Birdie-birdie finish salvages Spieth’s day

Team golf. Those two words conjure images of sheer joy, of birdies and eagles, broad smiles and high-fives. The field in this week’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans, the PGA TOUR’s lone official two-man team event, went out in Thursday’s best-ball format and blistered TPC Louisiana to an average of 66.7 strokes. It was puppies and rainbows. Winning scratch tickets for all. On Friday, the format shifted to alternate-shot. Dreaded foursomes. Two players, one golf ball. On what already was a challenging day for scoring, those Thursday smiles turned into Friday grimaces and hard-bitten lower lips. Every ball deposited into watery penalty areas – and designer Pete Dye incorporated a few – represents not only individual pain, but team pain, too. It’s a multiplier. Playing for somebody else adds a tense ingredient to the team dynamic. Some players figured it out better than others. Playing in the afternoon, long bashers Tony Finau and Cameron Champ shot 4-under 68, tying the day’s low round and seizing the tournament lead 13-under 131 through 36 holes. Kris Ventura and Viktor Hovland would step up late and match them. Teammates from Norway who were on a national championship college team at Oklahoma State three years ago, Ventura and Hovland overcame a double bogey on their sixth hole (No. 16) and played their final eight holes in 4 under to shoot 69 and tie the lead heading to the weekend. A beautiful approach to 11 feet at the difficult 206-yard ninth (the team’s final hole) by Hovland would set up a rare birdie and push them to 13 under. European Ryder Cup partners Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson shot 68 despite encountering three bogeys, including one on the par-5 18th hole (their ninth of the day). They’ve played enough times in the format to exercise extra patience at times and not try to do too much, though their seven team birdies accounted for a better-than-average day’s work. The foursomes format, seldomly played outside of a handful of every-other-year cup matches (Presidents Cup, Ryder Cup, etc.), brings in more decision-making (who tees off on the odd holes?), delivers a different element of competitive pressure (hitting shots for two) and even factors in technology (golfers playing different brands of golf balls than they normally play). Stenson used a pair of “T” words to describe his Friday: Tricky, describing the format, and trust, describing his effective partnership with Rose. “Foursomes is always a tricky format,” said Stenson, the 2016 Open champion. “We know that. But it’s never going to be as tricky when you’ve got a good partner like I do. We talked about that earlier in the week, to trust, and having done this so many times before, we kind of go about things like we normally do. Yeah, we played a very solid round of foursomes out there.” Stenson and Rose each made a clutch 5-footer to open the round (Rose making his for birdie at the par-5 11th) and the pair would sandwich bogeys at 15 and 18 with two birdies. They birdied both par 5s on the front, and added another birdie at the par-4 fifth (Stenson making a 10-footer) against a lone second-nine bogey at No. 6. Rose added that as much as he wants to (and does) trust his partner, a golfer looking for success in foursomes must also keep plenty of trust in oneself, and not worry about the occasional poor shot that might leave a partner in a tough predicament. A good foursomes partnership can be like a good marriage; it’s often about never having to say you’re sorry. “I think it’s all about committing to your shots,” Rose said. “Henrik doesn’t want to hit it in the water on No. 9 and (if) he blocks it right of the green, (it) probably doesn’t do us any good anyway. But the only way he’s going to step up and hit a great shot is by not worrying about what he might leave me. I think that’s kind of the way to approach this format.” Rose and Stenson, big-time players who won Olympic gold and silver, respectively, as golf returned to the Olympic Summer Games in Brazil in 2016, form one of two major-championship winner tandems in the 80-team field. South Africans Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel form the other, and also have considerable experience playing alongside one another. (They’ve competed together at the Presidents Cup, and their friendship dates to junior golf.) Friday they made only three birdies against two bogeys, but 71 was good enough to stay in contention. They knew that going in. They are at 10-under 134. “You know, with better-ball, you play with a lot more freedom,” Oosthuizen said. “You sort of always know you have another score that can count and sort of if you fall on that score. With this format, if you make a mistake, it’s the team that’s going to make a bogey or something, and it’s stressful, especially around this golf course with a lot of water, and the wind is really picking up.” Schwartzel added that foursomes with Oosthuizen causes him other issues: “I’m not used to hitting out of so many fairways,” he said, smiling. Aussies Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith teamed up for seven birdies and an eagle in opening-day best-ball. On Friday, amid swirling winds and a TPC Louisiana layout that was becoming downright ornery, they were relieved to return to the clubhouse with a level-par score of 72. “I think foursomes is hard,” Leishman said. “You’re hitting half the shots; there’s no rhythm. You’ve got to make sure you’re loose between shots. Yeah, it’s just hard. … I was actually quite happy with even par on what was a really tough day.” Ah, but Friday evening in New Orleans, there was a sliver of light at the end of the rainbow. Saturday’s format returns to free-wheeling four-ball, a bit of a breather until those feared foursomes rear their head again on Sunday.

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The PGA TOUR uses a standardized system for determining event fields, based off the current season’s Priority Ranking while also including additional exemption and qualifying categories. Field sizes can vary by event, as can the number of event-specific exemptions. Fully exempt PGA TOUR members are guaranteed entry into all full-field events, with various conditional categories subject to periodic reshuffles based upon FedExCup Points accrued throughout the season. Categories with ‘reshuffle’ notation indicate that a reshuffle period has occurred. Scroll below for the Shriners Children’s Open field list as of Friday, Sep. 30 at 5 p.m. ET: Check here for updates. Winner of U.S. Open Championship (five-year exemption) Gary Woodland Winner of THE PLAYERS Championship (five-year exemption) Si Woo Kim Winner of Arnold Palmer Invitational, Memorial Tournament and Genesis Invitational (three-year exemption) Patrick Cantlay Max Homa PGA TOUR tournament winner (two-year exemption) Ryan Brehm Cameron Champ Stewart Cink Joel Dahmen Cam Davis Jason Day Tyler Duncan Harris English Rickie Fowler Lucas Herbert Jim Herman Garrick Higgo Tom Hoge Sungjae Im Joohyung Kim Matt Kuchar Martin Laird Andrew Landry K.H. Lee Trey Mullinax J.T. Poston Seamus Power Chad Ramey Chez Reavie J.J. Spaun Robert Streb Nick Taylor Michael Thompson Brendon Todd Richy Werenski Career money exemption Jason Dufner Ryan Moore Rory Sabbatini Jimmy Walker * Sponsor’s exemption (Korn Ferry Tour Finals) Vincent Norrman Trevor Werbylo Sponsor’s exemption (members not otherwise exempt) Thomas Detry Charley Hoffman Sponsor’s exemption (unrestricted) Chris Gotterup Cole Hammer Quinn Riley Patrick Welch PGA Club Professional Champion – Six Events Jesse Mueller PGA Section Champion\Player of the Year Derek Deminsk Top 30 on the FedExCup Playoffs and Eligibility Points List Aaron Wise Brian Harman Top 125 Prior Seasons FedExCup Playoffs & Eligibility Points List Davis Riley Denny McCarthy Maverick McNealy Keith Mitchell Kurt Kitayama Andrew Putnam Taylor Pendrith Mito Pereira Christiaan Bezuidenhout Emiliano Grillo Troy Merritt Adam Hadwin Taylor Moore Chris Kirk Alex Noren Wyndham Clark Lee Hodges John Huh Beau Hossler Brandon Wu Matthew NeSmith Dylan Frittelli Ryan Palmer David Lipsky Adam Schenk Aaron Rai Stephan Jaeger Patrick Rodgers Russell Knox Adam Svensson Kevin Streelman Mark Hubbard Peter Malnati Danny Lee Hayden Buckley Sam Ryder Vince Whaley Nate Lashley James Hahn Greyson Sigg Scott Piercy Callum Tarren Max McGreevy Chesson Hadley Nick Watney Doug Ghim Kevin Tway Matthias Schwab Patton Kizzire Kramer Hickok Matt Wallace Austin Smotherman Justin Lower # Major medical extension Nick Hardy Kyle Stanley Zac Blair Korn Ferry Tour Points winners (The 25 and The Finals 25) Justin Suh Top 50 Finishers from the Korn Ferry Tour Finals (2022) Carl Yuan Will Gordon Paul Haley II David Lingmerth Zecheng Dou Austin Eckroat Robby Shelton Philip Knowles MJ Daffue Michael Gligic Taylor Montgomery Dean Burmester Ben Taylor Eric Cole S.H. Kim Joseph Bramlett Harry Hall Austin Cook Brandon Matthews Augusto Núñez Henrik Norlander Byeong Hun An Ben Martin Erik Barnes Ryan Armour Ben Griffin Nicholas Lindheim Davis Thompson Brent Grant Michael Kim Carson Young Tyson Alexander Scott Harrington Harrison Endycott Tano Goya Kevin Roy Nico Echavarria Anders Albertson Samuel Stevens Chun-an Yu Matti Schmid Brice Garnett Trevor Cone Brian Stuard Kyle Westmoreland Top Finishers from Korn Ferry Tour Medical Chris Stroud Nos. 126-150 on prior season’s FedExCup Points List (reshuffled) Harry Higgs Martin Trainer Hank Lebioda Cameron Percy Andrew Novak Jonathan Byrd Bill Haas Dylan Wu Beyond No. 150 on prior season’s FedExCup Points List Sean O’Hair William McGirt Vaughn Taylor Sung Kang Camilo Villegas Kevin Chappell Seung-Yul Noh Scott Brown Grayson Murray Tommy Gainey Aaron Baddeley Robert Garrigus Bo Van Pelt Fabián Gómez Mark Hensby David Hearn Ricky Barnes Greg Chalmers Cody Gribble D.A. Points J.J. Henry Ben Crane D.J. Trahan Johnson Wagner Derek Ernst Arjun Atwal John Merrick George McNeill Paul Goydos Ryuji Imada Richard S Johnson Omar Uresti Ted Potter, Jr. Brian Davis Kevin Stadler Matt Every Jeff Overton Daniel Chopra Past Champion member Carl Pettersson Jason Bohn Frank Lickliter II Jonathan Kaye Will MacKenzie Len Mattiace Freddie Jacobson Andres Romero Ted Purdy Neal Lancaster Charlie Beljan Eric Axley Parker McLachlin Spike McRoy Derek Lamely Veteran member (150 or more career cuts made) Brendon de Jonge Charlie Wi Shaun Micheel The PGA TOUR uses a standardized system for determining event fields, based off the current season’s Priority Ranking while also including additional exemption and qualifying categories. Field sizes can vary by event, as can the number of event-specific exemptions. Fully exempt PGA TOUR members are guaranteed entry into all full-field events, with various conditional categories subject to periodic reshuffles based upon FedExCup Points accrued throughout the season. Categories with ‘reshuffle’ notation indicate that a reshuffle period has occurred. * = If all prior year Korn Ferry Tour graduates are eligible for event, exemptions become unrestricted # = Latest medical extension information can be found here. $ = Category breakdown can be found here.

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Not gonna lie. It's a sad day. As noted at the bottom and throughout all of the in-house fantasy content over the last week, the comments sections are being eliminated. It states Jan. 26, but I don't know exactly when the plug will be pulled. Comments were introduced in March of 2014, but I had been connecting directly with readers since my first few days at Rotoworld in January of 2008. Interaction was limited to email and Twitter, what little there was on the latter at the time, believe it or not. When the comments were introduced on this website, I embraced it. Eventually, so did a few of you. While familiar with the drawbacks and pitfalls of comments sections in general, I vowed to do everything within my control of fostering an environment that wasn't expected; that is, to help build and nurture a community of invitation and inclusion, not resistance and hate. It seems simple but we all know that it's the exception to the rule elsewhere. RELATED: Power Rankings | Expert Picks Until PGATOUR.com considers the next possibility for your voice to join in the conversation here, please consider pivoting to the options as described in the disclaimer at the bottom. In the meantime, I want to single out Adam, Annie, Brian, Derek, Lance, Paul, Peter and Roy for your contributions in the space that is disappearing, assuming those are your real names! Same goes to the pseudonyms of the anonymous like RF, SEFF, TexasSwede and Tres. These folks were regulars at the corner hangout where we never ran out of places to sit and mingle. I will miss you more than you realize. We're all a part of each other's lives in some way, and I'm proud that we supported an online culture that was respectful and equal. Thank you. For all support-related matters concerning PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf, I've added the contact email to my Twitter bio. It's [email protected]. I also specified that it's not my email. It's the inbox for tech only. I do not see what you send. As it concerns the strategy for building a lineup for the Farmers Insurance Open, it's simple. Because the North Course at Torrey Pines plays significantly easier than the South (as explained in the Power Rankings), squeeze out six starts over the first two rounds. Weather could dictate if it's smarter to plan for a 4×2 or 2×4. If not, the standard 3×3 split for the rotation would be useful. Either way, consider a balance of this objective with your value on the board. Since ShotLink isn't used on the North Course, shot-level data will not be contributing to PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf even though the South Course is lasered, so we are targeting only actual scores and bonus points. Scoring will be higher in the tournament proper, so fantasy scoring will drop some. Therefore, a missed cut won't have as great an impact as last week when par breakers and sub-70s were commonplace. Because weather could impact decisions this week, I'll plan on revisiting the forecast on Twitter later on Wednesday. Might as well use that as an opportunity to segue into that platform as the primary means of direct communication with you for the foreseeable future. I hope to see you there. PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf My roster for the Farmers Insurance Open (in alphabetical order): Tony Finau Marc Leishman Hideki Matsuyama Rory McIlroy Jon Rahm Adam Scott You'll find my starters in Expert Picks Others to consider for each category (in alphabetical order): Scoring: Corey Conners; Harris English; Jason Kokrak; Ryan Palmer; Patrick Reed; Xander Schauffele; Cameron Smith; Matthew Wolff Driving: n/a POWER RANKINGS WILD CARD Gary Woodland ... He's sure making this difficult. If he's still in any pain from the torn labrum in his hip, it didn't show at PGA WEST where his length was on display ahead of a taut iron game en route to a five-way share of 16th place. It's the best news for season-long owners who have wondered how much he can compete without shutting it down for more invasive solutions than the cortisone shots he's received. With his high sticker price in every format, it shouldn't feel like a bonus, but everything in our world is relative. Now, and in a vacuum, he's an automatic for Torrey Pines where he's 10-for-11 with five top 20s, four consecutively from 2016-2019. Yes, the challenge is greater than last week's but last week's was a greater challenge for him, anyway. DRAWS Bubba Watson ... It took him a few starts after the shutdown, but he's been on the upswing since August. Since capturing the title at Torrey Pines in 2011, he's finished T13 (2012), T23 (2014) and T6 (2020), and those reflect his only return trips. Although he's 42 years old, his strengths will defy age. Never a Sleeper but it's funny how quickly we can forget about him. Get him in there. Matthew Wolff ... The SoCal native placed T21 in his Farmers debut a year ago, so he's comfy in these climes. Scuffling since a T2 at the Shriners in October, so recency-bias devotees likely will be shopping elsewhere, but he's proven not to slump since turning pro in 2019. Consider a DFS lineup with him and a couple of other risks to confuse the sharks. Adam Scott ... Runner-up to Justin Rose in 2019 but sat out last year's edition (while Rose sits out this week). Now in his second appearance, the Aussie presents as a predictable piece to survive the cut and contribute on the weekend. He's been uninspiring since turning 40 last summer, but he still serves a purpose and he still brings the potential to contend. Martin Laird ... He's 9-for-12 with a pair of top 10s at Torrey Pines, and he's missed only one cut in his last eight trips. Currently 10th on TOUR in fairways hit and fourth in greens in regulation. Already a winner this season at the Shriners, so the pressure is off to allow his talent to go to work. Jason Kokrak ... Another winner already this season (Shadow Creek) has three top 25s in his last four appearances at the Farmers. Suits his game off the tee but he brings the entire bag. Corey Conners ... Quietly enjoying a fruitful season with three top 10s among six top 25s thanks to the kind of consistently strong ball-striking for which he's become known. In his only prior visit to Torrey Pines, he finished T29 in 2018. Charles Howell III ... After making it 20-for-20 at Waialae, it's not the time to consider him missing his first cut in 18 appearances at Torrey Pines. Even better, his last five resulted in top 20s. Overall, three of his eight top 10s and 12 top 20s are runner-up finishes. Will Zalatoris ... Finally! It's not his fault that he hasn't appeared since a T52 at Mayakoba, and he needed a sponsor exemption to peg it at Torrey Pines this week, but the best brush it off and figure out a way to excel, anyway. He'll be a PGA TOUR member by 2021-22 at the latest and he's only four starts from qualifying as a rookie, but it's been too long since we've had our fix. He made his PGA TOUR debut as a professional at the 2018 Farmers and missed the cut, so he's not a first-timer this week. Not that that has mattered in all of his previous starts this season. Have fun! Dylan Frittelli Emiliano Grillo Maverick McNealy Louis Oosthuizen Ryan Palmer Doc Redman Justin Suh FADES Brooks Koepka ... Sigh. Slotted him 11th in last week's Power Rankings and he missed the cut. Some studs are just better off left to full-season formats and spot starts when the lights are the brightest. While he's an American, it's probably best to treat him like an international who doesn't perform up to his billing regularly but makes enough noise to warrant ownership season after season. It's just tougher for the internationals to maintain a stronger fantasy value over time because of their commitments abroad and limiting schedule on the PGA TOUR. Rickie Fowler ... The joke would be on us if he delivers at Torrey Pines because he's just 2-for-7 since 2014 and without a top 60. (For the record, a few of those results immediately followed transcontinental travel.) Rebounded from an opening 73 at PGA WEST to finish T21, so we love the grit, but we also want to see it again before we're convinced that he's turned the corner. Jordan Spieth ... From our standpoint, he's the next Tiger Woods. No matter how much faith we have and how tempting he is every time he commits, the results have been too infrequent for serious consideration to roster. The play is to abstain and tip your visor if you lose to him. Even if he records a top 25 this week, remain cautious. Let's learn why it happened and if what works can be expected to be repeatable. Brandt Snedeker ... The 40-year-old has two wins, two seconds and two thirds among eight top 10s at Torrey Pines (as well as a T9 in the 2008 U.S. Open here), but he's been in a tailspin for the large part since a T3 here last year. I won't pretend to talk course-history buffs out of investing, but at least consider him fractionally at most in multiple-play situations. Pat Perez ... With his father, Tony, as the long-time starter at Torrey Pines, Pat has been a fixture in the tournament throughout his career. The closest he came to victory was in 2014 when he was one of five to share runner-up honors one stroke back of champion Scott Stallings. It's one of three top 10s and six top 25s in the tournament. He's struggled in the last five months, however, partially due to injury, so it's a good time to let him go it alone. David Hearn Tom Lewis Peter Malnati Phil Mickelson Ryan Moore Henrik Norlander Erik van Rooyen Harold Varner III RETURNING TO COMPETITION Charley Hoffman ... Survived the cut at The American Express but walked off PGA WEST during the third round with a back injury. The timing is unfortunate for the San Diego native who's making his 17th consecutive appearance at the Farmers and 24th of his career. He's connected for three top 10s, including a T9 last year, and he's reignited this season to sit 60th in the FedExCup, but he has risk-reward written all over him at 44 years of age and fresh off the WD. Jhonattan Vegas ... Had planned on resuming his season at Waialae, but he tested positive for COVID-19. Capped the fall with a T20 at Mayakoba to end a drought of top-40 finishes that started in early summer. His confidence off the tee and on approach has served him well at Torrey Pines where he's 7-for-10 with a trio of top 20s, but his recent inconsistency relegates him to flier usage only in DFS. NOTABLE WDs Branden Grace ... Alerted his Twitter followers on Jan. 21 that his father recently died from COVID-19. "I will be taking some time off to be with family," he wrote. Keegan Bradley ... Given that he appeared at Torrey Pines in every edition since his rookie season of 2011, it was surprising that he was a late entry on Friday. It's an even bigger surprise that he then withdrew early, anyway. Currently 73rd in the FedExCup. C.T. Pan ... After connecting seven paydays, the 2017 co-runner-up at Torrey Pines has gone 0-for-3 to bridge the holiday break and sits 91st in the FedExCup. Austin Cook ... The T2 at the Shriners has given him the power to build his own schedule in what is his contract season. Currently 40th in the FedExCup and having missed the cut in his Farmers debut last year, he easily can afford to take a week off after two on the road. Also gives him some invaluable time at home with his infant daughter. Kiradech Aphibarnrat ... In what was his return to competition following an ankle injury at Mayakoba, he opened the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship with a 3-under 69 but missed the cut after a 77 in the second round. He's made only two starts on the PGA TOUR this season. His first resulted in a T11 at the Bermuda Championship. Mark Hubbard ... Our next look at the Snail putting technique will have to wait. The entire vid and his explanation are on the PGA TOUR's YouTube channel here. Luke Donald ... Once upon a time, he was nails at Torrey Pines, but it's been 12 years since the last of six consecutive top 25s that included a pair of runners-up. No better than a T40 (Bermuda) since play resumed in June. Burning a career earnings exemption in 2020-21 in what is his age-43 season. POWER RANKINGS RECAP - The American Express Power Ranking Golfer Result 1 Patrick Reed MC 2 Patrick Cantlay 2nd 3 Sungjae Im T12 4 Scottie Scheffler MC 5 Kevin Na MC 6 Matthew Wolff T40 7 Tony Finau 4th 8 Adam Hadwin T32 9 Adam Long 69th 10 Peter Malnati MC 11 Brooks Koepka MC 12 Andrew Landry T64 13 Abraham Ancer T5 14 Sam Burns MC 15 Joel Dahmen MC Wild Card Chris Kirk T16 SLEEPERS - The American Express Golfer Result John Augenstein MC Wyndham Clark T54 Harry Hall T47 Doc Redman 70th Sepp Straka MC BIRTHDAYS AMONG ACTIVE GOLFERS ON THE PGA TOUR January 26 ... Adam Schenk (29) January 27 ... Jonathan Byrd (43) January 28 ... none January 29 ... none January 30 ... none January 31 ... none February 1 ... Rhein Gibson (35) As of January 26, 2021, PGATOUR.COM will no longer support Livefyre commenting on our website. We invite you to join the conversation by following and interacting with Rob Bolton on Twitter (@RobBoltonGolf) and PGA TOUR Twitter, Facebook and Instagram channels. If you have any feedback or questions, please reach out to us via the Contact Us page."

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