Scotty Cameron’s new 2019 Teryllium T22 putters

Before we review the players at the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions, be advised that the tournament begins at 8:50 p.m. ET on Wednesday in the United States. That’s 5:50 p.m. on West Coast and 2:50 p.m. in Hawaii. This will be the last time we adjust radically until The Open Championship at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland next July. The first of four WGCs of the 2018-19 season bills arguably the weakest field since a plethora of U.S.-based qualifiers elected not to travel. It’s an annual phenomenon, so much so that I omit the tournament from the page listing all qualifiers into the majors, WGCs and THE PLAYERS. That said, the board is loaded with countless options who will rise as candidates throughout the season. In fact, because of the relatively top-heavy field of 78 in a tournament that awards its champion 550 FedExCup points just like the other three WGCs (and a not-too-shabby $1.7 million for you earnings-based gamers), it’s a smart time to swing your first haymaker. Loyal readers know that I usually wait until the Masters to slot the most valuable pieces for the majors and FedExCup Playoffs. It affords about half the season to just enjoy playing the game week in and week out. It also allows the flow of the season to come to me since so much can change in any given week. Thinking back to 2017-18 alone, Brooks Koepka, Hideki Matsuyama, Rickie Fowler, Brandt Snedeker and Daniel Berger were notables who either missed events or tried to play through injuries. If you were beholden to any at the wrong time, hopefully it was a lesson learned. Yet, as we convene in the last weekend of October, I’m compelled to advise you to pencil Dustin Johnson in for the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. Yes, Phil Mickelson will be chasing the career grand slam on his 49th birthday and on a course that hosts the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am for which he is the all-time earnings leader, but DJ is No. 2 on the same money list in half as many appearances in the PGA TOUR event. Certainly, two-man gamers will want that quinella, but this angle explains why the U.S. Open slots as Johnson’s top spot of 11 in his Future Possibilities. Other than that quirk to adapt to this particular season, veteran gamers are keen at saving haymakers like Koepka, Rory McIlroy, Jason Day and WGC-HSBC defending champion Justin Rose early on. It’s a strategy that I endorse strongly for them specifically. Beginning this week, leave room to pivot to reliable international talent and treat each as a wild card when he appears. From Tommy Fleetwood or Rafa Cabrera Bello to Tyrrell Hatton or Matthew Fitzpatrick, each should attract healthy ownership percentages now and in future WGCs. Paul Casey and Ian Poulter present as occupants of the lane in between. A top 20 for either at Sheshan International is the baseline, but either could contend if not pop the champagne. Surging Cameron Smith and Eddie Pepperell fill in the blank for two-man gamers, and neither will be missed. FUTURE POSSIBILITIES NOTE: Select golfers committed to the tournament are listed alphabetically. Future tournaments are sorted chronologically and reflect previous success on the courses on which the tournaments will be held in 2018-19. The numerical values in parentheses represent the order of relative confidence of where to use each golfer if multiple sites are listed (e.g. 1 for strongest, 2 for next-strongest and so on). To present weighted confidence in real time, numerical values will not change all season no matter how many tournament remain listed for each golfer. All are pending golfer commitment. Byeong Hun An … Waste Management (2); Honda (3); Memorial (1) Keegan Bradley … Mayakoba (3); Farmers (2); Memorial (5); Travelers (4) Rafa Cabrera Bello … WGC-HSBC (3); WGC-Mexico (5); PLAYERS (1); Wyndham (4) Patrick Cantlay … Shriners (1; defending); Genesis (4); Valspar (2); Memorial (3) Paul Casey … WGC-HSBC (5); WGC-Mexico (6); Honda (10); Valspar (7; defending); WGC-Match Play (8); Masters (2); Wells Fargo (9); Travelers (1); TOUR Championship (3) Jason Day … Sentry (8); Farmers (2; defending); Pebble Beach (1); Arnold Palmer (5); PLAYERS (7); WGC-Match Play (11); Masters (4); Wells Fargo (6 defending); PGA Championship (3); U.S. Open (10); Open Championship (9) Tony Finau … Safeway (4); Shriners (3); Farmers (1); Valero (5); Memorial (2) Emiliano Grillo … Mayakoba (1); Arnold Palmer (2); Charles Schwab (3) Branden Grace … WGC-HSBC (2); Heritage (1); Valero (3); Byron Nelson (5); U.S. Open (4) Adam Hadwin … CareerBuilder (1); Waste Management (4); Genesis (3); Valspar (2); John Deere (5) Brian Harman … RSM (6); Sony (2); CareerBuilder (3); Arnold Palmer (7); Charles Schwab (1); Travelers (5); John Deere (4) Charley Hoffman … Genesis (5); Arnold Palmer (2); Masters (4); Heritage (7); Valero (3); Charles Schwab (6); Travelers (1) Billy Horschel … RSM (5); Honda (4); Arnold Palmer (7); Valero (2); New Orleans (3; defending); Wyndham (6); TOUR Championship (1) Dustin Johnson … WGC-HSBC (9); Sentry (4; defending); Pebble Beach (2); Genesis (3); WGC-Mexico (5); Masters (8); PGA Championship (11); Memorial (10); U.S. Open (1); WGC-St. Jude (6); TOUR Championship (7) Russell Knox … WGC-HSBC (4); Mayakoba (1); Sony (3); Heritage (2) Brooks Koepka … WGC-HSBC (5); Shriners (4); WGC-Match Play (3); Masters (7); PGA Championship (2; defending); Charles Schwab (6); U.S. Open (1; two-time defending); Open Championship (8) Hideki Matsuyama … WGC-HSBC (12); Sentry (3); Waste Management (1); Genesis (10); Arnold Palmer (11); PLAYERS (9); Masters (4); PGA Championship (13); Memorial (8); U.S. Open (14); Wyndham (7); TOUR Championship (5) Rory McIlroy … WGC-HSBC (7); Arnold Palmer (2; defending); Masters (4); Wells Fargo (3); Memorial (5); Travelers (8); Open Championship (1); TOUR Championship (6) Francesco Molinari … CareerBuilder (5); Arnold Palmer (2); PLAYERS (3); Wells Fargo (6); PGA Championship (4); Open Championship (1; defending) Kevin Na … Genesis (2); Valspar (6); Charles Schwab (3); Wyndham (5) Pat Perez … Mayakoba (4); Sentry (1); Farmers (2); Pebble Beach (5) Jon Rahm … Sentry (2); CareerBuilder (3; defending); Farmers (6); Waste Management (4); Masters (5); Charles Schwab (1); TOUR Championship (7) Patrick Reed … Sentry (2); Pebble Beach (6); Valspar (1); Masters (5; defending); PGA Championship (4); U.S. Open (3); Travelers (7) Justin Rose … WGC-HSBC (5; defending); Farmers (6); Genesis (9); Arnold Palmer (3); Masters (1); PLAYERS (10); Charles Schwab (7; defending); Memorial (4); Open Championship (8); TOUR Championship (2) Xander Schauffele … Genesis (6); PLAYERS (5); U.S. Open (3); Open Championship (4); TOUR Championship (1) Adam Scott … Genesis (4); Honda (1); Arnold Palmer (10); PLAYERS (2); Masters (6); Byron Nelson (11); PGA Championship (8); U.S. Open (9); Open Championship (7); TOUR Championship (3) Cameron Smith … Wyndham (3) Brandt Snedeker … Sentry (4); Farmers (3); Waste Management (8); Pebble Beach (2); Masters (10); Heritage (6); Charles Schwab (7); U.S. Open (5); Travelers (9); Wyndham (1; defending)

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Hello friends. The Masters is one of the biggest weeks on the golf calendar, and that’s true for golf fashion as well. With so many eyes on Augusta National, companies know this is an important opportunity to make a statement. One article of clothing – the coveted champion’s Green Jacket – may stand out above the rest, but there will be a lot of noteworthy looks at Augusta National before someone slips on golf’s most famous coat come Sunday. Players want to look their best, as well, as millions of fans tune in to watch them play, so let’s take a look at some of the top fashion at this year’s Masters. TIGER’S FOOTJOYS Tiger Woods’ shoes have been one of the biggest stories of the week. The longtime Nike ambassador shocked the golf world when he arrived at Augusta National wearing a pair of FootJoy Premier Series Packard shoes. As they say in the design world, form follows function and Woods said that was the reason for the switch. “I needed something different, … more stable,” he said, to support his surgically-repaired right foot. The FootJoy Premier Series Packard is by far one of the most classic shoes on TOUR, but it’s also packed with tons of tech. That’s why it’s worn by the likes of Justin Thomas and Adam Scott. I love it because classic wingtip golf shoes immediately come to mind when I think of the Masters. When arguably the greatest golfer alive chooses to wear them over his long-standing brand choice, you know there’s something great about them. FootJoy also debuted this week a partnership with eyewear lifestyle brand Garrett Leight California Optical (GLCO) to create a limited series of sunglasses and footwear that bridges FootJoy’s classic golf wear with GLCO’s easy-going Southern California lifestyle. Fronting the collaboration is a collection of classic Premiere Series golf shoes for men and women with custom tortoise accents. ADIDAS’ FUN AUGUSTA TRIBUTE The Waffle House on Washington Road, located about a mile from Augusta National Golf Club, is a popular spot for patrons. Adidas paid homage to the chain of breakfast restaurants with one of the dopest collaborations I’ve seen in golf to date. We’ve all been on a long road trip and seen the iconic Waffle House sign glowing like a beacon from two exits away. Adidas and Waffle House teamed up to create a “batter-like” colorway inspired by the very batter that is constantly filling waffle irons across the 1,900 Waffle House locations in the US. Then they took the premium, full-grain leather upper and embossed it with “waffle-like” squares. You could say this is a match made for Augusta! Fun fact: Georgia has the most Waffle Houses in the U.S. with 422 locations. Sergio Garcia even wore these unique shoes in the Par-3 Contest on Wednesday. RAHM GOES GREEN Travis Mathew continues to show up as one of golf’s emerging and leading apparel brands. Founded in 2007, the brand draws its inspiration from Southern California lifestyle and culture, an ethos that speaks directly to defending U.S. Open champion Jon Rahm, who’s had plenty of success in San Diego. When I asked Ben Donnelly, Travis Mathew’s VP of design, about Rahm’s favorite color palette this is what he had to say: “Originally he loved the all-over printed styles like florals and geos that we’ve sort of re-invented that are really the fun pieces in the line.” You could say Rahm has a thing for azaleas and dogwoods. Could this be Rahm’s year? BRYSON’S BUCKETS They say fashion is what you’re the most confident and comfortable in. Who shows that better than Bryson Dechambeau, who has a look particular to himself. Dubbed the “A Gust O’ Wind Collection,” this latest major drop from Puma Golf will be worn at Augusta National by DeChambeau. While DeChambeau is more interested in the way his clothes – like his clubs – perform, and less on how they look, this line features fun patterns. When I asked Chris MacNeill, head of golf apparel and accessories at Puma, about what inspired some of the collection, he recalled the moment when DeChambeau was caught spraying golf balls with water on the driving range to test how they’d perform in wet conditions. That moment was the inspiration for the “Pouring Buckets” polo. All it takes is a gust of wind to go from in the hunt to the back of the pack. SPIETH’S SCRIPTING Basics are the core of everyone’s wardrobe. You can dress them up or down depending on your accessories. “Back to basics” has been Jordan Spieth’s motto coming into the Masters. Under Armour’s play on “basics,” according to director of Under Armour golf apparel, Patricia Li, will feature “blue and green mixed with his signature navy – and polos offering featuring a mix of bold blocking, athletic stripes, and whimsical prints.” JORDAN’S GREEN AND GOLD Michael Jordan’s “Flu Game” could go down as one of his most masterful performances in the NBA Finals. The Jordan BRED XII fueled his 44 minutes, including the tie-breaking 3-pointer with 25 seconds left. The two Jordan Brand athletes in the Masters field – Harold Varner III and Bubba Watson – will summon some of “His Airness” with their Jordan XII’s designed specifically for Masters week. The colorway of these shoes pay homage to the original XII with gold hardware and touches of Augusta green. As the 2022 Masters gets underway, you could say that Augusta National is the runway, or perhaps fairway, for the fashion of golf’s elite. And, of course, we all know a green jacket can elevate anyone’s look.

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SAN DIEGO — Jon Rahm began with an eagle and kept going lower until he had a 10-under 62 on the North Course at Torrey Pines for a one-shot lead over Justin Rose in the first round Thursday of the Farmers Insurance Open. Tiger Woods made his 2019 debut on the tougher South Course and opened with a 70. The conditions were remarkably close to perfect, with virtually no wind and pure greens on the North Course. Rahm knew it was important to start well, and he hit a 5-wood into 6 feet on the par-5 10th hole. He also made eagle on the 17th and shot 29 on the back. Rose also played on the North. Charles Howell III and Brandon Hagy each had 66 for the low score on the South.

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