Questions about Tiger, Brooks and more one month from the Masters

Rob Bolton lists five against-the-grain fantasy selections for this week’s event at Muirfield Village GC. Jamie Lovemark … The old man on this page at 29 years of age, he recently hit the century mark in career PGA TOUR starts as a professional. Injuries led to years of mediocrity before he connected with consistently strong form last season. It carried over into 2016-17, but he went without a top 20 for four months until a T18 at the AT&T Byron Nelson two weeks ago. While he projects to remain a regular at this level, if he’s going to break through for victory, it would be logical for it to occur at a big-hitter’s ballpark like Muirfield Village. Now, as Jack Nicklaus likes it, the test grows more challenging closer to every hole, so Lovemark must tighten the screws on approach to pay off his power. The last three times he’s ranked inside the top 25 in a field in greens in regulation, he’s recorded a top 20 in the tournament. Harold Varner III … Back for redemption, or is it revenge? In his debut here last year, he sat T16 and just four strokes back of the tri-leaders entering the final round. Then closed with a field-high 79 to finish T57. Fast forward and you can’t rule out that 2016-17 has been a sophomore slump. The 26-year-old slots just 131st in the FedExCup standings with only one top 20 among 11 cuts made. As a rookie, he recorded four top 10s, three of which by the time he arrived at Muirfield Village. It’s a track on which he should feel comfortable given his proclivity to wield driver as often as he can. In addition to some pop, he’s inside the top third on TOUR in greens in regulation. Patrick Cantlay … Since easing his way back into competition in February, he’s picked his spots and he’s picked them well. This is why he demands attention everywhere, including in his first visit to Muirfield Village. The 25-year-old holdover rookie hasn’t missed a cut in his six starts and sits comfortably at 50th in the FedExCup standings with a runner-up finish at Copperhead and a T3 at Harbour Town. He last competed at TPC Sawgrass where he placed T22 despite a 77 in the finale. If he had enough rounds to officially qualify, he’d rank 37th in greens hit, seventh in strokes gained: putting, 23rd in birdie-or-better percentage and 11th in adjusted scoring. Patrick Rodgers … The Indiana native’s second spin with a PGA TOUR card hasn’t been as impressive as he’d have wanted, but he’s done well with a few opportunities he’s manufactured. Just 5-for-17 on the season, but all of his paydays are top 30s. Top 10s at Seaside and Torrey Pines are why he’s 110th in the FedExCup standings. But this has been his M.O. as he’s averaged one top 10 for every five-and-a-half cuts made in 69 starts as a pro. He made noise in his debut at Muirfield Village in 2015, sitting T5 at the midpoint before backing up for a T40. Easing the absence of consistency (read: confidence?) on and around greens this season, he’s a lofty 43rd in greens in regulation. Equipped with advantageous power off the tee this week, the 24-year-old is likely licking his chops for another opportunity to prove that he’s the total package. Ollie Schniederjans … If you covered his name and face and flashed his rookie season in front of a knowledgeable golf fan for a guess, it’s unlikely that he or she would consider the PGA TOUR rookie. He’s 13-for-18 with four top 10s and ranks 44th in the FedExCup standings. Just 23 years of age, well, at least for another two weeks – his birthday is June 15 – the Georgia Tech product has feasted in the analytics that portend success at Muirfield Village where he’s making his debut. He’s currently T20 in proximity to the hole, 25th in strokes gained: approach-the-green, 31st in strokes gained: tee-to-green and T14 in par-5 scoring. Put everything together and he’s 32nd in adjusted scoring.

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The top 70 qualifiers for the second event of the FedExCup Playoffs have advanced to the BMW Championship at Wilmington CC. Keegan Bradley leads the tournament by one stroke after an opening round 64 on Thursday. It’s the first time the PGA TOUR has held an event in Delaware. Scottie Scheffler, who entered the Playoffs at No. 1 in the FedExCup, is coming off a missed cut, just his fourth of the season. Will Zalatoris grabbed the No. 1 spot after his dramatic win at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis at last week’s FedExCup Playoffs opener. Defending BMW and FedExCup champ Patrick Cantlay is in the field, as is Rory McIlroy, Collin Morikawa, Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Tony Finau, Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland, Sam Burns, Xander Schauffele, Hideki Matsuyama and Adam Scott. The winner will earn 2,000 FedExCup points. Tommy Fleetwood is skipping the event, and Cameron Smith withdrew earlier in the week with a hip injury. There is no cut this week. 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 (All times ET) Television: Friday, 3 p.m.-7 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday, 12 p.m.-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3 p.m.-6 p.m. (NBC). Sunday, 12 p.m.-2 p.m. (Golf Channel), 2 p.m.-6 p.m. (NBC) Radio: Friday, 1 p.m.–7 p.m. ET. Saturday-Sunday, 1 p.m.-6 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 FEATURED GROUPS Marquee Group Scottie Scheffler, Will Zalatoris Featured Groups Jon Rahm, Hideki Matsuyama Rory McIlroy, Sepp Straka Featured Holes: No. 2 (par 3), No. 7 (par 3), No. 13 (par 3), No. 15 (par 3) MUST READS FedExCup update: Adam Scott on track to burst bubble again Rory McIlroy keeps chin up despite momentum stealing triple 70 one-liners for each player at BMW Championship

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ST. AUGUSTINE, Florida – Gary Bullard, a skinny African American golfer in a white Army cap, tried to soak it all in as he birdied the 18th hole at the Advocates Pro Golf Association Tour event at the Slammer & Squire course in World Golf Village on Friday. MORE ON APGA TOUR: Dent following in father’s footsteps | College star sees APGA as key to next level A rising sophomore on West Point Academy men’s golf team, Bullard, 19, shot 75-73 and reports for training at 6 a.m. next Thursday. He won’t touch his clubs for nearly a month. “I won’t have this, and I’ll miss it,” said Bullard, one of a handful of amateurs in the field. “The caliber of players out here is so high, it makes me wonder: Why are these guys not on TOUR? The only difference is the number of people around.” Indeed, the quality of golf at this two-day tournament on the APGA Tour, which promotes diversity by providing playing opportunities for aspiring touring professionals, was first rate. Patrick Newcomb of Benton, Kentucky, shot 65-64 to force a playoff with Julian Suri (62-67), a Jacksonville-based on-and-off TOUR pro. Suri won. Tim O’Neal (64-67) of Savannah, Georgia, finished alone in third, two shots back. An American with both Indian and Mexican heritage who reached a high of 60th in the world, Suri has seen his career stall with injuries. Perhaps this will be a springboard in his comeback. For Kamaiu Johnson (69-67, T6) and Willie Mack III (71-67, T10), both of whom landed sponsorships from Farmers earlier this year – Rickie Fowler tweeted his congratulations – the tournament was just more seasoning. Others, having finished well back, were just soaking it in. That part – being around others in the game, getting mentorship and cell numbers, networking – is not inconsequential. The APGA will increase its number of tournaments to 10 by 2022. It is expected to reach 2,000 young people a year, and develop a database of qualified minority candidates upon which golf organizations and manufactures will be able to draw. Whether or not West Point’s Bullard winds up playing on TOUR after college and his five-year military commitment, he wants to remain in the game. Maybe he’ll work for the TOUR, instead. “The goal is to stay around something you love,” said Bullard, who after signing his card joined fellow competitors for pictures and socializing on the clubhouse veranda. “There’s nothing I love more than golf. I’ve been around it my whole life.” Nearby, Michael Herrera of Moreno Valley, California, about an hour east of Los Angeles, rested his legs after posting a second-round 74 to go with his opening 75. Asked about the logo on his cap and shirt, he spoke of Mike Love Golf & Training (mikeloveapparel.com), his new side project, which after launching sold 35 hats in just a week and a half. “I love the golf business,” said Herrera, 22, “and I’m hoping this one that I’m starting helps me with travel and tournament entry fees to chase the dream. I signed up for Canadian Q school this year, but it got cancelled. I just play and practice as much as I can.” The Slammer & Squire event marked the APGA’s second tournament back since the pandemic, and the circuit will quickly move to its third, at Dubsdread Golf Course in Orlando, Monday and Tuesday. Then comes the Midwest swing – Chicago Harborside International – before the circuit concludes its season with a pair of Southern California tournaments Aug. 30-Sept 2. “Everything has just been so compressed since the break,” said Adrian Sills, who played the PGA TOUR in the 80s and started the APGA with Ken Bentley in 2010. When Sills played the TOUR there were more African Americans than there are now, and he and Bentley are trying to do something about that. So is the PGA TOUR itself, which began to support the APGA in 2012 with access to TPC courses and the PGA TOUR Performance Center at TPC Sawgrass. “Some of these guys like Kamaiu and Willie are right on the verge of breaking out,” Bentley said in an extensive interview with the PGA TOUR last month. And they don’t lack for inspiration; TOUR pros Joseph Bramlett, Harold Varner III and Tony Finau have played in APGA events. “Golf has to change, but I’m optimistic,” Bentley added. He isn’t the only one. For the APGA, it was on to Orlando.

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