Tiger Woods switches to TaylorMade TP Black Copper Juno putter

Dustin Johnson, the 20-time PGA TOUR winner and current world No. 3, underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair cartilage damage on his left knee Thursday morning and is expected to make a full recovery before returning to the PGA TOUR this fall. The surgery was performed in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, by orthopedic surgeon Dr. George Caldwell, who has worked with both the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins, as well as other sports teams. The procedure, according to Johnson’s representatives, is considered routine and was similar in nature to the surgery performed by Caldwell on Johnson’s right knee in December, 2011. Johnson was able to return to action in mid-January the following year. The 35-year-old Johnson comes off a 2018-19 season in which he posted one victory — at the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship — and was runner-up in two majors. He also qualified for the season-ending TOUR Championship for the 11th consecutive year and the win in Mexico continued his streak of having won at least one time in every PGA TOUR season since 2008. But in his last eight starts after his solo second to Brooks Koepka at the PGA Championship – in which Koepka took over world No. 1 from Johnson — DJ failed to produce a top-10 finish. That’s his longest non-top-10 stretch in a single season on TOUR since his rookie year of 2008. In his most recent start, he tied for last in the 30-man field at the TOUR Championship, recording four rounds over par and finishing at 10 over despite entering the tournament at 3 under via the new Starting Strokes format. Not since the 2013 BMW Championship at Conway Farms has Johnson failed to produce at least one round of par-or-better when playing four rounds. And not since the 2013 U.S. Open at Merion has he finished double-digits over par for four rounds. Given that he was the only player at the PGA to post all four rounds under par, Johnson certainly seemed in good form after leaving Bethpage Black. “I’m pleased with where the game’s at, especially we’ve still got a lot of big tournaments left this year,â€� he said after the final round. But on the weekend at East Lake, he said he was mentally worn out. “I got two months (off),â€� Johnson told Golfweek. “I’m definitely excited about that.â€� Johnson struggled on the weekends, especially in the latter half of the season. The first sign of trouble came at the Valspar Championship in March. Johnson was one shot off the lead held by Paul Casey after 54 holes, but his final-round 3-over 74 left him tied for sixth. A 74 may not sound all that bad, but it was the highest Sunday score by the top 17 players on the final leaderboard – and it ended a streak of 14 consecutive sub-par rounds by DJ. The 6-over 77 on the Sunday at RBC Heritage was even more alarming, as Johnson blew a one-shot lead after three rounds to finish T-28. No player among the top 44 on the final leaderboard had a worst score. The weekend struggles were readily apparent during his non-top-10 stretch to finish the season. Of his last six made cuts – thus, 12 weekend rounds – Johnson had just three rounds under par, with two others at even par. Johnson ranked 10th in first-round scoring average, ninth in the second round, then T-92 for the third round and T-126 for the fourth round. In the previous two seasons, Johnson had a top-10 scoring average for both the third and fourth round. His T-126 ranking in the final round was his worst since 2010, and his T-92 ranking in the third round was the second-worst in that same span. Johnson also struggled to produce eagles, usually a big component of his power game. A total of 1,634 eagles were recorded in the 2018-19 season … and DJ had just two of them. Only one of those came on a par-5 hole (the 16th at TPC Sawgrass). His other eagle was recorded in the third round of his win at the WGC-Mexico when his tee shot at the 369-yard par-4 second finished inside 5 feet. The previous season, Johnson had 15 eagles. In 2017, nine. In 2016, it was 16 (tying him for most by any player). In 2015, it was 15. He ranked 184th on TOUR in eagles per hole this season. He ranked first in that category in 2010 and 2013, ranked second in 2016 and 2018, and ranked top five on two other occasions. He failed to post an eagle in his last 48 rounds this season.

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OVERVIEW Tiger Woods has a lot more to celebrate than just his 43rd birthday as we wind down 2018. His 80th PGA TOUR victory at the TOUR Championship moved him within two wins of all-time leader Sam Snead. He’s knocking on the door for his 15th major after finishing second at the PGA Championship and T6 at The Open Championship last summer. His impending captaincy at the 2019 Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne has him thinking big. “Would I like to be a playing captain?â€� he said. “Yes.â€� The big question going into ’19 is how often can he summon the Tiger of old the way he did in winning at East Lake and, more fleetingly, at Innisbrook, Bay Hill, TPC Sawgrass, Bellerive and elsewhere last season. And if he can, could he conceivably turn golf on its head yet again? “Now it’s just about managing and making sure I’m fresh for events,â€� Woods said, “because I know I can win tournaments again.â€� Staying fresh is easier said than done, though, especially with the new condensed schedule. Woods admitted feeling exhausted by the end of last season, where in his seventh start in nine weeks and just days after winning the TOUR Championship, he went 0-4 in the Ryder Cup. (To be fair, three of those four losses came in team play and were hardly all on him.) Part of the problem was the weather, which Woods called stiflingly hot for much of the summer. “I was exhausted by the time I got to the Ryder Cup,â€� he said. “I was worn out mentally, physically, emotionally.â€� To avoid a similar fate in 2019, he said he will manage his schedule more closely and play fewer events. No doubt he has all the big tournaments circled. He’s won THE PLAYERS Championship twice, and has wins at Augusta National, Pebble Beach and Bethpage Black — three of the four major venues this season. But, really, Woods could win anywhere, anytime. Isn’t that the way it’s always been? — By Ben Everill Click here to see who else made the Top 30 list. BY THE NUMBERS FEDEXCUP UPDATE Current 2018-19 position: N/A Playoff appearances: 7 TOUR Championship appearances: 5 Best FedExCup result: Won the FedExCup in 2007 and 2009, and remains the only two-time winner. SHOTLINK FUN FACT Tiger Woods led the PGA TOUR in Strokes Gained: Approach-the-Green for the sixth time in his career. INSIDER INSIGHTS PGATOUR.COM’s Insiders offer their expert views on what to expect from Tiger Woods in 2019. TOUR INSIDER: Woods took time off after the Ryder Cup to work on his fitness in order to steel him for the long season ahead, which is good because he’s going to need some time on the practice grounds. He’ll want to shore up his driving, where he was 104th in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee last season. He was a respectable 39th in SG: Putting, but that obscured some un-Tiger-like days on the greens as he switched in and out of putters. Speaking of which, he also may need to test equipment, which was the final puzzle piece in 2018. Good thing Woods loves that stuff. Last season was fun, but if he feels as good or even better physically in 2019, watch out. — By Ben Everill FANTASY INSIDER: It isn’t 2013, so he’s not the caliber of a first-overall pick in any draft, but the gap between his needle-pinning narrative in the mainstream and his value in our world hasn’t been as tight since that five-win season. I slotted him No. 10 in my full-membership fantasy ranking in advance of 2018-19 in part with the thinking that he’s an automatic second-rounder in non-keeper formats. Playing time will always be a front-burner concern for the remainder of his career, but he should remain as reliable as he was in his prime because he’s logged an entire season absent of serious concern over his back. — By Rob Bolton EQUIPMENT INSIDER: Tiger’s Newport 2 GSS putter is basically a celebrity in its own right. You know, it’s the one with “Tiger Woodsâ€� stamped on the back bumpers and a single red dot on the back cavity and the face. After winning 13 of 14 majors with the putter, however, Woods and his Newport 2 putter were treading rough waters. He switched into a TaylorMade TP Ardmore 3 mallet-style putter for awhile in 2018, most notably using it during his 2018 PGA Championship second-place bid. Then he switched into a TP Black Copper Juno putter. Then, he was deciding between the old Newport 2 and the new Juno – at one point, literally holding each putter in one hand while practice putting. Ultimately, in a happy ending, he decided on the Newport 2 putter and he won the 2018 TOUR Championship. Aside from his putter saga, Woods also switched from TGR blades to TaylorMade “TW Phase 1â€� prototype irons in 2018. Is there a Phase 2 coming in 2019? Or, will Tiger switch into irons that are in the TaylorMade iron family? — By Andrew Tursky STYLE INSIDER: There are few surprises with Woods’ style. Over the years, he has blended traditional country club style with high-tech touches. Tiger improved his look in 2018 with slimmer fitting trousers and fewer white belts. While there is no official word from Nike, Tiger is due for a new shoe in 2019. Stay tuned. — By Greg Monteforte

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PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year candidate Cameron Young is pulling the majority of action to win the BMW Championship as bettors believe he can follow in the footsteps of his college teammate Will Zalatoris and win for the first time on TOUR during the FedExCup Playoffs. Former teammates at Wake Forest, Zalatoris and Young have had similar early careers on the TOUR with tremendous success, especially in majors, but until Zalatoris’ win at the FedEx St. Jude Championship a week ago, both were winless. Young, who has golf odds of +2200 for this week’s BMW Championship, is a popular play at the BetMGM online sportsbook for it to be two straight wins for Demon Deacons. As of Wednesday morning, Young is pulling in the most tickets (9.2%) and handle (14.8%). The rookie has also seen his odds change dramatically after opening at +3300. He is the only player in double-digits in terms of handle percentage. Wilmington Country Club will play as a 7,534-yard par 71, which means it will be one of the longer courses of the season. In addition, it has narrow fairways and thick rough, which means this week should favor the longer hitters off the tee. Young enters the week ranked fourth in driving distance, averaging 318.6 yards. Zalatoris had three second place finishes this season before his win in Memphis but the 25-year-old Young boasts five runner up results this season, including at the Open Championship last month. For what it’s worth, Zalatoris has +1600 odds to win and is pulling in 4.3% of the tickets and 5.6% of the handle. Another popular play at BetMGM this week is Collin Morikawa. He is generating the third-most tickets (5.6%) and third-highest handle (7.5%). Although he does not have a win this season, he’s entering the week with some confidence. Morikawa made the second-most birdies (22) at the FedEx St. Jude Championship on the way to a T5. Current Handle & Tickets Handle 1. Cameron Young – 14.8% 2. Scottie Scheffler – 8.4% 3. Collin Morikawa – 7.5% 4. Justin Thomas – 7.3% 5. Jon Rahm – 6.3% Ticket 1. Cameron Young – 9.2% 2. Tony Finau – 5.7% 3. Collin Morikawa – 5.6% 4. Jon Rahm – 4.9% 5. Justin Thomas – 4.8% Former BMW Championship winner Jon Rahm (+1200) is another player trending in the right direction. He finished T-5 last week in Memphis, with all four rounds in the 60s. His length (third in driving distance), should serve him well. Despite Scottie Scheffler (+1600) missing the cut last week, he’s still generating some action with the second-highest handle (8.4%). Although at a different course, Patrick Cantlay is the defending champion. He has +1600 odds to win and is only drawing 2.3% of tickets and 2% of the handle. * Visit BetMGM.com for terms and conditions. 21+ years of age or older to wager. BetMGM is available in AZ, CO, DC, IA, IN, IL, LA, MI, MS, NJ, NV, NY, PA, TN, VA, WV, or WY only. All promotions are subject to qualification and eligibility requirements. Paid in free bets. Free bets expire in 7 days from issuance. Minimum deposit required. Excludes Michigan Disassociated Persons. Please Gamble Responsibly. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-NEXT-STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO, DC, LA, NV, WY, VA), 1-800-270-7117 for confidential help (MI), 1-800-GAMBLER (IN, NJ, PA & WV), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA) or call (877-8-HOPENY) or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), call or text the Tennessee REDLINE: 800-889-9789 (TN) or call 1-888-777-9696 (MS). Sports betting is void where prohibited. Promotional offers not available in Nevada.

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