BlogProcore Championship Preview and Picks

The Buzz:

For the second time in a row, the Procore (formerly Fortinet) won’t be the season-opening event as the PGA Tour has changed how it will run the Tour. In 2012, the PGA Tour made the FedExCup playoff events more meaningful by ensuring the season ended with the Tour Championship. Since the advent of the FedExCup playoffs in 2007, that would end with the Tour Championship in mid-September. Despite the hoopla and excitement of the PGA Tour season ending with playoffs, the season didn’t end, as the Tour would continue for another seven weeks. This was hard to comprehend because how can you have playoffs, which are supposed to bring the ending to the season and crown the best player in the world when you had seven more events on the calendar? The PGA Tour tried to make the FedExCup playoffs meaningful, but the general public needed to buy it because they still had seven events in which FedExCup points were still being given out. Because of the nature of the last events being fall golf and your marquee players took the fall off, the winner of the season-ending FedExCup was never passed up with the fall events. Tiger Woods won the first and second playoffs in 2007 and 2009, but if, by chance, a person who wasn’t in the top 30 playing in the fall and got hot and won four or five of those events, they could have toppled Woods or any of the FedExCup winners. This never happened and probably would have never happened, but the PGA Tour still never had a fulfilling end to their season.

That is until they came up with a new idea, and that was the “wrap-around” season in 2013. The European Tour adopted this a decade earlier. It would play several events in November and December but count it towards the following season totals, ignoring the calendar and starting the season a few months earlier. So, in September 2013, the Tour Championship ended the season. Still, two weeks later, the Procore Championship, played in October of 2013, was the first event of the new 2014 “wrap-around” season. So, just like that, the PGA Tour ended their problem with the season finally ending and a new season starting weeks later. Unfortunately, this problem created a new problem for the PGA Tour: how do you classify those six or seven fall events that started the season? The Tour couldn’t make them as important as regular season events, but at the same time, they couldn’t say they were not necessary, and frankly, FedExCup points were going to players who attended those fall events. Initially, the fall events weren’t considered that important, and the marquee players took the fall off.

That started to change when new sponsors came aboard, adding money to the fall schedule and making these events worth playing in for marquee names. Off the bat, the HSBC Champions, which was played in China, joined the schedule, and with the winner getting $1.4 million (a lot a decade ago), they started getting some marquee names, notably Tiger Woods. In 2016, the CIMB Classic joined the schedule, giving the fall event two high-priced Asian events. Six had over a million dollars in first-place checks in the 2017 season of the seven fall events. Those who took the fall off found themselves behind the eight-ball when they showed up in Kapalua and were behind players in the FedExCup points list. For the 2019 season, the CJ Cup was added, making a three-event Asian portion of the eight-event fall schedule, and just like that, the fall became an essential part of the Tour. The pandemic took its toll on the HSBC Champions and CIMB going away, but the Zozo Championship was added on. By the 2022 season, the fall was up to nine events, with each event having first-place checks over a million and two of the events being no-cut affairs. So this gave marque players an excuse to play in the fall to get FedExCup points in events that ensured there would be no cut.

So, in 2022, the Tour gave up on the “wrap-around” season, and now, just like 11 years ago, eight fall events will end the 2024 season, with the Sentry Championship in January starting the season.

So, what is now offered to those who play in the fall? For those not in the top 70 and unable to play in the FedExCup playoffs, the fall will be how a player stays or gets into the top 125, retaining their tour cards for 2025. Good news: winners in the fall will play in the Sentry Championship and Masters. Players can also earn spots in the two Signature Events. They will come with spots in the first two non-Sentry signature events of 2025, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and Genesis Invitational, by being in the top 60 of the FedExCup after The RSM Classic. But those that finished in the top 50 of the FedExCup points list can take the fall off and tee it up at Kapalua, with everyone starting the season with a clear slate of zero points.

What will this all mean? The PGA Tour doesn’t want you to know this, but they have devalued the fall, and the tournaments will have a tough time attracting marquee names. There will only be one event with no 72-hole cut, the Zozo Championship. But with no FedExCup points on the line, it won’t attract those marquee players anymore. So the question will be how the PGA Tour maintains the credibility of the fall to appease sponsors. Last year, it worked for those who love to gamble, it’s better to have a lesser event than no event at all. Still, in the overall scheme of things, the fall is pretty meaningless, except that it’s still an essential part of keeping in the top 125 and retaining a Tour card for 2024.

So, for this week, we have a pretty good field. A combination of players looking to prepare for the President’s Cup and playing on a great course in a fabulous area has attracted what will probably be the best field for the fall. There will be 11 members of the two teams at the Silverado Resort. For the American squad, defending tournament champ Sahith Theegala, two-time event winner Max Homa, and Wyndham Clark. In addition, two of Furyk’s assistant captains, Kevin Kisner and Stewart Cink, will be playing in the event. defending tournament champ Sahith Theegala, two-time event winner Max Homa, and Wyndham Clark. In addition, two of Furyk’s assistant captains, Kevin Kisner and Stewart Cink, will be playing in the event. On the International side, captain Mike Weir, one of only six International Team members with 10 or more wins in the Presidents Cup, will play, as will one of his assistant captains, Camilo Villegas. Players on the International roster teeing it up in Napa are Min Woo Lee, Corey Conners, and Mackenzie Hughes.

The most intriguing player in the field has to be amateur Luke Clanton. The rising Florida State junior will miss the Seminoles’ fall opener to play in Napa this week. He is presently the leading amateur who made it to the semifinals of the 2021 U.S. Amateur and played in the 2023 and ’24 U.S. Amateur. He played on the PGA tour for the first time at Pinehurst, qualifying and finishing T-41st.  Thanks to that, he was given sponsor exemptions to some of the summer events and was fabulous. He was T-10th at the Rocket Mortgage, and the next week, was runner-up at the John Deere Classic, finishing just two shots back of the winner, Davis Thompson. he was T-37th at the ISCO Championship. He missed the 3M Open cut before finishing 5th at the Wyndham Championship. So, with him in contention on the final day at the Rocket Mortgage, John Deere, and Wyndham, he wants to see if he can pull a Nick Dunlap, win as an amateur, and get onto the PGA Tour. Even if he doesn’t pull off the win, he wants to earn more points in the PGA Tour University’s accelerated program, which could help him get on the PGA Tour next summer.

Clanton will be joined in the Napa field by Neal Shipley, who beat Clanton for low amateur honors at the U.S. Open. Shipley turned professional after that, finished T-6th at the ISCO Championship, and is looking to get into the top 125 of the FedExCup list. Presently he has 119 points, and to get into the top 125, he needs at least 283 points, so he needs a top five to get him to that level. If my chance is that he wins, 500 points will be given. Even a 2nd place gets him 300 points, while a 3rd place is good too, with 190 points awarded. Another amateur in the field is Arizona State sophomore Wenyi Ding, who missed the cut in the 2023 U.S. Open at Los Angeles Golf Club.

Other marquee names in the field are Wyndham Clark and Max Homa, two players who had disappointing 2024 seasons. Other players to watch are Nick Taylor, Eric Cole, Lucas Glover, Maverick McNealy, and Matt Kuchar.

About the Procore Championship:

This event was first called the Fry’s. Com Open and started in Scottsdale, Arizona, in 2007, and after three years at Grayhawk, transferred to CordeValle Golf Club, close to its sponsor’s headquarters in San Jose. The hope was that CordeValle would be a temporary home, as it’s been a dream to hold the event at the Institute Golf Course in Morgan Hill, CA.   However, construction problems prevented the event from being played on the ultra-private course that few had ever seen. So CordeValle was to be a short-term fix and was until the event moved to Napa in 2015. Napa was a short-term solution at the time as the Institute Golf Course would get ready to hold the event. Still, after the success of Silverado and Frys dropping sponsorship, the event signed up Safeway as the title sponsor. It stayed at the Silverado Resort, which is very popular with the players. After the 2021 event, Safeway gave up its sponsorship, and Fortinet took over. That happened again with Fortinet dropping out after last year and the PGA Tour signing up Procore. For anyone wondering what “Procore” does, they develop and sell construction software based in Carpinteria, California. They had revenue of $1 billion in 2023, so we can say they are a very successful company, and everyone would agree a good change.

Course information:

• Silverado Resort (North Course)
• Napa, California
• 7,123 yards     Par 36-36–72

Many will not remember, but Silverado was the proud site of the PGA Tour between 1968 to 1980 and then held a senior event, the Transamerica, between 1990 and 2002. So Silverado had a deep relationship with professional golf. The resort changed direction because it didn’t need to spend the money to host a professional golf event. Napa Valley has become an excellent destination for couples over 40, between the great weather and the vineyards. Still, the resort lost some of its lusters over the years and needed sprucing up. One of the areas that have been improved is the golf courses. There are two of them, the South and the North. Johnny Miller assembled an investment group that purchased the courses a couple of years ago, and Miller reworked the North Course. Miller revamped all the greens, put in new bunkering, realigned the fairways, and trimmed the too-cumbersome trees. Of course, because of the golf marketplace’s downturn, Miller didn’t go crazy by changing many holes and adding lakes and streams. Still, Miller is happy at work and hopeful of doing the same to the South Course.

So, what will the pros find this week? Miller points out that the greens are one of the things that make it a better course. “These greens are as tough as Augusta at high speeds,” Miller said to Golf.com. “I would probably have five three putts a round.” The course was also increased from 6,900 to 7,166, then dropped to 7,123. Now, on the surface, this may be too short for the best pros in the world. So, I can see the long-distance players having a field day while the shorter hitters enjoy shorter approaches to the greens. One thing that was brought out in the 13 years it was played in the 70s  was the caliber of champions, which included players like Billy Casper, Johnny Miller, Tom Watson, and Ben Crenshaw among its winners.

Turf renovation was another critical aspect of the Miller redo, which improved playability and aesthetics. This involved removing Kikuyu grass and returning the course to its original rye and Kentucky bluegrass mix.

The course has become a big hit with the players, sponsors, and fans, providing some great theater.

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

This is based on the most vital stats from Silverado Resort, North course based on data from last year’s Fortinet Open and using data from all the players in the field with stats from 2023. Now, in 2023, because of the change in the schedule, the Fortinet was played twice in September of 2202, which we call the 2023-1 event, and last year, which we call the 2023-2. Another confusing item: they will have a new sponsor for the third time in three years, so the tournament will be called the Procore Championship.

This is the 11th year that the Procore Championship is being played at Silverado, which has a history of holding PGA Tour events from the 60s. So, the resort has a deep relationship with professional golf. Ten years ago, Johnny Miller assembled an investment group to buy the Napa resort and its two golf courses built in the 1960s. Robert Trent Jones Jr. designed both courses, and they are good, but they were never updated with the advent of new equipment. So when Miller came in, he wanted to rework the two courses and bring them up to date. He started first on the North Course by revamping all of the greens, putting in new bunkering, realigning the fairways, and trimming the trees that were too cumbersome. The most important item in the alteration was changing the greens by adding some undulation and making them very fast. Miller also added 300 yards so that it will play at a par 72 and at 7,166 yards. Since those changes, the course is now playing at 7,123 yards.
Last year (2023-2), the course played to a 71.16 average, just over three-quarters of a shot under par, and was the 30th hardest course on the PGA Tour in 2023. The year before (2023-1), the course played to a 71.52 scoring average, just about a half shot under par, and was the 22nd hardest course on the PGA Tour in 2023. The previous year, Silverado played to a 71.04 scoring average, just about a shot under par, and was the 32nd hardest course on the PGA Tour in 2022. It played almost a shot above the 2021 scoring average of 70.21, which is the same as it played in 2020 (71.24, 19th hardest course that year). Historically, the lack of wind makes the course play harder and easier.

For the pros, the hardest aspect of the course was hitting fairways; in 2023-2, 46.55% of the fairways were hit, as it was the 2nd hardest fairways to hit on the PGA Tour. The year before, 2023-1, 46.77% of the fairways were hit as it was the 3rd hardest fairways to hit on the PGA Tour. The hardest on tour was Oak Hill C.C., which held the PGA Championship, as 45.04% of the fairways were hit. In 2022, 47.10% of the fairways were hit as it was again the 2nd hardest fairways to hit on the PGA Tour in 2022; only Wilmington C.C., which held the BMW Championship, was harder to hit. Again, hitting fairways is critical; in 2021, 51.64% were hit as it was the 6th hardest. In 2020, the field hit 50.03% of the fairways as it was the 2nd hardest fairways to hit in 2020. Only Olympia Fields, the site of the BMW Championship, were harder to hit. This is the norm for Silverado in 2019; 53.65% of the fairways were hit as it ranked the 4th hardest course in 2019. So yes, Silverado has some of the hardest fairways to hit on the PGA Tour.

Even with the tight fairways, the players hit 68.78% of the greens in 2023-2, ranking 38th on the PGA Tour in 2023. In the 2023-1 version of the event, players hit 66.44% of the greens, ranking 27th on the PGA Tour in 2023. The previous year, the players hit 67.05% of the greens as it ranked 28th hardest on the PGA Tour in 2022. Because the course only plays at a short 7,123 yards, it only means that despite missing a fairway, the player has a short iron that is easily maneuverable from rough. So, in previous years, the rough was harder than in other years, but with the drought, that is different. In 2021, the players hit 71.72% of the greens, making it the 43rd hardest course to hit in regulation. This was the record for Silverado; in past years, it was harder to hit. In 2020, 65.73% of the greens were hit, making it the 16th hardest course to hit in regulation.

One of the things that keeps scoring low is the total amount of birdies made; last year, for the 2023-2 event, 1,660 birdies were made, which ranked 40th on tour for 2023. In 2023-1, 1.632 were made, as only 18 other courses saw more birdies made. In 2022, 1,688 were made, as only 11 other courses saw more birdies made. In 2021, 1,891 birdies were made, and only two different courses in 2021 saw more birdies made, so hitting fairways and greens does lead to making a lot of birdies.
As for the greens, for the 2023-2 event, the average distance of putts made was 71 feet, 2 inches, ranked 11th. In the previous year, 2023-1, the average distance of putts made was 73 feet, 1 inch; it ranked T-17th. They were the 6th hardest greens to score on the previous year as players made 70.0 feet of putts. The year before, in 2021, it was the 3rd hardest greens to score on as the players made 68 feet and 9 inches of putts per round.

So, a combination of hitting it far and straight is important, and that is why our first category is Strokes Gained Tee-to-Green. In looking at the last champion from the 2023-2 event, Sahith Theegala was T-6th in Strokes Gained Tee-to-Green as he was 23rd in driving distance and T-46th in driving accuracy. In 2023-1, the champion Max Homa was 1st in Strokes Gained Tee-to-Green as he was 34th in driving distance and T-7th in Driving accuracy. The previous year, Homa won, as he was 2nd in Strokes Gained Tee-to-Green, 45th in driving distance, and 15th in driving accuracy. The 2021 champion, Stewart Cink, was 3rd in Strokes Gained Tee-to-Green as he was 17th in driving distance and was T-51st in driving accuracy. In 2020, Cameron Champ was 1st in Strokes Gained Tee-to-green, leading in driving distance, and was T-21st in driving accuracy. In 2019, Kevin Tway won, and he was T-40th in Driving Accuracy and T-14th in driving distance, so he was 3rd in Strokes Gained Tee-to-Green. Comparing this with Brendan Steele, who won back to back in 2018 and 2017, Steele was 1st in Strokes Gained Tee-to-green in 2018 and 11th in 2017, so we can see the importance of this stat.

Our second most important category is Strokes Gained Around-the-Green. That is because last year, 2023-2, the course ranked 38th in greens hit as Theegala ranked 3rd in Strokes Gained Gained Around-the-Green, and T-25th in greens hit. For the 2023-1 event, the course ranked 26th in greens hit, champion Homa ranked 7th in Strokes Gained Around-the-Green, and T-17th in greens hit. The previous year, Silverado ranked 28th in greens hit. In 2021, the course ranked 43rd in greens hit. It drastically differed in 2020 when the course ranked 16th in greens hit. So those who miss greens have to get it up and down to score well.
Last year, 2023-2, the players got it up and down from off the green 60.67% of the time and ranked 35th for the year. As for Theegala, he ranked 7th in Scrambling, getting it up and down 73.88%. In 2023-1, the players got it up and down from off the green 59.42% of the time and ranked 32nd for courses in 2023. Homa ranked 3rd in scrambling, getting it up and down 85.71%. In the previous year, Silverado got it up and down 60.79% of the time, T-29th for all courses in 2022. In 2021, the players got it up and down from off the green at 61.99%, making it the 36th course in scrambling. In 2020, it was 60.89%, making it the 28th course in scrambling.
As for bunkering, the 18 greens have 36 bunkers around them, so many players will have to get up and down from the sand. Last year, in 2023-2, Silverado ranked 41st in the Sand Save Percentage, while Theegala was T-9th in his wind. For the 2023-1 event, Silverado ranked 32nd in Sand Save Percentage, while Max Homa was T-36th in his win. In 2022, the course ranked T-21st in Sand Save percentage; in 2021, it ranked 35th; in 2020, it ranked 25th. As for the champions, in 2022, Max Homa was 24th in Strokes Gained Around-the-Green, with a T-75th in scrambling and a T-60th in Sand Save percentage. He wasn’t imposing in this category, but in 2021, Stewart Cink was 8th in Strokes Gained around the green as he was 2nd in Scrambling and T-68th in Sand Save Percentage. In 2020, the winner, Cameron Champ, was 19th in Strokes Gained Around the Green as he was 1st in scrambling and 11th in Sand Save percentage. In 2019, Kevin Tway was 7th in Strokes Gained Around the Green as he was first in scrambling.

Our third category was Strokes Gained Putting. The greens are a combination of Poa annua and Bent, so we all know it takes a special person to be able to putt well on Poa annua greens. Last year, 2023-3, Sahith Thee ranked 2nd in Strokes Gained Putting. The previous year, 2023-1, Max Homa ranked 15th in Strokes Gained Putting; in the year before 2022, Homa was 22nd in Strokes Gained Putting. In 2021, Stewart Cink ranked 16th in strokes Gained Putting. In 2020, Cameron Champ ranked 28th in Strokes Gained putting, while 2019 champion Kevin Tway was 18th, 2018 winner Brendan Steele was 29th, and in 2017 he was 6th.

Our last category is Par Breakers because to win, you have to make a lot of birdies, along with some eagles. Last year, 2023-2, Silverado ranked 29th hardest on tour in Par Breakers as winner Sahith Thee ranked 1st as he made 24 birdies and one eagle. The year before, 2023-1, Silverado was 21st in Par Breakers as winner Max Homa was T-10th as he made 18 birdies, which was T-10th and made one eagle. The previous year, 2022, Silverado was 28th in Par Breakers as winner Max Homa was T-1st as he made 24 birdies, which was T-1st and made two eagles. In 2021, Silverado was 43rd in Par Breakers, while Stewart Cink was T-6th and made 23 birdies, finishing T-5th. In 2020, the course played much harder as it was 15th in Par Breakers as Cameron Champ was T-4th as he made 21 birdies, which also finished T-4th. In 2019, Kevin Tway was T-10th, making 19 birdies. Brendan Steele was 5th in Par Breakers in 2018 and T-1st in 2017 when he made 24 birdies.

So we can see that Silverado, despite playing short under modern standards and despite being played in the fall, is one of the most demanding courses on the PGA Tour.

*Strokes Gained Tee-to-Green: Looks at the combination of length off the tee and accuracy, then getting the ball on the green so it determines who is best at all of these items.

*Strokes Gained Around-the-Green: Looks at the combination of gaining strokes by getting up and down after missing a green.

*Strokes Gained Putting: The number of putts a player takes from a specific distance is measured against a statistical baseline to determine the player’s strokes gained or lost on a hole.

*Par Breakers: Combination of birdies and eagles made to show under-par scoring.

Of the 144 players in the field, 88 have stats on the PGA Tour for 2024:

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

DraftKings tips

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

• Sahith Theegala – $10,600
• Wyndham Clark – $10,400
• Max Homa – $10,000
• Corey Conners – $9,800
• Luke Clanton – $9,500
• Maverick McNealy – $9,400
• Min Won Lee – $9,300
• Keith Mitchell – $9,200
• Brendon Todd – $9,100
• J.J. Spaun – $9,000

So this is a very strange week since some of the players haven’t tee it up in over five weeks, since the Wyndham Championship.  So anything can happen, I am putting a lot emphasis on past performance at Silverado, since it’s a demanding course in which driving is very important.

I do believe that Sahith Theegala at $10,600, will play well; not only did he win it last year, but he finished well during the 2024 season.  I like that his best finishes came on courses that demanded shotmaking courses like his 3rd place finish at the Tour Championship.  Wyndham Clark at $10,400 is a hard choice.  Don’t like that his record is not good at Silverado, his best finish in five starts is T-30th.  However, Wyndham has played well since missing the cut at the British Open, where he was 8th at the Tour Championship.  Will he perform well this year is again a toss-up.  Max Homa at $10,000 is a definite no for me, yes he has won twice and was T-7th last year, but his game has been terrible.  Since finishing T-8th at the Wells Fargo, his best finish has been a T-22nd at the Memorial.  Sorry, but his game is not for prime time at the moment.  Corey Conners at $9,800 is also a no for me. He has struggled in this event and has not been great in 2024.  Luke Clanton at $9,500 is a big yes for me; I think his game will suit Silverado, which he has never played.  But I like how well he has done at the Rocket Mortgage, John Deere, and Wyndham.  Also he played great at Pinehurst, look for that to continue.  I also like Maverick McNealy at $9,400, he almost won in 2022 and has played well in his last few starts.  The course is good for him.  Min Won Lee at $9,300 has never played in this event and has not been that great in 2024 other than his runner-up finishes at the Cognizant and Rocket Mortgage.  Keith Mitchell at $9,200 is a good driver, but he missed the cut at the Procore last year and has struggled in 2024, he didn’t even make it into the FedEx playoffs.  Brendon Todd at $9,100 is worth a look.  He was 6th last year and T-9th in the first Procure of 2023.  He struggled in 2024, but he was T-5th at the Valero Texas and T-6th at the Palmer, both courses you have to drive well on, like Silverado.  J.J. Spaun at $9,000 is a mystery as to why he is so high. He was T-9th at the 3M and T-3rd at the Wyndham but didn’t play in the playoffs.  He was T-11th last year at Silverado and T-9th in 2021, still his price is too high for me.

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

Tom Hoge at $8,900 is a yes, he was T-12th last year at the Fortinet and can play on tough driving courses.  Harris English at $8,800 is a gamble, but has some upside, including his T-9th last year.  Also think that Eric Cole at $8,700 is worth the price, he was 4th last year at Silverado.  I really like Mac Meissner at $8,000, he is a great driver, good around the greens and putts scramble wells.  He played great over the summer, and I feel he can be the week’s surprise.  Watch Matt Kuchar at $7,900, he was T-7th last year and T-12th the year before at Silverado.  Also, I like his finishes in his last two starts, T-3rd at the 3M Open and T-12th at Wyndham.  I have to watch Rico Hoey at $7,700.  He played great over the summer, he was T-6th at Rocket Mortgage, T-2nd at ISCO and T-8th at Barracuda.  Also watch Neal Shipley at $7,600, he makes cuts and did finish T-6th at the ISCO, look for him to do well again this week.  Also, watch Nick Taylor at $7,600.  He has been terrible since winning at Phoenix in January, but I think he will play well this week at Silverado, where he has a good record, including a T-6th last year.

*Some of the “bargains” this week at the Procore Championship

There are some struggles in making bargain picks; we are looking at players who made a lot of cuts.  Like Mark Hubbard at $7,500, Gary Woodland at $7,300, and S.H. Kim at $7,000.  Like that, Stewart Cink, at $6,700, won just a few short years ago and was close in the Champions event last week.

Here are some of the secrets of what it takes to play well at the Procore Championship:

Key stat for the winner:

• In all ten years of being played at Silverado, hitting fairways and putting became the keys to playing well.  Silverado had the 2nd hardest fairways to hit in last year so hitting it straight is essential.  Also putting was important, on putting average ranks high each year.  So look for that trait in a possible winner this week.

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

• Since the course is still new for a good share of the players, the experience will play a minimal role.  Traditionally, tournaments on the PGA Tour that hold events for the first, second, and third year are won by journeymen and players with minimum experience.  The last nine winners, Sahith Theegala, Max Homa, Stewart Cink, Cameron Champ, Kevin Tway, Sangmoon Bae, Emiliano Grillo, and Brendan Steele, fit that bill, so expect the unexpected for this week.
• Johnny Miller says the greens are perfect and fast, so good putters should have a field day.
• Scrambling is also very important because it’s not that demanding around the greens at Silverado.  Last year, it ranked 35th hardest, so you must get up and down on those greens you miss to win.
• Lastly, the trend is not for a journeyman pro to win, I think that will continue this week as we will have a marquee player winning.
• The weather will be picture-perfect, but the players will hate the winds, which will average 11 mph daily, with Sunday having the highest. So look for scores on the high side