Expert Picks: The Genesis Invitational

This Masters will be different, that’s for sure. But the lack of patrons isn’t the only big topic. There’s Tiger Woods’ defense, Bryson DeChambeau’s length and a few sleepers to keep your eyes on this week.

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LAS VEGAS – Monday qualifier Dylan Wu produced an incredible start to his PGA TOUR career. The former Northwestern star punched out six birdies without a bogey in his opening nine holes, shooting 30 to begin the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. And while the 23-year-old – whose scoring average at his alma mater is the second-best of all-time, behind only Luke Donald – was unable to maintain that form over the final nine holes, he still shot a 5-under 66 to be inside the top 10. RELATED: Leaderboard | Tee times | Chase Koepka bests brother Brooks in opening round: “He’ll hear it over dinner” “I kind of surprised myself. Of course I was nervous. I mean, the first tee, that was the probably the most nervous I was. Once I hit a good tee shot, just tried to have fun out there,â€� he said after his round. “I just tried to play well. Just treat it like any other tournament. Good golf translates no matter where you’re playing, so that’s what I’ve kind of learned this year. Hopefully there are more PGA TOUR events in the future.â€� When he first arrived at TPC Summerlin on Tuesday, Wu admitted he was a little overwhelmed. He and fellow Monday Qualifier Andrew Novak stuck together to play a practice round. But in a twist of fate, Adam Scott and amateur Jack Trent were about to start their own round and invited them along. “It’s pretty cool just seeing your name against all the guys here. It’s hard when it’s your first time out here not to be star struck when you see players like Brooks Koepka and Adam Scott,â€� he said. “And to see how many young guys have had success out here, just shows how much better trained we are and how well-prepared we are when we do get out here. It’s just a testament to them. Just when any young guy plays well, it helps any guy that’s playing college golf or amateur golf.â€� Wu said having former teammate Sam Triplett, son of Kirk who won three times on the PGA TOUR, helped keep things light. Even when he bogeyed his penultimate hole and three-putted his final green for a slightly-annoying par. “If you told me I would be 5-under par after the first round of my first PGA TOUR event, I would take it, let alone shooting 30,â€� he smiled. “I know you’re going to make mistakes, especially in your first PGA TOUR event, but to be able to make eight birdies to counteract the three bogeys today was kind of unbelievable in my first tournament out here.â€� Interestingly, Wu wasn’t a stranger to everyone when he arrived for his TOUR debut. Some savvy TOUR staff recognized the youngster. “I did an internship my junior year. It was part of like a grant I won at Northwestern, the Northwestern Student Athlete Program, and it was basically a business internship learning the business side of golf,â€� Wu explained. “That entailed going to THE NORTHERN TRUST tournament. Kind of just being a sponge and learning all about the golf tournament, but also the corporate and golf side. And then I got to take a two-day trip to PGA TOUR headquarters and meet a bunch of PGA TOUR people. “So I got to see people this week, a couple days ago, that I haven’t seen in two-and-a-half years. It’s cool to see. Like being on the outside of the ropes back then and seeing myself here, it’s kind of pretty cool.â€�

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The last two winners on the PGA TOUR – Rory McIlroy and Seamus Power – have both represented Ireland in the Olympics. They were almost college teammates, as well. And not at a school that’s necessarily top of mind when you think of American powerhouses. East Tennessee State in Johnson City, Tennessee, competes in the small Southern Conference and in the Football Championship Subdivision (more commonly referred to as Division I-AA). Golf may be the school’s strongest sport, thanks in part to a pipeline from Great Britain and Ireland that included Power. The Buccaneers, led by Irishman Keith Nolan, finished third in the 1996 NCAA Championship – ahead of a Tiger Woods-led Stanford team – and twice played in the NCAA Championship during Power’s tenure. Power, who won his second PGA TOUR title Sunday at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship, almost was preceded on campus by McIlroy, who won THE CJ CUP in South Carolina a week earlier to ascend to No. 1 in the world. McIlroy signed a letter of intent to play golf for the Buccaneers beginning with the 2005-06 season. “The youthful McIlroy brings an extensive and successful resume to Johnson City,” reads the news release from November 2004, which is still available online. McIlroy opted to stay in Ireland and play amateur golf, however, but ETSU’s coach at the time, Fred Warren, kept the signed letter of intent and had it framed. “I signed a letter of intent to play for ETSU, did my SAT, did everything like that so I (was) fully ready to come over and play college golf,” McIlroy said in 2015. “But at that point I knew that I really wanted to turn pro earlier than the four years he was going to be here. I had no intention of graduating at all, so I thought it was just better to play that full time amateur golf in Ireland. … By the time I was probably just getting out of college I had just won my first major, so sort of it was a good decision in the end.” The Ireland-to-ETSU connection actually was started by John Paul Fitzgerald, who played for the Buccaneers and became McIlroy’s caddie for several years. Next was Nolan, who finished T9 in that 1996 NCAA Championship and represented Great Britain & Ireland in the following year’s Walker Cup. Warren watched Power play at the 2005 European Boys’ Team Championship at Monticello Golf Club in Italy. If it had not been for the interest from East Tennessee State, Power was considering taking an accounting course at a university in Ireland, according to a New York Times article. Power still had doubts about attending ETSU even as he was on his flight bound for the States. “Where am I going?” Power told the Times. “I didn’t have a telephone. I didn’t have many dollars. If I land over here, and if something as simple as my coach isn’t at the airport to pick me up, I have no idea what I’m going to do.” According to a 2016 profile on PGATOUR.COM, Power’s scholarship actually became available after McIlroy decided to not attend East Tennessee. McIlroy played amateur golf until turning pro after the 2007 Walker Cup. Power started at ETSU in the fall of 2006 and graduated with an accounting degree in 2011. He also was a two-time conference champion. He spent several years on the mini-tours before playing his first full Korn Ferry Tour season in 2015. He was a PGA TOUR rookie for the 2017 season, but failed to make the FedExCup Playoffs in three of his first four seasons. He started 2021 ranked 429th in the world but has now risen to a career-best 32nd in the OWGR. He also is fifth in this season’s FedExCup.

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