Three-time TOUR winner Dave Ragan passes away

Depending on your exposure, fusion might be most familiar as the scientific process in which multiple particles come together. You may also think of it as when jazz met rock and roll. Or maybe the winner of the word association is the popular sedan. With Tiger Woods performing as well as he has in 2018, we have to wonder if back surgeons are getting flooded with inquiries on another application: fusion surgery. Then there are the folks who play fantasy golf and lean on the fusion of current form with course history to identify value. Lo and behold, Woods is the father of all synergies at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard. With eight victories at Bay Hill Golf Club and Lodge, his margin over Vijay Singh in second place on the tournament’s all-time money list is more than $2 million greater than The Big Fijian’s total. Despite Woods’ incredible success at Bay Hill, he’s seeing the four-year-old renovation for the first time this week. Scroll past the ranking for more on how Palmer’s beloved test has matched up in the 120-man invitational. First appearance at Bay Hill since 2013 title, his fourth in last five trips. Tee-to-green game was the primary foundation of last week’s T2 at Copperhead. Putting was already strong. In the process of a T5 at the Valspar, ranked third in strokes gained: putting with highest recorded clip over four rounds since winning 2011 BMW. Five top 15s at Bay Hill since 2011. Just his third start of 2018. Chased Farmers title with a T2 at Pebble Beach. Winner at Bay Hill in 2016. Currently leading the PGA TOUR in strokes gained: putting. A regular leaderboard presence. Leads the TOUR in birdies-or-better percentage after going for the green. Fourth in adjusted scoring. T10 in Bay Hill debut last year. Continues to excel with his first PGA TOUR card with a P2, a solo third and three more top 25s since late January. Slots third in both adjusted scoring and the all-around. All three paydays in six starts at Bay Hill were top 20s. Now rested from a T5 at the WGC-Mexico where he led the field in total distance of putts holed. Five top fives in 2017-18! First Power Rankings since the WGC-HSBC in October. Opened Florida Swing with T13 at the Honda. Added a T16 at the Valspar. Three top 15s at Bay Hill; T12 in his last in 2016. Prevailed by six at the Asian Development Tour’s stop in Brunei on Saturday. Two wins in last four starts. T5 at WGC-Mexico in between. T6 in both prior starts at Bay Hill. Save the stumble at PGA National (MC), he’s just as hot as he was at this time last year when he placed T4 in his API debut. Third-place finishes in two of last three starts.   Wouldn’t mind tighter form upon arrival for his title defense, but he’s averaged 69.625 on his last eight rounds at Bay Hill. Currently seventh in birdies-or-better percentage. Travels after fading to solo sixth at the Hero Indian Open where he led after both of the first two rounds. Three top 15s in last four starts worldwide. T17-T7 in last two APIs. Italian stallion for Bay Hill with three top 10s and a T17 (2015) in the last four editions. Ranked fourth in strokes gained: tee-to-green en route to a T25 at WGC-Mexico. Relatively quiet opening to 2018 mirrors his track record at Bay Hill. In six prior trips, both of his two top 25s among five cuts made are top 15s. Solo 12th last year. Finally reemerged on the leaderboard at Copperhead (T2) where he led the field in strokes gained: approach. Appearing at Bay Hill for the third time, his first since 2014. Among the notables cut at Copperhead, but he’s been a force at Bay Hill. Five straight top 15s punctuated by top fives from 2014-16. Last year’s MC was an anomaly.  RANK PLAYER COMMENT POWER RANKINGS: ARNOLD PALMER INVITATIONAL Rory McIlroy, Hideki Matsuyama, Bubba Watson, Zach Johnson and Kevin Chappell will be among the notables covered in Tuesday’s Fantasy Insider.  This is the 40th edition of the API at Bay Hill. No course could claim to have evolved as much as the stock par 72 in Orlando. The latest sweeping modifications greeted the 2015 field with new Celebration bermudagrass on the fairways and TifEagle Bermuda on the greens (which are not overseeded).  If it can be accepted that three years of play and data are required before attaching identity and expectations to any course after a renovation, then Bay Hill has hit the bull’s-eye. Last year’s scoring average of 72.890 was a four-year high, but moderate-to-gusty winds challenged the field in the first and final rounds. The bottom line is that the course rewards all strengths upon execution. Consider that the leaders in distance of all drives (Rory McIlroy), fairways hit (Adam Hadwin), greens in regulation (champion Marc Leishman), proximity to the hole (McIlroy) and scrambling (Hadwin) all finished inside the top six on the leaderboard.  Leishman’s pace of 11-under 277 was the highest in six years. As referenced above, he got the job done by eliminating the need to scramble more than anyone else, but he also ranked second in strokes gained: putting. Not surprisingly given the value of par, the Aussie also co-led in bogey avoidance in which eight of the 11 golfers who finished inside the top 10 on the leaderboard ranked inside the top 10 for the tournament.  While the absence of dozens of trees felled by Hurricane Irma last September may be noticeable to eyes familiar with the property, the only relevant change to gameplay at Bay Hill since last year occurred beside the green of the par-3 second hole. The bank in between it and the creek isn’t as severe. And despite numerous upgrades, the course will tip at 7,419 yards for the eighth straight year.  Terrific weather is on tap throughout the tournament. Gradually warming daytime highs into the low 80s by Sunday will be accompanied by light breezes and primarily cloudless skies.  The winner will earn a three-year PGA TOUR exemption as well as berths into the next three editions of THE PLAYERS.  ROB BOLTON’S SCHEDULE  PGATOUR.COM’s Fantasy Insider Rob Bolton will be filing his usual staples leading up to this week’s event. Look for the following columns this week.  MONDAY: Rookie Ranking, Qualifiers, Reshuffle, Medical Extensions, Power Rankings  TUESDAY*: Sleepers, Fantasy Insider, Facebook Live  WEDNESDAY: One & Done  * – Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COM’s Expert Picks for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO, which also publishes on Tuesdays.

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Tiger and Charlie Woods will tee it up once again at the PNC Championship this weekend at the Ritz-Carlton GC in Orlando, Florida. This will be their third consecutive appearance at the tournament, which has become one of the marquee events of the fall season. Related: The First Look: PNC Championship While some like to refer to this section of the golf calendar as the “silly season,” there is nothing silly about Tiger Woods teeing it up at this stage of his career, regardless of the context. As many witnessed during the most recent edition of Capital One’s The Match, whenever and wherever Tiger appears on a golf course, it becomes must-see entertainment. This weekend at the PNC Championship alongside his son is poised to be no different. There won’t be any FedExCup points up for grabs, or any OWGR ranking to fight over. Just some of the biggest names in the sport playing golf with their family around the holidays. This event reminds so many of us why we love the game. In preparation for the PNC Championship, we collected some of the most iconic moments over the last two years from Team Woods. Charlie flushes 5-iron off the tee to card Team Woods’ 11th consecutive birdie Team Woods entered the final round of the 2021 PNC Championship tied for fifth, three shots off the lead. While most fans were happy to just see Tiger back on a golf course, the Woods duo were over the simple pomp and circumstance of their mere presence. They were there to win. What followed was a display of superb scramble golf from Charlie and Tiger that included a run of 11 straight birdies starting at the sixth and extending through No. 17. The run was highlighted by Charlie striping a 5-iron to 4 feet on the par-3 17th, tying the lead with John Daly and his college-aged son John Daly II heading to 18. Charlie dropped the putt for the solo birdie, marking 11 straight circles for Team Woods, a tournament record. Charlie hits the iconic walk-in and putter raise It took just four holes into the first round of the 2021 PNC for the moxie of the younger Woods to be on full display for the world. Taking a page out of Tiger’s book of signature celebrations, Charlie walked in a lengthy birdie putt and raised his putter to the sky just like his father has done in some of the biggest moments in the history of golf. That wasn’t the only statement putt from the younger Woods, as he drained a birdie on the par-3 eighth and promptly tossed his marker at dear old dad. Charlie displays trash-talk prowess with clever response to Mike Thomas Tiger Woods isn’t one of the more outspoken figures in golf, but certainly knows how to dish out some clever trash talk. This gamesmanship isn’t lost on son Charlie, who delivered the perfect needle to the team of Justin Thomas and dad Mike Thomas at the 2020 PNC. Mike Thomas, a PGA professional who specializes in coaching junior golfers and has worked with Charlie in the past, left a note for the younger Woods in the middle of the fairway during the pro-am the day before the first round. “Charlie drove one through the fairway and my dad was playing in front of them and he’d hit it into the trees,” Justin Thomas explained. “My dad wrote on a piece of paper ‘draw hole’ and put it under his ball. In typical Woods fashion, he kept the piece of paper, and when my dad hit it in the bunker, he put the exact same piece of paper behind his ball.” Some gall for an 11-year-old to call out a seasoned PGA professional, in front of the TV cameras no less. One could suppose that’s just the natural confidence instilled in someone growing up with an 82-time TOUR winner as a dad. “For some reason, Charlie just always wants to beat me, it doesn’t matter what it is. Although he’s never beaten me in golf or a putting contest, he still talks trash just like his dad. It will be fun,” said Justin Thomas. “We’ll have that inner tournament within a tournament, trying to shut his little mouth up, but it will be fun.” Tiger outdrives Justin Thomas Following the shocking news of Tiger Woods’ car accident in February 2021, questions began to surface asking if the 15-time major champion would ever be able to compete, or even play golf, again. After intense surgery, talks of amputation, and eventually being bedridden to his Florida home for three months, Tiger returned to golf alongside his son at the 2021 PNC Championship. Tiger’s game was limited. A noticeable limp and stiffness in the swing were apparent from the first tee shot. Justin Thomas, playing alongside Team Woods, was determined that a 45-year-old, hobbled Tiger would not outdrive him. That changed on the 11th hole. “I hit it pretty good and as soon as his ball took that big bounce, we looked at each other and I was like, ‘If it’s going to happen, it’s going to be this one because I think it just launched.’ And yeah, that was a shot to the ego,” Thomas said with a smile. Team Woods would go on to birdie the hole, but it was in that moment off the tee that Tiger showed he just might still have what it takes to compete. “It’s pretty amazing, isn’t it?” Nick Faldo said. “To go from fearing that you can’t use your foot to standing, he’s gone through every stage and ticking every box with sheer hard work and amazing determination. Maybe this was a goal. This was a great goal for him to come and play with his boy.” The mannerisms One of the biggest catalysts in the public’s growing interest in Charlie Woods was a video put together following the 2020 PNC Championship, super cutting the similarities in movements and mannerisms between father and son. Where most people share some common traits with their parents, few get to display those characteristics through a shared sport in front of the television cameras. Those who have watched Tiger play over the last three decades were quick to see the eerily similar quirks Charlie has picked up from his dad. The swing. The fist pump. The quick grab of the tee. It’s all there.

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It was nice of Brendan Steele to successfully defend his title at the Safeway Open so that we could seamlessly segue into the next two-time defending champ. That’s the badge of honor worn by Justin Thomas at the CIMB Classic. He was the first of four winners last season who defended his title. Oddly enough, his pair of victories at TPC Kuala Lumpur followed Ryan Moore’s consecutive wins to introduce the stock par 72 in Malaysia’s capital in 2014 and 2015. The CIMB Classic launches a three-week swing through Asia. From Malaysia to South Korea to China, each tournament is reserved for 78 golfers. None will feature a 36-hole cut. All he does is win the CIMB Classic at TPC Kuala Lumpur. The 2016-17 Player of the Year finished second in his last start at East Lake. Two wins in last two months, too. Will need to putt a little better to win this week, but he finished T3 here in 2015 and sat T9 through 54 holes last year. Simply thriving at the peak of his career. Presents as an obvious force but it didn’t pan out that way in any of his first three appearances. Still in pursuit of his first top 20 here, but has five top fives since late June. With rigors of the past several weeks now history, he can enjoy the embrace of a gettable track. Solo fifth and runner-up in last two editions; scoring average of 66.75. One of the many who struggled on Sunday at Silverado, but early form aligned with prior success there. Similarly strong at TPC Kuala Lumpur where his scoring average is 68.08 Four months ago, he was outside the OWGR’s top 350. With two wins, including in last start at East Lake, and the Rookie of the Year award in the interim, he’s now 32nd. Shed the rust in a hurry at Silverado, placing T17 and ranking fifth in strokes gained: putting. T7 (2015) and T10 (2016) with a scoring average of 68.00 at TPC Kuala Lumpur. Debuted as a PGA TOUR member at last year’s CIMB and finished T10. One of the world’s best putters in the midst of his career prime at 33 years of age. Straddled seasons with a T12 at Conway Farms and a T13 at Silverado. Seven top 25s in last four months. He can hang on shorter tracks like TPC Kuala Lumpur. In the stable of horses for the course with a solo sixth in 2015 and a solo ninth last year. Scoring average in his last 10 rounds here (going back to 2014) is 68.00. Placed T17 in debut here last year. Ranked 15th in putts per GIR during a steady week. T11 at the British Masters in his last start. Six top 25s in last eight starts worldwide. The two-time runner-up (to Ryan Moore both times) hasn’t missed an edition at TPC Kuala Lumpur. Strengths are hitting GIR (11th in 2016-17) and par-5 scoring (T24). Turned in a T19 as a first-timer here last year with a pair of 68s on the weekend. Steady, reliable attack is always a threat, particularly with the guarantee of 72 holes. Seems counterintuitive to endorse him in a putting contest, but he was comfortable last year. Finished sixth after sharing the 18-hole lead with a 64. Making his tournament debut and his first start as a PGA TOUR member. Seriously scuffled since a solo fourth at Firestone, his last start in an event with no cut. RANK PLAYER COMMENT POWER RANKINGS: CIMB CLASSIC Jason Dufner, Branden Grace, Adam Hadwin and Bud Cauley will be among the notables included in Tuesday’s Fantasy Insider. There’s no secret to the objective at TPC Kuala Lumpur: sink putts. ShotLink isn’t utilized overseas, but fancy formulas aren’t required to respect Thomas’ route to success. En route to hoisting the hardware both times, he led his fields in conversion percentage after hitting greens in regulation. He also ranked a respective first and fourth in fewest putts per GIR. Moore authored similar performances, but TPC Kuala Lumpur wasn’t yet the racetrack that Thomas looped in 26-under 262 in 2015 and 23-under 265 last year. (Moore scored 14-under 274 in 2013 and 17-under 271 in 2014.) With four par 5s and tipping at just 7,005 yards, it’s one of the most vulnerable courses on the docket. Last year’s field averaged 70.298, and that was over one-half stroke higher than the previous year. Phenomenally manicured paspalum putting surfaces cater to the highest level of confidence when chasing deeply red numbers. With them running at about 11 feet on the Stimpmeter, everyone can open the throttle. The Confidence Factor on Tuesday will expand on the analytics as well as spotlight which golfers in the field have fared well in previous visits. Customarily warm and humid conditions await. The strongest risks of inclement weather bookend the tournaments. The absence of impactful wind will further contribute to low scoring. ROB BOLTON’S WRITING SCHEDULE PGATOUR.COM’s Fantasy Columnist Rob Bolton will be filing his usual staples leading up to this week’s event. Look for the following columns this week. MONDAY: Rookie Ranking, Qualifiers, Reshuffle, Medical Extensions, Power Rankings TUESDAY*: Sleepers, The Confidence Factor, Fantasy Insider WEDNESDAY: One & Done THURSDAY: Ownership Percentages in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf and One & Done presented by SERVPRO * – Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COM’s Expert Picks for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO, which also publishes on Tuesdays.

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