WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play match previews Day 3

You know you wanna, so go ahead. You learned your lesson. Make it count. One & Doners trapped between caution and conviction were second-guessing themselves when Tiger Woods emerged from the logjam at the Masters to secure his fifth green jacket. Now there’s no doubt that Woods gets the call at Bethpage State Park’s Black Course, site of the PGA Championship as well as his 2002 U.S. Open title. You saw – and felt – what transpired at Augusta National, and you’ve observed him exert careful ownership of his schedule. If there are tournaments that you know he won’t bypass, they are the majors. Despite what you’ll find below, those are the only Future Possibilities on which you should be focusing. RELATED: Tee times | Power Rankings | Expert Picks | Horses for Courses | Fantasy Insider Pebble Beach hosts the U.S. Open in a month, so pick your pleasure. Woods is a winner there, too – twice, in fact, if you include the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. It’s been 19 years since both, but it had been 14 years since his last victory at the Masters. As Woods has acknowledged, Father Time is undefeated, but GOATs make sure that he doesn’t prevail before receiving a powerful punch. If you’re also sitting on Phil Mickelson, then save him for Pebble Beach where’s he’s won five times in the annual PGA TOUR event contested every winter. That includes earlier this year. Lefty couldn’t have hand-picked a better site to convert on the career grand slam. Default to Woods at the PGA and you’re solid. Of course, it’s 2019 and not 2000 or 2002, so there are more than enough familiar faces in whom to invest at Bethpage. Defending champion Brooks Koepka will run away with the highest ownership percentage in PGA TOUR Fantasy One & Done. And he should. His swagger is what every gamer wants. His form is tip-top and he has a chip on his shoulder since he probably still can’t believe how his birdie try on the 72nd hole of the Masters didn’t fall. Rory McIlroy has spent the majority of this year camped out atop leaderboards. He’s also proven that he’s human when the pressure mounts, but he’s going to thrive at Bethpage. Long and accurate off the tee plays everywhere, but it’s a cheat code on Long Island. Pause only to holster him for The Open Championship at Royal Portrush in his native Northern Ireland. Rickie Fowler continues to inch closer to his first victory in a major. You can’t rule it out anywhere, but Bethpage is the best fit of the remaining three this season. He’s ideal if you’re chasing. If you’ve burned Mickelson and have a plan other than Dustin Johnson this week, then save DJ for the U.S. Open. He’s another gem at Pebble Beach where his experience, success and comfort will supersede the setup. He’ll also be seeking revenge for a final-round meltdown the last time the course hosted in 2010. Of all of the other notables at Bethpage, only Jason Day and Francesco Molinari pique my interest. Pivot to either if you’re in need of a contingency. Like Fowler, Jon Rahm also presents strongly to cut into a deficit. He’s rapidly figuring out how to put four rounds together consistently by neutralizing emotion while saving strokes. It’s scary to consider his potential once he climbs over the hump of intangibles that have nothing to do with the swing. The Spaniard possesses every athletic requirement for golf. It’s where we can find Koepka now. All of the others in the first 20 of my Power Rankings deserve a peek in two-man games, but scan Future Possibilities to map out short- and long-term strategies. Choices such as Justin Rose, Xander Schauffele, Sergio Garcia, Matt Kuchar and Hideki Matsuyama project as smart saves given who’s expected to flex for the Wanamaker Trophy. 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. Byeong Hun An … Memorial (1) Daniel Berger … Travelers (1) Keegan Bradley … Memorial (5); Travelers (4) Rafa Cabrera Bello … Wyndham (4) Patrick Cantlay … Memorial (3) Paul Casey … Travelers (1); TOUR Championship (3) Jason Day … PGA Championship (3); U.S. Open (10); Open Championship (9) Bryson DeChambeau … Travelers (4); John Deere (7) Jason Dufner … Charles Schwab (6); Memorial (5); U.S. Open (2); Wyndham (8); TOUR Championship (10) Tony Finau … Memorial (2) Rickie Fowler … PGA Championship (9); Memorial (5); U.S. Open (10) Sergio Garcia … Open Championship (5); TOUR Championship (2) Branden Grace … U.S. Open (4) Emiliano Grillo … Charles Schwab (3) Adam Hadwin … John Deere (5) Brian Harman … Charles Schwab (1); Travelers (5); John Deere (4) Charley Hoffman … Charles Schwab (6); Travelers (1) Billy Horschel … Wyndham (6); TOUR Championship (1) Dustin Johnson … PGA Championship (11); Memorial (10); U.S. Open (1); WGC-St. Jude (6); TOUR Championship (7) Zach Johnson … Charles Schwab (5); John Deere (1); Open Championship (2); TOUR Championship (8) Kevin Kisner … Charles Schwab (2); Memorial (6) Brooks Koepka … PGA Championship (2; defending); Charles Schwab (6); U.S. Open (1; two-time defending); Open Championship (8) Matt Kuchar … Charles Schwab (7); Memorial (1); Open Championship (8) Marc Leishman … Memorial (4); Travelers (3); Open Championship (8) Hideki Matsuyama … PGA Championship (13); Memorial (8); U.S. Open (14); Wyndham (7); TOUR Championship (5) Rory McIlroy … Memorial (5); Travelers (8); Open Championship (1); TOUR Championship (6) Phil Mickelson … U.S. Open (6); Open Championship (9); WGC-St. Jude (3) Francesco Molinari … PGA Championship (4); Open Championship (1; defending) Ryan Moore … Memorial (11); Travelers (6); John Deere (8); Wyndham (2); TOUR Championship (9) Kevin Na … Charles Schwab (3); Wyndham (5) Louis Oosthuizen … PGA Championship (4) Ryan Palmer … Charles Schwab (4) Scott Piercy … Canadian (7; last winner at Hamilton in 2012) Jon Rahm … Charles Schwab (1); TOUR Championship (7) Patrick Reed … PGA Championship (4); U.S. Open (3); Travelers (7) Justin Rose … Charles Schwab (7; defending); Memorial (4); Open Championship (8); TOUR Championship (2) Xander Schauffele … Open Championship (4); TOUR Championship (1) Adam Scott … PGA Championship (8); U.S. Open (9); Open Championship (7); TOUR Championship (3) Webb Simpson … Charles Schwab (8); Travelers (9); Wyndham (1) Cameron Smith … Wyndham (3) Brandt Snedeker … Charles Schwab (7); U.S. Open (5); Travelers (9); Wyndham (1; defending) Jordan Spieth … PGA Championship (7); Charles Schwab (5); Memorial (13); U.S. Open (4); Travelers (9); Open Championship (6); TOUR Championship (8) Henrik Stenson … PGA Championship (4); Open Championship (6); Wyndham (8); TOUR Championship (7) Bubba Watson … Memorial (7); Travelers (2; defending); TOUR Championship (8) Gary Woodland … Memorial (4) Tiger Woods … PGA Championship (6); Memorial (4); THE NORTHERN TRUST (7); TOUR Championship (5; defending)

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For the record, Tom Hoge has seen the movie. And let’s be real. Isn’t that what you want to ask him when you find out he’s from Fargo, North Dakota? Yes, that Fargo. The city where Hoge grew up is the setting for the darkly comic 1996 crime film written and directed by brothers Joel and Ethan Coen. The quirky movie, which stars William H. Macy and Frances McDormand, who won an Academy Award for her role, has become something of a cult classic. And no matter where he goes – Hoge now lives in Fort Worth, Texas – when he tells someone where he’s from the scenario is the same. “The first reaction is usually the movie, yes,â€� Hoge says with a wry smile. “And then the second statement is that I’m the first person they’ve ever met from North Dakota. “So I’m kind of ready for those two all the time.â€� Of course, with former North Dakota State quarterback Carson Wentz leading the Philadelphia Eagles into the Super Bowl on Sunday, the  sports landscape is changing a bit. But he grew up in Bismark and the only movie by that name is a 1940 film about the prime minister of Prussia. So, it’s just not the same. That said, “Fargoâ€� wasn’t filmed in North Dakota’s most populous city. The movie was actually shot around Minneapolis-St. Paul and in the town of Brainerd, Minnesota, which is about 90 minutes away from Fargo. “It’s kind of more out in the country than we would like to claim in Fargo,â€� Hoge said with a smile. “But it was pretty funny. A little different. Dark humor, for sure.â€� Fargo’s visitors center even has an exhibit that includes several of the original scripts, as well as few props. Among those is the wood chipper which the organization’s website calls the “most notorious prop in cinematic history.â€�  Hoge actually was born in Statesville, North Carolina, but moved to Fargo when he was 6 months old. He lived in North Dakota full-time until 2007 when he went to Fort Worth to play golf at Texas Christian University. He’s lived there ever since. At its best, the golf season in Fargo – which was voted as “America’s Toughest Weather Cityâ€� in a 2011 poll on The Weather Channel — only runs from mid-April to mid-November. Hoge can remember high school tournaments as late as in May that were snowed out but he made the most of the days when Mother Nature cooperated. “I kind of laugh, frost delays in Phoenix and places like that when it’s 40 or 45 degrees,â€� Hoge says. “I remember days out playing golf when it was 25 degrees in Fargo. “The golf courses probably didn’t like it that much but I was always trying to get out there and play.â€� Hoge started playing golf when he was 3 years old. He and his brother Charlie would tag along, hitting a few shots here and there, when their parents went to Fargo Country Club. He was inspired by Tiger Woods’ first Masters win and by the time he was 10, Hoge could be found hanging out at the golf course whenever there wasn’t any snow on the ground. “It doesn’t sound like it, Fargo, North Dakota being a golf town, but our golf club had a par-three course where the holes were 60 to 125 yards long and kids could go play that as much as they wanted,â€� he says. “It really was a good spot to grow up and learn how to play.â€� In fact, Hoge estimates, he’s one of 5 or 10 golfers from Fargo who went on to play NCAA Division I golf despite being limited by the relatively short season. A couple played on the Nationwide Tour, as did Hoge, but he is the first to make it to the PGA TOUR full-time. “There were a few times in the winter where I’d be trying to go to play in tournaments in Arizona or somewhere and there’d be snow on the ground,â€� Hoge remembers. “But I’d just kind of shovel the snow away and hit a few balls. “On more than one occasion I would say I’d be the only person on the course every day. But I always wanted to play on the PGA TOUR so I’d use whatever opportunities I had to get better.â€� When the snow piled up – Fargo had to dig out from a record 117 inches of the white stuff during the winter of 1996-97 – Hoge did have another option. He could go to the Sports Bubble and hit off mats at the indoor driving range. While it may not have been satisfying seeing the ball just go 50 yards or so, it was a good place to work on the fundamentals of the game. And it was warm. “So there’s parts when I look back on it growing up in Fargo that were very beneficial to me,â€� Hoge says. “Obviously, you’re limited just not being able to practice and get the experience other guys would in Texas and Florida or other parts of the country. “But it was a good spot. You learn work ethic up there pretty good just because your time is so much shorter than everyone else.â€� Hoge, who is quick to point out that he doesn’t miss the snow or the winters in North Dakota, is currently in the midst of the best year of his TOUR career. He’s had two top-10s in eight starts, including a tie for third at the Sony Open in Hawaii where he held the third-round lead. The way Hoge sees it, weathering the brutal winters in a city that is just 160 miles from the Canadian border, builds character and that has helped him along the way. “If you’d look at kind of the way my career’s been there’s been a lot of times where I’d been struggling and kind of close to losing status,â€� Hoge says. “And going back to the Web.com Tour finals this year I had to birdie seven of the last 12 holes to get back out on the PGA TOUR. “And I think there’s some of that fight that growing up in North Dakota instilled in me.â€�

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PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. — Tiger Woods needs reps … and the best way to get those is making the cut, which he’ll attempt to do in Friday’s second round of the Genesis Open. Woods, making his second PGA TOUR start since returning after a year’s absence following back surgery, opened with a 1-over 72 in the first round and is hoping to improve on that score in order to secure a weekend spot at Riviera. PGATOUR.COM is on the scene and will have live coverage, as well as hole-by-hole results once he tees off at 3:22 p.m. ET. MORE TIGER: Scorecard | Rd. 1 analysis | Set-up game | Riviera struggles

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