Heck yeah: Teenage American golfer shines in 2nd major test

Happy New Year! Welcome to 2020 and the earliest start we can remember for the PGA TOUR in terms of coming back after the holiday period. Of course, the 2019-20 FedExCup has been in full swing since September, but we start the new calendar year in Maui at the winners-only Sentry Tournament of Champions in Kapalua. As you wind down from festivities and try to keep your resolutions at front of mind, most of you get prime-time golf on TV… with the odd whale thrown in! RELATED: Tee times | Power Rankings THREE PLAYERS TO PONDER THE FLYOVER The 203-yard par-3 8th hole is a visual splendor as players have to carry a ravine from an elevated tee with the wondrous ocean and island of Molokai as a backdrop. But it can be feast or famine for the players. Last season, it was the toughest hole all week playing to a 3.136 stroke average. And this despite the fact Patton Kizzire made an ace on the hole. There were just 13 birdies to go with eagle over four rounds with 20 bogeys, five double bogeys and one triple bogey. LANDING ZONE The par-5 18th is listed at 663 yards on the scorecard, but played between 653 and 681 yards last season. It’s the longest hole on the PGA TOUR, but that doesn’t mean it is hard. It drops severely in elevation from tee to green and with the right tee shot that finds the speed slots, we can see the ball travel over 400 yards… although last year 399 was the max out (The 400 yard barrier was beaten on the 17th hole). The 18th played at 4.598 last season with two eagles and 57 birdies. Players shot par or better on the hole all but seven times over four rounds. Here’s a look at where all tee shots landed last year. WEATHER CHECK From PGA TOUR meteorologist Wade Stettner: Partly cloudy skies are forecast on Wednesday and Thursday with lighter winds and just a slight chance of isolated showers. A frontal boundary will push through Maui by Thursday evening and the trade winds will increase behind this front. Windy conditions are forecast on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday with peak wind gusts to 35mph. Shower chances will also increase this weekend as the gusty trade winds push them over the West Maui Mountains. For the latest weather news from Kapalua, Hawaii, check out PGATOUR.COM’s Weather Hub. SOUND CHECK This is always the best place to start the year. It means you won the previous year but also it’s a small field and it’s a fun, relaxed week on a great golf course. BY THE NUMBERS 3 – Number of top-6 finishes for Rickie Fowler at the Sentry Tournament of Champions, tied with Hideki Matsuyama for the most without a victory since 2013. 5 – The final-round deficit Xander Schauffele came back from last year. It was the largest final round come-from-behind victory at the Plantation Course at Kapalua since 1999 (previous was four strokes). His 61 included two eagles, eight birdies and one bogey. 15 – Number of first-time winners in the 2019 calendar year are in the field this week at the 2020 Sentry Tournament of Champions. They are Adam Long, Martin Trainer, Keith Mitchell, Corey Conners, Max Homa, Sung Kang, Nate Lashley, Matthew Wolff, Dylan Frittelli, Collin Morikawa, J.T. Poston, Joaquin Niemann, Sebastián Muñoz, Lanto Griffin and Tyler Duncan.   196 – Number of holes Adam Long has played without a three-putt, tied with Russell Knox for the current longest streak on the PGA TOUR. 575 – Number of drives 400 yards or longer on PGA TOUR in the ShotLink era (since 2003). More than half of those (55.5%) have come on the Plantation Course at Kapalua (319 of 575). Dustin Johnson leads all players with 29 of them. 1,561 – The number of FedExCup points earned by Dustin Johnson at the Sentry Tournament Of Champions. The most of any player since 2009. SCATTERSHOTS What a difference a year makes. A year ago, Brendon Todd was considering buying into a pizza franchise after missing 39 cuts in 45 starts, he now leads the FedExCup; Matthew Wolff and Collin Morikawa were knee-deep in textbooks and collegiate golf; Corey Conners had conditional TOUR status after finishing 130th in the 2018 FedExCup standings; and Lanto Griffin was set to embark on his second stint on the Korn Ferry Tour.   Plantation Course refined for 2020: The Plantation Course at Kapalua underwent a nine-month refinement project. The work was done by original Plantation Course architects Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw along with Troon’s design, development and agronomy team. During the refinement project, all 107 acres of fairways, tees and roughs were replanted with Celebration Bermuda grass and all greens were rebuilt and grassed with TifEagle Bermuda grass. Dustin Johnson returns. After taking time off to rehab a knee issue, Johnson returned to help the U.S. win the recent Presidents Cup in Australia. But this marks his first start in the 2019-20 PGA TOUR season. The winner at Kapalua in 2013 and 2018 has seven consecutive top-10s at the event.

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Tiger Woods’ comeback will hit another benchmark this week, regardless of the outcome. He’s playing consecutive PGA TOUR events for the first time since 2015. It’s a positive sign about his health. Now his game needs work. Woods arrives at one of the PGA TOUR’s most penal layouts on the heels of shooting 72-76 at the Genesis Open. He hit less than half his fairways and greens at Riviera. He missed the cut by four shots after shooting 39 on his final nine holes. Much of the enthusiasm that amassed after Woods scrambled his way to a top-25 finish at Torrey Pines was dampened by last week’s performance, which made it evident that Woods may be farther from contending than previously thought. He needs more “repsâ€� under tournament conditions to see how his new swing, and new body, respond under the pressure of tournament competition, he said. “I can’t create the same angles that I used to be able to create naturally, … and I’m still learning what that feels like under the gun,â€� Woods said after Wednesday’s pro-am. After taking last weekend off, he practiced Monday and Tuesday before playing the pro-am at PGA National. Woods, who isn’t working with a swing coach, didn’t change course after playing poorly last week. He worked on the same swing keys that have been his focus since his latest comeback began. “I just need to get better at (it),â€� he said. He’ll be challenged this week by a course that threatens to harshly expose the slightest miscue. Riviera and Torrey Pines aren’t easy, but they offer a more traditional test. PGA National’s Champion Course is one of those water-lined Florida courses where players can quickly rack up penalty strokes. Over the past two seasons, it had the third-most balls hit in the water (590) on the PGA TOUR. Excluding the majors, PGA National was the 12th-hardest course on TOUR in 2017. It was the second-hardest the previous year. Its infamous “Bear Trapâ€� has been the third-hardest three-hole stretch on TOUR over the past decade. “It’s a place that demands your full attention at all times,â€� said defending champion Rickie Fowler. The south Florida breezes are expected to blow all week, as well. Woods should know. Scanning the weather forecast has been one of the habits he’s resumed now that he’s back to competing on a regular basis. “I’m starting to get into that flow again,â€� he said. There have been promising signs with his short game and putting, but he has struggled with his full swing. He would rank 152nd in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green if he had enough rounds to be listed in the official stats. He’ll have to hit the ball better to have a chance this week. “It’s a ball-striker’s golf course,â€� said 2012 Honda champion Rory McIlroy. “You can’t up-and-down it around here and expect to win. You have to hit fairways. You have to hit greens and you have to just take your chances when they come along.â€� Woods first played The Honda Classic in 1993, when he was 17 years old. He played the Monday pro-am with a foursome of NFL quarterbacks: Dan Marino, Bernie Kosar, Phil Simms and Mark Rypien. Woods shot 72-78 to miss the cut. It would be 19 years until he returned, after he moved to nearby Jupiter Island. Woods played at PGA National for three consecutive years before back problems prevented him from playing. His 69.0 scoring average in limited action at PGA National is the lowest at the course since 2010 (minimum six rounds), though that won’t make this week’s task any easier. This will be his first start in this event in four years. He withdrew from the final round of the 2014 Honda Classic with a bad back. He had the first of his four back surgeries a month later. Two years earlier, Woods fired a final-round 62 to nearly earn his first victory after his personal scandal. Seeking his first win since 2009, Woods almost chased down McIlroy. Woods eagled 18 to put pressure on McIlroy, but ultimately finished two shots behind him. The 62 remains the low final round of Woods’ career. He never broke par the next year, finishing 37th. He was inside the top 20 entering 2014’s final round before walking off on the 14th green. This will be just his 20th TOUR event since. “I’m so happy I’m not in pain anymore,â€� Woods said Wednesday. Getting his game back is the next step.

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This is one of the most fascinating weeks of the season. Whether you’re pacing or chasing, because the Wells Fargo Championship is loaded with chalk that has played well and often at Quail Hollow over the years, ownership percentages will be top-heavy. And even if you don’t play in every tournament – this is the 28th of 46 in 2018-19 – it’s highly likely that many of those choices are off your board and those of your opposition because of where we are in the season. The additional layer of intrigue is that most of the chalk will have our attention at each of the last three majors, so the tug of war between the now and the later is real. Rory McIlroy all but owns Quail Hollow, so if you need to go for the downs, take your swing. If you’re thinking about holstering, you don’t deserve the option. And after reading that remark, if you’re still considering abstaining, pat yourself on the back for waiting until now to get him in there. I’ll do whatever it takes for you to understand his value on this track. I remain bullish on Rickie Fowler’s chances in a major this summer, but he also presents smartly as a weapon if you need to cut into your deficit. Like McIlroy twice at Quail Hollow (2010, 2015), Fowler also is a former champ (2012) and his overall record is phenomenal. If you’re stuck between the two, first understand how nice of a problem that is, and then burn Fowler now and keep McIlroy in your pocket for a major. Jason Day is the defending champion. He’s never won the same tournament in consecutive editions, but he’s always on the short list of candidates to turn the trick because of his talent. I love him again this week, but consider saving for the PGA Championship or the FedExCup Playoffs (even though none of the three stops appears in his Future Possibilities). Paul Casey also is on that short list, but he’s just outside our focus in the majors, so if you’re as fortunate as I am to give him a go, pounce. You’ll note that the Travelers Championship is his top spot, but I’ve penciled in three-time champion Bubba Watson for that event the week after the U.S. Open. (The lefty is not competing at the Wells Fargo Championship.) Quail Hollow will challenge Phil Mickelson’s approach in 2019. Overseeded bermuda rough as long as two-and-a-half inches goes against his better-laid plan to avoid it, and that’s simply hard to do as he continues to tee it up in familiar spots. His results were not inspiring after he prevailed at Pebble Beach and prior to a T18 at Augusta National where the second cut isn’t penal. Target the return trip to Pebble Beach for the U.S. Open even though he’ll be chasing the career grand slam and the course should be a brute. It’s scheduled to conclude on his birthday (June 16), so maybe his wish will finally come true. Another curiosity is Justin Rose only because Quail Hollow doesn’t rank in his top tier of go-to tracks as he scrambles for form. No one would be surprised if he won, of course, but One & Doners in every situation don’t need to risk it with him. He’s one example of how the timing of the tournament benefits you. Other notables who resonate similarly coolly include Hideki Matsuyama, Patrick Reed, Gary Woodland, Tony Finau, Sergio Garcia and local resident Webb Simpson. All are usable in roster games, but we’ll turn to them in our world another time. Two-man gamers should employ the aforementioned advice for your primary, and then gives the likes of Lucas Glover, Jason Kokrak, J.B. Holmes and Luke List a look to ride shotgun. FUTURE POSSIBILITIES NOTE: Select golfers committed to the tournament are listed alphabetically. Future tournaments are sorted chronologically and reflect previous success on the courses on which the tournaments will be held in 2018-19. The numerical values in parentheses represent the order of relative confidence of where to use each golfer if multiple sites are listed (e.g. 1 for strongest, 2 for next-strongest and so on). To present weighted confidence in real time, numerical values will not change all season no matter how many tournament remain listed for each golfer. All are pending golfer commitment. Byeong Hun An … Memorial (1) Daniel Berger … Travelers (1) Keegan Bradley … Memorial (5); Travelers (4) Paul Casey … Wells Fargo (9); Travelers (1); TOUR Championship (3) Jason Day … Wells Fargo (6 defending); PGA Championship (3); U.S. Open (10); Open Championship (9) Jason Dufner … Charles Schwab (6); Memorial (5); U.S. Open (2); Wyndham (8); TOUR Championship (10) Tony Finau … Memorial (2) Rickie Fowler … Wells Fargo (6); PGA Championship (9); Memorial (5); U.S. Open (10) Sergio Garcia … Open Championship (5); TOUR Championship (2) Bill Haas … Charles Schwab (2); Wyndham (6) Adam Hadwin … John Deere (5) Brian Harman … Charles Schwab (1); Travelers (5); John Deere (4) J.B. Holmes … Wells Fargo (5) Zach Johnson … Charles Schwab (5); John Deere (1); Open Championship (2); TOUR Championship (8) Martin Laird … Barracuda (2) Hideki Matsuyama … PGA Championship (13); Memorial (8); U.S. Open (14); Wyndham (7); TOUR Championship (5) Rory McIlroy … Wells Fargo (3); Memorial (5); Travelers (8); Open Championship (1); TOUR Championship (6) Phil Mickelson … Wells Fargo (2); U.S. Open (6); Open Championship (9); WGC-St. Jude (3) Patrick Reed … PGA Championship (4); U.S. Open (3); Travelers (7) Justin Rose … Charles Schwab (7; defending); Memorial (4); Open Championship (8); TOUR Championship (2) Webb Simpson … Wells Fargo (7); Charles Schwab (8); Travelers (9); Wyndham (1) Brendan Steele … Wells Fargo (9); Travelers (4); Barracuda (3) Henrik Stenson … PGA Championship (4); Open Championship (6); Wyndham (8); TOUR Championship (7) Kevin Streelman … Memorial (4); Travelers (7) Jimmy Walker … Byron Nelson (6) Gary Woodland … Memorial (4)

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