Kingston Heath to host 2028 Presidents Cup

AUSTIN, Texas – PLAYERS champion Rory McIlroy could only shake his head late in his highly anticipated Round of 16 showdown with Tiger Woods at the World Golf Championships–Dell Technologies Match Play. As his third shot on the par-5 16th at Austin Country Club came out of a brutal lie with some pace… those in the galleries were diving out of the balls way like it was dusted with the plague. He was shaking his head because just one hole earlier the huge galleries around the 15th hole got in the way of a wayward Tiger Woods drive that was likely heading for water. It was like some of the locals wanted the badge of honor (or perhaps the likely signed glove) that comes with being thwacked by a wayward Woods shot. It was a brutal experience of the Woods effect for McIlroy. McIlroy, who had clawed his way back from a 3-down through 11 holes to be just one adrift of his fellow former FedExCup champion, was forced to take an unplayable lie and return to the scene of his shot. He would eventually lose the hole giving Woods the chance to win it all on the 17th green. The 80-time PGA TOUR winner did just that, drilling in a 13-foot par putt to beat McIlroy 2 and 1 in the much-hyped clash. “It was a tough match for both of us,â€� Woods said before heading out to his quarterfinal showdown with Lucas Bjerregaard. “It was big for us inside the ropes, too. It was a fun match for us. I know that we battled pretty hard against one another and we thoroughly enjoyed it. I was fortunate to come out on top.â€� McIlroy knows he can’t blame a pro Tiger gallery for his loss. His ball ended up in the bad lie to begin with from a poorly executed approach on the 16th. McIlroy had smashed a drive 395-yards and had watched Woods play his third before he was away again. With just 173 yards in and a shot up his sleeve, McIlroy came up short and right. From there the calamity happened. And if not that shot, McIlroy will rue his putting, particularly on the front nine. Having never trailed over his three group matches McIlroy failed to make a 7-foot birdie putt on the fifth hole, allowing Woods the early advantage. The Northern Irishman missed a 12-footer on the sixth to lose another hole and an 11-footer on the seventh that could have halved the deficit. On the par-4 9th McIlroy hit it even tighter, but missed from 7-feet, ensuring he turned 2-down. Perhaps sensing his unease on the greens, Woods failed to concede a three-foot par putt on the 10th hole and McIlroy promptly missed it to fall 3-down. “Rory didn’t make any putts today. I knew that it was going to be a ball-striking match,â€� Woods said. “We were both playing well coming into this match, and the year that Rory has had, he doesn’t do anything poorly. I tried to match him shot for shot with ball-striking and hopefully make a couple of putts here and there.â€� McIlroy did mount a comeback with birdie at the 12th and another at the 13th to set up the grandstand finish, but clutch Woods putts on the 15th and 17th ensured his victory.

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When it was decided that THE PLAYERS Championship would be canceled after one round last year, it guaranteed that THE PLAYERS Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass wouldn't prevail for once. Indeed, Pete Dye's menacing track at the PGA TOUR's headquarters in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, cannot be defeated. Regardless of score, it is survived. Although professional golf is an individual sport, success at TPC Sawgrass must be measured solely in relation to the competition, for the pursuit for perfection is more futile here than anywhere else. As of Monday, an expanded gathering of 154 golfers is poised to demonstrate how Dye's design does not discriminate. For detail on the special construct of the field, what TPC Sawgrass has in store and more, scroll past the extended ranking of projected contenders. RELATED: The First Look | Inside the Field POWER RANKINGS: THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP Max Homa, Patrick Reed, Tyrrell Hatton, Patrick Cantlay and Joaquin Niemann will be among the notable reviewed in Tuesday's Fantasy Insider. The traditional build of 144 golfers for THE PLAYERS is heavier by 10 since it recently was decided by membership to include the top 125 in the 2019-20 FedExCup standings. It's an annual criterion for entry, but it had been replaced by a special points list that ran from the beginning of the 2019-20 season through the World Golf Championships-Workday Championship at The Concession and the Puerto Rico Open on Feb. 28. Both criteria have been used to grant access, but the 10 who qualified only via the top 125 in the 2019-20 FedExCup are considered add-ons, so if any withdraws, he will not be replaced. (They are listed under "Top 125 on the 2019-2020 FedExCup Points List in Inside the Field.) As the 2019 champion, Rory McIlroy is the most recent winner of the tournament. As such, he's next up to attempt to become the first to successfully defend at TPC Sawgrass. This is the 39th edition of THE PLAYERS on the course. While he's winless since the WGC-HSBC Champions 16 months ago, his form is sufficiently encouraging that he'll have a reasonable go at consecutive titles; that is, if you subscribe to conventional thinking. Consider that of the last 10 defending champions, 2018 winner Webb Simpson is the only to finish with as strong as a top 55. He placed T16 in 2019. That there hasn't been a golfer to go back-to-back at TPC Sawgrass helps legitimize the fairness of the test. It's a stock par 72 and all 7,189 yards have been overseeded. The primary rough is lush and trimmed to two-and-a-half inches, while the TifEagle bermuda greens should reach 13 feet on the Stimpmeter. In its return to March after a dozen years in May, it averaged 71.513 in 2019. McIlroy's pace of 16-under 272 was consistent with history. Because of the omnipresence of the risk-reward component, experience defines most champions of this tournament. McIlroy contributed to that narrative as having appeared nine times before capturing the title. Since Tiger Woods won for the second time in 2013 - he first won it in 2001, so he's the only winner in both March and May - Martin Kaymer, Rickie Fowler and Jason Day each needed exactly five trips before connecting. Si Woo Kim surprised in his second appearance in 2017, but Simpson had eight starts under his belt before his victory. Ball-striking is the other weapon that most winners possess. On cue, McIlroy ranked second in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee, T3 in greens in regulation, 11th in proximity to the hole and first in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green en route to the title. He also led the field in par-3 scoring. In contradiction to so many editions of THE PLAYERS in March, outstanding weather is forecast all week. Passing clouds won't prevent daytime highs from climbing into the low 70s throughout. The primary challenge will be a persistent easterly breeze, but only gusts scare golfers of this field's caliber, most sincerely at the famous penultimate target. Fair conditions in general can influence an urgency to score, so the likelihood of taking risk rises, and that makes for a more compelling viewing experience. Speaking of which, Every Shot Live has returned for the TOUR's flagship event. As its name implies, every stroke by every golfer will be on camera and with visual enhancement such as tracing of tee balls. As a reminder, if a winner isn't determined in regulation, a three-hole playoff consisting of aggregate scores on holes 16, 17 and 18 will be used to settle the score. If still knotted after that, a traditional hole-by-hole playoff beginning at the 17th and alternating with the 18th will be used. Last and very much not least, the prize fund is a record $15 million of which $2.7 million is reserved for the champion. He also will receive 600 FedExCup points and a five-year membership exemption. ROB BOLTON'S SCHEDULE PGATOUR.COM's Fantasy Insider Rob Bolton recaps and previews every tournament from numerous angles. Look for his following contributions as scheduled. MONDAY: Power Rankings TUESDAY*: Sleepers, Fantasy Insider SUNDAY: Qualifiers, Reshuffle, Medical Extensions, Rookie Watch * – Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COM's Expert Picks for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf, which also publishes on Tuesday.

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