Tiger Woods finds success with familiar putter back in the bag

LAS VEGAS — Tied for the lead going into the weekend, Patrick Cantlay already was four shots behind before he hit his opening tee shot Saturday in the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. That didn’t bother him in the least. He knows what to expect at the TPC Summerlin. RELATED: Full leaderboard | Wolff holes 3 eagles, cards 61 | DeChambeau stumbles on Saturday A tee shot so far left on the 10th hole that he had to hit a provisional? That made him a little anxious, but only until he found his original, hit wedge to 4 feet for birdie and began his climb back to where he started. When the third round ended, Cantlay and Martin Laird each had a 6-under 65 without making it look terribly special and were tied for the lead. Both got their first PGA TOUR victory at this tournament. Both have lost in a playoff. Both have played it enough times to realize birdie opportunities are there for everyone. U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau was among the exceptions. He had a pair of double bogeys and back-to-back bogeys, all before he reached the seventh hole. At that point he was 5 over in a five-hole stretch, which he said felt more like 12 over on a course like the TPC Sumerlin. He rallied enough for a 71, though he was seven shots behind and had 30 players in front of him. "Yeah, it was really weird," he said. "I don't know. It's golf, right?" Those 30 players ahead of him starts with Cantlay and Laird at 20-under 193. "I'm sure by the time I get to the golf course the lead will already be more than 20 under, which is what it's going to be around here," Cantlay said. "I think my strategy out here is to stay patient because I know there are so many birdie opportunities instead of pressing or feeling like I'm trailing, and realize that they're out there if I hit good shots." Laird had one exciting moment when he holed a 50-foot eagle putt on No. 9. Otherwise, it was attacking flags when he could and playing for the fat of the green when it was too risky. Some wind late in the day made it a little tougher, but the scoring average still was 67.5. "I have had good rounds every day, so I'm not going to change anything," Laird said. "It’s been working and I’m in a good spot, so just keep going." Matthew Wolff got it started early. After making the cut with one shot to spare, Wolff had three eagles in a five-hole stretch and had to settle for pars on his final two holes for a 61. Making three eagles at Summerlin is not unusual with a few short par 4s and all the par 5s easily reachable. Wolff, however, holed out on No. 11 from 116 yards. He drove the green on the 301-yard 15th hole to 15 feet and holed an 18-foot eagle putt on the par-5 13th. He never really considered 59 because he was only 2 under on the front. He played the back in 8-under 28. "If you only shoot 2 under on the front you feel like you never have a chance to shoot 59," he said. Wolff posted his 18-under 195 right as the last group was starting the third round, and it held until Laird was the first to get to 19 under with a birdie on the 13th. Wyndham Clark (65), Brian Harman (67) and Austin Cool (67) also were at 195. Na had a 64 and was three shots behind along with Will Zalatoris, who has a chance to earn special temporary membership with a strong finish Sunday. He already is leading the Korn Ferry Tour points list. Cantlay picked up birdies where he expects to except on the short par-4 seventh, where his drive was hung out to the right and found a bunker, leaving a 70-yard sand shot that he did well to get within 12 feet for a two-putt par. He expects to birdie the 10th, but not after hitting a provisional off the tee. "I was hoping that it would be somewhat OK over there and I could make a par," he said of his original tee shot. "Fortunately, it wasn't that bad and I was able to hit a great shot, so that was a bonus." DeChambeau, playing for the last time before the Masters on Nov. 12-15, did too much damage early on to recover. A wild tee shot on No. 2 led to double bogey, and while he missed the fairway badly on No. 6, what led to the double bogey was a three-putt from 12 feet. Four straight birdies on No. 8 steadied him — he nearly drove the 419-yard 10th — but not enough. He failed to convert on the short par-4 15th and dropped another shot coming in. "Didn't really hit bad shots, just didn't go where I wanted to," DeChambeau said. "Went into some really bad places and unfortunately didn't save par from them. Just stuff didn't go my way today, and it's OK. Not a big deal."

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The grand prize was $1 million for a reason. The game is really, really, really hard. No one in the Perfect Lineup Challenge guessed all four of the top scorers at THE NORTHERN TRUST – Bryson DeChambeau (611 points), Tony Finau (462), Billy Horschel (417) and Cameron Smith (414) – so the grand prize will not be rewarded. No one connected on even three. Fifty-six gamers hit on two. The contest doesn’t end, though. Runner-up prizes are still there for the taking. The gamer who scores the most fantasy points throughout the four events of the FedExCup Playoffs will win a driver. He or she with the second-most points will win a putter. All six of your picks contribute to your total. This week’s Dell Technologies Championship is the last tournament of 2017-18 with a cut, so every gamer in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO is poised to score in all four rounds in the last two. Other than the usual objective to get four to the weekend, the most challenging component in Segment 4 has been rationing starts. This goes for front-runners, too, because quadrupled FedExCup bonuses can make such a big difference in the Playoffs. It’s a race to the finish line regardless of your ranking. Cycle through the chalk freely. PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO My roster for the Dell Technologies Championship (in alphabetical order): Jason Day Tony Finau Brooks Koepka Jordan Spieth Adam Scott Justin Thomas You’ll find my starters in Expert Picks. Others to consider for each category (in alphabetical order): Scoring: Bryson DeChambeau; Tommy Fleetwood; Dustin Johnson; Marc Leishman; Phil Mickelson; Ryan Palmer; Jon Rahm; Justin Rose; Cameron Smith; Tiger Woods Driving: Keegan Bradley; Rafa Cabrera Bello; Patrick Cantlay; Paul Casey; Bryson DeChambeau; Tommy Fleetwood; Billy Horschel; Justin Rose; Gary Woodland Approach: Keegan Bradley; Rafa Cabrera Bello; Paul Casey; Joel Dahmen; Bryson DeChambeau; Dustin Johnson; Russell Knox; Kevin Na; Tiger Woods Short: Bryson DeChambeau; Branden Grace; Billy Horschel; Dustin Johnson; Phil Mickelson; Kevin Na; Justin Rose; Webb Simpson; Cameron Smith Power Rankings Wild Card Marc Leishman … Finds himself in a curious position. Since he started his season with a playoff loss at THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES, the Aussie pretty much has known that he’ll be able to defend his title at next week’s BMW Championship. Currently 24th in points, it will be a reality, but he’s been a lot more miss than hit of late. Top 15s at the Quicken Loans National and the WGC-Bridgestone are his only top 30s of the last three months. Last year’s solo third at TPC Boston ended a three-year drought without a top 45 on the course. Bottom line, we know who he is, so invest in the baseline contribution. Lining him up as a complement in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO is advised. Draws Tiger Woods … Gamers who are paying attention might sound like a redundancy in terms, but there is no longer shock among the loyal contingent when he doesn’t appear in the Power Rankings. He’ll never be just another golfer in the mainstream, but our results-based enterprise requires more for us to think differently. This explains why he continues to epitomize the greatest chasm between reality and fantasy. He has a phenomenal record at TPC Boston what with a win (in 2006), two T2s and a solo third, but this is his first look at the track in five years. Those who aren’t invested likely will think that it’s foolish to label him as a contrarian choice, but that’s exactly how he sets up this week. Webb Simpson … He’s been a machine so he defaults into this grouping, and while he’s a former winner at TPC Boston (2011), this actually is a good week to turn him off and save him for the last two events. At ninth in FedExCup points, he’ll be at Aronimink and East Lake. Charley Hoffman … Some seasons don’t make sense. He’s 18-for-24 with eight top 20s, three of which in majors and one at the WGC-Mexico Championship. He’s also fresh off a T20 at THE NORTHERN TRUST, yet he’s fighting for his Playoffs life at 75th in points thanks in part to the absence of a top 10. He didn’t appear in Sleepers because he’s all but a slam-dunk to advance. Winner at TPC Boston in 2010 with a solo third in 2015 are supportive, but this endorsement attaches entirely to his long-range form. Cameron Smith … Ah, the value of grinding out cuts made. After a dreadful three months, the Aussie connected four paydays over five weeks. Then, in his first start as a 25-year-old, he scaled to register a T3 at THE NORTHERN TRUST where he was firing on all cylinders. He’s proven to be streaky in his young career, so have no fear in doubling down at TPC Boston. Louis Oosthuizen … Responded favorably from his 11th-hour withdrawal at the PGA Championship (due to a sore back) with a faded T28 at Ridgewood. With a series of strong results both before it and in all four showings at TPC Boston, he’s built for gamers who need a swing for the fence. Keegan Bradley (all) Rafa Cabrera Bello (all) Tyrrell Hatton (DFS) Zach Johnson (DFS) Ryan Palmer (all) Ian Poulter (DFS) Fades Bubba Watson … Within the construct that he’s played well at multiple sites where he has in the past – three victories on the season ain’t too shabby – there is the lament that he also has failed to deliver when similarly expected. Just two paydays in his last five starts upon arrival, neither of which going for a top 30, and only one top 25 at TPC Boston (T16, 2011) during the FedExCup era. Jimmy Walker … Still scuffling, but that implies the acceptable higher expectation given he started 2018 with residual concern over his illness. At 68th in points, a top 25 ought to be enough to advance, but he’s gone three months without one. Alex Noren … Uncharacteristically struggling as Ryder Cup qualifying also comes to a conclusion, there’s simply no reason to reach right now. Daniel Berger Brian Gay Brian Harman Charles Howell III Kevin Kisner Matt Kuchar Returning to Competition Brandt Snedeker … The annual conversation regarding the beat-up and beleaguered spiked in recent weeks. Therein lies the irony surrounding the winner of the Wyndham Championship who sat out last week’s opener at Ridgewood due to back spasms after missing the Playoffs entirely last year due to the strange injury in his sternum joint. He earned more breathing room this year as he’s 35th in the FedExCup standings, but even if he acknowledges that he’s 100 percent upon arrival at TPC Boston, it’s been six years since he recorded a top 40 on the course. Henrik Stenson … The 42-year-old Swede suffered the injury to his left elbow at a tough time. He always just creeps over the threshold of 15 starts to retain voting and membership privileges, but he needs the Dell Technologies Championship to check that box this season. The T20 in his title defense at Sedgefield was impressive both in result and commitment amid the malady. Then there’s the impact on us at TPC Boston where he prevailed in 2013 and finished second in 2015. He’s finished outside the top 25 in his other three starts, so he’s hardly an automatic, but caution is required as he pushes the elbow. At this point, a Ryder Cup berth would be a bonus. Currently 55th in FedExCup points. Notable WDs Francesco Molinari … After missing the cut at Ridgewood, he slipped five spots to 13th in points. With the surety to advance to the TOUR Championship and with the Ryder Cup immediately thereafter, this is a well-timed break. Rickie Fowler … As suggested in this space last week, the oblique injury is serious. It’s forcing him to take another week off. At 22nd in points, he’s likely safe to qualify for the TOUR Championship, but he’s not a lock. His lead over Luke List at 31st is 191.277 FedExCup points. Eighteenth place at TPC Boston is worth 196 points. A year ago, Henrik Stenson ranked 22nd entering the Dell Technologies Championship and didn’t play. His lead over Billy Horschel (31st) was 206.857 points, and Stenson dropped to only 26th. Power Rankings Recap – THE NORTHERN TRUST Power Ranking  Golfer  Result 1  Dustin Johnson  T11 2  Justin Thomas  T8 3  Brooks Koepka  T8 4  Webb Simpson  T28 5  Justin Rose  MC 6  Francesco Molinari  MC 7  Tiger Woods  T40 8  Jason Day  T20 9  Jon Rahm  MC 10  Jordan Spieth  T25 11  Patrick Reed  T25 12  Brandt Snedeker  DNP 13  Rafa Cabrera Bello  T60 14  Patrick Cantlay  T8 15  Zach Johnson  T40 16  Adam Scott  T5 17  Tony Finau  2nd 18  Tommy Fleetwood  T20 19  Hideki Matsuyama  T15 20  Paul Casey  T60 Wild Card  Gary Woodland  T48 Sleepers Recap – THE NORTHERN TRUST Golfer  Result Tyler Duncan  MC Martin Laird  T73 Danny Lee  T34 Sam Ryder  T28 Harold Varner III  T40 Birthdays among active golfers on the PGA TOUR August 28 … none August 29 … Carl Pettersson (41); Peter Uihlein (29) August 30 … none August 31 … Padraig Harrington (47); Charl Schwartzel (34) September 1 … none September 2 … none September 3 … none

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Newly-crowned U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland returns to action for the first time since his triumph at Pebble Beach, highlighting the PGA TOUR’s first visit to Michigan after a decade of absence. Dustin Johnson and Rickie Fowler also headline the roster coming to Detroit Golf Club, along with former Masters winners Bubba Watson and Patrick Reed. It’ll also be a showcase for fresh talent, as U.S. Amateur titleholder Viktor Hovland and NCAA champion Matthew Wolff tee it up. FIELD NOTES: Xander Schauffele, who tied for third behind Woodland at Pebble Beach, helps give the lineup no fewer than 11 of the top 30 in the current FedExCup standings. … Woodland, Schauffele and Fowler help give the event 12 of this season’s PGA TOUR winners. … Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama also is among those giving the new event a test run. Detroit isn’t all that far from Akron, where Matsuyama recorded his last win at the 2017 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. … Smylie Kaufman is set for just his third PGA TOUR start of 2019, playing on a medical extension for elbow issues that ended last season prematurely. … In addition to Hovland and Wolff, former USC standout Justin Suh has accepted a sponsor invitation. FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 500 points. STORYLINES: The PGA TOUR is back in Michigan for the first time since 2009, when the former Buick Open ended a 33-year run at Warwick Hills G&CC outside Flint. Tiger Woods and Vijay Singh each were three-time winners of that event. … Woodland will step on the tee for the first time as a major champion, two weeks after his gritty performance at Pebble Beach brought him the U.S. Open trophy. He has four other top-10 finishes since the turn of the calendar in January. … A victory could vault Schauffele to the top of the FedExCup standings with a third win of the season. He tied for third at Pebble Beach. … Two British Open berths are available for players among the top eight not already booked for Royal Portrush. After Sunday, just one slot remains for the John Deere Classic’s top non-qualified finisher among the top 5. COURSE: Detroit Golf Club (North), 7,334 yards, par 72. One of two Donald Ross designs on the property, the North course opened in 1916 and recently underwent an upgrade to get ready for the TOUR’s arrival. The club itself dates back to 1899, when William Ferrand and a handful of close friends acquired property on the city’s north side. Originally, the club was limited to just 100 memberships. Horton Smith, winner of the inaugural Masters among 32 PGA TOUR wins, served nearly two decades as DGC’s head professional until his death in 1963. The Horton Smith Invitational was established a year later in his honor. The U.S. Mid-Amateur came to DGC in 1992, as Danny Yates claimed a 1-up victory in the final over David Lind. 72-HOLE RECORD: Debut event. 18-HOLE RECORD: Debut event. HOW TO FOLLOW TELEVISION: Thursday-Friday, 3-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday-Sunday, 1-2:45 p.m. (GC), 3-6 p.m. (CBS). PGA TOUR LIVE: Thursday-Friday, 7 a.m.-6 p.m. (featured groups). Saturday-Sunday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. (featured groups), 3-6 p.m. (featured holes). International subscribers (via GOLF.tv): Thursday-Friday, 11:030 to 22:00 GMT. Saturday-Sunday, 13:00 to 22:00. RADIO: Thursday-Friday, noon-6 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 1-6 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com).  

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