Collin Morikawa and Patrick Cantlay set for Sunday showdown at the Memorial

It’s hard not to chuckle while contemplating the absence of an offseason, but we’ll rest over the holidays. Just like the 144 golfers at Silverado, it’s time for us to get back to work. The Safeway Open is the first of eight tournaments in the fall portion of the 2017-18 season. All but the Sanderson Farms Championship will contribute to your progress in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO, but only the Safeway and the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open feature full fantasy scoring. The other five will measure only actual scoring for each round before rewarding one-half FedExCup points earned. Because there are only seven tournaments in Segment 1 and gamers are still allowed up to three starts per golfer per Segment, it’s unlikely that the strategies in non-ShotLink events will come into play much. Meanwhile, the game will now award bonuses based on FedExCup points at the conclusion of Playoffs, if applicable. This will parallel how points are collected in the One & Done game, which also renews for the Safeway Open. The Roster game awarded prizes for the winners and runners-up of each of the four Segments as well as the entire season. The top three in the season-long chase in the One & Done will collect. See both platforms at FantasyGolf.PGATOUR.com for details. Beginning with this week’s FI, I’m evolving Draws and Fades to cover more golfers in specified formats sans extended commentary and analysis. These cheaters should assist in case you’re looking for quick yeas and nays from me. If you’ve somehow missed it, Qualifiers, Medical Extensions, Reshuffle and Rookie Ranking are live on the site. So is my annual full-membership fantasy ranking. If you haven’t already, bookmark PGATOUR.com/Fantasy or navigate the MENU at the top of most pages. It’s awesome to be back with you for another season on the PGA TOUR. Never hesitate to reach out to me via discussion threads, Twitter (public or private) or email. PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO My roster for the Safeway Open (in alphabetical order): Bud Cauley Tony Finau Jamie Lovemark Kevin Na Sam Saunders Brendan Steele You’ll find my starters in Expert Picks. Others to consider for each category (in alphabetical order): Scoring: Brandon Hagy; Smylie Kaufman; Luke List; Phil Mickelson; Grayson Murray; Ollie Schniederjans Driving: Lucas Glover; Martin Laird; Ryan Moore; Chez Reavie; Harold Varner III; Richy Werenski Approach: Chad Campbell; Lucas Glover; Zach Johnson; Ryan Moore; Chez Reavie; Ollie Schniederjans; Webb Simpson; Vaughn Taylor; Richy Werenski Short: Scott Brown; Mackenzie Hughes; Zach Johnson; Phil Mickelson; Chez Reavie Power Rankings Wild Card Peter Uihlein … Here we go. He enters his rookie season on the PGA TOUR at the age of 28. It was a long time coming what with his promise and pedigree. While expectations will likely exceed his results unless he wins, if he hangs up four top 10s and finishes inside the top 70 of the FedExCup standings, consider it a successful foray. Just give him a start or two before diving in on a weekly basis. His win in the first leg of the Web.com Tour Finals is his only top 25 anywhere in his last six starts. Draws Matt Atkins (DFS) Scott Brown (DFS) Chad Campbell (SERVPRO) Lucas Glover (all) Brandon Hagy (all) Smylie Kaufman (DFS) Luke List (DFS) Grayson Murray (DFS) Vaughn Taylor (DFS) Harold Varner III (all) Richy Werenski (DFS) Fades Sangmoon Bae Jonas Blixt Graham DeLaet Cody Gribble Emiliano Grillo David Hearn Beau Hossler Sung Kang Chris Kirk Patton Kizzire Colt Knost … After nearly eight months off, finished 70th in his only start of the Web.com Tour Finals. Equipped with a Major Medical Extension, so give him time to shed the rust. Maverick McNealy … Making his pro debut. Set with a series of sponsor exemptions. Respect the learning curve. Patrick Rodgers Kevin Streelman Chris Stroud Aaron Wise Returning to Competition Scott Piercy … Sat out the Playoffs with a sore shoulder and hasn’t played since the Travelers in late June. Should be feeling good at Silverado, though. He opened last year’s T3 with a course-record 62. Plant him as a sporty option in DFS. Fabián Gómez … Hasn’t competed since the Quicken Loans National during which he withdrew after one round. An explanation was never released. It’s just as well, though, as he enters 2017-18 as a salary bargain at $332K. He’s fully exempt by virtue of his win at the 2016 Sony Open in Hawaii. Fits nicely at Silverado, too, with a T17 in 2015 and a T26 last year. Expect a little rust, but he’s a sensible contrarian in DFS. Kelly Kraft … A mid-round withdrawal due to a foot injury in the opener of the Dell Technologies Championship ended his Playoffs. He concluded the season without a top-55 finish in five starts after a T5 at Greenbrier. That’s been his M.O., however. It can be fruitful in reality, but it’s a dangerous angle for fantasy gamers. With an 0-for-2 slate at Silverado on top of the concern, he’s an easy no-play. Ernie Els … Scheduled to compete in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. It’ll be his first action since withdrawing during the Wyndham Championship with a sore rib. The Big Easy is burning a top-25 career earnings exemption on the PGA TOUR this season. He’ll celebrate his 48th birthday on Oct. 17. Power Rankings Recap – TOUR Championship Power Ranking  Golfer  Result 1  Jordan Spieth  T7 2  Justin Rose  T10 3  Dustin Johnson  T17 4  Rickie Fowler  T26 5  Marc Leishman  T24 6  Justin Thomas  2nd 7  Paul Casey  5th 8  Jason Day  T17 9  Jon Rahm  T7 10  Kevin Chappell  T28 11  Webb Simpson  T13 12  Brooks Koepka  6th 13  Matt Kuchar  T10 14  Sergio Garcia  T10 15  Patrick Cantlay  T20 16  Gary Woodland  19th 17  Pat Perez  16th 18  Hideki Matsuyama  T26 19  Jason Dufner  T20 20  Daniel Berger  15th 21  Xander Schauffele  Win 22  Adam Hadwin  23rd 23  Tony Finau  T7 24  Brian Harman  T24 25  Charley Hoffman  T28 26  Patrick Reed  T13 27  Russell Henley  T3 28  Kevin Kisner  T3 29  Kyle Stanley  T20 30  Jhonattan Vegas  30th Power Rankings Recap – FedExCup Playoffs Power Ranking  Golfer  Result 1  Jordan Spieth  2nd 2  Hideki Matsuyama  8th 3  Rickie Fowler  7th 4  Dustin Johnson  4th 5  Brooks Koepka  10th 6  Henrik Stenson  32nd 7  Rory McIlroy  58th 8  Daniel Berger  16th 9  Justin Thomas  1st 10  Paul Casey  11th 11  Matt Kuchar  14th 12  Patrick Reed  22nd 13  Francesco Molinari  37th 14  Kevin Chappell  27th 15  Charley Hoffman  20th 16  Marc Leishman  6th 17  Jason Dufner  30th 18  Brian Harman  25th 19  Jason Day  18th 20  Jon Rahm  5th 21  Tony Finau  19th 22  Kevin Kisner  12th 23  Zach Johnson  48th 24  Russell Henley  13th 25  Brendan Steele  33rd 26  Kyle Stanley  24th 27  Adam Hadwin  26th 28  Pat Perez  15th 29  Louis Oosthuizen  31st 30  Patrick Cantlay  29th Birthdays among active golfers on the PGA TOUR October 3 … none October 4 … none October 5 … Kelly Kraft (29) October 6 … none October 7 … none October 8 … none October 9 … none

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When Tiger Woods alters his lineup, it’s huge news in the equipment world. While he didn’t necessarily make any golf club “changes” heading into this week’s PNC Championship, he did make a number of interesting and impactful equipment “tweaks.” Even his small switch-ups are notable and can offer insight into changes in Woods’ game overall. Since our last on-site analysis of Woods’ equipment at the PGA Championship at Southern Hills, it appears he’s made slight adjustments to his driver and 3-wood, added weight to his putter head and changed his longtime putter grip. He also made a change to the one piece of equipment that he uses on every single shot. We break down each of the tweaks below. Tiger’s driver settings At this year’s PGA Championship, the 15-gram adjustable sole weight on Woods’ TaylorMade Stealth Plus 9-degree driver was placed slightly toward the draw side of the neutral setting. By placing the weight in that position, the center of gravity (CG) made the head slightly draw-biased. This week, he’s using a lighter 10-gram weight, and it’s now in the neutral position. All else equal, the driver head would be slightly lighter and comparatively less draw biased. Not all things are exactly equal, however, because Woods also switched up his hosel settings. Referencing TaylorMade’s Stealth hosel setting chart, it seems the driver now has a 58.75-degree lie angle, instead of the previous 57.25 degree lie angle. In both settings, the hosel setting creates a 3-degree open face angle compared to standard, and -1.5 degrees of loft. In general, a more upright lie angle means the driver head will release more easily through impact. Woods’ driver now has a lighter sole weight, a more neutral sole weight, and a more upright lie angle. Tiger’s 3-wood setting As with his driver, Woods also changed hosel settings in his TaylorMade SIM Titanium 15-degree 3-wood. Referencing TaylorMade’s SIM setting chart, it appears that Woods’ 3-wood is now set to be 1.5 degrees open, has -0.75 degrees of loft, and has a 59.5-degree lie angle. Previously, it was set to be 3 degrees open, had -1.5 degrees of loft, and a 58.75-degree lie angle. Since Woods is still using the same Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 70TX shaft, and there are no apparent changes to the weight of the head, his 3-wood should now have slightly more spin and launch, with a draw-bias due to the upright lie angle. Tiger’s putter (and grip) changes Throughout nearly his entire career, Woods has used a Scotty Cameron Newport 2 GSS prototype putter with a Ping PP58 putter grip, which has a notably thin and light construction. He’s had very brief stints with other putter grips, but it’s the PP58 that’s nearly always had the starting spot. Woods is using the same putter head this week, but he has switched into what looks to be a Scotty Cameron Pistolini Plus grip that has a heavier 77–80-gram weight, according to Scotty Cameron. His previous Ping PP58 grip, as the name implies, weighs in at just 58 grams. Woods’ new Scotty Cameron grip also appears to show that the usual white lettering on the grip has been darkened, possibly with a marker or otherwise. Also, as we’ve seen Woods do amidst slower greens and windy conditions at The Open Championship, he’s added a few strips of lead tape to the back of his putter head. The lead tape will add just a few grams of weight, but it can make an impactful change to the feel and performance of the putter. Based on the wear mark on the center of his putter face, Woods hasn’t missed the center very often throughout the years, so if he’s making tweaks to the setup, it’s likely for a significant purpose. Tiger’s golf ball change For years, Woods has been using a Bridgestone Tour B XS TW Edition golf ball, which he co-designed with Bridgestone to achieve increased spin on approach shots and a soft feel. This week, Woods is using a Bridgestone Tour B X model, which has a relatively lower-spinning design. This should allow Woods to pick up more distance on longer shots, while making a small sacrifice to workability and stopping power.

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TPC Sugarloaf, along with the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation (PBTF), hosted the sixth annual “Mason’s Twenty-Fore Straight” 24-hour golf marathon this past June, raising an unparalleled $205,000 in 2021, shattering the previous record of $137,000. With nearly $750,000 in total raised since the inaugural event, proceeds benefit the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation and Sydney’s Incredible Defeat of Ewing’s Sarcoma (SIDES), raising awareness and funds in the fight against pediatric cancer. In honor of Mason Glassgold, who just days before his 11th birthday lost a courageous, three-year fight against a cancerous brain tumor, “Mason’s Twenty-Fore Straight” marathon was created by family friend, TPC Sugarloaf’s General Manager, Mike Maloney, along with Mason’s stepfather Matt Wilson – to honor him and support the many other brave children battling the disease. “This 24-hour golf marathon has had participants travel from near and far to help us in this fight,” said Maloney. “Obviously, this much golf can be grueling, , but it is the least we can do to honor these little warriors who deal with so much pain and show so much courage each day in their battle against this terrible disease.” The event aligns deeply with the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation’s robust “care, cure, thrive” commitment, helping families of kids with brain cancer navigate the disease’s challenging course, while funding science to treat pediatric brain tumors. During the marathon, two players on each team must remain on the course for the entire 24-hours – playing through back pain, headaches and tired feet, experiencing just a small amount of pain and exhaustion a child going through treatment for cancer can feel. “The partnership with TPC Sugarloaf for the Mason’s Twenty-Fore Straight event goes beyond just raising money,” says The Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation, President and CEO, Courtney Davies. “It encompasses the full mission of the PBTF, as they care for children with brain tumors attending the event and provide unique opportunities for survivors on the golf course. Their passion to make an impact in this disease space is inspiring, and the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation is grateful to be a part of this event.” To learn more about the event, visit Mason’s Twenty-Fore Straight. For more information on TPC Sugarloaf, please visit www.tpc.com/sugarloaf.

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