Cut prediction: Farmers Insurance Open

The 31st tournament of the 2017-18 season is the first in a northern latitude, so you know what that means: Summer has arrived for the rest of the country. Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, hosts 120 golfers for the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide. For the first time in memory, there weren’t any noticeable changes on Jack Nicklaus’ home track, but after last year’s edition, none were needed. Scroll beneath the ranking to read why, what to expect and much more on this week’s invitational. Checks all of the boxes, including momentum. Two top fives and another pair of top 15s in six trips; T4 in his last appearance in 2016. Bounces in after a “disappointing” runner-up at Wentworth. The FedExCup points leader is debuting as the World No. 1. Finally solved Muirfield Village in his fourth appearance last year with a T4. Led the field in average distance of putts converted. The wind whisperer is as consistently strong as anyone over the last year. Seventh on TOUR in birdies-or-better percentage. Scoring average of 69.67 in last 12 rounds at Muirfield Village (T5-T11-T15). The 2010 champ has six career top 10s here, including a solo second in his last visit in 2015. Fresh off a classic stripe show at Colonial, leading the field in strokes gained: tee-to-green en route to victory. Home game for the transplanted Aussie who leads the TOUR in strokes gained: putting. End-loaded a personal-best T15 here last here in ninth appearance. Win-T5 in last two starts upon return. First start since losing the handle on the top spot in the OWGR, but still leads TOUR in strokes gained: tee-to-green and adjusted scoring. Two top fives among five top 20s at Muirfield Village. May have fallen prey to grouping with Tiger Woods at TPC Sawgrass where he MC’d. It happened in the finale of the 2012 Memorial when he shot 84. Otherwise strong elsewhere. T2 here last year, too. After a T11 at THE PLAYERS, acknowledged that he’s back on track with his feel for competition. What better than Muirfield Village to test that claim? He’s 15-for-15 with five wins among eight top 10s. At 11th in the FedExCup standings, he’s highest among non-winners. Currently 16th in adjusted scoring and fourth in par-5 scoring. Perfect at Muirfield Village with a pair of top-15 finishes. A force since teaming with Louis Oosthuizen for a third-place finish in New Orleans. Schwartzel has added a T9 at Quail Hollow and a T2 at TPC Sawgrass. Five top 25s at the Memorial. Continues to construct a brilliant season. Solo third at Colonial was his fifth top 10. Ninth in strokes gained: tee-to-green and first in average distance of putts converted. Also T1 in par-3 scoring. Remains hopeful but his putting continues to misfire. Ranked 70th of 78 in strokes gained: putting at Colonial en route to a T32. He’s 5-for-5 at Muirfield Village with a trio of top 20s. Course horse, but stumbling of late. Seven straight starts without a top 15, but third in all-time earnings at Muirfield Village with a win (2013) and another four top fives among seven top 10s. Amid the trials of last season, he mustered a T6 at Muirfield Village, just his second top 20 in 11 tries. The two-time winner this season ranks eighth in greens in regulation. His title here last year was his first top 15 in six appearances, but he averaged 70.00 in last 16 rounds at Muirfield Village. Up-and-down 2018 includes a T5 at TPC Sawgrass three weeks ago. POWER RANKINGS: THE MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT PRESENTED BY NATIONWIDE RANK PLAYER COMMENT Tuesday’s Fantasy Insider will include 2014 champion Hideki Matsuyama, Phil Mickelson, Henrik Stenson and Adam Scott, as well as the red-hot Kevins – Na and Tway. Not unlike when fellow legend Arnold Palmer constantly tweaked Bay Hill for his own limited-field invite, Nicklaus hasn’t hesitated from approving everything necessary to keep Muirfield Village as relevant as it is challenging. But while it’s unlikely that The Golden Bear reaches to the heavens for an assist even when the stock par 72 measuring 7,392 yards remains largely the same, Mother Nature cooperated a bit in adding to the test last year. After conceding a tournament record-low scoring average of 70.987 in 2016, Muirfield Village fought back for a four-year high of 72.797 last year. Zooming in, even if you cancel the first (moderate winds) and final (inclement conditions and strong winds) rounds, the middle 36 holes played according to historical proportions. Putting that into perspective, after Jason Dufner established the 36-hole scoring record at 14-under 130, he’d eventually prevail at 13-under 275, which is a proper target aggregate for would-be winners this week. He was vintage in his own right in leading the field in both greens in regulation and strokes gained: tee-to-green. Dufner finished a distant 47th in strokes gained: putting, but that was due entirely to a dreadful third-round 77 in which he surrendered 4.80 strokes to the field on the bentgrass surfaces. Overall, Dufner’s performance is typical of how to tame Muirfield Village. While its fairways-hit percentage of 62.03 last year was all-time low, it still was inside the top-half easiest of all course last season. Secondarily but worth the mention, the quartet of par 3s averaged a TOUR-high 3.22, a three-year high among all non-majors. In line with Nicklaus’ design philosophy, the focus narrows on approach and on greens averaging just 5,000 square feet and ready to touch 13 feet on the Stimpmeter. Fairways and greens are framed by rough consisting of a blend of Kentucky bluegrass, fescue and rye approaching four inches. Similar conditions to last year are in store this week, which is to say that it’s already summertime in central Ohio. A reasonable threat for rain and storms extends into Friday, but it doesn’t disappear entirely on the weekend. Moderate-to-gusty winds will greet the field in the opening round, but they are forecast to peel off gradually every day. Daytime highs in the low-to-mid 80s will tumble into the upper 70s after the 36-hole cut is made. For the fourth consecutive year, the champion will receive a three-year PGA TOUR exemption (through 2020-21) as well as a three-year exemption into THE PLAYERS Championship (2019-21). ROB BOLTON’S SCHEDULE PGATOUR.COM’s Fantasy Insider Rob Bolton reviews and previews every tournament from numerous angles. Look for his following contributions as scheduled. MONDAY: Rookie Ranking, Qualifiers, Reshuffle, Medical Extensions, Power Rankings TUESDAY*: Sleepers, Facebook Live, Fantasy Insider WEDNESDAY: One & Done * – Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COM’s Expert Picks for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO, which also publishes on Tuesdays.

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Statement from Augusta National Golf Club: On Wednesday, March 4, we issued a memo stating that our plans to host the Masters Tournament, the Augusta National Women’s Amateur and the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals had not changed. Unfortunately, the ever-increasing risks associated with the widespread Coronavirus COVID-19 have led us to a decision that undoubtedly will be disappointing to many, although I am confident is appropriate under these unique circumstances. Considering the latest information and expert analysis, we have decided at this time to postpone the Masters Tournament, the Augusta National Women’s Amateur and the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals. Ultimately, the health and well-being of everyone associated with these events and the citizens of the Augusta community led us to this decision. We hope this postponement puts us in the best position to safely host the Masters Tournament and our amateur events at some later date. We will continue to work with the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Office of the Governor, the Georgia Department of Public Health, the City of Augusta and all other local authorities. We are grateful to all of these entities for their exceptional efforts and guidance. We recognize this decision will affect many people, including our loyal patrons. Your patience as we make every effort to communicate effectively and efficiently is appreciated, and we will share any additional information as soon as it becomes available. As COVID-19 continues to impact the lives of people everywhere, we seek your understanding of this decision and know you share our concern given these trying times. Thank you for your faithful support.

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The FedExCup standings will have not changed for three months once the PGA TOUR season resumes at the Charles Schwab Challenge in the second week of June. Sungjae Im is still leading, followed closely by 2017 FedExCup champ Justin Thomas, with reigning champ Rory McIlroy in third. Meanwhile, Brooks Koepka, Justin Rose and Sergio Garcia are among the big names needing to make significant moves just to make the top 125 that start the Playoffs at THE NORTHERN TRUST. The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting cancellations and postponements of tournaments leaves just 11 eligible tournaments over a 10-week stretch for players to qualify for the Playoffs and a chance at the $15 million bonus that comes with the season-long FedExCup crown. While the top 125 will not double as the cutoff for TOUR cards next season in this reduced schedule, it will remain the mark to get into THE NORTHERN TRUST, the first of three Playoffs events in the chase for the FedExCup. Gone is the luxury of extended rest between starts for those sitting way back on the list, such as Koepka, who was just starting to find his feet again on a return from injury when the pandemic halted play in March. The two-time PGA TOUR Player of the Year will now need to make the most of his starts when play resumes. Currently he sits a distant 213th with just 21 points from his five starts this season. It’s no wonder he’s already announced he’ll play Colonial; he’s made just one previous start at the Charles Schwab Challenge. Among those not too far ahead of Koepka and still sitting on the outside of the current 125 are some big European names, including: Past FedExCup champions Rose (203rd) and Henrik Stenson (192nd); the last two Open champions in Shane Lowry (140th) and Francesco Molinari (169th), along with Ryder Cup hopefuls Garcia (179th) and Ian Poulter (140th). Meanwhile, Jim Furyk (168th) and Bill Haas (200th) join Stenson and Rose as past FedExCup champs currently on the outside looking in. The past has shown that every shot counts, with mere fractions separating players from making the Playoffs and indeed moving on inside them. Just look at the list as we get set to restart. Currently, 125th place is held by Ted Potter Jr. with 159 points. Fabián Gómez is next up with 158.653. Less than four-tenths of a point would currently represent the difference of keeping your season alive versus being done early. Although stars such as Dustin Johnson (111th), Jordan Spieth (110th), Rickie Fowler (94th), Jason Day (91st) and Phil Mickelson (89th) will begin the restart of the season inside the top 125, they certainly cannot expect to stay there without some decent results. Besides, the top 125 is just the first step. Only the top 70 after THE NORTHERN TRUST make it to the BMW Championship and only the top 30 after that make the TOUR Championship for a shot at the FedExCup. And while just making the TOUR Championship gives players a chance at the $15 million, 30th place starts at East Lake 10 shots behind the leader. The closer you are to the top of the points list the closer you are to the prize. The good news is, with 500 points for a win at most of the remaining tournaments (600 for the PGA Championship, 550 for the World Golf Championships-Fed Ex St. Jude Invitational and 300 for the Barracuda Championship), Koepka and others can make huge strides with just one big week. Which brings us to those players at the other end of the spectrum. Those who have already positioned themselves to have a decent crack at the title and now hope to maintain the momentum despite the prolonged break. Im, last season’s PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year, is the leader — a remarkable nod to both his ironman will to play and his breakout win at The Honda Classic. It is his ability to play week in and week out that might just ensure he is a huge chance to become the first player in history to back up a Rookie of the Year win with a FedExCup crown. Im has 14 starts to his name already this season and has a playoff loss and two thirds to go with his win. The South Korean star had missed only one week – the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am – since playing the Sony Open in Hawaii in early January prior to the shutdown. Other players may need to adjust to a crammed schedule while Im can carry on what has thus far worked to his benefit. Meanwhile, Thomas and McIlroy hope to chase him down. Thomas has two wins already this season to be just 55 points behind Im’s total. McIlroy has six top-10s from his six starts, including a win and showed in the recent TaylorMade Driving Relief skins game that his form is not far from where he left off. Barring injury, this dynamic pair will no doubt be in the field at East Lake. McIlroy will be looking to be the first back-to-back champion and the first three-time champion. Thomas will be looking to avenge a year ago when he started the TOUR Championship in top spot with the -10 handicap but failed to close the deal. The other two players currently in the top five took two very different paths to get there. Brendon Todd was the star of the fall in the 2019 portion of the season, winning twice. With 14 starts, he has a total of three top 10s but none have come since 2020 rolled around. Webb Simpson on the other hand has played just five times to get himself into fifth on the standings. His form line reads T7 – P2 – 3 – P1 – T61. His win came over Tony Finau at the Waste Management Phoenix Open in February after he had let the RSM Classic slip back in November. Consistency has been common of late for Simpson. His last 12 starts of the 2018-19 season all finished inside the top 30 before he continued it into the 2019-20 campaign. Will Simpson continue to play a sparse schedule given his lofty spot? Perhaps … but then again perhaps not, given the opening two courses of the restart in Colonial Country Club (two previous top fives) and Hilton Head (six top-16s including a runner up) have been proven venues for the former PLAYERS Champion. There is no doubt winning already this season does give a little more flexibility in taking weeks off during the crammed race to the finish but with such a tightly packed points list, it is not something to take for granted. Australian Adam Scott has already touted his preference to delay his restart, something his win at The Genesis Invitational allows given it has helped him to 20th place. He can likely return to the U.S. from his Australian base on his own terms but if he stays away too long, he will slide quickly. The same can be said for Tiger Woods, who saw first-hand how a limited schedule can bite your FedExCup hopes. Last season after winning the Masters, Woods was unable to get his back and knee fully fit and battled the rest of the way. It resulted in his falling out of contention at the BMW Championship. This time around his PGA TOUR record tying 82nd win at the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP has helped him to 28th spot on the FedExCup from just three starts. And the time off to rest seems to have helped if his impressive ball-striking at The Match: Champions For Charity is anything to go by. How often Woods plays will be one of many fascinating subplots over the 10 week pre-Playoffs stretch. One thing is for sure — whoever does win the FedExCup will have well and truly earned it.

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