to direct you to it here. Why? Well, he’s No. 8 in it and I’m more likely to stick with this bet than I am Top USA Player if that unlocks. NOTE: While Glass and Rob typically stick with their selections as detailed in Pick ‘Em Preview, they are allowed the right to make changes at any time. Responsible sports betting starts with a game plan. Set a budget. Keep it social. Play with friends. Learn the game and know the odds. Play with trusted, licensed operators. CLICK HERE to learn more at HaveAGamePlan.org.

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Round 3 of the Charles Schwab Challenge takes place Saturday from Colonial Country Club. Jordan Spieth leads by one with Jason Kokrak, Sebastián Muñoz, Sergio Garcia, Patton Kizzire and more close behind. Here’s everything you need to know to follow the action, including Featured Groups for PGA TOUR LIVE. Leaderboard Full tee times HOW TO FOLLOW Television: Saturday, 2 p.m.-5:30 p.m. (Golf Channel), 5:30-7 p.m. (CBS). Sunday, 1 p.m.-2 p.m. (Golf Channel), 2 p.m.-6:30 p.m. (CBS) PGA TOUR LIVE: Saturday, 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. (Featured Groups), 5:30 p.m.-7 p.m. (Featured Holes). Sunday, 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. (Featured Groups), 2 p.m.-6:30 p.m. (Featured Holes) Radio: Saturday, 2 p.m.-7 p.m., Sunday, 1 p.m.-6:30 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com/liveaudio). TOURCast: Get shot-by-shot info in real time with shot tracks and video with TOURCast. TOUR Pulse: Get the PGA TOUR app to utilize TOUR Pulse, which provides users the ability to experience a mix of content, such as video highlights, written hole summaries and stat graphics on every player after every hole they complete. FEATURED GROUPS Matt Kuchar, Jhonattan Vegas (tee times) Will Zalatoris, Cam Davis (tee times) MUST READS Jordan Spieth takes solo lead at Charles Schwab Challenge PGA champ Phil Mickelson misses cut by 1 at Colonial Win probabilities: Charles Schwab Challenge Top 10 moments in Charles Schwab Challenge history How Leonard bucked conventional wisdom to build Colonial

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