Jon Rahm recaps Farmers Insurance Open win, talks Tiger Woods’ return

• COURSE: Firestone Country Club (South), 7,400 yards, par 70. From beginnings as a generous perk from Harvey Firestone to employees of his tire company, the club wound up making its own name as a major host even before joining the World Golf Championships lineup. The South course opened in 1929, with Robert Trent Jones overseeing upgrades for the 1960 PGA Championship captured by Jay Hebert. The PGA of America brought its showcase event back again in 1966 and ’75, by which time Firestone had become home of the World Series of Golf. That event moved under the WGC banner in 1999. • FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 550 points. • CHARITY: The First Tee is the primary beneficiary of World Golf Championships events. In addition, Northern Ohio Golf Charities has designated Akron Children’s Hospital and University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital as the tournament’s signature recipients. In all, the event has donated more than $46 million to Northeast Ohio causes. • FIELD WATCH: Newly crowned Open Championship winner Jordan Spieth joins defending champion and FedExCup No. 2 Dustin Johnson atop a current roster of 78 qualifiers. The field features 33 of the top 35 in the FedExCup standings. … Berths remain available for the RBC Canadian Open winner, plus anyone who enters the top 50 in Monday’s world rankings. … Recent winners Bryson DeChambeau (John Deere Classic) and Xander Schauffele (Greenbrier Classic) are among eight men making their World Golf Championships debut. … Rod Pampling, winner in Las Vegas last November, is playing his first WGC since the 2009 WGC HSBC Champions in China. … Lee Westwood is set for his 58th WGC start, still in pursuit of his first WGC victory. • 72-HOLE RECORD: 259, Tiger Woods (2000). • 18-HOLE RECORD: 61, José María Olazábal (1st round, 1990), Tiger Woods (2nd round, 2000 and 2nd round, 2013), Sergio Garcia (2nd round, 2014). • LAST YEAR: Johnson followed up his breakthrough U.S. Open triumph with another victory on the big stage, using a 66-66 weekend to overtake Jason Day for his third WGC crown. Coming off a post-Open trip to the Bahamas, Johnson showed some early rust before finding his groove again on the weekend. He trailed Day by three with six holes left, but birdies at Nos. 13 and 14 trimmed the gap before a double bogey by Day, who found water at Firestone’s 655-yard 16th hole. Another Johnson birdie at No.17 sealed the win, holding off Scott Piercy’s late charge. Piercy (70) finished one shot back, the second time in three weeks he’d come in as runner-up to Johnson. Day’s 72 left him three behind, sharing third with Spieth, Matt Kuchar and Kevin Chappell. • STORYLINES: Johnson, already a winner at Mexico and Dell Technologies Match Play, has a chance to become the first man to capture three WGC crowns in the same year. Though Tiger Woods owns 18 WGC titles, he never won more than two in a season. … Johnson hasn’t won since the WGC Dell Technologies Match Play, before hurting his back in a slip-and-fall mishap in Augusta. He said last week he’s still feeling effects from the injury. … Spieth, whose triumph at Royal Birkdale moved him to the top of the FedExCup chart and No.2 in the world rankings, returns to action in quest of a third straight victory. He won the Travelers Championship before heading across the Atlantic. … Rory McIlroy, the 2014 champion, hopes to build on an uptick in form at Royal Birkdale that propelled him to a share of fourth. He had missed three of his previous four cuts. • SHORT CHIPS: Shane Lowry, who triumphed in 2015, and Hunter Mahan (2010) are the only Firestone champions in the past 22 years who don’t also have a major title to their names. That includes the last five editions of the old World Series of Golf. … Argentina’s Andres Romero is the only man who comes to Firestone outside the top 125 in the FedExCup standings, though he’s focused more attention on Europe this year and has made just eight PGA TOUR starts. He’s in via his victory at Europe’s BMW International Open. • TELEVISION: Thursday-Friday, 1:30-6:30 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday-Sunday, noon-1:30 p.m. (GC); 2-6 p.m. (CBS). • PGA TOUR LIVE: Thursday-Friday, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. (featured groups), 2-6:30 p.m. (featured holes). Saturday-Sunday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. (featured holes). • RADIO: Thursday-Friday, 1-7 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 1-6 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com).

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This week’s PGA Championship is the first — and only — major of the 2019-20 PGA TOUR season. It’s also the first of seven majors in the next 12 months, due to shifting schedules because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Odds are we will see at least one player win his first major in these next 12 months. Not since 1971-72 have their been seven majors played without at least one first-time major winner. No surprise, that stretch included three wins by Jack Nicklaus (Nos. 9, 10 and 11 in his career); three wins by Lee Trevino (Nos. 2, 3 and 4 in his career); and a win by Gary Player (No. 6 in his career). Plus, with Jon Rahm’s recent ascension to the top of the world rankings (he’s now No. 2), as well as a flurry of young talent waiting to take their success to the next level, it seems likely we’ll have multiple breakthroughs. So we asked PGATOUR.COM’s experts to weigh in on several major topics, as well as rank their current top 10 players without a major. We tabulated the votes (10 points for a 1st place, 9 points for 2nd, and so on). Here are the poll results from our seven experts: TOP 10 WITHOUT A MAJOR Which player will break through first as a major winner? CAMERON MORFIT: I believe Jon Rahm will like TPC Harding Park and collect major No. 1 this week. For some reason the trees there remind me of Valderrama (although I’m not sure how similar the courses really are). Also, he’s obviously playing well, and there would be something fitting about Rahm winning his first major in California, a long drive up the coast from where he won his first PGA TOUR event (Torrey Pines). BEN EVERILL: Current form suggests you have to look at Rahm. He will be a big hope at the PGA, U.S. Open and November Masters. I’ll say he gets it done at Winged Foot, creating a little symmetry/irony with the Mickelson story. HELEN ROSS: You can’t look past Rahm or DeChambeau, given the way they are playing. That said, DeChambeau has yet to finish higher than 15th at a major championship so my pick is Rahm – who has finished 11th or better in five of his last eight — at this week’s PGA Championship. ROB BOLTON: Now, don’t hold me to slotting Bryson DeChambeau No. 1 in the Power Rankings at TPC Harding Park, but he could spark a strings of breakthroughs that carry on through Patrick Cantlay at Winged Foot and Jon Rahm at Augusta National. SEAN MARTIN: Collin Morikawa at TPC Harding Park. It’s not overly long and he has familiarity there from his college days. JIM McCABE: Jon Rahm, upcoming U.S. Open at Winged Foot. MIKE McALLISTER: Bryson DeChambeau at the Masters in November. He’s already been giving it heavy thought, unveiling his game plan to conquer Augusta National a few weeks ago. So this is all contingent on the course not being “Bryson-proofed.” Will one player win at least two of the next seven majors? MORFIT: If Jon Rahm wins the first one, I could see him winning the U.S. Open at Winged Foot; we just saw how well he does in hard conditions. Otherwise, I don’t see that happening. The depth on TOUR now is such that it’s almost impossible to run away for any length of time. Look what happened at Muirfield Village: Collin Morikawa and Justin Thomas, the main combatants in week one, didn’t really contend in week two. I just think golf is like that now. Too many good players. EVERILL: Bias alert: I absolutely think we will see someone double up in the next seven. My main targets in this are Rory McIlroy getting back amongst the majors; Jon Rahm kick-starting down the road to winning a handful of them over his career; and a resurgence of Jason Day … providing his back can hold up. ROSS: I don’t think so. We’ve had such great fields and such great competition on TOUR since returning from the COVID-19 break, I just don’t see any one player going on a run. BOLTON: If recent history is a guide — and it probably shouldn’t be but it’s all that we have — Brooks Koepka will hog the hardware. That kind of domination doesn’t last, but we’re in the wedge of time between a number of first-timers in the majors and far less of the plausible who haven’t won one. That promotes repeat major champions. So, while Rory McIlroy hasn’t been performing to his capabilities after the hiatus, put me down for him winning at least two of the next seven majors, one of which will be a Masters to complete the career grand slam. MARTIN: Justin Thomas could do it. His all-around game is so good that he’s able to get on good runs. McCABE: I know Brooks Koepka has won three of the last seven majors. So, it’s hardly a foreign concept to think that someone can win two of the next seven. But I also know that if you take Koepka out of the mix, 14 different players have won the other14 majors dating back to the Open Championship of 2015. That’s what dominates my reasoning to answer this question with an emphatic no. McALLISTER: Yes, but it will be in two different years. A major winner this fall will win again in 2021. Which players? My five names, in no particular order – JT, Rahm, Rory, Koepka and DeChambeau. How many majors will be won by players in their 20s in the next 12 months? MORFIT: Four. EVERILL: Three. ROSS: Four. BOLTON: Five. MARTIN: Four. I would expect a pretty even split between players in their 20s and 30s. McCABE: Four. (For the record, they will be Rahm, Justin Thomas, Xander Schauffele and Tyrrell Hatton.) McALLISTER: Four. Which player in his 30s is most likely to win his first major? MORFIT: Marc Leishman at the Masters in November. (Ben, feel free to just copy and paste.) EVERILL: Marc Leishman at the Masters in November. (Thanks Cam for the copy and paste.) Leishman will be a strong contender at both Masters and the Open Championship. ROSS: I like the Leishman pick, too. But for the sake of argument, I’ll go with Rickie Fowler, who has contended before and is too good a player not to finally break through and win one. BOLTON: Rickie Fowler at the 2021 Masters. MARTIN: Tony Finau this week at TPC Harding Park … if Morikawa doesn’t win, of course. You knock on the door enough and it has to open eventually. He could overpower TPC Harding Park with his length. McCABE: Tommy Fleetwood, who’ll turn 30 in January, will win the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island next May. McALLISTER: Marc Leishman at the 2021 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, channeling his success in winning the 2020 Farmers Insurance Open. Will any player over 40 (hint: Tiger) win a major in the next 12 months? MORFIT: The odds aren’t great, considering we’ve had only one 40-something winner on TOUR this season (Tiger at the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP). The most likely 40-something major winners other than Tiger are Henrik Stenson and Adam Scott, the latter of whom just hit the big 4-0 earlier this month. Their chances are best at the Open Championship and, to a lesser extent, the Masters. The best story would be Matt Kuchar or Lee Westwood, ticking the final box on their careers. All of which leads me to my answer, which is no, I’m not counting on it. EVERILL: Adam Scott’s recent 40th birthday has me juuuust barely saying yes. He joins the ranks of veterans who, on their day, can still provide. The Masters twice gives the likes of Woods, Scott, Mickelson, etc. a chance — even if it’s a slight one. And somewhere in the youth parade we will get a week of don’t-forget-the-old-blokes stories. ROSS: I don’t think so. The balance of power, so to speak, is trending much, much younger. That said, I never thought Tiger would win another major so I can obviously be wrong. If it were to happen, I’d like to see Phil Mickelson complete the career Grand Slam at Winged Foot, where he came ohsoclose in 2006. BOLTON: If the over-under was 1/2 and Tiger at a Masters was off the board, take the under. MARTIN: Lee Westwood at Royal St. George’s, the same course where Darren Clarke claimed his first major after many close calls. McCABE: Yes, but it won’t be the 44- or 45-year-old Woods. Justin Rose and Adam Scott have each turned 40 and are legitimate threats, and if that ball-striking magic happens to coincide with Henrik Stenson’s appearance at Royal St. George’s, then toss him into the mix. Yes, he’ll be 45, but this is the kindest major to those over 40. (Re: Stenson won in 2016 40, Phil Mickelson in 2013 at 43, Ernie Els in 2012 at 42, Darren Clarke in 2011 at 42, and we all know about Tom Watson in 2009 at the age of 59.) McALLISTER: Would love to see Tiger nab No. 16 but I suspect we’ll look back at his 2019 Masters win much as we do Jack’s 18th in 1986. And while I won’t predict an actual win for 50-year-old Phil Mickelson, I suspect he’ll make some noise in at least one of the next seven majors.

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