Tom Fazio has had plenty of looks this season on TOUR. We’ll start there to try and crack the code here. Caves Valley hosts for the first time on TOUR and plays 7,542 yards to Par-72.
As Rob Bolton pointed out in his Power Rankings column, the statue of limitations for horses for courses has lapsed for most in the field this week. I’ll give gamers a few angles to look at when putting their lineups together that will hopefully shed some light.
RELATED: Power Rankings | Expert Picks
Caves Valley is a Tom Fazio design and will stretch 7,542 yards and play to Par-72. Bentgrass greens will average 5,200 square feet while the fescue/Bluegrass/ryegrass rough will top out at three inches. The scorecard shows three of the four Par-3 holes stretching over 220 yards with the “shortest” one listed at 193.
Course Designer
Tom Fazio has been a very popular name in this column all season long. While every course he’s designed that has been used on TOUR is not EXACTLY THE SAME, we can gauge who might prefer his design styles. Here’s a look at the tracks and winners he’s provided so far:
CJ CUP AT SHADOW CREEK – Par 72 – 7,527 yards
Greens: Bentgrass
Rough: Bermudagrass
Winner: Jason Kokrak
Runner-Up: Xander Schauffele
Masters Tournament – Par 72 – 7,475 yards
Greens: Bentgrass
Second cut: Ryegrass
Winner: Dustin Johnson
Runner-Up: Cameron Smith, Sungjae Im
The RSM Classic – Par 70 – 7,005 yards
Greens: TifEagle Bermuda
Rough: Bermuda
Winner: Robert Streb
Runner-Up: Kevin Kisner
Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship – Par 72 – 7,670 yards
Greens: Paspalum
Rough: Paspalum
Winner: Joel Dahmen
Runner-Up: Sam Ryder, Rafael Campos
Masters Tournament 2021 – Par 72 – 7,475 yards
Greens: Bentgrass
Second cut: Ryegrass
Winner: Hideki Matsuyama
Runner-Up: Will Zalatoris
Wells Fargo Championship – Par 72 – 7,521 yards
Greens: Champion Bermuda
Rough: Bermuda over-seeded with Ryegrass
Winner: Rory McIlroy
Runner-Up: Abraham Ancer
Palmetto Championship at Congaree – Par 72 – 7,655 yards
Greens: Champion Bermuda
Rough: Bermuda
Winner: Garrick Higgo
Runner-Up: 6 tied one shot back
I’ll also point out that Caves Valley Superintendent Kyle Steidel was the previous man in charge at Muirfield Village Golf Club. Jack’s place also plays Par-72 at just over 7,500 yards with very similar green sizes and bentgrass/bluegrass/ryegrass combos.
When Fazio was busy reading Quail Hollow Club for the 2017 PGA Championship (won by Justin Thomas) his Eagle Point Club in Wilmington was used instead. Playing Par 72 and stretching 7,471 yards, Brian Harman held off Dustin Johnson and Pat Perez on A4 Bentgrass greens for the title.
Fazio’s Conway Farms was also used for the BMW Championship in 2013, 2015 and 2017. The course in the Chicago suburbs played to Par-71 and almost 7,200 yards. 007 bentgrass greens covered the putting surfaces.
2013 winner: Zach Johnson (-16); Jim Furyk (3rd) posted 59 in Round 2.
2015 winner: Jason Day (-22) won by six.
2017 winner: Marc Leishman (-23) won by five.
Ghosts of Cave Valley’s Past
2002 US Senior Open – Par 71 – 7,005 yards
Winner: Don Pooley (-10; playoff)
Runner-up: Tom Watson
Notes: Only nine players finished in red figures.
2005 NCAA Men’s Championship
Winner: Georgia Bulldogs (Kevin Kisner and Chris Kirk)
Notables: Alex Noren (39th), Dustin Johnson (MC), Webb Simpson (MC).
2007 Palmer Cup
Team USA: Billy Horschel, Brian Harman, Dustin Johnson, Chris Kirk and Webb Simpson.
2017 Bridgestone SENIOR PLAYERS Championship – Par 72 – 7,196 yards
Winner: Scott McCarron (-18) – Led the field in Par-5 scoring (-12).
Notes: Top 13 players were 10-under or better. … Just EIGHT rounds OVER PAR from the top 25 players. … TPC Twin Cities only allowed more birdies that season. … Only one event allowed more eagles. … 27 of 78 players hit 80 percent or better Fairways for the week. … 27 of 78 players hit 75 percent or better GIR for the week. … Larry Mize posted the low round of the week, 64. … 5 players posted 65.
Key stat leaders
Top golfers in each statistic on the 2020-2021 PGA TOUR are listed only if they are scheduled to compete this week.
| Ball Striking | |
| Rank | Player |
| 1 | Jon Rahm |
| 2 | Collin Morikawa |
| 3 | Keegan Bradley |
| 4 | Corey Conners |
| 5 | Emiliano Grillo |
| 7 | Sergio Garcia |
| 8 | Sungjae Im |
| 9 | Jason Kokrak |
| 13 | Daniel Berger |
| 14 | Paul Casey |
| 14 | Kevin Streelman |
| 17 | Joaquin Niemann |
| 17 | Xander Schauffele |
| 19 | Viktor Hovland |
| 21 | Patrick Cantlay |
| 22 | Hudson Swafford |
| 23 | Webb Simpson |
| 25 | Abraham Ancer |
| 29 | Stewart Cink |
| 31 | Hideki Matsuyama |
| 34 | Louis Oosthiuzen |
| 37 | Sam Burns |
| Strokes Gained: Approach the Green | |
| Rank | Player |
| 1 | Collin Morikawa |
| 2 | Paul Casey |
| 3 | Justin Thomas |
| 4 | Russell Henley |
| 5 | Keegan Bradley |
| 6 | Jon Rahm |
| 7 | Daniel Berger |
| 8 | Corey Conners |
| 10 | Charley Hoffman |
| 11 | Hideki Matsuyama |
| 12 | Emiliano Grillo |
| 15 | Xander Schauffele |
| 17 | Sam Burns |
| 18 | Viktor Hovland |
| 19 | Shane Lowry |
| 21 | Brooks Koepka |
| 23 | Stewart Cink |
| 26 | Kevin Streelman |
| 27 | Jordan Spieth |
| 28 | Talor Gooch |
| 29 | Abraham Ancer |
| 30 | Tony Finau |
| 31 | Patrick Cantlay |
| Par-5 Scoring | |
| Rank | Player |
| 1 | Xander Schauffele |
| 2 | Jon Rahm |
| 2 | Cameron Smith |
| 4 | Bryson DeChambeau |
| 5 | Harris English |
| 6 | Webb Simpson |
| 7 | Ryan Palmer |
| 8 | Sergio Garcia |
| 9 | Brian Harman |
| 9 | Sam Burns |
| 9 | Brooks Koepka |
| 13 | Viktor Hovland |
| 13 | Joaquin Niemann |
| 13 | Max Homa |
| 13 | Carlos Ortiz |
| 17 | Collin Morikawa |
| 17 | Hideki Matsuyama |
| 17 | Daniel Berger |
| 17 | Louis Oosthuizen |
| 17 | Jordan Spieth |
| 17 | Jason Kokrak |
| 25 | Scottie Scheffler |
| 25 | Justin Thomas |
| FedEx Cup Event Winners (Entered this Week) | |
| Wins | |
| Dustin Johnson | 6 |
| Rory McIlroy | 5 |
| Justin Thomas | 2 |
| Bryson DeChambeau | 2 |
| Billy Horschel | 2 |
| Phil Mickelson | 2 |
| Tony Finau | 1 |
| Jon Rahm | 1 |
| Keegan Bradley | 1 |
| Marc Leishman | 1 |
| Xander Schauffele | 1 |
| Jordan Spieth | 1 |
| Chris Kirk | 1 |
| Webb Simpson | 1 |
| Charley Hoffman | 1 |
