Horses for Courses: World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba

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Reigning FedExCup champion Justin Rose will make his first PGA TOUR start of the 2019 calendar year and his first here since 2010 at this week’s 60th playing of the Desert Classic in La Quinta, California. Defending champion Jon Rahm, meanwhile, seeks to become the first back-to-back winner since Johnny Miller (1975-’76). Arnold Palmer won the first Desert Classic in 1960, his first of 62 TOUR titles. He also won for the last time there, in ’73, as the tournament bookended one of the most celebrated careers in the history of the game. The Desert Classic is one of four tournaments played on multiple courses, along with the Farmers Insurance Open, AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, and The RSM Classic. The Golf Channel will carry primetime coverage starting at 11:30 a.m. ET Thursday and Friday, running until 7 p.m. each day. Watch on Twitter from 11:30 a.m. to approximately 12:30 p.m. PGA TOUR Radio’s coverage is 1-7 p.m. in the first three rounds; 2-7 p.m. for Sunday’s final round. PGA TOUR LIVE also returns for 2019 with expanded coverage. Here’s a look at some of the Featured Groups (current FedExCup ranking in parentheses): THURSDAY Russell Knox (181) – A two-time TOUR winner, Knox is coming off a season in which he was 89th in the FedExCup. He finished T43 at the Sony Open in Hawaii. Jhonattan Vegas (128) – Pride of Venezuela broke through with his first win in the desert way back in 2011, and has since tacked on two more victories, both at the RBC Canadian Open. This will be his first start since he finished T38 at the Mayakoba Golf Classic in November. Round 1 tee time at PGA WEST Stadium Course: 11:40 a.m. ET (8:40 a.m. local) Chesson Hadley (24) – He didn’t play in Hawaii, but in five starts this season he already has a T2 (CIMB Classic) and T7 (Shriners Hospitals for Children Open). Bill Haas (83) – A former FedExCup champion (2011) and Desert Classic winner (2015), Haas is one of four players in the last five years who have won this tournament and gone all the way to the season-ending TOUR Championship at East Lake. Round 1 tee time: 12:10 p.m. ET off 1 at PGA WEST Stadium Course (9:10 a.m. local) Justin Rose (40) – This will mark Rose’s fifth start in the Desert Classic, but his first since 2010, when he missed the cut. As with most other courses on TOUR, though, the Englishman has enjoyed plenty of success here: 3rd in 2007 and T10 in 2006. Zach Johnson (100) – He slipped to 58th in the FedExCup with just two top-10 finishes in 25 starts last season, and is coming off a missed cut at the Sony Open in Hawaii. The good news: He finished T7 not long ago, at The RSM Classic in the fall. Round 1 tee time at La Quinta Country Club: 11:40 a.m. ET (8:40 a.m. local) Phil Mickelson (136) – World Golf Hall of Famer and two-time Desert Classic winner is coming off a season in which he broke a lengthy win drought at the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship. Making his 16th start in the desert. Finished T17 at the Safeway Open last fall. Aaron Wise (60) – Rookie of the Year in 2018, when he won the AT&T Byron Nelson, Wise is making his third start in the Desert Classic. He won the NCAA individual title as a freshman at Oregon in 2016, and played the Mackenzie Tour and Web.com Tour before making it to the big TOUR. Round 1 tee time: 12:10 p.m. ET off 1 at La Quinta Country Club (9:10 a.m. local) FRIDAY Charles Howell III (5) – One of the great comeback stories of 2018, when he won The RSM Classic at the outset of the ’18-2019 TOUR season, Howell looks to keep the momentum going after finishing T8 at the Sony Open in Hawaii and T14 at the Sentry Tournament of Champions. Sean O’Hair (185) – Trying to get back on track after a rough start to the season with three missed cuts in five starts. Round 2 tee time: 11:40 a.m. ET off 1 at PGA WEST Stadium Course (8:40 a.m. local) Brendan Steele (116) – Three-time TOUR winner hasn’t played since a missed cut at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in the fall, but he did finish T14 at THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES. Jason Dufner (122) – Has played a robust early schedule with seven starts already, best among them a T21 with a final-round 64 at the Mayakoba Golf Classic last fall. Round 2 tee time: 12:10 p.m. ET off 1 at PGA WEST Stadium Course (9:10 a.m. local) Phil Mickelson/Aaron Wise Round 2 tee time: 11:40 a.m. ET off 10 at PGA WEST Nicklaus Tournament Course (8:40 a.m. local) Justin Rose/Zach Johnson Round 2 tee time: 1:20 p.m. ET off 10 at PGA WEST Nicklaus Tournament Course (10:20 a.m. local).

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If you’re a veteran of PGA TOUR Pick ‘Em Live and you live in the United States, then this might be your first experience watching windows open in between rounds. As Rob and Glass have shared for months, results may vary depending on your lifestyle. Rob has witnessed Top 20 bets unlock at 2 and 3 a.m. Pacific Time on Friday and Saturday nights. Glass also has been up early enough in Eastern Time on a Sunday to modify his Top 20. While it’s not unprecedented, it’s also not reliable, and even if it were, the window is short-lived and at a time of day when the majority of Americans are not holding or staring at glowing rectangles. Set aside that roll of the dice for the Genesis Scottish Open. The Renaissance Club is five hours ahead of Eastern Time and eight hours clear of Pacific Time. It begins on Thursday at 7:15 a.m. local time. That’s 2:15 a.m. at Casa de Glass and 11:15 p.m. on Wednesday at Rob’s desert abode. Wind it back even further, that’s 10:15 p.m. on Wednesday in most of Alaska, and 8:15 p.m. in Hawaii. How convenient. So, include additional peeks at the interface in your evening plans. No promises, of course, but it might make that difference you’ve wanted – and needed – all along. Register for PGA TOUR Pick ‘Em Live here and monitor Rob’s and Glass’ progress as Influencers. For a broader explanation of the format and FAQs, click here. TOURNAMENT TO WIN Glass … Lucas Herbert (+6000) The Aussie has something brewing at The Renaissance Club as he’s cashed T4 the last two editions. Golf on the water doesn’t bother him as he won in Bermuda last fall and picked up an Irish Open last July. Toss in he was T9 in his Irish Open defense last week and I’ll gladly start here. With the lumber in the field, I’ll be able to have a backup selection waiting and at decent value as the weekend progresses if I’ve screwed this up. Rob … Aaron Rai (+6600) One of the three winners of this tournament at The Renaissance Club – the last two of whom are in the field (Min Woo Lee, 2021, +10000), the Englishman obviously knows what it takes to get the job done. He’s also properly prepared with a T9 over in Ireland last week. He’s rapidly reacclimated to his home circuit. TOP 10 Rob … Joohyung (Tom) Kim (+2000) Let’s gamble! After swinging and missing on the “Top USA Player” curveball for the John Deere Classic, I’m elated to have this bet back. I’m also going to trust – I know, silly me – that, unlike last week’s experience, the window for this familiar target will reopen after every round. (That’s written with anecdotal experience contributing. If you’re new here, for the record, there are no guarantees that any bets will unlock, much less when. That’s the gamble.) The Tank Engine is making his first start as a 20 something. He’s 61st in the Official World Golf Ranking, immediately ahead of the likes of last week’s winner, Adrian Meronk (64th) and last year’s Scottish Open champion, Min Woo Lee (69th). My thinking here is simple and selfish. He’s a force abroad and he’s not going to be shut out of picking off a top 10 on the PGA TOUR on which he’s connected for top 25s in two of his last three starts, including a 23rd-place finish just before his birthday at the U.S. Open. Glass … Victor Perez (+850) I’m not sure how or when the window is going to be opened/closed this week, so I’m heading in a more conservative direction with the Frenchman. He’s never missed in three tries here, so he’s familiar enough. He ran off a streak of five from six before the U.S. Open, which included a win, T3 and T8 plus nothing worse than T33. No transatlantic travel this week or last should help. TOP 20 Glass … Jorge Campillo (+900) The Spaniard rolls in with solo seventh last week in Ireland backing up his T15 in Munich the week prior. Of his last five starts, four have gone for T21 or better, so we’re not breaking any new recent ground here. Based on my weeklongs here, obviously my preference is for guys who play or who have played on this side of the pond and who have been in some form. If my angles are poor, my sleep schedule will follow! If it’s usually 6am on weekends, I’m hoping the time change is more around midnight ET this time around! Rob … Joohyung Kim (+900) You and me both, partner, although ya gotta try out my West Coast time zone one of these seasons. It’s brilliant. As for my philosophy here, obviously if I like Kim for a top 10, this is a no-brainer. Hoping that this unlocks during awake hours always is a nailbiter, but the time travel should benefit those of us in the U.S. If it does unlock, then we should be able to apply the process to next week’s Open Championship as well. ROUND 1 LEADER Glass … IS RORY McILROY PLAYING??? I can’t believe I overthought that two weeks ago in Canada. It will not happen again! Since he’s out – HE’S NOT PLAYING, OK??? – I’m going to ride Scottie Scheffler at +2500. En route to a T12 in his first visit last year, the tall Texan posted 63 in Round 2. When he’s in the mood, he has no problem going low. A fast start is needed and no better time to do it starting at 8:05 in the morning. I’ll be rolling out of bed when the second wave is teeing off so I’ll have time for adjustments. Rob … Jon Rahm (+2500) Here’s where living in Arizona costs me; well, other than the unrelenting heat in the rare moments when I refamiliarize myself with the outdoors. By the time I’m alert and wired in on Thursday morning, there’s a decent chance that this bet will be locked for the day. So, my range of focus is the entire field. Who knows, maybe that’s exactly what I need to turn my luck. As it turns out, and as it often does, the morning wave will have the better of the wind. In these climes and at this latitude, that’s a big deal, so I’ll take one of Scheffler’s playing partners on the 10th tee. Rahm placed seventh in his debut at The Renaissance Club last year. He opened with 66 and carded no higher than 69 in the third round. NOTE: While Glass and Rob typically stick with their selections as detailed in Pick ‘Em Preview, they are allowed the right to make changes at any time.

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