McEvoy wins first European tour title in 17 years

Pat Perez proved Sunday that, on a PGA TOUR dominated by lithe, young superstars with physiques crafted in the gym and clubhead speed that can overheat a TrackMan, there is still room for a 41-year-old who prefers late nights with a beer (or a few) over early-morning workouts. He shot 24-under 264 at this week’s CIMB Classic to win by four shots over Keegan Bradley and finish seven shots ahead of Sung Kang and the reigning Rookie of the Year, Xander Schauffele. Perez started his 17th PGA TOUR season with the third win of his career, and his second in the past 11 months.  “I’m such a different person than I was 17 years ago, even like five years ago,â€� he said. “I’m learning how to play the game and learning how to play my own game and stay within myself and that kind of stuff. I’m a late bloomer.â€� Perez took the 36-hole lead at TPC Kuala Lumpur and never relinquished it. He started Sunday with a four-shot lead and won by that same margin. He shot four consecutive rounds in the 60s (66-65-64-69) and made just three bogeys all week. He hit 62 of 72 greens but said it was the putter that carried him to victory. “If I didn’t putt well I probably would have finished 40th,â€� he said Perez is coming off a career-best finish in the FedExCup (15th) and the first TOUR Championship appearance of his career. He’s second in this season’s early FedExCup standings, 56 points behind Safeway Open champion Brendan Steele. Steele followed last week’s win with a 13th-place finish in Malaysia. Perez, who’s been on the PGA TOUR since 2002, now has two victories in his past 25 starts after winning once in his first 378. He was one of just five players in their 40s to win last season. Compare that to a record-setting 18 victories by players under 25, a group that includes FedExCup champions Justin Thomas (2017) and Jordan Spieth (2015). Last year’s lengthy layoff after shoulder surgery has inspired his good play, giving him a new perspective on the game. Perez, who won the 1993 Junior Worlds over Tiger Woods, was always known for having tons of talent but also a hot temper. “It took me a lot longer to probably mature, if you can even use that word for me,â€� he said. He may give up yards off the tee to today’s young stars, but he makes up for it with a strong short game. His winning score this week was just two shots off Thomas’ tournament record. “It’s frustrating because I see these guys, perfect builds, they’re tall and they’re skinny and they’ve got all this strength, and then there’s me who kind of waddles around,â€� Perez said at the TOUR Championship. “I don’t like working out, I like to sit, kind of do nothing, so it’s kind of my own fault, I guess, on the strength. “But when those guys go, they just keep running, like Justin Thomas. They just have those extra gears that can get them on the par-5s in two. I can’t get to the par-5s in two so my short game’s got to be sharp.â€� This week’s win came a continent away from home, but at a place that is special to him. Last year’s CIMB Classic was Perez’s first start since surgery that March to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder. He’d been dropped by his equipment sponsor and thought his return to the PGA TOUR was still months away. Then the CIMB Classic’s executive director, Todd Rhinehart, called and offered him an invitation. Perez’s wise-cracking ways apparently have international appeal. A middle-of-the-pack finish (T33) may not have looked impressive on paper, but it was an encouraging return after several months on the sideline, and it set the stage for the best year of Perez’s lengthy career. He finished seventh in his next start, at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, and then won the OHL Classic at Mayakoba. His second win came nearly eight years after his first one, at the 2009 CareerBuilder Challenge “If he hadn’t given me the spot, the funny thing is I don’t know if I would have started the TOUR until January,â€� Perez said Sunday. “So all those chain of events might not have happened. So I can’t thank him enough for doing that. I really can’t explain it, it’s been an amazing 12 months.â€� Perez said he starts every season with two goals, to win and qualify for the TOUR Championship. He has the win under his belt. Now he wants to get back to East Lake. He estimates that he’ll need another 800 FedExCup points to accomplish that.  Today’s game emphasizes distance, but Perez has had success despite ranking 112th in driving distance (290.9 yards) and 130th in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee last season. He was fourth in Strokes Gained: Around-the-Green and 37th in Strokes Gained: Putting. “They’re just different type of players than I am,â€� Perez said of the TOUR’s 20-somethings. “I try to get mine where I can and that’s what it is.â€�

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Are you ready for eagles and birdies again? Of course you are. So are the 49 golfers who have made their way from the U.S. Open on Long Island up to TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut, for this week’s Travelers Championship. If the RBC Heritage is the hammock after the intensity of the Masters, the Travelers is the 5 p.m. whistle on a Friday following the season’s second major. TPC River Highlands is open for business and taking orders. Scroll beneath the ranking for more on last year’s unforgettable finish, the track, what’s needed to perform well and other information to prepare you for this week’s 156-man competition. POWER RANKINGS: 2018 TRAVELERS CHAMPIONSHIP RANK PLAYER COMMENT Checked up at T6 after sharing the 54-hole lead at Shinnecock Hills, but co-led the field in par-4 scoring. In two spins at TPC River Highlands, he’s gone T5-P2 with a scoring average of 67.13. He’s scored 9-under 271 in each of the last two editions to finish a respective T11 and T5. He’s been just as consistently strong over the last three months with a win among seven top 10s. Never a concern statistically and honoring his objective to generate consistency this season. His T25 at the U.S. Open was his 15th consecutive top 25 in official individual competition. Quietly T10 at the U.S. Open. That tags onto a T20 at the Masters and his win at THE PLAYERS among other notable results this season. He’s 8-for-8 at the Travelers with three top 15s. Predictable endorsement here with three top 10s in last five appearances (scoring average = 67.75), but he’s also coming off a T20 at the U.S. Open, his fifth top 25 in the last six majors. Perfect in seven trips with his breakthrough victory in 2012 among four top 20s. Ranks 14th on TOUR in birdies-or-better percentage. One month removed from solo second at Trinity Forest. Even when he’s not simmering, his record here is too glossy to ignore. Since debuting in 2011, he’s 6-for-7 with a T5 (2014), another five top 25s and a scoring average of 68.08. Rested after a T13 at Memorial, one of five top 20s in his last 10 starts. Two-time co-runner-up at the Travelers with another three top 10s and yet another two top 20s in 10 appearances. Rapidly becoming a threat on the biggest stages thanks to a T6 at the U.S. Open and a T2 at THE PLAYERS last month. T14 at the Travelers last year after a T5 at the U.S. Open. Since his P2 as a debutant in 2015, he’s added a T17 (2016) and a T5 (2017). His scoring average in those 12 rounds is 67.25. The top-20 machine finished T16 at Shinnecock Hills. Held his own for a T25 at Shinnecock Hills, his latest impressive result of the last four months-plus. Memorial title three weeks ago headlines five top fives. Third start at TPC River Highlands. TPC River Highlands is the kind of spot where he can find his game … and some confidence. Went wire-to-wire in what was his first appearance last year. Currently second on TOUR in GIR. Closed out his debut here last year with a field-low-tying 64 to place T17. Ranked second in strokes gained: tee-to-green for the week. Inconsistency in 2018 lowered him to this spot, however. It’s natural to expect an emotional letdown, but don’t expect a massive drop in performance. Steady since returning from injury and still relatively fresh. Placed T9 in last visit here in 2016. A frustrating and compelling talent all season despite two victories. Still best on TOUR in strokes gained: putting but outside the top 140 in eight splits in proximity to the hole from 75-275 yards. Patrick Cantlay, Brandt Snedeker and Zach Johnson will appear in Tuesday’s Fantasy Insider with former winners Bubba Watson (2010, 2015), Kevin Streelman (2014) and Russell Knox (2016). It’s the first anniversary of Jordan Spieth’s hole-out that secured victory at the Travelers Championship, but no matter how many years pass, it was arguably the most exciting moment of the 2016-17 season and an indelible memory for generations. How the defending champion got to that point – he took down Daniel Berger in the only hole needed in sudden death – was as Spiethian as it gets. Spieth completed the tournament ranked outside the top 35 in distance off all drives (T38), fairways hit (T41), greens in regulation (T42) and par-5 scoring (T69). Typically, proficiency in at least one of those last three stats contributes to victory. Furthermore, it looks like a typo that he still managed to lead the field in strokes gained: tee-to-green, but it’s true. Because Spieth connected for birdie on 21 of 49 attempts to break par with his putter, he was the pacesetter in birdies-or-better percentage, one of just 11 winners last season who led their field in that scoring metric. (He added a zero-putt birdie on the par-5 sixth hole in the third round and led the field with 22 par breakers.) Berger checked the boxes of prerequisites for success at TPC River Highlands. He finished T3 in GIR, sixth in proximity (Spieth was T38) and fourth in scrambling (Spieth was T19). With bentgrass greens averaging just 5,000 square feet and running upward of 12 feet on the Stimpmeter, and with a perennial premium on hitting targets defended by four-inch rough on approach, Berger’s performance is the preferred method. The stock par 70 tipping at just 6,841 yards can also brag that its par 5s (Nos. 6 and 13) are not pushovers. Collectively, they ranked as the eight-hardest set of par 5s of 50 last season. It’s the second straight year they’ve been among the top-10 most difficult. Overall, the course averaged 70.199. TPC River Highlands will usher in summer with seasonable conditions. Sunshine will be the story until the 36-hole cut falls. When the weekend arrives, clouds will move in ahead of a reasonable threat for rain on Sunday. Wind could be a factor later as well. Daytime high will oscillate around 80 degrees. ROB BOLTON’S SCHEDULE PGATOUR.COM’s Fantasy Insider Rob Bolton reviews and previews every tournament from numerous angles. Look for his following contributions as scheduled. MONDAY: Rookie Ranking, Qualifiers, Reshuffle, Medical Extensions, Power Rankings TUESDAY*: Sleepers, Facebook Live, Fantasy Insider WEDNESDAY: One & Done THURSDAY: Champions One & Done * – Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COM’s Expert Picks for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO, which also publishes on Tuesdays.

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