Thanks to my man Dough for the reminder!

I’m losing my mind, what’s left of it!

One and Done

Each week I’ll throw in my thoughts on the field and those to back and avoid in this wonderful format.

This Year:

Event	Golfer	Place	$$
Safeway Open	Brendan Steele	T53	14,610
CIMB Classic	Ryan Moore	T66	12,740
CJ CUP @ 9 BRIDGES	Gary Woodland	2nd	1,026,000
WGC-HSBC Champions	Ian Poulter	21st	93,500
Sanderson Farms	Cameron Davis	MC	0
Shriners	Aaron Wise	T15	101,675
Mayakoba Golf Classic	Charles Howell III	MC	0
The RSM Classic	J.J. Spaun	MC	0
Sentry TOC	Jon Rahm	T8	191,000
Sony Open	Marc Leishman	T3	307,200
60th Desert Classic	Andrew Putnam	T34	29,975
Farmers Insurance	Patrick Cantlay	MC	0
WMPO	Hideki Matsuyama	T15	113,600
AT&T Pebble Beach	Jason Day	T4	334,400
Genesis Open	Justin Thomas	2nd	799,200
WGC-Mexico Champ	Xander Schauffele	T14	128,000
Puerto Rico Open	Graeme McDowell	T42	10,500
The Honda Classic	Adam Scott	MC	0
Arnold Palmer Invitational	Rickie Fowler	T40	35,490
THE PLAYERS Championship	Sergio Garcia	T22	125,000
Valspar Championship	Patrick Reed	MC	0
Corales Punta Cana	Trey Mullinax	T61	6,450
WGC-Match Play	Paul Casey	T9	167,000
Valero Texas Open	Billy Horschel	MC	0
Masters	Rory McIlroy	T21	107,956
RBC Heritage	Matt Kuchar	2nd	745,200
Zurich Classic	Ryan Palmer	WIN	1,051,200
Wells Fargo Championship	Phil Mickelson	MC	0
AT&T Byron Nelson	Keith Mitchell	T59	17,301
PGA Championship	Brooks Koepka	WIN	1,980,000
Charles Schwab Challenge	Jordan Spieth	T8	197,100
Memorial	Tony Finau	MC	0
RBC Canadian Open	Jim Furyk	T27	55,100
U.S. Open	Tiger Woods	T21	117,598
Total Events: 34	Top 10s: 10	MC: 9	$7,767,795

Last Week – U.S. Open

Since I had my two choices down to Woods and DJ, I guess I got it “right”.

Woods collected T21 thanks to playing his final 12 holes in six-under-par but that’s hardly a prize worth celebrating.

The ONLY upside is I have DJ for later use but it’s getting early LATE.

My Choice: Tiger Woods

The good news he put three rounds under par. The bad news is his best one came with no chance of winning the tournament. This 3.0 edition of Woods has been difficult to wrangle but I’ve learned this: playing him where it is cold is a terrible idea regardless of his knowledge of the track. He “felt every shot” all week as temperatures didn’t get past the mid-60s.

Noted.

Sigh.

Majors update: T21-WIN-T21 with McIlroy, Koepka and Woods.

Not good enough.

Power Plays:

Dustin Johnson – T35

Woof. I don’t think anyone saw this coming. His two worst finishes this season when he’s made the cut both have come at Pebble Beach in two completely different events.

Brooks Koepka – 2nd

For those of you who had buyer’s remorse after the PGA and wanted to join the party, well done. The winner this week at Travelers will collect $1.296 million while Koepka takes home $1.35 for second last week. Gary Woodland is the only man to beat Koepka in three consecutive U.S. Open championships.

Patrick Cantlay – T21

Hardly surprising with everyone riding his coattails after his win at Memorial. There were a glut of proper players at T21 and Cantlay is obviously in that group. This was his first major of 2019 outside the top nine.

Spicy:

Picks that should click but have more element of risk

Shane Lowry – T28

Death knell sounded after 75 to open but a game rally to T28 after 69-70-69 the final three rounds saved gamers’ blushes.

Brandt Snedeker – 77th

Another big-time course horse, Snedeker never fired on the weekend. Sitting 10 shots back after two rounds probably extinguished the fire. If not, 74-77 on the weekend did.

Jordan Spieth/Jason Day – T65/T21

Not even Steve Williams on the bag could push Day into the top 10 and Spieth’s GAS tank was empty by Sunday morning.

Rickie Fowler – T43

His last three U.S. Open results on classic courses:

MC – Oakmont

T20 – Shinnecock

T43 – Pebble Beach

Picks for Dreamers:

Breakout performance from this group will get gamers back into contention

Phil Mickelson – T52

All of the “big advantage” stops are gone and Father Time marches on. There’s a reason why only a handful of guys who have won this event in their 40’s and none since Payne Stewart, 42, beat Mickelson in 1999.

Justin Thomas – MC

I never understood taking guys who aren’t firing on courses they rarely play.

Webb Simpson – Super 66 on Sunday moved him to T16 and a lovely result for those who took a chance.

Picks for Noses:

Save them for another time. Each week I usually have a couple of these hit the top 10 so BUYER BEWARE!

Rory McIlroy – T9 but his final round of 72 didn’t help.

Matt Kuchar: His only top 10 remains at Pebble Beach in this event (2010) after 73 on Sunday saw him slip to T16. His value is in non-majors with light fields for my money.

Six Beers In: 

C.T. Pan – MC with an 80!, Branden Grace – MC, Billy Horschel – T32, Scottie Scheffler – MC

IF I HAD A CHALKBOARD

I would write XANDER SCHAUFFELE IS THE REAL DEAL over and over and over and over again, like Greensky Bluegrass would say.

 

This Week – Travelers Championship

If you like to read about trends, stats and the players I have rated, I have you covered in The Confidence Factor Preview.

Read more in Horses for Courses here.

We’re running out of time, choices and chances so it’s time to get guys into the heat of battle.

Plenty of choices this week but the math is simple: There are eight events left so if you have 20 guys to use, time to split hairs and break it down.

My Choice: Bubba Watson

As a few of us did last year, we got cute and decided there was no chance that no-form Bubba would sashay into town and win his third Travelers for the his third win of the year.

Not only did he win, he was the first player in 10 events to win by more than one shot or a playoff as he lapped the field, relatively speaking, to win by three.

His form entering this week is never great because, let’s be frank, he could care less about the U.S. Open.

Let’s also be frank that this track fits his eye perfectly.

I need Bubba where Bubba wants to be.

The most difficult/easy part is picking which one of his favorites he’ll get after.

Frequent Flyers

Paul Casey: Inside the top 5 in three of the last four years with a stroke average of 67.06. Unfinished business here to say the least.

Patrick Cantlay: I’ll let you know when he’s NOT a viable selection in this format.

Jordan Spieth: Remember, he chooses where he wants to play and there won’t be too many other choice. I’d load him up where he’s won before if I was going to use him.

Spicy:

Picks that should click but have more element of risk due to recent form, etc.

Charley Hoffman: Some guys love certain tracks more than others. Guys who have been around the block have even more affinity.

Daniel Berger: Man, hasn’t been able to get it over the finish line twice.

Ryan Moore: A podium at Valero has been the only bright spot this season but seven of his nine paydays T25 or better with five of those in the top 10.

Kevin Streelman: Good recent results on TOUR and four top-10s in 11 starts here.

Picks for Dreamers:

Breakout performance from this group will get gamers back into contention

Brian Harman: He’ll be the death of me this year but he’s starting to move in the right direction.

Viktor Hovland/Matt Wolff: Soft landing for these two college teammates to turn pro.

Russell Henley: 22-under in two trips the last two years.

Picks for Noses:

Save them for another time. Each week I usually have a couple of these hit the top 10 so BUYER BEWARE!

I’d say so Gary Woodland!

I’m not interested in the Euros this week as they stop over on their way back to the continent.

Fleetwood and Molinari haven’t been beating down the door recently so I’m not burning them to burn them.

Justin Thomas is another that I just can’t get my head around yet either. The good news, when healthy, he’s game EVERY week.

Six Beers In: 

Sungjae Im, Stephen Jaeger, Adam Hadwin

 

History Channeled:

2017-18 Thermometer: FINAL

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
Ft. Worth Invitational	Adam Scott	T52	16,472
AT&T Byron Nelson	Jimmy Walker	T6	257,950
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
Barracuda	Martin Laird	T15	51,000
WGC-Bridgestone Invite	Rickie Fowler	T17	104,250
PGA Championship	Brooks Koepka	WIN	1,980,000
Wyndham	Brandt Snedeker	WIN	1,080,000
THE NORTHERN TRUST	Jason Day	T20	101,160
Dell Technologies	Marc Leishman	T21	100,800
BMW Championship	Gary Woodland	T12	189,000
TOUR Championship	Justin Thomas	T7	279,900
Total Events: 47	Top 10s: 15	MC: 7	$10,967,909

 

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!