Here’s How Jordan Spieth Reacted To Tiger Woods Leading British Open

The seventh of 24 contributing events for PGA TOUR Champions One & Done presented by SERVPRO is this week’s Mitsubishi Electric Classic. It begins on Friday. Scroll for tournament notes and 21 notables from the field of 78 in Duluth, Georgia. As gamers, we are compelled to pigeonhole golfers into a finite set of bins. It helps keep all of our thoughts organized and it’s time-effective. However, correlation is primarily an exercise in making broad strokes and taking shortcuts. In reality, every golfer is unique with a profile as it pertains to all of the known variables every time he competes. This brings us to Luke Donald at the RBC Heritage. For one, as rapidly as you want to connect dots between fellow 40somethings/Englishmen Paul Casey and Ian Poulter, both of whom recent winners of PGA TOUR events, and even World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship winner Phil Mickelson, also a contemporary, none of them possessed the kind of epic course history at the sites of their titles as Donald has at Harbour Town Golf Links. It’s a relevant narrative to carry a casual conversation, but it’s an improper fantasy angle. It also disregards Donald’s extended poor form upon arrival for his 10th consecutive appearance (and 13th overall) on Hilton Head Island. Each of the other three guys had been performing with some degree of promise in advance of their victories. Yet, Donald, who sits 196th in the Official World Golf Ranking and surrendered the title of “low Luke” to Luke List (currently 67th) at the conclusion of 2017, shapes up strongest among the foursome in consumer confidence entering their respective tournaments. There isn’t a better test to determine if, when you paint your broad strokes, you prefer course history over recent form. And it’s not so much the logic, it’s the comfort level after you’ve pulled the trigger. If you have gamer’s remorse, well, there you go. Just as he was last year, Donald is my pick. If you don’t like it, ask yourself if you’re stereotyping for whatever motivation. My fantasy Rule No. 3 is to remain fluid. In his case, if you haven’t already, it means to open your mind to the creation of a new category (for you) for which Donald is the only member. He’s an extreme and he exists. It’s not like he’s suddenly forgotten how to play golf. He’s remained busy and he’s not injured. Perhaps best of all, he’s yet to reach paydirt. Despite that manifesto, if I was pacing my little league, I’d stick with the chalk of Matt Kuchar. Indeed, Donald is for gamers in pursuit since front-runners won’t trust him because of the absence of good form. Remember, good form is why front-runners are front-runners. If you’re chasing and still can’t trust Donald, Cameron Smith and Tyrrell Hatton present as meaty options who are still solidifying their value in our world. Both check boxes of previous experience and relative success at Harbour Town along with a strong upswing in form. Because of the breadth of the field, two-man gamers should take the position of striking with a pair of primaries instead of the usual 1-2 punch. My Power Rankings is littered with an array of options. For the sake of time and space, lean on Future Possibilities below for all notables and schedule accordingly. 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 2017-18. 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. Paul Casey … Travelers (4); WGC-Bridgestone (5); Dell Technologies (2); TOUR Championship (3) Kevin Chappell … Valero (1; defending); St. Jude (5); WGC-Bridgestone (2); Dell Technologies (3) Luke Donald … Heritage (1) Jason Dufner … Fort Worth (2); Memorial (3; defending); U.S. Open (4); Wyndham (6); TOUR Championship (7) Jim Furyk … Heritage (1); Memorial (7); U.S. Open (8); Canadian (3); WGC-Bridgestone (2); THE NORTHERN TRUST (9); TOUR Championship (4) Bill Haas … Wyndham (2) Brian Harman … Fort Worth (4); John Deere (3) Charley Hoffman … Heritage (7); Houston (5); Valero (1); Fort Worth (4); Travelers (2); Canadian (3) Billy Horschel … Valero (3); St. Jude (1); TOUR Championship (4) Dustin Johnson … Memorial (12); St. Jude (8); U.S. Open (13); Canadian (10); WGC-Bridgestone (14); PGA Championship (9); Dell Technologies (11); TOUR Championship (6) Zach Johnson … Fort Worth (2); John Deere (1); Open Championship (5); WGC-Bridgestone (6); TOUR Championship (8) Chris Kirk … Valero (4); PLAYERS (3); Fort Worth (2) Kevin Kisner … Heritage (4); Fort Worth (1; defending); Memorial (5); Wyndham (6) Russell Knox … Heritage (2); PLAYERS (8); Dell Technologies (7) Matt Kuchar … Heritage (1); Valero (10); PLAYERS (11); Fort Worth (6); Memorial (2); Canadian (3); WGC-Bridgestone (7); THE NORTHERN TRUST (9) Martin Laird … Valero (7); Barracuda (1) Marc Leishman … Fort Worth (7); Memorial (5); Travelers (2); Open Championship (1) Graeme McDowell … Heritage (4); WGC-Bridgestone (3) William McGirt … Heritage (1); Memorial (4) Francesco Molinari … PLAYERS (2) Ryan Moore … Travelers (2); John Deere (3); TOUR Championship (6) Kevin Na … Heritage (6); Memorial (10); John Deere (9); Wyndham (3); THE NORTHERN TRUST (11) Ryan Palmer … Valero (1); Fort Worth (2); St. Jude (6) Scott Piercy … John Deere (6) Charl Schwartzel … Memorial (4); U.S. Open (5); Open Championship (6); WGC-Bridgestone (2) Webb Simpson … Wells Fargo (7); Fort Worth (4); Travelers (8); Greenbrier (5); Wyndham (1) Brandt Snedeker … Heritage (10); Fort Worth (11); U.S. Open (5); Travelers (6); Canadian (3); Wyndham (4) Kevin Streelman … Wells Fargo (3); Memorial (1); Travelers (2) CHAMPIONS ONE & DONE Mitsubishi Electric Classic Now in its sixth edition, each has been contested at TPC Sugarloaf, former home of the AT&T Classic on the PGA TOUR from 1997-2008. The course is a stock par 72 tipping at 7,179 yards. Stephen Ames is defending his first title on the PGA TOUR Champions. His 15-under 201 is the tournament record. All five prior champions of the Mitsubishi Electric Classic are scheduled to play. Since winning the inaugural event in 2013, Bernhard Langer has added a trio of runner-up finishes. Scott McCarron is the only winner of the TOUR stop at TPC Sugarloaf who is competing this week. He prevailed in both 1997 and 2001, but he’s yet to pick one off as a senior. Total prize money of $1.8 million hasn’t changed since the tournament’s inception. The winner will pocket $270,000. 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. 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. Stephen Ames … Mitsubishi Electric Classic (1; defending); Insperity (4); Principal (8); U.S. Senior Open (6); Boeing (2); Shaw (7) Billy Andrade … Mitsubishi Electric Classic (5); Bass Pro Shops (4) Joe Durant … Bass Pro Shops (5); Insperity (15); Principal (2); American Family (8); U.S. Senior Open (7); SENIOR PLAYERS (1); 3M (6); DICK’S (12); Boeing (10); Shaw (11); PURE (3); SAS (13) David Frost … Mitsubishi Electric Classic (6); Bass Pro Shops (3); U.S. Senior Open (4); 3M (7); Boeing (5); Shaw (8); PURE (1) Fred Funk … Mitsubishi Electric Classic (4); Bass Pro Shops (1); Regions Tradition (3); Boeing (6); PURE (5) Doug Garwood … SAS (1) Paul Goydos … Mitsubishi Electric Classic (6); Bass Pro Shops (2); Insperity (7); 3M (1; defending); DICK’S (3); SAS (5) Lee Janzen … U.S. Senior Open (2) Miguel Angel Jiménez … Mitsubishi Electric Classic (2); Insperity (13); Senior PGA (6); Principal (10); U.S. Senior Open (5); SENIOR PLAYERS (3); Senior Open Championship (4); 3M (9); Shaw (7); SAS (12) Jerry Kelly … Boeing (1; defending); Shaw (5); PURE (2); SAS (4) Bernhard Langer … Usable everywhere. Defending five titles. Billy Mayfair … Boeing (2); PURE (1) Scott McCarron … Regions Tradition (2); Senior PGA (11); Principal (1); SENIOR PLAYERS (3; defending); Senior Open Championship (10); DICK’S (4; defending); Shaw (5; defending); PURE (8) Colin Montgomerie … Mitsubishi Electric Classic (5); Senior PGA (1); U.S. Senior Open (6); SENIOR PLAYERS (2); Senior Open Championship (10); Shaw (4); PURE (7); SAS (3; defending) Tom Pernice, Jr. … Principal Charity (2); Shaw (3); SAS (5) Gene Sauers … Insperity (7); Regions Tradition (3); U.S. Senior Open (5); SENIOR PLAYERS (6); Boeing (1) Vijay Singh … Bass Pro Shops (4; defending); Senior PGA (3); U.S. Senior Open (2); Shaw (5); SAS (1) Kevin Sutherland … Usable everywhere. David Toms … Regions Tradition (3); Boeing (2); SAS (4) Kirk Triplett … Insperity (2); Regions Tradition (6); American Family (5); SENIOR PLAYERS (1); Shaw (4) Duffy Waldorf … Bass Pro Shops (2); Insperity (4); Principal (6); Shaw (5)

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The commitment deadline has come and gone and the field is set as 78 players prepare to descend upon Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, California for next week's ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP @ SHERWOOD. Earlier this fall, the PGA TOUR and ZOZO Inc. officials announced the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP would not be played in Japan this year due to logistical issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and will instead be played at Sherwood. With the club's rich history as a host venue on the PGA TOUR it is undoubtedly a worthy substitute and temporary home for the 2020 event, boasting a picturesque landscape for a competition among golf's superstars. The elite group of athletes includes each of the top-10 players from the 2019-20 FedExCup standings, 54 PGA TOUR winners with a combined total of 351 titles, and 14 major champions highlighted by 82-time TOUR winner and ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP defending champion, Tiger Woods. Committed players from the top-10 in the 2019-20 FedExCup Standings: 1. Dustin Johnson 2. Xander Schauffele 2. Justin Thomas 4. Jon Rahm 5. Scottie Scheffler 6. Collin Morikawa 7. Tyrrell Hatton 8. Rory McIlroy 8. Sebastián Muñoz 8. Patrick Reed Among the big names committed to the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP include Xander Schauffele, Justin Thomas, 2020 Rookie of the Year Scottie Scheffler, recent PGA Championship winner Collin Morikawa, rising star Matthew Wolff and 14-time PGA TOUR winner Adam Scott. Reigning FedExCup Champion Dustin Johnson is committed to play alongside World No. 2 Jon Rahm, each making their tournament debuts while two-time FedExCup champion Rory McIlroy will compete in the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP for a second consecutive year after finishing T3 in 2019. Although 2020 will mark Johnson's ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP debut, the 23-time PGA TOUR winner is no stranger to the area with strong ties to Sherwood via his famed soon-to-be father-in-law, Wayne Gretzky, who is a resident and member of the club. The current World No. 1 will make his fourth professional start at Sherwood next week where he shot a low round of 61 in 2014 and competed three times at the venue in the Hero World Challenge. "It is a pleasure to welcome such an elite group of global stars highlighted by our defending champion Tiger Woods for the 2020 ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP @ SHERWOOD. With such a strong field comprised of a variety of the top ranked players in the world, FedExCup Champions, PGA TOUR winners and major champions, the event will undoubtedly deliver an exciting competition for our fans in Japan, the United States and all around the world tuning in from home," said Executive Director Travis Steiner. Just one year has passed since American golf legend Woods equaled Sam Snead's long-standing record of 82 career wins on the PGA TOUR by securing a three-stroke victory at the inaugural ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP played at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club in Chiba, Japan. In front of large galleries, Woods led the tournament from start to finish to beat Japan's Hideki Matsuyama, while Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy and Sungjae Im of Korea shared third place in the tournament, which heralded Japan's first official PGA TOUR Event. Sherwood is a Jack Nicklaus Signature designed golf course and was the venue for Woods' tournament, the Hero World Challenge, from 2000-2013. Woods has a terrific record there, where he won his own event five times (2001, 2004, 2006, 2007 and 2011) and finished runner-up on five other occasions, thus raising anticipation that the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP @ SHERWOOD could produce a record-breaking 83rd PGA TOUR title for Woods. "I am excited to defend my title at the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP. It is disappointing that we will not be able to play in Japan this year, but Sherwood Country Club will be a great backdrop for what I know will be a great championship," Woods said. Japanese star Hideki Matsuyama, who finished runner-up to Woods when the tournament was played at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club in Chiba, Japan last October, will also headline the US$8 million showpiece. A five-time winner, Matsuyama is the most successful Japanese golfer on the PGA TOUR. During the 2019-20 PGA TOUR Season, he qualified for his seventh successive TOUR Championship appearance and finished No. 15 in the final FedExCup standings in a season that featured five top-10 finishes. Fans can rejoice as the list continues with more notable commitments each adding significant value to the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP @ SHERWOOD including Rickie Fowler, Tommy Fleetwood, Phil Mickelson, Patrick Reed, Justin Rose and Jordan Spieth. "I’ve been able to play Sherwood a few times when Tiger’s event was there," Fowler said. "Sherwood’s the perfect example of get the ball in play and go play your game from there, and [Tiger] has been one of the best iron players over time. So get the ball in play and then go score from there. It’s a great fit for him, but hopefully we’re able to take down the defending champ next week." Adding a bit of local flare are University of California-Berkeley alum Collin Morikawa and Agoura Hills native Matthew Wolff, each making their ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP debut. Sherwood Country Club is just seven miles from Westlake High School where 21-year-old Wolff attended and is even closer to Westlake Golf Course where he honed his craft and perfected a unique swing as a young player. As a (normally) Japan-based event, the field is rounded out by eight Japanese golfers primed for competition at Sherwood. All eyes will be on newly minted professional Takumi Kanaya as he seeks to emulate the success of Hideki Matsuyama on the PGA TOUR. The 22-year-old Kanaya, ranked No. 1 on the World Amateur Golf Ranking and winner of the 2020 McCormack Medal, turned professional last week and will be amongst the eight Japanese golfers next week. Apart from Matsuyama and Kanaya, other Japanese players gaining entry into the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP through the Japan Golf Tour include two-time Japan Golf Tour No. 1 Shugo Imahira, Rikuya Hoshino, Mikumu Horikawa, Naoki Sekito and Ryo Ishikawa, a 17-time winner on the Japan Golf Tour and a former PGA TOUR regular. Satoshi Kodaira, the last Japanese player to win on the PGA TOUR with his maiden victory at the 2018 RBC Heritage, will also compete as a sponsor exemption. Between Tiger Woods chasing 83, an abundance of international representation and two fistfuls of the top-ranked players in the world, the 2020 ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP @ SHERWOOD is sure to make history. The ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP @ SHERWOOD will be broadcast in the United States on the Golf Channel from Oct. 22-25 at 5-8 p.m. (ET). In Japan, fans can tune in to the live broadcast on GOLFTV powered by PGA TOUR, NHK BS1, and Golf Network from October 23-26, 6-9 a.m. JST (broadcast times may be extended) and a two-hour highlight broadcast on October 26, 6 to 7:54 p.m. on BS Asahi. Fans can also tune into Featured Group coverage on GOLFTV powered by PGA TOUR from Oct 23-26, 1:45-9 a.m. JST. The latest broadcast schedule can be found on the official tournament website.

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