Koepka shoots 62 for first-round lead at FedEx

KAWAGOE, Japan – Xander Schauffele is your gold medalist, fulfilling his family’s Olympic dreams and winning in the same country where his mother grew up. It was a victory that was special for several reasons. Before departing Japan, here are five things to know about this year’s Olympic men’s golf competition. 1. SCHAUFFELE SHUTS THE DOOR It wasn’t just that Schauffele won the gold medal. It was how he did it. Schauffele has held a 54-hole lead four times in his PGA TOUR career. He hasn’t converted any of them into wins. He started the final round at Kasumigaseki with a one-stroke lead over home favorite Hideki Matsuyama and, while there were some tense moments after his bogey on the par-5 14th, was able to win the gold. He clinched victory with a clutch up-and-down on 18 after hitting a 98-yard wedge shot to 5 feet. “I needed to get over the hump,” Schauffele said about finishing off a 54-hole lead. His four PGA TOUR wins have all come in comeback fashion. He trailed by an average of 3.3 shots entering the final round in each of those wins. He’s shot a final-round 68 or better in each win, including a Sunday 62 in the 2019 Sentry Tournament of Champions, which is his most recent TOUR win. While he hadn’t won in 2 ½ years, his consistency has been impressive. He has 30 top-25 finishes in his last 36 TOUR starts. His 13 top-3 finishes over the last three seasons are second only to Justin Thomas (14). Schauffele also has nine top-10s in 18 majors since 2017. One of those was a painful loss in this year’s Masters to Matsuyama. Schauffele birdied four straight holes on Augusta National’s second nine before hitting his tee shot into the water at the par-3 16th. Matsuyama and Schauffele were together again in the final group Sunday, but this time Schauffele got the better of him. “As a competitor, personally it’s always important to take the next step and I was kind of stuck in a gear over-thinking, over-complicating certain moments,” Schauffele said Sunday. “So if you put just everything aside for me personally this is a big deal just to pull through while having the lead since I have never done it before.” 2. FAMILY TIES It’s hard to discuss Schauffele’s Olympic performance without mentioning his family. His great-grandfather, Richard Schauffele, was one of Germany’s track and field athletes but missed the Olympics with a shoulder injury. Xander’s father, Stefan, was an aspiring decathlete whose athletic career was ended by a drunk driver. While golf’s major championships stand alone, the Schauffeles’ connections to both the Olympics and Japan (his grandparents still live in Tokyo) definitely made this a title that Xander desired. “I maybe put more pressure on myself to go win this more than anything else for quite some time,” Xander said. “It was more than just golf for me and I’m just really, really happy and fortunate to be sitting here.” The experience of handling this pressure should bode well for Schauffele, who’s become a consistent contender in majors but is seeking his first victory in one. 3. DIFFERENT STROKES There have been calls for a different format ever since golf was added to the Olympic catalog. There is no shortage of 72-hole events in professional golf, so the desire is understandable. Team formats, especially in match play, have their inherent drama on every hole. We’ve seen it in everything from the NCAA Championship to the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup. A team format also raises the possibility of a mixed format where men and women compete alongside each other. Those are all good things, but I would hesitate before tossing stroke play aside. Individiual accomplishments are important to the top players. They’re the primary way legacies are measured. Standing alone atop the podium was special for Schauffele. “What does it mean to win a gold medal? It means you’re the champion,” Schauffele said Sunday. “It means you beat everybody. For me specifically, I don’t play golf for money or medals, in all honesty, I just play to be competitive and I want to beat everyone. So for this week I’m lucky enough to be sitting here with these boys, but I’m also lucky enough to be the No. 1 player to beat everyone. So that’s what it means to me.” For those who say that stroke play is too predictable, consider that the silver and bronze medalist were both ranked outside the top 200 in the world ranking. 4. CHANGE OF HEART Even though he left Japan empty-handed, Rory McIlroy was among the players whose Olympic experience exceeded their expectations. “It makes me even more determined going to Paris and trying to pick one up,” McIlroy said about an Olympic medal. “To be up there in contention for a medal certainly had a different feeling to it than I expected.” Even though it meant a longer commute, many golfers enjoyed staying in or near the Olympic Village and fraternizing with other athletes. Members of the U.S. team spent time with the U.S. basketball team. Tommy Fleetwood was invited to a sparring session with Great Britain’s boxers. Abraham Ancer roomed with the Mexican boxing team, while Carlos Ortiz was with the country’s equestrians. McIlroy was excited to watch the dressage, which he called “mesmerizing.” He told his wife, Erica, that the Olympics showed him that he should give new experiences an opportunity instead of entering them with a cynical mindset. “I need to give things a chance,” McIlroy said. “Maybe I shouldn’t be so skeptical. I think I need to do a better job of just giving things a chance, experiencing things, not writing them off at first glance. That’s sort of a trait of mine, but I’m happy to be proven wrong. I was proven wrong at the Ryder Cup, I’ve been proven wrong this week and I’m happy that, I’m happy to say that.” Playing alongside countryman Shane Lowry in the third round only enhanced McIlroy’s experience. They’ve known each other since their amateur days, helping Ireland to the 2007 European Team Championship. Teaming with Lowry, in a tournament with no prize money and having his clubs carried in a small stand bag all reminded McIlroy back to his amateur days. “It’s just been a throwback to the good old days when we didn’t play for money,” McIlroy said. “It was great. It was a really enjoyable week and I hope we both make it for Paris again in three years’ time and have another good crack at it.” 5. HIDEKI’S HEARTBREAK Ever since Hideki Matsuyama won the Masters, attention turned to his gold medal quest. The Olympics were being held in his home country and on a course that is very special to him. He won the 2009 Japan Junior and 2010 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship at Kasumigaseki Country Club. The latter earned him his first Masters invitation. The Olympics also were Matsuyama’s first tournament since contracting COVID-19, however, and it seemed he was still feeling the effects. He hadn’t played a tournament in four weeks and his endurance was lacking. Japan’s captain, Shigeki Maruyama, said it’s been “night and day” since Matsuyama’s battle with the virus. The high heat that players faced all week didn’t help. Still, Matsuyama fought for a medal. No spectators were allowed at Kasumigaseki but by Sunday he was trailed by hundreds of volunteers, media and athletes. He just missed a birdie putt on the final green that would have given him the bronze, then fell in a seven-man playoff for the third medal. “I have no energy or endurance left at this point,” Matsuyama said. “But I kept fighting at the end with my heart.” That’s the Olympic spirit. COMCAST BUSINESS TOUR TOP 10 The Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10 highlights and rewards the extraordinary level of play required to earn a spot in the TOP 10 at the conclusion of the FedExCup regular season. The competition will conclude prior to the FedExCup PLAYOFFS where the top 10 FedExCup points leaders will be recognized and awarded as the most elite in golf. Week after week, shot after shot, each event matters more than ever before. Who will finish in the Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10? Click here to follow the weekly action.

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Last week’s CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES was the first tournament of the 2019-20 season for which ShotLink wasn’t used. That meant that fantasy scoring was determined by actual scores and bonus points only. Since all of the remaining four events this fall used in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf also won’t have ShotLink measurements contributing, it’s interesting to review how fantasy scoring at NINE BRIDGES stacked up against the first five tournaments. (The Seaside Course at The RSM Classic will be lasered, but because the co-hosting Plantation Course won’t be, ShotLink will not apply to that tournament for fantasy purposes.) The top performers at the first four tournaments recorded totals of 958 points (Greenbrier), 986 points (Sanderson Farms), 924 points (Safeway) and 1,081 points (Shriners). The weekly winner of the Houston Open amassed only 875 points. The broad-stroke analysis of why the best teams varied as such is rooted in the usual variables of distance off the tee and overall scoring. Golf Club of Houston yielded the shortest average of distance of all drives and the highest scoring average thus far. RELATED: Power Rankings | Horses for Courses | Daily fantasy advice Without ShotLink active at NINE BRIDGES, “tampatom” led all fantasy gamers with 880 points. While he collected bonus points with Justin Thomas (win), Danny Lee (2nd), Hideki Matsuyama (T3) and Byeong Hun An (T6), overall scoring was comparable to Houston (with ShotLink) because actual scoring was lower in the tournament proper. Scoring at Narashino Country Club this week is projected to be tempered during the first two rounds due to wind. Come the weekend, the only defense for the short course with three par-5s might be hole locations. The wind will lay down, so it could surrender low scores. As a long-time gamer and honest critic of the various fantasy formats that have been offered, I must stress that the current iteration of PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf finally gets it right. Any game in which you have as much to gain as you have to lose while covering the alternative dynamics such as the current stretch that covers the no-cut Asian Swing and without ShotLink, without golf shoes getting hurled at it, is impressive. Short- and long-range fantasy golf formats are far from perfect due to the nature of the sport, so appreciating what we have now is as important as the value that has been validated. PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf My roster for the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP (in alphabetical order): Tony Finau Matthew Fitzpatrick Hideki Matsuyama Rory McIlroy Xander Schauffele Justin Thomas You’ll find my starters in Expert Picks. Others to consider for each category (in alphabetical order): Scoring: Paul Casey; Adam Hadwin; Ryan Moore; Collin Morikawa; Kevin Na; Patrick Reed; Adam Scott; Jordan Spieth; Gary Woodland Driving: n/a Power Rankings Wild Card Jason Day … A rare second consecutive appearance by the same golfer in this space, so go ahead and debate it. He was sharp in the opener at NINE BRIDGES with a bogey-free, 6-under 66, but he didn’t break 71 the rest of the way and drifted to T31 for his sixth straight result outside the top 30. It’s irrelevant that he won Monday’s MGM Resorts The Challenge, except for what that could do for his confidence. Winning is winning is winning and he proved something to himself amid his current slump. So, maybe it’s not so irrelevant after all. Draws Joaquin Niemann … Bell answered. I was cool on him THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES because I wasn’t yet convinced that he had separated from the career achievement of winning at Greenbrier. How much time required to turn the page mentally from a breakthrough victory and the next start that showcases similar form varies. That he was the first Chilean to win a PGA TOUR event brought with it more significance than usual. Given his results in the two events that followed, we couldn’t rule out the hangover effect (even though he doesn’t turn 21 until Nov. 7, wink wink). Lo and behold, he walked off NINE BRIDGES with an eagle-3 and signed for a 4-under 68 to finish T12. Consider the page turned. Ian Poulter … Split the bull’s-eye at NINE BRIDGES with a T16. It piles onto a record there that started with a T15 and a T10, but he’s always flourished in the limited-field, no-cut events. The ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP is yet another that allows him to put another brick on the wall for the season. Marc Leishman … As he continues to experience inconsistency, this is not a time to run. He’s only two starts and less than one month removed from a solo third at Silverado. It’s one of, count ’em, seven top-fives worldwide in the last 11 months. His class is permanent. What should excite you (and him) this week is that the wind is expected to play a role during the first two rounds (assuming no extended delays on Friday). Suit him up! Andrew Putnam … I’m slowly generating a man-crush on the 30-year-old. Go ahead and cite a weakness. I’ll wait. … Exactly. Since a T3 at Colonial, he’s 12-for-12 worldwide with seven top-25s. He’s nails no matter your format. He’s also affordable in DFS. Chez Reavie … Arrives on a downturn, but Narashino is a short track that will reward his tee-to-green precision. Invest in a likely upswing. Viktor Hovland Shugo Imahira Kevin Kisner Collin Morikawa Kevin Na Harold Varner III Fades Tiger Woods … Once upon a time, and still to a lesser degree today, playing time late in the calendar year for golfers coming off an injury was considered an opportunity for gamers to observe for relevant action to come. However, since the wraparound schedule was introduced six years ago, these guys can contribute to the bottom line. The trick is letting them come to you, no matter the billing. Monday’s exhibition was a bonus that allowed his owners to exhale in advance of his season debut, which is his first official action since the BMW Championship in August and, more importantly, since he underwent knee surgery. Yes, there’s no cut, Narashino is a short course and he’s capable of winning, obviously, but there are hotter, healthier and younger talents from which to choose. If you can’t help yourself, then just stow him on your bench in PGA TOUR Fantasy and surround him with chalk. Danny Lee … First and foremost, we have to respect the emotional component and unquantifiable motivation triggered by the premature birth of his second child on the eve of THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES. He mentioned it after the third round even though he wasn’t going to speak about it until after the tournament, and then decided not to elaborate. That tournament also was contested in his native South Korea, so it’s only natural to connect his focus to when he wanted to qualify for the Presidents Cup in the country in 2015, which he achieved. In terms of execution, he ranked just T56 in greens in regulation at NINE BRIDGES but led the field in both scrambling and fewest putts taken. On unfamiliar greens at Narashino this week, he’ll be better suited to hit more of them than he found of the massive targets last week. And now a week removed from the variables of going to work immediately after a significant life event and an admission of it, it’d be understandable if he lacks the same fire in Japan. Byeong Hun An … Although he led after one round at NINE BRIDGES and finished T6 for his second top-10 of the season, I prefer his hit-it-and-find-it style better on longer tracks where his distance is a distinct advantage. So, consider this as an opportunity to sit him out until the fit improves. Bubba Watson … His missed cut in his last start at the Shriners to open October was his fifth MC in 10 starts. He managed only one top-45 finish in the other five (T8, WGC-FedEx St. Jude). Daniel Berger Keegan Bradley Joel Dahmen Billy Horschel Jason Kokrak Returning to Competition Hudson Swafford … He got back after it in last week’s European Tour stop in Paris. After opening with 3-over 74 in the Open de France, he converted three eagles and four birdies en route to a second-round 65 to make the cut. After respective rounds of 69 and 76 on the weekend, he finished T29. The 32-year-old hadn’t played anywhere since missing the cut at the RBC Canadian Open in early June. It was his fifth straight MC and eighth in nine starts. Two weeks later, he withdrew early from the Travelers Championship, citing an injured foot. He opened this season with a Minor Medical Extension affording seven starts, but because he passed the four-month checkpoint without competing, he’s been elevated to the Major Medical category. If he earns 133.289 FedExCup points in seven starts, he’ll retain status for the remainder of 2019-20. He is not playing this week. Notable WDs J.B. Holmes … Withdrew during his third round at NINE BRIDGES with a shoulder injury, and then pulled out of the ZOZO not long after the commitment deadline. He’s had only one top-50 finish in his last 15 starts in individual competition (T21, Rocket Mortgage). Power Rankings Recap – THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES Power Ranking  Golfer  Result 1  Justin Thomas  Win 2  Brooks Koepka  WD 3  Sungjae Im  T39 4  Rafa Cabrera Bello  T26 5  Tommy Fleetwood  T20 6  Tyrrell Hatton  T6 7  Hideki Matsuyama  T3 8  Cameron Smith  T3 9  Danny Willett  T46 10  Marc Leishman  T43 11  Viktor Hovland  T31 12  Jazz Janewattananond  T65 13  Gary Woodland  T3 14  Kevin Na  T20 15  Pat Perez  T31 Wild Card  Jason Day  T31 Sleepers Recap – THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES Golfer  Result Joel Dahmen  T43 Kyonghun Moon  T46 Ryan Palmer  T12 Adam Schenk  T46 Brian Stuard  T72 Birthdays among active golfers on the PGA TOUR October 22 … none October 23 … none October 24 … Marc Leishman (36) October 25 … Troy Merritt (34); Xander Schauffele (26) October 26 … none October 27 … Fabián Gómez (41) October 28 … none

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If you’re new to PGA TOUR Pick ‘Em Live and wondered if you need to be invested in the winner of the tournament to cash as a top-five finisher, nope! At last week’s Travelers Championship, the only gamer in the prize money who connected with champion Xander Schauffele was the previously inaccurately named Didiwinyet. However, only 18 of that entry’s 6,294 coins were as a result of the victory because it didn’t snare Schauffele until he was at (-555). The highest finisher with Schauffele at plus-odds was Ggrich1951 in ninth place. It had Schauffele at +2200, but was worth just under 60 percent of its total of 3,702. The lesson is that, when a favorite wins, prizewinners likely will have hauled in their coins in the bets for Top 10s, Top 20s and round leaders. Ties in 2-balls also are valuable. As Rob has illustrated over time, there’s virtually no reason in not picking ties when available. You’d have to finish inside the top five for a winner of a 2- or 3-ball to make a difference, but first you need to be inside the top five. One hurdle before the other. Placing fifth just once is infinitely more lucrative than finishing sixth every week (unless, of course, when payouts are extended, as they were in the last two majors). Last week’s fifth-place finisher, Girazi, rode the rail with Michael Thorbjornsen in all three weeklong bets. Sure enough, the amateur finished fourth and yielded 4,000 coins for the Top 10 and 1,200 coins for the Top 20. The aggregate 5,200 comprised all of Girazi’s coins for $250. It that’s your kind of action, this week’s John Deere Classic is for you. As Glass and Rob demonstrate below, ownership dispersion will be vast, and rightly so. It’s wide-open. Exploit it. Register for PGA TOUR Pick ‘Em Live here and monitor Rob’s and Glass’ progress as Influencers. For a broader explanation of the format and FAQs, click here. TOURNAMENT TO WIN Glass … Scott Brown (+12500) The value on the board this week is interesting and perhaps even non-existent. It happens. The beauty of this game is the ability to shift, zag or zig on the fly, so let’s use this to our advantage. Brown’s worst payday here is T27 from seven weekends (nine starts), so the course angle is covered. T10 last week on the Korn Ferry Tour suggests he’s showing enough form. If not, we’ll move on. A shootout leaves more doors open to start big and work back as needed! Rob … Martin Laird (+6000) Hear me out here. Because I’m not in love with any of the longshots, I believe that the winner will open shorter than +10000. Of that subset, if Laird opens strong, his odds won’t be as favorable as they are pre-tournament, obviously, so the idea is to buy high on a former PGA TOUR winner with experience at TPC Deere Run. Shootouts demands accuracy on approach. It’s a strength he’s wielded throughout his career. His weakness is the putter, but – BUT! – as noted in my Power Rankings, it’s one of the easiest to avoid three-putting, and – AND! – he’s one of the best scramblers, so what bothers him most is given a week off. TOP 10 Glass … Chesson Hadley (+1000) If we’re gonna play with fire, let’s get that fuse lit! Hadley opened with 63 here last year and rolls in with a solo fifth last week. HEY, IT’S SOMETHING. The fireworks on the weekend stateside should wake you up early enough to adjust either Saturday or Sunday morning. Rob … Scott Brown (+1300) Don’t know why Glass didn’t double down on Brown given that his odds are longer than Hadley’s, but it’s not the first, second or 39th time that Glass has made a decision that’s baffled me. So what? I’m reaching here because the odds are shorter than the board for the outrights, of course. Let’s play Home Run Derby. TOP 20 Glass … Austin Cook (+800) OK, let’s gamble! Panning for gold to find a number here, but I’m trying to connect a couple of dots and catch a big fish. Cook posted 64 in Round 2 in Canada and 65 at TPC River Highlands last week so there’s something brewing until there isn’t. His last top 10 was P2 at TPC Summerlin. Those who have done the business there have shown fleeting success in the Quad Cities. Please keep all arms and legs inside the ride at all times! Rob … John Huh (+210) I’ve let Glass lead off in each bet because he’s mopped the floor with me for about a month. He’s earned the honor. However, unless he pivots at the midpoint, if necessary, he could be stuck with Cook. This bet hasn’t been open for me as late as 2:15 a.m. West Coast Time in recent weeks. I have no problem limping to the window with Huh at this value. Top 20s are hard but he’s hung up two in his last three starts. The other resulted in a T25. That’s good enough for me from a guy in form who shreds it tee to green. ROUND 1 LEADER Rob … Martin Laird (+8000) Since the finishing holes of both nines at TPC Deere Run are long, challenging par 4s, I like a guy who starts on the par-5 10th and cycles through all three par 5s in his first 11 holes. It eases him into the round and presents the opportunity to generate momentum. The flip trip is a heavier lift in the context of the flow. It’s a coincidence that Laird is my outright. Even if he wasn’t, he’d be this pick. He opened with 63 at TPC River Highlands last week and he averaged 68.375 with all red numbers across all four rounds of the last two editions of the JDC. He goes off No. 10 at 7:40 a.m. Coincidentally, one of his playing partners is my old FRL nemesis, Patton Kizzire. This is to say that I’m expecting to revise my selection sometime midday on Thursday. Glass … Scott Stallings (+5000) Played his final 54 holes at the Travelers Championship 64-68-63 in red-hot form, so I’m going to pay money and take my chances that it continues. He’s off on No. 10 at 7:07 a.m. (local), so if he isn’t a morning person, I’ll find a replacement as the day moves along. If you prefer a guy who opened with 62 and closed with 64 last week, J.T. Poston is off at 7:27 a.m. (local). NOTE: While Glass and Rob typically stick with their selections as detailed in Pick ‘Em Preview, they are allowed the right to make changes at any time.

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