Power Rankings: Fantasy advice for the FedEx St. Jude Classic

Danny Lee … He’s coming off a T20 at the RBC Canadian Open, which was his fourth top 20 of the season, but he hasn’t connected top 20s in 13 months. It’s a dry spell that’s projected to end this week as the Kiwi recorded top-15 finishes in the last two editions of the Travelers Championship with consecutive 10-under 270s. Toss in a T25 in his previous visit in 2015 and his scoring average in his last 12 competitive rounds at TPC River Highlands is 67.75. Aaron Baddeley … The Aussie has been among the most loyal to the tournament since he joined the PGA TOUR in 2003. In 13 appearances, he’s survived nine cuts, the best a solo fourth in 2014. While he missed last year’s cut after appearing in Sleepers, that comfort level will greet an uptick in form this season, so there’s even more reason to be hopeful. Saddled with the pressure of conditional status, he’s answered with a pair of top fives among six top 25s to lock up his card for 2019-20. What hasn’t changed is his strength with the shortest clubs in his bag. One of the best of his generation on the greens, he ranks ninth in strokes gained: putting and fourth in scrambling. Anirban Lahiri … Like Badds, the native of India competed in last week’s U.S. Open. As of Monday, exactly one-third of the field of 156 at the Travelers Championship made the trip from Pebble Beach. Unlike Badds, Lahiri has shifted it into reverse this season. With only one top 25 in individual competition, he’s 169th in the FedExCup standings. With his pressure to perform as the finish line nears, he can tap into the feels of a T17 in 2017 and a T9 last year at TPC River Highlands. His scoring average in those eight rounds is 67.75. Sebastian Muñoz … The 26-year-old from Colombia is faring much better in his second spin with a PGA TOUR card than his rookie season of 2016-17, but he’s proven twice on the Web.com Tour that he’s capable by finishing inside the top 25 on the money list in both of his full seasons. Currently 117th in the FedExCup with four top 25s, including in his last two starts. Placed T10 at Trinity Forest where he ranked 10th in strokes gained: putting, and then posted a T11 at Hamilton G&CC where he finished T11 in greens hit and 18th in strokes gained: putting. In between, he kept warm on the Web with a T7 at the REX Hospital Open (T3 in GIR). José de Jesús Rodríguez … There hasn’t been a lot to celebrate this season for the 38-year-old rookie from Mexico, but he’s one week removed from a career-best T14 at the RBC Canadian Open. That followed a T21 at the Web.com Tour’s REX Hospital Open. He’ll need a strong week tee to green, but TPC River Highlands is the shortest course on the PGA TOUR that serves as a singular host. That suggests that his fantastic putting can be a game-changer. Currently 36th on TOUR in strokes gained: putting and 11th in conversion percentage inside 10 feet. NOTE: Sleeper is a relative term, so Rob uses unofficial criteria to determine who qualifies. Each of the following usually is determined to be ineligible for this weekly staple: Winners of the tournament on the current host course; winners in the same season; recent major champions; top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking; recent participants of team competitions.

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Rory McIlroy calls Seminole Golf Club the greatest course that famed designer Donald Ross ever created – and Ross designed a lot, nearly 430 courses. Dustin Johnson says he feels like he can tear it up every time he plays — only to be constantly put in his place. History and intrigue drips from the place. This is where Ben Hogan would unwind and also tune up for the Masters every year in his prime. “Seminoleâ€� is one of those words in the wider golf community that pricks up every ear. Those who have been and played have great stories and those who haven’t want to go. RELATED: Fans at home will be able to contribute to TaylorMade Driving Relief’s COVID-19 relief efforts thanks to PGA TOUR Charities’ online and Text-To-Give donation platforms powered by GoFundMe Charity. Click here to donate. MORE: How it works | Power Rankings | Expert Picks | Similarities run deep for Fowler, Wolff | Rory, DJ at the forefront of golf’s paradigm shift While other courses such as Augusta National and Cypress Point have a similar aura, people have at least been able to see those on television in the past. Meanwhile, Florida’s Seminole Golf Club has been hidden away from view and the legend grows with each tidbit of a story you hear. So while there is no doubt that anticipation for any live sport is about as high as possible thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, the fact that Seminole is going on display in Sunday’s TaylorMade Driving Relief charity skins match has taken it to even greater heights. McIlroy and Johnson are preparing to take on Rickie Fowler and Matthew Wolff in support of COVID-19 relief efforts with all four combatants knowing the course itself brings as much intrigue as the competition. Fowler likens Seminole to another Ross gem – Pinehurst No. 2 – and knows that while the other pairing might have a power advantage, this course is more about precision on approach and a sharp short game. Each hole finds a way to work into a different wind, which given the close proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, can be a daunting prospect “I love Seminole. It’s just a fun golf course to play,â€� Fowler beams. “You’re going to see us having some fun off the tee and then from there is where things will get separated on approach shots and putting. “It’s very much a second-shot or approach-shot golf course. I’d say it’s fairly forgiving off the tee but how the greens are kind of designed, they’re pretty good-sized. But as far as where you can land the ball and keep the ball on the green … it’s kind of similar to a Pinehurst No. 2 in a way. “A lot of balls will roll and feed off, whether it’s back down through the fairway into bunkers, and that’s where it can get tough, especially if the wind is up.â€� Fowler’s partner, PGA TOUR young gun Wolff, has played the course just a handful times. But he saw enough to know he better bring his best short game. “The greens are extremely difficult. They’re very sloped, a lot of subtle breaks, and I’ve even heard that people putt the ball often off the green and into bunkers,â€� Wolff says. “I don’t think you’re going to see that from us, but it’s definitely something that I think putting is a huge advantage there.â€� In fact, McIlroy admits to putting off the green in a recent practice round. “I putted off the fifth green from about 30 feet,â€� the FedExCup champion says, proving even the best can be tamed by Seminole. “If the wind gets up and the greens are as fast as they were last Friday … birdies might be hard to come by, but there are going to be some chances. “Seminole is going to be a treat for everyone to see on TV. I think it’s Donald Ross’s greatest course he ever designed. He had a wonderful piece of land beside the Atlantic Ocean, and it has some of the best green complexes in the world in terms of the thought that needs to go into playing your second shots and then just how thoughtful you need to be on the greens and around the greens.â€� PGA TOUR senior tournament referee Stephen Cox says the setup on Sunday will be true to Seminole’s best features. While social distancing and other protocols will be in full effect to ensure the safest possible scenarios, Cox is confident the viewers will see Seminole in a great light. “We’re very, very lucky to have the likes of [head pro] Bob Ford on-site. He and I are going to work very closely to set up the golf course in a way befitting an event of this style and showcase some of the fun hole locations that Seminole has to offer,â€� Cox says. “There’s a genuine excitement about seeing Seminole. It’s not been broadcast to the worldwide audience before, so this is a new unique opportunity for people around the world to get a glimpse and to see such an American treasure.â€� Johnson is hoping he can finally get one over the course he says keeps enticing him back before finding ways to shut him down. “Seminole is a special place, and fortunately for us we live right down the street from it. I’ve gotten to play it quite a few times, and it’s a course you always enjoy playing. It’s got tons of history,â€� the 20-time PGA TOUR winner says. “When you first get there and you look at it, you think, OK, I should tear this place up, but then when you get done playing, you add your score up and it’s never very good, especially because the greens are always so fast, it’s a little windy … I always struggle there. “Obviously with no live sports really on right now, I think the world needs something to watch, so hopefully we can go out and put on a good show. We’re raising a lot of money for people who really need it, so it’s great to be a part of that, and I think we’re all really looking forward to it.â€�

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