PGA Tour Power Rankings: Time to make a change at the top

ATLANTA, Ga. – Blake Kollin played football, basketball and lacrosse, but not golf, when Jordan Spieth won the 2015 Masters. That’s all changed now. “He made it look easy, so I just picked it up,� Kollin said before he started work Thursday. Kollin was one of two walking standard-bearers for the final pairing of Spieth and Justin Thomas in the first round of the TOUR Championship at East Lake. (Each shot 67 and was tied for sixth, three behind leader Kyle Stanley.) Skylar Thompson—she carried the sign on the front nine, Kollin on the back—also calls herself a Spieth fan. “He’s a really good role model,� she said. You may have heard there will be two more tournaments on the PGA TOUR next season, a total of 49 in the United States and eight other countries, and record prize money (more than $363 million). You’d have to say the view from 30,000 feet is a pretty good one. But what about the view from the ground? That’s not bad, either, to judge by the scene around Spieth-Thomas, the FedExCup Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, on Thursday. High school seniors Kollin and Thompson wore khaki pants and forest-green polo shirts in temperatures that reached 91 degrees. They popped red numbers into and out of their sign as Spieth birdied three straight on the front nine and Thomas made four birdies and two bogeys on the back. After the 2015 Masters, Kollin gave up lacrosse, since its season coincided with golf. Then he dropped football and basketball, too. Now he plays No. 1 for the Cambridge High team in Milton, Georgia, with a career-low of 67. Yeah, he got good fast. Thompson, also a senior, matriculates at an online charter school and will attend South Carolina on a golf scholarship starting in the fall of 2018. Her career-low is 64, but her tournament-low is 69. She has been working as a standard-bearer at this tournament since she was 12, so this week marks the end of an era. “The sign was bigger than she was,� said Pete Sutter, longtime chairman of the standard-bearers at this tournament. “I was like, really? She said, ‘I can do it!’� “The sign wasn’t bigger than I was!� Thompson said with a laugh. “Oh, okay,� Sutter said. “It wasn’t bigger than she was.� Fans waited in the stands and media and officials ringed the first tee box. Spieth shook hands with Kollin and Thompson. “Hi, I’m Jordan,� he said. Kollin marveled at his proximity to a high-profile athlete, even as he eyed another. “That’s one of the Atlanta Hawks,� he said in a whisper. “That’s Kent Bazemore.� Bazemore, 28, was hard to miss as he followed the last twosome. A 6’5’’ shooting guard for the Hawks, he stopped and posed for selfies with fans. Like everyone else, he marveled at the shot-making of Spieth-Thomas, who at times played a game of can-you-top-this. Spieth, hitting first, knocked his approach shots to 6 ½ and 3 ½ feet at the seventh and eighth holes, respectively. Thomas responded, hitting his to 5 ½ and 4 feet. Four birdies. “I’ve had it bad for four years,� Bazemore said of the golf bug, which has seen him join nearby Hawks Ridge Golf Club and play golf with fellow NBA player Stephan Curry. (They are both sponsored by Under Armour, as is Spieth.) Bazemore had a feeling Curry would do well at the Web.com Tour’s Ellie Mae Classic in August. (Curry shot 74-74 to miss the cut, but impressed.) “I played with him the week before that, at Newport National in Rhode Island,� Bazemore said. “He’d just come back from Asia, and he shot 73 with rental clubs.� Ellie Spieth, not Ellie Mae, was the one in the sweet Under Armour shoes following her big brother Thursday. She was there along with her father, Shawn, and mother, Chris. Thomas’ parents, Mike and Jani, were also following along. The two families have been tight ever since Spieth and Thomas played in the Evian Junior Masters in France a decade ago. “He calls me Mamma,� Chris Spieth said of Justin Thomas. She laughed. You get the feeling Chris’ side of the family was the source of 6’ 6’’ Steven Spieth’s height. The younger brother of Jordan, Steven Spieth played basketball for Brown and the Dallas Mavericks summer league team, and now plays professionally overseas. While Jordan was working his way through a few wayward drives on the front nine, Chris and Shawn were watching and wondering if there is a way to live stream a basketball tournament in Argentina starting Friday. Perhaps they’ll use their phones. That was partly how Miles Young and Pete Shelton followed the first-round action. Dustin Johnson (68) nearly plunked Shelton with a wide-right drive at the fifth hole, but Shelton turned lemons into lemonade, capturing the action on his smart phone. “I like that you can take pictures,� said Young, whose 9-year-old son, Cole, was also tagging along. “I like that it’s low-key. You can see the players really close, and kids get in free. Cole likes the fist-bumps. He’s gotten autographs, golf balls, a flag signed by Brandt Snedeker. “We go out to the course at home, and half the time we’re fishing balls out of the lake, or riding the cart together, but this is the key to get him really excited. When you can get this close, and get a fist-bump from Jordan Spieth, it makes all the difference.� Shelton shook his head. “He’s a better dad than me; he took his son out of school.� (Shelton has three kids, among them a 13-year-old son who wanted to be at East Lake.) “Only for a few hours,� Young replied with a sheepish smile. Shelton would peel off before the last twosome finished the front nine, leaving East Lake to get to his 9-year-old daughter’s soccer practice in time. He’s the coach. Young and his son would follow suit; Cole’s soccer practice was scheduled to start an hour later. They’ll be back, as will Bazemore, the Spieths, and standard-bearers Kollin and Thompson. They’ll all be back. Three rounds remain, and Spieth and Thomas are only 24. There’s a lot of golf to be played.

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It was the calm before the storm that came after a mega storm. Returning to Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club Saturday after almost 10-inches of rain saturated the area on Friday and caused the postponement of the second round, Tiger Woods calmly took control at a quiet ZOZO Championship.  RELATED: Leaderboard | Tiger chases Snead’s record | Monday finish determined for ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP His second straight 6-under 64 pushed the 43-year-old to 12 under par through 36 holes, good enough for a two-shot lead over current U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland. Woods is of course now well and truly on track to join Sam Snead with a record-tying 82nd PGA TOUR win, a fact that will send returning spectators into a frenzy of epic proportions. The odds may be in his favor when you take into account the fact Woods has turned 38 of 49 halfway leads/co-leads to victory and on the 33 occasions he was an outright leader, 28 of them ended with wins. It is incredible considering this is his first tournament of the new 2019-20 season after a nine-week break that included knee surgery. While the two-time FedExCup champion is accustomed to feeding off huge galleries that create roars at every turn, it was a far different vibe on this occasion. Safety concerns after the previous days deluge meant PGA TOUR officials kept spectators off the grounds for the second round leaving an eerie silence around the golf course. Just days after thousands were 20-deep at seemingly every turn the place was a virtual ghost town save for the diehard fans who climbed trees and peered through fences just for a glimpse of their hero. Woods played as if the crowds were still there. As if on auto pilot he still waved after his seven birdies and provided a little showmanship when walking in some putts. When he encountered those people in the trees behind the fences he couldn’t help but flash them his trademark grin. “I made a couple putts today and I went to put my hand up and I’m like, don’t put your hand up, there’s no one clapping, so just move on about your business and just go ahead and keep trying to plug my way up the board, and I was able to do that,â€� Woods admitted. “I’m surprised that I was able to score as well as I have; usually that takes a little bit of time. But this golf course is a little bit on the softer side. I’ve been able to strike my irons pretty well this week so far and that’s been nice. “I left a lot of my approach shots below the hole and I was able to be pretty aggressive, and the greens are a little bit slower than they were yesterday. I had a good feel on the putting green, which was nice. Hit a lot of putts from below the hole and making sure that I put a lot of right hand into it and released it and it felt good all day.â€� The third round is scheduled to begin at 6:30 a.m. local time Sunday (5:30 p.m. ET Saturday) with Woods in the last group at 8:30 a.m. (7:30 p.m. ET) along with Woodland and Keegan Bradley (four back). The crowds will be allowed back in and are expected to be at capacity. The players will not be regrouped after the round and will continue into the fourth round, playing until darkness before the tournament will then conclude on Monday morning. The prospect of extra holes in one day will put more pressure on Woods recently repaired knee and his surgically fused back. It’s a different kind of storm he needs to weather … fatigue and stiffness. At one point during the round there was a long wait on the par-5 14th hole forcing some precautionary stretching and ultimately the addition of a vest. All part of the management needed in his game these days. “It’s just going to be a long day,â€� Woods said of Sunday. “Eat a lot of food tonight and then tomorrow, same thing, make sure that I eat enough and feel good about my warm‑up session. “I felt like I hit it a little bit better today … that’s nice going into a long day like tomorrow because it’s going to be a bit of a test physically and mentally to play for, what, up to 10 hours. Hopefully I can play well and get myself right there.â€�

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It’s hard not to chuckle while contemplating the absence of an offseason, but we’ll rest over the holidays. Just like the 144 golfers at Silverado, it’s time for us to get back to work. The Safeway Open is the first of eight tournaments in the fall portion of the 2017-18 season. All but the Sanderson Farms Championship will contribute to your progress in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO, but only the Safeway and the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open feature full fantasy scoring. The other five will measure only actual scoring for each round before rewarding one-half FedExCup points earned. Because there are only seven tournaments in Segment 1 and gamers are still allowed up to three starts per golfer per Segment, it’s unlikely that the strategies in non-ShotLink events will come into play much. Meanwhile, the game will now award bonuses based on FedExCup points at the conclusion of Playoffs, if applicable. This will parallel how points are collected in the One & Done game, which also renews for the Safeway Open. The Roster game awarded prizes for the winners and runners-up of each of the four Segments as well as the entire season. The top three in the season-long chase in the One & Done will collect. See both platforms at FantasyGolf.PGATOUR.com for details. Beginning with this week’s FI, I’m evolving Draws and Fades to cover more golfers in specified formats sans extended commentary and analysis. These cheaters should assist in case you’re looking for quick yeas and nays from me. If you’ve somehow missed it, Qualifiers, Medical Extensions, Reshuffle and Rookie Ranking are live on the site. So is my annual full-membership fantasy ranking. If you haven’t already, bookmark PGATOUR.com/Fantasy or navigate the MENU at the top of most pages. It’s awesome to be back with you for another season on the PGA TOUR. Never hesitate to reach out to me via discussion threads, Twitter (public or private) or email. PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO My roster for the Safeway Open (in alphabetical order): Bud Cauley Tony Finau Jamie Lovemark Kevin Na Sam Saunders Brendan Steele You’ll find my starters in Expert Picks. Others to consider for each category (in alphabetical order): Scoring: Brandon Hagy; Smylie Kaufman; Luke List; Phil Mickelson; Grayson Murray; Ollie Schniederjans Driving: Lucas Glover; Martin Laird; Ryan Moore; Chez Reavie; Harold Varner III; Richy Werenski Approach: Chad Campbell; Lucas Glover; Zach Johnson; Ryan Moore; Chez Reavie; Ollie Schniederjans; Webb Simpson; Vaughn Taylor; Richy Werenski Short: Scott Brown; Mackenzie Hughes; Zach Johnson; Phil Mickelson; Chez Reavie Power Rankings Wild Card Peter Uihlein … Here we go. He enters his rookie season on the PGA TOUR at the age of 28. It was a long time coming what with his promise and pedigree. While expectations will likely exceed his results unless he wins, if he hangs up four top 10s and finishes inside the top 70 of the FedExCup standings, consider it a successful foray. Just give him a start or two before diving in on a weekly basis. His win in the first leg of the Web.com Tour Finals is his only top 25 anywhere in his last six starts. Draws Matt Atkins (DFS) Scott Brown (DFS) Chad Campbell (SERVPRO) Lucas Glover (all) Brandon Hagy (all) Smylie Kaufman (DFS) Luke List (DFS) Grayson Murray (DFS) Vaughn Taylor (DFS) Harold Varner III (all) Richy Werenski (DFS) Fades Sangmoon Bae Jonas Blixt Graham DeLaet Cody Gribble Emiliano Grillo David Hearn Beau Hossler Sung Kang Chris Kirk Patton Kizzire Colt Knost … After nearly eight months off, finished 70th in his only start of the Web.com Tour Finals. Equipped with a Major Medical Extension, so give him time to shed the rust. Maverick McNealy … Making his pro debut. Set with a series of sponsor exemptions. Respect the learning curve. Patrick Rodgers Kevin Streelman Chris Stroud Aaron Wise Returning to Competition Scott Piercy … Sat out the Playoffs with a sore shoulder and hasn’t played since the Travelers in late June. Should be feeling good at Silverado, though. He opened last year’s T3 with a course-record 62. Plant him as a sporty option in DFS. Fabián Gómez … Hasn’t competed since the Quicken Loans National during which he withdrew after one round. An explanation was never released. It’s just as well, though, as he enters 2017-18 as a salary bargain at $332K. He’s fully exempt by virtue of his win at the 2016 Sony Open in Hawaii. Fits nicely at Silverado, too, with a T17 in 2015 and a T26 last year. Expect a little rust, but he’s a sensible contrarian in DFS. Kelly Kraft … A mid-round withdrawal due to a foot injury in the opener of the Dell Technologies Championship ended his Playoffs. He concluded the season without a top-55 finish in five starts after a T5 at Greenbrier. That’s been his M.O., however. It can be fruitful in reality, but it’s a dangerous angle for fantasy gamers. With an 0-for-2 slate at Silverado on top of the concern, he’s an easy no-play. Ernie Els … Scheduled to compete in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. It’ll be his first action since withdrawing during the Wyndham Championship with a sore rib. The Big Easy is burning a top-25 career earnings exemption on the PGA TOUR this season. He’ll celebrate his 48th birthday on Oct. 17. Power Rankings Recap – TOUR Championship Power Ranking  Golfer  Result 1  Jordan Spieth  T7 2  Justin Rose  T10 3  Dustin Johnson  T17 4  Rickie Fowler  T26 5  Marc Leishman  T24 6  Justin Thomas  2nd 7  Paul Casey  5th 8  Jason Day  T17 9  Jon Rahm  T7 10  Kevin Chappell  T28 11  Webb Simpson  T13 12  Brooks Koepka  6th 13  Matt Kuchar  T10 14  Sergio Garcia  T10 15  Patrick Cantlay  T20 16  Gary Woodland  19th 17  Pat Perez  16th 18  Hideki Matsuyama  T26 19  Jason Dufner  T20 20  Daniel Berger  15th 21  Xander Schauffele  Win 22  Adam Hadwin  23rd 23  Tony Finau  T7 24  Brian Harman  T24 25  Charley Hoffman  T28 26  Patrick Reed  T13 27  Russell Henley  T3 28  Kevin Kisner  T3 29  Kyle Stanley  T20 30  Jhonattan Vegas  30th Power Rankings Recap – FedExCup Playoffs Power Ranking  Golfer  Result 1  Jordan Spieth  2nd 2  Hideki Matsuyama  8th 3  Rickie Fowler  7th 4  Dustin Johnson  4th 5  Brooks Koepka  10th 6  Henrik Stenson  32nd 7  Rory McIlroy  58th 8  Daniel Berger  16th 9  Justin Thomas  1st 10  Paul Casey  11th 11  Matt Kuchar  14th 12  Patrick Reed  22nd 13  Francesco Molinari  37th 14  Kevin Chappell  27th 15  Charley Hoffman  20th 16  Marc Leishman  6th 17  Jason Dufner  30th 18  Brian Harman  25th 19  Jason Day  18th 20  Jon Rahm  5th 21  Tony Finau  19th 22  Kevin Kisner  12th 23  Zach Johnson  48th 24  Russell Henley  13th 25  Brendan Steele  33rd 26  Kyle Stanley  24th 27  Adam Hadwin  26th 28  Pat Perez  15th 29  Louis Oosthuizen  31st 30  Patrick Cantlay  29th Birthdays among active golfers on the PGA TOUR October 3 … none October 4 … none October 5 … Kelly Kraft (29) October 6 … none October 7 … none October 8 … none October 9 … none

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