-
Dustin Johnson tees off on the 18th hole during the final round of the 2015 WGC-Cadillac Championship at Trump National Doral. (Stan Badz/PGA TOUR)
• COURSE: TPC Blue Monster at Trump National Doral, 7,543 yards, par 72. A jewel in South Florida’s golf portfolio since 1962, the course regained plenty of bite via Donald Trump’s $200 million upgrade within a year of his 2012 acquisition. The Monster gets its name from its famed 18th hole, where water along the entire left side torments golfers both off the tee and with the approach shot. At the inaugural Doral Open in 1962, pros went a combined 104-over par for the week at No. 18. The course joined the WGC lineup in 2007, when the old WGC-American Express Championship found a long-term home.
• FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 550 points.
• CHARITY: United Way of Miami-Dade, to which the tournament has pledged at least $2.5 million through 2024. Contributions are shared with The First Tee, which is the primary beneficiary of World Golf Championships events.
• FIELD WATCH: Jordan Spieth, Jason Day and Rory McIlroy join reigning champion Dustin Johnson for the first WGC of 2016, featuring 48 of the top 50 in the world rankings and top money-winners from various world tours. The lineup now stands at 62, though that will grow by perhaps a half-dozen late qualifiers. Smylie Kaufman, Fabian Gomez and Graeme McDowell will be added off the FedExCup top 10, perhaps joined by CareerBuilder Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation winner Jason Dufner if he doesn’t drop from No. 10. Chris Kirk and Australia’s Matt Jones have the best chance of moving into the world’s top 50 Sunday night. Not making the trip from among the top 50 will be Jim Furyk (wrist) and Thongchai Jaidee (illness).
• 72-HOLE RECORD: 261, Tiger Woods (2006 at The Grove). Trump Doral record: 264, Tiger Woods (2005).
• 18-HOLE RECORD: 62, Sergio Garcia and Retief Goosen (both 4th round, 2002 at Mount Juliet), Bubba Watson (2nd round, 2012 at Doral), J.B. Holmes (1st round, 2015 at Doral). Trump Doral record: 61, Stephen Ames (2nd round, 2000).
• LAST YEAR: Johnson claimed his first victory since his return from a six-month personal leave, chasing down a faltering J.B. Holmes and Bubba Watson down the stretch. A 3-under-par 69 proved enough for Johnson, who began the final day five shots behind Holmes but proved the steadier player over the final nine. The trio was tied for the lead with six holes to play, with Johnson edging ahead with a par at No. 14 while Holmes bogeyed. Johnson’s 15-foot birdie at the next hole created a two-shot cushion, while Watson slipped with three bogeys in a four-hole span. It was Johnson’s second WGC title, alongside his HSBC Champions victory in 2013.
• STORYLINES: Doral marks the first event in 2016 to feature Spieth, Day and McIlroy in the same field. McIlroy didn’t begin his U.S. schedule until Riviera, when Day was absent, and Spieth joined Day in sitting out this week’s Honda Classic. The last time all three were together was the TOUR Championship at East Lake. … Watson now owns three top-3 finishes in his past four visits to the Blue Monster, though still lacking a victory there. He was runner-up behind Patrick Reed in 2014 and second to Justin Rose in 2012. … In eight rounds since Gil Hanse’s redesign, the Cadillac field has yet to average under par for a round. The Blue Monster ranked seventh among last year’s toughest courses, a slight drop from a No. 3 ranking in its debut.
• SHORT CHIPS: Though just seven players have claimed their first PGA TOUR victory in a WGC event, it’s happened in each of the past two. Russell Knox prevailed at the HSBC Champions in October, two months after Shane Lowry won the Bridgestone Invitational. … Questions linger about whether this will be the final WGC at Trump Doral because Cadillac’s sponsorship contract expires after the tournament.
• TELEVISION: Thursday-Friday, 2-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday, noon-3 p.m. (GC), 3-6 p.m. (NBC). Sunday, noon-2 p.m. (GC), 2-6 p.m. (NBC).
• PGA TOUR LIVE: Thursday-Friday, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. ET (featured groups), 2-6 p.m. (featured holes). Saturday-Sunday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. (featured holes).
• RADIO: Thursday-Friday, noon-6 p.m ET. Saturday-Sunday (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.COM).
Congrats to this weeks winner DFS
We arrive at Trump National with Bobcat still hanging on to the lead ,
but our resident CPA , even during tax season, making a charge
Good Luck this week
