BlogPick Your Pro 2020

Happy New Year, looking forward to a new decade of golf.

For the last four years, Pick Your Pro has been one of the most popular features that we do on Golfstats. We would like to give our picks for the fifth straight year for 2020.

Pick your Pro is one of those games in which you hunker down for a couple of days and try to organize yourself in picking one pro at one event. The game could start at any time, it could have started last September at Greenbrier, or at Maui the first of January or after the Super Bowl. Some games start on the Florida swing, and others start at the Masters. No matter what, we have done the work in organizing things for you in making your choice. This is very hard to do, but with some help of GOLFstats you will find this a big time saver.

Remember the rules, you can choose a player just once over the course of the season, so if your Pick Your Pro starts the week of the Sentry Tournament of Champions, you have to pick 37 different players (Zurich is not counted because of team format and we aren’t including the Olympics because it’s too hard to judge who will play six months in advance). The cardinal rule, if you chose a player and he doesn’t play, you get zero so make sure and do your best to make sure that you have 37 chances by picking players that will participate in events.

Last year in my pick your pro picks for the 37 events I was in the money 22 times (4 less than in 2018) with winnings of $7,148,445 ($3,199,524 more than the $3,948,921 that I won in 2018). It was the most I have ever won in Pick your Pro and came thanks to wins by Tiger Woods in the Masters and Brooks Koepka at the WGC FedEx St. Jude Invitational, all big-time events which accounted for 55% of my earnings. I had five events in which my pick didn’t play in the events and I had 8 missed cuts, the most I had in any of my Pick your Pros. One problem area was the Tour Championship, I picked Justin Rose and he finished T-26th and with the change of format, nobody earned money so we will have to do things a bit different for 2020.
I was very disappointed that in the high money events, the majors, Players and WGC events other than my wins at the Masters and WGC-FedEx I did very poorly, missing the cut with Sergio at the PGA Championship and Rafael Cabrera-Bello at the British Open. At the U.S. Open, I picked Dustin Johnson who I thought was a sure-fire pick and he finished T-35th. At the WGC-Match Play, Alex Noren was T-17th and Francesco Molinari was T-56th.
I was also very disappointed in how my top player picks did. Rory McIlroy won the FedEx Cup but I used him at the Memorial and he missed the cut. Xander Schauffele was second in the FedEx Cup and I never bother to use him last year, my fault. The same with Paul Casey who was 5th in the FedEx Cup, Adam Scott who was 6th, Chez Reavie who was 8th, Hideki Matsuyama and Kevin Kisner who both were T-9th, I never took any of them last year. Adding to my pain, Patrick Reed was T-9th and I picked him at the Valspar and he missed the cut, #12 Jon Rahm I picked him for the Charles Schwab and he missed the cut, #12 Bryson DeChambeau I picked at the Phoenix Open and decided to play in Saudi Arabia. Of the top-25 in the FedEx Cup rankings for 2019, 20 of those players I either didn’t pick them or picked them in tournaments they didn’t play in or missed the cut or withdrew from. So that is something I really have to work on in 2020, but my big goal is to do better in high price events, the four majors, the three WGC events, the 3 FedEx Cup playoffs and Players Championship.

Last year was a tough year because the schedule changed with four events leaving or moving to the fall and the additions of new events and some new courses. But in 2020 the only event changing courses is the Barracuda which had it’s old favorite Montreux Golf & C.C. drop it and it will be played at Tahoe Mountain Club’s Old Greenwood Golf Course. The RBC Canadian Open will be played at the St. George’s GAY.C. which held the event in 10 when Carl Pettersson won. The Northern Trust will move to TPC Boston, which use to be the venue of the old Deutsche Bank Championship outside of Boston. The following week the BMW Championship moves to Olympia Fields which held the 2003 U.S. Open. Talking about the majors, the PGA Championship goes to San Francisco and TPC Harding Park, which held the 2005 WGC American Express which Tiger Woods won. The U.S. Open returns to Winged Foot, which last saw the U.S. Open in 2006 when Geoff Ogilvy won and the British Open returns to Royal St. George which Darren Clarke won on in 2011.

One big tip in making your list, lots of you will go down the list of tournaments and put players in. That is wrong, especially in West Coast swing events that don’t give out as much money as the majors, WGC and FedEx Cup playoffs. So work your way from the bottom of the schedule working your way up, first with the majors, then FedEx Cup, WGC events and Players Championship. By doing this, you will get off to a slow start but if done right, when the U.S. Open rolls around you would not have used your big guns, and you will find yourself climbing those rankings very quickly. Remember this tip, of the first 11 events only one WGC-Mexico has a purse over $10 million. But in the last 13 events, 5 of them are over $9 million (U.S. Open, British Open, WGC-FedEx St. Jude, Northern Trust and BMW). One other thing that we are going to do differently this year since there is no purse of the Tour Championship it’s best not to pick it unless your game has rules that state that a pick at the Tour Championship will get the FedEx Cup winnings which is so much and would screw up the value of the game, so no pick for the Tour Championship.

Also, it’s important to look at a PGA Tour schedule with the purse of each tournament. This list from PGA Tour will help. You want to pick your marquee guys in events that pay over $7 million dollars. You have to be careful of an event like the Sentry Tournament of Champion that has a $6.7 million purse. The same with most of the west coast and Florida swings. Yes, the Phoenix and Honda events have a good amount of money, but with purses of $7.3 million and $7.0 million it only hurts to waste a big player like Jordan Spieth or Rickie Fowler at the Phoenix that is worth $7.3 million giving out $1,314,000 for first place. Same with the Honda, with a purse of $6.8 million and first place of $1,224,000 don’t waste a Justin Thomas or a Dustin Johnson. It’s better to take all these marquee players at the major, a WGC event or a FedEx Playoff event in which second place pays almost as much as the winner at the Honda gets. One thing in this philosophy, I am going to pick Gary Woodland at the Tournament of Champions, a low purse event. The reason for that, it has a limited field so you need to use a marquee player who has a better chance of finishing high. Another thing to think about and that is the Tiger Woods factor. We have written him off the last couple of years, but he is healthy again and won three times in the last 14 months, and he will play a factor again which means it’s best to pick him in an event that he usually plays well in.

Also watch whom you pick, guys like Jimmy Walker, Phil Mickelson, Ryan Palmer, Graeme McDowell, Patton Kizzire, Pat Perez, Hunter Mahan and Jim Furyk who were for years top players have seen their worth go down and may not be great picks in 2019. Also watch some winners in the last two years like Cameron Champ, Kevin Na, Matthew Wolff, Dylan Frittelli, Collin Morikawa, Joaquin Niemann and Brendon Todd. Yes, they might have won, but some like Champ, Na and Frittelli haven’t played that great so maybe you should disregard them this year. On the other end of the spectrum, guys as Chez Reavie, Shane Lowry, Sungjae Im, Scott Piercy, J.T. Poston, and Sung Kang weren’t on many radar screens and should have been. The most prominent surprise of last year had to be Matt Kuchar who won the Mayakoba Classic and Sony Open, but I bet not many folks penciled him in for a tournament last year. It’s easy to see those that made it off the Web.Com Tour last year, but the challenge is to figure out which events they will play in. It’s crucial not to pick a player in a tournament he won’t play in. Last year I did it five times; this is a cardinal sin to do.

One last thing, make sure that you have no multiple picks, it’s easy to do and you will feel terrible when that multiple player wins that second event, and you get nothing because you used the pick for an earlier tournament.

We have organized this into two parts, first is all 36 events (remember the Tour Championship doesn’t have a purse and won’t count this year) that you have to pick a player. We give you some short keys for the event, then give three, four, or more choices. Then, I offer my key choice for that tournament.

The second part is a list of players, off the most recent (Monday, Dec 26th) World Rankings. We list our choice of the tournament that players should do well in and give out different alternatives. To make things easier, we have full links to eight-year glances for each tournament and player, this will save you hours of work in organizing your picks.

Now many will wonder, why haven’t you picked any up and coming players along with rookies? We also care about players like Sebastian Munoz, Lanto Griffin, Tyler Duncan and Carlos Ortiz who have played on the PGA Tour during the fall swing. The problem is it’s hard to figure out which events they will play in the future and which they will do well in. So we have stuck with players who have a track record in the tournaments to help you figure it out.

Hope this is helpful and saves you some time.

I will be updating the results of my picks each week to see how they did (World Rankings as of December 30th, 2019)

Sentry Tournament Of Champions – Gary Woodland (17)                                  Finished T-7th –  $206,000
Sony Open In Hawaii – Chez Reavie (36)                                                           Missed Cut –  $0               
The American Express – Adam Hadwin (50)                                                      Didn’t play (wife had a baby on Jan.8) –   $0
Farmers Insurance Open – Jon Rahm (3)                                                           Finished 2nd –  $817,500
WM Phoenix Open – Hideki Matsuyama (21)                                                    Finished T-16th –  $97,211.67
AT&T Pebble Beach – Scott Stallings (256)                                                       Missed Cut –  $0
Genesis Invitational – Bubba Watson (47)                                                          Missed Cut –  $0
WGC-Mexico Championship – Sergio Garcia (39)                                             Finished T-37th – $56,200
Puerto Rico Open – Nate Lashley (88)                                                               Didn’t play – $0
Honda Classic – Rickie Fowler (23)                                                                    Missed Cut –  $0
Arnold Palmer – Henrik Stenson (26)                                                                  Missed Cut –  $0
Players Championship – Tommy Fleetwood (10)                                                Event Cancelled
Valspar Championship – Sungjae Im (34)                                                            Event Cancelled
WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play – Louis Oosthuizen (20)                             Event Cancelled
Valero Texas Open – Charley Hoffman (158)                                                       Event Cancelled
Wells Fargo Championship – Paul Casey (15)                                                     Event Cancelled
AT&T Byron Nelson – Marc Leishman (28)                                                          Event Cancelled

RBC Canadian Open – Matt Kuchar (24)                                                            Event Cancelled

John Deere Classic – Andrew Landry (228)                                                        Event Cancelled

Barbasol Championship – D.J. Trahan (331)                                                       Event Cancelled

The Open Championship – Rory McIlroy (2)                                                       Event Cancelled

Charles Schwab Challenge – Tony Finau (16)                                                     Finished T-23rd – $66,250

RBC Heritage – Patrick Cantlay (7)                                                                     Didn’t play – $0

Travelers Championship – Bryson DeChambeau (14)                                        Finished T-6th – $233,470
Rocket Mortgage Classic – Joaquin Niemann (58)                                             Didn’t play – $0
The Memorial Tournament – Justin Rose (8)                                                       Missed Cut –  $0

3M Open – Viktor Hovland (93)                                                                           Didn’t play – $0
WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational – Dustin Johnson (5)                                     Finished T-12th – $166,667
Barracuda Championship – Brendan Steele (404)                                              Finished T-53rd – $8,278

PGA Championship – Tiger Woods (6)                                                                Finished T-37th – $45,000

Wyndham Championship – Webb Simpson (11)                                                 Finished T-3rd – $312,400
The Northern Trust – Abraham Ancer (38)
BMW Championship – Justin Thomas (4)
Tour Championship – Xander Schauffele (9)

U.S. Open – Xander Schauffele (9)

Corales Puntacana Resort & Club – Kelly Kraft (250)

Masters – Brooks Koepka (1)                           

——————————————————————————————–

Look at each tournament on the PGA Tour in 2020

(each tournament heading has a link to events 8-year glance, each player name has a link to 8-year glance)

Sentry Tournament of Champions

Purse: $6.7 million
First Place: $1,340,000
Past Champions:
2019 – Xander Schauffele by a shot over Gary Woodland
2018 – Dustin Johnson by 6 shots over Jon Rahm
2017 – Justin Thomas by 3 shots over Hideki Matsuyama

The event has been played on the Plantation Course at the Kapalua Resort since 1999. It’s one of the easiest events to pick because the field is small and consists of winners from the previous 12 months. unfortunately, the biggest problem of this event is always the players who don’t make the trip to Maui, mostly Europeans who want to play in the Desert swing in the middle east, so we will no see Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose and Shane Lowry this year. On top of that Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson won’t make the trip so the field will be missing a lot of star power. A shame since Woods has won at Kapalua and McIlroy was T-4th last year. Maybe someone will change there mind but at this late date (December 23rd) it’s doubtful.
On the surface many think that the Plantation course is a bombers course, yes players can rear back and hit it hard not having to worry about missing fairways since the fairways are so large a 747 can land on them. But don’t look for the long hitters. Since Kapalua has the biggest greens on the PGA Tour, good putters are the ones that always do very well in this event. In the 20 years that have seen this event, the highest-ranking of number of putts of the winners is 4th, with nine of those winners leading that stat. If you want two keys for players, one is Proximity to Hole while the second key is making lots of putts inside ten feet. Considering the size of the greens, players are left with lots of putts in the 3 to 6-foot range for pars. One last item to watch is playing in high winds since Kapalua is on the side of a mountain overlooking the Pacific, it does get windy.
The big question for this week, do you take a marquee player in an event that doesn’t pay that well? In the past, I have taken marquee players and gotten burned. In 2018 I took Jordan Spieth, and he finished ninth which didn’t get me off to a great start. So last year i went a different direction in picking a rookie in Cameron Champ and that didn’t work either as he finished T-11th. I did it because in his fall events of 2019 he was 42nd in putting inside 10 feet and for 2019 had missed just 6 putts in 118 tries. But at Kapalua in 70 putts inside of 10 feet he missed 8 putts and of the 33 players in the field, he was T-27th in putting average which showed how wrong I was with him. So it’s back to the drawing board on my pick. Yes, it’s tempting to take a Xander Schauffele, Justin Thomas or a Dustin Johnson right off the bat but remember that the is a very low paying event and those players have a better chance of winning a $2 million dollar check instead of the $1.2 million given out this week. Still, it would be nice to pick a winner right off the bat. By now we have the field of the Sentry so be sure not to pick a player like Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose or Brooks Koepka who have qualified but won’t play.

Jon Rahm – could beat everyone in the field in 2018 except for the winner Dustin Johnson. Have to watch him after his win in Spain and Dubai in the fall, he could better this time around than his T-8th from last year.

Rickie Fowler – Has a great record in this event showing he has knocked on the door in every one of his starts. Just has to have a good putting week which is sometimes a problem.

Justin Thomas – Have to think he is the guy to win this year, but I am not going to waste him on a first-place check of $1.2 million.

Dustin Johnson – Always finds his way to get into contention, in his last seven Kapalua starts hasn’t been out of the top-ten and won twice.

Gary Woodland – He could be a very good longshot, not many will think of him but his putting is good and he does hit it far, the kind of things that work well at Kapalua

Patrick Reed – A guy that plays very well at Kapalua, the only problem it is hard to pull for him after what happened at the Hero’s Challenge.

Xander Schauffele – Think he is a great choice for this week, we have seen two others Geoff Ogilvy and Stuart Appleby contend their titles at Kapalua. But I want to save him for an event that has a bigger payout.

My Choice – Gary Woodland

 

Week #2

Sony Open in Hawaii

Purse: $6.6 million
First Place: $1,188,000
Past Champions:
2019 – Matt Kuchar by 4 shots over Andrew Putnam
2018 – Patton Kizzire beating James Hahn with a par on the sixth hole of a playoff
2017 – Justin Thomas by 7 shots over Justin Rose

The event has been played since 1965 on the same course. Accuracy means a lot this week; ball-striking also is the key on this old-style course. Drastic changes were made to course after 1998 making it harder for the pros. They turned two short and very easy par 5s (1 & 13) into very tough par 4s which help make the course very challenging. Looking for a key stat 16 of the last 18 winners has been in the top-12 in greens hit with nine of them in the top-five, last year’s winner Matt Kuchar led that stat.

Charles Howell III – Has ten top-tens and been under par 53 of 68 rounds. Makes sense of him playing well since he hits many greens, was 7th in that stat in 2019 on Tour. The only problem, he has never been considered a winner despite finishing runner-up twice.

Sebastian Munoz – A sneaky good pick considering that he was T-10th last year, does hit lot’s of greens but plays well on courses with Bermuda greens and yes he can handle windy conditions

Chez Reavie – Not many will consider him, yes he was T-3rd last year and T-8th in 2017 but what we like the best is that in the last five years he is 10.14 under the course average score with 18 of his 20 rounds under par and only one round over par.

Gary Woodland – Does hit lots of greens, was 14th in greens hit this year. Was in contention in three of his last five starts, has a career 68.00 scoring average at Waialae and in his last five starts at the Sony is 7.64 under par in score from the field average.

Justin Thomas – Again he is well suited and could win this week but we want to save him for a tournament that has better payouts

My Choice – Chez Reavie

 

Week #3
The American Express

Purse: $6.7 million
First Place: $1,206,000
Past Champions:
2019 – Adam Long by a shot over Phil Mickelson and Adam Hadwin
2018 – Jon Rahm beat Andrew Landry with a birdie on the fourth hole of a playoff
2017 – Hudson Swafford by a shot over Adam Hadwin

The event has gone through a lot of changes including this year as American Express takes over as the main sponsor of this event that for years was better to know as the Bob Hope Desert Classic. The big change came three years ago with a new home course along with another new course for the first three rounds. The key to playing well is making many birdies and eagles, so look for players who tend to do well in Par Breakers. Also, look for guys who have a good track record in playing desert golf courses. One disadvantage this event is being played the same week at Abu Dhabi on the European Tour and Singapore on the Asian Tour so some will play overseas. Already players like Brooks Koepka, Sergio Garcia and Bryson DeChambeau will be in Abu Dhabi.:

Jon Rahm – You got to think that he will win this event one year considering that he has made 52 birdies and an eagle over 144 holes. Many will question if he is a good enough player to hold for a higher paying event, I say he is as close to a sure thing you may just want to take him

Adam Hadwin – In 20 rounds has only been over par once, in those rounds is 96 under so yes he makes many birdies and eagles, 115 birds and 2 eagles. Since moving to TPC Stadium Course Hadwin has played the best of anyone.

Sungjae Im – Played for the first time last year and despite being inconsistent starting and ending with 71s, shot 65-64 in between to show he can do well, especially with his third-round 64 at the Stadium Course on Saturday

Phil Mickelson – Another person who does well in the Coachella Valley, he almost won this event in 2016 the first year it was at the Stadium course. Came within a putt of winning in 2019, so he can’t be ruled out this year.

Nate Lashley– Plays well on tough courses so we can see his game is well suited for Stadium course, in 8 career rounds has only been over par twice.

My Choice – Adam Hadwin

 

Week #4
Farmers Insurance Open

Purse: $7.5 million
First Place: $1,350,000
Past Champions:
2019 – Justin Rose by 2 shots over Adam Scott
2018 – Jason Day beat Alex Noren with a birdie on the sixth extra hole (Ryan Palmer was eliminated when he made par on the first extra hole)
2017 – Jon Rahm by 3 shots over Charles Howell III and C.T. Pan

The event has lost some of its luster over the years with some marquee players playing in the middle east, but for this year it’s up against Dubai that is the weaker of the desert swing events on the European Tour. Three rounds are played on the tough South Course with one on the easy North Course, a course that you have to go low to win. But with major changes to the North Course which had a severe facelift, the course played a lot tougher last 2 years. The South course also went under the knife since the event was last played on it, but the changes are considered minor, a new irrigation system and some bunkering changes on the 4th, 9th, 10th, 15 and 17th holes which will make them a degree harder. Luck still will play a factor in tee times since Torrey Pines are above the Pacific. So the weather can be different any time in the day, some could have calm conditions in the morning and then in the afternoon winds will make the course tougher. Hard to find a key for a winner, altogether, it takes good all-around playing to do well in this event but if you are going to look at one advantage that past winners have shown it’s the fact that of the last ten winners, seven of them have ranked in the top-14 in greens hit for the week.

Brandt Snedeker – Winner in 2012 and 2016 has had an impressive run between 2010 and 2017 were he won once and was runner-up twice, so he does play well on these courses. Was T-62nd last year and T-45th in 2018, health could have been a factor which is always a factor for him. So be careful and make sure that he is healthy.

Rory McIlroy – His game will be very well suited for these courses and will be the favorite. Again he could be a good pick if he wins, but he could better serve you in a big-money event like a WGC event or major.

Jon Rahm – Has shown that his game can produce a win on this course and you have to think that he can do it again. Still, he has struggled when the winds are up, but if the forecast is for great weather he could be a very good pick.

Tiger Woods – Owned this event between 1999 and 2013 winning it seven times. Between those years, only finished out of the top-ten once. I have to think that his game is now back to normal and he will be a favorite this week. I have no idea why his record has been so poor since his last win in 2013 but have to say it will get better this week.

Charles Howell III – Has always played well in this event, in 17 starts has made every cut with eight top-tens and three runner-ups including 2017.

Tony Finau – Has the length to do well in this event, has gotten better knowing the secrets of the two courses.

Jason Day – Nothing surprises anyone on his win in 2018, it seems he either plays great and contends or misses the cut. The big question will be his back and neck which of the first of the year we still don’t know the condition of. I would be very careful in picking him too early since we don’t know his health yet.

My Choice – Jon Rahm

 

Week 5
Waste Management Phoenix Open

Purse: $7.3 million
First Place: $1,314,000
Past Champions:
2019 – Rickie Fowler by 2 shots over Branden Grace
2018 – Gary Woodland beat Chez Reavie with a par on the first hole of a playoff
2017 – Hideki Matsuyama beat Webb Simpson with a birdie on the fourth extra playoff hole

Just like all desert courses, making lots of birdies is important. But making this course a bit special, it’s not a course for bombers; you need to show some shotmaking to play well. Putting is important on this course. With perfect greens means making lots of putts inside of ten feet, so looking for good putters to do well. But that isn’t the key to winning this event, hitting greens is the key when you see that of the last 11 winners of this event, nine of them have been in the top-ten in this stat with four of those winners leading that stat. So being sharp from the fairway is the key to success. One other thing to watch, players who have done well in past years at Phoenix-like Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed have taken big endorsement fees to play over in Saudi Arabia this week instead of playing in Phoenix, so don’t pick them:

Hideki Matsuyama – Has proven to be the best in this event, he is was 70 under par as he has broken par 20 of 21 rounds. Last year he finished T-15th with four consistent rounds as he finished T-2nd in greens hit. For 2020 he is 17th in greens hit and you just know he will play well this week.

Sungjae Im – Just another of his great performances of 2019, he did it on the strength of playing well on the par 5s and showing he can play well on any kind of course.

Xander Schauffele – In both of his starts he has not hit the ball that great from tee to great but still finished inside the top-20 to show that he could dominate this event if he hits the ball well.

Matt Kuchar – Has been 43 under par in his last four starts in this event, should of won last year but for a final round 75 in terrible weather.

Rickie Fowler – Loves playing in this event, won it last year in terrible weather and was runner-up in 2016 and 2010, was T-4th in 2017. Have to think he will be in the mix again

Jon Rahm – Was T-5th in his only start as an amateur in 2015, T-16th in 2017, T-11th in 2018 and T-10th last year, in all 16 of his rounds has only been over par once

My Choice – Hideki Matsuyama

 

Week 6
AT&T Pebble Beach

Purse: $7.8 million
First Place: $1,386,000
Past Champions:
2019 – Phil Mickelson by a shot over Paul Casey
2018 – Ted Potter by 3 shots over Phil Mickelson, Chez Reavie, Dustin Johnson and Jason Day
2017 – Jordan Spieth by 4 shots over Kelly Kraft

The AT&T Pebble Beach brings on some special problems; it takes a lot of patience to endure this week with amateur partners. Another problem is the luck of the draw; someone could be playing at Spyglass that is tree-lined on the back nine and may not get the brute of a heavy wind that some player’s encounter at Pebble Beach and Monterey Peninsula. For some that play in the late afternoon, the conditions of the greens get dicey, especially since Poa Annua greens get bumpy and hard to predict. So it takes a special breed of player to endure this. Stats are meaningless in this event, just have to pick someone that has a track record in this event. Every couple of years or so we have a underdog winner, in 2018 it was Ted Potter, Jr., in 2016 Vaughn Taylor, in 2011 D.A. Points. This year feels the same when you see that the favorites of years past Dustin Johnson, Jason Day and Brandt Snedeker have been injured and we don’t know how they will be, plus Phil Mickelson hasn’t played well since he last won here last year and even Jordan Spieth’s game is in turmoil, so this could be an underdog year:

Dustin Johnson – The man seems to own this place, in 12 starts, has been in the top-ten-eight times including two wins. But last year was dreadful, was T-45th at the AT&T and T-45th at the U.S. Open. With him hurt over the fall I wonder if he will be ready for this event.

Brandt Snedeker – Another player that has won twice at Pebble, but he missed the cut last year and his game has been off since the FedEx Cup playoffs

Jordan Spieth – Broke out and won in 2017, seems to like the event, so he will always be a favorite. But 2019 wasn’t very kind to him and since the AT&T win has been inconsistent in this event

Jason Day – Another man who seems to find a way to contend, he is 70 under in his 26 rounds in this event. Laws of average state he has to win this event one day but with his health up in the air it’s probably not going to be this year

Scott Stallings – Here is an off the wall pick, yes he seems to play well in this event and I don’t see any reason why he can’t continue that trend.

Paul Casey – Has found a liking to the Monterey Peninsula and this event, look for him to do well in it again.

Phil Mickelson – Is the Price of Pebble with five wins in this event. But have to wonder if we saw the sun set on Phil’s career last year, the big question does he have one or two more good starts left in him at Pebble?

My Choice – Scott Stallings

 

Week 7
Genesis Open

Purse: $9.3 million – Major increase of $1.9 million
First Place: $1,665,000
Past Champions:
2019 – J.B. Holmes by a shot over Justin Thomas
2018 – Bubba Watson by 2 shots over Kevin Na and Tony Finau
2017 – Dustin Johnson by 5 shots over Thomas Pieters and Scott Brown

In thinking about Riviera, the myth is that it’s this classic course for great ball-striking and precision driving. That’s not true, of the last 22 winners at Riviera, only five have finished in the top-25 in driving accuracy (Last year’s winner J.B. Holmes was T-59th). In greens hit in the last 22 years only eight winners have been in the top-five for the week while eight have been out of the top-ten (2019 champ J.B. Holmes was T-2nd in greens hit). The key to winning at Riviera is not ball-striking but making lots of putts. Since 2003, Riviera is always in the top-ten in most putts made from ten feet and in (led it in 2015, was 2nd in 2016, 7th in 2017, 4th in 2018 and 2nd last year). In that period, all those that have played at Riviera made 86.01% of those putts while the last 15 winners average making 88.12% of their putts from ten feet in. Last year Holmes was 10th making 89.71 (61 of 68) of the putts from ten feet in. One thing to think about, this year the Genesis is elevated and will be an invitational event with a field of just 120. Along with the new status, there will be a major increase in the purse size of $1.9 million bringing this event to a total purse of $9.3 million so it’s fair game to use anyone, the field will have a lot of marquee names in it.

Dustin Johnson – Seemed to own this place with his win in 2017, T-2nd in 2014 & ’15, T-3rd in 2010, 4th in 2012 & ’16 and T-9th last year.

Rory McIlroy – He really likes Riviera and knows he can win on the course.

Tiger Woods – This is the only PGA Tour event he has played in more than three times that he has never won. He is the host and would love to also win it, yes he can win, the big question will be if he can win this week?

Adam Scott – Five top-tens including a T-7th last year. Yes, he isn’t that great of a putter, but his tee to green game defeats the odds of doing well at Riviera.

Justin Thomas – Has learned how to play at Riviera, should have won last year but for a final round 75 which was probably a good learning experience for him.

Bubba Watson – One of three courses (Augusta and TPC River Highlands) which he seems to own and find a way to win on.

Paul Casey – Look for him to do well on this course that he was a runner-up on in 2015.

Jordan Spieth – His game is perfect for Riviera, and he has shown that he can play well on the course.

My Choice – Bubba Watson

 

Week 8
WGC-Mexico Championship

Purse: $10.5 million
First Place: $1,700,000
Past Champions:
2019 – Dustin Johnson by 5 shots over Rory McIlroy
2018 – Phil Mickelson beat Justin Thomas with a par on the first extra hole
2017 – Dustin Johnson by a shot over Tommy Fleetwood

In a big change, this event moved in 2017 from Doral to Mexico and the Club de Golf Chapultepec. The course did favor long hitters, but many were surprised to see a short hitter like Tommy Fleetwood, Ross Fisher, and Thomas Pieters do well. The course does demand players hitting lots of greens as winner Dustin Johnson led the field in greens hit last year. Also, look at players that dominate par 4s, In Johnson’s two wins he was 5 under in 2017 and 13 under last year, Phil Mickelson won in 2018 at 7 under. But the stat that is probably the most important is making the most putts inside ten feet, last year Club de Golf Chapultepec ranked 3rd on tour in this stat (was also 3rd in 2017, 8th in 2018).
No matter what any history from Doral is (site of this event from 2007 to ’16) it won’t help pick a winner for this week so just look at the last two years of history.

Dustin Johnson – Winner in 2017 and last year, great from tee to green and that could be good enough to win a third. Also, the course is similar to Riviera a venue he does well on.

Tiger Woods – This is a course that should be just perfect for him, he hits lots of greens and putts well.

Justin Thomas – Has shown that he can produce really low numbers on this course if he comes into this event on a roll could be very tough to beat.

Tommy Fleetwood – Was runner-up the first time he played it, the other times he just wasn’t playing well.

Rory McIlory – If he is putting well he is impossible to beat. Showed that last year, he will be dangerous in this event this year.

Sergio Garcia – Showed that his game can play well on this course finishing T-12th in 2017, T-7th in 2018 and T-6th last year

My Choice – Sergio Garcia

 

Week 7

Puerto Rico Open

Purse: $3 million
First Place: $540,000
Past Champions:
2019 – Martin Trainer by 3 shots over Aaron Baddeley, Johnson Wagner, and Roger Sloan
2018 – Cancelled due to Hurricane Maria damage
2017 – D.A Points by 2 shots over Bryson DeChambeau, Bill Lunde and Retief Goosen

Played opposite of the WGC-Mexico Championship, it’s important that you chose a player who won’t be in the top-75 of the world rankings. In 2018 the event couldn’t be played because of the damage to Puerto Rico’s infrastructure. There is no rhyme or reason to winning this event. Since it’s a second-tier event, it’s a combination of a PGA Tour and a Web.Com tour stop. So there are no real favorites because there are no true marquee players that you know of. One thing of the past winners, none of them achieved great success on the PGA Tour, so this is for many just a stepping stone to get full-time access to the PGA Tour. Still, it’s important to find the players with the best record in this event, even though two of the last three winners Martin Trainer last year and Tony Finau in 2016 won in their first try.

J.J. Henry – Has played well in his last two starts

Aaron Baddeley – Was runner-up last year, still has some good golf left in him and could win.

Scott Brown – Five top-tens including winning this in 2013, seems to always play well here with 23 of his 28 rounds being played under par. Was T-10th last year.

Nate Lashley – Played well in his only start last year, T-8th.

My Choice – Nate Lashley

 

Week 8

Honda Classic

Purse: $7.0 million
First Place: $1,260,000
Past Champions:
2019 – Keith Mitchell by a shot over Brooks Koepka and Rickie Fowler
2018 – Justin Thomas beat Luke List with a birdie on the first extra hole
2017 – Rickie Fowler by 4 shots over Gary Woodland and Morgan Hoffmann

At the Honda and PGA National, historically all the winners have some connection to playing well on Bermuda by either being born in Florida, South Africa, or Australia or having moved to the Southeast. Last year was no exception as St. Simons, Georgia resident Keith Mitchell won. Hitting greens is very important, since moving to PGA National in 2007 nine of the 15 winners and 13 of the 20 runner-ups at Champions were ranked in the top-ten in greens hit. Also, guys who have grown up and played fairways with thick Bermuda rough is important, the bottom line anyone who has roots outside the southeast United States shouldn’t expect to win. So in picking Tommy Fleetwood, I am going against conventional wisdom.

Justin Thomas – May of missed the cut in 2017 but still came around to win in 2018. Look for him to play well, he has a lot of knowledge of the course.

Sergio Garcia – Has done so well at PGA National he plays in the event each year so that tells us what he thinks his chances are.

Rickie Fowler – Has played the course better than anyone else in the last five years.

Gary Woodland -He is getting closer to being able to master PGA National.

Ryan Palmer – A regular in this event, has seen his share of good finishes including his T-4th last year.

Adam Scott – Makes sense his win in 2017, he does hit a lot of greens and has played well in this event.

My Choice – Rickie Fowler

 

Week 9
Arnold Palmer Invitational

Purse: $9.3 million
First Place: $1,665,000
Past Champions:
2019 – Francesco Molinari by 2 shots over Matthew Fitzpatrick
2018 – Rory McIlroy by 3 shots over Bryson DeChambeau
2017 – Marc Leishman by a shot over Charley Hoffman and Kevin Kisner

Making Bay Hill tough is the high Bermuda rough. In the stat “Rough Proximity,” over the last ten years, Bay Hill ranked 2nd last year, 3rd in 2018 and 4th in 2017. It was 1st in 2016, T6th in 2015, 3rd in 2014, 1st in 2013, 6th in 2012, 3rd in 2011 and 2nd in 2010. So what does this mean? There is a penalty for hitting drives into the rough. When you do it’s hard to get your ball close to the hole. So in looking for a player that does well at Bay Hill, you want to find one that not only hits lots of greens and close to the hole but players who can handle rough by getting the ball closer to the holes than others. There is no real rhyme or reason on who wins, since 1979, 13 of the winners either became first-time winners or had only won once before, just like Matt Every winning for the first time at Bay Hill in 2014 and then winning again in 2015. 2017 winner Marc Leishman claimed his second PGA Tour victory. Unfortunately with the change of schedule seeing it the week before the Tour Championship, it will be harder for the event to get a top-notch field.

Justin Rose – Makes sense that a U.S. Open champion would do well in this event, despite that it’s hard to explain what happened to him last year but he is looking for a comeback

Rory McIlroy – His game is very suited for Bay Hill as you can see he is 52 under in his 20 rounds played

Tiger Woods – Nobody own a course more than Tiger won in a span of 13 years won seven times, showed in 2018 that he can still play Bay Hill with a T-5th finish.

Francesco Molinari – Loves Bay Hill, has four top-tens in seven starts including a win, he is 51 under in his 28 rounds played

Henrik Stenson – Until he missed the cut in 2017 was the guy to beat as it seemed that his game got better each year he played Bay Hill. Between 2013 and 2016 he was T-8th, T-5th, T-3rd, and runner-up in 2015 so it seems as if he is destined to win here. Came close in 2018 finishing 4th, his fifth top-eight finish in his last six Bay Hill starts.

Kevin Chappell – He is very prolific in rough proximity, one of the reasons for being runner-up in 2016 and T-7th in 2018. Looking to bounce back from injury in 2019.

Marc Leishman – Past Champion in 2017, he finished T-23rd last year,

My Choice – Henrik Stenson

 

Week 10
The Players

Purse: $12.5 million – Increase of $1.5 million
First Place: $2,250,000
Past Champions:
2019 – Rory McIlroy by a shot over Jim Furyk
2018 – Webb Simpson by 4 shots over Xander Schauffele, Jimmy Walker and Charl Schwartzel
2017 – Si Woo Kim by 3 shots over Ian Poulter and Louis Oosthuizen
2016 – Jason Day by 4 shots over Kevin Chappell

With the move from May to March, the course now plays totally differently. We saw last year a course that is hard and fast; the winds blowing making things more challenging than the previous 12 Players when it took place in May. The most important stat for players who what to win, hitting greens. Going back to 2000, every winner but seven have been in the top-10 of greens hit as five have led (Sergio Garcia-2008, Stephen Ames-2006, Fred Funk-2005, Adam Scott-2004, Hal Sutton-2000). In 2012 Matt Kuchar was T3rd, hitting 53 of the 72 greens, in 2013 Tiger Woods was also T3rd hitting 55 of 72 greens. In 2014 Martin Kaymer also finished 3rd, hitting 54 of 72 greens, in 2015 Rickie Fowler ruined the momentum as he hit only 45 of 72 greens that ranked T-51st, the worst performance in greens hit for champions since 1997. In 2016 Jason Day also didn’t get into the top-ten as he only hit 52 of 72 greens, which ranked T-15th. The same in 2017 as SiWoo Kim hit 45 of 72 greens and ranked T-37th. In 2018 Webb Simpson hit 55 greens and ranked T-5th while last year Rory McIlroy hit 58 greens and ranked T-3rd. So after three poor years of hitting greens, Simpson turned things around in 2018. So with the move to March, it’s safe to pick players that hit greens, putt reasonably well and do well in high winds.

Tommy Fleetwood – Here is a guy that has been in the running to win this championship the last two years in a row. Has the game for it and if it blows will have a big advantage.

Adam Scott – Past champion, his great ball striking is an added plus for him on this course and puts him in position to make a run at things if his putter gets hot.

Rory McIlroy – He would struggle on this course and in the beginning not like playing it. But he has learned how to play it and now knows how to score on it, the reason for his win last year.

Xander Schauffele – Showed in 2018 that he knows what it takes to win at the Players, but in 2019 his game was not ready for prime time. I have to think he will snap out of it.

Tiger Woods – Has had mixed results in this event, but has won twice and shown over the weekend in 2018 when he shot 65-69 he still can play well on the course.

Henrik Stenson – Does hit lots of greens, showed it with his win in 2009. Yes, he missed the cut in 2019 but don’t let that bother you.

Jason Day – If he is healthy he is a force to reckon with on this course, his game is well suited.

My Choice – Tommy Fleetwood

 

Week 11
Valspar Championship

Purse: $6.9 million
First Place: $1,242,000
Past Champions:
2019 – Paul Casey by a shot over Jason Kokrak and Louis Oosthuizen
2018 – Paul Casey by a shot over Tiger Woods and Patrick Reed
2017 – Adam Hadwin by a shot over Patrick Cantlay

This event is one of the hidden gems on the PGA Tour. Accuracy is more of a premium at Copperhead than length; so don’t look for players to overpower it. Look at all Valspar champions; only long drivers were Gary Woodland in 2011 and Vijay Singh in 2004. Others like the last two-year winner Paul Casey were in the middle to bottom of the pack in average driving distance, so this is the one course that short hitters can do well on. The last ten winners have gone on to have great seasons as they have finished the year of their win inside the top-30 in FedEx Cup standings, a perfect example was 2015 winner Jordan Spieth went on to win two majors, win the FedEx Cup playoffs and ended the year the number one player of the year. Last year’s winner Paul Casey went on to finish 5th in FedEx Cup standings and won over 4.2 million dollars.

Paul Casey – Has taken a liking to this event winning the last two years.

Sungjae Im – Another of those 2019 events he played well in, showed a liking for the Copperhead course.

Webb Simpson – Plays well on tough courses, fits the mold of past winners. Webb was 2nd in 2011 and T-8th last year

Patrick Reed – Another that have found this event to his liking, did miss the cut last year but think of it as nothing more than a fluke

Henrik Stenson – Guy loves to play the Coppperhead course, yes missed the cut in 2018 and was T-24th last year but in three previous tries was T-11th, T-7th and 4th with a 70.28 average on the Copperhead course

Louis Oosthuizen– Has a knack for playing well in this event, was runner-up last year.

Jason Kokrak – Could be that one exception to the rule that says a long hitter can’t play well on this course, he was T-8th in 2018 and runner-up last year.

My Choice – Sungjae Im

 

Week 12
World Golf Championship Dell Match Play

Purse: $10.5 million
First Place: $1,890,000
Past Champions:
2019 – Kevin Kisner beat Matt Kuchar 3 & 2 in the finals
2018 – Bubba Watson beat Kevin Kisner 7 & 8 in the finals
2017 – Dustin Johnson beat Jon Rahm 1 up in the finals
2016 – Jason Day beat Louis Oosthuizen 5 & 4 in the finals

The event has drastically changed, four years ago it moved to Austin Country Club which seems to be a perfect course for Match Play. You have to position shots perfectly, it’s also a good test in risk and reward, a trait that makes the course wonderful for this format. No matter what, Match Play is a different format that eliminates a good portion of those that play on the PGA Tour, so look for those that have a good record in this event plus play well in the Ryder and Presidents Cup. One last piece of advice in making a peak, don’t take a really big, marquee name this week because there are so many things that could go wrong and frustrate you and your pick:

Dustin Johnson – He was always a great pick in this event but has struggled the last two years.

Paul Casey – Good track record in match play makes him one of our favorites.

Jason Day – Was great in this event, till it moved to Austin. Maybe the course isn’t right for him, but his match play record is good and maybe he can turn it around, but still may not be a good pick.

Tiger Woods – Have to say there is no one better that I would like to have than Tiger Woods.

Rory McIlory – Can’t go wrong with this past champion, but he has struggled since this event moved to Austin.

Charles Howell III– Does win matches, but he probably is not the person to go all the way.

Louis Oosthuizen – Has been good five of the previous six years, has been beaten by Jason Day twice in Day’s two wins.

Jon Rahm – Showed a lot with his runner-up finish in 2017 but was a real stinker last year and in 2018. So it’s a toss-up, maybe it’s the course, maybe it’s the time it was played but on paper, he should be good.

My Choice – Louis Oosthuizen

 

Week 12

Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship

As a Web.Com Tour event
Purse: $3 million
First Place: $540,000
Past Champions:
2019 – Graeme McDowell by a shot over Chris Stroud and Mackenzie Hughes
2018 – Brice Garnett by 4 shots over Keith Mitchell

A new event played opposite the Match Play; it’s important that you chose a player who won’t be in the top-64 of the world rankings. It is a new event at the PGA Tour, played on the Puntacana Resort & Club a Tom Fazio course that opened in 2010. In 2018 Brice Garnett won with Keith Mitchell finishing 2nd, Kelly Kraft 3rd, and Denny McCarthy 4th. Last year Graeme McDowell won with Chris Stroud and Mackenzie Hughes finishes 2nd. The good news, in 2016 and ’17 the event was a Web.Com Tour event, so we have plenty of information on how players have done on it. Since it’s a second-tier event many of those that played in that event will be in the field. The one thing that you can bank on, lots of birdies and eagles is needed to play well, in 2016 Dominic Bozzelli was 4 under in his win, in 2018 Nate Lashley won at 20 under par. The course has several holes that play along the Caribbean Sea

Sam Ryder – Didn’t play last year but played all three events and was in the top-12 all twice. Was T-2nd in 2016 and T-12th in 2017, unfortunately, missed the cut last year on the PGA Tour. Still, he is a good choice.

Tyler Duncan – Played great in 2017 finishing T-3rd, was T-33rd in 2016 but missed the cut last year on the PGA Tour.

Kelly Kraft – Great track record finishing T-5th last year and 3rd in 2018.

Brice Garnett – Won in 2018, was T-39th last year

Denny McCarthy – Was 4th in 2018 and T-26th last year.

My Choice – Kelly Kraft

 

Week 13
Valero Texas Open

Purse: $7.7 million
First Place: $1,386,000
Past Champions:
2019 – Corey Conners by 2 shots over Charley Hoffman
2018 – Andrew Lauded by shots over Sean O’Hair and Trey Mullinax
2017 – Kevin Chappell by a shot over Brooks Koepka

Since TPC San Antonio joined the PGA Tour in 2010, it had never been out of the top-20 of toughest courses on tour until last year when it ranked 28th with a 71.24 scoring average. A combination of wet conditions which made the greens soft and no wind created perfect scoring conditions that brought the scores way down. In the past the reason that TPC San Antonio is so hard is getting it on the greens, in 2015 the course had the 2nd hardest greens to hit on the PGA Tour as only 51.73% of them were hit. That has been the norm of the course, in its nine years on the PGA Tour the course has never been above 15th ranked in greens hit (last year, ranked 13th at 62.63%). Now the key for winning will be hitting greens since 2012 only two winners have been ranked over 7th in greens hit while four of the eight winners including last years champion Corey Conners led in greens hit. So look for those that hit lots and lots of greens.

Charley Hoffman – In 14 starts had only had three finishes higher than T-13th, 2017 when he was T-40th and last year when he was T-64th. Won in 2016 and was runnerup in 2011 and last year. Finished T-3rd in 2014. He has played in every event played at TPC San Antonio and in 40 rounds is 57 under, the best of anyone that has played on this course.

Joaquin Niemann – Was 6th in 2018, is 43rd in hitting greens after the fall swing in 2020.

Kevin Streelman – The man was 15th in greens hit in 2019 and finished 6th in 2019 and T-8th in 2018 at TPC San Antonio

Corey Conners – Have to think since he is so good at hitting greens (led the stat in 2019) that he will play well in 2020.

Billy Horschel – Has a pair of third-place finishes in the last six years, was T-4th in 2016 and T-11th last year.

Jimmy Walker – Finished 4th in 2018, T-4th in 2015, T-2nd in 2014 and T-7th in 2013. Won in 2015 he is healthy again and this is a good place for him.

My Choice – Charley Hoffman

 

Week 14

Masters

Purse: $11.5 million (last year)
First Place: $2,070,000 (last year)
Past Champions:
2019 – Tiger Woods by a shot over Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Xander Schauffele
2018 – Patrick Reed by a shot over Rickie Fowler
2017 – Sergio Garcia beat Justin Rose with a birdie on the first extra hole
2016 – Danny Willett by 3 shots over Jordan Spieth and Lee Westwood
2015 – Jordan Spieth by 4 shots over Phil Mickelson and Justin Rose

There are a few things that all winners at the Masters have in common. First, its precise ball striking, like a Ben Hogan, length and power like Tiger Woods, deft touch with a putter on the steeply contoured greens like a Ben Crenshaw and the mind and wisdom of a Jack Nicklaus. All these are what it takes to win the Masters. The key stat of all the Champions of the Masters since 1995 is hitting greens. Of those 22 Champions since, only four were not in the top-ten in hitting greens, while seven of them have led that stat. Last year Tiger was one of the seven that led the greens hit category.

Jordan Spieth – Can’t go wrong, in his six starts has won, finished runner-up twice, 3rd and T-11th once. Last year was his worst finish at T-21st just have to wonder if he can bounce back this year? Remember this, in his score to par versus the field, is 21.14 under par which is the best of anyone showing he has played the best of anyone since 2015 at the Masters.

Dustin Johnson – Plays well at Riviera which is always a barometer for playing well at Augusta, was runner-up last year. He has the game to play well at Augusta, just hasn’t put together all of the right elements at the right time.

Tiger Woods – If there is a major for him to win it’s probably this one. He will be ready to win it again

Rory McIlroy – Has the game to win at the Masters, but can he endure the pressure of this being the one major he hasn’t won? He is probably with Jordan Spieth the most consistent players.

Tony Finau – Showed a lot in his first two Masters finishing T-10th in 2018 and T-5th last year.

Brooks Koepka – He has played in four Masters and improved on every outing. Was runner-up last year and showed that he has the game to win the Masters.

Jon Rahm – Has played in three Masters, since his first-round 75 in his second Masters in 2018 has played his next seven Masters rounds in 18 under par..

My Choice – Brooks Koepka

 

Week 15
RBC Heritage

Purse: $7.1 million
First Place: $1,278,000
Past Champions:
2019 – C.T. Pan by a shot over Matt Kuchar
2018 – Satosi Kodaira beat Si Woo Kim with a birdie on the third extra hole
2017 – Wesley Bryan by a shot over Luke Donald

Harbour Town is one of the best courses in America; it’s a totally different experience in which ball placement is utmost overpower. Hitting it hard and far doesn’t work at this venue so look for a precision player to win. Scrambling is also a very important element in winning, last year of the 49 courses with stats Harbour Town was 8th in players scrambling the best on meaning that it’s easy to get up and down at Harbour Town.

Ian Poulter – Has performed very well on this course of late, finished T-10th last year and T-7th in 2018.

Shane Lowry – Was T-3rd last year showing his game is suited for Harbor Town.

Bryson DeChambeau – Has been like a yo-yo, was T-4th in 2016, missed cut in 2017 and was T-3rd in 2018 and missed the cut last year. His game is perfect for Harbour Town, every other year so look for him to do very well this year

Webb Simpson – Guy has been good in this event with a 2nd in 2013 and T-5th 2018.

Patrick Cantlay – Showed that he is the best on this course as he is 30 under par in his 12 rounds at Harbour Town. His precision ball-striking has rewarded him with his T-3rd finish in 2017, T-7th in 2018 and T-3rd last year, he is a player that can’t be beaten on this course.

Matt Kuchar – Another guy you can’t go wrong with, in the last 6 starts has been in the top-11, five times including a win in 2014 and runner-up last year.

My Choice – Patrick Cantlay

 

Week 16

Zurich Open in New Orleans

Since the format is a team affair this won’t be counted in pick your pro

Week 17

Wells Fargo Championship

Purse: $8.1 million
First Place: $1,458,000
Past Champions:
2019 – Max Homa by 3 shots over Joel Dahmen
2018 – Jason Day by 2 shots over Nick Watney and Aaron Wise
2017 – Brian Harman by a shot over Dustin Johnson and Pat Perez (held at Eagle Point Golf Club, Wilmington N.C.)
2016 – James Hahn beat Roberto Castro with a birdie on the first extra hole
2015 – Rory McIlroy by 7 shots over Webb Simpson and Patrick Rodgers

Wells Fargo returned to Quail Hollow in 2018 after it hosted the 2017 PGA Championship. The course reverted to its PGA Tour numbers as a par 71 as the course was tougher than previous Wells Fargo.
The fairways at Quail Hollow are hard to hit (8th hardest last year, 10th hardest in 2018 it was 6th hardest on tour in 2016, 3rd the year before and no higher than 8th last 15 years) but it’s been hard getting it close to the hole on shots into the green. In 2017 at the PGA Championship, the proximity to the hole was 44 feet, 3 inches making it the hardest course on tour in getting it close. Last year it was the 2nd hardest at 41 feet; 7 inches so this stat is the norm for Quail Hollow. It was 3rd in 2018 1st in 2016, 6th in 2015, 2nd in 2014 & 2013, 3rd in 2012 and 1st in 2011 & ’10. So looking for a good choice look for those that lead the strokes gained from tee to green category.

Justin Thomas – Won the PGA in 2017 but still has struggled on the course in the Wells Fargo. Last year didn’t play because of his injury and he finished T-21st in 2018, hopefully, he will improve on that this year.

Phil Mickelson – This event is one of his favorites after not playing the first year has been to it every year since and in 16 starts has only been out of the top-ten, six times. Surprisingly he has a runner-up finish, a pair of 3rd and 4th place finishes but still hasn’t won, you would think that this is one Phil would love to win. The only problem, Phil broke his streak of playing great in this event last year by missing the cut for the first time.

Rory McIlory – Has always played well at Quail Hollow, but that didn’t work for him at the PGA Championship in 2017. But he snapped back last year when he finished T-8th. Think he will be back to normal and in control again.

Rickie Fowler – Has good history at Quail Hollow including a win in 2012, was T-5th in 2017 at the PGA Championship and T-4th last year.

Paul Casey – His type of course, he played good at the PGA Championship in 2017 finishing T-13th. Since then was T-5th in 2018 and T-4th last year.

Jason Day – Won in 2018 after a six-year absence, was T-9th at the PGA Championship.

My Choice – Paul Casey

 

Week 18

AT&T Byron Nelson Championship

Purse: $8.1 million
First Place: $1,458,000
Past Champions:
2019 – Sung Kang by 2 shots over Scott Piercy and Matt Every
2018 – Aaron Wish by 3 shots over Marc Leishman
2017 – Billy Horschel beat Jason Day with a par on the first extra hole (last Nelson held at TPC Las Colinas)

The move to the new Trinity Forest was a success, but like every other move to a new course, a rookie winner won Aaron Wise.
The course, built on an old garbage dump, resembles a links-style course with dramatic features making it like an old Northeast style course. The land is flat and looks like a rolling meadow that has tall native grasses and big bunkering and green complexes. After two years the one thing, the buzz from the players was good so look for better attendance from more marquee players. We don’t know whom this course favors; no one stat stuck out as the course ranked 50th in greens hit which means that the big greens were easily accessible. But, Proximity to the hole the course ranked 1st last year and 6th in 2018 showing the hardest the greens are to maneuver and get it close. Some felt the course had many features of the Plantation Course at Kapalua, with the exception that Trinity Forest is flat while Kapalua moves up and downhills. One thing with Sung Kang and Aaron Wise winning for the first time it continues the Byron Nelson tradition in which a non-winner picked up his first win in Dallas. So again, don’t be surprised by an underdog winner this year.

Scott Piercy – Showed last year that he can play, he finished 2019 9th in Greens hit and 57th in proximity to hole.

Matt Jones – Played good in both years at Trinity Forest, T-13th in 2018 and T-6th last year

Marc Leishman – A PGA Tour winner that showed some good play at Trinity Forest, he finished 2nd and continued his good play in this event. The only problem he hurt his back prior to last year’s Nelson and had to withdraw just before the event.

Jimmy Walker – Showed that he has a liking to Trinity Forest finishing T-6th in 2018, did miss the cut last year

Brooks Koepka – Was able to warm up for the PGA last year with a 4th place finish, the course is perfect for him a lot like his U.S. Open wins at Erin Hills and Shinnecock.

My Choice – Marc Leishman

 

Week 19
PGA Championship

Purse: $11 million
First Place: $1,980,000
Past Champions:
2019 – Brooks Koepka by 2 shots over Dustin Johnson (Held at Bethpage Black, Farmingdale, N.Y)
2018 – Brooks Koepka by 2 shots over Tiger Woods (Held at Bellerive C.C., St. Louis, Mo.)
2017 – Justin Thomas by 2 shots over Francesco Molinari, Patrick Reed and Louis Oosthuizen (Held at Quail Hollow Club, Charlotte, N.C.)
2016 – Jimmy Walker by a shot over Jason Day (Held at Baltusrol G.C., Springfield, N.J.)
2015 – Jason Day by 3 shots over Jordan Spieth (Held at Whistling Straits, Haven, Wi.)

The PGA goes to Harding Park, a course outside San Francisco; this course held the WGC-Dell Match Play Championship in 2015, the Presidents Cup in 2009 and the WGC-CA Championship in 2005. Harding Park is a gem of a public course, one that had a storied past in San Francisco history holding several PGA Tour events in the 60s plus a lot of local championships. For years Harding Park was called one of the most demanding and underrated courses around since it first opened in 1925. But in the 70s with money crunches in California Harding Park became neglected. The gem of public golf became a weed-infested haven and if former USGA president Sandy Tatum didn’t step in with a helping hand the course would have been forgotten. Tatum remembered the way the course was in the 50s and 60s, he played in numerous city championships held at the course and championed its revival. He got corporate backing and with the help of the PGA Tour promising to bring championships to the course, a $16 million renovation took place in 2002.
The key to playing well on the course is driving well. The rough will be thick and for those players that hit it right or left of the rough, they wouldn’t get away with it because the fairways are lined with lots of trees. Harding Park is located less than a mile from the Pacific Ocean and over the course of the five days don’t be surprised to see all four seasons during the week. Morning fog will greet early morning players, with the sun breaking through at about noon. On really sunny days, the wind will pop up just after lunch, thus bringing back the fog. As for poor weather there aren’t any storms in the Pacific which means dry conditions for the championship. Still, it takes a different breed of player to control the changes that is experienced playing near the ocean in May. Some will think that the course is short, yes 7,169 yards is short under today’s standards but remember the area of the country the course is in. With fog coming in most evenings the course is very lush and the players will see very little roll. So, of course a straight driver will have an advantage over a long hitter this week.
The biggest rap against Harding Park is the greens, they are very flat with no undulations. What that means is that the good ball strikers that don’t putt very well will have a big advantage this week. Adam Scott is a perfect type of player, great ball striker but poor putter. If you were to look at the players leading in greens hit that aren’t supreme putters, six names jump off the page that could do well this week, Tony Finau, Sergio Garcia, Webb Simpson, Marc Leishman, Henrik Stenson, and Danny Willett. So hitting lots of green will be a must as putting will be a lot easier this week. Look for a lot of ten to fifteen footers to be made. One last thing on the greens, they will be advertised as creeping bentgrass but it’s nearly impossible for any course by the sea in California not to have some Poa in the greens and for any greens that have Poa Annua in them it gives players from California an advantage.

Brooks Koepka – If it’s a major you know that Koepka will do well on. Have to wonder if this is a good one to take a pass on him, he seems to struggle on Poa greens and I just don’t think the course favors his style of play

Gary Woodland – This place could hold some of the same characteristics that Pebble had last year for the U.S. Open, he may be good for this week.

Rory McIlroy – Have to think that he will have a field day on this course, great from tee to green and he has won on this course winning the Match Play in 2015.

Webb Simpson – He won the U.S. Open up the road at Olympic Club, he could do the same at Harding Park.

Sergio Garcia – Golf Course should be well suited for his game, the greens will also benefit him.

Dustin Johnson – Have to think that he will be good on a course in which you have to drive the ball straight. He also should be good on these greens, look for him to contend.

Hideki Matsuyama – Always good on shotmaker type of courses.

Danny Willett – He could be a very good sleeper pick, he played well on this course in the match play in 2015, he could do very well on a course like this

Tiger Woods – Who could forget who won the 2005 WGC-American Express at Harding Park? It was Tiger Woods beating John Daly in a playoff. I can see Tiger having another good week.

My Choice – Tiger Woods

 

Week 20
Charles Schwab Challenge

Purse: $7.5 million
First Place: $1,350,000
Past Champions:
2019 – Kevin Na by 4 shots over Tony Finau
2018 – Justin Rose by 3 shots over Brooks Koepka
2017 – Kevin Kisner by a shot over Jordan Spieth, Jon Rahm and Sean O’Hair

Colonial Country Club is a relic of a bygone era. Accuracy off the tee, precision iron play, and scrambling prowess are keys to success. The most important stat, total driving since the course has doglegs on 12 of the 14 driving holes, ones in which drivers just don’t work. Good putters always seem to do well. So you can see this is also a course that short hitters do well on. Greens hit has been important the last three years as Kevin Kisner was 2nd in that stat when he won in 2017 while Justin Rose and Kevin Na were first when they won in 2018 and last year.

Jordan Spieth – Not surprising that he won in 2016 and was runner-up in 2016 & ’17, his putting plays a big part in this event. He could win two, three who knows four more titles at Colonial, mostly because he doesn’t have to drive the ball well to win at Colonial. If there is an event that Spieth can still win on it’s this event.

Jon Rahm – Was 10th in strokes gained Tee-to-Green last year so Colonial is perfect for him. He was T-2nd in 2017 and T-5th last year and then missed the cut last year. Who knows what happened, possibly got screwed up playing the week before at Bethpage were he also missed the cut but I don’t see that happening this year.

Kevin Na – His game is perfect for Colonial due to hitting fairways, hitting greens and putting ok. If he is in the groove like he was last year, this is a tough place for him not to win on.

Tony Finau – Guy is perfect for this course, he showed it with his runner-up finish last year He was 1st in strokes gained Tee-to-Green in the fall swing of 2020 and 21st in 2019.

Kevin Tway – The guy is best on courses like this, he could put things together

Brooks Koepka – Course is perfect for him as he showed it with his runner-up finish in 2018, the only question mark will he play in 2020?.

My Choice – Tony Finau

 

Week 21
Rocket Mortgage Classic

Purse: $7.5 million
First Place: $1,350,000
Past Champions:
2019 – Nate Lashley by 6 shots over Doc Redman

The first year of the Rocket Mortgage was a big success, Detroit Golf club turned out to be a great venue for the PGA Tour and created a challenging week. The only sad thing the field was weak and with it moving in between Colonial and Memorial and in between the PGA Championship and the U.S. Open the field won’t be any better. So for those that have to make your picks in January, it’s going to be very tough, my best advice will be to see who has done the best in the fall events and played well last year at the Rocket Mortgage. For those picking the week of the tournament, it will be a easier picking because you will be able to take some young guns that have played well and will continue to play well In looking through the stats from last year the one thing that sticks out is that the top players don’t hit the ball far, so Detroit Golf Club favors short hitters. We also saw players at the top that putted well during the week and played the par 5s low.
In looking at those that played well in the fall and also did well last year at the Rocket Mortgage, some of the players that stick out are Sungjae Im who finished T-21st last year, Joaquin Niemann who finished T-5th, Cameron Champ who finished T-46th and Byeong Hun An who finished T-13th

My Choice – Joaquin Niemann

 

Week 22
Memorial Tournament

Purse: $9.3 million
First Place: $1,674,000
Past Champions:
2019 – Patrick Cantlay by 2 shots over Adam Scott
2017 – Bryson DeChambeau beat Byeong Hun An with a birdie on the second extra hole (Kyle Stanley was eliminated when he made par on the first extra hole)
2018 – Jason Dufner by 3 shots over Rickie Fowler and Anirban Lahiri

Muirfield Village has the same characteristics seen on most U.S. Open courses. It’s PGA Tour folklore that Muirfield Village could hold a U.S. Open any time of the year. It has the length, tight, tree-lined fairways with three-inch plus rough and fast undulating greens. So it’s not surprising that of it’s 33 different champions, 16 have won 67 major championships. In looking at all of the stats the one that really sticks out and says if your not good at this you just can’t win is hitting greens. Of the 23 winners since 1997, 11 of them have finished in the top-five of the greens hit but more impressive of the 23 only three of them have been ranked higher than 22. So look for those that hit lots of greens.

Hideki Matsuyama – A perfect place for him, yes he missed the cut in 2016 and was T-45th in 2017 but bounce back since to finish T-13th in 2018 and 6th last year.

Justin Rose – Has a very inconsistent record in this event, but the bottom line is he should content every time he plays in it, he has been in the top-10 in 7 of his 13 starts including a win in 2010

Justin Thomas – Showed a linking to this event by finishing T-4th in 2017 and T-6th in 2018 but missed the cut last year with his injured wrist. Think this event will be good for him.

Rory McIlroy – If playing at his best, nobody else has a chance in this event. Yes, he missed the cut last year but what did he do the next week? He won in Canada, you never know with him.

Marc Leishman – Has played a lot in this event with mixed results, but he did finish T-5th in 2015 and 5th last year so he is someone that could do well and win here.

Tiger Woods – Remember he has won this event five times.

Patrick Cantlay – Showed how well he can play Memorial by winning last year and finishing 4th the year before. In both of those events, he was 33 under par.

My Choice – Justin Rose

 

Week 23

RBC Canadian Open

Purse: $7.8 million
First Place: $1,404,000
Past Champions:
2019 – Rory McIlroy by 7 shots over Webb Simpson and Shane Lowry (Held at Hamilton Golf & C.C., Hamilton, Ontario, Canada)
2018 – Dustin Johnson by 3 shots over Byeong Hun An and Whee Kim (Held at Glen Abbey G.C., Oakville, Ontario, Canada)
2017 – Jhonattan Vegas beat Charley Hoffman with a birdie on the first extra hole (Held at Glen Abbey G.C., Oakville, Ontario, Canada)
2016 – Jhonattan Vegas by a shot over Dustin Johnson, Jon Rahm and Martin Laird (Held at Glen Abbey G.C., Oakville, Ontario, Canada)
2015 – Jason Day by a shot over Bubba Watson (Held at Glen Abbey G.C., Oakville, Ontario, Canada)

After an impressive run at Glen Abbey, the event moved last year to Hamilton for the first time since 2012 with Rory McIlroy winning. This year it moves about 35 miles north-east to St. George’s G&CC. One of the hidden gems of Canadian golf, it was designed by Stanley Thompson and opened in 1929 as a public golf course owned by the Canadian Pacific Railways hotel. It was originally called the Royal York Golf Club and was a weekend retreat for clients of the Royal York Hotel. In 1946 it left the Royal York connection behind and was renamed St. George’s Golf and Country Club. The club is consistently rated in the top three in Canada and the top 100 in the world, a fact which generates a great deal of pride among St. George’s members. Despite all of that, the club has only hosted five Canadian Opens, the last in 2010 when Carl Pettersson won and before that 42 years before in 1968 when Bob Charles waged a mano-a-mano battle with Jack Nicklaus, beating him by two shots in one of the classic tales of how great putting can win over a great tee to green game. For Nicklaus it would be his second of nine runner-up finishes in one of the only tournaments that Jack never won.
So if the course is so great why has only two Canadian Opens been played on it in 52 years? Just like with Riviera Country Club, site of the Genesis Invitational, it’s in a neighborhood in which the neighbors don’t really want the event and all of the road closers. Also a problem is the property doesn’t have much room and a lot of hospitality tents and such are off grounds on one of the major roads for the area. With those main roads closed, buses and traffic are being rerouted causing some problems. Lastly, the course doesn’t have a suitable range for practice so players have to use a field off grounds and transport players back and forth, another hassle.
The course will play to a par 70 and will be at 7,046 yards. The course is very old fashion, with mature trees lining the sloping fairways as undulating greens demand precise iron shots. It’s on rolling terrain and Thompson laid the holes out through valleys. One of the main characteristics of the course is the bunkers, 103 of them that are not only tough to play from, but many of them give you a challenge of playing down to the greens, because the sand is higher than the greens, making the shot even tougher the greens slope away from the bunkers making it hard to stop them. So the course will hold a lot of challenges and will be a great prelude to the U.S. Open the following week. In looking at the stats from the 2010 Canadian Open played at St. George’s there is no real Rhyme or Reason that will help point out a key for this year’s affair. But it’s best to choose a player that will be good from tee to green.

Rory McIlroy– Surprised a lot of people with his play last year at Hamilton, he should do just as well at St. George’s as he gets ready for Winged Foot.

Matt Kuchar – Played well when the Canadian Open was played at St. George’s in 2010 finishing T-4th, he is always good at these events before big events and I can see him doing very well.

Charley Hoffman – He also finished T-4th at St. George’s in 2010. He will be looking for some good vibes since his game has digressed of late.

Tony Finau -He will be perfect for St. George’s, he was first in Strokes Gained Tee-to-Green in the fall of 2020 and will be in contention.

Joaquin Niemann -Don’t think that just because of a new course it means that Joaquin will not do well this year..

Keegan Bradley – He won the BMW at Aronimink which is a course similar to St. George’s and has done well in the Canadian Open.

Brooks Koepka – St. George’s will be a great place for Brooks to get ready for Winged Foot.

Dustin Johnson – The question for Dustin is if he can play just as well at St. George’s as he did at Glen Abbey.

Byeong Hun An – An’s game is well suited for St. George’s.

My Choice – Matt Kuchar

 

Week 24
U.S. Open

Purse: $12.5 million
First Place: $2,250,000
Past Champions:
2019 – Gary Woodland by 4 shots over Brooks Koepka (Held at Pebble Beach Golf Links, Pebble Beach, Ca.)
2018 – Brooks Koepka by a shot over Tommy Fleetwood (Held at Shinnecock Hills G.C., Southampton, N.Y.)
2017 – Brooks Koepka by 4 shots over Hideki Matsuyama and Brian Harman (Held at Erin Hills, Erin, Wi.)
2016 – Dustin Johnson by 3 shots over Jim Furyk, Scott Piercy and Shane Lowry (Held at Oakmont C.C., Oakmont, Pa.)
2015 – Jordan Spieth by a shot over Dustin Johnson and Louis Oosthuizen (Held at Chambers Bay, University Place, Wa.)

The Open goes to another iconic course Winged Foot just outside of New York City. The lore of the course is that it’s been one of the toughest courses that the USGA uses to hold the U.S. Open on it. In the previous five Open’s held at Winged Foot only two players have broken par for 72 holes, Fuzzy Zoeller and Greg Norman in 1984. During the U.S. Open in 1974, the course was so hard sportscaster Dick Schaap nicknamed it “The Massacre at Winged Foot” and a book under that title came out just afterward. Hale Irwin 7 over par score is the second-highest winning score in relation to par of any U.S. Open after World War II. When the Open returned in 2006 Geoff Ogilvy was the surprise winner at 5 over par when he won by a shot over Jim Furyk who made bogey on the final hole, then watch Phil Mickelson and Colin Montgomerie make double bogey on 18 to fall a shot back of Ogilvy.
The course
In 1923 several members of the New York Athletic Club got together and formed the Winged Foot Golf Club. 280 acres of land in Mamaroneck, N.Y. was purchased and they approached Albert Warren Tillinghast with the idea to “Give us a man-sized course.” Tillinghast, who was already famous for his design of Baltusrol built not one, but two “man-size courses.” The West course has been used in five U.S. Open Championships, the 1997 PGA Championships, the 1940 and 2014 Amateur and the 1949 Walker Cup, while the East course has held two Women’s Open and a Senior Open.
Many believe that its East Course is as demanding as it sister course. Originally, there was talk that the 1929 Open would be played on the East Course, but was finally scheduled on the West Course when three holes on the East did not seem to be rounding into top condition fast enough.
Winged Foot has employed illustrious professionals. Craig Wood was the head professional when he won the Masters and U.S. Open in 1941. His successor, Claude Harmon won the Masters in 1948. From Harmon’s pro shop came a list of youthful assistants, Masters champion Jackie Burke, PGA Champions Dave Marr and Jay Hebert and touring pros, Shelley Mayfield, Al Mengert and Mike Souchak. Also from the club was Dick Mayer, the Open champion of 1957 who played his amateur golf at Winged Foot. And last but not least, Tommy Armour was a fixture at Winged Foot until he died.
Of all the holes in the world, the West Course 10th may be one of the best known. A par three of 190 yards, Tillinghast considered it the finest par three he had ever built. The green is well guarded by bunkers and the green is tilted from back to front. A putt from the back of the green to the front has to been done with care or a three-putt likely. In the 1959 Open, Billy Casper won because of his splendid putting. In the course of the 72 holes, he only three-putted once, and that was on the 10th.
Myth has the magical “Mulligan” emerging at Winged Foot. It seems that an Irishman by the name of David Mulligan joined the club in 1937. Mulligan was always remembered as a notoriously slow starter and it always seemed that he would hit a poor opening drive at the first hole and reload a second ball. The story is that his friends labeled the second shot a “Mulligan”.
The course is tree-lined and is tree-lined. The fairways will be tight and the rough will be shall we say, rough. The greens are very hard to hit and have lots of undulations in them. We always talk about how many golf courses are tough for all players but professionals seem to be able to master them, Winged Foot is one of those exceptions. The course is downright tough and will take a special performance by a special player to win. The winner will be able to hit lot’s of fairways and avoid the heavy Winged Foot rough. He will also be able to hit a good amount of greens and the ones that he misses, he needs to do it on the right place to have the easier chip or pitch to the hole. He will also have to be a good putter, especially from ten feet and under. The player that makes the most of these putts will win.

Brooks Koepka – He has won U.S. Opens on links courses at Erin Hills and Shinnecock Hills. He came close at Pebble Beach finishing 2nd. The question will be if he can win on a tough course like Winged Foot? He played great at Merion, but that isn’t like Winged Foot. So for many the big question will be can Koepka prove himself on a really tough, tree line course like Winged Foot.

Tiger Woods – Another player that plays well on a shotmaking courses. But Winged Foot may be too much for him, he was T-29th at the 1997 PGA Championship and missed the cut at the 2006 U.S. Open. I worry that this may not be a great venue for Tiger.

Justin Thomas – He was able to play well at Oakmont which in a way offers the same challenges that Winged Foot does, he has the game to do very well this week.

Xander Schauffele – Has had a good run at the Open in the three he has played in, he has proven he can do well on a Winged Foot type of course with his Tour Championship win at East Lake.

Tony Finau – He is good from tee to green and should be a big surprise at Winged Foot

Rickie Fowler – He seems to play the best on courses you least expect him to play well on.

Dustin Johnson – His game is so perfect for Pebble and if he can putt halfway decent their is nobody better to win this event than Johnson. Looking back at 2010 he should of won it, hard to believe that he shot 82 and still finished T-6th.

Rory McIlroy – Course has a lot of the same characteristics of Congressional Country Club, site of his 2011 U.S. Open victory. Think he will do very well at Winged Foot

Patrick Cantlay – This is the type of course that could be perfect for his game.

Justin Rose – He is good on tough, tight courses like Winged Foot.

My Choice – Xander Schauffele

 

Week 25
Travelers Championship

Purse: $7.4 million
First Place: $1,332,000
Past Champions:
2019 – Chez Reavie by 3 shots over Keegan Bradley and Zack Sucher
2018 – Bubba Watson by 3 shots over Stewart Cink, Paul Casey, J.B. Holmes and Beau Hossler
2017 – Jordan Spieth beat Daniel Berger with a birdie on the first extra hole

The TPC at River Highlands is a different type of TPC course. It was a reconfiguration of a traditional, old-style course, but still has some of that flavor. Most of the greens are small, raised or crowned, making it a scrambler’s delight. The tournament is well supported in the community as many as 80,000 spectators could be in attendance on any given day so the timid need not apply. The tournament is notorious for having close finishes, since 1983, 25 of the 34 tournaments have been decided by either a shot or a playoff, the last time being 2017 when Jordan Spieth beat Daniel Berger in a playoff.

Paul Casey – Showed how well he can play the course with his T-5th last year, runner-up finish in 2018 & ’15, this is a course he can win on.

Daniel Berger – Has played here four times and finished T-5th and runner-up in 2017, that year he could very easily have won.

Bryson DeChambeau – Another course that suits his game, look for him to contend.

Keegan Bradley – Has two top-tens in the last three starts including a runner-up finish last year.

Jordan Spieth – Showed a liking to the course in 2017, didn’t fare as well last year. Be careful in picking him, with schedule changes this may be one he misses. Still, his putting is the key to his good play on TPC at River Highlands.

Bubba Watson – Seems to dominate this event, see if he can get on a roll this year.

My Choice – Bryson DeChambeau

 

Week 26
WGC FedEx St. Jude Invitational

Purse: $10.5 million
First Place: $1,890,000
This event moved from Firestone South to Colonial in Memphis in 2019. So use this chart off of the defunct FedEx St. Jude Classic for results pre-2019.
Past Champions:
2019 – Brooks Koepka by 3 shots over Webb Simpson (Held at TPC Southwind, Memphis, Tn.)
2018 – Justin Thomas by 4 shots over Kyle Stanley (Held at Firestone (South), Akron, Oh.)
2017 – Hideki Matsuyama by 5 shots over Zach Johnson (Held at Firestone (South), Akron, Oh.)
2016 – Dustin Johnson by a shot over Scott Piercy (Held at Firestone (South), Akron, Oh.)
2015 – Shane Lowry by 2 shots over Bubba Watson (Held at Firestone (South),Akron, Oh.)

After almost 2 decades playing this event at Firestone, the PGA Tour caved into a corporate wish to make a change and play this event at TPC Southwind in August. Sorry playing in the heat of the summer in Memphis is tough and Southwind is no Firestone, but Southwind is no slouch of a course. So they played the WGC St. Jude last year and thanks to a win by Brooks Koepka it was a big success. Now this year the event moves to the end of June, mostly to accommodate the Olympics. The course, TPC Southwind, can be overpowered. It doesn’t mean the course is a rollover since it ranked 19th on the PGA Tour in accuracy last year. There is thick rough to contend with, but again those that hit it in the fairway will accurately score low this week. The course is hard in hitting greens as last year it was 12th, in 2018 during the FedEx St. Jude Classic it was 5th in 2018 and in 2017 it was the 6th hardest greens to hit on tour. Since 1989, only seven champions (Dicky Pride in 1994, Notah Begay III in 2000, Dustin Johnson in 2012, Harris English in 2013, and Daniel Berger in 2016, 2017 and 2019) were younger than 30. Six of them were over 40, the oldest being Woody Austin in 2007 at 43 years, 4 months, Greg Norman in 1997 at 42 years, 4 months, and 2006 winner Maggert who was 42 years, 3 months. Last year’s winner Brooks Koepka was 28. Still have to think that a long hitter is the person to favor this week.
For the Players stats, we go to there stats for playing at TPC Southwind at the FedEx St. Jude Classic instead of results from Firestone.

Dustin Johnson – Have to think he is a big favorite with all of his 2 wins at TPC Southwind.

Brooks Koepka – Always plays well on this course with a win last year, was T-3rd in 2015 and T-2nd in 2016.

Adam Scott – Had a good record previously at Firestone, but in two starts at TPC Southwind was 7th in 2007 and T-10th in 2017.

Phil Mickelson – Was loyal to playing at TPC Southwind, in 8 starts had four top-tens including runner-up finishes in 2013 and 2016.

Daniel Berger – Had a super record at TPC Southwind, yes he missed the cut last year but won back to back in 2016 and ’17.

Rory McIlroy – Was T-4th last year in Memphis, has always played well in this event when it was played at Firestone.

Justin Thomas – Showed last year that this course is good for him.

Justin Rose – Was 11th in his first try at TPC Southwind

 

My Choice – Dustin Johnson

 

Week 26
Barracuda Championship

Purse: $3.5 million
First Place: $630,000
Past Champions:
2019 – Collin Morikawa by 3 points over Troy Merritt
2018 – Andrew Putnam by 4 points over Chad Campbell
2017 – Chris Stroud beat Richy Werenski with a birdie on the second extra hole (Greg Owen was eliminated when he didn’t birdie first extra hole)

Aggressive play, that’s the name of the game this week at the Reno-Tahoe Tournament. This will be the 8th year that this event has been played with the Stableford scoring system making it one of the most distinctive events on the PGA Tour. Along with the Dell Matchplay, the two are the only tournaments on tour that isn’t stroke play events. The modified version of the Stableford method is one that makes for a lot of excitement as points are awarded for low scoring and points taken away for poor scoring. Nothing is given for par, with 2 points given for a birdie, 5 points given for an eagle and for the rare double-eagle, 8 points. For those that make a bogey they have to subtract 1 point and for a double bogey or worst 3 points are deducted. So instead of the lowest number of strokes winning the tournament like the rest of the tour stops, the player making the most points wins. Alsp, you want to make sure on your choice because it’s opposite the Bridgestone, so don’t pick anyone in the top-75 of the World Rankings. One last thing, after being played at Montreux Golf and Country Club since the tournament was first started the tournament moves 30 miles down the road to the Old Greenwood Golf Course at Tahoe Mountain Club, a Jack Nicklaus course in Truckee, California. The course is at 6,000 feet elevation so the ball will travel a long way despite the long yardage of 7,518 yards. Tournament officials say the course should play about the same for the stableford system at the new course.

Brendan Steele – He is long and makes lot’s of birdies, in six starts has finished in the top-ten four times.

Sam Saunders – Seems to have a grasp of this format, was T7th in 2018, 8th in 2017 and T-9th in 2016.

Tom Hoge – Another that hits it long and could do well, was 6th last year

Andrew Putnam – Winner in 2018 have to say he knows what he is doing.

Martin Laird – Was T-7th last year and in 2016 and T-6th in 2014.

J.J. Spaun – Guy hits it long, was T-3rd in 2018.

Chris Stroud – Makes a lot of birdies and showed a command of this format with a T-7th finish in 2018.

My Choice – Brendan Steele

 

Week 27

John Deere Classic

Purse: $6.2 million
First Place: $1,116,000
Past Champions:
2019 – Dylan Frittelli by 2 shots over Russell Henley
2018 – Michael Kim by 8 shots over Francesco Molinari
2017 – Bryson DeChambeau by a shot over Patrick Rodgers

Talk about a course for those that like to go low, TPC Deere Run is the place to score low on the PGA Tour. Last year the course played to a 69.51 average making it the 15th easiest course on the PGA Tour. So what makes it so easy? Last year 58 eagles and 1,885 birdies were produced, both being some of the lowest numbers of any course on the PGA Tour in 2019. 12 of the 18 holes played under par, with the par 4, 14th hole being the easiest par 4 with a 3.621 average meaning that 39% of those that played it made either eagle or birdie. The event is the week before the British Open which is ok since there is a special charter to take players to England, so the field is usually Ok. Still, the event has a lot of loyal marquee names that participate each year, but last year only saw 4 of the top-50 world rank players in the field. So for another week think of the unthinkable, that the possibly of a non-marquee player like Dylan Frittelli winning will probably happen.

Zach Johnson – This man seems to own this event, he has a total of seven top-tens, in the last eleven years. Over the course of these eleven years, he has a win, 3 runner-up finishes and a pair of thirds.

Chris Stroud – Has been a fixture in this event for a dozen years, was T-4th last year

Vaughn Taylor – He also has been a fixture of the John Deere for over a dozen years and was T-6th last year.

Andrew Landry – Has played three times in last four years with two top-tens, 3rd last year.

Chad Campbell – He has always played well in this event. He has made 12 cuts in his 12 starts and has a pair of top-tens, was 7th in 2008 and T-7th last year. The key is that he gets a lot of top-25s in this event, six in total and could be a surprise pick one of these days.

Bud Cauley – Was T-8 in 2016 and T-18th last year. A bit disappointing that he didn’t play in 2018 due to a serious car accident a month before the John Deere which ended his year. He is back and hopefully will regain some of the luster he had before the accident.

Charles Howell III – Has played in this event a dozen times and been in the top-ten, three times including T-6th last year

My Choice – Andrew Landry

 

Week 28
British Open

Purse: $10.75 million
First Place: $1,935,000
Past Champions:
2019 – Shane Lowry by 6 shots over Tommy Fleetwood (Held at Royal Portrush G.C., Portrush, Northern Ireland)
2018 – Francesco Molinari by 2 shots over Justin Rose, Rory McIlroy, Kevin Kisner and Xander Schauffele (Held at Carnoustie G.C, Carnoustie, Angus, Scotland)
2017 – Jordan Spieth by 3 shots over Matt Kuchar (Held at Royal Birkdale G.C., Southport, England)
2016 – Henrik Stenson by 3 shots over Phil Mickelson (Held at Royal Troon G.C., Troon, Ayrshire, Scotland)
2015 – Zach Johnson beat Louis Oosthuizen by a shot and Marc Leishman by 3 shots in a four hole playoff (Held at the Old Course at St. Andrews, St. Andrews, Fife, Scotland)

Royal St. George site of this year’s British Open is a bit of a oddity on the rota. It’s the only course within easy reach of London and is the only Open course on the English Channel. Of the ten courses on the rota it’s considered the weakest of them all as many players don’t like it’s trickery of blind shots and the lack of marquee winners since the event returned to the rota in 1981. Yes Phil Rogers was the winner that year and in 2003 Ben Curtis was the most unlikely winner of a major since Orville Moody, but on the other end of the spectrum, Northern Irish Darren Clarke won in 2011 along with Hall of Famers Sandy Lyle (1985) and Greg Norman (1993) leveling things out a bit. The general knock on St. George is it’s quirkiness, something that was acceptable 70 years ago and frowned upon today. There are between a half a dozen to 9 blind shots a round, depending on placements of some tee shots but the big knock on St. George is it’s slopping fairways in which a perfect tee shot could get a wicked bounce off the fairway. Example of that were the 1st, 17th and 18th holes in 2003 only one in four drivers would find the fairways which didn’t settle well with players.
As for the R&A’s take, Peter Dawson who use to be chief executive said very diplomatically, “Royal St. George’s does take a bit of knowing.” On behave of the R&A they have changed the 1st and 18th to give more room in the fairway, still bounces are the norm and if your having one of those unfortunate days the course can be a brute.
So that is the problem for the course, it’s a mix bag as some players say the course is too hard and unfair, while others like Greg Norman disagree. In 1993 he had rounds of 66-68-69-64 for a total of 267, the lowest 72 hole score in the British Open at the time. Now to be fair to the course it was windless that week one of the reasons for low scores. Ten years later with some wind and a bit harder conditions the winning score was 16 shots higher, as Ben Curtis had rounds of 72-72-70-69 for a 283 total. In perfect conditions in 2011 until a windy final round made for a tough day, Darren Clarke had rounds of 68-68-69-70 for a 275 total. For that year par was dropped to 70 with yardage added. Now one thing that the R&A can’t control is the weather and if the rough will be healthy, in 2011 St. George only got just under an inch and a half of rain between March and May and even with a rainy June it wasn’t enough to get the rough healthy. On top of that the fairways were bone dry, which made the course play shorter and helping bring scoring down. So as we write this in December it will be hard to predict what St. George will be like in seven months.
So without knowing what the course will be like who does this favor? Probably the shorter hitter and someone that hits it straight. Yes the rough will be shorter than norm but if your way off the fairway it could present problems. The answers will lie in the weather, if there is summer-like conditions the course will play easy and favor those that make lots of birdies. But if mother-nature pays St. George a call with wind and rain, it will make things tougher and favor the more experienced players.

Sergio Garcia – Is it time for him to finally win a British Open? This course could be good for him as he finished T-9th in 2011 and T-10 in 2003 so he knows how to play Sandwich. But a lot will be up to the weather, if it’s calm he will do fine. We also won’t know which Sergio Garcia will show up at Sandwich, there are so many different ones.

Jordan Spieth – Showed a lot when he won at Birkdale despite not having his “A” putting or driving game, he is a scrambling type of player that could do well Sandwich.

Xander+Schauffele – Showed us a lot at Carnoustie, don’t be surprised to see him play well this week. Don’t worry about what happened last week he got caught in some poor weather, just look at his scores 74-65-69-78. Shows that he could do well under the right conditions

Rory McIlroy – He has learned how to play well on Open courses and feel with his win at the 2014 Open at Hoylake, that Sandwich could be a similar conidtion. Yes he was dreadful last year at Portrush, I don’t see that happening again.

Rickie Fowler – I like him at Sandwich, it’s a course he can do well on. In 2011 was in the running until he shot 72 in the final round to finish T=5th..

Tony Finau – Has gotten very good at majors, especially on British Open courses.

Brooks Koepka – Showed last year that he can play well in the Open Championship

Dustin Johnson – Another major that he has shown he can play well in and he could muscle his way to a victory at Sandwich. What many will not remember, Johnson finished T-2nd, 3 shots back of Darren Clarke in 2011 but what many forget is that he hit his tee shot out of bounds on 14 making double bogey and then bogey 18.

Tiger Woods – Carnoustie showed that Tiger can and will do well at the British Open. He won at Hoylake and Sandwich has a lot of the same characteristics he did finish T-4th in 2003.

My Choice – Rory McIlroy

 

Week 28
Barbasol Championship

Purse: $3.5 million
First Place: $630,000
Past Champions:
2019 – Jim Herman by a shot over Kelly Kraft (Held at Keene Trace Golf Club, Nicholasville, Ky.)
2018 – Troy Merritt by a shot over Billy Horschel and Richy Werenski (Held at Keen Trace Golf Club, Nicholasville, Ky.)
2017 – Grayson Murray by a shot over Chad Collins (Held at RTJ Trail (Grand National), Auburn/Opekika, Al.)

An alternative event for the British Open, the tournament switched last year to Keene Trace Golf Club just outside Lexington, Kentucky. So the stats from the first three years mean nothing, have to go off the numbers from last year in which it showed the winners did very well in greens hit. The course gets rave reviews and in many of circles is the best in Kentucky, beating out Valhalla G.C. which has held numerous PGA Championships and the Ryder Cup. Hard tournaments to gauge because many guys at the last minute qualify for the British Open and don’t play this. Again, the one of the last events for guys trying to secure a tour card for 2020 to play well in.

Ricky Barnes – A player that we can see winning, he finished T-3rd in 2015, T-35th in 2016 and T-15th in 2017. At Keene Trace in 2018 was doing great until he shot 73 in the final round to finish T-49th was T-45th last year.

D.J. Trahan – Shown that he can play well at Keene Trace, is 34 under as he finished T-34th in 2018 and T-6th last year.

Richy Werenski – Was runner-up at Keene Trace in 2018, was T-24th last year.

Tom Lovelady – Played great in 2018 just have to wonder if he can repeat that performance.

Sam Ryder – Played well in 2018, despite a final round 70 finished T-7th. Didn’t play last year

David Lingmerth – Played well finishing T-15th in 2018 at Keene Trace. Last year stumbled missing the cut, still he is a great player and someone who could win here.

J.T. Poston – Was 5th in 2018 and T-29th last year, is 35 under for 8 rounds at Keene Trace.

My Choice – D.J. Trahan

 

Week 29
3M Open

Purse: $6.6 million
First Place: $1,188,000
Past Champions:
2019 – Matthew Wolff by a shot over Bryson DeChambeau and Collin Morikawa

Just like the Rocket Mortgage had a very successful first year in 2019, lot’s of people watched. The only problem is the event has been scheduled just after the British Open and right before the Olympics which will mean it won’t get many marquee players to attend. So it will be a crap shot on who will play and who will do well. The course showed that players that can overpower it can dow very well on it, but look for a young player to win this week.
In looking at those that played well in the fall and also did well last year at the 3M, I like Collin Morikawa, Wyndham Clark, Carlos Ortiz, Troy Merritt, Viktor Hovland and Sungjae Im.

My Choice – Viktor Hovland

 

Week 30

The Olympics – No picks

 

Week 31

Wyndham Championship

Purse: $6.4 million
First Place: $1,152,000
Past Champions:
2019 – J.T. Poston by a shot over Webb Simpson
2018 – Brandt Snedeker by 3 shots over Webb Simpson and C.T. Pan
2017 – Henrik Stenson by a shot over Ollie Schniederjans

Sedgefield is a very versatile course. Length is not critical because the course plays at 7,127 yards, just a notch below average for a PGA Tour event. With length not being a factor, players are afforded the opportunity to use either driver or long iron off the tee. The most critical thing for the field is to manage the slope of the course. To do that, ball control and accuracy are key. Look for the winner to be someone who doesn’t like to muscle up with the driver, and just settle for using a long iron for control. Past winners of the event are some of the best iron players on tour. The likes of Sergio Garcia, Webb Simpson, Mark O’Meara, Davis Love III, and Steve Elkington has hoisted the trophy. Look for the winner to be able to manage the surroundings, as the undulations are the most difficult part of the golf course.

Bill Haas – While we are talking about under par figures at Sedgefield, Haas is 102 under in his rounds played at Sedgefield since 2008, the best of any player since the tournament moved to the course in 2008. His best finish was T-2nd in 2014.

Webb Simpson – Past champion who seems to play his best at Sedgefield, is he is 135 under for his 42 rounds played. Was runner-up last two years and 3rd the year before in 2017.

Rory Sabbatini – Has played this event six times and has been in the top-ten, three times (two of them in his last three starts) and has been under par in 15 of his 20 rounds. Was T-6th last year and T-4th in 2017.

Ryan Moore – Has played this event eleven times and has been in the top-ten, 4 times and has been under par in 31 of his 40 rounds. Won in 2009, he has only been over par twice at Sedgefield.

Brandt Snedeker – Has five top-tens at Sedgefield, other than Webb Simpson the most of anyone along with Bill Haas and Carl Petterson. Won in 2018 and T-3rd in 2017.

My Choice – Webb Simpson

 

Week 32

The Northern Trust

Purse: $9.5 million
First Place: $1,710,000
Past Champions:
2019 – Patrick Reed by a shot over Abraham Ancer (Held at Liberty National Golf Club, Jersey City, N.J.)
2018 – Bryson DeChambeau by 4 shots over Tony Finau (Held at Ridgewood C.C., Paramus, N.J.)
2017 – Dustin Johnson beat Jordan Spieth with a birdie on the first extra hole (Held at Glen Oaks Club, Old Westbury, N.Y.)
2016 – Patrick Reed by a shot over Emiliano Grillo and Sean O’Hair (Held at Bethpage Black, Farmingdale, N.Y.)
2015 – Jason Day by 6 shots over Henrik Stenson (Held at Plainfield C.C., Edison, N.J.)

This is a look at the results of players at the TPC Boston when they played the Dell Technologies Championship which ended in 2018.

For the first time, this event heads north to the TPC of Boston, the site of the old Deutsche Bank Championship (Dell Technologies Championship in it’s last year) which use to be a part of the FedEx Cup playoffs. TPC Boston is a course that long players have dominated. The fairways are easy to hit, each year it ranked high in fairways hit, in 2018 63.85 of the fairways were hit. So players can rear back and overpower the course as some of the longest hitters in golf have won on this course. Another secret to playing well is dominating the par 4s, the scoring average was 3.99 on par 4s in 2018. Looking at the stats from its 16-year history, look for those with sharp iron games to produce the best score. Look for a smart player that doesn’t attack the holes but plays placement golf to win. Of the 16 winners, three led the greens hit category (winner Henrik Stenson led in 2013) while the first eight of ten winners were in the top-ten. 2018 champion Bryson DeChambeau was T-7th in greens hit. The good news is that right now TPC of Boston will be used every three years which is good for the Boston area..
Links on players are to there record at TPC of Boston

Abraham Ancer – The best of both worlds, he was T-7th at TPC of Boston in 2018 and runner-up at the Northern Trust last year.

Patrick Reed – Defending champion had three top-tens at TPC of Boston in six starts..

Tiger Woods – There was a time that Woods always played well at TPC of Boston.

Dustin Johnson – Mixed results at TPC of Boston, yes had four top-tens but disappointing that his best finish was 4th..

Rickie Fowler – Was a winner at TPC of Boston.

Bryson DeChambeau – Was the last winner at TPC of Boston in 2018.

Rory McIlroy – Winner twice at TPC of Boston.
Adam Scott – Had lots of success at TPC of Boston including a win.

 

My Choice – Abraham Ancer

 

Week 33

BMW Championship

Purse: $9.5 million
First Place: $1,710,000
Past Champions:
2019 – Justin Thomas by 3 shots over Patrick Cantlay (Held at Medinah C.C. (No 3), Medinah, Il.)
2018 – Keegan Bradley beat Justin Rose with a par on the first extra hole (Held at Aronimink G.C., Newtown Square, Pa.)
2017 – Marc Leishman by 5 shots over Rickie Fowler and Justin Rose (Held at Conway Farms G.C., Lake Forest, Il.)
2016 – Dustin Johnson by 3 shots over Paul Casey (Held at Crooked Stick G.C., Carmel, In.)
2015 – Jason Day by 4 shots over Daniel Berger (Held at Conway Farms G.C., Lake Forest, Il.)

Event moves south of Medinah Country Club outside Chicago to another classic course that has held not only the U.S. Open but the PGA Championship and the Western Open. It’s the North Course of Olympia Fields and you name it, just about every event has been held on it. The last big event was the 2017 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
When it opened its doors in the mid-20s, Olympia Fields was considered one of the grandest golf clubs in the world. With 72 holes of golf and a clubhouse that many felt was the biggest in the world, Olympia Fields became a symbol of the roaring 20s. The four courses were designed by the best architects of the time, Tom Bendelow, William Watson and Willie Park Jr. who get the credit for designing the North course in 1922, the course that is the famous one.
The club was founded by Charles Beach, although its first president was the legendary Football coach Amos Alonzo Stagg. While the four courses took up most of the 750 acres, the club was considered by many as a small community. Fifty summer cottages dotted the grounds, along with a hospital, school and fire station. The scope of the operation almost caused the club to expire during the great depression.
In 1924, the membership assumed a $500,000 mortgage to build its clubhouse. That debt along with the depression forced the club to downsize in the 30s. Two of the four-course were sold to real estate developers, so that today the club owns only 36 holes.
One of those courses that survived was the North Course, which as been the scene of four national championships. Today the course has changed very little since it first opened. Olympia Fields is a hidden gem and gets a rare title. It’s a course that suits those middle drivers, those in-between long and short like Jim Furyk who won the 2003 U.S. Open or Bruce Crampon who won the 971 Western Open. Or even Sam Snead who won the 1938 Chicago Open or Johnny Farrell who beat Bobby Jones in a playoff at the 1928 U.S. Open. With tight fairways lined with mature trees, look for the driver to be taken out of the hands of the longest hitters. Players, depending on the weather, will hit driver only three of four times around. They will be using mostly 3-woods and 2-irons off the tee to place himself in perfect position to attack the greens. If drives are played from the wrong angles to the greens, it will present a tough challenge. In 2006 the course also took on the challenge of taking down several of its week trees which help the firmness and increased the light and circulating air, thus making the course even better and more challenging The course has that feel of being a classic club, one from a bygone era that is being replaced by raw length. The greens are mostly raised and will demand precise shots to them. Look for shot-making to rule during the week.

Justin Rose – He should find the challenges of Olympia Fields right up his alley, did finish T-5th in the 2003 U.S. Open.

Hideki Matsuyama – His shotmaking skills will come in handy on this course that will demand perfection..

Matt Kuchar – He is one of the guys that you always think of on tight, U.S. Open type of course.

Justin Thomas – Kind of course he can get rolling on

Tiger Woods – Wonder if he is looking forward to this week, finished T-20th in the 2003 U.S. Open on this course.

Patrick Cantlay – His length and his accuracy of his driver makes him good for the challenges of the course

Rory McIlroy – Can’t go wrong with this guy, plays well on difficult courses.

My Choice – Rickie Fowler

 

Week 34
Tour Championship

Purse: No purse, players are playing for their final rank in the FedEx Cup rankings
Past Champions:
2019 – Rory McIlroy beat Xander Schauffele by 3 shots (McIlroy started the week at -5 and finished at 18 under, winning $15 million, Schauffele started the week at -4 and finished at 14 under, winning $5 million)
2018 – Tiger Woods by a shot over Billy Horschel
2017 – Xander Schauffele by a shot over Justin Thomas
2016 – Rory McIlroy beat Ryan Moore with a birdie on the fourth extra hole (Kevin Chappell was eliminated on first hole when he made par)
2015 – Jordan Spieth by 4 shots over Henrik Stenson, Danny Lee and Justin Rose

As was proven in the last seven of the eight Championships played at East Lake, it favors those that hit lots of greens. In the 16 played at East Lake since 2004, seven of the champions including Henrik Stenson (2013) and Billy Horschel (2014) led the greens in regulation stat with only two champions not being in the top-ten, Bill Haas in 2011 (was 11th) and Tiger Woods last year (he was T-14th). But none of this really matters because of the overall changes to this event. We haven’t talked much about it, but the schedule was revamped with 3 fewer events being played so that the season would end before Labor Day. With that the FedEx Cup playoffs lost one event (Dell Technologies). But, the biggest change comes this week at the Tour Championship. Formerly, it was a regular tournament and it decided the result of the FedEx Cup race. Now the 30 players will be handicapped based on their position in the FedEx Cup race the week of the Tour Championship. Last year it worked well and I don’t see any change happening. The FedExCup points leader after the first two Playoffs events will begin the Tour Championship at 10-under par. The next four players will start at 8-under through 5-under, respectively. The next five will begin at 4-under, regressing by one stroke per five players until those ranked Nos. 26-30 start at even par. With the implementation of this change, the player with the lowest total score will be the FedExCup Champion and be credited with an official victory in the Tour Championship.
In a way, it’s a bit hockey and many will question the result in which the lowest 72 hole score won’t win the Tour Championship. But for the betterment of the FedEx Cup playoffs and the year-long point race, it will make the Tour Championship more about winning the FedEx Cup race than winning the Tour Championship. The only thing that will be questioned is if the point handicapping has been done the right way. A lot is at stake and something as if this has never been done before, but I guess it’s worth a try to it will be a better way to put more importance into the FedEx Cup race.
But now comes the fact that you’re picking a winner not only of the week but you will have to pick a player who will be leading the FedEx Cup race to have that advantage of having a lead going into the first hole of a 72 hole event. So on paper someone that is in 30th place could shot lights out and win the whole thing, while could the overall winner of the tournament, the person with the lowest 72 hole score is a little displaced if he finishes 5th, 6th or even lower in the final standings?
We are leaving this in because a lot of pick your pro games have kept this event in, what they are doing is just using the purse for the 2018 event and figuring out the winnings. So no matter what, you will have a pick. I am using Xander Schauffele because I think he is the best at the Tour Championship. I am using him twice, but that is because some games won’t be using the Tour Championship.

Xander Schauffele – Plays great in this event, don’t see that changing.

Justin Thomas – Has played great in all four of his starts, almost won in 2017 and ’19 but thanks to his runner-up finish in ’17 won the FedEx Cup playoffs. So under this year’s rules he would of won both the FedEx Cup race and the Tour Championship.

Rory McIlroy – Last year was a special moment to be able to win the tournament and the FedEx Cup.

Tiger Woods – Big winner in 2018, hopefully the same scenario doesn’t happen because fans and sponsors will not like Tiger Woods scoring the lowest 72 hole total and not winning the tournament.

Paul Casey – Most of the time does well at East Lake..

My Choice – Xander Schauffele

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