Sleepers: The RSM Classic

PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO If you ever wondered how many of you aren’t paying attention, the answer might be 5.7 percent. That’s Phil Mickelson’s ownership percentage at the U.S. Open. It ranks 19th-most overall. Of course, he was a threat to withdraw before the tournament started, and that’s what happened on Thursday morning. Gamers who rostered the lefty won’t be charged a start because he pulled out before his tee time, but that’s superfluous in the context of PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO since Segment 3 concludes at next week’s Travelers Championship. The more relevant and potential self-inflicted damage rests in the fact that the U.S. Open cut is arguably the toughest in golf. Only the low 60 and ties play the final two rounds, which means that as many as 96 will be done after 36 holes. So, even if Mickelson was stowed away on 100 percent of the benches of the 5.7 percent on board, this is the last tournament in which you want to play with fire. This is especially poignant in a tournament when only actual scoring and bonus points are measured. It presents the opportunity to be aggressive instead of relying on strategy when ShotLink is turned on. In other words, those gamers would have needed Mickelson not only to play but to contend to pay off the risk. Among the dignitaries who aren’t represented below, Paul Casey ranks 16th at 6.3 percent, Henrik Stenson is 17th at 6.1 percent, Brooks Koepka slots 18th at 5.8 percent and FedEx St. Jude Classic winner Daniel Berger checks in at 21st at 5.0 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 It’s been 28 years since Curtis Strange was the last to successfully defend a U.S. Open title, but that drought didn’t deter 21.5 percent of you from pouring your faith into Dustin Johnson at Erin Hills. Before you rush to defend DJ’s chances this week, consider that since Tiger Woods won his first of three U.S. Opens in 2000, he’s the only champion to finish inside the top 10 in his title defense. His T6 in 2009 is best among 11 of the 16 who survived the cut as the defending champion. Of course, even if Johnson repeats, he may eventually outscore himself in the FedExCup Playoffs when points are quadrupled. So, gamers invested this week pretty much need him to defend. As the fantasy columnist for the website, I know that I have influence on the decisions gamers make. That includes when you disagree, which also achieves the objective of making a decision. While I never pretend to manipulate thinking or go into any tournament with expectations that even one gamer will be impacted, I can’t help but wonder if my unilateral devotion to Rickie Fowler at the U.S. Open swayed many of you into plugging him in. Note that Fowler slots three clicks ahead of Rory McIlroy in ownership percentage. Before reviewing the data, I expect McIlroy to rank second behind DJ, but that he’s behind Fowler at all is one of the most surprising takeaways of the season. And so far, so good, too! Fowler opened with a bogey-free, 7-under 65 to assume the clubhouse lead. Notables outside the top 10 include Louis Oosthuizen (12th, 2.2 percent), Hideki Matsuyama (13th, 1.8 percent), Henrik Stenson (17th, 1.2 percent), Brooks Koepka (21st, 0.9 percent) and Tommy Fleetwood (one gamer). Phil Mickelson ranks 24th at 0.7 percent. Because he withdrew before his tee time in the opening round, he will remain available to the gamers who thought that the risk was worth it but are instead swallowing a zero.

Click here to read the full article…

In a memo sent to its membership Wednesday, the PGA TOUR announced four additional events that will have elevated purses and guaranteed appearances by the TOUR’s top players in 2023. These four events join the 13 announced by Commissioner Jay Monahan at this year’s TOUR Championship. RELATED: How players qualify for 2023’s events with elevated purses The four events announced Wednesday, which will each have a $20 million purse, are the WM Phoenix Open, RBC Heritage, Wells Fargo Championship and Travelers Championship. The previously announced events that will offer increased purses and have commitments from the TOUR’s top players are: • The four majors and THE PLAYERS • Three FedExCup Playoffs events (FedEx St. Jude Championship, BMW Championship, TOUR Championship) • Three player-hosted invitationals (Genesis Invitational, Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, Memorial Tournament presented by Workday) • Sentry Tournament of Champions • WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play Players who finished in the top 20 in the 2022 Player Impact Program are required to participate in all elevated events for which they are eligible, as well as at least three additional events. The commitment to compete in a pre-determined schedule, and play at least 20 times per year, is the result of unprecedented collaboration among the TOUR’s top players. “Our top players are firmly behind the TOUR,” Commissioner Monahan said at the TOUR Championship, where Rory McIlroy won his third FedExCup title. “Helping us deliver an unmatched product to our fans, who will be all but guaranteed to see the best players competing against each other in 20 events or more throughout the season. This is an extraordinary and unprecedented commitment, a testament to who these guys are and what they believe in.” Bringing the top players in the game together more often is a huge win for fans and partners, as well. “When I tune into a Tampa Bay Buccaneers game, I expect to see Tom Brady throw a football,” McIlroy said at the TOUR Championship. “When I tune into a Formula 1 race, I expect to see Lewis Hamilton in a car.” The four events announced Wednesday represent some of the TOUR’s longest-standing events and are played at some of its most recognizable venues. The WM Phoenix Open dates back to 1932, while the RBC Heritage (1969) and Travelers Championship (1952) each debuted more than a half-century ago. TPC Scottsdale hosts the TOUR’s highest-attended event and is home to the famed par-3 16th. Harbour Town Golf Links, which has hosted the RBC Heritage every year since its inception, was a collaboration between World Golf Hall of Famers Pete Dye and Jack Nicklaus and the first course designed by each man to be used on TOUR. The Travelers’ host venue, TPC River Highlands, has hosted the TOUR for nearly 40 years and is home to one of the most exciting finishing stretches on TOUR. The Wells Fargo Championship debuted 20 years ago; its host venue, Quail Hollow Club, first hosted a TOUR event in the 1960s and has also served as the site for the PGA Championship and this year’s Presidents Cup. The four events announced Wednesday will continue to award 500 FedExCup points to the winner, as opposed to 550 to the winner of the Sentry Tournament of Champions, The Genesis Invitational, Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, and Memorial Tournament presented by Workday, as previously announced. The robust slate of events with elevated purses and commitments from top players is the result of an ongoing process of collaboration between the TOUR and its top players that included a players-only meeting at this year’s BMW Championship in Wilmington, Delaware. While the commitment from the game’s stars to compete in these events is groundbreaking, players throughout the TOUR’s membership stand to benefit from these elevated purses. The events with elevated purses will retain their traditional eligibility criteria in 2023, allowing for 120-plus players to compete for these increased purses most weeks. Players will continue to have the chance to make history each week they compete on the PGA TOUR, as well, just as Tom Kim did in winning the Wyndham Championship, where he became the second-youngest winner on TOUR since World War II. Only Jordan Spieth, who won the 2013 John Deere Classic at age 19, was younger. The changes for 2023 are in concert with other enhancements announced by Commissioner Monahan at the TOUR Championship, including an expansion of the Player Impact Program and a league minimum of $500,000 in earnings for anyone with a TOUR card, as well as other sweeping changes. The four newly-announced elevated events are for 2023 only; four entirely different tournaments could reach that designation in 2024. As always, the PGA TOUR will continue to evaluate and evolve to ensure the heritage and success of every tournament on its schedule.

Click here to read the full article…

He has a share of the lead at the Rocket Mortgage Classic after two rounds. But it how far he has come in his personal life after taking seven months to deal with depression, anxiety and alcoholism that matters most.

Click here to read the full article…