Pick ‘Em Preview: The Open Championship

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The TOUR says goodbye to Poa annua and welcomes, for some, the return to Bermuda as the four-week Florida Swing kicks off this week in Palm Beach Gardens. The Champion Course at PGA National, host since 2007 has plenty of Bermuda, not to mention sand, water and The Bear Trap, so a soft landing into the Sunshine State this is not. The field of 144 will tackle Tom Fazio’s Par-70 that stretches to 7,125 yards. Jack Nicklaus did some clean-up work and put TifEagle Bermuda on the greens for the 2015 edition. Water will challenge the players on 15 of 18 holes and there are 67 bunkers to avoid as well. The Bear Trap (Holes Nos. 15-17) will test the nerve and precision of everyone, especially late on Sunday. Nicklaus suggests the tournament should be won or lost here! Generous landing areas off the tee and large Bermuda greens suggest the wind is always a factor at PGA National. Missing the fairways and greens comes with over-seeded Bermuda rough at two inches that makes stopping the ball near the pin nearly impossible. On the line is $1.26 million (500 FedExCup Points) to the winner from the $7 million prize pool. RELATED: Power Rankings | Expert Picks RECENT WINNERS 2019: Keith Mitchell (-9, 271) Holed a birdie putt at the last to avoid a playoff with Rickie Fowler and Brooks Koepka and claim his first TOUR win in only his second visit. … Fourth consecutive winner to place in the top seven in driving distance (all holes). … Fourth winner in the last five to place in the top three (first) in Strokes-Gained: Tee-to-Green. … T2 in scrambling and bogey avoidance. … Entered the week MC-MC-73-MC-16 for the season. Notables in the field this week: Wyndham Clark (T7) led after 54 holes and played the final group with K. H. Lee (T7). … Mitchell co-led after 36 holes with Sungjae Im, who shot 64 in Round 2, before finishing T51. … Lucas Glover (T4) opened with 66 and closed with 66. … Ryan Palmer (T4) led the field with 20 birdies and posted the low round of the week, 63, on Sunday. … Vijay Singh (T6) joined Mitchell, Fowler and Sergio Garcia (DNS) as the only four players to post all four rounds par-or-better. … Cut was 2 over. 2018: Justin Thomas (-8, 272) Defeated 54-hole leader Luke List on the first playoff hole for his first victory in four tries here. … Led the field in Strokes-Gained: Tee-to-Green, Scrambling and Strokes-Gained: Approach-the-Green. … Fourth consecutive winner T11 or better in proximity. … Second win of the year (CJ CUP). Notables in the field this week: Tommy Fleetwood (fourth) was a quick learner as he posted all four rounds of par-or-better in his first appearance. … Byeong-Hun An (T5) closed 69-65. … Jamie Lovemark (T5) was two off the 54-hole lead. … Sponsor exemption Sam Burns and birdie leader (19) Emiliano Grillo shared eighth. … Only 11 players broke par for the week. … Cut was 5-over. 2017: Rickie Fowler (-12, 268) The eighth time was a charm as he comfortably won by four shots over Gary Woodland. … Set the 54-hole total record (-13) by two shots. … Only three players since 2013 have posted all four rounds in the 60s. … Fowler (second) is the only winner in the last five years to finish inside the top 23 in Strokes-Gained: Putting. … Fowler didn’t miss a putt inside five feet (57 of 57). … Led the field with 21 birdies. Notables in the field this week: Billy Horschel (T4) put all four rounds at par-or-better. … Jhonattan Vegas (T4) made an ace and closed with 64. … Fowler is the only player to finish in double-digits under-par since the 2014 renovation. … Cut was even-par. Key stat leaders Top golfers in each statistic on the 2018-19 PGA TOUR are listed only if they are scheduled to compete this week. * – previous top 10 finish here since 2017 Strokes-Gained: Tee-to-Green 7 *Byeong-Hun An 9 Corey Conners 12 *Brooks Koepka 13 *Tommy Fleetwood 14 *Jason Kokrak (T9, 2019) 15 *Emiliano Grillo 16 *Gary Woodland 19 Kevin Streelman 23 Joaquin Niemann 25 *Jim Furyk (T9, 2019) 27 *Jhonattan Vegas Proximity 1 Corey Conners 3 *Jim Furyk 4 Ryan Armour 4 Jason Dufner 4 Vaughn Taylor 7 *Russell Knox 8 Chesson Hadley 10 Louis Oosthuizen 10 Joaquin Niemann 10 Keegan Bradley 14 Brian Stuard 15 Talor Gooch 17 Josh Teater 21 *Russell Henley 21 *Lucas Glover 24 Kyle Stanley 24 *Brooks Koepka Scrambling 1 *Tommy Fleetwood 5 *Lucas Glover 6 Matt Jones 7 Sungjae Im 9 Denny McCarthy 9 Brian Stuard 13 *Jim Furyk 14 Bud Cauley 15 Kiradech Aphibarnrat 18 Rory Sabbatini (2011 winner) 19 Ryan Armour 20 CT Pan 21 Vaughn Taylor 22 Si Woo Kim 24 Jimmy Walker Horses Rickie Fowler: All-time leading money winner has learned how to balance winning golf during a home game. T2-MC-WIN-T6 the last four seasons suggests more than balance! Lucas Glover: Hasn’t missed in his last seven attempts and the last three have cashed T4-T17-T21. Billy Horschel: Florida born, bred and living, the former Gator has rattled off T16, MC, T4 and T8 in his last four visits. Russell Henley: The 2014 champ has cashed in six of seven with T20 and T24 in his last two visits. Cut makers at PGA National Lee Westwood: Five straight but first appearance since 2015. Nick Watney: Five straight. Gary Woodland: Seven straight. Stewart Cink: Nine straight. Jason Dufner: 10 straight.

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Every player on the PGA TOUR has a special relationship with his clubs. Some rely on simplicity and don't adjust much, like last week's winner Harris English. On the opposite end of the spectrum are players that just love to test and test. Charles Howell III has become the chosen son of GolfWRX.com for one simple reason, the guy loves to geek out on gear—and not just his gear. He loves all gear. There are few players on TOUR who carry the passion and curiosity for golf clubs that Charles has. Especially when it comes to the testing process, Howell has a system he has relied on for years to help him not only get dialed but to understand the nuances of his equipment. This week at the Sony Open in Hawaii, Howell will try to finally break through for his first win on the islands where he has been a top-10 machine with multiple top 10s and two near misses in 2012 and 2013. For this tournament, the tinkering is minimal but significant. Howell with tee it up in Hawaii with a new shaft in play, a Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X. Howell told PGATOUR.COM the Ventus fits his unique needs, "I'm kind of a strange one in that I'm looking for something that's stable but doesn't feel overly hard, and that shaft seems to … match that." Regarding figuring out what goes in the bag more generally, WRX spoke with Howell III over the holiday, and this is what he had to say in regards to his process. “Obviously, playing for a living gives me the advantage of testing a ton of stuff, but it's just as fun doing the research at home (online) and understanding what certain equipment can do and the idea behind it." "I still rely on testing as much as I can to see what works, but it's the pursuit of knowledge that keeps it all fresh week in and week out. Technology is so good these days, but like anything you have to ask questions, look around try some stuff and then make a decision.” Now, it must be understood that Howell III isn't pulling clubs in and out of his bag every tournament. Being a Titleist staff member for the past few seasons, his bag stays pretty cooked with the help of Titleist Tour Rep JJ VanWezenbeeck. However, there are times when changes are needed, and CH3 isn't afraid to jump companies to find the right fairway wood, hybrid or putter. It's a study in a player that is constantly on the pursuit of knowledge and trying to find that one little edge week to week. Is it a healthy or effective method? Maybe. Some players can do it and some avoid it like the plague, but for Howell III, it's one of the things in the game that keeps him engaged and excited. Nothing wrong with that. Here is what Howell has the bag this week's Sony Open in Hawaii. Driver: Titleist TSI3 (10 degrees, A1 SureFit setting) Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X 3-wood: Ping G425 LST (14.5 degrees) Shaft: Fujikura Atmos Black Tour Spec 8 X 7-wood: Ping G410 (20.5 degrees @20) Shaft: Fujikura Atmos Black Tour Spec 9 X Irons: Titleist T100 (4-6) 620 MB (7-9) Shafts: Project X LZ 6.5 (hard stepped) Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM8 (48-10F @47, 52-12F, 56-08M, 60-08M) Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 Putter: Scotty Cameron 009M Ball: Titleist Pro V1 Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Align

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