Breaking down the rosters, pairings and snubs for the Presidents Cup

Justin Thomas has always had the game. After an epic comeback that left little doubt about that, he has a second PGA Championship to show for it.

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Golfers on both the PGA TOUR and LPGA Tour will have extra incentive to attack some of the most exciting holes during their respective seasons thanks to a stirring first-of-its-kind competition – the Aon Risk Reward Challenge. An age-old question in golf – does taking calculated risk provide a greater chance at reward over time? – will be put under the microscope, and ultimately a player from each tour will triumph. At select tournaments, holes that highlight a player’s strategic thinking will be designated as Aon Risk Reward Challenge holes. Throughout the year, a player’s best two scores on each hole will be tracked. On the PGA TOUR, 36 tournaments during the 2018-19 season will be included in the Aon Risk Reward Challenge, with one hole at each identified tournament included in the competition. The player from each Tour on top of the Aon leaderboard at the end of the regular season will each receive $1 million in prize money. So which holes are part of the Aon Risk Reward Challenge? Think the iconic short par-4 10th at Riviera Country Club or the sensational par-5 18th at Pebble Beach or the reachable par-5 16th at TPC Sawgrass. Go for it despite lurking hazards and maybe get yourself an eagle putt or even a rare albatross? Lay up to your number and back your wedge game to ensure birdie? Time to find out what works best. In order to be eligible, a player must be a member of their respective Tour and play a minimum of 40 rounds throughout the season at selected tournaments. The scoring system throughout the season will be a player’s average score to par calculated to three decimal places. (Reminder: Only the player’s two best scores on that hole in a given tournament are used for his average).  The PGA TOUR fall series provided eight events for players to get their scoring underway but as yet of course no one has reached the 40-round minimum. Of those players with more than one tournament start in the fall, the top scorers are PGA TOUR Player of the Year Brooks Koepka and Kevin Chappell. Both have set themselves up to make a nice run once the season resumes. Koepka eagled the par-5 18th hole during THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES twice and birdied the par-4 16th twice at the World Golf Championships – HSBC Champions in his two fall starts. That cumulative 6-under average in four rounds played calculates to a -1.5 average. Chappell might be even more excited given he eagled the par-5 13th at the Mayakoba Golf Classic twice, had an eagle and a birdie at THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES and two birdies at the CIMB Classic’s par-4 16th. That’s a cumulative 9 under through six rounds for his -1.5 average. In 2019 the focus will first fall on the 305-yard par-4 14th at the Plantation Course in Kapalua during the Sentry Tournament of Champions – a short and drivable hole but one that plays uphill and is littered with bunkers and even a local house and garden down the right side. Last season it played to a 3.684 stroke average as players cranked up and went for it. Will the winds allow a similar strategy this season or will it be smarter to put a simple mid-iron in play and then go flag-hunting with a wedge? The 10th at Riviera always gives the players fits despite being just 315 yards. Last season there was one eagle, 87 birdies, 249 pars, 86 bogeys, 12 double bogeys and one other during the Genesis Open. Of the 436 times players teed it up over four rounds there were 317 attempts at going for the green. Will this continue in 2019 or will the fact it played to an over-par average (4.055) have players second-guessing their strategy? “I have done both, I’ve gone for it and laid up and I’ve been very unsuccessful both ways,â€� Tiger Woods famously said last season. “It’s a tossup, it really is.â€� And what of the picturesque finish to Pebble Beach? You’d assume most par 5s on TOUR get eaten up, but the 18th played to a stroke average of 5.017 last season – one of just seven par 5s on TOUR that played above par last season (out of a total of 163 par 5s). Do you dare take driver off the tee and risk hooking it into the ocean? Same could be said when thinking 3-wood as an approach option. At tournaments where more than one course is played, like at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the best one score from the specified course’s ARRC hole will count. That’s why Jason Gore is the current leader. His eagle at the par-5 15th during The RSM Classic gives him an average of -2.0 in his lone start in the fall. If a player withdraws from an event, their scores on the ARRC hole for that tournament will not be included in the year-to-date calculation — however players that MDF (made cut, didn’t finish) and play just three rounds for an event will still be included in the calculations. If there is a tie, then holes that have been played by both players will be compared based on their average score under par — and if there is still a tie, scores will be compared for the relevant holes in chronological order starting from the most recent. The winner for the PGA TOUR will be determined at the conclusion of the Wyndham Championship and the Aon Trophy will be presented during THE NORTHERN TRUST. The winner for the LPGA will be determined at the conclusion of the Blue Bay LPGA and the Aon Trophy will be presented during the CME Group Tour Championship. Below are the holes selected for the PGA TOUR schedule. 2019 Aon Risk Reward Challenge Schedule

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Ah, that new season smell. Gotta love it. It also indicates a fresh start in all full-season fantasy games. This includes PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO. In direct response to gamer experience and reaction, a new, simpler scoring system debuts at this week’s Safeway Open. Gone are most of the shot values and FedExCup bonus points. Instead, fantasy scoring largely will be determined by actual scoring with various bonuses applied. Every hole score is given a value. A par is worth 2 points, a birdie is 4 points, eagle is 6 points and albatrosses and condors are 8 points. Bogeys are worth zero, while double bogeys and worse subtract 1 point. Under-par rounds yield 1 point. Aggregate scores of 65 and lower are good for 3 points, while 60s and lower are worth 10. All field-low aggregate scores for each round net 10 points. Regardless of how many golfers may tie for low round, all golfers who sign for the second-lowest score in the same round are rewarded with 5 points. ShotLink will be used to award 5 points for hole-outs off the green from 100 yards and longer, 3 points for hole-outs off the green from inside 100 yards, 1 point for drives of 300 yards and longer that come to rest in the fairway, and 1 point for holed putts from 20 feet and longer. (To review every component of the game, read the Rules at FantasyGolf.PGATOUR.com.) Using Safeway’s two-time defending champion Brendan Steele as an example, if the new scoring system was in place last year, he would have totaled 212 fantasy points for the tournament. Comparing the extremes, his field-low-tying, 7-under 65 in the opening round would have been worth 71 points, while his third-round, even-par 72 scored at just 40. Steele’s hole-by-hole scores totaled 174 points, or roughly 82 percent of his overall. Seventeen of his drives qualified for the 1-point bonus, worth eight percent. Naturally, low scores with lots of circles on the scorecard will be of greatest value, but tournament finish won’t have as great of an impact. And while a good round will land from 55-60 points, which means that overall fantasy scoring will be lower and sustain competitive balance, absorbing zeroes will penalize just as they did in the previous iteration. Thus, the primary objective remains to have four golfers contributing in every round. The contenders will separate themselves from the also-rans in the long-term. Meanwhile, all of my weekly staples are ready for the season. The Qualifiers, Reshuffle, Medical Extensions and Rookie Ranking are current. Navigate to the FANTASY page or via the MENU at the top for each. You’ll also find my annual full-membership fantasy ranking that includes all kinds of important pieces of information to assist gamers and commissioners. This year’s guide includes 245 golfers. The printable Cheat Sheet will be ready on Wednesday. Finally, debuting on Twitter on Wednesday is a new fantasy show starring yours truly. We’re targeting 2:00 p.m. ET. In addition to answering gamers’ questions, assisting with lineup decisions and responding to anything else on your mind, I’ll be discussing a handful of topics that have my attention right now. The show will launch from Twitter.com/PGATOUR. PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO My roster for the Safeway Open (in alphabetical order): Patrick Cantlay Emiliano Grillo Adam Hadwin Ryan Moore Joaquin Niemann Brendan Steele You’ll find my starters in Expert Picks. Others to consider for each category (in alphabetical order): Scoring: Anders Albertson; Bronson Burgoon; Cameron Davis; Sungjae Im; Martin Laird; Phil Mickelson Driving: Bronson Burgoon; Cameron Davis; Martin Laird; Hunter Mahan; Patrick Rodgers; Harold Varner III Power Rankings Wild Card Chez Reavie … With a 4-for-4 record at Silverado that includes top 25s in the last three editions of the tournament, he presents as a no-brainer. However, uncharacteristically inconsistent form pervaded his second half of 2017-18, so there’s reason to second-guess his projection. Given the renewal of a season, his tee-to-green proficiency and his greenside touch when he’s misfiring on top of repeated success on this course, history here wins the argument. Draws Chris Kirk … Perfect for the new fantasy scoring in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO. He concluded 2017-18 with 12 consecutive cuts made and owns a 3-for-3 record at Silverado with a T8 in 2016. Bronson Burgoon … Sat T11 after three rounds at Silverado last year, but his backpedal of a 74 left him at T17. It was among a series of performances by recent Web.com Tour graduates who maintained a high level of execution in the season opener. It’s not out of the question to consider his return trip to fall into a similar vein as he opened his debut in the FedExCup Playoffs with a T11 at THE NORTHERN TRUST. It was his sixth top 20 of 2017-18. He finished the season at sixth in total driving, 54th in GIR and T17 in par-5 scoring. Brett Drewitt … If you’re keen on a flier in DFS, look no further than the Aussie. The one-time PGA TOUR member (2016-17) entered the open qualifier on a whim and co-medaled with a bogey-free 65 at Coyote Creek Golf Club in San José. He was in the area after dropping his parents off at the airport, who came to the U.S. for his wedding last week. The 27-year-old went 3-for-4 in the Web.com Tour Finals, so he’s warm. Fades Sangmoon Bae … The first winner at Silverado in 2014 didn’t return until last year due to his military obligation in South Korea. He missed the cut with two over-par scores. In his last start on the Web.com Tour, he won in Boise. It secured at worst a spot in the reshuffle this season, but he still has 10 starts on a Major Medical Extension to retain status in that category. No doubt his confidence has never been higher since returning to competition, but his recent connection with success is too much too soon for conservative gamers. Beau Hossler … Because the 23-year-old isn’t going to let us down most of the time, this is as relative as it likely will be rare. Despite logging a fantastic first season on the PGA TOUR in 2017-18 in which he missed only four cuts, Silverado wasn’t his cup of tea en route to a 74th-place finish in his debut. On paper, he offers several attractive angles, but he’s still learning which sites suit him best. It would be rushing to judgment to label him as streaky so soon in his career, but he closed out the season without a top 30 in his last five starts. Danny Willett … Making his debut at the Safeway Open, but the bigger news is that he’s renewed his PGA TOUR membership for 2018-19. The 2016 Masters champ had to sit out last season for failing to fulfill the membership minimum of 15 starts in 2016-17, but he’s sending the earliest message possible that it won’t be an issue again. He’s flashed some form in recent months, but he’s far from the world-beater we observed before he slipped on the green jacket. Injuries derailed his progress. Sam Burns … As he embarks on his PGA TOUR career officially, tiptoe into him at first. He was incredibly hot and cold during the Web.com Tour season and failed to factor in all of his last four starts. Now, that bodes well for the long-term because he’s already learned how to ride a wave, but it’s dangerous for weekly gamers. Returning to Competition Bud Cauley … Suffice it to say that this is a welcome surprise. When he had to shut it down due to multiple injuries suffered in a car crash four months ago, it was anyone’s guess as to when he’d be physically ready to compete again. He’s fully exempt for finishing inside the top 125 of the FedExCup, so he can play as often as he wants without worrying about status and long-range planning. Despite this good news and a T7 in last year’s Safeway, give him the opportunity shake off the rust and fall back into the routine. Luke Donald … Committed to the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland, it’ll be his first action since the RBC Heritage in April. He’s rested a sore back that first flared a year ago at this time. Equipped with 15 starts via a Major Medical Extension on the PGA TOUR, his restart in Europe gives us a free look at his form. He’s also expected to play in next week’s Sky Sport British Masters in England. Notable WDs None Power Rankings Recap – TOUR Championship Power Ranking  Golfer  Result 1  Justin Rose  T4 2  Justin Thomas  T7 3  Brooks Koepka  T26 4  Tony Finau  T15 5  Rory McIlroy  T7 6  Dustin Johnson  3rd 7  Bubba Watson  29th 8  Billy Horschel  2nd 9  Bryson DeChambeau  19th 10  Webb Simpson  T4 11  Francesco Molinari  T21 12  Tommy Fleetwood  T11 13  Rickie Fowler  T7 14  Hideki Matsuyama  T4 15  Xander Schauffele  T7 16  Jason Day  18th 17  Paul Casey  T11 18  Tiger Woods  Win 19  Phil Mickelson  30th 20  Kevin Na  25th 21  Gary Woodland  T11 22  Keegan Bradley  T26 23  Patrick Reed  28th 24  Cameron Smith  20th 25  Kyle Stanley  T15 26  Marc Leishman  T21 27  Aaron Wise  T15 28  Patrick Cantlay T21 29  Jon Rahm  T11 30  Patton Kizzire  T21 Power Rankings Recap – FedExCup Playoffs Power Ranking  Golfer  Result 1  Justin Thomas  7th 2  Justin Rose  1st 3  Jason Day  16th 4  Tiger Woods  2nd 5  Jon Rahm  23rd 6  Dustin Johnson  4th 7  Jordan Spieth  31st 8  Tommy Fleetwood  19th 9  Patrick Reed  22nd 10  Webb Simpson  11th 11  Brandt Snedeker  40th 12  Paul Casey  25th 13  Tony Finau  6th 14  Brooks Koepka  9th 15  Patrick Cantlay  20th 16  Francesco Molinari  T17 17  Xander Schauffele  15th 18  Rory McIlroy  T13 19  Gary Woodland  26th 20  Kyle Stanley  27th 21  Kevin Kisner  47th 22  Marc Leishman  29th 23  Beau Hossler  46th 24  Phil Mickelson  21st 25  Bryson DeChambeau  3rd 26  Bubba Watson  10th 27  Kevin Na  28th 28  Rafa Cabrera Bello  41st 29  Austin Cook  38th 30  Chesson Hadley  44th Birthdays among active golfers on the PGA TOUR October 2 … George McNeill (43); Zack Sucher (32) October 3 … Danny Willett (31) October 4 … none October 5 … Kelly Kraft (30) October 6 … none October 7 … none October 8 … none

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