Daly recovering from ’emergency hand surgery’

After three bogeys to start the first round, Tiger Woods made nine birdies over the ensuing 15 holes to surge to the top of the Zozo Championship leaderboard with a 6-under 64.

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In his Draws and Fades for the RBC Heritage on Tuesday, Rob detailed how the champion of PGA TOUR Pick ‘Em Live for the Masters, Pault27, got the job done. It was an exercise in elegant simplicity. Make three picks – yes, only three! – and nail ‘em. Just like that, a deposit for $2,500 is processing. At the conclusion of the tournament, 10,356 entries were counted. No, not all were in by the first tee ball on a delayed opening round on Thursday, but you don’t have to be to have success. And no, it’s not easy to finish inside the top five, but it sure isn’t as hard as you think it is. Play often enough and you just might experience it. Remember, Rob himself already has placed third (Honda) and 10th (PLAYERS). If he can do it… Glass came out on top of our tandem in the first major of the year, so he’s regained bragging rights. He has the first swing at Harbour Town. Register for PGA TOUR Pick ‘Em Live here and monitor Rob’s and Glass’ progress as Influencers. For a broader explanation of the format and FAQs, click here. Before you dive into the advice and banter, please be advised that PGA TOUR Pick ‘Em Live will be in play for next week’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans. WEEKLONG Outright Glass … Denny McCarthy (+10000) From the leadoff spot, I’ll remind gamers that this pick SHOULD BE a longshot! It’s the beauty of this game. So, like golf itself, use the rules to your advantage! Harbour Town produced first-time TOUR winners in the last four editions before the pandemic. McCarthy has cashed in five straight and eight of nine on the PGA TOUR, and it’s not lost on me that his best result was at Pete Dye’s Stadium Course at PGA WEST. The short game stands up and he’s more than accurate off the tee. T33 in spring of 2019 was followed by T13 in spring of 2021, so he’s moving in the right direction here. Go big! There’s no downside! Check the pre-tournament odds from past winners in Horses for Courses just in case. Rob … Shane Lowry (+2000) I’m simplifying after last week’s thumping (because Glass connected for one 2-ball on Sunday). As noted here most weeks, I agree with his strategy for the opening value play that’s supported by our ongoing power to make in-tournament changes, but I’ll counter with the No. 1 in my Power Rankings. The best thing about Lowry not winning lately is that he’s still chasing that rabbit. He’s doing everything well and in deep fields no less. He’s also been loyal to the RBC Heritage where he has a pair of top 10s, so there’s nothing foreign to him on the property. He’s a proper fit for the track. Another reason why I’m launching in at short odds is because the field is thick, so someone in his vicinity likely will prevail. I’ll be on board with a big, crooked number when Glass is hoping to get plus odds at the turn on Sunday. Rob … Beau Hossler (+1100) Here’s where I’ll cannonball into the deep end because odds will remain reasonable when the 36-hole cut falls. If you’ve been monitoring the same over time, you know. The 27-year-old has been terrific since a solo third at Pebble Beach. He’s added three top 20s, including a T4 two weeks ago at TPC San Antonio. Best of all, he’s playing on house money, er, FedExCup points. Saddled with conditional status, he’s currently 50th and headed back to the Playoffs. The confidence of his recent form sharpens the singular focus of winning on the PGA TOUR for the first time, but I don’t need that for these coins. Glass … Troy Merritt (+725) I like heat and love a bit of Horse for Course and he lines up quite nicely. Similar to THE HOSS, Merritt finished one shot behind the former Longhorn at Pebble Beach on the smallest greens on TOUR. Similar to THE HOSS, Merritt finished T4 last time out at Valero. Merritt arrives on six of seven, and his last four are trending in the proper direction. I guess I’m paying a premium for solo third in 2015, which included tying the course record of 61, and a T10 in 2019. Hell, maybe we’ll just tie! Top 20 Rob … Danny Willett (+550) His class should be permanent, but there he is lounging outside the perimeter of the notables. It’s baffling, so we might as well exploit it. Yes, he finished T12 at the Masters and T18 at last year’s RBC Heritage, so the obviousness of those results would suggest converging trends, but there’s nothing trendy about it, which, again, is why he’s available with that inflated kickback. I target this value at the cut line, anyway, but it might be more difficult to find at that time given the talent in play. Glass … Ben Martin (+1100) We all saw how tough it was not to close the deal at Corales (T2) on the final hole. The South Carolina native regrouped and made the cut the following week. That showed me all that I needed to know. He cashed five of seven here, including a T3 back in 2014. Receiving a sponsor exemption in his backyard should have this former Clemson Tiger ready to repay the faith in the locals. As we’ve learned in this game, changing Top 10 and Top 20 markets isn’t guaranteed but we’ve also learned nothing ventured, nothing gained. Oh, and perfect games are for baseball! Fortune favors the bold! Or something… R1 Leader Rob … Kevin Streelman (+6600) What Glass is trying to say is that fortune favors the Bolton. He can thank me later; I’ll be here all week. Harbour Town is a par 71 with three par 5s, two of which on the outward nine, but each side is balanced in the aggregate. So, if you wanted to be persnickety about momentum, open with a morning waver going off 1. That’s my play. Streels brings big stick energy to the Lowcountry. He beat par in his most recent eight rounds (on Copperhead and TPC San Antonio) and he’s been terrific in this tournament time and again. And yes, he’s goes off 1 on Thursday at 7:21 a.m. ET. Glass … Tom Hoge (+6600) R1 scores 65 = RSM 66 = Sony 65 = Amex 63 = Pebble Beach 66 = THE PLAYERS Career year has been buoyed by fast starts. I’m on board with Rob – earlier is better because you have all day to, ahem, correct any errors made with early tee times! Hoge is off No. 10 at 8:05 a.m. ET, but we hardly live in a perfect world. Make the Cut Glass … Matt Kuchar (-250) It’s 17 straight at Harbour Town, and he’s found form with T16 at Valspar backed with T2 at Valero. Didn’t have the grind of Augusta on his bones, either, but I bet he was a bit salty not to be invited. I could have used KOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOCH in a few of these categories this week! Rob … Alex Noren (-250) One word per coin for how many this rewards – 10. 3-Ball Glass … Corey Conners over Daniel Berger and Mackenzie Hughes Conners has sat in second place after 36 holes in the last two editions, so he’s used to getting off to hot starts here. Working the golf ball isn’t his problem; neither his form after another top 10 at the Masters that backed up a solo third at the Match Play. Berger hasn’t bounced back since his Honda Sunday struggle, and Hughes hasn’t posted lower than 70 in the first round in seven events in 2022. Rob … Russell Henley over Henrik Norlander and Stephan Jaeger To my trained eye, and no doubt to the same among hardcore fans, you know a mismatch when you see it, even when we’re considering only one round. Henley has seven straight rounds under par at Harbour Town. He placed T9 here last year. He’s 13-for-13 this season, sits 21st in the FedExCup and ranks third in first-round scoring with an average of 67.75! Norlander has limited experience in this tournament (72-74=MC last year). He’s 130th in the FedExCup and T126 in R1 scoring (70.47). Jaeger has failed to capitalize on his status north of the Korn Ferry Tour graduate reshuffle category and arrives for his debut at Harbour Town slotted 160th in the FedExCup. He’s T124 in R1 scoring (70.44), and that’s easily his best among all rounds.

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A few weeks shy of his 48th birthday and returning to his first PGA Championship in 12 years, Ben Hogan couldn’t find any magic in his golf game during his trip to Akron, Ohio, in the summer of 1960. Three days without a birdie left him outside the 54-hole cut. Hogan did, however, discover the magic formula for Firestone Country Club’s South Course.  “He told me, the winner will be the guy who averages no more than 10 (missed fairways and missed greens combined) a day,� Jay Hebert told reporters, recalling Hogan’s words. “If you don’t think (practice rounds) with Hogan are an education, try it sometime. It’s a master’s degree. No, it’s a doctor’s degree.� On a Firestone CC test that Jim Turnesa that week proclaimed “the toughest course I’ve ever seen,� the 37-year-old Hebert averaged less than nine missed fairways and greens combined per day – and won. What? You think Hogan would have misled him? Famous for suggesting that “the secret was in the dirt,� Hogan likely would have said that the challenge of Firestone CC was no mystery. It is a sentiment that has been shared by other greats throughout the years. From Bobby Jones, who was at Firestone right after it opened in 1929 for an exhibition against Jesse Sweetser and Watts Gunn; to Jack Nicklaus, who embraced Firestone CC when he first saw it as an 18-year-old amateur in 1958; to David Duval 40 years later who triumphed in the World Series of Golf and said: “It’s just long, hard and right in front of you. There are no tricks to it.� Perhaps none of them, however, were swept off their feet by Firestone CC quite like Nick Price. He arrived in Akron in the summer of 1983 still licking his wounds from having squandered the 1982 Open Championship. Quickly, though, the aura of Firestone put him at ease.  “I had seen it on TV before, but when I saw it in person, I loved it. What amazed me is how (the holes) went up and down, how except for two or three holes, everything was parallel,� said Price. “It made an impact on me because it was long and the greens were tiny for the length of the golf course.� A premier ball-striker, Price smiled. “If you were on with your irons, you’d always have a birdie putt on the small greens,� said Price. “I loved it.� He still does, and for good reason. The Zimbabwean shot 66-68-69-67 for a four-stroke victory and first PGA Tour win was timely. Not because of the $100,00 winner’s check, but for the 10-year exemption to the PGA TOUR.  “You could say Firestone gave me the key to my career,� said Price, then a struggling rookie on the PGA TOUR who was exempt into the 1983 WSOG for being the leading money-winner in South Africa. “It was a special time, such a confidence boost.� Where the pride swells is when Price scans the list of past winners at Firestone CC’s South Course. The rollcall should be accompanied by trumpets blaring “Royal Entrance� because it is top-to-bottom golf royalty. When you factor in the PGA TOUR tournaments held on Firestone’s South Course (Rubber City Open, American Golf Classic, World Series of Golf and World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational) and sprinkle in three PGA Championships, the list of winners across 75 tournaments includes 18 World Golf Hall of Fame members and a whopping 33 winners of major winners. Crunching further, those 18 Hall of Famers have won 38 of those 75 tournaments at Firestone, a stunning 50.6 percent. “An impressive stat, no doubt,� said Price. “It’s a testament to how great the golf course is.� It puts Firestone South right up there with Pebble Beach Golf Links (23 Hall of Famers and 32 major champions have won there) as the two PGA TOUR courses that have produced the richest pedigree of winners. “Firestone is a ball-striker’s golf course,� said Adam Scott, who won the 2011 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. “If you miss fairways, usually you’re just pitching out. I’d hate to try and win a tournament there by scrambling.� When your club has hosted the best professional players every year since 1954, save for 2002 when the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational was staged in at Sahalee CC outside of Seattle, indelible memories stretch endlessly. There was the debut of the Rubber City Open in ’54 when Bolt said he was trying “to live down the reputation� he had as a hothead. His near-flawless victory helped, only one year later, Bolt ripped up his scorecard 16 holes into Round 3 and walked off. “I’m sick and tired of golf,� he vented. Palmer thrilled large crowds when he won the American Golf Classic in 1957, but at the ’60 PGA his mood swung as Robert Trent Jones Sr.’s re-design of Firestone, especially of the par-5 16th, left Palmer dismayed. “As far as I’m concerned, I think it’s ridiculous,� said Palmer, of the hole stretched to 667 yards. His chance to win the PGA collapsed with a third-round triple-bogey and years later, Palmer was asked if he remembered it. “I remember all eight shots,� he snapped. Mike Souchak was another who surveyed Jones’ re-do with a jaded view. “How about that?� he said. “They added lakes (two), traps (50), lengthened the tees and pushed the greens back (adding 500 yards), and what do they do – they cut par a stroke.� Indeed, Firestone CC in 1960 was a par 70 at 7,165 yards, beefier than it had been when it opened in 1929. Designed by Bert Way – an Englishman who apprenticed under Willie Dunn before emigrating to America in 1896 – Firestone measured 6,306 yards and was a par 71 back on the day Harvey Firestone struck the opening tee shot. But the back-and-forth routing and tree-lined holes remain pretty much as Way drew them up, which adds immeasurably to the joy of Firestone. Certainly, Jose Maria Olazabal felt comfortable at the 1990 World Series of Golf, so much so that in Round 1 he birdied the first, eagled the second, then birdied Nos. 3 and 4 en route to a course-record 61. He eventually won by 12, but years later said of that sizzling round: “What I really don’t understand is how the hell I shot 61.� Nicklaus did know why he played well at Firestone and it is why he became emotional in 2013 when honored at Firestone CC as “Ambassador of Golf� by the Northern Ohio Golf Charities. “I loved coming up here. I loved playing the golf course. It suited my eye. It suited my game,� said Nicklaus, who won seven tournaments on the South Course – five times in the World Series of Golf, once in the American Golf Classic, and, of course, the memorable 1975 PGA. That was the year Bruce Crampton finished second to Nicklaus for the fourth time in a major and famously said: “I’m not a machine. Jack’s the closest thing we have to a machine.� Years later, a leaner and meaner machine embraced Firestone. Tiger Woods first saw it as a teenager when he came over from doing a minority golf clinic in Cleveland. In 1997 as a 21-year-old professional in the WSOG, Woods told of his drive at 16 that barely reached the ladies’ tees. Reporters laughed, but Woods told them, “Hey, man, the ladies’ tees are way out there.� He would finish tied for third behind Greg Norman in ’97 and joint fifth behind Duval in ’98, but after that . . . well, it became his playground. Between 1999-2009, Woods won seven of the 10 Bridgestone Invitationals at Firestone. He added an eighth in 2013. “There’s Tiger and Tiger and Tiger . . . and Tiger,� said Scott, laughing when asked about Firestone winners. But growing serious, the Aussie noted that his idol, Norman, won twice there, and when you factored in Palmer, Nicklaus, Player, Price, Tom Watson, Lee Trevino and Phil Mickelson among all the Hall of Famers and major winners, Scott smiled. “You pay attention to past winners and when the list is that impressive, you take pride in being on it.� Price still savors his 1983 World Series of Golf win. Yes, for the 10-year exemption, but also because the next five names behind him on the leaderboard were Nicklaus, Johnny Miller, Raymond Floyd, Hale Irwin and Watson. “I had a four-shot lead walking to the 18th green,� said Price, “and I saw Jack standing behind the green. I had had all these great players breathing down my neck and when I saw Jack, I thought, ‘Maybe he thinks I’m going to four-putt.’ “But he came out because he wanted to congratulate me. It was so gracious of him.� Nicklaus knew reporters didn’t know much about the young man from Zimbabwe, but insisted, “You have players here you have never heard of, but they are not no-names, I can assure you.� Certainly, not when they win at Firestone CC.

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