Fans hit by lightning at Tour Championship

It’s still the “Greenest Show on Grass” and #ThePeoplesOpen, and it still excites all the senses, but now it’s known as the WM Phoenix Open. Spectacular weather in the Valley of Sun – what else! – is expected for the most-attended sporting event in the world. As usual, TPC Scottsdale’s Stadium Course serves as the stage to 132 entrants. Details on the course, what it takes to prevail and more can be found beneath the projected contenders. Recent winners Tom Hoge (Pebble Beach), Harold Varner III (Saudi International), Luke List (Farmers) and Hudson Swafford (American Express) will be among the notables reviewed in Draws and Fades on Tuesday. Compared to most of the rest of the country, any winter in Phoenix is preferable, but to locals, it doesn’t take much more than a daytime high in the mid-60s to generate conversation about finding a sweater and something thicker than a light jacket. That’s also almost too cold for the ubiquitous hoodie/jeans/flip-flops combo in these climes. But not this week. A warming trend with temperatures approaching 80 degrees will bridge all four rounds of the tournament. Believe it or not, that’s well above average for this time of year. Wind will not be a factor. The weather, or lack thereof for anyone who defines it as requiring something other than glorious sunshine, parallels expectations inside the ropes at TPC Scottsdale. The course is the same as it was last year, and it’s perfect. The par 71 with three par 5s tips at 7,261 yards. Greens will roll at 12 feet on the Stimpmeter. Primary rough is trimmed to 2½ inches. Last year’s field averaged a cool 69.455, easily the lowest since Tom Weiskopf’s renovation was unveiled in 2015. However, that was in part due to a wet season immediately preceding it; that is the Stadium Course really didn’t have a chance. Greens that average a sizeable 7,000 square feet were hit on an average of almost 13 times in regulation per round. Those scoring opportunities yielded close to an average of four par breakers per round. With a drier pattern a year later, the track should punch back a bit. Brooks Koepka likely largely is remembered for holing out for eagle on the par-4 17th hole in the final round en route to his second victory on the course – he recorded his first PGA TOUR title here in 2015 – but he wouldn’t have been in position to pay off that 2 unless he put all the pieces together beforehand. As is often the case on the Stadium Course, distance off the tee is rewarded. Although cacti and other desert flora await the most wayward of tee balls, it serves more as the visual routing in contrast with the rich greens of the overseeded bermuda that blanket every hole. Koepka has the muscle, of course, but he also co-led the field in greens in regulation, missing only 10 all week. He ranked second overall in both Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green and the all-around to post 19-under 265, lowest since Weiskopf went to work. ROB BOLTON’S SCHEDULE PGATOUR.COM’s Rob Bolton recaps and previews every tournament from numerous perspectives. Look for his following contributions as scheduled. MONDAY: Power Rankings TUESDAY*: Sleepers, Draws and Fades SUNDAY: Qualifiers, Reshuffle, Medical Extensions, Rookie Ranking * – Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COM’s Expert Picks for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf, which also publishes on Tuesday.

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With the new RadSpeed family of drivers, Cobra has produced an entire line aimed at maximizing performance for players of all skills through optimized weighting and an array of advanced technologies. "RadSpeed design is about taking aim at the tradeoff of distance versus forgiveness and attacking that trade-off in an unconventional way," says Tom Olsavsky, Vice President of R&D, Cobra Golf. To do this, Cobra relied on a design concept that originated from a popular formula in engineering called radius of gyration. In golf terms, with respect to the metal woods, this means the distance from the club's center of gravity to each weight or technology location. A forward center of gravity is better for distance by creating maximum ball speeds, but it also elevates spin and decreases stability, leading to a less forgiving driver. Conversely, a rear-ward center of gravity is better for stability and launch and is thus more forgiving, but ball speeds — and thus distance — suffer. Cobra's engineers discovered that by increasing the radius of gyration and the distance between the front and back weights, they could create the perfect blend of faster ball speeds, low spin, and forgiveness in one driver. The weight is strategically positioned in each of the three new driver models to create three distinct performance characteristics. RadSpeed: For faster swingers who want distance through faster ball speeds, low spin, and trajectory control RadSpeed XB: For players who want distance through faster ball speeds and consistency across the face in the form of forgiveness and stability. RadSpeed XD: For those who want distance while reducing their slice or creating a draw. Designed with a 460cc traditional shape, the RadSpeed driver contains forward-biased Radial Weighting to appeal to the better player seeking low spin, low launch and workability. Interestingly, the three profiles match up with three Cobra staffers. Bryson DeChambeau's key demand: lower spin without giving up anything on mishits. He's in the Rad Speed XB. Rickie Fowler was seeking performance, speed, and workability, and the ability to execute his butter cut safe shot. He's in the RadSpeed XB. Jason Dufner prefers the XD head and likes having more weight in the heel. "Our new RadSpeed drivers represent a true breakthrough in performance," Olsavsky said. "Our engineers have outdone themselves by pushing the radius of gyration to new levels and delivering three distinct drivers aimed at three different types of golfers. With the RadSpeed driver family, Cobra can truly offer optimized performance for everyone from TOUR players to weekend warriors and those who need help correcting a slice.” Returning to the idea of a balance of weight for speed and stability, Cobra positioned the chassis — which features 28 grams of weight (16 grams of fixed weight, 12 grams adjustable weight) — in the front, and an additional 10 grams in the back (8 grams fixed weight, 2 grams adjustable weight). Using a lighter T-Bar Speed Chassis and a thinner Carbon Fiber Wrap Crown, Cobra engineers were able to save 13 grams (7 grams in the chassis/6 grams in the carbon) that they could reposition forward to lower the center of gravity and produce more speed. Two adjustable weights in the front and back (12 grams, 2 grams) allow players to fine-tune their desired launch and spin performance. Cobra's CNC Milled Infinity Face — first introduced on the SpeedZone driver and 95% larger in this iteration — has again been employed to deliver thinner faces for maximum ball speed and ideal curvatures for forgiveness on off-center hits. For the RadSpeed XB (Xtreme Back), Cobra created a driver with an oversized address profile for players who want plenty of speed and distance but value forgiveness. The 460cc clubhead utilizes rear-biased radial weighting designed to deliver the fastest and straightest ball flight of the three models. Cobra engineers positioned 20 grams in the back (14 grams of fixed weight; 6 grams of interchangeable weight), and 8 grams of fixed weight in the front of the XB, for what the company is calling its fastest and most forgiving driver to date. The RadSpeed XD (Xtreme Draw) is Cobra’s answer for a draw-biased, straight-neck driver. Designed to provide maximum distance and slice-fighting power, the Xtreme Draw model features the same slightly oversized 460cc profile as the XB, but with heel-biased Radial Weighting. Ten grams of fixed internal weight is positioned in the heel to enable easier face closure for straighter, draw-biased drives. Another 14 grams is positioned in the back for greater forgiveness, while 8 grams is positioned in the front to increase speed. The RadSpeed, RadSpeed XB, and RadSpeed XD drivers come in 9 or 10.5 degrees, with the XB and XD also available in 12-degree lofts. A Tour Length offering, featuring a shorter shaft length (44.50-inches) than the standard 45.5-inches, is available with a choice of three premium aftermarket shafts. Retail price: $449 each Women's models are also available in both the RadSpeed XB and XD in a Gloss Black/Elderberry colorway.

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If Segment 1 of PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf has felt like more of a grind than the usual soft open, that's because that's exactly what it's been. Not only are there a record 12 tournaments contributing but the cut at The RSM Classic was a crude reminder to many of its latest iteration (low 65 and ties) now in its second season. A year ago, I went just 1-for-6 at Sea Island. It was crushing in every sense, but it was a perfect example of why making cuts in this website's fantasy game is the top priority, and especially in a field with the maximum 156 in play. I managed to get four into the weekend at the RSM this year, but based on the experiences of many who have shared publicly, I was fortunate. A closer look at the cut and those cut helped explain. Exactly 65 golfers survived the 36-hole cut two weeks ago. Among the 13 who missed it on the number was Justin Rose. He was the sixth-most owned at 34.15 percent. Sungjae Im (second-most), Dylan Frittelli (fifth-most), Sebastián Muñoz (seventh-most) and Louis Oosthuizen (eighth-most) also failed to cash. RELATED: Power Rankings | Expert Picks | Sleeper Picks This week's 132-man Mayakoba Golf Classic presented by UNIFIN concludes Segment 1, so play ‘em if you got ‘em. ShotLink is not used, so your only targets are par breakers, low scores and leaderboard finish. When Brendon Todd prevailed at El Camaleón Golf Club a year ago as a 34-year-old, he brought the average age of the winners down. It was by only 0.07 to 34.85, which slots in the prime of a career, but it's not often that a course rewards the veteran ball-strikers as much. Seven of the first 12 winners were older at the time of their victories. The next stop on the schedule is the Sentry Tournament of Champions on Jan. 7-10. Because of the three-month shutdown due to the pandemic last season, this season's edition of the Sentry TOC will include all 30 golfers who qualified for the TOUR Championship. Of them, 17 didn't win an event since the 2020 edition, so the preliminary field stands at 45. This week's champion will be the last to qualify. Thirteen committed at Mayakoba already are eligible to open 2021 at Kapalua. Because Mayakoba wraps 2020, this is the last Fantasy Insider of the year. It's why the birthdays at the bottom extend all the way through Monday, Jan. 4. I've heard from many full-season gamers who were looking for my annual full-membership fantasy ranking. If you also missed it, the reduction of workable time late in the 2019-20 season and the absence of time in between seasons reduced this year's edition to a this preview, but I'm always available to review your situation privately. The most efficient connection point is via Twitter's Direct Messaging. Thank you as always for your loyalty to our fantasy content and gaming. This gig remains just as much fun and rewarding as it did when I hopped into the seat in 2010. It's entirely because of you. Until we meet again, please continue to respect yourself and others as it concerns the pandemic so as to remain healthy and to eliminate disruption in your daily life. PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf My roster for the Mayakoba Golf Classic presented by UNIFIN (in alphabetical order): Abraham Ancer Daniel Berger Joel Dahmen Harris English Emiliano Grillo Brooks Koepka You'll find my starters in Expert Picks Others to consider for each category (in alphabetical order): Scoring: Brian Gay; Doug Ghim; Patton Kizzire; Peter Malnati; Sebastián Muñoz; Joaquin Niemann; Rory Sabbatini; Justin Thomas Driving: n/a POWER RANKINGS WILD CARD Pat Perez ... The 44-year-old has carved out a reputation as a wizard on paspalum. It's seriously supported by his experience at Mayakoba where he prevailed in 2016 and finished inside the top 10 in the last two years. Overall, he's 7-for-8 with five top 20s. However, a recent slide cannot be ruled out as attributable to foot and ankle soreness that plagued him in August. The play is to go for it in a format in which you can be aggressive in places. DRAWS Brendon Todd ... This is a mild endorsement for the defending champion. He's been erratic of late and he missed the cut in his title defense on Bermuda, but he remains the product of the formula that's proven time and again at Mayakoba. En route to a T37 in his last start at Sea Island, he led the field in fairways hit, but he ranked T53 in greens in regulation despite averaging 12.75 per round. That's enough to retain our confidence, but his sticker price in DFS likely squeezes him out of cost-effective decisions. Russell Henley ... Ten consecutive cuts made upon arrival and one of the best tee to green this season. Quite simply, he's done nothing in recent memory to suggest that his next slump is looming. Joaquin Niemann ... He's likely over the frustration not to have been able to compete in the Masters due to COVID-19, and he finished T44 at Sea Island the following week, so all systems are go again. This is his third start at Mayakoba where he's hung up three red numbers in six rounds but didn't come close to contending in his debut in 2018 (T60). Chez Reavie ... Now 39 years of age, it'd surprise no one if he's posing for pictures with the chameleon trophy this week. Perfect in seven trips with a T4 (2016), a T14 (2017) and T26s in the last two editions, his combination of accuracy off the tee and precision on approach is repeatable and sustainable. While that's an obvious analysis, he's well-documented as streaky throughout his career, so even though he's been quiet since a T3 at the Safeway Open to launch into 2020-21, Mayakoba is on the short list of tests that can spark his next surge. Adam Long ... In full disclosure, he's among my favorites, both in fantasy and reality. Now in his third season, he's continued to maintain a pace of cracking the top 25 in half of his cuts made. It means that he's unafraid of getting in the mix on the weekend. He's also missed only one cut in his last 12 starts, nine of which had a cut. The 33-year-old is balanced throughout his bag, but he sets up his consistency with an exceptional game off the tee. In last year's debut at Mayakoba when he arrived in similar form to his current, he shared runner-up honors. Camilo Villegas ... Fresh off an emotional and inspiring T6 at Sea Island, he returns to Mayakoba for the first time in three years. He missed just one cut in five consecutive trips. Billy Horschel Charles Howell III John Huh Peter Malnati Denny McCarthy Graeme McDowell Brian Stuard FADES Rickie Fowler ... Aside from his current position as the poster boy of those clinging to a spot inside the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking to gain entry into the 2021 Masters, that fact is reason enough to hold your breath. He's finished second (2017) and T15 (2018) at Mayakoba, but 2020 has been an experience in connecting with swing changes that haven't translated into a top 10 post-hiatus and a top 25 in his last seven starts. Trap. Marc Leishman ... If I made space for another Wild Card, he'd have filled it. He's rested since a T13 at the Masters where he ranked T4 in greens hit and led the field in par-5 scoring. Because he's played well there before and due to the insular environment on the whole, it could be an anomaly but it's still representative that his game isn't as far off as it was in every other start since play resumed. Making his first appearance at Mayakoba in four years, so treat it as a bonus if you own him in a full-season format; otherwise, be careful. Charley Hoffman ... In what has been an effective 2020, he's scattered six top-15 finishes, including a pair this season, but the 2014 Mayakoba champ is 0-for-5 and hasn't broken 70 here since. Gary Woodland ... Runner-up here in 2016 and he's 4-for-4 since 2009, so he loves the place, but it's still a curious decision to give it a go given the torn labrum in his hip and subsequent discomfort in his back. Kyle Stanley ... His T6 at Sea Island was a personal best in six appearances, all of which resulting in a payday, but it's time to abstain if you remain in the same lane. Just 2-for-6 at Mayakoba with missed cut in his last three tries. Brian Harman ... It's relative in the context that if you're looking only for a cut made, fine. He's 4-for-4 at Mayakoba since 2015. However, the best of the bunch was a T40 to spark that streak. Prior to missing the cut at Sea Island where he's played much better over time - it's not surprising given that he's a local - he strung together nine top 40s dating back to the Wyndham Championship. Byeong Hun An ... Off to a rough start with four missed cuts sandwiching guaranteed paydays at Shadow Creek (T42) and Sherwood (T35). Missed the cut in only prior trip to Mayakoba in 2017. Andy Ogletree ... This is just a courtesy reminder to keep an eye on him. The 2019 U.S. Amateur champion is making his professional debut at Mayakoba. In his last start, he captured the Silver Cup as the low amateur at the Masters (T34). Rafa Cabrera Bello Will Gordon Adam Hadwin Luke List Brendan Steele Kristoffer Ventura RETURNING TO COMPETITION Henrik Norlander ... Untimely contraction of COVID-19 led to his early withdrawal at Sea Island, but the positive spin is that he missed only one the one tournament since the PGA TOUR was dark for Thanksgiving. While he's no doubt eager to pierce the turf again, and while his profile as a ball-striker fits Mayakoba well, invest fractionally at most in DFS. This is his third appearance, so he knows the property. Michael Kim ... Walked off Seaside during his first round of The RSM Classic with a sore back. Same thing happened during his opener at the Barracuda Championship four months ago. It's been 26 months since he's cashed in a tournament with a cut. NOTABLE WDs Cameron Tringale ... Opted to begin his holiday break follwoing the solo third at Sea Island instead of another week on the road. He's connected for only one top-45 finish at Mayakoba, anyway, that a T25 in 2017. Currently 33rd in the FedExCup. Matt Jones ... Since 2013, the Aussie made the cut in all four trips to Mayakoba but none yielded a top 30. Currently 59th in the FedExCup thanks in part to a T14 at Corales and a T4 on Bermuda. Brandt Snedeker ... He hadn't appeared at El Camaleón since the inaugural edition in 2007, so his commitment was curious in the first place. Sits 121st in the FedExCup with one top 40 (T17, Sanderson Farms) among four cuts made in seven starts. Gamers never have worried about him, but he's not yet fully exempt for next season and he'll turn 40 next Tuesday (see Birthdays below). Danny Lee ... Since his unfortunate experience at the U.S. Open, he's 2-for-4 with a T21 at Shadow Creek, but it's one of only two top 25s since play resumed in June. He figured to log one more at Mayakoba where he's recorded a pair of podium finishes and a T25 since 2014, but it'll have to wait. Led outright here last year with a course record-tying 62 in the first round before fading to finish T26. Martin Trainer ... Also withdrew early from the Bermuda Championship but he missed both cuts since. In fact, he's missed 15 in a row dating back to February and he's cashed only once in an event with a cut in almost 20 months. POWER RANKINGS RECAP - THE RSM CLASSIC Power Ranking Golfer Result 1 Webb Simpson T37 2 Sungjae Im MC 3 Sebastián Muñoz MC 4 Russell Henley T30 5 Corey Conners T10 6 Mackenzie Hughes MC 7 Ian Poulter T50 8 C.T. Pan MC 9 Denny McCarthy MC 10 Brian Harman MC 11 Zach Johnson T6 12 Tyrrell Hatton T23 13 Louis Oosthuizen MC 14 Brian Gay DNP 15 Alex Noren T18 Wild Card Justin Rose MC SLEEPERS RECAP - THE RSM CLASSIC Golfer Result Ryan Armour MC Scott Brown MC Russell Knox MC Hank Lebioda MC Davis Thompson MC BIRTHDAYS AMONG ACTIVE GOLFERS ON THE PGA TOUR December 1 ... D.A. Points (44) December 2 ... Alex Cejka (50); Shawn Stefani (39) December 3 ... none December 4 ... Matt Every (37); Harry Higgs (29) December 5 ... Ryan Moore (38) December 6 ... none December 7 ... Luke Donald (43); Billy Horschel (34) December 8 ... Brandt Snedeker (40) December 9 ... Wyndham Clark (27) December 10 ... Brian Stuard (38); Wes Roach (32) December 11 ... none December 12 ... Nate Lashley (38) December 13 ... Rickie Fowler (32) December 14 ... Brian Gay (49) December 15 ... Sam Ryder (31) December 16 ... Trevor Immelman (41) December 17 ... Tim Clark (45) December 18 ... D.J. Trahan (40) December 19 ... none December 20 ... none December 21 ... none December 22 ... Richy Werenski (29) December 23 ... Daniel Chopra (47) December 24 ... none December 25 ... none December 26 ... none December 27 ... Charley Hoffman (44); Doc Redman (23) December 28 ... Martin Kaymer (36) December 29 ... Martin Laird (38) December 30 ... Tiger Woods (45) December 31 ... none January 1 ... none January 2 ... none January 3 ... Charlie Wi (49) January 4 ... Sebastián Muñoz (28)

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