President Trump says he’s playing golf with Tiger Woods, Dustin Johnson

For the first time this season, I faced the classic dilemma in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf, and if you play long enough, you will, too, if you haven't already. Just like THE CJ CUP @ SHADOW CREEK the week before it, the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP @ SHERWOOD was a 78-man competition with no cut. So, barring mid-tournament withdrawals and disqualifications, all gamers went eight rounds without any zeroes. Movement in the ranks was projected to be slight during the fortnight, which is why I labeled the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open as a position week. The difference-makers in each of the last two tournaments were the bonus points awarded the starters in the final round. They receive one-tenth of the FedExCup points earned. This is where philosophy meets long-range strategy. I've never espoused a rule of gaming that would advise you to bite on burning the last start for a golfer if he's in contention entering the final round, but I tend to lean that way with my own decisions. RELATED: Power Rankings | Sleeper Picks Jon Rahm rode my bench during the first three rounds at Sherwood. After opening with respective scores of 68 and 67, he sat T22 and five strokes off Justin Thomas' 36-hole pace. With only one start remaining on the Spaniard, I figured that my plan to holster it for the Masters would come to fruition, but I couldn't forget why I rostered him last week in the first place. Lo and behold, Rahm spun a field-low 63 in the third round to scale to outright second through 54 holes. I already had JT starting in every round, so I had visions of a massive Sunday, but that didn't deter me from my plan for Rahm. No matter how well I expect Rahm to play at the Masters (for which there are no shot-level bonuses but where there's a slight increase in bonus points because it's a major), he still has to execute. With that in my mind in real time before his final round this past Sunday, he had only one round to play at Sherwood and he had the most momentum. If I play him for the same possibility at the Masters, he's going to need to submit the same kind of performance that compelled me to roster him in the first place at Sherwood. So, I went for it, benched Tiger Woods (who finished T72) and Rahm landed in a two-way T2 worth 25 bonus points. The same finish at the Masters would yield 27 bonus points, so the decision paid off. Of all of the majors, the Masters has the easiest cut to survive, so I'm confident that I'll get four to the weekend at Augusta National. (Famous last words in fantasy; I get it.) Should Rahm prevail and offset the recent gain that no one can take away from me, I'll tip my visor because that's the way the ball bounces. Until then, as referenced in Monday's Power Rankings, ShotLink is not used at the Bermuda Championship, so fantasy scoring will be down about 8-15 percent overall. Therefore, the focus sharpens to target overall finish regardless of prowess off the tee that might otherwise influence you to build a lineup when ShotLink is plugged in. Although five events remain in Segment 1, only next week's Houston Open will be using shot-level scoring. ShotLink is not utilized at the Masters and the Mayakoba Golf Classic, and because the Plantation Course at Sea Island Resort is not lasered for The RSM Classic, shot-level scoring on the Seaside Course will not be used, either. The same setup is adopted for all three multiple-course tournaments on West Coast Swing in Segment 2. PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf My roster for the Bermuda Championship (in alphabetical order): Emiliano Grillo Denny McCarthy Adam Schenk Brendon Todd Kristoffer Ventura Will Zalatoris You'll find my starters in Expert Picks Others to consider for each category (in alphabetical order): Scoring: Wyndham Clark Charley Hoffman; Beau Hossler; Peter Malnati; Brian Stuard; Justin Suh; Cameron Tringale; Harold Varner III Driving: n/a POWER RANKINGS WILD CARD Henrik Stenson ... I fear (or respect, depending on your point of view) that newer fans of the sport won't appreciate how he's contributed to league championships over the years because he's evolved into a social media savant more than a leaderboard lurker. His concluding contribution to the European Tour's Mannequin Challenge essentially walked off the unofficial competition for his home circuit. Seriously, I didn't remember another one after that. More relevantly in our world, he's tailing off fast at 44 years of age, but the theory is that he'd be quicker to reconnect with his former self than others, so you might as well stow him on your bench in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf for this week at least. DRAWS Pat Perez ... I've been to his well and back with and without taking a sip that I can't remember where we are with him. He fulfilled the expectations of others on the paspalum at Corales (T21), which piggybacked a T9 at Silverado, itself in the wake of consecutive mid-tournament withdrawals due to a sore right ankle, but he's 0-for-2 since his last trip to an island. That said, he hasn't played poorly, only poorly enough not to cash. So, in the construct of the field on Bermuda and with enough on which to rely for something positive, it's time to refill the bucket. Cameron Tringale ... Among the most successful without a victory in 285 career starts, but he's been a steady contributor among the rank and file since regaining fully exempt status. Making his Bermuda debut but he's a great fit from tee to green and he's rested since a T21 at TPC Summerlin where he ranked T5 in greens in regulation and fourth in Strokes Gained: Putting. Beau Hossler ... He's not lighting stages on fire but he's still connected five paydays upon arrival with a top 25 baked in. Also placed T24 here last year while leading the field in both putting and converting scoring chances into par breakers. Ollie Schniederjans ... The Korn Ferry Tour's best putter is angling hard at a return to the PGA TOUR. In his last 12 starts, he's recorded five top 10s and a T12 to sit 35th in points. Work him in liberally in DFS. Wyndham Clark Maverick McNealy Scott Stallings Brian Stuard FADES Hudson Swafford ... As much as it must be respected that he ended his victory drought a month ago at Corales, it's necessary to revisit the fact that he authored a dynamite performance with his putter ... which failed him in two starts since with consecutive 75-71=MCs in Mississippi and Vegas. It's especially frustrating for full-season owners, but it's also a reminder why wins are bonuses, not expectations. Continue to assume the position of his baseline, which is to consider continuing to abstain. Danny Willett ... When he recorded the T4 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic in early July, the fear was that it was a one-off. Sho'nuff. Since, he's just 3-for-8 without a top 30. Russell Knox ... Not so much streaky as consistent over time, his T11 here last year was a reflection of that profile. It's the opposite phenomenon now despite a T9 at Silverado to open the season because of the months-long slump that has defined his 2020. He's also 0-for-2 since that surprise performance. Jhonattan Vegas ... Reopened 2020 with three cuts made, but he's gone just 1-for-7 with a T52 at Silverado since. Brian Gay ... Originally on my short list for the Power Rankings, he was the first to get the axe, and it's as obvious as to why as it is hard to believe. Placed T3 here last year and T14 two weeks later at Mayakoba, but since is just 4-for-19 without a top 25. Vaughn Taylor ... Now a combined 0-for-7 since the Travelers, the last three shortfalls after sitting out five straight starts with a sore rib. Andrew Putnam ... This will be interesting. In advance of the birth of his first child - a girl in early March of 2019 - he rolled together a number of strong results before struggling immediately before and after Pepper arrived. Now, the 31-year-old is making his first start since the birth of his second child - a boy(!), Paxley, on Oct. 20 - but without a top-35 finish in over nine months. If the Nappy Factor takes hold, he'll rekindle the kind of form that lifted him inside the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking early last year. Ryan Armour Rafa Cabrera Bello Will Gordon Branden Grace Matt Jones Tom Lewis Troy Merritt Kyle Stanley RETURNING TO COMPETITION Shawn Stefani ... Presents as an intriguing play in DFS because the Texan has performed very well in the wind multiple times during his career, including a T11 at Port Royal last year. He's been out a month since calling it quits after one round at Corales with a sore back, but he's worth the dive, at least fractionally. However, given his conditional status, he's not a commended long-term own. Robert Garrigus ... Maybe the third time's the charm. He hasn't competed since withdrawing during his second round at Corales on Sept. 25 due to heat exhaustion. He had committed to a pair of Korn Ferry Tour events since, but withdrew early from both. Saddled with Past Champions status on the PGA TOUR, he doesn't have any fantasy value. NOTABLE WDs Zac Blair ... Just 1-for-4 with a T70 at Corales this season. Also no better than a T35 at Barracuda in his last 15 starts, a stretch that predates the hiatus. Sebastian Cappelen ... Currently 89th in the FedExCup despite only one cut made in three starts because it was a T11 at Corales. As a result, he's well-positioned to climb in the Reshuffle if the next reorder happened right now. Martin Trainer ... He's 0-for-4 this season and has gone 13 consecutive starts without a payday. Chad Campbell ... The 46-year-old is 0-for-3 since testing positive for COVID-19 in late June. He's in his second consecutive season on Past Champion status. POWER RANKINGS RECAP - ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP @ SHERWOOD Power Ranking Golfer Result 1 Xander Schauffele T17 2 Matthew Wolff T50 3 Webb Simpson T17 4 Justin Thomas T2 5 Tyrrell Hatton T28 6 Rory McIlroy T17 7 Patrick Reed T14 8 Jon Rahm T2 9 Joaquin Niemann T17 10 Collin Morikawa T50 11 Jason Kokrak T17 12 Viktor Hovland T47 13 Harris English T28 14 Russell Henley T4 15 Bubba Watson T4 Wild Card Phil Mickelson 76th SLEEPERS RECAP - ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP @ SHERWOOD Golfer Result Gunn Charoenkul T54 Joel Dahmen T8 Ryo Ishikawa T63 Takumi Kanaya T41 Cameron Smith T4 BIRTHDAYS AMONG ACTIVE GOLFERS ON THE PGA TOUR October 27 ... Fabián Gómez (42) October 28 ... none October 29 ... none October 30 ... none October 31 ... Mark Wilson (46) November 1 ... none November 2 ... James Hahn (39); Adam Hadwin (33)

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Nothing. Everything. Somewhere in between. He lost his father, Jim, to brain cancer in 2009, and his caddie, Chuck Hoersch, to pancreatic cancer in 2012. He’s 840th in the world ranking. But Byrd, 43, has kept at it, even dropping down a level if needed, as when he won the 2017 Korn Ferry Tour Championship. His status as a past champion who finished out of the FedExCup top 150 last season means he never knows where he’s going to get in. “You play one week, wait four weeks, play one week, wait two weeks,” he said after carding a 3-under 68 in the first round of the Palmetto Championship at Congaree on Thursday, which had him in the top 10 after the morning wave. “It’s just kind of hard to get in a rhythm. “Then when you finally get to the summer,” he continued, “the pressure starts building because you’ve got to do something. I’ve been here before.” It’s been a great PGA TOUR season for the super-veterans, what with Stewart Cink, 48, winning twice and Phil Mickelson, nearly 51, capturing the PGA Championship. But Byrd is not a super-veteran. He’s closer in age to Sergio Garcia, who also won earlier this season. A five-time TOUR winner, most recently at the 2011 Sentry Tournament of Champions, Byrd plays out of Sea Island, Georgia, where he regularly tests his game against pros like Josh Teater and Greyson Sigg. He stays young with matches against his 14-year-old son, Jackson, no strokes given. They made the two-hour drive from St. Simons to Congaree two weeks ago, played in three hours. The course was dry, brown and fiery, and despite being regularly outdriven by 20 yards, Dad won. He may not be able to do so for much longer. “I don’t want to talk him up too much because it adds too much pressure, but he’s way better than I was at 14,” he said of Jackson, who has won multiple times on the Southeastern Junior Golf Tour. “It’s not even close. He’s as good as I was when I was 20.” Jonathan, though, has the wily skills of a TOUR veteran, and the pedigree of a winner. His walk-off ace in a playoff at the 2010 Shriners Hospitals for Children Open remains one of the most unforgettable shots on TOUR in the last two decades. On Thursday, he made 125 feet of putts on the relatively unknown greens at Congaree – including a 60-footer for birdie at the eighth hole. “I wasn’t that sharp today; I hit a couple poor tee shots and got a couple good breaks,” he said. He knows what his A game looks like. He just doesn’t always know where he’ll get to play. He says he’s in the field for the John Deere Classic, Barbasol Championship, and Barracuda Championship, and is hopeful he’ll get into the Rocket Mortgage Classic and 3M Open. “That would give me like six events,” he said, “which would be great.” As for the rest of the summer, who knows? He’s trying to be less technical and let the bad shots slide by without finding every fault with each one of them. He’s had fun watching the success of his fellow 40-somethings, even Padraig Harrington, 49, finishing T4 at the PGA Championship. He continues to keep tabs on Jackson’s game and monitor the golf team at Clemson, his alma mater and where his older brother, Jordan, will soon move from assistant to head coach. With maturity comes the realization that not everything is about him. At the same time golf demands a slavish dedication to craft, and hours spent toiling alone and in anonymity. And so Byrd keeps working at it, ever hopeful that the results will come the way they did for Cink and Mickelson, even as they remain hidden like a spring bulb. His results so far this season: 10 starts, five made cuts, the best a T28 at the Corales Punta Cana Resort & Club Championship last fall. That was also the site of his last top-10 finish, a fourth in 2019. “We’re still here,” Byrd said. He’ll give it another shot Friday.

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Round 1 of The Honda Classic begins Thursday as PGA National and The Bear Trap welcome some of the PGA TOUR’s top pros. Past Honda winner Sungjae Im, Brooks Koepka, Daniel Berger, Rickie Fowler, Billy Horschel and last week’s wire-to-wire champion Joaquin Niemann headline the field. Here’s everything you need to know to follow the action, including Featured Groups for PGA TOUR LIVE and newly expanded and extended coverage on ESPN+. Click here for more details. Leaderboard Full tee times HOW TO FOLLOW Television: Thursday-Friday, 2 p.m.-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday, 1 p.m.-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3 p.m.-6 p.m. (NBC). Sunday, 1 p.m.-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3 p.m.-6 p.m. (NBC) Radio: Thursday-Friday, 12–6 p.m. ET. Saturday, 1–6 p.m. Sunday, 1-6:30 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com/liveaudio) For outside of the U.S., click here for GOLFTV powered by the PGA TOUR PGA TOUR LIVE PGA TOUR Live is available exclusively on ESPN+ • Main Feed: primary tournament-coverage featuring the best action from across the course • Marquee Group: new “marquee group” showcasing every shot from each player in the group • Featured Groups: traditional PGA TOUR LIVE coverage of two concurrent featured groups • Featured Holes: a combination of par-3s and iconic or pivotal holes FEATURED GROUPS THURSDAY Marquee Group Joaquin Niemann, Brooks Koepka, Mackenzie Hughes Featured Groups Billy Horschel, Patrick Reed, Cameron Young Tommy Fleetwood, Patrick Rogers, Harry Higgs Rickie Fowler, Keith Mitchell, Matthew Wolff Lucas Herbert, Sungjae Im, Louis Oosthuizen Daniel Berger, Matt Jones, Gary Woodland FRIDAY Marquee Group Rickie Fowler, Keith Mitchell, Matthew Wolff Featured Groups Lucas Herbert, Sungjae Im, Louis Oosthuizen Matt Jones, Daniel Berger, Gary Woodland Joaquin Niemann, Brooks Koepka, Mackenzie Hughes Billy Horschel, Patrick Reed, Cameron Young Tommy Fleetwood, Patrick Rogers, Harry Higgs MUST READS Power Rankings Expert Picks Koepka’s best shoe moments Q&A: Feherty talks Tiger, World Golf Hall of Fame ceremony The First Look Inside the Field

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