The American Express, Round 3: Leaderboard, tee times, TV times

Click here to read the full article…

GUYANCOURT, France – Since winning the TOUR Championship on Sunday, Tiger Woods has been a little busy. The usual obligations that come with winning a PGA TOUR event were heightened by the hysteria following his first victory in five seasons. Then he met up with his American teammates before they jumped on a plane for Paris. Rest, training, more team camaraderie, then a Tuesday morning practice round to get acquainted with this week’s Ryder Cup venue. Oh, and there were also the congratulatory text messages. Lots of them. He’s trying to respond but more than 150 remain on his phone. So, no, he hasn’t had time to assess the fallout from his victory at East Lake, including the Sunday TV ratings. “Are they good?â€� Tiger asked Tuesday. Uh, yes, Tiger. They’re good. The NBC Sports Group reported that Sunday’s telecast was the highest-rated in the history of the FedExCup Playoffs and the highest-rated on TOUR in 2018 (majors excluded). “An unforgettable event in golf,â€� said Mike McCarley, the network’s president of golf. Tiger, though, simply hasn’t had time to process unforgettable. Less than 48 hours after completing a year-long comeback from career-threatening back surgeries, Woods has turned his attention to beating the Europeans on their home turf for the first time in 25 years. Not until next week will he have a chance to reflect on the improbable climb back into the winner’s circle. “I saw a couple of [videos] on some French news channel [of] the people rushing behind me, but I haven’t sat down and watched it yet,â€� Woods said. “I still have this event to do. “Post-Ryder Cup, it will be a different story. I will look back and soak it up and really reflect on what really transpired that entire week.â€� Tiger’s prep work began in earnest on Tuesday as part of a practice foursome with Bryson DeChambeau, Phil Mickelson and Patrick Reed. Woods and DeChambeau have publicly spoke about a partnership once play begins on Friday, but neither they, nor U.S. Captain Jim Furyk, would confirm any such plans. “It would be awesome to play with him,â€� said DeChambeau, playing in his first U.S. team event since the 2015 Walker Cup. “Is it going to happen? We’re still working on it. We’re still trying to figure out who is going to best fit with each other – not me personally but for everyone that’s going out that day.â€� Even Mickelson was asked how he would respond should Furyk lean toward putting together his two most decorated veterans. “I think we would both welcome it,â€� he said. And does he think it will happen? “I do have an idea of what Captain Furyk is thinking,â€� Mickelson said, ending his response there. While there could be competition to partner with Woods this week, his track record at the Ryder Cup is not exactly up to his standards. He has a career 13-17-3 mark in seven previous appearances, and is 4-8-1 in Foursomes, which will be played in the two afternoon sessions on Friday and Saturday. Plus, he’s only played on one winning U.S. team – 19 years ago when the Americans rallied to win at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts. Woods did not play in 2008 due to reconstructive knee surgery that summer, and two years ago at Hazeltine, he was sidelined with the back issues but was part of the team as a vice-captain. “We haven’t done well,â€� Woods said. “… My overall Ryder Cup record, not having won as a player since 1999, is something that hopefully we can change.â€� Four years ago after the most recent U.S. road loss – at Gleneagles in Scotland – Woods and Mickelson were part of a Ryder Cup task force that set out to change the losing culture. Not only did their efforts pay off two years ago, it also helped bring the two together. Woods was also an assistant captain for the winning U.S. team that included Mickelson a year ago at the Presidents Cup. “Those team events where we’ve worked together, I think, we realized that we both have a lot more in common than we thought,â€� Mickelson said, “and I think that we both have really come to appreciate working together to achieve things. I’ve really enjoyed my time with him. Their friendship seemed to publicly accelerate this year with a practice round at the Masters, a pairing for the first two rounds of THE PLAYERS Championship, and then the recent announcement of a Thanksgiving weekend match-play showdown in Las Vegas. Whether that translates into a revived partnership this week is another matter. Fourteen years ago, U.S. captain Hal Sutton sent out the Woods-Mickelson duo in the first Four-ball match at Oakland Hills. They fell behind early and lost to Colin Montgomerie and Padraig Harrington. They then lost the afternoon Foursomes to Darren Clarke and Lee Westwood, thus ending the experiment. Why would it be different this time, Mickelson was asked. “I’d say we would be more prepared, most likely, would be the general answer,â€� he responded. “But if I … try to share an insight as to why things went well or didn’t went well, it always come across as I’m taking a shot at somebody, and I don’t want to do that anymore.â€� Laughs ensued – although nobody was laughing four years ago when a frustrated Mickelson spoke his mind after the latest U.S. loss in Europe. Of course, a Woods-Mickelson pairing – while still unlikely at this point — might be pretty good for TV ratings this week. Even Tiger would know that.

Click here to read the full article…

This week, the TOUR heads south of the border, Mexico way, to the El Camaleon Golf Club at the Mayakoba Resort in Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico. This will be the 11th-consecutive season on this track but just the fifth event contested in November. The event debuted in 2007 on the calendar in late February but moved to the wrap-around season beginning in 2013. Harris English didn’t seem to mind the change from spring to fall as he set a new tournament record (21-under-par, 263). As shown by the winning scores the last four seasons (-21, -17, -18 and -21 last year), going low and making birdies at El Camaleon is paramount to contending.         TALES OF THE TAPE As highlighted above, none of the last three champs are going to be carded the next time they stop for a cold one at the turn. These savvy veterans lit up the Paspalum greens and rolled in plenty of birdies. Hoffman circled 21 of them, the least of the recent winners, in 2014. The following season, McDowell led the field with a whopping 27 birdies (Fantasy Extra: Brice Garnett was second with 26). Last year Perez “only” made 21, good enough for T8, but he also made an eagle and suffered only four bogeys for the week. It’s obvious when that many birdies are required par-four scoring should stand out. All three checked inside the top 10 in that category on the road to victory. Over the last three years, the top 28 have TOTALLED 11 rounds over par on the weekend. The top 12 last year posted ONE round above 70 for the week! It’s time to make birdies, avoid bogeys and keep up with the veterans! El Camaleon, according the official scorecard, doesn’t make it past 7,000 yards this week and contains three par fives. As Rob Bolton pointed out in his Power Rankings, the par-three holes are not very difficult. In fact, three are 155 yards or shorter with No. 10 being the outlier at 200 yards. The Paspalum greens run true and won’t run any hotter than 11 feet on the Stimpmeter. This means go-time on the greens and one of the reasons plenty of birdies are posted. (Fantasy Extra: Paspalum greens are also used at the Puerto Rico Open and CIMB Classic). Pat Perez remarked last year after his win that if the line was right, the ball was going in. With average green sizes just over 7,000 square feet on this Greg Norman design, there is plenty of target to hit. The experience player will know when to take his medicine or when to attack. NOTE: Golfers inside the top 25 in each statistic on the 2016-17 PGA TOUR are listed only if they are scheduled to compete in the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open.   * – Finished inside the top 10 at the OHL Classic at Mayakoba since 2013. Greens in Regulation Rank  Golfer 5  Ryan Armour 11  J.J. Henry 12  *Gary Woodland 14  *Luke List 18  Stewart Cink 24  Jim Herman Putting: Birdie-or-Better Percentage Rank  Golfer 5  Rickie Fowler 6  Anirban Lahiri 10  Matt Every 11  Camilo Villegas 14  Sam Saunders 18  *Charley Hoffman 22  *Luke List 25  Tom Hoge Par Breakers Rank  Golfer 4  Rickie Fowler 9  *Luke List 14  Anirban Lahiri 16  *Charley Hoffman 20  Sam Saunders 21  *Stewart Cink 26  *Rory Sabbatini Rounds in the 60’s Rank  Golfer 10  *Luke List 12  *Pat Perez 13  Patrick Reed 16  *Chez Reavie 18  *Charley Hoffman 20  Sung Kang 25  *Charles Howell, III The tournament scoring record has been set and equaled in the last four editions of this event. I’m looking for the pros who aren’t afraid to take it low, make bushels of birdies and that are crafty enough to keep it between the yellow lines. It won’t hurt to find players who have thrived on seaside settings (Pebble Beach, Harbour Town, Puerto Rico, Waialae are few that come to mind) in the past. If the ball is not required to travel a long way, the field of 132 will open up. With the rough barely reaching two inches and the wind not howling like last week, we could see the shootout that we were expecting in Las Vegas at TPC Summerlin. The weather looks mild and the winds temperate but that can always change, so double-check before lineups are set. If the wind picks up, count on those who have been here before and understand how to navigate those conditions. NOTE: The groups below are comprehensive to assist in data mining. Inclusion doesn’t imply automatic endorsement in every fantasy game as all decisions are specific to your situation. CONFIDENCE MEN Selected golfers with multiple cuts made sorted by rank on the tournament’s money list. BUILDING CONFIDENCE Sorted by best finish, selected golfers who are either finally finding form on the course or are still relatively new to the tournament but have enjoyed some success. OTHER SIGNS OF COMFORT Sorted by most recent top 10s, selected golfers for whom it’s been a few years since their last.

Click here to read the full article…