Tiger Woods’ backup putter sells for over $44K at auction

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OWINGS MILLS, Md. – Justin Thomas was already salivating over the prospect of an ice bath. Cameron Smith was craving a cold shower and an even colder beer. Sam Burns went for a nap and Patrick Cantlay was making sure his fluid intake was as high as humanly possible. It wasn’t the hottest PGA TOUR event on record at the BMW Championship but with the elevation changes at Caves Valley coupled with the mercury pushing 90 degrees all day and the humidity making it feel like triple figures, it certainly was a grind. With the race for the FedExCup heating up as much as the conditions players found themselves very focused on recovery between rounds. Those with the ultimate prize and $15million bonus in their sites know they must navigate seven more rounds while staying as fresh as possible. Co-leader Jon Rahm was looking at the bright side of his COVID enforced break from the recent Olympics after an 8-under 64 projected him to the top of the FedExCup standings. “Luckily, I had a month off, so it helps. Those guys that went to the Olympics and played Memphis and played more events than me may be a little bit more tired, but really that shouldn’t be an excuse in my case,” Rahm said. “On Tuesday when I came to the course I didn’t do too much. I didn’t even venture out on the golf course because I knew it was a tough walk. I just hit some balls, a little bit of putting and chipping and went home. “On days like that what I really prioritize is hydration. If you get dehydrated in the middle, it’s going to affect you over the next few weeks.” Water was on Xander Schauffele’s mind as well and he was throwing them back in the early stages of his 5-under 67. Of course the side effect of this was nature calling and when he stopped for relief after the 10th hole, he accidentally left his putter leaning up against the outside of the port-a-john. It wasn’t until after his wedge shot on the 11th hole that the recent gold medalist and caddie Austin Kaiser realized the mistake with Kaiser sent on a sprint back up the hill some 300-yards to retrieve it. Kaiser needed a couple extra hydration beverages afterwards. “Yeah, that’s my fault. I thought he grabbed it, which is my fault, and then I didn’t look, which is my fault again, so I had like a triple whammy there. And then he had to run back, and then I missed the putt after, so it was really not a good hole for me,” Schauffele laughed. “It was nice that the crowd got him going coming in because he was huffing and puffing.” Smith, the runner up at THE NORTHERN TRUST last week, said he was mindful of his walking pace throughout his 4-under 68. Already certain to start the TOUR Championship in a high seed Smith is looking to balance his energy through this week and next. “We were probably walking a bit slower than what we typically do and trying to find shade a lot… it was brutal out there today,” the Australian said. “Those last probably four or five holes, it gets to you and you start thinking, when is this going to end. You’ve just got to be smart about it. “I’m from Queensland where it gets hot, so it doesn’t really bother me, it just takes a lot out of me. So now I’m looking forward to a quick massage, then cold shower and a couple cold beers.” Despite the sunny conditions the PGA TOUR utilized preferred lies in the opening round thanks to remnants of Tropical Storm Henri that have kept the fairways soggy underneath. With temperatures to continue to soar through the final three days, but also the chance of thunderstorms, that could continue throughout. “Based on the remnants of Hurricane Henri that brought 2-3 inches of rain to Caves Valley Golf Club over the weekend, combined with extreme heat, high dew point and humidity, the PGA TOUR Competitions Committee has granted players the ability to utilize preferred lies in closely-mown areas for Round 1 of the BMW Championship,” Chief Referee Steve Rintoul said earlier in the day. “Unfortunately, the conditions we’ve been dealt, along with no wind to speak of, has slowed the drying of the golf course. In some instances, players will be dealing with some extreme mud adhering to the golf ball that will affect its flight in unpredictable ways. THE PGA TOUR has a philosophy in place for using preferred lies for two reasons, one is temporary water and the second is for this exact situation which will allow us to deliver a more-even playing field.”

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I’ll open this week’s introduction with another. The band is back together again! If you missed it throughout the week of the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, the fantasy section has a new contributor: Mike Glasscott. If you were familiar with my eight-year run at Rotoworld through 2015, you already know Glass. He was the lead columnist during the second half of my tenure. We had a great time arguing, er, generating thoughtful and helpful commentary, so we hope to bring some of that experience to you here, like it or not. Glass has assumed the reins of The Confidence Factor and he’s the main man for the brand-new Emergency 9, which is a nightly recap of fantasy-relevant nuggets after every day of a tournament. I’ll sit in from time to time as we bring to you wall-to-wall fantasy coverage throughout every week. Shifting our attention to the OHL Classic at Mayakoba, it leads off the final fortnight of the fall during which ShotLink is not utilized. This means that bonus points for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO are equal to one-half what your starters in the final round earn. Since rationing starts isn’t a concern in Segment 1, there’s no need to toy with saving anyone who you even remotely consider to be a threat to win. Elsewhere, there’s a misconception that to read my public tweets, you have to register for Twitter. In fact, the microblogging platform acts as any regular website. So, non-users can see when I tweet field changes, links to all of my work and anything else of relevance to games. To engage, view at-replies and perform other functions, registration is required. This means that you can also read Glass’ Twitter page, at your own risk, of course. Look for him as @MikeGlasscott. PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO My roster for the OHL Classic at Mayakoba (in alphabetical order): Kevin Chappell Rickie Fowler Chesson Hadley Zach Johnson Pat Perez Gary Woodland You’ll find my starters in Expert Picks. Others to consider for each category (in alphabetical order): Scoring: Charley Hoffman; Sung Kang; Luke List; Graeme McDowell Driving: n/a Approach: n/a Short: n/a Power Rankings Wild Card Charley Hoffman … It’s either a blessing or a curse that he’s the Wild Card in consecutive weeks, but after a T18 in his backyard in Vegas where his motivation was entirely selfless, he makes the most sense in this position again. He has only one top-30 finish in five straight trips to El Camaleón, but the outlier was a victory in 2014. And anyone paying attention in the last several months knows that he’s flirted with winning time and again, only to fall short. He makes sense in any format this week. DFSers have limited options among the top tier, while he sets up as a defensive tactic for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO gamers. Draws Ryan Moore … If there was anything to glean from last week’s T51 in Vegas, it was that he’s OK. He eschewed the entire three-week stint in Asia, including the CIMB Classic where he’s a two-time champ. Now slated to make his second appearance at El Camaleón (T23, 2013) with enough recent form to warrant a complementary role in DFS. Sung Kang … Perfect DFS plug-in. Since a 3-for-3 open to the season that included a T3 at the CIMB Classic, he added a co-runner-up finish at the K.J. Choi Invitational two weeks ago. Already his fifth start at Mayakoba where he’s cashed three times. Johnson Wagner … Cheap DFS option given his affinity for and success at El Camaleón. Overall, he’s 4-for-6 with a win (2011) and a pair of top 20s. Jordan Niebrugge … Still unproven at this level, but the upstart made noise on the Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada this year. With that experience in tow and everything to gain this week, he projects to reward the risky in the DFS crowd. Scott Brown (DFS) Patton Kizzire (DFS) Nick Taylor (DFS) Jhonattan Vegas (all) Fades Russell Knox … He’ll snap out of his funk at some point and El Camaleón might rank first on the most likely of sites for that to happen – he chased a playoff loss here in 2015 with a solo third last year – but he has trap written all over him this week. Zero top 25s in his last eight starts and only one stretching back to late April. Patrick Reed … As one who has unintentionally drifted into an apologist, an accidental role in the world of only the most skeptical, I’m with you this week. El Camaleón will spotlight his short game, but gamers aren’t keen to rely on that for value. It’s definitely not rewarded in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO. And because he’s not among the proficient tee-to-green performers, he’s an easy no-play. Alex Cejka … He treated his season-long investors to a close call at TPC Summerlin on Sunday, but it was made possible by a devil-may-care 63 in the finale. That’s one way to approach closing out a tournament, but it’s not a sustainable formula. What’s more, he’s never carved out a reliable groove in which to trust. It might be a slightest different story if he was a horse for a course in Mexico, but he’s gone five consecutive rounds at El Camaleón without signing for a red number. John Huh … The 2012 champ has added three top 30s since but he’s been in a slump virtually all year. He’ll appreciate this week’s opportunity, but DFSers need to give him some time. Cameron Champ … The exceptionally long hitter is making his pro debut on a course that benefits shorter knockers. That serves as the analytical explanation that walks in lockstep with the respect for all that is new to his life. Aaron Baddeley Harris English Emiliano Grillo J.J. Spaun                                                                                                                                          Returning to Competition Mac Hughes … Alert your commissioners about the contraction of his first name. He’s back in action after a month off to become a father for the first time. If the Nappy Factor kicks in, it might be tough to tell as he’s been a relatively reliable source of value since breaking through as a rookie last fall. Give him a week to normalize (and sleep), but also beware that he’ll be defending his only PGA TOUR title at next week’s RSM Classic as that will be unlike anything he’s ever experienced. J.J. Henry … With a 7-for-7 record at El Camaleón that includes four top 25s and a scoring average of 69.14, some DFSers will take the plunge. However, if there’s a time to step away from the allure of that course history, this is it. In his last start, he withdrew during his third round of the Sanderson Farms Championship with a sore back. Bronson Burgoon … He’ll try again this week. He walked off the Country Club of Jackson during his second round two weeks ago with discomfort in his back, and then withdrew early from the Shriners. The 30-year-old entered the season with considerable promise after an impressive flourish to conclude the 2017 Web.com Tour season. He then hung up a T17 at the Safeway. Consider as a flier in DFS at Mayakoba where he placed T25 in his only prior appearance in 2015. Notables WDs Webb Simpson … Was poised to seek redemption after closing with 74 last year to finish T24. He sat fifth and just four strokes off the lead entering the final round. Overall form has been terrific all year and especially consistent of late. Billy Horschel … Withdrew prior to his second round of last week’s Shriners with a sore left shoulder. Plans to get back after it in a month at the QBE Shootout. Scott Piercy … Most likely would have generated considerable interest in every format what with a T16 (2014) and T4 (2016) in his last two appearances. He’s also popped the top on 2017-18 with three straight paydays, although a T32 in his hometown of Las Vegas was disappointing. Ollie Schniederjans … To the dismay of DFSers everywhere, but we’ll be turning to the 24-year-old again and often. He opened the season with a set of three top 25s. Henrik Stenson … A rib injury forces him to miss this week’s Nedbank Challenge. While originally expected to sit out until the Hero World Challenge in three weeks, he hasn’t ruled out lacing up for the next week’s DP World Tour Championship. Power Rankings Recap – Shriners Hospitals for Children Open Power Ranking  Golfer  Result 1  Webb Simpson  T20 2  Tony Finau  T16 3  Patrick Cantlay  Win 4  Luke List  T20 5  Ryan Moore  T51 6  Smylie Kaufman  MC 7  Jamie Lovemark  MC 8  Kevin Streelman  67th 9  Nick Taylor  T32 10  Scott Piercy  T32 11  Chesson Hadley  T4 12  William McGirt  T10 13  Shawn Stefani  T68 14  Austin Cook  T20 15  Anirban Lahiri  T51 Wild Card  Charley Hoffman  T18 Sleepers Recap – Shriners Hospitals for Children Open Golfer  Result Martin Laird  MC Tom Lovelady  MC Cameron Tringale  MC Tyrone Van Aswegen  MC Aaron Wise  T32 Birthdays among active golfers on the PGA TOUR November 7 … none November 8 … Troy Matteson (38); Francesco Molinari (35) November 9 … David Duval (46); Ted Potter, Jr. (34); Nicholas Lindheim (33) November 10 … Ethan Tracy (28); Jon Rahm (23) November 11 … Robert Garrigus (40); Joel Dahmen (30) November 12 … Lucas Glover (38); Chez Reavie (36); Jason Day (30); C.T. Pan (26) November 13 … none

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