BlogCadence Bank Houston Open Preview and Picks

The Buzz:

So it’s year three of the Cadence Bank Houston Open being played at Memorial Park.  When its original sponsor Shell Oil left in 2017, it left this event near death.  The event was having problems finding a new sponsor and looked bleak.  But Houston Astros owner Jim Crane came in with financial backing, with one stipulation.  The event would return to its roots and to Memorial Park, a course located just outside downtown Houston.  The course was the site of the second Houston Open in 1947, and then between 1951 to 1963, it started to fall into disrepair.  With the help of the Astros Golf Foundation, they revamped the course at the cost of 34 million dollars.  The course was upgraded, and the club made sure that it was PGA Tour ready to play.  The course added yardage, and for the Houston Open is playing at 7,412 yards and to a par of 70.

Two years ago, the course held the Houston Open for the first time, and it was well-received.  The course played to a scoring average of 71.03, a shot over its par, and was the 8th most demanding course on the PGA Tour.  Last year the course played a bit easier at 70.80, but it still played three-quarters of a shot over par and was the 9th hardest course on the 2022 PGA Tour schedule.  Players seem to like the course and have told others. Unfortunately, the field is not any better for this year, mostly due to the loss of players that went over to LIV golf.

A good cheat sheet is this list of odds from the top bookmakers in England.

Another cheat sheet is this list of odds from the top bookmaker in Las Vegas.

Things you need to know about the Houston Open

This will be the 75th edition of the Houston Open.  This is the third year of the Cadence Bank Houston Open with new leadership. They have a new sponsorship, and those that are running the event have their roots with the Houston Astros baseball team.  The big change is playing at its new home Memorial Park, a public course in downtown Houston ready for fans.  The event got its start in 1946, and the next year Memorial Park was the home of the tournament for 14 events, mostly between 1951 through 1963.  When the tournament left, the public course began eroding as Houston was starting to spread out.  What used to be a great public course wasn’t much to talk about at the turn of the century.  Still, the dream for many was to have a PGA Tour event in Downtown Houston.

After two years of renovations by architect Tom Doak and player consultant Brooks Koepka, the course opened in 2020 to great fanfare, not only from the fans but many of the players who liked what they saw.  In prior years the tournament was held at Golf Club of Houston, then across the street at the Members Course at Redstone between 2003 and 2005.  Before that, the TPC at the Woodlands had been the site between 1985 and 2002.  Courses used before 1985 include the West course at the Woodlands, River Oaks C.C., Memorial Park G.C., Pine Forest C.C., Brae Burn C.C., Sharpstown C.C., Champions G.C., Westwood G.C., and Quail Valley G.C.  The first Houston Open was played in 1946 and was called the Tournament of Champions. Byron Nelson beat Ben Hogan that year by two strokes at River Oaks.

Course information:

• Memorial Park Golf Course
• Houston, Tx.
• 7,412 yards     Par 35-35–70

Memorial Park was always the sentimental home of this event.  I went to about a dozen Houston Opens between 1990 and 2003, those that ran the tournament always wished to return one day to Memorial Park.  But at that time, the course was in terrible shape and beaten up as it was nothing but a cheap place for 18 holes.  But when the Astros Golf Foundation took over the operations of the Houston Open, they spent $34 million to redesign Memorial Park and build an education and golf center for the course.  Architect Tom Doak redid the course, and his mission was to make it enjoyable for recreational golfers and tough enough for PGA Tour players.  One unusual characteristic of the course, there are only 17 bunkers on the par-70 course.  What makes it challenging is accuracy, which is a must with the thick rough, tight grass slopes and contours.  What will make the course really challenging is the weather, when the wind blows, especially a north or northeast wind, it will make things very tough.  The course was opened for play in November of 2019, and the Bermuda grass has come in, and the course will be in good shape.

But look for low scores, as there are several drivable par-4s and two reachable par-5s.  The greens are big, 7,000 square feet, and they are flat, like most municipal courses.  In looking at the weather for the week, it’s going to be close to perfect, with each day being in the low 70s degrees with no rain and winds of 10 mph.  There is a chance of early showers on Saturday.

The big surprise is how tough the course has played.  In 2021 Carlos Ortiz shot just 13 under.  Of the 68 players that made the cut, only 39 were under par, which means the course played hard.  The reason is the weekend, they had wind gusts of up to 25 mph.  After the first two days, the scoring average for the course was 71.82, and even with the winds, the average was 70.28 in the third round and 68.74 in the final rounds.

But last year, a lot of the same as the course still played hard.  Winner Jason Kokrak was just 10 under par, and of the 67 players that made the cut, only 28 were under par.

Some of the keys to playing well at Memorial Park is this.  First, hitting greens is essential.  Another key is long hitters have to be careful since the rough was one of the most demanding of the year. The course ranked 2nd in rough proximity in both 2021 and last year, meaning that if you drive it off the fairway, getting it on the green is nearly impossible.  So players who hit it in the high grass will have a tough time. Maybe that is why some of the tour’s longest hitters aren’t playing this week.  So it’s essential to keep it in the fairway.

It was hard for players to make birdies and eagles on the course.  In 2021 it ranked 17th in a total number of birdies made (1,221).  Last year it ranked 15th with 1,071 birdies made. So it proved to be challenging as the course was 6th in Par Breakers in 2021 and 4th last year.

For players thinking they will ride over the par 5s and go low on them, that didn’t hasn’t happened.  The field played the three par 5s with a 4.87 average in 2021, making it the hardest course to score on the par 5s in 2021.  Last year it was 4.86, which ranked 2nd

Of any non-major course, Memorial Park scored a lot of honors as the hardest newcomer to the PGA Tour, so look for a special breed of player to win, one that excels in all areas of the game.

The course was well received both years, with no reason for players to come to Houston other than playing a great course that is getting a lot of buzz.

Let’s take a look at vital stats that are important for those playing at Memorial Park.

About half of the courses used by the PGA Tour during the year are open to the general public. The famous ones, like Pebble Beach, is a resort course that anyone can play, but the price tag of $575 is not cheap. The same with courses like TPC Sawgrass, home to the Players Championship is $400 during peak months in the winter and spring. Even places like the Plantation Course at Kapalua which will hold the Sentry Tournament of Champions, are $299. There are about 25 courses on the PGA Tour that anyone could play, but only two “municipal” courses on the PGA Tour, Memorial Park, and Torrey Pines. What makes them different, they are run by a local government that is open to all and have two different price marks, one for local residents and a price for non-residents.
Memorial Park is the cheapest course that holds a PGA Tour event. For locals, the course is $30 Monday through Thursday, $38 Friday through Sunday, and holidays. For non-residents, it’s $120 and $140, which is a bargain. With this price range, 60,000 play the course each year.
The course was first opened in 1912 as a nine-holer with sand greens and was built near a hospital for the use of convalescent soldiers. In 1935 the city hired architect John Bredemus to redo the course, and many thought the course was a true gem when it opened in 1936. The course was used in 1947, the second year of the Houston Open, and South African Bobby Locke won. In 1951 it became the regular venue of the Houston Open through 1963. It was won by the likes of Arnold Palmer, Cary Middlecoff, and Jack Burke, Jr. Because of its location in Downtown Houston, the course moved away after 1963 and fell in disrepair over the coming decades. For years many knew of the potential of Memorial Park, but the city had no money to renovate it.
But local Houstonian James Crane, who made it big in freight and then petroleum before buying the Houston Astros in 2011, was a scratch golfer who fell in love with Memorial Park. For decades Shell Oil was the sponsor of the Houston Open, and when they discounted their sponsorship in 2018, it looked like the tournament would end. But Crane stepped up and took over ownership of the event. At the same time, Crane stepped up to do a significant renovation to Memorial Park. He spent $34 million to renovate Memorial Park and upgrade the course to PGA Tour standards. He also built a short course on the property for the First Tee, expanded the driving range into a public version of Topgolf, and built a new clubhouse. In January 2019, they hired architect Tom Doak to do the renovation. In less than a year, he took out a lot of trees to give those playing it views of the Houston skyline and changed how the course played and looked. He redid all 18 greens giving them unique contours, strategic bunkering, and runoffs, giving it a different and tough new challenge so that players used the putter more from off the green. Doak did something different as he reduced the number of bunkers on the course from 54 to 20, thus reducing maintenance and making it easier for the average player. But he made the 20 bunkers very challenging and essential. Doak also emphasized the final five holes, making them exciting and challenging, with water coming into play on holes 15, 16, and 17. The players received the changes well when they returned to play the 2021 Houston Open at Memorial.

So the course has been played twice and shown much bite. Playing to a par of 70 and at 7,412 yards in 2021, the course played to an average score of 71.03 and ranked 8th hardest on the PGA Tour. Last year it played a bit easier to a 70,80 average and was the 9th hardest course on the PGA Tour. In looking at the stats that one item that sticks out, both its champions proved to be players that are average drivers off the tee and in getting the ball in the fairway and the ability to hit a lot of greens. A bit of an oddity, winners Carlos Ortiz and Jason Kokrak are now members of LIV Golf and won’t be around this week. Despite being average putters in their careers, they shined during the Houston Open week, which was why they both won.

So in looking at who the course favors, the first thing that hits us is how well the top players do in putting. Looking at the two events played at Memorial Park, of the 20 players that finished in the top ten, eleven of them finished in the top ten in putts per round. In putting average, Memorial Park ranked 10th last year of all the courses on the PGA Tour and T-15th in 2021. When Ortiz won in 2021, he was 5th in Strokes Gained Putting and ranked 7th in putts inside ten feet. For Kokrak in 2022, he was 3rd in Strokes Gained Putting during his winning Houston Open and was T-18th in putts inside ten feet.
Our second category is Proximity to the hole. Because Memorial is a public course, the greens are 7,000 square feet and even though the players averaged T-16th last year and 18th in 2021 in greens in regulation, getting the ball close to the hole is tougher. Last year Memorial Park ranked 5th in Proximity to Hole while Kokrak was T-21st, and in 2021 Memorial park was 10th, and winner Ortiz was T-22nd. Our third category looks at how hard making birdies and eagles are. Last year only 1,071 birdies were made, and in 2021, only 1,221 birdies were made, and in looking at Par Breakers, the course was 4th last year and 6th in 2021. This is a remarkable stat when you look at last year, and the PGA Championship, U.S. Open, and the Scottish Open courses had the least offense on the PGA Tour in 2022. Kokrak only made 20 birdies last year, and Ortiz made 18 birdies in 2021, so you can see this is a very tough nut to crack on this course. So we will be looking for players with a lot of offensive and make a lot of eagles and birdies. Our last category is one we rarely use, par 5 scoring averages. Memorial Park has just three par 5s, and they have been ranked the hardest on the PGA Tour to score on. In the field last year, they averaged a 4.86 average on the par 5s, the 2nd hardest on the PGA Tour. In 2021 they were T-1st along Torrey Pines in the U.S. Open, again showing how hard they were. Kokrak and Ortiz were 8 under on the par 5s for the week, showing how instrumental it was in both of their victories.

*Strokes Gained Putting: So, who saves the most strokes on the greens

*Proximity to Hole: The average length of a shot going into the green leaves a player

*Par Breakers: A combination of eagles and birdies made during the week to see who has the most.

*Par 5 leaders: A look at who plays the par 5s the best for the week.

115 of the 132 Players from this year’s field, with stats from 2023

Click any column title in the table header to sort columns.

#	Name	*Strokes Gained Putting	*Proximity to Hole	*Par Breakers	*Par 5 leaders	Total Rank All Categories	DraftKings Salary
1	Justin Lower (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD)	29	26	11	36	117	7400
2	Hideki Matsuyama (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD)	38	28	179	40	134	10300
3	Sam Ryder (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) (WD)	23	12	33	98	145	6900
4	Robby Shelton (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD)	50	34	47	69	187	7300
5	Danny Willett (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD)	6	41	18	103	191	7200
6	Taylor Montgomery (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD)	3	77	5	36	193	9700
7	Davis Thompson (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD)	105	44	63	19	212	7300
8	Jason Day (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD)	108	39	32	27	213	9500
9	Adam Hadwin (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD)	19	99	70	20	237	8300
10	S.H. Kim (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD)	17	73	20	78	241	7100

Here is a link to stats of all 115 players at the Houston Open

DraftKings tips

First, let’s look at the field and the top 40 who have the best average Draftkings earnings since the start of the 2022 season (must have 8 or more events)

88.3 points per event – Scottie Scheffler in 27 events – Cost $11,500 (Has made 23 of 27 cuts)

76.6 points per event – Sam Burns in 26 events – Cost $10,700 (Has made 20 of 26 cuts)

73.0 points per event – Tony Finau in 26 events – Cost $10,400 (Has made 20 of 26 cuts)

72.9 points per event – Byeong Hun An in 8 events – Cost $6,900 (Has made 6 of 8 cuts)

72.2 points per event – Aaron Wise in 27 events – Cost $9,900 (Has made 22 of 27 cuts)

72.2 points per event – Russell Henley in 25 events – Cost $10,000 (Has made 21 of 25 cuts)

71.6 points per event – Hideki Matsuyama in 24 events – Cost $10,300 (Has made 20 of 24 cuts)

70.1 points per event – Maverick McNealy in 33 events – Cost $9,400 (Has made 26 of 33 cuts)

69.8 points per event – Taylor Pendrith in 23 events – Cost $8,500 (Has made 18 of 23 cuts)

67.0 points per event – Mark Hubbard in 27 events – Cost $7,100 (Has made 20 of 27 cuts)

67.0 points per event – Sahith Theegala in 36 events – Cost $9,300 (Has made 29 of 36 cuts)

66.4 points per event – Adam Hadwin in 30 events – Cost $8,300 (Has made 24 of 30 cuts)

65.5 points per event – Davis Riley in 34 events – Cost $8,400 (Has made 24 of 34 cuts)

65.3 points per event – Denny McCarthy in 32 events – Cost $9,200 (Has made 26 of 32 cuts)

65.2 points per event – Keith Mitchell in 29 events – Cost $8,100 (Has made 22 of 29 cuts)

65.0 points per event – Justin Lower in 29 events – Cost $7,400 (Has made 20 of 29 cuts)

64.4 points per event – Dean Burmester in 8 events – Cost $7,600 (Has made 5 of 8 cuts)

64.0 points per event – Si Woo Kim in 32 events – Cost $8,800 (Has made 25 of 32 cuts)

62.8 points per event – Jason Day in 23 events – Cost $9,500 (Has made 15 of 23 cuts)

62.0 points per event – Justin Rose in 19 events – Cost $7,200 (Has made 13 of 19 cuts)

62.0 points per event – Sebastian Munoz in 28 events – Cost $8,200 (Has made 21 of 28 cuts)

61.9 points per event – Joel Dahmen in 31 events – Cost $9,000 (Has made 23 of 31 cuts)

61.8 points per event – Alex Noren in 26 events – Cost $8,700 (Has made 19 of 26 cuts)

61.8 points per event – Patrick Rodgers in 33 events – Cost $7,800 (Has made 22 of 33 cuts)

61.4 points per event – Aaron Rai in 32 events – Cost $7,500 (Has made 23 of 32 cuts)

61.2 points per event – Taylor Moore in 33 events – Cost $8,000 (Has made 22 of 33 cuts)

60.7 points per event – Austin Eckroat in 9 events – Cost $6,600 (Has made 7 of 9 cuts)

60.3 points per event – Emiliano Grillo in 34 events – Cost $9,100 (Has made 21 of 34 cuts)

59.9 points per event – Wyndham Clark in 35 events – Cost $7,900 (Has made 25 of 35 cuts)

59.7 points per event – Andrew Putnam in 36 events – Cost $8,600 (Has made 24 of 36 cuts)

59.6 points per event – Adam Svensson in 36 events – Cost $6,900 (Has made 24 of 36 cuts)

59.4 points per event – Greyson Sigg in 35 events – Cost $7,400 (Has made 23 of 35 cuts)

59.1 points per event – Austin Smotherman in 30 events – Cost $6,700 (Has made 20 of 30 cuts)

58.6 points per event – Russell Knox in 34 events – Cost $7,000 (Has made 23 of 34 cuts)

58.4 points per event – Lee Hodges in 35 events – Cost $7,600 (Has made 22 of 35 cuts)

58.4 points per event – Martin Laird in 27 events – Cost $7,200 (Has made 17 of 27 cuts)

57.7 points per event – David Lipsky in 33 events – Cost $7,100 (Has made 20 of 33 cuts)

57.5 points per event – Brandon Wu in 32 events – Cost $7,300 (Has made 17 of 32 cuts)

57.4 points per event – Brendan Steele in 27 events – Cost $7,200 (Has made 17 of 27 cuts)

57.4 points per event – Danny Willett in 24 events – Cost $7,200 (Has made 15 of 24 cuts)

Lots go a bit deeper, let’s look at those that played in Houston last year and just their totals for the seven events in the 2023 season

98.9 points per event – Taylor Montgomery in 5 events – Cost $9,700 (Has made 5 of 5 cuts)

92.5 points per event – Dean Burmester in 3 events – Cost $7,600 (Has made 3 of 3 cuts)

91.0 points per event – Scottie Scheffler in 3 events – Cost $11,500 (Has made 3 of 3 cuts)

88.6 points per event – Justin Lower in 5 events – Cost $7,400 (Has made 5 of 5 cuts)

86.2 points per event – Will Gordon in 5 events – Cost $7,700 (Has made 5 of 5 cuts)

84.3 points per event – Davis Thompson in 3 events – Cost $7,300 (Has made 3 of 3 cuts)

82.4 points per event – Adam Hadwin in 4 events – Cost $8,300 (Has made 4 of 4 cuts)

82.3 points per event – Mackenzie Hughes in 4 events – Cost $7,700 (Has made 4 of 4 cuts)

81.8 points per event – Aaron Wise in 4 events – Cost $9,900 (Has made 4 of 4 cuts)

79.2 points per event – Sam Burns in 3 events – Cost $10,700 (Has made 3 of 3 cuts)

78.2 points per event – Emiliano Grillo in 6 events – Cost $9,100 (Has made 6 of 6 cuts)

78.1 points per event – Andrew Putnam in 7 events – Cost $8,600 (Has made 7 of 7 cuts)

77.5 points per event – Beau Hossler in 4 events – Cost $7,000 (Has made 4 of 4 cuts)

77.4 points per event – Patrick Rodgers in 6 events – Cost $7,800 (Has made 5 of 6 cuts)

77.0 points per event – Joel Dahmen in 6 events – Cost $9,000 (Has made 5 of 6 cuts)

75.9 points per event – Russell Henley in 4 events – Cost $10,000 (Has made 3 of 4 cuts)

75.8 points per event – Greyson Sigg in 6 events – Cost $7,400 (Has made 5 of 6 cuts)

75.6 points per event – Maverick McNealy in 6 events – Cost $9,400 (Has made 5 of 6 cuts)

75.5 points per event – Ben Griffin in 5 events – Cost $6,800 (Has made 4 of 5 cuts)

74.7 points per event – Si Woo Kim in 3 events – Cost $8,800 (Has made 3 of 3 cuts)

 

So let’s make some picks for Houston based on the above lists and pick six players, which would be winners?

Remember, with a $50,000 cap that means we have to average $8,333 per player:

This week we will enter the $300K pitch and putt game with a cost of $20

• Scottie Scheffler – $11,500
• Maverick McNealy – $9,400
• Will Gordon – $7,700
• Justin Lower – $7,400
• Justin Rose – $7,200
• Ben Griffin – $6,800

DraftKings picks from last week:

Based on a version of the above chart, I made my six DraftKings picks last week, and it’s time to see how I did.

The six players I picked had mixed results, but I didn’t make any money at the end of the day.  In the $300K flop shot, I was one of 17,647 entries, with my guys ranking at 6,436.  The game cost $20.

The winner scored 697 points, while my six guys earned just 482 points.  I was 33.5 points out of getting a payday.  One of the biggest reasons I didn’t make any money, I had Tom Hoge, who missed the cut.  The funny thing about Hoge is that he was the most expensive one of my six picks and did me no good.  On the other end of the Spectrum, Greyson Sigg, who I paid $7,300 finished T-42nd but was very productive with 100.5 points.

So here are the results of my six guys:

• Maverick McNealy – $9,400 finished T-10th with 104 points
• Greyson Sigg – $7,300 finished t-42nd with 100.5 points
• Thomas Detry – $8,800 finished T-15th with 93 points
• Justin Lower – $7,600 finished T-56th with 77 points
• Ben Griffin – $6,800 finished T-59th with 70.5 points
• Tom Hoge – $9,500 missed the cut with just 37 points

DraftKings tips

*Here are the guys that cost the most on DraftKings this week:

• Scottie Scheffler – $11,500
• Sam Burns – $10,700
• Tony Finau – $10,400
• Hideki Matsuyama – $10,300
• Russell Henley – $10,000
• Aaron Wise – $9,900
• Taylor Montgomery – $9,700
• Jason Day – $9,500
• Maverick McNealy – $9,400
• Sahith Theegala – $9,300
• Denny McCarthy – $9,200
• Emiliano Grillo – $9,100
• Joel Dahmen – $9,000

Have to say this is a tough field to pick from just because there is so little history of Memorial Park, and the fact that a lot of players have done well in the Fall.  So what about the key players?  If you asked me on Saturday about Scottie Scheffler at $11,500, I would have said absolutely no.  But when he returned to the putter that he won four events in 2022 and shot a final round 62 at the Mayakoba, the decision was easy.  On top of that, he averages 88.3 points per event and last year on the tough Memorial course earned 99 points, so yes, it’s an easy choice now.  Sam Burns at $10,700 is a tougher choice, yes he makes a lot of points averaging 76.6, but at the price point, he is not worth the cost.  The same with Tony Finau at $10,400, he is just getting into the swing again, and he missed the cut last week at the Mayakoba and last year’s Houston event.  So the answer is an easy no.  Hideki Matsuyama is $10,300, also a no for me, he hasn’t made over 73 Draftkings points since the Masters, so with his high price, you can’t justify the cost.  Russell Henley at $10,000 is a yes, and not because he won Mayakoba, but because he has been steady all year and plays well in Houston, he was T-7th last year and T-29th in 2021.  Aaron Wise at $9,900 is a big yes despite the cost, he has played well at Memorial finishing T-26th last year and T-11th the year before.  But I like that he has made eight straight cuts and in that streak, has made over 75 points in each event.  Last week he made 97.5 points in Mayakoba and 91 points the week before at the C.J. Cup.  Taylor Montgomery at $9,700 is also a yes, despite the big price point, each week we get worried that the pumpkin will strike midnight, but it never does, in five events this season has not finished worst than T-15th and has averaged 98.9 points per event.  So ride him hard this week.  Jason Day is expensive at $9,500, but you have to take him off his last three starts.  He was T-8th at the Shriners, earning 106 points, T-11th at the CJ Cup, earning 88.5 points, and T-21st at the Mayakoba and earning 96.5 points.  The same thing happened with Maverick McNealy at $9,400, after missing the cut at the Fortinet, he has played well, earning an average of 91.25 points in the last four starts.  He was T-19th last year at Memorial and T-20th in 2021.  Sahith Theegala at $9,300 is a toss-up, he has averaged 67 Draftkings points and makes a high degree of cuts.  Denny McCarthy at $9,200 is high, but he did finish T-6th in Bermuda, earning 113.5 points.  He is also a good putter, which is a key to playing well in Houston, where he finished T-11th last year.  Emiliano Grillo at $9,100, has made his last nine cuts and is a past champion, but his record is not good at Memorial, so he is a no for me.  Joel Dahmen at $9,000, gets the award for the player who is priced way too high.  Yes, he finished T-3rd at Mayakoba last week, earning 120 points, but he has played at the level of someone that should be priced at about $8,000, so he is a big no.

*Players in that $7,500 to $8,900 price range, which ones are worth the money?:

Si Woo Kim at $8,800 was a thought since he averages 64 Draftkings points, but his record at Memorial is one missed cut, so save it.   Davis Riley at $8,400 is a good find, he averages 65.5 points per event, does make a lot of cuts, and was T-29th last year at Memorial Park.  Adam Hadwin at $8,300 is worth the look, he has made his last eight cuts and has averaged 82.4 points per his four 2023 starts.  The same with Patrick Rodgers at $7,800, who has made his last five cuts in 2023 and averages 77.4 points for 2023.  After dealing with injuries Harris English at $7,800, is showing a bit of a comeback.  He was T-32nd at Mayakoba but earned 84.5 points.  Mackenzie Hughes at $7,700, is someone to watch, he has won this year and in 3 events in 2023, plus last year’s T-29th at Houston averages 82.3 points.  He also was T-7th at Memorial Park in 2021.  Will Gordon at $7,700, is also worth a pick, he has averaged 86.2 points per five events in 2023 and was T-3rd at Mayakoba, earning 121.5 points.  Dean Burmester at $7,600, has also been steady in three 2023 events averaging 86.2 points.

Are there any “Bargains” out there?

Justin Lower at $7,400, is a good pick, in his five starts of 2023 has averaged 88.6 points.  Last week he was T-56th in Mexico and still got 77 points.  Greyson Sigg at $7,400, is also a good pick, in his five starts in 2023 has made five cuts and averages 86.6 points per event.  Davis Thompson isn’t a household name and is only $7,300, what we like is that he has made 3 cuts in 2023 and averages 84.5 points per those events.  Justin Rose is $7,200, and even though his best golf is behind him, but he is good on hard golf courses and should make the cut.  Beau Hossler at $7,000 is worth a look at, in his four starts in 2023 has averaged 77.5 points per event.  Then there is Ben Griffin at $6,800, who has made four of five cuts in 2023 and averages 75.5 points per event.