The 21-year-old shot a 4-under 66 in the final round to hold off multiple challengers en route to his first career PGA Tour victory at the Honda Classic.
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Greetings, gang! As always, it’s an absolute pleasure to welcome you to the next installment of the PGA TOUR – the 2022-23 edition. This begins my 14th season in this chair. Thank you for your loyalty and for your community. I’m sincere in conveying that it means everything to me. Peace and love. By now you know that this is the last wraparound season before the TOUR resets for 2024. What transpires in the fall of 2023 is TBD, but however you experienced the most recent offseason won’t be replicated. RELATED: Horses for Courses, Statistically Speaking This will include a return to a natural launch of my full-membership fantasy ranking late in the calendar year. This season’s edition published last week, so if you haven’t dived in, please consider doing so. It includes ages, salaries (and bargains where noted), membership status and a comment for all 214 golfers. There’s also a printable Cheat Sheet for draft leagues. The opening page reviews the changes relevant to fantasy and much more. As explained, the entire project is a guide and it’s evergreen. Bookmark it. I’d ask for you to share with others, but that would mean that you think that it won’t give the edge that will assist in your quest for a league title. S’OK, I’m used to it! PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf also launches this week. The overall format essentially is the same – four Segments; league play; prizing for each and the overall season – but there’s one significant change in scoring: Every par will be worth one point. When the scoring system was modified for 2021-22, pars were zero to align with Modified Stableford scoring. Refer to Rules for more. Obviously, fantasy scoring now will rise. With it, the value of making cuts reemerges as a priority. (Veteran gamers of PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf are familiar with previous iterations that rewarded cuts made.) Segment 1 always is a soft open due to the construct of the fields, so you won’t have to concern yourself with rationing starts for pretty much anyone. However, building a foundation of golfers you believe have a greater chance of cashing is going to be the proper swing thought to separate from your opponents. Roster up, not down. The other significant news is that the stand-alone fantasy app soon will be discontinuing. It’s still active for Fortinet, but at some point, mobile users will need to enter the PGA TOUR app to access PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf. It also will remain accessible via mobile browsing. It’s always parked on the FANTASY page of the desktop website and accessible directly via FantasyGolf.PGATOUR.com. Let’s go! POWER RANKINGS WILD CARD Hideki Matsuyama (-145 for a Top 20) … Injuries to his left wrist and neck interrupted playing time in July and August, but he walked off the 2021-22 season with a T11 at East Lake where he opened as the 17-seed. That’s enough of a reason to worry about extended health, but it’s a great sign that he’s committed to the Fortinet where he finished T6 a year ago. At the same time, it’s also (and maybe even more so) a test of his physical health in advance of next week’s Presidents Cup. If you’re feeling frisky, stow him on your bench in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf because the variables of his current snapshot present more reason to abstain. DRAWS Davis Riley (+140 for a Top 20) … Although he has a phenomenal rookie season, the best part is that inexperience is replaced with knowledge. This goes for everyone, but we always assume that guys value what they’ve learned and they don’t just show up and rely entirely on talent, even for a player like this who profiles well just about everywhere. That can pay off at times, but it’d be stressful to attempt to sustain that approach for a very high percentage. Of course, he presents none of that concern, but the test begins now. He missed the cut in his debut at Silverado last year, which means that he had two rounds under his belt. Roll Tide. Chez Reavie (+250 for a Top 20) … He’s the most recent winner of a PGA TOUR event nearest Napa, and the Barracuda champion has a perfect record at Silverado. He’s 8-for-8 with a T3 highlighting three top 25s. What more needs to be said about who and what this place rewards? Veteran ball-striker!! J.J. Spaun (+250 for a Top 20) … Hung up a T9 here two years ago and he reconnected with some form late last season. For a guy who keeps the ball in the best places to find it, he’s a brilliant option in DFS. Cam Davis Matt Kuchar Troy Merritt Patrick Rodgers Brendon Todd Odds sourced on Tuesday, September 13th at 7 p.m. ET. For live odds visit betmgm FADES Stewart Cink … No conflict this year. The 2020 champ sat out his title defense so that he could attend his son’s wedding. He’s moved on since that career second wind but there’s still room for the 49-year-old deep in full-season rosters. Faith is down considerably, however. A top 25 is a genuine bonus now. Cameron Champ … So badly want to leave the doubt in the past, but there’s been no consistency for the 2019 Fortinet winner. Whether his wrist still is an issue or perhaps bad habits triggered by it have complicated matters, he’s not playing up to the projections. Webb Simpson … In any other sport (and hopefully again on the PGA TOUR come 2024), the offseason would allow for time to recover from injury and separate competitively. Even though optimists can cite a reset for all to zero FedExCup points, body and soul can’t be fooled into thinking that a true break has occurred. This is to say that his slump is more likely to continue than end despite the new chapter. Save a couple of glints of form in the last six months, the 37-year-old has done nothing to convince us that he’s overcome whatever lingered after returning from sitting out two months to rest for a herniated disc in his neck. Denny McCarthy … Sometimes, fit trumps form, even when a guy has rewarded us as often as he has. Fact is, Silverado exposes his weakness on approach, so he’s putting to save pars more than for par breakers, and that’s led to four missed cuts in as many tries. He’s broken par just twice in eight rounds. Gary Woodland … Making his debut at Silverado. Concluded last season by going MC-MC-T51, thereby extending his trend of trading forgettable weeks with thrilling performances. Alex Noren … Also a debutant at Silverado, but he was recently bothered by a sore neck. It knocked him out of the FedEx St. Jude, and then he finished T52 at the limited-field BMW. Joel Dahmen Jason Day Harris English Rickie Fowler Danny Willett RETURNING TO COMPETITION John Huh … A lower back injury forced him to walk off TPC Southwind a month ago. He was a co-runner-up the week prior at Sedgefield, but don’t lean into that hope. His history at Silverado is dreadful. He’s cashed only once in seven tries (T35, 2016). Nate Lashley … Opted not to give it a go in the Playoffs due to an ongoing issue with a toe. He can be a dynamic performer, so that slots him best in DFS and in deeper long-term formats. His track record at Silverado is a microcosm of his profile, too. Both of his paydays in five starts are top 20s. Finished T16 a year ago. Scott Piercy … After qualifying for the Playoffs with a late surge, he withdrew during the second round of the FedEx St. Jude with a sore back. That was a month ago, so the loyalist at Silverado is positioned to hit the ground running, or at least jogging. Since 2016, he’s 4-for-6 with a trio of top 20s, including a T11 last year. Brandt Snedeker … Hasn’t pegged it in earnest since missing the cut at the Deere more than two months ago. An explanation for his absence hasn’t been released, but he didn’t carry significant fantasy value, anyway. However, he could be worth a flier in salary games this season. He opens on a Minor Medical Extension for which he has five starts to earn 148.084 FedExCup points and a promotion to the Major Medical category. If he falls short, he will burn a career earnings exemption, so while the results haven’t been terribly helpful in a while, he’s in position to yield ~25 starts. And hey, maybe he finds the fountain of youth at Silverado. It was just four years ago when he lost in a playoff. He placed T17 in his last trip the following year. That he’s ready to get back after it immediately is a green light. NOTABLE WDs Dean Burmester … Hey, someone has to be the first out, and no one ever can take it away from him. While he’s a Korn Ferry Tour Finals grad, don’t be surprised if he follows a similar path of fellow South African, Christiaan Bezuidenhout, who was a KFT grad last season and did just fine. Burmester is 67th in the Official World Golf Ranking, so he’s poised to earn opportunities that most of his fellow grads won’t. Stick with him long-term and you should be rewarded for your understanding and patience. RECAP – TOUR Championship POWER RANKINGS Power Ranking Golfer Result 1 Patrick Cantlay T7 2 Scottie Scheffler T2 3 Xander Schauffele 4th 4 Jon Rahm T15 5 Rory McIlroy Win 6 Justin Thomas T5 7 Sungjae Im T2 8 Sam Burns 24th 9 Matt Fitzpatrick T15 10 Will Zalatoris DNP 11 Cameron Smith 20th 12 Tony Finau 9th 13 Jordan Spieth T13 14 Joaquin Niemann T11 15 Adam Scott 25th 16 Scott Stallings 29th 17 Max Homa T5 18 Corey Conners 26th 19 Brian Harman T21 20 Aaron Wise T13 21 Billy Horschel T21 22 Cameron Young 19th 23 Viktor Hovland T15 24 Sepp Straka T7 25 Collin Morikawa T21 26 J.T. Poston T15 27 Sahith Theegala 28th 28 K.H. Lee 27th 29 Tom Hoge 10th 30 Hideki Matsuyama T11 BIRTHDAYS AMONG ACTIVE MEMBERS OF THE PGA TOUR September 13 … none September 14 … Tony Finau (33); Emiliano Grillo (30) September 15 … none September 16 … none September 17 … Byeong Hun An (31); Seonghyeon Kim (24) September 18 … Viktor Hovland (25) September 19 … Ryan Palmer (46); Michael Gligic (33)
A golf caddie is usually there to help players, not hinder them. That was hardly the case for golfer Rhein Gibson playing in the final round of the Bahamas Great Abaco Classic on the Web.com tour. Th 31-year-old Australian was within one shot of a possible playoff on the par-5 18th hole when his temporary caddie, Brandon Davis, allegedly did the unspeakable — picked up Gibson’s ball while it was in play. After Gibson took a one-shot penalty and hit his approach shot within feet of the cup, he fired a head cover from his putter at Davis’ face. The one-shot penalty dropped Gibson to third place in the standings and cost him thousands. “It was just in the heat of the moment. I’m obviously playing
Justin Thomas grew up in Kentucky, went to college in Alabama and now lives in Florida, but Malaysia is where it all began for the reigning FedExCup champion. The CIMB Classic is where Thomas picked up his first PGA TOUR win. And his second. Now he’s trying to accomplish the rare three-peat on the PGA TOUR. “It would be an unbelievable achievement,â€� said Thomas, who chose a comfortable setting for the first start of his FedExCup defense. Thomas is 49-under par in eight rounds at TPC Kuala Lumpur, an average of 6.1-under par per round. His scoring average here is 65.9 and he set the course record with a second-round 61 in his 2015 victory. He’s under par in all eight rounds at the CIMB, including seven rounds of 68 or lower. The exception is a third-round 71 last year that taught him a valuable lesson. Thomas had cruised to a two-shot lead after the first two rounds of his title defense but struggled Saturday, playing the first 13 holes in 4 over par. He made birdie on the final five holes, though, to remain in contention. A final-round 64 gave him a three-shot win over Hideki Matsuyama. “The only reason that I won this golf tournament last year was because of my finish on Saturday,â€� Thomas said earlier this week. “If I birdie one of those last five, I’m eight back going into Sunday and I have no chance to win that tournament. … I was just patient and just kind of stayed in the moment and just tried to keep playing and pressing on. Those birdies were the reason I won.â€� Last year’s CIMB Classic was the first of his five wins last season. He preached patience after several of those victories, including the PGA Championship, where he also fought his swing during the third round but managed to keep himself in contention. Thomas admits that he’s tired as he tries to tear up TPC Kuala Lumpur for a third consecutive year. He clinched the FedExCup with a runner-up finish at the TOUR Championship, then went 3-0-1 in his Presidents Cup debut. Last week, he accepted the Jack Nicklaus Award (PGA TOUR Player of the Year) before flying to Asia. “I had all of four days to reflect on (the season),â€� Thomas said. In 2015, he set the tournament scoring record with a 26-under 262, rebounding from a double-bogey at the par-4 14th, where he chunked his approach shot into the water, with birdies on the next three holes. He finished one shot ahead of Adam Scott. Now Thomas will try to become the first player to three-peat since Steve Stricker at the John Deere Classic (2009-2011). Stricker was Thomas’ captain at this year’s Presidents Cup. Thomas’ caddie, Jimmy Johnson, was Stricker’s longtime. “I’m hoping that he is the reason for the three-peat and we can get some good vibes through him,â€� Thomas said. THREE PLAYERS TO PONDER 1. Justin Thomas: The FedExCup champion returns to the site of his first two TOUR victories. He’s 49-under par in eight rounds at TPC Kuala Lumpur with a scoring average of 65.9. 2. Brendan Steele: The Safeway Open champion and FedExCup leader finished third here in 2016. He has three consecutive top-30 finishes at this event (T25-T3-T26). 3. Gavin Green: The 23-year-old is Malaysia’s rising star. He has finished 2nd and 1st in his past two starts on the Asian Tour to lead that circuit’s money list. THE LANDING ZONE The 459-yard, par-4 13th is the toughest hole at TPC Kuala Lumpur, playing to a 4.163 scoring average last year. It was one of just six holes at TPC Kuala Lumpur with an over-par scoring average last year. The hole is uphill, and the elevated green is protected by three bunkers. It was the second-hardest green to hit last year, with only 57 percent of players reaching the putting surface in two shots. Fewer than half the field hit the green in last year’s final round. WEATHER CHECK Hot and humid conditions are forecast throughout the week, with highs around 90 degrees. Scattered showers and thunderstorms will likely develop each afternoon into the evening hours. Conditions should quiet down during the evenings as the temperature decreases. Slightly drier air will decrease the chance of thunderstorms over the weekend. Click here for the latest weather conditions from Kuala Lumpur. SOUND CHECK My dad’s half French, half German. My mom’s Taiwanese, grew up in Japan. It’s cool that golf has allowed me to start here in Malaysia, then Korea, then China. I’m just excited to start the year off kind of on a different foot. SHORT SHOTS 1. Justin Thomas finally revealed his goals for last season after winning the FedExCup. They were listed out in his Notes app on his iPhone. Xander Schauffele – after a rookie season that exceeded even his wildest expectations – was asked if he had created a similar list for the upcoming season. “I still have to come up with a sheet of goals. I was supposed to do it before I left to come here but I didn’t get that paper turned in to my team, so I’m slacking on that part,â€� said Schauffele, who finished third in the FedExCup after winning The Greenbrier Classic and TOUR Championship. He was the first rookie since the inception of the FedExCup to win the TOUR Championship, and was an easy pick for Rookie of the Year. “I think I’m going to try and do something kind of like what JT did, more of a stats approach to goals,â€� Schauffele said. “Obviously winning big tournaments and stuff like that is what we all want to do, but I think if I can kind of focus on small, nitty gritty things in my game, it will pay off.â€� 2. The top 10 players on the Asian Tour Order of Merit are exempt into this week’s field. Players from all around the globe qualified for the CIMB off of the Asian Tour. Here’s a look at the players who qualified behind Green, the local favorite: Scott Hend (Australia), David Lipsky (USA), SSP Chawrasia (India), Poom Saksansin (Thailand), Phachara Khongwatmai (Thailand), Jazz Janewattananond (Thailand), Prayad Marksaeng (Thailand), Juvic Pagunsan (Philippines), Richard T. Lee (Canada). 3. The International Team has SHOWN up for the first international event of the PGA TOUR season. Seven of the 10 members of the International Team from the recent Presidents Cup are in the field this week: Branden Grace, Charl Schwartzel, Emiliano Grillo, Adam Hadwin, Si Woo Kim, Anirban Lahiri and Jhonattan Vegas. Thomas is the lone player from the U.S. squad at TPC Kuala Lumpur.
