Straka falters, then regains lead at windy Pebble

Tiger Woods takes a 54-hole lead into a Sunday for the first time since his last victory in 2013 at the Bridgestone Invitational. Will he end the drought?

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Chan Kim ... The most recent winner on the Japan Golf Tour rose to second in its Order of Merit with the season-ending victory at the Golf Nippon Series JT Cup in December. It was his fifth title on the circuit. He already was in terrific form leading up to it with a trio of top-five finishes in Japan. Overall, he paced the JGTO in scoring average and ranked T2 in greens in regulation and converting GIR into par breakers. The 30-year-old was born in South Korea but he was raised in Hawaii and went to high school near Phoenix before playing collegiately at Arizona State University. So, he represents America abroad. Currently 88th in the Official World Golf Ranking. Daniel van Tonder ... You can't ask for anything more than beating the competition directly in front of you. That's what the 29-year-old from South African did four times in a 10-week period on his native Sunshine Tour late in 2020. He'd finish second on the circuit's Order of Merit to qualify for the WGC-Workday. Expanding the perspective that includes the quad-Ws, in a 12-start stretch that spanned seasons and a global shutdown, he recorded 11 top 10s. Rasmus Højgaard ... The sweet-swingin' Dane was born on van Tonder's 10th birthday, so he won't turn 20 until March 12, but he's already a two-time winner on the European Tour. Højgaard also has opened 2021 with a surge. After a T25 in Abu Dhabi, he finished T9 in Dubai and T6 in Saudi Arabia. With that form in tow as he sizes up The Concession in his World Golf Championships debut, his go-to asset of power off the tee and precision on approach projects success since very few have even a semblance of a working knowledge of the greens. Thomas Detry ... Here's another WGC first-timer from Europe, but the 28-year-old Belgian already has a record of first-hand experience at The Concession. It was here in the 2015 NCAA Men's Championship when he placed T3 representing the University of Illinois. Nowadays, he's 90th in the Official World Golf Ranking thanks most recently to a pair of runner-up finishes on the European Tour in 2020. (Coincidentally, Sam Horsfield prevailed in both.) Detry finished 18th in the Race to Dubai to qualify for this tournament. Also ranked sixth in scoring average last season. Laurie Canter ... Snuck inside the top 20 of the 2020 Race to Dubai at 19th to qualify for his first World Golf Championship. Three tournaments into the 2021 European Tour season, he's 15th in the R2D with a T4 in Dubai and a T21 in Saudi Arabia. In his last dozen starts in the circuit, he's risen for a pair of runner-up finishes among five top fives. It's rarefied air for the 31-year-old from England since he hadn't cracked the top 150 in the R2D in three prior full seasons. With 10 rounds contributing, he ranks sixth in greens hit on his home circuit. NOTE: Sleeper is a relative term, so Rob uses unofficial criteria to determine who qualifies. Each of the following usually is determined to be ineligible for this weekly staple: Winners of the tournament on the current host course; winners in the same season; recent major champions; top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking; recent participants of team competitions. Odds will be updated on Tuesday, Feb. 23 at 10:30 a.m. ET. For live odds visit betmgm. Visit BetMGM.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ years of age or older to wager. CO, IA, IN,MI, NJ, NV,PA, TN, VA or WV only. Excludes Michigan Disassociated Persons. Please Gamble Responsibly. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-522-4700 (CO, NV, VA), 1-800-270-7117 for confidential help (MI), 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ, PA & WV), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), Call or Text the Tennessee REDLINE: 800-889-9789 (TN), or call 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN).

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Here we go. The last 30 players remain and the winner takes the $15 million FedExCup. Of course, some have a better chance than others as we see the staggered start in affect for the first time ever at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta. As is the first year in anything, this season will be a bit of a mystery, but it all adds to the excitement. Will the man who starts on top hold on to his advantage? Can someone actually make up 10 shots over four rounds? It’s going to be a hell of a ride to find out. FIELD NOTES: With the top 30 eligible there are still a few positions set to be confirmed as the weekend at the BMW Championship plays out… But plenty of big names have already secured passage… Expect to see Brooks Koepka, the only three-time winner this season, in a prime spot… Reigning FedExCup champion Justin Rose will also make a start… Some other former FedExCup champions in Justin Thomas and Rory McIlroy are locks… Can Dustin Johnson or Patrick Reed add a FedExCup to their resume? … One guy who isn’t a lock is defending TOUR Championship winner Tiger Woods. He needs a huge weekend at the BMW Championship to make it. FEDEXCUP: Winner receives the FedExCup and $15 million. The FedExCup leader heading to the TOUR Championship will start at 10 under, second place at 8 under, third 7 under, fourth 6 under with fifth at 5 under. Players ranked 6-10 will start at 4 under, 11-15 at 3 under, 16-20 at 2 under, 21-25 at 1 under and 26-30 at even par. Using this staggered leaderboard, the person at the top after 72 holes wins. STORYLINES: How will the first TOUR Championship with a staggered start play out? Will the front runner hold sway? Will someone from a long way back win it all? Will it take regulation to decide it or will we get a $15 million playoff? Can someone join Tiger Woods as a multiple FedExCup champion? Will we get a Bill Haas shot out of the water or a Rory McIlroy hole-out eagle on the way to crowning a champion? So much is ahead of us. COURSE: East Lake Golf Club, 7,385 yards, par 70. Originally designed by Tom Bendelow in 1908 before being overhauled by Donald Ross soon after. The original home of the Atlanta Athletic Club it was here where Bobby Jones honed his craft as a youngster. In 1994, Rees Jones, son of the famed golf course architect Robert Trent Jones, restored Donald Ross’s original design after decades of decay. The first TOUR Championship came in 1998 before it became a permanent home in 2004. For those visiting the Atlanta area, must-play courses include Bear’s Best Atlanta (Suwanee, Ga.), the Fazio Course at Barnsley Resort (Adairsville, Ga.) and Heritage Golf Links (Tucker, Ga.). Explore your options at TeeOff.com. 72-HOLE RECORD: 257, Tiger Woods (2007). 18-HOLE RECORD: 60, Zach Johnson (3rd round, 2007). LAST YEAR: We witnessed one of the truly great sporting moments. Having not won in over five years and coming off four back surgeries, the last a spinal fusion, Tiger Woods found his way to the top at East Lake. Paired with Rory McIlroy in the final round, Woods dismantled his younger counterpart and by the time he came to the 18th hole victory was assured. As such, the large crowd broke protocol, bursting through the ropes to mob Woods as he walked towards the final green. Swarms of fans flocked to any vantage point they could find as Woods put the finishing touches on his 80th PGA TOUR win. Earlier, Justin Rose successfully negotiated the same green in the two putts needed to secure the FedExCup and the then $10million bonus. HOW TO FOLLOW TELEVISION: Thursday-Friday, 1-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday, 1-2:30 p.m. (GC), 2:30-7 p.m. (NBC). Sunday, 12-1:30 p.m. (GC), 1:30-6 p.m. (NBC). PGA TOUR LIVE: Thursday-Friday, 10:30 a.m. – 6 p.m. (featured groups). Saturday, 12:15-7 p.m. Sunday, 11:15 a.m.-6 p.m. RADIO: Thursday-Friday, noon-6 p.m.; Saturday, 2-7 p.m., Sunday, 1-6 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com).

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