Crane DQ’d with two four-shot penalties at Boise Open

Here's a look at the four players who qualified for The RSM Classic. The final two spots were decided in a four-person playoff. The playoff for the last spot lasted 10 holes. QUALIFIERS Joey Garber (63) Age: 29 College: Georgia Turned pro: 2014 PGA TOUR starts: 28 PGA TOUR earnings: $523,704 Twitter: @garberjoey Notes: Has made 13 of 21 cuts on the Korn Ferry Tour this year, with seven top-25s ... His best finish was a T8 at the WinCo Foods Portland Open presented by Kraft-Heinz ... He played 22 events on the PGA TOUR in 2019, making 10 cuts with a best finish of T7 at 3M Open ... Won the Rex Hospital Open on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2018 ... As a senior at Georgia in 2014, he set a school record with a 70.49 scoring average. ... Played for Michigan before transferring to Georgia. Michael Hebert (63) Age: 29 College: Auburn University Turned pro: 2013 PGA TOUR starts: 3 PGA TOUR earnings: $0 Twitter: N/A Notes: Has 106 career Korn Ferry Tour starts, with three top-10s. His best career finish is fifth, which he has done twice ... He made 12 of 21 cuts on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2019 with three top-25s and finished 124th on the money list ... Has made three career PGA TOUR starts, including the 2018 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills, where he missed the cut ... Played his freshman year at Florida State before transferring to Auburn ... Was ranked as high as sixth in the junior rankings prior to college. Brandon Crick (64, via 4-for-2 playoff) Age: 32 College: Nebraska Turned Pro: 2010 PGA TOUR starts: 1 PGA TOUR earnings: $0 Twitter: @bcrick22 Notes: Made a birdie on the third playoff hole to advance ... Has played 68 career Korn Ferry Tour events ... Has played 21 events this year, with 14 made cuts and one top ten at the Korn Ferry Challenge at TPC Sawgrass ... Was well down the Korn Ferry Tour's Points List last year, then shot 62-68 on the weekend of the Ellie Mae Classic to finish runner-up and retain his card ... Was finishing his degree in 2015 when he received a call from Larry the Cable Guy that changed his career plans. Larry sponsored Crick's pro career and still does today ... His senior year at Nebraska he averaged 72.27, which at the time was the second-best in school history ... Started his college career at Gonzaga University. Josh Teater (64, via 4-for-2 playoff) Age: 41 College: Morehead State Turned Pro: 2001 PGA TOUR starts: 202 PGA TOUR earnings: $5.7 Million Twitter: @jteater12 Notes: Outlasted Brad Adamonis in a 10-hole playoff to grab the last spot. Made numerous par saves to stay in it throughout the playoff ... Made a 15-foot birdie putt on the 10th playoff hole to get through ... Has 14 top-10 finishes in his 202 career PGA TOUR starts ... Finished second at the Puerto Rico Open in February ... Has made three starts in the 2020-21 season so far, with zero made cuts ... Has one Korn Ferry Tour win, at the Utah Championship Presented by Utah Sports Commission in 2009 ... That season he also had a runner-up and a third-place finish, which helped him finish seventh on the money list ... He has 123 career Korn Ferry Tour starts with a total of 13 top-10s. NOTES NOTABLE MISSES: Steve Allan 65, Adam Svensson 66, Justin Suh 66, Greyson Sigg 66, Will Zalatoris 69, Arjun Atwal 69 COURSE INFO Name of course: Brunswick Country Club, Par 70, 6,801 yards, 73.0, slope 130 2019-2020 SEASON MONDAY QUALIFIER STATS Average Medalist score: 63.9 Average last qualifying spot score: 66.3 Total number of cuts made: 10 of 77 (24.68%) Most recent results (Vivint Houston Open): Erik Barnes T38, Isaiah Salinda T50, Bronson Burgoon MC, Sam Fidone MC Money earned: $705,268 Best Finish: MJ Daffue T12, Sanderson Farms NEXT MONDAY QUALIFIER Mayakoba Golf Classic: November 30th, Iberostar Playa Paraiso Golf Course NOTES FROM OTHER TOURS: The LOCALiQ Series wraps up its season this week with the LOCALiQ Series Championship. Bryson Nimmer, who has two wins, leads the points list.

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If you play PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO, don’t expect much movement this week. With no cut at the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, each of the 73 golfers in the field will hang up a number in every round. So, if you’re chasing, consider injecting as many as four second-tier selections to maximize the possibilities to slingshot (assuming your pacesetter goes chalk). And because there’s no cut, there’s value in holstering starts for the superstars. Also keep in mind that the last two tournaments of Segment 4 (and the 2017-18 season) also do not feature a cut. As a result, your target shifts to being in position to withhold a lead or at least reach out and touch it by the conclusion of the Dell Technologies Championship. We all then roll with the punches of the BMW Championship and TOUR Championship. Unlike the first three majors, next week’s PGA Championship will use ShotLink. The first 154 qualifiers are listed on this dedicated page. The last two exemptions will go to the winners at Firestone and the Barracuda Championship. The first two alternates are Jason Kokrak and Chris Kirk, respectively. PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO My roster for the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational (in alphabetical order): Paul Casey Rory McIlroy Jon Rahm Justin Rose Xander Schauffele Tiger Woods You’ll find my starters in Expert Picks. Others to consider for each category (in alphabetical order): Scoring: Jason Day; Tommy Fleetwood; Rickie Fowler; Dustin Johnson; Zach Johnson; Brooks Koepka; Alex Noren; Patrick Reed; Justin Thomas Driving: Jason Day; Tommy Fleetwood; Rickie Fowler; Dustin Johnson; Hideki Matsuyama; Alex Noren; Adam Scott; Brendan Steele; Bubba Watson Approach: Rickie Fowler; Dustin Johnson; Zach Johnson; Russell Knox; Matt Kuchar; Andrew Landry; Jordan Spieth Short: Austin Cook; Jason Day; Tyrrell Hatton; Dustin Johnson; Matt Kuchar; Alex Noren; Webb Simpson; Justin Thomas Power Rankings Wild Card Patrick Reed … He’s done nothing wrong to get snubbed from the Power Rankings. Consider him an extension in a terrific field. Opened his Firestone career with a T4 in 2014 and T15 in 2015. Winning the Masters this year was a career-defining experience that he’ll likely enjoy again in some capacity. He’s been solid since, too, with four top 10s, including a T9 in Germany on Sunday. If there’s a knock, he puts too much pressure on his short game, but he’s still 23rd on TOUR in strokes gained: tee-to-green. That’s as much of a quantifier of his confidence as anything. Draws Webb Simpson … First appearance since a T25 in 2015. There’s nothing not to love no matter your angle. In addition to his victory at THE PLAYERS, he’s hung up a top 10 and another two top 20s in the majors thus far. It also can’t go overstated just how strong he’s been with his putting. Patrick Cantlay … Like Tony Finau, Cantlay is finally making his debut in this tournament, the last of the four WGCs for both. Cantlay’s tee-to-green strength should yield numerous opportunities to score. However, as frequent he is in amassing scoring chances, his precision on approach needs to be tighter on large targets. Matt Kuchar … Gasp! A Power Rankings sans the Kooch?! On track record alone, he belongs with the 20 featured, but his relatively massive inconsistency demands pause. So, in reaction to what we do with three missed cuts in his last four starts, remain patient and give him the opportunity to put four rounds together because they’re guaranteed this week. It’s a rare win for course history buffs. Alex Noren … Wholly expected to establish a career-best finish in his fourth appearance. Last year’s T28 was his first top 50, and it was his first trip in six years. Winner recently in Paris and six straight top 25s upon arrival. Pays off above-average tee-to-green work with phenomenal putting. Tyrrell Hatton … The Brit has performed exceptionally in the WGCs, so he’s comfortable on this stage. Work him into any lineup. Kiradech Aphibarnrat (DFS) Branden Grace (DFS) Charley Hoffman (all) Kevin Na (DFS) Louis Oosthuizen (all) Ian Poulter (DFS) Charl Schwartzel (all) Fades Phil Mickelson … His headline-filled summer is one thing, but a middling recent history at Firestone is more concerning. Since concluding a T15 in the 2014 edition with a 62, he’s signed for only two red numbers after 12 rounds and has averaged 71.42 on the course. Henrik Stenson … He’s a bit of a freak in how well he continues to perform amid injury. You’d never accuse him of hard-selling the maladies to lower expectations, but the results don’t help in ruling that out, either. When he cited the elbow injury in advance of The Open Championship and that he was far from 100 percent, gamers appreciated the alert. He finished T35 with pedestrian execution tee to green. If he finishes T35 at Firestone, it’ll be disappointing given his cachet and a sparkling record on the course. Kevin Kisner … He fooled us. So much for the promise at Carnoustie where he had a piece of the lead after every round before settling for a T2. Marc Leishman … This is entirely relative given his up-and-down summer and just one top-30 finish in five previous appearances. Firestone could serve as the kind of layout that could showcase his all-around game – as TPC Potomac at Avenel did for his T13 – but we can’t ignore the recent regression to inconsistency overall. Sergio Garcia … As I first mentioned in the Facebook Live show on the Tuesday before the RBC Canadian Open, the narrative has evolved into wondering how he’s going to total 15 starts to retain voting privileges and TOUR membership. This week’s WGC is start No. 13. The PGA Championship will be his 14th. The Wyndham Championship would get him to the minimum, but he hasn’t showed at Sedgefield since his title defense in 2013. And at 132nd in the FedExCup standings, even with the guarantee to contribute to his total at Firestone, he’s not yet a lock for the Playoffs. Daniel Berger Rafa Cabrera Bello Bryson DeChambeau Ross Fisher Brian Harman Si Woo Kim Patton Kizzire Luke List Pat Perez Shubhankar Sharma Cameron Smith Kyle Stanley Brandon Stone Gary Woodland Returning to Competition None. Notable WDs Beau Hossler … The wunderkind has been shuffling his schedule the last few weeks. He withdrew early from last week’s RBC Canadian Open as well, but this will happen to a first-time member who gains late entry into The Open Championship and PGA Championship as he has. Sittin’ pretty at 33rd in the FedExCup standings. Nick Watney … Eked into the field for next week’s PGA Championship, so he’s opted to rest and prep. Abraham Ancer … With a solo fifth at Glen Abbey, he rose to 79th in the FedExCup standings. Headed to the Playoffs for the first time. Tyler Duncan … Finally taking a break after eight straight starts. He’s earned it as he’s connected 12 cuts made since the team event in New Orleans. At 103rd in the FedExCup, the rookie has achieved his primary goal. Grayson Murray … This would have marked his first action since the FedEx St. Jude Classic. He’s been sidelined by a sore shoulder. At 108th in the FedExCup standings and fully exempt for next season, the only objective right now is to heal. Bronson Burgoon … Thanks in large part to a T6 at the Quicken Loans National and a T2 at the John Deere Classic, he’s positioned comfortably at 106th in FedExCup points and poised to make his Playoffs debut. Perhaps fully exempt status north of the reshuffle category next season will improve his cuts-made ratio. In two seasons, he’s just 25-for-48. D.A. Points … It’s been a season to forget for the 41-year-old. Just 5-for-24 and 212nd in the FedExCup. However, he’s fully exempt for 2018-19 by virtue of his title at the 2017 Puerto Rico Open. Doc Redman … It’s not often when a non-member in any field on a sponsor exemption withdraws after the commitment deadline, but he’s competing at the Web.com Tour’s KC Golf Classic instead. Last week’s T21 at the Price Cutter Charity Championship yielded this week’s top-25 exemption in Overland Park, Kansas. At 170th in Web earnings, he’s about $50K outside the top-75 bubble to qualify for the Finals. Power Rankings Recap – RBC Canadian Open Power Ranking  Golfer  Result 1  Dustin Johnson  Win 2  Tony Finau  T37 3  Charley Hoffman  T29 4  Brooks Koepka  MC 5  Kevin Kisner  MC 6  Brandt Snedeker  T8 7  Joaquin Niemann  T37 8  Matt Kuchar  MC 9  Ian Poulter  T12 10  Harold Varner III  T17 11  Tommy Fleetwood  T6 12  Bubba Watson  MC 13  Joel Dahmen  T8 14  Jhonattan Vegas  T29 15  Sam Ryder  78th Wild Card  Billy Horschel  MC Sleepers Recap – RBC Canadian Open Golfer  Result Cameron Champ  MC Austin Connelly  MC Martin Laird  MC Keith Mitchell  T65 Steve Wheatcroft  T71 Birthdays among active golfers on the PGA TOUR July 31 … none August 1 … none August 2 … Jonathan Kaye (48); Brian Davis (44) August 3 … Omar Uresti (50) August 4 … Dudley Hart (50) August 5 … Patrick Reed (28) August 6 … none

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Tiger Woods’ steely glare pierces right through you. Arguably the most mentally tough golfer of all time doesn’t want to know his worst hole on the PGA TOUR. “Nope, keep it to yourself,â€� the 81-time PGA TOUR winner says. “If I’m having that bad of luck, I don’t want to know, no. Tell me what the best hole is.â€� He turns his back to ensure this conversation goes no further. If the Big Cat doesn’t want to know, you don’t tell him, and nor do you tell anyone else. It’s that sensitive. Nor do you tell some others their worst holes, because it turns out Woods is not alone in absolutely not wanting to know. It’s complicated, the relationship between the pros and their own personal bugaboos, the holes that are most vexing, infuriating and costly.   “I wouldn’t want to know, and if someone told me I’d be fuming,â€� Ian Poulter says. “I don’t ever want there to be an issue. Or any grain of thought. There is no gain in knowing. There is no advantage in knowing. And there can only be an issue that arises, and you’d get frustrated if you knew.â€� That all sounds reasonable, but not everyone agrees. Armed with the information of certain players’ worst career hole or holes in relation to par, we approached each individual to find out if they wanted to know. We also asked if they felt they had any nemesis holes on the PGA TOUR, and if so, what their approach to those holes is. The answers ran the gambit. Woods, Poulter and others were steadfast in not knowing. Others wanted to know, then didn’t, then wanted to again, then didn’t. Some begged to be told. Others saw it as no big deal. Still others already knew and were actively doing something about it. Whether they’re on TOUR or not, all golfers have holes where they are uncomfortable, holes where no matter what they may have tried, things seem to always go wrong. Holes that have become their nemesis. For the pros, though, the stakes are higher. “It’s a classic study in perception,â€� says sports psychologist Neale Smith, a former TOUR player who works with a number of today’s players on the mental game. “None of them are right or wrong (in their choice of knowing or not knowing). It is what is right or wrong for that player. One of the key concepts out here on TOUR is know thyself.â€� Adam Scott, a 13-time TOUR winner, decided in early 2011 to start actively doing something about his weak holes, particularly in the big events. It started at Augusta National, where he knew the first hole had the better of him. In his 32 rounds on the hole to that point he was 17-over and had never made birdie. “It’s a big mental thing,â€� Scott says. “Sometimes you can trick yourself to change the way you process things inside your head and other times you can’t. “It is an incredibly severe green for the first hole of the Masters,â€� he continues, “when at least for me that’s as nervous as I get at any hole, any time, any situation of the year.â€� When he turned up at Augusta in 2011 for the first time with veteran caddie Steve Williams, Scott had earmarked the first hole for special attention. “I went out there for an hour and a half on Wednesday afternoon and putted around like it was the practice putting green,â€� he says. “Felt like I know every spot on this green and I am going to be comfortable with every putt. “Of course I get it up there in the first hole of the tournament and three-putted it for double bogey anyway. By the end of Sunday, I lost to Charl Schwartzel by two shots.â€� After that Scott changed tactics again. With Williams, he decided to start trying to pretend the opening hole of the big events was in fact the 72nd hole, and par was needed to win. Pretend? Really? “You have got to do something,â€� Scott says. “Just pretending it is going to go away doesn’t work. If you truly take yourself there, you are standing on the 72nd hole, sure you might be slightly nervous or adrenaline pumping or anxious but there is a lot of confidence as you’ve played 71 really good holes to be at that point and you’re not doubting yourself.â€� In 2013, with his new mindset, Scott did not play conservatively in the opening round at Augusta after his tee ball landed in the fairway trap on the right. He thought of it as the final hole. His approach found the green, and he rolled in his first birdie there in his 41st try. He would win the first green jacket for Australia three days later. Stick that up your nemesis. Joining Scott in wanting to tackle their problems head-on were numerous players, including Rory McIlroy, Jason Day and this week’s defending champion, of sorts, at the World Golf Championships-FedEx. St Jude Invitational at TPC Southwind: Justin Thomas. All three actively asked for their worst holes. McIlroy has issues at PGA National on the Par-4 6th and the Par-3 17th, as well as the Par-4 10th at Augusta. The Northern Irishman is 13-over on each hole. Thomas has a small sample size but will be looking for improvement on the final hole at Muirfield Village, where he is nine over for his career. Day also has issues at Muirfield Village – where he is a member – on the par-3 16th (+12). “I would feel very mentally weak if I didn’t want to know,â€� McIlroy says. “I’ll embrace it and I’ll try to get better with that information. “I want to know to maybe think about a new strategy or way to play that hole.â€� Thomas echoes those thoughts. “I want to know for the same reason I look at my stats,â€� says the 2017 FedExCup champion. “If I don’t know when I’m not excelling, how can I practice getting better at it? “Somebody would be lying to you if they said there were no tee shots they felt uncomfortable on,â€� Thomas adds. “There are plenty I get to that I don’t like just because of wind direction. I can probably think of one at every course. “So we play differently – more conservatively on those holes. Whether it’s hitting iron off the tee or bailing out on the correct side, whatever we have to do to make a par and move on.â€� Day says those who stay in the dark will likely remain there. For instance, he certainly plays close attention to the 18th hole at Quail Hollow … he took an eight there while in contention at the 2017 PGA Championship “If you don’t want to know,â€� the 12-time winner says, “you’re not going to improve. You have to be open to it.â€�  McIlroy tries to use the uncomfortable feeling to his advantage. “Some shots just don’t fit your eye,â€� he says, “or they make you uncomfortable and then if you hit a good shot it’s almost a mini little victory and you feel invigorated to get moving forward again.â€� McIlroy’s trick is to imagine himself in practice, rather than the furnace of competition. “Imagine you are at the driving range,â€� he says. “Focus on making a good swing, making good contact, simplifying it down to that and then let it go. “Whatever happens, happens,â€� he continues. “I’ve always thought that if there are such things as golf gods … if you make a committed swing then things will always work out for you. Because at least you’ve done what you could do.â€� Sports psychologist Smith actively teaches his subjects to have two separate pre-shot routines: One for when they are comfortable, and one for when they aren’t. “Every time a player is uncomfortable there is a physiological dump that goes with that,â€� Smith explains. “It causes increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, increased breathing rate, so the physiological response is already there. If they don’t do anything about that, then they’re not going to swing as freely or with the correct amount of tension.â€� Smith has his players acknowledge the inevitable self-talk that comes as they approach tough holes. “The thoughts jumping in are not the problem,â€� he says. “It is what you do with them. The thought staying through the whole routine … that’s a problem. On a shot that they are comfortable with, they can flow into it without having to breathe, without having to manage their grip pressure, they can focus on their target and they are likely to make a good swing. “Not so on the shot that bugs them,â€� he continues. “… so acknowledge it and now have a plan in place to work on your physiology. Your breathing, grip pressure control, and self-talk. In shots that bug you, self-talk starts with don’t do this, don’t do that. They have to work harder on routine number two to focus on what they want to do, not what they want to avoid.â€� Paul Casey knows those demon thoughts all too well. The Englishman starts thinking about the infamous sixth hole at Carnoustie – and others – well before he gets to them. But like Smith suggests, Casey says you just have to man-up. “There are holes that will sit in the back of your mind as you play the course,â€� he admits. “I know I’ve got to play that damn hole … and it can play on you and it can affect other holes. “Hogan’s Alley at Carnoustie … it’s bloody awful. Out of bounds down the left and the wind is always off your left shoulder. Shocker. You can’t not see or think of the trouble. You can’t not see the out of bounds or the bunker or the water or whatever it is. “So, it’s a case of accepting that and then making a conscious decision: OK, what am I going to do? And being so focused and determined to produce whatever positive outcome you are looking for. Saying that phrase, whatever it might be … I AM going to hit it down the right side of the fairway with a nice two-yard draw. If you try that, the bad one is still going to be better than if you are just trying to avoid something.â€� The brutal 18th at TPC Sawgrass is a common nemesis hole, and that hold true even for those who have won THE PLAYERS Championship, like veteran Matt Kuchar. But with his confidence high thanks to two wins already this season, he was happy to know. “I’ve played it very well on the 72nd hole with the opportunity to win it,â€� he says. “That tee shot is not as intimidating when you’re in control of your golf ball. “But it’s just a very hard tee shot, especially for me, playing a fade,â€� Kuchar adds. “It is one where I have thought about making sure I have a shot that doesn’t go left. That makes me feel a whole lot more comfortable there. I tend to play it a bit aggressively. I tend to play driver as opposed to maybe 3-wood or 2-iron. Maybe some stats say it should be more of a 2-iron. Now that I know, I should perhaps strategize it.â€� But 18 isn’t the only hole to terrorize some at Sawgrass. The infamous par-3 island green is one multiple major winners’ nemesis (not Woods) and the par-3 8th has given some fits also. Phil Mickelson and a few others might be happy not to be returning to Firestone Country Club in Akron this week – where this event was held almost exclusively from 1999 to 2018. That’s because Mickelson is an incredible 33 over on the 13th hole at the infamous Firestone South. The ninth and 18th at Akron also caused trouble for more than a few players. Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead Course, which hosts the Valspar Championship, also gets a few guys. The 16th, especially, has bitten a handful of the TOUR’s best. The finishing hole at Bay Hill, which hosts the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, has been the setting for several Tiger highlights. But it has also proven a killer for both a major champion and a former FedExCup winner. One man’s pleasure is another’s pain. It’s how you deal with it that matters.

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