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THE PLAYERS Roundtable: What will you remember about Simpson’s win?

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Each day at THE PLAYERS Championship, PGATOUR.COM’s staff writers will dive into the big issues and questions everyone is discussing. Webb Simpson shot a final-round 73 to win by four over Xander Schauffele (67), Charl Schwartzel (67) and Jimmy Walker (67). What moment/shot/round will you remember about the winner this week? Ben Everill (Staff Writer): For me the end of all hope for anyone else came in round three when he holed out from the back bunker on the par-5 11th for an eagle. That ball tracked on the green for a long time and never looked like missing. That’s when you know something special is afoot. Sean Martin (Senior Editor): The putt on the 15th green in the second round, from the chipping area long of the green. He hit it too hard. His ball was headed 10 feet past the hole, but it hit the back of the cup and dropped straight in. It was his sixth consecutive birdie, and all Webb and his playing partners, Jhonattan Vegas and Tyrrell Hatton, could do is laugh. It was clear that he was in the midst of a magical round. Mike McAllister (Managing Editor): Despite a performance in which his putter meant everything, I’m going with the hole-out from the bunker on Saturday at the par-5 11th for eagle. To me, that was the “OK, we’re seeing something specialâ€� moment. Cameron Morfit (Staff Writer): I’ll remember Simpson rolling in that par-saving putt on 18 on Saturday. Message to the field: If you want back into this tournament, I’m not going to help. Tiger Woods birdied six of his first 12 holes and shot 69. He finished T11, but even he sounded impressed. Was this an even bigger step in his comeback than his runner-up at the Valspar Championship? Everill: Absolutely. This was against the best field in golf and showed the rust – and any excuses – are now gone. As far as I am concerned, Woods is starting on equal pegging with everyone now and a magic four days could be just around the corner. Martin: It was, but you still have to wonder about his inability to finish off his rounds. He was 14 under par on Nos. 1-13 on the weekend, and 4 over on the final five holes. Yes, there are some hard holes in that stretch, but he also failed to birdie the par-5 16th both days. There are a lot of positive signs, but those finishes were a bit disconcerting. McAllister: Yes, I’d say on this course, against the best field in golf, to produce the kind of golf he displayed on the weekend has to be his bigger confidence booster of the season. Now if he can just solve the late-round fade … Morfit: Somehow this felt different, and more significant, than the Valspar. Tiger was flighting it how he wanted to, moving the ball both ways, putting well. He couldn’t overcome two mediocre rounds (72-71) on Thursday and Friday, but his game looks pretty sporty going into the summer. Xander Schauffele tied for second in his first look at TPC Sawgrass, which isn’t supposed to happen on such a technically demanding course. Simpson wasn’t known as an ace putter. What was the biggest surprise of the week for you? Everill: Simpson’s dominance was certainly a surprise. He didn’t just win, he killed them. The other surprise for me was Jason Day failing to find a birdie on the back nine on Sunday. Maybe he was just finally out of gas. Martin: I think Jimmy Walker’s second-place finish. It has been a tough road since he was diagnosed with Lyme disease, but he’s starting to turn the corner. This second-place finish came on the heels of a T20 at the Masters and T4 at the Valero Texas Open. He’s risen to No. 49 in the FedExCup. McAllister: Two 63s that tied the course record is probably the biggest surprise. I didn’t expect the scores to be this low. The winning score of 18 under is the lowest in more than two decades. Morfit: Simpson. I’d forgotten how good he is when he’s on. Justin Thomas came into the PLAYERS at No. 1 in the FedExCup, but now he’s also No. 1 in the world, taking over for Dustin Johnson. Thomas says he absolutely loves TPC Sawgrass. Is he your early pick to win the 2019 PLAYERS? If not, who is? Everill: What an achievement for Thomas. Holding the FedExCup title and world No. 1 at the same time. But I would take Jason Day as my PLAYERS favorite. Winner in 2016, T5 this week and clearly in the midst of a revival back towards the top of the golfing spectrum. Martin: Jason Day. He’s rededicated to the game after a winless 2017 and it is showing. He won the Wells Fargo Championship and finished fifth this week. That’s two top-five finishes in his past three PLAYERS. McAllister: Jack Nicklaus is the only three-time champion of THE PLAYERS. Think Tiger might like to join him in the record book? A year from now, with more reps and a smoothing out of the issues he has with the game, Tiger will be in better shape to contend than he was last year. Plus, he’s already won once on a Championship Sunday on St. Patrick’s Day (2002 at Bay Hill) – and that’s when THE PLAYERS Championship ends next year. Morfit: Patrick Cantlay has the look of a PLAYERS winner, and for a while I thought it was going to be this year. I’ll take Cantlay for 2019.

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Cink/Toms+1400
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Allan/Chalmers+1600
Green/Hensby+1800
Wi/Yang+1800
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2nd Round Match-Ups - B. Hossler vs H. Norlander
Type: 2nd Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN
Beau Hossler-110
Henrik Norlander-110
2nd Round Match-Ups - J. Lower vs N. Hojgaard
Type: 2nd Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN
Nicolai Hojgaard-120
Justin Lower+100
2nd Round 3-Balls - B. Hossler / H. Norlander / R. Sloan
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls - Status: OPEN
Henrik Norlander+135
Beau Hossler+165
Roger Sloan+240
2nd Round 3-Balls - J. Lower / N. Hojgaard / D. Wu
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls - Status: OPEN
Justin Lower+165
Nicolai Hojgaard+165
Dylan Wu+200
Virginia
Type: Winner - Status: OPEN
Bryson DeChambeau+450
Jon Rahm+550
Joaquin Niemann+700
Tyrrell Hatton+1200
Patrick Reed+1800
Carlos Ortiz+2200
Lucas Herbert+2200
Cameron Smith+2500
David Puig+2500
Sergio Garcia+2500
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Tournament Match-Ups - P. Casey v T. McKibbin
Type: Requests - Status: OPEN
Paul Casey-115
Tom McKibbin-115
1st Round 3-Balls - D. Burmester / B. Grace / C. Schwartzel
Type: 1st Round 3-Balls - Status: OPEN
Dean Burmester+120
Charl Schwartzel+170
Branden Grace+275
1st Round 3-Balls - S. Garcia / L. Oosthuizen / M. Kaymer
Type: 1st Round 3-Balls - Status: OPEN
Sergio Garcia+105
Louis Oosthuizen+145
Martin Kaymer+400
1st Round 3-Balls - T. Hatton / T. McKibbin / C. Surratt
Type: 1st Round 3-Balls - Status: OPEN
Tyrrell Hatton+105
Tom McKibbin+200
Caleb Surratt+260
1st Round 3-Balls - L. Herbert / M. Leishman / M. Jones
Type: 1st Round 3-Balls - Status: OPEN
Lucas Herbert+100
Marc Leishman+170
Matt Jones+350
1st Round 3-Balls - B. Koepka / D. Johnson / C. Smith
Type: 1st Round 3-Balls - Status: OPEN
Cameron Smith+150
Brooks Koepka+175
Dustin Johnson+200
1st Round 3-Balls - B. DeChambeau / J. Rahm / J. Niemann
Type: 1st Round 3-Balls - Status: OPEN
Bryson DeChambeau+150
Jon Rahm+170
Joaquin Niemann+210
1st Round Six-Shooter - Group A - B. DeChambeau / T. Hatton / J. Rahm / P. Reed / J. Niemann / C. Ortiz
Type: 1st Round Six-Shooter - Status: OPEN
Bryson DeChambeau+280
Jon Rahm+320
Joaquin Niemann+375
Tyrrell Hatton+500
Patrick Reed+600
Carlos Ortiz+700
1st Round Six-Shooter - Group B - C. Smith / S. Garcia / L. Herbert / D. Burmester / S. Munoz / B. Koepka
Type: 1st Round Six-Shooter - Status: OPEN
Cameron Smith+375
Lucas Herbert+375
Sebastian Munoz+425
Brooks Koepka+450
Dean Burmester+450
Sergio Garcia+450
1st Round Six-Shooter - Group C - T. Gooch / P. Casey / C. Tringale / M. Leishman / D. Johnson / R. Bland
Type: 1st Round Six-Shooter - Status: OPEN
Talor Gooch+350
Cameron Tringale+400
Dustin Johnson+400
Marc Leishman+450
Paul Casey+450
Richard Bland+475
1st Round Six-Shooter - Group D - T. McKibbin / B. Watson / C. Schwartzel / L. Oosthuizen / T. Pieters / H. Varner
Type: 1st Round Six-Shooter - Status: OPEN
Tom McKibbin+400
Bubba Watson+425
Charl Schwartzel+425
Thomas Pieters+425
Harold Varner III+450
Louis Oosthuizen+450
Bryson DeChambeau
Type: Bryson DeChambeau - Status: OPEN
Top 5 Finish-135
Top 10 Finish-350
Top 20 Finish-1200
Jon Rahm
Type: Jon Rahm - Status: OPEN
Top 5 Finish-115
Top 10 Finish-300
Top 20 Finish-1200
Joaquin Niemann
Type: Joaquin Niemann - Status: OPEN
Top 5 Finish+100
Top 10 Finish-250
Top 20 Finish-900
Tyrrell Hatton
Type: Tyrrell Hatton - Status: OPEN
Top 5 Finish+180
Top 10 Finish-150
Top 20 Finish-600
Patrick Reed
Type: Patrick Reed - Status: OPEN
Top 5 Finish+290
Top 10 Finish+105
Top 20 Finish-400
2nd Round 3-Balls - C. Ramey / A. Putnam / R. Hoey
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls - Status: OPEN
Rico Hoey+125
Andrew Putnam+175
Chad Ramey+250
Carlos Ortiz
Type: Carlos Ortiz - Status: OPEN
Top 5 Finish+310
Top 10 Finish+115
Top 20 Finish-400
Lucas Herbert
Type: Lucas Herbert - Status: OPEN
Top 5 Finish+310
Top 10 Finish+115
Top 20 Finish-400
Cameron Smith
Type: Cameron Smith - Status: OPEN
Top 5 Finish+350
Top 10 Finish+125
Top 20 Finish-350
David Puig
Type: David Puig - Status: OPEN
Top 5 Finish+350
Top 10 Finish+125
Top 20 Finish-350
Sergio Garcia
Type: Sergio Garcia - Status: OPEN
Top 5 Finish+350
Top 10 Finish+125
Top 20 Finish-350
Brooks Koepka
Type: Brooks Koepka - Status: OPEN
Top 5 Finish+400
Top 10 Finish+140
Top 20 Finish-300
2nd Round 3-Balls - M. Weir / C. Kim / B. Silverman
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls - Status: OPEN
Ben Silverman+125
Chan Kim+130
Mike Weir+375
2nd Round 3-Balls - D. Ghim / H. Buckley / M. Meissner
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls - Status: OPEN
Doug Ghim+125
Mac Meissner+190
Hayden Buckley+225
2nd Round Six Shooter - R. McIlroy / L. Aberg / S. Burns / SJ Im / L. Clanton / M. Homa
Type: 2nd Round Six Shooter - Status: OPEN
Rory McIlroy+240
Ludvig Aberg+350
Sam Burns+400
Sungjae Im+550
Luke Clanton+600
Max Homa+700
2nd Round Six Shooter - T. Pendrith / N. Taylor / M. Hughes / D. Riley / L. Hodges / G. Woodland
Type: 2nd Round Six Shooter - Status: OPEN
Taylor Pendrith+275
Nick Taylor+350
Mackenzie Hughes+400
Davis Riley+475
Lee Hodges+550
Gary Woodland+700
2nd Round Match-Ups - S. Burns vs T. Pendrith
Type: 2nd Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN
Sam Burns-110
Taylor Pendrith-110
2nd Round Match-Ups - H. Hall vs D. Riley
Type: 2nd Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN
Harry Hall-125
Davis Riley+105
2nd Round Match-Ups - M. Homa vs S. Im
Type: 2nd Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN
Sungjae Im-125
Max Homa+105
2nd Round 3-Balls - S. Burns / M. Homa / S. Im
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls - Status: OPEN
Sam Burns+120
Sungjae Im+210
Max Homa+220
2nd Round 3-Balls - D. Riley / L. Hodges / G. Woodland
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls - Status: OPEN
Davis Riley+150
Lee Hodges+175
Gary Woodland+200
2nd Round Match-Ups - M. Hughes vs N. Taylor
Type: 2nd Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN
Nick Taylor-120
Mackenzie Hughes+100
2nd Round 3-Balls - N. Taylor / T. Pendrith / M. Hughes
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls - Status: OPEN
Taylor Pendrith+130
Nick Taylor+180
Mackenzie Hughes+230
2nd Round 3-Balls - M. Pavon / A. Svensson / A. Wise
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls - Status: OPEN
Matthieu Pavon+125
Adam Svensson+135
Aaron Wise+350
1st Round 3-Balls - L. Coughlin / J.Y. Ko / R. Takeda
Type: 1st Round 3-Balls - Status: OPEN
Jin Young Ko+135
Rio Takeda+160
Lauren Coughlin+240
2nd Round Match-Ups - L. Aberg vs R. McIIroy
Type: 2nd Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN
Rory McIlroy-130
Ludvig Aberg+110
2nd Round Match-Ups - K. Mitchell vs T. Detry
Type: 2nd Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN
Keith Mitchell-120
Thomas Detry+100
2nd Round 3-Balls - R. McIIroy / L. Aberg / L. Clanton
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls - Status: OPEN
Rory McIlroy+125
Ludvig Aberg+165
Luke Clanton+275
2nd Round 3-Balls - T. Detry / K. Mitchell / B. Hun An
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls - Status: OPEN
Keith Mitchell+145
Thomas Detry+170
Byeong Hun An+225
1st Round 3-Balls - N. Korda / M. Stark / M. Saigo
Type: 1st Round 3-Balls - Status: OPEN
Nelly Korda-110
Mao Saigo+200
Maja Stark+320
2nd Round 3-Balls - H. Hall / T. Moore / K. Kitayama
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls - Status: OPEN
Harry Hall+145
Kurt Kitayama+180
Taylor Moore+200
2nd Round 3-Balls - C. Villegas / E. Grillo / N. Hardy
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls - Status: OPEN
Emiliano Grillo+105
Nick Hardy+180
Camilo Villegas+300
2nd Round 3-Balls - N. Lashley / A. Smalley / V. Perez
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls - Status: OPEN
Alex Smalley+120
Victor Perez+165
Nate Lashley+300
2nd Round 3-Balls - J. Dahmen / P. Rodgers / C. Young
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls - Status: OPEN
Patrick Rodgers+135
Carson Young+180
Joel Dahmen+220
2nd Round 3-Balls - K. Onishi / M. Creighton / M. Anderson
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls - Status: OPEN
Matthew Anderson+140
Myles Creighton+185
Kaito Onishi+210
2nd Round 3-Balls - T. Rosenmueller / M. Andersen / J. Goldenberg
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls - Status: OPEN
Thomas Rosenmueller+100
Matthew Anderson+170
Josh Goldenberg+340
2nd Round 3-Balls - K. Velo / B. Thornberry / W. Heffernan
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls - Status: OPEN
Kevin Velo+110
Braden Thornberry+145
Wes Heffernan+375
2nd Round 3-Balls - P. Peterson / P. Knowles / H. Thomson
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls - Status: OPEN
Hunter Thomson+135
Paul Peterson+140
Philip Knowles+300
2nd Round 3-Balls - N. Norgaard / G. Sargent / J. Keefer
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls - Status: OPEN
Johnny Keefer+110
Niklas Norgaard+120
Gordon Sargent+550
2nd Round 3-Balls - A. Rozner / V. Covello / W. Wang
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls - Status: OPEN
Antoine Rozner-230
Vince Covello+400
Wei-Hsuan Wang+425
2nd Round 3-Balls - T. Kanaya / T. Cone / A.J. Ewart
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls - Status: OPEN
Takumi Kanaya-110
A J Ewart+250
Trevor Cone+250
2nd Round 3-Balls - N. Goodwin / Y. Cao / B. Botha
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Noah Goodwin+110
Barend Botha+200
Yi Cao+250
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Jon Rahm+750
Collin Morikawa+900
Xander Schauffele+900
Ludvig Aberg+1000
Justin Thomas+1100
Joaquin Niemann+1400
Shane Lowry+1600
Tommy Fleetwood+1800
Tyrrell Hatton+1800
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Rory McIlroy+650
Bryson DeChambeau+700
Jon Rahm+1200
Xander Schauffele+2000
Ludvig Aberg+2200
Collin Morikawa+2500
Justin Thomas+3000
Joaquin Niemann+3500
Shane Lowry+3500
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Rory McIlroy+500
Xander Schauffele+1200
Ludvig Aberg+1400
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Jon Rahm+1600
Bryson DeChambeau+2000
Shane Lowry+2500
Tommy Fleetwood+2500
Tyrrell Hatton+2500
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Best stats from 2020Best stats from 2020

The adjectives used to describe 2020 are cliché. The word unprecedented speaks to our collective human experience. Lives and careers were uncertain. We suffered painful losses. But as we navigated the new reality golf was well-positioned to lead. The socially distant nature of the sport, spread across acres outdoors, gave the PGA TOUR a chance to safely resume play faster than other sports. Golf thrived in the crisis. The TOUR's robust schedule included the TOUR Championship, a World Golf Championship and trio of majors. With a makeshift easel of tournaments, the world's best players painted impressively. These are the best PGA TOUR statistics of 2020. Hovland, Im set early mark Viktor Hovland and Sungjae Im won in consecutive weeks at the Puerto Rico Open and The Honda Classic, marking the first time in eight years that players age 22 or younger won in back-to-back weeks on TOUR. 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Return to Golf featured precious little rust Before 2020, the Charles Schwab Challenge had never featured the top two players in the Official World Golf Ranking. This year each of the top five were there, the result of players' pent-up desire to play. Daniel Berger beat Collin Morikawa in a playoff to end the week in dramatic fashion. Berger was in the midst of a remarkable scoring streak - it was his 28th consecutive TOUR round of par or better. His run would end at 32 in a row, which was impressive but well behind Tiger Woods' record of 52 straight from 2000-2001. Berger wasn't the only player who showed no hiatus-induced rust; in fact, the quality of play was unusually high. At the RBC Heritage in Hilton Head, South Carolina, the next week, a record six players finished 19-under or better. For context, just two players from 1969 through 2019 finished 72 holes that many strokes under par at Harbour Town. Morikawa bounced back at the Workday Charity Open at Muirfield Village, hitting eight approach shots inside 10 feet in a dramatic final-round duel with Justin Thomas. Later it was Thomas' turn as he won the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational to become the third-youngest player since 1960 to reach 13 TOUR wins, behind only Woods and Jack Nicklaus. Post-hiatus statistical leaders included Johnson, Thomas Of the 177 players with 20 or more ShotLink-measured rounds since the restart, only Dustin Johnson has averaged 2 or more Strokes Gained: Total per round (+2.02). Xander Schauffele (+1.86) is second, Bryson DeChambeau (+1.74) third. Justin Thomas leads in Strokes Gained: Tee-To-Green at 1.67 per round. He's second in Strokes Gained: Approach (+0.94) among players to play 30 or more measured rounds in that stretch, trailing only Russell Henley (+1.12). Strokes Gained ‘long game' combines a player's numbers off the tee and on approach shots. Unsurprisingly, Johnson leads in that statistic (+1.50), with Henley (+1.32) and Bubba Watson (+1.29) ranking second and third. Mackenzie Hughes leads all players in Strokes Gained: Putting, gaining more than a full stroke (+1.03) per round. Morikawa surprised in San Francisco Over the closing 36 holes at the PGA Championship, Collin Morikawa needed just 129 strokes - the fewest by any player over the last two rounds of any major championship in history. His eagle at the 16th hole was unforgettable, and Morikawa won his first major in just the 27th start of his professional career. Since 1970, only two players have won majors with fewer pro starts under their belts: Tiger Woods (17th start) and Jerry Pate (18th). Maybe even more impressive was Morikawa's statistical triple-play: He led in driving accuracy, approach-shot proximity and Strokes Gained: Putting. 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Rahm won with a 66-foot birdie putt - his longest make of the season - marking the first time a sitting world No. 1 had lost a TOUR playoff since Billy Mayfair beat Tiger Woods at the 1998 Nissan Open. Bryson impressed with his bombs He grabbed more headlines than anyone in 2020, and justifiably so: Bryson DeChambeau radically altered his physique, generated unprecedented power with his golf swing, and vaulted into the world top five. DeChambeau finished the 2019-20 TOUR season averaging a TOUR record 322.1 yards off the tee. At the Rocket Mortgage Classic, he averaged 350.6 yards on his eight official measured drives - a TOUR record for a tournament winner. But he was hardly one-dimensional. In winning the U.S. Open at Winged Foot, DeChambeau led the field in Strokes Gained: Approach-the-Green, was third in scrambling, and ranked sixth in average distance of putts made per round. Meanwhile, six players averaged longer off the tee for the week. When the FedExCup race resumes in January, DeChambeau will sit in second place, trailing only Johnson. Records tumbled at Augusta National Johnson re-arranged the Masters record books in November, recording the lowest 72-hole total in tournament history (268, 20-under-par). His 60 greens hit in regulation for the week were the most by any player since Tiger Woods in 2001, and his four bogeys were the fewest ever by a Masters champion. Johnson gained 13.82 strokes on the field on his tee shots and approach shots combined, a staggering five full strokes more than any other player. And his five-stroke margin of victory was the largest at The Masters Tournament since Woods' historic 12-shot win in 1997. For the second straight year, Augusta National yielded the lowest scoring average (71.75) in Masters history. Cameron Smith became the first to shoot in the 60s for all four rounds. Sungjae Im posted the lowest score in tournament history by a player making his debut (15 under). 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His closing 36-hole total of 124 tied the lowest by a winner. Stuart Appleby also carded 124 (65-59) at the 2010 Greenbrier Classic. Matthew Wolff finished in the top four in his first two majors, the PGA Championship and U.S. Open - the first to finish fourth or better in each of his first two major starts since Ned Cosgrove at the 1880 and 1881 Open Championships.

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Ancer takes 1-shot lead over DeChambeau at TPC BostonAncer takes 1-shot lead over DeChambeau at TPC Boston

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Power Rankings: Sentry Tournament of ChampionsPower Rankings: Sentry Tournament of Champions

You’d have to be a cynic to believe that there was room for improvement at the Sentry Tournament of Champions. Throughout the year, Maui is the destination cited by winners before the applause has ended post-victory. The smiles that thought generates reminds us that only winners qualify. For that reason, it’s the most exclusive tournament on the PGA TOUR schedule. So, let’s agree to agree that what already was great is simply greater after every square inch of the Plantation Course at Kapalua Resort on the northwestern edge of the Hawaiian island was reshaped, updated and/or modified in some fashion for the first tournament of calendar-year 2020. It’s still a perfect vision. For details on the work, how it expects to impact this year’s field of 34 and more, scroll past the ranking of the projected contenders. The other 19 in the field will be ranked 16-34 in Tuesday’s Fantasy Insider. Since the conclusion of the last edition of the Sentry TOC, original designers Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw returned to overhaul the Plantation Course that opened in 1991. Attention was comprehensive. In addition to numerous changes to tees, fairways and rough, all were fitted with Celebration bermudagrass. Primary rough is trimmed to two inches. Bunkers were removed, repositioned, added or upgraded to align with today’s talent. All 93 have new support, drainage and sand imported from Vietnam. In many cases, surfaces of greens were flattened to create new or reintroduce original hole locations that elevate the quality of approach shots. On average, targets are still expansive, but many either were enlarged or shrunk to balance challenge with playability. All greens feature TifEagle bermuda. They figure to be a bit springy in their debut, but strong trade winds (from the northeast) should restrict Stimpmeter readings to a customary 10 feet, although a slicker reading is hopeful in the future. After a relatively tame opening round on Thursday, gusts from 30-40 mph (and maybe higher) will settle in as the norm for the remainder. Rain is almost never ruled out here, but it won’t be an issue. Daytime highs will camp out at a seasonable 80 degrees notwithstanding the impact of passing clouds. With just three par 3s and the full complement of four par 5s, the Plantation Course is the only par 73 on the PGA TOUR. Its fresh look includes 78 more yards that results in a competitive walk capable of stretching 7,596 yards. Numerous new tees will be in play, but not all result in longer holes. For example, while the par-4 third (+44 yards), par-5 ninth (+29) and par-4 10th (+30) have new back tees, shorter tees at the par-4 13th (-24) and par-5 15th (-14) help neutralize distance overall. Despite its length, significant elevation changes present the opportunity for all games to thrive. A proper test rewards every style of good golf, and this one does. However, once upon a time and not unlike the value of lessons learned at places like Colonial and Augusta National, experience on the Plantation Course was a primary factor in victory. Yet, four of the last five champions prevailed in just their second appearance. That fact in conjunction with the restart of the learning curve for veterans raises hope for the 15 first-timers in the field. Eight qualifiers elected not to compete: Brooks Koepka, Shane Lowry, Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson, Francesco Molinari, C.T. Pan, Justin Rose, Tiger Woods. 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: Rookie Ranking, Qualifiers, Reshuffle, Medical Extensions, Power Rankings TUESDAY*: Sleepers, Fantasy Insider * – Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COM’s Expert Picks for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf, which also publishes on Tuesday.

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