All eyes on DJ and Spieth at Masters

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Like countless musicians, Jimmy Buffett loves himself some golf. He even caddied in a pro-am at the U.S. Senior Women’s Open this past summer. So, if the Mayakoba Golf Classic would have debuted oh, say, 40 years ago (instead of in 2007), he may have been persuaded to write “Ball-strikers in Paradise” instead of his timeless hit about a cheeseburger. While the song conveys a message of wanting to eat healthier, there is no such concern of overindulging on fairways and greens at El Camaleón Golf Club this week. In fact, it’s the objective more than usual. Scroll past the ranking for an explanation, what has defined the champions and more. Former champions Charley Hoffman (2014), Pat Perez (2016) and Patton Kizzire (2017) will be covered in Tuesday’s Fantasy Insider along with Kevin Kisner, Zach Johnson and Billy Horschel among other notables. You may need to be of a certain age to appreciate Buffett’s music, but most of the winners of the Mayakoba Golf Classic qualify. Beginning with Fred Funk as a 50-year-old in the inaugural edition and extending through Patton Kizzire, 31, last year, the average age among the 11 winners is 34.45. Only John Huh (21) in 2012 and Harris English (24) in 2013 weren’t at least 30. Compare that against the first six winners of the 2018-19 season for whom the average age is 27.33. At 34 years of age at the time of his win at the CIMB Classic, Marc Leishman easily is the oldest. Indeed, El Camaleón is the closest thing to a governor on the youth movement in the fall. Two-inch primary rough guards fairways on a walk that is akin to a golf safari. It consists of jungle, mangroves and the seashore. The cenote in the middle of the fairway on the par-5 seventh hole is a bonus. The steady breeze off the Caribbean Sea on the Riviera Maya forces undulating greens to be capped at 11 feet on the Stimpmeter. The par-3 fourth and 15th holes are most exposed, but consistency is required throughout the course on which only paspalum is present. Yet, since the Mayakoba Golf Classic shifted to the fall when the wraparound season was launched in 2013-14, its par 3s have been the easiest on which to score four times. (They slotted second-easiest in 2014.) Managing one’s ball flight is secondary to dealing with adversity when an unpredictable gust of wind manipulates its direction. That’s one of the reasons why experience as a professional has carried elevated value at El Camaleón, a par 36-35–71 tipping at just 6,987 yards. Last year’s scoring average of 70.323 was a five-year high, so eagles and birdies are out there. En route to his title, Kizzire ranked T7 in greens in regulation and third in converting those chances into par breakers. He also finished fourth in putts per GIR and T3 in par-5 scoring. (ShotLink isn’t utilized for the tournament.) Inclement weather often cannot be ruled out in these climes. This is the reality again this week as rain and the threat of storms bookend the four-day competition. Otherwise, mostly dry, warm and humid conditions are expected. The wind should lay down, however. As it does, the expectation for red numbers rises. ROB BOLTON’S SCHEDULE PGATOUR.COM’s Fantasy Insider Rob Bolton recaps and previews every tournament from numerous angles. Look for his following contributions as scheduled. MONDAY: Rookie Ranking, Qualifiers, Reshuffle, Medical Extensions, Power Rankings TUESDAY*: Sleepers, Fantasy Insider WEDNESDAY: One & Done, Twitter live fantasy show * – 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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PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. – Jordan Spieth played 12 holes on Thursday, then six more on Friday morning. Despite the staggered schedule, it was a productive two days at Riviera, as he carded a bogey-free 7-under 64 to walk off the course with the lead midway through the first round of the Genesis Open. The rest of his Friday? Some light work, then a much-needed nap. He won’t start his second round until Saturday morning, which means he’ll need to cram 54 holes into the weekend. Time to conserve his energy for a long two days. “Be prepared for 27 to 30 holes tomorrow and potentially another 27ish on Sunday,â€� Spieth said. “I think less is more at this point. Try and get some really good, solid, quick work in and then lay around all day.â€� After storms dumped more than two inches of rain on the course and forced a seven-hour delay to the start of Thursday’s first round, players on both sides of the draw now face an arduous schedule in hopes of completing the tournament Sunday afternoon. For players in the early/late wave, such as Spieth and Tony Finau (tied for second in the clubhouse at 5 under with Patrick Rodgers and Kramer Hickok), it meant two early wake-up calls and now a challenging long weekend. Like Spieth, Finau walked off the course Friday morning with one objective: rest. “I think we deserve some chill time after a couple 4 a.m. wake‑up calls,â€� said Finau, adding that “emotionally we were kind of prepared for it. I saw the weather forecast for the week and knew it could be something similar to the AT&T last week at Pebble Beach, so mentally and emotionally you’ve got to prepare.â€� The final round of Sunday’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am was delayed one hour by rain, then nearly 2-1/2 additional hours after a hailstorm hit the area. The final group of Phil Mickelson and Paul Casey had to play two holes on Monday morning, with Mickelson winning by three shots. Mickelson and Casey are both in the field this week and completed their first rounds Friday morning. Mickelson, a two-time Genesis Open champ, shot a 1-over 72 in which he failed to post a single birdie-or-better. Casey opened with a 70. For players in the late/early wave, who were unable to tee off Thursday, the prospects of a long Friday loom. Their wave teed off before 8 a.m., and after completing their first round, they will immediately start their second round in hopes of getting in 36 holes (or as many as possible) before darkness stops play. MUST READS: Round 1, Genesis Open Round 1 scores reset at Genesis Open due to weather Tiger, Phil keep pushing each other Cameron Champ’s grandfather helped pave the way Those players include the threesome of Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas. Woods, who has never won the Genesis Open in 12 career starts, suffered two bogeys in his first seven holes. Although Riviera hasn’t always been kind to Tiger, it should be fairly welcoming to the field. “This afternoon wave’s getting a soft golf course with the tees up and some pretty benign conditions,â€� Spieth said, “so even if you’re pushing to the lead of the morning wave, it’s likely that somebody’s going to shoot 7, 8, 9 under even though it’s Riviera. It’s as gettable as it can possibly be right now.â€� Perhaps that will make up for the 36-hole day that the afternoon wave faces Friday. “The way I look at it is — it’s going to be one very long round,â€� said Jon Rahm, who started his first round Friday morning in a group that includes Bryson DeChambeau and Matt Kuchar. “If you get hot, you don’t have to wait a whole day [to play again]. You can just keep going. And if you start off on the wrong foot, maybe a couple over through nine or something, you can think, ‘I’ve got 27 holes to make that up.’ Either way, you’ve got a lot of time to make it up or a lot of time to make birdies.â€� Harris English took time out from his practice session Thursday to watch how players were attacking the 10th hole, especially with the pin position on the right side. He’s not worried about playing 36 holes; he’s had to do it during U.S. Open qualifying. “It’s more of a mental test than a physical test,â€� said English. “It’s staying focused. Obviously, your body is going to be tired and you’re going to make some tired swings but you’ve got to keep your head in it as much as possible and try to not make any dumb mental mistakes. That can happen – especially on a tough course like this.â€� Just how tough Riviera actually is remains to be seen. And just which side of the draw has the advantage also remains in doubt. The one thing that’s assured is the at least one marathon session awaits each player. “I’ve had to play 30 holes, 36 holes in a day a couple years ago and it can be very taxing here,â€� Spieth said. “It’s tough, it’s spongy ground, it will wear on you a bit if you’re not careful. So it’s all about trying to save as much energy as possible more than anything else.â€�

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