Love, Palmer, Wood added to US Open field

The Rocket Mortgage Classic’s AREA 313 Challenge provides this week’s field at Detroit Golf Club with arguably the toughest task on the PGA TOUR, but one that also will produce a significant charitable contribution for a great cause. Here are the details: THE CHALLENGE As part of Rocket Mortgage Classic’s Changing the Course initiative – a vision that every Detroit resident has access to the internet, technology and digital literacy training within 5 years – the AREA 313 Challenge centers on three holes at Detroit Golf Club. PGA TOUR golfers will compete to make an eagle (at the par-5 14th), an ace (at the par-3 15th) and a birdie (at the par-4 16th) during each round this week. The first golfer to go 3-1-3 (representing the Detroit area code) will have a $313,000 contribution made in his name towards the Rocket Giving Fund charities connected to digital access and Detroit’s digital divide. In addition, all golfers can also achieve other charitable money by Rocket Mortgage on those specific holes. • Each eagle at the par-5 14th results in a $5,000 donation • Each ace at the par-3 15th results in a $25,000 donation • Each birdie at the par-4 16th results in a $5,000 donation Even before the first shot is struck this week, the AREA 313 Challenge is off to a great start thanks to Rickie and Allison Fowler and their foundation, as they’re making an $100,000 donation to the cause. THE HOLES HOLE 14 (553 yards) A classic risk-reward par 5. The 14th will see a majority of players approaching it as a two-shot hole with long hitters only having a mid-to-long iron approach shot into this two-tiered green guarded by water in front. Those who elect to lay up on their second will need to control the spin on their shots due to a false front on the left side of the green. 2019 stats: 4.655 stroke average; 5 eagles, 186 birdies, 222 pars, 38 bogeys, 1 other Here’s a scatter chart of all second shots on or around the 14th green last year. HOLE 15 (154 yards) A classic Donald Ross designed par 3 that plays longer than the posted yardage. The 15th features large bunkers protecting the front, left and right sides of the green. 2019 stats: 2.969 stroke average; 0 aces, 76 birdies, 317 pars, 56 bogeys, 3 others Here’s a scatter chart of all tee shots toward the 15th green last year. HOLE 16 (454 yards) Players will need to place their tee shots on the 16th short of the fairway bunkers that guard the landing area, leaving them with a mid-iron approach to the green. Many will face challenging birdie putts on what is one of the more underrated putting surfaces at Detroit Golf Club. 2019 stats: 4.000 stroke average; 0 eagles, 60 birdies, 334 pars, 56 bogeys, 2 others Here’s a scatter chart of all second shots on or around the 16th green last year. THE NUMBERS So, how difficult will it be for a player to go 3-1-3 over those three holes in a single round to earn the $313,000 charity donation? Well, consider this … In the 319,104 rounds on the PGA TOUR captured by ShotLink since 2003, no player has recorded an eagle-ace-birdie (in that order) in any three-hole stretch. However, there have been 30 times in which a player has made a 3 (on both a par 4 and a par 5) and a 1 on a par 3 in the same round. Three of those times, the player did it in consecutive holes … just not in the 3-1-3 order. • At the 2019 Sony Open in Hawaii, Keith Mitchell went ace-birdie-eagle (1-3-3) on holes 7 through 9 in the second round at Waialae. • At the 2015 Memorial tournament presented by Nationwide, Jason Dufner went birdie-eagle-ace (3-3-1) on holes 14 through 16 in the second round at Muirfield Village • At the 2005 Michelin Championship (now Shriners Hospitals for Children Open) in Las Vegas, Kevin Stadler went ace-birdie-eagle (1-3-3) on holes 14 through 16 in the first round at TPC Summerlin. Even if no player produces the 3-1-3 stretch this week, expect to see lots of charity contributions based on the individual holes. A year ago at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, five players eagled the par-5 14th. If a similar number does that this year, that would produce $25,000 ($5,000 for each eagle) for Changing the Course. Meanwhile, 60 birdies were made at the par-4 16th. Again, a similar number this year would result in $300,000 ($5,000 for each birdie) for the initiative. Of the five players who made eagle at the 14th hole last year, J.J. Spaun came closest to reaching the second leg, as his tee shot at the 15th landed inside of 4 feet for an easy birdie (he eventually parred the 16th to go 3-2-4). Spaun is in the field again this week. So take notice of that stretch between holes 14 and 16 this week in Detroit. It should generate a lot of buzz — and a significant charitable donation towards closing Detroit’s digital divide.

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Jason Dufner’s game was going nowhere, so he changed everything from his swing coach to his equipment to his caddie. It didn’t get any better. He at least is starting to see signs of it coming together with an 8-under 63 on Friday in the Wells Fargo Championship, matching his career-low score on the PGA Tour and giving him a one-shot lead going into the weekend at Quail Hollow. Dufner considers it the best two rounds he has put together since the 2017 Memorial, which also is the last time he had a 36-hole lead. “See how it goes being in the heat of it on Saturday and Sunday,” Dufner said. “I’ve been there before. It’s been a while, but I kind of know what to expect. It will be a good challenge to see where I’m at, what I’m doing.” Dufner was at 11-under 131. Joel Dahmen made his first bogey of the week on his final hole of the second round — from the middle of the fairway, no less — but still had a 66 and was one-shot behind. So was Max Homa, who also knows about coping with bad results when he missed the cut in 14 out of 17 events in 2017. He birdied his last two holes for a 63. Rory McIlroy, playing on the other end of the course, was stride for stride with Dufner until he dropped three shots over the last two holes. McIlroy made double bogey with a fat shot out of a bunker and a pitch too strong over the green at No. 8, and then went over the green on No. 9 for a bogey and a 70. Even so, he was five behind and in the mix for a third title at Quail Hollow. “I stood up here last night talking about that I got the most out of it yesterday, and today it was the complete opposite. I turned a 66 into a 70,” McIlroy said. “Golf, it’s a funny game and these things happen.” Dufner didn’t find too much funny about last year, when his world ranking fell from No. 41 to No. 124 and missed the cut 11 times. That’s when he decided to make changes to just about everything. “This is my fourth caddie of the year so far,” he said. “I left Chuck Cook, started doing some other things. I started working with Phil Kenyon. I think I’m on my fourth or fifth putter this year. I’m on my fourth or fifth driver, my fourth or fifth golf ball, fourth or fifth lob wedge. I’m trying to find stuff that’s going to work.” It worked on Friday at Quail Hollow. He started his round by missing the green 35 yards to the left and holing the chip over the bunker. He made a 20-foot eagle. He missed a 3-foot par putt. He drove the green on the par-4 14th for another birdie. And he capped it all off with a 40-foot birdie putt on the peninsula green at the par-3 17th. It was the first time he shot 63 since Oak Hill in 2013, the year he won the PGA Championship. “I’m just getting to that point where I’m kind of settled with everything,” he said. “Sometimes you make a change and it happens immediately. For me, that wasn’t the case. But kind of getting past all those changes and settling into playing some better golf instead of coming to tournaments wondering how I might play or how it might go or is this going to be the right change. Getting to where I feel more comfortable with that and I can just go out play free and play some good golf.” Dufner turned 42 in March and realizes he doesn’t have many years left to compete at a high level. “I’m not really trying to be mediocre,” he said. “I’m searching for things that are going to make me a better player.” Homa always had the talent, winning the NCAA title at Cal with a three-shot victory over Jon Rahm. He just fell into the trap of thinking he had to be even better when he got to the PGA Tour, and he’s had a rough go of it. But when he’s driving it well, it frees up the rest of his game. He also went back to longtime friend Joe Greiner, who caddied for him his first year on tour until leaving for another friend, Kevin Chappell. “Joe stayed with me until it became financially irresponsible for him to work for me,” Homa said. Chappell had back surgery and is out until the fall, and Homa brought him back. “My attitude is awesome nowadays,” he said. “I don’t really get too down on myself. I have an awesome, awesome caddie that doesn’t let me. If I’m quiet, he yells at me and tells me quiet golfers are usually very mean to themselves, so we have a good thing going.”

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If you’re keen to attach to the trend that’s opened 2019, you’re in luck. Well, as long as you haven’t burned Charles Howell III, the stars are aligned. Xander Schauffele and Matt Kuchar respectively opened and closed the Aloha Swing with their second titles of the season, but there’s only one golfer in the 156-man field at the Desert Classic who has a win in 2018-19: Chucky Three Sticks. You know, CH3 is No. 4 in my Power Rankings and only next week’s Farmers Insurance Open is included in his Future Possibilities below. OK, so Torrey Pines arguably is his best spot in our world and this week’s tri-course experience caters to surprise exponentially more than it does expectation. Patrick Cantlay, defending champion Jon Rahm and Justin Rose sit 1-2-3 in my Power Rankings, but I’d sit on each if it’s still an option. All look good everywhere. Everywhere. What’s more, while Rose is the epitome of a professional, his thoughts might not be undivided as his regular caddie, Mark Fulcher, will be having heart surgery this week. Even if you like the inspirational angle, remember the nature of this tournament and add the variable that the Englishman will be making his debut on the current rotation of courses. In fact, he hasn’t appeared since 2010. Among the other notables, considering holstering Phil Mickelson as well. He’s spoken openly about focusing more than ever for opportunities on the biggest stages. Granted, you might not be terribly interested in the World Golf Hall of Famer in those situations what with him turning 49 in mid-June, but the Desert Classic barely pinged the radar of smartest choices, anyway. Instead, consider using the Desert Classic as a bridge. Even though Hudson Swafford (2017) is the only first-time winner in the last seven years, this is a terrific time to burn red-hot Corey Conners, the dynamic Peter Uihlein and Bud Cauley, or the sneaky Richy Werenski. Those are endorsements that extend to the back half of two-man One & Done lineups, especially. Meanwhile, Adam Hadwin’s course history almost is to glossy to believe with a T6-2nd-T3 slate since the current rotation debuted in 2016. Pairing him with CH3 is saucy. Same with the surging Andrew Putnam. Desert cornerstone Lucas Glover makes sense no matter your game. He and Chez Reavie always seem to attract our attention at the same time, so it’s kind of them to join forces once again. And if you’re game to have some fun – well, more than usual – roll out the quinella of Swafford and/or oft-mistaken lookalike Harris English. The moral of this story is that you’re not going to miss most of the guys who have taken a step forward above. We always want to be bold, but that dose of reality can help finalize your decision. FUTURE POSSIBILITIES NOTE: Select golfers committed to the tournament are listed alphabetically. Future tournaments are sorted chronologically and reflect previous success on the courses on which the tournaments will be held in 2018-19. The numerical values in parentheses represent the order of relative confidence of where to use each golfer if multiple sites are listed (e.g. 1 for strongest, 2 for next-strongest and so on). To present weighted confidence in real time, numerical values will not change all season no matter how many tournament remain listed for each golfer. All are pending golfer commitment. Daniel Berger … Waste Management (2); WGC-Mexico (3); Travelers (1) Patrick Cantlay … Genesis (4); Valspar (2); Memorial (3) Jason Dufner … Desert Classic (9); Honda (3); PLAYERS (7); Valspar (4); New Orleans (1); Charles Schwab (6); Memorial (5); U.S. Open (2); Wyndham (8); TOUR Championship (10) Bill Haas … Desert Classic (1); Genesis (3); WGC-Match Play (8); Heritage (4); Charles Schwab (2); Wyndham (6) Adam Hadwin … Desert Classic (1); Waste Management (4); Genesis (3); Valspar (2); John Deere (5) Brian Harman … Desert Classic (3); Arnold Palmer (7); Charles Schwab (1); Travelers (5); John Deere (4) Russell Henley … Honda (4); Masters (3) Charley Hoffman … Genesis (5); Arnold Palmer (2); Masters (4); Heritage (7); Valero (3); Charles Schwab (6); Travelers (1) Charles Howell III … Desert Classic (4); Farmers (1) Zach Johnson … Waste Management (6); Arnold Palmer (7); Valero (4); Charles Schwab (5); John Deere (1); Open Championship (2); TOUR Championship (8) Si Woo Kim … PLAYERS (3); Heritage (1) Chris Kirk … Valero (3); PLAYERS (5); Charles Schwab (2) Kevin Kisner … Heritage (3); New Orleans (5); Charles Schwab (2); Memorial (6) Russell Knox … Heritage (2) Martin Laird … Desert Classic (6); Waste Management (1); Genesis (3); Valero (5); Barracuda (2) Phil Mickelson … Desert Classic (10); Waste Management (4); Pebble Beach (5); Genesis (6); WGC-Mexico (1; defending); Masters (9); Wells Fargo (2); Open Championship (8); WGC-St. Jude (3) Ryan Palmer … Desert Classic (1); Valero (2); Charles Schwab (4) Pat Perez … Farmers (2); Pebble Beach (5) Scott Piercy … New Orleans (1; co-defending); Canadian (7; last winner at Hamilton in 2012) Jon Rahm … Desert Classic (3; defending); Farmers (6); Waste Management (4); Masters (5); Charles Schwab (1); TOUR Championship (7) Justin Rose … Farmers (6); Genesis (9); Arnold Palmer (3); Masters (1); PLAYERS (10); Charles Schwab (7; defending); Memorial (4); Open Championship (8); TOUR Championship (2) Brendan Steele … Desert Classic (6); Waste Management (2); Honda (7); Valero (8); Wells Fargo (9); Travelers (4); Reno-Tahoe (3) Kevin Streelman … Desert Classic (8); Pebble Beach (1); Valero (9); Heritage (5); Memorial (4); Travelers (7)

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