Collin Morikawa, Jon Rahm headline the Round of 16 at WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play

OVERVIEW Potential New Year’s resolutions for Patrick Cantlay: Find a way to beat Bryson DeChambeau, and find a way to make it to the 2019 Presidents Cup in Melbourne, Australia, where Cantlay would play for the U.S. in a major international team competition for the first time as a pro. The only surprise is that it hasn’t happened yet. His 60 at the 2011 Travelers Championship promised stardom, his career was nearly derailed by a back injury, and now he’s returned to the upper echelon in style. Cantlay finished a sporty runner-up to DeChambeau in his first PGA TOUR title defense at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in November. If the faces looked familiar in Las Vegas, they should have. Five months earlier, Cantlay led going into the back nine of the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide  but suffered a late bogey to finish fourth. DeChambeau won in a playoff over Byeong Hun An and Kyle Stanley. When you list the top 20-somethings on TOUR, it’s easy to forget about the quiet Cantlay, 26. DeChambeau is quirkier and has more wins than Cantlay, as do Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas and Xander Schauffele. But Cantlay belongs in the conversation. He made 21 cuts in 23 starts last season, reached the TOUR Championship for the second straight year, and was 20th in the FedExCup. After playing a reduced schedule in 2017, Cantlay is a regular threat to win and a relatively new resident of North Palm Beach, Florida, where during off-weeks you can find him at The Bear’s Club playing with peers like Thomas — good company to keep. – By Cameron Morfit Click here to see who else made the Top 30 list. BY THE NUMBERS FEDEXCUP UPDATE Current 2018-19 position: 10th Playoff appearances: 2 TOUR Championship appearances: 2 Best FedExCup result: 20th in 2018. SHOTLINK FUN FACT Patrick Cantlay has played his last eight consecutive second rounds in the 60s for a combined 31 under — best second-round stretch of any player on the PGA TOUR since the 2018 PGA Championship. INSIDER INSIGHTS PGATOUR.COM’s Insiders offer their expert views on what to expect from Patrick Cantlay in 2019. TOUR INSIDER: Cantlay is a supreme ball-striker who was 9th in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green last season. Alas, he lost strokes to the field on the greens, finishing 153rd in Strokes Gained: Putting. Perhaps not coincidentally, he missed the cut at the Masters, one of his worst results of a season that saw him notch 15 top-25 finishes. Strong title defense at Shriners in November, when he bogeyed the 17 but birdied 16, 18 to make the winner earn it. – By Cameron Morfit FANTASY INSIDER: He lands in the same spot as last year’s Top 30, and that’s just fine for us. In fact, it’s the perfect representation for his consistency and reliability. Since returning to the PGA TOUR (just 22 months ago), he’s gone 37-for-39 with 13 top 10s and another 13 top 25s. His health and personal experiences outside the ropes have framed a perspective that introduced a fearlessness and calm to what was already a gifted skill set. As a result, the 26-year-old presents the fascinating blend of grinder and scorer. The next time I fade him might be the first, if it even happens. — By Rob Bolton EQUIPMENT INSIDER: Ask any equipment fan about Cantlay, and they’ll probably bring up his custom putter. It’s a Scotty Cameron GSS prototype with dancing four-leaf clovers and “Putter Studioâ€� stamped into the back cavity, and his initials on the back bumper. He did switch into a Cameron Concept putter in 2018, but he’s currently back into his familiar Irish-stamped studio blade as of the Shriners Open. Cantlay is also relatively stubborn when switching into new equipment at the top-end of his bag. While he made the change into new 718 AP2 irons, he’s still gaming a Titleist 917D2 driver, a 915F fairway wood, an 816H2 hybrid, and Titleist SM5/SM6 wedges. It will be interesting to keep an eye on any equipment changes Cantlay makes in 2019. — By Andrew Tursky STYLE INSIDER: If you think all the young guns on TOUR favor super sporty looks, guess again. Cantlay is part of a group of rising stars that still has time for classic kits. There is nothing fancy about Cantlay’s style, but he has a knack for cranking out simple and solid outfits round after round. He is in his comfort zone while wearing a neutral palette of black and grey, occasionally splashing a pop of color. — By Greg Monteforte

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ATLANTA — Each of the top five players in the FedExCup standings is guaranteed to win the FedExCup with a victory at this week’s TOUR Championship. In addition, there are certain scenarios for winning the FedExCup should someone outside the top five win the tournament. TOUR Championship co-leaders Tiger Woods and Rickie Fowler are Nos. 2 and 3 in the projected FedExCup standings. (Both players are currently credited with the 2,000 points that come with a victory). Here’s a look at how each top-5 player fared during Thursday’s first round at East Lake.  1. Bryson DeChambeau, 71, T21 (projected 4th in FedExCup): It was a tale of two nines for the FedExCup leader, and it resulted in his highest round of the Playoffs. DeChambeau made two double-bogeys en route to a 39 on the front nine, then came in with a bogey-free 32. “The rough is brutal out there. I’ve never encountered something that thick,â€� said DeChambeau, who hit just six fairways Thursday. 2. Justin Rose, 66, T3 (projected 1st): The Englishman continued his strong play at East Lake, where he twice has been runner-up. The 66 matched his lowest opening round in the TOUR Championship. He also started with a 66 en route to a second-place finish in 2012. “I think I played fantastically, if I’m honest. I drove the ball unbelievably well today, which obviously sets up the opportunity to score well,â€� Rose said. “With a couple of holes to play, I was a little frustrated I hadn’t gotten more out of my round. I felt like it was a day that I could have gone low.â€� He only missed two fairways and one green Thursday to lead the field in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green. 3. Tony Finau, 67, T5 (projected 5th): Finau, who is playing in his second TOUR Championship, has broken par in four of five rounds at East Lake. He was 1 over par after bogeys at 4 and 5, but was bogey-free the rest of the way. He made birdies on Nos. 6, 7, 9 and 17. “It was important to birdie a couple coming back,â€� Finau said. “This golf course is playing tough. It’s fast. The rough is thick. So you’ve got to hit fairways to score. I was able to do that today.â€� 4. Dustin Johnson, 69, T12 (projected 7th): Johnson got under par for the first time with an eagle at the final hole. Woods was the only other player to make a 3 on 18. Johnson was 3 over par at the turn but played his final four holes in 4 under. He birdied 15 and 16 before his eagle. “I definitely was struggling a little bit, but I didn’t feel like I was playing bad,â€� Johnson said. “I just missed some short putts and then hit a couple bad drives that cost me the three shots. … I knew if I could get it back to even that I’m not out of the golf tournament by any means, especially not around here.â€� 5. Justin Thomas, 67, T5 (projected 6th): The reigning FedExCup champ is off to another strong start at East Lake. Thomas, who has finished second and sixth in his previous two TOUR Championships, stared with a sub-par round for the third consecutive year. He bogeyed the first two holes, then shot 31 on the back nine with birdies on Nos. 10-12 and 15. “I hung in there well,â€� said Thomas, who hit 15 greens Thursday. “I felt like I could have shot 7 or 8 under on that back nine. I really had it going and had good control out there.” Here’s a look at the top 5 in the projected standings:  1. Justin Rose (2nd in FedExCup), 2,450 projected points 2. Tiger Woods (20th in FedExCup), 2,219 projected points 3. Rickie Fowler (23rd in FedExCup, 2,182 projected points 4. Bryson DeChambeau (1st in FedExCup), 2,160 projected points 5. Tony Finau, (3rd in projected points), 1,920 projected points 

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The PGA Tour’s Dylan Frittelli says it was hard not to feel like an outcast Thursday but said playing despite a positive coronavirus test was still fun.

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