Cut prediction: Cadence Bank Houston Open

As predicted in this space a week ago, fantasy scoring exploded at the AT&T Byron Nelson because Driving is weighted in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO. This was due to the absence of intermediate and primary rough at Trinity Forest. The entry, Undercover, won the tournament with a whopping 1,922 points, easily a season-high total by any gamer. Entering the week, Grodo’s 1,668 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open was atop the charts. Only four other weekly leaders eclipsed 1,600 points. Trinity Forest yielded a fairways-hit percentage of 79.50. That’s the highest since SilverRock’s 81.37 percent as a co-host of the CareerBuilder Challenge in 2011. Of the 1,386 courses measured since the statistic was first maintained in 1992, Trinity Forest’s clip ranks 21st-highest. (SilverRock’s 85.32 percent in 2010 is the record.) Don’t count on a similar output at the Fort Worth Invitational. Last year, the weekly winner amassed “only” 1,317 points. Meanwhile, we’re encroaching on that time of year that gamers covet as decorated amateurs joins the ranks of the play-for-pay contingent. For example, Joaquin Niemann cannonballed into the pool with a solo sixth at the Valero Texas Open. Next week, 2017 U.S. Amateur champion Doc Redman will turn professional for the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide. As a result, he forfeits exemptions into the U.S. Open and The Open Championship. Currently 22nd in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, the sophomore at Clemson will lead the Tigers into the NCAA Championship in Stillwater, Oklahoma, later this week. PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO My roster for the Fort Worth Invitational (in alphabetical order): Jason Dufner Zach Johnson Kevin Kisner Adam Scott Webb Simpson Jordan Spieth You’ll find my starters in Expert Picks. Others to consider for each category (in alphabetical order): Scoring: Patrick Cantlay; Bryson DeChambeau; Rickie Fowler; Chesson Hadley; Pat Perez; Jon Rahm; Justin Rose; Jimmy Walker Driving: Patrick Cantlay; Bryson DeChambeau; Rickie Fowler; Emiliano Grillo; Pat Perez; Jon Rahm; Justin Rose Approach: Bryson DeChambeau; Rickie Fowler; Emiliano Grillo; Chesson Hadley; David Hearn; Matt Kuchar; Pat Perez; Nick Watney Short: Emiliano Grillo; Chesson Hadley; Brian Harman; Matt Kuchar; Kevin Na; Justin Rose; Jimmy Walker; Nick Watney Power Rankings Wild Card Brooks Koepka … Lands here almost by default because of who he is, not because he’s a shrewd investment. He’s making his tournament debut, which automatically eliminates him as a favorite at Colonial. However, there’s reason to be hopeful after a T11 at THE PLAYERS where he ranked 10th in strokes gained: tee-to-green, eighth in proximity and second in scrambling. The Fort Worth Invitational is just his fourth start since returning from injury, so he’s also more refreshed and recharged than just about everyone else in the field. That bodes well with his title defense at the U.S. Open looming on the horizon. Draws Kevin Na … He’s as much of a moving target as any talent on the board, but with a sturdy record at Colonial (9-for-11 with three top 10s and another three top 25s) and a T6 at Trinity Forest fueling the feels, this sets up as a good time to pounce. Xander Schauffele … On a lesser scale, he’s executing with the kind of mold-breaking form with which Jon Rahm crashed onto the PGA TOUR. Schauffele’s latest example occurred at TPC Sawgrass where he pieced together four good rounds for a share of second place. That’s the kind of thing that’s not supposed to happen for debutants on that course. The rise has been remarkable, too. At this time last year, the then-PGA TOUR rookie was outside the top 335 in the Official World Golf Ranking. Today, he’s 23rd. Adam Hadwin … The 30-year-old Canuck was the last man cut from the Power Rankings. He’s in his fourth consecutive start at Colonial with a T5 (2015) and T22 (2016) already on the books. He’s properly skilled to navigate the relatively short track; in fact, his tee-to-green work is vastly improved over previous seasons. And he’s connected 17 straight paydays to share the lead on TOUR in that quantifiable measurement of confidence. Steve Stricker … Think he made a wise choice to stick with his commitment to the PGA TOUR Champions’ first major of the year? To wit, he shared runner-up honors at the Regions Tradition after opting for that event over the AT&T Byron Nelson. Now the PGA TOUR wins his appearance over the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship this week. Expect another smart decision to play out. The 2009 champ at Colonial padded a sparkling record here with a T7 last year. Emiliano Grillo (all) Charley Hoffman (all) Si Woo Kim (DFS) Pat Perez (SERVPRO) Scott Piercy (DFS) Rory Sabbatini (DFS) Kevin Streelman (DFS) Fades Aaron Wise … This is by rule times two. For one, he’s a first-timer at Colonial. The learning curve must be respected. He’s also fresh off his breakthrough victory. The predictable letdown deserves time and space. Ryan Palmer … If you polled the locals asking who they wanted to see win the Fort Worth Invitational, he’d probably garner an overwhelming majority of votes. You already know that he’s a member at Colonial, but this is his 15th consecutive appearance since his rookie season of 2004. He’s contended and even came within a whiff of victory two years ago, but he’s yet to pose for pictures wearing the plaid jacket. Alas, if it happens this year, it would be a surprise given lackluster form upon arrival. In the vacuum of last week, he set up wonderfully yet missed the cut by three shots. Louis Oosthuizen … For a major champion as consistently strong as he’s been (when healthy), he has not connected with success at Colonial. Since a personal-best T19 in 2012, he’s gone T38-WD-MC. He also missed the cut in his last two starts entering this week. Cameron Smith … In due time, he’ll be a weapon almost everywhere, but the Aussie’s profile doesn’t match up well to Colonial. Not yet, at least. The brush stroke is that he prefers to hit it long and salvage what he can around and on greens. Colonial requires finesse and course management. Trap. Brandt Snedeker … Puts to test the value of success at Colonial. He’s perfect in seven trips with a T2 (2015) and another pair of top 20s, but he arrives having missed three straight cuts. If there’s a silver lining, it’s that the Snedeker Foundation is the benefactor of this week’s Nashville Golf Open on the Web.com Tour for the second straight year. So, even if he doesn’t win in Texas, his charity wins in Tennessee. Sam Burns … With potentially only two more PGA TOUR starts this season, the pressure is on to perform at Colonial where he’s making his debut. His better fit will be at next week’s Memorial where his game off the tee and putting should pay dividends. Austin Cook Bill Haas Russell Henley Martin Laird Andrew Landry William McGirt Trey Mullinax Joaquin Niemann Returning to Competition Sean O’Hair … Presents as an intriguing option given his T2 at Colonial last year but coming off a withdrawal during THE PLAYERS. He called it quits after one round. An explanation wasn’t released. The 35-year-old is worth the plunge, however. His form for most of 2018 has been solid and he knows Colonial well. Sneak him into a lineup in DFS. Grayson Murray … Walked off Trinity Forest during his second round with a sore back. The good news is that he’s ready to return this quickly. The bad news, at least relatively for our purposes, is that he’s a first-timer at Colonial. Paul Casey … Poised to compete in this week’s BMW PGA Championship. The Englishman last made headlines as a pre-tournament withdrawal from THE PLAYERS due to discomfort in his back. The following day (Wednesday, May 9), he wrote the following description of his condition on Instagram: “I’ve got sacroiliitis (inflammation of the SI joint) with a sprain of the ligament. Also muscle spasms and leg pain, possible due to the sciatic nerve getting trapped.” Given his value in every format, gamers are forced to remain patient. Notable WDs Charl Schwartzel … Broke the tape on his mad dash to qualify for the U.S. Open with a T2 at THE PLAYERS, so he can enjoy a respite. His long-term investors also have been given the freedom to exhale. Currently 61st in FedExCup points. Peter Uihlein … With a T5 at Wells Fargo, the rookie positioned himself to qualify for the U.S. Open, which he did with a T21 at Trinity Forest after which he fell only two spots to 59th in the Official World Golf Ranking. He’s already exempt into The Open Championship and will eventually gain entry into the PGA Championship. Despite his worldly experience, it’s still an impressive membership debut for the 28-year-old. For many, his season has done nothing more than fulfill the baseline of expectations, but like all PGA TOUR rookies, he’s still had to execute on several courses he’s never seen or still learning all the while juggling all of the other challenges that go with navigating this circuit. Keith Mitchell … Figuring it out quickly. Since his runner-up performance at Corales, he’s 6-for-7 with a trio of top-fix finishes. The rookie’s T3 at Trinity Forest vaulted him to 57th in the FedExCup standings. Power Rankings Recap – AT&T Byron Nelson Power Ranking  Golfer  Result 1  Jordan Spieth  T21 2  Jimmy Walker  T6 3  Marc Leishman  2nd 4  Billy Horschel  T21 5  Matt Kuchar  MC 6  Beau Hossler  T32 7  Adam Scott  T9 8  Martin Laird  MC 9  Charles Howell III  T9 10  Ryan Palmer  MC 11  Branden Grace  T3 12  Daniel Summerhays  MC 13  Peter Uihlein  T21 14  Andrew Putnam  T42 15  Stephan Jaeger  MC Wild Card  Sergio Garcia  MC Sleepers Recap – AT&T Byron Nelson Golfer  Result Joel Dahmen  T16 Russell Knox  T16 Keith Mitchell  T3 Johnson Wagner  T32 Richy Werenski  MC Birthdays among active golfers on the PGA TOUR May 22 … Scott Brown (35); Jason Kokrak (33); Dominic Bozzelli (27) May 23 … none May 24 … Bill Haas (36) May 25 … Rafa Cabrera Bello (34); Tom Hoge (29) May 26 … none May 27 … none May 28 … Jeff Overton (35)

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SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. — Welcome to the 118th U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills, and the renewal of annual traditions like wrist-breaking rough, linoleum greens, and Phil Mickelson’s (thus far) doomed quest to put his thumbs-up on the trophy and ride off into a fescue sunset. He has every chance in the world. He has no chance at all. The heart and the mind agree on the basics: This is Mickelson’s 27th U.S. Open start, and he has finished second six times. He will turn 48 on Saturday and would be the oldest winner of our national championship (surpassing Hale Irwin, 45). You want to believe he can do it, becoming the seventh player to win the career Grand Slam. The heart points to his final-round 65 and T12 at the FedEx St. Jude Classic at TPC Southwind (momentum!), and his T13 at the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide at Muirfield Village (not his favorite, but a solid result). Does he still have it in him? Perhaps. “If he wins the U.S. Open at 48,â€� said Brad Faxon, an analyst with Fox Sports this week, “and does it in New York after all of the second-place finishes, it would be the biggest story in the history of golf.â€� Okay, wait just a New York minute. C’mon. This is crazy. Mickelson’s energy comes and goes — and you could see it at the steamy FedEx St. Jude on Saturday, when his legs looked shot and he signed for a 73. At THE PLAYERS Championship last month, which came on the heels of a tiring T5 at the Wells Fargo, he opened with a 79.  He must avoid a similar early fizzle at Shinnecock. “My goal is not to try to win on Thursday,â€� Mickelson said. “My goal is to stay in it Thursday, stay in it Friday, and have an opportunity for the weekend. So I’m not really thinking about winning right now. I’m thinking about getting in it for the weekend.â€� He repeated this old golf chestnut, that you can’t win the tournament in the first round but you can sure lose it, no fewer than three more times, which was a snooze. But wait, hang on, we interrupt this column for an echo from Phil’s past: “Phil! You’re so f—in’ East Coast!â€� Amy Mickelson laughed when recounting that booming endorsement from a fan at the 2005 PGA Championship at Baltusrol. You may recall that “East Coast Philâ€� won that PGA, further underlining the fact that not only does New York love Phil, but Phil loves New York back. What’s not to like about his chances this week? Hmmm. Let’s unpack that. There have been many storylines over the last two decades, but two have loomed large: Woods’ quest to eclipse Jack Nicklaus’ 18 professional majors, which Woods later said was a bigger deal to everyone else but him, and Mickelson’s struggle to get out of his own way and win a major (done), the No. 1 world ranking (nope) and the U.S. Open (your thoughts here). The heart says Mickelson can still win because he’s second in Strokes Gained: Putting (+1.050) this season, and first in one-putt percentage (46.75). The mind says you play this game from tee to green, and he’s 201st in driving accuracy (51.55 percent), and while the USGA has widened the fairways from 26 to roughly 40 yards this year, that might not help him. “Of all the events, you would think that this would be the one that he would have, you know, the least chance to win because of the way he’s driven it for most of his career,â€� Woods said. “But that short game of his is off the charts. “And, you know, a U.S. Open is about wedging it. It really is. I mean, you can spray it a little bit here and there, but you’ve got to be able to get it up and down from 100 yards. We’re all going to face it.â€� Heart: Mickelson broke a nearly five-year winless streak with his popular victory at the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship earlier this season. Mind: How is Club de Golf Chapultepec in Mexico City similar to Shinnecock? They both have 18 holes? Heart: Shinnecock U.S. Opens reward great short games: Raymond Floyd in 1986, Corey Pavin in 1995 (when Mickelson finished T4). “The chipping and short game around the greens are going to be a huge factor this week,â€� Mickelson said. Mind: The short game factors into it every year, and it’s why he won’t win. You know what happens to a 48-year-old when he tries to win a major? Kenny Perry (who’s in this week’s field as the U.S. Senior Open champion) fumbling on the goal line at the 2009 Masters.  Heart: But Phil loves this course! He finished second to Retief Goosen at the 2004 Shinnecock U.S. Open, and praised this year’s setup as one of the finest he’s seen. Mind: Doesn’t he say that every year? Heart: Okay, forget about architecture. Forget science. Think poetry! Mind: [Pause.] Are you off your meds? Heart: Miracles happen! Yep. They do. The Cubs won the 2016 World Series, snapping a 108-year drought, and the Boston Red Sox won the 2004 World Series, breaking the 86-year Curse of the Bambino. Then there was the biggest exhale of all for golf fans: Mickelson finally winning the Masters (also in ’04) for his first major title after 46 starts and 17 career top-10s. “I did it!â€� he yelped after his birdie putt curled into the hole on No. 18, inciting the restricted-flight jump for joy now immortalized in his logo. All the struggle made it all the sweeter, the catharsis widespread because we are all still knocking on some door or another. We’re all Mickelson in the majors then, Mickelson at the U.S. Open now. He will tee it up for the USGA’s stress-fest yet again, this time in the company of Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth, starting at 8:02 a.m. off the 10th tee Thursday. No, he can’t win it Thursday, but maybe Sunday. Maybe.

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