Steve Stricker shot a 6-under-par 64 Friday to set the 36-hole tournament scoring record while taking a two-stroke lead at the U.S. Senior Open Championship in Notre Dame, Ind. Stricker shot a bogey-free round at the Warren Golf Course on Friday after he tied the tournament record with a 62 on Thursday
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He started this FedEx Cup out in front, giving him the benefit of a few shots on the field at the Tour Championship. Even though Xander Schauffele has played better so far in this the FedEx Cup finale, it likely won’t matter.
The Fortinet Championship represents the launch of the 2021-22 season as the first of 47 scheduled events, but it’s so much more than that. The narrative of the brief break since the conclusions of the PGA TOUR and Korn Ferry Tour seasons takes a back seat to the opening of new chapters in the careers of the PGA TOUR’s newest membership class. It’s a moment in time dripping with metaphors. If you want something badly enough, you do whatever it takes. Time and pressure are required to form a diamond. And so on. And you know what, they all apply because it’s the manifestation of the commitment, effort and determination. Silverado Resort and Spa’s North Course is the familiar backdrop for the tournament. For details on the proper season-opening exam in Napa, California, how the eventual champion likely will be defined and more, continue reading beneath the ranking of projected contenders. RELATED: How the field qualified | The First Look POWER RANKINGS: FORTINET CHAMPIONSHIP Former winners Brendan Steele (2016, 2017), Cameron Champ (2019) and Emiliano Grillo (2015), and KFT Finals points leader Joseph Bramlett, will be among the notables reviewed in the Fantasy Insider. If you thought that the super season of 50 events on the PGA TOUR in 2020-21 was something – and it was – consider that the Korn Ferry Tour hosted 46 events in its combined season that started in January of 2020. Two KFT members played in all of them – Dawie van der Walt and Kevin Roy. Of the pair, only van der Walt secured his PGA TOUR card, and he needed the three-event Finals to do so. That means that 96 tournaments across two tours were required to help set the field of 156 possibilities at Silverado. It also means that, because momentum doesn’t care about what’s positioned in its path, there are several in-form rookies who are eager to make a splash. It happens to some degree every year. It even translated into victory for Emiliano Grillo in 2015 and after just two weeks after he prevailed at the last event of the KFT Finals. Silverado is a stock par 72 and it stretches to just 7,123 yards. It has hosted this tournament every year since 2014. While it’s always easier to strike approaches from the shortest grass, the premium is on hitting greens in regulation, but then it always is when a course is painted with red numbers. En route to his title and tournament-record 21-under 267 a year ago, Stewart Cink led the field in GIR. He also paced it in par-3 scoring (typical for him) and finished second in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green. That he also finished second in scrambling (10-for-11) was the difference between his two-stroke victory and, say, merely a top-five finish. The bottom line is that muscle isn’t a prerequisite and missed fairways often are forgiven. (Cink is not defending his title so that he can attend his son’s wedding). Last year’s field averaged 70.212, so the KFT grads will find Silverado to their liking given their familiarity with low scores on that circuit. Greens are heavily Poa annua but there’s an influence (or lack thereof) of bentgrass as they touch 11½ feet on the Stimpmeter, a customary distance on a resort course. Fairways are not overseeded and the primary rough is trimmed to three inches. Summertime heat eases for the season opener. After a warm lead-in, daytime highs are unlikely to reach 80 degrees. Wind could confuse at times but it won’t be gusty. Scorers still will pounce. There’s but a chance for light rain on the weekend. All in all, the greatest threat concerning the elements is morning fog that might require additional time to dissipate. In addition to exemptions into the 2022 editions of the Sentry Tournament of Champions, THE PLAYERS Championship, the Masters and the PGA Championship, the winner will secure fully exempt membership through the 2023-24 season. ROB BOLTON’S SCHEDULE PGATOUR.COM’s Fantasy Insider Rob Bolton recaps and previews every tournament from numerous angles. Look for his following contributions as scheduled. MONDAY: Power Rankings TUESDAY*: Sleepers; Fantasy Insider SUNDAY: Qualifiers, Reshuffle, Medical Extensions, Rookie Watch * – Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COM’s Expert Picks for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf, which also publishes on Tuesday.
As golfers all over the world continue their pursuit of exemptions into THE PLAYERS and the last three majors, those with shreds of PGA TOUR status are just happy that the second half of the season is here. Beginning with this week’s Valero Texas Open, all of the remaining opens through the Wyndham Championship will host the maximum 156 golfers. Both the Barbasol Championship and Barracuda Championship are additional events that reserve space for 132, but both fields always dip deep into the overall pecking order. So, most of the guys with as little as conditional status (Category 31 in the Priority Ranking) can expect upwards of 11 starts over the next four months. J.T. Poston (107th in the FedExCup standings) and Trey Mullinax (125th) headline this category, so they’ll remain motivated to play as often as possible. However, because none in their category is fully exempt, any can play as much as he wants on the Web.com Tour and chase a 2018-19 PGA TOUR card through that circuit. It’s a critical decision because golfers cannot combine FedExCup points or PGA TOUR earnings with Web.com Tour earnings to qualify even for the Web.com Tour Finals. Without a head start on either tour, it makes sense picking one path from here on out. The timing of that decision also is important right now since the North Mississippi Classic launches the months-long sprint to the Finals. The Web.com Tour has only two dark weeks until then. For those committed to the Valero, long hitters who hits greens in regulation should emerge as the common thread among contenders. This plays right into our hands as PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO gamers. Since distance off the tee is most valuable among the variety of attributes for fantasy scoring, go ahead and lean heavily on this skill set. Course history also carries weight at TPC San Antonio, so you shouldn’t have any issue in compiling a short list of candidates who check both boxes and for whom you won’t be worried about reserving starts in Segment 3. PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO My roster for the Valero Texas Open (in alphabetical order): Kevin Chappell Charley Hoffman Billy Horschel Matt Kuchar Luke List Brendan Steele You’ll find my starters in Expert Picks. Others to consider for each category (in alphabetical order): Scoring: Chesson Hadley; Zach Johnson; Luke List; Ryan Palmer; Pat Perez; Xander Schauffele Driving: Keegan Bradley; Martin Laird; Ryan Palmer; Pat Perez; Kevin Streelman Approach: Keegan Bradley; Chesson Hadley; Zach Johnson; Chris Kirk; Martin Lair; Nate Lashley; Ryan Palmer; Scott Piercy; Kevin Streelman Short: Chesson Hadley; Beau Hossler; Martin Laird; Pat Perez; Shawn Stefani; Daniel Summerhays Power Rankings Wild Card Jimmy Walker … The 2015 winner also has another three top 15s in the tournament, including a T13 last year, so he’s managed just fine amid any distractions of it being a home game. More impressively, he continues to work his way back from his health concerns with a 6-for-8 slate in 2018 that included a pair of top 20s. Put it all together and he’ll blend well in any roster. Draws Adam Scott … The winner of the inaugural edition at TPC San Antonio hasn’t appeared since finishing T23 in his title defense in 2011, but the higher value in ball-striking projects to present him as if he never left. Currently 21st on TOUR in greens hit and fifth in strokes gained: tee-to-green. Also recently connected top 20s at PGA National and Copperhead. Xander Schauffele … Going back to his win at the TOUR Championship, he’s gone 12 consecutive (stroke-play) starts with a score or par or better in an opening round. Slots eighth in first-round scoring average, so he’s unlocked the combination to merge patience with aggression. To wit, since missing the cut in his debut at TPC San Antonio last year, he’s missed only three cuts. Probably best known for his putting, he ranks a seriously impressive eighth in distance of all drives, so there are numerous angles from which the 2016-17 Rookie of the Year can attack and excel. Zach Johnson … Strides in having survived 13 consecutive cuts thanks to a balanced skill set that’s avoided his known pitfall of sketchy putting. Ranks third in proximity to the hole and inside the top 30 in par-3, par-4 and par-5 scoring averages. The winner of the last two editions of the tournament at LaCantera (2008, 2009) is 3-for-5 at TPC San Antonio with top 20s in 2014 and 2015. Kevin Streelman … Easily could have boxed out for a spot in the Power Rankings, so do not hesitate to employ. He’s perfect in four trips to TPC San Antonio and fresh off a T7 at Harbour Town where no one went lower than his 7-under 135 on the weekend. Sits second in ball-striking, fourth in scrambling and first in bogey avoidance. Aaron Baddeley … Perfect in his last six starts and 6-for-6 at TPC San Antonio with two top fives and another two top 20s. His touch around and on greens is so strong that his inefficiency tee-to-green hasn’t been an obstacle here. A DFSer’s delight. Keegan Bradley (SERVPRO) Bill Haas (SERVPRO) Martin Laird (all) Jamie Lovemark (DFS) Trey Mullinax (all) Grayson Murray (DFS) Chris Paisley (DFS) Scott Piercy (all) Jhonattan Vegas (DFS) Fades Kevin Tway … Tied for third here last year, but he’s gone 21 consecutive starts without a top 25 upon in advance of his return. Perhaps TPC San Antonio is what he needs to turn it around, but use him sparingly if you can’t resist. William McGirt … This is relative. He’s a known horse for courses, and even though he’s 5-for-6 at TPC San Antonio, he still hasn’t hung up a top-30 finish and has yet to break 70 in 22 rounds. He tends to play harder courses better, too, but his below-average distance off the tee is a disadvantage. Danny Lee … For the savvy who believe that the third time is the charm, he’s a contrarian investment, but in the vacuum, he belongs here. Sat a respective T23 and T9 after 54 holes of the Houston Open and RBC Heritage, but finished T64 and T55 with big numbers in the finales. Just 1-for-4 at TPC San Antonio with a T63 in 2012. So, consider this a tip to keep an eye on him if you’re not already. Julian Suri … Authored a T8 at the Houston Open with a balanced approach, so he’s getting comfortable at this level. Still, as a shiny, new toy for DFSers, the gloss can suggest that he’s more valuable than stalwarts with teeth on which you should rely. Dylan Frittelli … The University of Texas product performed below expectations in Houston where he projected to contribute across the board. With no better than a T32 at the RBC Heritage in his last five starts, the end-loaded solo 11th at The Honda Classic appears as an anomaly as he endures the learning curve as a non-member of PGA TOUR competition. Jim Furyk J.B. Holmes Martin Kaymer Russell Knox Jason Kokrak Graeme McDowell Sean O’Hair Shubhankar Sharma Returning to Competition John Peterson … Wisely rationing his last five starts on a Major Medical Extension, he withdrew early from The Honda Classic due to an issue in his neck. So, this marks his first competition since the Waste Management Phoenix Open two-and-a-half months ago. Finished T11 at TPC San Antonio in 2015, but hasn’t cracked a top 35 on the PGA TOUR in over a year. Will Claxton … If you’re new to fantasy in the last few years, the likelihood is high that you’ve never heard of him. The 36-year-old is an Auburn product. After finishing inside the top 125 in the FedExCup standings as a rookie in 2012, he stumbled as a sophomore in 2013. He was then one of the first graduates of the Web.com Tour Finals in 2013. After going 4-for-8 to open 2013-14, he shut it down and had surgery on his left hip and hasn’t competed anywhere since. He’s been armed with 12 starts on a medical extension in the Web.com graduate reshuffle and now takes a step at returning. His commitment to the North Mississippi Classic will count as his first rehab start. Notable WDs Francesco Molinari … Didn’t hesitate to inform his followers on Twitter that he’s resting a sore shoulder and hopes to return to competition at the Wells Fargo Championship on May 3-6. He’s 106th in the FedExCup standings. Luke Donald … One of the inspirations to lifting him to No. 3 in the Power Rankings for the RBC Heritage, despite poor form, was that he’s remained busy. Alas, when he later held his press conference, he admitted that discomfort in his lower back has prevented him from competing more often. The issue, which he estimated to have been ongoing for a “couple of months,” thwarted an appearance at the Houston Open two weeks prior. He missed the cut at Harbour Town by only one stroke, and it stung that he whiffed on a birdie from inside five feet on his 36th hole, but the experience shouldn’t discourage us from considering the Englishman again in that tournament that he’s all but owned in the last decade. Camilo Villegas … Withdrew early from last week’s RBC Heritage as well. The 36-year-old from Colombia is 162nd in the FedExCup standings. The good news is that he and his wife revealed on April 1 that the couple is expecting its first child in several months. Power Rankings Recap – RBC Heritage Power Ranking Golfer Result 1 Brian Harman T23 2 Kevin Kisner T7 3 Luke Donald MC 4 Dustin Johnson T16 5 Matt Kuchar T23 6 Webb Simpson T5 7 Paul Casey MC 8 Cameron Smith T32 9 Charley Hoffman T23 10 Russell Knox T40 11 Marc Leishman MC 12 Adam Hadwin WD 13 Zach Johnson T42 14 Ian Poulter T7 15 William McGirt T70 Wild Card Xander Schauffele T32 Sleepers Recap – RBC Heritage Power Ranking Golfer Result Harris English T32 Chesson Hadley T7 Andrew Landry T42 Steve Marino MC Nick Watney T32 Birthdays among active golfers on the PGA TOUR April 17 … Nick Taylor (30) April 18 … John Peterson (29) April 19 … Matt Jones (38) April 20 … John Senden (47) April 21 … none April 22 … Eric Axley (44) April 23 … none
