IMG ARENA to distribute official PGA TOUR scoring data in North America

So much for fatigue or rust! The super season of 2020-21, nine tournaments in the fall to open 2021-22 and a traditional holiday hiatus did nothing to slow the flow of record scoring at last week’s Sentry Tournament of Champions. But before you wonder if the Sony Open in Hawaii can follow that act, it’s already poised to replicate its own from a year ago. For details on that, a not-so-subtle change in the course setup and other analysis, continue reading beneath the projected contenders. Former Sony champions Ryan Palmer (2012) and Matt Kuchar (2019) will be reviewed in Tuesday’s Fantasy Insider with Jason Kokrak, world’s top-ranked amateur Keita Nakajima and other notables. There are so many things that define the warm welcome extended by the Sony Open in Hawaii. As host to 144 golfers, it’s the first full-field event of the reopening of the season. Waialae Country Club on the oceanside of Honolulu is a stock par 70 and the only stage since the tournament debuted in 1965. The setup is consistent and scoring is favorable. And, duh, it’s in paradise. Before Kapalua’s Plantation Course showcased record-low scoring last week, the 2021 edition of the Sony flashed its own tournament record – 67.975. Chris Kirk posted quad-65s … and settled for co-runner-up honors to Kevin Na’s 21-under 259. Of the 292 scores recorded by the 73 golfers who completed four rounds, only 14 (or 4.8 percent) were over par. The objective is easy: Hit the ground and run. However, it doesn’t hurt to have played the previous week at Kapalua. Seven of the last eight winners at Waialae made the short trip west from Maui. The only exception, ironically, is Cameron Smith in 2021, he, of course, of last week’s TOUR-record in relation to par (34-under 258). As of Monday afternoon, 21 of the 38 golfers who pegged it at Kapalua are committed to the Sony, including the Aussie. Those who already have given it a go at Waialae likely will notice longer primary rough. It’s up 33 percent from previous editions and allowed to grow to three inches. That’s not insignificant, so it should defend scoring on approach to some degree and cause pause on some tee boxes. However, bermuda greens remain restricted to 11 feet on the Stimpmeter, so Justin Thomas’ course-record 59 (2017) is a reasonable target, especially during the first three rounds when winds are expected to be light. Rain almost never can be ruled out, but dry conditions are forecast throughout. Experience on Waialae also has defined every champion except Russell Henley in 2013. Dismissing Bob Goalby, who prevailed in the inaugural edition for which all participants naturally were first-timers, Henley is the only debutant who has connected for victory. For the 16th consecutive edition, overall yardage is 7,044. The only modification of note occurred at the par-4 second hole where a pair of bunkers right of the fairways have been conjoined. ROB BOLTON’S SCHEDULE PGATOUR.COM’s Rob Bolton recaps and previews every tournament from numerous perspectives. Look for his following contributions as scheduled. MONDAY: Power Rankings TUESDAY*: Sleepers, Fantasy Insider SUNDAY: Qualifiers, Reshuffle, Medical Extensions, Rookie Ranking * – 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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Emiliano Grillo was at a Caribbean resort while Bryson DeChambeau was bashing his way to a U.S. Open victory on Sunday. Winged Foot, where DeChambeau was the only player to finish under par, is one of the game's most stressful tests. The venue for this week's Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship is a stark contrast, an idyllic setting with six holes that run along the Caribbean Ocean. RELATED: Como's living room shows how technology can change players' games The contrast in their locales last weekend parallels the different styles of these two PGA TOUR winners. "(Bryson) is very intense. He's 200% into everything about golf," Grillo says. "I'm more of a relaxed, easy person. I'll work hard but I'm not going to put in the extra time that Bryson does. That got him to where he is at the moment, and I just have a different way of seeing my job at different times." They do share one thing in common: a swing coach. Both work with Chris Como, the Dallas-based instructor whom DeChambeau effusively praised Sunday for guiding him through the radical transformation of his body and game. Como's ability to assist one of the game's most obsessive tinkerers, and another student with a more laid-back approach, is credit to an under-appreciated aspect of coaching. It's not just what you know, but how you convey the information to your students. Como can be give DeChambeau the data he craves or tailor his teaching to Grillo, as well. "Chris is always 100% into it. He adapts to your personality," Grillo says. "I'm super different to Bryson and we both really match well with (Chris). That's what makes him very special." Grillo said he isn't planning a Bryson-esque transformation - "I enjoy a lot of other things, and I don't think adding weight for my job is a priority," he says - but he has been helped by Como's instruction. Whereas DeChambeau loves to rely on Trackman readings and his background in physics, it has been a simple key from Como that has benefitted Grillo. "It's actually very simple," Grillo said. "I'm hitting the ball with my right hip, creating space for the club (to travel through impact). It was a feeling that I was trying to do and find it, and he did it super easy for me." Grillo and Como started working together at this year's PLAYERS Championship, the last event before the season was paused by the coronavirus pandemic. Grillo had made the cut in just one of his six starts before arriving at TPC Sawgrass. The lone exception was a third-place finish at the Puerto Rico Open, a tournament that's played a big part in his career. He was a non-member when he finished second there five years ago, a finish that qualified him for the Korn Ferry Tour Finals. He won the Korn Ferry Tour Championship, then won his first start as a PGA TOUR member, the Safeway Open. Como didn't see a need for a dramatic overhaul of Grillo's swing. He just needed to help him get back to his old ways. Grillo finished third in Strokes Gained: Approach in 2019 and 20th in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee. "He was in a little bit of a funk. I just said, ‘You're a great ball-striker. We just need to figure out what you've done when you hit it well because your good is one of the best out here,'" Como says. "He just had some excess body motion that he didn't have when he played his best. His setup changed. He got too squatty in his knees. His head would pull away from the ball, and the club would come down from the inside compared to his preferred path." Grillo's struggles continued after the Return to Golf. He missed the cut in four of his first six starts after the season resumed, and his best finish was T39. Grillo was 122nd in the FedExCup, and in danger of missing the Playoffs for the first time in his career, in late July. But he responded with top-10s at the 3M Open and Barracuda. He finished third at 3M thanks to a 64-65 weekend. This new season is off to a promising start. He was in the top 10 through the first three rounds of the season-opening Safeway Open before a final-round 73 dropped him to T29. He finished the week ranked fourth in Strokes Gained: Approach and third in greens in regulation. Now, he'll try to follow another Como student into the winner's circle. He'll take a different approach to get there, however.

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