Sleeper Picks: THE CJ CUP @ SHADOW CREEK

THE OVERVIEW By Cameron Morfit, PGATOUR.COM Seemingly everyone had at one time or another given up on the idea of Sergio Garcia winning a major. Even Garcia. And then, in his 74th major championship start, it happened, Garcia outlasting Justin Rose in a sudden-death playoff to win the Masters on what would have been the 60th birthday of Seve Ballesteros. Garcia had authored yet another golfing fairytale at Augusta.   But what happens after the fairytale? The short answer is that Garcia, 37, doesn’t seem to be slowing down. If anything, the opposite might be true. He got married, to Angela Akins Garcia, and the two announced that they are expecting their first child in March. And professionally, Garcia seems determined not to simply ride off into the sunset in his green jacket. (He wore it well at Wimbledon, though.) In September, Garcia entered the BMW Championship at 34th in the FedExCup standings and on the outside looking in for the season-ending TOUR Championship at East Lake. In the past, that might have been the beginning of the end, but not for Garcia 2.0. He and his wife remained unmovable in their optimism. They went to Conway Farms fully anticipating a two-week trip: Chicago, followed by Atlanta, home of East Lake Golf Club. And so it was, as Garcia’s T12 at the BMW got him in the top 30 and punched his ticket to Atlanta. Next on the to-do list for the 10-time PGA TOUR winner: more wins, and potentially getting fitted for his ninth Ryder Cup team. BY THE NUMBERS How Sergio Garcia ranked in Strokes Gained statistics during his last full season on the PGA TOUR. FEDEXCUP Current 2017-18 position: N/A Playoff appearances: 11 TOUR Championship appearances: 6 Best result: 3rd (2008) INSIGHTS FROM THE INSIDERS PGATOUR.COM’s Insiders offer their expert views on what to expect from Sergio Garcia in 2018. TOUR INSIDER by Ben Everill With his long-awaited major championship draped over his shoulders and a happy new life away from the golf course, the biggest question on Sergio is how much desire he has to work hard and add more to his resume. Having accomplished his dreams, will he surge for more or be content to rely on his super talent to turn up once in a while? One thing is for sure – he is still super fun to watch. Click here to follow Ben on Twitter FANTASY INSIDER by Rob Bolton In Sergio’s storied career filled with scares and scars, it may never get any better than 2017. His breakthrough at the Masters hinted that maybe there really are guarantees for the gifted, but it and his other two titles wouldn’t have meant as much without the foundation of finding his wife. With his personal life guiding the way, the 37-year-old Spaniard performed as we hoped he would with precisely that balance outside the ropes. Still, and the green jacket aside, it wasn’t his best season statistically on the PGA TOUR, so take it easy on your enthusiasm because 2017 was a bonus and we know his limits — the most important of which is that he authors one of the lightest schedules of all full-time members. Click here to follow Rob on Twitter EQUIPMENT INSIDER by Jonathan Wall Garcia is all but guaranteed to be a Callaway staffer in 2018 after securing his first major title at the Masters. The Spaniard parted ways with TaylorMade after 15 years and slowly began to add Callaway equipment to the bag, starting with a Toulon Design putter at the Dell Technologies Championship. He recently inserted a full set of Apex MB irons and the company’s GBB Epic driver at the DP World Tour Championship.  Click here to follow Jonathan on Twitter STYLE INSIDER by Greg Monteforte Much like his game, Sergio’s style continues to mature. He has taken his fashion to another level with more refined looks and well-balanced colors. Even though an equipment change appears to be a certainty in 2018 for Garcia, expect him to continue wearing Adidas’ three-stripes. Click here to follow Greg on Twitter

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Patrick Reed won THE NORTHERN TRUST the last time it was held at Liberty National, in 2019. This one, though, has been one to forget. First Reed pulled out of the tournament with an ankle injury. Then, as his fellow competitors were playing the rain-delayed final round Monday, he issued a statement to the Golf Channel’s Todd Lewis that he’s home in Houston battling double-pneumonia. “The good news is, my ankle is okay,” Reed wrote, in part. “The bad news is I’ve been in the hospital with bilateral pneumonia. I’m on the road to recovery, once I’m cleared from the doctors – I look forward to returning. I wish you all the best and I can’t wait to get back out there! “Thank you so much for your support,” he continued, “it means a lot to me. Also, a special thank you to the doctors, nurses, and staff at The Methodist Hospital in the Texas Medical Center.” Like many players, Reed has had a demanding travel schedule this summer. He’s flown from the Rocket Mortgage Classic (T32) to The Open Championship (MC) to the 3M Open (T34) to the Olympic Games in Tokyo (T22), where he was a late replacement for Bryson DeChambeau. Then it was right back home for the World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational in Memphis, Tennessee (T31). If Reed is unable to play this week at the BMW Championship at Caves Valley Golf Club in Maryland, it would be three straight events he will have missed with illness or injury after spraining his ankle at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude. Reed came into THE NORTHERN TRUST at 22nd in the FedExCup standings. He hasn’t missed the top-30 TOUR Championship since 2013. He’s also ninth in the U.S. Ryder Cup standings for the team that Steve Stricker will captain at Whistling Straits next month. The top six in points automatically qualify; others will require a pick.

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CROMWELL, Conn. – If a sense of calm seemed to envelope Patrick Cantlay moments after he made a double-bogey at his 17th hole, the par-3 eighth, in Thursday’s first round of the Travelers Championship, there were good reasons. One, by nature, Cantlay possesses a remarkable even-keel disposition. Two, he still signed for a 4-under 66 to continue a stretch of golf that is as good as anything being played on the PGA TOUR. And, third, he’s in a comfortable environment. “I turned pro here in ’12 and I played well here as an am in ’11,� said Cantlay, though he greatly understated the second half of that statement. That’s because in 2011, the then-19-year-old at UCLA scorched TPC River Highlands to the tune of 10-under 60, a bogey-free effort that featured an eagle and eight birdies. It remains the only 60 posted by an amateur in PGA TOUR history. “I like coming back to places that I like playing golf at,� said Cantlay, who led through 36 holes that year, but faded to T-24. He’s played here three other times since turning professional, but despite the sloppy bogey at the 204-yard eighth (“Just hit it a little fat and it went in the water,� he said), Thursday was his best score since that 60 eight years ago. “I hit the ball really well today. One missed shot cost me two.� You’d have to go back a long way to find a round of golf that didn’t have Cantlay speaking positively. Since missing the cut at THE PLAYERS Championship in March, his five stroke-play tournaments have produced stellar performances. A win (the Memorial Tournament), three other top 10s and a share of 21st at the U.S. Open last week have featured 20 rounds of golf, 12 of them in the 60s, a scoring average of 69.05 and a combined score of 43-under-par. Everything about Thursday’s start says Cantlay appears ready to continue that sizzling trend. “My mindset for a while has been, ‘Come out, win the golf tournament every week,’ and I’ve been close. I’ve played really well.�

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