Leaderboard: Rory runs away with victory

In 2017 at the actual World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play, Jon Rahm came oh-so-close to winning it all at Austin Country Club. This week, in our Mythical Match Play Championship, the Spaniard took the last step, earning the fictious title in voting that included experts and fans. No. 2 seed Rahm beat top overall seed Rory McIlroy in a final separated by one vote. Although McIroy was the overwhelming favorite of our readers with 81 percent of the votes, Rahm grabbed 6 of the 10 expert votes for the final tally of 6 votes to 5. Xander Schauffele beat Sungjae Im in the third-place match. Of course, none of this is official. Our Mythical event is the just-for-fun exercise we’re conducting this week in lieu of the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, which was among the canceled events by the PGA TOUR in response to the coronavirus pandemic. After the TOUR conducted a draw to produce a bracket, our 10 experts began voting. We released the Round 1 results on Wednesday (click here), the Round 2 results on Thursday (click here) and the Round 3 results on Friday (click here) that determined the 16 also used fan voting to break three ties. On Saturday, we conducted voting for the Round of 16 and quarterfinals, again involving our fans to break three tiebreakers (click here). We asked our fans on the tournament’s Twitter feed to become the 11th vote for our two semifinal matches Sunday morning, and the fans cast the deciding vote by choosing McIlroy over Schauffele. Rahm handily beat Im. No surprise that McIlroy and Rahm reached the finals, as they were the top two seeds entering the tournament. Had this been the real thing, it would’ve been the first time the top two seeds had ever met in the final of the Dell Technologies Match Play. Our 10 expert voters include: GolfBet’s Jason Sobel from The Action Network; GolfTV’s Jamie Kennedy; Tom Alter and Jim McCabe from PGA TOUR Communications; Fantasy Insider Rob Bolton; PGATOUR.COM writers Ben Everill, Sean Martin, Mike McAllister and Cameron Morfit; and a combined vote from the TOUR’s ShotLink team. The results of the final and semifinal matches are below (player seed in parentheses). CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL Rory McIlroy (1) vs. Jon Rahm (2): 6 votes for Rahm, 5 votes for McIlroy (including fan vote). RAHM wins the championship. Why I picked Rahm: “What a final. McIlroy has become a clear World No. 1 but Rahm is on the ascent and his short game and putting carry him through the final against Rory.� – Jamie Kennedy Why I picked Rahm: “So tough to choose between the top two players in the world. Their records at Austin CC are nearly identical (Rory’s 8-5-2 in four years; Rahm is 7-4-2 in last three years). My gut feeling is that Rahm, chasing his first World Golf Championships title, will draw upon his championship match loss to Dustin Johnson in 2017 and figure out how to get the job done this time.� – Mike McAllister Why I picked Rahm: “I had the exact opposite final slated and would have gone with Rahm in the consolation match, so I’ll stick with him here to win it all. Rory would be leaving just a touch in the tank for April and it would be the slim margin Rahm would take.� – Ben Everill Why I picked Rahm: “Remarkable consistency for months.� – Jim McCabe Why we voted for McIlroy: “Both players are powerhouses from Tee-to-Green. We’re going to give the edge to McIlroy, who leads the TOUR in Scrambling this season, salvaging par 70.4% of the time compared to Rahm, who ranks 37th at 64%.� – ShotLink team Why I voted for McIlroy: “McIlroy has won this thing before, albeit at TPC Harding Park, and was annoyed by (and will find motivation in) his loss to Tiger Woods in round of 16 last year.� – Cameron Morfit Fan vote: McIlroy 81%, Rahm 19%. THIRD-PLACE MATCH Xander Schauffele (12) vs. Sungjae Im (23): 8 votes for Schauffele, 2 votes for Im. SCHAUFFELE wins. SEMIFINALS McIlroy vs. Schauffele: 6 votes for McIlroy (including fan vote), 5 votes for Schauffele. McILROY wins. Why we picked McIlroy: “Both players rank inside the top-10 in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green, so it may come to a putting contest. McIlroy ranks fifth in putting from 15-25 feet this season, making 27% from this distance compared to Schauffele, who is 159th, making 14%.� – ShotLink team Fan vote: McIlroy 79%, Schauffele 21% Rahm vs. Im: 7 votes for Rahm (including fan vote), 4 votes for Im. RAHM wins. Why I picked Rahm: “In a much-anticipated meeting (and hopeful precursor of more to follow), Im finally is upended, but the Match Play debutant has nothing about which to be ashamed as Rahm clinches his 12th podium finish worldwide in the last 11 months.� – Rob Bolton Fan vote: Rahm 67%, Im 33%

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THE OVERVIEW CROMWELL, Conn. – Last week was about survival. This week at the Travelers Championship? “It’s guns blazing,� Patrick Reed said Wednesday. “Everyone is going to be firing at flags.� For those who spent the week – or maybe just a couple of rounds before an early exit – at the U.S. Open, an immediate visit to TPC River Highlands no doubt will be a welcomed relief, a chance to flex the scoring muscles. Having to give up the chase for birdies at Shinnecock Hills for most of the week, players can now return to regular PGA TOUR attack mode. Since 1994, every winner of the Travelers has finished double-digits under par, with three of those winners finishing at 20 under or better. During that same span, just three U.S. Open winners have reached double digits. Nine winners, in fact, have been at even par or worse. That includes last week’s champ Brooks Koepka, who won his second straight U.S. Open title by shooting 1 over (after finishing a record-tying 16 under the previous year at Erin Hills in a rare offensive U.S. Open explosion). “Sometimes having a tournament right after a major doesn’t help but having this tournament right after the tournament last week, I think it gets guys back into their normal routines,� said Rory McIlroy, making his second start at the Travelers. “They play a golf course which if you can make birdies, you can get on runs. That’s a nice thing.� Most U.S. Open courses are long – Shinnecock Hills was 7,440 yards and Erin Hills maxed out at 7,800. Meanwhile, TPC River Highlands measures just 6,841, giving players a chance to hit significantly shorter irons into pins. Throw in the drivable par-4 15th, and it’s a vastly different approach this week. But that also creates a different mindset. Knowing there are more scoring opportunities, players will feel the pressure of keeping up instead of just hanging on. Defending champ Jordan Spieth will be careful not to fall into the trap of always flooring the accelerated. “I understand you can shoot low scores,� Spieth said, “but over the course of four rounds, you’ve got to just wait and let the golf course give you what it does.� Added Justin Thomas: “It’s still golf. Whether it’s even par or 12 under or 25 under, you’re just trying to shoot as low as you can. It definitely is different, and a little less exhausting at the end of the day.� Plus, it’s just nice to look at some red numbers on the scorecards. Said McIlroy: “Obviously it makes you feel a bit better about yourself when you’re shooting some under-par scores.� THREE PLAYERS TO PONDER Brooks Koepka Becomes the first U.S. Open champ since Justin Rose in 2013 to play the following week immediately after winning. Jordan Spieth Turned around his season a year ago by winning at TPC River Highlands. Could use a similar boost this year. Bubba Watson Only four-time winner Billy Casper has won this event more than twice. Bubba could notch his third this week. THE FLYOVER Of the 50 closing holes last season, the 444-yard par-4 18th at TPC River Highlands ranked 19th in difficulty, playing to a stroke average of 4.107. Obviously, it can produce some drama – witness Jordan Spieth’s hole-out from the front greenside bunker to beat Daniel Berger in a playoff last year. And don’t forget the plaque as you walk back toward the clubhouse that celebrates Jim Furyk’s historic 58 two years ago. LANDING ZONE Say hello to one of the PGA TOUR’s shortest par 4s, the 296-yard 15th hole. Only the 288-yard 16th at Sheshan International is shorter. At this length, there’s not much decision on whether to go for the green – 95.3 percent of all tee shots at 15th qualified for the definition of going for it. Still, there is water to the left and bunkers to the right, and nearly as many double bogeys (7) were made last year as eagles (9). Here’s a look at where all tee shots landed last year at the 15th WEATHER CHECK From PGA TOUR meteorologist Wade Stettner: “There will be a chance of rain showers Thursday morning before 8 a.m. with just a slight chance of a passing shower or two Thursday afternoon. Thursday’s high is forecast in the middle 80s with winds switching back to the north at 6-12 mph. Dry weather is forecast on Friday with light south winds and a high in the upper 70s. A low pressure system will arrive this weekend with rain chances increasing on Saturday. There is a slight chance for a few passing showers lingering into Sunday.� For the latest weather news from Cromwell, Connecticut, check out PGATOUR.COM’s Weather Hub. SOUND CHECK There are tournaments on the PGA TOUR that could be great fits for me, and this is one of those. I just regret I hadn’t been playing here my entire PGA TOUR career. BY THE NUMBERS 63 – Opening round score by Jordan Spieth last year. That’s his lowest first-round score in 143 career starts. 0 – Numbers of weekend rounds that two-time champ Bubba Watson has shot over par (in other words … none). Of his 40 career rounds at the Travelers, 35 have been played at par or better. 4 – Players with multiple runner-up finishes this season without a win – Marc Leishman (2012 Travelers champ), Rickie Fowler, Tony Finau and Chez Reavie. SCATTERSHOTS A year ago in his first Travelers start, Rory McIlroy was experimenting with putters. “I think I turned up on Saturday morning with about 10,� he recalled. Eventually, he used three different putters over the four-round event. Don’t expect a repeat this year – thanks in part to his work with New Englander Brad Faxon. “My putting has been probably as good as it ever has in terms of strokes gained,� McIlroy said. (He currently ranks 55th after ranking 140th after last season). “I feel comfortable with that part of my game.� Doug Ghim and Nick Hardy are making their pro debuts this week, while Dylan Meyer is making his second start after finishing T-63 in his pro debut at last week’s U.S. Open. “It’s a cool tournament,� noted Justin Thomas. “This, along with the John Deere, I think both of them have great reputations of giving young guys an opportunity to start their career.� Two-time winner Bubba Watson is making his 12th career start at the Travelers. No one consistently plays TPC River Highlands better than Watson. He’s a cumulative 94 under since 2006, best in that span. He’s made 181 total birdies since 2008, most in that span. And his scoring average of 67.65 is second only to Paul Casey’s 67.25 (minimum 12 rounds).

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Round 2 of the Corales Puntacana Championship takes place Friday. Joel Dahmen looks to defend his breakthrough PGA TOUR title. The field includes major winners Graeme McDowell, Jimmy Walker, and Danny Willett, as well as 2011 FedExCup winner Bill Haas. Dahmen looks to become the first repeat winner while Rafael Campos of nearby Puerto Rico will be buoyed by local fan support. The winner will receive 300 FedExCup points. Leaderboard Tee times HOW TO FOLLOW Television: Thursday-Friday, 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday-Sunday, 2 p.m.-5 p.m. (Golf Channel) For outside of the U.S., click here for GOLFTV powered by the PGA TOUR MUST READS Ben Martin leads by one at Corales Puntacana Championship The First Look Power Rankings Expert Picks

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