Best bets for the Rocket Mortgage Classic

ATLANTA – The standards have changed for Tiger Woods. How could they not, after all that he’s endured? He already considers this season, his first in years that hasn’t been interrupted by injury, a success. In his prime, Woods would have never been content with a winless year. But, after four back surgeries, there was much to celebrate in 2018. He started the year unsure how much he’d be able to play. Not only did his back hold up, but he quickly proved that he was capable of contending. And he qualified for his first TOUR Championship in five years. A victory is the obvious next step in his comeback. He’s given himself another opportunity for win No. 80 win after shooting 65 on Thursday at East Lake Golf Club. He shares the first-round lead with Rickie Fowler. “It would just enhance the year,â€� Woods, the only two-time FedExCup champion, said about a win. “To be able to play golf again and to earn my way back to this level is something that I was hoping I would do at the beginning of the year, but I didn’t know. And I’ve done it.â€� He capped off Thursday’s round with an eagle at 18 that was reminiscent of earlier times. After hitting a 320-yard tee shot on the downhill par-5, Woods hit a high, fading 5-wood that landed softly on the green. He holed the 28-foot putt for eagle. “That was a good one,â€� he said with a smile. Dustin Johnson was the only other player to eagle the hole Thursday. This is the second consecutive tournament where Woods has shared the first-round lead. He opened with a 62 two weeks ago in the BMW Championship at Aronimink Golf Club. Woods said Thursday’s round, though it was three strokes higher, was “far betterâ€� because of East Lake’s demanding layout and slick greens. He was in control of his game from tee to green on Thursday. His only mishit was a “neckedâ€� 3-wood off the 17th tee. He missed just four fairways and four greens. “Conditions were soft there,â€� Woods said about Aronimink Golf Club. “It’s hard to get the ball closer (at East Lake). There’s so much chase in it. If you drive the ball in the rough, you know you can’t get the ball close. The Bermuda rough, you just can’t control it. It puts a premium on driving and puts a premium on allowing for a little bit of chase on some of these greens. When I had some good looks, I went right after it, and otherwise I played pretty conservatively.â€� His first round at East Lake started inauspiciously, with a three-putt from 24 feet. It was his only bogey of the day. He made consecutive birdies at Nos. 5 and 6, holing putts of 26 and 15 feet, to make the turn in 1-under 34. He added birdies at 12 and 14 before his eagle at the finishing hole. On 14, he hit his 206-yard approach shot to 8 feet. Woods finished T6 at the BMW Championship. He was hampered by his putting in his second-round 70, then shot 66-65 in the final two rounds. He pulled within a shot of the lead in the final round before finishing three back of winner Keegan Bradley. Woods drove the ball well at the BMW Championship and continued that trend Thursday. He was 12th in driving accuracy at Aronimink while averaging 301 yards off the tee. Only two players – Paul Casey and Justin Rose – hit more fairways than Woods on Thursday. He has thrived with his driver since increasing its loft and changing shafts at the first event of the Playoffs, THE NORTHERN TRUST. “I had enough of it that I couldn’t turn the ball over,â€� Woods said Thursday. “I was pretty one-dimensional with a flat cut, or if I hit a straight ball, it was just not carrying far enough. I’d have to make a different swing with a driver than I would with a 3-wood or 5-wood or 2-iron, and I didn’t want to do that anymore.â€� With the TOUR Championship re-pairing after each round, Woods and Fowler will play in Friday’s final group. They also were paired in the first two rounds at Aronimink, where Fowler shot 65-65 in his first start since an oblique injury. “In my eyes, looking at it, the biggest win for him is just staying healthy and being out here all year consistently,â€� Fowler said. An actual victory would be an even bigger story. In the final event of the season, Woods has another opportunity to make it happen.

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The first leg of the FedExCup Playoffs tees of in New York at THE NORTHERN TRUST. Only 125 players are now eligible to win the FedExCup and the $15-million prize and with much to be decided in just three weeks’ time, the run to the TOUR Championship begins now. FIELD NOTES: The final field will be decided after the conclusion of the Wyndham Championship… Dustin Johnson looks to win the FedExCup for a second year in a row as he defends his NORTHERN TRUST title. Last year’s win for Johnson came at TPC Boston… Patrick Reed won the last NORTHERN TRUST event played at Liberty National, in 2019. He’s back looking for more magic in Jersey City… Harris English finished second at THE NORTHERN TRUST a year ago. It’s a different course for 2021, of course, but English is playing inspired golf through 2021 and has already won twice… Past FedExCup champions teeing it up at THE NORTHERN TRUST include Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Billy Horschel, and Brandt Snedeker with Justin Rose projected to move inside the Top 125 after this weekend at the Wyndham Championship… The top-5 in the current FedExCup standings – Collin Morikawa, Jordan Spieth, Patrick Cantlay, Harris English, and Jon Rahm – are all ready for their run to East Lake… Abraham Ancer is back in action after his first-career TOUR victory at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational. Ancer finished tied for second at the 2019 NORTHERN TRUST at Liberty National. FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 2,000 FedExCup points. COURSE: Liberty National Golf Club, par 71, 7,410 yards. The site where Liberty National now sits had previously been many things (including a landfill), but after a $300-million project came to fruition it’s become a solid TOUR stop and boasts some of the best views in golf with downtown New York City and the Statue of Liberty featured prominently. The course, a Bob Cupp and Tom Kite collaboration that features bent grass fairways and greens, also hosted the Presidents Cup in 2017. It underwent a renovation not long after the TOUR visited in 2009. STORYLINES: Only the top 70 are eligible to continue to the BMW Championship. Fifty-five golfers will be eliminated after THE NORTHERN TRUST and will not move on to Caves Valley Golf Club in Maryland… THE NORTHERN TRUST is the only FedExCup Playoff event with a 36-hole cut… Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods are the only two-time FedExCup winners, but no one has ever won the FedExCup in back-to-back years. Dustin Johnson looks to become the first man to do that… Keep an eye out for Jon Rahm this week, who is playing his first event back on U.S. soil since his U.S. Open victory this summer. He finished tied for third at The Open Championship but then a positive COVID-19 test quashed his opportunity to play at the Olympic Games. He’s back at Liberty National, where he finished tied for third in 2019. 72-HOLE RECORD: 254, Dustin Johnson (2020 – TPC Boston) LIBERTY NATIONAL RECORD: 268, Patrick Reed (2019) 18-HOLE RECORD: 60, Dustin Johnson (Second Round, 2020 – TPC Boston) LIBERTY NATIONAL RECORD: 62, Kevin Chappell (Third Round, 2013), Troy Merritt (First Round, 2019) LAST TIME: Dustin Johnson’s impressive ball-striking (and putting, and driving distance, and, basically, everything else) led him to finish at 30-under at THE NORTHERN TRUST in 2020. He won by 11 shots over Harris English. Daniel Berger, who finished third, and Kevin Kisner and Scottie Scheffler (tied for fourth) finished 12 and 13 shots back of Johnson’s winning total, respectively. Johnson fired a closing round 8-under 63 and tapped in for birdie on the final hole after a 75-minute rain delay on Sunday. Johnson’s 11-shot triumph was the largest margin of victory on TOUR since Phil Mickelson won at TPC Sugarloaf in 2006 by 13 shots. HOW TO FOLLOW Television: Thursday-Friday, 2 p.m.-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday, 1 p.m.-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3 p.m.-6 p.m. (CBS). Sunday, 12 p.m.-2 p.m. (Golf Channel), 2 p.m.-6 p.m. (CBS). PGA TOUR LIVE: Thursday-Friday 7 a.m.-6 p.m. (Featured Groups). Saturday, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. (Featured Groups), 3 p.m.-6 p.m. (Featured Holes). Sunday, 8 a.m.-2 p.m. (Featured Groups), 2 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).

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ORLANDO, Fla. – By all measures, if Stewart Cink were to never again tee it up on the PGA TOUR, the 49-year-old would rest easy knowing he amassed an impressive resume. Propelled by three Korn Ferry Tour wins in 1996, the Alabama native would go on to amass 11 PGA TOUR titles, including the 2009 Open Championship. En route to that title at Turnberry, a 36-year-old Cink defeated 59-year-old Tom Watson in a four-hole aggregate playoff. Watson began the 138th Open Championship with 12 PGA TOUR Champions titles already under his belt. Cink will tee it up at this week’s PNC Championship alongside son Connor in the company of several of golf’s legends, including PGA TOUR Champions stalwarts like Padraig Harrington, Bernhard Langer and Jim Furyk. He’ll become eligible for the 50-and-over circuit next May 21, but he isn’t letting his focus go there just yet. Cink’s intentions are driven by the mind of a competitor still feeling strong and fine-tuned for even more TOUR success. He won twice in the 2020-21 TOUR season and intends on again contending at the game’s highest level. “Other than having to hold the menu further away to read it these days, I’m really not feeling any older at all,” Cink said. “I would say that I feel as good as ever. I don’t feel like I’ve lost any speed with my swing. I’ve got to say that being close to hitting 50 feels great.” Determined to maintain the commitment and focus which also resulted in 104 PGA TOUR top-10 finishes – 11 of which were runner-up showings – Cink is approaching the big 5-0 strategically. Eight players have won on TOUR after turning 50, and Cink doesn’t see any reason why he can’t become the ninth. “Certainly, I’ve thought about the fact that I’m about to turn 50, but I have not at all thought about turning 50 and joining PGA TOUR Champions,” explained Cink. “That’s by design. I feel like if I put my eye there before I turn 50, it would become too easy to lose that focus on the PGA TOUR.” Believing that an unwavering focus on maximizing his TOUR performance will translate to maximum performance on PGA TOUR Champions, in a way, Cink is preparing for PGA TOUR Champions success by way of PGA TOUR success. “It’s not that I don’t want to focus on PGA TOUR Champions,” Cink said. “It’s actually something I’ve thought about for the last handful of years. But, I do feel like if I let myself dream too much about all it can be on PGA TOUR Champions one day, then I’ll be done out here on TOUR. I don’t want to be done yet.” As enticing as the prospect of PGA TOUR Champions is, as part of his TOUR focus, Cink has yet to even begin the process of picking the brains of fellow competitors who preceded him on PGA TOUR Champions turf. “I’m borderline in denial that my 50th birthday is near,” Cink said. “Of course, I’ve had a lot of friends and other competitors come up and tell me how much I’m going to enjoy it out there, which I know I will. But, I don’t turn 50 until May. I’ve got to figure out how to be the best player on the PGA TOUR that I can until then and then after that … we’ll see.” Determined as he is to stay the PGA TOUR course as long as possible, make no mistake about it, the alluring opportunity of PGA TOUR Champions is one Cink is grateful to soon be enjoying. “Initially, I’ll likely fit in a few PGA TOUR Champions events, fewer than on the PGA TOUR,” Cink said. “Then, gradually, the mix will become more weighted towards PGA TOUR Champions. I just don’t really have a set plan yet.” To further illustrate the competitive fire which largely defines him, Cink is paying close attention to the evolving landscape of the PGA TOUR. And he’s invigorated by what he’s seeing. “Every time the PGA TOUR announces an elevated event, it really entices me to try and stay in shape and keep my mind and heart in the right place because those are amazing opportunities to be able to play for that kind of prize money,” Cink said. “I’d love to finish my TOUR career qualifying for, and playing in, some of those. I’ll have a lot of great years on PGA TOUR Champions after that. That’s something I don’t take lightly. I’m really excited about PGA TOUR Champions and, even without a formal plan for it yet, I think it’s something I can bring to it to.” On Thursday morning before the start of the PNC Championship Pro-Am in Orlando, the practice range at Ritz-Carlton GC made for quite the interesting sports stage. At one end was 83-year-old Lee Trevino, who won his first of 29 PGA TOUR Champions titles in February 1990. Further down the line was Cink, who was 16 when Trevino won that Royal Caribbean Classic in Miami more than three decades ago. While Trevino’s competitive days are now behind him, the Tour he helped solidify is stronger than ever today and, as such, poised to feature another world-class contender in Cink.

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