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NASSAU, Bahamas — Bubba Watson ends the year at No. 12 in the Presidents Cup standings, and his mission is to be at Royal Melbourne one year from now. But not necessarily as a player. Watson was asked during the Hero World Challenge what would make a good 2019, and he didn’t hesitate. “I have been bugging Mr. Tiger Woods about being a vice captain for Australia,” Watson said. “I would love the honor of doing that again. The reason why is I feel like I can service. For me personally, I have more enjoyment serving 12 guys than playing.” He has experience in that role. Watson was No. 9 in the Ryder Cup standings, when he was left off the team. Davis Love III wound up bringing him to Hazeltine as another vice captain, and Watson thrived in his role. Watson, whose 12 victories on the PGA TOUR include two Masters and two World Golf Championships, has played on only two Presidents Cup teams (5-3-2 record), compared with four Ryder Cup teams. “I always bug Tiger,” Watson said. “He says, `You need to be playing.’ I said, `Look, man, we’ve never won a Ryder Cup with me playing, but we’ve won when I wasn’t playing. So me and you need to be captain and vice captains.’ That’s our joke. I’ve told him, `Listen, I’ll do anything to help you if you want me. If you don’t, that’s fine.'”

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My Power Rankings for The Open Championship include all 156 golfers in the field, so this Fantasy Insider column is abridged. The Wild Card, Draws and Fades will return for next week’s RBC Canadian Open. Segment 4 of PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO begins at Carnoustie. When you’re thrown a bone, you take it. Just make sure to take a bite out of it, too. There are only nine tournaments to go in the Roster game – the One & Done will include all of the remaining 11 on the schedule – but navigating the final phase is tricky. The Open is the last tournament for which ShotLink is not used to measure performance, so you can get away with stowing two probable contenders for the bonus points on your bench at least until the 36-hole cut falls, but if neither is in the mix for the Claret Jug at the midpoint, consider keeping at least one benched until the conclusion of the third round, and then decide whether it’d be worth burning a start for potentially modest bonus points instead of holstering it for the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, PGA Championship or any of the four Playoffs events. Yes, this strategy would mean swallowing a zero (or two), but to pay off losing the start, your guy might need a podium finish. Otherwise, you’re losing points later for mild returns now. PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO My roster for The Open Championship (in alphabetical order): Tommy Fleetwood Rickie Fowler Dustin Johnson Rory McIlroy Alex Noren Justin Rose You’ll find my starters in Expert Picks. Others to consider for each category (in alphabetical order): Scoring: Jason Day; Zach Johnson; Brooks Koepka; Marc Leishman; Hideki Matsuyama; Phil Mickelson; Jon Rahm; Justin Thomas Driving: n/a Approach: n/a Short: n/a Returning to Competition Nate Lashley … The rookie is scheduled to compete at the Web.com Tour’s Pinnacle Bank Championship presented by Heartland Chevy Dealers. He had been sidelined for a month after having knee surgery. This week’s return qualifies as a rehab start in advance of a medical extension on the PGA TOUR for 2018-19 (assuming he doesn’t play the TOUR again this season and finish inside the top 125). Currently 162nd in the FedExCup standings, he’ll be eligible for the Web.com Tour Finals on merit. Notable WDs Bernd Wiesberger, Paul Lawrie and John Daly … All withdrew from The Open Championship due to injury. Alex Cejka … Out at the Barbasol Championship. It’s his second consecutive early withdrawal and fifth on the season, but we see this coming almost every season. As evidenced by a T13 in his last start at Greenbrier, he still delivers when his 47-year-old body allows for it. Currently 89th in the FedExCup standings. Denny McCarthy … Fell to 144th in the FedExCup with a T34 at the John Deere Classic, but he’s been in that vicinity for months. If he doesn’t make the FedExCup Playoffs, he’s still a good bet to survive the Web.com Tour Finals given he’s risen to his current position after an awful first nine events of his rookie campaign. Brett Stegmaier … He was a surprising removal from the Barbasol field. He’s 190th in the FedExCup standings and has ripped off three straight cuts made. Power Rankings Recap – John Deere Classic Power Ranking  Golfer  Result 1  Zach Johnson  T16 2  Bryson DeChambeau  WD 3  Francesco Molinari  T2 4  Steve Stricker  T43 5  Kyle Stanley  MC 6  Joaquin Niemann  T23 7  Ryan Moore  T55 8  Chesson Hadley  T72 9  Austin Cook  T34 10  Scott Stallings  MC 11  Kevin Tway  T50 12  Kelly Kraft  T63 13  Brian Gay  MC 14  Joel Dahmen  T2 15  Scott Brown  T12 Wild Card  Chris Kirk  T23 Sleepers Recap – John Deere Classic Golfer  Result Wesley Bryan  MC Peter Malnati  MC Trey Mullinax MC C.T. Pan  T34 Daniel Summerhays   MC Birthdays among active golfers on the PGA TOUR July 17 … none July 18 … Brendon de Jonge (38) July 19 … none July 20 … Conrad Shindler (30) July 21 … Robert Gamez (50); Paul Casey (41) July 22 … Brendon Todd (33); David Lingmerth (31) July 23 … Craig Barlow (46); Boo Weekley (45); Kevin Tway (30); Harris English (29); Kiradech Aphibarnrat (29); Tom Lovelady (25)

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THE OVERVIEW By Cameron Morfit, PGATOUR.COM Although Justin Thomas won the FedExCup last fall, he’s the first to admit that among the highly decorated high school Class of 2011, Jordan Spieth (who finished second in the Playoffs) remains the valedictorian. Simply put, no one else can match Spieth’s numbers: He has won 11 times, including three majors, since the start of 2015. More mind-boggling still, he will go for the career grand slam at the PGA Championship at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis, Aug. 9-12. And he’s still just 24. (He will be 25 by the time he plays the PGA.) TOP 30 PLAYERS TO WATCH IN 2018: We’ll countdown our list with one new player each day in December. Click here for the published players. MORE: Top 30 explanation and schedule In case you were living on the moon last season, Spieth made the bogey of the year at The Open Championship, his 5 from the driving range next to the 13th hole at Royal Birkdale featuring a wide-right tee shot; a 20-minute ruling; and an up-and-down to limit the damage. Two holes later, Spieth rolled in a long eagle putt and told his caddie, Michael Greller, “Go get that.â€� (Golden State Warriors shooting guard and sensational amateur golfer Stephan Curry would later repeat the unforgettable quip at the Web.com Tour’s Ellie Mae Classic.) Spieth would go 5 under on the last five holes to defeat playing partner Matt Kuchar by three strokes.   Keep in mind, all of this riveting theater took place a month after Spieth hit the unofficial shot of the year, his delirium-inducing bunker hole-out to beat Daniel Berger in a sudden-death playoff at the Travelers Championship in Connecticut. The image of a flying rake and a soaring Spieth and Greller crashing into one another in celebration won’t soon be forgotten. Spieth led the TOUR in scoring (68.846), birdies per round (4.49), and Strokes Gained: Approach-the-Green (.906). He will defend titles in 2018 at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the Travelers and The Open. But the truth is Spieth can win anywhere; of his 11 TOUR titles, he has hoisted only one tournament trophy twice, at the John Deere Classic. This is one of the most staggering talents we’ve seen in decades. BY THE NUMBERS How Jordan Spieth ranked in Strokes Gained statistics during his last full season on the PGA TOUR. FEDEXCUP Current 2017-18 position: N/A Playoff appearances: 5 TOUR Championship appearances: 5 Best result: Won in 2015. At 22, he was the youngest winner in FedExCup history. INSIGHTS FROM THE INSIDERS PGATOUR.COM’s Insiders offer their expert views on what to expect from Jordan Spieth in 2018. TOUR INSIDER by Ben Everill Everyone is always keen to highlight the friendship between Justin Thomas and Spieth but don’t think for a second there isn’t a fierce rivalry as well. While happy for Thomas’ achievements last season, Spieth sees it as a benchmark to strive past. We have the makings of many sensational battles going forward. His win at the Open Championship put him just a PGA Championship shy of the career slam but he will probably have multiple wins again before we reach that part of the year. If the putter gets hot, he will return to world No. 1. Click here to follow Ben on Twitter FANTASY INSIDER by Rob Bolton We’ve given him a pass because the adjustment in the wake of the lesson worked. Like so many before him, he nibbled on the allure to travel abroad early in 2016 and he didn’t fully recover from the physical toll in time to stake a stronger case for becoming the first to successfully defend the FedExCup. With that wisdom filed, he resisted opportunities early this year. Lo and behold, it transpired much more like his historic 2015 campaign. As long as he sticks with that model, there’s zero reason to doubt him at any time. Just 24 years old. Sigh. Click here to follow Rob on Twitter EQUIPMENT INSIDER by Jonathan Wall Spieth used the end of the 2017 season to make some major changes to his equipment setup. Added Titleist 718 AP2 irons and Vokey SM7 wedges during the Australian Open. Replaced Aldila NV 2KXV Blue 70X driver shaft with Graphite Design’s new Tour AD-IZ 6X. Continues to wield Scotty Cameron 009 putter from his junior golf days.  Click here to follow Jonathan on Twitter STYLE INSIDER by Greg Monteforte Spieth is consistent in his style, often gravitating towards similar designs (solids and classic stripes) and colors (blue and gray). For 2018, Jordan’s focus will be on fit. He’ll wear Under Armour’s new Showdown pant, which features a slimmer fit, increased stretch, and a lightweight fabric. Click here to follow Greg on Twitter

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