Major feat: Korda takes Chevron, wins 5th in row

All of the gold at the end of the rainbow is up for grabs at East Lake Golf Club outside Atlanta as the FedExCup Playoffs will pay out $60 million in bonuses to close the 50-event 2020-2021 season. East Lake Golf Club, established in 1904, has served as the permanent host of the TOUR Championship since 2004. Tom Bendelow’s original design was updated in 1913 by Donald Ross so greens pitching back-to-front will again be in play this week. Rees Jones has handled the upkeep over the last 25 years to keep up with the best players on TOUR annually. The FedExCup Playoffs debuted in 2007 so course history is a very real angle this week. RELATED: Power Rankings | Expert Picks In 2008 East Lake changed their greens from Bentgrass to Bermuda so Zach Johnson’s course record of 60 set in 2007 can be taken with a grain of salt. Since the introduction of Bermuda, 63 has been the lowest round posted four times, last done by Henrik Stenson in 2015. Before 2016 the event concluded with a Par-3 hole. The nines were flipped in 2016 to add another layer of drama as the Par-5 18th, one of the easiest annually on the course, will provide the final act. Xander Schauffele holds the event (gross) record, set last year, on 15-under 265. Since the nines were reversed, the winning score has been double digits under par in every event. Zoysia fairways and Mini-Verde Ultradwarf Bermuda greens running around 13 feet are surrounded by almost three inches of Bermuda rough. The remnants of Hurricane Ida are dumping rain Tuesday on the area after a very abnormally wet July. The Par-70 (35-35) already stretches out to 7,346 yards and nothing about firm or fast will be on the cards this week. The two Par-5 holes annually play the easiest on the course so scoring on both of them will be required. Wet Bermuda rough won’t allow for much control off of the fairway and around the greens. The perfect Bermuda greens, just over 6,000 square feet on average, will see putts holed for both par and birdie. The formula this week will involve finding the most fairways to attack hole locations and saving pars when missing the fairway and greens. Like any big-time event, the full bag and the six inches between the ears should be in play and that is definitely the case this week. The 30 players involved will have four rounds (no cut) to try and chase down FedExCup leader Patrick Cantlay and his Starting Strokes of 10-under par. The player posting the lowest net total (Starting Strokes combined with the total of strokes accumulated after 72 holes) after 72 holes will take home the biggest bonus of them all, $15 million plus a five year exemption on TOUR. Dustin Johnson is back for the 13th time in this event and will look to repeat as FedExCup Playoff champion. The only multiple winner of this event (entered this week) is Rory McIlroy (2019, 2016) and nobody has ever defended the title of Playoff Champion or Event champion. Top 30 FedExCup bonus money distribution Recent Event Winners Stats Recent Winners 2020 – Dustin Johnson (-21 net, -11 gross) Fired a final round 68 to win by three. … Won his sixth FedExCup Playoff event and first FedExCup championship. … First No. 1 seed to win since Tiger Woods in 2009. … Led by five, an event record, after posting 64 in Round 3. … Final group off Round 3 after leading by one after 36 holes. … Opened with 67 to share the first round lead. … Would have finished T3 without Starting Strokes. … 17th win in start No. 274. … His six wins in the FedExCup Playoffs are the most in history. … Picked up his third win in his 10th tournament since the restart. … 64 tied the low round of the week (four others listed below). … Notables in the field this week: 2017 FedExCup Playoff EVENT champion Xander Schauffele (2nd) posted the lowest 72 hole total since Bermuda was introduced in 2008. … 2017 FedExCup Playoff champion Justin Thomas (T2) picked up his fifth top 10 in his fifth visit. … Jon Rahm (4th) posted the second WORST round of the week with 74 in Round 2. … Debutant Scottie Scheffler (5th) posted 12-under (gross), second best on the week. … Debutant Collin Morikawa (6th) co-led the field with Schauffele with 21 birdies. … 2019 champion Rory McIlroy (T8) also posted 64 (Rd 1) but only made four birdies thru the middle two rounds. … Patrick Reed (T8) picked up his best finish in his seventh attempt as he led the field in Fairways and Pars. … Sungjae Im (11th) opened 68-64 to trail Johnson by one after 36 holes. … Harris English (T12) ranked third in Putts. … Daniel Berger (T14) joined the party with 64 in Round 3. … Abraham Ancer (T18) opened his second visit with 64 before cooling. … Viktor Hovland (T20) led the field in GIR. … Scoring average was 68.917. … Only five bogey-free rounds and Reed had 40 percent of them. 2019 – Rory McIlroy (18-under net, 13-under gross ) 2016 winner posted a final round 66 to become just the second player to win the FedExCup Playoffs and Event twice. … Began the final round one shot back of Brooks Koepka. … Only player to post all four rounds in the 60s as he won by four shots. … Posted 13-under gross, three better than Schauffele, for the best total of the week. … Led the field with 20 birdies. … Co-led the field in Bogey Avoidance. … Becomes the only winner to also win THE PLAYERS in the same season. … Third win of the season along with the RBC Canadian Open. … Hits the top 10 for the sixth time in seven visits. … 17th TOUR victory in start No. 268. Notables in the field this week: Xander Schauffele (T2) opened with the co-low round of the week, 64, posted 10-under (gross) and co-led the field in Bogey Avoidance. … Brooks Koepka (T3) tried to go wire to wire but his final round 72 saw him fall short. … 2017 FedExCup Playoff Champion Justin Thomas (T3) entered the week as the No. 1 seed. … Tony Finau (7th) posted all four rounds 70 or better. … Hideki Matsuyama (T9) matched McIlroy with two rounds of 66. … Patrick Reed (T9) cashed his first top 10 in six appearances. … Just eight players posted rounds of 60 on Sunday. … Scoring average 70.003. … Only three bogey free rounds for the week. 2018 – Tiger Woods (11-under, 259) Did not qualify this season (injury). … Woods won the Event but Justin Rose (did not qualify) won the FedExCup Playoff Championship. … Final edition before Starting Strokes. … Only player double digits under par. … Led by three after 54 holes. … Shared the 36 hole lead with Rose. … Opened with 65, co-low round of the week, to share the lead. … Becomes first player to win the FedExCup Playoff Event twice. … 80th win in 346th start. … First appearance since 2013. Notables in the field this week: 2014 champion Billy Horschel (2nd) led the field in Fairways and GIR. … Dustin Johnson (T3) picked up his best finish in his 10th appearance. … Hideki Matsuyama (T4) ranked T3 in Fairways, 3rd GIR and signed for the only bogey free round of the week. … Rory McIlroy (T7) played in the final group and co-led the field with 19 birdies. … 2017 champion Xander Schauffele (T7) picks up his only finish outside of the top two. … Justin Thomas (T7) was one of four players who posted all four rounds at 70 or better. … Jon Rahm (T11) joined McIlroy with 19 birdies. … 69.617 scoring average. Key stat leaders Top golfers in each statistic on the 2020-2021 PGA TOUR are listed only if they are scheduled to compete this week. Horses for Courses East Lake Gross 2019-2020

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INZAI CITY, Japan — Rickie Fowler shot a 4-under 66 on Saturday to take a one-shot lead after the third round of the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP, putting himself in position for his first PGA TOUR win in over 3 years. RELATED: Missed cut helps vintage Rickie Fowler return at ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP Fowler last won in 2019 at the WM Phoenix Open. Keegan Bradley also had a 66 and was a shot back at the Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club on the outskirts of Tokyo. Fellow American Andrew Putnam was a further shot behind after a 68 in the only PGA TOUR event in Japan. In a closely bunched field, 10 more players were between three and five shots off the lead. “It’s been a while since I’ve been in this situation,” Fowler said. “Obviously (I) remember being in those situations before. But no — it will be tough tomorrow.” Fowler has been close in several majors, including a second-place finish in the 2018 Masters. “Yeah, definitely had some tough times the last few years, but I always knew it was there,” Fowler said. “It was always just a fine line — a shot or two here or there. Just nice to kind of see it starting to build momentum and confidence and the ball rolling the right direction.” After two days of rain, Saturday’s round was dry with the same expected for Sunday. Defending champion and local favorite Hideki Matsuyama shot a 66 for his best round of the week. He was 10 shots off the lead.

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If you’re rationing starts in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf, it’s important to keep a couple of things in mind as we navigate through Segment 3. In the short-term, the RBC Heritage presents a smart opportunity to invest in second-tier commodities in what is an impressive field of 132. Harbour Town surrendered an average distance of all drives of just 273.0 yards last year. That was second-shortest of all courses and indicative of its history. Of the remaining seven stops in Segment 3, only it and Colonial Country Club (Charles Schwab Challenge, May 23-26) are cozy, so you’ll have your chances to open the throttle to chase the bonus points. All of the remaining tournaments in Segment 3 will have ShotLink measuring every stroke. This includes the PGA Championship on May 16-19. It’s the only major that utilizes it. Because next week’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans is a team event, PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf will be dark. Ignore that stop if you’re mapping out starts for any of your charges. However, PGA TOUR Fantasy One & Done will be in play as it is for all 46 PGA TOUR events. Related: Featured Groups | Power Rankings | Sleepers | The First Look PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf My roster for the RBC Heritage (in alphabetical order): Byeong Hun An Patrick Cantlay Bryson DeChambeau Russell Knox Ian Poulter Xander Schauffele You’ll find my starters in Expert Picks. Others to consider for each category (in alphabetical order): Scoring: Charles Howell III; Sungjae Im; Dustin Johnson; Si Woo Kim; Jason Kokrak; Matt Kuchar; Scott Piercy; Jordan Spieth Driving: Tommy Fleetwood; Lucas Glover; Charles Howell III; Sungjae Im; Jason Kokrak; Matt Kuchar; Kevin Streelman Power Rankings Wild Card Tommy Fleetwood … I know, I’m a tough crowd. He strides into his debut at Harbour Town having getting ousted from the Match Play in pool play and after finishing a forgettable T36 at the Masters where he failed to break 70 in every round, and he doesn’t appear in the Power Rankings. Hey, this field is stacked, so it’s proper time to remind all gamers that omissions from the Power Rankings don’t default to lack of confidence. Statistically, he has all of the tools, and while course experience hasn’t mattered in this tournament, it still must be respected by those who have it. Draws Jordan Spieth … Just not at his price tag in DFS. Consider rostering in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf only. We’ve been trained not to lean on his course history this season as merely making cuts doesn’t meet expectations, but no worse than a T12 (2014) in three trips can’t hurt his confidence upon arrival. Brandt Snedeker … As the winner here in 2011, he’s among the throng who have proven that great putters are not neutralized by small greens. Yet, it’s his only top 10 in 13 appearances, so that plays into the narrative of Harbour Town as a consistently fair track. Hit and miss this season, he’s recorded a pair of top fives, the latter at TPC Sawgrass a month ago. Marry the promise with the success and course knowledge at Hilton Head, and he’s an easy endorsement. Jason Kokrak … Continue to lean on the big guy. He can handle it. He connected top 20s here in 2014, 2015 and 2016. He’s also been a fixture on leaderboards with seven top-20s in the last three months. That includes top 10s in four of his last five starts. Slots 12th on TOUR in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green. Cameron Smith … He should be in the Power Rankings on talent alone, but he’s in a rut at the moment. That said, his floor is higher than most at Harbour Town where he’s 3-for-3 with a scoring average of 69.42 since 2015. Zero worries. Charley Hoffman … While he couldn’t find a low one at Augusta National (T29), he’s percolating again. The runner-up finish at TPC San Antonio speaks to his comfort level on that course (where he’s the all-time earnings leader), so it stands to reason that the rally will keep rolling at Harbour Town where he’s registered two top-10s and two top-25s in the last seven editions. Kevin Streelman … A wonderful convergence of trends what with a 6-for-6 slate at Harbour Town since 2011 (T7 last year) and a solo sixth in his last start at TPC San Antonio where he’s also a horse. Do not hesitate. Scott Stallings … It’s time to revise our expectations from reserving for long-term ownership in deeper leagues to consideration on a weekly basis. And it’s not so much due to a fit as it is his commitment to a stronger consistency over time. As we do, his value will be underrated, but because you still need to guard against a regression to the mean, surround with more reliable chips when you make room. Mackenzie Hughes … Similar to Brian Harman and Ollie Schniederjans a few weeks ago, the Canadian has earned some attention of late. He’s recommitted and it’s showing, but I still want to see him sustain it over time. He got hot after an 0-for-4 skid and he missed the cut in his debut at Harbour Town last year. Mark Anderson Sam Burns Matthew Fitzpatrick Lucas Glover Justin Harding Billy Horschel Charles Howell III Ryan Moore Kevin Na Scott Piercy Brian Stuard Fades Satoshi Kodaira … What shouldn’t be forgotten was that when he broke through at Harbour Town last year, he was inside the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking and already on our radar. It’s just that success on the Japan Golf Tour hasn’t translated into even a fraction of it in the U.S. a high percentage of the time, so we were right to remain patient. He’s since won again on his home circuit, but it’s his only top-15 finish anywhere in the last 12 months. Currently 151st in the FedExCup and without a top-35 finish in a full-field, stroke-play PGA TOUR event since a T35 at the 2018 Open Championship. Marc Leishman … As he’s elevated to a spot off to the side on the top shelf, the dearth of positive course history hasn’t applied often. However, in a satisfactorily deep field on a track where he’s logged only one top-25 (T9, 2013), and with spotty form upon arrival, this is an opportune time to give him a blow. He’ll be back in our crosshairs next time out. Corey Conners … It’s been a whirlwind, hasn’t it? I was mildly surprised to see him commit to his third start at Harbour Town (2 MCs) only because of the timing of his breakthrough victory at the Valero Texas Open and last-minute showing at the Masters. And this is his fourth straight week on the road. Zach Johnson … Well, that injection of something special didn’t appear on the Florida Swing. He hasn’t made much noise at the Masters recently, either, so we can ignore last week’s T58, but he has to sharpen his irons before regaining our confidence. It’s his precision upon approach that sparked the love affair in the first place. At worst, expect a cut made at Harbour Town based on experience and ball flight alone. Charl Schwartzel … This may seem obvious to newer gamers, but once upon a time, he was a cornerstone to make the cut and provide predictable support. Alas, he’s been just about everything but this season. Since a burst in Puerto Rico (T6) and PGA National (T16), he’s just 1-for-4 with a T61 at Corales. Alex Noren Chez Reavie Peter Uihlein Danny Willett Returning to Competition Cameron Champ … He sat out the last month following a sore back that forced him to withdraw during the second round of THE PLAYERS. He missed the cut in his previous two starts and hasn’t connected for a top 25 in a full-field event since the fall. Leave him be as he returns and makes his debut at Harbour Town. Notable WDs Louis Oosthuizen … He would have been making his second appearance at Harbour Town (T7, 2015). Shared the 36-hole lead at last week’s Masters before fading to T29. Martin Trainer … This will give him a second consecutive week off. No doubt that his win in Puerto Rico has forced him to reconstruct his schedule, but it’s always a little strange to see a rookie withdraw after any commitment deadline. Sung Kang … Even though he’s made only one cut in four tries at Harbour Town (T11, 2017), it’s curious that he’d withdraw from an invitational, but he’s all but set to qualify for the Playoffs at 63rd in FedExCup points. Since a T14 at Pebble Beach, he’s 7-for-7 with three top 20s. John Huh … This is his third straight early WD since missing the cut at THE PLAYERS. No news has surfaced to explain why and he hasn’t shared anything on social media. Power Rankings Recap – Masters Power Ranking  Golfer  Result 1  Rory McIlroy  T21 2  Justin Rose  MC 3  Tiger Woods  Win 4  Dustin Johnson  T2 5  Rickie Fowler  T9 6  Jon Rahm  T9 7  Bubba Watson  T12 8  Justin Thomas  T12 9  Paul Casey  MC 10  Hideki Matsuyama  T32 11  Francesco Molinari  T5 12  Louis Oosthuizen  T29 13  Matt Kuchar  T12 14  Brooks Koepka  T2 15  Sergio Garcia  MC 16  Marc Leishman  T49 17  Jordan Spieth  T21 18  Patrick Reed  T36 19  Jason Day  T5 20  Henrik Stenson  T36 Wild Card  Phil Mickelson  T18 Sleepers Recap – Masters Golfer  Result Kiradech Aphibarnrat  T49 Patrick Cantlay  T9 Stewart Cink  MC Hao Tong Li  T43 Kevin Na  T46 Thorbjørn Olesen  T21 Birthdays among active golfers on the PGA TOUR April 16 … Michael Thompson (35) April 17 … Nick Taylor (31) April 18 … none April 19 … Matt Jones (39) April 20 … John Senden (48) April 21 … none April 22 … Eric Axley (45)

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