McIlroy to defend FedExCup crown

For the third time in three weeks the PGA TOUR is in a different country as Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ontario, Canada hosts the RBC Canadian Open. This will be the final time the event is played following The Open Championship as the TOUR’s new schedule begins next year. The RBC Canadian Open will be moving to the week before the U.S. Open. The TOUR’s third-oldest event will also be contested on a new venue in the new schedule as Hamilton Golf and Country Club will host for the first time since 2012. The good news for gamers is this will be the fourth year running in the Toronto suburbs at Glen Abbey. The field of 156 includes back-to-back defending champion Jhonattan Vegas as he looks to become the first player since Steve Stricker (John Deere Classic 2009-11) to win an event in three consecutive years. With only three non-major, non-WGC TOUR events left, 500 FedExCup points for first place will come in quite handy. The field is strong, with 11 of the world’s top 50 players in action, including No. 1 Dustin Johnson. The 2015 battle north of the border returned to Ontario after Tim Clark won the 2014 event at Royal Montreal. No Canadian has won this event since Pat Fletcher in 1954 and native son David Hearn led by two after 54 holes at 15-under-par in the return to Glen Abbey. The weight of a nation was on his shoulders and it didn’t help that Jason Day and Bubba Watson were in the rear-view mirror. Hearn held the 54-hole lead for the first time in his career and had a major champion and a soon-to-be major champion breathing heavily down his neck. Day posted the clubhouse lead at 17-under after a 68 and was the champ after Watson couldn’t convert eagle on the final hole to tie. Hearn’s podium finish in solo third was the best by a Canadian since Mike Weir lost in a playoff to Vijay Singh in 2004. Adam Hadwin made it two Canadians in the top 10 with his T7 finish. Tony Finau closed with a 65 while Brooks Koepka, T4 to start Sunday, blew up with a 74 as both were T18. Ollie Schniederjans, who didn’t have status at the time, led the field with 26 birdies while first, second and third on the final leaderboard finished T2 in this department. The 2016 summer was brutally hot outside Toronto and it continued the week of the RBC Canadian. The first three days saw temperatures hover in the 90s with winds gusting upward of 25 mph. Dustin Johnson opened with 66 (-6) and Brandt Snedeker held the 54-hole lead on 9-under as Mother Nature made for firm and fast conditions. She then changed her tone in the final round as the winds died and the temperatures cooled causing scoring to go WAY up. Round 1, the most difficult of the week, checked in at 73.448 while Sunday played 70.113. Jhonattan Vegas trailed by five shots on Sunday before matching the low round of the week, 64, to take home the title. His 23 birdies for the week matched Michael Thompson (T14) for the most circles. Snedeker couldn’t hold the 54-hole lead as he did in 2013, the last player to do so. Wet and stormy conditions were on the cards last year as Glen Abbey was eviscerated. A total of 106 players posted red figures in Round 1 and a record-setting 309 rounds under-par were calculated for the week. Jhonattan Vegas again worked his magic on Sunday as he entered the final round three behind Charley Hoffman. His Sunday 65 wasn’t as good as his 64 in the previous edition but it did force a playoff at 21-under and allowed him to become the first to defend since Jim Furyk (two different courses) in 2006-07. Vegas rolled in 27 birdies, tied with Gary Woodland for the most, and players that made 25 birdies or more finished first, fourth, third, T5 and P2. #Clues. Vegas didn’t even lead the field in SG: Total, as he was fourth and MC in his previous five events. After seeing a pair of Canadians in the top 10 in 2015, T48 (Hadwin) was the best professional of 2016 while Mackenzie Hughes was T32 in 2017. Amateur Jared du Toit, who is in the field this week, played in the final group with Snedeker in 2016 and finished T9. NOTE: Golfers inside the top 25-ish in each statistic on the 2017-18 PGA TOUR are listed only if they are scheduled to compete this week. * – Finished inside the top 10 previously or past champion. Par-Breakers Rank  Golfer  1  *Dustin Johnson  6  Brooks Koepka 11 Tommy Fleetwood 12 Keith Mitchell 14 *Tony Finau 15 Aaron Wise 16 Brandon Harkins 17 J.J. Spaun 20 *Ricky Barnes 25 Sam Saunders 27 Tom Lovelady 28 Ryan Palmer 29 *Martin Laird 29 *Bubba Watson Sub-Par Rounds Rank  Golfer  5  Brandon Harkins  7  Chris Kirk  8  Corey Conners 10 Joel Dahmen 12 Ryan Armour 12 Jason Kokrak 17 Rory Sabbatini 19 Keith Mitchell 19 J.T. Poston 22 Brian Stuard 22 John Huh 22 Chez Reavie 22 Kevin Tway 29 Scott Brown 29 Tony Finau 29 Nick Watney 29 Ben Silverman 29 Tom Hoge Greens in Regulation Rank  Golfer  3  Sam Ryder  7  Andrew Putnam  9  *Gary Woodland 11 *Bubba Watson 12 J.J. Henry 14 J.J. Spaun 15 Keegan Bradley 19 Brett Stegmaier 23 *Tony Finau 25 Tyler Duncan 26 Corey Conners 28 Steve Stricker 29 Blayne Barber Birdie-or-Better Percentage Rank  Golfer  2  *Dustin Johnson  8  Brooks Koepka 11 *Ricky Barnes 12 Brandon Harkins 15 Tommy Fleetwood 17 Aaron Wise 18 Ryan Palmer 20 Ollie Schniederjans 26 David Lingmerth 27 *Martin Laird Glen Abbey Golf Club was one of Jack Nicklaus’ first designs and was introduced to the rotation in 1977. Hosting for the 30th time overall, Glen Abbey will play again to a Par-72 and stretch to only 7,253 yards. The parkland-style layout begins in the trees before heading back in the valley of Sixteen Mile Creek. With Par-5 chances on two of the last three holes it’s hardly a wonder why 54-hole leaders haven’t closed the deal in the last three editions. With room to swing the driver and GIR will be the key to circling the most birdies again this week. I always enjoy looking back before looking forward but even more so with an event that uses the same track. Glen Abbey has evolved over the years but the last major renovation was the rerouting after the 2008 tournament. Since 2009 it has played to Par-72 and has three Par-5 holes on the inward nine (35-37). All of the greens were using Creeping Bentgrass as of the 2016 edition and will roll upward of 11 feet for the week. The 85 bunkers and 12 water hazards are mainly for decoration as the wind will determine the difficulty this week. With dry weather most of July, the Kentucky bluegrass and rye at three inches shouldn’t pose a problem. The greens are usually in excellent shape so there’s no coincidence why birdies are poured in annually. It also doesn’t hurt there are four Par-5 holes and the course is hardly considered long by today’s standards. Tiger Woods’ 266 (-22) remains the tournament target just outside Toronto. Robert Garrigus used 10 birdies to post the lowest score at Glen Abbey in Round 3 last year. John Merrick’s 62 were on the old greens in 2013. Gamers please remember that Glen Abbey did NOT host the 2010, 2011, 2012 or 2014 events. I’ll look at the players who made the cut in these events as it suggests form at the time but will not use any stats or finishes below. As for The Open angle, it’s not a huge concern this week. These guys make their schedules well in advance and should be excited to decompress with a bunch of birdies. We know Dustin Johnson, Ian Poulter, Sergio Garcia and Brandt Snedeker will be rested more than most. I’ll also point out the Barbasol Championship had a Monday finish so that should just about square the whole deal. Heck, it might be easier to fly from Edinburgh to Toronto than Lexington, Kentucky, to Toronto! I wouldn’t read too much into it! QUICK FACTS: • Chez Reavie was the last debutant to win the event and it was at Glen Abbey in 2008. • Dustin Johnson is 28-under in his last eight rounds in Canada. • Brandt Snedeker was the last American to win this event (2013, Glen Abbey). • Another week on Bentgrass (TPC River Highlands, TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm, The Old White TPC, TPC Deere Run, Keane Trace). • The cut last year was 4-under. • Vegas has made 50 birdies in his last 144 holes at Glen Abbey. Rob Bolton’s Power Rankings will give you more juice for the week so make sure you stop by. It’s also who I trust with the weather each week so pay attention!  NOTE: The groups below are comprehensive to assist in data mining. Inclusion doesn’t imply automatic endorsement in every fantasy game as all decisions are specific to your situation.  

Click here to read the full article…

Here are nine tidbits from the second round of the World Golf Championship-Mexico Championship at the Club de Golf Chapultepec outside Mexico City that gamers can use tomorrow, this weekend or down the road. Be looking for the Emergency 9 shortly after the close of play of each round of the tournament. Pain or Gain These were the top-five picked golfers in the PGA TOUR Fantasy One & Done presented by SERVPRO: Without a cut this week, gamers can cross their fingers, rub their lucky rabbit feet and pray that the 72nd hole will matter for their selection. We haven’t seen a low one this week as the Poa annua greens are difficult to read and errant ball striking is causing bother. People’s Choice Tommy Fleetwood sits No. 1 on this list just as he does in the PGA TOUR Fantasy Game presented by SERVPRO. After two rounds, he’s 12 shots off the pace as both his iron game and short game continues to struggle. Normally he’d be an afterthought and a trunk slam but since there is no cut gamers can dream a bit. I’m subbing him out to hedge my bets, so I’m hoping this will trigger 63 or lower! Leader Raise your hand if you had Shubhankar Sharma leading after 36 holes. Now keep it up if you were lying! The 21-year-old playing in his first PGA TOUR event leads by two. His performance has been spectacular as the moment, field or course has not gotten to him, yet. He’s obviously feeling the pressure as he’s eagled No. 1 on both days by driving the green! He came home in 31 (-5) and is the only player in double-figures at 11-under through 36. Spanish Armada Most gamers would think Jon Rahm would be included in this section but his even-par round of 71 saw him drop 13 spots to T20. His countrymen Rafael Cabrera Bello and Sergio Garcia (#NappyFactor) are sitting two shots behind surprise leader Sharma. Garcia shared the low round of the day with Kyle Stanley, as they both posted bogey-free rounds of 65. Cabrera Bello, who signed for 67 after his bogey-free 66 to open, has finally gotten his putter to cooperate and leads the field in Strokes Gained: putting. X-Man If you’re not on board with Xander Schauffele, fine, my job is not to convince you. As a rookie he won twice, including becoming the first to win The TOUR Championship. With that on his resume, I doubt he’s too worried about those around him. The proof is he’s the only player bogey-free after 36 holes. He’s trending properly as well with T5 at WMPO after three rounds and hit the top 10 at Riviera in his last start. 3 up Stanley, as mentioned above, was on fire thanks to his short game (6-6 scrambling) and putter (2nd, strokes-gained). His bogey-free 65 moved him up 20 spots to T12 but those putting numbers are the exception, not the rule. Caution. … Charley Hoffman also was bogey-free with 66 as he moved up 11 spots to match Stanley at T12. Gamers who loaded up on the San Diegan on the West Coast Swing were left scratching their heads, as his best result was only T26 at WMPO. He’s squared just one bogey and one other this week. … Jordan Spieth is quietly going about his business and signed for a bogey-free 67 (T14). He committed to the Valspar Championship today as he looks to find form before heading to Augusta. The putter continues to be the issue, as he missed a couple of short ones that kept him from getting REALLY low. 3 down                               With only one player in double-digits under-par, I would have thought a round of 70 (-1) would have been a decent outing today. Wrongo. Just ask Rickie Fowler and Tony Finau, as they backed up opening 68s with 70s and each fell 12 spots to T20. Finau backers were licking their chops when he was eight-under and one shot out of the lead. A double and a bogey in his last four holes halted the momentum. Fowler’s short game abandoned him Friday, and I doubt that’s going to continue…. Chris Paisley raised just as many eyebrows yesterday as Sharma did when he fired 65 to trail by one. He started on No. 10 today and turned at seven-under, stalking the lead. He bogeyed the first five holes on the front and carded 40 for 75. He dropped 27 spots to T29. Time to Panic?!? After back-to-back 74’s, Matt Kuchar investors need to blindly hang on or move a stronger player into the lineup. I’m not his biggest fan on Poa annua. … Chez Reavie’s excellent recent run ran out of gas at Riviera (T78). The week off last week didn’t help, yet, as he’s opened 72-73 and is T49. … Patrick Cantlay posted 70 followed by a 75 in Round 2. I love the way he grinds so we’ll see how committed he is after hitting only five fairways and six greens Friday. Study Hall Tiger Woods announced earlier on Friday that he will be playing the Valspar Championship at Innisbrook next week followed by the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill. He’s never played Innisbrook and is an eight-time champion at Bay Hill. … Hideki Matsuyama will not play at Valspar but will try and return at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill. … Martin Kaymer updates his injury via Twitter.

Click here to read the full article…

It’s Tom Brady/Aaron Rodgers vs. Patrick Mahomes/Josh Allen — in golf. Here’s the good, bad and ugly from the showdown.

Click here to read the full article…