Who’s trending up and who’s falling this week in golf?

Although struggles with the so-called “Bear Trap” kept him from being a true contender, Tiger Woods shot a final-round 70 in the Honda Classic on Sunday to finish 12th in just his third tournament this year following spinal fusion surgery in April.

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You can never predict a historic round, but Rory McIlroy was dressed for the occasion. His bold fashion belied one of the strengths that allowed him to shatter the course record at the most iconic course in his homeland. His mock turtleneck and pants were white as snow. A pink belt accented the outfit, as did a pink stripe across his back. His hat, a lighter shade of the same color, sat atop curly hair that showed hints of highlights. “The confidence I had, and the cockiness I had at 16, sometimes I think I have to rediscover that a little bit,� McIlroy recent told TheOpen.com. Throughout his career, McIlroy has announced himself with assaults on par. His 61 at Royal Portrush during the 2005 North of Ireland Amateur was the first display of that skill. It was a special round that proved the phenom from Holywood was as good as advertised. He’s gone on to win 16 times on the PGA TOUR, including four majors, this year’s PLAYERS Championship and the 2016 FedExCup. Any adult who’s dealt with disappointment can relate to his yearning for the innocence of youth, though. Returning to Royal Portrush for this week’s Open Championship gives him the opportunity to do that. McIlroy has a sterling recent resume in The Open. He has four consecutive top-5s, including his win in 2014 (he missed his title defense with an injury). His 69.0 scoring average since 2014 is at least a half-stroke lower than anyone else. Lowest score in relation to par at The Open since 2014: Words like “jaw-dropping� and “unreal� were used to describe McIlroy’s incredible round at Portrush. Even the best professionals from Northern Ireland had never come close to matching the precocious 16-year-old’s score. Padraig Harrington had held Portrush’s course record for years with a 65. It had only been lowered by a stroke before McIlroy shot a back-nine 28 during the qualifying rounds for the 2005 North of Ireland Championship. “Whenever I think about Royal Portrush and about links golf and my development, I always think about that round of golf,� McIlroy told TheOpen.com. “There are not many golf rounds where I remember every shot, but for that round I do.� A similar round isn’t likely this week in the final major of the season. Royal Portrush’s Dunluce Links was toughened before hosting its first Open Championship since 1951, with two new holes (the par-5 seventh and par-4 eighth) that required a routing adjustment. Thus, McIlroy will be seeking a new course record to go along with the one he set 14 years earlier. Like many special rounds, the one in 2005 started inauspiciously. He missed a short birdie putt on the first hole. Then he hit a 6-iron onto the green of the second hole and two-putted for birdie. He had to wait four holes for his next birdie, though. He finished the front nine with another two-putt birdie after reaching the par-5 ninth with a wedge, making the turn in 3-under 33. He eagled the 10th and added another birdie at the par-3 11th. People began streaming onto the course to catch a peek at history. Gary McNeil, Royal Portrush’s head pro, was getting updates back in the pro shop. McIlroy’s longtime swing coach, Michael Bannon, thought it was a joke when he received his first report of McIlroy’s magical round. “No one can shoot 61 around Royal Portrush,� he thought. McIlroy, recognizing the magnitude of the putt, fist-pumped when he holed his putt on No. 11, even though he responded sarcastically when he saw a player in the group ahead give a similar reaction on the same hole. After making two consecutive pars, McIlroy birdied the final five holes, including the long, treacherous par-3 known as “Calamity Corner.� He showed his maturity by stepping away from the crowds during a long wait on the 17th tee, using the time to collect his thoughts. He admits he was just trying to two-putt the final hole, but his 20-footer fell for the perfect ending. “It felt normal to me,� McIlroy told TheOpen.com. I had that cockiness and thought this was what I was supposed to do. It is only when time goes on that I realize these things are special and you should savor them. One of his playing partners that day, Stephen Crowe, was particularly taken by McIlroy’s finish. “He didn’t take his foot off the pedal, he didn’t miss a shot the last two holes,� Crowe told NationalClubGolfer.com. “He hit driver and a long iron to the par-5 17th. He always hit it long, even for the size of him; he only put on muscle after he turned pro and he was always aggressive. He wouldn’t shy away from a shot and he had the belief that he was going to pull it off. “The old last was a tough tee shot with lots of bunkers, but he stayed aggressive, found the fairway and hit an 8-iron into the middle of the green and then holed about a 20-footer. “That was the most impressive thing, how he kept things going. Lots of us wouldn’t have had the mindset to shoot that sort of score but he did.� McIlroy has compared that round to his final-round 62 at Quail Hollow in 2010, another unthinkable score that netted him his first PGA TOUR win. Five of his 16 PGA TOUR titles have been won with a final-round score of 65 or lower. He shot a final-round 61 to win this year’s RBC Canadian Open and earned his first FedExCup with a closing 64 at the 2016 TOUR Championship. He’s the only player other than Tiger Woods to win multiple majors by eight or more shots. He won his first major, the 2011 U.S. Open, with the lowest 72-hole score in that championship’s history. His record-setting round at Royal Portrush gave an early glimpse into his uncanny ability to go low. “There was always a feeling in Northern Ireland that we had a very big talent in Holywood, but it was only from age 12, 13 or 14 that we really started to hear about him,� BBC reporter Stephen Watson told TheOpen.com. “He started to break record after record after record, was on TV now and again and so that was how we first heard of him.� Earlier that year, McIlroy had become the youngest winner of the West of Ireland Championship and the Irish Closed Championship. His round at Royal Portrush only raised those expectations. News traveled quickly throughout the tiny town of Portrush. The crowds swelled as word spread. McIlroy’s round occurred two days before the start of the 2005 Open Championship. The golf world was concentrated in St. Andrews, but reports of McIlroy’s round made its way across the Irish Sea. Darren Clarke, who plays out of Portrush, met McIlroy years earlier and gave the prodigy his phone number so he was available for advice. “He was just different� than the typical teenager, Clarke said. When Clarke walked off St. Andrews’ famous 18th green after his practice round, one of the first queries from the assembled press was about McIlroy’s round. It’s not often that a top-20 player gets asked about an amateur, but that illustrates the significance of the score. “We said, ‘Did you hear what Rory did in the North?’� recalls Irish journalist Brian Keogh. “He was taken aback and we were all amazed at such a low score.� Clarke sent a congratulatory text to McIlroy. Graeme McDowell said that round changed his perception of his younger countryman. “You hear about the next great thing. ‘We’ve got this kid, he’s playing at plus-7 (handicap) and blah, blah, blah,’� McDowell said. “Then he shot 61 in the first round of qualifying for the North of Ireland and I’m like, ‘Really? OK. Hold on. Now I have to pay a little more attention to this.’ “That was probably the first time that I realized we had something pretty special on our hands.� Fourteen years later, that 61 remains a touchstone for McIlroy. When he won the RBC Canadian Open last month, he acknowledged feeling the same way as he did in 2005. “It’s almost like you’re out of your own body and looking at yourself play,� he explained. “… If I could bottle that feeling and take it with me week to week, I would. Sort of comes and goes. “Just a matter of being confident with your game and everything sort of falling into place.� Now McIlroy returns home, back to Royal Portrush, hoping it all falls into place again. This time, the stakes – just like the lean teenager who has grown into one of the world’s best golfers – are much bigger.

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There’s not going to be a sweep of the Aloha Swing this year. Dustin Johnson did not commit to this week’s Sony Open in Hawaii. For those who did, this fact is more than fine after DJ lapped the field at the Sentry Tournament of Champions over in Maui. This also gives Justin Thomas a clearer path to defending his title, but he transitions from the relatively open road of just 34 at Kapalua to 144 at Waialae Country Club for this is the first full-field event of the calendar year. More on the course and a telling trend in the 50th state beneath the ranking.  POWER RANKINGS: Sony Open in Hawaii RANK PLAYER COMMENT Showcasing what it’s like to hit one’s prime. Solo third at Kapalua was his fourth top 10 in as many starts this season. He’s 5-for-6 at Waialae with top 20s in the last three editions. Solo third here last year. Led the field in strokes gained: approach-the green and ranked fifth in proximity. Battled back from an opening 75 at Kapalua last week to finish ninth. Establish all kinds of scoring records en route to last year’s romp. Also placed T6 here in 2015. Silver lining to last week’s T22 was a closing 6-under 67 with a walk-off eagle. As often as the wind blows at Waialae, it’s no surprise that he’s 8-for-8 with two top 10s and another three top 20s. Disappointing T7 at Kapalua where he shared the 36-hole lead. With top fives in last two Sony Opens, he’s an automatic target. Hasn’t contended since a T4 at The RSM Classic in November, but he’s stayed warm. T17 last week at Kapalua. Recovered from an opening 73 at Kapalua to finish T11. Ranked T3 in GIR for the tournament. Fourth straight appearance at Waialae where he debuted with a T13 in 2015. The 2009 champ has been a horse for the course especially of late with three top 10s in his last four trips. Top 25s in all three starts in the fall, wrapping with a T8 at Sea Island. Made noise at Kapalua before fading to a T11 with a 74. Key takeaway is that he ranked fifth in strokes gained: putting for the week. Three top 20s at Waialae, including a T9 in 2016. Making his 17th consecutive appearance and ranks third in all-time earnings at Waialae, but he’s yet to win. Four top 10s and a T13 in his last six trips. Three top 20s in the fall. Predictably off the pace (T17) as a debutant at Kapalua. Now making his third start at Waialae; T27 last year. Concluded 2017 with a T12-T5-3rd-4th-Win burst. Fifth appearance; personal-best T20 last year. Despite reputation as a bomber, there isn’t a test he hasn’t passed. Seventeen consecutive paydays upon arrival, nine of which for a top 20. Doesn’t hurt that he got back inside the ropes at Kapalua (T17). Since his remarkable triumph here in 2013, he’s added two top 20s. Thirteen consecutive cuts made since June. He hasn’t had a top 15 since late July, but he’s 3-for-3 with no worse than a T13 and a scoring average of 66.50 at Waialae since 2015. Currently 16th on TOUR in greens hit. Profiles as a short-knocking, tee-to-green tactician, but he was solid just about everywhere over the last seven months of 2017. Last year’s T8 at Waialae was his best in seven trips. The only first-time participant on this page chased a T10-T5 sprint through Malaysia and China in October with a T14 in Turkey and T10 in Dubai, so he’s a form fit. Two-time Sony champion Jimmy Walker, Webb Simpson, Bill Haas and Kevin Na will be among the notables to appear in Tuesday’s Fantasy Insider. When Thomas prevailed at Waialae last year, he joined Ernie Els (2003) as the only winners of both of the tournaments in Hawaii since they conjoined to open the calendar year in 1999. Only two other champions at Kapalua recorded top 10s at Waialae the following week, but Thomas extended the oft-discussed trend of Sony champions who opened their seasons at Kapalua. He became the 13th of 19 winners of the Sony Open who tuned up at the Sentry TOC. Therefore, it’s no coincidence that nine of the golfers in the ranking above opened 2018 on Maui. While Kapalua and Waialae will never be confused for each other, they share a similarity in terms of experience required to win. Johnson extended the drought for winners among first-time participants to 10 straight editions last week, while Russell Henley (2013) is the only first-time winner at Waialae since the inaugural edition in 1965. Henley, Fabian Gomez (2016) and Thomas have reversed the long-standing expectation for veteran ball-strikers to emerge victorious, so there’s evidence that the tide is shifting along the southern coast of Oahu. However, the focus of the sea change falls squarely on the ease of the course, which is directly proportional with the wind. It’s a fact that affects most tracks, especially those hard on any coastline. As it did last year when Thomas opened with 11-under 59 en route to a PGA TOUR record-low aggregate of 27-under 253, the wind is going to lay down again this week. Last year’s field averaged 12.72 greens in regulation, good for the highest clip since the course was converted to a par 70 in 1999. Its scrambling rate of 62.52 percent was the best the tournament has yielded since that data was first maintained in 1992. And the pair of par 5s (Nos. 9 and 18) averaged just 4.31, lowest of any course in recorded history (1983-present). All of that occurred as golfers were seeing new greens at Nos. 1, 11 and 13. This year’s modifications include overhauls of the greens on the par-4 sixth hole and par-3 17th. All are perennially among the hardest holes on the 7,044-yard test. Oh, there’s one other connection in the islands worth mentioning. After Sentry was introduced as the new title sponsor of the Tournament of Championship through 2022, Sony extended its agreement through the same season. This week marks the company’s 20th anniversary as host. ROB BOLTON’S WRITING SCHEDULE PGATOUR.COM’s Fantasy Columnist Rob Bolton will be filing his usual staples leading up to this week’s event. Look for the following columns this week. MONDAY: Rookie Ranking, Qualifiers, Reshuffle, Medical Extensions, Power Rankings TUESDAY*: Sleepers, Fantasy Insider WEDNESDAY: One & Done * – Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COM’s Expert Picks for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO, which also publishes on Tuesdays.

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