Mickelson fires 67 for 2-shot Furyk & Friends lead

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The career grand slam never should be accepted as a given, yet there is a sense that it’s only a matter of time before Rory McIlroy converts on the final leg at the Masters. Even urgency isn’t yet a narrative despite this week’s attempt being his fifth since winning the 2014 Open Championship. He’s only 29 years of age. Of course, in the context of hoisting the hardware in all four, clutching the last piece is hardest. There’s a singular target and everyone knows it. Byron Nelson, Sam Snead, Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson, Raymond Floyd and Lee Trevino each came up one major short of the achievement. Among active players, you (and they) don’t need a reminder that Jordan Spieth (PGA Championship) and Phil Mickelson (U.S. Open) also are one major shy. Only Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods have accomplished what McIlroy is up first this year to attempt. The vibe that McIlroy will join golf’s most impressive club is in no small way attributed to his adaptation to worldwide scheduling in 2019. He’s streamlined and simplified. He wants the green jacket so badly and without any additional delay that he’s cleared the lane ahead. A Master of his own domain, you might say. And it’s no contest. It’s working. Since opening the calendar year with a T4 at Kapalua, McIlroy has gone T5-T4-2nd-T6-Win-T9, entirely on the PGA TOUR. So, the form is tip-top. And in the last four Masters, he’s recorded a 4th-T10-T7-T5 run, so it’s not like he’s a long shot as it concerns the tournament proper. If you haven’t figured it out by now, it’s time to ride McIlroy into the history books. If I didn’t burn him at Bay Hill, I wouldn’t hesitate. He’s addressed the potential pressure of the career grand slam with exactly the kind of professionalism that the challenge requires. Reviewing other options, when it comes to the Masters, it’s all about the chalk for the course. While McIlroy prevailed at THE PLAYERS Championship, this week’s process essentially is the opposite of the same for TPC Sawgrass where we search on the fringe for our selection to save on talent. Whereas the Stadium Course always wins, there is zero concern about leaning on a notable who has played well at Augusta National Golf Club before. If you’re new to the tournament, come to learn that this is precisely the point of the experience, which is rewarded over time. They don’t hand out degrees, but it’s called the Masters for a reason. Jordan Spieth is a modern-day machine at Augusta National, and his expectation to perform is high because of his success. For him to navigate to the top of your list, you need to ignore the cobwebs and crickets of his 2018-19 season. However, I can’t endorse that philosophy. Continue to wait him out. If he has the goods, he’ll deliver, and then he will again later. As crazy as it sounds, he’s a trap in our format this week. Consider again in 2020. Then there’s Woods for whom the Masters easily is his best remaining slot on the schedule. He would have been my pick at Bay Hill, but his early withdrawal compelled me to pivot to McIlroy. There isn’t anything that Woods hasn’t done that he’s set out to do, so his pursuit of major victory No. 15 just happens to remain one of his goals. Regardless of your position, he’s an easy pick. (As if you needed me to support that!) Justin Rose is the last big stick on the board who captures my attention to the degree of recommending him as strongly as McIlroy and Woods. No one is more comfortable with who he is and he’s checked off every box during his career. While a Patrick Reed-to-McIlroy fitting of the green jacket conjures provocative imagery, it’d make as much sense to watch the Englishman slide his arms into the sleeves. If you’re considering another, please refer to my Power Rankings for general confidence and crosscheck with Future Possibilities below. Because that preview encompasses the entire field of 87, it should be easier than usual to discern my opinion for everyone. That said, because decisions can vary if you’re pacing or chasing, front-runners should feel confident with Dustin Johnson, Paul Casey and Louis Oosthuizen as well. If you want to gain ground and avert the stymie, Rickie Fowler, Bubba Watson and Hideki Matsuyama are relatively strong angles for various reasons. While positioned in my Power Rankings, the likes of Reed, Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas, Francesco Molinari, Brooks Koepka, Sergio Garcia and Jason Day all make more sense as complements in roster formats. If still available to you in PGA TOUR Fantasy One & Done or your earnings-based format, holster for another event. With so many commodities, two-man gamers should employ the 1-1a formula. Being with the McIlroy-Woods ticket and bathe in other possibilities. FUTURE POSSIBILITIES NOTE: Select golfers committed to the tournament are listed alphabetically. Future tournaments are sorted chronologically and reflect previous success on the courses on which the tournaments will be held in 2018-19. The numerical values in parentheses represent the order of relative confidence of where to use each golfer if multiple sites are listed (e.g. 1 for strongest, 2 for next-strongest and so on). To present weighted confidence in real time, numerical values will not change all season no matter how many tournament remain listed for each golfer. All are pending golfer commitment. Keegan Bradley … Memorial (5); Travelers (4) Rafa Cabrera Bello … Wyndham (4) Patrick Cantlay … Memorial (3) Paul Casey … Masters (2); Wells Fargo (9); Travelers (1); TOUR Championship (3) Jason Day … Masters (4); Wells Fargo (6 defending); PGA Championship (3); U.S. Open (10); Open Championship (9) Bryson DeChambeau … Heritage (1);  Memorial (2; defending); Travelers (4); John Deere (7) Tony Finau … Memorial (2) Rickie Fowler … Masters (2); Wells Fargo (6); PGA Championship (9); Memorial (5); U.S. Open (10) Sergio Garcia … Masters (6); Open Championship (5); TOUR Championship (2) Branden Grace … Byron Nelson (5); U.S. Open (4) Emiliano Grillo … Charles Schwab (3) Charley Hoffman … Masters (4); Heritage (7); Charles Schwab (6); Travelers (1) J.B. Holmes … Wells Fargo (5) Billy Horschel … New Orleans (3; defending); Wyndham (6); TOUR Championship (1) Dustin Johnson … Masters (8); PGA Championship (11); Memorial (10); U.S. Open (1); WGC-St. Jude (6); TOUR Championship (7) Zach Johnson … Charles Schwab (5); John Deere (1); Open Championship (2); TOUR Championship (8) Si Woo Kim … Heritage (1) Kevin Kisner … Heritage (3); New Orleans (5); Charles Schwab (2); Memorial (6) Brooks Koepka … Masters (7); PGA Championship (2; defending); Charles Schwab (6); U.S. Open (1; two-time defending); Open Championship (8) Matt Kuchar … Masters (6); Heritage (2); Charles Schwab (7); Memorial (1); Open Championship (8) Marc Leishman … Byron Nelson (6); Memorial (4); Travelers (3); Open Championship (8) Hideki Matsuyama … Masters (4); PGA Championship (13); Memorial (8); U.S. Open (14); Wyndham (7); TOUR Championship (5) Rory McIlroy … Masters (4); Wells Fargo (3); Memorial (5); Travelers (8); Open Championship (1); TOUR Championship (6) Phil Mickelson … Masters (9); Wells Fargo (2); Open Championship (8); WGC-St. Jude (3) Francesco Molinari … Wells Fargo (6); PGA Championship (4); Open Championship (1; defending) Kevin Na … Charles Schwab (3); Wyndham (5) Louis Oosthuizen … Masters (2); U.S. Open (5); PGA Championship (4) Jon Rahm … Masters (5); Charles Schwab (1); TOUR Championship (7) Patrick Reed … Masters (5; defending); PGA Championship (4); U.S. Open (3); Travelers (7) Justin Rose … Masters (1); Charles Schwab (7; defending); Memorial (4); Open Championship (8); TOUR Championship (2) Xander Schauffele … U.S. Open (3); Open Championship (4); TOUR Championship (1) Adam Scott … Masters (6); Byron Nelson (11); PGA Championship (8); U.S. Open (9); Open Championship (7); TOUR Championship (3) Webb Simpson … Heritage (6); Wells Fargo (7); Charles Schwab (8); Travelers (9); Wyndham (1) Cameron Smith … Wyndham (3) Brandt Snedeker … Masters (10); Heritage (6); Charles Schwab (7); U.S. Open (5); Travelers (9); Wyndham (1; defending) Jordan Spieth … Masters (1); PGA Championship (7); Charles Schwab (5); Memorial (13); U.S. Open (4); Travelers (9); Open Championship (6); TOUR Championship (8) Henrik Stenson … Masters (5); PGA Championship (4); Open Championship (6); Wyndham (8); TOUR Championship (7) Justin Thomas … PGA Championship (9); Memorial (8); TOUR Championship (3) Jimmy Walker … Valero (2); Byron Nelson (6) Bubba Watson … Masters (5); Memorial (7); Travelers (2; defending); TOUR Championship (8) Gary Woodland … Memorial (4) Tiger Woods … Masters (2); Memorial (4); THE NORTHERN TRUST (6); TOUR Championship (5; defending)

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Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on November 19, 2020. Tournament host Greg Norman announced today the 12 two-man teams for the 2020 QBE Shootout. This year's tournament will be held December 9 – 13 and will celebrate its 20th year at Tiburon Golf Club at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort, Naples. The QBE Shootout will welcome 16 of the top 50 ranked players in the world to Naples including world #13 Daniel Berger, #14 and U.S. Open runner-up Matthew Wolff, #19 Tony Finau and #20 Louis Oosthuizen. Seven QBE Shootout participants finished inside the top 25 at last week's Masters Tournament including world #27 Cameron Smith, who finished T2. Smith also set a Masters' record by becoming the first player to shoot all four rounds in the 60s. World #22 Abraham Ancer, #26 Marc Leishman and #38 Kevin Na all finished tied for 13th place while Cameron Champ and Sebastian Muñoz had strong showings with a four-way tie for 19th. The 32nd edition of the Shootout will feature eight new teams competing for the $3.6 million purse. The four returning teams include defending champions Rory Sabbatini and Kevin Tway; Harris English and Matt Kuchar, a team that has claimed victory at the Shootout in 2013 and 2016; Ryan Palmer and Harold Varner III as well as Billy Horschel and Brendon Todd; both teams finished T3 last year. "I couldn't be more pleased with the collection of players heading to Tiburon Golf Club this year. We have one of the strongest fields in the event's history and that has led to 12 incredible pairings," Tournament Host Greg Norman said. "The competition will be fierce this year, so I'm looking forward to an exciting three days of golf for our global television audience to enjoy." Sungjae Im has withdrawn from the tournament and has been replaced by Na. Golf Channel will broadcast Friday's first round competition and the final two rounds will be featured live on both Golf Channel and NBC. The QBE Shootout will once again showcase a scramble format during the first round, a modified alternate shot format on Saturday and a final round better ball on Sunday. CureSearch for Children's Cancer will continue to be the tournament's primary charitable beneficiary. Since 1989, the Shootout has raised more than $14 million for charitable causes. For the latest QBE Shootout news and information, visit the official tournament website at www.qbeshootout.com, like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram @QBEshootout. Below is a snapshot of the 12 teams: Rory Sabbatini – Kevin Tway (Combined seven PGA TOUR wins and 2019 QBE Shootout) Sabbatini will be playing in his eleventh Shootout and Tway his second. In addition to his win, Sabbatini finished runner-up in both 2011 and 2012 with two different partners. They will attempt to become the first team since 2004 to successfully defend its QBE Shootout title. Louis Oosthuizen – Bubba Watson (26 worldwide wins including three major Championships) The South African will be playing in his first Shootout while Watson will be making his sixth appearance. Watson defeated Oosthuizen in a playoff to win the first of his two Masters in 2012. The only time these two faced each other in a Presidents Cup was 2015 when Oosthuizen and Branden Grace defeated Watson and J.B. Holmes in four ball. Harris English – Matt Kuchar (11 PGA TOUR wins and two QBE Shootout wins as a team) Playing together for the first time since 2017, Kuchar and English will partner for the sixth time. One of the most successful pairings in Shootout history, this team has won twice (2013, 2016) and also has two runner-up finishes (2014, 2015). The duo holds the tournament record for largest margin of victory, which was seven strokes when they won in 2013. Daniel Berger – Steve Stricker (15 PGA TOUR wins and two QBE Shootout wins) Paired together for the first time. Stricker won the 2011 Shootout with Jerry Kelly and the 2017 title with Sean O'Hair. Stricker, the current U.S. Ryder Cup Captain, snapped a streak of eleven consecutive appearances from 2008 through 2018 last year when he served as Assistant Captain of the U.S. Presidents Cup team. Berger is making his third start and first since 2017 when he and Gary Woodland finished T4. Sebastian Muñoz – Joaquin Niemann (Both secured first PGA TOUR title in 2019) This pairing marks the first Latin American team in Shootout history; Muñoz representing Colombia and Niemann representing Chile. One of the young gun teams this year, both are in their 20s. The last time a rookie team won the Shootout was Keegan Bradley and Brendan Steele in 2011. Abraham Ancer – Matthew Wolff (Two worldwide wins) Ancer, age 27 and Wolff, 21, is the youngest team in the Shootout and they also boast the highest combined world ranking in the field. This will be Ancer's first appearance while Wolff returns after finishing 6th last year with Viktor Hovland. Ancer, currently ranked #22 in the world, was the first Mexican player to crack the top 50 in the world in 2019 and the first Mexican player to participate in the Presidents Cup. Billy Horschel – Brendon Todd (Eight PGA TOUR wins) This team finished T3 last year. Horschel will be making his eighth consecutive start and Todd his second. Both players qualified for the TOUR Championship in September. During the 2019-2020 season, they combined for ten top-10 finishes. Ryan Palmer – Harold Varner III (Five worldwide wins) Playing together for the second straight year, having finished T3 last year. Both are making their third start in the QBE Shootout. Palmer has skyrocketed up the world golf rankings in 2020 from 91 to start the year to currently 31. Marc Leishman – Cameron Smith (16 worldwide wins) This Australian duo is another rookie team in the Shootout. It is also the first all-Australian team since 2005 when Steve Elkington and Greg Norman played together. Ten years separate these two with Leishman, age 37 and Smith, 27. Cameron Champ – Tony Finau (Three PGA TOUR wins) Regarded as two of the longest hitters on TOUR, Champ and Finau are back at the QBE Shootout after missing the 2019 event and will be paired together for the first time. Both finished in the top 10 at the PGA Championship and by season's end were qualified for the TOUR Championship. Lanto Griffin – Mackenzie Hughes (Two PGA TOUR wins) Another rookie team to the Shootout. Hughes was the first rookie in 20 years to win wire-to-wire when he won the 2016 RSM Classic, in only his fifth PGA TOUR start. Griffin earned his first TOUR victory at the 2019 Houston Open in his 33rd start. Kevin Na – Sean O'Hair (Eight PGA TOUR wins and two QBE Shootout wins) O'Hair, a two-time champion, returns for his 10th consecutive appearance. O'Hair has won at Tiburon with two different partners so it could be a good sign for Na, who is making his second appearance. Na finished T3 in 2018 with Bryson DeChambeau.

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