2017-18 PGA TOUR Medical Extensions

The Aloha Swing could be mistaken as a brand name for a hammock, but as we witnessed on Sunday, a trip to the 50th state isn’t always devoid of the pressure that the weightless feel of a relaxing sway alleviates. The back half of the fortnight to open the calendar year is this week’s Sony Open in Hawaii. Reservations for 144 golfers give it the distinction of the first full-field after the holiday break, so the midseason grind will continue with a standard cut after 36 holes. Waialae Country Club in Honolulu has been the only host site in tournament history. For what’s expected on the short par 70, cemented patterns and more, scroll past the ranking of 15 who are projected to contend for the title. Kevin Kisner, Cameron Smith and former champions Zach Johnson (2009) and Jimmy Walker (2014, 2015) will be among the notables reviewed in Tuesday’s Fantasy Insider. Of the 34 participants in the Sentry Tournament of Champions, 23 have made the short trip to Oahu to take full advantage of the 2019-20 season resuming in Hawaii. Only four of those committed as of midday Monday finished inside the top 10 last week, but since Kapalua first hosted the winners-only event in 1999, 15 of the 21 champions of the Sony Open in Hawaii competed the previous week on Maui. That’s the value of hitting the islands running. The trend dates back to Jimmy Walker’s first of two consecutive titles in 2014. The year prior, then-rookie Russell Henley became the first entrant since the tournament’s inaugural edition in 1965 to prevail in his first appearance at Waialae. Just as gusty winds governed scoring last week at Kapalua – the 14-under 278 that was good enough to get into the playoff was the highest winning aggregate in regulation in 13 years – the field at Waialae is bracing for similarly challenging conditions. Strong trade winds and an elevated threat of rain hog the forecast for the first three rounds. Typically in these elements, patience and the experience borne from it are rewarded more than anything strategic, but the low ball flight of defending champion Matt Kuchar is the preferred method for cutting through and soaring beneath the breezes. It’s been 10 years since the field averaged over par at Waialae (70.06 in 2010), but it cannot be ruled out this week. Distance off the tee on the 7,044-yard test is all but irrelevant, but piling up the par breakers on the pair of par 5s (Nos. 9 and 18) is all but a prerequisite for success. (Kuchar ranked T4 on them en route to victory.) As a set, they’ve ranked as the easiest par 5s in each of the last five seasons. That includes a PGA TOUR record-low 4.30 in 2018. In advance of last year’s edition, the 551-yard finisher was fitted with a new green that was one-third larger than its previous iteration. Its scoring average of 4.486 established a four-year high, but only as a matter of fact as it remained the second-easiest hole in relation to par. There are no significant changes for this year’s tournament. TifDwarf bermudagrass greens are prepped to run no longer than 11 feet on the Stimpmeter due to the impact of the wind. ROB BOLTON’S SCHEDULE PGATOUR.COM’s Fantasy Insider Rob Bolton recaps and previews every tournament from numerous angles. Look for his following contributions as scheduled. MONDAY: Rookie Ranking, Qualifiers, Reshuffle, Medical Extensions, Power Rankings TUESDAY*: Sleepers, Fantasy Insider * – Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COM’s Expert Picks for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf, which also publishes on Tuesday.

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PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico (AP) — Will Gordon was frustrated with the way he finished last week in Bermuda. He had no complaints about his start Thursday at Mayakoba. Gordon ran off four straight birdies to start the back nine on the El Camaleon course and finished with a 9-under 62 to take a one-shot lead over Russell Henley in the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba. Harris English took another step back in his recovery from hip surgery and was at 64, part of a group that included former Open champion Francesco Molinari. Also seeing positive signs was Masters champion Scottie Scheffler. Without the No. 1 ranking next to his name for the first time since March, Scheffler hit plenty of iron shots close and converted them into a 65. Also at 65 was two-time defending champion Viktor Hovland, who played alongside Scheffler on a balmy and occasionally breezy day in this Mexican resort. Gordon had to go back to the Korn Ferry Tour last year to regain his PGA TOUR card. He thought he was off to a reasonable start in the new season by making every cut, and then he was five shots behind going into the final round in Bermuda last week. He played the final four holes in 4-over par and tied for 35th. “I just had an up-and-down week in Bermuda,” Gordon said. “Played some really good golf for probably 68 holes and had a rough finish. So I didn’t have many expectations coming into this week. It’s just really about managing my expectations and my emotions, so I feel like I did a good job of that today.” The objective for everyone is to keep it in the mangrove-lined fairways, manage the wind and occasional bursts of showers, and take advantage of the relatively flat greens. This might be just want English needed, especially with the good vibes of having won at Mayakoba in 2013 when he was just getting started. English capped off a two-win year in 2021 by making a solid Ryder Cup debut. But then he had surgery on his hip, which had been nagging him for years. After five months away, he returned at the Memorial Tournament and it’s been slow going. “It’s definitely getting better,” English said. “I went through a lot of rehab. But your expectations for coming back are so much higher than they should be. I’m so competitive and I want to be the mix so badly. You’ve got to give yourself time to heal and time to get your game back. “But I love it here. I love the atmosphere,” he said. “I’m excited about the next few days.” Scheffler soared to No. 1 in the world when he won four times in six starts, capped off by the Masters. He lost in a playoff at the Colonial. He had a good shot at winning the FedExCup until he didn’t convert on the final hole. But his game feels a long way from April, and Scheffler is playing three out of four weeks in the fall to try to build some momentum. The biggest takeaway from Thursday was signing a card without bogeys. “Clean card is nice,” Scheffler said. “Kept the ball in play for the most part today.” The exception was No. 3, his 12th hole, when he put his tee shot into the hazard. He took a penalty drop and hit the next one to tap-in range to escape with par. There were a lot of moments like that. Scheffler had six birdies and only a few anxious moments. “Solid golf is fun. Stress free,” Scheffler said. Work remains for Morikawa, who won six times, including two majors, in his three years on TOUR. He is running out of time to get a win in 2022, and this wouldn’t appear to be the week to end that drought after four bogeys negated his four birdies. Tony Finau was headed in that direction. He took triple bogey on his second hole by twice hitting into the hazard. He bogeyed the par-5 fifth. But he turned it around with six birdies the rest of the way and salvaged a 68.

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