The 14-time major champion makes his long-awaited return to competitive golf at the Hero World Challenge.
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Tiger vs. Phil. Bubba vs. Rose. Scott vs. Spieth. JT vs. Hovland. Kisner vs. Woodland. These were among the juicy Round 1 matches in our Mythical World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play, the just-for-fun exercise we’re conducting this week in lieu of the real tournament, which was among the canceled events by the PGA TOUR in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The TOUR conducted a draw to produce a bracket, and now our 10 experts are voting for the winner of each match. We’ll release each day’s results as if the tournament is actually being played at Austin Country Club in Texas. The 16 Group Stage winners will be determined on Friday, then we’ll vote for single-elimination matches this weekend to crown the Mythical champion on Sunday. The voting rules are simple: Each expert was asked to pick a match winner, and the golfer with the majority of votes is the match winner. In the case of an equal split of votes, the match is considered tied. 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. Here are the experts’ picks for the 32 Round 1 matches that would’ve been played Wednesday in Austin. Feel free to provide your own picks and commentary – and let us know if you agree or disagree with ours — in the comments section below. GROUP 1 Rory McIlroy (1) vs. Sung Kang (52): 10 votes for McIlroy, 0 votes for Kang. McILROY wins. Why I picked McIlroy: “Possibly the biggest David vs Goliath match-up of the group stage. Kang has shown form this year, but Rory’s on a different level.â€� – Jamie Kennedy Gary Woodland (18) vs. Kevin Kisner (36): 9 votes for Kisner, 1 vote for Woodland. KISNER wins. Why I picked Kisner: “A win last year, a runner-up in 2018, and 13-2-1 in his last 16 matches at Austin CC.â€� – Mike McAllister Group standings: McIlroy 1-0, Kisner 1-0, Woodland 0-1, Kang 0-1 GROUP 2 Jon Rahm (2) vs. Tom Lewis (59): 10 votes for Rahm, 0 votes for Lewis. RAHM wins. Why I picked Rahm: “From U.S. Open last year, his worldwide results include three wins and six other top 5s. That’s enough for me.â€� – Ben Everill Bernd Wiesberger (26) vs. Chez Reavie (37): 8 votes for Wiesberger, 2 votes for Reavie. WIESBERGER wins. Why I picked Wiesberger: “Unheralded talent deserves greater respect.â€� – Jim McCabe Group standings: Rahm 1-0, Wiesberger 1-0, Reavie 0-1, Lewis 0-1 GROUP 3 Brooks Koepka (3) vs. Shaun Norris (60): 9 votes for Koepka, 1 vote for Norris. KOEPKA wins. Why I picked Koepka: “I wish it was Chuck Norris. Dr. Anthony Fauci turns to him for advice.” – Rob Bolton Abraham Ancer (29) vs. Collin Morikawa (44): 7 votes for Morikawa, 3 votes for Ancer. MORIKAWA wins. Why I picked Morikawa: “Morikawa’s steady play, and strong ball-striking, will make him a tough beat. He just doesn’t make mistakes.â€� – Sean Martin Group standings: Koepka 1-0, Morikawa 1-0, Ancer 0-1, Norris 0-1 GROUP 4 Justin Thomas (4) vs. Viktor Hovland (57): 6 votes for Thomas, 4 votes for Hovland. THOMAS wins. Why we picked Thomas: “Thomas ranks fifth in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green compared to Hovland’s 130th on TOUR and both are about equal when it comes to performance on the greens.â€� – ShotLink team Paul Casey (24) vs. Erik van Rooyen (42): 8 votes for Casey, 2 votes for van Rooyen. CASEY wins. Why I picked Casey: “Match play aficionado gets at it again.â€� – Jim McCabe Group standings: Thomas 1-0, Casey 1-0, van Rooyen 0-1, Hovland 0-1 GROUP 5 Dustin Johnson (5) vs. Keegan Bradley (62): 9 votes for Johnson, 1 vote for Bradley. JOHNSON wins. Why I picked Johnson: “Johnson, who became the first to sweep the four World Golf Championships when he cruised to the title here in 2017, simply has too many good vibes in Austin.â€� – Cameron Morfit Hideki Matsuyama (22) vs. Cameron Smith (35): 6 votes for Matsuyama, 4 votes for Smith. MATSUYAMA wins. Why I picked Matsuyama: “Matsuyama hasn’t won in three years, but his game is trending upward. I’ll take the superior ball-striker in this match.â€� – Sean Martin Group standings: Johnson 1-0, Matsuyama 1-0, Smith 0-1, Bradley 0-1 GROUP 6 Adam Scott (6) vs. Jordan Spieth (56): 9 votes for Scott, 1 vote for Spieth. SCOTT wins. Why I picked Scott: “Scott is enjoying a career resurgence as he approaches 40 and can still make enough putts (most of the time) to allow his superior ball-striking to see him through.â€� – Cameron Morfit Lee Westwood (31) vs. Shugo Imahira (41): 9 votes for Westwood, 1 vote for Imahira. WESTWOOD wins. Why I picked Westwood: “Although this event hasn’t exactly been kind to him, he’s flashed enough form lately to get past Imahira.â€� – Mike McAllister “We’ve seen a mini-revival from Westy over the last few months that would have peaked around Augusta.” — Ben Everill Group standings: Scott 1-0, Westwood 1-0, Imahira 0-1, Spieth 0-1 GROUP 7 Patrick Reed (7) vs. Andrew Putnam (63): 10 votes for Reed, 0 votes for Putnam. REED wins. Why I picked Reed: “Put him in a one-on-one and he’s always tough to beat.â€� – Ben Everill Matthew Fitzpatrick (25) vs. Rafa Cabrera Bello (46): 6 votes for Cabrera Bello, 4 votes for Fitzpatrick. CABRERA BELLO wins. Why I picked Cabrera Bello: “The Spaniard has good feel for Austin CC.â€� – Jim McCabe Group standings: Reed 1-0, Cabrera Bello 1-0, Fitzpatrick 0-1, Putnam 0-1 GROUP 8 Patrick Cantlay (8) vs. Adam Hadwin (55): 10 votes for Cantlay, 0 votes for Hadwin. CANTLAY wins. Why I picked Cantlay: “If the Canuck had been showcasing benefits yielded by the Nappy Factor, this would set up as an upset.” – Rob Bolton Tyrrell Hatton (21) vs. Sergio Garcia (38): 8 votes for Hatton, 2 votes for Garcia. HATTON wins. Why I picked Hatton: “The mercurial Hatton’s self-confidence has never been higher after notching his first PGA TOUR victory at Bay Hill.â€� – Cameron Morfit Group standings: Cantlay 1-0, Hatton 1-0, Garcia 0-1, Hadwin 0-1 GROUP 9 Webb Simpson (9) vs. Lucas Herbert (64): 10 votes for Simpson, 0 votes for Herbert. SIMPSON wins. Why I picked Simpson: “Simpson has been one of the best players on TOUR this season, so there’s no reason to think an upset will happen here.â€� – Sean Martin Rickie Fowler (27) vs. Scottie Scheffler (45): 7 votes for Scheffler, 3 votes for Fowler. SCHEFFLER wins. Why I picked Scheffler: “Scheffler has been playing really well this season, and Fowler may not be the fan favorite against Texas Longhorn.â€� – Tom Alter Group standings: Simpson 1-0, Scheffler 1-0, Fowler 0-1, Herbert 0-1 GROUP 10 Tommy Fleetwood (10) vs. Byeong Hun An (50): 6 votes for Fleetwood, 4 votes for An. FLEETWOOD wins. Why I picked Fleetwood: “An is an underrated player who can ball-strike with the best of them. Sadly for him, Tommy ball-strikes better than almost all of them. Fleetwood is a man for an occasion and should easily handle the South Korean.â€� – Jamie Kennedy Francesco Molinari (28) vs. Christiaan Bezuidenhout (47): 8 votes for Bezuidenhout, 2 votes for Molinari. BEZUIDENHOUT wins. Why I picked Bezuidenhout: “Yes, Molinari was a semifinalist last year so this is definitely an upset pick. But it’s been nearly a year since his last top-10 finish, and he’s missed the cut in three of his last four starts. The South African is in better form right now.â€� – Mike McAllister Group standings: Fleetwood 1-0, Bezuidenhout 1-0, Molinari 0-1, An 0-1 GROUP 11 Tiger Woods (11) vs. Phil Mickelson (61): 9 votes for Woods, 1 vote for Mickelson. WOODS wins. Why I picked Woods: “If he’s healthy, Tiger seems more like Tiger while Phil seems more like a shell of himself lately. (And Tiger is a master at match play.)â€� – Tom Alter Kevin Na (30) vs. Victor Perez (40): 8 votes for Na, 2 votes for Perez. NA wins. Why I picked Na: “He’s more experienced and it assumes that he doesn’t withdraw early.” – Rob Bolton Group standings: Woods 1-0, Na 1-0, Perez 0-1, Mickelson 0-1 GROUP 12 Xander Schauffele (12) vs. Jason Day (51): 7 votes for Schauffele, 3 votes for Day. SCHAUFFELE wins. Why I picked Schauffele: “Day showed some promising signs on the West Coast, but he withdrew from the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard and struggled in the only round at THE PLAYERS Championship, so if there were a tournament this week, you’d have to wonder about his health.â€� – Sean Martin Shane Lowry (20) vs. Danny Willett (33): 6 votes for Lowry, 4 votes for Willett. LOWRY wins. Why I picked Lowry: “Had gone eight straight matches at Austin CC without a win until Friday last year. I’m calling that win momentum.â€� – Ben Everill Group standings: Schauffele 1-0, Lowry 1-0, Willett 0-1, Day 0-1 GROUP 13 Bryson DeChambeau (13) vs. Ian Poulter (58): 6 votes for DeChambeau, 4 votes for Poulter. DeCHAMBEAU wins. Why I picked DeChambeau: “A match-play assassin, Poulter was fired up for this potential Ryder Cup preview, but DeChambeau has been trending in the right direction, his 40-yard average margin over Poulter off the tee proving to be a huge boost throughout the day.â€� – Jason Sobel Henrik Stenson (32) vs. Jazz Janewattananond (39): 8 votes for Stenson, 2 votes for Janewattananond. STENSON wins. Why I picked Stenson: “Ol’ Henrik has dirt in his wedges older than Jazz.â€� – Jim McCabe Group standings: DeChambeau 1-0, Stenson 1-0, Janewattananond 0-1, Poulter 0-1 GROUP 14 Justin Rose (14) vs. Bubba Watson (53): 6 votes for Watson, 4 votes for Rose. WATSON wins. Why I picked Watson: “A strange year for Rose — three MCs in four PGA TOUR starts since the calendar turned over — continues in this one, as Bubba’s aggressive nature and affinity for this course (he won here two years ago) proves too much to overcome.â€� – Jason Sobel Sungjae Im (23) vs. Matt Wallace (43): 10 votes for Im, 0 votes for Wallace. IM wins. Why I picked Im: “He’s lost to only two golfers in his last two starts; now he needs to beat only one per match.” – Rob Bolton Group standings: Im 1-0, Watson 1-0, Rose 0-1, Wallace 0-1 GROUP 15 Marc Leishman (15) vs. Graeme McDowell (49): 7 votes for Leishman, 3 votes for McDowell. LEISHMAN wins. Why I picked Leishman: “After struggling in the first three years in Austin, he found something last year and went undefeated in group play. Oh, and he’s got a win and a runner-up among his last four starts.â€� – Mike McAllister Matt Kuchar (17) vs. Billy Horschel (34): 7 votes for Kuchar, 3 votes for Horschel. KUCHAR wins. Why we picked Kuchar: “Kuchar is a past champion and has seven top-10s in his last nine starts at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play.â€� – ShotLink team Group standings: Leishman 1-0, Kuchar 1-0, Horschel 0-1, McDowell 0-1 GROUP 16 Tony Finau (16) vs. Brendon Todd (54): 9 votes for Finau, 1 vote for Todd. FINAU wins. Why I picked Finau: “With the exception of Kevin Kisner last year, the course favors longer hitters, and Finau has proven match-tough (Presidents Cup, Ryder Cup) on any type of layout.â€� – Cameron Morfit Louis Oosthuizen (19) vs. Brandt Snedeker (48): 5 votes for Oosthuizen, 5 votes for Snedeker. TIE. Why I picked Oosthuizen: “Has a 13-6 match play record since the tournament moved to Austin, including his run to the final in 2016. I think he likes the course.â€� – Mike McAllister Group standings: Finau 1-0, Oosthuizen 0-0-1, Snedeker 0-0-1, Todd 0-1
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Matt Jones’ opening round at The Honda Classic was remarkable. He was remarkably unimpressed. RELATED: Leaderboard | Adam Scott strips off shoes to make stunning par save from water Jones tied the course record Thursday on a typically windy day at PGA National with a bogey-free 9-under 61 giving him a three-shot lead. He matched the mark set by Brian Harman in the second round in 2012, and was one shot better than the final-round 62 that Tiger Woods posted that year. “That’s an incredible round of golf,” said Lee Westwood, who opened with an even-par 70. “Could be the round of the year, 61 around here, when it’s flat calm, impressive. But when there’s a 15-, 20-mile-an-hour wind blowing, greens are fast, a lot of crosswinds, that’s an incredible round of golf.” All told, there have been roughly 6,000 tournament rounds at The Honda Classic since it moved to PGA National in 2007. None was better than the one Thursday from Jones. He seemed most unfazed afterward. “I play golf for a living,” Jones said. “I mean, I should be able to shoot a good golf score occasionally. It doesn’t happen as much as I want. But yes, I’m very happy with it. I was very calm, I was very relaxed out there. I’m normally a bit more amped-up and hyped-up and I had a different goal this week, to be a little more calm than normally and walk slower.” It worked wonders. He’s not into charting superlatives. He doesn’t know how many course records he holds, or how many holes in one he’s made. He wasn’t even aware he had four consecutive birdies on the front nine Thursday until he saw his card on a giant leaderboard as his round was ending. “I was just managing the golf course and hitting good shots,” Jones said. Russell Henley and Aaron Wise shot 64s, matching the best score at The Honda Classic by anyone — Jones excluded — since Rory McIlroy and Russell Knox had 63s in 2014. Nobody in the field last year shot better than a 66. And Henley and Wise still walked off the course three shots back. “That’s an amazing round,” Wise said. “But I felt like I played one, too.” U.S. Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker, Scott Harrington, Kevin Chappell, Joseph Bramlett and Cameron Davis shot 66. Defending champion Sungjae Im opened with a 68. Jones had the four consecutive birdies on Nos. 2-5, had others on the par-4 11th and par-4 13th, then finished with birdies on each of his final three holes and never dropped a shot despite The Honda’s usual windy conditions. Adam Hadwin, who played in Jones’ group, said “good shot” more times than he could count. “I just stopped saying it at a certain point,” Hadwin said. “He just hit so many, you just stop saying it. You’re just under the assumption that it was good.” Jones has one PGA TOUR victory, that coming with a chip-in to win a playoff at the 2014 Houston Open. He hasn’t made the cut in a major since the 2016 Open Championship and has never finished better than tied for fourth at The Honda, doing that in his debut at the event in 2008. “Whatever Matt Jones is doing, I want to see it because 61 out there is incredible,” said Shane Lowry, who shot 67 in his opening round. “That’s just incredible.” It was still a befuddling day for many. Graeme McDowell played the “Bear Trap” stretch — the par-3 15th, par-4 16th and par-3 17th — in 6 over, after making a quadruple bogey at 15 and a double bogey on 17. And Hunter Mahan had a six-hole stretch in which he made, in order, eagle, bogey, bogey, triple bogey, bogey, birdie. Mahan finished at 77, McDowell at 79. “It’s just so hard, so tricky,” Lowry said. “There’s a lot of disaster holes.” Jones, at least for one day, avoided them all. “It was a very good day,” he said.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Three-time champion Phil Mickelson got off to a ho-hum start with an opening-round, 3-under 68 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open on Thursday. It wasn’t great. It wasn’t terrible. “I didn’t probably play my best,â€� Mickelson said. “I didn’t really putt great and didn’t drive it great. But I shot 3 under and it’s an OK start.â€� Mickelson hit just 5/14 fairways, and 14/18 greens in regulation. Neither stat was all that unusual for him, but he made only 43 feet of putts on the greens and finished the day in negative numbers in Strokes Gained: Putting. That was an aberration in light of his recent play. Mickelson is coming off a T2 at the Desert Classic two weeks ago, when he flirted with a 59 but settled for a 60 in the first round. He is enjoying a mini-career revival, which he credits in part to increased swing speed after leading the field in driving distance (302.5 yards on all tee shots) in the desert. The gain has been surprising given that he’s the oldest player in many fields. MUST READS: Round 1, Waste Management Phoenix Open Rickie Fowler, Justin Thomas share house and lead at TPC Scottsdale Oklahoma State amateur Matthew Wolff impresses with unorthodox swing He also has enjoyed a resurgence in his short game. He was around the lead in Strokes Gained: Putting for much of last season, when he broke a nearly five-year win drought with his playoff victory over Justin Thomas at the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship. He tried to focus on the positive Thursday, which was that he birdied 15 and 18 to end the day. “Tomorrow we’ll have a chance with an early morning tee time to hopefully get a hot round going,â€� he said. “I didn’t play as well as I wanted to, but I didn’t shoot myself out of it.â€� This marks his 30th start in the event, one of his two hometown tournaments. He first played here as an amateur sensation out of Arizona State in 1989, and has since won it three times (1996, 2005, 2013). “I just can’t believe that it’s been 30 years,â€� he said earlier this week. “It just has gone by so fast.â€�
