Monday Finish: Bryson DeChambeau’s driving leads to victory, Rickie Fowler finds form

SAN DIEGO – When Charles Howell III hits the iconic 18th hole at Torrey Pines South the bad memory comes flooding back … every single time. Never mind that he’s 18 of 18 making cuts at the Farmers Insurance Open with eight top 10s and three runner up finishes. Or that his 6-under 66 on Thursday was the equal low on the traditionally much tougher South Course to have him sit tied sixth. For 14 years now the one bad memory – amongst a vast bank of good ones at the venue – takes over. At the 2005 Farmers Insurance Open Howell III had a chance to win at the 18th before disaster struck. In a weather interrupted week he had posted a third round 8-under 64 to move within one of the lead but with no repairing continued into his fourth round well ahead of other contenders. The par-5 finishing hole beckoned with Howell sitting 1 under on his final round looking to post a score for the likes of Tiger Woods, Tom Lehman and Luke Donald to best. Howell III had wedge in hand looking to dial in something close. “It was 93 yards. I mean, give or take an inch. There hasn’t been a time I haven’t thought about it,â€� Howell III recalls of his third shot. The ball sailed straight at the flag and cannoned into the hole on the fly, bouncing back out just as quickly and ricocheted into the billabong guarding the front of the green. Instead of an eagle that would have seen him post 16 under, he settled for bogey and 13 under. It meant a runner up behind Woods. MUST READS: Round 1, Farmers Insurance Open Tiger grinds out 2-under 70 on South Course Rahm riding high again at Torrey Pines, leads by one Spieth needed only 22 putts on North Course “I know I would have lost that event, I get it. He would have done something, I just wanted to see what he would have done,â€� Howell III says now. “But that makes me uncomfortable. That one got me because I think it flew in the hole. “Then the fact that it’s a yellow hazard, yellow penalty area, so I had to go back over it again. I haven’t gotten over that, no, but every time I play that hole I think about it every time.â€� But perhaps the three-time PGA TOUR winner will be able to let it go if he can leverage his opening round into the win he’s come so close to at the venue. His lightning start on the South means he could really forge ahead on a North Course that played over two shots easier on Thursday and yielded a 10-under 62 from leader Jon Rahm. The top five players on the leaderboard all played the North Course. “This is a golf course that you just can’t fall asleep on and you can’t fall asleep on the North now, either,â€� Howell III warned. “There’s not really one hole out there where you can kind of start cruising through it. As the week goes on, scores tend to calm down, 10, 11, 12 under is right there come Sunday afternoon, I like that about it. “It’s hard but it’s fair, there’s no tricks to it, there’s no gimmicks out there.â€� For the record, Howell III birded the 18th on Thursday.

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It's convenient practically for the end-of-year Official World Golf Ranking to be used to help fill the field at the next Masters, but it's also a coincidence that it occurs during the holiday season. For all intents and purposes, it's the gift that keeps on giving, even in an unprecedented year like 2020 as the world deals with the impact of a pandemic. With rare occasion to the contrary, all tours around the world take two weeks off to honor the holidays of Christmas and New Year's. So, once two tournaments on minor tours concluded this weekend and with no action around the world until January, the last OWGR of the calendar year was determined. Now that it's official, 2021 Masters invitations can be printed. Ten golfers in the top 50 of the OWGR through Dec. 31 have qualified for the Masters via this provision. Exemptions range from Matthew Fitzpatrick (16th) and Tommy Fleetwood (17th) through Ian Poulter (48th) and Matt Wallace (50th). All 10 have competed in at least once Masters previously. Those on the immediate outside of the top 50 and not yet eligible for the Masters include Erik van Rooyen (51st), Kevin Streelman (52nd), Rickie Fowler (53rd), Robert MacIntyre (55th), Chez Reavie (56th), Russell Henley (57th), Andy Sullivan (58th) and Will Zalatoris (59th). Those who made the largest leaps from the opening OWGR of 2020 to crack the top 50 in the final OWGR of the year include Daniel Berger (154th to 13th), Matthew Wolff (117th to 15th), Harris English (183rd to 28th) and Mackenzie Hughes (264th to 49th), but each already qualified for the 2021 Masters via another exemption. If you haven't visited this page since before the conclusion of the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai, you missed the 15 additions to the World Golf Championship-Mexico Championship via the 2020 Race to Dubai. Also, an update on Dec. 18 added 109 golfers to The Open Championship when the R&A released its qualifying criteria for a unique build of the 2021 edition of its major. Because it existed for only two days before this update for the Masters, the recap of the exemptions into The Open remains published in its entirety. PREVIOUS UPDATE (Dec. 18): The R&A today released the field for The Open Championship on July 15-18. Exemptions for all qualifiers for the 2020 edition that was canceled are honored, while adjustments necessary due to the impact of the pandemic were made. Because the shutdown occurred before the 2020 Open Qualifying Series concluded, none of the 2021 editions of the contributing events that were canceled or rescheduled in 2020 will be utilized. Instead, exemptions for the top 10 in the 2020 FedExCup and the top 10 in the 2020 Race to Dubai have helped fill the field. The R&A also extended Alex Noren's exemption for winning the 2017 BMW PGA Championship another year. The only previous automatic qualifier who isn't an eligible former champion and isn't listed below is 2019 U.S. Amateur champion Andy Ogletree. He forfeited his exemption when he turned professional this fall. REMAINING QUALIFYING CRITERIA for The Open has been updated below the alphabetical list. UPDATE (Dec. 22): As anticipated, the qualifying criteria for the two stroke-play World Golf Championships has been updated for 2021. WGC-Mexico Championship The traditional exemptions for the top two on the Japan Golf Tour's season-ending Order of Merit are honored - Yuki Inamori (first) and Chan Kim (second). Of the pair, only Kim has qualified previously(2018), but he elected not to compete. If either climbs into the top 50 of the Official World Golf Rankingon Feb. 15 or Feb. 22, then Takumi Kanaya (third in the Order of Merit) would be exempt. If both are positioned inside the top 50, then Rikuya Hoshino (fourth) also would be exempt. As of the final OWGR of 2020, Inamori is 157th and Kim is 74th. The Australasian Tour also sends its top two on the season-ending Order of Merit, but the circuit extended its season to conclude with the NSW Open on March 28 due to the pandemic. So, the top two in the year-ending Order of Merit have received the exemptions. Both Brad Kennedy (first) and Min Woo Lee (second) will be first-timers at Club de Golf Chapultepec. (In Lee's only start on the Australasian Tour in 2020, he won the ISPS Handa Vic Open on Feb. 9.) If Kennedy (157th in the OWGR) and/or Lee (170th) crack the top 50 of the OWGR on Feb. 15 or Feb. 22, then Ryan Fox (third in the Order of Merit) would gain entry. If both are inside the top 50, then Nick Flanagan (fifth) also would gain get in. Lucas Herbert (fourth) already has qualified. Because the Asian Tour canceled its 2020 season, the exemptions customarily reserved for its top two in the season-ending Order of Merit now will go to the top two in the Order of Merit on Feb. 8. WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational The last four exemptions have been defined. The winners of the Dimension Data Pro-Am (Feb. 14) and the Japan Golf Tour Championship (TBD) will gain entry. They will fulfill the exemptions traditionally reserved for the Sunshine Tour and Japan Golf Tour, respectively. Meanwhile, in lieu of winners of specific events on the Australasian and Asian Tours, the Order of Merit leaders on March 28 and July 12, respectively, will receive the exemptions. NOTE: Golfers are omitted if they recently haven't competed in majors for which they are eligible (e.g. PGA Championship=David Toms; The Open Championship=Justin Leonard). TPC = THE PLAYERS Championship MAS = Masters (Second edition of the 2020-21 PGA TOUR season) PGA = PGA Championship US = U.S. Open (Second edition of the 2020-21 PGA TOUR season) OPEN = The Open Championship MEX = WGC-Mexico Championship MP = WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play SJI = WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational Recent Additions TPC — none MAS — Christiaan Bezuidenhout; Matthew Fitzpatrick; Tommy Fleetwood; Matt Kuchar; Victor Perez; Ian Poulter; Justin Rose; Matt Wallace; Lee Westwood; Bernd Wiesberger PGA — none US — none OPEN — 109 golfers as recognized below MEX — Yuki Inamori; Brad Kennedy; Chan Kim; Min Woo Lee MP — none SJI — none REMAINING QUALIFYING CRITERIA Criteria are listed in chronological order where possible. Best estimates are given but all are subject to change. MASTERS (MAS) @ Augusta National Golf Club - April 8-11 • Winners of PGA TOUR events that award full FedExCup points allocation for the TOUR Championship from the originally scheduled 2020 Masters (April 9-12) through the week before the 2021 Masters. • Top 50 from Official World Golf Ranking (March 29). • Special invitations to international players per Masters Tournament Committee at its discretion. PGA CHAMPIONSHIP (PGA) @ The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort - May 20-23 • Winners of PGA TOUR events thru the final week before the 2021 PGA Championship. • Top 20 from PGA Professional National Championship (TBD). • Top 70 from special money list (i.e. “PGA Championship Points”) on PGA TOUR from 2020 WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational/Barracuda Championship thru 2021 Wells Fargo Championship (May 9). • *All 2018 Ryder Cup members, provided they are inside Top 100 of Official World Golf Ranking (May 10). • Special exemptions per PGA of America. (This likely will include all golfers inside Top 100 of the Official World Golf Ranking on May 10.) • If necessary to complete the field of 156, golfers outside Top 70 from special money list (three lines above) will gain entry in order of position. U.S. OPEN (US) @ Torrey Pines Golf Course (South) - June 17-20 • TBD THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP (OPEN) @ Royal St. George’s Golf Club - July 15-18 • Winner of THE PLAYERS (March 14). • Order of Merit leader on the Australasian Tour (March 28). • Order of Merit leader on the Sunshine Tour (March 28). • Winner of the Masters (April 11). • Winner of the Asia Pacific Diamond Cup (May 16). • Winner of the PGA Championship (May 23). • Top 50 from Official World Golf Ranking (May 24). • Top 2, not otherwise exempt, at The Mizuno Open (TBD). • Winner of British Amateur, if still an amateur (June 19). • Winner of U.S. Open (June 20). • Winner of the European Amateur Championship, if still an amateur (TBD). • Top 5 and ties, not otherwise exempt, inside Top 20 in Race to Dubai thru the BMW International Open (June 27). • Top 5 and ties, not otherwise exempt, inside Top 20 in FedExCup points thru the Travelers Championship (June 27). • Minimum of eight spots via Local Final Qualifying (June). WGC-MEXICO CHAMPIONSHIP (MEX) @ Club de Golf Chapultepec - Feb. 25-28 • Top 2 from Asian Tour Order of Merit, not otherwise exempt (Feb. 8). • Top 10 from Race to Dubai (Feb. 15). • Top 50 from Official World Golf Ranking (Feb. 15). • Highest-ranked golfer from Mexico in the Official World Golf Ranking. If already eligible, the second-highest-ranked inside the Top 300 of the OWGR (Feb. 15). • Top 10 in FedExCup points (Feb. 22). • Top 50 from Official World Golf Ranking (Feb. 22). • If necessary to complete the field of 72, golfers outside the Top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking on Feb. 22 will gain entry in order of position. THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP (TPC) @ TPC Sawgrass (Stadium) - March 11-14 • Winners of PGA TOUR events thru the final week before THE PLAYERS. • Top 125 in FedExCup points from the start of the 2019-20 season thru the 2021 WGC-Mexico Championship/Puerto Rico Open. Points in the 2020 Playoffs are weighted the same as a WGC (Feb. 28). • Top 10 in FedExCup points in 2020-21 only (March 1). • Top 50 from Official World Golf Ranking (March 1). • If necessary to complete the field of 144, golfers outside the Top 10 in FedExCup points in 2020-21 only on March 1 will gain entry in order of position. WGC-DELL TECHNOLOGIES MATCH PLAY (MP) @ Austin Country Club - March 24-28 • Top 64 inside Top 100 in the Official World Golf Ranking (March 15). WGC-FEDEX ST. JUDE INVITATIONAL (SJI) @ TPC Southwind - Aug. 5-8 • Winners of official tournaments from the Federation Tours with an Official World Golf Ranking strength-of-field rating of 115 points or more. • Winner of Dimension Data Pro-Am (Feb. 14). • Order of Merit leader on the Australasian Tour (March 28). • Winner of Japan Golf Tour Championship (TBD). • Order of Merit leader on the Asian Tour (July 12). • Top 50 from Official World Golf Ranking (July 26). • Top 50 from Official World Golf Ranking (Aug. 2).

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Patton Kizzire returns to defend his title at the Mayakoba Golf Classic against a strong field. Rickie Fowler tees it up after challenging for the trophy last year, along with Jordan Spieth, Tony Finau and young stars Cameron Champ and Joaquin Niemann. Can Kizzire go back-to-back or will there be a new name added to the trophy. Here’s everything you need to know to follow the opening round of the Mayakoba Golf Classic: Leaderboard Round 1 tee times HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN (ALL TIMES ET) TELEVISION: Thursday-Sunday, 1-4 p.m. ET (Golf Channel) RADIO: Thursday-Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com) NOTABLE GROUPINGS 7:20 a.m. (No. 10): Bud Cauley, Abraham Ancer, Joaquin Niemann 7:30 a.m. (No. 10): Aaron Wise, Rickie Fowler, Emiliano Grillo 12:00 p.m. (No. 1): Patton Kizzire, Pat Perez, Jordan Spieth 12:10 p.m. (No. 1): Cameron Champ, Jhonattan Vegas, Tony Finau MUST-READS Power Rankings TOUR Insider: Mexico boasts four fully exmept players in field Spieth returns to old driver, 3-wood

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