‘Open’ house: Getting to know Royal Portrush

Round 1 of the Farmers Insurance Open takes place today from Torrey Pines. Here’s everything you need to know to follow the action. Round 1 leaderboard Round 1 tee times HOW TO FOLLOW Television: Thursday-Friday, 3-7 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday, 1-2:45 p.m. ET (Golf Channel), 3-6 p.m. ET (CBS). Sunday, 1-2:45 p.m. ET (Golf Channel), 3-6:30 p.m. ET (CBS). PGA TOUR LIVE: (Featured Groups, Featured Holes) Thursday-Friday 12 p.m. – 7 p.m. ET. Saturday, 10:30 a.m.- 6 p.m. ET. Sunday, 11:15 a.m.-6:30 p.m. ET. Radio: Thursday-Friday, 1 p.m.-7 p.m. ET. Saturday, 1 p.m.-6 p.m. ET. Sunday, 1 p.m.-6:30 p.m. ET (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com/liveaudio). FEATURED GROUPS (ALL TIMES ET) Tiger Woods, Jon Rahm, Collin Morikawa Thursday: 12:40 p.m. ET (Torrey Pines GC, North, No. 10 tee) Friday: 1:40 p.m. ET (Torrey Pines GC, South, No. 1 tee) Rory McIlroy, Cameron Smith, Brandt Snedeker Thursday: 12:30 p.m. ET (Torrey Pines GC, North, No. 10 tee) Friday: 1:30 p.m. ET (Torrey Pines GC, South, No. 1 tee) Rickie Fowler, Phil Mickelson, Xander Schauffele Thursday: 1:40 p.m. ET (Torrey Pines GC, South, No. 1 tee) Friday: 12:30 p.m. ET (Torrey Pines GC, North, No. 10 tee) Jason Day, Justin Rose, Jordan Spieth Thursday: 1:30 p.m. ET (Torrey Pines GC, South, No. 1 tee) Friday: 12:20 p.m. ET (Torrey Pines GC, North, No. 10 tee) MUST READS Power Rankings Expert Picks Where will Tiger win No. 83? Tiger eyes win No. 83 at Farmers Insurance Open Morales relishes the time he took down Tiger at Torrey Pines Spieth looks for fresh start at Torrey Pines Eighty things to know as Nicklaus turns 80 San Diego police officer retiring after long run at Farmers Insurance Open The First Look: News, notes for Farmers Insurance Open Sign-up and play Fantasy Golf

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This is one of those rare moments, if not the only, when all you really need to do is remember to submit your picks and lineups. In recent weeks, I’ve written about strategy as Segment 3 of PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO nears its conclusion. This week’s Quicken Loans National is the antepenultimate event of 14 before The Open Championship launches Segment 4. With only A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier and the John Deere Classic remaining before all golfers are reset to three starts, you’re unlikely to miss any of the guys in this week’s field for whom you’d be burning the final start. This is the reality even after I shared last week that last year’s QLN scored the least of the last four tournaments (including the Travelers Championship) of Segment 3. That fact supported the advice to burn any last starts you had at TPC River Highlands. So, if you still have a start for your favorite, it’s a bonus. Burn it now. I’ve also written quite a bit about up-and-comers who demand your attention this summer and beyond. That content remains viewable anytime you want to revisit it. As it did with nine exemptions last weekend, The Open Championship will be adding to its field every week until it’s time for the tournament on July 19-22. Continue to monitor Qualfiers regularly. Weeks like this one are good for the fantasy soul. They simplify and clarify. Just don’t forget to head to the fantasy platform to lock in your decisions! PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO My roster for the Quicken Loans National (in alphabetical order): Rickie Fowler J.B. Holmes Marc Leishman Francesco Molinari Kyle Stanley Tiger Woods You’ll find my starters in Expert Picks. Others to consider for each category (in alphabetical order): Scoring: Byeong Hun An; Kiradech Aphibarnrat; Tom Hoge; Si Woo Kim; Kevin Na; Jimmy Walker Driving: Byeong Hun An; Tyler Duncan; Beau Hossler; J.T. Poston; Kevin Streelman Approach: Stewart Cink; Tom Hoge; Kevin Na; Kevin Streelman; Tiger Woods Short: Kiradech Aphibarnrat; Beau Hossler; Jimmy Walker Power Rankings Wild Card Kevin Na … After flirting with fate and failing at Muirfield Village where he was a Draw before missing the cut – as a refresher, he zigs more often than most when he projects to zag – he deserves another chance at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm. Still more effective as a short-game artist, he’s also 46th in strokes gained: tee-to-green and T20 in par-5 scoring. Also placed T22 here last year while leading the field in strokes gained: approach-the-green. Draws Si Woo Kim … When he celebrates his 23rd birthday concurrently with Thursday’s opening round, he’ll be extending the expectation of consistency. It wasn’t the narrative defining his burgeoning career until this season, and it includes ingredients to launch something quite special sooner than later for the two-time PGA TOUR winner. Although he missed the cut here last year, he makes sense on this course because of his knack to connect with a terrific tee-to-green game. Sits 50th on TOUR in the strokes-gained stat dedicated to measuring that. Anirban Lahiri … It’s easy to lean on the laurels of his steady T9 at the Travelers, but he was already trending toward it. It began, surprisingly, with his missed cut at THE PLAYERS. It was at TPC Sawgrass where he reversed a trend of four straight starts surrendering strokes to each field tee to green. Since the PGA TOUR’s flagship event, he’s connected five straight starts while gaining strokes on each field. His strokes gained: tee-to-green at TPC River Highlands measured a season-best 6.79. So, ride him while he’s hot, but understand that the fuel for his surge matters even more at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm. Kevin Streelman … In Streelman we trust. He makes most cuts, resides among the best on TOUR tee-to-green and salvaging pars, and he finished T17 here last year. Continue to wear him out in every format. Adam Hadwin (DFS) Billy Horschel (DFS) Fades Gary Woodland … It’s been a tale of two seasons in 2017-18. Since opening with a 7-for-7 run that was punctuated with a playoff victory at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, he’s just 5-for-11 with no better than a T23 (Memorial) since. He’s also getting his first look at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm. Bill Haas … Quite simply, even though it’s been awhile since he’s exhibited week-to-week consistency, we don’t need to force him. Yet, it’s an expectation in the 36-year-old that we must continue to possess. Now four months removed from the crash in California, he may only need a fresh start to a season to feel himself again competitively. From that standpoint, he’s on an early watch as a salary bargain entering 2018-19. David Lingmerth … If you’re confused as to why he’d even be included in this section as he occupies 153rd place in the FedExCup standings, it’s because he led each of the first three rounds in last year’s QLN before backpedaling to finish T5. He’s managed only two top 25s on the PGA TOUR since, including at last week’s Travelers, but his role is as a flier for DFSers, and fractionally at that. Ryan Palmer Patrick Rodgers Returning to Competition None. Notable WDs Ben Martin … His missed cut at the Travelers was the fifth in his last six starts. He’s gone 14 straight without a top 25 but hangs on at 125th in the FedExCup standings. This decision saves course history buffs who may have been holding their breath since he finished T5 at TPC Potomac last year. Mac Hughes … It doesn’t seem like all that long ago that he was checking off all of the boxes, personally and professionally. Yet, he’s 200th in the FedExCup standings with only six cuts made in 22 starts, none of which going for a top 40. No matter what happens the rest of this summer, the 27-year-old will get another season with fully exempt status for winning The RSM Classic late in 2016. And because it’ll be his contract year, he might be worth the plunge in deep salary formats. Vaughn Taylor … Finished T61 at last year’s QLN. Currently 97th in the FedExCup standings and an impressive 43rd in adjusted scoring. Nate Lashley … This is his second consecutive early withdrawal. He hasn’t used social media to explain why. The rookie hasn’t played since finishing T37 in Memphis. At 151st in the FedExCup standings, he’s in the no-man’s land of being safe to qualify for the Web.com Tour Finals but outside the bubble for conditional status as a last resort for 2018-19. Hunter Mahan … Since opening the season with a pair of top 20s, he’s just 7-for-14 with no better than a T35 (Corales). Still, don’t count out the veteran to make noise down the stretch. While he’s not angling at that at the moment, it wouldn’t be that surprising given his career achievements. He sits 161st in FedExCup points. Power Rankings Recap – Travelers Championship Power Ranking  Golfer  Result 1  Daniel Berger  T67 2  Patrick Reed  MC 3  Justin Thomas  T56 4  Webb Simpson  MC 5  Charley Hoffman  T15 6  Marc Leishman  MC 7  Brendan Steele  MC 8  Ryan Moore  MC 9  Xander Schauffele  MC 10  Paul Casey  T2 11  Bryson DeChambeau  T9 12  Jordan Spieth  T42 13  Rory McIlroy  T12 14  Brooks Koepka  T19 15  Jason Day  T12 Wild Card  Bubba Watson  Win Sleepers Recap – Travelers Championship Golfer  Result Aaron Baddeley  MC Beau Hossler  T2 Dylan Meyer  MC Patrick Rodgers  T26 Vaughn Taylor  T47 Birthdays among active golfers on the PGA TOUR June 26 … Colt Knost (33) June 27 … none June 28 … Si Woo Kim (23) June 29 … Mark Hensby (46); Anirban Lahiri (31); Trey Mullinax (26) June 30 … Patrick Rodgers (26) July 1 … none July 2 … Brett Stegmaier (35)

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MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Prior to Thursday, Jon Rahm had never seen the front nine holes at TPC Southwind. So it came as a bit of a surprise when he fired a 5-under 30 on the stretch as part of an 8-under 62 in the opening round of the World Golf Championships – FedEx St. Jude Invitational. It was enough for a three-shot lead over Patrick Cantlay, Bubba Watson, Cameron Smith, Hideki Matsuyama and Shugo Imahira. Jetlagged and exhausted from his last five weeks of golf that included two majors on different continents, a home appearance at the Spanish Masters, a win at the Irish Open and a trip to a friend’s wedding, Rahm decided to cut his Wednesday practice session short. That meant he would go into the front side of TPC Southwind, the last nine of his opening round having started on No. 10, blind on Thursday. “I didn’t do anything Monday or Tuesday, I just rested and stretched at the hotel, in the room,â€� Rahm said. “And then yesterday I came with the plan of playing 18 holes. I putted and warmed up, and after four holes… I was dead. I couldn’t swing properly. I was really tired, so I just decided to just finish the round of nine holes, eat and just putt a little bit and go. “I tried to put a little emphasis on being rested and it paid off today. Obviously I have three more days to go and hopefully the battery lasts, but that was the main deal for me.â€� Thankfully, caddie Adam Hayes has seen the track quite a few times with previous clients. When Hayes gave Rahm the target, the 24-year-old listened and executed. The Spanish star was lights-out with his putter, gaining over five strokes on the 63-man field on the greens. His +5.203 Strokes Gained: Putting mark is the best of his PGA TOUR career. He needed just 23 putts and missed just once from inside 25 feet. Between 15 and 25 feet, Rahm was 5-of-5. “My last 10 holes, I made a lot of putts. I hit really good putts and I read the greens properly, but I think the main key out of all that, it was my positioning,â€� he explained. “I know I tend to be an aggressive player, but I tried to think about it today and I left myself pretty much on every single putt, besides 18, I was almost in the fall line every time. “The putts on one, two, seven and eight, those birdie putts that I made, not any of them were aimed outside the edge right or left. So that’s what made it so comforting because I knew, especially with the greens being this pure, if I started the ball on line I was going to have a chance.â€�

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