BlogMcGladrey Classic Preview and Picks

The Buzz:

So the PGA Tour is back in the United States, next week they move to Mexico for the final tournament of fall golf.  The McGladrey is an event in a small resort town or should we say island in Georgia which has been well received since it started in 2010.  Davis Love III got behind it and his charities are the benefactors of this event.  Love also gets behind the tournament to get his friends and fellow players to attend.  The event also has a great sponsor in McGladrey who is a tax and consulting firm.

The Asian swing seemed like a big success other than an item in Geoffshackelford.com on the poor TV ratings that the CIMB Classic got.  It was super low with only 128,000 viewers but that is probably to be expected for golf played at midnight and during football season.  The true gauge of the success is what the sponsors think, if they feel the growth is there then they will continue spending the money for the events.  People tend to think of things as just a product for the United States but that isn’t true. There are a lot of other regions in play, Asia, Europe and Australia and those are the places that golf is growing. The two events in Asia was popular and brought a lot of attention to Malaysia and China around the world so ratings in this country is not the complete story and shouldn’t be because golf has to grow globally and is with these events.

Lastly Brandt Snedeker was planning of playing this week but he injured his left knee in China and on returning underwent an MRI.  He is waiting for the results from the MRI and he is able to walk without the use of crutches, which is a good side.  A shame, last year he had a great run between the British Open and his win at the AT&T Pebble Beach, but they had a cracked rib which put him on the DL for six weeks.  It took him months afterwards to get his game back and now this, oh well.

Course information:

The Seaside course is part of the three courses at Sea Island Golf Club.  The Seaside course which is the venue of the McGladreys is a classic Harry Colt and Charles Alison design dating from 1929. Tom Fazio completed a renovation in 1999. It’s another of those hidden gems that not many people know about, it’s a true Scottish links course near the Atlantic with ocean views that plays fast and firm.

The main challenges could be in the greens, which are nearly impossible to read. The layout features other notable challenges like the bunkering which is old fashion and truly memorable. They offer a variety in size and shape but they are all strategically placed to deliver a formidable test for even the most experienced players.

The first nine goes out and back in a counterclockwise fashion, while the second nine follows a clockwise direction. Each of the four par-3s faces its own unique direction which is unique for any course so players get a different feel on each par 3 when it’s windy which is always the case at Sea Island.

The course meanders through marsh lands and lakes with water or marshes coming in play on most of the holes.  There are only 40 sand bunkers on the course but they are all in strategic spots to catch drives and wayward shots to the greens which are average size of 7,000 square feet.  The course has bermudagrass all through it with a 72.3 rating and a slope of 137.

It’s been the venue for some significant amateur competitions over the years including the US Senior Amateur and the US Senior Women’s Amateur.

Here are some of the secrets of what it takes to play well at The McGladrey Classic:

Key stat for the winner:

This is a true links course so players will have to be able to play firm fast fairways and be good in the wind.  Hitting into the greens tend to be very tricky and for those that miss the greens getting it up and down is a key.  In looking at the three winners they aren’t among the leaders in scrambling, Slocum in 2010 was T20th, Crane in 2011 was T41st and Gainey was T35th last year.  But the three have one big stat in common and that is they all led the scrambling for the fringe stat.  In looking at the leaders of that stat in 2013 that are playing this week look at Ted Potter, Jr. who was 2nd, Ben Curtis that was T4th, Troy Matteson who was 8th and Matt Kuchar who was 12th.

Here are some more key stats to look to for this week:

One of two stats is key, you either have to hit a lot of greens or putt real well.  Look at the three winners, Slocum in 2010 was T7th in greens hit and 39th in strokes gained putting.  Crane in 2011 was T26th in greens hit but 2nd in Strokes gained putting while Gainey last year was T23rd in greens hit but 3rd in strokes gained putting.

All three winners had one thing in common and that was the ability of playing the par 4s.  In 2010 Slocum was 11 under on them, the next closest player was 9 under.  In 2011 Crane was 12 under, the next closet was 11 under and last year Gainey was 12 under the next closet was 11 under.  So if it’s Sunday and your looking for someone with the edge look at that stat.

Driving accuracy really means nothing on this course which makes sense since it’s a resort course.  Last year it was 44th in driving accuracy, while it was T43rd in 2011 and 38th in 2010 so poor drivers could do well this week

Most people disregard putts per round but this is something of importance on this course.  As you don’t have to drive the ball straight on this course to succeed, you do have to take the least amount of putts.  In the putts per round category Seaside has been 2nd last year and 2011, 3rd in 2010.  In a way this is because it’s a resort course but still putting is important.

Look for a good mix of players from Sea Island, Jacksonville and Ponte Vedre to be in the field, a bit of local knowledge.  Also it may not be in your best interest to pick someone that played in China, with the 12 hour time change and the 24 hour of flying their could be a good amount of jet lag.  Hey, this isn’t stitched in stone, I said the same thing for the CIMB Classic and Ryan Moore won it after playing in Las Vegas the week before.

Lastly we find a course that is completely Bermuda and that is important because it takes a special player to win on Bermuda grass.  Both Gainey (born and lives in South Carolina) and Slocum (born in Louisiana and lives in Georgia) are both southern boys that have been around Bermuda all of their lives.  Ben Crane was born in Portland and went to school in Portland, Oregon which isn’t a place to learn Bermuda, but look at Crane’s wins, three of the four have come on courses with Bermuda and he does live in Texas today.  The point is, look for a player that does well on Bermuda courses.  This will be the trend this week and again next week in Mexico.