Spieth: PIF alliance not necessary after SSG deal

Last week was all about the chalk. This week, it’s about the eraser. THE PLAYERS Championship arguably is the most equitable of all tournaments. Survival trumps solution. Repeated success cannot be ruled out as coincidence. No matter your flavor to attempt to describe the PGA TOUR’s home game, there’s never a fluke performance at TPC Sawgrass. This reality should generate pause when solidifying your six in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO. If you invest only in household names, it’s a recipe for regret. Furthermore, with nine more tournaments in Segment 3 to follow, including the U.S. Open (the only at which ShotLink will not be utilized), you’re going to want those household names lining up where course history matters. The fortunate beauty of THE PLAYERS is that there’s no shortage of value inside the ropes. As one of the deepest fields anywhere, you could craft five or six lineups and contend. Focus on getting four to the weekend and accept everything else as a bonus. PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO My roster for THE PLAYERS Championship (in alphabetical order): Jason Day Zach Johnson Francesco Molinari Webb Simpson Kyle Stanley Henrik Stenson You’ll find my starters in Expert Picks. Others to consider for each category (in alphabetical order): Scoring: Bryson DeChambeau; Dustin Johnson; Marc Leishman; Rory McIlroy; Phil Mickelson; Jon Rahm; Justin Rose; Justin Thomas Driving: Kevin Chappell; Bryson DeChambeau; Tommy Fleetwood; Rickie Fowler; Sergio Garcia; Emiliano Grillo; Alex Noren Approach: Emiliano Grillo; Chesson Hadley; Matt Kuchar; Rory McIlroy; Ian Poulter; Justin Rose; Jordan Spieth Short: Branden Grace; Chesson Hadley; Brian Harman; Kevin Kisner; Rory McIlroy; Phil Mickelson; Alex Noren; Jon Rahm; Justin Rose Notable WDs Graham DeLaet … Remains on the mend from stem-cell treatment on his back in January. Hasn’t competed since October, but has intimated that he might be ready to return soon. He won’t push it, of course, and he’d qualify for a Major Medical Extension for next season if he needs it. Every week he sits out, he rises a notch in value for full-season salary gamers in 2018-19. Luke Donald … It would be dramatic to state that he’s still stinging from his missed cut at the RBC Heritage, but that surprising result is his most recent. Prior to that tournament, the Englishman cited physical discomfort for his decision not to play the Houston Open, but he didn’t get specific. Currently 195th in the FedExCup standings. Camilo Villegas … Withdrew after his last three commitments due to ongoing pain in his right shoulder. The 36-year-old Colombian is 173rd in the FedExCup standings. Jim Herman … Continues to recover from surgery on both feet on March 6. Hasn’t competed since the Genesis Open, so he’d need to sit out until late June to qualify for a Major Medical Extension for 2018-19. At 222nd in the FedExCup standings, there’s little urgency to rush back. Morgan Hoffmann … Hasn’t competed since finishing T49 at The Honda Classic. Since, he’s launched the MH Foundation, which was inspired by his fight with Muscular Dystrophy. Brandon Hagy … Tendonitis in his left wrist has sidelined him for five months now. He’s been sharing progress of his recovery on Twitter recently, so perhaps a return is imminent. Seung-Yul Noh … Currently fulfilling his military conscription in his native South Korea. Won’t regain fantasy relevance until the 2019-2020 season. Power Rankings Recap – Wells Fargo Championship Power Ranking Player Result 1 Rory McIlroy T16 2 Justin Thomas T21 3 Rickie Fowler T21 4 Phil Mickelson T5 5 Webb Simpson T21 6 Patrick Reed 8th 7 Jason Day Win 8 Louis Oosthuizen MC 9 Tony Finau T21 10 Ryan Moore MC 11 Kevin Kisner MC 12 Paul Casey T5 13 Tommy Fleetwood MC 14 Chesson Hadley T16 15 Kevin Streelman MC Wild Card Hideki Matsuyama T76/MDF Sleepers Recap – Wells Fargo Championship Player Result Byeong Hun An T63 Scott Brown MC Charles Howell III T21 Grayson Murray T59 Kyle Stanley T13 Birthdays among active golfers on the PGA TOUR May 8 … Andres Romero (37); Chris Kirk (33) May 9 … none May 10 … Parker McLachlin (39) May 11 … Briny Baird (46) May 12 … Jim Furyk (48); Mike Weir (48) May 13 … none May 14 … none

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Rory McIlroy’s win at last week’s RBC Canadian Open included a rare mid-tournament equipment switch. It was the latest edition of a battle between two 3-woods for a spot in his bag. He started the RBC Canadian Open with TaylorMade’s SIM Ti 3-wood before switching to the new Stealth Plus 3-wood over the weekend at St. George’s. The Stealth Plus will remain in his bag at The Country Club, he told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday. Since the Wells Fargo Championship in May, when McIlroy first switched into TaylorMade’s new Stealth Plus fairway wood, he’s been switching back and forth between his old flame and his new one, carrying both options on a weekly basis. “I (used) the SIM (in Canada), I just didn’t hit it much last week,” McIlroy told GolfWRX on Wednesday. “There was honestly no real need for a 3-wood last week, just with the yardage. …I actually have the Stealth (Plus) this week. SIM is almost like a 2-wood. It’s very low spinning. It’s pretty hot. It’s always been a hot head. … I can get high 170 ball speed out of it and carry it over 300 yards. …There wasn’t really much opportunity to hit it last week. It was either lay way back with a 5-wood or an iron, or hit driver. But some weeks, like Memorial, where 310 yards is a really good distance off the tee; it’s good for weeks like that. And this week is a little similar to last week. It’s either you lay back quite a lot with a 5-wood, or you get it up there with a driver. So, there’s just no need for it.” As a quick refresher, TaylorMade’s SIM Ti (Titanium) fairway woods hit retail in February 2020, and McIlroy has been using the 3-wood off and on ever since. The TaylorMade Stealth Plus fairway woods, on the other hand, hit retail more recently in January 2022. This is far from the usual ‘old versus new’ dilemma, though. McIlroy, the 2011 U.S. Open Champion, switches between the options because he uses them for different purposes, and they fly different distances. Based on course setup and his plan of attack come competition time on Thursday each week, he must choose between the two options, since there’s only room for one in his 14-club setup. He travels with both clubs to keep his options open. “The Stealth (Plus), I carry 285 to 290. It’s a little weaker, a little spinnier, sort of more just to get it in play,” McIlroy told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday. “The SIM is a little hotter, a little lower spin, sort of get it out there a little more. … (The Stealth Plus is) a little more workable. A little more spin. A little more in control. That SIM 3-wood I spin it at like 2,600-2,700 rpm. It’s like a mini driver.” According to a TaylorMade representative, although both of McIlroy’s 3-woods have “15 degrees” listed on their heads, McIlroy’s SIM Ti 3-wood measures out at 13 degrees of loft, whereas his Stealth Plus has 13.75 degrees of actual loft. While most of the focus has been on McIlroy’s 3-woods, McIlroy said it’s his TaylorMade Stealth Plus 5-wood that will get the most use among his fairway woods. “There’s a few opportunities to hit drivers here, but I think it’s just so important to get it in the fairway,” McIlroy told GolfWRX. “I can carry the 5 wood 270-275 in the air off the tee. With how fast these fairways are, it rolls out to 290 or whatever. …I’ll hit 3-wood maybe a couple times, but the 5-wood is probably just a better club for quite a few holes here.” While McIlroy’s SIM Ti and Stealth Plus 3-woods are busy battling it out for a place in the starting lineup, it seems the Stealth Plus 5-wood is really the one doing the hard work as he looks to win his second U.S. Open and fifth major.

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Is that the new car smell? Those in the Motor City of Detroit sure know the new car scent better than most. Close, it’s the aroma of a new stop on the PGA TOUR. Please join us in welcoming to the family the Rocket Mortgage Classic at the Detroit Golf Club, the first TOUR event inside the city limits of Detroit. This Donald Ross gem will light up all the senses of players and fans alike. Tricky treelined holes followed by invitations to score on the back nine. Volatility on the scoreboard … that always excites. THE FLYOVER The back nine at Detroit Golf Club brings with it multiple chances to score. One such hole is the 555-yard par-5 14th. This is a classic risk-reward par 5 from Donald Ross. The long hitters will only have a mid-to-long iron approach shot into this two-tiered green guarded by water in front. Those who elect to lay up on their second will need to control the spin on their shots due to a false front on the left side of the green. The brave will make a move here. WEATHER CHECK From meteorologist Kyle Koval: A stalled out frontal boundary is expected to serve as the focus for showers / thunderstorms Thursday through Saturday. The most favorable window for activity appears to be Thursday night and Friday. Most likely weekly rainfall 0.25-0.75 of an inch, however higher amounts are possible if an organized thunderstorm complex can develop. Temperatures will generally be in the middle 80s each day with some cooling likely on Sunday. Wind gusts around 20 mph are possible Friday and Saturday. For the latest weather news from Detroit, Michigan, check out PGATOUR.com’s weather hub. SOUND CHECK It’s an old Donald Ross course that’s a lot of fun to play. It’s not real long, but the greens are very challenging. It’s a lot of slope, a lot of different locations on the green. It’s all little quadrants and you want to be in the right quadrant. We’re going to have a good many wedges, so being able to control the spin, it’s going to be difficult to get it close to the hole. BY THE NUMBERS 8 – Just eight events (over six weeks) remain in the FedExCup regular season as players vie for a spot in the FedExCup Playoffs. They need to be inside the top 125 on the points list to do so. Martin Laird currently sits in the 125th spot. He is in the field this week, as are those ranked 126-132. At the pointy end players are vying for position in the Wyndham Rewards Top 10. Those inside that mark after the last eight events share significant bonus cash. Woodland (5th), Johnson (7th) and Fowler (10th) all have the chance to push deeper into the reward zone this week. Last week’s winner Chez Reavie (12th) is just a half decent result away from jumping into the top 10. 3 – Number of former head pros at Detroit Golf Club who had won majors. Alec Ross, brother of course designer Donald, won the U.S. Open before serving at the club. Two-time Masters winner Horton Smith (1934, 36) then took over before 1953 PGA Championship winner Walter Burkemo took the job. 32’ 9â€� – The average proximity to the hole for Corey Conners, who leads the PGA TOUR in the stat this season. Proximity could be vital this week. Detroit Golf Club’s greens can be very tricky if you find yourself in the wrong section. Others inside the top 10 on TOUR who are in the field this week are Ryan Armour, Chesson Hadley, Chez Reavie, Vaughn Taylor, Jason Dufner and Talor Gooch. SCATTERSHOTS Local talent… Michigan native Joey Garber is looking for a big week. The 27-year-old from Petoskey, Michigan made the cut at the 2007 Michigan Open as a 15-year-old, the youngest player in history to do so in the state’s most prestigious golf tournament. In 2010, Garber won both the Michigan Amateur and the Michigan Junior Amateur titles, the first player ever to win both state amateur titles in the same year. He played 2018 on the Korn Ferry Tour (formerly Web.com Tour) and won the Rex Hospital Open to earn maiden PGA TOUR card. This season has made seven cuts in 16 starts on the PGA TOUR with one top-10 finish at the Puerto Rico Open to sit 183rd in the FedExCup. He needs to secure a spot in the top 200 to make the Korn Ferry Tour Finals or surge into the top 125 to make the FedExCup Playoffs. Popular Invite… Non-member Chip McDaniel – aka “Mr. Mondayâ€� – was awarded a sponsor invite. McDaniel has successfully Monday qualified three times this season, the latest came last week at the Travelers Championship after catching a red-eye after the final round of the U.S. Open. He finished T43 at TPC River Highlands. McDaniel’s real name is Tyler but has always been known as Chip as his mother’s favorite baseball player was former Atlanta Braves third baseman Chipper Jones. Portrush awaits… The Rocket Mortgage Classic is part of The Open Qualifying Series. The top two players not otherwise exempt who finish inside the top eight and ties will receive invitations to the 2019 Open Championship at Royal Portrush. It is the second last chance on the PGA TOUR to qualify. The John Deere Classic (July 11-14) is the only other remaining PGA TOUR event that is part of the series, where one spot is up for grabs.

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