A time to communicate and search for answers

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. — PGA TOUR rookie Austin Cook won The RSM Classic without being seriously challenged, closing with two birdies for a 3-under 67 and a four-shot victory. The victory Sunday in the final PGA TOUR event of the calendar year gives Cook a spot in THE PLAYERS Championship among others for next year. Cook had a three-shot lead at the start of the final round at Sea Island. He made bogey from the bunker on the second hole and then didn’t drop a shot the rest of the way. Cook gave himself breathing room with a two-putt birdie on the 15th and a 15-foot birdie on the 17th. J.J. Spaun closed with a 66 and was runner-up. It was the second-straight year a PGA TOUR rookie won at Sea Island. Mackenzie Hughes won last year.

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Now that we’re past the midpoint of the fall portion of the last wraparound season, it’s a good time to remind you that the stand-alone PGA TOUR Fantasy app will be discontinuing at some point after the conclusion of Segment 1. I first relayed the news in this space for the Fortinet Championship, and then an email with timing of the change was distributed on Oct. 11. RELATED: Horses for Courses, Statistically Speaking You’ll still be able to navigate to PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf via the PGA TOUR app, via the PGA TOUR’s website or directly at FantasyGolf.PGATOUR.com. Unlike how many rookie gamers think about what decides league titles, the Butterfield Bermuda Championship is the kind of event that can have a greater impact than the no-cut invitationals and majors. This is because there’s so much more of a learning curve for gamers in the absence of household names than when we can throw a handful of darts and hit chalk with confidence. It’s a week in which the preview material that Mike Glasscott and I contribute is more valuable. I’ve used the comparison before because it applies: This is like a position week in a bowling league. No, our season-ending tournament – in our lingo, the FedExCup Playoffs – isn’t imminent, but it’s the kind of experience that tends to separate the contenders from the pretenders. We’re presented with a few of these throughout every season, and they can add up. Unless cornered and at the buzzer, I always play conservatively. PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf rewards the approach because it’s a season-long contest. So, my roster in Bermuda reflects a blend of consistent success at Port Royal and my confidence in others just to make the cut. As much as it is an easy week to generate distance from your opposition, that operates in the wrong direction, too. Note that Bermuda is an hour ahead of Eastern Time in the United States, so if you navigate to Tee Times or the Leaderboard, and either page defaults to “Event” time, it could fool those of you living in Eastern Time into thinking that it’s your local time, which would be a reasonable time to begin, when, in fact, you’ll be an hour late. POWER RANKINGS WILD CARD Seamus Power (-120 for a Top 20) … The Irishman presents a worthy exercise in what matters more – recency or course success. Had he been cruising along as he has so often since the spring of 2021, he’d have a prominent spot in the Power Rankings proper, but it’s been four months since his last top 25, a drought that includes a couple of limited-field, no-cut competitions. Even this lowest Top-X finish offered at BetMGM is aggressive given that, while he’s 3-for-3 at Port Royal, he’s connected for only one top 30. However, and even the most ardent of cynics must cite this, he didn’t elevate in earnest until after his second appearance in 2020, but he had been tracking for last year’s T12 for months. DRAWS C.T. Pan (+300 for a Top 20) … Not that there haven’t been other opportunities for him to rekindle form, but Port Royal is right up his alley. He’s making his debut, but he won’t be overwhelmed off the tee, so he’ll be finding the shortest grass more often than others. This target is a reach, but it’s worth a fraction of a unit. Stephan Jaeger … Including his flourish of a fortnight at the finish line to qualify for his first FedExCup Playoffs, he’s cashed in seven consecutive starts. He also placed T20 in his debut at Port Royal last year. Solid DFS complement. Brian Gay … He turned 50 a few weeks after a T12 in his title defense here last year, but don’t let that stop you from fractional plays in DFS. His scoring average in 12 rounds at Port Royal is 67.42. He’s also done well as a rookie on the PGA TOUR Champions where two of his last three starts resulted in a top 10. Bottom line, he remains a great fit. Will Gordon Harry Hall Adam Long Cameron Percy Nick Taylor Kevin Yu Odds sourced on Tuesday, October 25th at 6 p.m. ET. For live odds visit betmgm. FADES Erik van Rooyen … To recap, two weeks ago, he returned from a three-month absence due to the injured neck that forced him out of The Open Championship at the 11th hour. In the swing through Spain, he finished T61 and missed the cut. Suffice it to say that he’s rarin’ to get back after it. With his second child due in a couple of months, it’s fair to consider that his game will sharpen back into form, but the dynamics of the timing now are very different than how the Nappy Factor seemed to be in play when his first child was born in the summer of 2021. So, while on name value alone, he cannot be ignored, be choosy and cautiously optimistic. Charley Hoffman … Sure, he had a T10 in Detroit three months ago, but it’s his only top-30 finish of the last 12 months. And in his only appearance at Port Royal, he shot 73 and 84 in 2020. Doug Ghim … Form over fit here. Finished T14 in his last trip in 2020 but he’s scuffled since hanging up a pair of T16s in a three-week stretch in July. Perhaps utilize in exactly one aggressive DFS build. Scott Gutschewski … The 46-year-old was omitted from my full-membership fantasy ranking, but he was granted one start on a Minor Medical Extension after I filed. To fulfill its terms (130.629 FedExCup points), he needs to finish alone in fourth in Bermuda. It’d be a career-best but perhaps not out of the realm of fair possibilities. Consider that it was just three months ago that his solo fifth at the Barracuda Championship set a personal-best on the PGA TOUR, albeit with Modified Stableford scoring measuring performance. However, the more realistic goal is a two-way T38. That’d yield 17.500 FedExCup points and clear the threshold (17.041) required for conditional status for the remainder of the season. If he falls short, he’ll lose his card and, who knows when/if he’ll ever play another TOUR event. You wouldn’t be reading this if you weren’t a gamer, but if you were just a fan, this is one of the most compelling narratives to follow this week. MJ Daffue Lucas Glover Harry Higgs Michael Kim Matthias Schwab Brian Stuard RETURNING TO COMPETITION n/a NOTABLE WDs Peter Malnati … This is a bummer because he’s gone for a T21 (2020) and a T7 (2021) in his two tries at Port Royal. As he’s proven, it’s an ideal layout and challenge for his skill set. Vince Whaley … Meanwhile, course-history buffs appreciate this decision. He had been in contention throughout last year’s edition en route to a T7, but his form has been off since a burst this past summer. That burst is the exception to his norm, so stick with full-season considerations, if at all. Davis Thompson … The rookie opened at 28th in the Korn Ferry Tour graduate reshuffle and currently stands to rise 24 spots when the category reorders for the first time at the conclusion of the fall portion. Whenever the value of getting off to a hot start is referenced in the context of the grads, this is how it’s done. Not only is he positioned not to be concerned about playing time for the foreseeable future, but he also can rest now and pivot to the invaluable less-is-more gameplan. RECAP – THE CJ CUP at South Carolina POWER RANKINGS Power Ranking Golfer Result 1 Rory McIlroy Win 2 Jon Rahm T4 3 Justin Thomas T40 4 Viktor Hovland T21 5 Scottie Scheffler T45 6 Shane Lowry T23 7 Tom Kim T11 8 Max Homa T23 9 Jordan Spieth T52 10 Keegan Bradley T21 11 Sahith Theegala T67 12 Sungjae Im T34 13 Sam Burns T7 14 Matt Fitzpatrick T13 15 Emiliano Grillo T45 Wild Card Collin Morikawa T29 SLEEPERS Golfer (Bet, if applicable) Result Byeong Hun An (+400 for a Top 20) T62 Luke List (+275 for a Top 20) T58 J.J. Spaun (+350 for a Top 20) T58 Keith Mitchell T40 Alex Smalley T52 GOLFBET Bet: Rory McIlroy (Top 5), Scottie Scheffler (Top 10) and Sungjae Im (Top 20) – +1200 Result: McIlroy (Win), Scheffler (T45), Im (T34) BIRTHDAYS AMONG ACTIVE MEMBERS OF THE PGA TOUR October 25 … Troy Merritt (37); Xander Schauffele (29) October 26 … none October 27 … Fabián Gómez (44) October 28 … none October 29 … none October 30 … none October 31 … Mark Wilson (48) Responsible sports betting starts with a game plan. Set a budget. Keep it social. Play with friends. Learn the game and know the odds. Play with trusted, licensed operators. CLICK HERE to learn more at HaveAGamePlan.org.

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The opening round of the U.S. Open from Torrey Pines takes place Thursday. After a rare fall date due to the pandemic, the U.S. Open returns to its regular spot on the PGA TOUR schedule and will finish up at Torrey Pines South on Father’s Day. Bryson DeChambeau is the defending champion following his victory at Winged Foot last September. The field is impressive with stars such as Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas, Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Brooks Koepka, Jon Rahm and Collin Morikawa competing. Torrey Pines will also host the U.S. Open for the first time since 2008 when Tiger Woods won. Leaderboard Full tee times (Tee times expected to be released Tuesday, June 14) HOW TO FOLLOW (All times Pacific) Television: Thursday, 7:45 a.m.-10:30 a.m. (Peacock), 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. (Golf Channel), 5 p.m.-8 p.m. (NBC), 8 p.m.-9 p.m. (Peacock). Friday, 7:45 a.m.-10:30 a.m. (Peacock), 10:30 a.m.-4 p.m. (Golf Channel), 4 p.m.-7 p.m. (NBC), 7 p.m.-8 p.m. (Golf Channel), 8 p.m.-9 p.m. (Peacock). Saturday, 9 a.m.-7 p.m. (NBC), 10 a.m.-6 p.m. (NBC). Radio: Thursday-Friday, 5 p.m.-10 p.m. ET. Saturday, 4 p.m.-9 p.m. Sunday, 3 p.m.-8 p.m. (SiriusXM 92) For more live streaming information, click here for the official USGA Viewing Schedule. NOTE: The USGA, who owns and operates the U.S. Open, controls all digital streaming and broadcast rights to this event. For more information on how to watch this week, please visit the U.S. Open’s website. PGA TOUR LIVE coverage will resume on Thursday, June 24 at the Travelers Championship. MUST READS The First Look DeChambeau and this history of ‘bomb and gouge’ Nine things about Torrey Pines An open letter to Phil Mickelson The (astonishingly) long story on Wilco Nienaber Schauffele discusses watching Tiger’s win in person in 2008 Recalling Payne Stewart’s U.S. Open win 30 years ago

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