05-11-16

Enough with the yelling already!

Pete Dye courses aren’t for everyone especially the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass.

This isn’t the week to be cautionary or defensive.

There’s simply too much money on the table for top finishers and the field is deeper than most people’s student load debt.

I’ve seen arguments that Garcia is a “no-brainer” and have made the argument below that I agree to that.

In certain situations.

I don’t think you need to get out of the top 10 in the OWGR this week to find your play.

Let’s see who I have left:

Event	Golfer	Place	Money
Frys.com	Brooks Koepka	T-41	$21,000
Shriners	Scott Piercy	T-25	$44,832
CIMB	Anirban Lahiri	T-21	$78,400
WGC-HSBC Champions	Adam Scott	T-70	$42,000
Sanderson Farms	Patrick Rodgers	T-20	$41,356
OHL Mayakoba	Patton Kizzire	T-58	$13,764
RSM	Brendon de Jonge	T-33	$27,049
HTOC	Brandt Snedeker	T-3	$381,000
Sony	Kevin Kisner	T-5	$220,400
CB Challenge	Ryan Palmer	T-17	$75,897
Farmers	Phil Mickelson	MC	$0
Waste Management	Hideki Matsuyama	WIN	$1,170,000
AT&T Pebble Beach	Jimmy Walker	T-11	$143,500
NTO	Dustin Johnson	4th	$326,400
Honda	Luke Donald	T-61	$13,115
WGC-Cadillac Champ	Henrik Stenson	T-28	$79,428
Valspar	Danny Willett	T-22	$52,959
Arnold Palmer	Scott Brown	T-27	$41,934
WGC-Dell Match Play	Rickie Fowler	T-53	$63,000
Puerto Rico Open	Graham DeLaet	T-11	$66,000
Shell Houston Open	Louis Oosthuizen	MC	$0
Masters	Bubba Watson	T-37	$50,250
RBC Heritage	Matt Kuchar	T-9	$147,500
Valero Texas Open	Charley Hoffman	WIN	$1,116,000
Zurich Classic	Daniel Berger	T-20	$64,909
Wells Fargo	J.B. Holmes	T-53	$16,589

2015-16 season

Season total: $4,267,272; 26 events

• Wins: 2
• Seconds: 0
• Thirds: 1
• Top 10s: 6
• Top 25s: 13
• MC: 2 (Mickelson, FIO; Oosthuizen, SHO)

 

Last week: J.B. Holmes (T-53; $16,589)

My second choice finished T-28. McIlroy, Mickelson and Fowler all finished T-4. Only had McIlroy of those three but I’m glad I waited.

 

Thermometer:

Kicked squarely in the golf bag BUT BUT BUT at least I didn’t have to watch McIlroy lift the trophy and live with that regret .

 

Keys this Week:

• Experience
• Stud ball-strikers
• Strokes-gained: tee-to-green

 

My Five Finalists:

1.) Rory McIlroy

2.) Sergio Garcia

3.) Henrik Stenson

4.) Hideki Matsuyama

5.) Jason Day

 

The Choice: Rory McIlroy

Close Second: Sergio Garcia

Long Shot Special: Chris Kirk

Verdict: Garcia is the perfect solution for most gamers this week. He’s playing well plus he rakes at TPC Sawgrass but, and there’s always a BUT with him, he doesn’t win enough. I’m going-for-broke this week with best ball-striker on the planet who has been rounding into form. With the winner’s share of almost $2 million, he’s the simple choice. Garcia is the pick for leaders or top-level guys looking to maintain and use McIlroy down the road. Big field means big choices so there are plenty of “sneaky” options as well. Kirk sticks out like a sore thumb.