Inside a surreal week at a Masters unlike any other

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One of the rewards for devout fans is rolling out in real time right now. Because school is out for the summer, the best former collegians are splashing onto the scene. They’re paying off your patience and passion to witness the next class of supreme talent. As it has over the years, the Travelers Championship is perfectly positioned to showcase it, and no one will argue that the bumper crop of youth in play this week just might be the best the tournament has ever hosted. Justin Suh, Collin Morikawa, Viktor Hovland and Matthew Wolff all are in the field of 156 on sponsor exemptions. Suh (Memorial) and Morikawa (Canadian) already have made their professional debuts, while the latter pair of former teammates at Oklahoma State University join the play-for-pay ranks at TPC River Highlands. Remarkably, of the four, only Wolff, who won a school-record six tournaments for the Cowboys, including the NCAA Division 1 individual title, never ascended to No. 1 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. He leaves his legacy as the No. 2 (to Hovland). Former champions Phil Mickelson (2001, 2002) and Russell Knox (2016) will be reviewed in Tuesday’s Fantasy Insider with Tony Finau, Patrick Reed, Tommy Fleetwood and other notables. You’re excused if you identify with TPC River Highlands as Bubba Watson’s personal playground. He’s connected for one-quarter of his dozen PGA TOUR victories in the tournament, including last year’s three-stroke triumph. It was the first time he didn’t need a playoff to prevail. To help frame Watson’s dominance here, consider that his margin in all-time earnings at the Travelers Championship of $2.111 million over 2007 champ Hunter Mahan in second would rank fourth on the same list. Unquestionably, Watson’s distance off the tee has mattered at TPC River Highlands, a stock par 70 that tips at just 6,841 yards. Over the last six seasons, the only shorter course at which the TOUR has stopped is Pebble Beach (6,816 yards), which is set up as a par 72 for the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. (It measured 7,075 yards and played to a par of 71 for last week’s U.S. Open.) However, what makes the track in Cromwell, Connecticut, attractive and fun is that all skill sets can contend. Truth be told, muscle isn’t a prerequisite. It’s counterintuitive given its history as a scorer’s paradise, but course management plays a stronger role. This is revealed in a field scoring average of 69.596 last year. That was in the center of the bull’s-eye of expectations. Hitting greens in regulation never doesn’t matter, but its value is multiplied this week. Putting surfaces average only 5,000 square feet, but the Poa grass is prepped to run as long as 12 feet on the Stimpmeter. This combination yields a stingy scrambling percentage every year. Last year’s clip of 54.94 percent was 13th-lowest of all courses. It’s not quite the challenge of the U.S. Open on Poa at Pebble Beach, but it’s closer to that than for which it gets recognition. Oh, and the primary rough is allow to grow to four inches at TPC River Highlands, further emphasizing the objective of finding the shortest grass on approach. Mother Nature will greet the official start of summer in the heart of the tournament with gradually improving conditions. The likelihood of rain and storms exists through Friday, but terrific weather is expected on the weekend. Moderate winds at worst may influence scoring mid-tournament, while daytime highs will flirt with 80 degrees. ROB BOLTON’S SCHEDULE PGATOUR.COM’s Fantasy Insider Rob Bolton recaps and previews every tournament from numerous angles. Look for his following contributions as scheduled. MONDAY: Rookie Ranking, Qualifiers, Reshuffle, Medical Extensions, Power Rankings TUESDAY*: Sleepers, Fantasy Insider WEDNESDAY: One & Done THURSDAY: Champions One & Done * – Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COM’s Expert Picks for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf, which also publishes on Tuesdays.

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PGA TOUR statement We have been working since March to develop a comprehensive health and safety plan that would be considered a best practice among professional sports leagues. While we have been thorough in building and implementing a program that mitigates as much risk as possible, we knew it would be impossible to eliminate all risk – as evidenced by the three positive tests this week. We need to use these developments as a stark reminder for everyone involved as we continue to learn from an operational standpoint; we are making several adjustments to our health and safety plan, as noted in the memo sent to players this morning, and we will continuously reinforce to all players, caddies, staff members and support personnel on property at PGA TOUR events to adhere to social distancing and other safety protocols that further minimize risk. Positive COVID-19 cases with arrival testing complete (2,757 total in-market tournament tests over three weeks; 7 positives): This week: Travelers Championship • Cameron Champ (PGA TOUR player) • Ken Comboy (caddie for Graeme McDowell) • Ricky Elliott (caddie for Brooks Koepka) Utah Championship • No positives Overview of withdrawals from the Travelers Championship field (chronological order): Cameron Champ • Withdrew after testing positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday. • “I feel great physically and I was obviously surprised and disappointed to learn of the test result,” said Champ. “It’s important now to take the necessary steps and measures to protect others, including my loved ones.” Graeme McDowell • Withdrew out of an abundance of caution after his caddie, Ken Comboy, tested positive for COVID-19. • “When I look at the last four to five days, I have experienced some fatigue and muscle soreness myself,” said McDowell. “I didn’t think of it as COVID related, but rather just the effect of being back on the road, back practicing, back playing and just a little tired after having a few months off. But now that Kenny has tested positive – and we’ve spent a lot of time together the last 10 days – I have to take those symptoms more seriously. That is why I am withdrawing this week. I want to do the responsible thing. “I’ve had two negative tests this week – Monday and Wednesday – but if there’s any chance that I could have it, I am not keen on risking the possibility that I could pass it onto anyone else this week in Hartford. I decided to drive back to Orlando today, versus flying and those risks as well. I’m just going to take the scenic route down the east coast of the USA for 17 hours and increase my knowledge of U.S. geography a bit.” Brooks Koepka • Withdrew out of an abundance of caution after his caddie, Ricky Elliott, tested positive for COVID-19. • “I haven’t tested positive for COVID-19, but as I’ve said all along, I’m taking this very seriously,” said Brooks Koepka. “I don’t want to do anything that might jeopardize the health of any player in the field or his ability to compete. I was planning to take the next two weeks off anyway, so the right thing to do right now is get home, support Ricky and feel confident that I’m doing what I can do protecting my fellow TOUR members, my PGA TOUR friends and everyone associated with the Travelers Championship this week.” Webb Simpson • Withdrew out of an abundance of caution; has been tested twice and has not tested positive for COVID-19 this week. • “In the last 24 hours, I had a family member test positive for COVID-19,” said Simpson. “While my tests this week were negative, I feel like it is my responsibility to take care of my family and protect my peers in the field by withdrawing from the Travelers Championship. I am going to return home to Charlotte and quarantine under CDC guidelines, and I look forward to returning to competition after that time period.” Chase Koepka • Withdrew out of an abundance of caution; neither he nor his caddie, Dan Gambil, have tested positive for COVID-19, but they played a practice round with McDowell (caddie positive) and Brooks Koepka (caddie positive). • “Despite being very excited about playing the Travelers Championship, I am electing to withdraw,” said Koepka. “My team and I have all tested negative for COVID-19; however, I was in close contact with someone who tested positive. I feel as if this is the best decision to keep all other players, caddies and volunteers safe. I wish everyone the best of luck this week.”

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