Pick ‘Em Preview: The RSM Classic

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – The PGA TOUR and ZOZO, Inc. – which operates the largest Japanese online fashion website “ZOZOTOWN� – today announced a six-year agreement that establishes the first annual, official PGA TOUR tournament in Japan. The ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP, which will be co-sanctioned by the Japan Golf Tour Organization (JGTO), is set to debut at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club the week of October 21, 2019, during the opening segment of the 2019-20 PGA TOUR FedExCup Season. The ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP, with a Japan-record purse of US$9.75 million, will become part of the TOUR’s swing through Asia, joining THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES in Korea and World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions in China. The CIMB Classic in Malaysia no longer will be on the PGA TOUR schedule, as CIMB is realigning its sponsorship with the TOUR. “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to bring the first annual, official PGA TOUR event to Japan through our partnership with ZOZO, Inc.,� said Ty Votaw, PGA TOUR Executive Vice President, International.  “Japan’s passion for golf is widely recognized and something our stars have experienced first-hand through various events held here and the support of standout PGA TOUR players like champion Hideki Matsuyama. Today’s announcement further strengthens our presence in Asia and certainly comes at an opportune time with golf set to follow its highly successful return to the Olympics in Rio when Tokyo hosts the 2020 Games.� “I’ve been inspired by golf as a player and as a fan for nearly 10 years now. Opportunities such as going on rounds with my 73-year-old father, and practicing with my sons who are now in elementary school, all came from my love for golf,� said Yusaku Maezawa, ZOZO Inc. CEO. “ZOZO, Inc. has celebrated its 20th anniversary this year, and we have launched our private fashion brand ZOZO, which is designed, developed and distributed by us. The concept of the brand is to create the perfect fit for every unique body by using body measurement technology.  Just like golf has the power to motivate and connect people all over the world, regardless of nationality, gender, age or body shape, we hope to grow our private brand ZOZO into a brand that is loved all over the world, regardless of big, small, tall or short. “I am extremely grateful of this miracle of becoming a title sponsor of the historical and prestigious PGA TOUR for the very first Japan tournament, and to be able to hold this tournament in Chiba prefecture, where our roots are.� The ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP field will consist of 78 professionals, including 60 available players from the previous season’s FedExCup points list, 10 designated by the JGTO and eight special exemptions. The PGA TOUR, which opened an office in Tokyo in 2016, has a long history in Japan, starting with its involvement in the 1957 World Cup of Golf in Tokyo. After the first three editions of the event took place in Canada and the United States, the tournament was held outside North America for the first time in 1957 when the Kasumigaseki Club (which will host the 2020 Olympic golf competition) saw the U.S. team of Ben Hogan and Sam Snead take the title. Japan subsequently hosted the 1966 and 2001 World Cups. PGA TOUR Champions also has had a presence in Japan, starting with a team event from 1989-91 in which four Champions Tour players competed against counterparts from Japan. The Tour returned in 2017 with a tournament at Narita Golf Club and will return to the club in June of 2019 with the Mastercard Japan Championship. Every year since 1993, the PGA TOUR has had at least one Japanese player on its roster including two for the 2018-19 Season: Hideki Matsuyama and Satoshi Kodaira. Five players have accounted for 11 PGA TOUR victories over the years, led by Matsuyama with five and Shigeki Maruyama with three. Isao Aoki, Ryuji Imada and Kodaira each have won once.

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Austin, Texas – Some guys talk a lot. Others not at all. Some might dictate pace of play. Some play subterfuge with club selection. There are many ways to try to add tactical nous to a match play battle. It is one of the beauties of the format we have this week as the best players in the world take on each other one-on-one in the World Golf Championships – Dell Technologies Match Play. Some guys can be ruthless. Others too friendly. Finding out who each guy is could be a fascinating part of this week. Some guys don’t bother with the mental side of the encounter. They are in their own world. Defending champion Dustin Johnson would fit into that category. Others engage in tactical play for sure. Canvassing the range at Austin Country Club to hear about some of the methods players have perhaps used or been subjected to was interesting indeed. Of course, going on record about a potential opponent this week is not smart business, so lots of information came with anonymity. Multiple players talked about how opponents use the verbal game as a weapon. Perhaps they talk a lot to distract. Perhaps it is the content of the conversation. Back-handed compliments that get players thinking is a common theme. Maybe it is someone telling you how great it was to see you successful, even with that swing quirk you have. Maybe it is just talking about all their own success over and over. On the flipside, some opponents use words as a weapon by not using them at all. Normally friendly – in a match they give you nothing. Make you feel like you’ve done something wrong. Have you wonder why they are all of a sudden mute. This mental mind game might produce the one loose swing that could turn a match. “I don’t know if I’ve ever really tried to sort of put any gamesmanship on anyone. I might make someone hole a really short putt from time to time or give them a few three-footers and then make them putt one further along the match,â€� the 2015 champion Rory McIlroy said. “There might be guys that you chat and sort of talk the whole way around and it’s a friendly, cordial match, or there’s guys that would prefer not to.â€� Two-time runner-up of the event Paul Casey laughed when recalling days early in his career when playing against non-English speaking opponents. “The language barrier was used a couple of times as to whether putts were conceded or not,â€� he smiled of his amateur career. “I remember a player – as his coin was very close to my line and we were still both about ten feet away and he kind of looked at me. I assumed he looked at me to confirm whether his marker was in my line and it needed to be moved. And I said, that’s okay there. So, he picked it up. And then of course his perfect English became… well, he lost his ability to understand English all of a sudden.â€� Another classic trick mentioned was around club selection off the tee. If hitting first you can have your caddy cover the irons with a towel on the par-3’s so there was no way of seeing what club has been selected. You might then have an audible conversation with that caddy about your “7-ironâ€� when in fact you have an 8-iron in your hand. The opposing player than might be tricked into using the wrong club. If you are hitting second – particularly at a drivable par-4 – always grab the driver out of the bag to immediately signal your intention to go for it. This may tempt the opponent to take on more risk than they need to. Pace of play is another method. If your opponent likes to play fast, walk slow. If they are on the slower side, walk fast and hope they lift to your tempo and fall out of rhythm. Two-time champion Jason Day has often talked about trying to be the guy who frustrates his opponent with not just his short game, but other facets also. He is known for not conceding putts and trying to portray strength at all times. “Something really easy that you can do is, if you’re down in the match and it’s later in the match, always walk forward in front of the person that you’re playing against, just so that you’re letting them know that you’re pushing forward and you’re also letting them know that you’re still hanging around,â€� he said on the eve of his attempt to join Tiger Woods as the only three-time champions. “People feed off body language. If I’m looking across and he’s got his shoulders slumped and his head is down, you can tell he’s getting frustrated, that’s when you push a little bit harder.â€� Day, and others, warned of annoying certain players, though. Jordan Spieth was asked what he has to do to beat long-time teammate Patrick Reed, and the simple answer was not to upset him. Reed plays much better angry. Day had seen it first-hand a few years earlier when his methods fired up a young Russell Henley, and the American made a big late comeback forcing Day to extra holes. “You’ve got to know when to push and kind of take it back in, because sometimes if you push too hard and they get a little bit angry with you, you can actually turn them into a good player because they can feed off that anger,â€� Day explains. “So the mental side of things is tough because you’ve got to kind of watch who you’re playing against, feed off what their body language is doing and how they’re playing and know when to take the risks and not take the risks.â€� Spieth expects a bit of shenanigans in his matches. And he’s okay with it. “I think everybody involved or everybody that’s playing thinks… don’t take yourself too seriously. It’s part of it. It should be fun,â€� the Texan says. “There should be some gamesmanship. That’s the way it is in every other sport, we just never play one-on-one or team versus team like other sports do.â€� But at the end of the day – no matter what tricks or tactics you might employ – you have to play better than your opponent. “Here’s the thing. Birdie, birdie, Eagle, birdie – that’s what wins matches,â€� Casey said. “If you are more worried about what tactics you are using and not on your golf, then your focus is on the wrong thing. Play better and you will advance.â€�

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BLAINE, Minn. – When Bryson DeChambeau got his first look at TPC Twin Cities on Tuesday, he thought 14 or 15 under might end up being the winning score at the inaugural 3M Open. Turns out, he only needed two rounds to get there, though. Not four. So DeChambeau has to readjust his goals now after Friday’s course-record-tying 62 left him at 14 under and leading by four. The bogey-free round of 9 under matched Scott Piercy’s number on Thursday, a performance that DeChambeau said “opened the floodgates a little bit.â€� It was also the lowest score the 25-year-old has ever shot on the PGA TOUR. “Certainly, me doing that today inspires me to even do better over the weekend,â€� DeChambeau said. “I know I can do it. I know I still left a couple out there, lipped out a couple short putts. Although I made a lot of putts, I’m not going to take that for granted.â€� Charles Howell III, who played with DeChambeau and Keegan Bradley in the first two rounds, finished with a 66 that included a pair of eagles, one of which came courtesy of a wedge from 80 yards on the par-4 seventh that sucked back into the hole. As good as his own round was, though, Howell came away impressed. “Well, playing with Bryson, it was ‑‑ it was a good round,â€� Howell said when asked about his 5-under tally. “Not great. It was great playing with a guy going low out there, especially coming to a new venue where you quite don’t know what to expect. “You see these guys keep pressing and pressing like he was doing. He kind of drug Keegan and I along with him.â€� Bradley couldn’t quite keep pace with DeChambeau and Howell, shooting a 68 that left him 4 under for 36 holes. But he added to the highlight reel when he drained an improbable 61-footer at the second hole, his fourth birdie in the last five holes. Howell said seeing DeChambeau play so well set the tone for the round. “Bryson was obviously, he had two great days of putting, so it’s nice as a golfer to see balls going in the hole and see guys going low and doing well,â€� Howell said. “Yeah, and whatever you may want to call that, drafting, whatever it may be, it matters I think, yes.â€� DeChambeau has not made a bogey this week. He’s finding fairways, nine in each of the first two rounds, and was spot-on with the putter on Friday, making five birdie putts of more than 19 feet. “Whenever I can roll a couple putts in from 20 feet or more, that gives you a lot of confidence for the game,â€� DeChambeau said. “And when you’re striking it well and driving it where you’re looking, that’s obviously very positive. “I know it’s cliche to say that, but it’s just what it is unfortunately. Kind of get into a rhythm a little bit, the zone, and it just feels good sometimes.â€� 

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