Time isn’t on Tiger’s side in Masters preparations

Phil Mickelson created history at the 2021 PGA Championship, becoming the oldest major winner ever amid an unforgettable scene on the 72nd hole. The 50-year-old’s equipment set up at Kiawah Island included a new Callaway Epic Speed Triple Diamond driver with just 5.5 degrees of loft, but it was far from smooth sailing for Mickelson’s equipment throughout the week. He had not one, but two, clubs crack at Kiawah Island, including one that became unplayable as he was preparing for his final-round tee time. “You can’t swing it as hard as I hit it and not expect them to crack,” Mickelson joked in Sunday’s post-victory press conference. “It happens. In fact, if it doesn’t happen, you start to question the manufacturer, hey, aren’t we making this as hot as we can?” The first club to go was Mickelson’s 11.5-degree TaylorMade Original One “Mini Driver,” which he uses as a 2-wood. It caved in during the third round. “Little things happen, but (Saturday), I hit a couple of squirrelly shots on 12 and 13 and the face on my 2-wood flattened,” Mickelson said. “Fortunately, I had a backup head and swapped it out and hit it great today.” Mickelson’s 2-iron was the next club to go, but it was not as easy of a fix. And it happened minutes before his final-round tee time. He had his Callaway X Forged UT 2-iron in the bag all week until the clubface cracked during Sunday’s warm-up session, necessitating a change to Mickelson’s equipment setup. Tim Mickelson, Phil’s brother and caddie, noticed the crack after Phil put the club back in the bag. In lieu of the 2-iron, Phil decided to swap in a Callaway Mavrik Sub Zero 4-wood with 16.5 degrees of lost. Mickelson hadn’t practiced with the 4-wood since Tuesday, but he used it off the tee several times Sunday, including his tee shots on Nos. 3 and 4 “Fortunately I had a 4-wood that’s a very comparable club to that 1-iron distance-wise and I was able to use that club effectively,” Mickelson said. “I hit that club very well. It’s just one of those things that happens and you just have to be prepared for it, which is why I bring backup clubs out here.” Needless to say, the preparation paid off as Mickelson was the man holding the 27-pound Wanamaker Trophy at day’s end.

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Cameron Smith was annoyed. Marc Leishman was in disbelief. The duo had just been told that International Captain Ernie Els did not see them as a likely pair for the 2019 Presidents Cup in their native Australia. “Is he serious?,” they thought. A year earlier, they’d finished runner-up in the World Cup at Metropolitan Golf Club just down the road. They are great mates. Their caddies are also super tight. It appeared to be the most natural pairing on the team. It’s got to be a joke right? No joke. Els leaned heavily on data during his captaincy, and the numbers did not point to Leishman-Smith pairing. The Australians quickly shook off their initial frustration and bought into Els’ analytical ethos. They played their role, and the proof was in the pudding for Els. His side won three of four team sessions and took a 10-8 lead to Singles before being overrun on Sunday. Smith, and his short-game wizardry, went 0-1-1 alongside the steady Sungjae Im. Leishman had a win and tie with Abraham Ancer but lost matches partnered with Joaquin Niemann and Haotong Li. After leaving Royal Melbourne, Leishman and Smith made a pact to prove they can form a formidable team, no matter what the numbers say. An opportunity to prove themselves has arrived at this week’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans. With the 2022 Presidents Cup already on their mind, Smith and Leishman want to play so well that Trevor Immelman has to pair them next year at Quail Hollow. “We have a little bit of a point to prove regarding a potential Presidents Cup pairing. There’s no doubt,” Leishman said. “We combine pretty well. He’s a great driver of the ball and a great wedge player and I feel like I’m a pretty good iron player. We are both in decent form so we’re looking forward to the week for sure.” Smith, who won the 2017 Zurich Classic with Jonas Blixt, said the plan was in place in 2020 before the pandemic forced the tournaments cancellation. It’s been a long wait. “Leish and I understand each other’s game really well. We are quietly confident,” Smith said. “There is a proven benefit to Ernie’s methods, but by the same token good rhythm as a partnership is something to be spoken for. It would be nice to show Trevor he has options.” Immelman, the International Captain, says he will be keeping a keen eye on the team, as well as other potential pairings of countrymen. South Korea’s Im and Byeong Hun An also are playing together this week, as is the formidable South African duo of Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel. Immelman intends to use both subjective and objective criteria to form teams for next year’s Presidents Cup. “I won’t be the type of captain that is dogged in a particular strategy,” he said. “I’ve always got eyes and ears open to everything going on and possibilities that could take place. There is no doubt an emotional spark is huge in sport and it can create some incredible momentum. “My job – it’s like having a toolbox. You have a bunch of different tools and you have to figure out which ones to use when and when to trust your gut, when to trust the data. It will be a challenge I’ll have that week.” Leishman and Smith think the key to success in New Orleans will be the balance of their competitive juices and a seemingly carefree attitude. They have rented a house together with their caddies Matty Kelly and Sam Pinfold and as a foursome they’ll certainly enjoy themselves. But not too much. Not until Sunday night anyway. The Leishman Lager has been put on ice until then and they’re quick to point out they’re not just turning up to mess around. “We are just going to have a good week. At the World Cup, we kept it pretty casual and we played good golf. It’s the same game plan this week, take it as a fun week but remember we are here to compete and win,” Smith says. They really have just the one rule. Never say sorry. In fact they’re likely to laugh at any mishap rather than dwell on it. And they’re not afraid to joke at each other’s expense. At Metropolitan it was plain to see. In the opening round Four-Balls, Smith made an early birdie and eagle and turned to Leishman to say, “You can turn up at any time,” with a cheeky smile. It worked as Leishman made three birdies in four holes after it. In the final round, which used Foursomes, Leishman left a bunker shot in the sand at a critical moment as the locals were charging towards a potential comeback victory. Smith just jumped right in the sand, took aim, and holed out for an incredible birdie before quipping, “That’s how you do it,” to his mate. It took the edge off. “The key is there’s not really any pressure because we are such good friends and if we do hit a bad shot we give each other stick rather than be disappointed or apologize,” Leishman explains. “I know he’s doing his best and I’m doing my best.” And this week, they want to show how good their best can be.

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Because there are numerous fantasy formats for short- and long-range investments, the implications of the rescheduled 2019-20 PGA TOUR season stretch far and wide. This primer focuses on everything that could impact your gaming. It’s a one-stop shop covering what’s happened since THE PLAYERS Championship was canceled in March. Every component is labeled, but don’t skim over any section because some attention crosses over. Links are provided throughout. Bookmark what you need if you already haven’t. If you have any questions, connect with me on Twitter and/or use the discussion space at the bottom of this page. MEMBERSHIP ELIGIBILITY In our world, this is the most important matter in the wake of the hiatus. A fair amount of what’s organized in this primer is broken down in further depth here, but that wasn’t written specifically with gamers in mind. Since non-DFS formats rely on playing time for extended planning, it’s imperative to understand how membership status has been affected. This is to say that it hasn’t. All current PGA TOUR members are guaranteed to retain membership for the entirety of 2020-21. Golfers not on medical extensions cannot be demoted. Furthermore, because the 2020 Korn Ferry Tour Finals was canceled, the only two ways that current non-members can become members in 2020-21 is by winning a PGA TOUR event or by finishing with at least as many equivalent FedExCup points as the golfer who finishes 125th in the 2020 FedExCup. The membership minimum of 15 starts has been eliminated in 2019-20 for internationals who qualify for the home-circuit exemption. In short, don’t sweat consideration of an international either as a keeper for 2020-21 or on Draft Day based on how many starts he totals this season. MEDICAL EXTENSIONS Golfers who had made at least one start in 2019-20 and hadn’t fulfilled their terms when the hiatus started were given the option to reset their medical extension. Of the 17 eligible, only Charl Schwartzel and Morgan Hoffmann elected not to reset. The full explanation of the options and terms for all golfers on medicals can be found here. With decisions made, golfers on medical extensions will be treated as usual. It’s possible that any can be demoted or lose PGA TOUR status entirely. RESCHEDULED REMAINDER OF 2019-20 Fourteen tournaments remain, the last three of which comprise the FedExCup Playoffs. The first seven (through the 3M Open on July 23-26) make up Segment 3 in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf. Although Segment 4 consists of only six events (sans the Barracuda Championship opposite the World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational), strategy during that stretch still requires pause so that you can defend as a front-runner and zag as a chaser, particularly in the last two without a cut. The John Deere Classic has been canceled this year. It will return in 2021. In its place will be a new tournament sponsored by Workday with a field of 156 at Muirfield Village Golf Club on July 9-12. Muirfield Village will then host the 120-man Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide as originally scheduled the following week. FIELD SIZES In an effort to facilitate as much playing time as possible, three tournaments have increased their fields. Both the Charles Schwab Challenge (June 11-14) and the RBC Heritage (June 18-21) have reserved space for 144 golfers. That’s up from 120 and 132, respectively, and each retained its status as an invitational. Also, the Barracuda Championship (July 30-August 2) has expanded by 12 to accommodate 132 golfers. It’s a familiar size for that tournament, but all additional events were contracted to 120 golfers entering the 2019-20 season. OPEN QUALIFIERS Beginning with the Travelers Championship on June 25-28, six open qualifiers remain. The lineup includes the Workday event that has replaced the John Deere Classic, which annually also is an open. Refrain from referring to the open qualifiers as four-spotters, however. Only two openings in each of the tournaments proper will be reserved for the open qualifiers. Should any be considered not playable due to the pandemic, both spots will go to the next two TOUR members eligible for the field. PLAYOFFS Other than the one-week shift of all three events that includes the TOUR Championship starting on Friday, Sept. 4, and ending on Labor Day Monday, Sept. 7, the only change concerns FedExCup points awarded during the Playoffs. Instead of the customary quadrupling, points earned in the Playoffs will be tripled. Consider this when mapping out who you want where and when in One & Done situations. Fantasy.PGATOUR.COM no longer hosts One & Done gaming, but my solutions on how to address the new format for the TOUR Championship still apply. If however you modified your game in 2019 didn’t fulfill its intent or if you’ve yet to tackle it, you’ll find my ideas here. KORN FERRY TOUR GRADUATE RESHUFFLE At the start of the hiatus, three reorders hadn’t yet occurred. That has been trimmed to two for a total of four on the season. The third reorder is scheduled at the conclusion of the RBC Heritage on June 21. The last will take place at the conclusion of the new Workday event on July 12. For all things connected to this category, click here. How this category is prioritized at the beginning of the 2020-21 season is TBD as of this primer. ROOKIES One of the 21 rookies will win the Arnold Palmer Award as voted upon by eligible TOUR members. However, because there are no new members planned for 2020-21, it’s possible that next season will begin with zero rookies. At the conclusion of the hiatus, only Tom Lewis (five starts) hadn’t played more than seven times to exhaust his rookie eligibility and no non-members had achieved Special Temporary Membership [STM] en route to potentially qualifying as a rookie during the 2019-20 season. (With the equivalent of 188.133 FedExCup points, Erik van Rooyen has the most of all non-members.) The target for STM during the 2019-20 season remains the equivalent of 288.035 FedExCup points. The same target has been determined for the 2020-21 season. While the top 10 in Korn Ferry Tour points at the conclusion of the Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by United Leasing & Finance on Aug. 27-30 will be granted exemptions into all additional events on the PGA TOUR in 2020-21, none will be a PGA TOUR member unless he’s already a former winner on the TOUR or if he wins three times on the KFT in the interim. QUALIFIERS The page dedicated to qualifiers into THE PLAYERS, the majors and the World Golf Championships has been updated for the resumption of the 2019-20 season. It’s also organized in a unique, temporary fashion to avoid confusion. Only the World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational, the PGA Championship, the U.S. Open and the Masters remain in calendar-year 2020, but because the last two majors apply to the 2020-21 season with criteria that has carried over from 2019-20, all tournaments for which the qualifiers are eligible are listed in chronological order. Traditional formatting will return at the beginning of next season. OFFICIAL WORLD GOLF RANKING The last update on March 15 was used to trigger exemptions for the top 50 into the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational and the 2020 Masters. Revised dates for additional entries this summer were determined for the WGC-FedEx St. Jude and the PGA Championship. The OWGR issued a release on June 3 stating that it would restart the ranking with the Charles Schwab Challenge. Because other tours will not resume at the same time, the fantasy value of international non-members who play abroad regularly and will appear on the PGA TOUR is a little higher for all gamers, especially for those in formats with eyes on non-members hovering around the top 50 in the OWGR and with seven majors, five WGCs and THE PLAYERS scheduled through the summer of 2021.

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