DraftKings preview: WM Phoenix Open

Welcome back folks! Nothing like easing into the New Year with views of humpback whales, rainbows, mountains and the Plantation Course at Kapalua. As is the tradition on the PGATOUR to start the new calendar year, the winners-only Sentry Tournament of Champions will open the batting. Beginning a run that will take us all the way to the TOUR Championship, it’s time to knock the rust off and bunker in for the second part of the 2021-2022 season. All who are eligible minus Rory McIlroy means 39 players will tee it up this week at the Coore-Crenshaw design on Maui. The Plantation Course will host all four rounds (no cut) as it has since 1999 but this will be the third edition after the 2019 post-tournament renovation. The last two years have seen both extremes at Kapalua. The 2020 edition was hit with severe winds and rains and posted the second-highest winning total. Last year, the weather was non-existent and the scoring was the second lowest on record on Maui. The Plantation Course is defended by the wind and its routing up and down the coastal terrain. The fairways are the widest on TOUR (almost 45 yards on average) and the TifEagle Bermuda greens the biggest targets to hit (over 8,000 square feet on average). There will be wind that blows but the good news is there will be ample room to move it and recovers. Errant shots will find almost three inches of Celebration Bermuda, which will make recovery and scrambling shots challenging to get close. Playing at Par-73 at 7,596 yards, the Plantation Course has 93 bunkers and zero water penalty areas but has plenty of canyons, ravines and trouble if shots are errant. There are only three Par-3 holes but each of the last five winners have finished in the top eight in scoring on these short holes. With massive fairways and massive greens, those gaining the most shots into and on the greens will factor this week. Of the last 17 winners 14 have been in the top seven in Strokes-Gained: Approach. Remembering this is a resort course (and Par-73) scores should be in the low 20-under range as usual if the weather cooperates so it’s not a week to grind out pars. Birdies will need to be circled and circled frequently! Combining the wind and elevation changes minus the use of personal green books (new rule in 2022) suggests that the experienced, elite talent should rule the roost this week. Harris English, the 11th consecutive American to win, returns to try and join Geoff Ogilvy and Stuart Appleby as the only players to defend the title. 2020 and 2017 winner Justin Thomas is the only multiple winner in the field this year. Xander Schauffele was the last to set the course record, 62, in his final round come-from-behind victory in 2019. His gold medal in Tokyo punched his ticket into the field this week. The prize purse gets a very nice bump to $8.2 million this season with the winner taking home $1.476 million plus 500 FedExCup points to start the New Year in style. Recent Event Winners Stats Recent Winners 2021 – Harris English (-25, 267) Birdied the first playoff hole to win for the third time on TOUR in his 250th start. … Played in the final group on 21-under, setting the 54-hole low total. … Led by two after 36 holes. … T-1 after 18 holes (Thomas) after opening with 65. … Became the EIGHTH consecutive winner inside the top five after 54 holes. … Made only ONE BOGEY thru 54 holes. … Circled 26 birdies and one eagle. … Led the field in Strokes-Gained: Putting. … Won in his second attempt (T11) at age 31. … First win since Mayakoba in 2013. … Qualified for the event from the 2020 TOUR Championship (COVID-19 exception). … Entered the week on back-to-back Top 10 finishes and four from his last six starts. Notables in the field this week: 2020 and 2017 champ Justin Thomas (3rd) posted his FOURTH podium finish in just six starts. … Debutant Sungjae Im (T5) had no problem acclimating as he posted all four rounds in the 60s as he led the field in SG: Tee-to-Green. … 2019 winner Xander Schauffele (T5) collected his third straight top five here. … Bryson DeChambeau (T7) led the field in SG: Off-the-Tee and Bogey Avoidance (2 bogeys). … Collin Morikawa (T7) posted a pair of 65s and has T7 in back-to-back seasons. … Jon Rahm (T7) picked up his fourth Top 10 paycheck in four starts. … Daniel Berger (10th) was second in Ball-Striking and GIR. … 34 of 42 players were 10-under or better. … 34 bogey-free rounds. … Scoring average 69.315, easiest on TOUR last season. … Second-easiest Sentry on record (2003). 2020 – Justin Thomas (14-under, 278) Birdied third playoff hole to win for the 12th time on TOUR in his 141st start. … Began the final round in the last group one back. … Sat three back after 36 holes. … One behind after opening with 67. … Led the field in Par-3 scoring and continued the trend of the winner being in the top seven the last five years. … 24 birdies led the field. … Becomes only the fourth multiple champion (2017) since the event moved to Kapalua in 1999. … Third podium in five attempts at age 26. … Won twice and added three top 10 paydays in six events leading into the event. Notables in the field this week: 2015 champ Patrick Reed (P2) posted two of the three lowest rounds of the week (66) to make the playoff and ensure his third top two finish. … 2019 winner Xander Schauffele (P2) led after 54 and 36 holes but could not repeat. … Patrick Cantlay (4th) led the field in Proximity and was T4 GIR. … Debutant Collin Morikawa (T7) hit the second most fairways with 55 of 60 and posted all four rounds under par. … 2018 runner up Jon Rahm (10th) hit the top 10 in both Fairways and GIR. … First edition after post 2019 renovation. … Firm fairways and greens because of all new sod. … Wind blew 20-30 MPH with gusts at 40. … Lift, clean and replace the final 54 holes. … Highest winning score since 2007. … Just seven bogey free rounds. … Only six players 10-under or better. … 72.228 scoring average. 2019 – Xander Schauffele (23-under, 269) Made 11 birdies on Sunday to win by one and claim his fourth victory in 61 career starts. … Final round 62 tied the course record and was the lowest round of the week. … Sat five off the lead after 54 and 36 holes. … Was six back after 18 holes. … Largest final round comeback in history (5 shots). … Finished T5 or better in EVERY Strokes-Gained category. … Made 24 birdies, second to Thomas. … Played his final 54 holes 22-under. … Won on his second attempt after T22 in 2018 at age 24. … Won WGC-HSBC Champions in November and T8 at Hero in December leading in. Notables in the field this week: 2017 winner Justin Thomas (3rd) led the field in birdies with 25 as he was second in Fairways and fourth GIR. … Marc Leishman (T4) backed up his T7 from 2018 even with a triple and a double on the card. … Bryson DeChambeau (7th) was T3 in Distance of Putts made. … Jon Rahm (T8) followed his solo second in 2018 with another top 10. … Cameron Champ (T11) circled 22 birdies. … Final event before the massive Coore-Crenshaw renovation. … Scoring average 70.924. … 12 bogey free rounds. … 15 players 10-under or better. Key stat leaders Top golfers in each statistic on the 2020-2021 PGA TOUR are listed only if they are scheduled to compete this week. Horses for Courses: Sentry Tournament of Champions

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NAPLES, Fla. – The last time Brandt Snedeker and Bubba Watson were on the same team it was at the 2016 Ryder Cup at Hazeltine. Snedeker was a player, Watson an assistant-captain. They had the same goal, a U.S. victory, but different job responsibilities. Snedeker was tasked with making birdies, while Watson, to hear him tell it, was tasked with making lunch. “Fixing him sandwiches, getting water for him, you know,� Watson joked Wednesday from the QBE Shootout at Tiburon Golf Club, where he and Snedeker will pair up and go for the title against the 11 other two-man teams at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort. Players form teams for all sorts of reasons. The seeds for Snedeker/Watson were sewn at Hazeltine, where they became good friends. Snedeker wanted to pair up with Watson at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, but Watson already had a partner. They finally got together for this week’s QBE, a low-stress get-together where Snedeker won with Jason Dufner in 2015 and where Watson once dressed up as Santa Claus along with partner Rickie Fowler.   On the surface, they don’t seem much alike, Snedeker a great putter, Watson a long driver. But they’re not that dissimilar. Both are pushing 40, both have played on Presidents and Ryder Cup teams, and both are on the cusp of 10 wins on TOUR, Watson holding a narrow 9-8 lead. But the similarity that stands out most is that Snedeker, 37, and Watson, 39, hope to use this week as a springboard into 2018 after enduring mid-career lulls. Watson failed to win last season for only the second time since 2010, while Snedeker fought through a sternum injury that baffled even the medical experts and sidelined him for five months. To say that both are hungry would be an understatement. Watson finished 75th in the FedExCup after missing the cut at the Masters, THE PLAYERS Championship, the U.S. Open and the PGA Championship last season. He had planned to take four months off after a T69 at the Dell Technologies Championship. His wife, Angie, was getting knee surgery. Their son, Caleb, was starting kindergarten. Alas, the plan didn’t take.  Watson says he simply missed the game too much. He returned to play in the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open (T51) in Las Vegas, and The RSM Classic at Sea Island (67th). It was a humble beginning, but Watson is well aware that the last time he went winless, in 2013, he bounced back with authority, winning twice the next year, including his second Masters. “I’m looking forward to it,� he said Wednesday from Naples, “and I know I’ve done it before, and I know how good I can be when I’m focused on the right things.� Snedeker’s 2017 was even more confounding. He couldn’t figure out why it hurt to swing, and neither could doctors. He finally got a diagnosis and ended his season after finishing T14 at the Travelers Championship. Although he qualified for the Playoffs, the 2012 FedExCup champion sat on the sidelines, just as he had for The Open Championship, the PGA Championship, and other elite events. He would end the season 73rd in the FedExCup, two ahead of Watson. All of which begins to explain why Snedeker is so excited about finally playing again. He came back to competition at The RSM Classic, opening with rounds of 67-67 before a pair of 70s left him in a tie for 29th place. “Felt really good,� Snedeker said. “Body felt amazing.� He hopes a solid week at the QBE at Tiburon presages a big upcoming season, in the same way that he thrived in 2016 after winning here with Dufner in December, 2015.    Oh, and Snedeker is flying halfway around the world to play in next week’s Indonesia Masters. He says he needs the reps, and then there’s this: He is 50th in the Official World Golf Ranking, and the top 50 at the end of the season are guaranteed spots in the field at the 2018 Masters. “I think it’s a 15-hour flight from JFK to Hong Kong, and I’m not even close to being there once I get to Hong Kong,� Snedeker said. “So it’s going to be a long trip.� Still, he’s looking forward to it, partly because he has never been to Indonesia. Like his QBE teammate, Watson, Snedeker knows he’s got work to do to get back to his old self, especially after a 14-week hiatus. And like too many others to count, Snedeker says he didn’t fully realize what he had until it was suddenly gone, even if it was only for a year. “You realize how much you love what you do,� Snedeker said, sitting to Watson’s right and more or less speaking for them both. “How much—how lucky we are to do what we do, and how passionate we are about it.�

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GUYANCOURT, France – Tiger Woods has been paired with Patrick Reed in the opening Four-Ball session of the Ryder Cup, breaking up the equal best team in American Ryder Cup history. Coming off his win at the TOUR Championship, Woods joins Masters champion Reed – nicknamed Captain America for his heroics in his first two Ryder Cups – in the anchor slot of the morning session. They will play against Open Champion Francesco Molinari and Tommy Fleetwood. Reed had previously been part of an ominous duo with Jordan Spieth who combined for a 4-1-2 over the 2014 and 2016 Ryder Cups in team play and with their five total points sit tied with Arnold Palmer and Gardner Dickinson as the greatest teams in USA Ryder Cup history. The pair have also combined to be 4-0-1 in Presidents Cup team play. “With Tiger and Patrick and Jordan and J.T. we kind of looked at our options,â€� American captain Jim Furyk said. “We had one very good pairing. I think we came out of it with two very good pairings. The idea was to double up and try to get two. “Patrick’s a guy that really enjoys that moment and enjoys that big stage, and Tiger’s the one that brings it. We thought it would be a good pair.â€� Furyk pointed to the chemistry between Woods and Reed, even at the last Ryder Cup where Woods played the role of vice-captain while injured, as a major factor. “It’s going to be fun for both of us. We’ve been looking forward to teaming up and doing something like this together,â€� Woods said. “We finally have our opportunity to go against two great competitors. One is The Open Champion, and Tommy’s played obviously extremely well and very consistently all year.â€� Furyk didn’t rule out the Spieth Reed team getting back together over the three days with confirmation they remain part of a four-man pod with Justin Thomas and Woods. Thomas and Spieth will play together against Paul Casey and Tyrrell Hatton. Reed clearly had no problem getting a new partner. “Any time you get to tee it up with Big Cat, it’s always fun,â€� Reed said. “It’s going to be energetic. We look to anchor the team tomorrow morning and get going and hopefully start things off right.â€� BJORN PUTS EARLY FAITH IN ROOKIES European captain Thomas Bjorn raised some eyebrows with his morning Four-Ball selections, sending four of his five rookies out into the cauldron in France. Along with Fleetwood, Jon Rahm will join Justin Rose in the opening match against Brooks Koepka and Tony Finau; Thorbjorn Olesen teams up with Rory McIlroy against Dustin Johnson and Rickie Fowler and Tyrrell Hatton joins Paul Casey to take on Spieth and Justin Thomas. “They have been just itching to go, especially Thorbjørn and Jon and Tyrrell, they are just really desperate to get out on that golf course. I wanted to get them out there,â€� Bjorn said. Rahm has the added pressure and privilege of being in the opening match. “Jon wants to be out there. He wants to have a responsibility,â€� Bjorn added. “It’s not every rookie in the world, you take and put them on the first tee in the first match of The Ryder Cup, but this one is pretty special.â€� Bjorn drew from personal experience. He was asked to sit out the entire first day of his Ryder Cup debut in 1997 and remembered how difficult that was. “You work so hard for so long to get in the team, and you want to be out on that golf course, and that’s how you are as a player,â€� Bjorn said. “When you look at this group of guys that’s come into this team they are really hard competitors, and I believe in them so much. And I wanted to give them that responsibility of standing up and go out there and enjoy it. “I just don’t think there’s any weaknesses on this team, and that kind of makes me really happy, but it also makes the decisions very difficult.â€� VETERANS SIT ON BOTH SIDES A combined 33 Ryder Cups and 133 matches of experience will be riding the pine in the morning Four-Ball session in Paris. American Phil Mickelson will start his 12th Ryder Cup from the bench, forced to wait till at least the afternoon Foursomes to notch up his 46th match. The 48-year-old currently sits just one match behind Sir Nick Faldo for all-time most in the Ryder Cup. “Phil is 100 per cent on board. We had a great talk,â€� USA captain Jim Furyk said of the decision. “We’ve played a lot of these team events together. It’s special for him to have the opportunity at 48 years old. He wants whatever is best for the team.â€� Joining him on the American team to sit out are Webb Simpson and Bubba Watson, who have played two and three previous Ryder Cups respectively and rookie Bryson DeChambeau. DeChambeau and Mickelson are expected to pair up in Foursomes in the afternoon as are Simpson and Watson – who went undefeated as a team in the 2011 Presidents Cup. The European side surprised plenty by sitting veterans Henrik Stenson, Ian Poulter and Sergio Garcia. Rookie Alex Noren, who won the French Open at this venue earlier this year, will also sit out the morning. “They are all difficult to leave out, especially guys that have played in so many. I’m quite sure that you’ll see them on the golf course at some stage before Sunday,â€� European captain Thomas Bjorn said. “It’s the worst part of being Ryder Cup Captain; it’s the picks, and it is leaving guys out for the matches, but that’s what makes this event so great. “We don’t go into a room and just draw names out of a hat. I sit with five extremely experienced vice captains, and we have a conversation. I make the decisions in the end, but, we don’t just come up with it for fun. We go with what we see and what we feel and what we think is right for this team.â€�

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