Tiger finally finishes 72 holes on PGA Tour

What a year. As we prepare to close the book on 2021 still a little wobbly on our feet, a little glassy-eyed as we try to process it all, it seems only appropriate to pause and consider what we’ve seen. A six-man playoff. An eight-hole playoff. The first PLAYERS Championship in two years. Xander Schauffele striking gold at the Tokyo Olympics. Tony Finau winning again. We saw Power, as in Seamus, your Barbasol Championship winner, and power, as in driving distance leader Bryson DeChambeau’s crowd-pleasing, 370-yard moon shot on the par-5 sixth hole at Bay Hill as he won the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard. English, as in Harris, was spoken seemingly everywhere, from Kapalua (Sentry Tournament of Champions) to Connecticut (Travelers Championship) to Kohler (Ryder Cup). We also had a long-awaited Ancer, as in Abraham, capturing his first PGA TOUR trophy in an unlikely playoff at the World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational. Here’s what else we saw over these unforgettable 12 months. Underrated Player of the Year: Hideki Matsuyama, as rated by himself At The Masters in April, Matsuyama became the first Japanese player to wear the green jacket and the first to win a men’s major of any kind. He was brimming with confidence. Alas, it was gone by the time he went home for the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP in October. “Ball striking, putting, chipping, all of these have not reached the level I want,” he said. “If my game scored 10 out of 10 at The Masters, now I would say it scores less than 1. I will be struggling this week, but I am here in Japan, so I am motivated to be in contention.” Then he won, after which he said, “I would rate my performance as two or three.” Geez. Tough crowd. Underrated Player of the Year II: Justin Thomas, as rated by himself Despite winning THE PLAYERS Championship, Justin Thomas said at the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba that he would give his season a C-minus. Craziest finish: WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational Harris English was going to win, and if not him, then Bryson DeChambeau. They were 20 under and 18 under, respectively, as they went to the back nine at TPC Southwind. The next closest player was at 16 under. Alas, after multiple water balls, a long ruling, and being put on the clock, English and DeChambeau shot 40 and 41, respectively, on the back. Abraham Ancer (2-under 68) won after joining a playoff with Hideki Maruyama and Sam Burns, who finished an hour before English and DeChambeau and admitted he almost left the property. Shocker of the Year Phil Mickelson won the PGA Championship less than a month shy of his 51st birthday, becoming the oldest player to win a major – by 2 1/2 years. (Julius Boros) Shocker of the Year II After winning just three times in 27 years, the U.S. Ryder Cup Team trounced Europe 19-9, the biggest margin of victory since the event went to 28 matches. Most Functional Family Stewart Cink won the RBC Heritage in April with son Reagan as his caddie. It was the second time they’d teamed up for a W in the season’s first eight months. This, after Cink went into last season without a victory since 2009. Best Playoff Fittingly, it’s a four-way tie: “Patty Ice” Cantlay beat Bryson DeChambeau in a six-hole playoff at the BMW Championship (and went on to win the FedExCup). Harris English beat Kramer Hickok in eight extra holes at the Travelers Championship. C.T. Pan won a seven-man playoff to capture the Bronze Medal at the Tokyo Olympics. Finally, Kevin Kisner won a six-man playoff that also included Branden Grace, Si Woo Kim, Kevin Na, Adam Scott and Roger Sloan at the Wyndham Championship. Best Delivery World No. 1 Jon Rahm and his wife, Kelley, welcomed their first child, son Kepa, just prior to The Masters Tournament in early April. Best Delivery II Jon Rahm birdied 17 and 18 to win the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, where he’d captured his first PGA TOUR title in 2017 and not far from where he later proposed to Kelley. Best Slump-Buster Jordan Spieth won for the first time since 2017 at the Valero Texas Open. “It’s been a long road,” he said. A total of 1,351 days, to be exact, but who’s counting? Best Home Cooking Breaking a drought going back to the 2019 PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP, Rory McIlroy won his third Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow, where he’s a member. It was the first time he’s won a TOUR event three times. Best Reason to Keep Knocking on the Door Hideki Matsuyama won the Masters, becoming the first Japanese player to win a men’s major in April. It was his first victory in four years. Justin Thomas opened with a 38 Thursday and was a shot outside the cut line with nine holes remaining Friday, then shot 64-68 to win THE PLAYERS Championship. “It was a ball-striking clinic,” said his then-caddie, Jimmy Johnson. After winning for the first time in his career at THE CJ CUP @ SHADOW CREEK the previous fall, Jason Kokrak, 36, continued his transformation from journeyman to multiple TOUR winner as he captured the Charles Schwab Challenge in late May. And when he captured the Hewlett Packard Enterprise Houston Open in November, he had a sleeve of wins in a span of 13 months, making him one of the game’s hottest players. Supernova of the Year Less than a year after picking up his first major title at the PGA Championship at TPC Harding Park, Collin Morikawa captured The Open Championship for major No. 2. The five-time PGA TOUR winner, who is still just 24, also went 3-0-1 at the Ryder Cup and became the first American to win the European Tour’s Race to Dubai. Nickname of the Year Patrick Cantlay rode a red-hot summer all the way to the FedExCup, but he was “Patty Ice” to the fans at the BMW Championship. Rarely has anyone so aptly lived into his new nickname, which was ironed onto the back of an Atlanta Falcons jersey (and apparently into Cantlay’s unflappable game) for the TOUR Championship. “It could have been a different nickname, but he really appreciated that the fans got behind him,” said Matt Minister, Cantlay’s longtime caddie. “Because up until last week (at the BMW), everybody else was being cheered for, and then they really started cheering for him. That’s what made the difference, that they got behind him.”

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Round 3 of the 3M Open takes place Saturday from TPC Twin Cities in Blaine, Minnesota. Scott Piercy leads by three heading into the weekend. Here’s everything you need to know to follow the action, including Featured Groups for PGA TOUR LIVE and newly expanded and extended coverage on ESPN+. Click here for more details. Leaderboard Full tee times HOW TO FOLLOW (All times ET) Television: Saturday-Sunday, 1-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3 p.m.-6 p.m. (CBS). Radio: Saturday, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. ET Sunday, 1 p.m.-6 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com/liveaudio) For outside of the U.S., click here for GOLFTV powered by the PGA TOUR PGA TOUR LIVE PGA TOUR Live is available exclusively on ESPN+ • Main Feed: primary tournament-coverage featuring the best action from across the course • Marquee Group: new “marquee group” showcasing every shot from each player in the group • Featured Groups: traditional PGA TOUR LIVE coverage of two concurrent featured groups • Featured Holes: a combination of par-3s and iconic or pivotal holes FEATURED GROUPS SATURDAY Marquee Group Rickie Fowler, Ryan Palmer, Brendon Todd Featured Groups Stewart Cink, Michael Thompson, Seung-Yul Noh Jason Day, Hayden Buckley, Grayson Murray Featured Holes: No. 4 (par 3), No. 8 (par 3), No. 13 (par 3), No. 17 (par 3) MUST READS Scott Piercy holds three-shot lead at 3M Open after 2nd round Tony Finau motivated by Presidents Cup pursuit at 3M Open Jeff Overton makes emotional return at 3M Open Joohyung Kim accepts Special Temporary Membership

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Since the launch of the FedExCup era, the Quicken Loans National has been a staple as a stop in the Mid-Atlantic. It is once again this week. TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm hosts for the second consecutive year. As projected in its return to the PGA TOUR after a comprehensive renovation 10 years prior, it played up to the hype as a tough test. In fact, last year’s scoring average of 71.458 was highest among all par 70s in non-majors last season. Furthermore, only PGA National, annual host of The Honda Classic and where the winds always howl in late February and early March, has scored higher among par 70s in non-majors over each of the last six seasons. Scroll beneath the ranking for details on how TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm sets up, the statistically predictable defending champion and what’s in store beginning in 2019. Still chasing his first victory of the season but he’s logged a pair of seconds among eight top 20s in 14 starts, including in each of his last three. Tied for third at TPC Potomac last year. In a tailspin at the moment, but the leash is longer for heads of the class. Five top 10s in 2018, including a runner-up finish a month ago in Texas. Shared fifth place here last year. In arguably better form than prior to his victory last year. Three top 15s in his last five starts, including a playoff loss at Muirfield Village and a career-best T15 at TPC River Highlands. After going Win-2nd in England and his native Italy, respectively, he placed T25 at Shinnecock Hills. TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm is an ideal site for his tee-to-green mastery. The latest example of how a veteran can find a groove and coast. The 36-year-old sat 133rd in FedExCup points a month ago but has since climbed to 50th on a T13-3rd-T2 burst. Shinnecock Hills put a halt to his surge sparked at the Masters. Prior to his T56 at the U.S. Open, he connected six straight top 25s, three of which for T6 or better. Ten consecutive cuts made upon arrival, including a pair of second-place finishes. Among the best putters on TOUR but also above average in manufacturing scoring opportunities. He gets his first look at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm this week. He’s been strong overall but has lacked consistency. Greens averaging just 5,300 square feet will accentuate his aerial attack. He’s a virtual lock for a 2017-18 TOUR card, so everything in the interim is a bonus. That allows the affable Thai to continue to free-wheel and build on a fantastic 2018. With a T4 at TPC Southwind and a T2 at TPC River Highlands that including a career-low-tying 62 on Sunday, he’s back on the radar. It’s also more evidence of his wife’s inspiration. Although last year’s playoff victim celebrated his 39th birthday on June 20, he continues to hum along just as he always has. He’s 19-for-21 with four top 10s among 12 top 25s this season. Close call at Muirfield Village proved that he’s poised for a breakthrough. It was his sixth top-15 finish worldwide since late January. Ranks 18th on TOUR in strokes gained: tee-to-green. Profiles similarly to the defending champion and ranks T20 in par-5 scoring. Tway also comes in with top 10s in three of his last five starts after dropping hints of something special all season. You know he’s eager to get back out there after settling for second place in his last start at TPC Southwind. Perfect in his last eight with five top 20s baked in. Tenth on TOUR in GIR. Since turning pro, all three of his cuts made in six starts are top 10s. The 19-year-old wasn’t sure he was going to hang off the tee but he’d rank 29th in distance of all drives if eligible. RANK PLAYER COMMENT POWER RANKINGS: QUICKEN LOANS NATIONAL Si Woo Kim, Gary Woodland, Kevin Na and Bill Haas will be among the notables reviewed in Tuesday’s Fantasy Insider. Although there were the customary multiple paths en route to contending at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm a year ago, it made sense that the man who emerged as champion of the Quicken Loans National was and remains one of the PGA TOUR’s preeminent ball-strikers. Kyle Stanley has crafted out his career as a longer-hitting tee-to-green surgeon, a particular skill set that he displayed here last year. He led the field in strokes gained: off-the-tee, green in regulation and strokes gained: tee-to-green. He also finished T20 in distance of all drives, third in fairways hit and sixth in proximity to the hole before surviving one hole of sudden death with Charles Howell III and extinguishing David Lingmerth’s bid for a wire-to-wire title. (Lingmerth placed T5.) In line with the expectation on unfamiliar bentgrass greens, Stanley prevailed despite losing ground to the field of 120 in strokes gained: putting, surrendering 1.1 strokes with his wand over 72 holes of regulation. It’s the kind of formula that might not work as well this time around given that as of Monday afternoon, 71 in this week’s field competed in last year’s edition, including nine of the 12 who finished inside the top 10. The only stretch on the 7,107-yard layout that presents any reasonable chance for momentum exists on holes 12-14. All three averaged under par last year, the only connection between at least two such holes. Both of the par 5s (Nos. 2 and 10) checked up under par, but together they ranked as the most difficult set of par 5s of all par 70s all season. Simply put, there is no letup along the walk. Even though more experience will be logged at TPC Potomac this week, a new book of knowledge will introduced next year as this tournament is moving to the Detroit area. It was announced a month ago that the title sponsor has agreed to a long-term partnership that includes the migration of the event to Quicken Loans’ hometown. For its last spin in the region this week, warm and humid conditions will remind everyone of the season with Independence Day right around the corner. There won’t be much relief for gradually increasing daytime highs into the low 90s, but the absence of wind should result in lower scores than last year’s breezier challenge. ROB BOLTON’S SCHEDULE PGATOUR.COM’s Fantasy Insider Rob Bolton reviews 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, Facebook Live, Fantasy Insider WEDNESDAY: One & Done THURSDAY: Champions 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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