Quigley shoots 64 for 1-shot lead in Champions tour return

Collin Morikawa has scattered four victories across three PGA TOUR seasons, but he hasn’t defended a title until now. But even the winner of the 2020 PGA Championship will have to wait to experience the thrill of returning to the same site as a previous conquest. The 2021 PGA Championship will be contested at The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort beside the Atlantic Ocean in South Carolina, essentially on the opposite side of the contiguous United States where TPC Harding Park is located, where Morikawa broke through for his major nine months ago. Morikawa figures to dazzle again on the Pete Dye design that hosted the PGA Championship in 2012, but he’s hardly alone among the projected contenders. Scroll past the ranking of 20 for what the field of 156 faces, what’s new and more insight. RELATED: The First Look | How the field qualified | Nine Things to Know: Kiawah Island POWER RANKINGS: PGA CHAMPIONSHIP Tuesday’s Fantasy Insider will include reviews of numerous notables, including 2021 Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama, two-time PGA Championship winner Brooks Koepka, Patrick Reed, Tyrrell Hatton, Joaquin Niemann and Patrick Cantlay. When Kiawah Island hosted the 2012 PGA Championship, the PGA TOUR still had a Fall Series and current Danish sensation, Rasmus Højgaard, was 11 years old. (The two-time European Tour winner, who is now all of 20, is in this week’s field.) However, as of Monday, 42 qualifiers (more than one-quarter of the field) competed in the 2012 edition. Rory McIlroy, then just 23 years of age, prevailed by a record eight strokes at 13-under 275. Focus on that and the message of the general challenges of The Ocean Course is lost. The stock par 72 averaged 2.566 strokes over par and punished with more double bogeys (286) and triple bogeys or worse (53) than any other course on TOUR that season. So what did the PGA of America approve? Another 200 yards of length, because of course. Now tipping at 7,876 yards, The Ocean Course is the longest track in the history of major championship golf. Eight of the holes – four on each side – were stretched. The par-4 12th was increased the most. Now 484 yards, it’s 72 yards longer than its 2012 self that, incidentally, averaged 0.145 strokes over par. Have fun with that, fellas. Because of variable wind directions on the daily, Dye routed The Ocean Course in the facsimile of a figure eight. (Despite how many “others” are penciled down on the hardest holes, there’s no proof that the course also resembles a sideways snowman from above, but understanding Dye’s take-no-prisoners philosophy, it can’t be ruled out.) Despite its aesthetic as a links course hard by the sea and general starkness of the land, The Ocean Course rewards shot-shapers and ball-strikers. However, there is a conflict. Even moderate breezes suggest a controlled, lower ball flight, but many of the greens are perched and surrounded by Dye’s infamous run-off areas. The complexity of that challenge will be humbling for many. The weather will cooperate and push just enough so that the course shows its teeth, but the bark could be worse than the bite. Still, par will be a terrific score even though something in the red numbers will be required to claim the Wanamaker Trophy. Long and accurate will play well, but it won’t be the only formula for success. Paspalum greens typically are slower by default, but they’ll be surprisingly slick due to the preparation and exposure. The 2012 edition was held in August, so the rough was longer and the course no longer was affected by the annual overseed, but this week’s setup includes overseeded bermuda rough in which only the ryegrass will extend at least three inches. Because of the advancement in technology since its last staging, it’s understandable why the PGA of America has gravitated toward the limits of The Ocean Course. Headlining a smorgasbord of perks, the champion will receive 600 FedExCup points, fully exempt status on the PGA TOUR through 2025-26, a lifetime exemption into the PGA Championship and exemptions into the next five editions of each of the other three majors. ROB BOLTON’S SCHEDULE PGATOUR.COM’s Fantasy Insider Rob Bolton recaps and previews every tournament from numerous angles. Look for his following contributions as scheduled. MONDAY: Power Rankings TUESDAY*: Sleepers; Fantasy Insider SUNDAY: Qualifiers, Reshuffle, Medical Extensions, Rookie Watch * – Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COM’s Expert Picks for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf, which also publishes on Tuesday.

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Tiger Woods is back in action at the newly-dubbed Genesis Invitational, where J.B. Holmes defends. Woods isn’t just the host. He’s also seeking a record-breaking 83rd victory. RELATED: Inside The Field FIELD NOTES: This is the first year that the tournament will be played as an invitational. The field is now 120 players, and the winner receives a three-year exemption, putting the Genesis on par with the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard and Jack Nicklaus’ Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide. … Rory McIlroy makes his fourth start at Riviera. He finished T4 a year ago. McIlroy, the reigning FedExCup champion, is expected to regain the top spot in the world ranking Monday. It will be the first time since 2015 that he has held that position. … All of the top five players in the world (as of Feb. 7) will be in the field including McIlroy, Brooks Koepka, Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas, and Dustin Johnson… Thomas had the 54-hole lead a year ago before shooting a 4-over 75 in the final round to finish runner-up. Thomas is currently the FedExCup leader as he seeks to join Woods and McIlroy as the only two-time FedExCup champs. … Joseph Bramlett received the 2020 Charlie Sifford Memorial exemption and will be in the field. Bramlett, who received the same honor in 2011, is the first two-time recipient. He shot 75-74 in 2011 to miss the cut. Since then, Bramlett completely re-built his swing after suffering an annular tear to his L4 and L5 discs. FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 500 FedExCup points COURSE: Riviera Country Club, 7,322 yards, par 71. A long-time PGA TOUR host club, Riviera will be the site of the 2028 Olympic events. STORYLINES: This will be Woods’ third start of the season. He won THE ZOZO Championship to tie Sam Snead’s PGA TOUR wins record of 82, then finished T9 at the Farmers Insurance Open. Woods finished T15 here a year ago. This year will mark the 11th time that he tees it up at the venerable Riviera, a course that’s had his number throughout his career. It’s the only course Woods has played more than four times in his career where he hasn’t won. … Bubba Watson, who has two-straight top-10’s to begin 2020, returns to Riviera where he’s a three-time winner. Watson won in 2014, 2016, and 2018 and if history is any indication, these ‘even’ years have treated him well. … Stay tuned for the results of the Collegiate Showcase on Monday. The low collegiate golfer after the 18-hole earns a spot in the tournament. Past winners include 2019 Korn Ferry Tour Player of the Year Scottie Scheffler. … A great finish that catapults a golfer into the top-10 of the FedExCup standings will mean earning a late spot into the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship.   72-HOLE RECORD: 264, Lanny Wadkins (1985). 18-HOLE RECORD: 61, George Archer (3rd round, 1983 at Rancho Park GC), Ted Tryba (3rd round, 1999 at Riviera CC). LAST TIME: It was a brutal Sunday a year ago at Riviera as cold temperatures and gusty winds impacted the scoring. While Thomas fell down the leaderboard after a 4-over 75, it was Holmes – who played 33 holes on the final day – who came out on top. Thomas made three bogeys in his first five holes in the final round while Holmes was 2 under through that same stretch. That was ultimately the turning point as Holmes ended at 1 under for the day and won – for the fifth time on TOUR – by a shot. He was able to hold off a hard-charging Si Woo Kim, whose 5-under 66 was the round of the day. Kim finished third while Marc Leishman and McIlroy finished T4. HOW TO FOLLOW Television: Thursday-Friday, 2 p.m.-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday-Sunday, 1 p.m.-2:45 p.m. (Golf Channel). Saturday, 3 p.m.-6 p.m. (CBS). Sunday, 3 p.m.-6:30 p.m. (CBS).   PGA TOUR LIVE: Thursday-Friday, 9:45 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday, 11:15 a.m.-6:30 p.m. (Featured Groups and Featured Holes) Radio: Thursday-Friday, 12 p.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, 1 p.m.-6 p.m. Sunday, 1 p.m.-6:30 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com/liveaudio).

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