Inside the Field: Mayakoba Golf Classic

Rickie Fowler is in and the injured Brooks Koepka is out for the U.S. Team at next month’s Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne in Australia.  The U.S. will still be favored, but by how much? Here are six burning questions spinning off Wednesday’s announcement by U.S. Captain Tiger Woods. 1. How will this impact the Americans? Hard to say, because while the team loses swagger, it gains something, too. Koepka, 29, is a feared competitor who lives for the big moment, racking up six PGA TOUR wins, among them four major titles, in the last three seasons alone. As even Fowler said in accepting his new role, replacing the No. 1 player in the world is, in a sense, impossible.  Fowler, though, is an experienced talent and the prototypical team player. He thrives on the rah-rah spirit and camaraderie of these occasions, whether Presidents Cup, Ryder Cup, Walker Cup or even Canon Cup, an East vs. West American Junior Golf Association event. He’s all-in, and as Woods alluded to in announcing the move, he is a popular teammate. All of which is to say that by adding Fowler, 30, the U.S. Team’s chemistry will change, but its potency may not. He went 3-0-1 at the 2017 Presidents Cup. 2. Will Rickie be rusty? If so, it would certainly be understandable. No doubt, Fowler is coming off a strong season. After a handful of heartbreaking near-misses he finally won the Waste Management Phoenix Open, collected six top-10 finishes in all, and reached the season-ending TOUR Championship for the fifth straight time. But he has not played this fall, so we haven’t seen him hit a shot in nearly three months. He got married, and was scheduled to open his 2020 PGA TOUR season at last week’s Mayakoba Golf Classic in Mexico but was forced to withdraw beforehand with an intestinal bug. He is set to play in the no-cut Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas the week before the Presidents Cup, which theoretically would give him time to knock the rust off. But enough time? We’ll see. 3. What’s Fowler’s history Down Under? In a word, solid.  He lost on the third hole of a playoff to fellow American Mark Anderson (also now on TOUR) at the 2009 Australian Master of the Amateurs, but not before the two matched birdies on each of the first two playoff holes. Anderson finally won with an eagle.  Fowler also finished T2 with partner Jimmy Walker at the 2016 World Cup. The Master of the Amateurs was played at Yarra Yarra Golf Course, the World Cup at Kingston Heath Golf Club. Both are Melbourne sandbelt courses, and plenty comparable to Royal Melbourne, whose architect, Dr. Alister MacKenzie, also designed Augusta National. For the record, Fowler does well at Augusta, too, with five top-12 finishes, including a runner-up in 2018, in his last six starts there. Add it all up and he’s a great fit for Royal Melbourne.   4. How will Tiger juggle the partnerships? Fowler will almost certainly partner with friend Justin Thomas, with whom he earned two wins (over Charl Schwartzel/Hideki Matsuyama and Branden Grace/Louis Oosthuizen) and a halve (against Grace/Oosthuizen) at the ’17 Presidents Cup at New Jersey’s Liberty National. And what about the guys who would have partnered Koepka? He has traditionally been paired with long hitters, specifically Dustin Johnson. They went 2-0-0 together at Liberty National. And Koepka and Tony Finau provided one of the few U.S. highlights at the 2018 Ryder Cup in France as they beat the formidable European team of Justin Rose and Jon Rahm.  The question now is whom Johnson and Finau will play with. The obvious answer is each other, but that might be too easy. Johnson could easily wind up with Woods, as they teamed up to go 1-1-0 at the 2011 Presidents Cup, or Matt Kuchar, with whom Johnson halved a match that week. Jordan Spieth, with whom Johnson went 2-1-0 at the 2015 Presidents Cup, didn’t make the team.   5. Should we be worried about Brooks’ health? Possibly, but it’s still too early to say how this will affect the career of one of the most potent American players to come along in decades. Koepka’s status had been in doubt for the last month, since he withdrew from THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES, where he was the defending champion, after reinjuring the knee slipping on wet concrete while shooting a second-round 75. What’s troubling is he’d been playing only his second event since receiving stem cell treatment on the knee Aug. 25. He said the knee bothered him for the latter part of last season despite the fact that he won three times, including a successful title defense at the PGA Championship. As the example of Woods reminds, the left knee assumes an extraordinary burden during the swing. And as the example of Woods reminds, it can come back strong. 6. Who else might have replaced Koepka?  Kevin Na was an option, as was Brendon Todd, who has two wins in his last two starts and will go for a third straight at this week’s The RSM Classic. Woods is not one to leap to conclusions. Realistically, though, it had to be Fowler, the straight-chalk choice.  For starters, Fowler finished 11th in the final U.S. Presidents Cup standings, barely missing an automatic spot. (The top eight qualified.) And in going with himself, Finau, Patrick Reed and Gary Woodland for his captain’s picks, Woods had already selected four of the first five players outside the top eight. Fowler was the fifth. What’s more, in announcing his picks, Woods clearly had Fowler lined up, as Rickie was the only odd man out who was mentioned by name. “Rickie has played on a couple Presidents Cup teams,� Woods said in choosing Fowler on Wednesday. “He was someone seriously considered for a pick, and is well-respected and liked by his teammates.  “I know he’s going to do a great job for us,� Woods added.

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Through two rounds at The Open Championship, Cameron Smith leads by two strokes, highlighted by an 8-under 64 in Friday’s second round. But there are plenty of top players right behind him, which will make for a great weekend of live golf betting. There are plenty of options this weekend for golf betting at the BetMGM online sportsbook, including some special prop bets for some leaders heading into Saturday’s third round. Smith (-13) leads Cameron Young (-11) by two shots and then Rory McIlroy (-10) and Viktor Hovland (-10) by three shots. Meanwhile, world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler (-8) sits five shots back after back-to-back 68s. Let’s break down the numbers on the props to see if there’s value to be found. Birdie the first hole: Rory McIlroy (+275), Cameron Smith (+275), Scottie Scheffler (+275) The par-4 first hole played slightly over par in the first two rounds, yielding 55 birdies to 37 bogeys and 45 scores of double-bogey or worse. Specific to the three players, McIlroy and Smith made one birdie against one par on the hole in the first two rounds, while Scheffler made a bogey in Friday’s second round after making par on Thursday. To shoot 68 or lower: Rory McIlroy (+110), Scottie Scheffler (+120), Cameron Smith (+130) Shooting 68 or lower means going 4-under or better at St. Andrews. All three players have done this through the first two rounds so far this week. In third-round scoring this year, Smith and Scheffler have the advantage over McIlroy. Scheffler ranks third on TOUR this year in third-round scoring, Smith is eighth and McIlroy is 115th. To make an eagle: Rory McIlroy (+900), Cameron Smith (+900), Scottie Scheffler (+900) With only two par-5s at St. Andrews, there are limited eagle chances. Some of par-4s are drivable depending on wind direction, but the par-5 fifth hole and par-5 14th hole will be the best opportunity. There have been 26 eagles in the first two rounds, 12 of which came on the fifth and 14th holes. Smith is the only one of the three players to make an eagle this week (14th hole on Friday). 6 or more birdies/eagles: Rory McIlroy (+100), Scottie Scheffler (+105), Cameron Smith (+110) McIlroy and Smith have accomplished this in both rounds this week, while Scheffler has made five birdies/eagles to one bogey in both of his rounds. For the year, all three players rank high in birdies per round. Smith ranks second (4.7), Scheffler third (4.66), and McIlroy sixth (4.39). Bogey free: Rory McIlroy (+900), Scottie Scheffler (+1000), Cameron Smith (+1100) Smith is the only player of the three to have a bogey-free round this week, which came on Friday. Scheffler has made one each day, while McIlroy made one Thursday and two on Friday. In bogey avoidance this year, Scheffler is 18th, McIlroy 24th, and Smith T-57th. * Visit BetMGM.com for terms and conditions. 21+ years of age or older to wager. BetMGM is available in AZ, CO, DC, IA, IN, IL, LA, MI, MS, NJ, NV, NY, PA, TN, VA, WV, or WY only. All promotions are subject to qualification and eligibility requirements. Paid in free bets. Free bets expire in 7 days from issuance. Minimum deposit required. Excludes Michigan Disassociated Persons. Please Gamble Responsibly. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-NEXT-STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO, DC, LA, NV, WY, VA), 1-800-270-7117 for confidential help (MI), 1-800-GAMBLER (IN, NJ, PA & WV), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA) or call (877-8-HOPENY) or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), call or text the Tennessee REDLINE: 800-889-9789 (TN) or call 1-888-777-9696 (MS). Sports betting is void where prohibited. Promotional offers not available in Nevada.

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