Leaderboard: Can Lefty rally at St. Jude Classic?

For the first time since 2019, when Tiger Woods won his fifth green jacket, the Masters will be back to normal — with the Par 3 Contest and a full

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Tiger Woods’ only concern on the golf course used to be crushing his competition and chasing records. That has changed in recent years, as the golf course has also been a venue for him to play the role of a doting father helping his son chase his dreams. In their first interview together, Tiger and son Charlie discussed their mutual love of golf and 13-year-old Charlie assessed his own game while dishing on his father’s abilities as a caddie. The two will team Dec. 17-18 to compete in their third consecutive PNC Championship at Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Orlando, Florida. Tiger and Charlie finished second last year with a charge that would have made the patriarch proud, making a record 11 consecutive birdies while both wearing Tiger’s trademark red and black. “I just want him to enjoy whatever he’s doing,” Tiger said of Charlie at the Notah Begay III Junior Golf National Championship. Highlights from the tournament were broadcast Wednesday on Golf Channel. Begay, Woods’ former Stanford teammate, conducted an interview with the Woods duo. “I’m supporting him wherever he wants to go, and obviously providing opportunities for that direction. As a parent our job and responsibility is to provide opportunity and support. It’s been fun that he’s taken a passion to something that I’ve enjoyed.” Charlie shot a career-best 68 in late September to qualify for the 54-hole championship at Koasati Pines at Coushatta in Kinder, La. He shot 72-69-71 for a 1-under 211 total to finish 11th in the 12-13 age division, making 13 birdies and an eagle during the three days. (The 2023 schedule for Begay’s junior tour can be found here.) “The biggest thing was just clean up the big numbers,” Charlie said of his performance. “That’s the main thing. Get the misses tighter, practice more. Just have fun.” While Charlie had no problem critiquing his own game – he later sounded like Tiger when he said he needs to continue to “work on feels” – he was asked to sum up his father’s performance as his caddie during the championship. “He forgot my putter a few times,” Charlie said. “That’s really it.” Said Tiger: “It’s hard to describe, because it’s so amazing to be able to be with Charlie out there and fight through it together and do it as a team. Just the fact that he earned his way into the event by shooting the lowest round he’s ever shot. To go out there and play the way he did. Obviously, lots of lessons learned but I think overall the big picture is he thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a lot of fun for both of us.” When it was over, Tiger looked at his son and said, “proud of you buddy.” Last week Tiger hosted the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas. He withdrew early in the week because of plantar fasciitis in his foot but stayed at Albany to fulfil his myriad duties as host. He appeared in NBC’s television booth and talked more about how he’s preparing his son for the mental grind that golf provides. It’s little surprise that Tiger is using similar tactics that his father Earl used on him more than 30 years ago. “If I can get into his head, that means someone else can get into his head,” Tiger said. “It’s going to get to a point where I can’t get into his head, and then no one else can get in there either.” Later in the week, Tiger said that Charlie has yet to beat him but did sheepishly admit Charlie drove it past him on one occasion. Barely. He also said that he has never told his son to copy his own swing, but rather should strive to swing the club like one of their South Florida neighbors. “Don’t copy my swing. Copy Rory’s,” Tiger said Saturday. “Have you ever seen Rory off balance on a shot? No. Not ever.”

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Apropos of the motion required to propel a golf ball, the PGA TOUR loves its Swings. From the Asian to the Aloha to the West Coast to the Florida, these nicknames help delineate one segment of the season from another. Here’s another: the Fortnight of Tom Weiskopf Redesigns. It’s not as catchy, but it’s not inaccurate. It also has the attention of the 132 golfers committed to this week’s Waste Management Phoenix Open. For any of the 156 who took one spin of Torrey Pines North at last week’s Farmers Insurance Open, he might want to digest how the Stadium Course at TPC Scottsdale has evolved since Weiskopf went to work on the course in 2014. The space beneath the ranking examines what happened in the first three editions of his modernization. TPC Scottsdale isn’t The House That Hideki Built, but it’s been his castle. Since his debut in 2014, he’s an aggregate 517-5-2, not to mention the two-time defending champion. Well, despite early career success at Torrey Pines, it’s had his number since 2014, travel or no travel in advance. No hangovers at the WMPO, though, where he’s gone P2-T4 since 2016. Back home where the ASU product placed T5 as an amateur in 2015. Returned for a T16 last year. Most recently, he lit the world on fire with a Win-2nd-Win burst to bridge the holidays. It’s been over six months now since his last victory (The Open). The constitutes a drought for the 11-time winner. Two top 10s in as many trips to the WMPO; scoring average = 68.13. Anchoring ban and redesign be damned, he’s been a machine at TPC Scottsdale since 2011, going 5-for-5 with a P2 last year, no worse than T14 (2016) and a scoring average of 68.05. This is all about the expectation of him once again sustaining world-beating firepower off the tee. En route to the P2 at Torrey Pines, he led the field in total driving. T2 here in 2015. What an impressive display by the 35-year-old Swede at Torrey Pines where that confident game off the tee will have value in his debut at TPC Scottsdale. Also led last week’s field in GIR. Continues to purr. Tows the confidence of six consecutive top 20s since September into TPC Scottsdale where he’s connected five top 25s since 2009. T10-T14-T12 on the redesign. Rose to T8 at Torrey Pines with a closing 73. Six top 10s in last nine starts worldwide. Back for redemption at TPC Scottsdale where he finished T24 after sitting T7 through 54 holes. Surprisingly uninspiring slate at TPC Scottsdale with one payday (T22, 2015) in three tries on the redesign. Still, experience never hurts as he ascends. Farmers’ T6 the latest of the sizzle. Still chasing his first top 10 since July, but he’s been lurking. Opened 2018 with a T11 at Kapalua and T14 at Waialae. Two top 10s at TPC Scottsdale, including a T7 last year. A threat wherever he pegs it, just not at TPC Scottsdale. Yet. A T17 in 2015 represents his only weekend stay in three attempts. Missed last year’s cut after sweeping the Aloha Swing. He’s a magician. Placed T9 here last year despite ranking outside the top 20 in total driving, GIR, proximity, strokes gained: putting, birdie-or-better percentage and scrambling. Excluding Torrey North (which isn’t lasered for ShotLink), he paced Farmers in strokes gained: putting and strokes gained, period. Scored 9-under 275 in last two trips to TPC Scottsdale. Reconnected with form in the desert of the Coachella Valley two weeks ago. It’s proven to be a comfort zone. Same can be said of TPC Scottsdale, site of a T17 in 2016 and T12 last year. Rank POWER RANKINGS PLAYER COMMENT FedExCup points leader Patton Kizzire, Brandt Snedeker, Patrick Reed and the tournament’s all-time money leader, Phil Mickelson, will be among the notables reviewed in Tuesday’s Fantasy Insider. Various factors can contribute to springy greens that were witnessed at Torrey North in the first two rounds last week, but that those bentgrass targets are just two years old can’t be ruled out as a predominant factor. The new TifEagle Bermuda greens at TPC Scottsdale experienced the same reaction when they debuted in 2015. Weather permitting, the narrative for greens to mature and establish an “identity” usually includes a waiting period of three years. Sure enough, in spectacular conditions, last year’s scoring average of 70.192 at the WMPO was easily the lowest since Weiskopf placed his stamp of approval on the par 35-36=71 tipping at 7,266 yards. Similarly cooperative elements present the canvas this week as Hideki Matsuyama pursues his third straight title in the tournament. As he does, he goes in knowing that he’ll have to remain as aggressive as he was en route to 17-under 267 a year ago. Last year’s field found only 55.36 percent of the fairways, lowest since the redesign, but it hit 68.47 percent of the greens in regulation, which was a four-year high. The average proximity to the hole checked up at 38 feet, 11 inches, measurably the shortest of the last three editions. Short-game metrics align predictably and there’s been no regression in converting scoring opportunities into par breakers despite the increase in those chances. Putting it all together, the indication is that experience on the redesign has mattered on a similar plane as the maturity of the greens. Matsuyama and his playoff victim, Webb Simpson, beat the field averages in fairways hit, GIR, proximity and scrambling. That’s not surprising, but both were poster boys for how all of the contenders performed across the board. There is no one-size-fits-all profile at TPC Scottsdale. During the grand opening of his redesign in November of 2014, Weiskopf said that he expected winning scores to settle at 14- to 18-under par. He hasn’t been wrong yet, but the over (or the under, depending on your perspective), is in play on Super Bowl Sunday. ROB BOLTON’S SCHEDULE PGATOUR.COM’s Fantasy Columnist Rob Bolton will be filing his usual staples leading up to this week’s event. Look for the following columns this week. MONDAY: Rookie Ranking, Qualifiers, Reshuffle, Medical Extensions, Power Rankings TUESDAY*: Sleepers, Fantasy Insider, Facebook Live WEDNESDAY: 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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