Ping’s Blueprint Forged prototype irons in play at Hero World Challenge

In the high-stakes action of the PGA TOUR Experts league in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf, there wasn’t hesitation. RELATED: Sleeper picks Actually, that’s a lie. Just like the Wells Fargo Championship a fortnight prior, the PGA Championship connected on a few haymakers. Because negative points are possible, the fantasy game most definitely causes pause when contemplating burning a start in favor of a zero that could have a net-positive effect. Case in point, if I had only one start remaining on Jon Rahm (instead of two), I probably would’ve holstered it for Memorial and gone with only three starters in the third and final rounds at Southern Hills Country Club. After Patrick Cantlay and Scottie Scheffler missed the cut, this was what I faced and therein existed my hesitation. Fortunately(?), I had two starts to burn and I already knew that he hadn’t committed to this week’s Charles Schwab Challenge, so it was an easy call. But lo and behold, Rahm proved my point by “scoring” minus-6 points in R3. He rebounded to total 11 (including bonus points) in the final to net a positive value of five points, so I’ll take it, but I’ll never argue that a mere five points is worth a full start unless you can stretch to the conclusion of a Segment. Of course, if I defend my title in my little league by fewer than five points, I’ll flip-flop on that promise! POWER RANKINGS WILD CARD Jason Kokrak (+165 for a Top 20) … Age 37; eighth appearance. I’ve already explained in the Power Rankings how he was expected to win last year, but the defending champ hasn’t been fulfilling even higher expectations throughout 2022. He can’t be overlooked this week, so the shrewd move is to invest elsewhere and let your opponents cancel. The field is more than deep enough to subscribe to that strategy. DRAWS Viktor Hovland (-110 for a Top 20) … Age 24; second appearance. If Kokrak wasn’t the Wild Card, the uber-talented Norwegian would occupy that slot, but for positive reasons. Building experience at Colonial is one thing, and guys can find their game on the course – Sebastián Muñoz did last year – but it’s been a minute now since Hovland has made the kind of noise for which we’ve been accustomed. Given all the variables, this prop is perfect. Chris Kirk (+165 for a Top 20) … Age 37; 12th appearance. The 2015 Schwab champion hasn’t missed a cut at Colonial and he’s fresh off a T5 at the PGA Championship where he was second in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green. That’s vintage stuff from the veteran. Even his oft-inconsistent putting was on point. The setup of grasses is the same – bermuda fairways and rough; bentgrass greens – so a continuation of the rally is reasonable to anticipate. Tony Finau (+165 for a Top 20) … Age 32; seventh appearance. The putting is turning a corner, so it’s not about overall rank as much as it is about direction. It’s also worth compartmentalizing his closing 63 at Vidanta. It was an outstanding round at an outstanding time, but he’s short on general consistency. Still, he hasn’t missed a cut at Colonial, he finished second here in 2019 and he’s logged another three top 25s, so he’s the perfect fit – finally – for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf and at a time when we’re low on starts. Webb Simpson (+160 for a Top 20) … Age 36; seventh appearance. If not for a T20 in the challenging conditions at Southern Hills last week, he’d default as a trap. He’s inside our target for Colonial where he’s finished inside the top five on two occasions, but he hadn’t done enough to eliminate residual doubt after returning from the herniated disc in his neck. Ryan Palmer (+275 for a Top 20) … Age 45; 19th appearance. It’d be sacrilegious not to endorse him in some capacity on his home course. Yeah, you already know that he hasn’t won this tournament, but he earned over $1.4 million on the strength of four top-six finishes. He just finished T5 two weeks ago at TPC Craig Ranch, the latest evidence of how his game showing life once more. Kevin Na (+175 for a Top 20) … Age 38; 16th appearance. Prevailed here in 2019 as a 35-year-old, and he’s been on cruise control of late. Line him up in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf and heavily in DFS. He’s presenting zero reasons why he won’t remain in a groove. Russell Knox (+400 for a Top 20) … Age 36; seventh appearance. He’s also in the bull’s-eye and he’s registered four top 25s at Colonial, so he’s an automatic for a top-30 prop and for DFSers. Further supported by sitting second on TOUR in greens hit and T4 in proximity. We’d love for him to score more but having chances to set up a hot putter is better than having a hot putter that doesn’t have chances. Talor Gooch (age 30; fifth appearance) Billy Horschel (age 35; fifth appearance) Maverick McNealy (age 26; fourth appearance) Cameron Tringale (age 34; ninth appearance) Harold Varner III (age 31; third appearance)e Odds sourced on Tuesday, May 24th at 6 p.m. ET. For live odds visit betmgm FADES Mito Pereira … Age 27; first appearance. If he wasn’t a debutant, I’d extend a share or two for the benefit of the doubt, but we don’t know how Sunday’s bad beat will affect him. The conservative play, obviously, is to abstain. That means that the sharper angle is to rely on the majority to abstain and lean in fractionally in DFS. Daniel Berger … Age 29; fifth appearance. Before you beat me to it, yes, I typically ignore negative results in majors and when the lights are brightest, but in the absence of something else to rule out that he’s feeling good again in dealing with his sore back, my hands are off his wheel. Kevin Kisner … Age 38; ninth appearance. He hasn’t missed an edition since returning full-time to the PGA TOUR in 2014, but he hasn’t hung up another top 25 since he prevailed in 2017. It’s a stage on which he should shine every time, but he’s also short on form upon arrival. Entirely a contrarian investment. Patrick Reed … Age 31; sixth appearance. Still scuffling (for him). Still just the one top 25 in a full-field event all season (T2, Bermuda). The Texan has a pair of top 15s at Colonial, so perhaps the drought ends now, but there’s little by which to be inspired to invest. Erik van Rooyen … Age 32; second appearance. Hmm… Withdrew early from the Wells Fargo and Byron Nelson, and then missed the cut at the PGA Championship by seven. James Hahn … Age 40; sixth appearance. With T9s in his last two starts (Wells Fargo, Byron Nelson), he was situated as an early possibility for the Power Rankings. However, he’s yet to cash at Colonial and hasn’t broken par since the only time he did it, with a 1-under 69 in the opening round of the 2015 edition. Joel Dahmen (age 34; fifth appearance) Rickie Fowler (age 33; ninth appearance) Kramer Hickok (age 30; fifth appearance) Charley Hoffman (age 45; 14th appearance) Beau Hossler (age 27; fifth appearance) Denny McCarthy (age 29; fourth appearance) Andrew Putnam (age 33; fifth appearance) RETURNING TO COMPETITION Nick Hardy … Committed to the Korn Ferry Tour’s NV5 Invitational presented by Old National Bank. It’s not far from his home north of Chicago, so it’s as sensible a spot as any to get back after it in the wake of a wrist injury that’s sidelined him for a month. He’s 194th in the FedExCup and won’t be eligible on merit for next week’s Memorial Tournament presented by Workday, either. NOTABLES WDs Bryson DeChambeau … Just like last week, he can’t withdraw unless he commits. It’s the classic week-to-week approach. It’s his second consecutive early WD and he hasn’t played since missing the cut at the Masters after which he has surgery on his left wrist for a fractured hamate bone. Harris English … This is his sixth early WD since his last start at Waialae four months ago. His surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right hip was on Feb. 14. He’ll continue to play it like DeChambeau. Bubba Watson … Alerted his followers on Twitter on Monday that he’s going to be out “4-6 weeks” due to a torn meniscus in a knee. He didn’t specify which one. The 43-year-old lefty didn’t begin this season until a T14 at the WM Phoenix Open, so he’s logged only nine starts. He’s fully exempt through 2023-24. Sepp Straka … Hey, ya can’t play ‘em all, but you can’t accuse him for not trying. He’s T2 on TOUR with 23 starts. (Brian Stuard has made one more.) Just qualified for the U.S. Open, too. Charl Schwartzel … Hadn’t appeared at Colonial since 2016, anyway. He’s picked up steam of late with a T10 at the Masters and a solo eighth at the AT&T Byron Nelson, but he’s still just 152nd in the FedExCup.x RECAP – PGA CHAMPIONSHIP POWER RANKINGS Power Ranking Golfer Result 1 Jordan Spieth T34 2 Jon Rahm T48 3 Justin Thomas Win 4 Scottie Scheffler MC 5 Rory McIlroy 8th 6 Patrick Cantlay MC 7 Xander Schauffele T13 8 Matt Fitzpatrick T5 9 Hideki Matsuyama T60 10 Cameron Smith T13 11 Collin Morikawa T55 12 Max Homa T13 13 Will Zalatoris P2 14 Tiger Woods WD 15 Viktor Hovland T41 16 Joaquin Niemann T23 17 Cameron Young T3 18 Corey Conners MC 19 Brooks Koepka T55 20 Sam Burns T20 Wild Card Shane Lowry T23 SLEEPERS Golfer (Bet) Result Dean Burmester (+275 for a Top 40) MC Sam Horsfield (+200 for a Top 40) MC Rikuya Hoshino (+333 for a Top 40) T60 Sadom Kaewkanjana (+550 for a Top 40) MC Bio Kim (+400 for a Top 40) MC BIRTHDAYS AMONG ACTIVE MEMBERS OF THE PGA TOUR May 24 … Bill Haas (40); Mark Hubbard (33) May 25 … Tom Hoge (33) May 26 … none May 27 … none May 28 … none May 29 … Seung-Yul Noh (31) May 30 … Stephan Jaeger (33); Taylor Pendrith (31)

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2018-19 Web.com Tour reshuffle Reshuffles to occur at the conclusion of these tournaments • The RSM Classic (Nov. 18)             • Genesis Open (Feb. 17)             • Valero Texas Open (April 7)             • Charles Schwab Challenge (May 26)             • John Deere Classic (July 14) ^ – Sangmoon Bae begins 2018-19 in the Major Medical category. If he fails to meet his terms in 10 starts, he will fall into the graduate reshuffle below. Gain/Loss reflects movement if next reshuffle occurred this week. * – In the field at THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES as of Oct. 14.

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Once upon a time, which is to say every season through 2020-21, my weekly Qualifiers included the World Golf Championships. Well, it excluded the WGC-HSBC Champions because of how many automatic qualifiers sat it out – we gave that a whirl one year – so that was as confusing as is it wasn’t helpful, but the other two stroke-play WGCs were staples. Because neither was scheduled in 2021-22, the one-stop shopping experience of Qualifiers has focused only on those eligible for THE PLAYERS Championship and the four majors. RELATED: Horses for Courses | Sleeper picks There’s still one WGC on the docket, however. It’s the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, and it’s on deck. Historically, the latest update of Qualifiers would have included all 64 who now are eligible for the annual five-day competition beginning March 23 at Austin Country Club, but since you can easily review the current Official World Golf Ranking to determine who’s in, it’s pointless to add them just days before the commitment deadline, which is 5:00 p.m. ET on Friday, March 18. Even back in the day, when I did add the eligible, it was more about achieving as much cohesion among the WGCs in that space than anything. Although there are no perfect solutions to most things in the fantasy space, I try to lean into the most logical when it concerns such a short turnaround time. Much like every other premier event, the checkpoint to qualify for the Match Play always influences commitments in the interim. This is why it’s been noted where most impactful in Notable WDs for the Valspar Championship below. Meanwhile, PGA TOUR Pick ‘Em Live enters its fifth week. After finishing third at The Honda Classic, I placed 10th at THE PLAYERS. Naturally, I expect to fare well in every golf game, but how it developed last week was very different than Sepp Straka’s +10000-coin breakthrough victory at PGA National. Of the top 10 in Pick ‘Em Live, only six were on board with champion Cameron Smith, and only the seventh- and eighth-place finishers had him with odds multiplying the kickback. Each was rewarded at +3300, which was Smith’s pre-tournament line. Also consider that the winner, Partypats, totaled 5,987 coins with Anirban Lahiri as the outright. Lahiri, of course, finished alone in second place, so Partypats took a zero in that category. You can dive into the details by opening every entry, but the message is that, like with every worthy experience, there are multiple paths to the prize money in Pick ‘Em Live. As we noted when the game was introduced, you are never out of it because of the dynamic nature of the odds and our ability to make changes to many bets and props during the course of a tournament. Because I’ve promised to drop tips and tricks in this space as we go, read on for more potentially valuable advice that I discovered by accident. It requires setup for full context. I entered THE PLAYERS with Tom Hoge as my outright at +8000. I hung with him until he rinsed his tee ball at the par-3 13th hole in the final round. While monitoring his live odds throughout the tournament, I noticed that the interface changed how it displays his live odds. While “+8000” remained at the top of the column as expected, Hoge’s live odds beside his name never changed even though his position in the expanded stack of others To Win fell outside the range where +8000 would have slotted. For example, when he was contending early as the co-leader after each of the first two rounds, his odds shortened to well less than +8000, and he was inside the top three or so of the shortest, but the highlighted rectangle beside him still read “+8000.” Previously, current odds appeared all the while his most recently reserved value (e.g., +8000) would remain parked at the top. So, I opened PointsBet’s app to find and track his live odds. The objective was to reselect Hoge if his value exceeded +8000, but I learned something else in the meantime. There was a lag of 30-60 seconds between the time the live odds on the app would change and when Pick ‘Em Live would be updated. Yet, I still was able to lock in “live” odds at the values displayed in that window in Pick ‘Em Live. It’s unlikely that the lag is an intentional method for users to navigate to the app, but my response to the change in how odds were displayed in Pick ‘Em Live has nothing but upside for PointsBet. I don’t bet on golf (or other sports), but it forced me to put my eyes on it for hours on end. Curiously, other live odds for my selections did change in Pick ‘Em Live, so I couldn’t tell if the experience with the outright was a glitch or if it was controlled. Whatever the case, all that matters is how we react to it. Exploit the lag if it’s a constant. If you don’t, someone else will. We’re all in the same boat, anyway. And don’t always sweat that you don’t have the winner. Pick ‘Em Live already has proved that it requires your full bag to contend. POWER RANKINGS WILD CARD Tyrrell Hatton (-125 for a Top 20) … He’s coming off consecutive weeks of high-stress competition, and the Match Play is up next, so I’m mildly surprised that he opted to continue to compete instead of rest. He just doesn’t play enough to reward us as often as we’d prefer. In his debut at Copperhead in 2019, he missed the cut, but all experience has value on some level. Although only 14 of his 18 rounds have been measured by ShotLink, he’s officially leading the PGA TOUR in Strokes Gained: Putting, one-putt percentage, three-putt avoidance and conversion percentage inside 10 feet. DRAWS Tommy Fleetwood (+135 for a Top 20) … His missed cut at The Honda Classic probably appears to us as more of a turning point in his recent history than it does to him, but that he held on to position inside the top 50 of the OWGR and paid it off with a T22 at THE PLAYERS shouldn’t be set aside as just another forgettable sequence of events. He’s making his debut at Copperhead this week, but he does so on the positive bounce of the last three weeks and not as a result of a stressful need to regain a foothold on the global stage. Next week’s Match Play will be his fifth consecutive week on the road, but he’ll want to enter it on the coattails of a strong performance this week and on a sponsor exemption no less. Remember, he’s playing this season on conditional status, so despite his cachet and greater potential to get into invitationals, playing time is reduced, and there’s no guarantee that he’ll capitalize on every opportunity. Kevin Kisner (+225 for a Top 20) … Easily could have slotted as the Wild Card based solely on his maddening trades of leaderboard appearances with missed cuts and pedestrian results. The recurring theme is that it plays out much more valuably in reality and in long-range formats than it does for our short-term considerations, so if you don’t mind it, at least you know that it’ll be a thrill ride. Sam Ryder (+450 for a Top 20) … The irony is that the prince of hole-outs – he’s second on TOUR with 13 – actually does his best work around and on greens. He’s a scorer and it’s evident that the learning curve is flattening. In 2022 alone, he’s 7-for-8 with a pair of top 25s. Should be reasonably priced in DFS where you want that upswing. Cameron Tringale (+250 for a Top 20) … Go ahead and dabble in his shares. He’s finished third twice at Copperhead, including just last year, and when he’s cashed since, he’s been running through the tape. Meanwhile, although he was on the wrong side of last week’s draw, the missed cut aligned with his propensity to get swallowed in the deepest fields. There have been exceptions, but this is the narrative that we must continue to respect. Denny McCarthy Alex Noren Kevin Streelman Odds sourced on Tuesday, March 15 at 5 p.m. ET. For live odds visit betmgm. FADES Brooks Koepka … Among the victims in the late-early draw at TPC Sawgrass but he still missed the cut by seven swings. This is just his second visit to Copperhead (2014), so it’s a reminder to leave him to tracks he likes and the biggest stages. Webb Simpson … THE PLAYERS was his first live action in two months. He’s been on the mend for a herniated disc in his neck. Missed the cut by three at TPC Sawgrass and out of the easier side of the draw to boot. Mixed bag at Copperhead favors the contrarians among course-history buffs, but he’s a reach in a vacuum until he proves that he’s all the way back. Gary Woodland … Disappointing MC at TPC Sawgrass where he was in the easier wave. It chased consecutive T5s to open the Florida Swing. He broke through at Copperhead in 2011, but since 2015, he’s just 2-for-6 and without a top 40. Brian Harman … Love the form, hate the fit. Since 2015, he’s 0-for-4 at Copperhead with a scoring average of 73.125. Henrik Stenson … Announced today as Europe’s Ryder Cup captain in 2023. The Swede has a sparkling record at Copperhead, but he remains chained to our doghouse until further notice. Stewart Cink Jason Day Mackenzie Hughes Scott Piercy Charl Schwartzel Brendon Todd Bernd Wiesberger Danny Willett RETURNING TO COMPETITION None. NOTABLE WDs Paul Casey … Slotted him No. 10 in my Power Rankings and in my original lineup in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf. So it goes. He’ll likely return to Copperhead another year given that he’s connected for victory twice on the track. This isn’t too surprising given the stress of chasing the title at TPC Sawgrass and after what was a five-day event for a record prize fund. The break will give him a chance to catch his breath for next week’s Match Play where he’s been a fruitful contributor. Joaquin Niemann … Like Casey, I had the recent winner of The Genesis Invitational in the Power Rankings as well, but he withdrew before I filed, so you never saw him. Look for him at next week’s Match Play. Cameron Young … Continues to feel his way through a stupendous rookie season. This is his third early WD (Bermuda, Pebble Beach), but he’s qualified for the Match Play, so he’ll get his first break in six weeks to rest and prep. Sits 14th in the FedExCup, easily best among all 27 rookies. Sebastián Muñoz … Climbed one to 65th in the Official World Golf Ranking, so he can plan on a spot in next week’s Match Play once the DNPs are determined. Maverick McNealy … His Valspar debut remains on ice for another year. Finished T46 at THE PLAYERS, but he tumbled one spot to 70th in the Official World Golf Ranking, so he’ll be on the bubble to crash the field at the Match Play when it’s released on Friday. Even if he doesn’t squeak in, he can be proud of a terrific season thus far. He’s 11-for-12 and 22nd in the FedExCup. Doug Ghim … The T6 at THE PLAYERS lifted him to 101st in the FedExCup, so he’s earned his first break in six weeks. Taylor Pendrith … As noted in the latest Rookie Ranking, his T13 at THE PLAYERS was the best finish by a rookie in nine years. This will be his first week off in a month. Brandt Snedeker … Five straight MCs dating back to the Farmers and just 174th in the FedExCup, so he’d likely have been lightly owned at Copperhead despite a reliable and relatively strong record on the course. Kevin Tway … He’s 0-for-3 at Copperhead, and he went 0-for-3 on this Florida Swing, but he’s 63rd in the FedExCup because of his co-runner-up finish at Houston in the fall. It still accounts for over 80 percent of his points earned. Patrick Rodgers … This is his first early WD in three years but given that he’s just 1-for-5 with a T59 at Copperhead in 2018, it’s fair to wonder why he committed in the first place. But seriously, every golfer in the Korn Ferry Tour graduate reshuffle category goes into every season with the intent to play as often as possible. Of course, this isn’t his first rodeo and he’s 75th in the FedExCup despite no top 35s in his last 10 starts, but it’s still a great reminder that the value of addition by subtraction of a track that’s given him fits yields important rest. RECAP – THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP POWER RANKINGS Power Ranking Golfer Result 1 Collin Morikawa MC 2 Justin Thomas T33 3 Rory McIlroy T33 4 Jon Rahm T55 5 Hideki Matsuyama DNP 6 Viktor Hovland T9 7 Daniel Berger T13 8 Xander Schauffele MC 9 Adam Scott MC 10 Shane Lowry T13 11 Matt Fitzpatrick MC 12 Patrick Cantlay MC 13 Scottie Scheffler T55 14 Corey Conners T26 15 Will Zalatoris T26 16 Cameron Smith Win 17 Sungjae Im T55 18 Sergio Garcia T26 19 Talor Gooch MC 20 Tommy Fleetwood T22 Wild Card Dustin Johnson T9 SLEEPERS Golfer (Prop) Result Dylan Frittelli (+750 = top 20) T50 Danny Lee (+900 = top 20) WD C.T. Pan (+500 = top 20) MC Brian Stuard (+750 = top 20) MC Jhonattan Vegas (+400 = top 20) MC GOLFBET Bet Result Sergio Garcia, Tommy Fleetwood, Si Woo Kim & Paul Casey all top-40 finish (+2900) T26/T22/WD/3rd BIRTHDAYS AMONG ACTIVE MEMBERS OF THE PGA TOUR March 15 … none March 16 … Bud Cauley (32); Beau Hossler (27) March 17 … Aaron Baddeley (41); Patrick Cantlay (30) March 18 … none March 19 … none March 20 … Arjun Atwal (49); John Merrick (40) March 21 … Brandon Hagy (31)

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