Quick look at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard

It’s been a lengthy build up, including a yearlong postponement and four days of practice at Whistling Straits, but this year’s edition of the Ryder Cup is almost here. Before play begins, I’ve tried to answer some of the burning questions you may have about this intercontinental competition between the United States and Europe. Are Brooks and Bryson sharing dessert at the team dinners? Has Tommy Fleetwood got a new partner found a new partner he can love as much as Francesco? Will Wisconsin fans eat the state’s weight in cheese curds and brats? What songs will be sung on the first tee? And who, really, is the favorite on an American-style links that may see some European weather this week? These are all important questions. But there’s only one that matters: Who will win? Let’s dive in. 1. What is the health status of the game’s biggest stars who came in under a cloud? When every point is vital, every player must be at his best. But after a Super Season chock full of big events, some of the biggest names on each team arrive with some question marks about their status. U.S. team members Brooks Koepka and Collin Morikawa both had recent injury concerns, while World No .1 Jon Rahm arrives after a rare missed cut that followed a stomach ailment. Koepka, who has battled ongoing knee complaints and withdrew from the TOUR Championship with a wrist injury, didn’t exactly inspire confidence in his pre-tournament press conference. But remember, he also plays his best when he feels aggrieved. Having something to prove brings out the best in Brooks. “I’m like glass, so I wouldn’t say I am 100%. Left knee, right knee, I’m broken, man,” Koepka said before turning the narrative into his ability to tough it out. “I feel fine. I feel as good as I’ve felt in a long time. Over the past week and a half, I did a lot of work on it with Derek Samuel, my trainer. He was down with me for about eight days, so able to kind of work everything out and make sure it’s fine but I feel good and I’m ready to go as much or as little as they want.” Koepka said he’s willing to go 36 holes a day but word on the street is he won’t be doing so. As for Morikawa, the two-time major winner said the back injury he suffered at the Olympics is no longer a concern. “I’m 100% healthy. Knock on wood right now, but I’m feeling great,” he said. Last week, Rahm withdrew from the pro-am of the season-opening Fortinet Championship with a stomach ailment and promptly went on to miss the cut. As the shortest pre-tournament favorite on TOUR since Tiger Woods in 2013, it was a shocking result. Are there any lingering effects from that week? “I’m physically ready for it,” he said Thursday. “I know I don’t look like it but I train every day when I’m at home, believe it or not. I’m in really good shape. I have no problem walking 36. I feel like the biggest challenge in an event like this is possibly five rounds of the mental aspect of it, and that’s where I think you need to learn to really unwind quickly and get ready when you need to. “In my case, the most important things outside of all that would be hydrating properly and getting enough sleep. Those two things are going to be the keys this week.” 2. Does Whistling Straits give the U.S. a true home-course advantage? The short answer is yes. The U.S. side is stacked with bombers, and conditions at the lakeside Pete Dye course have been tailored to their styles. While to the eye it may appear like something found in Europe, it is far from it. “It looks like a links course but it’s not playing that way. The greens are soft, decently soft. You can’t really run stuff around the green,” rookie Harris English said. The rough has been hacked down to very manageable lengths – giving the United States’ long hitters a little more leeway off the tee — and while Dye installed more than 1,000 bunkers, soft fairways and greens give a distinct advantage to those who carry the ball a long way in the air. It’s a setup that plays to the Americans’ advantage. “The golf course, it won’t be as firm or as fast as maybe it would be in a major championship because you’re not trying to test the golfers as much and as thoroughly as they can. The Ryder Cup is match play. It’s a different animal,” former Cup hero Justin Leonard said. Leonard, who was not a long hitter, lost the 2004 PGA Championship in a playoff to Vijay Singh at Whistling Straits, but the course was playing much firmer that week. “A lot of that does come down to Steve Stricker, and if he feels like his team has an advantage in length, maybe it’s better to have the golf course playing a little bit slower so that his players will be coming into the green with a little less club… a softer golf course I feel like length is a bigger advantage.” The other obvious factor is the crowd. With travel restrictions coming from Europe in place and the pandemic still affecting the appetite for travel in general the home crowd advantage is magnified even more. Europe tried Wednesday to garner favor amongst the locals by wearing Cheese Heads and the green and gold of Wisconsin’s beloved Green Bay Packers. It was a clever move from Captain Padraig Harrington but it won’t be enough when the matches get underway. The distinctive European fans aren’t around to help lift his troops. 3. What – at a higher level – is at stake here? There is more than just the Ryder Cup at stake This U.S. side represents a changing of the guard. It’s the first time since 1993 that neither Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson is on the team. This roster, which includes six rookies, is the youngest in U.S. history with an average age under 30. Dustin Johnson is the elder statesman at 37, and the majority of the team has yet to reach its 30th birthday. The side is ridiculously stacked on paper. It has eight of the top 10 players in the world. Ten of the U.S. players are ranked ahead of Europe’s second-highest-ranked player (No. 14 Viktor Hovland). So, if ever the U.S. is to arrest a slide that has seen Europe win four of the last five, seven of the last nine and 12 of the last 17 Cups, it must begin now. This team has a nucleus that could turn the tables with a decade or more of dominance. But can they actually make it happen? And what happens if they don’t? Another Task Force? “It’s a big one for our team,” said Tony Finau, who was a member of the U.S. Team that lost in Paris three years ago. “We have a chance to do something really special for our team, our country and especially for Stricks. … Our goal is not only to change the mold this year, but the history of the Ryder Cup for us. It means a lot to us young guys, and hopefully we change the mold not just this Ryder Cup but many Ryder Cups to come.” For Europe, this could possibly be the last stand for a veteran core that includes Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and Sergio Garcia. This may be the last Cup for multiple members of this great triumvirate of European Ryder Cup stars and they’d surely like to go out on a winning note. 4. What’s the status of the Brooks-Bryson situation? Don’t expect Koepka and DeChambeau to form a big-bashing pair this week but at least it appears they are on the same page as they both don the red, white and blue. “A lot of this social media stuff has definitely been driven by a lot of external factors, not necessarily us two. We had some great conversations in TOUR Championship week when we had dinner, and then this week, as well,” DeChambeau said this week. “I sat down and had dinner with him last night, and it was fine. I think there may be something fun coming up here moving forward but won’t speak too much more on that.” Stricker called their relationship “a non-issue.” They’re part of a tight-knit team, many of whom have known each other since junior golf. The strength of his team’s bond has even surprised Stricker, who also captained the U.S. side in the Presidents Cup four years ago. “I knew they were close, but they’re really close,” Stricker said of his squad. “I think they’ve played so much golf together growing up, on the same college teams together, they play a lot of social golf together, … the level of how close has surprised me. That’s a good thing. That’s what I wanted from day one is a family-type atmosphere.” 5. What’s the forecast and who does that favor? Wind and rain can always be a factor when you’re playing golf on the shores of a large body of water. Whistling Straits, built on the shores of Lake Michigan, is no exception. Adding a wrinkle to Friday’s opening sessions is the fact that the winds will switch and start coming out of the west and south-west. Throughout the practice days, the wind has blown from the north and north-west. Saturday’s forecast includes gusts up to 25mph, so it could certainly get wild out there, although a decent chance of late rain Friday night will also continue to soften up the course and give the bombers on the U.S. team some extra advantage. “It would be a beach day at home,” European Captain Padraig Harrington smiles before getting down to brass tacks. “My players don’t need that. They’re good enough. They’re great ball-strikers. We’re not looking for extreme windy conditions, difficult conditions, tricky conditions. We don’t mind a good solid test. “We’re all happy that the temperature is to go up on Friday. We don’t have a problem with that. We’re relying on ourselves, not relying on outside agencies and the conditions. Maybe there is a little bit of an advantage for us if it does go that way, but as I’ve always said, we really have probably our best team ever of ball strikers, so we’re not relying on conditions to give us the edge.” The official forecast from DTN meteorologist Brad Nelson is as follows: “The morning on Friday will start out mostly sunny with light winds and temperatures in the 40’s. Increasing clouds can be expected through the day with pleasant weather conditions. Winds turn to the south-southwest at 10-20 mph while temperatures top out in the middle 70’s. A cold front moves through Whistling Straits Friday evening with rain becoming likely, mainly after 7p.m. This weekend will feature some fair-weather clouds at times and mild afternoon temperatures with chilly mornings. Breezy west winds are expected on Saturday, while weaker and turning southwest on Sunday.” Bonus Question: Who is going to win? Your guess is as good as mine. I’m saying 14-14! Of course, that would mean a happy European team would be able to take the Ryder Cup back across the Atlantic.

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NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. – An old friend helped Tiger Woods shoot his lowest score in five years. After struggling with his putter earlier in the FedExCup Playoffs, Woods switched back to the Scotty Cameron that he used to win 13 of his 14 major championship. It was a happy reunion, as Woods shot 62 in the first round of the BMW Championship. It was his lowest score since a 61 in his victory at the 2013 World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational. Thursday’s round was an impressive combination of precise ball-striking and sure-handed putting. He hit 16 greens, matching his season-high. Thirteen of those approach shots were within 20 feet of the hole. He needed just 27 putts on the rolling greens of this classic Donald Ross design that was recently restored by architect Gil Hanse. Woods didn’t miss a putt from inside 10 feet – including all four of his attempts from 4 to 8 feet – and holed three putts from outside 10 feet. This was Woods’ second-best opening round of his career.  It looked like the Woods of old, and not just because he was holing putts with the silver Scotty Cameron, which he still tinkers with at home even when it’s not in his bag. “I’ve hit millions of putts with it,� Woods said. “I know the release point and I know how it swings.� He proved that from the start of Thursday’s round. Woods, who didn’t play Wednesday’s pro-am because of the quick turnaround from Monday’s final round at TPC Boston, made birdie on three of his first four holes at Aronimink. It started with a 20-foot birdie putt on his first hole that quickly confirmed his decision to return to his Scotty Cameron. Woods, who teed off on No. 10 in the day’s second group, added a 13-foot birdie putt at the 12th hole and 10-footer at No. 13 to quickly reach 3 under par. Something special seemed to be in the offering after Woods hit 3-iron from 241 yards on the par-5 16th hole. The shot landed softly, stopping 5 feet from the front hole location. He holed that eagle putt, then added a 4-foot birdie putt for his first sub-30 score on the PGA TOUR in more than a decade. He shot 28 on East Lake’s front nine in the second round of the 2007 TOUR Championship. He won that tournament by eight shots to put an exclamation point on his FedExCup-winning season. A win at Aronimink would give him a golden opportunity to become the FedExCup’s first three-time champion. He would likely move into the top 5 of the FedExCup standings with a win here. That would allow him to clinch the FedExCup with a victory at East Lake in two weeks. Woods added another birdie at No. 1, sinking a 13-foot putt to reach 7 under. A sub-60 score was within reach on the par-70 Aronimink, which was playing short because of the high heat that has hit the Philadelphia area. Woods changed shirts after just five holes, and he quickly ducked into the shade while waiting for his playing partners to hole out. Hanse widened Aronimink’s fairways and removed trees from the property. That allowed the field to play aggressively on a course that had been softened by recent rains. Woods wasn’t reluctant to hit driver, averaging 306 yards on all tee shots. He hit 9 of 14 fairways and never put himself in a precarious position when he did miss the fairway. He said he didn’t hit anything longer than a 9-iron on an approach to a par-4. Woods wasn’t able to keep up his hot putting on his final eight holes, though. He missed three birdie putts from within 20 feet on those closing holes.  “I gave myself good looks. I hit good putts. They just didn’t go in, which is fine,� Woods said. He missed the greens on both of the downhill par-3s on Aronimink’s front nine. He flew the green on the downhill, 165-yard fifth hole and pulled his tee shot on the 242-yard eighth hole. Woods sandwiched two birdies around his bogey at the eight hole, stiffing his 110-yard approach at the seventh hole before getting up-and-down with a putter from a closely-mown area left of the green on the par-5 ninth hole. He punctuated the round with a 7-foot birdie putt on his last hole. Rickie Fowler, who played alongside Woods, called it a “good, solid round of golf.� “He hit some close, made a couple nice putts. It was fun to watch,� Fowler said. Woods has used three putters in the first three events of the FedExCup Playoffs. He switched TaylorMade models after THE NORTHERN TRUST, which was the fourth-worst Strokes Gained: Putting performance of his career. At last week’s Dell Technologies Championship, Woods said he had “turned a corner� with his ball-striking in the past six weeks, a stretch that included strong performances at The Open Championship and PGA Championship. “It’s just a matter of getting one little hot stretch with the putter,� he said. He got that Thursday, and it resulted in one of Woods’ best rounds in years.

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KAPALUA, Maui – Every so often it all falls into place. So it’s gone for Collin Morikawa, the only player in the field without a bogey and the 54-hole leader by six after shooting a third-round 65 at the Sentry Tournament of Champions. “Yeah, it’s been pretty simple today,” said Morikawa, who will be playing for his sixth PGA TOUR title (two of which came at majors) on Sunday. “Kind of over the past three days, is where I’ve been looking is kind of where the ball’s been going. I kind of know what is doing right and when I hit a bad shot, kind of what the mistake was. That’s the biggest thing.” Scottie Scheffler, who would go back to world No. 1 with a two-way tie for third or better, shot 69 to tie Matt Fitzpatrick (66) and J.J. Spaun (69) at 18 under, a half dozen shots behind. It will be hard to catch the leader, for reasons both obvious (a comfortable lead) and not. The obvious reason is Morikawa is not only crushing Kapalua from tee to green (he often does, no matter the course), but he’s also putting lights-out. His 15-foot birdie putt on 18 Saturday, his fourth birdie in the last five holes, was emblematic of his week. The key stat for the leader so far: Morikawa, who ranked 131st in Strokes Gained: Putting last season, is No. 1 for the week at the Sentry. He gives much of the credit to new putting coach Stephen Sweeney, an Irishman who is based in Florida. “He’s putting really good,” Spaun said of Morikawa. “He doesn’t miss a shot. It’s a hard combo to beat.” Morikawa has ranked inside the top 10 in SG: Putting in four tournaments, and won two of them. He’s also first in scrambling (6-for-6), which bodes well for his new relationship with short game specialist and TOUR winner Parker McLachlin. The other factor working in Morikawa’s favor is good Maui vibes. His paternal grandparents were born here and owned a restaurant in Lahaina. When the Maui News wrote about it, a reader found an old matchbook from that restaurant on eBay, bought it for $7.50, and sent it to Morikawa via an assist from NBC’s Mark Rolfing, the PGA TOUR, and Morikawa’s agent. It says: “Morikawa restaurant Delicious meals Beer-wine and sake M. Morikawa prop.” “It’s amazing,” said Morikawa, who is with his wife, brother, and parents this week. “I mean, to think what Front Street means to the island of Maui and to the city of Lahaina. Every time we walk by, my dad, I know he just kind of goes back to being a kid.” The abundance of positive mojo at Kapalua comes in the first week of a new year that couldn’t get here fast enough for Morikawa, who fought his game (his signature fade went missing); tried a new putter (changing to a mallet at the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday, where he missed the cut); did not win; and generally gnashed his teeth. For a dynamic young player who had become the first to win the PGA Championship and Open Championship in his first cracks at both, the season was an unhappy grind. “That middle of the season really from PLAYERS all the way through playoffs just felt like it never ended,” he said. “It was just like I play a tournament, you get back home, you play another tournament, play two more. You’re always searching.” He rediscovered his fade, and in November started working with Sweeney – the first putting coach of his career. Feeling more at ease on the greens, Morikawa finished T15 at the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba, his best result of the fall. It was 13 months ago that Morikawa took a five-shot lead into the final round of the unofficial Hero World Challenge – and lost. In retrospect, it seems to have been an omen for a forgettable 2022. But as he picks apart the Plantation Course, with his tee-to-green game in peak form and his putting better than ever, Morikawa is making all that a distant memory.

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