‘Now I’m short and crooked’

In addition to appearing on the cover of the video game, Tiger Woods will be among the star athletes featured in the new PGA Tour 2K23. Michael Jordan, as well as several PGA and LPGA stars, will also be included.

Click here to read the full article…

Rikuya Hoshino (+10000) … Qualifying for the Olympics in his native Japan is reason enough to celebrate, but he’s also been assigned the opening tee ball at Kasumigaseki Country Club’s East Course on Thursday morning. Fellow countryman Hideki Matsuyama, who is positioned 20th in the Official World Golf Ranking, has hogged international headlines as the first male Japanese golfer to win a major (2021 Masters), but the 25-year-old Hoshino is second-best at 86th in the OWGR and he continues to pace his home circuit’s money list with a trio of victories in the 2020-21 season. The intangible benefits of the home game also should ease him quickly into a comfort zone. Henrik Norlander (+10000) … The 34-year-old from Sweden has had little trouble in retaining his position in the heart of the FedExCup in what is his now his fourth season on the PGA TOUR. He’s 81st in points with a T5 at the Barbasol Championship as the nearest event in his rearview mirror. His performance at Keene Trace was a microcosm of why he’s dangerous every time he pegs it, with better-than-average metrics across the board. His tee-to-green game not only is his moneymaker, it’s also the default expectation to define who medals on the unfamiliar greens of Kasumigaseki. Thomas Detry (+8000) … It’s just a matter of time before he wins for the first time on the European Tour, and if it happens at the Olympics, it’d qualify as his breakthrough since it’s an official event on the circuit. In the last 12 months, the 28-year-old Belgian has a quartet of runner-up finishes, including a pair in his last five starts. Since joining the European Tour in 2017, he’s totaled five seconds and five thirds. While prone to the big number, his proclivity to attack pins is encouraged by large greens and the absence of a cut. Carl Yuan (+15000) … After relocating from his native China to Florida, he played collegiately at the University of Washington for three years before turning professional in 2018. It was that summer when he prevailed as an amateur at the Qingdao Championship on the PGA TOUR China. By 2019, he was a regular on the Korn Ferry Tour where he remains a member. At least for now. Currently 31st in KFT points on the strength of a trio of runner-up finishes among six top 10s, he’s challenging for one of the 25 automatic cards reserved for the 2021-22 PGA TOUR. Ranks 24th in greens hit and second in par-5 scoring average. With that success and his muscle off the tee, the 640-yard par-5 fifth and 625-yard par-5 14th holes will be opportunities for the 24-year-old to separate. Kristian Krogh Johannessen (+40000) … Joins countryman Viktor Hovland and representatives of Norway, and the attention here is all about striking while his irons are hot. It was earlier this month when Johannessen rose to a career-best 280th in the Official World Golf Ranking because the 26-year-old has been lighting up the Challenge Tour for two months. In his most recent six starts on that tour, he’s gone T5-T2-T23-T15-T9-T16. Odds were sourced on Tuesday, July 27 at 5 a.m. ET. For live odds visit betmgm. NOTE: Sleeper is a relative term, so Rob uses unofficial criteria to determine who qualifies. Each of the following usually is determined to be ineligible for this weekly staple: Winners of the tournament on the current host course; winners in the same season; recent major champions; top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking; recent participants of team competitions.

Click here to read the full article…

Here are nine tidbits from the first round of the CareerBuilder Challenge that gamers can use tomorrow, this weekend or down the road. Be looking for the Emergency 9 shortly after the close of play of each round of the tournament. Know Thy Enemy These were the top 10 picked golfers in the PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO. It might not be time to panic just yet with a 54-hole cut but thankfully for some of you, substitutions are allowed in this game! Remember, this week’s ONLY METRIC is scoring! With all three courses playing less than 7,200 yards and all to par 72, there should be plenty of it. Course and Weather Management The talk of the event today was how perfect the weather was and how gusty it is going to be on Friday. Thankfully in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO substitutions are part of game. With three courses in play, it’s time to avoid the hardest of the bunch, the Stadium Course. The Tournament Course and La Quinta have been by far the easier of the bunch the last two seasons with the new rotation and today wasn’t any different. At one point La Quinta Country Club was playing a staggering four shots under-par this afternoon. Only five of the top 41 today were playing the Stadium Course. If you’re at a crossroads about who to stick into your lineup, La Quinta is the tiebreaker! Nobody Expects the Spanish Inquisition! Well, yes gamers did! As noted above, 68 percent of the folks playing PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO this week have Jon Rahm on their roster. The Spaniard fired 62 (-10) at La Quinta and affirmed his love for desert courses that he acquired during his four years at Arizona State. The dots kept connecting as he won the DP World Championship in November in Dubai. He’s the No. 3 player in the OWGR and is performing like it!  Oasis Those of you who have been riding the Brian Harman Express have noticed that the train car is getting fuller by the week! Those who have been late to the party and have bought a ticket this week won’t be disappointed after Thursday. The man with five consecutive finishes inside the top eight opened with a breezy 65 (-7) at La Quinta to sit T9 after round one. Normal service continues. #NappyFactor The debate rages on and you’ll read more about it in Study Hall down the page! Martin Piller’s wife, Gerina, is 25 weeks along with baby No. 1. She’s walking in the gallery this week as her hubby looks for TOUR win No. 1. He co-leads the field in birdies as he circled half of his holes on the Tournament Course. Piller has won three times on the Web.com Tour with totals of 18, 26 and 28-under par. He’s not afraid to make birdies! Low Net Even though only five players of the top 41 began on the Stadium Course, I’m keeping my eye on two who ended the day inside the top 10. Take a bow, Nick Watney and Grayson Murray! They both posted 65 (-7) and get to take on La Quinta, the easiest course in the rotation, tomorrow. Posting rounds this low and being only three back should give them both an excellent foundation to add to before returning to the Stadium Course on Sunday. Past Champion Problems Two-time winners Phil Mickelson and Bill Haas aren’t helping the desert historians feel any confidence after the first round. Mickelson could only manage 70 at La Quinta after starting three-under-par through his first five holes. Haas threw up an even par 72 at the Stadium Course and checks in at T125 in a field of now 155. Remember, these are two guys who have feasted in the desert over the years. Yikes. Fish or Cut Bait? As is the case EVERY SINGLE WEEK ON TOUR, there are big names that don’t fire in the opening round. This week is a bit different as the cut is 54-holes and two of the three courses are some of the easiest on TOUR. The question is even more difficult to answer as 2014 champion Patrick Reed, 10th-most selected above, posted 74 (+2) at the Tournament Course in his season debut. His reward is playing the Stadium Course tomorrow in gusty conditions…Bubba Watson was the 11th-most selected and just missed out on the chart above. His 70 today at La Quinta will make gamers think twice tomorrow as he’ll begin T88. Study Hall Brandt Snedeker returned to TOUR action this week after battling a sternum joint injury. His comeback was derailed overseas as he WD from the Indonesian Masters with heat exhaustion. His even-par 72 on the Tournament Course leaves his T125 with a trip to the Stadium Course Friday…Brandon Hagy withdrew Wednesday night with a wrist injury and was replaced by Rick Lamb…Corey Pavin withdrew after 17 holes with a neck injury for those of you keeping an eye on PGA TOUR Champions One & Done presented by SERVPRO…No bogeys in an opening round 69 (-3) for Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood pegged all 18 greens in Abu Dhabi… Sergio Garcia and Louis Oosthuizen are tied for the lead (66) while Pat Perez (70) is T-29 at the Singapore Open. 

Click here to read the full article…