It was set to be a momentous Masters. One of the most highly-anticipated in recent history. So many storylines. So many superstars. So many fan-favourites. Then Patrick Reed won.

Reed Reigns

Reed won against the odds, but also against the fans. McIlroy was his nearest contender going into Sunday; three behind at -11, and the Northern Irishman was chasing his career grand slam. When the pair stepped up to the first tee, it was immediately obvious who the fans were rooting for. Rory received a deafening cheer, whilst Reed received little more than a sportsmanlike customary round of applause.

Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson's shared warm-up round highlighted the two players that fans most wanted to see donning the green jacket, but it was not to be for either man. Tiger carded a final round of 69 and Mickelson a final round of 67, but the damage was already done. Successive above-par rounds of 73, 75 on Thursday-Friday left Tiger +4, before an even-par 72 and the aforementioned 69 to close on 1-over for the week. Mickelson started brightly with a 2-under 70, but then shot 79, 74 to drop way back heading into Sunday.

Tony Finau did provide us with a feel-good story, though. The 28-year-old was all set for his first official Masters start and sunk a hole-in-one during the Par 3 Contest to celebrate. However, celebrations soon turned sour when the American dislocated his ankle amidst the excitement... only to pop it back into place immediately and reel off a 4-under 68 the next day with a makeshift swing. Finau then went 74, 73 but finished with six consecutive birdies between 12-17 for a final day 66 and a T10 result.

Resilient Reed

He'd never shot a single sub-70 round at Augusta before, then he shot three on the bounce between Thursday and Saturday. Rory McIlroy appeared to have the best shot at knocking Reed off his perch (and making a lot of fans happy), but of course that man Jordan Spieth had something to say about it. The 2015 champion rattled off five birdies on the front nine and four on the home stretch to make Reed sweat. His only bogey of the day came at the 18th, meaning fell just short of the course record (63) and second-place Rickie Fowler. Whilst not quite on Spieth's level, Fowler's -5 culminated in a birdie at the last- sparking the biggest cheer of the day- meant Reed had to make par to avoid a playoff. Whether that cheer was for Fowler or against Reed is for you to interpret, but I will say that Reed sparked the quietest reaction to a Masters-clinching putt of all time.

The Leaderboard

Patrick Reed's consistency was the difference. Runner-up Rickie Fowler was also consistent, though, with his worst round being a par on Friday. Third-place Spieth fluffed his lines with a 2-over 74 on Friday, whilst Jon Rahm managed to recover from an opening round of 75 to shoot 68, 65, 69 and finish fourth. Rory's final day collapse saw him tie for fifth with Cameron Smith, Bubba Watson and Henrik Stenson. Dustin Johnson finished strongly for T10, whilst Justin Rose was England's highest finisher with -6 for T12; one stroke ahead of Paul Casey in T15 and two ahead of Tommy Fleetwood in T17, which he shared with Justin Thomas.

Highlights & Lowlight

It was ultimately not the champion or the Sunday shootout we'd all hoped for. That said, we did see some sublime golf over the course of the week.

I've already mentioned Finau's comeback for the ages, the crowd's reaction to Rickie Fowler's final-hole birdie and Jordan Spieth's incredible final round. Spieth shot 66 on Thursday, featuring some quite unbelievable golf. Doug Ghim claimed the low-amateur title and sunk THREE eagles en route. Two came in the first round and he also holed-out from the bunker for birdie with his last shot of the tournament. Charley Hoffman hit the only ace of the tournament on the 16th on Sunday.

We'd like to avoid lowlights, but unfortunately we can't avoid mentioning last year's champion Sergio Garcia, who found the water five times to card a record 13 shots on the par-5 15th. He crashed out at 15-over with an 81, 78 scorecard.

Credit: @TheMasters - Official Twitter account of The Masters

Patrick Reed - What's in the Bag?

Driver: PING G400 LS Tec

Fairway Wood: Nike VR Pro Ltd. Edition

Irons: Titleist 716 T-MB (3-iron), Callaway X Forged 2013 (4-iron), Callaway MB-1 (5-PW)

Wedges: Artisan Golf, Titleist Vokey SM5

Putter: Odyssey White Hot Pro 3

Golf Ball: Titleist Pro V1

Written by Joe Carabini

joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com

Great Expectations

Augusta National doesn't exactly present as an opportunity to post low scores. In fact, four of the last five tournaments have seen winners post single-figure scores. And, need I remind you, it was only in 2007 that Zach Johnson won with +1 on his scorecard. And yet, this year, we're all expecting something special from someone special. Why? Because there are too many special players for that not to happen.

Phil Mickelson has three Masters titles and is coming off the back of a WGC win, yet is eighth favourite with the bookies. That sounds crazy... until you see the players with lower odds. You've got Rory McIlroy chasing a career grand slam, Jordan Spieth looking to repeat his -18 2015 win, World No. 1 Dustin Johnson, World No. 2 Justin Thomas, four-time champion Tiger, last year's runner-up Justin Rose and two-time champion Bubba Watson. And that doesn't tell half the story. Oh man, we're in for a treat!

The Big Guns

‘Lefty’ point-blank told us he is chasing fifty PGA Tour wins after his WGC-Mexico win a month ago. Fighting talk from a man who knows how to win at Augusta and has proven himself still capable of winning the big events. At 16/1 it would be a real crowd-pleaser.

Speaking of crowd-pleasers, imagine if Tiger won! Can you imagine it? Of course you can, he's done it four times already. Recent performances from Rory at the Arnold Plamer Invitational, Spieth at the Houston Open and Justin Thomas at the… well, everything, have boosted Tiger’s odds to 14/1.

Lefty and Tiger raised eyebrows by practicing together earlier in the week, but this strikes me as savvy from both men. It’s not just the crowds that will be behind the two legends heading into the tournament; the statistics make for good reading too. Lefty ranks in second and Tiger eleventh for Strokes Gained: Putting, whilst Mickelson is fourth and Tiger fourteenth in Strokes Gain: Approach-The-Green. Quality in these areas will come in handy at Augusta.

Of course Spieth, Rory, DJ and JT simply can’t be ruled out, but if I was a betting man (Me? Betting? Never!) I would steer clear because the prices just don’t warrant a sufficient risk/reward ratio.

You can find last year’s champion Sergio Garcia at 28/1 despite topping the PGA Tour charts for Strokes Gained: Tee-To-Green and Strokes Gained: Approach-The-Green. I personally feel it’s too much of a stretch for him to go back-to-back, but I felt it was definitely worth dropping that one in there.

English Invasion

NINE Englishmen will be heading to Augusta. Let that sink in.

It will be nice to see amateur Harry Ellis on the big stage. Danny Willett returns following his shock win in 2016 and will be joined by fellow countrymen Matthew Fitzpatrick and Ross Fisher.

Ian Poulter has taken the long road to Augusta. After an heartache at the WGC Match Play he somehow manged last-gasp qualification with a playoff win at the Houston Open.

Moving towards the players who can actually win (sorry lads), we have a two-time runner-up (including last year in a playoff) in Justin Rose, who hasn’t finished outside the top-25 here since 2004 and is in fine form this year. He is, without question, England’s best hope.

That said, I’ve heard Paul Casey’s name thrown around a lot pre-Masters. Three top-10 finished on the trot on this famous course and a recent win at the Valspar Championship… I can see why. Casey is Mr Consistent, but I’ve not sure he’s got the edge to win this tournament. A good bet to place though.

Two names that have barely been mentioned are Tommy Fleetwood and Tyrell Hatton. Both made their Masters debut last year and neither made the cut, but a lot has happened since then. I can’t see Fleetwood being in contention this year, but he deserves more credit than he’s getting. Hatton, on the other hand, has a genuine shot at a top-10 finish.

In Conclusion…

Rose is definitely England’s best chance of a winner, but if you’re looking for big odds I think Tyrrell Hatton each-way is what you’re looking for.

With regards to a winner, I’m going with Phil Mickelson. His form is good, his game suits this course and by-god does he know how to win.

Credit: @PGATOUR - Official Twitter account of the PGA Tour

Enjoy!

Written by Joe Carabini

Joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com

Poulter Pulls Through

It's funny what pressure can do to people. At the WGC Match Play Ian Poulter was told his progression to the quarter final had secured qualification to the Masters... until ten minutes before teeing off, when he was infamously informed otherwise. Belatedly discovering he needed to beat Kevin Kisner to crack the OWGR top 50 and qualify for the Masters, Poulter crumbled to an 8&6 loss. The English veteran was understandably unhappy; casting doubt over whether he'd even compete at next week's Houston Open, where he'd need to win against all odds in order to qualify.

Many were surprised by Poulter's collapse under pressure against Kisner. After all, Ian Poulter with the Miracle at Medinah (Odyssey #7) putter in his hands is something of a symbol for overcoming pressure against American opposition on the golf course. But Poulter did compete in Houston. And Poulter won in Houston. And Poulter will play in the Masters.

How it Happened

Poulter opened with a +1 73 on Thursday and confessed to having already started packing his bags before the seemingly inevitable missed cut on Friday. But an incredible -8 not only made the cut but suddenly launched him into contention. A -7, -5 weekend followed. An incredibly professional performance from rookie Beau Hossler saw him post -19; narrowly missing a long birdie putt which would have secured victory on the final hole. However, Poulter still needed to sink a 20-yard clutch putt to force the playoff. Of course he duly delivered with his trusty Odyssey putter.

Despite, Poulter's sublime three days of golf, the playoff was ultimately decided by Hossler's errors as the inexperienced American went bunker-bunker-water to post +3 on the par-4 18th. Poulter two-putted for par.

Who's Ready for the Masters?

Whilst Poulter's miraculous qualification grabbed the headlines, Jordan Spieth went below-par every day to finish T3 with -16, which he declared 'mission accomplished for the week'. Henrik Stenson finished -14 for T6; one stroke ahead of T8 Matt Kuchar. At the other end of the scale, Rickie Fowler's opening -6, -4 had him in contention until a triple-bogey on the par-5 13th on Saturday began back-to-back 73 for a +2 weekend and T43 finish. A stroke behind Fowler was Justin Rose (T52), who went 68, 69, 72, 72 for the week, meaning he never went over par. Despite the disappointing finishes, Fowler and Rose can definitely take positives from their respective -8 and -7 scorecards.

The plot thickens.

Ian Poulter - What's in the Bag?

Driver: Titleist 917 D2

Fairway Wood: Titleist 917 F2

Hybrid: Titleist 816 H2

Irons: Titleist 716 T-MB (4-iron), Titleist 718 AP2 (5-PW)

Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM7

Putter: Odyssey White Hot #7

Golf Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Credit: @GolfDigest - Official Twitter account of Golf Digest

Written by Joe Carabini

joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com

He's never been one to follow the script, but golf fans have learnt to expect the unexpected with Bubba Watson. Three Majors, two WGC titles and eleven PGA Tour wins later, he's certainly a man for the big occasions. His 7&6 Sunday afternoon victory over Kevin Kisner made light work of what should have been a gruelling championship game, but the two-time Masters winner was no less emotional in celebration.

Elite Eliminations

World No. 1, current tournament champion and nailed-on favourite Dustin Johnson: eliminated with a day to spare. World No. 3 and last year's runner-up Jon Rahm: eliminated with a day to spare. World No... Oh, you get the picture. 14 of the world's top 18 entered the WGC Match Play; 4 made it to the knockout stages. Jordan Spieth fell to regular teammate Patrick Reed on Friday, Hideki Matsuyama carded back-to-back losses after opening with a win and Rory McIlroy's 1-2 record was flattering as he never really got going. Sergio Garcia and Tyrrell Hatton both lost in the first knockout round. Alex Noren and Justin Thomas both suffered semi-final defeats, but the loss was far more bitter for JT, who could have stolen the World No. 1 spot from DJ with a win over Bubba Watson. Third-place playoffs may be the least inspired matches in sport, and Noren's defeat of JT was the epitome of that.

In an event that usually brings the best players to the surface, the lack of top-10 representation in the knockouts will have bookies scratching their heads for Masters odds. Right now, the smart money is in your pocket.

Poulter Pain

When Ian Poulter dug out his 2012 Ryder Cup Miracle at Medinah putter, Tommy Fleetwood's fate was sealed. The veteran eased past the 27-year-old 3&2 to start the ball rolling on an undefeated group stage. The match play demon looked on his way to the kind of big-time result that would ensure an unlikely Masters qualification. In fact, after an impressive eight-birdie victory over Louis Oosthuizen, Poulter was told by multiple sources that he had qualified. But 10 minutes before teeing off in the quarter final against Kisner, a text message informed him that he actually hadn't qualified and would need another win to make the cut. Then, he crumbled. 8&6, to be precise.

Watson Wins

Bubba opened with a 5&3 after going 6UP at the turn and immediately looked like a contender. Despite halving his final group game against Julian Suri, it was a consistent tournament for the 39-year-old. He conquered Brian Harman 2&1, then an extremely fatigued Kiradech Aphibarnrat (5&3) practically handed him a play to the semi-final. Justin Thomas admitted to being distracted by the prospect of becoming World No. 1 as Bubba took control of the contest from the get-go. Bubba's scorecard boasted 3 birdies, an eagle and a lone bogey as he led from start to finish and came out 3&2 victor.

A bizarre tournament ended in bizarre fashion, with Bubba Watson's 7&6 victory the largest winning margin since the WGC changed to an 18-hole final in 2011. It was a damp squib; Kisner lost as much as Bubba won. Not the type of final that any fan wanted to see, to be quite honest, but they all count; especially this close to the Masters.

Credit: @DellMatchPlay - Official Twitter account of the WGC-Dell Match Play

Bubba Watson - What's in the Bag?

Driver: PING G400 LST

Fairway Wood: PING G

Irons: PING iBlade (2 iron), PING S55 (4-PW)

Wedges: PING Glide 2.0

Putter: PING PLD Anser

Golf Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Written by Joe Carabini

joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com

As we edge closer and closer to the Masters, we'll see golf's elite put through the ultimate test in Austin, Texas this week, which concludes with 72 holes in 48 hours over the weekend... if they're lucky (lucky?!).

A Dip in the Pools

Gary Player once said "The more I practice, the luckier I get". He wasn't the first or the last man to say this, but he certainly made it popular on the golf course. Unfortunately, no matter how much you practice, there's not much you can do about the luck of the draw in the WGC Match Play. Admittedly, there's no such thing as an easy group when the field is made up of the top 64 golfers in the world. However, if you told Sergio Garcia that he'd drawn No. 62 of 64, he’d expect something kinder than Shubhanker Sharma. Pair that with last year's PGA Tour Rookie of the Year in Xander Shauffele and I don't fancy his chances. Sorry Sergio. Tommy Fleetwood had a similar case of bad luck, with the lowest-ranked player in his pool being match-play-master Ian Poulter.

Now, I can't go through every group, but there are some notable matchups to keep an eye out for. Justin Thomas will face off with Luke List again; a repeat of the Honda Classic playoff, as well as Patton Kizzire, who sits one behind FedEx Cup leader JT in the current standings. Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed have teamed up 12 times in the past, but will lock horns for the first time this week. Australia's Jason Day faces a rematch of the 2016 final in this tournament against South African Louis Oosthuizen. Day won the previous fixture to move to World No. 1, but he now sits at No. 11- Oosthuizen's ranking during that final.

Texas Table Toppers

Tommy Fleetwood drawing Ian Poulter was unfortunate regardless, but the fact that the two Englishmen will face off on the opening day (highest-ranked vs. lowest-ranked) means that age won't provide the helping hand Fleetwood would've hoped for. That said, if the 27-year-old can win on the opening day then I think he's got a serious chance of silverware. On the topic of Englishmen, Paul Casey should top his group with form on his side, as should Tyrrell Hatton, who finished T3 at the WGC-Mexico Championship. An Englishman to win the tournament would be solid bet this week.

We would all expect Rory McIlroy to steamroll Brian Harman, Jhonattan Vegas & Peter Uihlein, but the rest of the world's top 10 have competitive groups. Kevin Kisner, Adam Hadwin & Bernd Wiesberger will likely push Dustin Johnson to some decent golf, and Jon Rahm is right in saying his is "Certainly not an easy group" (Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Chez Reavie & Keegan Bradley). I also personally prefer Patrick Cantlay over Hideki Matsuyama. Meanwhile, veteran Phil Mickelson faces an uphill battle against Rafa Cabrera Bello, the highest-ranked unseeded/Pool B player in the field (No. 17).

I'm looking at these groups like a kid in a candy shop, wanting to discuss the possibilities of every single one in great depth, but I'm not sure my keyboard can take that sort of wear & tear. Therefore, I'll leave you with this: it should be a great week for the Englishmen. Fleetwood, Casey and Hatton are all big threats at big odds, with Casey given a generous draw and youth favouring Fleetwood & Hatton over a whopping 126 holes.

No Tiger? No trouble. We won't be short of quality golf this week.

Credit: @PGATOUR - Official Twitter account of PGA Tour

Written by Joe Carabini

joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com

The Masters? Next month? Oh, I had no idea. That explains a few things.

Rory McIlroy's first title in 18 months, the re-emergence of Henrik Stenson... Oh, and Tiger. Yeah, the Masters is around the corner.

Out of Hibernation

Much was made of Henrik Stenson not doing much since his 2016 Open Championship victory. His only win since came in the Wyndham Championship where, in all honesty, anything less would've been catastrophic given the standard of his challengers. But it was a different story in the opening round at Bay Hill. Rickie Fowler, Justin Rose, Rory McIlroy and, of course, Tiger Woods all shot -3 or better on Thursday. Stenson, though, struck -8. The Swede went 3-under on day 2 for a share of the lead with Bryson DeChambeau heading into the weekend. Back-to-back 1-under rounds of 71 saw him fail to keep pace at the top and finish in fourth at -13, but the Callaway man has certainly rediscovered his game at the right time after falling from 9th to 15th in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) already in 2018 (this result has lifted him back to 14th).

The Rory Story

McIlroy has acknowledged many times the extraordinary influence of his mentality on his performance. Whilst psychology is a critical part of any golfer's game, it is often the deciding factor for McIlroy. So, the fact that the Northern Irishman appears to have returned to a winning mentality less than a month before the Masters is HUGE. An incredible -8, bogey-free Sunday concluded with five birdies in his final six holes and a sublime final putt. His three stroke victory was made all the more impressive by the low scores of the chasing pack forcing him to an -18. We are talking about Rory McIlroy here, so there is no telling what will happen between now and the Masters, but Augusta cannot come soon enough for the now-World No. 7.

Tiger Tracker

He's been the talk of the town in 2018 and that talk will not stop flowing now. His 10-under T5 doesn't tell the full story (does it ever?). Going 11-under on par-fives and 1-under on par-fours, he looked like the Tiger Woods of years gone by; capitalising on opportunities and making few mistakes. However, 2-over on par-threes for the week makes it very clear where the improvement needs to come. We saw a similar pattern at the Valspar Championship, where he went PAR, -3, -6 on par-threes, fours & fives respectively. His level-par Friday was seen as a bad day by many, but that only emphasises his abilities. After all, how many 42-year-old golfers would call level-par a bad day after four back surgeries?

Rory McIlroy - What's in the Back?

Driver: TaylorMade M3 460

3-Wood: TaylorMade M3

5-Wood: TaylorMade M3

Irons: TaylorMade P-750

Wedges: TaylorMade Milled Grind

Putter: TaylorMade TP Collection Soto

Golf Ball: TaylorMade TP5x

Written by Joe Carabini

joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com

He's back. No question. Tiger Woods is Tiger Woods once more.

Out of the Woods

No, he didn't win. But no, we can't ignore him. A mixed bag of five birdies and four bogeys left him 1-under after an opening round of 70, before a sublime showing on Friday catapulted him into contention. A lone bogey at the ninth- his final hole- would have sent most players into the weekend struggling to maintain focus and confidence and, subsequently, form. But Tiger Woods is not most players. Saturday saw the 14-time major champion go one better (literally) with a 4-under 67. The scorecard doesn't tell the full story, though. Tiger silenced his critics off-the-tee as worries about his back went up in smoke. If he silenced his critics off-the-tee, his classy short game left them- and everybody else- utterly speechless.

Whilst the final day wasn't quite what he would have hoped for, Tiger punished any viewers who switched off early by sinking a 44-foot birdie on the last. Typical Tiger.

Whatever your opinion on Tiger Woods may be (and we all have one), the final round viewing figures, the reaction to his final putt, the non-stop talk of his Masters potential... this is a wonderful advert for golf.

The Forgotten Tournament

They say that nobody ever remembers the runners-up, and that will be the case for Patrick Reed, who finished T2. But the man who shared second-place with Reed- a certain Tiger Woods- has cast a shadow over Paul Casey's victory in Florida. Poor Paul Casey will be left with nothing but a PGA Tour victory, a shedload of Ryder Cup points, five-spot rise in the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) and a million dollars. How could you not feel sorry for the Englishman? I mean, imagine the hassle of exchanging that into sterling... and with the exchange rate as it is! My heart goes out to you, Mr Casey.

Anyway, back to the tournament. Round one saw Canadian rookie Corey Connors take the clubhouse lead with a 4-under 67. Connors continued to impress with -2 on Friday to lead at 6-under heading into the weekend; two clear of Tiger, Brand Snedeker, Ryan Palmer, Kelly Kraft and eventual winner Paul Casey. Rory McIlroy bowed out early as a -3, -2 saw him miss the cut despite opening with ten consecutive pars. The shot of the tournament came from Justin Rose at the par-5 eleventh on day 3 as he holed an eagle from 120 yards; rolling down the flagstick to land directly into the hole. The pressure on Connors continued to mount as Tiger and Snedeker closed the gap to one, along with Englishman Rose following his -5 round.

The Innisbrook Resort Copperhead course staged an awesome Sunday of golf. Connors couldn't hold his nerve as he hit four bogeys and a double to go 6-over on the day and 3-under for the tournament, leaving him at a disappointing T16. Sergio Garcia surged up the leaderboard with a -6 final round to steal fourth spot, whilst Rose slipped to 1-over to share T5 with South Africa's Rory Sabbatini. Woods ensured wire-to-wire sub-par rounds with a -1, but Paul Casey ensure that the 44-foot birdie putt on the seventeenth was too little too late as he topped the field for the second time of the PGA Tour with -6 for the day and -10 for the tournament.

The victory is the first for Casey since the 2014 KLM Open and will undoubtedly launch him back into contention for a Ryder Cup place.

Paul Casey - What's in the Bag?

Driver: TaylorMade M4

Fairway Wood: TaylorMade M1

Hybrid: TaylorMade M3

Irons: Mizuno MP-25 (4), Mizuno MP-5 (5-PW)

Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM6

Putter: Scotty Cameron Circle T

Golf Ball: Titleist ProV1

Written by Joe Carabini

joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com

What a tournament. What a weekend. What a winner.

Phil Steam Ahead

If you can find me somebody who predicted Phil Mickelson to win (barring those who have predicted him to win every event for the past five years), I'll find you somebody outside of the Thomas family who didn't want him to win that playoff. Maybe I'll even find somebody who felt sorry for Tyrrell Hatton after the bobbled putt. Ok, maybe that's a bit of a stretch.

Almost five years after his famous 2013 Open Championship victory, Mickelson returned to the winners' circle as he became the oldest winner of a WGC event at the tender age of 47. 'Lefty' wasn't content with just winning the hearts of a generation of golf fans, and apparently isn't content with his 43rd career win. Following the win at Club de Golf Chapultepec, the PGA Tour legend was adamant about making it a half-century. Labelling himself a 'pretty optimistic guy' feels like a major understatement given the crop of young players he'll be competing against for the next seven wins, but who wouldn't love to see him do it?

How it Happened

21-year-old rising star Shubhankar Sharma led the way into the weekend after following an opening round of 6-under with a 5-under on Friday. A Saturday 69 on the par-71 course took him to 13-under and top spot heading into the final round. He couldn't hold on, though, as a 3-over Sunday saw him fall to T9. Tyrrell Hatton ensured an Englishman finished inside the top-3 for the second year running, with his 15-under earning him a T3 alongside Spain's Rafa Cabrera Bello. But it was in controversial circumstances that he missed out on a playoff spot as a substantial bobble on the green caused him to miss his par putt. There's no questioning that the putt did take a bobble, but a poor chip in the previous shot had brought frustration to the surface and the missed putt brought on a typical Tyrrell temper tantrum. A sore loser, to be frank, and his ungraceful reaction will not have earned him the sympathy he felt he was owed.

Justin Thomas was eleven off the pace at level-par heading into the weekend, but a remarkable course-record 62 took him to 9-under after consulting his father-turned-swing-coach by sending videos of himself practicing between rounds. Momentum carried Thomas to 14-under after 71 holes. 119 yards out, one hole left, two shots off the lead... was the eagle ever in doubt? Thomas watched on as Mickelson held par and Hatton faltered to set up a two-man playoff.

47 year-old Vs. 24 year-old. You could say that it came down to experience, but the 2017 FedEx Cup winner doesn't exactly lack experience in the way most do at his age. Still, Lefty held his nerve for a clutch par putt as JT fell to a bogey and runner-up spot. A crowd-pleaser in Mexico, that's for sure.

Phil Mickelson - What's in the Bag?

Driver: Callaway Rogue Sub Zero

Fairway Wood: Callaway Rogue Sub Zero

Hybrid: Callaway Rogue

Irons: Callaway Epic Pro (4-iron), Callaway X Forged 2018 (5-PW)

Wedges: Callaway Mack Daddy PM Grind

Putter: Odyssey Versa #9 White

Golf Ball: Callaway Chrome Soft X

Written by Joe Carabini

joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com

It's the strongest field we've seen all year. 45 of the world's top 50 will be part of the exclusive 65-man field at Mexico City's Club de Golf Chapultepec as it hosts the tournament for just the second time. With the best players from the PGA Tour and European Tour coming together, predicting a winner is not an enviable task. But whatever happens, we can be sure of entertainment.

Before we look at the players, acknowledging the course is unavoidable this week. Recording 7,603 feet at its lowest and 7,835 feet at its highest, Chapultepec has by far the highest altitude of any course on the PGA Tour. It also features the third-longest par-4 on the Tour, with the third hole measuring a scorecard yardage of 528. But not to worry, it's altitude to the rescue off the tee, helping carry players to the highest average driver distance on last year's PGA Tour.

I think we will be seeing some smiling European faces this week (in a Ryder Cup year... just for the record). Despite World No. 1 Dustin Johnson making it an American win at last year's event, Europe boasted four of the top five in England's Tommy Fleetwood & Ross Fisher, Spain's Jon Rahm and Belgium's Thomas Pieters respectively. Having risen to World No. 2 in remarkable fashion, Rahm is understandably favourite to topple Dustin this year. That said, Fleetwood jumps out at me. He may have slipped at a crucial moment in his pursuit of Dustin last year, but his runner-up spot set him on his way to winning the European Tour's coveted Race to Dubai title in a breakthrough season. On the PGA Tour he ranks in at 13th for Driving Accuracy Percentage, 6th in Strokes Gained (SG): Off-The-Tee and overtook Dustin to go 2nd in SG: Tee-To-Green after last week's fourth-placed finished at the Honda Classic. On this course, that's HUGE. Watch out for Tommy.

Of course we can't overlook America's elite (as much as I'd like to) when you have the likes of Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth lining up. JT is fresh off a win in the Honda Classic, but he may not be the only one benefitting from that victory. His best buddy Spieth is, simply put, a competitor. The win took JT above Spieth in the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) and raised the stakes for both 24-year-olds seeking Hall of Fame status in Tiger Woods-esque fashion. 

I haven't seen a tournament this hard to predict in a long, long time. As much as (and I know I say this every week, but here goes) I hate tipping the favourite, I can't bring myself to look past the favourite in Dustin Johnson. He's just too good. That said, if you're looking for better odds than Dustin's feeble 6/1, then Tommy Fleetwood is 16/1, in red-hot form and suits the course down to a tee... literally. This still makes him fourth-favourite behind Dustin, JT, Spieth & Rahm, and I wouldn't be convinced to part with my money for any of them at 11/1 and below- no matter how good they are. Justin Rose and Alex Noren are 22/1 and 25/1 respectively; great prices for two real dangermen, and Rose's 11 top-tens in his last 12 tournaments make the Englishman my each-way tip.

So there it is. Call me patriotic but I'm putting my faith in Fleetwood and Rose this week.

Written by Joe Carabini

joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com

The Honda Classic at PGA National always produces drama. But whilst the drama at PGA National is a constant, it was the only constant this week. Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, saw last year's champion and pre-tournament favourite Rickie Fowler miss the cut at seven-over on the par-70 course, with a six-over Friday featuring six bogeys and a double to cancel out two birdies. Other pre-tournament tips from experts included Patton Kizzire, Martin Kaymer and Brandt Snedeker. Guess what: they all missed the cut! Whilst other popular "expert" picks like Gary Woodland, Sergio Garcia and Rory McIlroy did make the cut, that merely prolonged their agony.

Onto the more successful picks, and where better to start than with champion Justin Thomas. If you read the Foremost Golf tournament preview blog last week then you were in luck. I picked JT to get his first win of the calendar year. It wasn't exactly rocket science though. The PGA National course is known for its ability to force the highest quality out of the greatest players, and Justin Thomas was the highest ranked player in the field. You can understand him being overlooked in favour of Rickie Fowler, Rory McIlroy and Sergio Garcia, who have established themselves as bigger names over longer careers, but a big name doesn't win tournaments; winning tournaments makes a big name. Justin Thomas is going about doing exactly that.

It wasn't plain sailing for the American, though. Blistery conditions proved the undoing of many players, especially around the infamous "Bear Trap" on the 15th, 16th & 17th holes. Friday proved particularly tough playing, with the wind leading main attraction Tiger Woods to his only above-par round (1) of the week. Sweden's Alex Noren followed up an opening round of four-under with a five-over in Friday's disruptive weather, and a double-bogey on the 16th led JT to a two-over 72. Luke List and Jamie Lovemark both went under-par on the day for a share of the lead heading into the weekend.

England's Tommy Fleetwood snuck up the leaderboard stealthily to finish fourth; one behind Alex Noren, who recovered with a five-under on Saturday and went three-under on the final day to finish -7 for the week. Nothing could separate JT and List over 72 holes, so the pair headed into a playoff at eight-under. An excruciating seventeen-foot missed birdie putt from List handed FedEx Cup champion Justin Thomas the chance to win with a simple birdie putt on the par-five 18th, and of course he took it with the coolest of heads for his eighth career win.

Away from the top of the leaderboard (although not too far away), Tiger was the epitome of consistency throughout the week as he sandwiched a +1 and -1 between two even-pars to finish at number 12. The fact that PAR was enough for a top-12 finish speaks volumes about the conditions in Florida. But if Tiger was Mr Consistent, McIlroy was Mr Erratic en route to nine-over. The fact he failed to find par all week barely cracked the headlines, with day three providing more than enough entertainment on its own. After landing dangerously close to the water hazard on the par-three 4th, the Northern Irishman chipped to the green whilst balancing on the rocks and very nearly lost his balance post-swing; narrowly avoiding falling back into the water. Two holes later, he continued to go the extra mile as he opted to play a shot with his lob wedge whilst kneeling in the middle of a bush rather than take a drop. Regardless of the unflattering scorecard (nine-over for T59), Rory's commitment to the cause deserves credit.

Now, returning to the winner! 

Justin Thomas - What's in the Bag?

Driver: Titleist 917 D2

Fairway Wood: Titleist 917 F2

Irons: Titleist 718 AP2, Titleist 718 MB

Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM6, Titleist Vokey SM5

Putter: Scotty Cameron Circle TX5

Golf Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Written by Joe Carabini

joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com