The big run begins this week!
WGC-MAJOR-Wyndham-FECI, FECII, FECIII and The TOUR Championship are the only events left after this double-header week.
For those of you who took the chance and waited…
2018 Thermometer:
Event | Golfer | Place | $$ |
Safeway Open | Tony Finau | 2nd | 669,600 |
CIMB Classic | Paul Casey | T7 | 218,166 |
CJ CUP @ 9 BRIDGES | Keegan Bradley | T47 | 23,759 |
WGC-HSBC Champions | Hideki Matsuyama | T50 | 51,875 |
Sanderson Farms | Chesson Hadley | T2 | 464,400 |
Shriners | Patrick Cantlay | WIN | 1,224,000 |
OHL Classic | Kevin Chappell | MC | 0 |
The RSM Classic | Charles Howell III | MC | 0 |
Sentry TOC | Kevin Kisner | T17 | 99,333 |
Sony Open | Brian Harman | T4 | 256,266 |
CareerBuilder Challenge | Jason Dufner | T36 | 27,189 |
Farmers Insurance | Jon Rahm | T29 | 43,872 |
WMPO | Alex Noren | T21 | 80,040 |
-AT&T Pebble Beach | Phil Mickelson | T2 | 488,400 |
Genesis Open | Dustin Johnson | T16 | 111,600 |
Honda Classic | Graeme McDowell | MC | 0 |
WGC-Mexico | Tommy Fleetwood | T14 | 126,500 |
Valspar Championship | Ryan Moore | MC | 0 |
Arnold Palmer | Tyrell Hatton | T69 | 18,067 |
WGC-Match Play | Patrick Reed | T9 | 163,000 |
Corales Puntacana | Patrick Rodgers | T22 | 27,850 |
Houston Open | Luke List | T24 | 54,162 |
Masters | Jordan Spieth | 3rd | 748,000 |
RBC Heritage | Cameron Smith | T32 | 35,510 |
Valero Texas Open | Billy Horschel | T11 | 136,400 |
Zurich Classic | Bud Cauley | MC | 0 |
Wells Fargo Championship | Bryson DeChambeau | 4th | 369,600
|
THE PLAYERS | Francesco Molinari | MC | 0 |
AT&T Byron Nelson | Jimmy Walker | T6 | 257,950 |
Fort Worth Invitational | Adam Scott | T52 | 16,472 |
Memorial | Tiger Woods | T23 | 76,985 |
FESJC | Henrik Stenson | T26 | 50,820 |
US Open | Justin Rose | T10 | 270,151 |
FESJC | Xander Schauffele | MC | 0 |
Quicken Loans National | Kyle Stanley | T32 | 36,841 |
A Military Tribute | Bubba Watson | T13 | 121,632 |
John Deere Classic | Zach Johnson | T16 | 81,366 |
British Open | Rory McIlroy | T2 | 694,250 |
RBC Canadian Open | Charley Hoffman | T29 | 37,743 |
Total Events: 38
|
Top 10s: 12 | MC: 7 | $7,134,799 |
Last week:
Dustin Johnson blew away the field as the Korean duo of Byeong-Hun An and Whee Kim couldn’t keep up. Keegan Bradley poked his head up again with solo fourth while Joel Dahmen cashed his third top 10 in his last four starts. Yep, I had him when he was T15 at Keane Trace…
It was a tough week for leaders if they didn’t have DJ or Fleetwood (T6) to choose from. Finau and Hoffman self-destructed on Sunday to the dismay of many but that’s fantasy golf. Gotta #Play72.
My Choice: Charley Hoffman – T29
Picks for Leaders: Tony Finau – T37, Matt Kuchar – MC
Picks for Chasers: Dustin Johnson – WIN, Bubba Watson – MC
Picks for Dreamers: Joaquin Niemann – T37,Brandt Snedeker – T8
Picks for Noses: Sergio Garcia – MC, Kevin Kisner – MC
Six Molsons In: Tom Lovelady – MC, Billy Horschel – MC, Harold Varner III – T17
This week:
The WGC-BI cash grab for the final time at the South Course at Firestone Country Club will provide a proper warm-up event, as usual, for the PGA Championship next week in St. Louis at Bellerive Country Club.
The world’s top 50, minus Wednesday WD’s Adam Hadwin and Justin Rose, will battle it out for $1.7 million and 550 FEC points to the winner. Regardless of your game, it’s go time. This week, next week and the four Playoff events will put nails into the coffin or cause a grand-stand finish. Remember, with NO CUT this week you will collect $$$/Points regardless. That will NOT be the case next week or the first two Playoff events.
Firestone South has hosted every time minus one of the last 20 so course history is real and spectacular. There are some who just can’t figure it out here and a few that can’t miss. At 7,400 yards and Par-70 the key this week is finding GIR and keeping bogeys to a minimum. The list of winners over the last decade is littered with big, bad ball-strikers so I’d start there.
My Choice: Rickie Fowler
Picks for Leaders: Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods
Picks for Chasers: Dustin Johnson, Hideki Matsuyama, Brooks Koepka
Picks for Dreamers: Matt Kuchar, Xander Schauffele, Kevin Chappell
Picks for Noses: Sergio Garcia, Phil Mickelson, Henrik Stenson
Six Beers In: Luke List, Russell Knox, Thorbjorn Olesen
20th Barracuda Championship
Another week, another Nicklaus course that will take low scores and an experienced winner.
Here are 10 guys to look at this week:
Martin Laird: Four starts here, his worst payday is T7.
Kevin Streelman: Checks the boxes in too many categories to omit.
Joel Dahmen: Top 10’s in three of his last four
Robert Garrigus: T38 in his last seven here; T6 last year best of the bunch.
Mackenzie Hughes: Form of 2018 included T13 LW.
J.J. Henry: He’s won this twice in the last four years.
Graeme McDowell: The altitude will help him greatly and so will his pedigree.
Andrew Putnam: He’ll fill up the GIR stat and that never hurts when scoring is needed.
Kevin Tway: Gave it a sniff last week but couldn’t close the deal. Soft landing for a big bounce back.
My Life
Hoffman’s crash and burn from T13 to T29 on Sunday didn’t help the cause and neither did DJ winning. This is my last “iffy play of the year and the no-cut is the main reason.
I go into plenty of detail in The Confidence Factor, so please read that!
Here’s my tentative plan:
PGA Championship: First-time venue Bellerive Country Club will suggest a top 10 OWGR player. Jason Day, Koepka and Thomas are obvious choices.
Wyndham Championship: Kevin Na, Ollie Schniederjans
NORTHERN TRUST OPEN: Matt Kuchar will be the only winner in the field at Ridgewood Country Club (2010). He was also T5 in 2014.
Dell Technologies TPC Boston: Leftovers from PGA choices.
BMW Championship: Aronomink is the host and Rose (2010) and Nick Watney (2011) are the only two winners on TOUR here (Donald Ross course).
The TOUR Championship: There has never been a repeat champion or anyone who has won multiple FedExCup titles so whoever is left! A rookie won for the first time last year (Schauffele) so it’s not impossible!
Good luck!
History Channeled:
2015-16 Season total: $5,978,929; 47 events
- Wins: 2 (Matsuyama, Hoffman)
- Seconds: 0
- Thirds: 1
- Top 10s: 9
- Top 25s: 18
- MC: 8 (Mickelson, FIO; Oosthuizen, SHO; Chappell, Colonial; Casey, Memorial; Woodland, FESJC; Hearn, RBC Canadian; McGirt, Wyndham; Justin Thomas, DBC)
2016-17 Season total: $6,533,509 45 events
- Wins: 1
- Seconds: 1
- Thirds: 1
- Top 10s: 12
- Top 25s: 20
- MCs (10): Grayson Murray (Safeway Open); Patton Kizzire (SFC); Jamie Lovemark (CB Challenge); Jimmy Walker (FIO); Charl Schwartzel (Genesis); Russell Knox (Honda); Henrik Stenson (API); Thomas Pieters (Zurich); Kevin Kisner (WFC).
Thanks for reading!