Mickelson’s missed cut raises questions

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NOTE: For three events, Rob is focusing only on golfers needing a good performance to advance in the FedExCup Playoffs. In this final edition, all five below enter the BMW Championship outside the top 30 in points. Scenarios for all golfers to advance will be published later this week. Shane Lowry (+125 for a Top 20) … He didn’t come this far not to go any farther. Sure, you could say the same thing about everyone in the field at the BMW Championship, but few have been as consistently strong as the 35-year-old throughout 2022. With a trio of podium finishes leading the way, including his solo second in the ill-timed rain at the finish line of The Honda Classic, he’s 37th in the FedExCup. If there’s any cosmic balance in the golf world, it’ll be his turn to climb into the top 30, just as FedEx St. Jude Championship playoff victim (and Honda champion) Sepp Straka did on Sunday. Entering the week, Lowry was 28th, but Straka has since climbed from 35th to eighth. And you can bet that the Irishman will have an umbrella at the ready with rain in the forecast in Wilmington on the weekend. Aaron Wise (+110 for a Top 20) … Of all of the guys outside the top 30 in the FedExCup upon arrival, his position is most envious. That’s because he’s 31st after a T31 at TPC Southwind. Like others, he’s long and accurate from tee to green, but that’s exactly the formula for success on Wilmington Country Club’s South Course this week. It was just a couple of months ago when he challenged for a solo second at Muirfield Village, another stretched-out track with bentgrass greens. Denny McCarthy (+275 for a Top 20) … This bet is a gimme, right? In his last seven starts, he’s recorded three top 10s, one T20 and missed three cuts. With no cut at the BMW Championship, he’s a lock for a top 20! Of course, if it worked that way, there wouldn’t be any risk, but investors in his starts haven’t felt much of that with him for most of the season, anyway. Currently 35th in the FedExCup and on the pantheon of the best putters on the PGA TOUR. K.H. Lee … If he wasn’t as high as his current position of 33rd in the FedExCup, he probably wouldn’t have landed in the final edition of Sleepers for the 2021-22 season. (Promotional note: The Power Rankings for the TOUR Championship always is a full-field version.) Since defending his breakthrough victory at the 2021 AT&T Byron Nelson with another title three months ago, he’s 6-for-9 but with just two top 35s. Both are top 20s, including a T20 last week at TPC Southwind where he was perfect on 60 looks from eight feet and in, nine of which were from outside three feet. The moral of the matter is that he has the firepower to deliver on value that you’ll find on the boards. Emiliano Grillo … When the regular season was entering its last six weeks, he was just inside the top 150 of the FedExCup and devoid a top-15 finish since The Open Championship in 2021. But then, in a four-week span bridging the 2022 Open, the 29-year-old from Argentina hung up a pair of runner-up finishes to secure his seventh Playoffs appearance in as many tries. Now, at 55th in points, it’s going to require another sparkling performance to advance to the TOUR Championship for the first time since he was the Rookie of the Year in 2015-16. With his tee-to-green precision on a course with unfamiliar greens, his skill set is poised to fulfill the objective. Incidentally, the last time a golfer outside the top 45 in the FedExCup at the BMW Championship qualified for the finale in any iteration of the points structure was Keegan Bradley in 2018. He did it with a victory. The last to turn the trick without a win was Robert Castro in 2016. He placed third at the BMW to jump from 53rd to 21st. Odds were sourced on Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2022. For live odds, visit BetMGM.

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As of Tuesday afternoon, Webb Simpson is rostered by two-thirds of gamers in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf for the Wyndham Championship. Only two-thirds! How does this happen? Here, I was ready to recommend that only gamers in pursuit should abstain because front-runners will be using him for defensive purposes. Simpson at Sedgefield probably is on the podium of sites at which One & Doners write him down in ink before the season starts. Despite its slot on the schedule, it’s an acceptable push because you can’t lose ground in that format, but in the roster game that totals the scores for four golfers and with quadrupled bonus points in each of the three FedExCup Playoffs events lined up next, the smarter play is the no-play. Even if Simpson wins (again) at Sedgefield, you can absorb the hit with the promise of volatility straight ahead. If you’re still with me on that approach, pivot to Will Zalatoris. Because he’s not eligible for the Playoffs unless he wins the Wyndham, it’ll be his last start of the 2020-21 season. If you’re concerned about his health, that’s fair, but consider that he mustered the strength to sign for four rounds in the 60s at TPC Southwind en route to his T8. He’s absolutely ideal to spell Simpson for chasers. RELATED: Power Rankings | PGATOUR.COM Expert Picks PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf My roster for the Wyndham Championship (in alphabetical order): Russell Henley Sungjae Im Si Woo Kim Kevin Kisner Webb Simpson Will Zalatoris You’ll find my starters in Expert Picks. Others to consider for each category (in alphabetical order): Scoring: Joel Dahmen; Brian Harman; Jason Kokrak; Hideki Matsuyama; Seamus Power; Rory Sabbatini; Adam Scott; Brandt Snedeker; Matthew Wolff Driving: Joel Dahmen; Lucas Glover; Brian Harman; Jim Herman; Jason Kokrak; Hideki Matsuyama; Louis Oosthuizen; Harold Varner III POWER RANKINGS WILD CARD Rickie Fowler (+5000) … He’s fully exempt through the 2022-23 season but he’s not inside the bubble to qualify for the FedExCup Playoffs, so there is pressure to perform slotted 130th. We give him the benefit of the doubt that he’s invigorated by the immediacy of something so valuable at stake, so reserve him for fractional purposes in DFS. DRAWS Lucas Glover (+8000)… He hadn’t yet qualified for The Open Championship (MC) and the World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational (T57) until he won the John Deere Classic a month ago, so treat those starts as bonuses on which he didn’t capitalize. The Wyndham Championship has been a staple on his schedule throughout his career, so anticipate a rebound and a springboard into the Playoffs. At Sedgefield, he’s gone 8-for-12 with five top 25s. It’s a test that rewards his skill set as a ball-striker and it won’t overpower as the 41-year-old ages. Jim Herman (+10000)… It’s strange but true that he’s defending a title for the second time in three starts. Four weeks ago, he placed T20 at the Barbasol Championship after sitting on that trophy since 2019. Now he returns to Sedgefield where he shot 16-under 124 on the weekend to prevail by one shot. He had hung up a pair of top 20s previously on this track, so it already was a comfort zone for the ball-striker. With five consecutive paydays upon arrival this time, he projects to serve DFSers well. Tommy Fleetwood (+5000)… Good for the payday but he’s gone five months without a top 10 and sits 136th in the FedExCup. His worst-case scenario is that he falls short of the Playoffs and then focuses on the Ryder Cup. Ryan Armour Joel Dahmen Talor Gooch Zach Johnson Kevin Na Patrick Rodgers Charl Schwartzel Adam Scott Roger Sloan Harold Varner III Matthew Wolff Gary Woodland Odds sourced on Tuesday, August 3 at 5 a.m. ET. For live odds visit betmgm. FADES Erik van Rooyen (+6600)… Nappy Factor, uh, baby! Gotta credit him for retaining this week’s commitment after last week’s career-changing experience, and we know that he’s won abroad, but it’s been a heavy, life-changing summer for the 31-year-old South African. Let’s give him the week to decompress and celebrate. If he goes on to contend again, then it’ll be the exception for a scenario like his. Bubba Watson (+6600)… First trip to Sedgefield in 12 years, so I’m lowering expectations based on that alone. The 42-year-old has had a terrific season with five top 10s among nine top 25s, but he’s still just 71st in the FedExCup, so the timing to contribute once more and slide inside the top 70 for a deeper run is perfect. Francesco Molinari (+12500)… The cynic in me has to give attention to the fact that this will be his 15th start of the season. It meets the membership minimum to retain voting privileges and avoids a one-year restriction from membership. He’s 140th in the FedExCup (and has missed six of his last eight cuts worldwide), so he likely would need to finish no worse than sixth to qualify for the Playoffs. This is just his second appearance at Sedgefield (T24, 2014). Matt Jones Matt Kuchar Luke List Chez Reavie Justin Rose Kyle Stanley Brendon Todd Jhonattan Vegas RETURNING TO COMPETITION Hank Lebioda … Hasn’t played since the 3M Open where he made the cut but withdrew at the midpoint to be with his father who was experiencing a serious health-related issue. Prior to it, the lefty was on some kind of tear. He was 7-for-7 with a pair of top 20s ahead of a T5-T4-T8 run into July. Also 2-for-2 at Sedgefield, so with the resolution of knowing his dad is on the mend, the byproduct of what happened is experienced in the form of a mental break from the day job and physical rest. At 90th in the FedExCup, he’s poised to make noise now and next week. Kramer Hickok … Rested since walking off TPC Deere Run during the second round of the John Deere Classic with a sore rib. He’s 86th in the FedExCup on the strength of the eight-hole playoff loss at the Travelers two weeks prior. Wildly inconsistent, so invest elsewhere. Vaughn Taylor … Injuries to his lower back (3M) and a rib (Barracuda) forced mid-tournament withdrawals in consecutive starts. He’s 148th in the FedExCup and 6-for-8 at Sedgefield, but he is unownable until he proves he’s healthy. NOTABLE WDs Patrick Reed … It’s not often when I drop an “indefatigable” on a golfer, as I did on him in the Power Rankings before he opted out on Tuesday. You can’t play them all, which is how the conclusion of his season was lining up because of the late call to compete in the Olympics. He was on the road for four straight weeks through Memphis and the three-event Playoffs await. If there’s a negative to the rest, it’s that he’s forfeiting the chance to finish inside the Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10. At 22nd in the FedExCup, he had a chance to rise to as high as eighth. Sam Burns … Now 10th in the FedExCup following his playoff loss at TPC Southwind. Pat Perez … It was interesting for a while there, but he climbed from outside the top 125 in the FedExCup with a sturdy summer that included a trio of top 15s. Currently 104th and headed back to the Playoffs. He’s missed only one edition in his career (2016) and that was because he was sidelined for eight months after having surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder. Rafa Cabrera Bello … At 169th in the FedExCup, the Spaniard will qualify only for the Korn Ferry Tour Finals, but he already had locked that up when he finished 129th in the 2019-20 FedExCup. He’s a good reminder that all who finished 126-200 in points both last season and this season are eligible. Kevin Stadler … It would have been his last start on a Major Medical Extension. POWER RANKINGS RECAP – World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational Power Ranking Golfer Result 1 Brooks Koepka T54 2 Jordan Spieth T12 3 Daniel Berger T5 4 Louis Oosthuizen T17 5 Dustin Johnson T10 6 Collin Morikawa T26 7 Matt Fitzpatrick T57 8 Scottie Scheffler 14th 9 Viktor Hovland T36 10 Rory McIlroy T12 11 Justin Thomas T26 12 Webb Simpson T15 13 Billy Horschel T17 14 Abraham Ancer Win 15 Xander Schauffele T46 16 Shane Lowry T23 17 Corey Conners T36 18 Brian Harman T36 19 Phil Mickelson T17 20 Sergio Garcia T26 Wild Card Patrick Cantlay T23 SLEEPERS RECAP – World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational Golfer Result Jim Herman T46 Ryosuke Kinoshita T43 Martin Laird T57 Carlos Ortiz T36 Aaron Rai T26 POWER RANKINGS RECAP – Barracuda Championship Power Ranking Golfer Result 1 Branden Grace T30 2 Maverick McNealy T18 3 Ryan Moore MC 4 Emiliano Grillo T27 5 Brian Stuard MC 6 Brandt Snedeker MC 7 Chez Reavie T43 8 Thomas Pieters T54 9 Mito Pereira T39 10 Justin Suh MC OTHERS TO CONSIDER RECAP – Barracuda Championship Golfer Result Ryan Armour MC Brandon Hagy 5th Aaron Wise MC BIRTHDAYS AMONG ACTIVE MEMBERS OF THE PGA TOUR August 10 … none August 11 … Morgan Hoffmann (32) August 12 … Chase Seiffert (30) August 13 … Tommy Gainey (46) August 14 … Lucas Bjerregaard (30) August 15 … Ted Purdy (48); Harold Varner III (31) August 16 … Will Zalatoris (25) Visit BetMGM.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ years of age or older to wager. 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