Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson booted from Winged Foot

I’ve never bet on golf. That’s not an admission or even a confession. It’s a fact. Even before I assumed this seat in 2010, it’s not something I pursued. Sure, I’ve participated in fantasy golf formats for over 25 years, but either real money wasn’t at stake or, when it was, it was a pittance compared to the bragging rights for claiming a season-long championship. Today, and since it was introduced a few years ago, I adhere to the PGA TOUR’s Integrity Program, so I have no plans to start betting on golf. RELATED: Power Rankings | Expert Picks I share because of my new connection to GolfBet. I’m advising in that space weekly but I’m not placing actual wagers. If I had real money at stake, it could be implied that my preview material could be skewed to benefit me in some way. Since my work and expertise influence wagering, which in turn can influence odds, it’s imperative that I detach myself from that process. The Integrity Program is an appropriate and convenient cover, but I already was following my own North Star. At the very least, this serves as an obligatory disclaimer. I hadn’t addressed it before, so I wanted to get it on the record. If the day ever arrives when I’m cleared to place a real bet, I’ll alert you immediately. If you follow me on Twitter, you’ve seen me share my picks in advance of every tournament since debuting for the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard. Here’s how my “card” from last week’s Masters appeared: You’ll note that I’m using The Action Network’s application. It’s for mobile and tablet users only. A desktop version is not available. I’m learning how to use the value of units to express my confidence for each selection. What I’m still determining is my objective. First and foremost, I’m sharing those selections as an aid for you, if necessary, but I also have a responsibility not to engage in a willy-nilly fashion just because I can. I know that some wagerers will want to review my history in the app, so I’m taking that seriously. I have no plans on multiplying the value of any unit so much so as to distort my track record, but you could invest in my elevated confidence in advance, anyway, and that does benefit you. And that’s the most important component of my role. As I evolve in that space, please be aware that what I’m doing is free from the tug of making a buck on the side via the omission of angles from which I think I could profit. My promise always to be transparent preceded this new role, but it has introduced the requirement to reinforce that message. Gotta say that I’m having a blast with it, so there’s no shortage of enthusiasm. Connecting with a new audience has been rewarding and fun, learning from the other contributors at GolfBet has been invaluable, and my competitive streak has made room for a different kind of sweat. PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf My roster for the RBC Heritage (in alphabetical order): Daniel Berger (+2000) Patrick Cantlay (+1600) Corey Conners (+3000) Tyrrell Hatton (+2500) Matt Kuchar (+4000) Webb Simpson (+1400) You’ll find my starters in Expert Picks Others to consider for each category (in alphabetical order): Scoring: Abraham Ancer; Harris English; Matt Fitzpatrick; Doug Ghim; Brian Harman; Charley Hoffman; Dustin Johnson; J.T. Poston; Cameron Smith Driving: Abraham Ancer; Paul Casey; Harris English; Tommy Fleetwood; Sergio Garcia; Doug Ghim; Emiliano Grillo; Dustin Johnson POWER RANKINGS WILD CARD Kevin Kisner (+5000) … Sigh. He’s 53rd in the FedExCup but with only one top 10 – a P2 at The RSM Classic that accounts for 60 percent of his season total. As usual, he looked good at the Match Play (T18), but he’s scuffled in individual competition since the birth of his third child. He’s worth the risk at Harbour Town where he was a playoff victim in 2015 and has another pair of top-11 finishes, but he’s looked good elsewhere of late, too. Give him a twirl fractionally just to apply an emotional reaction, but temper your expectations. Odds sourced on Tuesday, April 13 at 5 a.m. ET. For live odds visit betmgm. DRAWS Collin Morikawa (+1800) … Every once in a while, it’s good to pump the brakes to take stock of where we are with a guy. For me, his inconsistency deserves enough attention to omit him from this week’s Power Rankings. In his last six starts worldwide, he has only two top-40 finishes. Granted, he won at The Concession and he’s fresh off a T18 at the Masters, but his fantasy value is greater in the long-term than it is in a given week. That said, and to put it mildly, both values are above average. His T64 in his debut at Harbour Town last summer followed the disappointing playoff loss at Colonial the week before. The two courses often are comps for each other, so it’s reasonable to chalk up the latter result as part of the emotional learning curve. Statistically, he checks every box emphatically except for his putting. So, I’m approaching him this week as a litmus test for the notion that bad putters can hide on small greens, but I don’t know if I’ll ever attempt to talk you out of him on any track. Paul Casey (+2800) … Despite missing the cut in his last two trips (2016, 2018), his form throughout 2021 has been terrific. Plain and simple, he’s offered no reason for it not to continue no matter the test. Tommy Fleetwood (+3500) … Expectations remain high, but he’s of complementary value in weekly formats. Makes most cuts, so he’s insurance, but he’s had only one top 10 on the PGA TOUR in 13 months (T10, 2021 API). Finished T25 in his debut here last summer. Branden Grace (+6600) … The 2016 breakthrough champion is 5-for-5 at Harbour Town with a trio of top-11 finishes and a scoring average of 69.40 in 20 rounds. His victory in Puerto Rico a month and a half ago is one of four top 25s in his last eight starts worldwide. Michael Thompson (+12500) … The regular at Harbour Town is making his ninth appearance. He recorded top 10s in the last two editions and he’s been reliable for secondary-value purposes all season. J.T. Poston (+12500) … The Western Carolina product doesn’t scream horse for any course, but he has a T6 (2018) and a T8 (2020) in his only appearances at Harbour Town. His scoring average in those eight rounds is a tidy 67.75. As a result, he probably will be over-owned in DFS. Because of that, the smarter play would be to abstain. Mark Hubbard (+30000) … Last year’s first-round co-leader backpedaled into a T33, so he’s out for some revenge. Harbour Town plays into his propensity to find fairways and dial in his putter, not to mention that it lifts his relative value as a short hitter off the tee. He’s also cashed in nine of his last 13 starts, so toss him into DFS considerations. Sergio Garcia Brice Garnett Lucas Glover Emiliano Grillo Charley Hoffman Si Woo Kim Chris Kirk Shane Lowry Alex Noren C.T. Pan Brandt Snedeker Matt Wallace FADES Billy Horschel (+5000) … It seemed that fatigue played a factor in his victory at the Match Play, but he was hardly alone. As impressive as any title is, it’s still his only noisemaker of four starts upon arrival. With hot and (mostly) cold results at Harbour Town in eight consecutive trips, he’s a calculated pass. On an aside, how he’s built this season is a departure from his previous reputation as a streaky player, but most (all?) golfers would trade a string of close calls for victories and podium finishes scattered among off-weeks. Lee Westwood (+5000) … While each result can be explained in real time, his consecutive runner-up finishes in early March are appearing to reflect a surge more than a sustainment. He also hasn’t seen Harbour Town in 16 years. Sungjae Im (+3500) … This is relative. After sharing runner-up honors at the November Masters, he acknowledged how differently (read: more challenging) Augusta National presented in advance of last week’s traditional slot, so it’s worth dismissing his poor experience for our purposes this week. That said, he is 0-for-2 at Harbour Town, so save a start in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf. Danny Willett (+20000) … He’s missed two cuts upon arrival and he’s 0-for-3 at Harbour Town. Dylan Frittelli (+10000) … Failed to fulfill promise as a Sleeper for the Masters (see below), so there’s that. He finished T8 at Harbour Town last year, but he closed with a 62 to climb 39 places. Good or bad, it’s usually not effective to base decisions on one round no matter its timing. Chez Reavie (+20000) … Only three top-45 finishes in the last eight months. He’s also just 5-for-10 at Harbour Town and without a top 25. Byeong Hun An Sam Burns Charles Howell III Mackenzie Hughes Anirban Lahiri Adam Long Denny McCarthy Ryan Moore Pat Perez Andrew Putnam Kyle Stanley Robert Streb RETURNING TO COMPETITION Scott Piercy … Hasn’t played in a month. Intended to tee it up at The Honda Classic but a positive COVID-19 test result thwarted that plan. A T50 at Pebble Beach is his best finish in five starts in 2021, but Harbour Town could serve as an overdue springboard. He finished T16 here in 2018 and T3 in 2019, the last time it was contested in April, so consider him fractionally. Danny Lee … Walked off TPC San Antonio during his second round with a sore shoulder. It extended his drought without a top-45 finish to 10 consecutive starts. Not that he’s worth the reach, even as a penny stock in DFS, he’s 5-for-7 at Harbour Town but with only two top 50s and never a top 35. Kevin Tway … Hasn’t pegged it anywhere since the Waste Management Phoenix Open in early February. It was his sixth consecutive missed cut. Nothing has surfaced to explain the time away, but he can afford to be patient since he’s fully exempt through 2021-22. That said, it’s been 20 months since his last top 25, so he’s past the midpoint of that (T11, 2019 BMW Championship) and the expected conclusion of next season. NOTABLE WDs Bryson DeChambeau … The FedExCup points leader finished T46 at the 2021 Masters. Reaction to his position at No. 17 in last week’s Power Rankings tilted heavily toward an opinion that he should’ve been placed close to the top. Fact is, and as he stated following the tournament, there’s more art than science at Augusta National, so it’s going to take him time to solve the equation. He’d have been a nice piece at Harbour Town where he’s recorded a T3, a T4 and a T8 in five tries, but the break during what has been a heavy and stressful period of golf is warranted. Joel Dahmen … The irony is that when a guy breaks through for the first time, as he did at Corales three weeks ago, his schedule changes to include previously unscheduled starts in the invitationals, and the RBC Heritage is an invitational. However, he’s been gaining entry into them, anyway, by virtue of his FedExCup points and elevated Official World Golf Ranking. Steve Stricker … It would’ve marked his first appearance at Harbour Town since 1998. The 54-year-old is 123rd in the FedExCup standings on the strength of a T4 at TPC Scottsdale and a pair of top 20s, the more recent of which in his last event at PGA National (T13). While at best a spot-starter in weekly formats, that he’s hanging on with gusto is enticing in the deepest of full-season formats. However, the closer he gets to focusing solely on the Ryder Cup, the more competing for himself in individual competition, whether on the PGA TOUR or the PGA TOUR Champions, will settle into the back seat. POWER RANKINGS RECAP – 2021 Masters Power Ranking Golfer Result 1 Dustin Johnson MC 2 Justin Thomas T21 3 Jon Rahm T5 4 Jordan Spieth T3 5 Patrick Reed T8 6 Patrick Cantlay MC 7 Webb Simpson T12 8 Matt Fitzpatrick T34 9 Sungjae Im MC 10 Rory McIlroy MC 11 Xander Schauffele T3 12 Cameron Smith T10 13 Tony Finau T10 14 Brooks Koepka MC 15 Corey Conners T8 16 Paul Casey T26 17 Bryson DeChambeau T46 18 Collin Morikawa T18 19 Adam Scott 54th 20 Sergio Garcia MC Wild Card Daniel Berger MC SLEEPERS RECAP – 2021 Masters Golfer Result Dylan Frittelli MC Lanto Griffin MC Mackenzie Hughes T40 Sebastián Muñoz T40 Ian Poulter T26 BIRTHDAYS AMONG ACTIVE GOLFERS ON THE PGA TOUR April 13 … Davis Love III (57) April 14 … Sebastian Cappelen (31); Kramer Hickok (29); Matthew Wolff (22) April 15 … Rafael Campos (33); Martin Trainer (30) April 16 … Michael Thompson (36); Doug Ghim (25) April 17 … Nick Taylor (33) April 18 … none April 19 … Matt Jones (41) Visit BetMGM.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ years of age or older to wager. 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AUGUSTA, Ga. — Hideki Matsuyama delivered golf-mad Japan the grandest and greenest prize of all. Ten years after Matsuyama made a sterling debut as the best amateur at Augusta National, he claimed the ultimate trophy Sunday with a victory in the Masters Tournament to become the first men’s major winner from Japan. RELATED: Leaderboard | Winner’s Bag: Hideki Matsuyama, Masters Tournament Matsuyama closed with a 1-over 73 and a one-shot victory that was only close at the end, and never seriously in doubt after Xander Schauffele’s late charge ended with a triple bogey on the par-3 16th. Moments before Dustin Johnson helped him into the green jacket, Matsuyama needed no interpreter in Butler Cabin when he said in English, “I’m really happy.” So masterful was this performance that Matsuyama stretched his lead to six shots on the back nine until a few moments of drama. With a four-shot lead, he went for the green in two on the par-5 15th and it bounded hard off the back slope and into the pond on the 16th hole. Matsuyama did well to walk away with bogey, and with Schauffele making a fourth straight birdie, the lead was down to two shots with three to play. The next swing all but ended it. Schauffele’s tee shot on the par-3 16th bounced short of the hill and dribbled into the pond. His third shot from the drop area went into the gallery. He ended up with a triple-bogey 6. Never mind that Matsuyama bogeyed three of his last four holes. All that mattered was that uphill walk to the 18th green, needing only to blast out of the bunker and take two putts for the victory. That’s what he did, a final bogey for a one-shot victory over 24-year-old Masters rookie Will Zalatoris, who closed with a 70 and stayed on the practice range just in case of a playoff. Matsuyama finished at 10-under 278 for his 15th victory worldwide, and his sixth on the PGA TOUR. He becomes the second man from an Asian country to win a major. Y.E. Yang of South Korea won the 2009 PGA Championship at Hazeltine over Tiger Woods.

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CLYMER, N.Y. – Chesson Hadley took control of the LECOM Health Challenge with a flawless 8-under-par 64, his lowest third-round score on the Web.com Tour since 2013. The 30-year-old from Raleigh, N.C. was 8-under through 12 and closed out his round with six straight pars to post 16-under-par 200. Hadley sits one clear of Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada alum Sam Ryder, who birdied the par-5 18th to reach 15-under and get into the final pairing on Sunday afternoon. Beau Hossler, who played alongside Hadley on Saturday afternoon at Peek’n Peak’s Upper Course, bogeyed three of his final five holes but carded a third-round 6-under 66 and is two back heading into the final round. China’s Xinjun Zhang is 13-under-par, while Austin Cook is 12-under-par with one round to go. “I struck the ball incredibly well today and made a few putts,� said Hadley, who hit 14 of 18 greens in regulation on Saturday. “It was just one of those days where everything was great and I got up and down when I needed to.� Hadley got off to a fast start, making six birdies and an eagle in a 12-hole stretch. The former Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket was 16-under for the tournament and in sole possession of the lead standing on the 13th tee. Hossler caught Hadley with a birdie on the par-3, but quickly fell back after bogeys on 14 and 15. Hadley held his ground, making critical par saves down the stretch to stay atop the leaderboard with one round to go. He missed the green short on 16, left his chip short and knocked in a tricky five-footer for par. On the home hole Hadley sailed his approach long into the back bunker and blasted it to two feet to keep his card clean on Saturday. “Every shot counts,� said Hadley, who has made two bogeys in 54 holes. “It doesn’t matter if it is for par, birdie or whatever.� Hadley came close to winning earlier this season, at the Rex Hospital Open in front of his friends and family, on a course where he was victorious in 2013. He was tied with Conrad Shindler at the conclusion of the final round and lost in a playoff after missing a short putt for par to force a second extra hole. “I will never forget that,� said Hadley, about the deflating playoff loss. “That’s good, I can fuel off that for a long time. It’s alright, we are alright. We’re leading another golf tournament.� This is the second-time Hadley will hold the outright lead in a Tour event. In 2013, he led the Digital Ally Open by one, carded a final-round 70 and finished tied for third. Hadley has a way of rebounding from shortcomings like the one in Overland Park. At the end of that season, he won the Web.com Tour Championship and ended the year with the third-best career earning total in Tour history ($535,432). He’s hoping history will repeat itself this week. “I knew I was going to be back in this position,� said Hadley. “With my game over the years I know when I’m trending and heading in the right direction.� Hadley’s been in good spirits since arriving to the Peek’n Peak Resort. On Wednesday, the father-of-two had his 30th birthday and his wife Amanda surprised him with a cake in player dining and even got some of the players to sing him happy birthday as two-time Tour winner walked in. “My family came which was great,� he said. “I haven’t seen my kids in three weeks. I typically don’t like to go more than two weeks without seeing them but I did three, it was just the way it went. There are a lot of positive things going in my direction.� Ryder stood in the fairway at the par-5 18th with a great opportunity to reach the green in two, but elected to layup and rely on his wedge game. The second-year Tour pro knocked a wedge to within five feet of the cup and made the birdie putt to breakout of a two-way tie for second with Hossler, and earn a spot alongside Hadley on Sunday afternoon. “I saw he (Hadley) was lighting it up,� said Ryder, who admitted he looks at scoreboards during the round. “I wanted to get into that last pairing. It was nice to make that last one because I wanted to play in the last group with Chesson.� While Ryder is in search of his first Tour win in his 36th career start, the 27-year-old from Winter Park, Fla. has won as a professional. In 2015, the Stetson University alum won the National Capital Open to Support Our Troops on the Mackenzie Tour and ended the season No. 4 on the Order of Merit. This week, Ryder has been able to rekindle some of the magic he had in the Capital of Canada. “I was thinking back to when I won in Ottawa and the greens were Poa Annua/Bent (grass) like these,� said Ryder. “I was struggling early in the round and told myself these are the same kind of greens. I shot 20-under to win there and the scores are similar here.�

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