Phil Mickelson, Jordan Spieth take different paths after Players pairing

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With a record five additional events on the docket this season, I applaud all entrepreneurial gamers who built a One & Done private game consisting solely of these tournaments. It’s not unlike popular pools that include only the majors. They’re easy, focused and fun. Those of you with Cameron Champ at the Sanderson Farms Championship would be leading the way entering this week’s Puerto Rico Open. The PGA TOUR rookie is taking the week off, but there are 132 hopefuls vying for immunity on the island. Experience at Coco Beach Golf Club isn’t the worst thing in the world in which to invest in the pursuit of 300 FedExCup points. Scott Brown, David Hearn and Rafael Campos have been among the most reliable in this week’s field. Each has done more than enough recently to retain an elevated expectation and you’re not going to miss any of them. Cachet in an additional event can include a burden of unfair expectations, but the less you think about it, the more it makes sense. That’s why Daniel Berger, Peter Uihlein, Chris Kirk and Charl Schwartzel should resonate when the ownership percentages are locked in. Berger is only a month into his return from the injury to his right wrist, but that’s enough. Consider him an easy bonus for he may not need to appear in another additional event for some time. Uihlein deserves a look as he also has positive experience in Puerto Rico. The rub is that we still don’t have details about the unspecified injury that forced him to withdraw during the Waste Management Phoenix Open. From that standpoint, he’s a risk, but he’s chalk properly played. Kirk and Schwartzel are reeling. Avoid both. Matt Every sits atop my Power Rankings, so I’m not hesitating. His blend of success, overall experience and surging form unites at a time when I hope he’s competing with a chip on his shoulder for having to stay warm on the Web.com Tour due to his Past Champion status on the PGA TOUR. Aaron Baddeley surprises when we least expect it, which is to say that it’s better than not at all. It also slots him as a wild card as a One & Done. He tied for eighth in his only trip to Coco Beach in 2016 and comes off an unexpected T49 at Riviera where he open-qualified for entry. Two-man gamers can have a field day with the options, but Corey Conners leads that corps of the complements. Nate Lashley also deserves consideration. If you’re keen on a long shot, I love how D.J. Trahan fits the profile of all things PRO. FUTURE POSSIBILITIES NOTE: Select golfers committed to the tournament are listed alphabetically. Future tournaments are sorted chronologically and reflect previous success on the courses on which the tournaments will be held in 2018-19. The numerical values in parentheses represent the order of relative confidence of where to use each golfer if multiple sites are listed (e.g. 1 for strongest, 2 for next-strongest and so on). To present weighted confidence in real time, numerical values will not change all season no matter how many tournament remain listed for each golfer. All are pending golfer commitment. Daniel Berger … Travelers (1) Chris Kirk … PLAYERS (5); Valero (3); Charles Schwab (2)

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Nestled inside the West Coast Swing is a fortnight of bucket-list experiences during which we’re at the midpoint. Simply attending the Waste Management Phoenix Open checks off one box for all fans of the PGA TOUR, but to play Pebble Beach Golf Links even once in a lifetime sits atop the ranking of targets for all golfers. But how about twice in four months? After it anchors this week’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the host course will gear up in earnest for the U.S. Open in mid-June. As of midday Monday, 13 of the 156 golfers in this week’s field officially are qualified for the season’s third major, and many more entrants will gain entry over time without having to endure sectional qualifying. So, this week presents the bonus of a scouting trip for the major. Those who have flocked to the Monterey Peninsula will be treated to a sampling of what to expect in the U.S. Open. Scroll past the ranking for details on that, how co-hosts Spyglass Hill Golf Club and Monterey Peninsula Country Club’s Shore Course fit in, an explanation of the tournament’s format and more. Tuesday’s Fantasy Insider will include defending champion Ted Potter, Jr., 2014 winner Jimmy Walker, Adam Scott, Patrick Reed and Tony Finau. It also will dive into more detail about the difficulty of each course and how fantasy gamers should approach the tournament. To prepare Pebble Beach for the U.S. Open, primary rough already has been allowed to grow on the perimeters of the fairways. While landing areas will be noticeably tighter than usual, the longest of the grass will be capped at two inches for the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. In 2010, when Pebble Beach was striding to the plate to host the U.S. Open, the field split 65.40 percent of the fairways in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am earlier in the year. That represented a decrease of 10-12 percent compared to the years leading into that season. Field averages have fluctuated in between since, but finding the short grass will again have some value this week. Considering that Pebble’s distance of all drives of 271.3 yards was the shortest average among all courses measured last season (and in line with its long-term trend) and that the course’s putting surfaces average a tiny 3,500 square feet, boring golf is great golf amid the best of vistas. This is the 10th consecutive edition of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am for which the current rotation of courses is used. Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill are par 72s, while MPCC’s Shore Course is a par 71 with five par 3s. Three of MPCC’s par 5s are on the inward nine, so the respective pars are 34 and 37. All three tracks are among the shortest tackled all season, but Spyglass Hill now boasts the longest walk of the trio, if barely. Thanks to an increase of seven yards on the par-3 third hole (to 172 yards), its overall yardage is 6,960 yards, two yards longer than MPCC. Pebble Beach checks is as usual at 6,816 yards. (It was stretched to 7,040 yards for the 2010 U.S. Open.) Severe weather over the weekend caused damage to temporary structures erected for the tournament. Trees also were uprooted, but none of the three courses were affected directly. So, the only twister you’ll see is Ho Sung Choi’s swing. The 45-year-old from South Korea is making his PGA TOUR debut this week (on a sponsor exemption). His action went viral last summer, and then he won the Casio World Open in late November. If he can replicate or improve on the result of Matthew Wolff – he of his own unique swing – at last week’s WMPO (T50), it’ll be a mission accomplished. After every golfer records one round on each course, only the low 60 and ties at the conclusion of 54 holes will play the finale at Pebble Beach. However, just like at every non-major with a cut, the low 70 and ties will collect FedExCup points and official earnings. Furthermore, the low 25 pro-am teams also will compete for their respective title at Pebble Beach on Sunday, even if the pro in the partnership missed the cut in the tournament proper. Because ShotLink will be used only on Pebble Beach for the tournament, lasered statistics including distance of all drives, proximity to the hole and all stroked-gained data will apply only to the host course. Winter is hanging on tightly along the Northern California coast. Daytime highs may not even reach the mid-50s throughout, and even that reflects a mild warming. After a dry opening round, rain is all but guaranteed during each of the last three, so the Poa annua greens likely won’t touch 11-and-a-half feet on the Stimpmeter as designed. Sustained winds at 10-15 mph will accompany the precipitation. Indeed, a bucket-list experience at Pebble Beach.   ROB BOLTON’S SCHEDULE PGATOUR.COM’s Fantasy Insider Rob Bolton recaps and previews every tournament from numerous angles. Look for his following contributions as scheduled. MONDAY: Rookie Ranking, Qualifiers, Reshuffle, Medical Extensions, Power Rankings TUESDAY*: Sleepers, Fantasy Insider WEDNESDAY: One & Done THURSDAY: Champions One & Done * – Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COM’s Expert Picks for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO, which also publishes on Tuesdays.

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