Nicklaus to be honorary citizen of St. Andrews

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ERIN, Wis. – Jordan Spieth spent the afternoon following his first round at Erin Hills on the practice green. He expected to see defending champ Dustin Johnson there too. “We might have a pillow fight putting contest, just to see if we can spark anything,� Spieth joked. It was one of the rare times he was able to crack a smile Thursday about his putting. The two most recent U.S. Open winners failed to take advantage of the favorable morning scoring conditions at Erin Hills, each suffering from an uncooperative putter. Playing in the same group, Spieth shot a 1-over 73 while Johnson posted a 3-over 75. They combined for just two birdies; the third member, Martin Kaymer, had four birdies in shooting the group’s low round, an even-par 72. “I’m surprised Martin could make a couple of them given he was watching me and DJ the whole day,� said Spieth, who won in 2015 at Chambers Bay – which, like Erin Hills, was a first-time U.S. Open venue. Making the score even more frustrating for Spieth was that his tee-to-green play was spectacular. He hit 13 of 14 fairways on Erin Hills’ generous wide driving zones and hit 14 of 18 greens in regulation. “Best driving round that I’ve had maybe in my life,� Spieth said. But his putting has been an issue recently. He changed putters at his hometown event, the AT&T Byron Nelson, experimenting with a mallet-style putter. He went back to his old putter the next week and played well in his defense at the DEAN & DELUCA Invitational at Colonial. The tie for second was his best result since winning the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Numbers-wise, though, he’s not at the level he was two years ago. He entered this week ranked 40th in Strokes Gained: Putting. He was second the previous season and ninth in 2015 when he won five events and claimed the FedExCup title. On Thursday, he had 15 legitimate looks for birdies but could convert only one of those attempts. Spieth missed all eight of his attempts between 10-20 feet, and missed another two inside 10 feet. The hole shrunk as the misses piled up. “It just looked smaller, just looked like I was putting half-a-cup,� Spieth said “Sometimes it looks like I’m putting to two cups.� Johnson encountered a few more difficulties tee-to-green that Spieth (11 of 18 greens, 9 of 14 fairways), and he failed to birdie any of the par-5s on a course that played to a U.S. Open-record 7,845 yards on Thursday. He found trouble in the tall fescue at the par-5 14th, then compounded the problem with a 3-putt for a double bogey. It was one of three 3-putts he suffered in the round. Like Spieth, he failed to convert any of his putts from 10-20 feet and also missed three of six putts from 5-10 feet. “If I don’t three-putt, I shoot even,� Johnson said. “But if I just make one or two of the good looks I have, it’s a couple under. I didn’t hit it great, but I hit it good enough to shoot a good score. … “I didn’t play that bad. I just didn’t putt very good. It wasn’t that I was hitting bad putts. My speed was just a little off.� Johnson surely didn’t expect to end his first round 10 strokes off the lead and having to scramble on Friday to make the cut. Spieth didn’t expect to shoot over par on a great ball-striking day. But that’s where they are. The fix is fairly simple. “I can’t change anything that I was doing,� Spieth said. “If I get that many looks, I normally shoot 8-under par typically. So there’s nothing for me to change other than just dial things up on the greens.� Said Johnson: “I hit enough fairways to shoot a good score. But I’ve definitely got to roll it better. I’m swinging good, everything feels good – I just need to make more putts here.�

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Since PGA TOUR Pick ‘Em Live launched, the premier events have been wild bonanzas. From the sum-is-greater-than-the-parts PLAYERS to Justin Thomas at +30000 roaring from behind on Sunday at the PGA Championship, you don’t need to look around for evidence of why you’re always in it when you stay close. Glass turned in a strong performance at last week’s Memorial Tournament presented by Workday and finished 38th. He didn’t connect with Billy Horschel as his outright at long odds, but he still sniffed the top of the leaderboard among thousands of entries. As a consolation, Glass leads off this week’s card for the RBC Canadian Open. Odds to win at PointsBet reflect the fact that fewer heavyweights are in play. The same can be said of the Top 10 and Top 20 finishes, so consider opening longer than usual for both if you don’t already. We’ve reached deeper ourselves. With the promise that not all heavyweights will contend and with fewer roadblocks in general, there’s considerable value on both boards at St. George’s Golf and Country Club. Register for PGA TOUR Pick ‘Em Live here and monitor Rob’s and Glass’ progress as Influencers. For a broader explanation of the format and FAQs, click here. TOURNAMENT TO WIN Glass … Jhonattan Vegas (+6000) The two-time winner north of the border (2016-17 at Glen Abbey) was lurking six strokes back last week before 81 of them on Sunday sent him reeling. I believe keeping it between the tree lines and finding GIR this week will be the key, and that’s the strength of his bag. Usually I dig a bit deeper than this because of the ability to change picks as the week goes on, but I’m having a hard time connecting those dots as we hit the bigger numbers. Nothing wrong with a plan or being able to change it as the tournament rolls on. Rob … Tyler Duncan (+12500) Leave it to Glass to be modest about, as in ignore, his showing at Muirfield Village. Hey, there’s a first time for everything. Kudos, pards. Given the construct of the field at St. George’s and what we’ve learned about the volatility in PGA TOUR Pick ‘Em Live, there’s no reason to open with any of the household names and those on the cusp. With more than a half-dozen guys at +2200 and shorter – imperially measured to be clear – and with another 11 bets, if any of the half-dozen or so goes on to win at opening odds, it won’t have as strong of an impact. And besides, those odds, or at least a sizable fraction of them, will be there for us again at some point on the weekend. So, I’ll lean into my top Sleeper for all the reasons. Asking for a victory is selfish, but even if we couldn’t modify our selections during the tournament, I’d push a couple of units into the direction of the Purdue product if I was placing an actual bet. With the analysis complete, I’ll close with a groaner of a dad joke. Q: What do you call it when he salvages par from a bunker? A: Duncan sandy. Rob … Christopher Gotterup (+1500) With Tyler Duncan at +1000 for this finish, I looked outside that range and found another one of my Sleepers. The best thing about the new kids on the block is that there’s zero scar tissue and baggage. Everything is a bonus, there’s nothing to lose, etc. However, Gotterup already has a top 10 at the Puerto Rico Open earlier this year, and he’s fresh off co-medaling at Final Qualifying for the U.S. Open in what was his professional debut. No, the former Sooner doesn’t splash with the same sizzle as the trio of studs in 2019, but he’s off to as good a start, if not better. Glass … David Lipsky (+700) Last week I shifted my GOLD COINS in the TOP 10 to Max Homa after the round on Saturday and caught him at +550. I was lucky to catch the window as my original pick wasn’t around for the weekend. Anyhow, Lipsky is 13-of-16 in 2022, and he sits in the top 50 in fairways hit and GIR. Distance isn’t his strength but that isn’t completely necessary this week and playing from the short grass will help. TOP 20 Glass … Bill Haas (+900) He’s cashed in 10 of his last 11 and a T27 at Colonial last time out was his best since a T25 in March. Veteran can get it up and down from everywhere and that will help this week. I’m hoping his recent play leaps forward and takes that next step. If not, I’ll be up early doors waiting for the Top 20 Public House to open on Saturday morning! Rob … Rasmus Højgaard (+270) Both Tyler Duncan (+340) and Christopher Gotterup (+475) would kick back more coins than the 21-year-old Dane, and for a finish worse than I attached my outright and Top 10, respectively, but this decision respects the potential that I won’t be able to modify it deeper into the tournament. Since Højgaard recorded consecutive top 20s on the PGA TOUR (Corales, Valero), he’s added a pair worldwide. He’s cashed in 14 straight since mid-October, primarily because of taut ball-striking. ROUND 1 LEADER Glass … Patrick Flavin (+15000) There are only two things to remember when making this selection weekly: 1) Go ugly early! 2) Stay up-to-date throughout the round and manipulate a winner. All ties count as well, so don’t over-think it! Nothing like a Monday qualifier getting out early and getting after it. Rain all day suggests this will be crap shoot unless LCP is instituted before they get started. Flavin is out at 9:12 a.m., so that gives me plenty of time to recalculate. Rob … Tony Finau (+3300) Seeing that the opportunity to invest in a golfer who starts the opening round on the ninth hole rolls around almost never, I’m going to follow my No. 1 rule of gaming – to have fun. I just want a piece of it. He goes off No. 9 at 7:35 a.m. local time, so he fits the first objective of being an early waver. Meanwhile, Nos. 9 and 11 are par 5s, so it must be expected that a guy with some muscle will burst out of the gate. At T16 in par-5 scoring, I’m expecting him to score 2-under on the pair. He also generates scoring chances more frequently than most on TOUR, and he’s surged of late on very different tests – as he’s known to do – so the confidence of going low has returned. As for Glass’ first piece of advice, that’s easy for him to say living in the Eastern Time Zone in which the tournament also is contested. Too often before I’m awake in Arizona, my FRL has signed his card and I’ve missed the sweet spot to pivot. My head can’t be on a swivel when it’s on a pillow. NOTE: While Glass and Rob typically stick with their selections as detailed in Pick ‘Em Preview, they are allowed the right to make changes at any time.

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