Because of the format of the 2018-19 season, Segment 1 of PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO sets up like a soft open. Survive the Safeway Open and glide through three consecutive no-cut tournaments before taking stock in what you’ve built. That’s where we’ll be at the conclusion of this week’s World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions. Beginning with next week’s Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, cuts made rises to the top of the list of priorities. Each of the last three events this fall will feature a 36-hole cut, but only the Shriners will include ShotLink. The absence of measurement-based bonuses won’t matter much in real time, especially since we never have to concern ourselves with starts in Segment 1, but it’ll play a role in the long-range scoring since margins and deficits will remain as small as they’ve ever been in the game. As you learn the value of various decisions within the construct of the scoring system, the experience will influence how we’re going to approach Segments 2, 3 and 4. PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO My roster for the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions (in alphabetical order): Jason Day Tony Finau Dustin Johnson Brooks Koepka Rory McIlroy Justin Rose You’ll find my starters in Expert Picks. Others to consider for each category (in alphabetical order): Scoring: Keegan Bradley; Tommy Fleetwood; Tyrrell Hatton; Hideki Matsuyama; Jon Rahm Driving: n/a Power Rankings Wild Card Xander Schauffele … Easily overlooked during a forgettable T46 at Nine Bridges is that he closed with a 65 that included birdies on half of the holes. For someone of his talent who has proven comfortable on the biggest stages, that’s exactly the momentum all gamers want entering this week’s fast track. Draws Brandt Snedeker … With an elevated premium on short game and the likelihood for low scoring, he presents confidently once again. This is his first trip to Sheshan International since 2014 when he placed T10. Andy Sullivan … One of numerous snubs in Sleepers this week, the former Ryder Cupper is 28th in the Race to Dubai and arrives having improved on his previous outing in each of his last five starts. The surge was last seen in the form of a T9 at the British Masters. He has eight top 10s this year. Ashun Wu … DFS special. Currently 176th in the Official World Golf Ranking but second among the Chinese behind Hao Tong Li. Wu prevailed at the KLM Open last month and he hasn’t missed an edition of the WGC-HSBC Champions. Even better, he’s recorded a trio of top 25s, including in each of the last two. Byeong Hun An Keegan Bradley Emiliano Grillo Thorbjørn Olesen Adrian Otaegui Julian Suri Fades Patrick Reed … It’s been a confounding few weeks for the Masters champ. He didn’t factor in the Playoffs or the Ryder Cup. Now he attempts to tackle Sheshan International where he struggled in the last two editions. In a sense, this is who astute weekly gamers expect, anyway. It’s not a factor this week, but he can be convincing because he makes most cuts. The potential for a boon is omnipresent. Russell Knox … With a win in his debut in 2015, a T9 in his title defense and a scoring average of 68.00 in those eight rounds, course history buffs are sold. However, since his latest victory in Ireland in early July, he’s a mere 4-for-7 without a top-30 finish. That’s not the trajectory he was riding early in 2018 and it doesn’t align with his profile of balance. A calculated non-play. Alex Noren … Finished T18 at Nine Bridges, but it was anything but consistent. He ranked T6 in greens hit but his putting left a lot to be desired. With only one top 30 in the WGC-HSBC Champions, he’s at best a contrarian due to the guarantee of four rounds. Thomas Pieters … Give him a little more time to calibrate his game after an unsuccessful foray as a PGA TOUR member in 2017-18. So many European dual-tour talents before him have made it look easy, but there are just as many if not more casualties. He’ll be fine and he’ll actually make more sense in the WGCs and the majors for which he qualifies, but he’s broken par just once in his last five rounds at Sheshan International. Kiradech Aphibarnrat Branden Grace Billy Horschel Returning to Competition Kevin Stadler … He scattered four starts over as many months on the Web.com Tour this year, but this marks his first appearance on the PGA TOUR since the 2015 John Deere Classic. An injury in his hand thwarted a reasonable expectation to compete, but he had surgery for a stress fracture in his palm last year and has declared himself ready and feeling good. With a full slate of 26 starts afforded on a Major Medical Extension, the 38-year-old is an automatic investment in salary leagues. Notable WDs Sangmoon Bae … After missing the cut at the Safeway Open, he has nine starts on his Major Medical Extension to earn 294.752 FedExCup points and retain status. Of course, as a Web.com Tour grad, he’s fully exempt for the season, so the conversation of the medical no longer is as pressing as it was before he won the Albertsons Boise Open to lock up his card. Power Rankings Recap – THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES Power Ranking  Golfer  Result 1  Justin Thomas  T36 2  Hideki Matsuyama  T18 3  Marc Leishman  T18 4  Tyrrell Hatton  T14 5  Brooks Koepka  Win 6  Louis Oosthuizen  T29 7  Paul Casey  T18 8  Gary Woodland  2nd 9  Sungjae Im  T41 10  Jason Day  T5 11  Emiliano Grillo  T55 12  Cameron Smith  T7 13  Byeong Hun An  T41 14  Kyle Stanley  66th 15  Abraham Ancer  T73 Wild Card  Ian Poulter  T10 Sleepers Recap – THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES Golfer  Result Brice Garnett  T41 Whee Kim  72nd Jason Kokrak  T67 Keith Mitchell  T14 Hyun-woo Ryu  T77 Birthdays among active golfers on the PGA TOUR October 23 … none October 24 … Marc Leishman (35) October 25 … Troy Merritt (33); Xander Schauffele (25) October 26 … none October 27 … Fabián Gómez (40) October 28 … none October 29 … none

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There was something about the eyes. Jonathan Randolph had just seen one of the “Star Warsâ€� movies, and when he looked at that puppy he and his wife Lacy had adopted, well, let’s just say a light dawned. “I just kept looking at these dogs and they looked like Yoda; eyes way off the side and stuff,â€� Randolph says. “So that was in the back of my mind. When we found her, Yodi for some reason just came out. “Seemed like a good dog name.â€� Indeed, and the name stuck. So did Yodi, a brown and black and white Chihuahua, who has traversed the PGA TOUR and Web.com Tour with Randolph for nearly three years now. Randolph and his wife have recently added another traveling companion, too. Their son, Boyd, was born in March, and made his first trip – with Yodi in tow, of course – to A Military Tribute At The Greenbrier in July. “We said it was a traveling circus before, because we had a dog with us,â€� Randolph says with a grin. “And now we’ve got a baby. “It’s a lot more bags and stuff, but when they’re able to be on the road with me it’s just so awesome. It makes you feel a little bit more like home.â€� There are days when an excited Yodi entertains her humans by running circles around the hotel room. And she’s happy to help Randolph when he practices putting on the carpet, picking up golf balls and bringing them back to him. Yodi is still getting used to the new addition to the family, though. When Lacy picks Boyd up, for example, Yodi clamors to be in her arms as well. “She’s definitely gotten jealous, but also shows off like crazy when she knows he’s watching and she’s playing,â€� Randolph says. “She’ll start high stepping around and doing stuff to make him happy, which is pretty awesome.â€� In time, though, Randolph knows the Yodi and Boyd will be thick as thieves. “She’s got a new best friend,â€� Randolph says. “She just doesn’t know it yet. He’s been grabbing at her and doing that fun stuff. … Her life is going to get a whole lot more interesting when he gets mobile and can grab her. “For now, she’s got it made.â€� Yodi, who will be 3 years old in December, joined the family in early 2016. The couple was looking for a dog and Lacy had owned Chihuahuas in the past. When Randolph headed to South America to open the Web.com Tour season, the puppy stayed behind with Lacy at the couple’s home in Oxford, Mississippi. Once the Web.com Tour went stateside in March, their adventure began. “She’s been to almost 40 states,â€� Randolph says. “She’s well-traveled.â€� Yodi is remarkably calm for a breed that is known to be a bit skittish. And she’s perfectly content when Randolph puts her in a carrier and takes her on a plane. “She just sits there and looks at everything,â€� Randolph explains. “We’ve never gotten a complaint. So it’s a credit to her, not to us.â€� Yodi has been a positive influence in other ways, too. The first time Yodi came out to the golf course during competition, Randolph finished birdie-eagle-birdie-birdie-par at the 2016 BMW Charity Pro-Am. A year ago at the Albertsons Boise Open, the puppy watched as he played the final three holes in 7 under for the week. “I’m not going to say she’s a good luck charm, but good things happen when she’s around,â€� the Ole Miss grad says. On Tuesday, Yodi made her second straight appearance in the media center at the Sanderson Farms Championship. Randolph’s a member at the Country Club of Jackson, which hosts the tournament, and tied for third last year. “She had a good run here last year so she’s allowed to come back, I guess,â€� Randolph says. “I had my best finish on TOUR the only time she’s ever come to the media center, so it’s good to have her back in here.â€� The family has also been there for the not-so-good times, too, though. Take a month ago when Randolph found himself back at the Web.com Tour Finals after finishing 174th in the FedExCup. He thought his game was rounding into form but he ended up missing the cut in three of the four events – a stretch he called “one of the most devastatingâ€� of his career. Lacy, Boyd and Yodi were waiting for him beside the 18th green, though, and suddenly life was good again. “Just to have them there — it’s hard to put into words, you know, like what that’ll do for you,â€� Randolph says. “But it’s pretty awesome to have the little guy on the road. “Last year I said we were a traveling circus. We are legitimately a traveling circus now with the baby and the dog and everybody, but it’s like the most fulfilling thing ever.â€�

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The Asia Swing culminates in China for the World Golf Championships – HSBC Champions where a cavalcade of stars are ready to do battle. It was here that Justin Rose kicked off his big push towards the FedExCup crown, winning with a final round surge over a faltering Dustin Johnson. Can Brooks Koepka continue his charge after winning last week in Korea or will it be another international star like Rose, or perhaps a rejuvenated Hideki Matsuyama? In the last two seasons the winner of the FedExCup (Justin Thomas and Rose) have won during the Asia Swing so everyone knows the 550 points on offer to the winner could be critical. There are seven Chinese players in the field led by Haotong Li. Perhaps it is time for the PGA TOUR’s first Chinese winner? Li is joined by Yechun Yuan, Xinjun Zhang, Yanwei Liu, Bowen Xiao, Wenchong Liang and Ashun Wu. Seven of the top 10 players in the world headline the field. The Golf Channel will provide live coverage for all four rounds. For the opening two rounds coverage starts at 10 p.m. ET (10 a.m. local time) on Wednesday and Thursday. Weekend play gets underway at 11 p.m. ET (11 a.m. local time). MORE: Tee times Here’s a look at the Featured Groups for the first two rounds (FedExCup ranking in parentheses): Brooks Koepka (3) – Hot off his victory in last week’s CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES in Korea the newly minted World No. 1 is looking to keep the momentum rolling. He was T2 here a year ago. Justin Rose (NR) – The FedExCup champion has three top 10s at this event including last season’s win in Shanghai. Looking to get his title defense in both off to a big start. 
Tommy Fleetwood (NR) – Has been knocking on the door of a PGA TOUR win for some time. Still flying high from his Ryder Cup efforts. Three top-25s previous here, but no top 10s. Tee times: Rd. 1 (9:55 p.m. ET); Rd. 2 (10:50 p.m. ET) Jason Day (21) – Finished strong last week in Korea to be T5 and comes off the back of a T11 here on debut last season. Australian set to take a break for baby No. 3 after this start so wants maximum points. Tony Finau (NR) – Did everything last season except win. An impressive 11 top-10 finishes and a sixth-place finish in the FedExCup. Now it’s time to take it up a notch again. Was T11 here last season. 
Hoatong Li (NR) – Crowd favorite looking to be the first Chinese player to win on the PGA TOUR. Best finish in the event is a T7 three years ago. 
 Tee times: Rd. 1 (10:45 p.m. ET); Rd. 2 (9:30 p.m. ET) Rory McIlroy (NR) – Six times he’s played and his worst return is a tie for 11th two seasons ago. Making his PGA TOUR season debut and expecting to make an immediate splash. 
 Dustin Johnson (NR) – Took a sizable lead after 54 holes last year before a Sunday stumble. Revenge is on his mind in his season debut. Won the event in 2014.
 Francesco Molinari (NR) – A winner here in 2010. Returns this season in the form of his career having claimed multiple worldwide wins last season, including the Open Championship. Tee times: Rd. 1 (10:55 p.m. ET); Rd. 2 (9:40 p.m. ET) Patrick Reed (NR) – The Masters champion is ready to let his clubs do the talking once more. Was T7 here a few years ago and is looking to better that to kick off his season. Jon Rahm (NR) – Spanish sensation ready to kick-start his 2018-19 PGA TOUR season. Finished midfield on debut at the event last year – something that doesn’t sit well with his personal standards.   Alex Noren (57) – Two good rounds mixed in with two not so good ones last week in Korea was still good enough for T18 finish. Noren’s accuracy off the tee and into the greens should spell success here although he’s yet to find a top 10 in five previous starts. Tee times: Rd. 1 (9:45 p.m. ET); Rd. 2 (10:40 p.m. ET)

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