Colonial is a perfect fit for Spieth

GUYANCOURT, France – Tiger Woods has been paired with Patrick Reed in the opening Four-Ball session of the Ryder Cup, breaking up the equal best team in American Ryder Cup history. Coming off his win at the TOUR Championship, Woods joins Masters champion Reed – nicknamed Captain America for his heroics in his first two Ryder Cups – in the anchor slot of the morning session. They will play against Open Champion Francesco Molinari and Tommy Fleetwood. Reed had previously been part of an ominous duo with Jordan Spieth who combined for a 4-1-2 over the 2014 and 2016 Ryder Cups in team play and with their five total points sit tied with Arnold Palmer and Gardner Dickinson as the greatest teams in USA Ryder Cup history. The pair have also combined to be 4-0-1 in Presidents Cup team play. “With Tiger and Patrick and Jordan and J.T. we kind of looked at our options,â€� American captain Jim Furyk said. “We had one very good pairing. I think we came out of it with two very good pairings. The idea was to double up and try to get two. “Patrick’s a guy that really enjoys that moment and enjoys that big stage, and Tiger’s the one that brings it. We thought it would be a good pair.â€� Furyk pointed to the chemistry between Woods and Reed, even at the last Ryder Cup where Woods played the role of vice-captain while injured, as a major factor. “It’s going to be fun for both of us. We’ve been looking forward to teaming up and doing something like this together,â€� Woods said. “We finally have our opportunity to go against two great competitors. One is The Open Champion, and Tommy’s played obviously extremely well and very consistently all year.â€� Furyk didn’t rule out the Spieth Reed team getting back together over the three days with confirmation they remain part of a four-man pod with Justin Thomas and Woods. Thomas and Spieth will play together against Paul Casey and Tyrrell Hatton. Reed clearly had no problem getting a new partner. “Any time you get to tee it up with Big Cat, it’s always fun,â€� Reed said. “It’s going to be energetic. We look to anchor the team tomorrow morning and get going and hopefully start things off right.â€� BJORN PUTS EARLY FAITH IN ROOKIES European captain Thomas Bjorn raised some eyebrows with his morning Four-Ball selections, sending four of his five rookies out into the cauldron in France. Along with Fleetwood, Jon Rahm will join Justin Rose in the opening match against Brooks Koepka and Tony Finau; Thorbjorn Olesen teams up with Rory McIlroy against Dustin Johnson and Rickie Fowler and Tyrrell Hatton joins Paul Casey to take on Spieth and Justin Thomas. “They have been just itching to go, especially Thorbjørn and Jon and Tyrrell, they are just really desperate to get out on that golf course. I wanted to get them out there,â€� Bjorn said. Rahm has the added pressure and privilege of being in the opening match. “Jon wants to be out there. He wants to have a responsibility,â€� Bjorn added. “It’s not every rookie in the world, you take and put them on the first tee in the first match of The Ryder Cup, but this one is pretty special.â€� Bjorn drew from personal experience. He was asked to sit out the entire first day of his Ryder Cup debut in 1997 and remembered how difficult that was. “You work so hard for so long to get in the team, and you want to be out on that golf course, and that’s how you are as a player,â€� Bjorn said. “When you look at this group of guys that’s come into this team they are really hard competitors, and I believe in them so much. And I wanted to give them that responsibility of standing up and go out there and enjoy it. “I just don’t think there’s any weaknesses on this team, and that kind of makes me really happy, but it also makes the decisions very difficult.â€� VETERANS SIT ON BOTH SIDES A combined 33 Ryder Cups and 133 matches of experience will be riding the pine in the morning Four-Ball session in Paris. American Phil Mickelson will start his 12th Ryder Cup from the bench, forced to wait till at least the afternoon Foursomes to notch up his 46th match. The 48-year-old currently sits just one match behind Sir Nick Faldo for all-time most in the Ryder Cup. “Phil is 100 per cent on board. We had a great talk,â€� USA captain Jim Furyk said of the decision. “We’ve played a lot of these team events together. It’s special for him to have the opportunity at 48 years old. He wants whatever is best for the team.â€� Joining him on the American team to sit out are Webb Simpson and Bubba Watson, who have played two and three previous Ryder Cups respectively and rookie Bryson DeChambeau. DeChambeau and Mickelson are expected to pair up in Foursomes in the afternoon as are Simpson and Watson – who went undefeated as a team in the 2011 Presidents Cup. The European side surprised plenty by sitting veterans Henrik Stenson, Ian Poulter and Sergio Garcia. Rookie Alex Noren, who won the French Open at this venue earlier this year, will also sit out the morning. “They are all difficult to leave out, especially guys that have played in so many. I’m quite sure that you’ll see them on the golf course at some stage before Sunday,â€� European captain Thomas Bjorn said. “It’s the worst part of being Ryder Cup Captain; it’s the picks, and it is leaving guys out for the matches, but that’s what makes this event so great. “We don’t go into a room and just draw names out of a hat. I sit with five extremely experienced vice captains, and we have a conversation. I make the decisions in the end, but, we don’t just come up with it for fun. We go with what we see and what we feel and what we think is right for this team.â€�

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Patton Kizzire (+240 for a Top 20) … A field-low 65 in last year’s finale lifted him 30 places to T9 in what was his debut at TPC San Antonio. It’s a result that’s better than most alternatives, obviously, but it was an outcome of a well-placed punctuation mark. The message is that he has that kind of firepower, and now he returns on a mildly sizzling stretch of seven paydays in eight starts in 2022, three of which going for a top 25. So, it’d be surprising if he couldn’t keep the rally rolling on a track with the best of recent memories. Russell Knox (+225 for a Top 20) … One of the sexiest selections at THE PLAYERS delivered on the hype with a T6 in that home game. The 36-year-old isn’t as streaky as he can ride a wave for an extended period of time, and that’s precisely how he’s gliding along right now. Since the Sony Open in Hawaii, he’s 7-for-8 with a pair of top 10s. The Scot has proven to be emboldened by windy conditions. Currently second on TOUR in greens hit, 10th in proximity, 16th in Strokes Gained: Approach-the-Green and 21st in SG: Tee-to-Green. Branden Grace (+400 for a Top 20) … Despite him arriving on a 4-for-9 skid dating back five months, slotted 156th in the FedExCup and TPC San Antonio challenging as a par 72, he’s been quite comfortable in these climes and on this track. Since his debut in 2014, he’s perfect in five starts with a pair of top 10s and a T23 last year when he finished T5 in par-5 scoring. Players of his caliber always figure it out. Just like anyone, they have their favorite haunts. The Oaks Course lines up accordingly for the 33-year-old from South Africa. Greyson Sigg (+450 for a Top 20) … Only Sahith Theegala (12) has more cuts made among PGA TOUR rookies than his 11 (in 15 starts). Sigg has risen for three top 25s, but he’s yet to connect for a top 20, so he’s floating just above the waterline at 116th in the FedExCup at the midpoint of the season. Debuted at TPC San Antonio last year with a T59 thanks to the top-10 exemption secured at Corales (T9) the week prior. As he puts the grin in grind, compromise with a make-the-cut prop. Aaron Baddeley (+1200 for a Top 20) … Of course he’d rather have made the cut at Corales instead of getting snipped on the number, but that early exit affording more time to travel and prep for Monday’s open qualifier for the Valero Texas Open … where he emerged as the medalist with a 66-under 66 at Club at Comanche Trace in Kerrville, Texas. The 41-year-old Aussie is no stranger to this tournament and success in it. He’s 8-for-8 with a pair of top fives and another three top 20s. Odds were sourced on Tuesday, March 29, 2022. For live odds, visit BetMGM.

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TRUCKEE, Calif. — Emiliano Grillo had an early eagle in a 17-point round in smoky conditions Friday to take the second-round lead in the Barracuda Championship, the only PGA TOUR event that uses the modified Stableford scoring system. RELATED: Full leaderboard | Harris English maintains lead after 36 holes at WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational Players receive eight points for an albatross, five for eagle, two for birdie and zero for par. A point is subtracted for a bogey, and three points are taken away for a double bogey or worse. Grillo, the 28-year-old Argentine player who won the 2016 Frys.com Open for his lone PGA TOUR title, had a 29-point total on Tahoe Mountain Club’s Old Greenwood Course. “Left a lot of putts short today,” Grillo said. “It could have been really good out there. Hit the ball well. Kept the ball in the fairway. Gave myself chances for eagles on the par 5s, which is kind of the key for this format.” Adam Schenk was two points back after a 19-point day. He eagled the par-5 sixth. “Just really have been driving the ball really well the last couple of days,” Schenk said. “Make a few putts, hit a few wedge shots close. Take care of the par 5s. It’s definitely out there for you.” First-round lead Joel Dahmen was three points back at 26 after a 10-point round. Andrew Putnam, Scott Piercy and Scott Harrington had 25 points, with Piercy 144th and Harrington 176th in the race for FedExCup Playoff spots and PGA TOUR cards. “I feel like my game’s pretty good right now,” Piercy said. “Putter feels good. I feel like I’ve got control of my golf swing. Equipment’s right. I’ve got to go put it together.” The smoke from wildfires made it difficult to see balls in flight. “You couldn’t really see the ball in the air very well,” Piercy said. “But you could see it take off and some holes you could see it land and roll. But the nice thing was the wind stayed down because it was down in the morning.” Grillo scored nine points on the first three holes, birdieing the par-4 first, making the eagle on the par-5 second and adding a birdie on the par-3 third. “It was super cold in the morning,” said Grillo, 49th in the FedExCup standings. “Just trying to hit it as long as you can. Trying to stay warm. And I was able to start with … like nine points. That was key. When you are going off on a good day you want to start good the next round. And I was able to do that today.” He added birdies on the par-5 sixth, par-4 eighth, par-5 12th and par-4 16th. The winner will earn a spot in the PGA Championship next year but not the Masters because the event is being played opposite a World Golf Championships — the FedEx St. Jude Invitational in Memphis, Tennessee. Defending Richy Werenski was tied for 10th with 19 points. The top 125 in the FedExCup standings after the Wyndham Championship next week will earn spots in the Playoff opener at Liberty National. No. 129 Cameron Percy had a 13-point day to move into a tie for 12th with 18 points. No. 122 Scott Stallings was tied for 45th with 12 points. No. 126 Patrick Rodgers and No. 127 Camilo Villegas made the cut on the number with 10 points. No. 121 Matt Kuchar and No. 124 Nate Lashley missed the cut. The three Olympians in the field — Mito Pereira of Chile, Rafael Campos of Puerto Rico and Thomas Pieters of Belgium — played together the first two rounds. Pieters had 12 points, while Pereira and Campos missed the cut.

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