Wolff among three more players to withdraw from The Open Championship

It was just a few days ago that we crowned a FedExCup champion. There's no rest for the world's best, however, especially in today's unique circumstances. After an unprecedented season that was put on hold by a pandemic, the PGA TOUR embarks on a super-sized campaign that features 50 events, including six major championships. The largest PGA TOUR schedule since 1975 starts Thursday with the first round of the Safeway Open in Napa, California. The winner of the 2021 FedExCup, which will be decided Sept. 5 at East Lake Golf Club, will have endured a marathon march to the PGA TOUR's ultimate prize. To prepare you for this monster season, PGATOUR.COM's writers convened for a roundtable discussing the season's hot topics. 1. Who’s your 2021 FedExCup champion, and why? SEAN MARTIN: Rory McIlroy. Now that his first child has safely arrived, I think McIlroy will have a banner year. He already has a good grasp of things, but players always say that the added perspective that comes with fatherhood helps their game. If that's the case, it could be a big year for McIlroy. CAMERON MORFIT: I think we could be entering the Jon Rahm era. I liked the way he shrugged off that mental lapse and one-stroke penalty to win the BMW Championship, and the fact that he prevailed at two of the most maddening courses we've seen in a while, Olympia Fields and Muirfield Village, speaks volumes, as well. He's a mega-talent, and he's on the rise. BEN EVERILL: With so much of the landscape yet to be clear you have to lean to the tried and true. It would be easy to suggest McIlroy (good choice Sean), Rahm (no arguments Cam), Justin Thomas or Dustin Johnson and I think it likely comes from that quartet. I am going to throw one out a little from left field, however. Xander Schauffele. He won at East Lake in 2017 and was runner-up in 2019, so he has an affinity for the site of the season finale. 2. Which player is poised for a breakout in 2021? SEAN MARTIN: Sam Burns. It wasn't that long ago that he was the NCAA player of the year and then made a splash with his performance at The Honda while playing alongside Tiger Woods. He's still just 24 years old and I think this is the year that he gets that first TOUR win. CAMERON MORFIT: Lanto Griffin still flies pretty far under the radar, and I think we haven't seen his best yet. He looked built for biggest stages at the major-esque BMW Championship (T10) and was also T19 at the PGA Championship. BEN EVERILL: Cameron Davis. The young Aussie is starting to find his feet, contending at times and getting some valuable experience under the gun. But outside of my Aussie bias look to Abraham Ancer and Viktor Hovland. I think their rise will continue. 3. There are six majors this season. Who wins the most and how many? SEAN MARTIN: Jon Rahm. He won on two of the four hardest courses this season. Muirfield Village and Olympia Fields were playing like major-championship venues. He has back-to-back top-10s at the Masters, finished T3 in the most recent U.S. Open and we've seen him pick up two Irish Opens on links courses. Sign him up for wins at one of the two Masters and the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, the site of his first PGA TOUR victory. CAMERON MORFIT: Bryson DeChambeau. I know he's not playing great at the moment, but I don't know how you defend against that length advantage at Augusta National, and there are two Masters. It feels like he's going to figure it out. BEN EVERILL: Jon Rahm is the most likely on paper, even though he hasn't yet won a major. But he has an all-around game that is proven at Augusta and also Torrey Pines where he's won before. Those who know me, though, will not be surprised to hear me say Jason Day and Marc Leishman are two you should not sleep on. Day has five U.S. Open top-10s, including two runners-up, and has two TOUR wins at Torrey Pines. He has four top-10s, including a second and third, at Augusta. Leishman has form at Torrey Pines also with a win, he's a proven links golf performer and has threatened at the Masters. 4. More likely to win another major: Rory, DJ or Brooks? SEAN MARTIN: Rory has two shots at the career Grand Slam and the PGA is returning to Kiawah, where he won by eight. But I'm going to vote DJ. At 36, and with length to spare, he still has plenty of good years ahead of him. CAMERON MORFIT: Ordinarily I'd say Brooks, but I don't really know about the status of his knee/hip, and he had a dud of a season. DJ has his own issues, and has dealt with a bit of bad luck, besides. I guess I'd go with Rory. BEN EVERILL: All three will win another one at least, but first I'll go with the new dad, Rory. He will ride the rollercoaster but appears to me as the type of guy who will turn perspective into performance. 5. What does Collin Morikawa do for an encore? SEAN MARTIN: Adjusting to life as a major champion can be difficult but he has a good head on his shoulders. He's obviously capable of more, but I think following his breakout season with even just one win can be considered a success. Winning multiple times in a year isn't a guarantee even for the best players. For perspective, consider that 2020 was the first multiple-win season of Jon Rahm's career. CAMERON MORFIT: I'm thinking two wins, minimum. He's that good. BEN EVERILL: Depends on how long we play without on-site spectators. In the current climate I'm with Cam, he probably wins at least once. If the fans are back, I want to see him down the stretch of the big events trying to adjust to that norm. He will figure it out, of course, but it might take a minute. 6. Which first-time TOUR Championship qualifier has the best chance of returning in 2021? SEAN MARTIN: Morikawa is the obvious answer, but among players who have played multiple seasons on TOUR, I'm going to pick Cameron Champ. The long hitter displayed increased consistency this season thanks to improvement with his scoring clubs. Distance is always an advantage and it doesn't waver week-to-week. Improving his short-iron play will allow him to take advantage of his prodigious length. CAMERON MORFIT: I'll go with Scottie Scheffler. He seems pretty unphased, and to shoot 59 like that was impressive. The only surprise is that he hasn't won yet. BEN EVERILL: Joaquin Niemann. While I think he will continue to be a little streaky in his youth, I think his talent will see him win again and as such be in great shape for a return to East Lake. Viktor Hovland will be back also. 7. Who is most likely to win his first event in 2020? SEAN MARTIN: Scottie Scheffler seems to be the easy answer. CAMERON MORFIT: Yeah, I think Scheffler. BEN EVERILL: Abraham Ancer. Surely any day now. 8. Where is Tiger most likely to get No. 83? SEAN MARTIN: Next to Augusta National, Torrey Pines might be the course that has been most important to his legacy. Setting the PGA TOUR wins record by winning another U.S. Open at Torrey Pines would be storybook stuff. Perhaps instead of holding off a grizzled veteran like Rocco Mediate in a playoff, he will beat back a young up-and-comer like Morikawa. CAMERON MORFIT: Sherwood Country Club, the fill-in host of THE ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP @ SHERWOOD. When the Hero World Challenge was held there, from 2000 to 2013, Tiger finished first (five times) or second (five times) in 10 of 12 starts. That's enough for me. BEN EVERILL: Can't fault both answers above, although the U.S. Open setup might prove tough for an aging Woods. I'll plump for Augusta since we play there twice inside six months. 9. Does Phil Mickelson have another PGA TOUR win in him? SEAN MARTIN: I have to be honest, I don't think he does. He has the swing speed, but he appears to struggle with keeping his energy and focus at high levels for 72 holes. CAMERON MORFIT: Fred Funk and Craig Stadler each won on TOUR after they turned 50, and each of them had won on PGA TOUR Champions when they did it. Mickelson is obviously in a different class. He'll definitely win again. BEN EVERILL: Yes, if he varies his schedule a little. No, if he only plays limited times against stacked fields. I can see Mickelson winning the season opener at Safeway if his mind hasn't moved ahead a week, and I guess contrary to my above statement places like Riviera and Pebble Beach will always offer Phil a chance to thrill again. 10. Woods, Day, Scott, Cantlay, Wolff, Woodland, Watson, Casey, Rose, Mickelson, Spieth, all missed the TOUR Championship. Which player who missed East Lake will return with a vengeance? SEAN MARTIN: I think Adam Scott. Class is permanent and he would have made East Lake if he had played more. His truncated schedule was caused by the pandemic, so I think a full schedule will be enough for him to return to the TOUR Championship. CAMERON MORFIT: I've got to go with Jason Day. Although it was too little, too late, he seemed to find something toward the tail end of this season. If he carries whatever that was into the coming season, watch out. BEN EVERILL: THUD! That was the sound of me hitting the floor after hearing two Aussies come out of the guys above! Of course, I agree both will return! As stated above, Day has the benefit of a major schedule that fits his game, so if he's healthy and switched on he will not only return to East Lake, he'll be there to win it.

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He is one of the more accomplished players in golf. But he doesn’t have a major. Nor does he have a win the size of the Players. With his fiancé at his side, Westwood heads into Sunday with his eyes on a missing prize.

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The early narrative at the Valspar Championship has been rooted in the quality of the 144-man field. In other words, it’s the best conglomeration of talent ever gathered in Palm Harbor, Florida. Whether that’s true, anecdotally or even empirically, those committed are guaranteed to be challenged in every facet of the game. And that’s the point. Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club’s Copperhead Course presents a marvelously un-Florida-like test northwest of Tampa Bay. Replete with tree-lined fairways and elevation change, this is the third edition post-renovation, so how it stacks up against this field at this time should be logged as a benchmark in course and tournament history. It’s his first look at the redesign, but he’s fared well everywhere. T37 at Chapultepec ended top-25 streak, but he closed with 67. He went 8-for-8 at Copperhead with five top 20s from 2004-2014.   T14 at WGC-Mexico was fifth top 20 of 2018, but he lost strokes to the field in putting for the fourth time in six starts. Won the Valspar in 2015 and placed T18 in 2016.   Finau closed out his fifth-place finish here last year with a 64, lowest by anyone post-cut. Led field in fairways hit, strokes gained: off-the-tee and strokes gained: tee-to-green; T2 in GIR. Sergio hasn’t played Copperhead since a personal-best T7 in 2013, but he’s 5-for-5 overall. He regained traction with a T7 at Chapultepec where he was firing on all cylinders.   Rested since a forgettable T60 in Malaysia a month ago. He opened 2018 with a solo eighth in Abu Dhabi and a T6 in Dubai. Since his Copperhead debut, he’s gone 4th-T11-T7. There’s always a learning curve for first-time defending champions, but he strides in with consistently strong form on which he can rely: T6 at Riviera and T9 at Chapultepec. Casey returns to Copperhead after a three-year hiatus. His well-balanced attack should thrive once again. T12 at Chapultepec was his 16th top-15 finish in his last 21 starts worldwide.   The horse for many courses built that reputation in part at Copperhead. Five top 20s in 11 appearances, including in each of the last three (5th-3rd-T18). He finished T9 at Riviera three weeks ago. He led WGC-Mexico with an opening 64, but faded to T30 after failing to break par the rest of the way. Still, his propensity to stripe it has value at Copperhead (T7 in 2016). Kuchar is in a relative rut but loves himself tough, tight tracks like Copperhead. Since 2009, he’s 7-for-7 with four top 15s, a T22 (2017) and a scoring average of 70.32. He is built for Copperhead. The winner on the first edition of the redesign finished in sixth place in last year’s title defense. He’s averaged 69.00 during his eight rounds on it. Nine top 20s in his last 10 starts worldwide, including a T6 in his last at Riviera. He ranks 17th in adjusted scoring, fourth in scrambling and sixth in the all-around.   No surprise that he’s now a winner on the PGA TOUR Champions, but his poise and temperament has played well at Copperhead, too. He tied for seventh here in 2016.   The renown ball-striper is perfect in the last nine editions of the Valspar. Seven trips resulted in a top 25, including each of last six. His putting is coming back to Earth. Playoff victim at PGA National possesses the substance that his strength complements. He has five top 20s already this season, and finished T27 at Copperhead last year with three red numbers. RANK PLAYER COMMENT POWER RANKINGS: VALSPAR CHAMPIONSHIP Tuesday’s Fantasy Insider will include Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Adam Scott, Bill Haas and other notables. In the two editions since the tight fairways were transitioned to Celebration bermudagrass and the 6,100-square-foot greens to TifEagle bermuda, landing areas at Copperhead have been harder to find. After years of yielding splits north of 60 percent, both driving accuracy (13th on TOUR in 2016 and 20th in 2017) and greens in regulation (third and eighth, respectively) have fallen below that threshold. If there’s a tradeoff, it’s that average distance of all drives is up marginally, but last year’s clip of 273.6 yards was still the fourth-shortest of 38 measured courses all season. Still, entrants won’t find fairer targets anywhere else, but even when last year’s field recorded a par breaker in 26.45 percent of chances created. That still ranked 11th-lowest of the season. The par 36-35=71 can stretch to 7,340 yards and it still boasts four par 5s — there are five par 3s — so capitalizing on the quartet is key, but Copperhead also is significantly about managing misses. Because converting on limited scoring opportunities carries lower expectations, salvaging par to sustain solid rounds is the connective tissue to contend. En route to his breakthrough victory last year, Adam Hadwin didn’t crack the top 25 in either distance off the tee or fairways hit, but he ranked T5 in greens in regulation, fifth in proximity to the hole and led the field in birdies-or-better percentage while putting. Despite that high level of consistency, the difference baked into his one-stroke margin was ranking seventh in scrambling and T3 in bogey avoidance. In fact, it’s no coincidence that six of the top 10 on the leaderboard finished inside the top 10 in bogey avoidance for the tournament. Of the same sample size, half landed inside the top 10 in scrambling. With rough as long as three inches and greens threatening 12 feet on the Stimpmeter, feel is paramount. Hanging on is the objective late what with Nos. 16, 17 and 18 comprising The Snake Pit. The par 4-3-4 is more slog than sprint home. Each of the three holes has averaged over par in every edition in tournament history. Last year, they combined for an average of +0.472 strokes. Hadwin navigated the stretch in even-par last year. Weather is going to play a role that will likely recur this week. The tournament will open with winds gusting more than 20 mph. Friday’s elements are forecasted to be the best, and easily at that. Saturday could be a mixed bag as winds will freshen and the threat of rain is introduced. The final round includes all of these factors and with an increase in the chance for storms with what might be the windiest day of the event. ROB BOLTON’S SCHEDULE PGATOUR.COM’s Fantasy Insider 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, Facebook Live WEDNESDAY: One & Done THURSDAY: Expert Picks for PGA TOUR Champions 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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