TOUR winners Brad Faxon, Smylie Kaufman to join NBC’s commentary team

The 17th of 24 contributing events for PGA TOUR Champions One & Done presented by SERVPRO is this week’s 3M Championship. It begins on Friday. Scroll for tournament notes, 12 notables and five wild cards from the field of 78 north of Minneapolis. For the stand-alone One & Done for the Barracuda Championship, click here. It’s Turn Back the Clock week at the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, for Tiger Woods is in play at Firestone Country Club’s South Course for the first time in four years. If you didn’t bite on Woods at Bay Hill (T5), Augusta National (T32) or Muirfield Village (T23) – all sites of historical success – your patience has been rewarded with one final go in Akron, Ohio. Even if you settle for a top 10, this is the final logical spot to burn the Secretariat of the horses of courses. Balk at the eight-time winner here if you wish, but if you’re forced to invest elsewhere anyway, Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, Rickie Fowler, Paul Casey and Tommy Fleetwood present strong cases for getting the call. Sort through the dwindling assortment of Future Possibilities below and jot down a shot chart of how you might like to play out the string. As you do, remember the value that all of the 73 qualifiers for the final WGC of the season committed to the tournament. In other words, just like the South Course itself, all of the chalk is right there in front of you. An angle that I’ve hit a few times this year involves the curious trend of how well McIlroy has performed in the Playoffs in Ryder Cup years. In 2012, 2014 and 2016, he finished a respective second, third and first in the FedExCup with four wins, a T2 and another three top 10s in the last three events in the Playoffs alone. Furthermore, and oddly, he played in all four Playoffs events in each of those series. Compare that to 2013 and 2017 when he didn’t qualify for the TOUR Championship, and 2015 when he skipped the first event. This is to say that McIlroy is worth the wait especially if you use FedExCup points to measure performance. Dustin Johnson is atop the Power Rankings for the third consecutive week, but he doesn’t present as the smartest option in our game at Firestone. Even though he won here just two years ago, note that the WGC-Bridgestone slots 14th in terms of my confidence in Future Possibilities. The security basked into that subjection is that he looks great almost every time he pegs it, so if he’s still available to you, sit tight. One chance after another will continue to fall onto your lap. Same goes for Justin Thomas. Scorching-hot Francesco Molinari has an uninspiring record in this tournament, but he did at The Open Championship as well. He contended in his debut at the John Deere Classic and played TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm in his own fast lane. His confidence is higher than anyone’s right now. Go along for the ride already. I gave a long stare at Fleetwood if for no other reason than he’s the prototypical wild card who will contribute. His form is as fine as his flow, but I’m of the belief that I’d miss Bubba Watson more. So, I’m going with the lefty. For a free spirit, he’s been predictable this season, and since 2015 at Firestone, he’s gone 2nd-T14-T17. This tournament also slots No. 1 on his strongest choices. I considered exhausting Fleetwood now and Watson at East Lake, but I’m saving Rose for the finale at which none of the others in my little league can. Jordan Spieth would also make a ton of sense at the TOUR Championship, but he still has work to do to qualify. Even at 42nd in the FedExCup standings, it’s hard to fathom that he won’t go all the way for the sixth consecutive season, but I’d endorse him at Firestone if you don’t want to play that game. He impressed at Carnoustie, which isn’t supposed to be the kind of track where a guy can find his game. For One & Doners at the end of their rope, you might as well give Hideki Matsuyama a try. While I hope you find a better option on this page, there’s nothing better than the feels of strutting around as the defending champion and with a course-record-tying 61 to close it out to boot. What’s more, he’s been just OK in the Playoffs, so this could be your last best chance. If by chance you’re dry on all of the aforementioned or your plans preclude usage now and you still need a guy at Firestone, consider pivoting to Jon Rahm, Xander Schauffele, Tony Finau, Adam Scott, Alex Noren or Patrick Cantlay. Two-man gamers who are swinging for the fences need to consider Russell Knox, Charl Schwartzel and Tyrrell Hatton. 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 2017-18. 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. Paul Casey … WGC-Bridgestone (5); Dell Technologies (2); TOUR Championship (3) Kevin Chappell … WGC-Bridgestone (2); Dell Technologies (3) Jason Day … WGC-Bridgestone (9); PGA Championship (1); THE NORTHERN TRUST (8); Dell Technologies (5) Rickie Fowler … WGC-Bridgestone (3); THE NORTHERN TRUST (10); Dell Technologies (6) Sergio Garcia … TOUR Championship (4) Branden Grace … WGC-Bridgestone (3) Dustin Johnson … WGC-Bridgestone (14); PGA Championship (9); Dell Technologies (11); TOUR Championship (6) Zach Johnson … WGC-Bridgestone (6); TOUR Championship (8) Kevin Kisner … Wyndham (6) Russell Knox … Dell Technologies (7) Brooks Koepka … WGC-Bridgestone (6); PGA Championship (2) Matt Kuchar … WGC-Bridgestone (7); THE NORTHERN TRUST (9) Hideki Matsuyama … WGC-Bridgestone (8; defending) Rory McIlroy … WGC-Bridgestone (7); Dell Technologies (5); TOUR Championship (3) Kevin Na … Wyndham (3); THE NORTHERN TRUST (11) Louis Oosthuizen … PGA Championship (4); Dell Technologies (3) Patrick Reed … PGA Championship (8); Wyndham (7); THE NORTHERN TRUST (9); Dell Technologies (2) Justin Rose … WGC-Bridgestone (7); TOUR Championship (2) Charl Schwartzel … WGC-Bridgestone (2) Adam Scott … WGC-Bridgestone (3); Dell Technologies (9); TOUR Championship (6) Webb Simpson … Wyndham (1) Jordan Spieth … WGC-Bridgestone (10); TOUR Championship (4) Henrik Stenson … WGC-Bridgestone (4); PGA Championship (7); Wyndham (8; defending); Dell Technologies (9); TOUR Championship (2) Justin Thomas … Dell Technologies (6; defending); TOUR Championship (3) Bubba Watson … WGC-Bridgestone (1); TOUR Championship (4) Tiger Woods … WGC-Bridgestone (3) CHAMPIONS ONE & DONE 3M Championship This is the last edition of the tournament as it’s been known since it debuted in 1993. Chi Chi Rodriguez’ victory in the inaugural was his last of 22 career titles on the PGA TOUR Champions. Before it transitions into its new role as host of the PGA TOUR’s 3M Open on July 4-7, 2019, TPC Twin Cities will serve as the backdrop for the seniors for the 18th consecutive year. It’s a stock par 72 that tips at 7,114 yards. Paul Goydos returns to defend his title. He emerged from a playoff with Gene Sauers after the duo completed regulation in 20-under 196. All but one of the last eight champions (Bernhard Langer, 2012) are committed, including two-time winner Kenny Perry (2014, 2015). For as long as TPC Twin Cities has hosted, total prize money has been $1.75 million with $262,500 going to the winner. All of the remaining tournaments this season will feature a larger purse. 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. 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. Joe Durant … 3M (6); DICK’S (12); Boeing (10); Shaw (11); PURE (3); SAS (13) David Frost … 3M (7); Boeing (5); Shaw (8); PURE (1) Doug Garwood … SAS (1) Paul Goydos … 3M (1; defending); DICK’S (3); SAS (5) Tom Lehman … SAS (9) Billy Mayfair … Boeing (2); PURE (1) Tom Pernice, Jr. … Shaw (3); SAS (5) Kenny Perry … 3M (1); DICK’S (11); SAS (2) Gene Sauers … Boeing (1) Kevin Sutherland … Usable everywhere. Kirk Triplett … Shaw (4) Duffy Waldorf … Shaw (5) WILD CARDS (short list of golfers not included above but on the rise or still building portfolios after recently turning 50): Bob Estes; Steve Flesch; Rocco Mediate; Scott Parel; Tim Petrovic

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Mandy Snedeker had just dropped her two children, Lily and Austin, off at school near their home in Nashville. Her husband, Brandt, was in Greensboro, North Carolina, playing in the Wyndham Championship. He was in one of the morning’s featured groups, paired with Billy Horschel and Hideki Matsuyama, so she could follow the PGA TOUR Live coverage of his round as she ran errands. “And then all of a sudden, I don’t know what hole it was, but they started mentioning that there was a chance that he could shoot 59,â€� Mandy recalls. “I kind of went, errrk, pulled over in a parking lot, and watched the rest of it.â€� Mandy sat in that parking lot for a good hour on that Thursday morning a year ago, watching the final four holes or so on her cell phone. So, she saw the 20-footer he made on the Sedgefield’s ninth hole, his last of the day, to become just the ninth player in PGA TOUR history to shoot a 59. “Oh, my gosh, I screamed and just went crazy,â€� Mandy says. And then her telephone started virtually blowing up with text messages. In relatively short order, she had probably 40 or 50; her husband’s phone pinged with roughly double that amount – all meaningful in their own way. “We have a lot of friends that are in the music industry … and obviously are huge golfers,â€� Mandy says. “So, they were all texting me. I thought that was cool. “I don’t know if I have anyone that (stood out); it was just so many at one time I couldn’t believe it because I wasn’t sure if everybody knew. It was a Thursday, Thursday morning. So, I was texting people all morning. Brandt shot 59. Brandt shot 59. It was crazy.â€� Of course, her first text was to Brandt. He was whisked away to interviews after he signed his scorecard but called as soon as he could. “He was so excited,â€� Mandy recalls. “You know, golf, it’s crazy. It’s like up and down and he hadn’t been playing that great. But out of nowhere he shoots 59. So, it’s just how the sport rolls.â€� Then came the hard part. At least for Brandt. Take that four-stroke lead he had accrued with the 59, play three more rounds and try to win a golf tournament.  “Fifty‑nine was such a cool moment and such a great place, has such a great place in my memory and the history of the game obviously, but doing it on Thursday when you’ve got three more days to deal with, A, all the questions, B, all the kind of attention you draw on yourself, and then most importantly, the expectations you have on yourself,â€� Brandt says.  “You have a … four‑shot lead after the first day, play that kind of round of golf, you can’t really think of anything other than messing it up from there, to be honest with you. So, it’s hard to kind of deal with that, try to get over it and make sure you get back into what made you successful that first day.â€� The internal pressure was one thing. After all, Brandt had already won eight times on the PGA TOUR. But the 2018 Wyndham Championship was the first time his kids, who were 7 and 5 years old at the time, really understood what was going on. “The second he (shot 59) it was, Dad are you going to win the tournament? Dad are you winning?â€� Mandy recalls with a smile. “We flew in Saturday; we go upstairs to the player dining. Dad, are you leading still? Dad are you leading? Are you going to win? I was like, oh my goodness. Stop. “So, we had joked if he can win with that pressure of the kids constantly reminding him, you know, he’s got it. He’s got it.â€� Steve Holmes, who is chairman of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts and Wyndham Destinations, had sent a private jet to Nashville to pick up Mandy and the kids. Wyndham has sponsored Brandt since shortly after he won the 2007 tournament at Sedgefield, which was his first PGA TOUR victory. Holmes was the one who presented Brandt with the Sam Snead Cup that year. “It just so happened he was coming up to New York for the first playoff event right afterwards and he offered me a ride up on his plane,â€� Brandt remembers. “And so, I hop on the plane. We celebrated and talked and just kind of grew from there and Steve’s one of the best human beings in the world. Spending that little time with them on a plane, I realized what a quality guy he was and what they stood for. “Just always have been very fortunate in my career, surround myself with really good people and make sure I have the right partnerships and it all started with him and them because they are a bunch of great people and do stuff the right way.â€� So, Brandt wasn’t at all surprised that Holmes flew Mandy and the kids in for what turned out to be another Sunday celebration with Lily and Austin racing onto the 18th green to jump into their dad’s arms. “They’ve been dear friends of ours for a long time,â€� Mandy says. “That’s what made it so special, too. It’s not just shooting the 59 … it was just like a storybook book setting. I mean, with it being Wyndham and his sponsor and just all the years that we’ve been with them and stuff. “So yeah, it was really special.â€�

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LOS ANGELES — Tiger Woods began with an unknowing tribute to Kobe Bryant by making an eagle putt that optical cameras measured at 24 feet, 8 inches. He ended his opening round with a reminder that getting around Riviera unscathed is no small task. Related: Leaderboard | Tiger fades after special start That’s what made Matt Kuchar’s day all the more remarkable. Kuchar drove to the edge of the 10th green and two-putted for birdie and kept right on rolling until he had a 7-under 64 on Thursday, matching his best score at Riviera and giving him a three-shot lead in The Genesis Invitational. So clean was Kuchar’s round that he only once had to stress over a par putt, and he made the 10-footer at the par-3 fourth. “I think it’s one of the few courses that has truly stood the test of time,” Kuchar said. “It was a great test of golf 50 years ago when Ben Hogan was playing, it’s a great test today with Tiger Woods and all the young boys playing.” The conditions were ideal once the morning chill gave way to mild sunshine, and Kuchar took advantage in the morning. As much as Kuchar loves the course, he has only one top 10 in his 13 previous appearances. Woods was 4 under through eight holes and had to settle for a 69. His record at Riviera is under far greater scrutiny, especially this week as he tries for his 83rd PGA TOUR victory to set the career mark he now shares with Sam Snead. Woods has not won in 10 appearances as a pro, two others as a teenage amateur. This one held promise, especially after he drilled an 8-iron into the par-5 opening hole and made the eagle putt. The death of Bryant on Jan. 26 is still raw in Los Angeles, and the TOUR dedicated No. 8 — Bryant wore Nos. 8 and 24 during his 20 years with the Lakers — with a purple-and-gold tee sign. Woods made birdie there, his last one of the round. “Ironic having those two numbers,” Woods said of the length of his eagle putt. “And then No. 8, happened to hit one in there close and had a nice little kick-in there for birdie.” Brooks Koepka had Nike design some purple-and-gold Mamba golf shoes last October because Bryant inspired him during his return from injury. Koepka called the shoe company after hearing of Bryant’s death in a helicopter crash and suggested something be done, oblivious that he had requested the shoes months earlier. He opened with a 69. Justin Thomas opened with a 74 and was in danger of missing the cut for the second time this year. Woods seemed bent on having his say at Riviera with the eagle and two more birdies through eight holes, leaving him three off the lead and the back nine to play. But he couldn’t keep his swing together, and it eventually caught up with him. A drive to the right on No. 11 hit a eucalyptus tree and ricocheted to the left side of the fairway. He missed the green to the left on No. 12 for bogey. He hit a drive into the left trees on No. 13 and got up-and-down from 165 yards for par. He dropped another shot on the 18th when after hitting so many drives to the left, he leaked one badly to the right and had to pitch out to the fairway, slamming his iron into the cart path in disgust as he walked through the crowd. “Just didn’t hit many good shots on the back nine,” Woods said. “Made a couple loose swings and made a couple good saves on the back nine for par, but just wasn’t able to get any birdies on the back nine.” He said his duties as tournament host kept him away from the practice range except for a short time before the pro-am Wednesday, and he was trying to piece something together for the first round. It only lasted so long. Kuchar made birdie on two of the par 5s, made two birdie putts of 30 feet or longer and rarely was in trouble. “To shoot a number like this, you kind of do most things well,” Kuchar said. “I didn’t find myself in much trouble today. … I felt like it was just steady golf, a lot of opportunities and I was able to convert on a good number of opportunities today” K.H. Lee and Russell Henley also played bogey-free and were at 67, along with Wyndham Clark from the morning wave. Adam Schenk and Harold Varner III each had 67 in the afternoon under a little more breeze and greens that were bumpier from so much foot traffic during the day. Rory McIlroy opened with a 68 and it took him time to get going. McIlroy’s opening tee shot was pure enough, but it bounced over the 10th green and rolled up near the lip of a back bunker. He left his first shot in the sand and did well to escape with par, only to miss 3-foot putts on the next two holes — one for birdie, one for par. He had to scramble his way along the back until blasting a 3-wood to about 30 feet on the par-5 17th and making eagle, and then adding an eagle on par-5 opening hole. The biggest challenge was the cold air in the morning. McIlroy ripped a drive — he did that a lot in the opening round — into the par-5 11th and then came up 30 yards short with a flush 3-wood. About two hours later, he had 289 yards for his second into the par-5 17th and hit 3-wood to pin-high. “It just shows you what temperature does,” McIlroy said. Patrick Cantlay and Patrick Reed were among those at 68. Even in mint conditions, only about one-third of the field broke par.

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