U.S. takes early 3-1 lead at the Ryder Cup

This week's World Golf Championships-Workday Championship at The Concession presents a new venue for the world's best, with the beautiful but difficult Jack Nicklaus/Tony Jacklin co-design hosting a TOUR event for the first time. It's the first of a four-week stay in Florida for the PGA TOUR. That's good news, because the Florida Swing has brought no shortage of highlights. RELATED: Five things about The Concession | Predictions for Florida Swing Corey Pavin and Fred Couples dueled at The Honda Classic in 1992. Flashbulbs popped in the dark as Tiger Woods drained a putt to win the 2009 Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard. And of course you can't beat THE PLAYERS Championship tension on the weekend at TPC Sawgrass. So, who are the best performers, both historically and now, on the TOUR's Florida Swing? 15th Club went through more than three decades of round-by-round data to break down who succeeds, who overperforms, and what types of players fare best in Florida. Demanding Venues TOUR events in Florida are typically more demanding ball-striking tests than average. That makes sense, given the courses on the Florida Swing. PGA National (Champion) and Innisbrook (Copperhead) annually rank among the most difficult non-major venues in several key statistics. Since 2010, the average Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green field rank of tournament winners in Florida is 6.3. The PGA TOUR average in that stretch is 7.3. Driving accuracy proves to be less vital in Florida than normal - the average fairways hit ranking of winners in Florida since 2010 is 22.0, compared to the TOUR average in that span of 18.8. Iron play is where players can separate themselves from the pack: the Strokes Gained: Approach average rank of winners is 11.8, compared to the TOUR average of 13.5. Tiger Woods' historic dominance It's only fitting, then, that the best iron player of his era has been so successful here. Tiger Woods has 16 wins in Florida in his storied career. Since 1960, only one player has even half as many wins as Woods in the Sunshine State: Jack Nicklaus, with 10. From the 1999 Disney Classic through the end of the 2003 season, Woods played 14 official TOUR events in Florida. He picked up six wins and finished worse than third only three times. From 1999 through 2003, Woods was 203-under-par in his TOUR starts in Florida, 31 strokes better than any other player. Davis Love III was second-best at 172-under-par. Since 1990, there are 568 players with at least 30 TOUR rounds played in the state of Florida. Not only is Woods the only player with a scoring average under 70.0 in that group, coming in at 69.8, but he is the only player under 70.5. Woods' mark is a full 0.82 strokes better than any other player with 30 or more rounds (Justin Thomas, 70.64), and 0.83 better than anyone with 100 rounds played (Rory McIlroy, 70.65). Woods' margin over his peers in birdie average is even more startling. In Woods' 239 career rounds in Florida, he has averaged 4.44 birdies-or-better per round. Of the 393 players with 60 or more rounds played in Florida since 1990, that is 0.35 more per round than anyone else. (McIlroy, again, is second at 4.08.) The gap between Woods and McIlroy on the list is equivalent to the gap between McIlroy and number 25, Bob Tway (3.73). Incredibly, even as Woods has reached the later stages of his career, he has remained dominant in Florida. Since 2010, he is the only player with 50 or more rounds to average 2.0 or more Strokes Gained: Total per round (2.08). McIlroy has the second-best average, at 1.46. When isolating just the previous five years - a period in which Woods has not won a tournament in Florida, mind you - he still comes out on top. Woods has averaged 2.10 Strokes Gained: Total per round in Florida events in that stretch, best of any player with 20 or more rounds played. Sungjae Im loving it in Florida Florida isn't just the site of Sungjae Im's first TOUR victory, the 2020 Honda Classic. In six career TOUR starts in Florida, Im has four top-5 finishes. He leads all players in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green in Florida over the last three seasons, racking up 2.10 per round. Im and Woods are the only players in the last five seasons to average 2.0 Strokes Gained: Total per round or more at Florida TOUR stops. In 22 career rounds in Florida, Im has beat the field average 18 times. Fleetwood flourishes, too He hasn't yet won on TOUR, but maybe this year's Florida Swing is where Tommy Fleetwood breaks through. Since 2018, Fleetwood is one of five players with a scoring average in the 60s in Florida. He ranks second behind Im in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green per round in that span (+1.92) and third in Strokes Gained: Total (+2.09). Fleetwood is fourth in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee on the Florida Swing the last five seasons, trailing only Bryson DeChambeau, McIlroy and Bubba Watson. Scott great in the Sunshine State Since 2010, among players with 50 or more rounds in Florida, no player has averaged more Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green per round than Adam Scott (1.53). Scott ranks third in Strokes Gained: Total in that same span (1.37), and third in birdie average (4.08) going back to 1990. He's one of six players with three or more TOUR victories in Florida since 2004, along with Woods, Stephen Ames, Rory McIlroy, Ernie Els, and Luke Donald. ‘Burns'-ing the greens Sam Burns threatened to become the youngest player to win The Genesis Invitational since 1975, and the first wire-to-wire winner of the event since 1969. He isn't in the field at The Concession, but keep this in mind going forward: Burns is a savant when putting in Florida. Since 2010, players make 68.7% of their putts from 4 to 8 feet on the Florida Swing. Burns makes 79% of those putts. In 31 PGA TOUR rounds in Florida, Burns is averaging a ridiculous 1.31 Strokes Gained: Putting per round. Over the last five years, he is the only player to gain an average of a full stroke or more per round on the greens. Burns is normally a very good putter - 2020-21 is his third consecutive season ranked in the top 30 in Strokes Gained - but he takes it to another level in Florida.

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Round 2 of the Sony Open in Hawaii takes place today from Waialae Country Club. Here’s everything you need to know to follow the action. Round 2 leaderboard Round 2 tee times HOW TO FOLLOW Television: Thursday-Saturday, 7 p.m.-10:30 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Sunday, 6 p.m.-10 p.m. (Golf Channel) Radio: Thursday-Saturday, 5 p.m.-10:30 p.m. ET. Sunday, 5 p.m.- 10 p.m. ET (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com/liveaudio). NOTABLE TEE TIMES (ALL TIMES EASTERN) Kevin Kisner, Webb Simpson, Hideki Matsuyama Friday: 12:50 p.m. (No. 10 tee) Justin Thomas, Brendon Todd, Matt Kuchar Friday: 1 p.m. (No. 10 tee) Lanto Griffin, Joaquín Niemann, Marc Leishman Friday: 5:30 p.m. (No. 1 tee) Patrick Reed, Collin Morikawa, Brandt Snedeker Friday: 5:40 p.m. (No. 1 tee) MUST READS Morikawa handles wind to lead Sony Open Cut prediction: Sony Open in Hawaii Why Todd might be the prohibitive favorite in Hawaii Morikawa’s golf IQ is beyond his years TOUR players rally to Australian bushfire relief cause Q&A: Blair on architecture and returning to the TOUR Sign-up and play Fantasy Golf CALL OF THE DAY

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The scene in the pro shop was described as hectic but brimming with excitement over the weekend at Granite Links Golf Club in coastal Quincy, Massachusetts, where the public was allowed to return to play with social-distancing restrictions starting last Thursday. An hour west, at Cyprian Keyes Golf Club in Boylston, Director of Sales Deborah Murphy says the phone has been ringing off the hook, such was the pent-up demand in the Bay State. “I swear, people must have had radar that beeped when that announcement was made,� said Murphy, whose course is public but maintains a membership. “For the members, some of whom had played in other states, everybody was happy to be home. Plus, just being able to get some fresh air was nice after being cooped up for a month, a month and a half.� As per the directive of Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, courses opened with precautionary measures like face coverings for staff; closed locker rooms, pro shops, bag rooms and restaurants; no carts (walking only); and closed practice greens/driving ranges. Also, players were barred from arriving more than 15 minutes ahead of their tee times. Still, jubilation reigned. “People were just really chomping at the bit to play,� Murphy said. Vermont and Maryland reopened the same day as Massachusetts, and New Hampshire opened Monday. New York and New Jersey re-opened at the end of April and first of May. All states have now reopened for play, according to the National Golf Foundation, which projects 95% of courses in the United States will be open by this Sunday. But it’s not just about reopening; it’s about reopening safely. That’s where courses can utilize the Back2Golf Initiative, a set of guidelines established – in accordance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – by the PGA TOUR, PGA of America, United States Golf Association, National Golf Course Owners Association, Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, and Club Management Association of America. PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh calls it a “living document� that provides a framework but is not rigidly prescriptive. In Massachusetts, for example, the return to golf has meant walking only, but in Florida and elsewhere, players can ride one to a cart. Everywhere, the name of the game is social distancing, limiting touch points, and staying safe. Back2Golf outlines operational guidelines in three phases for golf’s 16,000-plus facilities. Phase 1 is Individual Golf, which advises to avoid gatherings of 10 or more, maintain at least 6 feet distancing from others, either walk or take one to a cart, and avoid physical contact. Phase 2 is Restricted Programming, which advises to avoid gatherings of 50 or more, maintain social distancing, and limit clubhouse operations and hold events only with restrictions. Phase 3 is the New Normal, which will kick in at some future date with sanitation procedures but unrestricted gatherings and events, and normal golf operations. Using measures set by the CDC and The White House “Guidelines for Opening Up America Again,� the recommendations will respect circumstances on the ground, depending on location. Dr. Bradley Connor, clinical professor of medicine at the Weill Cornell Medical College and an attending physician at the New York Presbyterian Hospital-Cornell campus, praised the golf industry and Back2Golf as “comprehensive� and “responsible� amid the COVID-19 crisis. “Golf is a terrific recreational outlet that offers a number of physical and mental health benefits,� Connor said. “While we all must remain vigilant and continue to take precautions, this plan allows golf to be played in keeping with social distancing best practices.� Courses in Ventura County, northwest of Los Angeles, have been reopened for over a week with social-distancing measures like foam inserts in cups; masks required around the starter and practice areas; and strict crowd limits on practice areas. At the Gil Hanse-designed Rustic Canyon in Moorpark, the new walking-only rule has arguably improved the experience. The course was designed as a tribute to the beginnings of golf, carved from the existing land in the canyon, and that old-school look and feel has returned thanks to the sudden absence of golf carts zooming around the property. Rustic has ordered new push carts for golfers (sanitized between rentals) and some are hoping the return-to-walking trend continues even as motorized carts become available again. Tee times were nearly sold out within hours of the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks announcement that it would reopen city courses on May 9. To play, golfers had to book tee times online, pay with a credit card, and accept a waiver advising of COVID-19 risks. Single-rider golf carts are allowed before 9 a.m. and after midday. The motorized carts, of course, are also thoroughly sanitized between users. “It was packed on Saturday,� local golfer David Hughes said from Griffith Park, the site of two city courses. “But there was a real effort from everyone to adhere to social distancing, facial coverings and all of the new requirements. “Golfers understand the benefits of being able to play in these tough times – both for physical and mental health – and they want to preserve that. If it means adjusting a few ways we interact, then it certainly seems players will do it.� How will courses stage tournaments? Murphy, of Cyprian Keyes in Massachusetts, has been wondering about that. Several of the course’s outings have been pushed back to August, but the first one is scheduled for June. Will the food have to be served out on the course if the clubhouse remains closed? Where will the trophy ceremony take place? And what about the absence of rakes as it pertains to a fair and equitable competition? Also, courses in the New York, Chicago and Washington, D.C. metropolitan areas remain closed, according to the NGF. When will they reopen? Such questions will presumably work themselves out in time. For now, it’s just about playing again. “Golf inherently provides many health and fitness benefits, including the opportunity to spend time outdoors with family and friends, which is needed now more than ever,� said Greg McLaughlin, CEO of World Golf Foundation. “It is a sport that naturally lends itself to social distancing and the ‘Back2Golf’ guidelines. We greatly appreciate the collaboration between all the allied golf organizations. It represents another example of our industry coming together for the greater good as our game has done so many times before.� For more information, please visit www.wearegolf.org/back2golf.

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