Win probabilities: Farmers Insurance Open

"Next week I’m going to be trying a 48-inch driver. We’re going to be messing with some head designs and do some amazing with things with Cobra to make it feasible to hit these drives maybe 360, 370, maybe even farther. I don’t know.” That was said by none other than Bryson Dechambeau after his six-stroke victory at the U.S. Open. It was validation to many that hitting it six miles is the way of the future. Oddly enough, the player at the complete opposite side of that spectrum is also a player who has had monumental success in 2020 — and to take it even further just a short time ago, Brendon Todd was "short" and couldn't hit the ball straight. Talk about digging yourself into a hole. This is where his story gets downright amazing. While players like DeChambeau, Rory McIlroy, and the likes were getting faster and stronger, Brendon was finding his game—and ultimately his joy again. Keep in mind, at a certain point not so long ago he was having trouble keeping even a 4-iron on the map. There was a stretch during the dark times when he missed 37 of 40 cuts. “A year ago, I wasn’t sure if I was going to keep playing. So it’s really special to get this win this soon.” – Brendon Todd after his 2019 Bermuda Championship Like any great story, somehow, someway, grit and perseverance won the day. Last November, Todd won twice (Mayakova, Bermuda) in three weeks. His bag setup may look complex but it's not, he seeks help where he needs it (4 and 5 irons for example) and the bag is dialed in perfectly for precision. If you compare him to the bigger hitters on the PGA TOUR, Brendon Todd's launch data is very much closer to earth. With the driver, he's at 12 degrees of launch (not high or low), 2300-2400 RPM spin, and 160 MPH ball speed with the driver. If you're curious, Rory gets 165-plus MPH out of his 5-wood … So what does Todd's success say? Good accurate golf still has a place amongst the 320-plus gladiators, if you stay in your lane. Golf is still chess not checkers. And players like Brendon Todd, Ryan Moore, Kevin Na and even Colin Morikawa hope to keep it that way. Take a look at the clubs Brendon Todd will have in his bag this week. Driver: Ping G410 LST (10.5 degrees) Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro Blue 60 TX 3-wood: Ping G425 Max (14.5 degrees) Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro Blue 80TX 43 Inches 5-wood: Ping G425 Max (17.5 degrees) Shaft: UST VTS Black 8 X Irons: Titleist 718 T-MB (4, 5), Titleist T100 (6) Titleist 718 CB (7-PW) Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold AMT S400 Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM7 (50/12F) SM8 (54/08M @55), Fourteen Golf RM-Proto (60-10T) Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 (50, 54), KBS Tour S+ (60) Putter: Sik Pro C-Series Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet

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PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan wrote this letter to all employees and players this week and approved it for public distribution. This past weekend, I – like many of you, I’m sure – spent a lot of time trying to understand and process the civil unrest that has engulfed many cities across the United States, following the tragic death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The hardships and injustices that have and continue to impact the African-American community are painful to watch and difficult to comprehend. And as a citizen of this country and a leader of this organization, I must admit that I’m struggling with what my role should be. But I am not giving up. I’ve often heard that if you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem. What can I say? What should I do? I’m certain many of you are asking those same questions. In the midst of that confusion, as usually happens, the PGA TOUR family steps up to shine a light of perspective and compassion. First, I had several meaningful and emotional conversations this weekend with colleagues and friends in the African-American community, who – once again – showed me that sometimes listening and making a commitment to understand are the only things you can offer, and that’s OK. And I learned that two of our PGA TOUR YOU groups – CORE and HONOR — took it upon themselves to work over the weekend on a unified message … reminding all of us at the TOUR of our shared values, offering help for those who may need it and providing perspective on how to be there for each other as we navigate this incredibly complex and painful issue, together. What I was left with was this: make no mistake about it – someone you know and care about is hurting right now, even if they haven’t told you that directly (and, of course, our work-from-home, socially distant way of living right now is not helping the cause). And if anyone at the TOUR is hurting, we should all hurt. That’s how a family works. To that end, please also spend a few minutes on THIS ARTICLE that expresses an important and powerful viewpoint from the African-American community, not only in relation to the recent tragic headlines, but also the fear and sadness created by the inequality and racism that still presides in the 21st century. Too often we just move on when we are not directly influenced by the news of the day. Yes, we have all been impacted by the global pandemic, but we should also be painfully aware and impacted by the dividing lines in our country. We might not know exactly what to do right now, but we shouldn’t be deterred. We should communicate and learn. We should talk to our family, friends and colleagues in an open and compassionate way. We should grow as individuals and as an organization. And, most importantly, we should demand better. Jay Monahan

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