Rory McIlroy soon might have an answer for the questions about frustrations

OVERVIEW Tiger Woods has a lot more to celebrate than just his 43rd birthday as we wind down 2018. His 80th PGA TOUR victory at the TOUR Championship moved him within two wins of all-time leader Sam Snead. He’s knocking on the door for his 15th major after finishing second at the PGA Championship and T6 at The Open Championship last summer. His impending captaincy at the 2019 Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne has him thinking big. “Would I like to be a playing captain?â€� he said. “Yes.â€� The big question going into ’19 is how often can he summon the Tiger of old the way he did in winning at East Lake and, more fleetingly, at Innisbrook, Bay Hill, TPC Sawgrass, Bellerive and elsewhere last season. And if he can, could he conceivably turn golf on its head yet again? “Now it’s just about managing and making sure I’m fresh for events,â€� Woods said, “because I know I can win tournaments again.â€� Staying fresh is easier said than done, though, especially with the new condensed schedule. Woods admitted feeling exhausted by the end of last season, where in his seventh start in nine weeks and just days after winning the TOUR Championship, he went 0-4 in the Ryder Cup. (To be fair, three of those four losses came in team play and were hardly all on him.) Part of the problem was the weather, which Woods called stiflingly hot for much of the summer. “I was exhausted by the time I got to the Ryder Cup,â€� he said. “I was worn out mentally, physically, emotionally.â€� To avoid a similar fate in 2019, he said he will manage his schedule more closely and play fewer events. No doubt he has all the big tournaments circled. He’s won THE PLAYERS Championship twice, and has wins at Augusta National, Pebble Beach and Bethpage Black — three of the four major venues this season. But, really, Woods could win anywhere, anytime. Isn’t that the way it’s always been? — By Ben Everill Click here to see who else made the Top 30 list. BY THE NUMBERS FEDEXCUP UPDATE Current 2018-19 position: N/A Playoff appearances: 7 TOUR Championship appearances: 5 Best FedExCup result: Won the FedExCup in 2007 and 2009, and remains the only two-time winner. SHOTLINK FUN FACT Tiger Woods led the PGA TOUR in Strokes Gained: Approach-the-Green for the sixth time in his career. INSIDER INSIGHTS PGATOUR.COM’s Insiders offer their expert views on what to expect from Tiger Woods in 2019. TOUR INSIDER: Woods took time off after the Ryder Cup to work on his fitness in order to steel him for the long season ahead, which is good because he’s going to need some time on the practice grounds. He’ll want to shore up his driving, where he was 104th in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee last season. He was a respectable 39th in SG: Putting, but that obscured some un-Tiger-like days on the greens as he switched in and out of putters. Speaking of which, he also may need to test equipment, which was the final puzzle piece in 2018. Good thing Woods loves that stuff. Last season was fun, but if he feels as good or even better physically in 2019, watch out. — By Ben Everill FANTASY INSIDER: It isn’t 2013, so he’s not the caliber of a first-overall pick in any draft, but the gap between his needle-pinning narrative in the mainstream and his value in our world hasn’t been as tight since that five-win season. I slotted him No. 10 in my full-membership fantasy ranking in advance of 2018-19 in part with the thinking that he’s an automatic second-rounder in non-keeper formats. Playing time will always be a front-burner concern for the remainder of his career, but he should remain as reliable as he was in his prime because he’s logged an entire season absent of serious concern over his back. — By Rob Bolton EQUIPMENT INSIDER: Tiger’s Newport 2 GSS putter is basically a celebrity in its own right. You know, it’s the one with “Tiger Woodsâ€� stamped on the back bumpers and a single red dot on the back cavity and the face. After winning 13 of 14 majors with the putter, however, Woods and his Newport 2 putter were treading rough waters. He switched into a TaylorMade TP Ardmore 3 mallet-style putter for awhile in 2018, most notably using it during his 2018 PGA Championship second-place bid. Then he switched into a TP Black Copper Juno putter. Then, he was deciding between the old Newport 2 and the new Juno – at one point, literally holding each putter in one hand while practice putting. Ultimately, in a happy ending, he decided on the Newport 2 putter and he won the 2018 TOUR Championship. Aside from his putter saga, Woods also switched from TGR blades to TaylorMade “TW Phase 1â€� prototype irons in 2018. Is there a Phase 2 coming in 2019? Or, will Tiger switch into irons that are in the TaylorMade iron family? — By Andrew Tursky STYLE INSIDER: There are few surprises with Woods’ style. Over the years, he has blended traditional country club style with high-tech touches. Tiger improved his look in 2018 with slimmer fitting trousers and fewer white belts. While there is no official word from Nike, Tiger is due for a new shoe in 2019. Stay tuned. — By Greg Monteforte

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The TOUR Championship marks not only the conclusion of the 2021-22 PGA TOUR season but also the 16th edition of the FedExCup Playoffs. And how sweet it is. RELATED: Play Pick ‘Em Live | The First Look | 30 one-liners for East Lake Merely qualifying for the finale is an achievement, so there are commensurate benefits on top of what’s at stake beginning on Thursday at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta. Beneath this full-field Power Rankings, you’ll find details on the perks, the host course and much more. NOTE: Starting Strokes for every golfer are included. POWER RANKINGS: TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP On top of exemptions into numerous invitationals, all 30 qualifiers for the TOUR Championship receive spots into the 2023 editions of the Masters, U.S. Open and The Open Championship. While those are secure, prize money collected at the conclusion of the tournament varies. Included in the link to Starting Strokes at the top is the bonus money reserved for the golfers who advanced to the TOUR Championship. The winner will bank $18 million, tenth place pays $1 million, while last promises $500K. (Earnings are unofficial.) For the fourth consecutive edition of the TOUR Championship, Starting Strokes sets the opening leaderboard. It’s designed to reward performance through the BMW Championship and you can think of its impact as the result of a round that’s already been completed. Scoring in relation to par with Starting Strokes contributing is all that matters. Last year, Patrick Cantlay opened as the top seed at 10-under. He scored 11-under 269 in four rounds to total 21-under and win by one over Jon Rahm. The Spaniard opened as the fourth seed at 6-under and scored 14-under 266. In 2019 and 2020, exactly six golfers rose from outside the opening top 10 upon arrival to record a top 10 in the tournament. Five did it last year, including Billy Horschel, who opened at even par and finished T9 at 10-under. His jump from 29th is the best since Starting Strokes was introduced. A dozen of the qualifiers are experiencing Starting Strokes for the first time, 10 of whom are tournament debutants altogether. The learning curve at East Lake is flattened a bit by opening position, but course management influenced by history on it can serve as speed slots on the tiniest leaderboard of the season. East Lake is the same stock par 70 that recent participants have played. It tips at 7,346 yards and greens essentially are average in size at just over 6,000 square feet. Speeds are governed to a quick 13 feet, so, and as usual, it demands the full bag for the final exam. That said, classic summer weather in Hotlanta could soften the turf every day, so scoring could be lower than usual. (The field checked in at 68.805 last year.) Rain and the potential for storms command attention throughout, but the overall effect should be minimal given the size of the field. Wind will not be a factor and daytime temperatures will climb comfortably into the 80s. While the FedExCup Playoffs is now old enough to drive, East Lake always caters to that off the tee. The par 5s are among the most scorable on the schedule. In his four trips through Nos. 6 and 18, Cantlay birdied each every time. Speaking of the defending champion, he’s in an unprecedented spot times two. After becoming the first to successfully defend a FedExCup Playoffs event at last week’s BMW Championship, he not only can become the first ever to win consecutive events in the Playoffs for a second time (2021), but he’d be the first to successfully defend the FedExCup itself. Of course, should he do that, then he’d also become the second to successfully defend a FedExCup Playoffs event after last week’s achievement. Whoever claims the title will be credited with an official PGA TOUR victory. With that comes an invitation into the 2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions for which one-third of the field isn’t yet eligible. Rookies Cameron Young and Sahith Theegala not only and likely will be deciding who’s voted Rookie of the Year, but they are the only two non-winners on TOUR in the field. The champion also will extend his membership status to the maximum of five seasons through 2027. Incidentally, in January it was announced that Andrew Green and his design company will be renovating East Lake following next year’s TOUR Championship. If you like his work, you don’t have to look far to find more of it. He also was responsible for the updated South Course at Wilmington Country Club in advance of last week’s BMW Championship. ROB BOLTON’S SCHEDULE PGATOUR.com’s Rob Bolton recaps and previews every tournament from numerous perspectives. Look for his following contributions as scheduled. MONDAY: Power Rankings TUESDAY*: Sleepers, Draws & Fades WEDNESDAY: Pick ’Em Preview SUNDAY: Qualifiers, Reshuffle, Rookie Ranking * – 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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