Masters updates: Round 3 at Augusta National

Pat Perez hasn’t picked up a golf club since sports got shut down. He’s not in a hurry to. He thinks the PGA Tour shouldn’t hurry back, either. But that’s just one of the things on the mind of one of the Tour’s most outspoken players.

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SANDWICH, England – A 13-year-old Brooks Koepka fell in love with links golf on a trip around the 2003 Open Championship at Royal St. George’s – even though he slept through the winning putt from champion Ben Curtis. The eight-time PGA TOUR winner and four-time major champ was flooded with fond memories from a golf trip of a lifetime during his childhood as he returned in preparation for the 149th Open Championship. “We got the opportunity to come over here and play St. Andrews, Carnoustie, (and) come watch the final round of The Open. Me, my mom and my little brother, we came over a couple days early from when the whole thing was going to start, and just got to play links golf. I thought it was so much fun. That’s kind of when I fell in love with it,” Koepka said. Koepka and his fellow touring pro brother Chase were able to have an exchange with idol Tiger Woods during The Open, but when it came to being present at the finish, Brooks, like Woods that year, came up a little short. As longshot Curtis made his last-ditch par putt to get in the clubhouse at 1 under and Dane Thomas Bjorn was coughing up a lead to hand the American the Claret Jug, Koepka was earning the ire of his mother. “I remember my brother at the time, he thought it was so cool. Tiger was playing on 13 and my brother had said something and Tiger said something back to him, and we thought it was the coolest thing at the time,” Koepka grinned. “It’s kind of funny, I think with about three holes left… I ended up falling asleep right in the little pavilion to the right of 18 and didn’t even see the finish. I remember getting yelled at by my mom. ‘I didn’t bring you over here to fall asleep’ kind of deal. But it was fun. We enjoyed the whole trip, and it was a cool family trip.” With the reminiscing done Koepka’s attention turned to the tournament at hand. He arrives with three top-5 finishes on the PGA TOUR in his last four starts, including a runner-up at the PGA Championship and a tie for fourth at the U.S. Open. With three top-10s in his last four Open Championship starts, Koepka looks like a huge threat as he looks to chalk up a third leg of a career Grand Slam. Ironically, he says his success in the majors may have hurt his Open Championship efforts in the past. “I probably haven’t played my best over here. I think over the last couple years — I don’t want to say it’s been a distraction, but I’ve won the PGA or the U.S. Open before, and I’ve enjoyed those weeks after a little too much,” he said. “Maybe I always don’t have the best of prep coming into this. But I feel good … coming off a couple good finishes. Felt like I was playing well. I’m pretty excited for this week. It’s a major, so I’ll be up for it, and excited to play. “I’ve always enjoyed playing links golf. I think it takes a lot of creativity and imagination. In the States a lot of times you just throw it up high in the air and the ball is going to stop, where (here) you’ve really got to pay attention where the ball is going to bounce into the green. You might have 50 yards but you’ve got about six clubs you could play. I think that’s fun. It brings out the creative side. It’s fun. I love it.” This week it might just love him back.

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If you haven’t read the Power Rankings, then you might have been looking around the website for Sleepers, but we’ve gone big for the first major of the 2017-18 season. All 87 in the field at Augusta National are slotted somewhere on the page dedicated to the Power Rankings, including what has to be a record eight Sleepers. The absence of Sleepers in my writing schedule in the Power Rankings was the tip-off that that weekly staple is in hiatus (until next week’s RBC Heritage), but the Fantasy Insider column doesn’t shut down until the week off during the FedExCup Playoffs. This week’s edition is abridged given this week’s approach in the Power Rankings. Segment 3 of PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO begins this week. It’s going to be a doozie, but we’re treated to a soft open with the Masters since the emphasis rests on bonus points. No tournament caters to course history buffs better and it’s one of just two tournaments in the Segment that won’t utilize ShotLink (U.S. Open). So, the strategy is simple. Ride the favorites and be prepared to pounce in case either on your bench is in contention. PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO My roster for the Masters (in alphabetical order): Paul Casey Phil Mickelson Justin Rose Jordan Spieth Justin Thomas Tiger Woods You’ll find my starters in Expert Picks. Others to consider for each category (in alphabetical order): Scoring: Jason Day; Rickie Fowler; Sergio Garcia; Dustin Johnson; Rory McIlroy; Alex Noren; Jon Rahm Driving: n/a Approach: n/a Short: n/a Notable WDs Brooks Koepka … Originally hoped to return this week, but a partially torn tendon in his left wrist extends his time away indefinitely. He’s the only qualifier for the Masters who is not scheduled to compete. Power Rankings Recap – Houston Open Power Ranking Golfer Result 1 Phil Mickelson T24 2 Henrik Stenson T6 3 Justin Rose T52 4 Jordan Spieth T3 5 Rafa Cabrera Bello MC 6 Daniel Berger T18 7 Rickie Fowler T43 8 Charles Howell III T18 9 Matt Kuchar T8 10 Russell Henley T8 11 Jason Dufner T64 12 Luke List T24 13 Keegan Bradley T43 14 Tony Finau T24 15 Steve Stricker MC Wild Card Lee Westwood T80/MDF Sleepers Recap – Houston Open Power Ranking Golfer Result Aaron Baddeley 74th Bud Cauley T18 James Hahn T32 Grayson Murray T14 Sean O’Hair T64 Birthdays among active golfers on the PGA TOUR April 3 … none April 4 … none April 5 … Henrik Stenson (42); Brendan Steele (35) April 6 … none April 7 … Robert Streb (31); Daniel Berger (25) April 8 … none April 9 … none

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