THE OVERVIEW A little less than two years ago, Kyle Stanley was ranked 327th in the world. Not so coincidentally, he ranked outside the top 125 in the PGA TOUR’s key putting statistics. The problem was obvious. This week, Stanley enters the Quicken Loans National as the defending champion. He’s currently ranked No. 38 in the world — and 34th in the FedExCup standings. He’s also ranked 43rd in Strokes Gained: Putting. The problem may not be completely solved – after all, who really solves the mystery of putting? – but it’s certainly been successfully addressed by the 30-year-old Stanley. Consequently, he’s playing the most consistent golf of his professional career. “The goal is to obviously be a complete player,â€� Stanley said. “I wouldn’t trade necessarily the way I hit the ball for really anyone out here. On the weeks when I putt OK, I’m going to have a good week.â€� He’s having more and more good weeks. Last October, he tied for fifth at the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions, his first top-10 finish in his sixth career WGC start. He added another top-10 finish at the Sony Open in Hawaii, and another top-5 finish at the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play. Earlier this month, he was the 36-hole co-leader at the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide, eventually losing to Bryson DeChambeau in a three-man playoff. Last week, he posted four solid rounds at the Travelers Championship to finish T-15. If you think you’re seeing his name with more frequency on the first page of the leaderboard, well, it’s not a mirage. But there is room for improvement. He knows his short game isn’t as productive as his ball-striking, and he wants to be less of a streaky putter. In his win a year ago at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm, the closer he got to the pin, the less productive he was. He ranked first in the field in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee, fourth in Approach the green, 32nd in Around the Green and 52nd in Putting. Still, he’s feeling good about where his game is trending. “I’m just really comfortable with what I’m doing out there,â€� Stanley said. “My preparation has been really good. Sometimes when you put the time in, maybe it might not pay off the next week. But, yeah, just from a preparation standpoint, I feel like we’re doing the right things. You know, getting a little bit older and figuring out maybe how to play some of these golf courses better.â€� It started in the spring of 2017 when he posted three top-10s in a five-tournament stretch, including a T-4 at THE PLAYERS, and culminated with last year’s victory when he beat Charles Howell III with a par on the first playoff hole. He comes into his title defense this week on another good stretch, with five top-15 finishes in his last eight starts. “I think at the beginning of the ’17 season I was ranked somewhere around 300 in the world, so in a pretty short period of time we’ve made some pretty significant strides so I’m really happy with that,â€� Stanley said. “I think it’s all about the perspective you have and in my mind, I feel like we’re doing a lot of really good things and our preparation’s been really good… “I think we just have to stick on the path that we’re on right now, seems to be working OK.â€� THREE PLAYERS TO PONDER Tiger Woods Will the mallet putter be the key to returning Tiger to the winner’s circle? Rickie Fowler Is the highest ranked player in the field in FedExCup points (16th overall). Stewart Cink His T-2 finish at Travelers was his best result since his last win, the 2009 Open Championship. THE FLYOVER Want to see some eagles made this week? Then check out the 10th and 14th holes at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farms. A year ago, the par-5 10th allowed five eagles, while the drivable 299-yard par-4 14th gave up 15 eagles. More than 85 percent of all tee shots attempted to drive the green last year. LANDING ZONE Say hello to the hardest hole on the PGA TOUR. The 470-yard par-4 11th played to a stroke average of 4.521 last year, making it statistically the most difficult of all 900 holes played in the 2016-17 season. With brutally long rough, hitting the fairway is a must. “I remember last year I hit 5‑wood off that tee just to get the ball in play,â€� said defending champ Kyle Stanley. “… The rough last year was really pretty thick so if you were in it, it was somewhat difficult to get a long iron or what you needed to get to the green.â€� Here’s a look at where all tee shots landed a year ago. WEATHER CHECK From PGA TOUR meteorologist Stewart Williams: “Scattered showers and thunderstorms should end by daybreak Thursday morning, with drier air allowing for clearing skies for the afternoon. High pressure is expected to build over the region and dominate Friday through the weekend, with hot and more humid conditions returning. Highs will likely top out in the low to mid-90s this weekend. Heat index values will likely make it feel like 100-105 degrees F during the afternoons.â€� For the latest weather news from Potomac, Maryland, check out PGATOUR.COM’s Weather Hub. SOUND CHECK There are no low scores here. BY THE NUMBERS +199 – Combined score by the field at the par-4 11th, the second-highest score of any hole on the PGA TOUR last season (the 18th at TPC Sawgrass was 214 over par). +1.458 – The average score over par last season at the Quicken Loans National – highest average of any tournament on the PGA TOUR 18 – Rounds in the 60s by Bill Haas at the Quicken Loans National, most sub-70 rounds of any player in this event. SCATTERSHOTS Like a lot of young players, Rickie Fowler grew up watching Tiger Woods, but he said the 14-time major winner didn’t impact his game. “I don’t want his head to get too big,â€� Fowler said with a smile. “He didn’t have an impact on me changing anything, but guys like him, Phil (Mickelson),, Freddie (Couples) was another guy that I enjoyed watching, looking up to, to Payne Stewart, really guys that were the best players in the world, guys that I looked up to and that was the position I wanted to be in.â€� Four of this season’s top-five birdie makers are in the field this week: Beau Hossler (314), Chesson Hadley (310), Brandon Harkins (304) and Kevin Tway (292). Kyle Stanley isn’t the only player in the field who knows what it’s like to win at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm. David Lingmerth won the 2012 Mid-Atlantic Championship on the Web.com Tour when it was played on this course. A potential of four spots in the upcoming Open Championship at Carnoustie are available this week at the Quicken Loans National as part of the Open Qualifying Series. Open invites will go to the leading four players (not otherwise exempt) who finish in the top 12 and ties.
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