Tiger Woods and the fight against Father Time

NOTE: For the three events determining who advances in the FedExCup Playoffs, Rob is focusing only on golfers outside the latest bubble. In this last installment, all five below enter the BMW Championship outside the top 30 in points. Lucas Glover (+25000 to win) … If this looks familiar with FedExCup points quadrupled in a three-event series and with him slotted 41st entering the BMW Championship, then you need to audition for a game show testing memory. Indeed, it was two years ago when this format was introduced and he was positioned 41st upon arrival at Medinah. A T7 vaulted him to 29th and into the TOUR Championship. He’d call on that again at Caves Valley without hesitation as he’s just 1-for-4 with a T57 at the no-cut WGC-St. Jude since emerging with victory at the John Deere Classic last month. The long, ball-striker’s track is perfect for his skill set, just like Medinah, which was set up to stretch 7,613 yards. Cam Davis (+15000 to win) … Held steady at 36th in the FedExCup with a T31 at Liberty National. He lost over 3.5 strokes for the week from tee to green, but the Aussie gained more than six with the putter and signed for a red number after every round. That’s Playoffs grit for ya. As one of the longest hitters every time he pegs it, among the most aggressive scorers because he can fill up the cup (see: last week) and as the PGA TOUR’s leader in eagles (19), the confluence of factors at Caves Valley favors a relative surprise with an edge. And he’s not even two months removed from his breakthrough victory in Detroit. Cameron Champ (+10000 to win) … The theme continues with recent winners – he connected at the 3M Open. It fulfilled an attitude adjustment that itself proved that his skill set is off the charts when he’s whole. His current position of 49th in the FedExCup represents a jump of 91 spots in the last month, the last three notches via a T27 at Liberty National where he led the field in par-5 scoring. Do that again at Caves Valley what with its full set of four par 5s and he might be appearing in the full-field Power Rankings for the TOUR Championship. Cameron Tringale (+8000 to win) … It’s hard to reach the TOUR Championship without a victory, but he’s done it before (2014). Still winless in 307 PGA TOUR starts as a professional, he’s on the precipice of doing it again at 34th in points. That reflects a rise of seven slots after a T21 at THE NORTHERN TRUST where he ranked T9 in greens hit and sixth in Strokes Gained: Putting. He’s recorded 11 top 25s this season, including in three of his last four starts. Aaron Wise (+20000 to win) … At 58th in the FedExCup, he’s furthest outside the target to advance than the foursome feature above, but the 25-year-old has been playing on house money essentially since he was the runner-up at Mayakoba in early December. The devil-may-care approach has freed him up for another five top 25s since, including a T21 at THE NORTHERN TRUST. He’ll need something significantly better than that to return to East Lake since he advanced during his Rookie of the Year season of 2017-18, but his above-average length off the tee leads exceptional ball-striking and he’s getting a stage on which those assets can shine. Odds were sourced on Tuesday, Aug. 24 at 7 a.m. ET. For live odds, visit betmgm.

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The strongest field in golf hits the course Thursday for Round 1 of THE PLAYERS Championship at TPC Stadium Course. The star-studded event will see the likes of Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Rickie Fowler, Jordan Spieth and reigning FedExCup champion Justin Thomas take on the Pete Dye masterpiece. Si Woo Kim is the defending champion. Here’s everything you need to know as the first round gets underway. Round 1 leaderboard Round 1 tee times HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN (ALL TIMES ET) PGA TOUR LIVE: 7:30 a.m. – 7 p.m. TELEVISION: 1 p.m. – 7 p.m. (GC, DirecTV) RADIO: 12 p.m. – 7 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio) FACEBOOK WATCH: 9 a.m. – 7 p.m. TWITTER 360: Live stream from Thursday-Sunday NOTABLE GROUPINGS 8:27 a.m.: Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth 1:52 p.m.: Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Rickie Fowler MUST-READS Roundtable: Tiger, Phil expectations Patience is key to winning THE PLAYERS Spieth says winning THE PLAYERS harder than winning a major Tiger, Phil pairing brings back memories of 2001

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NAPLES, Fla. — Charley Hoffman and Ryan Palmer had 10 birdies in modified alternate shot Saturday for a 10-under 62, setting the 36-hole record in the QBE Shootout and taking a two-shot lead into the final day. Teammates for the first time, Hoffman and Palmer were at 26-under 118. That broke the record by one shot previously shared by Harris English and Matt Kuchar in 2020 and Jason Day and Cameron Tringale in 2014. Hoffman and Palmer led by two shots over Tom Hoge and Sahith Theegala, both playing the event for the first time. They combined for a 60 at Tiburon Golf Club. In modified alternate shot, both players hit tee shots and then they alternate shots the rest of the way. The final round will be fourballs. English and Kuchar, who have won the QBE Shootout three times together, also had a 62 and were four shots behind along with Day and Billy Horschel, who had a 61. That’s the same score they had in the scramble format. The two LPGA Tour players in the field were nine shots behind. Nelly Korda and Denny McCarthy had a 67, the same score as Lexi Thompson and Maverick McNealy. Korda and McCarthy took a double bogey on No. 11, and then played their last six holes in 7-under par. Six of the 12 teams had 65 or lower in the modified alternate shot. “We were in a pretty good rhythm. We were giving ourselves birdie chances and we were knocking most of them in,” Hoffman said. “The reality is we were just doing our thing. Obviously we saw the low scores, but that means there’s birdies out there and we tried to attack them in and we did a pretty good job.”

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