Flag-in putting works for Bryson Dechambeau

The annual Clam Bake on the California coast resumes for the 84th edition this week as a field of 156 will tee it up at Pebble Beach Golf Links. Unlike the previous editions there will not be 156 amateurs joining their professional partners due to the pandemic. A purse of $7.8 million is on the table and so are 500 FedExCup points and a check for $1.404 million for first place. RELATED: Power Rankings | Expert Picks | The First Look For those of you who enjoy the antics of Bill Murray or the quick wit of Ray Romano, apologies. The good news is the show is going on but in a different format this year and will not include six hour rounds. Only Pebble Beach Golf Links and Spyglass Hill will be in use as Monterrey Peninsula Country Club takes a break without the amateurs. Each pro will get a round on each before the tournament is cut after 36 holes. Those surviving return to Pebble Beach for the weekend and a chance for the victory. Pebble Beach Golf Links and Spyglass Hill have both hosted rounds in this tournament every year since 1978. Pebble Beach will play Par-72 and stretch to 7,051 yards while Spyglass Hill is the same Par-72 but just 10 yards shorter. The greens at Pebble Beach (and the wind) are the main defense as they are the smallest on TOUR. The fairways are some of the widest so that’s a clue. Spyglass Hill has slightly below average targets and has ranked inside the top 20 most difficult tracks on TOUR the last three seasons. Canadian Nick Taylor returns to defend his title and will look to join Dustin Johnson (not entered) as the only repeat champion this century. Recent Event Winners Stats Recent Winners and Notables 2020: Nick Taylor (-19) Won by four shots for his second victory on TOUR. … Just the fourth international winner in history. … 10th wire-to-wire winner but first since Phil Mickelson (2005). … First 54-hole lead or co-lead on TOUR. … Chipped in twice, once for eagle, once for birdie in the final round. … Joins the last three champs in winning by three or more shots. … Only one of three players to start at No. 1 tee and post a score under-par (70) in the final round. … Posted 11-under aggregate on Pebble Beach/Spyglass; tied with Streelman for low total for the week. … Becomes sixth consecutive winner in the top 10 GIR (T3). … Won in his sixth try… Only one top 10 in his previous seven TOUR events entering the week. Notables: Kevin Streelman (2nd) led the field in Strokes-Gained at Pebble Beach as he picked up his third consecutive top 10 finish. … 5-time and defending champion Phil Mickelson (3rd) played his final 12 holes in 5-over par after beginning the final round one behind. … Jason Day (4th) signed for his fifth T5 or better in his last six visits. … Daniel Berger (T5) picked up his second top 10 payday in as many visits. … Matt Jones (T5) has cashed T11 or better in three of his last six but this was the best of the bunch. … Maverick McNealy (T5) posted a bogey-free 68 to close, the only bogey-free round of the day. … 2017 winner Jordan Spieth (T9) posted the low round of Sunday (67) to hit the top 10 for the fourth time in eight visits. … Patrick Cantlay (T11) opened with 66 at Spyglass but played Pebble Beach 1-over on the weekend. … Day and Chris Baker (T38) posted 64 on Pebble Beach in Round 2. 2019: Phil Mickelson (-19) Won for the fifth time, tying Mark O’Meara for most in tournament history. … 14th win in California ties Tiger Woods for the most in TOUR history. … Trailed Paul Casey by three shots after 54 holes yet won by three. … Oldest winner in event history at 48. … 15th straight winner from USA. … Played his final two rounds at Pebble Beach (-9) after 68 at Spyglass Hill. … Fourth winner in five to be first or second in Par-Breakers. … Fifth consecutive winner to finish in the top 2 Par-4 Scoring. … Nearly won at The American Express (T2) but MC previous week at WMPO. … Played Saudi Arabia (T3) before 2020 solo third. Notables: Paul Casey (2nd) shared the 36 hole lead with Mickelson and led by three after 54 as he picked up his second consecutive top 10. … Scott Stallings (3rd) joined Mickelson on 13-under for the three non-MPCC rounds. … Jason Day (T4) was 7-under aggregate. … Si Woo Kim (T4) opened with 66 at Pebble and posted 13-under, not including MPCC. … Kevin Streelman (T7) matched Mickelson with 65 on Sunday. … Max Homa (T10) closed 68-67 Spyglass/Pebble for his first top 10 at the event. … Michael Thompson (T10) posted a bogey-free 66 Sunday. … Due to inclement weather, Lift, Clean and Replace were used all four rounds. … Consecutive left handed winners. 2018: Ted Potter (-17) Began the final round in the final group with Dustin Johnson (not entered) and beat him by three shots. … Played in the final group after 62 at MPCC in Round 3. … Led the field in Par-Breakers and Birdies (24). … Last five winners from 2016-2021 have hit the top five in Putting: Birdie-or-Better Percentage. … Sat T1 after 36 holes here in 2013 before finishing T16. … Entered the week off 75-74-82 finish at Torrey Pines South. … Won in his fourth attempt. … Second win on TOUR. Notables: Jason Day (T2) claimed his best finish to this day. … Phil Mickelson (T2) closed with 67. … Chez Reavie (T2) went on to finish third in the U.S. Open in 2019 and co-led the field in Strokes-Gained: Total at Pebble Beach. … Kevin Streelman (6th) posted the best non MPCC aggregate by two shots on 11-under. … Scott Stallings (7th) stormed home with bogey-free 66 to post 9-under on the three courses in use for 2021. … Paul Casey (T8) also signed for 9-under, co-second-best aggregate. … Kevin Chappell (T8) co-led Strokes-Gained: Total at Pebble Beach. … 2014 winner Jimmy Walker (T8) has MC the last two editions. … Defending champ Jordan Spieth cashed T20. … First round leader and co-36 hole leader Beau Hossler (T43) opened with 65 at Pebble Beach. … Weather was perfect. Key stat leaders Top golfers in each statistic on the 2019-2020 PGA TOUR are listed only if they are scheduled to compete this week. * – Top 25 finish here since 2016 Horses for Courses

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Dylan Frittelli ... He's like the age-old tactic in a job interview when you emphasize the absence of a negative. His greatest strength is that he doesn't have a glaring weakness, but he doesn't jump off the page in any category, either. Consistency in the middle of the pack multiplies chances to contend in the event all cylinders are firing at once, so there are worse things. In 10 starts post-hiatus, he recorded a top 10 and another three top 25s before shutting it down until his third consecutive appearance at the Country Club of Jackson. En route to a share of sixth place last year, he led the field in Strokes Gained: Approach-the-Green and Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green. He also co-led in par breakers. Fabián Gómez ... The two-time PGA TOUR winner was the first man on the outside looking into the FedExCup Playoff last season. It was made possible late with a T3 at the Barracuda Championship. He finished T41 at Corales on Sunday and should pad his total early this season striding in on the confidence of a 4-for-4 record at the CC of Jackson with top 20s in 2014 and 2019. Cameron Percy ... With the way the Aussie has been playing of late, it's probably an insult to group him here, but he's been a rarity on leaderboards throughout his career with just eight top 10s and no wins in 155 PGA TOUR starts. However, he finished T8 at Corales and inside the top 25 in two of his previous three starts. He's also 4-for-4 with a pair of top 15s at the CC of Jackson since 2015. While he doesn't comp to Ryan Armour in the context of how each gets the job done inside the ropes, like the 2017 champ who was 41 and winless on TOUR with over 100 starts to his record upon arrival that week, Percy also is a touring professional of a certain age (46). Bronson Burgoon ... Withdrew early from the first two non-majors of 2020-21 so that he could attend the birth of his second child, a girl, on Sept. 17. So, not only is he past the point of high anxiety awaiting the delivery, he's also rested for six weeks. Now, after his son was born in December of 2018, he didn't experience the baby bump upon return to competition after that holiday break, but he's scattered his impressive performances widely over time, anyway. This week's expectation rests solely in his success at the CC of Jackson where he finished T20 in 2015 and T6 last year, but the simplicity of his life immediately after the recent addition to his family doesn't hurt. Davis Riley ... With Will Zalatoris in his own lane among Korn Ferry Tour members right now, Riley is part of the leading contingent in the next flight. The 23-year-old out of the University of Alabama has two wins on the KFT in its expanded season, so he would be rewarded with an automatic promotion to PGA TOUR member with a third. In the meantime, and short of victory at the Sanderson Farms Championship, non-member FedExCup points earned this week would contribute to his pursuit of Special Temporary Membership and contribute retroactively should he earn the promotion. (He'll also get starts in all four additional events on the PGA TOUR during the 2021 portion of the current season.) He descends on his second start in the SFC (T39, 2019) having missed his last three cuts, including the U.S. Open, but he's a scorer and he ranked third in greens hit here last year. 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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Don't call it a West Coast Swing - that'll come around again as usual in January and February - but the PGA TOUR will be spending the next three weeks in the Pacific Time Zone nonetheless. The stretch begins familiarly with the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, a fixture of the fall since 1990. Then, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, two of the three events on the canceled Asian Swing have been shifted temporarily to Nevada (THE CJ CUP @ SHADOW CREEK) and California (ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP @ SHERWOOD). Of the trio, only the Shriners boasts a full field of 144 and includes a cut. The next two are 78-man invitationals with no cut. Scroll past the projected contenders for a breakdown of Kevin Na's improbable formula here last year, how TPC Summerlin sets up and more. RELATED: Inside the Field | Preview the course, storylines POWER RANKINGS: SHRINERS HOSPITALS FOR CHILDREN OPEN Jason Day, Rickie Fowler, Francesco Molinari, Sungjae Im and Will Zalatoris will be among the notables reviewed in Tuesday's Fantasy Insider Conventional wisdom and empirical data often collide at TPC Summerlin. As one of the most vulnerable par 71s on the schedule - it was the easiest of 10 par 71s last season and its scoring average of 68.859 was a record low since its debuted in 1992 - the game plan to hit greens and sink putts is as true here as it is anywhere. However, every worthy course makes available the possibility for the winner to have lapped the field with the putter. Kevin Na proved it before outlasting Patrick Cantlay in a playoff a year ago. TPC Summerlin tips at just 7,255 yards and the greens are on the larger size due to winds that often blow in these parts, but when they don't, the tournament develops into a putting contest due to the preponderance of scoring opportunities. Consider that Na averaged 13.5 GIR per round last year (to rank T46), and he was a hair under the field average for the week. Cue the flat stick, Na's primary weapon. En route to 23-under 261, he ranked second in putting: birdies-or-better and led the field in Strokes Gained: Putting, putts per GIR, fewest putts, total distance of putts converted, one-putt percentage and highest conversion percentage from outside 10 feet. Nine of the other 11 who finished inside the top 10 on the leaderboard ranked inside the top 10 in green hit, but only three cracked the top 10 in Strokes Gained: Putting. Scoring conditions will be favorable during the first two rounds this week before a cooling pattern arrives on the weekend. With it, the breezes will intensify from a prevailing direction out of the southwest, and then shift to push in from the north. Daytime highs will tumble from right around 90 degrees on Thursday to about 80 for the finale. No rain will fall. For the third straight year, the primary rough will be limited to two inches. (It previously was three inches.) The bentgrass greens are prepped to run at about 11-and-a-half feet on the Stimpmeter, further favoring aggressive putting. ROB BOLTON'S SCHEDULE PGATOUR.COM's Fantasy Insider Rob Bolton recaps and previews every tournament from numerous angles. Look for his following contributions as scheduled. MONDAY: Qualifiers, Reshuffle, Medical Extensions, Rookie Watch, Power Rankings TUESDAY*: Sleepers, Fantasy Insider * – 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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