‘So many difficult blows’

BLAINE, Minn. – Dustin Johnson withdrew from the 3M Open on Thursday, citing a back injury, after shooting 78 in the first round. The round of 7 over followed a pair of 80s and a missed cut at the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide last week for the world No. 4, who won the Travelers Championship last month. Johnson started on the back nine Thursday and actually was 1 under through his first six holes. But his troubles began when he bogeyed No. 16 and hit his tee shot at the par-3 17th into the water on the way to a double bogey. “I just hit a poor shot on 17,” Johnson said. “I hit it a little heavy in the water, made 5 there.” The 18th was a disaster, though. A good drive on the curving, dogleg-right par 5 left him 208 yards from the flag – a “perfect” 6-iron, Johnson later said – but that went into the water. So did two more balls, and suddenly he was signing for a quadruple bogey. “Hit it right at it and never once did I think it was going to go in the water,” Johnson said. “That never crossed my mind when it was in the air. Just went in the water and I hit two more shots in the water, then I hit a good one, made a tap-in for a 9.” Johnson made two more bogeys on the front nine before sinking a 19-foot birdie putt on No. 9 to finish off his round. Johnson placed the blame for his recent spate of poor play on his iron game. He hit 9 of 14 fairways on Thursday but just 13 of 18 greens in regulation. “I feel like I’m driving it well, but the iron play, first six or seven holes hit it close and then the rest of the day kind of struggled a little bit with iron play,” Johnson said. “Kind of the same last week, I just struggled with my iron play and makes it difficult.” At Muirfield Village, Johnson was similarly beset by big numbers. He had two doubles and three triples, along with nine bogeys, in two rounds at the Memorial.

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Our guys take very different directions for the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba, but both have merit because of the construct and quality of the field. Pick your poison. So as not to generate confusion, only their TOURNAMENT picks as presented on the interface at the time they filed are provided below. Like you, they are unaware of which bets will be offered in ROUND 1 and beyond. Register for PGA TOUR Pick ‘Em Live here and monitor Rob’s and Glass’ progress as Influencers. For a broader explanation of the format and FAQs, click here. TOURNAMENT TO WIN Rob … Brendon Todd (+4000) When a favorite wins, I’ve been left behind. This happened (again) last week in Bermuda where had I opened with Seamus Power at +2000 like the majority (I got him at just +185 late on Sunday), I’d have finished inside the top 10 overall. So, perhaps the final piece of this puzzle is to stop reaching because we can and compromise with a pick more likely to convert. The field at Mayakoba is considerably deeper than the one that Power – I’m going for it, you know me – overpowered, so there’s a greater likelihood that a similarly strong week with 3-balls – and 2-balls if offered – won’t require the favorite to fare better. Yet, I’m tickled by the value of this kickback for the 2019 champion of the tournament. He’s added a T8 and a T11 since, and his scoring average in his last dozen rounds around the place is sub-67. So, I’ll start here, but I plan to finish here, too. Glass … Danny Lee (+20000) Saddling up a HORSE FOR COURSE on one of his favorite venues. Recent form suggests 200-1 is just about right, but the light goes on when he lands at Mayakoba. Start on the fringes and work your way back to the chalk as the event moves forward. TOP USA PLAYER Glass … Aaron Wise (+1800) Going a bit more conservative here as I don’t have time all weekend to wait for windows to open or close. Wise has gone close here before and he’s teeing it up for the seventh time. He’s won a shootout before (Trinity Forest) where 23-under was required to win. T6 last time out at Congaree. Should have the flight plan for takeoff. Rob … Brendon Todd (+2500) Sure, I could hedge, but doubling down on my outright is more fun. Despite this mild kickback, 10 other Yanks open with shorter odds. So, because the board is relatively flat, those who win the direct deposit likely will have connected with this prop. Remember, only the outright stays open during competition. If this bet opens, it would be late in the evening and during the overnight hours in North America. TOP 10 Glass … David Lipsky (+1000) Two top 10s in 2022, both on paspalum. One was at Vidanta, a Greg Norman design just like El Camaleón. The other was at Corales. Sweet spot at age 34. Here’s where the gambling begins as we need to be on our toes to catch the window as the event rolls on. If necessary, of course. Rob … Brendon Todd (+400) It’s not customary to bury a link to my Power Rankings this deep on the page on which I’ve endorsed Todd throughout, but it’s most relevant to direct you to it here. Why? Well, he’s No. 8 in it and I’m more likely to stick with this bet than I am Top USA Player if that unlocks. NOTE: While Glass and Rob typically stick with their selections as detailed in Pick ‘Em Preview, they are allowed the right to make changes at any time. 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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His sisters might have been the first to know. Sungjae Im was 4 when his family moved from Cheongju, the historic city smack in the middle of South Korea, to golf-mad Jeju Island. That was when he first followed his mother to the golf course and got his first club, and soon he was tagging along to the course with his sisters. Right away they saw his potential; the boy hit it straight and rarely suffered a bad shot. A few years later, Brian Vranesh was among the first to know in the States. Vranesh had played on both the PGA TOUR (T8, 2009 Buick Open) and the Web.com Tour (playoff loss, 1999 Chitimacha Louisiana Open), so he’d seen great golf. He saw it again when he first caddied for Im at the Web.com Tour Qualifying Tournament, Final Stage, at the end of 2017. “His ball doesn’t move much,â€� Vranesh said of Im, who led the Web.com money list wire-to-wire and is the most highly touted PGA TOUR rookie this season. “He hits it far enough with the driver. He’s one of the best putters I’ve ever seen. And he hits his irons really high, so on firm greens, which the majority of them are out here compared to the Web, he’s going to be fine.â€� He could be better than that. Everyone may soon know of the prodigious talent that is Im, 20, maybe as early as this week as the TOUR moves to Jeju Island for THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES, his boyhood course. Korea got its first marquee male player in K.J. Choi, who won THE PLAYERS Championship in 2011, and its first potential superstar in Si Woo Kim, who dominated at THE PLAYERS in 2017. Now brace yourself for Im, a big-bodied, cool-headed young pro who played junior golf (and shares a manager) with Si Woo Kim. Ernie Els, the International Team Captain for the 2019 Presidents Cup, is taking notice. “The kid is for real,” Els said Tuesday during a pre-tournament news conference. “He’s only 20 years old and he’s got a really unbelievable future ahead of him.” The immediate future, specifically the next few days on his home course, certainly could be unbelievable — especially if he can deliver a win to his home fans. “He’s going to bring a lot of popularity to the event this week,” Els said. So good, so young It was hard to miss the resemblance as Im tied for fourth at the season-opening Safeway Open two weeks ago, coming up just one shot shy of the Kevin Tway/Ryan Moore/Brandt Snedeker playoff that Tway eventually won. Im, with his deliberate takeaway, swings a bit like Hideki Matsuyama. “I never had any intentions of following his swing,â€� Im said of the Japanese star, through an interpreter. “But I like the fact that he plays to his own rhythm. I wanted to find my own unique swing rhythm as well, and people have been telling me that my swing resembles his.â€� Im actually is a bigger fan of Adam Scott and Tiger Woods, the latter of whom he took cell phone video at the PGA. (Having cracked the top 100 in the world, Im got a special invite and finished T42.) Somehow, though, Im has maintained his sense of wonder without the awe. “He’s got no fear,â€� Vranesh said. Prodigies often don’t. Im got his first coach at 7; was enrolled at a Korean golf academy by 12; and turned pro at 17. He ironed out the kinks on the Japan Golf Tour, among other places, and, traveling with his manager and parents, left little doubt as to his prowess on the Web.com Tour last season. Im won in his first Web.com Tour start before going on to produce 54 rounds in the 60s and 397 birdies, both tour records in 2017-18. He won again at the end of the regular season and also had three runner-up finishes and three other top-10s. He was the first Korean-born player to end the season as the leading money-winner and No. 1 in the final priority-ranking order. “He’s got the full package,â€� fellow Web.com Tour graduate Kramer Hickock said at the end of last season. “He’s got the mentality and the game of a 30-year-old.â€� That would make Im a decade wiser than his years, and more remarkable still was his T4 right out of the gate at the Safeway. So much for rookie nerves. “I didn’t know he was 20,â€� Tway said. “When I was 20, I don’t know what I was doing; playing college golf and drinking beer at J.R. Murphy’s in Stillwater. “His game was great,â€� Tway added. “He’s going to have a nice career, for sure. It didn’t look like anything phased him and he hit the ball well, putted well, so I think he’ll win soon, for sure.â€� If history is any indication, that’s a safe bet. “The atmosphere and environment of these tournaments have been amazing,â€� Im said through his interpreter/manager, Rambert Sim, at the Safeway. “Ever since I was a little kid, my dream has been to compete on the PGA TOUR, so I’m happy to have accomplished that goal.â€� Home cooking As the pride of Jeju Island, Im, whose parents travel with him and help with logistics (he doesn’t have his driver’s license) is sure to get copious attention at THE CJ CUP. Golf-wise, he said, the goal is a top-10 finish. That seems modest, but less so when you consider he’ll be focused not just on his game but also on Jeju having a great week. He hopes the field gets to experience the island’s signature winds, and plans to order his favorite dish, Jeju Black Pig. More broadly speaking, he dreams of becoming the first Korean to win the Masters. He could be a vital cog for the International Captain Ernie Els’ Presidents Cup team next year at Royal Melbourne. Nothing is off-limits except for maybe a No. 4 golf ball, as the number is said to be unlucky in South Korea. As Im once told the Portland (Oregon) Tribune: “In South Korea, the No. 4 represents death, so I try to avoid it for obvious reasons. That number doesn’t give me good vibes. Most South Koreans don’t like that number in general. Even in elevators, the fourth floor is represented with the letter ‘F’ instead of the No 4. It’s a common theme for most Korean golfers to never use a No. 4 golf ball.â€� After THE CJ CUP, the Asian Swing will end with next week’s World Golf Championship-HSBC Champions in Shanghai, after which Im will come back to the U.S. for the remainder of the fall schedule. It’s a lot of golf after a Web.com Tour season in which he played nearly every week. In fact, Im played 18 weeks during a 19-week stretch this season, and this comes after a 2017 campaign in which he made 14 starts in a 15-week stretch in the second half of the year. But why not? Im is young and embracing all the world has to offer. “I’ve definitely matured these last few years on the road,â€� he told the Tribune. And now that he has his TOUR card, there are a lot of FedExCup points at stake. Plus: room service. Lacking a U.S. base, Im and his parents live in hotels. He says he loves that someone makes his bed, among the other perks of hotel living, and is no hurry to buy a house. They look for Korean restaurants on the road, often finding them when tournaments take them to the bigger cities. “It’s been about eight months since I’ve been back in Korea,â€� Im said at the Safeway, about an hour north of San Francisco, “so I’m incredibly excited to go back.â€� Whatever his results this week, Im will return to Jeju after the fall season to rest up for 2019. The plan is to work on his driving; he hopes to get his license. Assuming he does, he may soon find himself traveling portions of the TOUR in a Porsche Cayenne, his car of choice. That seems about right. It’s all happening pretty fast for Sungjae Im, for whom life is an open road. THE SUNGJAE IM FILE BULLET POINTS • Recorded eight top-10s in 25 starts during the 2018 Web.com Tour season, highlighted by three runner-up finishes and two victories (The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic at Sandals Bay and WinCo Foods Portland Open presented by Kraft-Heinz). • Became the first player since 1990 to win the first and last event of the Web.com Tour’s Regular Season. • Earned his TOUR card for the 2018-19 season by finishing No. 1 on the Web.com Tour’s Regular season and became the first player in Web.com Tour history to go wire-to-wire atop the money list for the entire season (27 weeks). • At 20 years old, Im is the youngest member among the 21 rookies in the 2018-19 TOUR season. • Competed in two major championships in the 2017-18 season. He missed the cut in the 2018 U.S. Open, but produced the best result out of any Korean in the field at the PGA Championship, finishing T42. • In his first TOUR start as a full member, played his way into the final group on Sunday at the Safeway Open and finished T4, the best finish among the 21 rookies in the field. BY THE NUMBERS 19 days, 9 months, 7 days — Age when he won the Bahamas Great Exuma Classic, becoming the second youngest to win on the Web.com TOUR (Jason Day won the 2007 Legend Financial Group Classic at 19 years, 7 months, 26 days). 54 — Number of rounds in the 60s, the most of any player during the 2018 Web.com TOUR season. 397 — Total number of birdies, the most of any player in a single Web.com TOUR season since 2011. 68.00 — Final-round scoring verage, the lowest of any player during the 2018 Web.com TOUR season. $553,800 — Total earnings in 2018, the fourth most by any Web.com TOUR player in a single season. For more on Sungjae Im, click here for his player page.

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