Jason Day tells us what he really thinks

In the high-stakes action of the PGA TOUR Experts league in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf, there wasn’t hesitation. RELATED: Sleeper picks Actually, that’s a lie. Just like the Wells Fargo Championship a fortnight prior, the PGA Championship connected on a few haymakers. Because negative points are possible, the fantasy game most definitely causes pause when contemplating burning a start in favor of a zero that could have a net-positive effect. Case in point, if I had only one start remaining on Jon Rahm (instead of two), I probably would’ve holstered it for Memorial and gone with only three starters in the third and final rounds at Southern Hills Country Club. After Patrick Cantlay and Scottie Scheffler missed the cut, this was what I faced and therein existed my hesitation. Fortunately(?), I had two starts to burn and I already knew that he hadn’t committed to this week’s Charles Schwab Challenge, so it was an easy call. But lo and behold, Rahm proved my point by “scoring” minus-6 points in R3. He rebounded to total 11 (including bonus points) in the final to net a positive value of five points, so I’ll take it, but I’ll never argue that a mere five points is worth a full start unless you can stretch to the conclusion of a Segment. Of course, if I defend my title in my little league by fewer than five points, I’ll flip-flop on that promise! POWER RANKINGS WILD CARD Jason Kokrak (+165 for a Top 20) … Age 37; eighth appearance. I’ve already explained in the Power Rankings how he was expected to win last year, but the defending champ hasn’t been fulfilling even higher expectations throughout 2022. He can’t be overlooked this week, so the shrewd move is to invest elsewhere and let your opponents cancel. The field is more than deep enough to subscribe to that strategy. DRAWS Viktor Hovland (-110 for a Top 20) … Age 24; second appearance. If Kokrak wasn’t the Wild Card, the uber-talented Norwegian would occupy that slot, but for positive reasons. Building experience at Colonial is one thing, and guys can find their game on the course – Sebastián Muñoz did last year – but it’s been a minute now since Hovland has made the kind of noise for which we’ve been accustomed. Given all the variables, this prop is perfect. Chris Kirk (+165 for a Top 20) … Age 37; 12th appearance. The 2015 Schwab champion hasn’t missed a cut at Colonial and he’s fresh off a T5 at the PGA Championship where he was second in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green. That’s vintage stuff from the veteran. Even his oft-inconsistent putting was on point. The setup of grasses is the same – bermuda fairways and rough; bentgrass greens – so a continuation of the rally is reasonable to anticipate. Tony Finau (+165 for a Top 20) … Age 32; seventh appearance. The putting is turning a corner, so it’s not about overall rank as much as it is about direction. It’s also worth compartmentalizing his closing 63 at Vidanta. It was an outstanding round at an outstanding time, but he’s short on general consistency. Still, he hasn’t missed a cut at Colonial, he finished second here in 2019 and he’s logged another three top 25s, so he’s the perfect fit – finally – for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf and at a time when we’re low on starts. Webb Simpson (+160 for a Top 20) … Age 36; seventh appearance. If not for a T20 in the challenging conditions at Southern Hills last week, he’d default as a trap. He’s inside our target for Colonial where he’s finished inside the top five on two occasions, but he hadn’t done enough to eliminate residual doubt after returning from the herniated disc in his neck. Ryan Palmer (+275 for a Top 20) … Age 45; 19th appearance. It’d be sacrilegious not to endorse him in some capacity on his home course. Yeah, you already know that he hasn’t won this tournament, but he earned over $1.4 million on the strength of four top-six finishes. He just finished T5 two weeks ago at TPC Craig Ranch, the latest evidence of how his game showing life once more. Kevin Na (+175 for a Top 20) … Age 38; 16th appearance. Prevailed here in 2019 as a 35-year-old, and he’s been on cruise control of late. Line him up in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf and heavily in DFS. He’s presenting zero reasons why he won’t remain in a groove. Russell Knox (+400 for a Top 20) … Age 36; seventh appearance. He’s also in the bull’s-eye and he’s registered four top 25s at Colonial, so he’s an automatic for a top-30 prop and for DFSers. Further supported by sitting second on TOUR in greens hit and T4 in proximity. We’d love for him to score more but having chances to set up a hot putter is better than having a hot putter that doesn’t have chances. Talor Gooch (age 30; fifth appearance) Billy Horschel (age 35; fifth appearance) Maverick McNealy (age 26; fourth appearance) Cameron Tringale (age 34; ninth appearance) Harold Varner III (age 31; third appearance)e Odds sourced on Tuesday, May 24th at 6 p.m. ET. For live odds visit betmgm FADES Mito Pereira … Age 27; first appearance. If he wasn’t a debutant, I’d extend a share or two for the benefit of the doubt, but we don’t know how Sunday’s bad beat will affect him. The conservative play, obviously, is to abstain. That means that the sharper angle is to rely on the majority to abstain and lean in fractionally in DFS. Daniel Berger … Age 29; fifth appearance. Before you beat me to it, yes, I typically ignore negative results in majors and when the lights are brightest, but in the absence of something else to rule out that he’s feeling good again in dealing with his sore back, my hands are off his wheel. Kevin Kisner … Age 38; ninth appearance. He hasn’t missed an edition since returning full-time to the PGA TOUR in 2014, but he hasn’t hung up another top 25 since he prevailed in 2017. It’s a stage on which he should shine every time, but he’s also short on form upon arrival. Entirely a contrarian investment. Patrick Reed … Age 31; sixth appearance. Still scuffling (for him). Still just the one top 25 in a full-field event all season (T2, Bermuda). The Texan has a pair of top 15s at Colonial, so perhaps the drought ends now, but there’s little by which to be inspired to invest. Erik van Rooyen … Age 32; second appearance. Hmm… Withdrew early from the Wells Fargo and Byron Nelson, and then missed the cut at the PGA Championship by seven. James Hahn … Age 40; sixth appearance. With T9s in his last two starts (Wells Fargo, Byron Nelson), he was situated as an early possibility for the Power Rankings. However, he’s yet to cash at Colonial and hasn’t broken par since the only time he did it, with a 1-under 69 in the opening round of the 2015 edition. Joel Dahmen (age 34; fifth appearance) Rickie Fowler (age 33; ninth appearance) Kramer Hickok (age 30; fifth appearance) Charley Hoffman (age 45; 14th appearance) Beau Hossler (age 27; fifth appearance) Denny McCarthy (age 29; fourth appearance) Andrew Putnam (age 33; fifth appearance) RETURNING TO COMPETITION Nick Hardy … Committed to the Korn Ferry Tour’s NV5 Invitational presented by Old National Bank. It’s not far from his home north of Chicago, so it’s as sensible a spot as any to get back after it in the wake of a wrist injury that’s sidelined him for a month. He’s 194th in the FedExCup and won’t be eligible on merit for next week’s Memorial Tournament presented by Workday, either. NOTABLES WDs Bryson DeChambeau … Just like last week, he can’t withdraw unless he commits. It’s the classic week-to-week approach. It’s his second consecutive early WD and he hasn’t played since missing the cut at the Masters after which he has surgery on his left wrist for a fractured hamate bone. Harris English … This is his sixth early WD since his last start at Waialae four months ago. His surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right hip was on Feb. 14. He’ll continue to play it like DeChambeau. Bubba Watson … Alerted his followers on Twitter on Monday that he’s going to be out “4-6 weeks” due to a torn meniscus in a knee. He didn’t specify which one. The 43-year-old lefty didn’t begin this season until a T14 at the WM Phoenix Open, so he’s logged only nine starts. He’s fully exempt through 2023-24. Sepp Straka … Hey, ya can’t play ‘em all, but you can’t accuse him for not trying. He’s T2 on TOUR with 23 starts. (Brian Stuard has made one more.) Just qualified for the U.S. Open, too. Charl Schwartzel … Hadn’t appeared at Colonial since 2016, anyway. He’s picked up steam of late with a T10 at the Masters and a solo eighth at the AT&T Byron Nelson, but he’s still just 152nd in the FedExCup.x RECAP – PGA CHAMPIONSHIP POWER RANKINGS Power Ranking Golfer Result 1 Jordan Spieth T34 2 Jon Rahm T48 3 Justin Thomas Win 4 Scottie Scheffler MC 5 Rory McIlroy 8th 6 Patrick Cantlay MC 7 Xander Schauffele T13 8 Matt Fitzpatrick T5 9 Hideki Matsuyama T60 10 Cameron Smith T13 11 Collin Morikawa T55 12 Max Homa T13 13 Will Zalatoris P2 14 Tiger Woods WD 15 Viktor Hovland T41 16 Joaquin Niemann T23 17 Cameron Young T3 18 Corey Conners MC 19 Brooks Koepka T55 20 Sam Burns T20 Wild Card Shane Lowry T23 SLEEPERS Golfer (Bet) Result Dean Burmester (+275 for a Top 40) MC Sam Horsfield (+200 for a Top 40) MC Rikuya Hoshino (+333 for a Top 40) T60 Sadom Kaewkanjana (+550 for a Top 40) MC Bio Kim (+400 for a Top 40) MC BIRTHDAYS AMONG ACTIVE MEMBERS OF THE PGA TOUR May 24 … Bill Haas (40); Mark Hubbard (33) May 25 … Tom Hoge (33) May 26 … none May 27 … none May 28 … none May 29 … Seung-Yul Noh (31) May 30 … Stephan Jaeger (33); Taylor Pendrith (31)

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MELBOURNE, Australia – It started with the twirl of a club on the first tee. It finished with tears of joy. That was the final day of the most unique week for Tiger Woods, who for the first time in his legendary career was the captain of a U.S. national team. Along the way, he also added playing responsibilities. Doing something — again — that few people have ever done. The ending, of course, turned out to be a familiar one for Woods. He was the best player on the winning team, the Americans claiming the Presidents Cup, 16-14. “It’s the same feeling,â€� Woods said. “We won.â€� Unlike two years ago on home soil at Liberty National, winning this Cup at Royal Melbourne wasn’t easy. The Americans entered Sunday Singles trailing by two points. Counterpart Ernie Els seemed to pull all the right levers. The Internationals were in their best position to end their 21-year drought in this event. The hometown support was going to make a difference. PRESIDENTS CUP: Final scoring | Day 4 Singles match recaps But there’s a reason why Tiger Woods has the most wins (with Sam Snead) in PGA TOUR history. He refuses to lose. On Sunday, that spirit permeated the American roster. Woods set the tone by batting leadoff and taking down the Internationals’ hottest player, Presidents Cup rookie Abraham Ancer, 3 and 2. Tiger celebrated the win as if it was his first one. He hugged assistant captain Zach Johnson and then made a beeline toward another assistant, Fred Couples. “I have a bad back,â€� Couples told Tiger as he began to retreat. Didn’t matter. Tiger had won his match, finishing off a week in which he was 3-0-0, the only player on either side to win each of his matches. Couples finally relented. Meanwhile, the group of American fans called “We the Peopleâ€� started chanting for Woods, trying to entice him for a quick visit outside the ropes. Tiger couldn’t resist. He did a little dance as he met the group for some high-fives and selfies. By the way, the Americans were still trailing at this point, 10-9. Already, though, you could sense how this would go. Lots of red was on the board, the U.S. Team getting off to quick starts. Patrick Reed had birdied six of his first seven holes. Dustin Johnson was 5 up through 11. Tony Finau was in the midst of rallying from a 4-down hole against Hideki Matsuyama. The Americans won or tied the first five matches of the day, and eventually lost just two. The signs were there. Woods was not to be denied. Nor was his team. For the first time, Americans were playing for Tiger Woods. They refused to let him down. “It was pretty awesome to play for the greatest player ever,â€� said Matt Kuchar, who supplied the clinching point in the 11th match of the day, rallying from 3 down to tie Louis Oosthuizen. “To have a chance to make a team captained by the greatest player ever that is also a player on the team, I can’t tell you how unique, how cool of a thing that is – to not only play for him, but alongside him.â€� Woods was in the first match out because he wanted to resume his captain role as quick as possible on Sunday. Steve Stricker has assumed captain’s duties while Tiger was playing. Eventually, those duties were handed back. “Stricks was on 14 and the last group just went through and he says, ‘I don’t want to be captain anymore,’â€� Woods recalled with a laugh. “That was one of the great moments, and to hear that in my earpiece was definitely a moment I’ll never forget.â€� Hard to imagine anybody doubting Woods would be a successful captain. He’s meticulous, always thinking, constantly encouraging – his text messages in the middle of the night became legendary among his U.S. players. But he was not overbearing. He knew his team was talented, perhaps among the most talented the Americans have fielded in some time. Arguably no one had played golf better than Woods, but he didn’t need to tell them how to play their sport. Justin Thomas, who partnered with Woods to win two matches earlier in the week, had a conversation with assistant Zach Johnson. The topic of Woods as a captain came up. “Someone who has done as much as he has and had as much experiences as he had in all these team events, he very easily, I felt, could have tried to take over the team rooms or try to give all this advice and try to do so much,â€� Thomas said. But, as Thomas added, “we have 12 of the best players in the world. No offense, he just needed to get out of the way – and that’s what he did.â€� And yet, whenever Woods did speak, it carried significant weight. It was also a new experience for the players, who generally have only seen their captain as a teammate, not a leader. “We had a room full of some of the greatest golfers in the world,â€� Kuchar said, “and when he speaks, we all listen.â€� Entering Sunday, Woods simply told his team that the Internationals had more a few more putts during the first four team sessions. Sunday Singles, he added, would be different. “We’re going to be fine,â€� he told them. And they were. The match wins kept coming – Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele and Webb Simpson, who combined played 50 holes on Sunday and only trailed after two of them. Cantlay and Schauffele, by the way, were partners all week, and on Sunday they played in back-to-back matches. That was deliberate. Schauffele may have snuffed out the emotional support of the Royal Melbourne crowd by going 4 up through seven holes en route to beating Australian veteran Adam Scott. “Xander, to beat Adam Scott on really a course that he plays very well, was really a huge point,â€� Couples said. Finally, it came down to Kuchar’s match. The Americans were leading 15-13 and simply needed one more half-point. Kuchar clinched it by winning the 17th hole with a birdie. The celebration started. Woods was overcome with emotion. Those tears began to swell. He tried to hide his face with his U.S. Team cap. Woods has won a lot of tournaments as an individual player. He cried after a few but not after every one. This win – as a captain, also a player – was special. “I’ve cried in pretty much every Cup we’ve won,â€� he said. “I’ve been doing this a long time. Any time you have moments where you’re able to do something that is bigger than us as an individual is so much more meaningful and so much more special.â€� Said Stricker, a well-known tear-shedder: “I love seeing other people cry – especially Tiger Woods.â€� Then he added, “Tiger did an unbelievable job. It was a privilege – and we’ll keep this on the forefront of our minds forever.â€� Tiger the player was unbeatable this week. Tiger the captain may have been even better. “All of us will look back and have these pictures hanging on our walls and say we played for and alongside Tiger Woods, the greatest player ever,â€� Kuchar said. “It was awesome.â€�

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A member of the United States Ryder Cup team reportedly blasted Patrick Reed after the golfer complained about the pairings.

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