DraftKings preview: RBC Heritage

Korean star Sungjae Im has withdrawn from the PGA Championship at Southern Hills after testing positive for COVID-19 while in Korea for a domestic tournament last week. The two-time PGA TOUR winner returned home for the first time in nearly three years to compete in the Woori Financial Group Championship but withdrew before the start of the first round on Thursday. Korean media reported that COVID-19 positive patients must observe a seven-day quarantine and are not permitted to travel within 10 days of the initial positive test date. The 23-year-old Im is expected to fly back to the U.S. this weekend. The PGA Championship, the year’s second major, starts on Thursday, May 19. Im is currently ranked 11th on the FedExCup standings, thanks largely to a second TOUR win at the Shriners Children’s Open in October and four other top-10s. He finished tied eighth at the Masters Tournament last month for his second career top-10 in a major and is touted to follow in the footsteps of countryman, Y.E. Yang, who became the first golfer from Asia to win a major at the 2009 PGA Championship. He has featured in the last four editions of the PGA Championship, with a best of T17 last season when the event was played at the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island. Scott Stallings will replace Im in the field.

Click here to read the full article…

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. – From joggers and soft pastels, to the return of the ’90s, we review the hottest styles from PGA TOUR players at the PGA Championship.  The Power of Three ‘90s fashions continue to influence golf apparel in 2019. As a result, tri-color-blocked polos have been gaining in popularity. Adding one of these to your summer wardrobe will not only put you on trend for the season, but the wide, high contrast panels will make a powerful statement. To execute the look, match your shorts or pants to one of the three colors in the shirt. For an even smoother look, match them to lowest block of the shirt, as Brooks Koepka (Nike Golf) and Rickie Fowler (Puma Golf) did. King of the Jungle While the ‘90s are influencing golf apparel, sneaker culture is having a strong influence on golf footwear. Nike dropped its Safari ‘Bred’ Pack of footwear to kick off the tournament, and it was the talk of Bethpage Black. Inspired by New York’s concrete jungle, the safari print was combined with Nike’s iconic black and red colorway. While the entire pack was unique and eye-catching, Jason Day’s Air Max 1G shoe was the best of the bunch. Warning Signs Nike wasn’t the only shoe brand having fun this week. Puma and FootJoy also stepped up with special edition kicks, both playing off Bethpage Black’s infamous ‘Warning Sign’ behind the first tee. Rickie Fowler added a bit of fire to the fairways with this jet black and bright fuchsia colorway of his IGNITE PROADAPT shoe adorned with warning icons. Ian Poulter took a more understated approach with red “WARNINGâ€� text printed on his Pro/SL. Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes Not often do world-class players make shoe changes prior to major championships, but Justin Rose and Dustin Johnson made significant switches at Bethpage. Rose moved to Nike’s Roshe G Tour. The cleated shoe was inspired by Nike’s popular streetwear model. DJ, who has worn various cleated models of Adidas’ Tour360 shoe in recent years, laced up a spikeless trainer-style shoe from the three-stripes brand. The adiPure SP gave Dustin a more casual look on the course. Jog On Joggers aren’t for everyone. For those that can pull them off, they do offer a fresh and modern vibe on the course. Plus, they allow the ankles to breathe in the warmer months. Kelly Kraft and Erik van Rooyen (Greyson Clothiers) both wore them to perfection. Kraft paired his joggers with a trainer-style shoe from G/FORE for an ultra-modern look. van Rooyen blended classic and contemporary styles by pairing his with old-school brogues from FootJoy. Spring Has Sprung Billy Horschel (Ralph Lauren) showed us how to dress for an extended golf weekend this spring. The spectrum of soft pastels provided crisp and refreshing looks throughout the tournament. The range of colors synced nicely with navy blue, making layering easy.

Click here to read the full article…

Professional golf resumes with Sunday’s charity exhibition, the TaylorMade Driving Relief best-ball Skins match, with the team of Rory McIlroy-Dustin Johnson facing the team of Rickie Fowler-Matthew Wolff at legendary Seminole. All proceeds from the match will go to COVID-19 relief. Although not long by today’s standards, Seminole is tough and will require the very best of each player to navigate the famed track. GolfWRX has identified a key club for each of the four golfers and will highlight one a day this week. Wolff’s TaylorMade Spider X putter SPECS Surlyn Insert, Full Sightline Loft: 3.5 Length: 33 Shaft: KBS Lie: 70 SW: D4 Grip: TaylorMade Lamkin “RedCap” As the “young gun” of the bunch this weekend at Seminole and already regarded as one of the purest ball strikers on TOUR, Matthew Wolff will ultimately have to putt well to give his team an opportunity to win the most skins. More than any club in his bag – yes, even his driver — Wolff lives and dies with his putter, and thus far in his young career, if he putts well, he’s extremely dangerous. TaylorMade Tour Tech Ryan Ressa has been working with Wolff since his days at Oklahoma State and this is what he had to say on Spider X. RYAN RESSA: “Wolff has been using the same Spider X copper since Jan 2019 when he was a sophomore at Oklahoma State. He put the putter in play in the first college event of the spring, the Amer Ari Invitational in Hawaii, and won. He was previously using a Mullen 2 Single Bend but immediately noticed better feel, alignment, and speed control. He has always played a single-bend model Mallet, occasionally testing other blades/mallets but always settling back to this gamer.” “His specs are 33 inches, full sightline, surlyn insert, 70-degree lie, 3.5 degrees of loft (as he likes to forward press right before he takes it back) … His putter is at D4 swing weight as well — relatively light for putter standards, but when we originally sent it out to him (early in the release), we still hadn’t received the weights for the back wings. He’s liked the weight the entire time and grown into it. Occasionally he will try heavier heads but always settles back on this original we sent him.” “In the past two years, he’s only played three rounds with a different putter. … In Korea, he played one round with the Del Monte before switching back in round two. The other event was the 2020 [Waste Management] Phoenix Open where he used the Truss Mallet for two rounds before switching back. He generally doesn’t tinker much with this X as he’s begun really grinding on his setup, alignment, and speed more so than trying new models. He’s got a lot of trust in this Spider X and is confident he can make anything with it.” Text provided by GolfWRX Director of Content @johnny_wunder Click here for more information on the TaylorMade Spider putters at PGA TOUR Superstore COMING THURSDAY: Rickie Fowler’s key club PREVIOUSLY: Rory McIlroy’s driver, Dustin Johnson’s wedges

Click here to read the full article…