D.A.

Points

In eight starts at Innisbrook Resort (Copperhead), Points has made the cut in half of them but hasn’t seen weekend action since the 2015 edition of the Valspar (73-69-74-70) where he finished 47th at 2-over 286. Points has made the cut just once in 10 starts this season, finishing T-45 at the Bermuda Championship in November. The 17-year veteran has struggled since the 2018-19 season, in which he played just 13 events due to a neck injury. Points had neck surgery in late April 2019 after making just three cuts. He missed six cuts in six starts in 2020. The 44-year-old Illinois native is a three-time PGA Tour winner, but Points hasn’t visited the winner’s circle since the 2017 Puerto Rico Open.

Points has 11 starts remaining on his Major Medical, needing 360 FedExCup Points to fulfill the terms. He opened the new season with a missed cut in Napa but took a pass this week. Given the bump in tournament status, it would have given him a good chance to pick up some FedExCup Points against a relatively weaker field. That being said, it made just six appearances last season after returning from a neck injury in 2019. Gamers can continue to avoid him in all formats.

The 43-year-old was originally awarded 12 starts from a injury shortened 2018-19 season. What began as a neck injury turned into neck surgery in late April, 2019. The Windemere, Florida, resident has made four starts on the MME, beginning with the season-opening Greenbrier, and missed all four cuts. Inclusive of those, he’s now missed 14 of his last 18 cuts with no top 40s. The Illinois alum owns three TOUR wins in 342 events, most recently the 2017 Puerto Rico Open.

Points was set to enter the week with a form log that reads MC, WD, MC, MC, T58, MC, T42, MC, MC, MC over his last 10 starts. He lost 4.2 strokes off-the-tee in his latest appearance which was a missed cut at the RBC Heritage. He’s actually lost strokes off-the-tee in 22 of his last 23 measured starts. It would be tough to contend at a lengthy Quail Hollow layout when you put repeatedly put yourself in a hole off the tee. Points in still riding the exemption from his 2017 Puerto Rico Open victory but he finished 176th in the FedExCup last year and currently sits at 221st in the standings. He currently holds very little fantasy value on a week-to-week basis.

The 42-year-old went through the motions today as he split just 5-of-14 fairways and found 8 greens in regulation. He lost 5.153 strokes tee-to-green and another 1.446 strokes putting. Points entered with a 2-for-4 record at TPC San Antonio, a T53 in 2013 being the highlight. Points is now 3-for-12 on the season to sit outside the top 200 in the FedExCup race.

Points went T9, MC, T65 before his 2017 victory here. Last year’s edition was canceled due to Hurricane Maria so this is his first chance to defend his crown. During his win he opened with an 8-under 64 and backed it up with rounds of 69-69-66. He was actually one stroke behind Trey Mullinax after that strong opening lap where he started on the 10th tee and ended his round with a hole-out eagle with a wedge. On the week he missed just 8 greens in regulation so he was definitely locked in. What’s the downside? He’s missed the cut in 20 of his 25 worldwide starts since the start of 2018.

This isn’t a surprise given his sparkling record at the HPBNC -- two top 10s in his last three appearances -- but keep your fingers crossed that his back doesn’t bump him from another start.

Points ended the week at 14-under 274. He was a par machine in the finale, as he was bogey-free 2-under before his lone blemish of the day came at the par-4 18th. Steady all week, he recorded just four bogeys to 16 birdies and an eagle. While the putter was less than impressive, averaging 1.793 putts per GIR, the irons more than made up for it. He was tied for the lead with 80.6 percent GIR. He will now head to THE PLAYERS in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.

He was not replaced in the field despite the fact that he didn’t tee off. He was scheduled to hit his first ball at the first tee at 8:39 a.m. ET. The withdrawal is blow to the fantasy players that tried to capitalize on Points’ P2 at last week’s Wells Fargo Championship. UPDATE: Todd Lewis of Golf Channel reported that Points withdrew on the tee before hitting a ball, but the PGA TOUR wasn’t notified of the decision until six minutes thereafter, thus eliminating the possibility for Harman to replace him. The lefty was last seen hitting balls on the range. Tim Rosaforte of Golf Channel wrote the following on Twitter: Brian Harman first alternate at Playetd [sic] not notified when DA Points WD. Harman awaiting decision. Called it a $1.8 million mistake.

This marked the second time this week that Points navigated the course bogey-free, as he did so in the first round as well. He split nine fairways and landed 14 GIR, but the putter didn’t match the ball-striking. He putted to a 1.923 average and took 29 putts. For the week, Points has gotten it done with the irons, landing 79.6 percent GIR. Like Moore, Points will be taking aim at his second PGA TOUR victory tomorrow. His first came in 2011 at Pebble Beach.