Sleeper Picks: Wells Fargo Championship

Back to the scene of the sublime. The Royal Melbourne Golf Club not only is the crown jewel of Australia’s famed Sandbelt region and among the best courses on the planet, it’s also the site of the International’s only victory in the Presidents Cup (1998). Of course, that same statement was loud and clear in 2011 when Royal Melbourne hosted the biennial competition for the second time, but as it returns for a third this week, the Internationals are saddled with a 1-10-1 record overall. Needless to say, the hosts have chips on their shoulders. Lots of them. Too many to go around, in fact. So, it’s proper that the veteran with maybe the broadest shoulders in the sport is out front leading the charge. International Captain Ernie Els celebrated with his squad 21 years ago (after contributing a 3-1-1 record himself) and he was there eight years ago when the U.S. avenged, 19-15. Now, he’ll navigate seven Presidents Cup debutants in the hopes of dismantling the juggernaut that is the visiting Americans, and in an age against the machine that is player-captain and 82-time PGA TOUR winner Tiger Woods. More on the event, the course and other nuggets beneath the full-field Power Rankings. POWER RANKINGS: PRESIDENTS CUP If you’re a loyalist to the Power Rankings for PGA TOUR events, the same for any team competition can come across as curious if consumed similarly. Furthermore, this Power Rankings is constructed in advance of the knowledge of partnerships, matchups, momentum and other variables that will contribute to the final score. In light of that, you’re encouraged to accept the ranking in the context of potential impact on the competition. Do the Internationals need a perfect week to prevail? Probably not, but with the pendulum of success over time swayed so favorably toward the Americans, there’s an argument that even a perfect week wouldn’t be enough to take down the visitors with puffed chests. Even when Brooks Koepka, he of four victories in the majors and current position atop the Official World Golf Ranking, exited for extended rest for his left knee, in an unintentional quid pro quo, Els had to replace four-time Presidents Cup veteran Jason Day, who withdrew due to an injured back. However, no matter which team wins, no one will rush to cite addition by subtraction of either talent. If the underdog hosts are keen on reasoning to argue that they have the upper hand early, they’re 3-0-1 in four-ball in the two previous editions at Royal Melbourne. For just the second time in the last 11 Presidents Cups, four-ball leads off this week with five matches on Thursday. Five foursomes matches will follow on Friday before four each of four-ball (morning) and foursomes (afternoon) command Saturday’s schedule. The Presidents Cup will conclude on Sunday with 12 matches of singles. This will be the third straight Presidents Cup in which only 30 points are up for grabs. The first to 15½ wins. If both teams total 15, they will share the title until meeting again at Quail Hollow Club in early fall of 2021. The battleground is the Composite Course at Royal Melbourne. Twelve holes of the West and six from the East blend for a par 71 with only three par 3s and two par 5s. At 7,047 yards, it’s about 50 yards longer than how it was set up in 2011. The most significant modifications affected the par-4 first, par-5 second and par-4 16th holes, all in the vicinity of 10-25 yards longer. The par-4 18th has been reduced by 10 yards. Of course, pars and yardage on a short course mean little in head-to-head competition. Moreover, Royal Melbourne is renown for the substantive value of quality over distance. Generous, running Bermudagrass fairways lead into open-door fairway bunkers. The absence of primary rough yields infinity edges of the hazards – approximately 200 of them in sum across the course – the ubiquitous characteristic of which is evident flush against the bentgrass greens that could run up to 13 feet on the Stimpmeter. The firmer and faster the course plays, particularly since distance off the tee is not a prerequisite to force even a halve, the more that Royal Melbourne can serve in the role as a governor of American domination in the Presidents Cup. Both captains are benefited by what is not an insignificant change in the format since 2017. Each of the 24 participants is required to play in only one of the four 2-on-2 matches before all tee it up in singles. Prior to this year, they were required to play in at least two team sessions. It’s one way for a squad not hitting on all cylinders in real time to adjust on the fly. With no rain expected and daytime highs in the upper 60s and low 70s, the only natural element worth attention is the invisible. Moderate-to-strong winds will challenge throughout. This could help balance the competition and it will also expose anyone struggling to find his game in foursomes and singles. Low ball flights and experience in playing the game on the ground are valuable tools.

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In news that will certainly get 82-time PGA TOUR winner Tiger Woods fired up ahead of the latest edition of Capital One’s The Match, the super team of Woods and world no.1 Rory McIlroy have swung to underdog status ahead of their showdown with Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth. With Woods recently withdrawing from the Hero World Challenge thanks to plantar fasciitis, bettors at BetMGM Sportsbook have pounced on the Thomas / Spieth combo for the 12-hole head-to-head contest to be held under lights at 6 p.m. on Dec. 10 at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida. While McIlroy has recently taken back status as the best golfer in the world thanks in huge part to wins at the TOUR Championship and THE CJ CUP in South Carolina in recent starts, Woods is returning to playing action for the first time since The 150th Open Championship at St. Andrews in July as he continues to manage his body following his 2021 car accident. As such, the Woods/McIlroy combo have drifted to +100 to win after opening at -135 while Thomas/Spieth have moved from +110 at opening to -125 as of Thursday. “I can tell you one thing,” Woods said earlier this week on a media call, “I have the No. 1 player on my team, so I’m good.” Woods says his most recent injury setback will not hamper his golf swing, rather it affects his ability to walk without pain. The Match provides golfcarts for participants and can be watched on TNT, with simulcasts available on TBS, truTV and HLN. Woods and McIlroy have 105 PGA TOUR wins, five FedExCup’s and 19 major championships between them. By the same measures Thomas and Spieth have 28 TOUR wins, two FedExCup’s and five majors. But while Woods and McIlroy have been on opposing teams in Ryder Cups of the past, Thomas and Spieth recently combined for a 4-0-0 record as a duo for the U.S. at the Presidents Cup and have an 8-2-0 record together in all Presidents and Ryder Cup play. “He’s probably the best iron player that’s ever lived … probably the best golfer that’s ever lived. Period,” McIlroy said of his partner Woods. “I think if he can just get it out in the fairway, and get some looks in the fairway, I think we’re going to have a really good chance.” The Match will be played in a team best-ball format. Each player will play his own ball, and the best individual score from each team will count for the hole. But as has been the case in the previous six editions of The Match, several curveballs will be introduced through the contest as money is set to be raised for Hurricane Ian relief. The third and ninth holes will provide closest-to-the-pin competitions for up to $1.1million a piece while the fourth hole will be played as a one club challenge where each competitor must use just one club for the entire hole and can win up to $750,000. The fifth and eighth holes will also provide hole-in-one challenges where $2.5 million will be donated on the team’s behalf should an ace come to fruition. If no hole-in-one is made, $250,000 will be donated on behalf of the team that wins the hole. BetMGM Sportsbook has also set up special markets outside the winner of the contest and will provide live betting on each hole in legal betting states. Currently Woods/McIlroy are -105 to win the first hole (tie no bet) with Thomas/Spieth at -120 and the same odds are posted for the first team to go 1up. You can get +150 on Woods/McIlroy to be leading after six holes with Thomas and Spieth at +138 and a tie at +333. On Thursday Woods/McIlroy were +138 to lead after nine of the 12 holes, Thomas/Spieth were +120 and a tie was +450. Responsible sports betting starts with a game plan. Set a budget. Keep it social. Play with friends. Learn the game and know the odds. Play with trusted, licensed operators. CLICK HERE to learn more at HaveAGamePlan.org

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Keita Nakajima is one of Japan’s rising stars, and he’s proving that at the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP. Nakajima, who’s playing his first PGA TOUR event as a pro this week, is in fifth place at the tournament’s halfway mark. He’s just three shots behind co-leaders Rickie Fowler and Andrew Putnam after shooting 63 on Friday. Nakajima was the world’s top-ranked amateur before turning pro. He won the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship and a Japan Tour title while still an amateur. Nakajima uses TaylorMade equipment throughout the bag. He uses three Stealth Plus woods, the forged cavity-back P7MC irons for his long-irons and the muscle-back P7MBs for his short irons. He also uses four wedges, opting for a pitching wedge that mirrors his other wedges instead of his short irons, as well as a 60-degree version of the TaylorMade Hi Toe wedge. Driver: TaylorMade Stealth Plus (9 degrees) 3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth Plus (15 degrees) 5-wood: TaylorMade Stealth Plus (19 degrees) Irons: TaylorMade P7MC (4-5 irons); TaylorMade P7MB (6-9 irons) Wedges: TaylorMade MG3 (46, 52 and 56 degrees); TaylorMade Hi Toe 3 (60 degrees) Putter: TaylorMade TP Soto Ball: TaylorMade TP5

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