2017-18 PGA TOUR season preview

Mackenzie Hughes … It’s probably an insult to drop him in here, but the 29-year-old from Canada hasn’t qualified for a World Golf Championship since the 2017 edition of this event when it was held at Firestone Country Club’s South Course. His most recent three starts include a T3 at the Travelers Championship, where he led the field in Strokes Gained: Around-the-Green, and T6 at the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide, where he paced the field in Strokes Gained: Putting. Looping in a runner-up finish at The Honda Classic in what was his last start before the hiatus, all three of his top-45 finishes this season are top sixes. He’s also missed 10 of 17 cuts, but that can’t happen this week, so the promise of 72 holes plays into his firepower. Matt Jones … This is the Aussie’s first appearance in a World Golf Championship in four years. He qualified for this week’s with a victory at the Emirates Australian Open in December. Aside from the hiatus, it’s been a largely quiet 2020, but a T5 at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and a T14 at the Workday Charity Open are timely highlights. In the latter at Muirfield Village, he flashed confidence around and on the greens. Now he settles into a site where he went 4-for-5 at the FedEx St. Jude Classic from 2015-2018 with a T3, a T18 and a scoring average of 69.125. Joel Dahmen … Given his consistently strong form over time, it’s a little hard to believe that this marks his debut in a World Golf Championship. It’s not his first look at TPC Southwind, or his second. As a PGA TOUR rookie in 2017, the native of Washington State placed T18 in the FedEx St. Jude Classic. It was one of only two top 40s in 16 starts that season. His propensity to keep his ball in play off the tee keeps his options open on approach. A moxie evidenced with the ability to connect low rounds all the while maximizing course management support why he’s dangerous in a limited-field event with no cut. While Muirfield Village knocked him around in six rounds earlier this month, he’s already hung up a pair of top 20s in the restart. For the season, the 32-year-old has four top 10s among eight top 20s. Shaun Norris … The 38-year-old South African has only eight PGA TOUR starts under his belt and he didn’t crack the top 100 of the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time until October of 2018, but he’s figured out how to retain positioning at this level. Even after early struggles on the Japan Golf Tour in 2019, he regrouped to finish second in the Order of Merit for the second straight season. He’s won once in each of his four years on that circuit, and he led the JGTO in putts per GIR last year. Opened 2020 by going 5-for-5 worldwide with a T6 in Abu Dhabi and a T18 in Oman. In between, his T37 at the WGC-Mexico Championship registered as his career-best finish in PGA TOUR competition. Robert MacIntyre … The lefty was the last of the 15 additional qualifiers via the Official World Golf Ranking on July 20 to construct a field of 78. His T6 at The Open Championship in 2019 punctuated a seriously strong season en route to the Rookie of the Year award on the European Tour. He didn’t win but he finished second three times and totaled seven top 10s, and then opened 2020 with a T8 in Dubai. The Scot will turn 24 on the Monday following the conclusion of the WGC-St. Jude. NOTE: Sleeper is a relative term, so Rob uses unofficial criteria to determine who qualifies. Each of the following usually is determined to be ineligible for this weekly staple: Winners of the tournament on the current host course; winners in the same season; recent major champions; top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking; recent participants of team competitions.

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The deepest field in golf will tee it up with heavy hearts for the biggest prize pool in the game at Pete Dye’s Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Of the 125 TOUR players eligible, 122 are teeing it up this week and the 47th PLAYERS will be contested, in part,  by 47 of the world’s top 50 players. On the line for the second consecutive March will be the biggest prize in golf: A purse of $15 million, including a winner’s share of $2.7 million, plus 600 FedExCup Points. RELATED: Power Rankings | Expert Picks Dye’s masterpiece returned to the March portion of the schedule last year. Sadly, that would be his last PLAYERS, as he passed away in January. His legend and legendary track will frustrate, taunt and mislead the world’s best again this year. The Stadium Course features no two consecutive holes routed in the same direction, so judging the wind is always top-of-mind. Speaking of mind, don’t let it play tricks, as angles into fairways and greens don’t always appear what they seem. The genius of Pete Dye was planting the seed of doubt and forcing the player to make a decision. Having a strong conviction this week won’t hurt either! The course isn’t long, but can play so this time of year as the over-seeded rough and greens are more receptive since they haven’t dried out over the spring. Without run-off or run-out, fairways become easier to hit, but distance is sacrificed, favoring the power players, as usual. It’s another week of TifEagle greens, wind, sand, water and Palm trees, but this time with the deepest field in golf. RECENT WINNERS 2019: Rory McIlroy (-16, 272) Began the final round one shot back of Jon Rahm (T12) before posting 70 to win THE PLAYERS for the first time (10th attempt). … Opened 67-65 to co-lead after 36 holes with Tommy Fleetwood (T5). … Led the field in Strokes-Gained: Tee-to-Green and Par-3 scoring. … Became the third winner in the last four to lead or co-lead the field in bogey avoidance. … Opened 2019 on TOUR T6 or better in his first five events. #Hawt. … Cut was 143 (-1). Notables in the field this week: Jim Furyk (2nd), all 48 years of him, tied 54-hole leader Rahm for the low round of the week (64) and finished just one back. … Furyk was looking to become the first local to win since Fred Funk (2005). … Jhonattan Vegas (T3) closed 67-66. … Dustin Johnson graced the top 10 (T5) for the first time in 11 tries and posted all four rounds in the 60s. … Brandt Snedeker (T5) ended a streak of three straight MC and co-led the field in birdies (23) with Abraham Ancer (T12). … Webb Simpson (T16) provided the best title defense since Adam Scott (T8) in 2005. 2018: Webb Simpson (-18, 270) Led or co-led every round en route to a four-shot victory in his ninth attempt. … Set 36-hole record (-15) and tied the 54-hole record (-19) in the final event during May. … Led by a record seven shots after Saturday. … 73 tied the highest score in the final round for a winner. … Missed Greg Norman’s tournament record by five. … 63 in Round 2 tied the course record. … Last in the field in driving distance yet first in fairways as May played firm and fast. Cut was 143 (-1). Notables in the field this week: Debutant Xander Schauffele and Jimmy Walker shared second four back. … Jason Day and Jason Dufner shared fifth. … Tommy Fleetwood (T7) started his hot streak. … Brooks Koepka tied the course record (63) Sunday for T11. … Defending champion Si Woo Kim T63. 2017: Si Woo Kim (-10, 278) Won by three shots in just his second attempt and became the youngest winner (21). … Only player double-digits under-par. … One of three players to put all four rounds at par-or-better. … Led the field in scrambling, bogey avoidance (T1) and Par-4 scoring. … Just seven rounds in the 60s on Sunday and his was the only one without a bogey! Notables in the field this week: Louis Oosthuizen and Ian Poulter shared second. … 54-hole leaders Kyle Stanley (T4) and J.B. Holmes (T41) didn’t break 75 on Sunday. … Francesco Molinari (T6) picked up his third top-10 finish in a row. … Adam Scott (T6) picked up his first top-10 payday since 2007. Key stat leaders Top golfers in each statistic on the 2019-20 PGA TOUR are listed only if they are scheduled to compete this week.  * -  previous top-10 finish here since 2015 or previous champion Strokes-Gained: Tee-to-Green  1  *Rory McIlroy  2  *Justin Thomas  3  *Hideki Matsuyama  4  *Adam Scott  5  Patrick Cantlay  6  Paul Casey  7  Byeong-Hun An  8  *Dustin Johnson  9  Corey Conners 10 Jon Rahm 11 *Xander Schauffele 12 Brooks Koepka 13 *Tommy Fleetwood 14 Jason Kokrak 15 Emiliano Grillo 16 Gary Woodland 18 Matthew Fitzpatrick 19 Kevin Streelman 20 *Webb Simpson 21 Tony Finau 22 *Henrik Stenson (2009 winner) 23 Joaquin Niemann 24 *Sergio Garcia 25 *Lucas Glover (T6, 2017; 3, 2010) Strokes-Gained: Putting  1  Denny McCarthy  2  Jordan Spieth  4  *Graeme McDowell  5  Andrew Putnam  6  Aaron Baddeley  7  Patton Kizzire  8  Wyndham Clark  9  Vaughn Taylor 11 *Webb Simpson 12 *Brandt Snedeker 13 *Rickie Fowler 14 Pat Perez 15 Harris English 16 Billy Horschel 17 *Justin Rose (T8, 2019) 19 Peter Malnati 20 *Kevin Kisner (P2 debut 2015) 22 Patrick Rodgers 23 Sam Ryder 24 *Ian Poulter 24 *Rory McIlroy Par-4 Scoring  1  *Rory McIlroy  1  Brooks Koepka  3  *Justin Thomas  3  *Webb Simpson  3  Jon Rahm  3  Patrick Cantlay  7  Cameron Tringale  8  Nate Lashley  8  Brice Garnett  8  Joaquin Niemann  8  *Rickie Fowler  8  Sam Ryder  8  *Lucas Glover  8  Scott Piercy  8  Charles Howell III  8  Patrick Reed  8  *Chez Reavie  8  Ryan Palmer  8  Abraham Ancer Horses      Rory McIlroy: Of the last seven, five are T12 or better, including the only player to win in March. Sergio Garcia: All-time money leader and 2008 champ has cashed in 16 straight; closed 67 last year for T22. Adam Scott: 2004 winner in March has taken home T12 or better the last four years; only Garcia has more rounds in the 60s. Webb Simpson: Hard to ignore T16-WIN-T16 in the last three editions. Jason Day: 2016 champ closed out the May portion with T5 (-13) and began March with T8 (-12). Jim Furyk: Local has cashed in 18 of 23 over his career for second-best on the money list, but he’s 49. Caution. Cut Makers Matt Kuchar: 2012 winner has been paid in 10 of his last 11 visits; T26 last year but soft conditions won’t help him or Furyk. Caution. Tommy Fleetwood: T7 in the final May event (-12) and T5 (-13) in the return to March last year. Hideki Matsuyama: Six trips have resulted in five weekends with the worst being T23; T8 last year. Justin Rose: Four straight and five of his last six with T8 last year, which included playing the final 54 holes 14 under. Ian Poulter: Stayed all weekend in 13 of 16 including six straight; nine-under (T3) after 36 last year before fading. Justin Thomas: Perfect from five tries and all four rounds par-or-better last year.

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