The next stop on the PGA Tour is the Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Connecticut. Here’s how you can watch all the action on ESPN+.
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Since you’re reading this, it’s assumed that you’re registered and ready to give the $1-million prize in the Perfect Lineup Challenge a try. Just remember that it’s a stand-alone game and not affiliated with the Roster game in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO. Even if you want identical lineups, you need to make your selections in both games. Now that the FedExCup Playoffs are here, you can abandon the strategy not to chase bonus points in the Roster game. ShotLink will be measuring every stroke as usual, but because FedExCup points are quadrupled in the each of the last four events, bonus points are as well. This means that winner will yield 200 bonus points. When you figure that an average day of fantasy scoring distributes 85 points per golfer and a good day can mean as many as 115 or so, the bonuses in the Playoffs should be renamed motivational points. This simplifies the decision-making process. With no cuts in the last two events and with fields whittling down to 30 for the TOUR Championship, ration properly. PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO My roster for THE NORTHERN TRUST (in alphabetical order): Patrick Cantlay Dustin Johnson Francesco Molinari Jon Rahm Justin Rose Jordan Spieth You’ll find my starters in Expert Picks. Others to consider for each category (in alphabetical order): Scoring: Jason Day; Tony Finau; Tommy Fleetwood; Brian Gay; Brooks Koepka; Hideki Matsuyama; Justin Thomas; Tiger Woods Driving: Rafa Cabrera Bello; Paul Casey; Jason Day; Tommy Fleetwood; Sam Ryder; Adam Scott; Kyle Stanley; Gary Woodland Approach: Rafa Cabrera Bello; Brian Gay; Zach Johnson; Matt Kuchar; Kevin Na; Ian Poulter; Sam Ryder; Tiger Woods Short: Jason Day; Brian Gay; Matt Kuchar; Alex Noren; Webb Simpson; Brandt Snedeker; Tiger Woods Power Rankings Wild Card Gary Woodland … The latest evidence on the fluidity of this badge. Last week, it was a scuffling Jason Dufner who occupied this space, almost as punishment. Sure enough, after a relatively strong pre-cut effort, he shot 2-over on the weekend to finish T66. Flip the coin over to find Woodland who should be consumed as an extension of the Power Rankings at Ridgewood. He placed T13 here in 2014, which doesn’t hurt, but he’s back on the rise since a T22 at the RBC Canadian Open with a T17 at Firestone and a T6 at Bellerive. Doesn’t mind throttling back when necessary as he’s more brains than brawn. Currently fifth on TOUR in greens hit. Draws Ian Poulter … It’s special to witness how he’s tackled distractions outside the ropes through simplification while improving his play, and at 42 years of age to boot. Opens 34th in points thanks to terrific form over the last five months. Just 1-for-3 at Ridgewood with a T15 in 2010, but let that bother only your opposition. Lest we overlook that he’s also hot on the heels of a return to the Ryder Cup. Matt Kuchar … In full disclosure, I may be giving my man-crush more benefit of the doubt than the rest of the world, but he did win at Ridgewood in 2010 and placed T5 in his return trip in 2014. It’s a classic track that caters to his strong tee-to-green game, so you can understand the success. However, it’s due to that success that he’s poised to be over-owned in DFS specifically. I’ll grant that his current form – four missed cuts in his last six starts of which one didn’t include a cut (WGC-Bridgestone) – you can afford not to play defense in this deep field. Kevin Na … Steady as he goes. While he’s let off the gas a touch since winning at Greenbrier, there’s enough fuel in the tank to suggest that he’ll be able to get to East Lake. Opens as the 19-seed and finished T9 at Ridgewood in 2014. Alex Noren … Gotta give him one more opportunity to dispute a negative trend even as he debuts in the Playoffs. The 39-seed ranks T12 in par-5 scoring and fifth in strokes gained: putting. Both stack up as critical components to tame Ridgewood. Branden Grace … He’s 82nd in the FedExCup standings, so you might as well burn him while you can. Ridgewood is a par 71, which defies the tilt to use him only on par 70s, but overall consistency mitigates general concern. Brian Gay (all) Tyrrell Hatton (DFS) Billy Horschel (DFS) Russell Knox (DFS) Marc Leishman (DFS) Xander Schauffele (all) Charl Schwartzel (SERVPRO) Kyle Stanley (all) Fades Ryan Moore … Coming off a predictable T6 at Sedgefield, which is an extension of a solid season, but he’s 0-for-3 at Ridgewood. For a guy best known as a horse for courses, that doesn’t project well this week. Phil Mickelson … Statistically strong as usual and you know he’ll be adored by the locals, but he’s yet to climb out from a relative slump since the U.S. Open that’s included multiple distractions both inside and outside the ropes. So goes Lefty, but we play a results-based game. He’s also gone five consecutive rounds at Ridgewood without a red number. Bryson DeChambeau … Ninth in points on the back of a wild season but enters with some worry over his right shoulder. The results have been uninspiring since he withdrew during his title defense at the John Deere Classic with the discomfort. The positive spin is that you can save a start or two because he’s tracking for a trip to East Lake. Bubba Watson … Inconsistency has killed our curiosity for this cat. He had been trending predictably on tracks where he’s performed well in the past, but he detached from that angle as well. For the record, he’s finished a respective T12, T31 and T30 at Ridgewood. Best only as a contrarian investment in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO. Kevin Kisner … While impressive on their own, a T2 at Carnoustie and T12 at Bellerive are the only shiny objects in the rear-view mirror since May. He’s 40th in points and missed the cut at Ridgewood in 2014, so consider slow-playing him. Daniel Berger Pat Perez Brendan Steele Jimmy Walker Aaron Wise Returning to Competition Louis Oosthuizen … Couldn’t play the PGA Championship due to a sore back. Of course, his litany of maladies over the years prompts enough concern to look elsewhere, but he could still grant two starts in the Playoffs. At 74th in points, he’s assured of the opportunity, but his health may force otherwise. Lucas Glover … Didn’t compete after missing the cut at the U.S. Open and fell from 107th to 135th in the FedExCup standings. He’s committed to the opener of the Web.com Tour Finals, but it remains to be seen if he’ll qualify for a Non-exempt Medical Extension to begin 2018-19. Chad Collins … After reclaiming his card at the 2017 Web.com Tour Finals, he didn’t make one start on the PGA TOUR this season. No news has emerged to explain why, but he’s back in the Finals on a medical dispensation. Attempted a comeback at the Chitimacha Louisiana Open in March and placed T36, but that was his only rehab start of 2018. Notable WDs Rickie Fowler … Any injury is bad news for any professional athlete, but the timing of the partial tear in his right oblique couldn’t be worse what with the Playoffs upon us and the Ryder Cup at the end of September. We can’t assume the severity of the injury, but in a vacuum, it’s worthy of significant concern. He’s 17th in points, so we’ll see what he says in advance of next week’s Dell Technologies Championship. Rory McIlroy … Befuddled with his game, he’s sitting out the first event as a mental break. He didn’t play in the 2015 edition of THE NORTHERN TRUST, either, so this isn’t unprecedented. His best FedExCup finishes have occurred in Ryder Cup years, but this one isn’t following a similar trajectory. Opening 21st in points, he’ll get at least two starts. Two-time winner at TPC Boston. Henrik Stenson … The 50-seed is resting his left elbow. As I stated in multiple platforms last week, credit him for giving it a go to defend his title at the Wyndham Championship when he wasn’t 100 percent. Sure, he’s after a Ryder Cup berth and he finished T20 at Sedgefield, but it would have been understandable if he elected not to compete just as Si Woo Kim took a pass on his title defense at last year’s Wyndham (due to a sore back). Patrick Rodgers … Getting married in Europe. Opening 93rd in points, he’s unlikely to survive, but it depends on how the guys ranked worse fare. Last year, Michael Kim opened as the 95-seed, missed the cut at THE NORTHERN TRUST and fell to only 100th but that’s because 16 guys ranked lower missed the cut and one didn’t compete. Bud Cauley … It was curious that he committed in the first place given his recent return to hitting balls after suffering multiple serious injuries in the automobile crash in Ohio on June 1. At 122nd in points, he won’t advance in the Playoffs. Power Rankings Recap – Wyndham Championship Power Ranking Golfer Result 1 Webb Simpson T2 2 Rafa Cabrera Bello T11 3 Shane Lowry MC 4 Ryan Moore T6 5 Brandt Snedeker Win 6 Joaquin Niemann T33 7 Billy Horschel T11 8 Kevin Tway T11 9 Julian Suri T41 10 Chris Kirk T11 11 Brian Gay T6 12 Hideki Matsuyama T11 13 Jason Kokrak T57 14 Ollie Schniederjans T57 15 Henrik Stenson T20 Wild Card Jason Dufner T66 Sleepers Recap – Wyndham Championship Golfer Result Abraham Ancer T24 Ricky Barnes T70 Danny Lee T24 John Oda T11 Johnson Wagner T33 Birthdays among active golfers on the PGA TOUR August 21 … J.J. Spaun (28) August 22 … none August 23 … none August 24 … Rich Beem (48); Cameron Tringale (31) August 25 … none August 26 … Ben Martin (31) August 27 … none
SILVIS, Ill. – After tying for second and watching friend Matthew Wolff capture his first PGA TOUR title at the 3M Open in Minnesota, Collin Morikawa came to the John Deere Classic more certain than ever that he could win. After shooting a bogey-free 65 on Saturday to reach 12-under-par and get within shouting distance of the leaders with just 18 holes remaining, he is close to turning those feelings of readiness into reality. “I know Matt pretty well,â€� Morikawa said coming into the Deere. “I know Cameron Champ pretty well. Obviously, (they) won pretty quickly. I think it does help to know that we can go and our games have translated, but I think I’ve already proven to myself that I can come out here and play with these guys.â€� Morikawa, who spent three weeks as the world’s No. 1-ranked amateur in 2018, is making just his sixth TOUR start as a pro. He has now shot in the 60s in 10 of his last 12 rounds, and under par in 11 of his last 12. He earned Special Temporary Membership on TOUR with his T2 at the 3M, meaning he can accept unlimited sponsor exemptions, but is still trying to secure his full status. “I mean, it’s a cool feeling being a part-time PGA TOUR member,â€� he said. “But, obviously, the goal coming into this summer was to earn a full card for next year. We’re almost there.â€� As with Wolff, Morikawa turned pro with big expectations. He was only 19 and still an amateur when he contended in the 2016 Air Capital Classic on the Korn Ferry Tour, dazzling with rounds of 63-63 on the weekend. So far, his play on the PGA TOUR has been more of the same. He finished T14 at the RBC Canadian Open, T35 at the U.S. Open, and T36 at the Travelers Championship before his near-miss at the 3M, where he birdied six holes on his inward nine on Sunday. The former Cal Bears golfer has enjoyed another great ball-striking week at TPC Deere Run, and was third in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green as the leaders toured the course Saturday afternoon. Only his short game has held him back in the Quad Cities; he was 68th in SG: Putting. “It’s been like that kind of throughout this entire summer,â€� Morikawa said after his third round. “I’m still kind of working on some putting things, but I’m hitting some good lines on my putts, and obviously when I get them close, I’m able to drop a few, so we’ve just got to keep that up for tomorrow and, obviously, (get) a few more drop outside of that.â€�
Having caddied for Phil Mickelson for more than 25 years, there isn’t much of Muirfield Village that Jim “Bones” Mackay hasn’t seen. So when a text message came into Matthew Fitzpatrick’s phone from the veteran looper turned broadcaster asking if he could be of assistance while the Englishman’s regular caddie was back across the Atlantic, the answer was an emphatic yes. Fitzpatrick, a former U.S. Amateur winner and five-time champion on the European Tour, usually uses another veteran caddie – fellow Englishman Billy Foster who has had a distinguished career on bags with Seve Ballesteros and Lee Westwood, among others. But with Foster remaining in the UK with his family during the COVID-19 pandemic, adjustments have been made. After using Cayce Kerr as a fill-in for his last three tournaments, Fitzpatrick now turns to Mackay for this week’s Workday Charity Open and next week’s the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide. Both events will be held at Muirfield Village where Mackay also caddied during the 2013 Presidents Cup. Foster will return for the World Golf Championships–FedEx St. Jude Invitational later this month. “I was shocked, honestly. I was absolutely shocked,” Fitzpatrick said when recalling the text message. “I’m looking forward to it, obviously. Everyone knows what he’s achieved in the game with the players he’s caddied for. Even just walking around here people are excited to see him back out and on TOUR.” Mackay is still a semi-regular on the circuit thanks to his role as an NBC/Golf Channel analyst that he took on shortly after his mutual split with Mickelson in 2017. He had a guest-caddie stint for Justin Thomas in Hawaii when Jimmy Johnson was injured in 2018. “Having seen Matt play for several years now, getting paired with him when I was still caddying for Phil, I knew two things: That he was a really good player and a really good guy,” Mackay said. “I love to caddie, I still consider myself a caddie to this day who’s just doing TV, and I said, ‘Hey, if I can help out at all I’d love to do it.’ It worked out wonderfully.” Mackay could yet be a secret weapon for Fitzpatrick based on experience alone. Not only has Mackay seen the course multiple times since 1990, four years before Fitzpatrick was even born, but he’s done so on Mickelson’s bag. In other words, he’s seen every corner of the map and just about every conceivable escape angle as well. With the course being set up differently over the two tournaments, Mackay’s experience could prove invaluable. “Just having someone who’s achieved so much, has so much experience, it kind of makes you feel better about your own game that someone of that stature has belief in your game. So for me, it absolutely gives me confidence going into the week,” Fitzpatrick said. “It’s been great so far. Learnt a few stories, which is always interesting, just been pretty easy so far. Slotting in nicely.” Fitzpatrick said he’s yet to get any great stories specific to Mickelson, but he has a few weeks to try to coax them out. That is between picking Mackay’s brains on the course itself. With no fans on site in our current COVID-19 climate, Mackay will get his first taste of caddying without throngs of people to navigate. “The one thing I am lucky to have is a good memory,” Mackay said. “I’ve seen it in an array of different conditions, different winds. It’s a question of me learning Matt’s game as quickly as I can and if he’s got a question for me I’d better be able to answer it. That’s my job as his caddie.” Since the return, Fitzpatrick finished T32 at the Charles Schwab Challenge and T14 at the RBC Heritage before missing the cut at the Travelers Championship. A T9 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard right before the shutdown and a seventh-place finish last fall at the World Golf Championships–HSBC Champions have seen the 25-year-old sit 83rd in the FedExCup standings. He has eyes on being much higher in the standings and breaking through for a win on the PGA TOUR to go with his five European titles. This is his first full season as a PGA TOUR member, having split time with Europe previously. His best TOUR finish is a runner-up in 2019 at Bay Hill. “I’m disappointed not to have won, but the way I look at it is I’m not playing full-time over here. OK, I’m playing a fair amount of events, so I’ve got chances, but I’m sort of doing half and half. I’ve given myself a few chances now, and I don’t think I’m far off. It’s just sort of everything coming together,” he added. “I feel like it’s close, but my level of frustration, I’m not frustrated. It’s the way the game is. I’ve just got to keep working hard and sort of improving and trying to do the things that me and my team have looked at and just take it from there and hopefully it will come.”
