This is one of my favourite tournaments of the year. It’s different, exciting and unpredictable in equal measure. The fact it’s a World Golf Championship event means we’ve got the world’s greatest golfers, and the fact it’s a match-play event means they’ll be going head-to-head and playing up to 126 holes in five days, including a 72-hole weekend.

Striking Matches

Sixteen groups must be whittled down to sixteen players. Brutal? Yes. Entertaining? YES!

Group 12 is comprised of Jason Day (2014 and 2016 Champion), Phil Mickelson, Henrik Stenson (2007 Champion) and Jim Furyk. Lefty recently won at Pebble Beach, and Jim Furyk started Sunday at last week’s Valspar Championship in 6^th following his runner-up at The Players. Just to re-iterate: Only one of them can reach the knockouts.

Group 14 features big-hitting Tony Finau, match-play master Ian Poulter, last year’s finalist Kevin Kisner and in-form Keith Mitchell in what I’d argue is the most intriguing group.

Tommy Fleetwood and Louis Oosthuizen will be an interesting watch, although Kyle Stanley and Ben An (the latter sitting one spot outside of Masters invite) will be no pushovers. Jon Rahm will need to be at his best (which he so often is this season) to wrestle past Matt Kuchar; a strong match-play golfer and the 2013 Champion here.

History on Their Side

For three consecutive years leading up to last season (2015-17), this tournament was won by the World No. 1. Whilst Bubba Watson’s victory snapped that streak, it maintained a trend of big-hitting winners; Watson, Dustin Johnson, Jason Day, Rory McIlroy and Jason Day again. Austin Country Club lends itself to those who can bomb it off the tee.

I may as well copy-paste this part from week to week, but here goes: Tiger Woods has the best record in this tournament. Tiger is both the only man to retain the title (2003/04) and to win it three times (’03, ’04, ’08).

The Best Chance

DJ is much-fancied thanks to outstanding form, his style of play, his 2016 win here… Oh, and being the top-ranked golfer in the world helps. Justin Rose has had virtually no success in this tournament, with match play simply not being his forte. This could boost the likes of Brooks Koepka and Rory McIlroy. Jon Rahm’s 2019 form deserves a win, and this golf course is as likely as any to stage that win.

With all that said, Tony Finau is my one to watch. The American went 2-1 here last year, but the defeat to Alex Noren (1UP) sent the Swede through to the knockouts. His win over Fleetwood (6&4) at the Ryder Cup made it a 3-1 record in career match-play singles. His distance off the tee will help, and if he can come through arguably the toughest group then his first PGA Tour win is very much on the cards.

More golf, more quality, more entertainment. This is far more than just a Masters warm-up.

Written by Joe Carabini

joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com

The McIlroy Critics

Eyes rubbed, jaws dropped and heads turned… McIlroy arrived at Sawgrass beneath the golfing world’s microscope. It was all getting a bit surreal. Something had to give. What seemed more likely, he’d finally get over the line and win or he’d stop finishing in the top six?

McIlroy entered Sunday knowing that, if he did not come out on top, it would be another Sunday failure. Some had been his own doing and some, such is the nature of golf, were just downright rotten luck. It seemed that every pundit in golf was siding with the monkey that clung so interminably to his back; obsessing over Sundays and refusing to give credit for Thursday, Friday or Saturday. This relentless besmirching of world class golf irked me, but this simply made McIlroy’s cool-headed nature even more impressive.

But now that monkey is gone, and golf pundits across the globe have wasted no time in switching sides.

Living Up to the Hype

The buzz around TPC Sawgrass felt bigger than ever, and that’s saying something. The move to March put The Players- dubbed the Fifth Major- before any official Major. This did little to separate it from Major conversations. In fact, this felt like the perfect curtain-raiser to Major Season 2019. Tiger Woods was once again a genuine contender, the World No. 1 spot is a hotter seat than ever before and Rory McIlroy is in eye-rubbing, jaw-dropping, head-turning (winless) form approaching his latest shot at the career Grand Slam. Florida had a gargantuan billing on its hands.

How it Happened

Tommy Fleetwood soared to a flawless opening 7-under 65 before starting Friday with birdie-eagle-birdie en-route to a 67. McIlroy matched those scores in reverse order. But Friday belonged to American Ryder Cup Captain Jim Furyk, who shot a bogey-free 64.

Jon Rahm conjured up a Saturday 64 courtesy of 7 birdies and an eagle; catapulting himself into the overnight lead (-15). One behind the Spaniard, McIlroy and Fleetwood shared second; two clear of Jason Day (-12).

Rahm handed away the lead with three bogeys on the first four holes and two more- plus a double- on the back nine left him +4 for the day and -11 (T12) for the week. Eddie Pepperell and Jhonattan Vegas both jumped 13 places with closing 66 rounds and putts that have to be seen to be believed for T3 finishes (-14). Jim Furyk re-emerged in contention with a 67, and Fleetwood’s 73 (T5, -13) meant that was enough for solo second. World No. 1 Dustin Johnson was a model of consistency (69-68-69-69) for his first Top-10 at this event; sharing fifth with Fleetwood and Brandt Snedeker. Meanwhile, Justin Rose capped an incredible comeback from a Thursday +2 to finish T8 with a run of 66-68-68.

The Winner

It looked an eerily familiar story when the Northern Irishman struck a double bogey on the fourth. The ensuing five holes before the turn yielded two birdies and a bogey… Then he became Rory McIlroy again. Back-to-back birdies on 11 and 12 got him back under par as he tied Jim Furyk’s 15-under clubhouse lead. He handed one back at the 14^th to fall back into second, before back-to-back birdies on 15-16 gave him a lead, which he refused to squander with clutch pars at the iconic 17^th and par-4 18^th. A stellar display earned his 24^th professional victory, becoming the first man to lift the new Players Championship Trophy.

That's "Six Top-6 finishes and one win in six starts"... Sounds so much better, doesn't it?

Rory McIlroy – What’s in the Bag?

Driver: TaylorMade M5

Fairway Wood: TaylorMade M5

Irons: TaylorMade P790 (2-iron), TaylorMade P750 (3-4 irons), TaylorMade P730 (5-9 irons)

Wedges: TaylorMade Milled Grind Wedge, TaylorMade MG Hi-Toe Wedges

Putter: TaylorMade Spider X Putter

Golf Ball: TaylorMade TP5 2019

Written by Joe Carabini

joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com

Field of Dreams

The world’s best always gather at TPC Sawgrass. They did it every March for 33 years, then in May for 11 years and now they’ve gathered in March once more. Tiger Woods is back. That’s the headline. There’s no point in pretending it’s not. Having withdrawn from the Arnold Palmer Invitational with a “minor neck strain”, the world and his dog suspect that he’s simply priming himself for Major season, which- for all intents and purposes- starts this week. Jason Day also returns after withdrawing six holes into Bay Hill, and the pair of TaylorMade poster boys are in dizzying company.

Of Course

The 17^th hole. The Island Green. Some love it, some hate it, some relish it, some fear it, but everybody knows about it. It’s produced plenty of iconic moments every year, and 2019 will be no different.

But there are seventeen other holes and none of them are gimmes. This course tends to produce colourful scorecards, with birdie opportunities and bogey traps aplenty. However, it’s changed this year.  Having moved back to March, both Phil Mickelson and Jason Day expect the course to yield more birdies; the latter describing it as a “relatively new” course, such is the significance of the different climate. Mickelson expects lower scores- much to his delight- and Rory McIlroy expects that the course looking “as pure as it ever has” could play into his own hands.

Unpredictable

Anybody can win. You can try every method under the sun to call The Players, but you better factor in the madness. Nobody saw Webb Simpson winning last year, and eyes popped from sockets when Si Woo Kim walked it in 2017, yet the trophy is etched with the greatest names in golf’s history; Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino, Sandy Lyle, Greg Norman, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and many, many more. In fact, whilst Si Woo Kim’s win came as World No. 78, Jason Day’s victory the previous year came as World No. 1.

The Best Chance

I could try to pull a name out of a hat, but it’d be far more useful to rank my top three players with the best chance of winning.

Firstly, Xander Schauffele. The FedEx Cup leader and World No. 8 finished T2 here on his debut last year and he is no doubt on the rise. I feel he’s been eclipsed somewhat by the big names, but he’ll be a big name himself soon enough so don’t sleep on Schauffele.

Next up is Francesco Molinari. Sure, it’s an obvious choice, but there’s a reason for that. At TPC Sawgrass in March, the birdies will come; it’s the bogeys you need to worry about. And Molinari just doesn’t do bogeys like everybody else. His four wins in the past year have been closed out with bogey-free streaks of 44 (BMW PGA Championship), 28 (Quicken Loans National), 37 (The Open) and 28 (Arnold Palmer Invitational). That’s sensational. In 8 appearances here, he has four missed cuts and four Top-10s. So if Frankie is still hanging about come Saturday then keep your eyes peeled.

Sticking with obvious choices, I’ll round off with Brooks Koepka. Similar reasoning in that his T11 last year came courtesy of a bogey-free -9 final round (including an albatross on the par-5 16^th). Besides, it’s no secret that he’s a big-game player and this is one of the biggest games of them all.

Arguably the best field in golf, the highest prize fund, the most World Ranking points outside of Majors and, of course, The Island Green. The stage is set for an exhilarating week of golf. Enjoy!

Written by Joe Carabini

joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com

The PGA Tour well and truly got into its 2019 swing at Bay Hill, yet there was a real European Tour feel about the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Race to Dubai Champion Francesco Molinari (-12) topped the pile, ahead of 5-time European Tour winner Matthew Fitzpatrick (-10) in second, Tommy Fleetwood & Rafa Cabrera Bello (-9) in T3 and Matt Wallace & Rory McIlroy (-8) in T6.

More Molinari Magic

The Italian jumped 16 places on a hot March Sunday (a reminder that this was not, in fact, a European Tour event) in his typical bogey-free fashion. His 8-under 64 was the low-round of the tournament- trumping Cabrera Bello’s opening 65- but it came after a +1 Saturday 73 that saw him sitting on -4; five strokes off Fitzpatrick’s lead and 10 pairings off the final group of Fitzpatrick and McIlroy.

Despite not hitting his best until Sunday, Molinari did make a hole-in-one on the 7^th during his opening round. This was followed by a second ace of the day on the same hole by Didier Points.

Talking Points

Five events played, five Top-6 finishes. Not bad from McIlroy, right? Well, the general consensus seems to be that this is the most disastrous run of form of any player in history. Now, there is obviously more to it than that. This marked his ninth consecutive appearance in the final pairing without a win and exactly one year since his last victory (in this very tournament), so there is a hump that needs getting over if he is to complete a career grand slam by slipping on the green jacket at Augusta next month. But five Top-sixes in a row at this level of the game? Give the guy some credit!

Tommy Fleetwood has looked primed to win a Major since his incredible closing 63 at last year’s U.S Open. The Englishman did his chances no harm with rounds of 69, 66 and 68 on Thursday, Friday and Sunday respectively showcasing himself at his brilliant best. A Saturday 76 cost him the title, but if he can learn to grind out less damaging scorecards during an off-day then he certainly has the ability to take a Major by the scruff of the neck.

There were 3 tickets to The Open at Royal Portrush up for grabs at Bay Hill. Last week’s winner, Keith Mitchell (T6), grabbed one spot with an 8-under on the final day, whilst two Koreans; Sungjae Im (T3) and Sung Kang (T6), wrapped up the others.

The Players

World No. 1 Dustin Johnson is pencilled in to return to action at The Players, along with Justin Thomas, Bryson DeChambeau, Xander Schauffele and Jon Rahm to round out the World Top 10. Tiger Woods also hopes to return from a minor neck strain which saw him withdraw from the API. Jason Day withdrew after six holes and it remains to be seen whether he’ll be fighting fit. Regardless, it will be the most prestigious field of 2019 so far and we’ve got the best players hitting their best form ahead of the so-called “Fifth Major”.

Francesco Molinari – What’s in the Bag?

Just before the tournament, Molinari signed an equipment deal with Callaway. The entire golfing world questioned why on Earth anybody would change their equipment following the season of a lifetime. Well, they shall question no more. One start, one win from Molinari the Callaway Staffer. Epic Flash woods, Mack Daddy 4 wedges and a Stroke Lab putter… the latest truly is the greatest for Molinari. This title adds to an impressive list of 2019 wins for Callaway’s new hardware; the most of any manufacturer.

Driver: Callaway Epic Flash Sub-Zero

Fairway Wood: Callaway Epic Flash Sub-Zero

Irons: Callaway Apex Pro 19

Hybrid: Callaway Apex 

Wedge: Callaway Mack Daddy 4

Putter: Odyssey Toulon Madison Stroke Lab

Golf Ball: Callaway Chrome Soft X

Written by Joe Carabini

joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com

Getting Busy

With the first WGC event in the bank and Major season fast-approaching, the PGA Tour is flying up through the gears this month. The big names are getting right in the thick of the action with the Arnold Palmer Invitational, The Players Championship and the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play all building up to The Masters in April.

Something Brewing

Last year’s Arnold Palmer Invitational was won by Rory McIlroy, ahead of now-World No. 5 Bryson DeChambeau, World No. 2 Justin Rose, former World No. 2 Henrik Stenson and a little-known golfer called Tiger Something. Not a bad title race, and we expect no less from this year’s star-stacked field. 12 of the world’s Top-20 and all 2018 Major Champs are lined up for Bay Hill Club & Lodge.

Unfortunately Tiger has been forced to withdraw due to a neck injury, but that won’t leave us short-changed for entertainment.

The Course

From the first to the last, Palmer’s architecture challenges the best of today’s golfers. A lot of the holes that throw up a birdie opportunity tend to simultaneously punish mistakes with little mercy. Subsequently, the final three holes are prone to drama. Take last year, when McIlroy carded five birdies on the final six as runner-up DeChambeau managed an eagle at 16 before a bogey at the last. Payne Stewart’s 264 (1987) still stands as the 72-hole record, whilst Adam Scott’s 62 (2014) tied the 18-hole record on this par-72 with Andy Bean (1981) and Greg Norman (1984).

For the Win

This one really favours the favourites. Defending Champion McIlroy is on a streak of four consecutive Top-5 finishes without a win, and has managed a T11 and T4 here in the past four years along with his 2018 win. Justin Rose will be looking to regain the World No. 1 spot that he lost to Dustin Johnson just last week. Brooks Koepka and Rickie Fowler shared second last week at PGA National and will both be looking to go one better. Jason Day (2016) and Marc Leishman (2017) made it back-to-back Australian winners here; Day arrives with seven consecutive Top-20 finishes (including three Top-5 spots), whilst Leishman has a win (CIMB Classic) and four other Top-5s in his last eight outings. Ian Poulter is on a run of T6-T3-T6-T3, whilst for Francesco Molinari it’s his history at Bay Hill (six-for-six; three Top-10s) that offers the most promising signs.

An array of big names is always great, but big names in great form is a true gift. McIlroy, Rose, Koepka, Fowler, Day & DeChambeau are the six respective favourites; everybody bar Koepka combining current form with form at this event (the American has a T26 in 2014, WD in 2015 & MC in 2017). Whilst it was great to see the so-called “No-name” Keith Mitchell- who was even called Kevin by one commentator- overcome the world’s best last week, that looks very unlikely this week.

Written by Joe Carabini

joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com