Monday Finish: Five things from Charles Schwab Challenge

Never before has so much attention been devoted to the cutoff for qualification into any PGA TOUR event via the Official World Golf Ranking. But never before has Tiger Woods been the focal point of that hope. By one one-hundredth of one point, Woods wedged into the limited field at this week’s World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational at the deadline. And let’s face it, because he’s an eight-time champion on Firestone Country Club’s South Course, we’d be engaging in an entirely different conversation without him in attendance, exponentially more so than usual. All 73 who qualified are committed. More on what Firestone presents, how Hideki Matsuyama prevailed last year and what’s in store beginning next year, scroll past the ranking. Barely broke a sweat at Glen Abbey … or maybe he didn’t. Out front in numerous statistical measurements on the PGA TOUR. Winner at Firestone in 2016 despite a third-round 73. He was the only golfer at Carnoustie with four red numbers and he finished T2, but he’s an even better fit at Firestone where his 2014 title is one of top 10s in seven appearances. Thriving in his prime. In position to win almost every time he laces it up. Second on TOUR in adjusted scoring. In 12 appearances at Firestone, he has a T2, a T3, a T4 and a T5. Ignore his lackluster track record at Firestone. He’s scaled into previous unchartered territory in the last two months. Due to his experience, there’s zero reason to expect a letdown now. Oh, how the stars have aligned for this opportunity. Where else better right now to chase down his next victory? It’d also be a storyline conclusion for Firestone, but he’ll need to adjust off the tee. With four consecutive top 10s at Firestone and recurring appearances on leaderboards throughout this season, he’s a constant threat. Currently 11th on the PGA TOUR in adjusted scoring. Remains as consistently strong as anyone. T7 at the European Open was 11th top 20 in 14 starts in 2018. Three straight top 20s at Firestone; T5 last year. Ranks seventh in adjusted scoring. Proving that class is permanent, coasted to a T6 in his debut at Glen Abbey on the heels of a T12 at Carnoustie. Will need to downshift a bit from his aggressive style at Firestone. What could have been if not for a second-round 77 in debut here last year (T28). Five top fives since the Masters, including a win in native Spain. Sits 15th in GIR and third in birdies-or-better percentage. Statistically as balanced as ever. T20 in adjusted scoring. Enters with top 20s in each of his last four starts. Runner-up finish at Firestone last year the best of five top 10s. Grazed his elevated expectations at Carnoustie, for a while at least. Backpedaled to T9 with a closing 76, but it was his first top 20 since the Masters. Three straight top 15s at Firestone. Easy to forget he’s won twice this season, but he also arrives with top 20s in his last two starts and he’s still the rabbit in strokes gained: putting. T12-T3-T24 at Firestone since 2015. Continues to build one big block at a time. Unflappable and fearless. T6-T2 in last two majors. Placed T13 in Firestone debut last year; ranked T2 in proximity for the tournament. Given his skill set as a tee-to-green monster and value as the defending champion, he gets benefit of the doubt upon arrival. After three straight top 20s, he went 0-for-2 in Scotland. The benefit of the missed cut at Glen Abbey is a couple of extra days of rest after getting beat up at Carnoustie (T39). T6 (2015) and T17 (2017) at Firestone. Fourteenth in adjusted scoring. Drifted from his objective to be more consistent, but that early-season success yielded the opportunity to relax, including after becoming No. 1 in the OWGR for a time. Second in FedExCup points. The streaky Dane is on another upswing. Since winning in Italy in early June, he’s added three top 15s, including a T12 at Carnoustie. Also placed T10 at Firestone last year. Making his tournament debut if you can believe it, so his only weakness at Firestone is inexperience. Seven top 10s this season, 17th in strokes gained: tee-to-green and 12th in adjusted scoring. Slides back on the horse at Firestone where he finished second in 2015 and added top 20s in the last two editions. It’s all about the comfort level for the three-time winner in 2017-18. With ongoing struggles with putting, he’s evolved into a plucky fit with a semi-regular record of top 20s in 2018. Since 2010 at Firestone, he has six top 15s, including the 2011 title. POWER RANKINGS: WGC-BRIDGESTONE INVITATIONAL RANK PLAYER COMMENTS Phil Mickelson, Henrik Stenson, Webb Simpson, Alex Noren, Matt Kuchar and Patrick Reed will be among the notables reviewed in Tuesday’s Fantasy Insider. There may not be a fairer test than Firestone Country Club. Because of its predictability, it’s both the kind of track on which a returning participant can rely on finding his game as well as how it stacks up in real time against the best in the world. With no cut, the mindset is simplified to perform over 72 holes. The stock par 70 tilts at 7,400 yards for the 12th consecutive edition. Large bentgrass greens will run as fast as 12-and-a-half feet on the Stimpmeter, although if the forecast for early-week rainfall holds true, surfaces could be a touch slower. Primary rough is allowed to grow to three inches. Last year’s field of 76 averaged 70.497 on the scorecard, which just about hits the historical bull’s-eye. Hideki Matsuyama equaled the course record of 61 in the final round for a come-from-behind, five-stroke runaway. There’s a perception that Firestone is long even by today’s standards. However, the par-5 16th that tips at a TOUR-long 667 yards boosts the overall yardage disproportionately. The 10 par 4s average just shy of 449 yards. Furthermore, accuracy off the tee is more important than distance, but neither of those two components are as important as hitting the greens in regulation and putting. Nine of the 12 who finished inside the top 10 here last year ranked inside the top 15 in GIR for the week. Seven slotted inside the top 15 in strokes gained: putting. Comparatively, only three who finished inside the top 15 in distance of all drives and just four inside the top 15 in fairways hit were among the top 10 on the leaderboard. This isn’t to say that length is irrelevant; rather, Firestone is a second-shot track where length is bonus at times. Matsuyama finished outside the top 20 in both distance of all drives and accuracy off the tee, but he co-led in greens hit, ranked T2 in proximity and paced the field in strokes gained: tee-to-green (surprise, surprise). The pursuit for the Gary Player Cup will occur in warm and humid conditions. Daytime highs will rise into the upper 80s on the weekend. There is a reasonable chance for rain and storms on Friday. Wind is likely to be a non-factor. Once the last stroke is made, it’ll signify the end of an era for Firestone in its recurring role as host of a PGA TOUR stop. In April, it was announced that the tournament will be relocated to TPC Southwind in 2019. However, as part of a four-year agreement with the PGA TOUR Champions, Firestone will transition into host of the Bridgestone SENIOR PLAYERS Championship next year. Just in case you were wondering, Woods becomes eligible for the 50-and-older circuit in 2026. ROB BOLTON’S SCHEDULE PGATOUR.COM’s Fantasy Insider Rob Bolton reviews and previews every tournament from numerous angles. Look for his following contributions as scheduled. MONDAY: Rookie Ranking, Qualifiers, Reshuffle, Medical Extensions, Power Rankings (WGC-Bridgestone) TUESDAY*: Power Rankings (Barracuda), Sleepers (WGC-Bridgestone), Facebook Live, Fantasy Insider WEDNESDAY: One & Done (WGC-Bridgestone), One & Done (Barracuda) THURSDAY: Champions One & Done * – Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COM’s Expert Picks for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO, which also publishes on Tuesdays.

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ORLANDO, Fla. — Tiger Woods might not be ready for TOUR-level golf. He can still deliver quite a show. In a remarkable return from a car crash ten months ago that badly damaged his right leg, Woods and 12-year-old son Charlie set a tournament record with eleven straight birdies and pushed John Daly and his college son all the way to the finish Sunday in the PNC Championship. Daly and John Daly II, a freshman at Arkansas, won by two shots. It might have been the widest Woods ever smiled after a runner-up finish. “The fact that I’m able to have this opportunity this year — even a couple weeks ago we didn’t really know whether or not I would be doing this,” Woods said. “But here we are. And we had just best time ever.” The birdie streak ended on the final hole, allowing Team Daly room for error they didn’t need. Daly birdied the 16th hole to regain the lead and they stayed in front when Woods and his son both chipped too strong on the par-5 closing hole and missed 8-foot birdie putts. Daly and John Daly II two-putted for birdie on the 18th for a 57 and set the record that mattered. They finished at 27-under par, breaking by one the tournament mark set by Davis Love III and his son three years ago. The most popular offseason event that pairs major champions and a family member suddenly felt tense on a warm Florida afternoon, all because of Woods and everything that led to him playing again. Woods suffered multiple injuries to his right leg on Feb. 23 when his SUV traveling about 85 mph crashed through a median and down a hill in the Los Angeles suburbs. He said amputation was a possibility. It took three months for him to get on his feet with help of crutches. And he ended the year in a Sunday red shirt, holing birdie putts and delivering short irons that led to one birdie after another and a chase that felt like old times. This wasn’t just about Woods. His son, playing this event for the second straight year, delivered the goods down the stretch, particularly a 5-iron to 4 feet on the par-3 17th that gave them a tie for the lead going to the 18th. Team Daly was two groups behind and held it steady. It was only one month ago when Woods first posted a three-second video showing him hitting a short iron with the message, “Making progress.” He was hitting balls at the back of the range at Albany in the Bahamas two weeks ago. He was able to ride a cart at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club Orlando, which helped him get by in the 36-hole event. And he kept insisting that TOUR-level golf is still a long way and a lot of work ahead of him. But there was no shortage of birdies, big shots and loads of hopes for a fairy tale end. “The competitive juices, they are never going to go away. This is my environment,” Woods said. “This is what I’ve done my entire life. I’m just so thankful to be able to have this opportunity to do it again.”

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NAPLES, Fla. – Kevin Na and Sean O’Hair teamed to shoot a 16-under 56 in the scramble format Friday to take the first-round lead in the QBE Shootout. Na and O’Hair had two eagles and 12 birdies on the Tiburon Golf Club’s Gold Course. O’Hair won the unofficial PGA TOUR event in 2012 with Kenny Perry and 2017 with Steve Stricker. "It felt pretty easy today just watching him putt and make everything he looked at," O'Hair said. "Just kind of kept the momentum going. There was a couple putts that were crucial I think to do that." RELATED: Leaderboard They eagled the par-5 sixth and 17th. "My job was to just put it in play, and Sean hit a lot of bombs out there, was 30, 40 yards ahead of me," Na said. "It was nice to hit a lot less club than I normally do. And he hit some great shots. His ball-striking was great. He made a good amount of putts. He was the one that always went first and I was able to see the line and I felt pretty good with the putter today." Ryan Palmer and Harold Varner III were second. They birdied 13 of the first 14 holes — only missing on the par-3 fifth — and added birdies on the final two holes. "It's a fun, good time out there," Palmer said. "We both putt the ball well and we were able to shoot a low one." The all-rookie team of Lanto Griffin and Mackenzie Hughes matched Harris English and Matt Kuchar at 58. Defending champions Rory Sabbatini and Kevin Tway were at 59 with Cameron Champ and Tony Finau. Ryder Cup captain Stricker and Daniel Berger were tied for seventh at 60. The 12 teams will play modified alternate shot in the second round and better ball Sunday. "Tomorrow's a tough format, the toughest format, but I think as long as we just keep it in play and make a few putts, we'll be right there come Sunday," O’Hair said.

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