Can Mickelson keep Cup streak alive?

The 2018-19 PGA TOUR season begins this week with the Safeway Open in Napa, California. It’s the first of 43 regular season events, to be followed by the reformatted three-event FedExCup Playoffs next August. The Golf Channel will provide live coverage for all four rounds, with the first two rounds starting at 5:30 p.m. ET (2:30 p.m. local time) on Thursday and Friday. PGA TOUR Radio will air live coverage starting at 3 p.m. ET for each of the first two rounds, and 4 p.m. ET on the weekends. Here’s a look at the Featured Groups for the first two rounds (last season’s final FedExCup ranking in parentheses): Jason Dufner (100) – One of 23 players to have qualified for the FedExCup Playoffs in 11 or more seasons. Hudson Swafford (156) – Missed the FedExCup Playoffs but had a strong finish to the regular season with two top-15 finishes in his last three starts. Wesley Bryan (163) – Ranked second on the PGA TOUR last season in putts per round with a 27.36 average. Tee times: Rd. 1 (3:20 p.m. ET); Rd. 2 (10:40 a.m. ET) Phil Mickelson (21) – California native has collected 11 of his 43 career PGA TOUR wins in his native state. Brendan Steele (56) – Two-time defending champ looking to become first player since Steve Stricker (2009-11 John Deere Classic) to win the same event three consecutive years. Sangmoon Bae (202) – The 2014 Safeway Open champ regained his PGA TOUR card with a victory in the 2018 Web.com Tour Finals. Tee times: Rd. 1 (3:30 p.m. ET); Rd. 2 (10:50 a.m. ET) Andrew Landry (37) – Led the Safeway Open field last season in Strokes Gained: Putting while finishing T-7. Michael Kim (81) – Won his first PGA TOUR event last season at the John Deere Classic by making 30 birdies – highest total at any TOUR event since 2016. Jhonattan Vegas (95) – Had the sixth highest clubhead speed on the PGA TOUR last season at 121.87 mph. Tee times: Rd. 1 (10:40 a.m. ET); Rd. 2 (3:20 p.m. ET) Patrick Cantlay (20) – One of five players with an active cuts made streak of 10 or more events. Brandt Snedeker (40) – One of 10 players who has qualified for the FedExCup Playoffs every year. Fred Couples (230) – Making his first start in this event since 2009 when he finished T-66. Tee times: Rd. 1 (10:50 a.m. ET); Rd. 2 (3:30 p.m. ET)

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SAN DIEGO –  This year, the Rules of Golf, not his surgically-repaired back, are the biggest source of uncertainty for Tiger Woods. That shows how far he’s come in the past 12 months. When he arrived at last year’s Farmers Insurance Open, he didn’t know if he’d make it to the Florida Swing. He wasn’t accustomed to hitting out of the thick rough found at PGA TOUR tournaments. Woods isn’t one for moral victories, but he was proud of his 23rd-place finish here last year. Yes, it was four months ago, but Woods is coming off a win in his previous official start. “I know what I can do, I know what I’m feeling, so now it’s about finishing a little bit better and winning some events this year,â€� he said. Woods described the new knee-high drops as “really weird.â€� He hopes, of course, that he won’t have to make many of them. And, like most players, he will leave the flagstick in the hole in select situations. “It might be more advantageous when we get on faster greens, a little bit more slope, i.e., Augusta, (to) have that sense of security on a 3-, 4-footer down the hill. You can just take a cut at it,â€� Woods said. “But here the greens are going to be a little bit bouncy, a little bit bumpy, so who knows.â€� Not that he’s had any problem with the poa annua greens on the California coast. Torrey Pines has played an outsized role in his career. Ten percent of his 80 PGA TOUR wins have come at the course. He was undefeated here over a four-year span from 2005-08, winning this tournament four times, as well as the U.S. Open. He’s 170 under par in 17 starts at the Farmers Insurance Open. He’s won trophies at Torrey Pines since his junior days and attended his first PGA TOUR event here. Woods will tackle the South Course first, teeing off at 10:40 a.m. off No. 1. He’s paired with FedExCup leader Xander Schauffele and Tony Finau. It’s the first time Woods has played with either player. They know what to expect, though. “It’s going to be a little bit bigger of a zoo than I’m used to, but I … just sort of block it all out,â€� Schauffele said. “I’ve already prepped with my caddie when Tiger taps in, people will be running around just to get as close to him on the next tee shot.â€� A win here would pull Woods within one of Sam Snead on the all-time wins list. “It’s cool to see him back,â€� said defending champion Jason Day. “It’s just interesting to see how he’ll go this year because obviously last year you’re just trying to build and build and build. … Is he going to come back out and start saying that he’s competing and playing and, ‘I’m going to win every week,’ because that’s kind of the old Tiger that I knew.â€� As expected, Woods used the offseason to get stronger. He was worn out at the end of last season, after his success caused his schedule to quickly fill up with big events. “My legs are where they need to be, which they weren’t at the end of the season,â€� he said. He also reflected on his win at the TOUR Championship. He said the replay “gives me chills almost every time I see it.â€� Because it came at the end of the season, Woods was able to reflect on this victory more than any other in his professional career. “I got a chance to be around my friends and my family, to hear some of the stories of how nervous they were and how emotional they were,â€� he said. “That was touching to me because I didn’t really expect that because I’m inside the ropes. I know what it took for me, but I didn’t know it would have affected anyone else like that.â€� His pursuit of another PGA TOUR title resumes this week on familiar territory.

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Erin, Wis. – The United States Golf Association has implemented several changes to procedures to ensure another rules fiasco does not affect this week’s U.S. Open at Erin Hills. A year after eventual champion Dustin Johnson was embroiled in a final round rules drama the governing body has acted decisively. Johnson was initially cleared of causing his ball to move on the green early in his final round at Oakmont last year before being told the issue would come under further review and a penalty was likely. As such he played the final holes unsure of exactly how big his lead was but ultimately prevailed by three shots (a one-shot penalty was enforced post-round) to claim his first major championship. The uncertainty and resulting uproar prompted several changes. “After last year’s U.S. Open we made the commitment to review all of our championships and rules and related protocols and procedures and we’ve done that,â€� Senior Managing Director of Championships & Governance John Bodenhamer said. “Our focus over those months has primarily been three things. To expedite our ruling process to ensure that we’re more timely in our rulings. To be decisive in our decision making. And to more effectively communicate to the players and to all.â€� Steps to make it happen include:     • The ability to immediately mobilize their five person rules committee who will now be in close communication with each other at all times.     • The identification of Thomas Pagel, the senior director of rules, as the “white hat refereeâ€� who can make instantaneous decisions that will be deemed final.     • The enhanced use of technology with four on course video review locations and tablets in the hands of the committee to get quick access to vision if needed.     • The removal of walking rules officials for the first time since 1991, instead moving to static model whereby two officials will be stationed at each hole, giving them every opportunity to be ready for all possible occurrences in their jurisdiction.     • The adoption of the local rule introduced to golf back in December whereby a ball or ball marker that’s accidentally moved on a putting green can be replaced without penalty.     • And the adoption of the new decision from April that says the naked eye and reasonable judgment standards will be leaned on when it comes to reviewing issues. “These and other steps that we’ve implemented we think will allow us to really expedite our rule-making process and be decisive in our communications, which were two things that perhaps we fell a little bit short last year,â€� Bodenhamer continued. “But we’re committed this year to expedite it and we’re excited about it. Our main goal is for this week to be about the players and their journey to the final round. They’re the story of this championship. As such, we are very much looking forward to an exciting and great 117th U.S. Open”

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