Previewing storylines forward of the fiftieth Gamers Championship

Simply when it appeared the narrative surrounding males’s skilled golf would possibly return to the course with the arrival of the fiftieth Gamers Championship (the “fifth main”), the PGA Tour’s potential take care of Saudi Arabia’s Public Funding Fund and commissioner Jay Monahan’s future grew to become scorching subjects once more Tuesday.

A lot of the dialogue main as much as the PGA Tour’s flagship occasion has targeted on golfers who aren’t right here — reigning Masters champion Jon Rahm and different stars who’re competing within the rival LIV Golf League and two-time Gamers Championship winner Tiger Woods, who’s skipping this week’s event for undisclosed causes.

However there are some nice potential storylines heading into the Gamers Championship, which tees off Thursday at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Seaside, Florida.

Which groupings are you most wanting ahead to watching this week?

Mark Schlabach: Clearly, there are the high-profile featured teams — reigning FedEx Cup champion Viktor Hovland/Rory McIlroy/Jordan Spieth and Scottie Scheffler/Rickie Fowler/Justin Thomas are most likely one of the best.

I am curious to see how Sweden’s Ludvig Åberg performs in his first Gamers Championship. He’ll be taking part in with Patrick Cantlay and Adam Scott within the first two rounds. There is a cause there was just one golfer that is received The Gamers in his debut for the reason that event moved to TPC Sawgrass in 1982 (New Zealand’s Craig Perks in 2002).

Åberg, 24, is exceptionally gifted and dealt with stress properly whereas competing for the European crew in final 12 months’s Ryder Cup in Italy. The previous Texas Tech star already has 4 top-25 and two top-10 finishes this season. He simply moved into the highest 10 of the Official World Golf Rating for the primary time in his profession.

Paolo Uggetti: I’ll go barely off the board right here. For the reason that season up to now has been largely outlined by underdogs successful tournaments, I am curious to see how the grouping of Jake Knapp, Nick Dunlap and Matthieu Pavon fare. All three have received tournaments already this season, but all three are nonetheless thought-about lengthy pictures.

Not many eyes might be on this trio, however on condition that we have by no means seen Dunlap or Knapp make their method round TPC Sawgrass, I am curious to see how they are going to method a course that calls for some critical shot-making.

This occasion has by no means seen a repeat victory. Will Scottie Scheffler be the primary to drag it off?

Schlabach: If Scheffler putts like he did final week whereas successful the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill for the second time in three years, he will be very tough to beat each week.

Final 12 months, he ran away with a 5-stroke victory at The Gamers Championship, so he will come into TPC Sawgrass extraordinarily assured.

In 2023, Scheffler was fifth in strokes gained: off the tee (4.637), fourth in method (7.529) and forty eighth in placing (.107) on the Gamers. He led the sector in driving distance (305.9 yards) and by hitting 75% of greens in regulation.

Scheffler will attempt to change into the primary participant to defend his title at The Gamers Championship. There hasn’t been a participant win one week after which defend a title the subsequent since Tiger Woods in 2007 — he received the PGA Championship after which defended on the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.

In addition to Scheffler has performed over the previous 12 months — and pretty much as good as he putted final week — it would not shock me in any respect.

Uggetti: It is loopy what a mallet putter can do for you. Only a few weeks in the past, we have been speaking about Scheffler probably squandering one other all-time ballstriking season resulting from dangerous placing. Now, we’re questioning if he will make historical past by successful this event two years in a row.

That is how good and gifted Scheffler is. Mark’s bought the stats to show it, however what was much more telling from Bay Hill was how a lot confidence Scheffler exuded Sunday. The placing enchancment appeared to solely improve his ballstriking and brief recreation. We even bought a number of animated fist pumps.

Maybe this sudden enchancment with the putter is an aberration, or possibly it is only a scorching streak Scheffler. Regardless of the case, it is protected to say that the No. 1 participant on the earth has extra confidence going into this week than he did two or three weeks in the past. Repeating at this venue is, by all accounts, not possible but when anybody can do it, it is Scheffler.

How large of a deal is it that Tiger Woods will not be taking part in this week?

Schlabach: Woods’ absence is a giant deal as a result of it is the PGA Tour’s signature occasion. He is now on the tour’s coverage board as a participant director, and just lately was named a vice chairman of PGA Tour Enterprises. The 15-time main champion has been intimately concerned in reshaping the tour, together with different participant administrators.

After taking part in solely 24 holes on the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Nation Membership outdoors Los Angeles in February, there was a hope that Woods would present at TPC Sawgrass as a ultimate tuneup earlier than the Masters, the primary main championship of the season. As an alternative, he’ll apparently go a full two months between begins in official tour occasions — until he performs in subsequent week’s Valspar Championship in Palm Harbor, Florida, which appears unlikely.

The 2-time Gamers Championship winner hasn’t made a begin at TPC Sawgrass since 2019, which must be disappointing for event organizers.

“He is sort of the heartbeat of golf, for my part, and any time he tees it up it is a spectacle,” Xander Schauffele stated.

Uggetti: I really feel prefer it’s exhausting to know what’s or is not a giant take care of Tiger anymore. In principle, taking part in extra forward of the Masters (like he did in 2019) would do wonders to his kind. Then once more, that is the primary time Woods is coming off an ankle fusion, and nobody is aware of his physique higher than him.

He stated he needed to play as soon as a month (he hasn’t even performed two rounds for the reason that Hero World Problem), but when not taking part in till Augusta can have his physique prepared for these hills, then so be it.

Has golf’s ‘fifth main’ suffered because of the divide between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour?

Schlabach: There is no query the migration of gamers from the PGA Tour to LIV Golf over the previous three years has damage the Gamers Championship discipline. It isn’t simply reigning Masters champion Jon Rahm and previous main winners Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Cameron Smith and others who’re missed.

It is ageing gamers like Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, Paul Casey and Henrik Stenson and middle-of-the-pack golfers Charles Howell III and Jason Kokrak. These names helped the PGA Tour put collectively among the best fields within the sport at some of the tough programs on the earth.

You possibly can’t argue the defections have not lower into The Gamers Championship’s depth.

“I do not suppose it helps the event,” Schauffele stated. “Yeah, I imply I feel you wish to have these gamers taking part in, in a perfect world. … We’re positively beating a useless horse, for my part. I imply, everybody sort of knew what was going to occur after they decided, and this was most likely the very best chance of the result, which is to have individuals on completely different excursions on the time.

“I do know the blokes are engaged on getting everybody again collectively, however within the meantime, I am sort of on the web page of, it’s what it’s.”

Uggetti: The “greatest discipline in golf” is now not one of the best discipline in golf. If something, the Gamers has gone from the Tour’s premier occasion to the occasion that has suffered probably the most from each LIV defections and the Tour’s struggles to take care of the aftermath.

Think about a situation this week the place we now have Rahm going up in opposition to Scheffler for the event that is purported to be the Tour’s main. As an alternative, all of us have to attend till the precise 4 majors to get a real sense for a way the world’s greatest stack up in opposition to one another.

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan stated Tuesday that each he and PIF chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan need to “quiet the noise and unlock golf’s worldwide potential.” How about let’s begin by getting all the world’s greatest gamers taking part in the identical tournaments once more? Then possibly we are able to fear about golf’s worldwide potential after that.

Who’s taking dwelling the trophy Sunday?

Schlabach: Scheffler. He is taking part in head and shoulders higher than everybody else. What a approach to mark the fiftieth anniversary with the primary back-to-back winner.

Uggetti: All the pieces is saying Scheffler, but when this golf season has taught us something, it is that the surprising will seemingly occur as a substitute. How a couple of man that’s taking part in with Scheffler the primary two days? Justin Thomas has been quietly trending in the correct path, and I can see this being per week the place he places all of it collectively.