Justin Rose honored with PGA TOUR’s Payne Stewart Award presented by Southern Company

Never before has so much attention been devoted to the cutoff for qualification into any PGA TOUR event via the Official World Golf Ranking. But never before has Tiger Woods been the focal point of that hope. By one one-hundredth of one point, Woods wedged into the limited field at this week’s World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational at the deadline. And let’s face it, because he’s an eight-time champion on Firestone Country Club’s South Course, we’d be engaging in an entirely different conversation without him in attendance, exponentially more so than usual. All 73 who qualified are committed. More on what Firestone presents, how Hideki Matsuyama prevailed last year and what’s in store beginning next year, scroll past the ranking. Barely broke a sweat at Glen Abbey … or maybe he didn’t. Out front in numerous statistical measurements on the PGA TOUR. Winner at Firestone in 2016 despite a third-round 73. He was the only golfer at Carnoustie with four red numbers and he finished T2, but he’s an even better fit at Firestone where his 2014 title is one of top 10s in seven appearances. Thriving in his prime. In position to win almost every time he laces it up. Second on TOUR in adjusted scoring. In 12 appearances at Firestone, he has a T2, a T3, a T4 and a T5. Ignore his lackluster track record at Firestone. He’s scaled into previous unchartered territory in the last two months. Due to his experience, there’s zero reason to expect a letdown now. Oh, how the stars have aligned for this opportunity. Where else better right now to chase down his next victory? It’d also be a storyline conclusion for Firestone, but he’ll need to adjust off the tee. With four consecutive top 10s at Firestone and recurring appearances on leaderboards throughout this season, he’s a constant threat. Currently 11th on the PGA TOUR in adjusted scoring. Remains as consistently strong as anyone. T7 at the European Open was 11th top 20 in 14 starts in 2018. Three straight top 20s at Firestone; T5 last year. Ranks seventh in adjusted scoring. Proving that class is permanent, coasted to a T6 in his debut at Glen Abbey on the heels of a T12 at Carnoustie. Will need to downshift a bit from his aggressive style at Firestone. What could have been if not for a second-round 77 in debut here last year (T28). Five top fives since the Masters, including a win in native Spain. Sits 15th in GIR and third in birdies-or-better percentage. Statistically as balanced as ever. T20 in adjusted scoring. Enters with top 20s in each of his last four starts. Runner-up finish at Firestone last year the best of five top 10s. Grazed his elevated expectations at Carnoustie, for a while at least. Backpedaled to T9 with a closing 76, but it was his first top 20 since the Masters. Three straight top 15s at Firestone. Easy to forget he’s won twice this season, but he also arrives with top 20s in his last two starts and he’s still the rabbit in strokes gained: putting. T12-T3-T24 at Firestone since 2015. Continues to build one big block at a time. Unflappable and fearless. T6-T2 in last two majors. Placed T13 in Firestone debut last year; ranked T2 in proximity for the tournament. Given his skill set as a tee-to-green monster and value as the defending champion, he gets benefit of the doubt upon arrival. After three straight top 20s, he went 0-for-2 in Scotland. The benefit of the missed cut at Glen Abbey is a couple of extra days of rest after getting beat up at Carnoustie (T39). T6 (2015) and T17 (2017) at Firestone. Fourteenth in adjusted scoring. Drifted from his objective to be more consistent, but that early-season success yielded the opportunity to relax, including after becoming No. 1 in the OWGR for a time. Second in FedExCup points. The streaky Dane is on another upswing. Since winning in Italy in early June, he’s added three top 15s, including a T12 at Carnoustie. Also placed T10 at Firestone last year. Making his tournament debut if you can believe it, so his only weakness at Firestone is inexperience. Seven top 10s this season, 17th in strokes gained: tee-to-green and 12th in adjusted scoring. Slides back on the horse at Firestone where he finished second in 2015 and added top 20s in the last two editions. It’s all about the comfort level for the three-time winner in 2017-18. With ongoing struggles with putting, he’s evolved into a plucky fit with a semi-regular record of top 20s in 2018. Since 2010 at Firestone, he has six top 15s, including the 2011 title. POWER RANKINGS: WGC-BRIDGESTONE INVITATIONAL RANK PLAYER COMMENTS Phil Mickelson, Henrik Stenson, Webb Simpson, Alex Noren, Matt Kuchar and Patrick Reed will be among the notables reviewed in Tuesday’s Fantasy Insider. There may not be a fairer test than Firestone Country Club. Because of its predictability, it’s both the kind of track on which a returning participant can rely on finding his game as well as how it stacks up in real time against the best in the world. With no cut, the mindset is simplified to perform over 72 holes. The stock par 70 tilts at 7,400 yards for the 12th consecutive edition. Large bentgrass greens will run as fast as 12-and-a-half feet on the Stimpmeter, although if the forecast for early-week rainfall holds true, surfaces could be a touch slower. Primary rough is allowed to grow to three inches. Last year’s field of 76 averaged 70.497 on the scorecard, which just about hits the historical bull’s-eye. Hideki Matsuyama equaled the course record of 61 in the final round for a come-from-behind, five-stroke runaway. There’s a perception that Firestone is long even by today’s standards. However, the par-5 16th that tips at a TOUR-long 667 yards boosts the overall yardage disproportionately. The 10 par 4s average just shy of 449 yards. Furthermore, accuracy off the tee is more important than distance, but neither of those two components are as important as hitting the greens in regulation and putting. Nine of the 12 who finished inside the top 10 here last year ranked inside the top 15 in GIR for the week. Seven slotted inside the top 15 in strokes gained: putting. Comparatively, only three who finished inside the top 15 in distance of all drives and just four inside the top 15 in fairways hit were among the top 10 on the leaderboard. This isn’t to say that length is irrelevant; rather, Firestone is a second-shot track where length is bonus at times. Matsuyama finished outside the top 20 in both distance of all drives and accuracy off the tee, but he co-led in greens hit, ranked T2 in proximity and paced the field in strokes gained: tee-to-green (surprise, surprise). The pursuit for the Gary Player Cup will occur in warm and humid conditions. Daytime highs will rise into the upper 80s on the weekend. There is a reasonable chance for rain and storms on Friday. Wind is likely to be a non-factor. Once the last stroke is made, it’ll signify the end of an era for Firestone in its recurring role as host of a PGA TOUR stop. In April, it was announced that the tournament will be relocated to TPC Southwind in 2019. However, as part of a four-year agreement with the PGA TOUR Champions, Firestone will transition into host of the Bridgestone SENIOR PLAYERS Championship next year. Just in case you were wondering, Woods becomes eligible for the 50-and-older circuit in 2026. ROB BOLTON’S SCHEDULE PGATOUR.COM’s Fantasy Insider Rob Bolton reviews and previews every tournament from numerous angles. Look for his following contributions as scheduled. MONDAY: Rookie Ranking, Qualifiers, Reshuffle, Medical Extensions, Power Rankings (WGC-Bridgestone) TUESDAY*: Power Rankings (Barracuda), Sleepers (WGC-Bridgestone), Facebook Live, Fantasy Insider WEDNESDAY: One & Done (WGC-Bridgestone), One & Done (Barracuda) THURSDAY: Champions One & Done * – Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COM’s Expert Picks for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO, which also publishes on Tuesdays.

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PALM HARBOR, Fla. – Paul Casey drove into Innisbrook and saw his picture on posters and programs, just what he needed to forget the cut he missed last week. He played Friday as though he wants those photos to stay here. Casey holed a 30-foot eagle putt on the 599-yard fifth hole and made short birdie putts on the other three par 5s on his way to a 5-under 66, giving him a share of the lead with Austin Cook among the early starters Friday in the Valspar Championship. No one has ever won back-to-back at the Valspar Championship since it became a PGA TOUR event in 2000. “I’ve never defended a professional event. I would love to do that,” Casey said. “Mentally last year I was hoping I would win, wanting to win. This year, knowing that I have won around here, I have a slightly different approach to it, and I played today quite aggressively and tried to take advantage of the golf course that I knew was going to get very, very tough this afternoon.” Casey and Cook, who shot a 67, were at 6-under 136. Scott Stallings (68) and Sungjae Im (67) were one shot behind, while Dustin Johnson overcame a rough patch early in his round with five birdies on the front nine to salvage a 69. Johnson was two shots behind on a Copperhead course he hasn’t seen in nine years. Joel Dahmen and Sepp Straka, who shared the 18-hole lead at 5 under, were among those playing in the afternoon. Casey last year ended eight years without winning on the PGA TOUR when he closed with a 65 and had to wait to see if Tiger Woods and Patrick Reed could catch him. It was the centerpiece of a resurgence for Casey, a 41-year-old from England who is back among the top 16 in the FedExCup standings.  He opened in the morning calm with a 10-foot birdie putt and did the rest of his damage on the par 5s. The eagle putt followed a blind shot over a hill on the longest hole at Innisbrook. He went bunker-to-bunker on his final hole at No. 9 and made bogey to slip into a tie with Cook. “Everybody is going to make bogeys. If you can just minimize those, it puts you in a good position,” Casey said. He spent the opening two rounds with Johnson, who had to maximize his birdies after his start. Johnson thought he might have had too much club on the par-3 13th and was stunned to learn that it had come up short enough to catch the slope and roll down toward the water, leading to double bogey. On the next hole, a par 5 where he had to lay up from the rough, Johnson had a 104-yard wedge for his third shot that traveled only about 50 yards. There was a reason for that. “As soon as he hit it, he said, `Just don’t go in a divot,'” said Austin Johnson, his brother and caddie. It found a divot. “It was big,” Johnson said, holding his hands about a foot part, which might have been a slight exaggeration. “I mean, it was long. It was deep. It wasn’t … I don’t think it was from a professional.” He managed to get that up-and-down by making a 5-footer to avoid losing another shot. Johnson started the front nine with four birdies in five holes, including one birdie putt from 35 feet on No. 3, and is back in the game. Gary Woodland also played with them and three-putted from 7 feet for double bogey on his last hole for a 71 that was almost certain to miss the cut. Woodland had the longest active cut streak on the PGA TOUR at 22, last going home on the weekend at THE PLAYERS Championship last May. On the other side of the course was 17-year-old Akshay Bhatia in his PGA TOUR debut. Playing on a sponsor exemption, he was at 3 under for the day and even par for the tournament through eight holes until a muffed chip and a missed putt led to double bogey at No. 9 that killed his momentum. Bhatia bogeyed his last two holes for a 72 and finished at 4-over 146 to miss the cut. He plans to turn pro later this year after the Walker Cup if he makes the team. The cheers he heard in some corners of Innisbrook were inspiring, especially behind the 12th green, where the rowdy fans chanted his first name to make it sound like the “Ole” cheer at the Ryder Cup. “It was sick. That was dope,” Bhatia said, adding that he hopes he can hear that at the Ryder Cup “in five, six years down the road.”

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The Open can be hard to predict. Still, our experts gave it a shot, with some obvious choices and some less-than-obvious choices.

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