Romo leaves Pebble Beach to attend funeral

The PGA Championship may have moved to a May date, but it is retaining one of its traditional pairings. Just as it did in August, the event has paired the past three major winners. That means Masters champion Tiger Woods will be play alongside defending champion Brooks Koepka and Open champion Francesco Molinari. Koepka and Molinari both finished runner-up to Woods at Augusta National in April. Here’s a look at some of the headlining pairings for the year’s second major, which will be held next week at Bethpage State Park. One spot in the field remains to be filled. The winner of this week’s AT&T Byron Nelson, if not already exempt for the PGA, will play alongside Adam Long and Craig Bowden. (Note: FedExCup ranking in parentheses) 7:40 a.m. off No. 10: Sergio Garcia (41), Justin Thomas (12), Adam Scott (38): Garcia has finished in the top 10 in three of the four PGA TOUR events at Bethpage Black (two U.S. Opens, two NORTHERN TRUSTs). This group features two of the game’s longtime headliners, who are both pushing 40, along with one of its young stars. Thomas won the 2017 PGA Championship en route to that season’s FedExCup. 7:51 off No. 10: Charley Hoffman (54), Louis Oosthuizen (51), Patrick Reed (62): Reed and Oosthuizen both finished runner-up to Thomas at the 2017 PGA Championship. Reed went on to win his first major at the 2018 Masters, while Oosthuizen won the 2010 Open Championship. Reed won the 2016 THE NORTHERN TRUST, the opening event of the FedExCup Playoffs, at Bethpage Black. 8:02 a.m. off No. 10: Rickie Fowler (6), Bubba Watson (56), Justin Rose (11): Rose, the reigning FedExCup champion, and Fowler both have victories this year. Watson is a 12-time PGA TOUR winner. 8:13 a.m. off No. 10: Xander Schauffele (2), Hideki Matsuyama (43), Alex Noren (133): Schauffele already has two wins this season, as well as a runner-up finish at the Masters. Matsuyama is seeking his first win since 2017. 8:24 a.m. off No. 10: Brooks Koepka (8), Francesco Molinari (15), Tiger Woods (17): These are the last three major champions, and all three have wins this season, as well. Koepka won THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES, while Molinari won the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard. Koepka is trying to become the first player since Woods to win back-to-back PGAs. Woods won the 2002 U.S. Open here after winning the Masters earlier that year. 1:16 p.m. off No. 1: Jon Rahm (7), Dustin Johnson (5), Jordan Spieth (153): Spieth is trying to complete the career Grand Slam at Bethpage Black, while Rahm is looking for his first major. Rahm recently won the Zurich Classic of New Orleans with teammate Ryan Palmer. Johnson won earlier this year at the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship. 1:38 p.m. off No. 1: Rory McIlroy (3), Phil Mickelson (18), Jason Day (32): This group features three players who have been victorious in both THE PLAYERS and the PGA Championship. McIlroy won at TPC Sawgrass earlier this year. Mickelson was runner-up in both the U.S. Opens at Bethpage Black (2002, ’09). Here are the full first and second round tee times for the 101st PGA Championship. (* Denotes 10th Tee Start) FIRST ROUND 6:45 A.M. ET Rob Labritz Beau Hossler J.J. Spaun 6:45 A.M. ET* Ben Cook Scott Piercy Brian Gay 6:56 A.M. ET Sam Burns Jeffrey Schmid Keith Mitchell 6:56 A.M. ET* Thomas Pieters Patton Kizzire Adam Hadwin 7:07 A.M. ET Byeong Hun An Jason Caron Andrew Putnam 7:07 A.M. ET* Brandt Snedeker Kiradech Aphibarnrat Max Homa 7:18 A.M. ET John O’Leary Harold Varner III Kyle Stanley 7:18 A.M. ET* Henrik Stenson David Lipsky Richard Sterne 7:29 A.M. ET Mike Lorenzo-Vera Justin Harding Sam Ryder 7:29 A.M. ET* Shane Lowry Erik Van Rooyen Tommy Fleetwood 7:40 A.M. ET Vijay Singh Jason Dufner Jimmy Walker 7:40 A.M. ET* Sergio Garcia Justin Thomas Adam Scott 7:51 A.M. ET Graeme McDowell Chez Reavie Brendan Jones 7:51 A.M. ET* Charley Hoffman Louis Oosthuizen Patrick Reed 8:02 A.M. ET Tyrrell Hatton Russell Knox Haotong Li 8:02 A.M. ET* Rickie Fowler Bubba Watson Justin Rose 8:13 A.M. ET Lee Westwood Shaun Norris Charles Howell III 8:13 A.M. ET* Xander Schauffele Hideki Matsuyama Alex Noren 8:24 A.M. ET J.B. Holmes Lucas Bjerregaard Troy Merritt 8:24 A.M. ET* Brooks Koepka Francesco Molinari Tiger Woods 8:35 A.M. ET Joost Luiten Brian Mackey Matt Wallace 8:35 A.M. ET* Aaron Wise Ryan Fox Shugo Imahira 8:46 A.M. ET Casey Russell Luke List Abraham Ancer 8:46 A.M. ET* Julian Suri Marty Jertson Martin Trainer 8:57 A.M. ET Craig Bowden Adam Long AT&T Byron Nelson 8:57 A.M. ET* Lucas Herbert Cory Schneider Sungjae Im 12:10 P.M. ET Michael Thompson Danny Lee Justin Bertsch 12:10 P.M. ET* Ryan Vermeer Adrian Otaegui Jason Kokrak 12:21 P.M. ET Cameron Champ Rich Berberian, Jr. Lucas Glover 12:21 P.M. ET* Alex Björk Rod Perry Ross Fisher 12:32 P.M. ET Emiliano Grillo Daniel Berger Paul Casey 12:32 P.M. ET* Eddie Pepperell Branden Grace Ryan Palmer 12:43 P.M. ET Tony Finau Billy Horschel Ian Poulter 12:43 P.M. ET* Ryan Moore Joel Dahmen Thorbjørn Olesen 12:54 P.M. ET Matt Fitzpatrick Rafa Cabrera Bello Gary Woodland 12:54 P.M. ET* Y.E. Yang Rich Beem John Daly 1:05 P.M. ET Padraig Harrington Martin Kaymer Keegan Bradley 1:05 P.M. ET* Steve Stricker Brian Harman Patrick Cantlay 1:16 P.M. ET Jon Rahm Dustin Johnson Jordan Spieth 1:16 P.M. ET* Sung Kang Shaun Micheel Alex Beach 1:27 P.M. ET Pat Perez Kevin Kisner Bryson DeChambeau 1:27 P.M. ET* C.T. Pan Kevin Na Ryan Armour 1:38 P.M. ET Rory McIlroy Phil Mickelson Jason Day 1:38 P.M. ET* Danny Willett Webb Simpson Zach Johnson 1:49 P.M. ET Satoshi Kodaira Matt Kuchar Cameron Smith 1:49 P.M. ET* Kevin Tway Brandon Stone Bronson Burgoon 2:00 P.M. ET Corey Conners Jim Furyk Marc Leishman 2:00 P.M. ET* Si Woo Kim Danny Balin Tom Lewis 2:11 P.M. ET Jorge Campillo Stuart Deane Chesson Hadley 2:11 P.M. ET* Jazz Janewattananond Tyler Hall Michael Kim 2:22 P.M. ET Dylan Frittelli Andrew Filbert Kurt Kitayama 2:22 P.M. ET* Mikko Korhonen Craig Hocknull Jhonattan Vegas SECOND ROUND 6:45 A.M. ET* Michael Thompson Danny Lee Justin Bertsch 6:45 A.M. ET Ryan Vermeer Adrian Otaegui Jason Kokrak 6:56 A.M. ET* Cameron Champ Rich Berberian, Jr. Lucas Glover 6:56 A.M. ET Alex Björk Rod Perry Ross Fisher 7:07 A.M. ET* Emiliano Grillo Daniel Berger Paul Casey 7:07 A.M. ET Eddie Pepperell Branden Grace Ryan Palmer 7:18 A.M. ET* Tony Finau Billy Horschel Ian Poulter 7:18 A.M. ET Ryan Moore Joel Dahmen Thorbjørn Olesen 7:29 A.M. ET* Matt Fitzpatrick Rafa Cabrera Bello Gary Woodland 7:29 A.M. ET Y.E. Yang Rich Beem John Daly 7:40 A.M. ET* Padraig Harrington Martin Kaymer Keegan Bradley 7:40 A.M. ET Steve Stricker Brian Harman Patrick Cantlay 7:51 A.M. ET* Jon Rahm Dustin Johnson Jordan Spieth 7:51 A.M. ET Sung Kang Shaun Micheel Alex Beach Pat Perez Kevin Kisner Bryson DeChambeau 8:02 A.M. ET C.T. Pan Kevin Na Ryan Armour 8:13 A.M. ET* Rory McIlroy Phil Mickelson Jason Day 8:13 A.M. ET Danny Willett Webb Simpson Zach Johnson 8:24 A.M. ET* Satoshi Kodaira Matt Kuchar Cameron Smith 8:24 A.M. ET Kevin Tway Brandon Stone Bronson Burgoon 8:35 A.M. ET* Corey Conners Jim Furyk Marc Leishman 8:35 A.M. ET Si Woo Kim Danny Balin Tom Lewis 8:46 A.M. ET* Jorge Campillo Stuart Deane Chesson Hadley 8:46 A.M. ET Jazz Janewattananond Tyler Hall Michael Kim 8:57 A.M. ET* Dylan Frittelli Andrew Filbert Kurt Kitayama 8:57 A.M. ET Mikko Korhonen Craig Hocknull Jhonattan Vegas 12:10 P.M. ET* Rob Labritz Beau Hossler J.J. Spaun 12:19 P.M. ET Ben Cook Scott Piercy Brian Gay 12:21 P.M. ET* Sam Burns Jeffrey Schmid Keith Mitchell 12:21 P.M. ET Thomas Pieters Patton Kizzire Adam Hadwin 12:32 P.M. ET* Byeong Hun An Jason Caron Andrew Putnam 12:32 P.M. ET Brandt Snedeker Kiradech Aphibarnrat Max Homa 12:43 P.M. ET* John O’Leary Harold Varner III Kyle Stanley 12:43 P.M. ET Henrik Stenson David Lipsky Richard Sterne 12:54 P.M. ET* Mike Lorenzo-Vera Justin Harding Sam Ryder 12:54 P.M. ET Shane Lowry Erik Van Rooyen Tommy Fleetwood 1:05 P.M. ET* Vijay Singh Jason Dufner Jimmy Walker 1:05 P.M. ET Sergio Garcia Justin Thomas Adam Scott 1:16 P.M. ET* Graeme McDowell Chez Reavie Brendan Jones 1:16 P.M. ET Charley Hoffman Louis Oosthuizen Patrick Reed 1:27 P.M. ET* Tyrrell Hatton Russell Knox Haotong Li 1:27 P.M. ET Rickie Fowler Bubba Watson Justin Rose 1:38 P.M. ET* Lee Westwood Shaun Norris Charles Howell III 1:38 P.M. ET Xander Schauffele Hideki Matsuyama Alex Noren 1:49 P.M. ET* J.B. Holmes Lucas Bjerregaard Troy Merritt 1:49 P.M. ET Brooks Koepka Francesco Molinari Tiger Woods 2:00 P.M. ET* Joost Luiten Brian Mackey Matt Wallace 2:00 P.M. ET Aaron Wise Ryan Fox Shugo Imahira 2:11 P.M. ET* Casey Russell Luke List Abraham Ancer 2:11 P.M. ET Julian Suri Marty Jertson Martin Trainer 2:22 P.M. ET* Craig Bowden Adam Long AT&T Byron Nelson 2:22 P.M. ET Lucas Herbert Cory Schneider Sungjae Im  

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Welcome Back! The PGA TOUR returns to the mainland as the West Coast swing resumes in the California desert at the CareerBuilder Challenge in La Quinta. This pro-am event has been around since 1960 and used four courses and five rounds to determine a champion until 2012. For the seventh year in a row the pros will only get four cracks at three different courses to find out who’s the best of the bunch this week. While each course has its own features, gamers will need to remember that only one, La Quinta Country Club, has been in use in 14 of the last 15 events. In 2016 Pete Dye’s Stadium Course and Jack Nicklaus’ Tournament Course were added to the rotation for the first time. When these tracks were added, course history from the previous two flew directly out the window. Speaking of rotation, the Stadium Course will host the final round for the third year in a row, meaning it will be the only course of the three to be used twice. Every pro and their amateur playing partner will play each course once with the top 70 and ties advancing to the weekend. If there are more than 78 players making the cut, only 60 will advance to the weekend. Jason Dufner was the first to take the title with the two new courses in play. His 25-under-par 268 was three shots lower than Hudson Swafford’s winning total from last year. Swafford will look to join “The Desert Fox” Johnny Miller as the only player to defend in the Coachella Valley. TALES OF THE TAPE Last year it was weird to see champion Hudson Swafford wearing a long-sleeve shirt under his polo as he held the trophy on Sunday. The final-round temperature only hit 61 and it was breezy so there’s no doubt that kept scoring quiet a day after Adam Hadwin posted 59 at La Quinta Country Club. Swafford took advantage of the greens he hit for the week by holing the important putts, those for birdie. His final round saw him circle three of the last four and become only the second player since 2012 to come from off the lead to win. His dominance of the par-5s is relevant because all three tracks play to par 72. ShotLink is only used on the host course but the stats above translate on all three tracks. The “regular” chart returns will return next week as well as a look back at the last THREE winners. Ch-ch-ch-changes! I do know that Swafford was the first, first-time winner since Jhonattan Vegas in 2011 and first since the reduction to four rounds in 2012. I’ll point out that Vegas is also the only rookie winner here and just the third international winner since the turn of the century. Jason Dufner needed two playoff holes to defeat David Lingmerth in the first edition with the two new courses in play. Both players carded 25-under-par 263 and both did it in two separate fashions. The champ opened 64-65-64 to carry a two-stroke lead into Sunday. The Swede made it a grandstand finish as he posted 62-65 (bogey free) to force extra holes. I’d point out that Adam Hadwin played in the second-to-last group in this edition for those of you paying attention. Dufner’s success was based on his strength, lighting up greens in regulation. This was his first top 10 in seven tries in the Coachella Valley but he entered the week on the back of consecutive top 10’s at The RSM Classic and Sony Open in Hawaii. When Dufner’s putter heats up, he can be a bother for the rest of the field. He circled a whopping 30 birdies winning in 2016. His putter has shown hints of warming as he circled 21 birdies last week at the Sony Open on the back of 18 at Kapalua. NOTE: Golfers inside the top 25 in each statistic on the 2016-17 PGA TOUR are listed only if they are scheduled to compete in the CareerBuilder Challenge. * – Finished inside the top 10 at the CareerBuilder Challenge since 2016. Par-5 Scoring Rank Golfer 2 *Luke List 5 *Phil Mickelson 7 Jon Rahm 7 Brandon Hagy 12 Seamus Power 12 Rory Sabbatini 12 Kevin Tway 18 Nick Taylor Putting: Birdie-or-Better Percentage Rank Golfer 8 *Phil Mickelson 10 *Matt Every 11 Camilo Villegas 12 Grayson Murray 14 Sam Saunders 15 Jon Rahm 19 Scott Piercy 22 *Luke List 23 Brandt Snedeker 25 Tom Hoge Greens in Regulation Rank Golfer 1 Martin Flores 5 Ryan Armour 6 Lucas Glover 8 Cameron Percy 9 Robert Garrigus 12 J.J. Henry 14 *Luke List 15 Chad Campbell 18 Stewart Cink 21 Jon Rahm 23 *Hudson Swafford 24 Jim Herman Gamers playing the PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO will want to revolve their rosters around avoiding the Stadium Course as much as possible this week. The last two years the Pete Dye design (par 72, 7,113) has played the most difficult of the trio. La Quinta (par 72, 7,060) is annually one of the easiest courses on TOUR and the last two years have seen it rate third easiest in 2016 and second easiest last year. The Nicklaus Tournament layout (par 72, 7,159) nipped La Quinta for the second easiest track in 2016 but rallied in the breeze last year to rank No. 39 of 50 in difficulty but still played 1.2 strokes under par. Having low scores in pro-ams is hardly earth-shattering information. The rounds are already long enough so heavy rough, slick greens and tough pin placements aren’t going to be on the menu. Toss in usually perfect weather and the recipe for going low is optimum. As is the case in shootouts, the players who find the most GIR will be the ones with the most chances for birdie. This week, with all three courses playing par 72 and all less than 7,200 yards, there won’t be many acceptable excuses for scores worse than par. Anything in the 70’s this week will need to be followed with something in the low 60’s. Bogeys will almost feel like doubles especially if the 54-hole cut hovers around 9 under par like it was in 2016. With a birdie-fest on the cards, there’s not much mystery on why there aren’t repeat champions. A shootout on short courses should involve just about everyone this week so it’s your job to narrow it down. I’ve provided some help below!    Weatherman Rob Bolton has suggested in his Power Rankings the weather this week won’t be perfect as temperatures are stuck in the 60s but the wind looks to be tame. Be sure to look for my post-round recap Emergency 9 each night shortly after the conclusion of play! NOTE: The groups below are comprehensive to assist in data mining. Inclusion doesn’t imply automatic endorsement in every fantasy game as all decisions are specific to your situation. CONFIDENCE MEN Selected golfers with multiple cuts made sorted by rank on the tournament’s money list. BUILDING CONFIDENCE Sorted by best finish, selected golfers who are either finally finding form on the course or are still relatively new to the tournament but have enjoyed some success. OTHER SIGNS OF CONFIDENCE Sorted by most recent top 10s, selected golfers for whom it’s been a few years since their last.

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Everyone associated with the game – players, media, fans – has his or her own memory of what went down that week in 1997 and what it meant to them. It remains one of those rare events where you can still remember where you were and what you were doing when it happened. Tiger Woods winning the Masters at age 21, and in record fashion. “In that win that week, he checked all the boxes,â€� Charles Howell III said. “He’s young, he hit it far, he hit it straight, he had a phenomenal short game. He did it all, and he did it on the biggest, hardest stage in the world. I think in time we’ll look back on that week as sort of a turning point for the professional game.â€� Ernie Els, who in later years would become a frequent major championship bridesmaid to Woods, said he remembered seeing Woods on the range after that roller-coaster opening-round 70 that began with the 40 on the front nine and ended with a 30 on the back, “and I could see the excitement and the joyâ€� in Woods’ face. “He knew he’d won the first hurdle,â€� Els said. “I think he knew then that it was over.â€� Nick Faldo, the defending champion who was paired with Woods in that opening round, knew it was over, too. “The way I analyzed it, he went out in 40, came back in 30 and we didn’t see him for dust for another 14 years,â€� Faldo said. “That was the start of Tiger and the start of his dominance. It was a special day. You go out in 40 and then you win by 12. That’s something pretty unique.â€� Faldo shot 75 that day and followed it with an 81 and missed the cut. Paul Azinger, an 11-time PGA TOUR winner with one major championship and now a TV analyst for NBC and FOX, was paired with Woods in the second round. He began the day one shot ahead of Woods and ended it six shots behind after Woods’ 66 to his 73. “I’d never seen Tiger actually make a full swing and hit a shot — driving range, golf course, nothing —maybe on TV,â€� Azinger recalled. “I said to my caddie on the second hole — there was a little bit of a wait — and I said, ‘You know, I’ve never seen this kid hit a shot. I’m going to watch this.’ I’d heard about how far he hits it. That ball left four feet underneath the top of the trees, which is miles high, never curved an inch, about five feet right of the trees. “It was the most beautiful, picturesque drive I had ever seen in my entire life. I just looked at my caddie and whispered to him, ‘Holy s—.’ That was all I could say. He hit 6- or 7-iron in there to the right of the green, was all ticked off, chunked his chip, took the club and slammed it in the bag, and it went straight to the bottom. It sounded like a drum. I can remember this buzz of the crowd. It was the most unique buzz. He then chipped in for birdie. He shot the easiest 66 that I’d ever seen. “I hit 3-wood, 8-iron to 13 and he hit 3-wood, pitching wedge. I hit driver, 8-iron into 15, he hit driver, pitching wedge. We were two clubs apart, which blew my mind that I was two clubs shorter than anybody on TOUR. I was like, ‘Really? Two clubs? Are you kidding me?’ One club is one thing, two clubs? You can’t defend against being two clubs shorter than somebody. You’re not going to beat that guy. “It intimidated me a little bit. That’s why I tried not to hit balls near Tiger on the practice range, because I wanted to feed my confidence.â€� Azinger said after that second round he’d played with Woods, he thought, “I don’t know how anybody’s going to beat that.â€� “I didn’t jump the gun and predict he would win,â€� Azinger said. “But in my head, I was thinking, ‘Jack [Nicklaus] was right saying that he’s going to win the Masters 10 times.’ I believe him. The bigger the event, the higher he’ll raise the bar. He’s Michael Jordan in long pants.â€� On Friday night, Colin Montgomerie, who was three shots behind Woods at the time, waxed poetic about the fact that the young Woods had never been in the position of taking a major championship lead into the weekend, and how everything changes on the weekend of a major. “The pressure is mounting,â€� Montgomerie said in what clearly was a public warning to Woods. “And I have a lot more experience in major championships.â€� Woods, in his book “The 1997 Masters: My Story,â€� revealed that Montgomerie’s words “definitely motivated me.â€� He shot 65 that Saturday to Montgomerie’s 74, and after the round, Montgomerie spoke as if he’d seen a ghost. “All I have to say is one brief comment today,â€� he told reporters. “There is no chance … we’re all human beings here … (and) there is no chance humanly possible that Tiger is going to lose this tournament. No way.â€� Montgomerie, surely rattled by the thumping he took from Woods on Saturday, shot 81 on Sunday. For Woods it was merely a coronation; playing with Italy’s Costantino Rocca, he shot 69 to win by a record 12 shots. Like millions around the world, Gary Woodland, then a teenager in Kansas, watched it all play out on TV and decided then and there he wanted to become a professional golfer. “That week changed everything for me,â€� Woodland said. It did for a lot of others, too.

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