Kirk steps away to deal with personal issues

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If you’ve never played Augusta National Golf Club, take a moment to daydream that you will. Now imagine that you’re competing in the Masters. How would you approach the experience? Did you determine why the par-4 first hole is so hard? Were you in a position to understand the optical illusion of the massive fairway bunker on the par-4 10th? Did you figure out the nuance of positioning in the fairway on the par-5 13th? And then there’s all of the intel gleaned from putting some of the slickest and most undulating surfaces on the planet. If there’s a secret at the home of the only major that doesn’t migrate, it’s personal experience, and there’s only one way to acquire it. Since the most accomplished in the sport compete here annually, experience has proven to be the most valuable component among winners and contenders. This Power Rankings slots all 87 in the field, equal to the smallest gathering of the last 22 editions. Scroll past the groupings for what the field already knows about Augusta National, what’s new and more. WILD CARD Phil Mickelson … Who else? With no top 35s in his last five starts upon arrival and without a top 20 at Augusta National since a T2 in 2015, expectations must remain tempered. The counterargument is that he’s wanted to target courses that allow him the best chance to succeed, which means competing where there’s little rough. That’s easier said than done as he’s needed to stay warm, but the absence of something positive as one of the nearest objects in the rearview mirror is reason for mild concern. CHALLENGERS There’s never enough room for everyone to popular a Power Rankings, but none of these guys did anything that’s warranted abandoning elevated expectations. Think of this group as the Draws that would normally appear in my Fantasy Insider column. Ranked in order of Rob’s confidence (years of Masters victories, where applicable; # – second appearance) Tommy Fleetwood Bryson DeChambeau Webb Simpson Brandt Snedeker #Xander Schauffele Ian Poulter Adam Scott (winner: 2013) #Tony Finau Charley Hoffman #Cameron Smith Charl Schwartzel (winner: 2011) Matthew Fitzpatrick Branden Grace SLEEPERS This usually gets stand-alone space on Tuesdays, and it goes only five deep. It’s expanded by just one with a small field. Each presents a certain level of cachet and intrigue. No two are alike. Ranked in order of Rob’s confidence (# – second appearance) Patrick Cantlay Kiradech Aphibarnrat Stewart Cink Thorbjørn Olesen Kevin Na #Hao Tong Li TWEENERS None of these guys can be mistaken as a Sleeper for various reasons, but each packs potential despite little support that normally would lift him higher on the page. Ranked in order of Rob’s confidence (best finish, year) Keegan Bradley (T22, 2015) Kevin Kisner (T28, 2018) Billy Horschel (T17, 2016) Rafa Cabrera Bello (T17, 2016) Gary Woodland (T24, 2011) Fred Couples (Win, 1992) J.B. Holmes (T4, 2016) Si Woo Kim (T24, 2018) Zach Johnson (Win, 2007) Emiliano Grillo (T17, 2016) Tyrrell Hatton (T44, 2018) QUESTION MARKS With due respect to all of the guys listed here, each appears with doubt on his résumé. Whether it’s current form, age or the absence of an inspiring track record, there’s reason not to get too excited about the possibilities. Ranked in order of Rob’s confidence (years of Masters victories, where applicable; # – second appearance; * – debutant) Charles Howell III Jimmy Walker Martin Kaymer Shane Lowry Alex Noren Kyle Stanley *Eddie Pepperell *Matt Wallace *Keith Mitchell Danny Willett #Corey Conners *Justin Harding Bernhard Langer (winner: 1985, 1993) *Aaron Wise Vijay Singh (winner: 2000) #Patton Kizzire #Satoshi Kodaira Trevor Immelman (winner: 2008) Ã�ngel Cabrera (winner: 2009) Mike Weir (winner: 2003) DEBUTANTS (not ranked above) It’s the kind of fact that you’ve likely seen in a trivia contest. Only three of the 82 winners prevailed in a first appearance at Augusta National: Horton Smith (1934; inaugural edition), Gene Sarazen (1935) and Fuzzy Zoeller (1979). There are 17 first-timers in this year’s field, 11 of whom are professionals. Last year’s crop of professional debutants went 4-for-10 with one top 25 (Tony Finau, T10). Ranked in order of Rob’s confidence (Official World Golf Ranking) Kevin Tway (98) Lucas Bjerregaard (43) Andrew Landry (128) Shugo Imahira (77) Adam Long (108) Michael Kim (330) AMATEURS Six amateurs automatically qualify for the Masters. Each much retain his amateur status to compete in the tournament. Given the mountain of challenges, it’s not so much about chasing victory as it is the probable once-in-a-lifetime experience that qualification makes possible. Yet, the Silver Cup, which is awarded to the low amateur who survives the 36-hole cut, is claimed almost every year. In 2018, Doug Ghim earn the hardware with a T50. Ranked in order of Rob’s confidence (World Amateur Golf Ranking) Viktor Hovland (3) Ã�lvaro Ortiz (69) Takumi Kanaya (7) Kevin O’Connell (47) Jovan Rebula (39) Devon Bling (115) LEGACY Win the Masters and you’re exempt for life, and you never take the place of another competitor because there are no alternates. It’s a great place to be for any professional golfer of a certain age. With Craig Stadler (2014), Ben Crenshaw (2015), Tom Watson (2016) and Mark O’Meara (2018) concluding their careers in the tournament, only four previous winners at least 50 years of age and no longer active on any world tour are committed this week. Ranked in order of Rob’s confidence (years of Masters victories) Larry Mize (winner: 1987) Sandy Lyle (winner: 1988) José Maria Olazábal (winner: 1994, 1999) Ian Woosnam (1991) Augusta National’s challenges are as consistent and reliable as its beauty and splendor. While precision into defined landing areas off the tee is preferred, golfers who can move it are benefited as fairways are as generous as the second (read: longer) cut of grass. Last year’s field averaged over nine (of 14) fairways hit on the stock par 72. That’s comfortably within the top-half easiest of any course measured on the PGA TOUR. The inverse relationship between freedom and inflexibility begins on approach into large targets guarded by sizable bunkers and unyielding run-offs. This combination of the tee-to-green dichotomy is why Augusta National is a second-shot test. Hitting GIR is all but a prerequisite for success. Consider that last year’s field average a little over 11 per round – 12th-lowest of all courses last season – before recording the fifth-lowest scrambling rate and fifth-highest putts per GIR. (ShotLink technology isn’t used at the Masters.) The par 3s and the par 4s are just plain hard. The par-4 fifth hole, which typically ranks among the top-half hardest holes on the course, will displace a handful of even harder holes this year. Since Patrick Reed slipped on the green jacket last year, a new tee was constructed that’s extended the hole by 40 yards to 495 yards. The course now lists at 7,475 yards, longest of its 83 editions. The four par 5s aren’t easy, but they’re gettable and must be exploited. Reed proved this by leading his field in par-5 scoring average last year at 4.19. He played them in bogey-free 13-under with two eagles. While experience at Augusta National is a priority, it’s meaningless without talent. And almost as much the club can use its SubAir system to dial in green speeds, which are not publicized, the course has served as a factory for breakthroughs in majors. Seven of the last eight winners, including each of the last four, were first-time major champions. It doesn’t hurt that the tiny field on the tony track is subject to a favorable cut. At the conclusion of 36 holes, the low 50 plus ties and all within 10 strokes of the lead will play another 36 holes. After a line of thunderstorms passed through on Monday afternoon, the SubAir system likely will be called into duty. Rain might fall again in between the first two rounds, if not early on Friday as well. The threat will return overnight on Saturday and extend into Sunday. Winds will freshen with each episode. Daytime highs will eclipse 80 degrees. In short, a textbook spring forecast in the Southeast. 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: Rookie Ranking, Qualifiers, Reshuffle, Medical Extensions, Power Rankings TUESDAY*: Fantasy Insider WEDNESDAY: One & Done * – Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COM’s Expert Picks for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf, which also publishes on Tuesdays.

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ERIN, Wis. – Imagine if Brian Harman had known a week ago that his score through 54 holes at the U.S. Open was 12 under. How large would his lead be? “About a 10-shot lead in most Opens,â€� Harman figured. Not at Erin Hills, which has been left defenseless this week by soft winds and even softer conditions. After a day of unprecedented low scoring, Harman leads by only one stroke over the trio of Justin Thomas, Brooks Koepka and Tommy Fleetwood. A dozen others are within six shots of the lead. None of those top 16 players have ever won a major. One of them will on Sunday. “Going to be a really cool day for someone tomorrow,â€� said Rickie Fowler, who’ll start his round two shots off the lead. “I’m looking forward to my shot.â€� The leaderboard is so packed and the scoring conditions so ripe that Harman, who’s making his first major start since missing the cut in all four in 2015, wouldn’t be surprised if he’s trailing when he steps on the first tee at 3:54 p.m. ET. The question, though, is which course will he and his chasers be playing on Sunday. Will Erin Hills continue to cough up birdies in abundance, or will it finally toughen up? Will we see a back-nine thrill ride on Sunday? Or will this U.S. Open revert back to previous ones, in which players simply hang on for dear life, par becoming a satisfying – and usually effective — score on each hole? Some of it depends on pin placements, of course. But much of it depends on the weather. It’s doubtful the course will play much firmer – rain began to fall soon after the third round ended – but the winds are supposed to increase to nearly 25 mph, which would be the strongest of the week. In addition, the winds are forecast to shift, and by early afternoon will be coming from the north. That means players must adjust their gameplans after spending the first three rounds playing with a southwest breeze. “That will change things,â€� Harman said. “If it comes out of the north, it’s going to be a different golf course.â€� Said Fleetwood: “If it does blow, you’ll definitely have to play proper golf. And it will play a lot tougher.â€� It also may mean players who hope to emulate Thomas’ big move on Saturday – in which he shot a record-setting 9-under 63, moving up 22 spots on the leaderboard – are out of luck. “It would be hard to make a real run with 25 mph winds,â€� Koepka said. “With that being said, he did shoot 9 under today.â€� No matter which direction or how hard the wind blows, you can probably expect a finish unlike most U.S. Opens. Erin Hills’ architects designed the course for the possibility of a back-nine sprint. The last six holes, in particularly, were set up that way, thanks to two par 5s and a short (and potentially drivable) par 4. Based on how those final six holes have played thus far, it could produce the most unique U.S. Open finish in quite some time. The par-3 13th was at its easiest when it played to 227 yards in the first round. It’s been shorter but harder the next two rounds, and ranks as the seventh most difficult hole on the course. The 14th has been the most difficult par 5 on the course this week, and has yet to be set up using the back tees at 650 yards. If that’s where the tee is Sunday, it might not be reachable in two, although players will benefit from having a northerly wind to their backs. The par-4 15th was set up at 288 yards on Saturday, which explains why it played to nearly a half-stroke under par, with three players making eagle. Will the USGA dare make it drivable again on Sunday? The yardage may not matter, as a north wind also will help there. The 16th has been the easiest par 3 this week, while the par-4 17th has been the most difficult hole on the course, twice playing to more than 520 yards. The 18th, meanwhile, is the easiest hole on the course, despite twice playing at more than 665 yards. The southerly winds have helped, but it may not be reachable on Sunday? Wisconsin native Steve Stricker, who starts the day 10 shots off the pace, expects the contenders to be aggressive on the last six holes – an unusual occurrence at most U.S. Opens. “It’s going to add some excitement, really, instead of a guy hitting it in the rough and hacking it out and struggling to make a par kind of thing,â€� he said. Those at the top of the leaderboard certainly have taken advantage of those final six holes. Harman is a bogey-free 7 under in that stretch this week. Si Woo Kim is 6 under. Koepka is a bogey-free 6 under. “The back nine really suits my eye,â€� Koepka said. “I don’t know why. I think there’s a lot of tee shots that are left to right. And that might be why. I just hit hard down the left-hand side and let it come back. “I love this golf course. I think it’s great.â€� Thomas is 9 under … and that’s just for the last four holes. He birdied three of them on Saturday. “Being this soft, birdies are going to happen,â€� Thomas said. Then he added: “You never know how the USGA is going to set it up for tomorrow.â€� So far, Erin Hills has proven quite friendly this week. Time to step on the gas for one more round.

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