The RSM Classic will be played this week with likely the strongest field in its history, largely due to an influx of international players, (mostly from Europe), who are making the trip from Augusta to St. Simons Island after competing in the Masters last week. This is the 11thyear for the PGA Tour tournament, which is being held from Nov. 19-22 on the Seaside and Plantation … [Read more...]
Almost Everything Will Be Different as Masters Moves to November
For both players and golf fans viewing at home, this week’s Masters will look different and sound different from every Masters previously played. Because of the changes to the PGA Tour schedule resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic, the 2020 Masters will be played in November for the first time, with no spectators on the grounds of Augusta National. Other than a smattering … [Read more...]
3 Former Bulldogs Among Players in Field for Tour Championship at East Lake
Spectators will not be all that’s missing from the 2020 Tour Championship. The event returns to East Lake Golf Club this week for the 20thtime, and will be unlike the previous 19 Tour Championships held at the historic Atlanta club. Like the previous 13 PGA Tour events played this year after the three-month cancellation of tournaments due to Covid-19, the Tour Championship will … [Read more...]
Scoring System Altered for Tour Championship to Guarantee One Winner
Since the PGA Tour introduced the FedExCup Playoffs in 2007, tour officials have strived to find the best format for determining a season-long champion. Over the past dozen years, the tour has made several changes to the Playoffs points system after the first one was found to have a serious problem in terms of having the FedExCup champion determined in the season-ending Tour … [Read more...]
Woods Rallies for First Time in a Major to Take Fifth Masters Title
While he was winning 14 majors between 1997 and 2008, Tiger Woods established a 100 percent predictable model for divining whether he was going to win a Grand Slam event going to the final round. When leading or sharing the lead after 54 holes, Woods was 14-0 in Grand Sam events. When he was trailing going to the final round, he was 0-for-everything else. His spotless … [Read more...]
Masters preview: McIlroy the Favorite, No Green Jacket for Tiger or Phil
The list of potential 2019 Masters champions is long, with a clear but not overwhelming favorite who comes into the tournament as the game’s hottest player, but who does not have the best relationship with Augusta National. Everything points to a Rory McIlroy victory in Augusta next week. He has finished sixth or better in each of his six starts in PGA Tour stroke play … [Read more...]
Masters Memories: Woods, Mickelson dominated for 2 decades
For more than two decades from the mid-1990s to the mid-2010s, golf fans could count on seeing the names of Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson on the leader board at the Masters on an annual basis. From 1995 to 2013, either Woods or Mickelson (and frequently both) finished at least seventh in the Masters. After that streak ended when Woods did not play and Mickelson missed the … [Read more...]
Masters Flashback: Johnson’s 2007 victory has unique place in tournament history
A study of Masters history reveals some interesting patterns related to the annual winning scores. Over the past three decades, the winning 72-hole total has been higher than 280 on only four occasions. Three of those Masters – 2003, 2007, and 2016 – produced three of the most surprising Masters champions since Augusta native Larry Mize toppled two of the game’s giants (Greg … [Read more...]
PGA Tour Preview: Significant Changes Highlight 2019 Schedule
The 2019 portion of the PGA Tour schedule began with two events in Hawaii, and will be followed by four annual stops in California and one in Arizona, the same as it has for the past two decades. After that, the usually standard sequence of tournaments has been significantly shuffled, along with a number of rules changes that are slightly confusing but not overly impactful. … [Read more...]