Tiger rides putter swap, birdie run for opening 68

PGA TOUR Statement on Chris Couch PGA TOUR member Chris Couch has withdrawn from the Barbasol Championship after testing positive for COVID-19. Couch will have the PGA TOUR’s full support throughout his self-isolation period under CDC guidelines. Couch was replaced in the field by first alternate Smylie Kaufman.

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THE OVERVIEW NEWTON SQUARE, Pa. – Good news for the rest of the field at this week’s BMW Championship. Bryson DeChambeau, at age 24, is tired. “Not going to lie. Winning two in a row is a lot more than I thought it would be mentally and physically,â€� he said Wednesday. Not that he’s complaining. With wins in the first two FedExCup Playoffs events, DeChambeau has a lock on the No. 1 spot in the points standings. No matter how he performs at Aronimink, he will remain at the top when the TOUR Championship tees off in two weeks. Although a player has won two tournaments in the same season nine times in the Playoffs’ 12-year history, no player has even won three Playoffs events in the same year. DeChambeau would like to be the first. Of course, in all honesty, if forced to choose, he’d rather win at East Lake than Aronimink, since winning the TOUR Championship would guarantee him the FedExCup. Of the 69 players in this week’s field, DeChambeau is the only one who needn’t bother with points projections or FedExCup movement. He can focus solely on the tournament itself, knowing that the points reset after the BMW Championship will not impact him. It’s a unique position for golf’s most unique player. Not since Vijay Singh in 2008 has a player won the first two Playoffs events – and that was before the points were adjusted to prevent a player from wrapping up the FedExCup prior to East Lake. With less on the line than anybody else, DeChambeau could have easily taken the week off and gained a valuable week of rest while his competitors battle in the Philly heat. Give him credit for simply showing up at Aronimink. “I thought about taking a week off,â€� he said. “I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t do that to the BMW and I couldn’t do that to all the fans and the sponsors that have helped put this event on. “It would be easy for me to say, ‘Hey, I’m just going to skip this week because I’m tired.’ But no, I want to win three in a row and get some world ranking points as well.â€� If DeChambeau does win this week, he would be the first player in the FedExCup era to win tournaments in three consecutive weeks at any point of the season. Tiger Woods won events in three straight weeks near the end of the 2006 season. While he faces a smaller field (69 players) this week than he did at THE NORTHERN TRUST (119 players) or last week’s Dell Technologies Championship (98 players), he realizes the odds are not in his favor. “Going back to statistics, it would be harder to win three in a row,â€� he said Monday after winning at TPC Boston. “But I’ve got a couple of days to prepare on a golf course I’ve never seen before … If I keep executing shots well, I’m going to give myself a chance – just like these last few weeks.â€� Even if he doesn’t win, DeChambeau will at least get a chance to rest in the off-week prior to the TOUR Championship. Well, not really. Two months ago, he bought a house. He closes on it next week. THREE PLAYERS TO PONDER THE FLYOVER At 242 yards, the eighth hole is the longest par 3 at Aronimink. Expect it to be the toughest hole at the course. In 2011 when the course last hosted a PGA TOUR event, the stroke average at the eighth was 3.379, making it the third hardest par 3 on the PGA TOUR that season (out of 206 par-3 holes). An elevated back tee to a narrow green bisected by a mound – par all four days will be more than acceptable. LANDING ZONE The 13th is the shortest par 4 at Aronimink, listed at 385 yards on the scorecard. In 2011, tournament officials moved the tees up in the third, encouraging players to go for the green. Bill Haas had the only successful tee shot of the 41 attempts that round. On most days, players will avoid driver and simply try to find the fairway for a short iron into a guarded green. Here’s a look at where all tee shots landed at the 13th in 2011. WEATHER CHECK From PGA TOUR meteorologist Joe Halvorson: “There is a risk for scattered thunderstorms after 2 p.m. Thursday as a cold front approaches from the north. Storms will be likely along this front Thursday evening into Thursday night. With this boundary stalling just south of the area, showers and thunderstorms will remain possible on Friday, with likely chances forecast during the afternoon hours. Rain will continue overnight into Saturday, likely becoming light and isolated after 10 a.m. Afternoon showers are possible Sunday afternoon as a system lifts though the Great Lakes. The heat index will be in the mid-90s on Thursday.â€� For the latest weather news from Newton Square, Pennsylvania, check out PGATOUR.COM’s Weather Hub. SOUND CHECK He’s answered a lot of questions, I think, for a lot of people the last two weeks. I’m actually inside the number right now. You might forget. BY THE NUMBERS 0 – Number of three-putts in 144 holes played by Tony Finau in the Playoffs. That’s the longest active streak of any player. 42 – Number of players who have the opportunity to move inside the top 5 in FedExCup points. The number doesn’t include Bryson DeChambeau, who is guaranteed to remain No. 1. The 42 players are chasing Nos. 2-5, who will also control their own destiny at East Lake. 48 – Number of spots Hideki Matsuyama has improved in FedExCup points since the start of the Playoffs. That’s the largest move by any player in this week’s field. 1,418 – The projected number of FedExCup points needed to move inside the top 30 for the TOUR Championship. Currently, just 20 players are above that total. Click here for this week’s Scenarios. SCATTERSHOTS Jordan Spieth grew up in Dallas and is a diehard Cowboys fan. As you might imagine, that doesn’t go over well in the land of the reigning Super Bowl champions. During a practice round Tuesday, he kept hearing the same thing from the gallery: “How ‘bout the Eagles?â€� Jordan tried to ignore it, but finally couldn’t. “If you don’t respond, they’ll yell it louder and louder and louder,â€� he said. “So finally just like, ‘Yes, I get it. Thank you.’â€� Added Spieth: “I don’t work for the Cowboys. I’m born and raised in Dallas. Can’t hate a person for being a fan of their hometown team. … I’m sure that won’t be the last time I hear it this week.â€� A year ago, Tony Finau shot a final-round 64 at the BMW Championship at Conway Farms to claw his way inside the top 30 and reach the TOUR Championship. Not only has he already a secured a spot this season, he’s now vying for a coveted top-5 position. “The BMW was a turning point I feel like in my career,â€� Finau said. “I was on the outside looking in going into the final round. I knew I had to put a special round together – and I shot 64. I’ll never forget.â€� If you see players wearing red-and-black ribbons this week, it’s for a good reason. Defending BMW champion Marc Leishman has encouraged the rest of the field to wear the ribbons in honor of Sepsis Awareness month. Leishman’s wife Audrey had a near-death experience with sepsis in the spring of 2015 and soon after started their Begin Again Foundation. 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This is hilarious. There’s no other way to describe what arguably is the most obvious choice of any golfer in any tournament. No matter your philosophy, which tournaments you include or your current ranking, the only reason you don’t burn Hideki Matsuyama at the Waste Management Phoenix Open is because you already did in one of his four previous starts this season. OK, there are two reasons. The other is that you’ll forget to submit your pick. But that wouldn’t be funny at all. As of late Tuesday night, Matsuyama was chosen by 29 percent of all gamers in PGA TOUR One & Done. He’s projected to be selected almost twice as many times as the second-most chosen, three-time tournament champion, all-time earnings leader at TPC Scottsdale and World Golf Hall of Famer, Phil Mickelson. How do you say, “No big deal,” in Japanese? Truth be told, I went into this column with the intent to go against the grain. Short of the preposterousness of all pivots, it was going to be an exercise. Alas, after reviewing all of the options and angles, only four words are necessary. Hideki Matsuyama. The End. It’s a bedtime story that Sean Martin will read to his kids for years. If it puts smiles on their faces like Matsuyama initiates adoration from their devout daddy, sweet dreams and restless nights are guaranteed. Matsuyama at TPC Scottsdale is like Tiger Woods and Torrey Pines, Bay Hill or Firestone during his prime but minus the three-way coin flip. Look up “don’t overthink it” in any fantasy guide and you’ll see Sean pointing at the Japanese star inside The Coliseum. Now, because it’s my duty to connect with the 71 percent who can’t or won’t execute the obvious, there are eight legitimate short-listers who deserve a thought (or less). • For One & Doners who have already burned Matsuyama, Mickelson is the ideal alternative. The only reason you wouldn’t is because he loves Quail Hollow Club, host of the Wells Fargo Championship on the first weekend of May. The caution to consider is that he’s committed this week and there’s no guarantee that he’ll appear in Charlotte. • If Matsuyama and Mickelson are off-limits, Jon Rahm. The Spaniard checks all of the boxes. • Gary Woodland didn’t crack the top 30 in the tournament in the prior four editions before emerging from a playoff with Chez Reavie last year. The defending champion’s Future Possibilities are thin to none, but he’s been so consistently strong that the absence of more on the horizon transitions his value into that of a wild card. Think Lucas Glover, Tyrrell Hatton and Kyle Stanley in various forms. • Rickie Fowler is No. 9 in my Power Rankings out of respect for his capability and course history, but let’s see him connect for something special with the new golf ball first. • Matt Kuchar is humming along. I could have forced an argument on you, but Matsuyama is available to me and I wanted to respect myself in the morning. • Even I’m a little surprised that the WMPO slots second in Webb Simpson’s Future Possibilities, and most of his success at TPC Scottsdale occurred either when he could still anchor or before he became one with his putter. • Bubba Watson deserves a mention for his allegiance to and success at the tournament, but c’mon, the Travelers Championship is his quality jam. • Martin Laird presents best as a tail of the tandem in two-man games, but you’re going to miss him in Reno. Other two-man options include Reavie, Byeong Hun An, Sam Ryder and Vaughn Taylor. FUTURE POSSIBILITIES NOTE: Select golfers committed to the tournament are listed alphabetically. Future tournaments are sorted chronologically and reflect previous success on the courses on which the tournaments will be held in 2018-19. The numerical values in parentheses represent the order of relative confidence of where to use each golfer if multiple sites are listed (e.g. 1 for strongest, 2 for next-strongest and so on). To present weighted confidence in real time, numerical values will not change all season no matter how many tournament remain listed for each golfer. All are pending golfer commitment. Byeong Hun An … Waste Management (2); Honda (3); Memorial (1) Daniel Berger … Waste Management (2); WGC-Mexico (3); Travelers (1) Keegan Bradley … Memorial (5); Travelers (4) Tony Finau … Valero (5); Memorial (2) Rickie Fowler … Waste Management (1); Honda (3); Arnold Palmer (8); Masters (2); Wells Fargo (6); PGA Championship (9); Memorial (5); U.S. Open (10) Branden Grace … Heritage (1); Valero (3); Byron Nelson (5); U.S. Open (4) Emiliano Grillo … Arnold Palmer (2); Charles Schwab (3) Bill Haas … Genesis (3); WGC-Match Play (8); Heritage (4); Charles Schwab (2); Wyndham (6) Adam Hadwin … Waste Management (4); Genesis (3); Valspar (2); John Deere (5) Brian Harman … Arnold Palmer (7); Charles Schwab (1); Travelers (5); John Deere (4) Russell Henley … Honda (4); Masters (3) Charley Hoffman … Genesis (5); Arnold Palmer (2); Masters (4); Heritage (7); Valero (3); Charles Schwab (6); Travelers (1) J.B. Holmes … Waste Management (3); Pebble Beach (2); Genesis (4); Wells Fargo (5) Billy Horschel … Honda (4); Arnold Palmer (7); Valero (2); New Orleans (3; defending); Wyndham (6); TOUR Championship (1) Zach Johnson … Waste Management (6); Arnold Palmer (7); Valero (4); Charles Schwab (5); John Deere (1); Open Championship (2); TOUR Championship (8) Si Woo Kim … PLAYERS (3); Heritage (1) Chris Kirk … Valero (3); PLAYERS (5); Charles Schwab (2) Kevin Kisner … Heritage (3); New Orleans (5); Charles Schwab (2); Memorial (6) Russell Knox … Heritage (2) Matt Kuchar … Waste Management (4); PLAYERS (5); Valspar (9); Masters (6); Heritage (2); Charles Schwab (7); Memorial (1); Open Championship (8) Martin Laird … Waste Management (1); Genesis (3); Valero (5); Reno-Tahoe (2) Hideki Matsuyama … Waste Management (1); Genesis (10); Arnold Palmer (11); PLAYERS (9); Masters (4); PGA Championship (13); Memorial (8); U.S. Open (14); Wyndham (7); TOUR Championship (5) Phil Mickelson … Waste Management (4); Pebble Beach (5); Genesis (6); WGC-Mexico (1; defending); Masters (9); Wells Fargo (2); Open Championship (8); WGC-St. Jude (3) Ryan Moore … Waste Management (12); Genesis (5); Valspar (3); Valero (7); Masters (13); Memorial (11); Travelers (6); John Deere (8); Wyndham (2); TOUR Championship (9) Kevin Na … Genesis (2); Valspar (6); Charles Schwab (3); Wyndham (5) Ryan Palmer … Valero (2); Charles Schwab (4) Scott Piercy … New Orleans (1; co-defending); Canadian (7; last winner at Hamilton in 2012) Jon Rahm … Waste Management (4); Masters (5); Charles Schwab (1); TOUR Championship (7) Xander Schauffele … Genesis (6); PLAYERS (5); U.S. Open (3); Open Championship (4); TOUR Championship (1) Webb Simpson … Waste Management (2); Honda (10); PLAYERS (5; defending); Heritage (6); Wells Fargo (7); Charles Schwab (8); Travelers (9); Wyndham (1) Cameron Smith … Wyndham (3) Brandt Snedeker … Waste Management (8); Pebble Beach (2); Masters (10); Heritage (6); Charles Schwab (7); U.S. Open (5); Travelers (9); Wyndham (1; defending) Brendan Steele … Waste Management (2); Honda (7); Valero (8); Wells Fargo (9); Travelers (4); Reno-Tahoe (3) Kevin Streelman … Pebble Beach (1); Valero (9); Heritage (5); Memorial (4); Travelers (7) Justin Thomas … WGC-Mexico (2); Honda (7; defending); PLAYERS (11); PGA Championship (9); Memorial (8); TOUR Championship (3) Jimmy Walker … Pebble Beach (1); Valero (2); Byron Nelson (6) Bubba Watson … Waste Management (4); Genesis (1; defending); WGC-Match Play (6; defending); Masters (5); Memorial (7); Travelers (2; defending); TOUR Championship (8) Gary Woodland … Waste Management (3; defending); Memorial (4)

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