Power Rankings: THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES

Phil Mickelson closed with a 4-under 68 on Sunday for a 2-shot victory in the Constellation Furyk & Friends, holding off Miguel Angel Jimenez.

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Within the cadence of the 2018-19 PGA TOUR season, a new rhythm exists. The downbeat occurred in earnest with the return of THE PLAYERS Championship to March, and it’s maintained a toe-tapping groove that has included unique events like the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play and this week’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans. There’s no better place than the birthplace of jazz to keep the jam going. This is the third edition of the team format in which there are 80 duets, if you will. It’s a phenomenal opportunity for fans to learn more about the relationships and harmony between players. POWER RANKINGS: ZURICH CLASSIC OF NEW ORLEANS OTHERS CONSIDERED Brooks Koepka & Chase Koepka Bubba Watson & J.B. Holmes Jason Kokrak & Chris Stroud Branden Grace & Justin Harding Russell Knox & Brian Stuard PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf omits the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, so Tuesday’s Fantasy Insider will be presented in an abridged format. As it was for 11 editions of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans as an individual event, TPC Louisiana is the backdrop for the PGA TOUR’s only team competition. All 160 in the field are professionals. The first and third rounds are scored as best ball (also known as four-ball), while the second and fourth rounds are scored using alternate shot (also known as foursomes). Teams inside the top 35 and ties at the conclusion of 36 holes will make the cut. The secondary-cut provision (i.e. MDF) does not apply. TPC Louisiana is a scorable par 72 with the full complement of four par 5s. It can stretch to 7,425 yards. Only the bermuda greens are overseeded, and they’re prepped to run upwards of 12 feet on the Stimpmeter. While that speed is standard for TOUR tracks, severe undulations contribute to the challenge and the targets average just 5,225 square feet. Together they elevate the value of proximity to the hole on approach. Because fairways are welcoming and in part because of the format, long hitters are encouraged to show us what they got, at least in best ball. The field’s average of distance of all drives for the first two spins as a team competition slotted TPC Louisiana inside the top-half shortest. By comparison, last year’s clip of 278.7 yards was one-tenth of one yard shorter than Sea Island’s Seaside Course, host of The RSM Classic and not considered a bomber’s paradise. Still, encouraging the thought of stepping on it is semi-dormant bermuda rough cut to just one-and-three-quarters inches this year. That’s down one-quarter of an inch from 2018. Spring in the bayou always include the threat of inclement conditions, but this week’s complications are isolated pre-cut. After a mild risk might gurgle on Thursday afternoon, the more probable concern is forecast for Friday afternoon. Otherwise, it’ll be quite nice with daytime highs flirting with 80 degrees and light-to-moderate winds throughout. When the winners are crowned on Sunday, each will receive 400 FedExCup points. That’s the average between first and second place in regular individual competitions. Similarly split, each co-champion will pocket $1,051,200.00. Both will earn two-year membership exemptions or an additional season to the maximum of five from the current if already exempt through 2020-21. They’ll also secure exemptions into next month’s PGA Championship, the 2020 Sentry Tournament of Champions, the 2020 PLAYERS and other invitationals if not currently eligible. Official World Golf Ranking points are not distributed for this tournament, but the top-five teams are eligible for the top-10 provision that grants entry into next week’s Wells Fargo Championship. Assuming you like what you experience, you’ll love the reminder that at the conclusion of last year’s edition, Zurich Insurance extended its partnership with the tournament through 2026. ROB BOLTON’S SCHEDULE PGATOUR.COM’s Fantasy Insider Rob Bolton covers numerous angles in between tournaments. Look for his following contributions this week. 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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This week’s RBC Heritage slots familiarly immediately following the Masters where Scottie Scheffler prevailed for the first time in a major. For the 42 who competed at Augusta National and are committed at Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina (as of Monday afternoon), the tournament promises that – hang on one sec … checks field to confirm that Scheffler isn’t playing –someone else will win. Notwithstanding Scheffler’s historic surge, the tournament also is known for its heaters. In its first 53 editions dating back to 1969 – all contested at Harbour Town – there have been 10 golfers who have won it multiple times. Davis Love III headlines the club with five titles, while Hale Irwin and this year’s defending champion, Stewart Cink, have won thrice. Twelve former RBC Heritage champions are among the 132 in the field this week, including all of the last nine. Continue reading beneath the ranking of projected contenders for how Harbour Town tests, which boxes Cink checked en route to victory, what’s new this year and more. RELATED: How Team Format Works | Play Pick ‘Em Live | The First Look | Inside the Field POWER RANKINGS: RBC HERITAGE OTHERS CONSIDERED Joaquin Niemann & Mito Pereira Will Zalatoris & Davis Riley Adam Hadwin & Adam Svensson Matthew NeSmith & Taylor Moore Sahith Theegala & Beau Hossler The Zurich Classic of New Orleans does not contribute to PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf, so Draws and Fades on Tuesday will be abridged Eighty two-man teams have gathered at TPC Louisiana for the largest field on the PGA TOUR. All will follow the same format in every round. Four-ball will be used for scoring in the opening round. Foursomes will be utilized for the second round. When two rounds are complete, the low 33 teams and ties will survive the cut and repeat the sequence of scoring for the third and final rounds, respectively. Both members of the winning team will be credited with an official PGA TOUR victory and both will receive exemptions into next month’s PGA Championship as well as the 2023 editions of the Sentry Tournament of Championship and THE PLAYERS. Each also will have his membership extended through at least the 2023-24 season. The distribution of FedExCup points and earnings will treat the final results as if an individual competition occurred. For example, instead of rewarding 500 FedExCup points to the winner and 300 to a solo runner-up, the winning team will split 800 points evenly. Prize money will be calculated similarly. What isn’t in play is an impact on the Official World Golf Ranking. From that standpoint, divisors will not increase. That’s important for those who monitor their values like a stock portfolio in real time. Unlike last year’s reveal of new fairways and greens at TPC Louisiana, nothing has changed since last year’s edition of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Well, no modifications were planned, that is. The impact of Hurricane Ida’s pass last August has required a few hundred trees to be planted as well as significant attention paid to the bunkers that were damaged. For the fifth spin as a team competition, overseeded TifEagle bermuda greens are governed to 12 feet on the Stimpmeter. With the absence of overseed and sluggish growth of the only layer of rough (up to two inches), guys who can move it off the tee on the 7,425-yard stock par 72 will be encouraged regardless of the round. As is the case in every shootout, particularly this team competition that’s yielded winners of 20-under and lower in the first four stagings, the primary objective will be to pile up scoring opportunities. The targets at TPC Louisiana can be tricky what with their segments and undulations. Considering the promise of persistent winds throughout the tournament, including gusts exceeding 20 mph, strategy in foursomes could be a gamechanger. Daytime highs in the 80s is forecast. Rain is not a threat. ROB BOLTON’S SCHEDULE PGATOUR.com’s Rob Bolton recaps and previews every tournament from numerous perspectives. Look for his following contributions as scheduled. MONDAY: Power Rankings TUESDAY: Sleepers, Draws and Fades WEDNESDAY: Pick ’Em Preview SUNDAY: Medical Extensions, Qualifiers, Reshuffle, Rookie Ranking

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