NBA champion J.R. Smith is headed back to school

It’s mid-November, this is the last Fantasy Insider of the calendar year and The RSM Classic is the final stop before we welcome the holiday break, so there’s a lot to review. • While ShotLink will be utilized to measure every stroke on the Seaside Course at Sea Island Resort, because the technology isn’t being used on the Plantation Course, shot values on Seaside will not be contributing to PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO. The same twist will apply at the Desert Classic, Farmers Insurance Open and AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, all events contested over multiple courses with ShotLink used only on the host course. • Segment 1 of PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO concludes this week. Fore What Its Worth leads all gamers with 4,512 points. Hackerbrats sits alone in second with 4,491. GUNGA GALUNGA14 and Wally-ShirleyTeam share third at 4,487 points apiece. Every Segment champion receives a driver valued at $499, while every Segment runner-up will win a putter that retails at $349. • Because the Plantation Course is a par 72 with four par 5s and Seaside is a par 70 with the standard pair of par 5s, consider balancing your lineup to include three golfers in each draw, and then max out on six starts on Plantation during the first two rounds. Given the fine lines between first, second and so on, both overall and in league play, every opportunity on which to capitalize is critical. • Once The RSM is in the books, the Web.com Tour graduate reshuffle category will reorder for the first time this season. For full-season gamers who have the power to make drop-adds, this is one of the busiest times because playing time for those in the bottom half or so will be reduced through late April. Every season is unique, but consider that just two years ago, Joel Dahmen started near the bottom of the category and went 0-for-2 in the fall. He then cracked the fields at only the Desert Classic, Pebble Beach and Puerto Rico until field expanded to 156 two weeks after the Masters. This season’s schedule is different, and the earlier and more regular schedule of the Web.com Tour will attract guys who aren’t getting into concurrent PGA TOUR events, so your leashes on investments that won’t have panned out this fall should be shorter than ever. • The European Tour’s season concludes at this week’s DP World Tour Championship. When it does, the top 20 in the Race to Dubai standings will earn an exemption into the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship. The top 30 will be exempt into The Open Championship. This is fertile ground for salary gamers with eyes on the horizon who also can make in-season moves. • The Open Qualifying Series for The Open Championship begins with this week’s Emirates Australian Open. The top three inside the top 10 who aren’t already exempt into the season’s final major will gain entry. All 13 events contributing to the Series have been slotted in REMAINING QUALIFYING CRITIERIA on the page dedicated to Qualifiers. • Because this is the last FI of 2018, all of the birthdays between now and the FI for the Sentry Tournament of Champions on Jan. 1 are listed chronologically at the bottom of this column. • As for me in the interim, I’ll have full-field Power Rankings for next week’s World Cup of Golf and the Hero World Challenge the week after. You’ll also see me contributing to the annual Top 30 series throughout December. It’ll include fresh analysis, insight and opinion. Of course, you can always connect with me via Twitter (public or private) and in the discussion threads beneath pages with my byline. (I hope to have email up and running again in 2019.) As always, and with the most sincerity that I can convey, thank you for your loyalty as a reader, gamer and fan of the PGA TOUR. Wishing you and yours an outstanding holiday season! PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO My roster for The RSM Classic (in alphabetical order): Stewart Cink Lucas Glover Charles Howell III C.T. Pan Webb Simpson J.J. Spaun You’ll find my starters in Expert Picks. Others to consider for each category (in alphabetical order): Scoring: Bud Cauley; Cameron Champ; Austin Cook; Chesson Hadley; Keith Mitchell; Seth Reeves; Sam Ryder Driving: n/a Power Rankings Wild Card Michael Thompson … Could’ve been in the Power Rankings, but this is fine. He’s fully exempt as a Web.com Tour graduate, but if he finishes no worse than solo 16th at The RSM Classic, he’ll be promoted to the Major Medical category for the remainder of the 2018-19 season. This is his second and final start via a medical extension for which he needs 52.977 FedExCup points to fulfill its terms. He picked the perfect spot to burn it since he’s 4-for-5 on Sea Island with four top 20s, including in each of the last two editions. Draws Bill Haas … In the field on merit via conditional status, he carries a modest consecutive cuts made streak of four in with him. It includes a pair of top 15s to open the season. They also were his first two starts after having surgery on his right knee after the Wyndham Championship in August. He’s 4-for-5 at Sea Island with a runner-up finish in the inaugural edition in 2010 and another two top 25s. Bottom line, this is simply another opportunity to contribute to faithful gamers who understand that his potential far exceeds all long-term concern. The last 11 months or so have been as challenging to him physically and emotionally as any throughout his career. Sam Ryder … Every gamer’s shiny new toy at the moment, and rightfully so. With four top 10s sprinkled into his current streak of nine straight paydays, and with virtually zero baggage as he launches his sophomore season, he’s going to be loved. One school of thought is that it’s more sensible to abstain and let your opposition who’s wearing the rose-colored glasses ride the wave. If he doesn’t wipe out, tip your visor, but you’re not going to lead with him, anyway. I like him best as a defensive measure in aggressive DFS. Patrick Rodgers … Since skipping the Playoffs in favor of a wedding in Europe, he’s hung up a pair of top 25s. He’s also one of the most underrated good putters on TOUR, and that matters at Sea Island. A T10 here two years ago is evidence that he can tackle both courses. This week’s appearance is his fourth. Hudson Swafford … Among the throng of locals who are staples of this tournament. Since breaking onto the PGA TOUR in 2013-14, he hasn’t missed an edition, although he’s missed two cuts (2013, 2015). Perfect in his last seven starts dating back to late July, so he’s sneaky complementary material in DFS. Joel Dahmen … This will put to the test his profile as a performer in a shootout. It didn’t materialize in his first two tries at Sea Island, but he’s on another plane today. Could be a game-changer in DFS as a result. Ryan Armour Brice Garnett Chesson Hadley Whee Kim Keith Mitchell Joaquin Niemann Ted Potter, Jr. Richy Werenski Fades Chris Kirk … His record at Sea Island essentially is identical to Kevin Kisner’s. Both are former winners with two T4s. Kisner appeared in Monday’s Power Rankings in part because he’s been known to spike with some regularly, whereas Kirk is a known commodity who surges. This is to say that he’s a better long-term own even as he presents wonderfully on course history alone this week, but he’s fared no better than a T35 (Dell Technologies Championship) in his last seven starts. Zach Johnson … He finished T8 here last year and twice before in the top 20, but he’s not a short-lister in a shootout. His value is directly proportional to par. What’s more, he’s back in a lull without a top 30 in four straight starts. No question he’s comfortable in the Golden Isles – this is a home game – and even though Damon Green returns to the bag this week, use ZJ in defensive schemes only. Brian Harman … This isn’t too hard, but it should be. In 10 starts over the last four months, he’s failed to find a top-35 finish. Only three resulted in a top 50. The Savannah, Georgia, native loves it at Sea Island, and he finished T4 last year, but he was on a heater at the time. He missed the cut in the previous two editions. Trey Mullinax … The St. Simons Island resident is 2-for-3 at The RSM Classic, but he’s 0-for-3 this season and has only one top-50 finish in 11 starts over the last five months. Jon Curran … Exhausting the final start on his Major Medical Extension during which he’s made only one of 17 cuts, and that was but a T75 at the no-cut CIMB Classic a month ago. Even a runner-up finish at The RSM Classic (worth 300 FedExCup points) wouldn’t be enough to meet the terms as he’s 303.115 points shy. Short of that, he’d need no worse than a three-way T2 (worth 208.333 points) to secure conditional status for the remainder of 2018-19. He’s 206.315 short of that secondary objective. If he fails, he’ll lose his PGA TOUR status. Sam Burns Jason Dufner Andrew Landry Ollie Schniederjans Kevin Streelman Nick Watney Returning to Competition Sam Saunders … A sore back forced him to withdraw on just his third hole of the second round in Mexico last week. He had survived five straight cuts dating back to the Barracuda Championship in August. If he starts a new streak on Sea Island, it’ll be an upset given he’s just 1-for-4 with a T57 in 2016. Will MacKenzie … The 44-year-old hasn’t shown in a PGA TOUR event since the 2017 Travelers Championship. News hasn’t surfaced to detail what’s prevented him from appearing, but he’s tried to play five times on the Web.com Tour since. He missed the cut three times and withdrew during the other two. Now in his second season with a medical extension in the reshuffle category to earn 238.357 FedExCup points in six starts, he presents as a sleeper in the deepest of full-season salary formats. Expectations are virtually zero right now, of course, but it was only four years ago that he lost in a playoff at Sea Island. Ben Martin … Making his first start since shutting it down in late June due to ongoing discomfort in his back. He finished 150th in the FedExCup standings, and then was given a Minor Medical Extension to begin 2018-19. Because his time away extended beyond four months, his medical was modified to a Major, so he’ll play out of that category in his next seven starts beginning at The RSM Classic. If he earns 111.322 FedExCup points in the first seven, he’ll retain status. If he falls short, he’ll tumble into the conditional status category for the remainder of the season. Despite his break, odds are decent that he’ll take a bite out of his goal as he’s 3-for-5 at Sea Island with a pair of top 25s. Therefore, treat him as a smart flier for fractional DFS purposes. Greg Chalmers … Scheduled to appear in this week’s Emirates Australian Open in his homeland, it’ll mark his first live action in over five months. Like with Martin above, Chalmers started the 2018-19 on a Minor Medical Extension but was promoted to the Major Medical category after four months elapsed. Whenever he returns to the PGA TOUR, the lefty has seven starts to collect 244.707 FedExCup points and retain status. He’s 133.385 points from the minimum for conditional status. Turned 45 in October. Henrik Stenson … Slated to peg it at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai. It’ll be his first competition since he has surgery on his left elbow on Oct. 11. K.J. Choi … I overlooked his return at, where else, the Hyundai Insurance KJ Choi Invitational on the Korean PGA in late October. He missed the cut. The 48-year-old has a Major Medical Extension on the PGA TOUR affording nine starts to earn 267.570 FedExCup points. Notable WDs Chez Reavie … Off to a flying start with one top 10 among five paydays in as many events. Sits 30th in the FedExCup standings. Chris Stroud … Withdrew from last week’s Mayakoba Golf Classic before the second round with an injury to his neck. He battled a sore knee earlier this year and has four mid-tournament WDs in his last 17 starts. He’s in the last season of his multi-year exemption for winning the 2017 Barracuda Championship. Grayson Murray … Like Stroud, Murray also has withdrawn during four starts in 2018, but all of his have occurred in his last 10. Last week, he walked off El Camaleón with an issue in his back. Similar to Stroud, Murray is fully exempt this season thanks to his victory at the 2017 Barbasol Championship. Roberto Díaz … This isn’t a surprising decision given that he’s partnering with Abraham Ancer to represent Mexico in next week’s World Cup of Golf in Australia, but Díaz is just 1-for-4 with a T57 at the Shriners this season, so he’s poised to plummet in the Web.com Tour reshuffle category. Currently 24th, he’s going to lose approximately 20 spots. Power Rankings Recap – Mayakoba Golf Classic Power Ranking  Golfer  Result 1  Rickie Fowler  T16 2  Emiliano Grillo  15th 3  Gary Woodland  T41 4  Tony Finau  T16 5  Si Woo Kim  T26 6  Charles Howell III  MC 7  Aaron Wise  T10 8  J.J. Spaun  T3 9  Abraham Ancer  T21 10  Scott Piercy  T6 11  Jordan Spieth  MC 12  Ryan Moore  MC 13  Joaquin Niemann  T60 14  Chez Reavie  T26 15  J.B. Holmes  T48 Wild Card  Zach Johnson  MC Sleepers Recap – Mayakoba Golf Classic Golfer  Result Adri Arnaus  MC Adam Hadwin  T10 Viktor Hovland  MC Denny McCarthy  T41 Nick Taylor  MC Birthdays among active golfers on the PGA TOUR November 13 … none November 14 … Martin Piller (33); Talor Gooch (27) November 15 … Ben Silverman (31) November 16 … none November 17 … none November 18 … none November 19 … Kyle Stanley (31); Max Homa (28) November 20 … none November 21 … none November 22 … none November 23 … Mackenzie Hughes (28) November 24 … none November 25 … none November 26 … none November 27 … none November 28 … none November 29 … none November 30 … Smylie Kaufman (27) December 1 … D.A. Points (42) December 2 … Alex Cejka (48); Shawn Stefani (37) December 3 … none December 4 … Matt Every (35) December 5 … Ryan Moore (36) December 6 … none December 7 … Luke Donald (41); Billy Horschel (32) December 8 … Brandt Snedeker (38) December 9 … Wyndham Clark (25) December 10 … Brian Stuard (36); Wes Roach (30) December 11 … none December 12 … Nate Lashley (36) December 13 … Rickie Fowler (30) December 14 … Brian Gay (47) December 15 … Sam Ryder (29) December 16 … Trevor Immelman (39) December 17 … Tim Clark (43) December 18 … D.J. Trahan (38) December 19 … none December 20 … none December 21 … none December 22 … Richy Werenski (27) December 23 … Daniel Chopra (45) December 24 … none December 25 … none December 26 … none December 27 … Charley Hoffman (42); Lee Williams (37) December 28 … Martin Kaymer (34) December 29 … Martin Laird (36) December 30 … Tiger Woods (43) December 31 … Adam Svensson (25)

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NAPA, Calif. – After a lengthy off-season – hey, it was 48 hours for some players! — the 2017-18 PGA TOUR season started Thursday at the Safeway Open. Here’s a roundup of the key developments at Silverado: LEADERS BRENDAN STEELE (7 under) – In 11 of his last 13 rounds at Silverado, Steele has shot scores under par. He’s 42 under in that stretch, with a win last year and two other top-25s. On Thursday, he shot a 65 and did not miss a single green in regulation. He admitted that when he comes to a course he’s comfortable at, such as this week or at TPC Scottsdale or TPC San Antonio – two other courses he generally plays well at — his expectation level is higher. “When you get there, you get a little bounce in your step because you feel like it’s going to be a good week,â€� Steele said after Thursday’s round that included one eagle and five birdies. “… For some reason, I’ve just always had a good understanding of this course.â€� TYLER DUNCAN (7 under) – Duncan’s caddie is veteran Mike Mollet, who knows a thing or two about Silverado. Silverado was once the home course of Mollet’s high school when he played there as a freshman and sophomore many years ago. Duncan, a Web.com Tour grad, had not seen this course before this week, so he leaned on his caddie for some insight. “Yeah, he’s still got a little bit of knowledge,â€� Duncan said. “We did a lot of good work in the practice rounds and he remembered some things. So I think we have a pretty good idea what’s going on up there.â€� TOM HOGE (7 under) – In Monday’s final round of the Web.com Tour Championship, Hoge made seven birdies in his final 12 holes to finish T-12. It was just enough to gain his TOUR card for this season; of the top 50 grads, he ranked 47th. “Probably one swing away from not even being here,â€� Hoge said. On Thursday, he capitalized on the opportunity while riding the momentum of his hot finish. In fact, he made seven birdies on his last 13 holes, eerily similar to Monday. “I knew I was playing well, swinging well,â€� Hoge said. “Nice to get out there today and get off to a good start.â€� OBSERVATIONS PHIL OFF THE TEE. Phil Mickelson hit just 2 of 14 fairways – only one player, Carl Pettersson, had less accuracy off the tee Thursday — yet he managed to shoot a 3-under 69. Mickelson said he got a little jumpy on his tee shots, a little quick from the top, and that impacted his rhythm. “It got my body out in front and so my timing was off and I missed most of them to the left.â€� After his round, he was anxious to get some range work in to correct the problem. If he gets his driver straightened out, he could be a factor on Sunday. “You’re not going to hit a lot of fairways here because the fairways are pinched in so much that the numbers are going to be skewed for the entire field,â€� he said. “But I’ve got to drive it better than I did.â€� ZACH’S FIRST LOOK. Six weeks ago at THE NORTHERN TRUST, Zach Johnson played a course (Glen Oaks) he had never seen before and needed 38 putts in his first round. “I felt clueless,â€� he said. This week, he’s playing Silverado for the first time and shot a 4-under 68 with 30 putts while hitting 16 of 18 greens in regulation. “This one, I feel much more acquainted with,â€� Johnson said. “I feel like if I’m on, I can do some good work here.â€� BIG-HITTING TRIO. One of the most intriguing groups to watch in the first two rounds is this trio of big hitters – former PGA TOUR driving distance leader John Daly, former Long Drive champion Jamie Sadlowski and current Texas A&M senior Cameron Champ, who led the U.S. Open in driving distance halfway through this year’s tournament at Erin Hills. Their driving distance averages on Thursday: Sadlowski, 315.4 yards; Champ 304 yards; Daly 280.2 yards. “Jamie obviously hits it farther than both of us,â€� Champ said, “so I’m not even gonna try (to stay with him).â€� None of the three broke par. GOTTA PLAY NAPA. Emiliano Grillo played in last week’s Presidents Cup for the International Team, and he’s scheduled to play in at least the first two events in Asian in the next two weeks. It’s a heavy schedule, but the 2015 Safeway Open winner wasn’t about to skip Silverado. So he’s here this week and opened with a 5-under 67. “It was a tough decision,â€� Grillo said. “It was either going to play four, five in a row or skip Napa. I was like, ‘You know what, I’m still young, I’m 25, so I’m going to go and do the five in a row and try and do my best here.â€� GLOVER’S GOAL. Making the Ryder Cup team a few years ago wasn’t a realistic aspiration for Lucas Glover, who had fallen to 634th in the world in early January of 2015. But he entered this week ranked 92nd and coming off his best season in six years. It’s now a goal. “Never made one,â€� Glover said after his 5-under 67. “I want to make one. That goal wasn’t in the mirror a couple years back the way I was playing, but the year I had last year, I gained some confidence. So I think if I improve a little bit in certain areas, I can give it a run.â€� NOTABLES SANGMOON BAE – In his first TOUR appearance after his mandatory two-year military service in his native Korea, he shot a 1-over 73 that include a birdie on his opening hole. (Click here for more on Bae) MAVERICK McNEALY – In his first round as a pro golfer, the former world amateur No. 1 from Stanford shot a 4-under 68, finishing with birdies on three of his last four holes. XINJUN ZHANG – The Web.com grad from China was 5 under through 14 holes, but suffered a double bogey and a bogey on consecutive holes. He ended with a birdie to shoot 3 under. SEAMUS POWER – The last player among the Web.com Tour’s 50 graduates who had to sweat out his position on Monday, Power shot a 2-under 70, with three birdies on his final five holes. QUOTABLES “Outside the ropes, everything’s bigger; there’s more people. But inside the ropes, it’s still golf.â€� – Tyler Duncan, making his first PGA TOUR start as a member “I think there’s something to the start of the season with everybody being back to zero, it’s kind of a fresh start – which, whether you played good or bad last year, it’s kind of nice.â€� – Defending champion Brendan Steele “I grew up on greens way worse than this at times. So yeah, nothing like a little afternoon poa to get you going.â€� — California native Jamie Lovemark, discussing the poa annua greens after his 5-under 67 CALL OF THE DAY SUPERLATIVES Low round: 7-under 65s by Brendan Steele, Tom Hoge and Tyler Duncan Longest drive: Martin Laird, 385 yards at hole No. 5 Longest putt: Emiliano Grillo, 46 feet, 6 inches at hole No. 16 Toughest hole: The 203-yard second hole, which played to a stroke average of 3.264. SHOT OF THE DAY

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