Dustin Johnson gets first 2019 penalty

Tiger Woods said he will skip his hometown Honda Classic next week and has committed to the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Players Championship.

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Hideki Matsuyama returns to TPC Scottsdale in quest of the PGA TOUR’s first three-peat in seven seasons, though he’ll have to rise above a lineup that includes reigning FedExCup champion Justin Thomas, current leader Patton Kizzire and Jordan Spieth. Three-time Phoenix Open champion Phil Mickelson is also back for his 29th appearance, breaking a tie with Gene Littler for most starts. The local faction also now includes Jon Rahm, another former Arizona State star now No.2 in the world after winning the CareerBuilder Challenge. FULL FIELD: Click here to see who’s playing FIELD NOTES: Rickie Fowler, who Matsuyama dispatched in four playoff holes two years ago, gives the field five of the current top seven players in the world rankings. … In all, 10 of the world’s top 25 are set for TPC Scottsdale, as well as 18 of the top 25 in the FedExCup standings. … Steve Stricker tees it up for his first PGA TOUR start since last year’s FedExCup playoff opener. He captained the U.S. Presidents Cup squad to victory last September, and teamed with Sean O’Hair to win last month’s QBE Shootout. … Julian Suri, a Florida native who won twice in Europe last year, will tee it up on a sponsor invite for the second consecutive week. FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 500 points. STORYLINES: Matsuyama seeks to become the first to go back-to-back-to-back at the same venue since Stricker won three straight John Deere Classics from 2009-11. Matsuyama’s first two came in playoffs; no one (at least since World War II) has swept three straight via extra holes. … Matsuyama has finished no worse than fourth in four visits to Phoenix. … Webb Simpson, last year’s playoff runner-up, owns six consecutive top-15 finishes at TPC Scottsdale going back to 2011. … Mickelson, whose history in Phoenix dates to 1989, tries once again to become its first four-time winner. Littler, Arnold Palmer and Mark Calcavecchia also have won three in Phoenix. … Last year’s TPC Scottsdale crowds of 655,434 again easily surpassed the Arizona Cardinals’ 2017 home attendance (513,741) – along with every other NFL team except the Dallas Cowboys. COURSE: TPC Scottsdale (Stadium), 7,261 yards, par 71. The most populous – and most raucous – venue on the PGA TOUR brings more than half a million spectators to the Scottsdale foothills over the course of a week. Some 20,000 each day pack the “Coliseumâ€� that rings the par-3 16th, an atmosphere that raises the adrenaline for anyone on the tee. Tiger Woods aced No.16 in his first Phoenix Open in 1997, one of just nine recorded at the hole. That doesn’t count the robot that turned the trick at the 2016 pro-am, drawing yet another beer shower. Andrew Magee made history in 2001 by holing his tee shot at No.17 – still the only TOUR ace on a par-4. The Tom Weiskopf/Jay Morrish design got $12 million in upgrades four summers ago. • 72-HOLE RECORD: 256, Mark Calcavecchia (2001), Phil Mickelson (2013). • 18-HOLE RECORD: 60, Grant Waite (4th round, 1996), Mark Calcavecchia (2nd round, 2001), Phil Mickelson (2nd round, 2005, and 1st round, 2013). LAST YEAR: Matsuyama won in a playoff for the second-straight year, another four-hole overtime in which he dispatched Webb Simpson with a 10-foot birdie. Simpson forced the playoff with three birdies in his last four holes to post a 7-under-par 64, while Matsuyama’s birdie attempt to win in regulation stopped just short. They matched pars for the first three extra holes, before Simpson found the green at the drivable par-4 17th – with a bunker in the way of an eagle putt. A lag putt could get no closer than 25 feet, and a birdie try burned the edge. It was Matsuyama’s second win of the season and fifth worldwide in a 3 ½-month span that included the WGC-HSBC Champions. His fourth PGA TOUR win also broke a tie with Shigeki Maruyama for most by a Japanese pro. HOW TO FOLLOW TELEVISION: Thursday-Friday, 3-7 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday, 2-3:45 p.m. (GC), 4-7 p.m. (CBS). Sunday, 1-2:45 p.m. (GC), 3-6 p.m. (CBS). PGA TOUR LIVE: Thursday-Friday, 9:15 a.m.-3 p.m. (featured groups), 3-7 p.m. (featured holes). Saturday, 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. (featured holes). Sunday, 11:30 a.m.-6 p.m. (featured holes). RADIO: Thursday-Friday, 1-7 p.m. Saturday, 2-7 p.m. Sunday, 1-6 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com).

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ERIN, Wis. – Xander Schauffele’s name may be featured prominently on the large white leaderboards at Erin Hills, but that doesn’t mean everyone on the property recognizes the PGA TOUR rookie who’s contending at the U.S. Open. “I’ll sign some autographs and kids will be like, ‘Dad, who is that?’â€� Schauffele said. “That’s just how it is. … Schauffele is a pretty weird name to remember.â€� More people are becoming familiar with the German surname that translate to “tiny shovel,â€� a testament to his family’s centuries-long lineage in the construction business. Schauffele held the lead for parts of Friday morning before finishing at 5-under 139 (66-73). Erin Hills’ wide, fescue-lined fairways and bent-grass greens remind the 23-year-old of one of his home courses in college, Barona Creek, where he won a tournament during his senior year. And the same strong ballstriking and mental fortitude that has helped him make a quick progression through pro golf’s meritocracy is paying off in this notoriously tough tournament. “That’s been engraved in him forever, to be tough,â€� said his caddie and former college teammate, Austin Kaiser. “His attitude is huge. … He doesn’t want it to be sugar-coated.â€� His father, Stefan, has tried to imbue such fortitude in his son from a young age. Stefan, whose German roots give him a strong preference for honesty over flattery, is his son’s only swing coach. Now he’s watching the fruits of their labor in this major championship that always concludes on Father’s Day. Stefan started his son in the game at age 9, when he was strong enough to carry his junior bag for 18 holes. Xander wasn’t allowed to use tees in those early junior tournaments on par-3 courses, knowing that the temporary disadvantage would pay off later. It has this week, at the tournament that puts such a heavy emphasis on accurate ballstriking. We may have seen a record number of sub-par scores in the first round, but this U.S. Open is not a warm and cuddly championship. The struggles of several of the game’s stars show that Erin Hills is no pushover for those who are errant off the tee. Schauffele has averaged 314.8 yards off the tee this week, while hitting 11 of 14 fairways and 14 of 18 greens in each of the first two rounds. He’s learned how to handle pressure from his father, who passed along the breathing and concentration techniques he learned from his own athletic days. Stefan played semipro soccer in Germany and was en route to a training session for Germany’s national decathlon team when he was hit head-on by a drunk driver. He was in and out of the hospital for two years because of multiple surgeries on his left eye, which he lost sight in. The accident convinced him to take a risk and move to the United States when he was 23. He landed in San Diego and lived next to a golf course. With his physical activity limited because of the accident, he decided to take up the game. His first instructor, A.J. Bonar, related the golf swing to the sports like discus that Stefan was familiar with. He was scratch within two years. Xander has had a rapid rise in pro golf. He aced the grueling examinations that young pros face, Q-School and the Web.com Tour Finals, on his first try. After turning pro in 2015, the San Diego State alum needed just one season on the Web.com Tour to earn his card. Now Schauffele, who ranks 135th in the FedExCup, is playing well in his first major championship. “He just keeps improving every year,â€� said Ryan Ressa, who recruited him to Long Beach State, where Schauffele played his freshman season before transferring to San Diego State. “He always seemed to have a knack for (playing well) when he needed to.â€� For proof, Ressa refers to a 2-under round during a windy final day at the 2015 Web.com Tour Q-School that allowed Schauffele to earn his card on the number. Then he finished T9 in the final tournament of last year’s Web.com Tour season to earn his TOUR card for this season. And now he’s excelling in his first U.S. Open.

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