Michael Kim wins $10,000 for charity at Travelers Championship’s Umbrella at 15½ contest

Click here to read the full article…

SAN ANTONIO — This week, Rory McIlroy begins another quest for the Masters Tournament, the elusive major championship he hasn’t yet won. His preparation began at home in Florida. He skipped the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play and “played some good rounds and got some good practice in,” he said Tuesday at the Valero Texas Open. Now he intends to work on his distance control, short putts, finesse shots around the greens and, if he can, putting himself under the duress of competition on a Sunday afternoon. “It’s a really good guide to see where my game is,” McIlroy said, “especially if you’re having to his shots under pressure to try to win a golf tournament. That’s when things start to stand out.” McIlroy has stood out here. He’s made one other start at the Valero Texas Open. He finished in second in 2013, then went on to tie for 25th at the Masters. He arrived in Texas late Tuesday after spending two days in Georgia. “It was good to be there, good to see the place,” he said of Augusta National, which he said he played twice. “At least coming into this event and playing this week, I don’t feel like there’s a rush to get there next week and cram. I feel like I’ve already done most of my work.” The course he faces this week in Texas — the Oaks Course at TPC San Antonio — resembles Augusta National in small but significant ways. “I think the runoffs around the greens, the undulations on the greens, some of the shots you face if you do miss (a green),” McIlroy said. “And some of the bunkering around this course, the bunkers are pretty deep around the greensides.” McIlroy has never finished better than fourth at the Masters, the last major he needs for the career Grand Slam. He entered the Valero Texas Open with modest momentum, including a win last fall at THE CJ CUP @SUMMIT in Las Vegas, a tie for 10th at The Genesis Invitational and a share of 13th at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard in 2022. He tied for 33rd in his last start, THE PLAYERS Championship. He seemed unconcerned with his driving and approach play after a nine-hole pro-am Tuesday morning. “Off the tee feels really good. Iron play is feeling good,” he said. “For the most part, my game feels good, so it was just a case of just continuing to do what I’ve been doing over the last couple of weeks.” He said he was in a far better place than he was at this time last year, when he missed the cut at the Masters for the first time in his 13 starts. “I’m way more comfortable with my game,” he said. “I’m happy with where everything is. Everything seems like it’s a lot more settled.”

Click here to read the full article…

The 2021-22 PGA TOUR regular season has arrived at its final fortnight. It always feels like the last few days of senior year in high school. Once class it dismissed, the field for the FedExCup Playoffs will be determined, as will the qualifiers for the Korn Ferry Tour Finals. Many golfers will reunite sooner and later, while some never will. Get those yardage books signed now, fellas. RELATED: Play Pick ‘Em Live | The First Look | Inside the Field Donald Ross designs will serve as the stages for both of the next two tournaments. Detroit Golf Club hosts this week’s Rocket Mortgage Classic for the fourth time, and a field of 156 has assembled. For what it should expect inside the ropes, how Cam Davis completed the mission en route to his breakthrough victory, and more, continue reading beneath the ranking of those projected to contend. POWER RANKINGS: ROCKET MORTGAGE CLASSIC Webb Simpson, Adam Scott, Matt Kuchar and Cameron Tringale will be among the notables reviewed in Draws and Fades. Although its bones can be traced to the 19th century, Detroit GC very much caters to the 21st-century approach of relying on advances in equipment to mitigate trouble found off the tee, the worst rough of which will reach four inches. In short, it pays to be long. That said, much like Ross’ Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina, site of next week’s Wyndham Championship, Detroit GC allows for all skills sets to shine. Proper tracks oblige like that. The stock par 72 tips at 7,370 yards for the second straight year. There are two courses on the property – the North and the South – and almost all of the North Course is utilized. Because the par-4 third hole uses a tee on the South Course and a green on the North Course, the routing for the RMC is classified as a composite. Not unlike last week at TPC Twin Cities, capitalizing on the par 5s in Motown will matter. They frequently do on par 72s but compared to its siblings – the par 3s and par 4s – the four par 5s stand tallest. Last year’s field averaged 4.71 to position Detroit GC as T16-hardest among 51 courses during the super season of 2020-21. En route to his playoff victory, Cam Davis led the field in par-5 scoring at 4.25. He was bogey-free 12-under with an eagle and 10 birdies. Even though he’s one of the longest off the tee, his skill set has played up on shorter tracks more often, so last year’s success is evidence both of how the course rewards execution and his capacity to adapt. It’s a good thing, too, because the Aussie didn’t dazzle like most winners, but he maximized on his chances. He ranked T24 in greens hit, but he averaged just three GIR above field average over 72 holes, 55 to 52. Yet, he ranked second in converting his looks into par breakers. Detroit GC made possible his coronation as a PGA TOUR winner with spikes of brilliance atop a balanced bag. The 5,150-square foot greens feature a common blend of Poa and bentgrass. They should reach the max prepared length of 12½ feet on the Stimpmeter deep into the tournament, too. After early-week rain passes, sunny and dry conditions will drop anchor. Wind could be a mild factor early, but it won’t be generating any headlines. Daytime highs will be in the 80s. It’s customary summer weather in the Lower Peninsula. ROB BOLTON’S SCHEDULE PGATOUR.com’s Rob Bolton recaps and previews every tournament from numerous perspectives. Look for his following contributions as scheduled. MONDAY: Power Rankings TUESDAY*: Sleepers, Draws & Fades WEDNESDAY: Pick ’Em Preview SUNDAY: Medical Extensions, Qualifiers, Reshuffle, Rookie Ranking * – Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COM’s Expert Picks for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf, which also publishes on Tuesday.

Click here to read the full article…