Dual eagles help McIlroy’s cause at Riviera

Cameron Smith won the Sony Open in Hawaii on Sunday for his second PGA TOUR title, and first individual win. He also won the 2017 Zurich Classic of New Orleans with Jonas Blixt. Smith, 26, moved to fifth in the FedExCup after defeating Brendan Steele in a one-hole playoff a Waialae. RELATED: Sony Open win means ‘that little bit more’ | Winner’s Bag | International Team announces Australian bushfire relief donation  Here’s a closer look at the best stats from Smith’s win in Hawaii: 1. BOUNCE BACK: Two holes into the tournament, Smith didn’t look destined for the winner’s circle. He bogeyed his first hole Thursday, then made a triple-bogey 7 on the next hole. He is the first player since at least 2003 to win after playing the first two holes in 4 over. ShotLink, which began in 2003, records the starting hole for each round. 2. ON A ROLL: Smith played his next 16 holes in 4 under to shoot 70 in the first round. His putter helped him dig out of that early hole. He gained +4.8 strokes on the greens Thursday. He went 4 for 5 from 10-15 feet – TOUR players made 30% of putts from that range last season — and sank putts of 21 and 15 feet. It was the second-best Strokes Gained: Putting round of Smith’s career, surpassed only by the +5.0 he gained in the second round of this season’s Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. Contrast that to the final three rounds this week, when Smith didn’t sink a single putt from outside 10 feet. He did hole nine of 11 attempts from 7-10 feet in the final three rounds, though. That’s a 82% make percentage. 3. STEELE’S SUNDAY: Steele started the final round with a three-shot lead and looked to have the tournament in hand after holing a bunker shot on the par-3 11th. He played the final seven holes in 2 over, though. He bogeyed 13 and 17 to sign for a final-round 71. Steele led the field in Strokes Gained: Putting through three rounds but was last in the field in that statistic Sunday. He was just 1 for 5 from 4-8 feet in the final round and didn’t make a putt outside 6 feet. 4. WEBB’S CLOSE CALL: Webb Simpson could have joined the playoff with a birdie at the par-5 finishing hole, but he missed the fairway right and couldn’t reach the green. It was another close call for Simpson. In his last 11 starts, he has four runner-up finishes and this third-place finish. His worst finish in that stretch is T30. Simpson’s worst finish in three starts this season is T7 at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. He finished runner-up in his previous start, losing a playoff to Tyler Duncan at The RSM Classic. Simpson is fourth in Strokes Gained: Approach this season and 12th in Strokes Gained: Putting. Since the RBC Canadian Open – the start of this 11-event stretch – Simpson has been the second-best putter on TOUR and fourth in Strokes Gained: Approach. 5. MORE TO COME FROM MORIKAWA: Simpson finished runner-up to Rory McIlroy at RBC Canadian Open. That’s where Collin Morikawa arrived on the scene as well, finishing T14 in his pro debut. There are some other similarities between the two. Both are strong iron players who have shown a penchant for going low. Morikawa is second on TOUR in Strokes Gained: Approach since the RBC Canadian Open (see above). Their shared consistency also is worth noting. They’ve both made 16 consecutive cuts, the second-longest active streak on TOUR (Tommy Fleetwood leads that category with 31 in a row). Morikawa finished T21 this week but he held the first-round lead with an impressive 65 in tough conditions. It was his 18th round of 66 or lower since turning pro at the RBC Canadian Open. That’s two more than anyone else on TOUR in that span. Simpson is second in that category.

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The deepest field in golf will tee it up with heavy hearts for the biggest prize pool in the game at Pete Dye’s Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Of the 125 TOUR players eligible, 122 are teeing it up this week and the 47th PLAYERS will be contested, in part,  by 47 of the world’s top 50 players. On the line for the second consecutive March will be the biggest prize in golf: A purse of $15 million, including a winner’s share of $2.7 million, plus 600 FedExCup Points. RELATED: Power Rankings | Expert Picks Dye’s masterpiece returned to the March portion of the schedule last year. Sadly, that would be his last PLAYERS, as he passed away in January. His legend and legendary track will frustrate, taunt and mislead the world’s best again this year. The Stadium Course features no two consecutive holes routed in the same direction, so judging the wind is always top-of-mind. Speaking of mind, don’t let it play tricks, as angles into fairways and greens don’t always appear what they seem. The genius of Pete Dye was planting the seed of doubt and forcing the player to make a decision. Having a strong conviction this week won’t hurt either! The course isn’t long, but can play so this time of year as the over-seeded rough and greens are more receptive since they haven’t dried out over the spring. Without run-off or run-out, fairways become easier to hit, but distance is sacrificed, favoring the power players, as usual. It’s another week of TifEagle greens, wind, sand, water and Palm trees, but this time with the deepest field in golf. RECENT WINNERS 2019: Rory McIlroy (-16, 272) Began the final round one shot back of Jon Rahm (T12) before posting 70 to win THE PLAYERS for the first time (10th attempt). … Opened 67-65 to co-lead after 36 holes with Tommy Fleetwood (T5). … Led the field in Strokes-Gained: Tee-to-Green and Par-3 scoring. … Became the third winner in the last four to lead or co-lead the field in bogey avoidance. … Opened 2019 on TOUR T6 or better in his first five events. #Hawt. … Cut was 143 (-1). Notables in the field this week: Jim Furyk (2nd), all 48 years of him, tied 54-hole leader Rahm for the low round of the week (64) and finished just one back. … Furyk was looking to become the first local to win since Fred Funk (2005). … Jhonattan Vegas (T3) closed 67-66. … Dustin Johnson graced the top 10 (T5) for the first time in 11 tries and posted all four rounds in the 60s. … Brandt Snedeker (T5) ended a streak of three straight MC and co-led the field in birdies (23) with Abraham Ancer (T12). … Webb Simpson (T16) provided the best title defense since Adam Scott (T8) in 2005. 2018: Webb Simpson (-18, 270) Led or co-led every round en route to a four-shot victory in his ninth attempt. … Set 36-hole record (-15) and tied the 54-hole record (-19) in the final event during May. … Led by a record seven shots after Saturday. … 73 tied the highest score in the final round for a winner. … Missed Greg Norman’s tournament record by five. … 63 in Round 2 tied the course record. … Last in the field in driving distance yet first in fairways as May played firm and fast. Cut was 143 (-1). Notables in the field this week: Debutant Xander Schauffele and Jimmy Walker shared second four back. … Jason Day and Jason Dufner shared fifth. … Tommy Fleetwood (T7) started his hot streak. … Brooks Koepka tied the course record (63) Sunday for T11. … Defending champion Si Woo Kim T63. 2017: Si Woo Kim (-10, 278) Won by three shots in just his second attempt and became the youngest winner (21). … Only player double-digits under-par. … One of three players to put all four rounds at par-or-better. … Led the field in scrambling, bogey avoidance (T1) and Par-4 scoring. … Just seven rounds in the 60s on Sunday and his was the only one without a bogey! Notables in the field this week: Louis Oosthuizen and Ian Poulter shared second. … 54-hole leaders Kyle Stanley (T4) and J.B. Holmes (T41) didn’t break 75 on Sunday. … Francesco Molinari (T6) picked up his third top-10 finish in a row. … Adam Scott (T6) picked up his first top-10 payday since 2007. Key stat leaders Top golfers in each statistic on the 2019-20 PGA TOUR are listed only if they are scheduled to compete this week.  * -  previous top-10 finish here since 2015 or previous champion Strokes-Gained: Tee-to-Green  1  *Rory McIlroy  2  *Justin Thomas  3  *Hideki Matsuyama  4  *Adam Scott  5  Patrick Cantlay  6  Paul Casey  7  Byeong-Hun An  8  *Dustin Johnson  9  Corey Conners 10 Jon Rahm 11 *Xander Schauffele 12 Brooks Koepka 13 *Tommy Fleetwood 14 Jason Kokrak 15 Emiliano Grillo 16 Gary Woodland 18 Matthew Fitzpatrick 19 Kevin Streelman 20 *Webb Simpson 21 Tony Finau 22 *Henrik Stenson (2009 winner) 23 Joaquin Niemann 24 *Sergio Garcia 25 *Lucas Glover (T6, 2017; 3, 2010) Strokes-Gained: Putting  1  Denny McCarthy  2  Jordan Spieth  4  *Graeme McDowell  5  Andrew Putnam  6  Aaron Baddeley  7  Patton Kizzire  8  Wyndham Clark  9  Vaughn Taylor 11 *Webb Simpson 12 *Brandt Snedeker 13 *Rickie Fowler 14 Pat Perez 15 Harris English 16 Billy Horschel 17 *Justin Rose (T8, 2019) 19 Peter Malnati 20 *Kevin Kisner (P2 debut 2015) 22 Patrick Rodgers 23 Sam Ryder 24 *Ian Poulter 24 *Rory McIlroy Par-4 Scoring  1  *Rory McIlroy  1  Brooks Koepka  3  *Justin Thomas  3  *Webb Simpson  3  Jon Rahm  3  Patrick Cantlay  7  Cameron Tringale  8  Nate Lashley  8  Brice Garnett  8  Joaquin Niemann  8  *Rickie Fowler  8  Sam Ryder  8  *Lucas Glover  8  Scott Piercy  8  Charles Howell III  8  Patrick Reed  8  *Chez Reavie  8  Ryan Palmer  8  Abraham Ancer Horses      Rory McIlroy: Of the last seven, five are T12 or better, including the only player to win in March. Sergio Garcia: All-time money leader and 2008 champ has cashed in 16 straight; closed 67 last year for T22. Adam Scott: 2004 winner in March has taken home T12 or better the last four years; only Garcia has more rounds in the 60s. Webb Simpson: Hard to ignore T16-WIN-T16 in the last three editions. Jason Day: 2016 champ closed out the May portion with T5 (-13) and began March with T8 (-12). Jim Furyk: Local has cashed in 18 of 23 over his career for second-best on the money list, but he’s 49. Caution. Cut Makers Matt Kuchar: 2012 winner has been paid in 10 of his last 11 visits; T26 last year but soft conditions won’t help him or Furyk. Caution. Tommy Fleetwood: T7 in the final May event (-12) and T5 (-13) in the return to March last year. Hideki Matsuyama: Six trips have resulted in five weekends with the worst being T23; T8 last year. Justin Rose: Four straight and five of his last six with T8 last year, which included playing the final 54 holes 14 under. Ian Poulter: Stayed all weekend in 13 of 16 including six straight; nine-under (T3) after 36 last year before fading. Justin Thomas: Perfect from five tries and all four rounds par-or-better last year.

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Cameron Tringale ... The 33-year-old - by the way, how is he only 33 with 183 cuts made in 290 PGA TOUR starts as a professional and still winless? - continues to surge from the doldrums of the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons when he missed 31 of 54 cuts. He's 7-for-9 this season with a solo third (RSM) among four top 20s, including in each of the last two weeks. He's back to doing what he's always done best. Currently 21st in GIR, 42nd in Strokes Gained: Putting and 35th in conversion percentage inside 10 feet. He's also cashed in six of his last seven trips to Pebble Beach dating back to 2012. Rafa Cabrera Bello ... No matter the international member of the PGA TOUR, managing one's life during the pandemic was multiplied by the additional layer of concern for family abroad. To state the obvious, golfers are humans, too, so it wasn't surprising that the Spaniard struggled when competition resumed last June. He played out the string with unimpressive results before resetting over the holidays. Returning in 2021 on his home circuit, he went 4th-T35-T33 from Abu Dhabi to Dubai to Saudi Arabia in the last three weeks. While the 36-year-old may travel to Pebble Beach with some fatigue, he brings that renewed confidence and the fact that he recorded top 30s in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in 2018 and 2019. That experience combined with superb putting come together at a good time. Brice Garnett ... Mixed results at Pebble Beach but he did finish T19 in his first of five trips in 2014. It's a theme that transcends the entirety of his career on the PGA TOUR, but it overshadows his knack to beat par regularly. Case in point, he ranks T14 with 25 red numbers this season, but his challenge remains connecting enough of them to maintain a lofty position on leaderboards. Currently 26th on TOUR in both fairways hit and Strokes Gained: Putting, as well as seventh in conversion percentage inside 10 feet, so the ingredients are there. Rob Oppenheim ... The light-hitting, 41-year-old journeyman rarely pings our radar. He needs a lot of things to go right to make noise. He relies on precision off the tee and accuracy on approach to get the job done. Every once in a while, that's exactly what happens and it's why he's a PGA TOUR member. In fact, his career-best finish in 87 TOUR starts was a T8 in the 2017 edition of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. He's also cashed in all three of his other appearances. A little luck never hurts, either. He led the circuit with 22 hole-outs last season. Chase Seiffert ... As a rookie and first-timer in last year's AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, he opened with a flawless 6-under 66 on the host course. He was up and down thereafter en route to a T50 (with a 75 on Pebble Beach in the finale), but this is an opportunity for redemption with that experience plugged in. Currently just inside the top 125 in the FedExCup on the shoulders of a pair of top 20s, including a T12 three weeks ago at PGA WEST. Presents nothing flashy but like a man comfortable in his own skin, his bag is balanced. NOTE: Sleeper is a relative term, so Rob uses unofficial criteria to determine who qualifies. Each of the following usually is determined to be ineligible for this weekly staple: Winners of the tournament on the current host course; winners in the same season; recent major champions; top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking; recent participants of team competitions.

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