After seven years, Phil’s back in Fort Worth

AUSTIN, Texas — It’s time to shuffle up and deal. With the Round of 16 set at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, PGATOUR.COM’s Jonathan Wall ranked the 16 players left in the field based on current form and how they’ve fared after three days of play at Austin Country Club.  1. Alex Noren, Sweden: Last year’s quarterfinalist has trailed for just two of the 48 holes he’s played this week. Took out an in-form Tony Finau by making big putts down the stretch, including a 14-footer on the last to close it out. Leads the field in strokes gained: putting and has recorded just one bogey this week. Don’t forget he already has a runner-up (Farmers Insurance Open) and third-place (The Honda Classic) finish this year.  Next opponent: Patrick Reed.  2. Justin Thomas, USA: Looks like a completely different player after only winning one match the last two years. Hasn’t trailed this week in 48 holes and has form on his side with a win and runner-up finish in his last two starts. Match play is a different beast, but Thomas hasn’t skipped a beat this season.  Next opponent: Si Woo Kim 3. Patrick Reed, USA: Reed’s match play pedigree alone is enough to rank him inside the top-3. Went undefeated in group play and downed Jordan Spieth to make the knockout stage. Hasn’t advanced beyond the Round of 16 since the event went to a round-robin format in 2015, but he’s peaking at the right time.  Next opponent: Alex Noren.  4. Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Thailand: Looks right at home in his second appearance and has only trailed for one hole (out of 49) this week. Was victorious earlier this year at the World Super 6 Perth that features a match play final round. Defeated last year’s Match Play runner-up Jon Rahm to advance.  Next opponent: Charles Howell III 5. Ian Poulter, England: Thrives on the pressure of match play. Poulter’s return to the Odyssey mallet he used to win the 2016 Ryder Cup has fueled an impressive run that’s seen him win all three of his matches before the 18th hole.  Next opponent: Louis Oosthuizen 6. Louis Oosthuizen, South Africa: The 2016 runner-up advances to the knockout stage for the third time in four years. Ranks sixth this week in strokes gained: putting while recording 15 birdies. Made it through a tough group that included Jason Day, Jason Dufner and James Hahn.  Next opponent: Ian Poulter 7. Sergio Garcia, Spain: Has embraced the windy conditions at Austin Country Club. Leads the field in birdies (18) and ranks second in strokes gained: off the tee. Posted a spotless 3-0-0 record despite trailing after nine holes in all three matches.  Next opponent: Kyle Stanley 8. Bubba Watson, USA: Moves on to the knockout stage for the second straight year. Battled from 2-down with three holes to play to earn a halve against Julian Suri to advance. Game seems to be clicking on all cylinders since his Genesis Open win. Has the creativity to deal with the blustery conditions.  Next opponent: Brian Harman 9. Matt Kuchar, USA: Kuchar needed just 14 holes to defeat Ross Fisher on Friday in a must-win situation. Qualified for the knockout stage for the second time in the last three years. Only player in the field who recorded a hole-in-one this week.  Next opponent: Kevin Kisner 10. Charles Howell III: Ended all three matches before the 18th hole while going 3-0-0 in a group that included Phil Mickelson and Rafa Cabrera Bello. Second consecutive year he’s made the Round of 16 despite recording just eight birdies.  Next opponent: Kiradech Aphibarnrat 11. Si Woo Kim, Korea: THE PLAYERS Championship winner gets a red-hot Justin Thomas after getting through Group 15. Tends to play well on Pete Dye golf courses. Has yet to trail in the 51 holes he’s played. Recorded 15 birdies so far this week.  Next opponent: Justin Thomas 12. Cameron Smith, Australia: Smith has gone the distance in all three of his matches this week. Made it out of the group stage in his first Match Play appearance. Next opponent: Tyrrell Hatton 13. Kevin Kisner, USA: Trailed for just two holes in the three matches he’s played. Ranks fourth in driving accuracy. Defeated Dustin Johnson to move to the next round.  Next opponent: Matt Kuchar 14. Brian Harman, USA: Defeated Rory McIlroy to make the Round of 16 in his first Match Play start. Faces another fellow left-hander in Bubba Watson.  Next opponent: Bubba Watson 15. Kyle Stanley, USA: Two of his three matches went the distance. One of the best ball-strikers on the PGA TOUR, Stanley has the game to give Sergio Garcia a tough match.  Next opponent: Sergio Garcia 16. Tyrrell Hatton, USA: Recorded the fewest birdies (6) of any player who advanced. Managed to move on despite leading for only four holes (out of 32) in his last two matches.  Next opponent: Cameron Smith THREE MATCHES TO WATCH Alex Noren, Sweden vs. Patrick Reed, USA Based on the way Noren and Reed have played, this feels like a championship match. Both moved their way through group play without losing a match and have been making big putts when it counts. Expect a tightly contested battle that likely goes down to the last hole.  Bubba Watson, USA vs. Brian Harman, USA The former Georgia Bulldogs square off in a match between the only left-handed players remaining in the field. Harman comes in with six top 10s in his last 10 starts while Watson recorded a win last month at the Genesis Open. Given their current form, it’s difficult to pick a favorite between these two. Watson obviously has the length advantage, but Harman was able to take out Rory McIlroy on Friday with relative ease.  Justin Thomas, USA vs. Si Woo Kim, Korea Neither player has trailed at any point this week, so something has to give. Thomas is playing like the second-ranked player in the world this week and disposed of Francesco Molinari without breaking a sweat during their winner-take-all match. Kim has the game to hang with Thomas, but he’ll need to make sure it stays tight on the front nine. If Kim has something going for him, it’s that he seems to play his best golf on Pete Dye courses. 

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KBS CT Tour Putter Shaft While still a steel shaft, many pros opt for the black PVD finish on this shaft instead of the traditional chrome. The KBS CT Tour putter shaft was constructed for players seeking greater feel. The CT features a firm profile with a particularly stiff tip and structure. The firmer profile allows players to have greater control of the putter. Stability Shaft Billed as “the fastest-growing putter shaft across all tours,” the Stability Shaft utilizes eight layers of high modulus carbon fiber. These layers are wrapped and widened with a no-taper design to aid in reducing torsional rotation. The shaft has the same weight as a traditional steel putter shaft but without being too stiff. It features a low-density 22-gram aluminum insert to reinforce flexural rigidity. In addition, a 7075 aluminum connector that is five times stiffer than a steel shaft helps to reinforce the putter and further stabilize the head for more consistent putts. Among notable players, Justin Rose used the Stability Shaft in 2018. So there you have it. When a player is on the putting green at a PGA TOUR event and you don’t see that familiar glimmer of steel when he’s rolling the rock, more than likely, he has one of the above shafts in his putter. The steel putter shaft has been around since the early 20th century. Times are changing, however, and a new craze has hit the PGA TOUR. Pros are now using a variety of materials in the shafts of their putters. Graphite shafts aren’t just for drivers anymore. FedExCup leader Bryson DeChambeau is no stranger to experimentation and is the highest-profile player to find success with a multi-material LA Golf shaft. The 27-year-old used the putter shaft on his way to victory at last year’s U.S. Open and continues to use it in his SIK Pro C. As more and more TOUR pros branch out and eschew steel shafts in their putters, we thought now was a good time to take a closer look at pros who are utilizing this new technology: LA Golf Shaft Along with DeChambeau, Kevin Na and Rickie Fowler have also experimented with the brand’s shafts in their putter over the past two seasons As with DeChambeau’s irons, his LA Golf C2L-180 shaft is made 100 percent from graphite, allowing engineers greater control over the shaft parameters. The other benefit to the graphite construction, in contrast to traditional steel, is that graphite has a much higher strength-to-weight ratio, which provides greater stability. The shaft, which helped deliver the Californian’s maiden major, also utilizes a proprietary internal laminate material that gives this extremely stiff, extremely low torque shaft a highly responsive feel at impact. Earlier this year, Rickie Fowler was experimenting with an LA Golf “TPZ One 35” shaft, which featured high-end materials strategically positioned to keep the head from twisting at impact. However, in recent weeks, Fowler has returned to a traditional steel shaft in the putter. Odyssey Stroke Lab Odyssey’s Stroke Lab shaft is another multi-material shaft that has been used recently on TOUR, including by Marc Leishman and 2018 Open Champion Francesco Molinari. Molinari switched to the shaft in 2019, which features graphite top sections and steel tips that are 40 grams lighter than a standard Odyssey steel shaft, with the heads made slightly heavier. The construction of the Stroke Lab shaft combines both graphite and steel to weigh in at just 75 grams. The latest iteration of the Stroke Lab shaft is red rather than black. Jon Rahm, who became a Callaway staffer this year, was spotted using the shaft earlier this year.

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Tiger Woods is back in action at the Quicken Loans National.

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