Sleeper Picks: Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard

Suddenly thrust into the spotlight after leader Jon Rahm tests positive for COVID-19 and WDs, Patrick Cantlay and Collin Morikawa battle all day before each signing for a 71 to force extra holes. When Cantlay saves par from 12 feet and Morikawa misses from 6, it’s over. Meanwhile, Jimmy Walker cards a final-round 65 to finish T6 for his first top-10 since 2018. Here are five stories you may have missed from the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide. 1. Patrick Cantlay is FedExCup No. 1 After getting guidance from Jack Nicklaus himself, Patrick Cantlay won the Memorial for the first time in 2019. He shot a final-round 64 that day, and afterward said Nicklaus had instructed him to relax and have fun, soak it all in, enjoy the moment with the fans. This time, Cantlay had to scratch out a 1-under 71 and was back to game-face mode. “Yeah, my natural disposition is pretty stoic, and so I’m pretty deadpan a lot, but that’s not necessarily an accurate reflection of how I feel on the inside,” he said. “I do think it’s good advice for me to enjoy it more and really enjoy the moment and show that I am enjoying the moment, and so I try to do a little more of that. “But in general,” he added after his second win this season (ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP @ SHERWOOD), which moved him up to No. 1 in the FedExCup. “I feel most myself when I’m just locked in and really focused and kind of in work mode.” For more on Cantlay, click here. 2. It was opposite day for Collin Morikawa Collin Morikawa is usually one of the PGA TOUR’s most dynamic and reliable ball-strikers from tee to green, but his putting runs hot and cold. That wasn’t the case on Sunday, when he admitted he “couldn’t really hit a green for my life.” Instead, Morikawa had one of the best scrambling days of his life, making more than 109 feet of putts. “I was hitting my shots that I wanted,” he said, “and we were a little off calculating, a little off with just luck, and sometimes that happens, but to get into a playoff to make the putts I needed to make, just to keep myself in it, I’m proud of myself and it’s crazy. It’s crazy what a game it is. “I didn’t feel like I really ever played this game where I’m missing every green, chipping, making 10-footers,” he added. “I like it the other way where I hit it a lot closer.” 3. Scottie Scheffler keeps knocking on door Although he couldn’t fully recover from bogeys at the par-4 sixth and ninth holes, plus a failure to birdie the par-5 11th, Scottie Scheffler, 24, keeps knocking on the door for his first win. After a T8 at the PGA Championship and solo 3rd at the Memorial he will be among the dark horses at the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines South in two weeks. “I feel good about where my game is,” he said after making bogey at Muirfield Village’s tough 18th hole to miss the playoff by two. “Few things I need to clean up, but overall, it was a solid week.” 4. Jimmy Walker feeling better after long slump After starting Sunday in a tie for 38th place, Jimmy Walker, 42, shot the day’s low round, a bogey-free, 7-under 65 to finish T6, seven shots back. It was his first top-10 finish since a T6 at the 2018 AT&T Byron Nelson, and he admitted he had been feeling discouraged. “You got to believe that hard work pays off,” he said. “Sometimes it doesn’t, and it hasn’t been for me, but maybe it’s just taken longer than I would have liked. And today was definitely a step. “It really shows a lot of maybe light at the end of the tunnel,” Walker continued, “especially for a place that I never played well at.” 5. Rickie Fowler rolling heading into U.S. Open sectional With a T8 at the PGA Championship and a final-round 70 and T11 at the Memorial, Rickie Fowler is finally seeing some results from his rebuilt game under John Tillery. He’d have fared even better at Jack’s place were it not for a third-round 75. “Heading the right way,” Fowler said. He’s even starting to putt better, at long last. Now he’ll head into the 36-hole U.S. Open sectional on Monday with hopes of making into the field at Torrey Pines South next week. “Just go get some good food tonight, get some good sleep, rest up,” he said. “It will be a long day. Hopefully we can dodge some rain and storms in the afternoon.” COMCAST BUSINESS TOUR TOP 10 The Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10 highlights and rewards the extraordinary level of play required to earn a spot in the TOP 10 at the conclusion of the FedExCup regular season. The competition will conclude prior to the FedExCup PLAYOFFS where the top 10 FedExCup points leaders will be recognized and awarded as the most elite in golf. Week after week, shot after shot, each event matters more than ever before. Who will finish in the Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10? Click here to follow the weekly action.

Click here to read the full article…

For the first time in well over half a century, the PGA Championship returns to May, finding its new home in the middle of the season of championships. Bethpage Black, the tough public track on Long Island, plays host to the world’s best who all want to lift the Wanamaker Trophy on Sunday. But first, they’ll have to tame the par-70 7,459-yard beast… good luck. THE FLYOVER The finishing stretch to any major is always tough, given what is at stake. At Bethpage Black, those wanting to claim the Wanamaker on Sunday will have to negotiate the 490-yard par-4 16th, the 207-yard par-3 17th and then the 411-yard par-4 18th. When the FedExCup Playoffs hit the course in 2012 and 2016, the final three holes all averaged over par. Playing this stretch mistake-free will certainly be a challenge. If you need a birdie… it’s going to take some clutch shots. Perhaps the best chance at scoring will be the final hole, where an aggressive drive into the fairway, that avoids the numerous bunkers left and right, could leave just a wedge. But the green is seriously elevated, meaning distance control becomes tougher. Here’s a closer look at the closing stretch. LANDING ZONE There are plenty of tough holes at Bethpage Black, but the toughest might just be the par-4 10th. At 502 yards, this brute is the first hole of the round for half the field each day… spare a thought for those heading out there early in the cold weather and having to take a 15-minute shuttle ride that might negate some of their warmup. In 2016 at THE NORTHERN TRUST, the hole played to a 4.287 average, yielding just 28 birdies over the four rounds. It was one of the 50 toughest holes on TOUR that season. Here’s a look at where all the drives ended up in 2016. WEATHER CHECK From PGA TOUR meteorologist Stewart Williams: “Scattered showers will be possible early Thursday morning and should end around daybreak with partly cloudy skies expected for the rest of the day. Another fast-moving front may produce scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms Friday afternoon before high pressure finally returns for the weekend. Temperatures will likely moderate into the upper 60s to low 70s Saturday and Sunday with partly cloudy skies. The chance for scattered showers and thunderstorms returns on Monday as the next system approaches. For the latest weather news from Farmingdale, New York, check out PGATOUR.COM’s Weather Hub. SOUND CHECK This is not only a big golf course, but this is going to be a long week the way the golf course is set up and potentially could play. This could be a hell of a championship. BY THE NUMBERS 1949 – The last time the PGA Championship was held in May was 1949. In that year, the same person who won the Masters (Sam Snead), won the PGA Championship. An omen for Tiger Woods perhaps? 264 – Record 72-hole score in the PGA Championship set by Brooks Koepka last year. Koepka was 16-under at Bellerive Country Club. In relation to par, Jason Day’s 20-under 268 from 2015 at Whistling Straits sits on top. Neither is expected to be sniffed this week. 8 – Number of players to win the PGA Championship on their first try. Most recently: Keegan Bradley in 2011. There are 30 players on debut in this championship. 20 – Club professionals in the field. Just one has advanced to the weekend in each of the last two years. The best finish from a club pro came from Tommy Bolt, who was third in 1971. Since the turn of the millennium, the highest finish from a club pro is T31 from Chip Sullivan in 2004. 18 – Number of winners in the 29 PGA TOUR events this season who were inside the top 50 of the World Rankings at time of their victory. 49 of the top 50 (and 99 of top 100) are in the field this week. 10 – Number of different FedExCup champions in the field: Tiger Woods (2007, 2009), Vijay Singh (2008), Jim Furyk (2010), Brandt Snedeker (2012), Henrik Stenson (2013), Billy Horschel (2014), Jordan Spieth (2015), Rory McIlroy (2016), Justin Thomas (2017) and Justin Rose (2018). Only Bill Haas (2011) is not here. SCATTERSHOTS The last time Tiger Woods won the first two majors of the year was in 2002. The venues? Augusta National (Masters) and Bethpage Black (U.S. Open). Brooks Koepka has won three of his last seven majors played. But he has much higher goals in mind. Koepka says he wants to win at least 10. “I don’t see why you can’t get to double digits,â€� Koepka said. “I think you keep doing what you’re supposed to do, you play good, you peak at the right times… I think sometimes the majors are the easiest ones to win.â€� Matt Kuchar leads the FedExCup standings by 468 points over Xander Schauffele on the strength of two wins and a total of six top-10 finishes this season. Only Schauffele (468 behind) and Rory McIlroy (498 points behind) can mathematically move to No. 1 in the FedExCup standings with a win this week. Only three players in the field this week have had prior success at Bethpage Black. Tiger Woods won the 2002 U.S. Open, Lucas Glover won the 2009 U.S. Open and Patrick Reed won THE NORTHERN TRUST in 2016. Nick Watney won THE NORTHERN TRUST in 2012, but is not in the field this week. The cut will cull the field of 156 players to the low 70 scorers and ties after 36 holes. In the event of a tie for first place after 72 holes, there will be a three-hole aggregate score playoff on holes 1, 17 and 18. If a tie still remains, there will be a hole-by-hole playoff beginning on No. 18, and, if necessary, on to holes 1, 17 and 18 repeated until a winner is determined.

Click here to read the full article…

It’s been some time since a Canadian has won the RBC Canadian Open. It was 1954 when Pat Fletcher hoisted the trophy, and even longer – 1914 to be exact – since a Canadian-born player won the tournament (Fletcher was born in England). But despite that lengthy drought, there has been no shortage of excellent Canadian performances on golf’s biggest stages. Between TOUR victories, generational inspiration, and Hall of Fame resumes, Canada has a strong legacy in the game. As part of our preparation for the first RBC Canadian Open in three years, let’s take a closer look at the top 10 players in the country’s history. Then we can watch the strong current crop of Canadians – including Corey Conners, Mackenzie Hughes, Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin — compete at St. George’s Golf & Country Club. 10. Stan Leonard A three-time PGA TOUR winner, Stan Leonard was a celebrated professional who racked up 38 wins across Alberta, British Columbia, and nationally. He was six-time winner of the PGA of Canada’s national championship – which celebrates its 100th playing in 2022 – and was the low Canadian at the Canadian Open eight times. Leonard won the 1957 Greater Greensboro Open (now the Wyndham Championship), the 1958 Tournament of Champions (now the Sentry Tournament of Champions), and the 1960 Western Open. Leonard, who was inducted in into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame in 1972, also finished inside the top 10 at the Masters three years in a row. No Canadian had accomplished that until Corey Conners did it earlier this spring. Leonard was also inducted into Canada’s Sport Hall of Fame, the BC Sports Hall of Fame, the BC Golf Hall of Fame, and the PGA of Canada Hall of Fame. 9. Al Balding Balding was a four-time winner on the PGA TOUR and his victory in 1955 at the Mayfair Inn Open was the first by a Canadian in the United States. Two years later he finished sixth on the PGA TOUR’s money list – the highest of any Canadian before or since. He also lost in three TOUR playoffs. One of those losses, at the 1964 Fresno Open Invitational, came to fellow Canadian George Knudson. Balding was a multi-time PGA of Canada champion and won the World Cup alongside Knudson in 1968. His best result at a major was a T8 at The Open Championship. He backed that up with another top-10 finish the next year. Balding was inducted into Canada’s Sport Hall of Fame in 1968, the Ontario Golf Hall of Fame in 2000, the PGA of Canada Hall of Fame in 2014, and Canada’s Golf Hall of Fame in 1985. 8. Stephen Ames Ames was born in Trinidad & Tobago – his grandmother was a champion golfer in his native country – but became a Canadian citizen in 2005. Ames turned professional in 1987 and has won on every TOUR level. His four wins on the PGA TOUR was highlighted by his victory at the 2006 PLAYERS Championship. “This is big,” said Ames at the time. “Forty-eight or 49 of the top 50 players were playing? I beat the top players in the world this week.” Ames, who won on the Korn Ferry Tour and the DP World Tour before notching his first TOUR title, would go on to win twice more on the PGA TOUR (the Children’s Miracle Network Classics in both 2007 and 2009). He’s also a two-time winner on PGA TOUR Champions. Ames had six top-10 finishes at majors in his career and was inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame in 2014. 7. Moe Norman Tiger Woods once said Norman (and Ben Hogan) were the only two golfers in history who have truly “owned” their swings. Sam Snead said Norman was golf’s greatest striker of the ball. The accolades about Norman’s ball-striking prowess continued until his death in 2004, but not before he racked up 55 wins on the old Canadian Tour, the PGA of Canada, and more. He was also the Canadian Men’s Amateur Champion in 1955 and 1956. Norman played 27 events on TOUR (his highest finish was a fourth-place result at the New Orleans Open in 1959) along with five on PGA TOUR Champions. He made 25 of 27 cuts on TOUR and made two starts at the Masters. He was inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame in 1995 and Canada’s Sport Hall of Fame in 2006. Norman’s idiosyncrasies – many attribute it to not receiving proper medical treatment after a car accident when he was 5 or to an autism spectrum disorder – may have caused his TOUR career to be short, but his return to his native Ontario saw him become one of the most beloved characters in the country’s golf history. 6. Lorie Kane Kane was a celebrated youngster growing up on Prince Edward Island, wining the PEI Junior Girls’ Championship twice and the province’s Women’s Amateur nine times. She played basketball at Acadia University as well before turning professional in golf in 1993 and earning LPGA Tour status three years later. She captured the PGA of Canada’s Women’s Championship each year from 1996-1999 and again in 2001 – the year after she won three times on the LPGA Tour. Kane’s 2000 campaign on the LPGA Tour saw her win the Michelob Light Classic, the New Albany Golf Classic, and the Mizuno Classic. Kane, who also has 14 career runner-up finishes on the LPGA Tour, was the second Canadian in the LPGA Tour’s history to have a multiple win season and her three-win campaign saw her win the Canadian Female Athlete of the Year title. Kane’s off-course accolades are numerous. She was inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame in 2015, Canada’s Sport Hall of Fame in 2021, and was named to the Order of Canada (the second-highest honor for a civilian in Canada) in 2006. 5. Marlene Stewart Streit Streit is one of the most accomplished amateur golfers in the history of the game – regardless of country. She is the only golfer to have won the U.S., British, Australian, and Canadian Amateur Championships along with dozens of other high-level amateur events across Canada and around the world. She is the only Canadian in the World Golf Hall of Fame and the only golfer in the country’s history to be named Canada’s Athlete of the Year more than once. Streit is a four-time winner of Canada’s Female Athlete of the Year title, was given the Order of Canada, the Order of Ontario, and was inducted into Canada’s Sport Hall of Fame in 1962 – when she was only 28 years old. She showed no signs of slowing down as she’s advanced in age, either. Streit won the 2003 USGA Senior Women’s Amateur at age 69 – the oldest champion in the tournament’s history. 4. George Knudson Knudson won eight times on the PGA TOUR in an 11-year span and was the winningest Canadian in the TOUR’s history for more than three decades. His winning resume as a professional is robust – both at home and abroad – as an individual and as part of a team. He represented Canada in the World Cup nine times, winning as an individual in 1966 and with Balding as a team in 1968. Knudson had one of the silkiest swings in Canadian golf history and he wielded it to win five PGA of Canada National Championship titles and earn low Canadian honors at the Canadian Open five times. He was inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame in 1986 and Canada’s Sport Hall of Fame in 1969. 3. Sandra Post Post was the first Canadian to achieve several milestones on the LPGA Tour. She was the first Canadian to play the LPGA Tour and as a rookie, in 1968, she won a major championship (the then-LPGA Championship). She was, at the time, the youngest golfer to win a women’s major. Her young age (20 years, 20 days) would not be topped by a women’s major winner until 2007. Post would go on to win eight times on the LPGA Tour and was the first Canadian to win more than once in the same season – a feat she accomplished twice, in both 1978 and 1979. She was a celebrated junior and amateur golfer in Ontario and decided to skip college. The decision turned out to be the right one, as she won Rookie of the Year honors in her debut season. Post, who was named Canada’s Athlete of the Year in 1979, was inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame in 1988 and bestowed the Order of Canada in 2004. 2. Mike Weir Canada’s most celebrated male golfer is also responsible for inspiring the current generation of TOUR starsA. Almost every golf fan in the country can recall where they were when Weir captured the Green Jacket in 2003, becoming the first Canadian male to win a major. Weir won eight times on the PGA TOUR including a World Golf Championship and the TOUR Championship in 2000 and 2001, respectively. His Masters title came in his three-win season of 2003. That year Weir made it to third in the world and was named Canada’s Athlete of the Year. Weir played on five Presidents Cup teams and has been an assistant captain in 2017, 2019, and 2022. He received the Order of Canada in 2009 and was inducted into Canada’s Golf Hall of Fame the same year. He was inducted into Canada’s Sport Hall of Fame in 2017 and has seen a career resurgence since joining PGA TOUR Champions. He won for the first time on the over-50 circuit last year and continues to be a threat when he tees it up. 1. Brooke Henderson The only golfer on this list not to be inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame has still had the greatest career of them all. And the reason why she’s not a Hall of Famer yet? Because she’s only 24. Henderson, who has won 10 times on the LPGA Tour, is the winningest Canadian of all time on either the LPGA or PGA Tour. She’s won one major so far – the 2016 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship – along with the CP Women’s Open in 2018, becoming the first Canadian to win on home soil since Jocelyne Bourassa in 1973. Henderson’s amateur career peaked when she was ranked as the No.1 amateur in the world in 2014. She skipped college and turned professional, winning her first event on the LPGA Tour in 2015 by eight strokes at just 17 years old. She was named Canada’s Female Athlete of the Year in back-to-back years in 2017 and 2018, won an ESPY Award in 2019 as the ‘Best Female Golfer’ and earned the LPGA Founders Award that same year. And, well, she’s just getting started.

Click here to read the full article…