Top 30 Players to Watch in 2019: No. 3 Justin Rose

LAS VEGAS — Tom Hoge wanted to be sure to take advantage of pristine conditions Thursday morning in Las Vegas. He did more than he expected, making two eagles on his way to an 8-under 63 for a one-shot lead in the Shriners Children’s Open. One of the eagles came with a gap wedge in his hand, part of a six-hole stretch he played in 6-under par in the middle of his round at the TPC Summerlin. The other eagle was a 35-foot putt down the hill on the par-5 16th. Equally important, Hoge kept bogeys off his card. Presidents Cup partners Si Woo Kim and Tom Kim ganged up on Max Homa in a group that brought back memories and stories from Quail Hollow two weeks ago. Si Woo Kim had a 64 and was tied for second with Maverick McNealy, while Tom Kim had a 65 and Homa didn’t fare too badly with a 67. Homa went 4-0 in his Presidents Cup debut, beating Tom Kim in singles. But it was Tom Kim who delivered the best moment when he made a 10-foot birdie putt on the final hole, slamming his cap to the ground to celebrate a win with Si Woo Kim as his partner. “We still talk about the Presidents Cup, like some holes,” Si Woo Kim said. “Then I finish the hole, and Tom came over on 18 and I said, ‘If you make that one, I got to ask you to go throw the hat like the last hole Saturday.’” McNealy now lives in Las Vegas and had more support than usual for a Thursday morning, a gallery he figures will grow on the weekend if he keeps this up. Defending champion Sungjae Im joined Tom Kim in the large group at 65, particularly impressive because he played in the afternoon when low scores were harder to find. Patrick Cantlay, who has a win and two runner-up finishes in his four appearances at TPC Summerlin, had a steady diet of birdie chances from the 15- to 20-foot range and had to settle for a 67. The low round for Hoge was unexpected because he had been fishing off the coast of Mexico the last two weeks, wanting to put the golf clubs away after a long season. He was in the mix for a Presidents Cup pick, though the oversight was not a surprise because he hadn’t played well enough since his inaugural PGA TOUR victory at Pebble Beach in early February. “I didn’t know where things would stand coming out today,” Hoge said. He holed a 25-foot birdie putt on No. 6, then hit a gap wedge from 110 yards on No. 7 that hit the middle of the pin and crashed into the left side of the cup for eagle. He followed with three more birdies over the next four holes, and then picked up a bonus with fast eagle putt on the 16th. “It was an interesting day,” Hoge said. “I feel like I missed some very makeable birdie putts, but I holed some real nice, long ones for eagle on 16 and some other long ones. Certainly happy with the score, but I’ve got to make a lot of birdies the next few days.”

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It’s not often that the most-owned golfer started the week outside the top 10 in my Power Rankings, but it’s also that time of Segment 4 when fantasy atrophy sets in. We have only so many starts remaining on so many notables that we’ll take what we can get. Jon Rahm is still a sensible No. 1 at the Dell Technologies Championship. He emerged as a midseason force who helped spell starts. Patrick Cantlay at 16th overall is in a similar position now. A T10 at THE NORTHERN TRUST reinforced his reliability. Before you know it, we’ll be looking to ration starts on both wunderkinds, just as we have the regulars for whom they’ve substituted. The only curious component of the breakdown at TPC Boston is that Rahm leads at just 45.8 percent. While it was projected in this space last week when Hideki Matsuyama garnered the most faith at Glen Oaks with 48.1 percent, there are fewer golfers from which to choose during every leg of the FedExCup Playoffs, so we couldn’t have ruled out an uptick. Atrophy. It’s a real thing. Stay hydrated. PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO NOTE: Rob’s Rating refers to where our Fantasy Insider slotted a golfer in his Power Rankings (“PR”) and other preview material. Owned Rank  Player  Percentage  Rob’s Rating 1st  Jon Rahm  45.8%  PR12 2nd  Paul Casey  41.5%  PR3 3rd  Rory McIlroy (defending)  40.5%  PR4 4th  Justin Thomas  40.3%  PR10 5th  Dustin Johnson  33.1%  PR1 6th  Jason Day  32.9%  PR5 7th  Matt Kuchar  27.21%  PR11 8th  Jordan Spieth  25.7%  PR6 9th  Rickie Fowler  25.3%  PR2 10th  Hideki Matsuyama  23.4%  PR13 Golfers in the Power Rankings and outside the top 10 in most owned Power Ranking  Player  Owned Rank  Percentage 7  Patrick Reed  11th  23.1% 8  Louis Oosthuizen  12th  22.0% 9  Adam Scott  13th  18.7% 14  Webb Simpson  28th  4.8% 15  Kevin Chappell  25th  5.0% 16  Charley Hoffman  18th  13.9% 17  Brooks Koepka  14th  17.4% 18  Jhonattan Vegas  29th  3.4% 19  Patrick Cantlay  16th  15.7% 20  Justin Rose  17th  15.0% Wild Card  Chez Reavie  35th  2.5% Other notables Owned Rank  Player  Percentage 15th  Sergio Garcia  16.8% 19th  Jason Dufner  11.1% 20th  Keegan Bradley  10.4% 27th  Bubba Watson  4.9% 30th  Phil Mickelson  3.3% PGA TOUR Fantasy One & Done presented by SERVPRO No two fantasy games are alike even when game play is identical. That includes One & Dones. Because PGA TOUR Fantasy One & Done presented by SERVPRO uses FedExCup points to measure performance, the Playoffs can make your season in a single bound. Of course, you have to connect with the right guy at the right time, but interest in the format is sustained significantly longer than in earnings-based formats in which apathy set in for many weeks ago. It’s with that reality in mind that we shouldn’t be surprised that many of the usual suspects populate the top-10 most-owned at the Dell Technologies Championship. Louis Oosthuizen checked the boxes of form and history stronger than most, at least on balance, but 4.6 percent of you sat on your hands long enough to burn defending champion Rory McIlroy. Kudos. Yes, by McIlroy’s (and our) lofty standards, he’s misfired too often in 2017, so there was reason not to invest earlier, but you can’t go an entire season without him. This is especially relevant when the winner of every Playoffs event banks 2,000 FedExCup points. Jason Day and Paul Casey present as one of the stronger 2-3 couplets in recent memory. Of course, we don’t know how many league leaders are on board, but gamers who are chasing aren’t complaining about their prospects at TPC Boston. Owned Rank  Player  Percentage 1st  Louis Oosthuizen  10.8% 2nd  Jason Day  9.7% 3rd  Paul Casey  8.3% 4th  Kevin Chappell  5.0% 5th  Rory McIlroy (defending)  4.6% 6th  Patrick Reed  4.5% 7th  Justin Thomas  4.5% 8th  Jon Rahm  4.1% 9th  Dustin Johnson  3.6% 10th  Hideki Matsuyama  3.3% Other notables Owned Rank  Player  Percentage 11th  Rickie Fowler  2.8% 13th  Jordan Spieth  2.5% 15th  Adam Scott  2.1% 16th  Matt Kuchar  16th  2.1% 18th  Sergio Garcia  2.0% 20th  Brooks Koepka  1.7% 22nd  Justin Rose  1.5% T26  Bubba Watson  0.8% T32  Phil Mickelson  0.5%

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA – During a special presentation today at TPC Sawgrass, the PGA TOUR unveiled plans for its expansive new global home, which will consolidate area employees under one roof in Ponte Vedra Beach. Commissioner Jay Monahan made the announcement with Florida Governor Rick Scott, highlighting the PGA TOUR’s long-standing commitment to Northeast Florida and the positive economic impact it has and will continue to make in St. Johns County. The new 187,000 square-foot headquarters, which is expected to be completed in 2020, will be located on a portion of the TOUR’s existing property on County Road 210 and surrounded by a large freshwater lake, echoing the iconic ‘Island Green’ 17th hole from THE PLAYERS Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass. Designed by acclaimed London-based architectural firm Foster + Partners, the state-of-the-art building will house the more than 750 employees who currently occupy 17 buildings throughout the area, with the capacity to accommodate several hundred more. According to Foster + Partners, the design embraces new ways of working and collaboration for the PGA TOUR, as it responds to changing media landscapes and audiences in the future. “We are excited for the opportunity to continue to grow in St. Johns County and believe the PGA TOUR’s new home will be a sense of pride for the entire area and state of Florida, while allowing us to become more efficient in the way we communicate, collaborate and operate as an organization,” Monahan said. “Although we have a growing international presence with offices and tournaments around the world, the PGA TOUR and our employees are very proud to be active members of The First Coast and Ponte Vedra Beach community, and call this area home.” Melissa Glasgow, Director of Economic Development for St. Johns County said, “Golf is woven into the very fabric of our community, and having the world-renowned PGA TOUR headquartered here only serves to strengthen that bond. As the largest corporate headquarters in St. Johns County, the TOUR project represents an innovative public-private partnership that will generate extraordinary long-term benefits. We thank the TOUR for their continued investment in our community.” The PGA TOUR moved to Ponte Vedra Beach from Washington, D.C., in the late 1970s with three employees who occupied a house in the Players Club development in Sawgrass. As the TOUR grew, it built the West Building, then the East Building – located at the entrance to TPC Sawgrass – that have served as the TOUR’s primary offices for more than 30 years. Continued growth has forced expansion to multiple buildings throughout Ponte Vedra Beach and St. Augustine. Florida Governor Rick Scott said, “I am proud to announce the PGA TOUR has chosen Ponte Vedra Beach for their new global headquarters and the creation of 300 new jobs. While this global company could have invested in any other state, they ultimately decided that Florida was the best location to grow their business and create new opportunities for our families. Our work to cut taxes and reduce burdensome regulations is helping Florida compete for these important jobs wins. I look forward to seeing the PGA TOUR’s continued success in Florida – the golf capital of the world.” Monahan revealed the first set of renderings of the TOUR’s new global home via a video documentary. Foster + Partners describes the global home as being a pair of parallel three-story bays flanking a collaborative atrium. The glazed façades and atrium fill the building with natural light, also allowing for views out to the surrounding landscape throughout the structure. Underscoring the sustainable focus of the project, the building is targeting a LEED Gold rating. The roof has five large skylights that bring natural light into the building, and it is also envisioned that the roof will accommodate a series of photovoltaic panels that will support the building’s energy needs. Nigel Dancey, Head of Studio, Foster + Partners, said, “Inspired by the lush greenery of TPC Sawgrass and the beautiful Floridian light, the new PGA TOUR headquarters is designed as an extension of its surrounding landscape. As the Global Home of the PGA TOUR brings the organization under one roof for the first time in decades, it signifies the progressive spirit of the TOUR.” The two building bays will be connected by 20-foot-wide bridges that encourage chance meetings and allow for informal gatherings along the edges, without impeding the flow of people. Similar flexible workspaces are located on the wide terraces along the atrium and the far ends of the building on the upper floor, catering to the need for flexible workspaces to support an increasingly mobile workforce. “As we strive to reach an increasingly diverse, more global fanbase and position the PGA TOUR for future success, we must be equipped to meet the ever-changing landscape in international business, media and technology,” Monahan said. “Moving forward with this beautiful new global home in Ponte Vedra Beach will allow for more creative, efficient collaboration among our staff and partners, and will set us on the right path toward achieving our goals as an organization.”

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