Match recaps from Saturday: WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play

Do not adjust your monitor or screen. Indeed, the Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship is in its second edition of the 2020-21 season. And yes, we're only at the halfway point of 50 tournaments. The PGA TOUR has been proclaiming a super season and this qualifies as evidence, yet it's just the first of three tournaments with scheduled encores. The Masters and the U.S. Open will return to their traditional stages in April and June, respectively. Similarly, the 2021 edition of the Corales retreats into his customary position as an additional event contested concurrently with the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play. For a breakdown of what the 132-man field on the eastern edge of the Dominican Republic faces and what's at stake, scroll past the projected contenders. RELATED: Tee times POWER RANKINGS: CORALES PUNTACANA RESORT & CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP OTHER TO CONSIDER Justin Suh ... Rapidly making noise to remind fans that he's the forgotten fourth of the Class of 2019 headlined by Collin Morikawa, Viktor Hovland and Matthew Wolff. Suh is 4-for-5 on the PGA TOUR this season with a pair of top 15s, including a T14 at Corales. Pat Perez ... His reputation on paspalum is worthy and it paid off for a T21 in his Corales debut in September - he ranked sixth in putts per GIR — but it's still his most recent top 25 despite 15 starts in the interim. Thomas Detry ... The 28-year-old from Belgium has a pair of T33s in as many starts at Corales, so he's no stranger. Also strides in on the confidence buoyed by a pair of T9s in his last four starts abroad. Kelly Kraft ... Chasing the same Major Medical Extension magic that Hudson Swafford rode to victory in September. Kraft's track record here is superb. He's gone 3rd-T5-T14 with a scoring average of 68.83. The Honda Classic runner-up Brandon Hagy, 2019 Corales champion Graeme McDowell, Charles Howell III and Joel Dahmen will be among the notables reviewed in Tuesday's Fantasy Insider. When the PGA TOUR was in Punta Cana on the last weekend of September, a field of 144 was assembled for a stand-alone competition that rewarded 500 FedExCup points to champion Hudson Swafford, who also secured an exemption into the 2021 Masters. This time around, the top man of 132 entrants will bank 300 FedExCup points and will require another way to get into the Masters if he's not already eligible because that exemption is not on the table this week. However, spots in the 2021 PGA Championship, 2022 Sentry Tournament of Champions and the 2022 PLAYERS, among other invitationals, will be reserved in his name. This is to say that the revised version of the 2020 version was a bonus after it was among the casualties of the three-month shutdown due to the pandemic. And while obvious, it's nonetheless significant that we're far enough removed from the unscheduled break that this week's Corales marks the first time a tournament has been held a second time since. No, it hasn't been a full year since the start of the return to golf, but the cycle of the return visits starts in the Dominican Republic. En route to his winning pace of 18-under 264, Swafford ranked fifth in putts per greens in regulation and 10th in putting: birdies-or-better. Those are old-school-and-still-relevant measurements of efficiency and scoring with the putter when ShotLink technology isn't used. It won't be again this week. While thoroughly impressive and aligned with expectations for a champion in a shootout, he was the first of the winners at Corales not to lead his respective field in both putting metrics. Part of that has to do with its statistical inevitability, but it also can't be ruled out that the field was 12 larger as a stand-alone contest. Incidentally, as of Monday evening, 88 golfers in this week's field competed here in September. Swafford finished T14 in fairways hit and T26 in GIR, so he limited the stress to allow for a special week on the greens, but he also capitalized on the four par 5s by averaging 4.25 to rank T2. For the week, Corales yielded a scoring average of 71.118. That's a fair target again as the weather forecast essentially is identical. Mostly sunny skies will make room for passing clouds and the sight of a sprinkle, maybe. Daytime temperatures will eclipse 80 degrees with ease, while steady easterly breezes will favor lower ball flights and course management. But make no mistake, Corales is a resort course, so stockpiling the par breakers will present as an easy and early Easter egg hunt. Further fostering low scoring are the paspalum greens governed to measure just 11 feet on the Stimpmeter due to their exposure to the coastal breezes. Even shots struck from the thickest of the two-inch rough will have room to hold most greens. Still, as par 72s are concerned, this is as fair and consistent a test as the players will navigate. It will penalize the foolish. Corales' longest walk is 7,670 yards and, like PGA National last week, it features its own recognizable three-hole stretch. The par-4 16th, par-3 17th and par-4 18th are known affectionately as The Devil's Elbow. As a trio, they averaged 0.185 strokes over par in September. However, the par 3-4-3 swing of Nos. 9, 10 and 11 have been a bumpier road in each of the first three editions of the tournament. 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: Power Rankings (Match Play) TUESDAY*: Power Rankings (Corales); Fantasy Insider SUNDAY: Qualifiers, Reshuffle, Medical Extensions, Rookie Watch * – Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COM's Expert Picks for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf, which also publishes on Tuesday.

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HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. (AP) — Webb Simpson celebrated another victory on Father’s Day, this time with a tartan jacket. In a wild sprint to the finish after a three-hour weather delay, Simpson ran off five birdies in a six-hole stretch on the back nine at Harbour Town and closed with a 7-under 64 for a one-shot victory over Abraham Ancer. Simpson won the U.S. Open at Olympic Club in 2012. The U.S. Open has been scheduled to end on Father’s Day every year since 1976, but it was moved to September this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Simpson has also won on Mother’s Day (THE PLAYERS Championship in 2018). The RBC Heritage filled the spot on the schedule and Simpson, now a father of five, became a winner for the second time this year with a record score at Harbour Town. He didn’t have much of a choice with so many low scores on a soft course with little wind. He finished at 22-under 262, breaking by two the tournament record set by Brian Gay in 2009. “It was a crazy day,” Simpson said. “I didn’t get it going until 12 and then the putts started going in and I started getting confident. It’s amazing to be standing here right now.” Simpson, who won the Waste Management Phoenix Open in February, moved to No. 5 in the world. He also moved to the top of the FedExCup standings. It was a tough runner-up finish for Ancer, trying to become the fifth straight winner of the RBC Heritage to capture his first PGA TOUR victory at Harbour Town. He hit all 18 greens in regulation and tied for the lead with a bold fairway metal over the trees to the par-5 15th that set up a two-putt birdie. He also stayed in the game with a birdie on the 17th. Ancer shot 65. There was just no catching Simpson, whose only birdies were on the par 5s on the front nine until he couldn’t miss. He rolled in birdie putts from 10 feet and 20 feet on the 12th and 13th, two-putted for birdie on the 15th and then sealed it with two more birdies from 15 feet and 18 feet. Charles Schwab Challenge winner Daniel Berger also stayed in the mix by chipping in for birdie on the 17th and closing with a 65. Tyrrell Hatton, whose last tournament was his victory in the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, was leading until a poor tee shot led to bogey on the 13th, and bogeys were hard to recover from on this day. He shot 66 and tied for third. Dylan Frittelli had the low score of a tournament filled with them, a 62 that put him in the lead before the final groups even teed off. Justin Thomas had a 63 and tied him. Both knew it wasn’t going to hold up, especially after returning from a storm delay to still conditions and even softer conditions. But it led to a carousel of contenders, and even Brooks Koepka got in the mix. Koepka hit driver on the 331-yard ninth hole that hit on the slope above the bunker and settled 3 feet for his eagle. He birdied the next two to get within one of the lead, but his hopes ended with a 5-foot birdie putt he missed on the par-5 15th. Koepka missed a pair of 5-foot par putts on the front nine. He closed with a 65 and finished seventh, his best result since the Tour Championship. Rory McIlroy closed with a 70 and tied for 41st, his second straight result out of the top 30 after going seven consecutive events worldwide with no finish worse than fifth. The PGA TOUR now heads to the Connecticut for the Travelers Championship.

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FootJoy Fury FootJoy announced its new Fury shoe will arrive on store shelves February 1st. Designed from the inside out, the Fury features a stretchy, one-piece Inner Fit Sleeve lasted underneath the insole board to provide a secure fit. On the upper, the external FlexGrid MLC cage system adds structure and helps to lock the foot into place. The combination of leather and mesh provides breathability while being waterproof. The Fury also brings a new D3 outsole to the mix. Inspired by dripping liquid metal, the outsole offers a rigid platform for lateral stability and flexibility for comfort. Puma Golf Puma and Rickie Fowler will celebrate the 10th year of their partnership in 2019. Over the years, Rickie’s style has matured. As a result, we will see him in more refined looks and elevated fabrics. Two of the showcase pieces in the collection are a hybrid jacket and a quilted pullover. The jacket is stuffed with a thin layer of PrimaLoft Gold insulation and stretchy sleeves. PrimaLoft Gold has a high warmth-to-weight ratio, which means it locks in the heat without the bulk. Ralph Lauren Over the years, Billy Horschel has rocked Ralph Lauren’s high tech RLX line while Justin Thomas has sported more traditional looks from the brand’s Polo Golf collection. This year, both players will mix and match pieces from both lines, giving them added versatility and variety. Both players will also wear Ralph Lauren’s new slim-fit pant with an elastic waistband. The brand’s collections for 2019 find themselves on-trend with stylish micro prints, hoodies, and a crossover athleisure capsule. With ‘90s retro dominating the fashion landscape, Ralph Lauren has dipped into its archives and revived its old-school Polo Golf logo. Original Penguin One trend that stands above the rest at this year’s PGA Show is micro prints. Original Penguin is making a strong statement with micro prints that are fun and whimsical. In addition to prints, Original Penguin is also offering updated takes on iconic designs, including plaid bottoms, contrasting plackets, and rope hats. Royal Albartross Royal Albartross takes an adventure in the wild with its crocodile-inspired Croco shoe. The luxurious leather shoe blends sophisticated style with comfort and performance in a trendy silhouette. In addition to the four base colorways, Royal Albartross will release special editions of the Croco leading up to the majors, starting with a deep green Croco Masters. Joining the Croco is the Driver Collection. The sneaker-style shoe can easily find itself on the feet of the most stylish golfers, on or off the course. ECCO BIOM G3 Comfort. Performance. Style. ECCO hits the golf shoe trifecta with the ECCO BIOM G3. Building on its predecessor, the BIOM G3 offers increased stability thanks he soft and supple Yak leather upper provides flexibility and comfort. The outsole features a mix of ZARMA-TOUR cleats and molded lugs for the traction. Notice the lack of a front spike. ECCO removed it in favor of a rotation system that allows the foot to rotate through the swing. Galvin Green GORE-TEX ShakeDry After 15 years in the making, the revolutionary GORE-TEX ShakeDry technology used on Galvin Green’s Ashton Jacket is said to be the lightest GORE-TEX Jacket on the market. A simple shake of the jacket disperses water from the outer shell. J.Lindeberg Engineered Intarsia Polo One of the more unique pieces on the show floor was the Engineered Intarsia Polo from J.Lindeberg. Intarsia is a complex knitting technique that involves knitting different blocks of color. In addition to the bold green stripes on this shirt, check out the specs of green peeking through the navy blue. Greyson Clothiers Greyson continues to take golf fashion to new levels. The brand’s Fall 2019 Collection combines a healthy dose of bold, yet refined prints with a cool palette of rich blues and purples. A Nordic-inspired theme sees a sweater with a silhouette of mountains and a polo with a Northern Lights print. Cut-away collars add an element of sophistication while a new tech pique fabric offers breathability for warm days. Linksoul Dry-Tek Known of its super soft cotton polos, Linksoul is introducing a new performance fabric called Dry-Tek. The poly rich material is blended with a touch of cotton. The result is a fabric that wicks moisture while offering a soft hand feel. Find the latest styles online at the PGA TOUR Superstore.

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