Rory McIlroy, Viktor Hovland and more: Reasons why each can and can’t win on Sunday at The Open

SILVIS, Ill. — Two words — one name, actually — drew a wide smile Sunday from Alex Stewart that answered a question that hadn’t yet been asked. The mere mention of Willie Mack carries that kind of currency these days on the Advocates Professional Golf Association Tour, which will continue its race to the Lexus Cup with the schedule’s penultimate event, the APGATour Deere Run, Monday and Tuesday. The 36-hole tournament is being contested at the TPC Deere Run course where Mack scored his second PGA TOUR check in as many weeks just eight days ago at the John Deere Classic. It will serve as a prelude to the season-ending APGA Tour Championship Atlanta Aug. 9-10 at TPC Sugar Loaf in Duluth, Ga. Highlighted by a Friday round of 66, Mack finished 61st at the Deere. That followed a 71st place finish a week earlier at the Rocket Mortgage Classic near his hometown of Flint, Mich., which followed a T62 at the Korn Ferry TOUR’s BMW Charity Pro-Am June 10-13 in Greer, S.C. All three starts came via sponsor’s exemptions. The $31,143 Mack earned in those three events wouldn’t cover a third of the rental cost of the private jets Champion Golfer of the Year Collin Morikawa and many of the American players rode home from Sandwich, England, Sunday night. Yet, for Mack — who spent a year-and-a-half of his nine-year grind on various mini-tour circuits sleeping in his car — it represents a windfall. For Stewart and the 58 other contestants in the APGATour Deere Run, the example of Mack’s monthlong run of success at the game’s highest level is simply invaluable. Stewart is playing as an amateur on the APGA circuit while awaiting his senior season at Livingstone College in Greer, N.C. Like Mack and the other Black and minority golfers competing on the APGA circuit, the PGA TOUR is his goal. “It’s not a pipe dream anymore,” Stewart said of the possibility of making the step from the APGA to the TOUR. “It’s reality. I was at work at a golf course back home, sitting in an office following the John Deere, thinking, ‘Wow, Willie’s doing it.’ You see him make four birdies in nine holes and you think, ‘OK, maybe he’s ready to be on the TOUR.’ Two cuts back-to-back? How can he not be?” Prince Cunningham will make his first APGA start as a pro this week after concluding his collegiate career at Florida A&M in June. Mack’s recent success is inspiring. “It’s definitely an amazing thing he did,” he said. “Being a young golfer who just graduated from college it, gives you something to look at. If he did it, I can do it. It’s a hard dream, but it pays off if you stick with it.” The 32-year-old Mack knows his quest is far from finished, but he’s never been closer. He began working with Todd Anderson, director of instruction at the PGA TOUR’s Performance Center at TPC Sawgrass, earlier this year and will enter the three-stage Korn Ferry TOUR Qualifying Tournament in late August fortified by the opportunity, experience and success he has enjoyed this year. Emphasis on opportunity. Mack has felt equally ready at various junctures since turning pro after an 11-win career at Bethune Cookman University in 2012. In 2019, Mack was Player of the Year on the Florida Professional Golf Tour, and he will be seeking his fourth finish atop the APGA points standings next month in Atlanta. “Yes and no,” he said, when asked if race and economic stature impeded his pursuit of a PGA TOUR career. “I always say things work out how they’re supposed to. I’m glad I could get these opportunities now.” Creating opportunity is what the Advocates Professional Golf Association is about. It was launched in 2008 as non-profit headed by CEO Ken Bentley, who retired as vice president for community affairs and workforce diversity at Nestle USA in 2013. The APGA Tour debuted in 2010 as a two-tournament circuit offering a total of $40,000 in prize money. Today, the tour features 10 events offering more than $500,000 in total purses, and is supported by the PGA TOUR, the PGA of America, Farmers Insurance and Lexus, among others. Five TPC Network clubs — Deere Run, Sugar Loaf, along with TPC Louisiana, TPC Scottsdale and TPC Las Vegas — serve as tournament venues. A 27-hole event is staged on the Torrey Pines North Course on the Saturday of the Farmers Insurance Open, and Farmers Insurance this year signed Mack and fellow APGA Tour stalwart Kamaiu Johnson to multi-year sponsorship deals. Mack made his first PGA TOUR start at the Farmers in January, but did not make the cut. He also missed the cut at the Genesis Invitational three weeks later. Executive director Cole Smith said the opportunity to play APGA events on TOUR-caliber courses has grown the APGA’s profile, as well as player interest. “It is a unique experience for our guys. Membership requests are going through the roof,” he said. “We’ve come a long way and we’re excited about what the future holds for us.” More excited in the wake of Willie Mack’s summer run. “Hopefully that inspires some other players to go out and try to do the same,” said Mack. “There are a lot of talented people out here. Just getting those opportunities can definitely change some minds.” Certainly, Mack feels ready after years of chasing his dream.

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Hideki Matsuyama received the Prime Minister’s Award in Tokyo on Friday for winning the Masters golf tournament.

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The latter third of the PGA TOUR schedule always presents a flurry of curveballs, but this season’s conclusion has served up more benders than usual. Beginning with the RBC Canadian Open two weeks ago and extending all the way through to the TOUR Championship, only six of the last 14 events will be contested on the same course as last year. And that includes the Barbasol Championship, which will be held for just the second time at Keene Trace Golf Club. Yes, there are two new stops coming up – the Rocket Mortgage Classic at Detroit Golf Club and the 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities – but they’re offset by the RBC Canadian Open at Hamilton Golf & Country Club and the World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational at TPC Southwind, two events that typically don’t migrate. RELATED: Expert Picks | Power Rankings | Fantasy Insider | Sleepers | Horses for Courses All of this is to say that Future Possibilities is thin both due to the reduction of tournaments remaining and by the unfamiliar courses used for their customary contests. This week’s Travelers Championship marks the middle of a five-week stretch as the only event held at a recurring site – TPC River Highlands. Bubba Watson has done it all in the Travelers, so he’s the no-brainer for all pacers. Even though his form upon arrival isn’t terribly inspiring, the stymie is in play. There aren’t going to be but maybe two or three of these left. Zach Johnson at the John Deere Classic and Webb Simpson at the Wyndham Championship rush to mind, but we may have reached the end of ZJ’s domination – certainly his season has left a lot to be desired – and Brandt Snedeker’s record at Sedgefield Country Club actually is a little better than that of Simpson, who loves the place so much that he named one of his children after the title sponsor. For those in pursuit and for front-runners who already have burned Watson or want to zag, Paul Casey is sitting on the tee. The 41-year-old Brit wasn’t bashful about acknowledging his spot atop my Power Rankings when scrumming with the media on Tuesday. You can watch and listen to his comments within the first 15 seconds of this video: Of course, when he prevails, we should anticipate that he’ll cite the positive reinforcement harnessed from the imagery of seeing his name slotted No. 1 in the Power Rankings. It’s too bad that he’s already off my board or I’d go along for this ride, but it’s not bad at all that he hung up a T4 at the Wells Fargo Championship when he was my selection. Patrick Cantlay is No. 2 in the Power Rankings. He’s best associated with TPC River Highlands as having spun a 60 on the course as an amateur in 2011, but that’s fact over friction today. Instead, lean on his terrific recent form that includes a win at Muirfield Village where he galloped through the tape and punctuated a run of three consecutive podium finishes. The value in last week’s T21 at the U.S. Open was that it was a stress-free weekend after he survived the cut on the number. While it seems like he’s been busy, it’s only because of the attention he’s earned. In fact, he’s competed in only three of the last eight weeks. This is as good a time as any to throw Jordan Spieth out there. If he didn’t recently connect with some success, the four-inch primary rough at TPC River Highlands would be cause for pause. If you’re chasing and you’re considering holstering him for the FedExCup Playoffs, particularly the TOUR Championship, keep in mind that he still has to qualify. If he doesn’t, then that plan is foiled. If he does, then it’s likely due to a strong performance at TPC River Highlands. Now is the time. Charley Hoffman could be the real game-changer no matter your position. So much of the formula that projects his showing screams top 10. If I hadn’t holstered Watson for this week, I wouldn’t hesitate another second on Hoffman. Along that same vibe but better suited for two-man gamers is Kevin Streelman. We could go an entire season and leave him shelved by default, but veterans like the 40-year-old can be dynamic when they’re playing well. Timing is everything. Two-man gamers also should consider Chez Reavie, Aaron Baddeley, Danny Lee and Emiliano Grillo. Usual suspects Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas, Francesco Molinari, Jason Day and even Louis Oosthuizen and Bryson DeChambeau need to be reserved either for The Open Championship or the Playoffs. The best tend to perform their best on the biggest stages. Marc Leishman is a tweener. If I was trailing, I may have been tempted to overrule my long-range plan, but my lead allows me to bump him into position for Royal Portrush, especially if the wind is a-howlin’ in the North Atlantic Ocean. FUTURE POSSIBILITIES NOTE: Select golfers committed to the tournament are listed alphabetically. Future tournaments are sorted chronologically and reflect previous success on the courses on which the tournaments will be held in 2018-19. The numerical values in parentheses represent the order of relative confidence of where to use each golfer if multiple sites are listed (e.g. 1 for strongest, 2 for next-strongest and so on). To present weighted confidence in real time, numerical values will not change all season no matter how many tournament remain listed for each golfer. All are pending golfer commitment. Daniel Berger … Travelers (1) Keegan Bradley … Travelers (4) Paul Casey … Travelers (1); TOUR Championship (3) Jason Day … Open Championship (9) Bryson DeChambeau … Travelers (4); John Deere (7) Adam Hadwin … John Deere (5) Brian Harman … Travelers (5); John Deere (4) Charley Hoffman … Travelers (1) Brooks Koepka … Open Championship (8) Martin Laird … Barracuda (2) Marc Leishman … Travelers (3); Open Championship (8) Phil Mickelson … Open Championship (9); WGC-St. Jude (3) Francesco Molinari … Open Championship (1; defending) Ryan Moore … Travelers (6); John Deere (8); Wyndham (2); TOUR Championship (9) Patrick Reed … Travelers (7) Cameron Smith … Wyndham (3) Brandt Snedeker … Travelers (9); Wyndham (1; defending) Jordan Spieth … Travelers (9); Open Championship (6); TOUR Championship (8) Brendan Steele … Travelers (4); Barracuda (3) Kevin Streelman … Travelers (7) Justin Thomas … TOUR Championship (3) Bubba Watson … Travelers (2; defending); TOUR Championship (8)

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