Issues are about to get good on the PGA Tour.
This week, the tour heads to the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Seashore, Florida, for the unofficial “fifth main,” which now has a $20 million purse. The sector contains 47 of the highest 50 gamers on the earth and the highest 30 gamers within the FedEx Cup standings.
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As if that wasn’t thrilling sufficient, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan will meet the media Tuesday, the primary time he has held a information convention since the specter of a Saudi Arabian-financed breakaway league appeared respectable final month (and never a lot now).
Phil Mickelson, who had been important of the PGA Tour and was connected to the organizers of the potential new circuit, isn’t within the Gamers Championship subject. Neither is Bryson DeChambeau, who withdrew on Sunday due to lingering accidents.
On Wednesday, Tiger Woods, who hasn’t performed in an official Tour occasion since struggling severe accidents in a automobile accident greater than a yr in the past, can be formally inducted into the World Golf Corridor of Fame.
With the season’s first main, the Masters, less than a month away, listed here are ESPN’s newest PGA Tour Energy Rankings:
1. Patrick Cantlay
Earlier rank: 1
Cantlay, the reigning FedEx Cup champion, already has 4 top-10 finishes in 5 begins this season, together with a runner-up on the WM Phoenix Open. Of his 20 rounds this season, 15 have been within the 60s. He hasn’t performed very effectively at TPC Sawgrass, nonetheless, lacking the reduce in his previous two begins, in 2019 and 2021.
2. Jon Rahm
Earlier rank: 2
Rahm remains to be ranked No. 1 within the Official World Golf Rating, however his previous two begins have been solely so-so: a tie for twenty first on the Genesis Invitational and a tie for seventeenth on the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Nonetheless, he ranks first on tour in photographs gained off the tee and is within the prime 5 in photographs gained for strategy to inexperienced, tee to inexperienced and complete.
3. Collin Morikawa
Earlier rank: 3
The 2-time main champion has made simply two begins on the PGA Tour this season, ending tied for fifth on the Sentry Match of Champions and tied for second on the Genesis Invitational. He has only one end on the Gamers Championship, a disappointing forty first in 2021 (however he did shoot 6-under 66 within the last spherical).
4. Scottie Scheffler
Earlier rank: 7
A month in the past, the 25-year-old Texan had by no means received on the PGA Tour. Now, he has claimed victory in two of his previous three begins. He got here from 9 photographs again after 36 holes to win the WM Phoenix Open final month, after which rallied from 8 photographs again after two rounds to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational. In line with ESPN Stats & Data, Scheffler is the primary participant previously 35 years to rally from at the least an 8-shot, 36-hole deficit in every of his first two PGA Tour wins. Actually, solely 4 gamers previously 35 years have a number of victories after trailing by 8 photographs after 36 holes, no matter profession win complete.
5. Viktor Hovland
Earlier rank: 4
Hovland bounced again from a uncommon missed reduce on the WM Phoenix Open, ending tied for fourth on the Genesis Invitational and tied for second on the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Speak about consistency: the 24-year-old from Norway has missed solely 5 cuts (one this season) in 56 profession begins on tour. His poor play in bunkers is the one factor holding him again from successful much more.
6. Justin Thomas
Earlier rank: 5
The reigning Gamers Championship winner arrives at TPC Sawgrass recent off back-to-back top-10s, a tie for eighth on the WM Phoenix Open and solo sixth on the Genesis. Final yr, JT was 1 shot above the reduce line with 9 holes to go within the second spherical, however beat out Lee Westwood, Brian Harman and DeChambeau to win for the 14th time on tour. He shot 64-68 on the weekend in 2021, which tied for the bottom closing 36 holes by a champion within the occasion’s historical past.
7. Rory McIlroy
Earlier rank: 8
A few month from the Masters, McIlroy, who solely wants a inexperienced jacket to finish the profession grand slam, is enjoying good golf. He tied for tenth at Riviera after a improbable weekend, however then faltered within the tough circumstances at Bay Hill and was 4-over in every of the final two rounds to complete in a tie for thirteenth. He received the Gamers Championship in 2019 and missed the reduce in 2021 after opening with a 7-over 79.
8. Hideki Matsuyama
Earlier rank: 6
The reigning Masters champion had only one sub-par spherical at Bay Hill and completed in a tie for twentieth. He missed the reduce on the Gamers Championship final yr. Matsuyama and Scheffler are the lone a number of winners on tour this season; Matsuyama received the Zozo Championship in October and Sony Open in Hawaii in January.
9. Cameron Smith
Earlier rank: 9
The Australian received the Sentry Match of Champions with a file rating in January, however hasn’t finished a lot else on tour to this point. He tied for thirty third on the Genesis. He had his greatest end on the Gamers Championship final yr, ending solo seventeenth with a 7-under 65 within the third spherical.
10. Xander Schauffele
Earlier rank: 11
The four-time PGA Tour winner has performed effectively sufficient this season to win once more, however he simply hasn’t been capable of end the deal. He tied for twelfth on the Sentry Match of Champions, tied for third in Phoenix and tied for thirteenth at Riviera. He completed solo second on the Gamers Championship in 2018, however missed the reduce in 2019 and 2021.
11. Sungjae Im
Earlier rank: 13
One other begin, one other top-25 end for Im. He completed tied for twentieth at Bay Hill, his seventh top-25 in 11 tour begins this season. Im received the Shriners Kids’s Open in Las Vegas in October.
12. Sam Burns
Earlier rank: 15
After cooling off for a stretch with three straight missed cuts at Torrey Pines, TPC Scottsdale and Riviera, Burns obtained again on monitor with a tie for ninth at Bay Hill. It was his fourth top-10 and sixth top-25 this season, which features a victory on the Sanderson Farms Championship, his second PGA Tour win.
13. Max Homa
Earlier rank: 23
Homa completed tied for seventeenth on the Arnold Palmer Invitational, and the spotlight was making his first profession hole-in-one on the PGA Tour — and never even seeing it. After hitting his tee shot with a pitching wedge on the par-3 14th gap, Homa turned his again to get water from a pal. He did not see his ball land about 15 yards wanting the pin, take a number of bounces and fall in. Homa stated his eyesight is so unhealthy he sometimes does not watch his photographs land anyhow.
14. Tom Hoge
Earlier rank: 16
Hoge bounced again from a missed reduce on the Genesis Invitational by tying for thirty second at Bay Hill. In February, he grew to become solely the third participant from North Dakota to win on the PGA Tour when he received the AT&T Pebble Seashore Professional-Am. He additionally was solo runner-up on the American Categorical and is third within the FedEx Cup standings, behind Scheffler and Matsuyama.
15. Talor Gooch
Earlier rank: not ranked
Gooch, a former Oklahoma State star, most likely hasn’t gotten almost sufficient credit score for his regular play this season. He picked up his first PGA Tour victory on the RSM Traditional in November and has eight top-25s and 4 top-10s in 13 tour begins, together with a tie for seventh on the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He tied for fifth on the Gamers Championship in 2021.
16. Joaquin Niemann
Earlier rank: not ranked
The 23-year-old from Chile is beginning to flip his huge potential into outcomes. He grew to become the primary wire-to-wire winner of the Genesis Invitational two weeks in the past with a 72-hole complete of 19-under 265, one shy of the file rating Lanny Watkins posted in 1985. He has two different top-10s in six begins.
17. Billy Horschel
Earlier rank: 20
The previous Florida Gators star felt proper at house at Bay Hill, ending in a tie for second, regardless of a closing spherical of 3-over 75. He has been enjoying effectively for greater than a month and is in nice kind heading into the Gamers Championship. He tied for eleventh at Torrey Pines, tied for sixth at Phoenix and tied for sixteenth on the Honda Traditional earlier than his runner-up end.
18. Will Zalatoris
Earlier rank: 12
Zalatoris, a ball-striking machine, appears to be having a little bit of a hangover from his near-miss on the Farmers Insurance coverage Open, when a missed 8-foot birdie putt on the 72nd gap value him his first PGA Tour victory (he misplaced in a playoff to Luke List). Zalatoris completed tied for twenty sixth on the Genesis Invitational and tied for thirty eighth on the API. He completed twenty first in his first begin on the Gamers Championship final yr.
19. Daniel Berger
Earlier rank: 19
Berger hasn’t performed a lot on tour this season, with simply 4 begins in official occasions. He tied for fifth on the Match of Champions and was solo fourth on the Honda Traditional. He had a 5-shot lead going into the ultimate spherical in his final begin — the most important 54-hole lead in Honda Traditional historical past — however shot 4-over 74 and completed 3 photographs behind winner Sepp Straka.
20. Cameron Young
Earlier rank: not ranked
Younger began the 2020 Korn Ferry Tour season with no standing, received twice and completed seventeenth in factors to earn his PGA Tour card. The rookie already has two runner-ups, on the Sanderson Farms Championship and Genesis Invitational. He’ll play in his first Gamers Championship and is No. 44 within the Official World Golf Rating, which places him in line to play within the Masters.
21. Jason Kokrak
Earlier rank: 21
Kokrak received the Houston Open in November after which completed tied for first within the QBE Shootout, an unofficial occasion. Aside from expressing his curiosity within the proposed Tremendous Golf League, Kokrak hasn’t made a lot noise since January. He tied for twenty sixth in each the Genesis Invitational and Arnold Palmer Invitational.
22. Marc Leishman
Earlier rank: 18
The Australian had a pleasant heater within the fall and has performed fairly effectively since January. He has three top-10s and 6 top-25s in 9 begins, however he cooled off at Bay Hill this previous weekend. He tied for 68th on the Arnold Palmer Invitational and was a mixed 12-over within the last 36 holes.
23. Luke List
Earlier rank: not ranked
Record received his first PGA Tour occasion on the Farmers Insurance coverage Open in late January however hasn’t finished a lot to again it up but. He tied for 53rd on the WM Phoenix Open after which missed the reduce at Riviera and Bay Hill. A giant purpose for his current struggles: he ranks 204th on tour in photographs gained placing (minus-.835).
24. Sepp Straka
Earlier rank: not ranked
The previous College of Georgia star grew to become the primary participant from Austria to win on the PGA Tour when he got here from 5 photographs again within the last spherical to win the Honda Traditional. The victory earned him his first invitation to the Masters in April. It was his solely top-10 in 15 begins this season.
25. Tyrrell Hatton
Earlier rank: not ranked
After enjoying on the DP World Tour and within the Saudi Worldwide the previous couple of months, Hatton returned to the U.S. and tied for second on the Arnold Palmer Invitational, which he received in 2020. He fared effectively once more in windy circumstances at Bay Hill, with a 3-under 69 on Sunday, one in every of solely two scores within the 60s within the last spherical (Lucas Herbert shot 68).
Who’s out: Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Brooks Koepka, Matt Fitzpatrick, Sahith Theegala, Harold Varner III
Simply missed the reduce: Fitzpatrick, Spieth, Russell Henley, Cameron Tringale, Johnson, Maverick McNealy, Lucas Herbert, Hudson Swafford, Keith Mitchell
