Rory McIlroy told The (London) Telegraph that he now has a heart irregularity after coming down with a viral infection while in China a year and a half ago.
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Round 4 of the John Deere Classic takes place Sunday from TPC Deere Run in Illinois. Sebastian Munoz leads by one over Brandon Hagy. Here’s everything you need to know to follow the action, including Featured Groups for PGA TOUR LIVE. Leaderboard Full tee times HOW TO FOLLOW (All times ET) TELEVISION: Thursday-Friday, 3-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday-Sunday, 1-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-6 p.m. (CBS). PGA TOUR LIVE: Thursday-Friday, 7:45 a.m.-6 p.m. ET (Featured Groups). Saturday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. ET. (Featured Groups), 3-6 p.m. ET (Featured Holes). Sunday, 7:45 a.m. – 6 p.m. ET. RADIO: Thursday-Friday, 12-6 p.m. ET Saturday-Sunday, 1-6 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com). TOURCast: Get shot-by-shot info in real time with shot tracks and video with TOURCast. TOUR Pulse: Get the PGA TOUR app to utilize TOUR Pulse, which provides users the ability to experience a mix of content, such as video highlights, written hole summaries and stat graphics on every player after every hole they complete. FEATURED GROUPS Daniel Berger, Hank Lebioda (tee times) Harold Varner III, Rhein Gibson (tee times) MUST READS TPC Deere Run’s closing stretch likely will tell Sunday’s tale Sebastian Munoz leads by one in wide open John Deere Classic Cameron Champ seeking birdies and balance Insider: 50 years of memorable moments from the John Deere Classic Small town, big league: John Deere Classic turns 50 CALL OF THE DAY
THE OVERVIEW When Justin Thomas first started out as a regular PGA TOUR member – you remember, way back in 2015 – he wondered why his game wasn’t yet good enough. His dad Mike suggested it was due to experience, that older players could draw upon knowledge that his son simply had yet to acquire. Poppycock, replied Justin. (OK, he probably didn’t actually use the word “poppycockâ€� but you get the drift.) “The golf ball doesn’t know how old you are,â€� Thomas explained. “The experience is a huge factor but there’s no reason that I can’t accomplish something just because of my age.â€� Well, Thomas is 24 years old entering this week’s Sentry Tournament of Champions. He’s the defending champion of the event and also the reigning FedExCup champ. Youth certainly has not been his limitation. But perhaps his point is most reflected in the age makeup of this week’s field at Kapalua. Of the 34 players who will tee off in Thursday’s first round on the Plantation Course, their average age is 29.7. It’s the lowest average age in tournament history since at least 1970, the first time the average has dipped below 30 years of age. The previous low was an average of 30.3 for the 29 players in the field in 1981. Sixteen of the players this week are in their 20s, tying 1981 for the most in that age category. It’s the seventh consecutive year at the Sentry Tournament of Champions that at least 10 players in the field are in their 20s. Sure, you could argue that the two active players with the most career wins on TOUR – Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson – would raise that age average significantly if they played Kapalua. Woods hasn’t played since 2005; Mickelson hasn’t played since 2001. Their last TOUR wins each came in 2013, so neither player has even qualified to play in this winners-only event in the last four years (Woods, of course, battling injuries for much of that stretch). But it’s also a reflection of the youthful dominance the last few seasons on TOUR, with Thomas and good buddy Jordan Spieth leading the pack, along with Rory McIlroy – who, incidentally, would have lowered the age average at Kapalua even further had he ever played the event. The youngsters will not take their dominance for granted, though. They are becoming older and wiser themselves. They know Dustin Johnson (age 33) has found another gear, and Justin Rose (age 37) seems to be doing the same. They see Sergio Garcia winning his first major last year at age 37. They know Tiger may be lurking out there after his positive performance at last month’s Hero World Challenge.  And who wants to ever count out Mickelson? “This year, 2018, the unknowns are very exciting right now,â€� Spieth said, adding that the next six months will be “a pretty special time to be a part of professional golf.â€� Perhaps that argument Thomas had with his dad – youth vs. experience – remains fluid, ever changing with the ebbs and flows of golf. For this week, at least, the youngsters are in control. A year ago, he had a spectacular two-week visit to Hawaii, the launchpad to his great 2017 campaign. Will he do it again? No matter if he wins or loses this week, he’ll be fun to watch off the tee at the lengthy Plantation Course. At age 41, he’s playing this event for the first time – and no doubt soaking up every minute in the Maui sun. THREE PLAYERS TO PONDER PLAYER COMMENT THE FLYOVER The finishing three-hole stretch at Kapalua is about as fun as any on the PGA TOUR. The 365-yard 16th is a short strategic par 4 with split fairways but not drivable under the crossing trade winds; players want to avoid that last bunker in the fairway. The 549-yard 17th is the hardest par 4 on the back nine and the longest par 4 on the course. The view from the teebox is the prettiest on the course, and offers a dramatic downhill elevation change of 150 feet. The 663-yard par-5 18th is the longest of any hole and yet still reachable in two thanks to the assisting winds. It was the easiest on the back nine last year. THE LANDING ZONE The 520-yard par-4 first hole has ranked as the toughest on the course for the last three years; in 2017, it played to a stroke average of 4.109, yielding just seven birdies in 128 attempts. It’s downhill and downwind, with approach shots going to a sloping left-to-right green. Last year, players finished an average of 42 feet from the pin. Here is where all tee shots landed last year. WEATHER CHECK From PGA TOUR meteorologist Wade Stettner: “High pressure is forecast to remain north of the Hawaii this week and produce brisk trade winds through the weekend. Expect partly cloudy skies each day with sustained winds of 15- 20 mph and gusts to 25 mph. Measurable rain is not forecast this week; however, this is Hawaii and a brief shower or two cannot be completely ruled out on any given day.â€� For the latest weather news from Kapalua, Hawaii, check out PGATOUR.COM’s Weather Hub. SOUND CHECK It’s just a great way to kind of, not easy into the year, but get the year going because of how relaxing it is. The course is great. You know, there’s obviously some great places to eat. And who doesn’t like being in Hawaii?â€� BY THE NUMBERS 1 – Number of players who won at Kapalua and went on to win the FedExCup title. That one player? Justin Thomas last year. 233 – Number of drives 400 yards or more at the Plantation Course since 2003. No other course on TOUR comes close to that (Firestone is second on the list at 67). Last year. there were seven drives of 400 yards or more, with Dustin Johnson and Justin Thomas producing two each. -2.625 – Scoring average in relation to par at last year’s tournament. That made it the easiest course on the PGA TOUR last season. 84.09 – The percentage of players in the FedExCup era who have played in the Sentry Tournament of Champions and ultimately advanced to the FedExCup Playoffs. In other words, if you’re in the field at Kapalua, you’re probably going to make the top 125. SCATTERSHOTS In 2014, Jordan Spieth – at age 20 years, 5 months, 10 days — became the youngest player to play the Sentry Tournament of Champions since at least 1970. The youngest winner came in 1997 when Tiger Woods won at the age of 21 years, 13 days. … At 7,452 yards, the Plantation Course was the fifth longest course on the PGA TOUR last season. The longest was Erin Hills, the U.S. Open venue listed at 7,741 yards. … Since 2003, just four players have completed the Hawaii Career Slam (winning both events in the state): Ernie Els, Vijay Singh, Justin Thomas and Zach Johnson.
RENO, Nev. — Booking a place in the FedExCup Playoffs is no easy task, especially for those sitting precariously close to the top 125 bubble with only a few weeks left in the TOUR’s regular season. With 27 of the top 125 in the FedExCup standings playing the Barracuda Championship, the event offers an opportunity to solidify their position. For those on the outside looking in — 56 players ranked from 126 to 200 are in the field at Montreux Golf & Country Club — it’s a chance to spoil the party and extend the 2017-18 season beyond the Wyndham Championship. Seamus Power and Aaron Baddeley are on opposite sides of the bubble at the moment, but both managed to make positive strides to stay on the right side of the top 125 after the first round. “It’s professional golf,” said Power, who began the week at No. 123 in the current standings. “It’s not as if I wouldn’t like to play well every other week of the year. [Making the Playoffs] is somewhere in the back of your mind, but as long as it’s not affecting the way you play, it’s not that big of a deal.” Power opened with 8 points (3-under 69) in the Modified Stableford event to move up two spots to No. 121 in the projected standings. As if playing with the season on the line wasn’t difficult enough, Power had to deal with a group of hornets that stung him multiple times on the 1st hole — his 10th of the day — as he was searching for Corey Conners’ golf ball. Power managed to birdie two of his next three holes after the incident before suffering two untimely bogeys as the wind began to freshen. “I got swarmed by five or six of them and they stung me quite a bit,” Power said. “A couple got under my shirt and stung me. I’ve been stung before, but never anything like that.” While Baddeley didn’t have to deal with insects at Montreux, he had to contend with the possibility of missing out on The Northern Trust following a stretch of eight missed cuts in his previous 11 starts. Sitting at No. 135 entering the tournament, Baddeley opened with 14 points (6-under 66) to move up 30 places to No. 105. He sits just three points behind current leader Ollie Schniederjans, who amassed 17 points, in second place. Even with the possibility of missing out on the Playoffs for the second straight season looming — Baddeley had advanced to at least The Northern Trust in his previous 10 seasons before last year — the Aussie said he isn’t sweating the possibility of the season coming to a close at the Wyndham Championship. “I’m not stressed, to be honest,” Baddeley said. “Whether you go to Web.com Tour Finals or whether you finish in the 126 to 150 category, you’re going to get starts and my game’s in a good spot.” Baddeley attributed his strong play to the Modified Stableford format that puts a premium on birdies and eagles, and lessens the penalty for a big number that could crater a round most weeks. “I think there’s times where you might go for a shot that you might not or go for a couple of extra pins,” Baddeley said. “… It’s the way the format is. The more birdies the better.” NOTABLES With Montreux playing at anywhere from 5,000 to 6,000 feet, Michael Thompson (10 points) noted the elevation change and wind made for some interesting club selections on Thursday. “It sometimes feels like we’re taking forever to figure out our number. You just have to be patient and crunch the numbers. We started with 5 percent for elevation at the beginning of the round and moved it to 10 percent. Then you factor in the wind. We try and keep it simple, but there’s definitely some additional math involved.” Despite missing the cut in his previous two appearances at the Barracuda Championship, Ollie Schniederjans was in complete control of his game on Thursday, closing with an eagle and three birdies over the final eight holes to finish with 17 points. He attributed his strong start to getting comfortable with his approach shot distances and throttling back a bit. “I was just coming out extremely aggressive. But my game is coming around. I feel in control of my swing for the first time in a while.” Chris Stroud posted 7 points in the opening round with the same putter he used to win last year’s Barracuda Championship. Prior to this week, Stroud had relied on a conventional-length TaylorMade Spider before returning to an Odyssey White Ice D.A.R.T. with Matt Kuchar’s preferred Arm-Lock grip. “I literally just got it rebuilt back the way it was when I won here last year. I’m going to see if I can make a big run at the FedExCup.” Aaron Baddeley and Tom Lovelady were the only two players in the field who made a big enough move on Thursday to crack the projected top 125. Baddeley moved up 30 spots to 105 while Lovelady improved five spots to 124. QUOTABLES Instead of taking a week off, I kind of wanted to get on a roll, play a little bit before the [PGA Championship] and roll into next week with some rounds. And that was a really good one here.We can show him out here that the TOUR is thinking of him and is with him. That’s what it’s all about. Golf seems very small right now in comparison.
