A Regular Golfer’s Quest To Play America’s 100 Greatest Courses In One Year

Two-time FedExCup champion - and 2018 winner at Bay Hill - Rory McIlroy leads the star-studded field at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard. Englishman Tyrrell Hatton looks to defend his 2020 title. FIELD NOTES: Jordan Spieth is set to make his debut at Bay Hill. Spieth is rounding into form of late, having gone T4-T3-T15 in his last three TOUR events... Hatton has won twice on the European Tour in the last five months and has rocketed up to fifth in the world since his Bay Hill victory in 2020... Will Zalatoris continues his epic ride up golf's ladder and earned a spot in the field thanks to his position in the Official World Golf Ranking... Ryder Cup captains Steve Stricker and Padraig Harrington received Sponsor's Exemptions to compete, as did Kamaiu Johnson, who is set to play his second-ever TOUR event. Johnson's inspiring story caught the eye of tournament organizers after he had to withdraw from the Farmers Insurance Open due to a positive COVID-19 test... Three of the current top 10 in this season's FedExCup will look to move up the standings, including Viktor Hovland, Harris English, and Max Homa... Other notables in the field include Justin Rose, Rickie Fowler, Bryson DeChambeau, and Patrick Reed. FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 550 FedExCup points. COURSE: Bay Hill Club & Lodge, par 72, 7,454 yards (yardage subject to change). Originally designed by Dick Wilson and Joe Lee, the course was reimagined by Arnold Palmer, the tournament's namesake. The Arnold Palmer Invitational has been held at Bay Hill every year on the PGA TOUR since 1979. STORYLINES: International golfers have won the last five years. The last golfer from the U.S. to don the red cardigan was Matt Every, who won in both 2014 and 2015... The winner of the Arnold Palmer Invitational gets a three-year exemption on TOUR instead of the usual two thanks to its elevated status on the schedule... There are 123 golfers in the field, but three past winners Robert Gamez (1990), Paul Goydos (1996), and Tim Herron (1999) are add-ons and will not be replaced if they withdraw... University of Louisville golfer Matthias Schmid earned a spot in the field after being identified as the golfer "Best Representing the Arnold Palmer Legacy" at the Arnold Palmer Cup in December. Others to receive the same exemption include Collin Morikawa and Maverick McNealy. McNealy is in the field this week as a professional while Morikawa finished T9 in 2020. 72-HOLE RECORD: 264, Payne Stewart (1987). 18-HOLE RECORD: 62, Andy Bean (2nd round, 1981), Greg Norman (2nd round, 1984), Adam Scott (1st round, 2014). LAST YEAR: It was blustery and it was brutal, but in the end it was Tyrrell Hatton who emerged on top. Bay Hill was a demanding test in 2020 (Matt Fitzpatrick's Sunday 69 was the only round below 70 on the weekend) but Hatton, despite a double bogey on the par-4 11th Sunday, managed to right the ship with seven straight pars to close out his first PGA TOUR victory (and fifth worldwide). Hatton's 4-under score over the 72 holes was one of just four sub-par totals for the week - the fewest at Bay Hill since 1980. Past Bay Hill winner Marc Leishman finished runner-up at 3-under while Sungjae Im (3rd/-2) and Bryson DeChambeau (4th/-1) were the only other golfers in red figures for the week. Keith Mitchell, Danny Lee, Rory McIlroy, and Joel Dahmen finished T5 at even par. HOW TO FOLLOW Television: Thursday-Friday, 2 p.m.-6 p.m. (Golf Channel). Saturday-Sunday, 12:30 p.m.-2:30 p.m. (Golf Channel), 2:30 p.m.-6 p.m. (NBC) PGA TOUR LIVE: Thursday-Friday, 6:45 a.m.-6 p.m. (Featured Groups). Saturday-Sunday, 8 a.m.-2:30 p.m. (Featured Groups), 2:30 p.m.-6 p.m. (Featured Holes) Radio: Thursday-Friday, 12 p.m.-6 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, 1 p.m.-6 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com/liveaudio). TOURCast: Get shot-by-shot info in real time with shot tracks and video with TOURCast. TOUR Pulse: Get the PGA TOUR app to utilize TOUR Pulse, which provides users the ability to experience a mix of content, such as video highlights, written hole summaries and stat graphics on every player after every hole they complete.

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LEXINGTON, Ky. – A month ago, Brittany Lincicome happened to be paired with Michelle Wie at the LPGA event in Arkansas. So she tried to pick Wie’s brain about what it was like to play in a PGA TOUR event – which the Hawaiian did eight times as a teenager and Lincicome will do at this week’s Barbasol Championship. Not a lot of good that did her. “She wasn’t very helpful,â€� Lincicome said with a chuckle. “(She) said she couldn’t remember it was so long ago.â€� Ten years, to be exact. When Lincicome steps to the 10th tee at 9:59 a.m. ET on Thursday, she’ll become the sixth woman to play in a TOUR event, joining Wie, who was the last, Annika Sorenstam, Suzy Whaley, Shirley Spork and Babe Didrikson Zaharias. And Lincicome, who is playing with Sam Ryder and Conrad Shindler, plans to soak it all in. “To be playing in the practice round today, hitting on the driving range, it’s kind of surreal,â€� Lincicome said. “I just can’t stop smiling. … I can’t wait until Thursday.â€� Lincicome has won eight times on the LPGA Tour and played in six Solheim Cups. She narrowly missed getting her ninth victory on Sunday, too, when a birdie putt did a 340-degree spin out of the hole and Lincicome ended up losing on the first hole of sudden death. Even with such impressive credentials, Lincicome knows she’ll be nervous. But, hey, Juli Inkster always told her if she wasn’t she wouldn’t be human. “Obviously I’ve heard many times I would be first LPGA or female person to make the cut in a men’s event,â€� Lincicome said. “(I’m) trying to block that all out and just go out and play and have fun and play my own game and not be too tense or uptight about it.

“I think if I can do that and take a few slow breaths and not pass out on the first hole, I’ll be OK.â€� Lincicome, who represents Barbasol’s parent company, Perio, Inc., is one of the LPGA’s biggest hitters. When she was a kid, she remembers working as a standard bearer at the JC Penney Classic, and one of teams she got to see up close and personal was John Daly and Laura Davies. “That’s probably why I like hitting it far now,â€� she said. Lincicome’s average driving distance, measured on two holes each week, is 269.520 yards, which ranks her 10th on the LPGA. That’s just 6 yards out of No. 1 – but outside the top 200 on the PGA TOUR. So Lincicome — who joked that it felt like the Monday qualifier she played with on Tuesday, Dominico Geminiani, was “outdriving me by 100 yards, it felt likeâ€� — knows she’ll be at a disadvantage. Champions Trace, which hosts the Barbasol Championship, measures more than 778 yards longer than the course the LPGA played last week. Even so, in the nine holes Lincicome and Geminiani played on Tuesday, she had one hybrid to a green and otherwise, her longest club was a 5-iron. “It’s really not that bad, and 5-iron is one of my favorite clubs, so that’s OK,â€� Lincicome said with characteristic positivity.

“But, yeah, just the par-5s, won’t be able to get to the par-5s. Have to lay it up to my favorite number, make birdie, and take advantage of those holes for sure. Keep it in the fairway.â€� Geminiani, who saw Lincicome several times when he was working at the Ritz-Carlton in Sarasota, Florida, which is about 50 minutes from her Gulfport home, came away impressed with her game. “I think she’ll be just fine,â€� he said. “A lot of the holes are doglegs. She’s been playing really well, too.â€� Lincicome said she was “speechlessâ€� when she got the invitation to play in the Barbasol Championship. And she has felt nothing but good vibes in the two months since the announcement was made – she hasn’t even had to block anyone on social media, Lincicome said with a grin — as well as during her first day at Keene Trace Golf Club. “All the guys on the putting green, in the lunchroom, everyone has been super supportive, which is great,â€� Lincicome said. “They’re all like, it’s great that you’re here. Thanks for coming. “I was like, thanks for having me, you know.â€� Lincicome, who played on the boys team at her high school, expects to learn things this week that will make her a better player when she returns to normalcy on the LPGA Tour. And as for what the men might learn from her? “Probably more like not so much the golf, but like what kind of snacks do I have in my bag, how many fish have I caught recently.â€� Lincicome said. “Maybe lighten up a little bit on the course. When I hit a bad shot I try to still be chatty and not too uptight about it.

“I don’t know, maybe they can learn that.â€� Lincicome saw a familiar face in her gallery on Tuesday. She met a father and his daughter at the U.S. Women’s Open and they planned to come to the Barbasol Championship but the young girl was ill. Instead, her father brought the photo they took with Lincicome for her to sign. “Playing in this event is just great for stuff like that,â€� she said. “If I can inspire one child to pick up the game of golf and want to play, I feel like my job as a pro has been succeeded. “To influence any child is pretty cool to be in the position we are, so any time I see kids I always try to give them a ball or a glove or make sure I sign their autograph. That might be that one autograph that will bring them back next time, and that’s a pretty cool feeling.â€�

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THE OVERVIEW By Cameron Morfit, PGATOUR.COM He sometimes wondered why he wasn’t winning more, but Brooks Koepka could finally exhale after he won the U.S. Open in Wisconsin last June. He not only salted away his first major but also tied the tournament record at 16-under-par at brawny Erin Hills. It had all worked out. TOP 30 PLAYERS TO WATCH IN 2018: We’ll countdown our list with one new player each day in December. Click here for the published players. MORE: Top 30 explanation and schedule That wasn’t always a foregone conclusion. When Koepka left Florida State for the European Challenge Tour in the spring of 2012, he was taking a leap of faith, adhering to the old adage that sometimes you have to take a step backward to take a step forward. He would learn how to win, get his ranking up — that was the plan. He didn’t think he would try horsemeat in Kazakhstan. He did all of the above. Koepka won in bunches and worked his way up to the European Tour, and then the PGA TOUR. The rest is history, Koepka winning the 2015 Waste Management Phoenix Open at bomber-friendly TPC Scottsdale, and the U.S. Open. At 27, he had arrived. Not that Koepka doesn’t still march to his own drummer. Instead of teaming up with someone like his pal Dustin Johnson for the two-man Zurich Classic of New Orleans, Koepka called his little brother, Chase, who had been a top collegiate player from the University of South Florida. People raised eyebrows, and while Koepka insisted his brother could really play, he also admitted he wasn’t sure how it would go. “We could kill each other or it could be an awesome week,â€� he said. It was the latter, as the Brothers K tied for fifth. Another maverick move had paid off for Koepka, one of the most dynamic players in the game. Click here to follow Cameron on Twitter BY THE NUMBERS How Brooks Koepka ranked in Strokes Gained statistics during his last full season on the PGA TOUR. FEDEXCUP Current 2017-18 position: 25th Playoff appearances: 3 TOUR Championship appearances: 2 Best result: 10th (2017) INSIGHTS FROM THE INSIDERS PGATOUR.COM’s Insiders offer their expert views on what to expect from Brooks Koepka in 2018. TOUR INSIDER by Ben Everill It was fitting Koepka won the first U.S. Open after best friend Dustin Johnson did the same. The pair are often inseparable – comparing workout routines and methods in their quest to get better. While Koepka hasn’t reached the heights of his friend on the course, he certainly has the potential to do so. Combining brute force with an improving finesse and a killer putting game when it’s on is always going to prove tough to beat. Another poster child for the athletic golfer. Click here to follow Ben on Twitter FANTASY INSIDER by Rob Bolton Let’s face it, most golfers don’t come out of Central Casting, but he’s not just any golfer. It was already impressive and compelling that he navigated the Challenge Tour en route to his eventual position as a fixture on the PGA TOUR, but it’d have been merely a nice story without the success. Gamers knew he had a major title in him, but that he already picked off the U.S. Open as a 27-year-old transformed his teeth-cutting on the European Tour’s developmental circuit as a cute precursor. This is to say that while lifting the trophy at Erin Hills was a new experience, it looked entirely right. So would a spot atop the Official World Golf Ranking. Click here to follow Rob on Twitter EQUIPMENT INSIDER by Jonathan Wall Koepka enjoyed his best season on TOUR without an equipment contract. He continues to use TaylorMade’s 2016 M2 driver; his only Nike club that remains from his days as a Swoosh equipment staffer is a Vapor Fly Pro 3-iron featuring Fujikura’s Pro 95 Tour Spec X shaft. Mizuno JPX-900 Tour irons were designed for Koepka in the hopes of getting him to sign with the company when he became a free agent. Still plays a mixture of Vokey SM5 and SM4 TVD wedges. Scotty Cameron Tour Only T10 Select Newport 2 was in the bag going back to his days as a Titleist staffer. Remains to be seen if he’ll sign on somewhere in 2018.  Click here to follow Jonathan on Twitter STYLE INSIDER by Greg Monteforte Unlike the other Nike athletes on TOUR who favor sporty looks, Koepka puts a different spin on his Nike threads by opting for many of the brand’s more classic kits. Fresh off of his 2017 U.S. Open victory, look for Koepka to join the ranks of Jason Day and Rory McIlroy as one of Nike’s front men in 2018. Click here to follow Greg on Twitter

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