Woods, Spieth paired together for first time

Tiger Woods needs one more victory to move ahead of Sam Snead as the PGA TOUR’s all-time winningest player. Woods is among PGATOUR.COM’s top 30 players to watch entering 2020. Click here for more on all 30 players. Insider Insights PGATOUR.COM’s Insiders offer their expert views on what to expect from Tiger Woods in 2020. TOUR INSIDER by Cameron Morfit He turns 44 on Dec. 30 and says he can’t do anything physically that he used to, but Tiger still delivered three big wins in a span of 13 months. His fused back seems to be holding up, and left knee looked strong as ever in victory at inaugural ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP in Japan. Iron giant is +1.1 in Strokes Gained: Approach the Green in the ShotLink era, which is miles ahead of everyone else. (Jim Furyk is next at +0.7.) Uses guile (“I know how to playâ€�) to keep up with younger, longer players, which could prove formidable again in title defenses at the Masters and ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP. Still so good when healthy that virtually no one questioned him picking himself for Presidents Cup.  STATS INSIDER by Sean Martin Woods didn’t have enough rounds to qualify for 2019’s statistics, but his +0.65 average for Strokes Gained: Approach-the-Green would have ranked in the top 10. Woods finished first in that statistic five times. He hit 69.67% of his greens last season, which would have tied Brooks Koepka for 11th in the rankings. FANTASY INSIDER by Rob Bolton As exhilarating and compelling as he remains, appearances at the Masters and in limited-field events present the best opportunities to invest in a weekly format. The days of salary leaguers splitting his season in halves or thirds are over, but so is the chasm that I used to cite in this space when he’d appear despite the absence of fantasy value. He’s now two seasons removed from the ceremonial nod.  EQUIPMENT INSIDER by Andrew Tursky In typical Woods fashion, he not only had the biggest story of 2019 with his win at the Masters, but he was also a part of probably the biggest equipment story of 2019, as well. Anytime Woods changes irons, it’s a big deal, but in 2019, he switched into all-new P-7TW prototype irons made by TaylorMade, and then TaylorMade released a limited supply of the irons to retail. Woods also switched into new TaylorMade Milled Grind 2 wedges late in 2019. Earlier in 2019, PGATOUR.COM was lucky enough to sit down with Woods for an in-depth conversation about his equipment. Here’s the full Q&A. STYLE INSIDER by Greg Monteforte Don’t expect many surprises from Tiger in the style department in 2020. He has settled into a style that works for him. His classic looks with an infusion of the latest technology from Nike suit him to a T. Tiger has been rocking the same kicks for a couple of years. Will this be the year Nike refreshes his shoe closet? BEYOND THE ROPES by Helen Ross One of the things that Woods enjoys away from the golf course is diving, particularly cave diving, and spear fishing. He has been certified as a master diver according the National Association of underwater instructors. He reportedly has learned to hold his breath underwater for four minutes. By The Numbers Strokes Gained rankings for Tiger Woods in the 2018-19 season.

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SEA ISLAND, Ga. – RSM US LLP (“RSM�), the nation’s leading provider of audit, tax and consulting services focused on the middle market, has extended its sponsorship of The RSM Classic on the PGA TOUR through 2025. The five-year agreement, which takes effect following the 2020 tournament, was announced today by RSM Managing Partner and CEO Joe Adams. RSM has been the title sponsor since the tournament’s debut in 2010, partnering with tournament host Davis Love III and the Davis Love Foundation, which serves as the tournament host organization. “We understand that middle market business leaders enjoy watching and playing golf,� said Adams. “Golf is also completely aligned with RSM’s core values of respect, integrity, teamwork, excellence and stewardship, and it’s a great metaphor for our business. Like the caddie behind the successful golfer, RSM is committed to helping our clients navigate today’s global business landscape. The RSM Classic has provided a great opportunity for us to connect with clients and others in a meaningful way, while also serving as a platform to magnify our focus on giving back to the community. We’re pleased to extend our sponsorship of The RSM Classic through 2025, and we look forward to doing even more great things for the community through the tournament.� The RSM Classic is firmly entrenched as a key stop on the PGA TOUR schedule’s opening segment. “RSM has been an incredible partner since we launched the tournament together in 2010,� Love said. “Joe Adams and the RSM team continue to motivate us to grow and improve The RSM Classic, which we have been able to do together. It truly is a partnership and I couldn’t be more pleased than to look forward to an additional five years of working together to build upon what we have and continue to support of so many deserving charitable organizations.� Birdies Fore Love is RSM’s charitable giving platform for The RSM Classic that has accounted for nearly $12 million in donations since the tournament’s inception through RSM fundraising initiatives. RSM has expanded the program this year through the addition of an on-course competition encompassing the first eight tournaments of the PGA TOUR Season. The top three players who accumulate the most birdies (or better) over those tournaments, concluding with this week’s RSM Classic, will be awarded $300,000, $150,000 and $50,000, respectively, for charitable donations to children- and/or family-focused charitable organizations of the players’ choice. “We are thrilled to extend RSM’s sponsorship of The RSM Classic,� said Andy Bosman, chief marketing officer with RSM US LLP. “The good that we’re able to do through the tournament through Birdies Fore Love and the Davis Love Foundation is so rewarding, and we’re thrilled to continue that tradition.� “The RSM Classic quickly established itself as a popular stop on the PGA TOUR and has continued to grow through the dedicated efforts of Davis Love III, his Foundation and RSM,� said Brian Oliver, PGA TOUR Executive Vice President, Corporate Partnerships. “The players love the resort setting and the uniquely relaxed atmosphere surrounding the tournament, which continues to do a tremendous job of raising money and awareness for local and national charitable organizations through the Birdies Fore Love program. We are thrilled that this partnership will continue through RSM’s new five-year commitment as the title sponsor.�

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GREENSBORO, N.C. – Sungjae Im came to the Wyndham Championship as the highest-ranking rookie in the FedExCup (25). Without winning, he nevertheless had people talking. Now he really has them talking. With a second-round 67 at soggy Sedgefield Country Club, Im was tied with Patton Kizzire (64) and Adam Svensson (61) atop the leaderboard through 36 holes. Suffice it to say this did not go unnoticed by playing partner Mike Weir (69, 4 under), who will be an assistant to Presidents Cup Captain Ernie Els at Royal Melbourne, December 12-15. “I love his game,� Weir said after the round, which was played under cloudy skies and using lift, clean and place rules for the second straight day. “It was great to get paired with him. We have an eye on him for the Presidents Cup; Ernie and I were texting last night about it for 10 minutes, back and forth. What’d you think? And all that stuff.  “He’s got all the talent in the world, hits all the shots,� Weir added. “He chips well, he putts great. He’s going to be a force to be reckoned with. He’s trending in the right direction, and I’m sure that’s what Ernie wants is guys that are playing well. He’s not one of the bombers, but he’s in the mid to upper range like Rickie Fowler. He still hits it plenty far. He’s got a really mature head, has a good guy on the bag. I’ve had my eye on him for quite a bit.� Im, who turned 21 and got his driver’s license earlier this year, kick-started his second round with a 4-under 31 on the front nine. He’s in great shape to knock out his seventh top-10 finish and maybe his first win, and move up from 13th in the International Presidents Cup standings. The biennial tournament has been in his sights ever since it came to his native South Korea in 2015. RELATED: Tee times | International Presidents Cup standings “The Presidents Cup in Incheon really motivated me to hopefully make the team this year,� he said through a translator after his round, which was watched by his parents, who travel with him, and his brother, among others. “And even though it’s not confirmed yet, I feel like I have a great chance to make the team, and it’s something that I’m really striving for.�  Im has long been on the radar of several golf-watchers, not just Els and Weir. He was the Korn Ferry Tour Player of the Year last season, and in his first PGA TOUR start finished T4 at the Safeway Open in Napa, California, missing the three-man playoff by just a shot. “The kid is for real,� Els said then. “He’s got no fear,� said Im’s caddie, the former TOUR player Brian Vranesh, who first caddied for Im in the final stage of the 2017 Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying Tournament.  Vranesh calls Im “the hardest worker I’ve ever seen,� and indeed the two decamped to the Sedgefield practice green after the second round. Without trying to, Im has developed a swing that recalls Hideki Matsuyama with its slow takeaway. It also produces mind-numbingly consistent golf. His shots don’t curve much, his irons scrape the bottom of the sun, and he putts well, too.  He came to the Wyndham 30th in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green, 56th in Strokes Gained: Putting. If there has been a blemish to his rookie season, and you have to look pretty hard to find one, it is that Im hasn’t done well in the biggest tournaments. He missed the cut at THE PLAYERS Championship, PGA Championship and The Open Championship, and didn’t qualify for the Masters Tournament and U.S. Open. Otherwise, he’s been pretty much as advertised. He was one of the eight players who mathematically had a chance to move into the Wyndham Rewards Top 10, with $5.3 million in bonus money still up for grabs. He is projected to do just that, moving up to ninth. He loves to play, and has racked up an eye-popping 31 starts.   “I honestly feel I can play a lot better when I play more tournaments,� Im said. He plays so much he’s even been playing in Monday pro-ams in order to familiarize himself with the slate of TOUR courses, and he’s clearly taken a liking to Sedgefield Country Club. “I had a lot of opportunities this year for a win,� he said, “and I was in contention a lot, and I’ll definitely use those experiences to help me this week. I definitely will use those experiences to not make the same mistakes this week, and hopefully put all my focus into getting a win.�  

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