‘Stand your ground and trust your gut’: the remarkable story of Simi Mehra

Tiger inspired a generation of golfers. Now one is out to stop him. Say hello to Brooks Koepka, the man standing in Tiger’s — and everyone else’s — way.

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Sepp Straka ... In his only prior trip, he sat T5 entering the final round, closed with 74 and landed at a forgettable T26. That was in 2019 and he was a PGA TOUR rookie at the time. Now in his second event of his third season and with a T14 at Silverado already on the board, he arrives equipped to consider finishing the job. The strength of the 27-year-old from Austria is his balance throughout the bag, and now he has experience. And since a T8 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic in early July, he's 5-for-7 with four top 20s. Sam Ryder ... Never found a rhythm in 2019-20 - let's face it, few could - but he still turned just 12 cuts made into a third consecutive Playoffs appearance. Despite that career-low total, he established a (modest) career best with four top 25s including in two of his last five starts of the season. When he's in a groove, all cylinders are firing and for extended stretches, so now that he's three months into a steady pace of competition and with the new season serving as a reset, perhaps he'll rekindle the kind of all-around game that yielded ranks of T54 in greens hit and 23rd in Strokes Gained: Putting with which he ended his sophomore season of 2018-19. Patton Kizzire ... The lanky 34-year-old is making his tournament debut. He should find Corales to fit his game nicely. He completed 2019-20 ranked 25th in Strokes Gained: Putting, 15th in conversion percentage inside 10 feet, T42 in putting: birdies-or-better and inside the top-third on TOUR in par-5 scoring. Seamus Power ... Not only is the Irishman a great fit, he's already proven why. In the inaugural edition in 2018, he tied for fifth while leading the field in par-4 scoring and ranking T8 in putts per GIR. That remains his career-best finish in individual competition. Concluded last season with three cuts made in five starts, two going for a top 15. Although he didn't qualify for the FedExCup Playoffs, he finished the season slotted T34 in greens hit, T15 in proximity, T24 in putts per GIR and T21 in par-5 scoring. Justin Suh ... Remember when he was poised to be the fourth horseman of 2019? Hey, everyone progresses at his own pace, but that he was in the same conversation with Collin Morikawa, Matthew Wolff and Viktor Hovland just 15 months ago underscores just how much damage that trio has done in the interim. Suh is 23 now and he's taking advantage of playing time on the LOCALiQ Series. In the first four events, he's recorded three top 10s and a T33, and those chased a T21 at the Barracuda Championship. He's foregoing the fifth event on that mini-series in favor of a sponsor exemption at Corales. A good showing likely will trigger the addition of the Southern Cal product to the new Rookie Watch. NOTE: Sleeper is a relative term, so Rob uses unofficial criteria to determine who qualifies. Each of the following usually is determined to be ineligible for this weekly staple: Winners of the tournament on the current host course; winners in the same season; recent major champions; top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking; recent participants of team competitions.

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Over the Years, Rickie Fowler’s footwear has been the topic of much interest and conversation. From colorful designs to fashion-forward high-tops, Fowler has consistently pushed the boundaries of golf style with his footwear choices. After lacing up those signature high-tops for a couple of years, Rickie has been wearing a new low-top model from Puma Golf called the IGNITE PROADAPT. Fowler closely collaborated with Puma’s designers on the PROADAPT. He debuted the new kicks earlier this year and wore them during his victory at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. “During the footwear design and creation process, we work with our Tour team, utilizing their feedback to deliver shoes that reflect the feel and performance desired by the best golfers in the world,â€� said Andrew Lawson, Footwear Product Line Manager at Puma Golf. “Rickie was involved from the earliest stages of design, expressing his desire for an upper that provides a ton of support with premium styling.” The PROADAPT is the latest shoe in Puma’s IGNITE family of footwear and builds on the design of previous versions. Although the PROADAPT has a similar silhouette to its predecessor, it is loaded with several new hype-worthy features. The most notable of which is the Adaptive Fit System. A soft, padded inner collar molds to the foot and delivers the comfort of a running shoe. The outer layer of the decoupled collar is constructed from a premium full-grain leather for a refined look. The full-grain leather upper also provides support, even for TOUR-level swing speeds. Moving inside the shoe is a Pro-Fit Insole. The soft, yet supportive insole is designed to provide exceptional fit, support, and comfort throughout the round. Adding to the support is a TPU outsole that offers a firm and stable hitting platform. For traction, Puma turned to the dual-durometer Tornado cleat. This talon-like cleat has an aggressive look and strong gripping power on a variety of turf conditions. The low profile helps players to be closer to the ground, improving traction, stability, and ground feel. A carry-over from previous generations is Puma’s IGNITE midsole. This innovative foam is made from a liquid polyurethane blend that is poured into a mold in the same shape as the midsole. The result is a shoe that is more responsive and releases energy more efficiently throughout the swing. This translates into out-of-the-box comfort and the ability to go 18 holes and beyond. As Rickie has matured, his style has become more refined. This is reflected in the sophisticated looks of the PROADAPT. While the shoe possesses many sneaker-like comfort features, they are packaged in the sophisticated good looks of a high-end leather shoe. The PROADAPT is available in three eye-catching colorways (White/Gray Violet, Black/Dark Shadow, and Gray Violet/White). Also, look for several limited-edition and personal-edition colorways throughout the year.

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