The putts Tiger used to make just aren’t going in as much

HAMILTON, Ontario – A dream came true for Graeme McDowell on Sunday at the RBC Canadian Open, as he earned a spot in the 2019 Open Championship in his hometown at Royal Portrush. Related: Leaderboard | McIlroy shoots final-round 61 “I think I had reasonable belief in myself that I was going to be able to take care of it one of these weeks. Obviously as the pressure started to build, it was going to be more difficult as it went along,â€� he admitted. “Obviously very proud to have got one of the Open Championship spots and get that little monkey off my back and let me go and play some golf the next few weeks.â€� McDowell said earlier in the week he had accepted his fate as it pertained to The Open. If he played well, he said, he’d be in. If he didn’t, he’d be OK. He didn’t have to worry. After a 2-under 68 Sunday at the RBC Canadian Open, part of The Open Qualifying Series, he’s in – along with Canadian Adam Hadwin, who also earned a qualifying spot after finishing sixth. McDowell, who said he’s played Royal Portrush between 300-500 times, didn’t make qualifying easy on himself. He flared his approach on the par-4 18th – playing as the most difficult hole of the day – and ended up in the long rough near a bunker. He chipped it on, but had just over 29 feet for par. It was a curling, difficult putt – a “1-in-10,â€� McDowell said – but he drained it, and dropped to his knees in celebration. “The putt was not makeable, no. The putt had 12 feet of break on it,â€� said McDowell. “It was a ridiculously tough putt to make. Just fancied it, I saw it, liked the way it looked, and when I saw it go in it was a huge relief.â€� McDowell won his first PGA TOUR title in four years at the Puntacana Resort & Club Championship, but the victory didn’t guarantee a spot in The Open. He was near the top of the leaderboard after the first round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, another tournament in The Open Qualifying Series, but faded. He opened with a 5-under 65 this week at Hamilton Golf and Country Club – a course, he said, that fit his game – and backed that up with rounds of 67-70-68 to finish T-8, his fourth top-10 of the year. He knew he was trying to contend Sunday, but he couldn’t shake the thought of getting into The Open. “You’re out there playing for a lot of FedExCup Cup points,â€� he said, “and all I can focus on is trying to get exempt for The Open Championship. I might go to Portrush and miss the cut and think, ‘what was all that about?’â€� McDowell, who admitted he’s just excited to have the freedom to play well over the next few weeks, including at the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach – where he won in 2010 – to get ready for a big week in his hometown. Although that is still weeks away, he was already feeling the hometown love this week in Canada. “There are lots of Northern Irish people here. It’s a unique part of the world. Lots of Irish support, and people are always really nice to me up here,â€� he said. “Certainly enjoyed my week.â€� And now, he has another special week to look forward to in July.

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ATLANTA — Each of the top five players in the FedExCup standings can guarantee a FedExCup victory with a win at this week’s TOUR Championship. In addition, there are certain scenarios for winning the FedExCup should some other player outside the top five wins the tournament. Here’s a look at how each top-5 player fared during Friday’s second round at East Lake. 1. Jordan Spieth: He sits in the middle of the 30-man field, tied for 15th place after shooting 67-70 in the first two rounds. He’s four shots behind co-leaders Justin Thomas, Paul Casey and Webb Simpson. Spieth is in danger of being passed in the FedExCup standings after a second consecutive day of inconsistent ballstriking. He ranks 19th in greens hit this week after hitting only 10 on Friday. 2. Justin Thomas: He’s tied for first, halfway to a FedExCup-clinching victory that would provide the perfect ending to an impressive season that’s seen him win five times. “It’s nice to have everything in my own hands and know that if I just take care of what I need to do, then it’s over with,â€� Thomas said. He sits at 7 under par after shooting 66 on Friday, including an eagle at No. 18. Thomas leads the field in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee after hitting 20 of 28 fairways and averaging more than 300 yards off the tee on all tee shots. 3. Dustin Johnson: He’s tied with Spieth for 15th place, four shots off the lead. Johnson, the 54-hole leader here last year, ranks 22nd in the 30-man field in Strokes Gained: Putting. “The next two days are all about if I can hole some putts,â€� Johnson said. “I feel like I’m swinging really well, I’m hitting it great, so just have to roll some putts in,â€� he said. 4. Marc Leishman: The BMW Championship winner battled his way around East Lake for the second day running, putting up his second straight 71 to be T24. Now nine shots off the pace, it is going to take something super-human for Leishman to become the first Australian to win the FedExCup. He hit just four fairways in round two. “More fairways, more greens and some hot putting. I’ve got to just go for it on the weekend,â€� he said. 5. Jon Rahm: The 22-year-old is trying to become the first player to win the FedExCup in his first Playoffs appearance. He’ll start Saturday just one shot off the lead after shooting 67 on Friday. He made nine consecutive pars on the front nine before making three birdies on the back-nine. It was Friday’s only bogey-free round. “I mean I can’t help but be a little frustrated just because I hit so many greens both days and I made so many close calls that the frustration just piles up,â€� Rahm said. “It’s hard to let it go when it’s hole after hole after hole. But after thinking about it, 3 under par both days are obviously two scores I would have taken, for sure.â€�

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Since 1983, what has happened in Vegas has stayed in Vegas. This is the 39th edition of the Shriners Children’s Open. Just like the city and the Strip, the tournament also has undergone many teardowns and rebuilds, literally and competitively, but it’s been a 72-hole competition only at TPC Summerlin now for 14 consecutive years. However, if America’s Playground yielded the success experienced inside the ropes the last two years especially, casinos would struggle to stay in business. Scroll past the projected contenders for an explanation, how the course sets up and more. Defending champion Martin Laird, Marc Leishman, Kevin Kisner, Patrick Reed, Harris English and Dunhill Links champion Danny Willett will be among the notables reviewed in Tuesday’s Fantasy Insider. “Golf in a dome” is a familiar phrase when the subject matter is the relative simplicity of professional golf in the desert, but “funnel for the cup” should be as well given how easy TPC Summerlin has played. After the par 35-36—71 averaged just 68.859 in 2019, the scoring average dropped to 68.343 last year. The 2020 average established TPC Summerlin’s record low as a par 71 (2009-present) and it was the lowest of all par 71s on the PGA TOUR in the last 16 completed seasons. The 2019 average is the second-lowest of all par 71s of the last 10 seasons. Last year’s 36-hole cut of 7-under 135 set a PGA TOUR record for lowest in relation to par. However, since the 2019-20 season, 36-hole cuts in non-majors have been reduced to low 65 and ties. Had the previous iteration of low 70 and ties been in play, last year’s cut would have landed at 6-under 136 because only 66 survived the newest cut line. That nuance notwithstanding, to determine why scoring has plummeted even at a tournament where it’s always been low thanks in part to favorable weather conditions, one of the reasons concerns the tallest rough around the perimeter. For the fourth consecutive edition, it’s trimmed to two inches, which is down an inch from the previous length. Directly correlated to that are greens-in-regulation splits of about 75 percent, or 5-10 percent higher than what was customary through 2017. Because the bentgrass greens that run at just 11½ feet on the Stimpmeter are the same, all returning participants already are warm upon arrival in the context of their experience. Scoring has been so golfer-friendly over the years that it’s mildly surprising the TPC Summerlin hasn’t surrendered a sub-60. In fact, there have been only two 60s in tournament history – J.J. Henry in 2013 and Rod Pampling in 2016. Matthew Wolff carded last year’s low aggregate – a 61 in the third round – before going on to lose in a three-way playoff from which Martin Laird emerged with the trophy. The Scot’s path to victory was as balanced as you’re going to witness. He was second in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green but just 20th in Strokes Gained: Putting and T10 in putting: birdies-or-better. He also finished a mere T15 in par-4 scoring, but he co-led in par-5 scoring at 4.00 with three eagles (all on the ninth hole), six birdies and three pars. TPC Summerlin can stretch to 7,255 yards and it’s unchanged since last year’s open-book quiz. With another solid field in town and a bevy of Korn Ferry Tour graduates carrying momentum into the new season, the field average will come to rest well under par once more. Cooler air than in recent years could govern distance off the tee marginally, but that’s fact over friction. After a daytime high of about 80 degrees in the opening round, it might not hit that number again as light winds will rotate to push in from the north by the weekend. If any of the clouds that form release moisture, it might not even reach the ground. 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: Power Rankings TUESDAY: Sleepers; Fantasy Insider SUNDAY: Qualifiers, Reshuffle, Medical Extensions, Rookie Ranking

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