Wrote it.
Saved it.
Didn’t publish it.
If you’re wondering how my week is going…
Here’s a clue if you need this week:
2022 One and Done
Thanks for reading!
The purpose of this column is to free my mind and have some fun all while trying to find some winners.
From a transparency standpoint, most of my recent years are listed below so you can check how I’ve performed.
The price is the same as last year, ZERO, but my Venmo is @Mike-Glasscott if you would like to donate. You might even get your name on the column!
Sometimes we gotta look back before we look forward so I’ll post my thoughts from last week before breaking down the field this week.
Last Time – THE PLAYERS Championship
I wrote last week I didn’t have a handle on this event with the supposed weather, lack of course form, young guns, etc., and boy was I right.
Nothing worse than one shot off a top 10 especially with the richest prize pool in golf.
I’m thrilled with T13 as you’ll notice my other thoughts below didn’t shine much light, minus Keegan Bradley.
Glad that’s over!
THE CHOICE: Daniel Berger – T13
More balls in the water than a Los Angeles class submarine crew…
Three doubles. Only Cam Smith took less putts.
Right there. RIGHT THERE.
I’ve never met Spotter, but I feel like we’ve been friends forever. When I see him, I’m gonna punch him in the ear for making me play this game.
Whatever.
We move on.
Warm Blankets: The guys who should. Safe selections that will help maintain leads. Opinions on why or why not for this event or save for later.
Jon Rahm: The last No. 1 player in the world to win this event was Jason Day in 2016. The Spaniard is in an incredible place as a new dad and has another on the way. His last two finishes here are his best two, T9 2021 and T12 in 2019 and he’s never MC. Nobody hits it better tee to green. For once, his C game wasn’t good enough to contend. Wrong course and wrong field for that and history isn’t kind to No. 1 OWGR players here. Maybe kid No. 2 will pop him back into place. Maybe it was just a bad week. Those of you saving him for the Masters may now exhale. T55
Rory McIlroy: Jupiter resident finally has found solace in TPC Sawgrass after cracking the code in 2019. Like most returning champions he bombed out in 2021 but that’s old news this week. Plenty of signs of life this winter pointing in the right direction and he won’t be worried about a wet track stretching longer. Only six guys have won this twice. Ever. Tiger Woods is the only one to do it this century. McIlroy’s not afraid of the deep end of the pool. T33 Lovely 66 to close helped me in the Expert’s Game but the three previous 73s did not. Another history lesson that winning two of these isn’t easy.
Hideki Matsuyama: I’ve highlighted his recent excellence in PGATOUR Pick ‘Em so you can read all about it there. All five of his paydays in seven attempts are T23 or better. Already has won twice this year and once on Bermuda at Waialae. Pre Tournament WD (neck).
Collin Morikawa: Just too good tee to green and the pedigree is off the charts. It took him exactly ZERO previous efforts to knock off his first PGA Championship and Open Championship. I think he needed one WGC event before winning on Bermuda at The Concession last year. He’s live just about every week but I’m leaning more experience on this track. You do you. MC.
Spicy: This might be a week for sending out an “unknown” and saving a start. You just might get lucky. Or MC.
Justin Thomas: OMG WHAT ARE YO DOING WITH HIM DOWN HERE??? Now that I have your attention…
The last winner to hit the top 10 in defense was Adam Scott (T5) in 2005. The last winner to hit the top 50 in defense was Webb Simpson (T16) in 2019. Nobody has defended. Nobody has gone close. The field is too deep. There are too many moving parts. T33 is what four rounds of par or better gets you these days. Fighting the defending champion trend here is FUTILE. So don’t.
Dustin Johnson: One top 10 here in 12 starts and fresh off his bachelor party. His record in suboptimal weather is very interesting but recent form is certainly not. All he needed was a Caribbean holiday, five inches of rain and five days of golf tournament to fix it! 63 in Round 4 was the round of the week and a fantastic back door T9.
Scottie Scheffler: Only Tiger Woods this century has won the week before THE PLAYERS. Tall cotton. Like Hovland, Morikawa and the Young Guns, not many reps here at this level/intensity. T55 with a pair of 76s on the card. History ain’t no mystery.
Brooks Koepka: Quietly lurking in the weeds as all the drama swirls around. He’s been remarkably quiet through most of this. The tougher the conditions and setup, the more locked in he usually will be. Another Florida Man with a bounty of big wins could be a bother to others this week. Many gamers will allow him to play himself into shape for the majors but this will be my first watermark. Maniacally laughing as balls flew into the water on 17 didn’t inspire. Neither did 81 in the wind. MC and still no love here. Noted.
Shane Lowry: If The Open Championship angle is in play this weekend haha I’ll argue he’s suited for it. One bad tee shot in a deluge at The Honda Classic cost him a shot a playoff but that came out of nowhere. Lovely contrarian play for my money this week. T13 and he got nothing out of his round on Monday. Playing fanastically.
3 AM at the Blackjack Table: Caution is thrown to the wind. Maybe not the best for this format but what the hell, right? Might throw these in if you’re in need of a miracle.
Adam Scott – MC, Sergio Garcia – T26, Si Woo Kim – WD, Abraham Ancer – T33, Chris Kirk – MC, Keegan Bradley – solo 5th, Beau Hossler – MC
Spotter’s Game 2022
| 2022 Events | Golfer | Place | Total $$ |
| Sentry Tournament of Champions | Marc Leishman | T10 | 188,000 |
| Sony Open in Hawaii | Keith Mitchell | T7 | 227,812 |
| The American Express | Seamus Power | T14 | 119,700 |
| Farmers Insurance Open | Jon Rahm | T3 | 445,200 |
| AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am | Maverick McNealy | T33 | 43,548 |
| WM Phoenix Open | Hideki Matsuyama | T8 | 248,050 |
| The Genesis Invitational | Patrick Cantlay | T33 | 64,000 |
| The Honda Classic | Sungjae Im | MC | 0 |
| Arnold Palmer Invitational | Rory McIlroy | T13 | 228,000 |
| THE PLAYERS Championship | Daniel Berger | T13 | 327,222 |
| Total Events: 10 | Top 10: 4 | MC: 1 | $1,891,532 |
This Week – Valspar Championship
Please read Horses for Courses and Expert Picks if you need more ideas.
THE CHOICE: Keegan Bradley
There.
How about that then?
Fifth last week. T11 at Bay Hill. Went close last year. Went close last week.
Haven’t felt this alive in years!
Warm Blankets: The guys who should. Safe selections that will help maintain leads. Opinions on why or why not for this event or save for later.
Viktor Hovland: The theory here is also simple: If he top 10s every week, does it matter which week you play him? Right? Closed with 65 on debut here last year so yeah, he’s in play this week.
Collin Morikawa: Should be fresh after a MC. I’m not crazy about his Florida golf so saving him for down the road is an easy call for me.
Sam Burns: He’s destroyed the Par-5 holes here on multiple occasions and was paid off last year (-15). Paul Casey showed that defending here isn’t impossible.
Shane Lowry: The beat goes on. If he was in this column last week at THE PLAYERS (T13) how can I leave him out this week? Fantastic form and function thrives is great weather too!
Louis Oosthuizen: I’m saving him for The Open but what if he’s the wrong side of the draw??? How can I know that TODAY??? Right. Gambling, eh? He annually rakes here and has never been worse than T20. He’s also quite good at the Match Play Crap Shoot. And he’s good at WD. Scenes!!!
Spicy: This might be a week for sending out an “unknown” and saving a start. You just might get lucky. Or MC.
Matthew Fitzpatrick: Caution. This track gets bigger when the fairways aren’t hit so he’ll need his usual premium. Brother is in the field this week so that distraction will go one of two ways. This made sense at Bay Hill.
Jason Kokrak: Making cuts for fun but no big results since his last win in Houston. Similarly difficult tee to green conditions at Memorial Park plus his track record here makes sense.
Bubba Watson: Bolton loves him this week so that always piques my interest as well. Bubba loves courses Bubba loves and this week qualifies as he’s T18-T4 in his last two visits. I know he blew a tire on the weekend at TPC Sawgrass but that’s annual.
Russell Knox: Gave it a run last week for T6 and has hit the top 24 here in each of his last three visits. He should probably be in the 3AM section but he hits it great so he’s up here.
Gary Woodland: Lovely risk-reward play. Form was fire before 79 in Round 2 at TPC Sawgrass. Won on debut here in 2011. MC in his last three visits but plays annually. Lovely contrasts to spice things up!
3 AM at the Blackjack Table: Caution is thrown to the wind. Maybe not the best for this format but what the hell, right? Might throw these in if you’re in need of a miracle.
Lanto Griffin, Alex Smalley, Matthew NeSmith, Scott Stallings, Doc Redman, Bill Haas
History Channeled:
Final Silly Season Totals:
| 2021-2022 Events | Golfer | Place | Total $$ |
| Fortinet Championship | Kevin Na | MC | 0 |
| Sanderson Farms Championship | Will Zalatoris | T14 | 127,750 |
| Shriners Children’s Open | Cameron Tringale | T56 | 15,820 |
| CJ CUP @ SUMMIT | Viktor Hovland | T18 | 116,331 |
| ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP | Hideki Matsuyama | WIN | 1,791,000 |
| Bermuda Championship | Russell Knox | T12 | 129,025 |
| Mayakoba Championship | Abraham Ancer | T7 | 218,700 |
| Hewlett Packard Houston Open | Scottie Scheffler | T2 | 667,500 |
| The RSM Classic | Russell Henley | T40 | 27,000 |
| Total Events: 9 | Top 10: 3 | MC: 1 | $3,093,126 |
2020-2021
| 2020-2021 Events | Golfer | 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 | 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 |
| Sentry TOC | Cameron Smith | T24 | 63,200 |
| Sony Open in Hawaii | Daniel Berger | T7 | 200,475 |
| The American Express | Scottie Scheffler | MC | 0 |
| Farmers Insurance Open | Marc Leishman | T18 | 80,761 |
| Waste Management WMPO | Hideki Matsuyama | T42 | 23,852 |
| AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am | Jason Day | T7 | 228,930 |
| The Genesis Invitational | Adam Scott | T38 | 40,455 |
| WGC- Championship (Concession) | Xander Schauffele | T39 | 55,000 |
| Puerto Rico Open | Emiliano Grillo | T11 | 72,750 |
| Arnold Palmer Invitational | Rory McIlroy | T10 | 195,300 |
| THE PLAYERS Championship | Tommy Fleetwood | MC | 0 |
| The Honda Classic | Joaquin Niemann | T25 | 54,950 |
| WGC- Dell Technologies Match Play | Jason Kokrak | T42 | 47,571 |
| Corales Puntacana | Thomas Pieters | T13 | 55,350 |
| Valero Texas Open | Charley Hoffman | 2nd | 839,300 |
| 85th Masters Tournament | Jordan Spieth | T3 | 667,000 |
| RBC Heritage | Kevin Kisner | MC | 0 |
| Valspar Championship | Patrick Reed | MC | 0 |
| Wells Fargo Championship | Corey Conners | T43 | 25,069 |
| AT&T Byron Nelson | Ryan Palmer | T47 | 20,958 |
| PGA Championship | Viktor Hovland | T30 | 59,750 |
| Charles Schwab Challenge | Brian Harman | T8 | 198,875 |
| Memorial Tournament | Collin Morikawa | P2 | 1,013,700 |
| Palmetto Championship | Matt Fitzpatrick | T10 | 177,025 |
| 121st United States Open | Brooks Koepka | T4 | 498,176 |
| Travelers Championship | Paul Casey | T36 | 30,743 |
| Rocket Mortgage Classic | Sungjae Im | T8 | 211,875 |
| John Deere Classic | Zach Johnson | T34 | 30,955 |
| The Open Championship | Louis Oosthuizen | T3 | 682,500 |
| Barbasol Championship | Charl Schwartzel | T26 | 26,075 |
| 3M Open | Robert MacIntyre | MC | 0 |
| Barracuda Championship | Ryan Armour | MC | 0 |
| WGC – FESJI | Dustin Johnson | T10 | 220,000 |
| Wyndham Championship | Webb Simpson | T7 | 201,666 |
| THE NORTHERN TRUST | Harris English | T31 | 48,925 |
| BMW Championship | Bryson DeChambeau | P2 | 1,026,000 |
| Total Events: 50 | Top 10: 16 | MC: 6 | $8,441,638 |
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 | 0 |
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 | $0 |
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!
Glass Houses 