Why this Tiger Woods comeback feels different

Advantage Scottie Scheffler? With Patrick Cantlay heating up and others back in the mix this week, here’s who has a real shot at the Tour Championship this week.

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Byeong Hun An … Although he just missed qualifying for the Masters, he’s rested since sharing seventh place at the Valero Texas Open where he averaged 14 GIR per round (second overall) and paced the field in strokes gained: tee-to-green. It’s a true reflection on his default strength as he’s second on the PGA TOUR in strokes gained: tee-to-green, but he’s also No. 1 in strokes gained: around-the-green. The potent combo has yielded a 10-for-10 season with four top 20s. His glaring weakness is a super-streaky putter, but it’s mitigated by the small greens at Harbour Town. He proved as much here last year with a T7. Russell Knox … The 33-year-old Scot is a familiar face in this space over the years and this is his third appearance as a Sleeper in 2019 alone, but he deserves the attention. He’s survived 13 consecutive worldwide, five of which going for a top 25. He’s also perfect in five trips to Harbour Town since his debut in 2014 with a T2 (2016) among four top 20s and a scoring average of 69.40. Sits 30th on TOUR in strokes gained: tee-to-green and fourth in proximity. Ryan Armour … It’s easy to forget that the 43-year-old is enjoying just the first full season of fully exempt status earned after winning the Sanderson Farms Championship in late October of 2017. Indeed, he’ll ride it through at least 2019-20, so the pressure is off to keep his card. Even better, at least in the shorter-term, he’s poised to return to the Playoffs as he’s currently positioned at 76th in points. His best of five top 25s this season occurred just four weeks ago at the Valspar Championship where he finished T6 and led the field in scrambling while also ranking T10 in fairways hit, T14 in greens in regulation, T3 in proximity to the hole and second in strokes gained: tee-to-green. Based on season-long measurements, he’s an ideal fit at Harbour Town since he’s third in fairways hit, 11th in proximity and 18th in scrambling. This is his fourth appearance and second consecutive. Jonas Blixt … While he’s in his eighth season on the PGA TOUR, it’s still a little hard to believe that he’s approaching his 35th birthday (on April 24). It’s a phenomenon that happens following a career-worst season that was the first of two with fully exempt status achieved with a victory. Next week’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans will mark the two-year anniversary of his win with Cameron Smith in the team format. Blixt has been trending nicely (yet quietly) of late. He’s cashed in each of his last six starts, two of which for a top 25 to double his total from all of last season. Putting is still his strength, and while he ranked ninth in scrambling en route to a T14 here last year, he also finished 14th in both strokes gained: approach-the-green and strokes gained: tee-to-green. Jonathan Byrd … The South Carolina native and five-time PGA TOUR winner has been as loyal as he can be to the tournament since debuting as a rookie in 2002, yet he’s connected for only one top-25 finish, and that was way back in 2004 when he placed T16. Perhaps this is the year that he establishes a personal best as he’s taking advantage of every opportunity despite Past Champion status. This is his third straight appearance via a sponsor exemption (2015, 2018), but he rolls in at 114th in the FedExCup with four top 25s in only eight starts, the best of which a solo fourth three weeks ago at Corales. Currently co-leading the PGA TOUR in par-4 scoring average and ranks second in scrambling. NOTE: Sleeper is a relative term, so Rob uses unofficial criteria to determine who qualifies. Each of the following usually is determined to be ineligible for this weekly staple: Winners of the tournament on the current host course; winners in the same season; recent major champions; top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking; recent participants of team competitions.

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Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama, saying he “will take all the necessary precautions to ensure the health and safety of others,” has withdrawn from the Rocket Mortgage Classic after testing positive for COVID-19.

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