Max Homa and Danny Willett share lead at Fortinet Championship

The sun and sand (or is it the rain, fog and wind) of the West Coast Swing is behind us and now the PGA TOUR heads east for the Florida Swing, which this year is a month-long sojourn. With THE PLAYERS Championship sitting right among it, it is also the beginning of the Season of Championships that sees TPC Sawgrass take center stage in March before April's Masters, May's PGA Championship, June's U.S. Open, July's Open Championship and August/September's FedExCup Playoffs. Not to mention Olympic competition slated for July 29-Aug 1. Starting this week at the World Golf Championships-Workday Championship at The Concession in Bradenton, the TOUR then hops to the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard in Orlando, followed by THE PLAYERS in Ponte Vedra Beach before finishing up at The Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens. (The Valspar Championship in Palm Harbor comes April 29-May 2 this season). It is a critical phase of the FedExCup schedule that can make or break a player’s push for either TOUR Championship chances or even just FedExCup Playoffs hopes. We've decided to bust out the crystal ball and make some bold predictions for the Florida Swing. (As a sidenote, here are the 10 Bold Predictions from the start of this season if you want to check our progress.) 1. Tony Finau will leave the swing a winner. Depending on who you talk to, this take is either not bold at all or ridiculously bold. Finau has 21 (!) top-5 finishes on TOUR since the start of the 2017-18 season without winning, so glass half-full tells you he is likely to be in contention at some point in Florida and is trending toward finally grasping that elusive second TOUR win. Glass half-empty says his playoff loss at The Genesis Invitational was just another example in a long line of proof that says he can't close the deal. Also working against Finau is the fact an American hasn't won in Florida since Keith Mitchell won The Honda Classic in 2019. Five wins in a row have been non-American (Tyrrell Hatton, Sungjae Im, Paul Casey, Rory McIlroy and Francesco Molinari). But we believe in Tony. He will win something in the next month. 2. At least one player will play EVERY round in Florida at par or better. The gurus at our ShotLink team point out that Matt Kuchar has the second-longest active streak of rounds par or better in Florida of any player in the last eight years (since 2013). In this time frame, Kuchar has played his last nine rounds in Florida at par or better. The man in front of him won’t play during the next month - 82-time winner Tiger Woods. He remains in recovery from a single-car accident and a fifth back surgery, but sat at 18 rounds at par or better in Florida. We are prepared to say someone will come out of this year's swing having played somewhere between 4 and 16 rounds at par or better in a row! 3. Tommy Fleetwood will continue his mojo in the Sunshine State and add to his top-5 tally. Fleetwood joins McIlroy and Im with four top-5 finishes in Florida since the start of the 2016-17 TOUR season - the most of any players in that span. Of course, the Englishman is the only one of those three not to win. In his five PGA TOUR starts this season, Fleetwood has just one top 20 to his name and sits 157th in the FedExCup, BUT of course that is skewed by the fact he hasn't played in the U.S. since November at The RSM Classic. In his last four starts on the European Tour, he has been no worse than T26 and has two top 10s. Since 2016-17, Fleetwood and Luke List have each made seven eagles in Florida, tied for the most. In the same time period Fleetwood is the most under par of any player on TOUR at 43-under par. 4. A course-record 62 will be posted at THE PLAYERS, with Hideki Matsuyama either being the one to do it, or he will get close by replicating his phantom 63 from a year ago. If the golf gods have any sense of fairness, Matsuyama will break out of a recent slump with a scintillating 10-under 62 to open THE PLAYERS Championship - adding his name to the record books of the storied championship. A year ago, Matsuyama equaled the TPC Sawgrass record with a 63 only for the COVID-19 pandemic to hit and force the cancellation of the event - scrubbing his achievement from history. 5. Rory McIlroy will earn more than 900 FedExCup points in the Florida Swing alone, possibly as many as 1000! Only two players have been able to notch more than 1,000 FedExCup points in Florida during the last five seasons: McIlroy (1,434), Paul Casey (1,189). The record for points gained just in Florida in a single season in that time frame goes to Webb Simpson's 783 from his PLAYERS winning season of 2018. With the WGC back in Florida this season, we think McIlroy can smash that mark out of the park. McIlroy has been inside the top five of the leaderboard after 12 rounds in the state of Florida, most of any player in the last four seasons. The winner’s share of FedExCup points are 600 at THE PLAYERS, 550 at the WGC and Arnold Palmer Invitational and 500 at The Honda Classic. Getting specific, we say he will be runner-up at the WGC, winner at THE PLAYERS, and a top 10 elsewhere to get it done. 6. There will be two aces at TPC Sawgrass, at least one of which will be on the 17th, AND we'll also be treated to an albatross. We lost THE PLAYERS last season to the pandemic so it's time for the excitement at TPC Sawgrass to be ratcheted up a notch. TPC Sawgrass has seen 31 aces at THE PLAYERS in the past with the third hole seeing four and the eighth hole yielding six. The 13th is the most prolific with 12 and the Island Green 17th has nine. Getting two in the tournament shouldn't be too much to ask - after all there were three of them in 2019! Three of the last five were on the 17th - Will Wilcox (2016), Sergio Garcia (2017) and Ryan Moore (2019). But how about an albatross? Well THE PLAYERS has only given up five of those in the past. They've all come on par 5s (one on the second, two on the 11th and two on the 16th), the last of which was Harris English in 2019 on the 11th. But now we can hope for the elusive hole-in-one on a par-4 with the drivable 12th hole. Brace yourself - it's coming. And when it lands it will be just the second par-4 ace in TOUR history, breaking a 20-year drought.

Click here to read the full article…

KAPALUA, Hawaii – Marc Leishman has long been known as the wind warrior from Warrnambool and his first-round effort at the Sentry Tournament of Champions certainly lived up to his moniker. With steady winds of 15-25 mph and gusts of up to 35 mph hitting the Plantation Course, Leishman’s leading 6-under 67 was an impressive effort. But it wasn’t a surprise to those who know him well. The three-time PGA TOUR winner cut his teeth on the Melbourne sandbelt of courses in his native Australia that hosts gems like Royal Melbourne, Kingston Heath and Victoria Golf Club. Those ageless tracks are often defended by the local winds. But it was his days as a junior growing up in the coastal town of Warrnambool, southwest of Melbourne, where the comfort level in serious gusts came from. “Every day it was windy down there. It would be a calm day down there and I wouldn’t know what to do and would play terrible,â€� Leishman said. “Just basically every round of golf I played until I was 15 was in a really strong wind. I just didn’t know any different and it actually took me some time when I got over here to find my feet when it wasn’t windy.â€� With the forecast predicting more of the same for the remainder of the tournament the 34-year-old is well primed to add a fourth TOUR title, and third win inside 10 months. The memories of the week are already much better than his only other appearance where gale-force winds caused several delays and eventually resulted in a 54-hole tournament in 2013. It wasn’t the wind that hurt him that year – but the local food. “I got food poisoning on the Thursday night, so the Friday I threw up three times in the first five holes and they canceled the whole day so I was really happy,â€� he recalled. “I remember spending a lot of time in a hotel room.â€� OBSERVATIONS HARMAN STARTS YEAR IN HARMONY: It is clearly early in 2018 but it appears Brian Harman is poised to have another impressive year. The former Georgia Bulldog fed off his alma mater’s success on the football field to go bogey-free and sit just one back at 5-under 68. “Whenever you get to count on your birdies, you’re doing something good, especially in tough conditions,â€� Harman said. “I’m very happy with it. Did I expect it? Most rounds I don’t go bogey-free, so I did not expect it. But you have to dial it back just a little bit on days like today to make sure that you stay in play and I was able to do that.â€� CLEAR-HEADED SI WOO GOES LOW: THE PLAYERS champion Si Woo Kim says a refreshed mind could be the key to more rounds like his opening 4-under 67. With just one top-10 finish in 16 PGA TOUR starts since his win last year at TPC Sawgrass Kim enjoyed a healthy break over the holidays as he looked to recharge. “I didn’t expect much because I had one month off,â€� Kim said. “But everything does feel better than last year, my head is all clean.â€� DJ NOT DIALED IN: It says a lot for Dustin Johnson’s talent level when he’s clearly not dialed in yet sits just two shots off the lead. Johnson hit just 8 of 15 fairways (T28) and was 26th in the 34-man field in proximity to the hole on approach yet still found a way to an eagle and three birdies with just a lone bogey. “Definitely missed some putts, but I felt like I hit good putts, just didn’t have quite enough speed and lipped out a few on the low side,â€� he said. “But other than that, it was really solid.â€� NOTABLES Jordan Spieth – If Spieth is to continue his run of top three finishes at the Plantation Course it is going to take a very impressive turnaround. The 2016 Sentry Tournament of Champions winner struggled to a 2-over 75 and was T30 in the 34-man field after feeling a little under the weather. Justin Thomas – The defending champion and FedExCup holder fought back from a scratchy middle section of his round to post a 2-under 71 to sit T12. Dustin Johnson – The world No. 1 sits well poised in a tie for fourth after a gutsy 4-under 69. Johnson had three birdies and an eagle with just a lone bogey. Rickie Fowler – Coming off his win at the Hero World Challenge and sporting an impressive Hawaiian shirt, Fowler shot 69 to be just two shots back of the lead in a tie for fourth. Patton Kizzire – The FedExCup leader is T17 after an opening-round 72. QUOTABLES “Just met friends, ate a lot of food, getting fat.â€� – Si Woo Kim on his time off. “I killed a 162-inch deer with my bow, I got a new rifle built, I’ve been shooting some long range. I’m about to get into reloading, reloading the bullets and then I practiced a little bit.â€� – Brian Harman on his off-season. “This is the first time in my life I’m the oldest at anything, so I think this is great. I found out Wednesday that I’m two days older than Pat Perez. So we were joking about it at the hotel and he was kind of upset because he wanted to be the oldest.â€� Ryan Armour, 41, on being the elder statesman in the youngest TOC field in history. “I feel like I hit my irons as good as some of the best on TOUR, and if I’m able to keep it in play, give myself some really good positions to attack these hole locations, I’m going to have a lot of birdie opportunities which is always good.â€� – Jhonattan Vegas after a 5-under 68 left him T2. “It was definitely the best break I’ve had all year. I left a big hole in their backyard, so when they get home they will be surprised.â€� – a deadpan Marc Leishman after a wild drive on the 14th landed in someone’s yard but was ruled in bounds and playable. “Well, we are in Maui, so I feel like this shirt was somewhat fitting. It fits here. I wasn’t afraid of going out and doing something different. I’ve always been different. I don’t want to go straight down the middle of the fairway. I like to skirt into the rough a little bit, but at the same time obviously still be respectable.â€� – Rickie Fowler on his unique Hawaiian golf shirt. SUPERLATIVES Low round: Marc Leishman’s 6-under 67 included eight birdies and two bogeys. He missed eagle putts from 15 and 7 feet. Longest drive: Patrick Cantlay sent one 412 yards on the par-4 seventh before wedging it to 20 feet and making birdie. Longest putt: Chris Stroud drained one from 48 feet, 11 inches on the par-4 fourth while Russell Henley was also pleased with his birdie putt on the 13th from 46 feet, 8 inches. Easiest hole: The par-5 fifth averaged 4.382 with one eagle, 22 birdies, nine pars, one bogey and one double bogey. Hardest hole: The par-3 eighth played at 3.265 yielding just five birdies, 19 pars, eight bogeys and two others.

Click here to read the full article…

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Bubba Watson and his wife, Angie, adopted a son, Caleb, just prior to Watson winning the 2012 Masters. They adopted a daughter, Dakota, in December of 2014, the year Watson won his second Masters. Life and golf always coexisted peacefully. Until last year. “Last year was a challenging year for me and my family,â€� said Watson, who shot a bogey-free 69 to get to 6 under and within three of the early second-round leader, Daniel Berger (65) halfway through the Waste Management Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale. “Me, physically, I went down to 165 pounds, which, I was up to 210 at one time during my career. I guess I fluctuate a lot. “So I wasn’t very healthy, as I needed to be last year,â€� he added. “So trying to get back healthy. My son’s in kindergarten, my wife had knee surgery, so there’s a lot of things we’re battling. But struggling on the golf course is not very bad.â€� A nine-time PGA TOUR winner, Watson, 39, comes into this week at 193rd in the FedExCup and 108th in the Official World Golf Ranking. (He hit a high of second in the world for four weeks in early 2015.) He prefers not to specify the nature of his illness, but whatever it was, he failed to seriously contend in any tournament, missed the cut by a mile at the Masters (74-78), and finished a career-worst 75th in the FedExCup. Today, Watson is back up to around 180 pounds, which, he says, “is about what I was when I won the two Masters.â€� After a brief bit of tinkering with his equipment, he has gone back to the ball he used in his prime. And, lo and behold, he’s playing well again. He made two birdies and no bogeys Friday, a continuation of the steady tee-to-green play he enjoyed at the recent CareerBuilder Challenge (MC), but in this case with a few made putts sprinkled in. “I missed the cut (at CareerBuilder) but I was tied for first in greens in regulation,â€� Watson said. “So my ball-striking is right where I want it to be. And my putting, I feel good over the putts, they’re just not going in. Right now, the ball’s just laughing at me.â€� Strictly speaking, Watson’s most recent victory was the 2016 Northern Trust Open, his second win at Riviera. Since then, well, uh, he opened a candy store, Bubba’s Sweet Shop, in July of 2016. Sometimes his mom, Molly, works behind the counter. So that was cool. But he’s still looking for that elusive 10th win on TOUR, which is now within reach in the desert. “You got to pick and choose your battles,â€� Watson said. “Last year I wasn’t very good at golf, but I guess I was good as a dad and a husband. I would rather be that than a good golfer.â€� OBSERVATIONS STALLINGS TRIES TIGER PUTTER: Scott Stallings (65, 8-under) missed the cut at last week’s Farmers Insurance Open, where he was a past champion. And it was a trend. The 32-year-old New England native, who spends his winters in Scottsdale, has slipped to 163rd in the FedExCup and 305th in the world. But with time on his hands, he began watching the Farmers telecast. When the cameras zeroed in on Tiger Woods’ putter, Stallings had an epiphany: He owned a Scotty Cameron just like the one Woods made famous. “It was sitting in my closet,â€� he said. “I pulled it out and went out and hit some putts with it on Sunday. It’s a Scotty Cameron that I’ve had forever, and I had never pulled the trigger in a tournament. I finally pulled it out and here we are.â€� Stallings took just 26 putts and shot 69 in the first round, and 31 putts after hitting all 18 greens in regulation Friday. He was one off the lead after the morning wave. THOMAS SHAKES OFF BAD HALF HOUR: Reigning FedExCup champion Justin Thomas was at 6 under and in contention after getting up and down eight times in eight chances and shooting his second straight 68. The secret to his second round? Not getting bogged down by the way he had ended his first. Thomas was cruising when he made a double-bogey 5 at the rowdy 16th hole, then pitched his second shot into the water and made bogey at the par-4 17th. In a half hour he had dropped three shots. “I just went to dinner (at Maggiano’s Italian restaurant) with my parents,â€� Thomas said after going bogey-free Friday. “I was going to get room service, but I knew I was going to be all miserable and sulky all by myself. I was like: I just need to get out. So I went to eat with them and had a good dinner and went back and got some sleep.â€� BERGER FRESH AFTER BREAK: Daniel Berger took the last two weeks off, so it was easy to forget that he was one of the hotter players on TOUR coming into the Waste Management, where he shot a second-round 65 to get to 10 under and lead the morning wave of players. Berger finished T11 at the Sentry Tournament of Champions and a T14 at the Sony Open in Hawaii. It was a good start to 2018, but still, it felt somehow lacking after his breakout season last year, when he successfully defended his title at the FedEx St. Jude Classic, lost a thrilling playoff to Jordan Spieth at the Travelers Championship, and made his first Presidents Cup team. “It hasn’t been quite what I really wanted it to be,â€� Berger said of his start to this season. “I think the expectations from the last couple years were pretty high, so just trying to maintain a lower expectation and just have fun and play well, and that’s kind of what’s happened this week.â€� NOTABLES Jordan Spieth shot a second-round 70 and at even par was projected to miss the cut. Patrick Reed shot a 5-under 66 and was at 5 under for the tournament. QUOTABLES I was probably playing golf swing versus playing golf a little bit.When we were making the turn, one of the nurses came up and said, ‘We’re happy we haven’t seen you this year.’

Click here to read the full article…