One event closer to retirement!
First time at Memorial Park will add an extra angle this week but so will a deeper field.
2020-2021 OAD
50 events, the most since the mid-70s, will give us plenty of time for strategy, strength and disaster.
2019-20 Events | Golfers | Place | Total $$ |
Safeway Open | Brendan Steele | T29 | 41,391 |
120th United States Open | Jon Rahm | T23 | 101,797 |
Corales Punta Cana | Pat Perez | T21 | 39,000 |
Sanderson Farms Championship | Doc Redman | T28 | 46,200 |
Shriners Hospitals for Children | Patrick Cantlay | T8 | 190,750 |
CJ CUP @ SHADOW CREEK | Matthew Wolff | 73rd | 16,575 |
ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP | Tyrrell Hatton | T28 | 50,137 |
Bermuda Championship | Will Zalatoris | T16 | 61,000 |
Total Events: 8 | Top 10: 1 | MC: 0 | $546,850 |
Welcome aboard!
If you’re new or curious or both, my entire archive is on the website. Go back and figure out what you want or need or ignore it completely.
Each week I’ll post the folks I believe will make some noise in different categories.
Remember, if you don’t like it, you get DOUBLE YOUR MONEY BACK!
Last Week – Bermuda Championship
Boy, I sure didn’t have this week nailed on! My bets at Covers had win tickets on Charley Hoffman, Doc Redman and Matt Jones. Snagged a few top 20 finishes to mitigate the loss but just can’t crack the code.
THE CHOICE: Will Zalatoris – T16
Feels odd not to be in the T20 to T28 range but here we are. In the opposite field events you pray that if your guy doesn’t win (see above) that nobody wins or hits the podium. Cashing 61k isn’t doing anything except ruining what little confidence I have in this format of tedium.
Safety Dance:
Players in here will appear obvious until I explain why they might not be. Remember “one” means ONCE, not again down the road.
Brendon Todd – MC: Nope, no cut for you! Guess that broken toe and a bit of wind was a bad combo.
Charley Hoffman – MC: Right church (0ld guy in 40s) wrong pew (MC, DFL).
Emiliano Grillo – T34: Opened with 66 to get everyone’s attention and then didn’t break 70 the rest of the week. He’s making tons of cuts but not any big money. SOUNDS LIKE ME IN THIS FORMAT.
Spicy:
Harold Varner, III – MC: Smooth 69-80 tells me all I need to know down the road if the wind blows.
Kristoffer Ventura – MC:
Doc Redman – T4: The leader after 54 holes gained another valuable lesson in the life of winning on TOUR. It’s coming soon.
3 AM at the Blackjack Table:
Thanks again for reading this far. The part of the column has produced WINNER Jason Kokrak and CJ CUP and T4 Cameron Smith at ZOZO plus another beauty this week.
Adam Schenk – T26: Three shots off the lead after 54 holes = another disappointing Sunday.
Padraig Harrington – T26: Had it one back after a run of early birdies on Sunday but ran out of gas. Schenk-ian.
Pat Perez – WD: Again.
Matt Jones – T4: Only made one bogey on the weekend and had the only bogey-free round on Saturday. About the only thing I got right this week.
This Week – Vivint Houston Open
Get Horsed for Coursed HERE.
THE CHOICE: Tony Finau
I keep having to remind myself he’s won before but, yes, it has been awhile. I’m leaning on the overpowering angle this week as he should be able to get all over the Par-5 holes and anything that’s drivable. He’ll need a good week from the putter if and when the shootout begins but too many positive results in recent weeks to ignore. I’ll find somebody else at Torrey Pines!
Safety Dance:
Players in here will appear obvious until I explain why they might not be. Remember “one” means ONCE, not again down the road.
Russell Henley: Man, this was a tough, tough hand to lay down. He’s easily 1A this week because of his past Houston success and style of course. Racking out consecutive top 10 finishes entering the week suggests I might be stupid (I left him off for Hatton at Sherwood) but three in a row is rare air.
Dustin Johnson: I like it because he has shown up and destroyed first-time courses and/or events before. I don’t like it because of the prize pool. You gotta do you but the good news he’ll be in the fight PLENTY this season.
Adam Scott: If you’re riding the 40+ angle this week, name a better selection? I’m more interested in bigger events but his schedule won’t be expanding as he gets older.
Sungjae Im: In the “old” Houston days, it would have been him and Henley dueling in the sun. The birdie machine rarely gives any cares to anything except making birdies.
Spicy:
Brooks Koepka: The rumour on the street is that his opinion on design wasn’t taken into serious consideration. We know how he goes when snubbed. I know how he goes when he’s healthy (ever again?) and wired for majors. Not enough cash for me but he’ll have that chip, allegedly, on his shoulder.
Scottie Scheffler: Everything is here but the trophy being held aloft. The upside here is the top-heavy part of the field hasn’t been steamrolling anything recently. He knows he’s good enough.
Stewart Cink: I mean his last four events would have been three of my best OAD finishes this season!
Doc Redman: Top four paydays in three of his last six and two of those are on Bermuda. I went with him on Bermuda at SFC for T28 so you don’t have to worry about me fecking it up.
3 AM at the Blackjack Table:
James Hahn, Denny McCarthy, JT Poston, CT Pan, Matthew NeSmith
Good Luck!
Check out my previous results below if you need a history lesson:
History Channeled:
2019-2020
Event | Golfer | Place | $$ |
The Greenbrier | Scottie Scheffler | T7 | 235,625 |
Sanderson Farms | Sungjae Im | P2 | 719,400 |
Safeway Open | Byeong-Hun An | MC | 0 |
Shriners Hospitals for Children | Scott Piercy | MC | 0 |
Houston Open | Henrik Stenson | MC | 0 |
CJ CUP AT NINE BRIDGES | Marc Leishman | T43 | 31,785 |
ZOZO Championship | Hideki Matsuyama | 2nd | 1,053,000 |
WGC-HSBC Champions | Xander Schauffele | 2nd | 1,095,000 |
Bermuda Championship | Denny McCarthy | T15 | 51,750 |
OHL Mayakoba Classic | Russell Knox | T33 | 36,810 |
The RSM Classic | Harris English | MC | 0 |
Sentry TOC | Rickie Fowler | T5 | 285,000 |
Sony Open | Charles Howell III | T12 | 116,500 |
The American Express | Phil Mickelson | MC | 0 |
Farmers Insurance Open | Tony Finau | T6 | 253,125 |
Waste Management Phoenix | Bubba Watson | T3 | 386,900 |
AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am | Brandt Snedeker | MC | 0 |
Genesis Invitational | Justin Thomas | MC | 0 |
Puerto Rico Open | Viktor Hovland | WIN | 540,000 |
WGC-Mexico Championship | Dustin Johnson | T48 | 45,500 |
The Honda Classic | Daniel Berger | T4 | 280,000 |
Arnold Palmer Invitational | Tommy Fleetwood | MC | 0 |
THE PLAYERS Championship | Abandoned | No Result | 0 |
Charles Schwab Challenge | Jordan Spieth | T10 | 181,875 |
RBC Heritage | Patrick Reed | MC | 0 |
Travelers Championship | Bryson DeChambeau | T6 | 233,470 |
Rocket Mortgage Classic | Tyrrell Hatton | T4 | 300,000 |
Workday Charity Open | Justin Rose | MC | 0 |
Memorial | Patrick Cantlay | T32 | 51,925 |
3M Open | Will Gordon | MC | 0 |
WGC-FESJ Invitational | Brooks Koepka | T2 | 695,000 |
Barracuda | Brendan Steele | T53 | 8,277 |
PGA Championship | Jon Rahm | T13 | 192,207 |
Wyndham Championship | Webb Simpson | T3 | 312,400 |
THE NORTHERN TRUST | Jason Day | MC | 0 |
BMW Championship | Collin Morikawa | T20 | 106780 |
Total Events: 36 | Top 10: 14 | MC: 11 | 7,212,329 |
2018-19
My contributions for the major championships and PLAYERS selection were worse than bad so to still break the $10 million mark with those awful results was encouraging.
Another valuable lesson learned is that the Playoffs are for the big boys. Now, WHICH big boys make this more and more difficult and that’s why it’s enjoyable and maddening all at the same time. Only McIlroy and Woods have won the FedExCup twice so start there.
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 |
Travelers Championship | Bubba Watson | T54 | 16,560 |
Rocket Mortgage Classic | Sungjae Im | T21 | 68,528 |
3M Open | Bryson DeChambeau | T2 | 563,200 |
John Deere Classic | Collin Morikawa | T4 | 264,000 |
The Open Championship | Rafa Cabrera Bello | MC | 0 |
Barbasol Championship | Denny McCarthy | T11 | 77,000 |
WGC-FESJI | Dustin Johnson | T20 | 113,500 |
Barracuda Championship | Martin Laird | T7 | 105,437 |
Wyndham Championship | Webb Simpson | 2nd | 669,600 |
THE NORTHERN TRUST | Tommy Fleetwood | T43 | 27,565 |
BMW Championship | Brandt Snedeker | T5 | 351,500 |
Total Events: 45 | Top 10s: 14 | MC: 10 | $10,024,685 |
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 |
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).
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)
Thanks for reading!