Woods’ remaining sponsors under pressure

AUGUSTA, Ga. – On a star-studded leaderboard, Tiger Woods is firmly in the mix entering Saturday’s third round of the Masters. Tiger begins his weekend chase of his fifth green jacket just one shot back of the five co-leaders at Augusta National. We’ll have hole-by-hole updates after Tiger tees off at 2:05 p.m. ET, so check this file often. MORE MASTERS Leaderboard | Tales of Tiger’s equipment | Rd. 2 recap: Tiger one back entering weekend Pre-round notes TIGER’S PUTTING: Through the first two rounds, Tiger has been great from long range … and horrible from short range. From outside 20 feet, Tiger ranks first in the field, making 5 of 15 attempts for a rate of 33.33%. No other player in the field has made more than three putts from that distance. From inside 5 feet, however, Tiger has missed three of his 29 putts, leaving his conversion rate at 89.66%. Among the 65 players who made that cut, the only player with a worse percentage is amateur Alvaro Ortiz at 89.29%. From 5-10 feet, though, Ortiz leads the field, making all eight of his attempts. Woods has missed four of his eight attempts (50%). Just 12 players have lower percentage rates than Tiger from that distance. FAMILIAR PAIRING: Tiger is paired with Englishman Ian Poulter for the third round at the Masters for the second consecutive year. Both were well off the pace when they played together a year ago, with Tiger shooting an even-par 72 to end the round tied for 40th, while Poulter shot a 74 to drop into a tie for 50th at that point. Saturday will be the sixth round that Woods and Poulter have been in the same group at a PGA TOUR event. The first time was at THE PLAYERS Championship in 2010 when they were in the same threesome for the first two rounds. The last time was at THE NORTHERN TRUST during last season’s FedExCup Playoffs. Four times, Woods has shot the better score, and the other time they recorded the same score. RECENT SATURDAYS AT AUGUSTA: When Tiger won his last green jacket in 2005, he shot a 7-under 65 that moved him from six shots behind to three strokes ahead. That 65 tied for his lowest round in his Masters career – in fact, both of his 65s at Augusta National have happened in the third round. In his 10 starts since 2005, Tiger has shot in the 60s just twice in the third round, a 68 in 2008 and another 68 in 2015.

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PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf league championships will be determined at the TOUR Championship in two weeks, but they could be decided at THE NORTHERN TRUST this weekend. With no cuts at the BMW Championship and Playoffs finale, and with front-runners having the power to end-load rosters for a title-clinching stymie, what happens at Liberty National is critical. THE NORTHERN TRUST features the last 36-hole cut of the 2020-21 season. Of the 124 committed, only 65 are promised to have tee times in the third and final rounds. That means that as many as 59 will not. If you’re in pursuit, this is your last chance to be aggressive with an elevated likelihood to capitalize. Unless you connect for victory and the bonus points that go with it, and assuming that that makes a dent in your deficit, you’re going to struggle picking up points with all gamers guaranteed four rounds of contributions in the final two events. Ah, yes, the bonus points. They are quadrupled in reality, which means 200 fantasy points to owners of winners rostered in final rounds. As noted under “End of Tournament Bonus” in Rules, the structure of bonus points for the TOUR Championship will align with the first two events. When formulating your strategy, remember that opening position at East Lake is determined by seed upon arrival. Starting Strokes will give the best seeds placement at the top of the leaderboard before the first tee ball is aloft. Current league leaders likely will be saving starts for the highest seeds and those with a good track record at East Lake, but the latter projects to pack a stronger punch for the guys deeper in the standings. When the current structure was introduce in 2019, six golfers from outside the top 10 at the beginning of the TOUR Championship were among 11 who recorded a top 10 in the tournament. Rory McIlroy prevailed as the 5-seed. The runner-up was Xander Schauffele, who was seeded eighth. The same split occurred last year when an apples-to-apples comparison can be made because the conclusion of the reduction to tripled FedExCup points determined the opening seeds at East Lake. Although top-seeded Dustin Johnson won and the 3-seed, Justin Thomas, tied for second, six of the final top 10 opened outside the top 10. This may be obvious but it’s too important to omit: What you don’t want is to be left with a sixpack of guys outside, say, the top 15. Continue to manage accordingly by saving starts for guys you know you’re going to want at the TOUR Championship. Remember that you can use the tool on the platform to plug those guys in now if you choose. As for the BMW Championship, it’s the wild card of the trio because Caves Valley will be a new test despite previous experience for a handful as amateurs well over a decade ago. Always remember that when greens are unfamiliar, ball-strikers tend to contend. As noted in my Power Rankings for the FedExCup Playoffs, the track is a par 72 that can tip at 7,542 yards. RELATED: Power Rankings | Expert Picks PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf My roster for THE NORTHERN TRUST (in alphabetical order): Patrick Cantlay Paul Casey Dustin Johnson Collin Morikawa Jon Rahm Jordan Spieth You’ll find my starters in Expert Picks. Others to consider for each category (in alphabetical order): Scoring: Bryson DeChambeau; Harris English; Brooks Koepka; Rory McIlroy; Patrick Reed; Xander Schauffele; Scottie Scheffler; Adam Scott; Justin Thomas Driving: Corey Conners; Harris English; Matt Fitzpatrick; Viktor Hovland; Jason Kokrak; Joaquin Niemann; Xander Schauffele; Scottie Scheffler POWER RANKINGS WILD CARD Tony Finau (+5000) … He hasn’t performed well in every Playoffs event since he debuted in 2015, but he’s performed well a lot. His record includes nine top 10s in 20 starts. To say that he’s scuffling upon arrival is fair, but it’s always relative to our elevated expectations given his talent and knack to adapt to the surroundings. So, the sensible thing to do is to give the 23-seed this week to prove that he deserves our attention at Caves Valley because he’ll present as a more intriguing choice for chasers in that ballpark. Front-runners won’t want to trust him with what’s at stake. DRAWS Cameron Smith (+3500) … Not the strongest fit for Liberty National, so he presents as a contrarian for chasers because he rises to the occasion in big events regularly. He’s also proven to be streaky. Keep that in mind when deliberating if he’s worth the reach after a T5 in his last start in Memphis. Matt Fitzpatrick (+6600) … Doubt that I convey that it feels that I go to his well too often but that’s, well, how it feels. When you’re a top-20 machine that makes most cuts, all fantasy formats are going to reward that kind of output. The 26-year-old Englishman still is getting his feet wet in the Playoffs – this is just his second spin – but his combination of splitting fairways and sinking putts works no matter what or where. Jhonattan Vegas (+10000) … He overcame a seriously inconsistent track record at Sedgefield with seriously strong form to finish T15 last week. Including a T16 at the Olympics, he’s recorded six top 20s in his last eight starts worldwide. His tee-to-green strength should do damage at each of the first two stops of the Playoffs. Tyrrell Hatton (+5000) … Despite testing positive for COVID-19 in late April, no complaints about 2021. He opened it with a victory in Abu Dhabi, got married in May and he’s on the inside track to represent Europe in the Ryder Cup. Yet, at 63rd in the FedExCup, it feels unfinished. He’s performed well enough in recent non-majors to deserve our confidence, but limit to DFS. Corey Conners Russell Henley Billy Horschel Jason Kokrak Joaquin Niemann Odds sourced on Wednesday, August 18 at 5 a.m. ET. For live odds visit betmgm. FADES Hideki Matsuyama (+3300) … We forget how much of a workhorse he’s been for us over the years, and then we’re reminded of his vulnerability at the Olympics in his native Japan. He opens his eighth FedExCup Playoffs as the 14-seed, so he’s a virtual lock to advance to the TOUR Championship for, you guessed it, the eighth time. That’s crazy reliability and value, but he’s yet to record a top 10 in THE NORTHERN TRUST regardless of site. In his only previous trip to Liberty National in 2019, he finished T30. Of course that’s not terrible, but it’s a tip to holster him until Caves Valley when his long and strong, tee-to-green game can shine. Sam Burns (+6600) … He’s headed for stardom, not to mention his first TOUR Championship as the opening 10-seed, but he makes sense only in DFS situations, not in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf where familiarity in the Playoffs is of value. Si Woo Kim (+8000) … The course horse at Sedgefield was among the playoff victims on Sunday. It also was his first top-35 finish in official competition in two months. He’s gone nine consecutive starts in the Playoffs without a top 25. Sergio Garcia (+8000) … He should dissect Liberty National but he’s failed to break par in his last four rounds on the course. Sure, that dates back to the third round in 2013, but that’s still the reality. So, like with Smith above, the Spaniard can be a shrewd play if you’re in pursuit, but Garcia’s angle is his fit. His form isn’t that bad, either, however. Lee Westwood (+15000) … He hasn’t made much noise since the consecutive runner-up finishes in Florida several months ago, so the more curious matter is if he renews his PGA TOUR membership in 2021-22. The two-time winner paid his dues this season because of the six majors and 50 tournaments. With a normal schedule restored and at age 48, it’s reasonable to assume that this was a one-time return. Remember this wrinkle if you’re in a keeper league. Stewart Cink Lucas Glover Branden Grace Charley Hoffman Marc Leishman Phil Mickelson Ryan Palmer Cameron Tringale Gary Woodland RETURNING TO COMPETITION Garrick Higgo … Opening his Playoffs debut seeded 104th. He withdrew before the final round of the World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational due to an illness. In the interim, he officially qualified as a rookie on the PGA TOUR. Danny Lee … Committed to the Albertsons Boise Open presented by Chevron to open the Korn Ferry Tour Finals. He finished 183rd in the FedExCup but didn’t play after withdrawing during the John Deere Classic, citing an injured back. He later learned that he had a fractured rib. It prevented him from competing in The Open Championship. Seung-Yul Noh … Also in the field in Boise, and he’s also been nursing a rib injury since it forced him out of the Wells Fargo Championship during its second round. No matter what happens at the KFT Finals, the 30-year-old will have 16 starts via a Major Medical Extension to open the 2021-22 PGA TOUR season. NOTABLE WDs Louis Oosthuizen … The 8-seed is resting a sore neck for the second consecutive week. POWER RANKINGS RECAP – Wyndham Championship Power Ranking Golfer Result 1 Webb Simpson T7 2 Sungjae Im T24 3 Jason Kokrak MC 4 Hideki Matsuyama MC 5 Louis Oosthuizen DNP 6 Patrick Reed DNP 7 Brian Harman MC 8 Russell Henley T7 9 Si Woo Kim P2 10 Seamus Power T60 11 Kevin Kisner Win 12 Brandt Snedeker MC 13 Will Zalatoris T29 14 Rory Sabbatini T10 15 Robert MacIntyre T65 Wild Card Rickie Fowler MC SLEEPERS RECAP – Wyndham Championship Golfer (BetMGM prop) Result Austin Cook (Top 20) MC Ryan Moore (Top 10) MC Cameron Percy (Top 20) T37 Scott Piercy (Top 10) T15 Camilo Villegas (Top 20) T46 BIRTHDAYS AMONG ACTIVE MEMBERS OF THE PGA TOUR August 17 … none August 18 … Cameron Smith (28) August 19 … Jhonattan Vegas (37) August 20 … Zac Blair (31) August 21 … J.J. Spaun (31) August 22 … none August 23 … none Visit BetMGM.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ years of age or older to wager. CO, IA, IN,MI, NJ, NV,PA, TN, VA or WV only. Excludes Michigan Disassociated Persons. Please Gamble Responsibly. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-522-4700 (CO, NV, VA), 1-800-270-7117 for confidential help (MI), 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ, PA & WV), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), Call or Text the Tennessee REDLINE: 800-889-9789 (TN), or call 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN).

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DUBLIN, Ohio – It’s safe to say the members at Ledgeview Golf and Country Club in Abbotsford, British Columbia, have quite the rooting interest in this week’s Workday Charity Open. Adam Hadwin and Nick Taylor – who played their junior golf at Ledgeview – have put themselves squarely in the mix with rounds of 66 and 67, respectively, on Thursday. They’re chasing Collin Morikawa, who leads the tournament after a bogey-free 65 in the first round at Muirfield Village. RELATED: Full leaderboard | How to give Muirfield Village a second identity The 32-year-old Canadians – Taylor is the elder by six months – often roomed together on the road during their early years on the PGA TOUR. Each is married now, and both became fathers in the last year: Taylor’s son was born last October while Hadwin’s daughter arrived in January. For Hadwin, who tied for fourth at last week’s Rocket Mortgage Classic, Thursday’s round was his eighth straight in the 60s and tied his lowest at Muirfield Village, a course that hasn’t been very kind to him in the past. He’s played here five times previously and finished in the top 20 just once. “Obviously had a good week last week and kind of took that momentum into the round,” said Hadwin, who bogeyed his first hole Thursday but more than made amends with seven birdies. “Staying patient. It’s a golf course where you get too aggressive, it’ll sneak up on you pretty quick. “Even with softer conditions than what we’re used to, things aren’t running through fairways and greens are spinning and holding. You can be aggressive, but you get yourself on the wrong side of the hole, even though it’s sort of a tamer Muirfield Village than we may be used to, still a lot of slope on those greens. Just hitting good shots, quality shots to the right side.” Hadwin said his solid play has been building for a while even though he didn’t finish higher than a tie for 41st in his first two starts. Last week at Detroit Golf Club, he didn’t make the kind of rusty mistakes – balls hit out of bounds or in the water – that had marked his first two weeks back in action. “I felt like there were times where last week where I probably could have gotten a few more shots, but I really didn’t have any risk,” Hadwin said. “It was kind of a free-flowing, easy-type round and just not a lot of stress. When you can do that through multiple weeks, it helps a lot.” Hadwin’s buddy Taylor, though, didn’t know quite what to expect when he teed it up at Jack Nicklaus’ signature layout. He’s only played Muirfield Village twice and broken par just twice in six rounds. More to the point, though, the Workday Charity Open, which was essentially organized in a month after the John Deere Classic was canceled in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, marks Taylor’s first start since the TOUR resumed competition five weeks ago. “Obviously the break was great timing for a lot of reasons but have a bit of a cushion, take some more time off, I just really enjoyed being home,” said Taylor, who was grateful for the extra time with young Charlie. “… Yeah, I’m excited to get back out here and play, but it was nice to be home.” Taylor had picked up his second PGA TOUR win prior to the COVID-19 break, going wire-to-wire at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February. He played twice more and got in one round at THE PLAYERS Championship before the TOUR’s showcase event – and the season – was shut down. “I didn’t have a lot of expectations,” Taylor said, thinking about his five-month break. “I’ve played a lot of golf the last month, month and a half, so I felt ready in the sense of playing, in that playing mode. My coach has been here, so I’ve been able to tweak a few things, but I feel pretty good. “I know competitive rust is definitely a thing I’ve had to struggle with in the past, but I’ve felt that I’ve played enough, so I felt good there, and I had no expectations, which is a good thing. So, everything is going well.” Taylor, who is tied with Zach Johnson, Aaron Wise and Hideki Matsuyama, didn’t make a bogey on Thursday. He shot a relatively quiet 35 on the front nine, then drained a 33-footer for birdie at No. 10 and a mere 3-footer for eagle at the 11th to get into the mix. He finished with a flourish, making a 3-footer for a final birdie at No. 18. “I drove it really, really well,” said Taylor, who hit 11 of 14 fairways and 15 of 18 greens in regulation. “… I felt like I put myself in play, which is keeping me out here not being a bomber. … I putted solid, and just overall everything was great.”

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