Numbers to Know: Rocket Mortgage Classic

OLYMPIA FIELDS, Ill. - History told Jon Rahm there would be drama at Olympia Fields. But this time the Spaniard wasn't going to let the place get the better of him. Rahm knew it would take something like his incredible 66-foot birdie putt that snaked across the entire 18th green, over a ridge and down into the cup to win a playoff against Dustin Johnson for the BMW Championship. Because strange things happen for the now 25-year-old at this venue. RELATED: Final leaderboard | What's in Rahm's bag? Five years ago, a young Rahm came to the course that sits southwest of Chicago as part of the field for the 2015 U.S. Amateur. He was the world No. 1 in the amateur game and expected to be a huge factor. But things did not come easy that week. First, Rahm needed to make two birdie bombs in his last three holes of stroke play just to make it into a playoff for the match play portion of the championship. He survived that playoff but needed 21 holes to get through the round of 64. Having then pushed his way to the quarterfinals, Rahm looked headed for the final four when he sat 3 up with eight holes remaining against unheralded Derek Bard. Instead, he lost two straight holes and then power-lipped out a 5-foot putt on the 15th that would have reclaimed a 2-up lead. He missed from 4 feet on the next hole to be back square and then three-putted the 17th to go behind. A hole later, he was eliminated in an upset. So Rahm returned this week for the BMW Championship determined to make amends. That amateur story belongs to Bryson DeChambeau, who would go on to beat Bard in the final. But the story of the FedExCup Playoffs event will forever be Rahm's. It didn't appear that would be the case for most of the week. Rahm started with a 5-over 75 and added a 71 the next day to sit 6 over. Then on the fifth hole Saturday, after back-to-back birdies, he inexplicably picked up his ball on the green before marking it. He was assessed a one-shot penalty, turning a par into a bogey. It could have sparked the end for Rahm, who is known for wearing his passion on his sleeve. But instead, much like he did when penalized two shots on his way to winning the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide in July, Rahm remained calm. In fact, he zeroed in his focus and went on to shoot 66. "I just hope I don’t lose by one," Rahm said afterwards. "I’m just going to say that. I just hope. And if I do, well, very well my fault. It’s as simple as that." That night he and wife Kelley were talking, and the ball marking fiasco came up. Rahm reiterated the above statement but, as Kelley puts it, made a point to move on. If one thing happens one way, then chances are the next thing would be different to. He vowed not to think about it as he tried to chase down a three-shot deficit. And he managed that as he went about shooting a sublime bogey free 6-under 64 to post in the clubhouse at 4 under. That "bogey" on Saturday was his last of the tournament that saw just five players finish under par. But the moment eventually flashed back as Dustin Johnson played the final hole sitting a shot behind while Rahm tried to stay loose on the range. "When they told me DJ had hit it on the green on the 18th hole and the situation. I was like, ‘That extra shot cushion would be extremely nice right now, I’m not going to lie,' " Rahm smiled. "But at the same time, I don’t know if I would have won had it not happened. It kind of made me mad at myself, and I just went on with my focus after that and was able to play amazing golf and stayed aggressive. "Maybe if I hadn’t, I would have two-putted and maybe stayed complacent. I don’t know because I had such a good start. I can tell you after that two-putt, making that 6-footer for bogey, I was like, okay, that’s it, no playing around, go. That’s kind of what mentally did it for me." It was that focus that allowed him to handle the fact Johnson made a ridiculously good 43-foot snaking downhill putt of his own to force the playoff. Because of course he would. He's world No. 1 and the FedExCup leader who was coming off an 11-shot victory at THE NORTHERN TRUST. And this is Olympia Fields after all. "Last time I had a wait having a one-shot lead with a couple groups to go was in Palm Springs, and Andrew Landry came in at 18 and made birdie and we went into a playoff. I reminded myself that anything is possible," Rahm said. “When they told me where DJ was putting from, I didn’t see it, I just knew he just had to get the ball rolling on the right direction and that putt was in, and I knew how good DJ has been playing I was expecting nothing else. I was fully confident it was going to come into a playoff and hoping to win it." What he wasn't expecting was to win the tournament on the first playoff hole when Johnson split the fairway and he found the rough and consequently faced 66 feet for birdie to Johnson's 33 feet. In fact, while he stalked the putt hoping to find the right line, his focus was on speed as the slick downhill effort was most likely to run past the hole and leave a tester for par. He need not have worried. It was like a magnet to the hole, much like Johnson's earlier. When Johnson's attempt to match ended up stopping just inches from the cup, it was over. "Never did I think I would make another 60-footer, a couple of breaks in there to end up winning it," Rahm beamed. "We all want the flashy finish, maybe not the stress that comes with it, but I set out to enjoy even the uncomfortable moments we had out there today, and man, it was fun. Pretty close to the best way to finish it." The win moved him to second in the FedExCup heading to the TOUR Championship. He was three behind Johnson starting Sunday. Next week he will start two behind as he chases the season long trophy. And what a difference one stroke can make.

Click here to read the full article…

CARNOUSTIE, Scotland – You, watching back home on your hi-def 65-inch TV screen, go ahead and dream. You, having just paid 10 pounds for a nice fish-and-chips lunch in the spectator village, go ahead and dream. You, salivating in the media center about the possibility of the biggest golf story in a decade (this century?), go ahead and dream. Tiger Woods will not. He will not yet dream about winning his first major in 10 years. He will not project where it might rank in the pantheon of his major victories, currently in a holding pattern at 14. He will not get ahead of himself, even though his third-round 66 at The Open Championship secured a spot among the contenders heading into Sunday’s decisive round at Carnoustie. “We’re not there yet,” he said. “I know what you’re trying to say in asking but let me try and get there first. “Then ask me again.” He may not get there on a Sunday that promises to be full of drama and notable names, each anxious to produce his own winning story. He’ll start the final round at 5 under and in a tie for sixth, four shots off the lead shared by Jordan Spieth, Xander Schauffele and Kevin Kisner. Two other players are between Woods and the leaders — Kevin Chappell at 7 under and Francesco Molinari at 6 under. But Tiger is closer than he’s been in quite some time, certainly closer to the major form that hasn’t really been on display since four back surgeries left him wondering if he could even continue playing. Of course, he’s famously never won a major when he didn’t hold the 54-hole lead, and it’s a tall order asking him to do it now while he’s still in the midst of his comeback. Dreamers will dream, but the reality of the situation is that Woods may need another super-low round just to have a chance. At least Tiger has that chance. His 66 — his lowest score at any major since the 2012 PGA Championship, and his lowest at The Open since winning in 2006 at Royal Liverpool — was the product of consistent swings, off-the-tee accuracy and a few longer putts, including a 50-footer at the ninth hole that was his longest made putt of the PGA TOUR season. Even before he teed off Saturday, he saw that players were taking advantage of great scoring conditions, especially on Carnoustie’s first 14 holes. That meant the green light was on. “There were a bunch of guys that were putting up great scores, and the golf course was gettable,” Woods said. “I didn’t want to be too far back if the guys got to 10-under par today. I had to stay within reach. “And 5 [under] is definitely within reach.” At one point, Woods even had a share of the lead. That came after a two-putt birdie at the par-5 14th moved him to 6 under. Zach Johnson and Kevin Kisner – the 54-hole co-leaders who started the day at 6 under — had just teed off. It lasted less than 30 minutes until Kisner birdied the third hole. But the buzz was clearly evident – even if Tiger himself never realized he was the co-leader. “I didn’t know I was tied for the lead,â€� he said. “I knew I was within one. But I was right there. After I birdied 14, I still had some work to do. I’ve got four more holes to go. “I was just concentrating on trying to play the last four holes under par. As I said, not to try and let these guys get too far out of reach if they got to double digits.â€� Even if he doesn’t get it done Sunday, the signs are encouraging. Woods leads the field in driving accuracy – he’s missed just nine of 45 fairways this week — and his only wayward tee shot in the third round came with iron on the 18th hole. His drive hit just inches from the Barry Burn but bounced a few yards away into the rough. Woods had to pitch out to the fairway, but his wedge from 83 yards stopped just left of the pin for a tap-in par. He said the feeling on Saturday was similar to how he felt in May at THE PLAYERS Championship when he shot a third-round 65 that included eight birdies in his first 12 holes. Woods backed that up with a final-round 69 that left him tied for 11th at TPC Sawgrass. “In a major? I haven’t played too many,â€� Woods said when asked when the last time he felt this good. “I played pretty similar to this at THE PLAYERS Championship. Obviously the fifth major, possibly, but not like this in one of the big four events.â€� His last major victory was the 2008 U.S. Open, which he won by playing 91 holes on essentially one leg. It was a heroic performance as he grimaced every time he had to bend his left knee. Two days later, he underwent surgery and was out for the season. If and when he wins another major, it will be a different path but a similar sensation. A once- improbable achievement given his health two years ago. Now it’s a possibility. Maybe not on Sunday, but the Tiger of old is showing signs of awakening. “I’ve shown that I’ve been there close enough with a chance to win this year,â€� said Woods. “Given what happened the last few years, I didn’t know if that would ever happen again. But here I am with a chance coming Sunday in a major championship. “It’s going to be fun.â€�

Click here to read the full article…

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA – The PGA TOUR announced Monday the four featured groupings for Thursday-Friday at the RBC Heritage, to be contested at Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head, South Carolina. The RBC Heritage, traditionally played the week following the Masters Tournament, was originally scheduled to be played April 13-19, and was announced as canceled on March 17 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, due to flexibility allowed by the postponement of 2020 major championships, the RBC Heritage returned to the PGA TOUR schedule. Full groupings and starting times for the first two rounds of the Charles Schwab Challenge will be released officially at approximately noon ET on Tuesday, June 16. HOW TO FOLLOW Television: Thursday-Friday, 3 p.m.-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday-Sunday, 1 p.m.-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3 p.m.-6 p.m. (CBS). PGA TOUR LIVE: Thursday-Friday 6:45 a.m.-6 p.m. (featured groups), Saturday-Sunday 7:45 a.m.-3 p.m. (featured groups). Saturday-Sunday 3 p.m.-6 p.m. (featured holes). Radio: Thursday-Friday, 12 p.m.-6 p.m. Saturday-Sunday 1 p.m.-6 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com/liveaudio). Rory McIlroy, C.T. Pan, Rickie Fowler • McIlroy, who is making his first start at the RBC Heritage since 2009, snapped his streak of seven consecutive top-fives on TOUR with a T32 at last week’s Charles Schwab Challenge • Pan earned his first career PGA TOUR victory at the 2019 RBC Heritage, defeating Matt Kuchar by one stroke • Fowler has two top-10s in seven starts on the season (T5/Sentry Tournament of Champions, T10/The American Express); he missed the cut at last week’s Charles Schwab Challenge Daniel Berger, Brooks Koepka, Patrick Reed • Daniel Berger earned his third career PGA TOUR title at last week’s Charles Schwab Challenge and holds the PGA TOUR’s longest active streak of par-or-better scores (28) • Koepka, making his tournament debut, enters the week No. 204 in the FedExCup standings and has been limited to just six starts during the 2019-20 season due to injury • With five top-10s on the season, including a win at the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship, Reed is No. 4 in the FedExCup standings Jon Rahm, Justin Rose, Justin Thomas • Rahm has four top-10s in six starts on the season, highlighted by a runner-up result at the Farmers Insurance Open; he will compete at the RBC Heritage for the first time • Rose, competing at the RBC Heritage for the first time since 2008, finished T3 at last week’s Charles Schwab Challenge, his best finish on TOUR since the 2019 U.S. Open (T3) • Thomas enters the week No. 2 in the FedExCup standings as one of two players with multiple wins on the season (THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES, Sentry Tournament of Champions) Dustin Johnson, Hideki Matsuyama, Gary Woodland • RBC ambassador and South Carolina native Johnson is currently No. 115 in the FedExCup standings and has not missed the TOUR Championship since 2008 (his rookie season) • Matsuyama will make his first start on TOUR since the season was suspended in March and has four top-10s on the season; he missed the cut in his lone start at the RBC Heritage (2014) • Woodland, the reigning U.S. Open champion, has five top-10s on the season, including a ninth-place result at last week’s Charles Schwab Challenge

Click here to read the full article…