Dissecting the FedExCup chances of Rickie Fowler, Tommy Fleetwood and others

LOS ANGELES – Two months after nearly winning the PNC Championship alongside his son, Tiger Woods is still unable to give a timetable for his return to the PGA TOUR. Woods’ play at the PNC was better than many expected after his horrific car crash last February, but he said any progress made since December was not significant enough to forecast a return to competition. “I wish I could tell you when I’m playing again,” Woods said Wednesday from The Riviera Country Club, where he is hosting The Genesis Invitational. “I want to know, but I don’t. My golf activity has been very limited. I can chip and putt really well and hit short irons very well, but I haven’t done any long stuff seriously. I’m still working. “I’m still working on the walking part. My foot was a little messed up there about a year ago, so the walking part is something that I’m still working on, working on strength and development in that. It takes time.” Woods suffered multiple fractures in his right leg and shattered his ankle last February in Los Angeles in the days following The Genesis Invitational when his vehicle jumped a median and rolled over into a ditch. There were serious concerns at the time that the 82-time TOUR winner might lose the limb. “To be able to have my right leg still here, it’s huge,” said Woods, who turned 46 in December. “I still have a lot of issues with it, but it’s mine and I’m very thankful for that. “What’s frustrating is it’s not at my timetable. I want to be at a certain place, but I’m not. I’ve just got to continue working. I’m getting better, yes, but not at the speed and rate that I would like. You add in the age factor, too. You just don’t quite heal as fast, which is frustrating.” His play at the PNC boosted hope of a larger comeback, perhaps even for the Masters in April. But Woods pointed out he had the benefit of riding in a golf cart on his way to a runner-up finish with Charlie behind John Daly and his son, John II. Woods was also recovering from a fifth back surgery prior to the accident. The combination of ailments makes hitting longer shots more difficult. “I have seen progress. I’m a lot stronger than I was then, I’m able to hit more shots… I can play weekend warrior golf, that’s easy. But to be able to be out here and play six rounds of golf, a practice round, pro-am, four competitive days, it’s the cumulative effect of all that. I’m not able to do that yet. I’m still working on getting to that point,” Woods said. “Don’t forget when my back was bad, when we had rain delays and had to reactivate everything and go back out there again. I’ve still got that issue, too. I’ve got a long way to go. … (Playing) gave me hope to be able to play with my son again and to be able to have fun with him and have those moments, … but that doesn’t mean that I’m going to be back out on TOUR playing anytime soon.” Woods did remain committed to making a comeback at some point. He needs just one more TOUR win to take sole possession of the PGA TOUR wins record he currently shares with Sam Snead. “It’s been tough, but I’ve gotten here, I’ve gotten this far and I still have a long way to go. Each and every day’s a fight and I welcome that fight. Get up in the morning, let’s go a few more rounds,” Woods said. “I wish I could spend more time on the range digging out of the dirt. … But that’s not realistic at this point. Will I come back? Yes. Will I come back and play a full schedule? No. … I can play certain events here and there, but on a full-time level, no, that will never happen again.”

Click here to read the full article…

RIO GRANDE, Puerto Rico — Fighting to keep PGA TOUR status, Ryan Brehm shot a 4-under 68 in rainy conditions Saturday to open a three-stroke lead in the Puerto Rico Open. Brehm, with wife Chelsey at his side as his caddie, is making his final start on a minor medical extension and needs to win or finish second alone to retain status. He had a 15-under 201 total at Grand Reserve. “Obviously, if you would have given me that at the start of the week I’d have taken it,” Brehm said. “There’s just so much golf left. I mean, honestly, all Chelsey and I are trying to do is make one good swing after another and march along. That’s really all we’re trying to do.” The 35-year-old Brehm is winless on the PGA TOUR. He’s ranked 773rd in the world. “I know that somebody’s going to play well, probably more than one person, so it’s up to me to go out and do my job and play my game,” Brehm said. “We’re probably not going to change much strategically. We’ll hit irons off some tees and drivers off others.” Michael Kim was second after a 70. Since winning the John Deere Classic in 2018, Kim has made only 16 cuts in 76 starts on the PGA TOUR, including one stretch of 25 consecutive events without making it to the weekend. He was No. 75 in the world when he won and now No. 1,030. “It’s been a while since I’ve been in contention, but felt really comfortable out there, comfortable with my game and really looking forward to tomorrow,” Lee said. Chad Ramey (68), Andrew Novak (69), Tommy Gainey (69) and Max McGreevy (71) were 11 under. University of Oklahoma senior Chris Gotterup was 10 under after a 70. Making his PGA TOUR debut, he won the Puerto Rico Classic collegiate event two weeks ago at Grand Reserve. Puerto Rico native Rafa Campos shot a 73 to drop to 5 under. The event is being played opposite the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando, Florida. The winner will receive a two-year exemption and gets in the PGA Championship.

Click here to read the full article…

When the 1986 Pensacola Open began, Ernie Gonzalez’s claim to PGA TOUR fame was his 10th-place finish at the Bank of Boston Classic a month earlier. That was his career-best performance. After rain delayed play both Thursday and Friday at the October tournament in Florida’s Panhandle, Gonzalez moved to the top of the leaderboard—thanks to an eagle and five birdies over his final nine holes of the second round Saturday at Perdido Bay Country Club. Gonzalez led Joey Sindelar by a shot, with a Sunday 36-hole finale looming. Those 36 holes never came as the rain that fell as Gonzalez finished his second round only intensified, becoming torrential at times. Unplayable course conditions left officials no choice but to cancel the final two rounds and declare Gonzalez the winner. That victory, Gonzalez’s lone PGA TOUR title, remained the highlight of his PGA TOUR career. The California native of Mexican and Puerto Rican descent died in a Chicago hospital of causes due to Alzheimer’s disease. He was 59. Gonzalez, the third lefthander to win a PGA TOUR event—behind Sam Adams and Bob Charles—was born February 19, 1961 in the San Diego suburb of Chula Vista. He attended nearby U.S. International University, where he was a member of the golf team, and he turned pro in 1983. Gonzalez joined the TOUR in 1985. Following a 171st-place money-list finish in 1985, Gonzalez regained his playing privileges at that season’s Qualifying Tournament. His second year on TOUR was his high-water mark, making 25 appearances and getting to the weekend 13 times. Besides the win and the top-10 in Boston, he added a tie for third at the weather-shortened, 54-hole Vantage Championship in San Antonio, sharing third place with Ronnie Black, Phil Blackmar and Bobby Clampett, five shots behind winner Ben Crenshaw. Gonzalez finished the 1986 season 68th on the final money list. His $48,000 payday in San Antonio was a career-best, $7,500 more than his haul from Pensacola as officials reduced the Pensacola Open purse by 25 percent due to the two lost rounds. Following his victory, Gonzalez met with assembled reporters and talked about the long and productive week. “I was pretty nervous when I came out this morning. All we’ve been doing is sitting back and waiting. The waiting is tougher than the playing. I don’t know how to react.� He then paused, deciding on his words, before continuing. “It’s a win, and I’m happy. Realistically, my goal was to keep my card. Getting the win is a surprise and a big break.� Of his lone TOUR win, Gonzalez always contended, his opening-round 63 “was probably the best I’ve ever played.� Gonzalez’s victory did not lead to additional success on TOUR. By 1988, he had fallen to 207th on the money list and began playing sparingly after that, relying on his past-champion status to get into events. Between 1990 and 1998, he saw action in 38 tournaments but did play in at least one tournament every year from 1999 to 2010. His last made cut came at the 2009 Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, a week where he showed he still had a little game remaining. After opening with a disappointing, 4-over 75 in the first round at TPC Summerlin, Gonzalez shaved 12 strokes off his score in the second round, firing a 63 that included a wild stretch of four birdies, a double bogey and an eagle on the back nine that moved him inside the cutline. He went on to shoot weekend rounds of 69-68 to tie for 47th. Gonzalez continued to play sporadic pro golf events while working for a beverage distributorship in Las Vegas. He played in 44 Korn Ferry Tour tournaments between the Tour’s inaugural year of 1990 and 2002. He tied for 14th at the 1990 New Haven Open in Connecticut for his top showing. After turning 50, he only played in one PGA TOUR Champions tournament, the 2011 Senior Open Championship, in Surrey, England, where he missed the cut. Funeral services are pending.

Click here to read the full article…