The five key clubs for the International Team at the Presidents Cup

Click here to read the full article…

The revamped Florida Swing kicks off with defending champ Justin Thomas and a strong field at the 7,125-yard, par-70 PGA National Resort & Spa (Champion), the hardest non-major course on the PGA TOUR. Thomas has five top-10s in seven starts this year and is one of a handful of hot players coming into The Honda Classic. Among the others in the 144-man field are Rickie Fowler, the winner here two years ago and one of at least 12 players who live within 45 minutes of the course; Gary Woodland, at No. 3 the highest-ranked player in the FedExCup; 2016 champion Adam Scott; and newly-minted Puerto Rico Open winner Martin Trainer. THE FLYOVER Positioning is crucial at PGA National, especially at the 434-yard, par-4 16th hole, the midway point at the Bear Trap, the third toughest three-hole stretch on TOUR. Like the earth itself, 16 appears to be mostly water, so there will be plenty of irons off the tee to avoid becoming a grim statistic. Last year the hole played to a 4.262 average, among the top 50 hardest holes on TOUR, after players made just 34 birdies compared to 106 bogeys, 15 double-bogeys, and 4 dreaded “others.â€�   LANDING ZONE  The 179-yard, par-3 15th hole is often overshadowed by its rowdier neighbor two holes ahead, but as the opening hole of the Bear Trap, it sets the tone for this make-or-break three-hole stretch. With a 3.391 average last year, it was the third hardest par-3 on TOUR. Players must carry the water and hold the diagonal, left-to-right green without over-cooking the tee shot and finding the back-left greenside bunker. The hole can be especially tricky in the wind. WEATHER CHECK From PGA TOUR meteorologist Wade Stettner: “A relatively quiet weather pattern will set up across south Florida from Thursday through Sunday. Rain chances are minimal through the extended forecast with just a few passing showers possible at times. Temperatures will be above normal with highs in the 80s each day. Lighter winds are also expected.â€� For the latest weather news from Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., check out PGATOUR.COM’s Weather Hub. SOUND CHECK The three hardest … holes that we see all year, but it’s based a lot on the wind, too, and the wind is supposed to be down this week. BY THE NUMBERS  $8,245 – Average price of a new Accord in ’82, the first year of Honda’s title sponsorship of the tournament, making it the longest-running title sponsor on the PGA TOUR. +2.3 – Field average in relation to par at PGA National (Champion) last season, making it the second-hardest course on TOUR behind only U.S. Open host Shinnecock Hills. 62 – Double-bogeys or worse at the watery, par-3 17th hole last year, the most doubles or worse on any hole all season long. With a 3.53 average, it was the toughest par-3 on TOUR. 6 – Number of top-10 finishes for Gary Woodland, who leads the TOUR in that category. SCATTERSHOTS Thomas aiming for history: Defending champion Justin Thomas has less than two months remaining to join Tiger Woods, Jordan Spieth and Jack Nicklaus as one of the four youngest players in PGA TOUR history to reach 10 wins. Woods was the youngest to reach the milestone at 23 years, 6 months and 4 days. Should he win Sunday, Thomas, who would be 25 years, 10 months, 4 days old, would surpass Rory McIlroy, who was 25, 11, and 29 when he crossed the 10-win barrier. Reading the tea leaves: Since the start of the FedExCup era, eight of the 12 winners of The Honda Classic have made it to the season-ending TOUR Championship at East Lake. Opportunity knocks: Gary Woodland, who has been in the FedExCup top 10 for 13 of 15 weeks so far this season, is currently third but only 314 points behind leader Xander Schauffele. With Schauffele and No. 2 Matt Kuchar taking this week off, Woodland could take over No 1 with a win. Three’s misery: The field has averaged .671 over par at the watery 15th, 16th and 17th holes—the Bear Trap—over the last 10 years. That makes it the third toughest three-hole stretch on TOUR, of courses that have been played continuously over the last decade. Quail Hollow (16-18, +.884) has the hardest three-hole stretch, followed by Pebble Beach (8-10, +.684).

Click here to read the full article…

Patrick Reed, thanks to his breakthrough major win at the Masters, is a Best of April finalist for the Team USA Awards presented by Dow. The awards recognize the outstanding achievements of Team USA athletes from last month. Reed is one of four PGA TOUR golfers who represented Team USA at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Fans can vote for their favorite athletes and teams through midnight Monday, May 7. Click here to vote. A total of 10 sports – including curling, equestrian, fencing, golf, gymnastics, Para swimming, Para track and field, shooting, tennis, and track and field – are represented among the 13 finalists across men’s, women’s and team categories. Reed won his first major at Augusta National, collecting the sixth victory of his TOUR career. He’s currently ranked fifth in the FedExCup standings and 10th in the Official World Golf Ranking. At the 2016 Olympics, Reed finished T-11. Matt Kuchar was the top American performer, collecting the bronze medal behind England’s Justin Rose (gold) and Sweden’s Henrik Stenson (silver). Golf will again be part of the Olympics at the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo. Here’s a complete list of the April finalists: Male Athlete of the Month Patrick Reed (Spring, Texas), Golf  — Secured his first major golf title at the Masters, finishing 15-under at 273 after firing a final-round 71 to edge fellow Team USA Olympian Rickie Fowler by one stroke. Jeremy Campbell (Perryton, Texas), Para Track and Field — Opened the season by defeating the reigning Paralympic champion with a world-record mark of 65.47 meters to win the men’s F64 discus at the Pomona-Pitzer Invitational. Eli Dershwitz (Sherborn, Massachusetts), Fencing — Improved to a career-high No. 3 world ranking after earning the bronze medal in saber at the grand prix in Seoul, South Korea. Robert Griswold (Freehold, New Jersey), Para Swimming — Won two gold medals in the 400-meter freestyle and 100 backstroke and set American and Pan American records in the 100 butterfly at the World Para Swimming World Series. Vincent Hancock (Eatonton, Georgia), Shooting — Captured his second consecutive gold medal by tying his own world record in the skeet final, topping the reigning Olympic champion at the world cup in Changwon, South Korea. Female Athlete of the Month Desiree Linden (San Diego, California), Track and Field — Became the first American woman to win the Boston Marathon in 33 years, overcoming brutal weather conditions to clock 2:39:54 – more than five minutes ahead of the field. Beezie Madden (Cazenovia, New York), Equestrian — At age 54, became the oldest world cup jumping champion, and only the second American to win the Longines FEI World Cup Jumping Final twice and only the sixth U.S. woman to accomplish the feat. Tatyana McFadden (Clarksville, Maryland), Para Track and Field — Won her fifth Boston Marathon and finished second in the London Marathon six days later, improving her record to 22 world major marathon series victories. Kim Rhode (El Monte, California), Shooting — Bested her own world cord, hitting 58-60 targets en route to her second consecutive gold medal in women’s skeet at the world cup in Changwon, South Korea.   Leanne Smith (Beverly, Massachusetts), Para Swimming — Set four American records and three Pan American records in the 50-, 100- and 200-meter freestyle and 50 butterfly at the World Para Swimming World Series. Team of the Month Jamie Sinclair Rink, Curling — Made U.S. history by becoming the first American team to win a Grand Slam of Curling event at the Players’ Championship in Ontario, defeating the reigning world champion and improving to a No. 6 world ranking. U.S. Women’s Artistic Gymnastics Team — Clinched its tenth consecutive Pacific Rim Championship title with a 15-point margin of victory, with Grace McCallum and Morgan Hurd finishing 1-2 in the all-around competition. U.S. Davis Cup Team, Tennis — The team of John Isner, Sam Querrey, Jack Sock, Steve Johnson and Ryan Harrison advanced to the Davis Cup semifinal for the first time since 2012 after defeating Belgium, 3-0.

Click here to read the full article…