Should Augusta host a Women’s Masters?

PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO At first glance of the top 10 in ownership percentages for the Travelers Championship, you’d wonder if Jordan Spieth withdrew. (Relax, he didn’t pull out. On the contrary. He converted birdies on his first two holes to open his debut at TPC River Highlands and is well on his way to making noise this week.) Even if you don’t visit this recap often, that Spieth would slot outside the top 10 in anything should surprise you. Of course, the explanation is obvious, well, as obvious as it gets in the context of reviewing gamer dedication. The Travelers is the last of 11 tournaments in Segment 3, seven of which Spieth has played. Plain and simple, we’ve run dry as a group on starts. In fact, that 19.1 percent of you still had one start remaining is the surprise. Another shocker is who doesn’t appear below. Defending champions usually get some benefit of the doubt with gamers, but not Russell Knox. He slots a distant 27th at just 4.4 percent. The last time Jim Furyk signed a card at TPC River Highlands, it added up to 58. Yet, he’s just 23rd in ownership percentage at 5.3 percent. Other notables off the radar include Zach Johnson (16th, 14.4 percent), Keegan Bradley (19th, 8.1 percent), Chez Reavie (26th, 4.9 percent) and Bud Cauley (32nd, 2.7 percent). NOTE: Rob’s Rating refers to where our Fantasy Insider slotted a golfer in his Power Rankings. Golfers in the Power Rankings and outside the top 10 in most owned PGA TOUR Fantasy One & Done presented by SERVPRO No shortage of talent at TPC River Highlands this week, but curious gamers will immediately notice the absence of Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and Jason Day among the top 10 most-owned at the Travelers Championship. Of course, this takes nothing away from the golfers listed below because this is entirely about fantasy strategy and not some sort of popularity contest, but it’s still pretty incredible that not even one of the three heavyweights cracked the top 10. McIlroy is 11th at 1.5 percent, Spieth slots 12th at 1.4 percent and Day checks in 14th at 1.3 percent. If one of those guys takes the title, it would be a coup for gamers invested. And that’s precisely the point in an event when their opponents shopped elsewhere. It doesn’t get any better than surprising your competition with 500 FedExCup points when they expect it least. However, the last laugh may await in the Playoffs when a solo fourth-place finish rewards 540 points. From that perspective, McIlroy, Spieth or Day would need to win this week to validate the pick. But, and obviously, only one can. Other notables outside the top 10 include Webb Simpson (15th, 1.3 percent), Tony Finau (16th, 1.1 percent), Jim Furyk (18th, 1.0 percent) and Graham DeLaet (T20, 0.7 percent). Defending champion Russell Knox is 19th at 0.7 percent. Johnson Wagner and Brett Stegmaier paced the morning wave in the opening round with 6-under 64s, but only Wagner was selected as a One & Done and by only one gamer.

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HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — Jordan Spieth hit a 56-foot shot from a greenside bunker to 7 inches and beat Patrick Cantlay with the tap-in par putt on the first hole of a playoff Sunday in the RBC Heritage. RELATED: Leaderboard | Winner’s Bag: Jordan Spieth, RBC Heritage Playing four groups ahead of Cantlay, Spieth birdied Harbour Town’s par-4 18th lighthouse hole in regulation, holing a 10-footer for a 5-under 66 and 13-under 271 total. Cantlay parred the 18th in regulation for a 68. When Spieth finished, he was a stroke behind Shane Lowry. But Lowry’s chip on the par-3 14th raced across the green and into the water, leading to double bogey. He finished a stroke back after a 69. In the playoff, Cantlay also hit into the front bunker, with his lie looking like a fried egg. He blasted 35 feet past the cup and missed the par putt. Three strokes behind Harold Varner III entering the round, Spieth eagled both front-nine par 5s to get into the mix. Spieth won his 13th PGA TOUR title and second straight on Easter Sunday after taking the Valero Texas Open a year ago to end a four-year drought. Next Easter Sunday? The final round of the Masters. “That’s good vibes,” said Spieth. Cam Davis (63) also was a stroke back with Varner (70), J.T. Poston (64), Cameron Young (66), Sepp Straka (68), Matt Kuchar (68). Spieth has won from the bunker before. He beat Daniel Berger with greenside bunker shot on first extra hole at the 2017 Travelers Championship. Others besides Cantlay, who missed a 15-footer for birdie on his 72nd hole, had a chance to catch Spieth. Straka tied Spieth at 13 under with a birdie on the 17th, then bogeyed the final hole after his approach found some gnarly long grass in front of the green. Varner had birdie chances on each of his last four holes, yet could not convert any of them. Spieth took off with the early eagles. On the second hole, he holed out from a greenside bunker. On the fifth hole, he reached the green in two and rolled in a 24-footer as the gallery erupted in cheers. Spieth reached 13 under with a birdie on the eighth before falling back to 11 under with bogeys on the ninth and 11th. He moved into striking position with a birdie on the 13th, then struck his approach to the drama-filled lighthouse hole to 10 feet and posted at 13 under.

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The legacy of the late great Arnold Palmer lives on in the PGA TOUR’s annual stop to Bay Hill Club and Lodge for the Arnold Palmer Invitational Presented by Mastercard. This iconic part of the Florida swing aptly provides players the chance to come home with a flourish to claim a title and change their lives … this event has elevated status with a three-year win exemption among other great perks. Last season’s finish featured Rory McIlroy birdieing five of the last six holes to hold off the likes of Tiger Woods and Bryson DeChambeau. We are almost guaranteed Disney level theatre just a few miles from Disneyworld itself. THE FLYOVER  If you want to make an Arnold Palmer like charge late you need to get after the par-5 16th hole. Despite McIlroy’s incredible surge the 16th is the only hole of the last five at Bay Hill that played under par over the last nine seasons! But despite the 24 eagles and 233 birdies on it last year it was actually a Tiger Woods snap hook out-of-bounds that was the lasting memory. You still have to execute … LANDING ZONE  Over the last three editions of the Arnold Palmer Invitational the par-4 18th – at 458 yards – has been the toughest hole on the course twice and the second toughest on the other occasion. If you want to get the classic red cardigan as a winner, you need to thread the needle off the tee so you’re not trying to carry the water on approach from the rough. Check out where all the tee shots landed last year. WEATHER CHECK From PGA TOUR meteorologist Stewart Williams: “A cold start Wednesday morning with lows in the low 40s. Wind chill values will make it feel more like the mid 30s. Temperatures will struggle to warm into the low 60s for the afternoon which is 10-15 degrees below normal for this time of year. After another cold start Thursday morning, the warming trend begins during the afternoon with highs returning to the low 70s. Even warmer temperatures can be expected Friday through the weekend with highs in the 80s. Can’t rule out a few showers late in the day Sunday ahead of the next cold front moving into Northern Florida.� For the latest weather news from Orlando, Florida, check out PGATOUR.COM’s Weather Hub. SOUND CHECK I want to be more and more like Arnold. He kind of set the bar for what I want to do. It’s not just in the game of golf but leaving a legacy of changing people’s lives for the better. BY THE NUMBERS  11 – Number of former Rookies of the Year in the field in the week the PGA TOUR announced the award will be named after Arnold Palmer going forward. Daniel Berger (2015), Keegan Bradley (2011), Ernie Els (1994), Rickie Fowler (2010), Robert Gamez (1990), Chesson Hadley (2014), Charles Howell III (2001), Marc Leishman (2009), Vijay Singh (1993), Brandt Snedeker (2007) and Aaron Wise (2018) are all previous winners of the award while Els (1998 and 2010), Gamez (1990), Leishman (2017) and Singh (2007) are also former winners of the event. 62 – Number of PGA TOUR titles Arnold Palmer won in his career. Only four others have won more than the games greatest ambassador. 43 – Number of non-American players in the 123-man field who are looking to make it a fourth year in a row with a global player at the top pf the leaderboard. Jason Day, Marc Leishman and Rory McIlroy broke a run of four American wins prior. 8 – Number of winners (out of 12) who have gone on to make the TOUR Championship in the FedExCup era after taking care of business at Bay Hill. Tiger Woods won both the API and the FedExCup in 2009. SCATTERSHOTS Elevated Status: The Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard honors Golf’s Greatest Ambassador as one of three elevated events on the PGA TOUR schedule which offers a heightened purse and a three-year exemption to the winner, instead of the two-year exemption awarded at other TOUR events (the other two elevated events are Jack Nicklaus’ the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide and Tiger Woods’ L.A. event, known as the Genesis Open on the 2018-19 TOUR schedule). Host Rose looking to go back-to-back: Justin Rose will make his first start on TOUR since his win at the Farmers Insurance Open. Rose is making his 10th consecutive start and 14th overall at Bay Hill where he has four top-10s in his last seven starts, including a third-place finish in 2018. Rose is one of three members of the Host Committee, assembled to honor Mr. Palmer by stepping into traditional tournament roles. Giving back: All proceeds from the tournament benefit the Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation (formerly Arnie’s Army Charitable Foundation), which locally supports the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children and Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies. Arnie’s March Against Children’s Cancer, held on Tuesday afternoon, supports pediatric cancer research and clinical trials at the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children. Aussie Omen: With THE PLAYERS Championship moving back to March this represents the first time since 2006 the Arnold Palmer Invitational is in the week prior to the annual pilgrimage to TPC Sawgrass. Back then the winner was Australian Rod Pampling. Given Jason Day and Marc Leishman are two of the last three champions at Bay Hill they might be feeling extra confident. Or perhaps the other Aussie in the field – Aaron Baddeley – might be one to watch.

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