Tracking Tiger: Woods’ possible schedule for 2020

If you’re keen to attach to the trend that’s opened 2019, you’re in luck. Well, as long as you haven’t burned Charles Howell III, the stars are aligned. Xander Schauffele and Matt Kuchar respectively opened and closed the Aloha Swing with their second titles of the season, but there’s only one golfer in the 156-man field at the Desert Classic who has a win in 2018-19: Chucky Three Sticks. You know, CH3 is No. 4 in my Power Rankings and only next week’s Farmers Insurance Open is included in his Future Possibilities below. OK, so Torrey Pines arguably is his best spot in our world and this week’s tri-course experience caters to surprise exponentially more than it does expectation. Patrick Cantlay, defending champion Jon Rahm and Justin Rose sit 1-2-3 in my Power Rankings, but I’d sit on each if it’s still an option. All look good everywhere. Everywhere. What’s more, while Rose is the epitome of a professional, his thoughts might not be undivided as his regular caddie, Mark Fulcher, will be having heart surgery this week. Even if you like the inspirational angle, remember the nature of this tournament and add the variable that the Englishman will be making his debut on the current rotation of courses. In fact, he hasn’t appeared since 2010. Among the other notables, considering holstering Phil Mickelson as well. He’s spoken openly about focusing more than ever for opportunities on the biggest stages. Granted, you might not be terribly interested in the World Golf Hall of Famer in those situations what with him turning 49 in mid-June, but the Desert Classic barely pinged the radar of smartest choices, anyway. Instead, consider using the Desert Classic as a bridge. Even though Hudson Swafford (2017) is the only first-time winner in the last seven years, this is a terrific time to burn red-hot Corey Conners, the dynamic Peter Uihlein and Bud Cauley, or the sneaky Richy Werenski. Those are endorsements that extend to the back half of two-man One & Done lineups, especially. Meanwhile, Adam Hadwin’s course history almost is to glossy to believe with a T6-2nd-T3 slate since the current rotation debuted in 2016. Pairing him with CH3 is saucy. Same with the surging Andrew Putnam. Desert cornerstone Lucas Glover makes sense no matter your game. He and Chez Reavie always seem to attract our attention at the same time, so it’s kind of them to join forces once again. And if you’re game to have some fun – well, more than usual – roll out the quinella of Swafford and/or oft-mistaken lookalike Harris English. The moral of this story is that you’re not going to miss most of the guys who have taken a step forward above. We always want to be bold, but that dose of reality can help finalize your decision. FUTURE POSSIBILITIES NOTE: Select golfers committed to the tournament are listed alphabetically. Future tournaments are sorted chronologically and reflect previous success on the courses on which the tournaments will be held in 2018-19. The numerical values in parentheses represent the order of relative confidence of where to use each golfer if multiple sites are listed (e.g. 1 for strongest, 2 for next-strongest and so on). To present weighted confidence in real time, numerical values will not change all season no matter how many tournament remain listed for each golfer. All are pending golfer commitment. Daniel Berger … Waste Management (2); WGC-Mexico (3); Travelers (1) Patrick Cantlay … Genesis (4); Valspar (2); Memorial (3) Jason Dufner … Desert Classic (9); Honda (3); PLAYERS (7); Valspar (4); New Orleans (1); Charles Schwab (6); Memorial (5); U.S. Open (2); Wyndham (8); TOUR Championship (10) Bill Haas … Desert Classic (1); Genesis (3); WGC-Match Play (8); Heritage (4); Charles Schwab (2); Wyndham (6) Adam Hadwin … Desert Classic (1); Waste Management (4); Genesis (3); Valspar (2); John Deere (5) Brian Harman … Desert Classic (3); Arnold Palmer (7); Charles Schwab (1); Travelers (5); John Deere (4) Russell Henley … Honda (4); Masters (3) Charley Hoffman … Genesis (5); Arnold Palmer (2); Masters (4); Heritage (7); Valero (3); Charles Schwab (6); Travelers (1) Charles Howell III … Desert Classic (4); Farmers (1) Zach Johnson … Waste Management (6); Arnold Palmer (7); Valero (4); Charles Schwab (5); John Deere (1); Open Championship (2); TOUR Championship (8) Si Woo Kim … PLAYERS (3); Heritage (1) Chris Kirk … Valero (3); PLAYERS (5); Charles Schwab (2) Kevin Kisner … Heritage (3); New Orleans (5); Charles Schwab (2); Memorial (6) Russell Knox … Heritage (2) Martin Laird … Desert Classic (6); Waste Management (1); Genesis (3); Valero (5); Barracuda (2) Phil Mickelson … Desert Classic (10); Waste Management (4); Pebble Beach (5); Genesis (6); WGC-Mexico (1; defending); Masters (9); Wells Fargo (2); Open Championship (8); WGC-St. Jude (3) Ryan Palmer … Desert Classic (1); Valero (2); Charles Schwab (4) Pat Perez … Farmers (2); Pebble Beach (5) Scott Piercy … New Orleans (1; co-defending); Canadian (7; last winner at Hamilton in 2012) Jon Rahm … Desert Classic (3; defending); Farmers (6); Waste Management (4); Masters (5); Charles Schwab (1); TOUR Championship (7) Justin Rose … Farmers (6); Genesis (9); Arnold Palmer (3); Masters (1); PLAYERS (10); Charles Schwab (7; defending); Memorial (4); Open Championship (8); TOUR Championship (2) Brendan Steele … Desert Classic (6); Waste Management (2); Honda (7); Valero (8); Wells Fargo (9); Travelers (4); Reno-Tahoe (3) Kevin Streelman … Desert Classic (8); Pebble Beach (1); Valero (9); Heritage (5); Memorial (4); Travelers (7)

Click here to read the full article…

GUYANCOURT, France – After walking off the 17th green Friday following their Four-ball match loss at the Ryder Cup, Tiger Woods and Patrick Reed were met by U.S. Captain Jim Furyk. It was a discussion of decent length – and it could’ve lasted even longer, considering that Furyk opted to bench the two players instead of rushing them back out for afternoon Foursomes. The Woods-Reed tandem, the anchor of the U.S. team for the first session at Le Golf National, was the only U.S. partnership not to come back with a morning victory. Their 3 and 1 loss to Europe’s Tommy Fleetwood and Francesco Molinari prevented the Americans from matching the opening session sweep they produced two years ago at Hazeltine. The loss dropped Woods’ all-time Ryder Cup record to 13-18-3 and his Four-balls record to 5-9-0. Reed’s Ryder Cup record fell to 6-2-2 overall and 3-2-0 in Four-balls. “It’s disappointing and frustrating for Pat and I to not contribute to the team,â€� said Woods, who has sat out a session just one other time his Ryder Cup career. “When you lose a point, you feel like you’ve contributed but you’re contributing to the wrong team. They got the points instead of us. “That part’s frustrating. Wish we could have done a better job.â€� It may have been a bit shocking to send Woods and Reed to the sidelines on the first day, but Furyk wanted to get all of his players some game action on Day 1, and his team’s depth – and success in the earlier matches — gave him plenty of options. He opted to put Four-balls winners Dustin Johnson/Rickie Fowler and Jordan Spieth/Justin Thomas in the afternoon session with Bubba Watson/Webb Simpson and Phil Mickelson/Bryson DeChambeau, the four players who sat out the morning. Plus, even Woods and Reed admitted they were a bit out of sync on Friday. “We didn’t ham-and-egg it very well,â€� Reed said. “I felt like one guy was in the hole and one guy was out of the hole. The way you’re successful in best-ball is you have both guys in the hole, both guys having a chance to look for birdies and just seemed like we didn’t. “And when we did, they weren’t close. They were lengthy putts. Putts that percentage-wise are not very good. It was just one of those days that was just a little bit of a struggle.â€� It wasn’t a struggle early. In fact, Woods/Reed were 2 up through 10 holes, with each player contributing two birdies at that point. When Reed chipped in for birdie from just off the 10th green, the Americans appeared in control. But then Molinari answered by winning the next two holes with birdies, with his 25-footer at the 11th switching the momentum. “We had that little tough stretch in the middle of the round, I lost three holes out of four, I think, it’s easy for it to go flat,â€� Fleetwood said, “but the crowds, the home crowds, as soon as Fran holed that putt on 11, things changed straightaway. And the crowd carried us through it all the way.â€� Fleetwood then took the baton and gave his side the lead with birdies at the 15th and 16th. Meanwhile, Reed (at the 15th) and Woods (at the 16th) each found the water to drop out of the hole. “We were in control of the match being 2-up, but we just didn’t make any birdies coming in,â€� Woods said. “You have to make birdies in Four-ball. You have to do it. We did it early. I think I made about four birdies there on that front nine. Pat had a couple. We were putting it on them, and then on the back nine, it flipped. “They put it on us, and we couldn’t answer.â€� It was at the 15th that Reed and Woods had a lengthy strategy discussion. With Woods staring at a bad lie, he told Reed that his best play was to lay up and play for par instead of aim for the green and bring water into play. “I told him, Hey, the worst score I’m going to make over here with my wedge game right now is probably par,â€� Woods explained. “I’ll hit up there inside 10 feet. I’ll make par and that should free you up to be a little more aggressive and make birdie. “He hit a bad shot in the water. I hit it up there to about 8 feet for par, and then Tommy buried it from off the green.â€� Whether he was conserving energy or simply modulating his pace, Woods appeared to be operating slowly and deliberating between shots. But a week after his first TOUR win since returning from his multiple back surgeries, Woods did not reveal any physical concerns. “My game is fine. My cut really wasn’t cutting off the tee today. I was hammering it. The ball was going far. It was going straight, but it was not cutting. I can accept that,â€� Woods said. “That’s really no big deal. My putting feels solid. I’ll be ready come tomorrow whenever Captain puts me out. If nothing else, he had Friday afternoon to rest and prepare for a potential 36 holes in Saturday’s two sessions – if Furyk goes that route.

Click here to read the full article…

Here are nine tidbits from the second round of the CareerBuilder Challenge that gamers can use tomorrow, this weekend or down the road. Be looking for the Emergency 9 shortly after the close of play of each round of the tournament. Done with this One These were the top five picked golfers in the PGA TOUR Fantasy One & Done presented by SERVPRO: Remember, there is one more chance tomorrow to get into position to get into position. Those supporting Dufner (raises hand) and Mickelson will need a low one tomorrow from each to get back into the fight. The downside is that they are playing the Stadium Course, the toughest of the three tracks, in Round 3. Course and Weather Management There were rumbles during the telecast again on Friday that gusting winds could be on the menu for round three Saturday. While the Stadium Course played easier on Friday, it was still two full strokes harder than La Quinta Country Club and almost two full shots more difficult than the Nicklaus Tournament Course. Yesterday, there were only five of the top 41 who played the Stadium Course. Today, nine of the top 35 had to play the Pete Dye design. If you didn’t balance your lineup in the PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO you’ll have to hope your guys mimic Kevin Chappell’s performance in round two. His 64 was the best on that track by two shots. Three other players, Bronson Burgoon, Andrew Putnam and Zac Blair posted 66’s. Leader Landry Andrew Landry has taken advantage of playing the two easier tracks in the first two rounds. His 63 at La Quinta to open and 65 at Nicklaus Tournament in round two has a one-shot lead on first-round leader Jon Rahm on 16-under-par 128. It’s never easy backing up a career-low score but his 65 qualifies as backed up! He hasn’t squared a bogey and his seven birdies in round two tied his career-best output. Landry fired 64 at The RSM Classic to close last season so he’s in the mood. There is exactly ONE of you on him in PGA TOUR Fantasy One & Done presented by SERVPRO. Memory Loss There were plenty of 64’s posted in round two but the one that caught my eye was the one from Zach Johnson on the Nicklaus Tournament. His previous two trips to this rotation saw him post nothing lower than 67. Entering the week, he had signed for 64 or lower in his last three events so maybe I shouldn’t be surprised. His worst finish in four events this season is T23 so he’s had sharp winter. He enters the weekend T4 and has two rounds of the Stadium Course in front of him. Brian’s Song 2013 champ Brian Gay signed for 64 at La Quinta to jump 35 spots into the top 10 at T7. His opening nine 30 included six of eight birdies on day where he didn’t make a bogey. Similarly to Johnson, Gay has missed the cut the last two seasons on this track. His opening rounds of 68-64 are his only two rounds in the 60’s from eight tries in the last three years. Muscle Russell Gamers heard the engine turning over last week at Waialae as he posted Friday-Saturday rounds of 64-65. He continues trending in the right direction with another 64 (Nicklaus Tournament) today to move up 54 spots to T10. Knox joins Landry as the only players in the top 10 without a bogey on their cards for the first two rounds. It’s interesting that Bubba Watson also hasn’t made any bogeys. His five birdies and a double bogey suggest that it isn’t his week (T108). Don’t Sleep on Sleepers Rob Bolton picks his crew each week and gamers should add it to their routine before each tournament. At the halfway point, he’s has a few performing, including Beau Hossler. His opening round of 64 was backed up by 69 in round two as he’s currently T10, the exact same scores from one of his other selections, Aaron Wise. Lucas Glover sits a very solid T19 at 10-under. Lurking Canadian Adam Hadwin hasn’t finished worse than T6 in the two events in the new rotation. It didn’t hurt that he shot 59 at La Quinta on Saturday last year but he joined the famous club of posting that number and not winning. His bogey-free 67 at the Stadium Course today piggybacked his 66 Thursday at the Nicklaus Tournament layout. I’m not Colombo but even I can figure out he’s heading back to La Quinta tomorrow sitting T10. Study Hall According to reports, Greg Chalmers added CareerBuilder Challenge to his schedule and dropped the Farmers Insurance Open. Gamers can connect the dots on which type of courses suit the veteran Aussie moving forward. … I’m fascinated that Wesley Bryan isn’t carrying a driver until he figures out where it’s going. He opened with 65 but added 75 today to drop 81 spots to T90. We’ll see how long the experiment lasts. … Maverick McNealy sits T19 after 66-68 but gamers must remember that he doesn’t carry any status. … Rory McIlroy is bogey-free through 36 holes in Abu Dhabi and is just three back. … Dustin Johnson, playing the same event, busted out 64 in round two to move to T11. … Sergio Garcia is one back at the Singapore Open as Ryo Ishikawa (!) is one of three tied for the lead on seven-under-par. … Brooks Koepka announced that his wrist does need surgery so this should activate contingency plans for season-long owners who knew this might have been a possibility. Read more here from our man Ben Everill.

Click here to read the full article…