Only one woman has ever won the U.S. Women's Open as an amateur, and that was France's Catherine Lacoste in 1967. Could another join her?
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With The RSM Classic this week, we’ve arrived at the conclusion of official PGA TOUR competition in 2022. The next tournament on the schedule is the Sentry Tournament of Champions on Jan. 5-8. Because this is the last Draws and Fades column until then, the annual extended listing of birthdays in the interim foot the page. RELATED: Horses for Courses, Statistically Speaking The RSM also concludes Segment 1 of PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf. Every gamer will be refreshed with three starts for every golfer by the time Kapalua is ready to host. Also, as persistent reminders via email (and in this space) have explained, the PGA TOUR Fantasy stand-alone app will be discontinuing after the RSM. You’ll still be able to play PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf in the app dedicated to the PGA TOUR and on the desktop. Speaking of the PGA TOUR app, today it was announced that it’s been overhauled. Nothing was untouched. So, play around and become familiar with it. You’re going to have much more control over how you use it, too. The announcement included a note that the website also is undergoing evolution, and that gaming experiences will be included in the process. Of course, we’ll update everything that concerns what we do with fantasy and other considerations when it makes the most sense. Lastly, I want to extend a personal message to you. Because your loyalty is most important to what we do here, I’ve always said that without you, there’s no me. I’d be changing tires on golf carts somewhere if not for your support. I’m always listening to your needs, so the fun never ends for me to adapt and grow with you. With the fierce and ongoing support of the PGA TOUR to supply space and oxygen for our community, the experience is as fulfilling as any other. We’ve all done it together and will continue to. The future is fascinating. Thank you. Raising a glass to you and yours for a peaceful and loving holiday season. POWER RANKINGS WILD CARD Webb Simpson (-120 for a Top 40) … BetMGM has a top-40 market this week, so I’ll capitalize. Then again, it’s a slight to retreat into it for a guy with a glossy record in this tournament. He’s 10-for-10 (that includes a mid-tournament WD in 2017 due to a family matter) with two silvers and a bronze among six top-15 finishes. Aside from that unexpected departure five years ago, he’s finished outside the top 40 just once, and that was by one stroke in 2014. While that’s the kind of overwhelming support every course-history buff savors, he’s been a fraction of his familiar self throughout 2022 and since he suffered a herniated disc in his neck. In his most recent seven starts, he’s cashed just twice, neither time for a top 50. DRAWS Matthew NeSmith (+160 for a Top 20) … Never mind the Wild Card, if I had a Power Rankings Plus, as in a No. 16, it’d be him for the RSM. After a wicked T9-T2-T9 in consecutive weeks in October, he settled for a T53 in Houston, but the expectation is to reignite in the Golden Isles. He’s perfect in three visits with a pair of top 15s and a T29 (2021). And zero worries about the fit on paper. His approach game is sublime. There hasn’t been a first-time winner this season, but he belongs on the short list this week. Sahith Theegala (+150 for a Top 20) … Because of his firepower, it’d be easy to reserve a slot in the Power Rankings every time he plays, but that that is the thought, that’s already enough respect to continue to lean into his possibilities. What never should be downplayed is how often he generates chances. Since splashing as a rookie last season, he’s 30-for-37 with 14 top 25s. Ironically, he missed the cut in his debut at Sea Island last year, but don’t let that stop you from rostering given this short of a promise that he’ll cash. Ben Taylor (+160 for a Top 40) … Sure, it looks like a cinch to endorse the Englishman after his solo third in Houston, but he already had been building toward something special. He just hadn’t put four impactful rounds together yet. Lower the expectations this week but invest with gusto for another contribution in his second try at Sea Island. Troy Merritt (+300 for a Top 20) … He was a Sleeper for the same bet here a year ago and finished T22. That’s OK because it wasn’t a bad beat. He closed with 65 to make it interesting. It was his fourth payday in his last five tries at Sea Island. Now he’s rested since a T3 at Mayakoba. Henrik Norlander (+150 for a Top 40) … When he shows, it’s Groundhog Day at Sea Island. One of the playoff victims in 2016 ripped off four consecutive paydays culminating with a T5 in 2019, and then a positive COVID-19 test thwarted his appearance in 2020. Missed the cut last year, but he presents wonderfully in DFS once again, albeit fractionally due to his propensity to miss more cuts than he makes. Only two paydays in six starts this season, but both went for a top 25. Ryan Armour Wyndham Clark Nick Hardy Chris Kirk Matt Kuchar David Lipsky Taylor Montgomery Taylor Pendrith Scott Stallings Brendon Todd Odds sourced on Tuesday, November 15th at 6 p.m. ET. For live odds visit betmgm. FADES Robert Streb … Maybe as a flier in DFS because both of this PGA TOUR victories occurred in this event, but the 35-year-old has only one other top 25 (T25, 2015) in his other six tries. He’s had just one top 25 (T11, 3M) since April and has missed four of six cuts this season. In short, he’s only a horse for the courses. J.T. Poston … From my consistently conservative position, he’s a bit out of reach despite a handful of electric performances in recent months. Just 1-for-6 at Sea Island (T14, 2019) and he missed two cuts in his last three starts with a cut. Yes, it’s splitting hairs for a guy who’s found a new gear, so there’s reason to slot him as a contrarian in a tournament where he’s earned little faith. Francesco Molinari … Well, I liked him to a point at Mayakoba, but he finished 68th (of 68) in what was his second appearance. He’s making his debut at Sea Island this week, so he’s getting two baptisms by fire for the price of one. If anything, cut up a unit and throw a shard of it into a Make the Cut prop. He’s done that six consecutive times worldwide since July. Tyler Duncan … Included only because he broke through here in 2019. He missed the cut in both return trips and he’s 1-for-6 this season with a solo 72nd at the Shriners. Joseph Bramlett … Although he doesn’t resonate most weeks, it’s worth noting that he’s 4-for-6 this season with a pair of top 15s, so elevate him among your free agents in full-season formats, if applicable. Meanwhile, he’s 0-for-3 with zero red numbers at Sea Island since 2019. Tyson Alexander Dean Burmester Cameron Champ Peter Malnati Sam Ryder Adam Svensson RETURNING TO COMPETITION n/a NOTABLE WDs Tony Finau … So much for the betting favorite, the No. 1 in my Power Rankings and winner in three of his last seven starts. An undisclosed injury was cited. See you at Kapalua, big fella. Si Woo Kim … He’d have been a tough own, anyway, as he’s missed three straight cuts at Sea Island and always presents best in the long-term. That said, he’s opened the season 4-for-4 with a top 10. Erik van Rooyen … Among the throng that was going to miss the cut in Houston, so instead withdrew during their second round instead of completing it on Saturday morning. So, his RSM debut remains on ice. Since returning to competition after sitting out three months with a neck injury, he’s just 2-for-5 worldwide and without a top-30 finish. Brendan Steele … Walked off Memorial Park during his final round with an injured back, so this decision isn’t surprising. The 39-year-old is 2-for-5 on the season with a T18 at Congaree. Mark Hubbard … His brother, Nathan, tweeted that Mark had surgery on a toe scheduled for Monday. This followed a disqualification in Houston. All things considered, if he’s going to have consecutive setbacks, the timing couldn’t be better. He’s 48th in the FedExCup and will have two months to recover before the season resumes after the holidays. Ryan Moore … Cashed in his last two starts and sits 139th in the FedExCup. He’s burning a career earnings exemption this season, so he can be choosy with his schedule. Sure, it’s odd that he’d sit out the last official stop of the calendar year, but he’s never appeared in the tournament. In that context, it was unusual that he committed in the first place. RECAP – Cadence Bank Houston Open POWER RANKINGS Power Ranking Golfer Result 1 Scottie Scheffler T9 2 Sam Burns WD 3 Russell Henley MC 4 Aaron Wise T22 5 Joel Dahmen T9 6 Maverick McNealy T27 7 Denny McCarthy T53 8 Taylor Montgomery T57 9 Mackenzie Hughes T16 10 Jason Day T16 11 Tony Finau Win 12 Matthew NeSmith T53 13 Sahith Theegala T22 14 Sepp Straka MC 15 Davis Riley T27 Wild Card Hideki Matsuyama WD SLEEPERS Golfer (Bet, if applicable) Result Charley Hoffman (+375 for a Top 20) MC Scott Piercy (+450 for a Top 20) T16 Wyndham Clark T16 Beau Hossler MC Walker Lee MC BIRTHDAYS AMONG ACTIVE MEMBERS OF THE PGA TOUR November 15 … none November 16 … Scott Harrington (42) November 17 … none November 18 … Matti Schmid (25) November 19 … Kyle Stanley (35); Max Homa (32) November 20 … none November 21 … none November 22 … none November 23 … Mackenzie Hughes (32) November 24 … none November 25 … none November 26 … Vince Covello (40) November 27 … none November 28 … none November 29 … none November 30 … Smylie Kaufman (31) December 1 … D.A. Points (46) December 2 … none December 3 … none December 4 … Matt Every (39); Harry Higgs (31); Sahith Theegala (25) December 5 … Ryan Moore (40); Lucas Herbert (27) December 6 … none December 7 … Luke Donald (45); Billy Horschel (36) December 8 … Brandt Snedeker (42) December 9 … Wyndham Clark (29); Matthias Schwab (28) December 10 … Brian Stuard (40) December 11 … none December 12 … Nate Lashley (40) December 13 … Rickie Fowler (34) December 14 … Brian Gay (51) December 15 … Sam Ryder (33) December 16 … none December 17 … Tim Clark (47); Davis Riley (26) December 18 … D.J. Trahan (42) December 19 … none December 20 … none December 21 … none December 22 … Richy Werenski (31) December 23 … Daniel Chopra (49) December 24 … Vincent Norrman (25) December 25 … none December 26 … none December 27 … Charley Hoffman (46); Doc Redman (25) December 28 … none December 29 … Martin Laird (40) December 30 … Tiger Woods (47) December 31 … Adam Svensson (29) January 1 … none January 2 … none 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.
After a fall series where FedExCup storylines had skewed focus towards a resurgent old brigade it seemed fitting to end the 2020 portion of this season with a reminder of the young talent we've been blessed with of late. Viktor Hovland notched up PGA TOUR win No. 2 at the Mayakoba Golf Classic presented by UNIFIN at a rain soaked El Camaleon, making the 23-year-old Norwegian just the fifth European player (since 1945) to earn multiple TOUR titles before turning 24. It's an esteemed list that includes Rory McIlroy, Seve Ballesteros, Sergio Garcia and Jon Rahm. Here’s five things you may have missed from the shootout on the Mexican coast. 1. Viktor Hovland is a character we can all love The Norwegian former U.S. Amateur champion has been dubbed the smiling assassin at times because he just always appears to be having a great time. He portrays a player who doesn't take the consequences inevitable in this great game too seriously, and as such makes him easy to cheer for. He claims he's terrible in the pressure moments ... claims he's a mess and not comfortable. But yet there was an apparent air of calm over him as he sent his tee shot to the fairway, his approach to 10-feet, and his final putt into the hole on the 72nd hole to win by a shot. If there is a weakness in the youngster's raw game, it is around and on the greens, where at times he can be a little unreliable chipping and putting. In Mayakoba he was 5 of 11 in scrambling for the week and had missed a short birdie putt at the 15th that would have made life extremely tough for the other competitors. Soon after a terrible approach to the 16th had him well short and in sand some 40-yards from the pin. But instead of letting it be the start of a downward spiral, Hovland stuck his third to about the same length as the putt he missed moments earlier. This time, he nailed it. That par left him in prime position to control his destiny and by the time he came to the last he knew birdie would win the title. Facing a 10-footer for it all he smoothed it in like he was one of the best putters on TOUR. Brilliant stuff. Read more here. 2. A second win can be tougher than the first While Hovland chalked up TOUR win No. 2 there were a handful of other players who were looking to do the same that obviously did not cross what can be an elusive barrier. Runner-up Aaron Wise broke through a couple of seasons ago at the AT&T Byron Nelson and positioned himself beautifully on Sunday a couple of groups ahead of Hovland. A birdie on the 15th had Wise at eight-under on his round and part of the lead at 19-under, making the former NCAA champ a huge threat. But despite some great shots coming home he was unable to sink one more critical putt, leaving the door open for Hovland to pounce. Clearly though, Wise is going to find himself with more chances in the coming months and years. Chances doesn't mean wins though. Just ask Tony Finau. With the help of a new putting setup Finau was tied second through two rounds and after an ace and three birdies on Saturday's front nine he was closing in on the lead. Even a poor back nine didn't take him out of it for the final round but it wasn't to be and a T8 finish adds to his near misses. Since his win at the 2016 Puerto Rico Open, Finau has 34 top-10s without another triumph and he hasn't finished worse than 19th in the FedExCup over the last four seasons. Emiliano Grillo jumped out on TOUR in the 2015-16 season and won the Safeway Open first up. He would have been forgiven for thinking it was easy to do. Over the last three seasons he's threatened a few times with four thirds and a runner up so when he took a healthy lead through 36 and 54 holes in Mexico it appeared it might be time. But while others tore up the soft layout on Sunday Grillo shot a 1-over 72 to freefall to a T8 finish. Adam Long, who stared down Phil Mickelson to win his lone TOUR title, looked steeled when he birdied the 16th on Sunday to pull within one of the lead but his next tee shot was wild and with it went his chances of doubling his career win tally. He would settle for a T3 finish. The bottom line? Golf is hard. Winning is very hard. Winning more than once is incredibly hard. 3. Mexico's finest to wait at least one more year for home win Eventually it will happen. There was great hope pre-tournament that this could be the year a Mexican winner could emerge in what has been the countries first regular TOUR stop for well over a decade now. Carlos Ortiz, a winner at the recent Vivint Houston Open, was more than solid on the way to a T8 finish that moved him up to sixth in the FedExCup standings. Abraham Ancer was left to rue a slow start with his 1-over 72 opening round but fought valiantly back to be T12. Roberto Diaz, Armando Favela, Aaron Terrazas and Isidro Benitez were unable to make the cut but all will take invaluable experience away from the week. 4. The production line appears never-ending While we sat back and applauded Hovland's gutsy win his fellow college teammate, and current housemate, Austin Eckroat casually finished T12 as an amateur. The Oklahoma State senior gave a glimpse into some more of the talent coming down the pipeline. Another of those young guns, 18-year-old Akshay Bhatia, Monday qualified into the tournament and once again showed glimpses of why he's backed himself to be professional in lieu of college. After a bogey-bogey opening on Thursday the youngster fought back to shoot 4-under and showed similar resilience to notch up three birdies late in round two after a double bogey threatened to send him home early. His end result of T52 is a little misleading as he dropped shots late Sunday firing at pins with aggressive intent. 5. We lost a legend this past week The news of the passing of Peter Alliss, who was a highly successful European Tour player before becoming the voice of golf in the UK for decades on television, was certainly sad for the golf community. A member of eight Ryder Cup teams, Alliss won 31 times worldwide and was also an accomplished course designer and author. But perhaps his greatest contributions were with a microphone, where on the BBC in England, and the ABC in the U.S., he was arguably without peer talking viewers through the action. Take some time to read about his influence on the game here.
Brett Quigley was so excited to be competing again he could barely break par. Quigley played bogey-free at Warwick Hills. Monday qualifier Carlos Franco also had a 64 with two eagles and was in the group one shot behind that included Jim Furyk (66) in his debut on the 50-and-older circuit.
