Jordan Spieth's wild opening-round 73 at U.S. Open continues frustrating odyssey

Cameron Tringale (+3000) … He’s always had a tough time in the majors, but a T26 at The Open Championship signifies a departure from the norm. It’s his sixth payday in 13 career majors and just his second top 50 (T38, 2015 Masters). He placed T14 in his previous start in Detroit, so the 33-year-old brings momentum to Minnesota, but he doesn’t even need it after finishing T3 at TPC Twin Cities last year. Currently 49th on the PGA TOUR in greens hit, ninth in scrambling and 16th in adjusted scoring. Erik van Rooyen (+8000) … Until he confirms it, we must continue to assume that he’s a first-time father after withdrawing from each of the tournaments between the U.S. Open and The Open Championship this summer. We also should respect that the Nappy Factor will kick in even though he’s 139th in the FedExCup and pressured to perform. Simplifying life outside the ropes matters and at a time when he returns to the familiar area near his collegiate stomping grounds of the University of Minnesota. Brandon Hagy (+10000) … Capitalized on similarly built 156-man fields in Detroit and the Quad Cities this summer with a T6 and a T18, respectively. Few can send it like the 30-year-old does off the tee, but his putting is the difference-maker. Connected four red numbers here last year but he left town with but a share of 46th place. He didn’t qualify for the FedExCup Playoffs but his eligibility was extended another season due to the pandemic and he hasn’t squandered it. Currently 76th in the FedExCup. Roger Sloan (+15000) … The 34-year-old Canadian is familiar with the intensity of the summer stretch, so while he’d prefer not to be as low as 147th in the FedExCup, there is some comfort in having been there and done that on this stage before. He arrives having cashed in six of his last seven starts, too, with a mini-burst-best T21 in Detroit three weeks ago. He’s 30th on TOUR in greens in regulation, but it was a cooperative putter that yielded a T15 in the inaugural edition of the tournament in 2019. Wes Roach (+50000) … Motivations vary because goals are different. Variables such as overall talent and attainable objectives are influenced by timing. So, while he’d obviously love to qualify for the Playoffs for the first time in what is his fifth season on TOUR, the target immediately ahead is cracking the top 200 in FedExCup points and riding that wave into the Korn Ferry Tour Finals. The 32-year-old from Tennessee is 201st in the FedExCup, but he’s missed only one cut in 13 individual events on the PGA TOUR and KFT combined in 2021. If he had played enough to qualify for official rankings, he’d slot 53rd in greens hit and T13 in par-5 scoring. He also puts himself in position to pounce regularly. He’d rank fourth in first-round scoring average with 10 consecutive red numbers (after a season-opening round of par at Silverado). The set included the first-round lead (64) at Congaree. Odds were sourced on Tuesday, July 20 at 5 a.m. ET. For live odds visit betmgm. NOTE: Sleeper is a relative term, so Rob uses unofficial criteria to determine who qualifies. Each of the following usually is determined to be ineligible for this weekly staple: Winners of the tournament on the current host course; winners in the same season; recent major champions; top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking; recent participants of team competitions.

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – In recognition of his character, sportsmanship and commitment to charitable giving, Billy Andrade, who has enjoyed a 35-year career on the PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Champions, has been named the 2022 recipient of the PGA TOUR’s Payne Stewart Award presented by Southern Company. Andrade will be honored on Tuesday, August 23, at the Payne Stewart Award Ceremony in conjunction with the TOUR Championship. The ceremony will be televised live on Golf Channel as part of a “Golf Central” special from 7-8 p.m. ET at the Southern Exchange in downtown Atlanta. The Payne Stewart Award is presented annually by the PGA TOUR to a professional golfer who best exemplifies Stewart’s steadfast values of character, charity and sportsmanship. Stewart, an 11-time winner on the PGA TOUR and World Golf Hall of Fame member, died tragically 23 years ago during the week of the TOUR Championship in 1999. Southern Company, the “Official Energy Company of the PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Champions,” was the TOUR Championship presenting sponsor the year of Stewart’s passing. A year later, the PGA TOUR created the Payne Stewart Award in his honor, and Southern Company has supported the annual presentation since its inception. Previous recipients have all distinguished themselves through their respect for the game, the TOUR’s tradition of charity and their ability to make a positive impact in the lives of others. “It’s very special. Payne was unbelievable to me and I got to know him very well. I’m speechless really, to think that now I’m part of this elite group of past recipients who have all done it the right way,” Andrade said. “It’s really nice to see that people have watched and seen that I can inspire others, and I can’t thank Southern Company, the TOUR and Jay Monahan enough to now call myself a Payne Stewart Award recipient.” Andrade, 58, was born in Bristol, Rhode Island, but has called Atlanta home since 1988 when he first joined the PGA TOUR. As an Atlanta resident, Andrade developed an affinity for the history of East Lake Golf Club, which will soon add his name next to the other Payne Stewart Award recipients on a plaque located in the clubhouse’s Great Hall. Since joining the PGA TOUR, Andrade used his platform to give back to charitable causes close to his heart, and has continued that commitment over three decades of playing on the PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Champions. He and his wife, Jody, have two children: Cameron and Grace. “Billy Andrade is an ideal representation of a Payne Stewart Award recipient,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan. “As someone who exudes kindness and respect, Billy is a stranger to no one, and has spent his career fostering meaningful relationships. “Those relationships have helped fuel his chartiable endeavors, which have spanned more than three decades. That unwavering commitment to helping others is what draws so many people to Billy, and what would certainly make Payne proud.”

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Russell Henley ... If you tuned into PGA TOUR LIVE on Sunday, it was tough to watch him navigate parts of TPC Summerlin in the final round despite a closing 70. If you ever wanted to see someone scuffle to a 70, press the rewind button. (Needing 32 putts after hitting 14 greens has that effect.) That said, his T27 wasn't terribly shabby even though it was his worst showing in his last four starts. Baked into the overall performance was a vintage tee-to-green effort for a guy who's arguably best known as a streaky putter. He finished the 2019-20 season at fifth in green hit, T13 in proximity, 14th in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green and fifth in scrambling. Corey Conners ... If the 28-year-old Canuck was in your foursome for a scramble, you'd have trouble determining which drive and approach you couldn't use on either nine. That's how special he can be when he's in form. Case in point, in his last start at the Sanderson Farms Championship, he led the field in fairways hit and ranked, T4 in total driving, T21 in GIR and eighth in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green. It's precisely the game plan that Shadow Creek demands for its inaugural field. Inconsistent putting trips him up, but with no cut at THE CJ CUP @ SHADOW CREEK, he'll have time to get the feel of the greens without pressure to hog scoring opportunities. Jason Kokrak ... Even though he missed the cut on the number at TPC Summerlin, it's tough to find failure in a pair of 68s on that racetrack. Prior to it, he connected four top 20s, punctuating the run with a T17 at the U.S. Open, his personal best in 13 starts in the majors. In his pair of starts during the FedExCup Playoffs, he ranked T5 in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green and fourth in adjusted scoring. That's his profile when he's in a groove, so he's matching up with Shadow Creek at the perfect time. Tom Hoge … He's winless and never appeared at Kapalua, and he's never pegged it in a World Golf Championship, so the 31-year-old isn't a regular in limited-field, no-cut invitationals, but this isn't his first rodeo, either. Still, this is just his third career start with the promise of 72 holes. Already 3-for-3 on the season - each payday going for a top 30 - he's painted the boards red in that all 12 of his rounds have been under par. Jae Kyeong Lee ... Along with 18-year-old Joohyung (Tom) Kim, the 20-year-old Lee is making the likes of fellow South Koreans Si Woo Kim (25) and Sungjae Im (22) feel old. Like Joohyung Kim, Lee also already has a victory on the KPGA, his as a 19-year-old in late summer of 2019. He's currently leading his home circuit in scoring and ranks second in greens hit and 11th in putts per GIR. And while cynical American fans might dismiss those analytics, they can't ignore Lee's current form. In his last six starts, he has three runner-up finishes (including a playoff loss) among five top 10s and slots third in Genesis Points. NOTE: Sleeper is a relative term, so Rob uses unofficial criteria to determine who qualifies. Each of the following usually is determined to be ineligible for this weekly staple: Winners of the tournament on the current host course; winners in the same season; recent major champions; top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking; recent participants of team competitions.

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