Scottie Scheffler wins RSM Birdies Fore Love after strong fall

Will Brooks Koepka successfully defend his title? Or will somebody else claim the $2 million bonus? The second season of the Wyndham Rewards Top 10 race begins with this week’s season-opening event, A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier. The top 10 players in the FedExCup standings after the final event of the regular season, the Wyndham Championship, will receive bonuses out of the $10 million total pool. Related: WYNDHAM REWARDS TOP 10: How it works, standings, more Koepka claimed first place last season to enter the FedExCup Playoffs as the top seed. Eventual FedExCup champ Rory McIlroy finished second, followed by Matt Kuchar, Xander Schauffele, Gary Woodland, Patrick Cantlay, Dustin Johnson, Paul Casey, Webb Simpson and Jon Rahm in the 10th spot. We asked our PGATOUR.COM writers for their predictions for the 2019-20 season – the winner, the top 10 lock, and a surprise choice. Here are their responses: WHO WILL WIN? MIKE McALLISTER (Managing Editor): Justin Thomas. He finished second in regular-season points in the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons before dropping to 17th last season while battling a nagging wrist injury. He showed in the Playoffs that he’s back to full strength. SEAN MARTIN (Senior Editor): Rory McIlroy. He’s coming off the most consistent season of his career, and there’s no reason to think he won’t have a strong follow-up to his FedExCup victory. BEN EVERILL (Staff Writer): Brooks Koepka. The sting of defeat to Rory in the FedExCup finale will fuel another regular-season rise for Brooks, leaving him as the winner of the first two Wyndham Rewards titles.  CAMERON MORFIT (Staff Writer): Rory McIlroy. Upon winning the FedExCup, McIlroy said it was a season in which he easily could have won more. I agree. It was almost a fluke that he didn’t, and I think that little edge, that little swagger that comes from being the only other multiple FedExCup winner besides Tiger, puts him over the top as your year two Wyndham Rewards winner.  TOP 10 LOCK? McALLISTER: Dustin Johnson. Yes, I’m aware he’s having off-season knee surgery. And yes, I’m assuming he’ll make a quick recovery. He’s finished in the regular-season top 10 in the last six seasons. I fully expect him to make it seven straight. MARTIN: Justin Thomas. A wrist injury and some of the worst putting of his career didn’t prevent him from finishing third in this season’s FedExCup Playoffs. He’s won nine times over the past three seasons, and I think he’s primed for another big season. EVERILL: Rory McIlroy. There’s no way McIlroy is going backwards in my eyes after his season. So that means he’ll either be second again or beat out my above choice, Brooks.  MORFIT: Brooks Koepka. It was no accident that Koepka was the inaugural Wyndham Rewards winner. He’s so good from tee to green, thrives on the big stage, and is a great putter, besides. There’s no way he won’t make the top 10.  SURPRISE TOP 10 PICK? McALLISTER: Sungjae Im. Don’t know if it would be a huge surprise, given that he was 23rd in points in his rookie season last year. Once again, he’ll likely play more events than anybody else (and thus, gives himself more opportunities for points). Unlike last season, I expect him to win at least one tournament this time. That should push him inside the top 10. MARTIN: Viktor Hovland. He’s a machine, and as a rookie playing out of the Korn Ferry Tour category, he’ll have inspiration to play a lot early. EVERILL: Cameron Smith. After a few seasons of peaks and valleys, the young Australian will finally figure out a way to play solid all season long. He will springboard into 2020 off the back of a great Presidents Cup performance.  MORFIT: Matthew Wolff. This guy is only going to get more comfortable and more dangerous as he gets used to playing the TOUR. And he’s already plenty dangerous.

Click here to read the full article…

Click here to read the full article…

Ian Poulter … This 41-year-old presents similarly to how fellow 41-year-old Zach Johnson profiled for last week’s WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. Both are proven, world-class talents outside the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking as they populate this page, which is one of my criteria to appear. At 63rd, Poulter has earned the most points in 2017 of all golfers outside the top 50 without the benefit of a victory. His co-runner-up at THE PLAYERS highlights three top 10s among six top 15s worldwide. That set includes each of his last three starts from Scotland to England to Canada. In a nod to his heyday, he’s currently atop the PGA TOUR in both scrambling and strokes gained: around-the-green. He’s also fourth in bogey avoidance. And despite ranking outside the top 100 in distance of all drives, greens in regulation and strokes gained: putting, he’s 17th in adjusted scoring. For a pro’s pro who loves the pressure, he’s thriving on it. (Incidentally, ZJ placed second at Firestone to climb to 40th in the OWGR.) Brendan Steele … A popular endorsement in my preview material all year, he will surprise no one if he contends this week. The winner of the season-opening Safeway Open has four top 10s among 10 top 25s and ranks 15th in the FedExCup standings. He arrives fresh off a T24 at Firestone, his career-best finish in any World Golf Championship. Already has four top 20s in 12 starts in majors, including a pair in the PGA Championship and a T13 at Erin Hills in June. Overall at Quail Hollow, he’s 5-for-6 with a T9 in 2015 and T14 in 2016. Sits 16th on TOUR in strokes gained: tee-to-green, second in GIR when going for the green and 35th in adjusted scoring. Hao Tong Li … In just his second career start in a major, he made history at The Open Championship with a third-place finish, best ever for a golfer from China. Yet, he turned 22 years of age just last Thursday, Aug. 3. The podium finish at Royal Birkdale was his fourth top five in official competition in eight-and-a-half-months. Plenty long off the tee, the rangy right-hander also cleans up nicely, evidenced by sitting 16th on the European Tour in putts per GIR and 15th in three-putt avoidance. Currently 12th in the Race to Dubai standings. Luke List … This opportunity if beyond overdue for the 32-year-old. It’s been 10 years since he last qualified for a major (he missed the cut at the 2007 U.S. Open), but he reenters the action as a legitimate threat at Quail Hollow. Known best as one of the longest hitters on the PGA TOUR, he pays off the muscle with precision on approach at 18th in greens in regulation and second in GIR from off the fairway. He leads the circuit in GIR when going for the green and slots 15th in strokes gained: tee-to-green, third in par-5 scoring and first in eagles. Tied for 16th in his Wells Fargo Championship debut in 2013. Bud Cauley … It’s hard enough for an established touring professional to sit out for an extended time with a serious injury, but when you’re just settling in on what promises to be a long career and major surgery is required, it has to feel like a restart. This was his reality just three years ago when recovery and rehabilitation from surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder sidelined him for nine months, but dedication to his physical fitness and long-term planning has paid off handsomely. After securing his card as one of the last in history via earnings for 2016-17, the now-27-year-old is 62nd in the FedExCup standings with five top 10s. He placed T12 in his last start at the John Deere Classic. Currently 30th on TOUR in strokes gained: tee-to-green and 45th in adjusted scoring. Also not a stranger to Quail Hollow where he’s logged 10 competitive rounds.

Click here to read the full article…