Bhatia withdraws from Valspar Championship

This is hilarious. There’s no other way to describe what arguably is the most obvious choice of any golfer in any tournament. No matter your philosophy, which tournaments you include or your current ranking, the only reason you don’t burn Hideki Matsuyama at the Waste Management Phoenix Open is because you already did in one of his four previous starts this season. OK, there are two reasons. The other is that you’ll forget to submit your pick. But that wouldn’t be funny at all. As of late Tuesday night, Matsuyama was chosen by 29 percent of all gamers in PGA TOUR One & Done. He’s projected to be selected almost twice as many times as the second-most chosen, three-time tournament champion, all-time earnings leader at TPC Scottsdale and World Golf Hall of Famer, Phil Mickelson. How do you say, “No big deal,” in Japanese? Truth be told, I went into this column with the intent to go against the grain. Short of the preposterousness of all pivots, it was going to be an exercise. Alas, after reviewing all of the options and angles, only four words are necessary. Hideki Matsuyama. The End. It’s a bedtime story that Sean Martin will read to his kids for years. If it puts smiles on their faces like Matsuyama initiates adoration from their devout daddy, sweet dreams and restless nights are guaranteed. Matsuyama at TPC Scottsdale is like Tiger Woods and Torrey Pines, Bay Hill or Firestone during his prime but minus the three-way coin flip. Look up “don’t overthink it” in any fantasy guide and you’ll see Sean pointing at the Japanese star inside The Coliseum. Now, because it’s my duty to connect with the 71 percent who can’t or won’t execute the obvious, there are eight legitimate short-listers who deserve a thought (or less). • For One & Doners who have already burned Matsuyama, Mickelson is the ideal alternative. The only reason you wouldn’t is because he loves Quail Hollow Club, host of the Wells Fargo Championship on the first weekend of May. The caution to consider is that he’s committed this week and there’s no guarantee that he’ll appear in Charlotte. • If Matsuyama and Mickelson are off-limits, Jon Rahm. The Spaniard checks all of the boxes. • Gary Woodland didn’t crack the top 30 in the tournament in the prior four editions before emerging from a playoff with Chez Reavie last year. The defending champion’s Future Possibilities are thin to none, but he’s been so consistently strong that the absence of more on the horizon transitions his value into that of a wild card. Think Lucas Glover, Tyrrell Hatton and Kyle Stanley in various forms. • Rickie Fowler is No. 9 in my Power Rankings out of respect for his capability and course history, but let’s see him connect for something special with the new golf ball first. • Matt Kuchar is humming along. I could have forced an argument on you, but Matsuyama is available to me and I wanted to respect myself in the morning. • Even I’m a little surprised that the WMPO slots second in Webb Simpson’s Future Possibilities, and most of his success at TPC Scottsdale occurred either when he could still anchor or before he became one with his putter. • Bubba Watson deserves a mention for his allegiance to and success at the tournament, but c’mon, the Travelers Championship is his quality jam. • Martin Laird presents best as a tail of the tandem in two-man games, but you’re going to miss him in Reno. Other two-man options include Reavie, Byeong Hun An, Sam Ryder and Vaughn Taylor. 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. Byeong Hun An … Waste Management (2); Honda (3); Memorial (1) Daniel Berger … Waste Management (2); WGC-Mexico (3); Travelers (1) Keegan Bradley … Memorial (5); Travelers (4) Tony Finau … Valero (5); Memorial (2) Rickie Fowler … Waste Management (1); Honda (3); Arnold Palmer (8); Masters (2); Wells Fargo (6); PGA Championship (9); Memorial (5); U.S. Open (10) Branden Grace … Heritage (1); Valero (3); Byron Nelson (5); U.S. Open (4) Emiliano Grillo … Arnold Palmer (2); Charles Schwab (3) Bill Haas … Genesis (3); WGC-Match Play (8); Heritage (4); Charles Schwab (2); Wyndham (6) Adam Hadwin … Waste Management (4); Genesis (3); Valspar (2); John Deere (5) Brian Harman … Arnold Palmer (7); Charles Schwab (1); Travelers (5); John Deere (4) Russell Henley … Honda (4); Masters (3) Charley Hoffman … Genesis (5); Arnold Palmer (2); Masters (4); Heritage (7); Valero (3); Charles Schwab (6); Travelers (1) J.B. Holmes … Waste Management (3); Pebble Beach (2); Genesis (4); Wells Fargo (5) Billy Horschel … Honda (4); Arnold Palmer (7); Valero (2); New Orleans (3; defending); Wyndham (6); TOUR Championship (1) Zach Johnson … Waste Management (6); Arnold Palmer (7); Valero (4); Charles Schwab (5); John Deere (1); Open Championship (2); TOUR Championship (8) Si Woo Kim … PLAYERS (3); Heritage (1) Chris Kirk … Valero (3); PLAYERS (5); Charles Schwab (2) Kevin Kisner … Heritage (3); New Orleans (5); Charles Schwab (2); Memorial (6) Russell Knox … Heritage (2) Matt Kuchar … Waste Management (4); PLAYERS (5); Valspar (9); Masters (6); Heritage (2); Charles Schwab (7); Memorial (1); Open Championship (8) Martin Laird … Waste Management (1); Genesis (3); Valero (5); Reno-Tahoe (2) Hideki Matsuyama … Waste Management (1); Genesis (10); Arnold Palmer (11); PLAYERS (9); Masters (4); PGA Championship (13); Memorial (8); U.S. Open (14); Wyndham (7); TOUR Championship (5) Phil Mickelson … Waste Management (4); Pebble Beach (5); Genesis (6); WGC-Mexico (1; defending); Masters (9); Wells Fargo (2); Open Championship (8); WGC-St. Jude (3) Ryan Moore … Waste Management (12); Genesis (5); Valspar (3); Valero (7); Masters (13); Memorial (11); Travelers (6); John Deere (8); Wyndham (2); TOUR Championship (9) Kevin Na … Genesis (2); Valspar (6); Charles Schwab (3); Wyndham (5) Ryan Palmer … Valero (2); Charles Schwab (4) Scott Piercy … New Orleans (1; co-defending); Canadian (7; last winner at Hamilton in 2012) Jon Rahm … Waste Management (4); Masters (5); Charles Schwab (1); TOUR Championship (7) Xander Schauffele … Genesis (6); PLAYERS (5); U.S. Open (3); Open Championship (4); TOUR Championship (1) Webb Simpson … Waste Management (2); Honda (10); PLAYERS (5; defending); Heritage (6); Wells Fargo (7); Charles Schwab (8); Travelers (9); Wyndham (1) Cameron Smith … Wyndham (3) Brandt Snedeker … Waste Management (8); Pebble Beach (2); Masters (10); Heritage (6); Charles Schwab (7); U.S. Open (5); Travelers (9); Wyndham (1; defending) Brendan Steele … Waste Management (2); Honda (7); Valero (8); Wells Fargo (9); Travelers (4); Reno-Tahoe (3) Kevin Streelman … Pebble Beach (1); Valero (9); Heritage (5); Memorial (4); Travelers (7) Justin Thomas … WGC-Mexico (2); Honda (7; defending); PLAYERS (11); PGA Championship (9); Memorial (8); TOUR Championship (3) Jimmy Walker … Pebble Beach (1); Valero (2); Byron Nelson (6) Bubba Watson … Waste Management (4); Genesis (1; defending); WGC-Match Play (6; defending); Masters (5); Memorial (7); Travelers (2; defending); TOUR Championship (8) Gary Woodland … Waste Management (3; defending); Memorial (4)

Click here to read the full article…

Jordan Spieth gets his 2018-19 season underway in Las Vegas, while Rickie Fowler returns to TPC Summerlin after a two-year hiatus as the PGA TOUR reconvenes on U.S. shores for a three-event push to its fall finish. Bryson DeChambeau, third in last year’s final FedExCup tally, and THE PLAYERS Championship titleholder Webb Simpson also highlight arguably the best field to hit Vegas in recent years, as Patrick Cantlay embarks on his first career title defense. FIELD NOTES: The lineup features nine entrants who competed in last month’s TOUR Championship at East Lake. … Tony Finau, who finished 6th in the FedExCup last season, makes it five members of the U.S. Ryder Cup roster set to compete at TPC Summerlin. Captain and 2010 FedExCup champion Jim Furyk  also will tee it up, his first start since a share of fourth at the Wyndham Championship in August. … Davis Love III, who won the 1993 edition, is joined by two fellow Hall of Famers in Ernie Els and Vijay Singh. … J.J. Spaun tees it up for the fifth time in as many weeks to start the season, the only man remaining who has yet to take a week off. … Freddie Jacobson, who sat out all of last season after hand surgery, tees it up on TOUR for the first time since the 2017 AT&T Byron Nelson. The 2011 Travelers Championship winner made three starts in Europe this fall, making one cut. … Kenny Perry, 58, makes his first TOUR start of the season and just his third since 2015. He’s playing on a one-time exemption afforded the top 50 in career earnings. FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 500 points. STORYLINES: Spieth makes his first fall start since October 2015, getting an early jump after falling just below the cut line to qualify for East Lake. That left him with 24 starts last year, one shy of the minimum for players who didn’t add a new venue to their schedule. … DeChambeau and Fowler also make their first starts of the new season, with DeChambeau coming off two wins in last seaso’s FedExCup Playoffs. … Las Vegas has been prime territory for first-time winners, with Cantlay becoming the third in the past four editions and 11th in the past 16. … Former champions Ryan Moore (2012) and Kevin Na (2011) are among more than a half-dozen entrants with Las Vegas ties seeking to bring the trophy back to local hands. … Cantlay has a chance to join Furyk (1998-99) as just the second man to claim back-to-back titles in Las Vegas. … A total of 22 Shriners Hospital patients – one from each campus across the country – will serve as standard bearers during the final two days. COURSE: TPC Summerlin, 7,255 yards, par 71. Built on land in Las Vegas’ western reaches once owned by Howard Hughes, the Bobby Weed/Fuzzy Zoeller project opened in 1991 and begins its second decade as the sole locale for the TOUR’s annual visit. The layout winds through arroyos and canyons, building to four closing holes that make golfers weigh risk/reward – the drivable par-4 15th, the par-5 16th, the water-lined par-3 17th and a strong par-4 No. 18. Originally part of a three-course tournament rotation, a 2008 restructuring brought all rounds to a single site. 72-HOLE RECORD: 260, Ryan Moore (2012), Webb Simpson (2013). 18-HOLE RECORD: 59, Chip Beck (3rd round, 1991 at Sunrise GC). TPC Summerlin record: 60, J.J. Henry (1st round, 2013), Rod Pampling (1st round, 2016). LAST YEAR: Cantlay produced magic from behind a tree to make par on the second playoff hole, bringing a long-sought win to a career once derailed by injury and heartbreak. Cantlay, Whee Kim and Alex Cejka all bogeyed the first extra hole after surviving a windblown final round, and Cantlay appeared in jeopardy after his tee shot on the second replay at No.18 wound up in tree trouble. The former UCLA star, though, managed to thread a 4-iron under one tree and around another, his ball coming to rest at the back of the green. Cantlay nearly holed his putt from the fringe, too, brushing home the winner after Cejka missed his par save. Victory was especially poignant for Cantlay, pegged for early stardom as an amateur before a stress fracture in his back kept him off the course for more than two years. During that time he also lost his best friend and caddie, Chris Roth, in a hit-and-run accident as the two were crossing a busy intersection in Newport Beach, Calif. HOW TO FOLLOW TELEVISION: Thursday-Saturday, 4:30-7:30 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Sunday, 3:30-6:30 p.m. (GC). PGA TOUR LIVE: None. RADIO: Thursday-Friday, 2-7:30 p.m.; Saturday, 3-7:30 p.m.; Sunday, 2-6:30 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com).

Click here to read the full article…

They are nothing alike. Separated by 2,000 miles, different designers, and different grasses, Chambers Bay and Erin Hills, the host sites for the 2015 and 2017 U.S. Opens, respectively, could hardly be more different. One is coastal (Bay), the other inland (Hills); one is coffee, the other cheese. And yet as we stand on the precipice of another U.S. Open at an untested venue, players, fans and officials can’t help but lump the two courses together even if only in their minds. And even as they hope, at Erin Hills, to distance themselves from the problems of Chambers Bay. “It works logistically,â€� USGA executive director and CEO Mike Davis said of Erin Hills. “I think there’s over 650 acres, plenty of room to move between holes, nice viewing areas. “…The greens themselves are wonderfully conditioned. I can’t remember coming into a U.S. Open where greens were this smooth.â€� Read between the lines, and you get his meaning: Erin Hills is no Chambers Bay. And yet these two courses will always be joined in spirit — both part of a grand idea to bring the U.S. Open around the country and make golf a little less stodgy in the process. Erin Hills opened in 2006, Chambers Bay in 2007. Both are high-end daily fee or “bucket listâ€� courses, with lots of mounding and humps and hollows. Mostly devoid of trees, they are both architectural marvels — Robert Trent Jones Jr., for Chambers Bay; Dana Fry, Mike Hurdzan and Ron Whitten for Erin Hills — that caught the attention of USGA executives. As warm-ups for their star turns, Chambers Bay hosted the 2010 U.S. Amateur, won by Peter Uihlein, and Erin Hills hosted the 2011 U.S. Amateur, won by Kelly Kraft. OK, maybe they’re somewhat alike. More on U.S. Open: Tee times | Power Rankings | Featured Groups | Course overview KERNAL OF AN IDEA You have to go back in time to find the 117th U.S. Open’s true beginnings. Not to 2010, when the USGA announced that the tournament would be coming to Erin Hills with its rolling hills and fescue grasses, but to the mid-1990s, and then-USGA executive director David Fay. “He came up with, at the time, what was perceived as this wacky idea,â€� Davis said. “Let’s go to this municipal, state-owned course [in New York] called Bethpage. And a few of us went out and looked at it and kind of shook our heads thinking he’s lost his marbles. “But you know what? He knew what he was doing, and all of a sudden you introduce this public access — it was a great story.â€� The USGA had long limited the U.S. Open to legacy courses with impeccable pedigrees, most of them in the Northeast, courses that serve as the backdrop for a nearly complete history of U.S. Open golf. Courses such as Shinnecock Hills, Pebble Beach and Winged Foot, where the USGA will bring the U.S. Open back in 2018, 2019 and 2020, respectively. This year, though, will be another chapter in the ever-evolving manifestation of Fay’s “wacky idea,â€� which after roughly two decades we can now deem a success. Mostly. Tiger Woods won the first U.S. Open at Bethpage Black in 2002, and the first at Torrey Pines, another public-access muni north of San Diego, in 2008. (Great and great.) Lucas Glover prevailed when the U.S. Open returned to Bethpage Black in 2009. (Good, despite the mud.) Then came the Chambers Bay U.S. Open in 2015, which initially looked like a slam-dunk. Sumptuous views. The first time the tournament had come to the Pacific Northwest. But it was beset with problems.  A GOOD PLAN GONE WRONG Bryson DeChambeau recalls coming up just short of the first green and watching his ball trundle some 60 yards down the hill. Daniel Summerhays, one of the PGA TOUR’s best putters, recalls not being sure if he could wiggle in a one-footer. Amid a chorus of sniping and blame over the greens, Dustin Johnson three-putted the 72nd hole to at least give the tournament a name-brand winner in Jordan Spieth, who wisely held his tongue as he left town with the trophy.  Whether it was the creeping poa annua grass that roughed up the greens, the course’s severe banks that led to crazy caroms, or on-course bottle-necks that hindered or prevented fan access, Chambers Bay was unlike any U.S. Open course anyone had ever seen. “I like the fact that they’re willing to go out on a limb and take a risk,â€� Phil Mickelson said of the USGA. “It didn’t really work [at Chambers in 2015], but I know what that’s like.â€� Uihlein, who got through sectional U.S. Open qualifying last Monday, is naturally fond of Chambers Bay, since it’s where he won the 2010 U.S. Amateur. He says the Chambers U.S. Open was hindered by the time of year it was held (June), and the greens not having had enough time to fill in the way they had for the Amateur (August). “It’s just different times of year, really,â€� Uihlein said. “When you have it in June, coming off a wet spring … the bent is just not going to grow, is it? The poa annua is going to take over. In August, it had had all summer for the grass to grow in, so the greens were fine.â€� Graeme McDowell, the 2010 U.S. Open winner, prefers playing the tournament on an old, legacy course like Pebble Beach, where he won. But he sees the value of the new tracks, and feels that one misstep two years ago shouldn’t necessarily undermine the public’s confidence. “Bethpage Black was probably their most wildly successful one ever, from a public point of view,â€� McDowell said of the USGA’s trailblazing. “That one worked. Obviously, Chambers didn’t. But I mean, Chambers was a lot to do with the spectator experience, and the way they set it up. That goes back to it being new, and no one knowing how do we set it up.â€� Speaking at media day for this year’s U.S. Open, the USGA’s Davis admitted, “There’s risk going to new venues because you just don’t know how they’re going to come out, but we’re excited about this one. We really think this is a fabulous site for a lot of reasons.â€� Side note: As a destination course, Chambers Bay remains charming and is still well worth the trip. Reports from the Northwest are that the greens are now entirely poa annua and putting true, and there’s still the great architecture and breathtaking scenery to recommend it. The place may even host another U.S. Open someday. WHY ERIN HILLS WILL BE DIFFERENT To find players with knowledge of both Chambers Bay and Erin Hills, you have to go back to those two U.S. Amateurs, the first big-time tournaments for each course.               “I’m really looking forward to the test,â€� said sectional U.S. Open qualifier DeChambeau, who hasn’t been back to Erin Hills since he made it to the match play but lost in the round of 32 at the 2011 U.S. Amateur. “I think it’ll be a lot different than Chambers Bay, in a good way.â€�            Others echoed his optimism. “I remember Erin Hills being a bit more fair than Chambers Bay,â€� said Harris English, who also lost in the round of 32 at the 2011 U.S. Amateur, and survived sectional qualifying last Monday to punch his return trip. “It’s not as tricked up, which is really good. “As a golfer, you just want it to be tough but be fair. Hopefully [the USGA] will do that.â€� Erin Hills is a big-shouldered course with multiple tee box options. Rickie Fowler played it last Monday and was especially struck by the par-5 18th hole. “I think it’s like 675 from the back tees or something like that,â€� he said, “and we played a tee or two up and I still hit driver, 4-iron, 6-iron. So hopefully that’s not the case next week.â€� McDowell also visited Erin last Monday. He was cautiously optimistic. If the weather remains dry and the course plays firm and fast, McDowell said, he anticipated having a chance as a medium-length hitter. But if it’s wet, he added, the spoils will be left to the bombers. Erin Hills’ agronomy is vastly different than Chambers Bay, which alone is reason for optimism. To Davis’ point, early reports from dairyland have the greens rolling perfectly. “I think Erin Hills is probably the USGA’s dream,â€� said Uihlein, who lost 2 and 1 to Jordan Russell in the quarterfinals of his 2011 title defense at Erin Hills. “It’s about eight million yards and there are seven or eight tee boxes on each hole. They can kind of mix and match and do whatever they want. As far as similarities, there’s not much — a couple elevated holes. “I feel like Chambers, it felt like you could run the ball up the greens more, whereas Erin, it didn’t feel like you had that capability. It felt like there were a lot of bunkers right in the middle, and every green seemed to be elevated, and it was a little more challenging if you were out of position to advance it onto the green or chase it onto the green.â€� The other big difference: Chambers Bay borders the scenic Puget Sound, and also has the added charm of passing passenger trains, like many Open Championship venues in the U.K. Far, far inland, Erin Hills, 35 miles northwest of Milwaukee, is so pastoral that the USGA’s Davis prefers to call it “a heartland courseâ€� rather than “a links course.â€�  “If you appreciate rolling hills and the fescue look,â€� Uihlein says, “I think it’ll actually look tremendous on TV. I think it’ll be beautiful.â€� Will it play that way? Assuming Mother Nature cooperates, that’s up to the USGA. “We relish the idea of occasionally introducing a new golf course,â€� Davis said, “because you think about it, there’s no country in the world that has as many great golf courses as the United States, and we should celebrate that. “So if a course has the infrastructure and if it it’s a good enough course architecturally and it can test, then let’s welcome that, let’s embrace it, and let’s start creating history.â€�

Click here to read the full article…