A field of 42 tees it up for the first time in 2021 in Year 2 of the Coore-Crenshaw redesign at Kapalua’s Plantation Course.
It’s week 13 in some games and week 1 in others so different strategies will be needed.
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 |
Vivint Houston Open | Tony Finau | T24 | 58,450 |
84th Masters Tournament | Justin Thomas | 4th | 552,000 |
The RSM Classic | Russell Henley | T30 | 39,552 |
Mayakoba Golf Classic | Abraham Ancer | T12 | 147,600 |
Total Events: 12 | Top 10: 2 | MC: 0 | $1,344,452 |
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 – Mayakoba Golf Classic
The final event of calendar 2020 was about as exciting as a damp fart for my selection. Hey, another cut made!!!
THE CHOICE: Abraham Ancer – T12
Thankfully, he made the cut to keep my streak alive at 12 straight. That and precisely $1 will get you something at the Dollar Store.
12 events and $1.3 million is terrible.
I’m terrible.
2020 was terrible.
New year = LESS TERRIBLE!
Dream big kids.
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.
Harris English – T5: Remember, you get all four rounds if you make the cut so I don’t want to hear any bitchin’ about a back door 63. Now a back door 69, well, never mind.
Corey Conners – T17: Fantastic conclusion to 2020 will have him firmly on my radar for 2021.
Russell Henley – MC: Woof. Sorry. Three in a row the wrong direction after back to back T4s.
Spicy:
Patton Kizzire – T32: Imagine what he would have cashed minus 64 on Sunday!
Brice Garnett – T32: Imagine what he would have cashed minus 74 in Round 1!
Emiliano Grillo – T8: Brutal. Led by four after 36 and one after 54 but couldn’t close.
Marc Leishman – MC: Couldn’t keep the heat from T13 at the Masters rolling.
3 AM at the Blackjack Table:
Sepp Straka – MC, Charles Howell III – MC, Scott Piercy – T36, Doug Ghim -MC, Brian Stuard – MC
Wow. Too much pre-tournament Mescal in the sun it seems!
This Week – Sentry Tournament of Champions
Get Horsed for Coursed HERE.
THE CHOICE: Cameron Smith
No cut. No saving for down the road. Form checks the boxes. Age checks the boxes.
Time to steal one. He’ll be distracted NEXT WEEK as the defending champion so let’s see if he can turn into the Aussie JT and contend every time he shows up on the Pacific Ocean.
Ball-striking isn’t his KIA FORTE but I’ll lean on the biggest fairways and greens on TOUR to balance that act. Bigger targets should ratchet up the confidence as well but I’ll remind myself he had no problem slopping it around a hilly Augusta National either.
NOW GO MAKE 25 BIRIDES
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.
Dustin Johnson: There will be one, maybe two, events this season that I will tell you this is NOT the proper play. With 8 straight top 10s and two wins since 2013 this would not qualify. I don’t like going WIN-WIN when burning a OAD selection and that’s what he’s trying to do.
Justin Thomas: There will be one, maybe two, events this season that I will tell you this is NOT the proper play. With two wins in his last four trips to Kapalua, this is not it. Winning back to back is never easy and the payday is bigger in majors/WGC/invitational events. Those on board this week will probably not be TERRIBLY disappointed.
Patrick Reed: Similarly to Smith, his short game is usually the great equalizer until you see he’s 25th Strokes Gained: Tee to Green for last season. That helps! His record is massive at Innisbrook as well so keep that in mind as the field might not be as top heavy on a difficult track. If we play that event. Sigh.
Spicy:
Xander Schauffele: The good news is he’s over COVID and playing. The bad news is he’s not over COVID and isn’t 100%. Fear the injured/hurt/sick golfer? You can! I’ll wait!
Bryson DeChambeau: Guess which course annually has the most 400-yard drives? One guess only! Super putter and short game as well but I have no idea how much weight or ball speed he’s gained since the last time out. Didn’t exactly flatten Augusta National as some expected.
Hideki Matsuyama: Nothing worse than T4 here in three visits. Can you, without looking, name the last time he won on TOUR? Wrong. Longer than that ago. If you said 83 worldwide events ago, you’d be correct. Also feasts at TPC Scottsdale like…
Webb Simpson: He’ll defend at TPC Scottsdale this year so there’s that. His daughter is not named Sentry, Maui, Kapalua or Lahaina so there’s also that.
3 AM at the Blackjack Table:
Adam Scott, Harris English, Sungjae Im, Cameron Champ
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!