AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am

January 29, 2025January 29, 2025 / mikeglasscott / Leave a comment

AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am

Pebble Beach Golf Links (Host)

Spyglass Hill Golf Club

Pebble Beach, California

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Chalk

My thoughts on the top players for betting purposes:

Scottie Scheffler (+500): His first appearance of the season, he opened with 64 at Pebble Beach last year and cashed T6. The tournament rust is the only kryptonite. I doubt he would enter if he wasn’t ready to win.

Rory McIlroy (+1300): Didn’t miss a beat in the fall in Europe and cashed a top-five payday in the desert earlier this month.

Collin Morikawa (+1300): After running second to Matsuyama at The Sentry, the former Cal Bear returns to familiar Poa annua. The winner of the PGA Championship at TPC Harding Park on Poa annua up the coast in San Francisco deserves attention.

Justin Thomas (+1500): The heat wave that followed his play after the birth of his first child is not surprising. Cashing on the podium in three of his last four starts, the next stop is lifting the trophy.

Patrick Cantlay (+1900): He plays well where he plays well and four consecutive starts T11 or better qualifies at the AT&T.

Ludvig Aberg (+2200): Finishing second on debut in 2024, he did not sign for a bogey in 36 holes at Pebble Beach. Opening with 63 last week at the North Course at Torrey Pines, he fell ill the rest of the week and fell apart. If there are no lingering issues, I’m on board.

Hideki Matsuyama (+2200): The top selections this week have never won this event. Matsuyama is the only winner from the 2025 season. Making just his second appearance, the Japanese start didn’t break 70 last year in 54 holes.

NOW PLAYING:

Host Course	Pebble Beach Golf Links
Yards (per official scorecard):	6,972.
Par:	72 (36-36).
Greens:	Poa annua; 3,500 square feet on average.
Stimpmeter:	10.5 feet.
Rough:	Overseeded Rye and Poa annua between two and three inches.
Bunkers/Water Hazards/In-Play	116/1/1(Pacific Ocean, No. 18)
Architect(s):	Jack Neville & Douglas Grant (1919).
Defending Champion (event):	Wyndham Clark (-17).
Multiple Champion(s) Entered:	None.
Course Record:	60; Wyndham Clark (Round 3, 2024).
72 Hole Tournament Record (three courses)	22-under; Brandt Snedeker (2015).
Fact of the Week:	There are just five international winners.
Fact of the Week II:	Australian Brett Ogle is the only debutant winner (1993).

Spyglass Hill GC	Notes
Yards (per official scorecard):	7,047
Par:	72 (36-36).
Greens:	Poa annua; 5,000 square feet on average.
Stimpmeter:	11 feet.
Rough:	Overseeded Rye and Poa annua at two inches.
Bunkers/Water Hazards/In-Play	62/4/4
Architect(s):	Robert Trent Jones, Sr., (1966).
Course Record (last):	62; Luke Donald, 2006.
Fact of the Week:	Spyglass Hill has been in the rotation since 1978. I will be volunteering at Hole 12 on Thursday and Friday. Come by and say hello!

Notes:

Field of 80.
18 holes on each course to determine Pro-Am winner.
36 holes on the weekend to determine the Signature Event champion.
The OWGR is represented by 45 of the top 50.
NO CUT EVENT
$20 million – $3.6 million – 700 FedExCup points – Sentry, PLAYERS, and Masters ticket punched.

Recent Winners

2025 Season Winners

Event	Winner
The Sentry	Hideki Matsuyama
Sony Open in Hawaii	Nick Taylor
The American Express	Sepp Straka
Farmers Insurance Open	Harris English

2024 Season Winners

Event	Winner
The Sentry	Chris Kirk
Sony Open in Hawaii	Grayson Murray (Rest in Peace)
The American Express	Nick Dunlap (a)
Farmers Insurance Open	Matthieu Pavon (rookie)
AT&T Pebble Beach	Wyndham Clark (54 holes)
WM Phoenix Open	Nick Taylor
The Genesis Invitational	Hideki Matsuyama
Mexico Open at Vidanta	Jake Knapp (rookie)
Cognizant Classic	Austin Eckroat (first time)
Arnold Palmer Invitational	Scottie Scheffler
THE PLAYERS Championship	Scottie Scheffler (2)
Valspar Championship	Peter Malnati
Texas Children’s Houston Open	Stephan Jaeger (first time)
Valero Texas Open	Akshay Bhatia
88^th Masters Tournament	Scottie Scheffler (3)
RBC Heritage	Scottie Scheffler (4)
Zurich Classic	Rory McIlroy & Shane Lowry
THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson	Taylor Pendrith (first time)
Wells Fargo Championship	Rory McIlroy (2)
106^th PGA Championship	Xander Schauffele
Charles Schwab Challenge	Davis Riley
RBC Canadian Open	Robert MacIntyre (first time)
The 49^th Memorial Tournament	Scottie Scheffler (5)
124^th United States Open	Bryson DeChambeau
Travelers Championship	Scottie Scheffler (6)
Rocket Mortgage Classic	Cam Davis
John Deere Classic	Davis Thompson (first time)
Genesis Scottish Open	Robert MacIntyre (2)
152^nd Open Championship	Xander Schauffele (2)
3M Open	Jhonattan Vegas
2024 Paris Olympics	Scottie Scheffler (7)
3M Open	Jhonattan Vegas
Wyndham Championship	Aaron Rai (first time)
FedEx St. Jude Championship	Hideki Matsuyama (2)
BMW Championship	Keegan Bradley
The TOUR Championship	Scottie Scheffler (8)

FedEx Cup Fall
Procore Championship	Patton Kizzire
Sanderson Farms Championship	Kevin Yu (first time)
Black Desert Championship	Matt McCarty (first time)
Shriners Children’s Open	JT Poston
ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP	Nico Echavarria
World Wide Technology Champ	Austin Eckroat (2)
Butterfield Bermuda Champ	Rafa Campos (first time)
The RSM Classic	Maverick McNealy (first time)

Recent Winners – AT&T Pebble Beach

Italics – not entered this week.

Year	Winner	Notes
2024	Wyndham Clark (-17)	Set the new course record and held off Aberg by a shot.
2023	Justin Rose (-18)	First Englishman/European winner in history. Won by three shots over Brendon Todd and Brandon Wu.
2022	Tom Hoge (-19)	Became only the third player since 2000 to win his first TOUR event at Pebble Beach. Won by two shots over Jordan Spieth.
2021	Daniel Berger (-18)	Held off hometown hero Maverick McNealy by two shots. Only used PB and Spyglass (no amateurs).
2020	Nick Taylor (-19)	The Canadian became just the fifth international winner in history. Won by four shots.
2019	Phil Mickelson (-19)	Caught, passed, and blew away Paul Casey by three.
2018	Ted Potter, Jr., (-17)	Beat Dustin Johnson heads-up in the final group on Sunday.
2017	Jordan Spieth (-19)	Breezed home by four shots as he led the field in Bogey Avoidance.

Notables

One of the last seven champions was younger than 30.

Eight of the last 9 winners ranked T11 or better in Putting: Birdie or Better Percentage.

Rose is the only champion of the last 10 NOT to finish in the top 2 in Par-4 scoring.

In 2022, Tom Hoge became just the third champion this century to win for the first time on the PGA TOUR.

In 1993, Australian Brett Ogle was the last player to debut and win the event.

Only five international players have lifted the trophy, including Justin Rose, the only European winner.

Nick Taylor, the 2020 champion, is the last player to win in wire-to-wire fashion. He’s also cashed T30 or better six times.

Players to consider for Top 10, Top 20, or Top 40 action:

Jason Day: THE course horse for non-winners. Nine top-10 paydays and never missed a weekend when the event had a cut.

Maverick McNealy: Grew up on the links and already won on the Seaside last November.

Tom Hoge: Over the last three years, his PB aggregate grabbed my attention just as much as his 2022 victory.

Aaron Rai: Hits too many Fairways and GIR to dismiss.

Mark Hubbard: The San Jose native knows his way around Poa.

One and Done – Spotter’s Game

1 player per event (plus a backup pick if your guy gets kidnapped on Wednesday night and doesn’t make it to the first tee Thursday).

1 use per year.

With EIGHT Signature Events spread throughout the season, player management becomes a major issue. These events do NOT include the four majors or THE PLAYERS Championship. These events do NOT include the FedExCup Playoffs. This game ends with the BMW Championship.

LAST WEEK – Farmers Insurance Open

A perfect event for overreaction after a terrible week in the desert!

Plenty of course horses to saddle, but after last year’s first-timer barrage, I’m experiencing paralysis by analysis.

MY CHOICE: Will Zalatoris – PRE TOURNAMENT WD

Defaulting to Day before Pebble Beach was a choice, and not a very good one in hindsight.

Others to consider: Jason Day, Tony Finau, Max Homa, Aaron Rai, Maverick McNealy

Event	Selection	Place	Earnings
The Sentry	Sungjae Im	3^rd	$1,360,000
Sony Open in Hawaii	Russell Henley	T10	195,025
The American Express	Adam Hadwin	MC
Farmers Insurance	Jason Day	T32	52,080

THIS WEEK – AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am

Big purse! Big history!

The weather should NOT be a factor this week and the locals tell me there has barely been any rain in January.

Firm and fast? Maybe not, but it will not be a slog.

The last time the weather was good, Justin Rose became the only European/English winner in history.

Pebble Beach will play easier than Spyglass, but that’s nothing new.

The payday requires a big-name player.

MY CHOICE: Ludvig Aberg

I’m expecting a bounce-back after his illness/collapse last weekend at Torrey Pines. Oh, I don’t have Jason Day to fire after his IN EMERGENCY BREAK GLASS performance last week.

Speaking of broken Glass, the last two weeks wiped out a decent start.

A no-cut event and a guy who didn’t make a bogey on PB last year is not the worst advice I can provide.

Others to consider:

Remember, there are four majors and THE PLAYERS Championship so there are PLENTY of others to choose from this week.

Also, the TOUR is returning to Torrey Pines in three weeks for the Genesis Invitational.

Justin Thomas, Maverick McNealy, Denny McCarthy, Thomas Detry

Farmers Insurance Open

January 21, 2025January 21, 2025 / mikeglasscott / Leave a comment

Farmers Insurance Open

Torrey Pines Golf Club

South Course (host)

North Course

La Jolla, California

Golfbet articles from the entire crew – click here

Chalk

My thoughts on the top players for betting purposes:

I’m not going through the players who WD early this week. International travel is part of it. Cold and flu season is part of it. TGL is part of it.

Who IS playing is important.

Ludvig Aberg (+850): Smoked The Sentry to close 17-under on the weekend. Destroys courses tee to green and that plays this week.

Hideki Matsuyama (+1200): Already a winner this year, his power and short game acumen always works at Torrey Pines.

Sungjae Im (+1800): Blew a tire last week (77 Round 1) and missed the cut. Blew a tire here last year to kill his streak of T4-T6 and five straight.

Will Zalatoris (+2200): I’m not going to wait. Site of his PGA TOUR debut in 2018, he’s usually a factor.

Jason Day (+2500): The two-time winner killed me here last year with a MC. Cashed T3 last week in the desert and always is excellent in January.

Tony Finau (+2800): The only thing left to do here is hit the podium. Never worse than T24 in nine of 10.

Keegan Bradley (+2800): Absolutely flying at the moment, he ran second here to Homa in 2023. Strike while he’s hot.

Taylor Pendrith (+3000): Bomb and gouge specialist who has no problem holing putts, and no problem playing here (T9 2024, T16 2022)

Max Greyserman (+3000): An incredible putter, let’s see how he plays out of the rough this week after racking up big finishes without.

NOW PLAYING:

Host Course	South Course
Yards (per official scorecard):	7,765.
Par:	72 (36-36).
Greens:	Poa annua; 5,000 square feet on average.
Stimpmeter:	13 feet plus.
Rough:	Overseeded ryegrass at FOUR inches and growing.
Bunkers/Water Hazards/In-Play	82/1/1. Pond in front of Par-5 No. 18.
Architect(s):	William P. Bell (1957) & William F Bell (1957); Rees Jones (2001, 2019).
Defending Champion (event):	Mattieu Pavon (-13).
Multiple Champion(s) Entered:	Jason Day (2018, 2015); Brandt Snedeker (2016, 2012).
Course Record (last):	62; Tiger Woods (1999).
72 Hole Tournament Record (2016-current rotation):	22-under; Tiger Woods (1999; last).
Fact of the Week:	EVENT RUNS WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY for the fourth straight season.
Fact of the Week II:	Tiger Woods won this event eight times. Sadly, he’s not in the field this week.
Fact of the Week III:	Three winners since 2017 have made this their first victory on TOUR.

Notes:

Field of 156.
Second of three multi-course events in three weeks.
The OWGR is represented by 21 of the top 50.
Top 65 and ties will make the cut and play the weekend after 36 holes (play each course once).
$9.3 million – $1.674 million – 500 FedExCup points – Sentry and Masters ticket punched.
Points available for the Aon Next 5 for Pebble Beach qualification.

Recent Winners

2025 Season Winners

Event	Winner
The Sentry	Hideki Matsuyama
Sony Open in Hawaii	Nick Taylor
The American Express	Sepp Straka
Farmers Insurance Open

2024 Season Winners

Event	Winner
The Sentry	Chris Kirk
Sony Open in Hawaii	Grayson Murray (Rest in Peace)
The American Express	Nick Dunlap (a)
Farmers Insurance Open	Matthieu Pavon (rookie)
AT&T Pebble Beach	Wyndham Clark (54 holes)
WM Phoenix Open	Nick Taylor
The Genesis Invitational	Hideki Matsuyama
Mexico Open at Vidanta	Jake Knapp (rookie)
Cognizant Classic	Austin Eckroat (first time)
Arnold Palmer Invitational	Scottie Scheffler
THE PLAYERS Championship	Scottie Scheffler (2)
Valspar Championship	Peter Malnati
Texas Children’s Houston Open	Stephan Jaeger (first time)
Valero Texas Open	Akshay Bhatia
88^th Masters Tournament	Scottie Scheffler (3)
RBC Heritage	Scottie Scheffler (4)
Zurich Classic	Rory McIlroy & Shane Lowry
THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson	Taylor Pendrith (first time)
Wells Fargo Championship	Rory McIlroy (2)
106^th PGA Championship	Xander Schauffele
Charles Schwab Challenge	Davis Riley
RBC Canadian Open	Robert MacIntyre (first time)
The 49^th Memorial Tournament	Scottie Scheffler (5)
124^th United States Open	Bryson DeChambeau
Travelers Championship	Scottie Scheffler (6)
Rocket Mortgage Classic	Cam Davis
John Deere Classic	Davis Thompson (first time)
Genesis Scottish Open	Robert MacIntyre (2)
152^nd Open Championship	Xander Schauffele (2)
3M Open	Jhonattan Vegas
2024 Paris Olympics	Scottie Scheffler (7)
3M Open	Jhonattan Vegas
Wyndham Championship	Aaron Rai (first time)
FedEx St. Jude Championship	Hideki Matsuyama (2)
BMW Championship	Keegan Bradley
The TOUR Championship	Scottie Scheffler (8)

FedEx Cup Fall
Procore Championship	Patton Kizzire
Sanderson Farms Championship	Kevin Yu (first time)
Black Desert Championship	Matt McCarty (first time)
Shriners Children’s Open	JT Poston
ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP	Nico Echavarria
World Wide Technology Champ	Austin Eckroat (2)
Butterfield Bermuda Champ	Rafa Campos (first time)
The RSM Classic	Maverick McNealy (first time)

Recent Winners – Farmers Insurance Open

Italics – not entered this week.

Year	Winner	Notes
2024	Mattieu Pavon (-13)	First TOUR victory in just his third start with a card; 11^th TOUR start. First appearance.
2023	Max Homa (-13)	Defeated Keegan Bradley by two shots.
2022	Luke List (-15)	Shot 66 on Sunday and then defeated Will Zalatoris in a playoff. First TOUR win.
2021	Patrick Reed (-14)	Only player to finish in double digits under par. Won by five shots.
2020	Marc Leishman (-15)	Won by a shot.
2019	Justin Rose (-21)	Missed tying the course record by a shot.
2018	Jason Day (-10)	Knocked out Ryan Palmer and Alex Noren (not entered) in a playoff for his second win and second win in a playoff.
2017	Jon Rahm (-13)	Won by three shots on debut and secured his first TOUR win.
2016	Brandt Snedeker (-6)	Extreme weather turned the event upside down. Snedeker won for the second time without having to play the final day.

Angles

The South Course is annually one of the toughest tracks on TOUR. The North Course scores almost 2.5 shots easier, on average.

Power players, elite short-game artists, and grinders will litter the top of the leaderboard on SATURDAY.

The last 10 winners ranked in the top 10 for Bogey Avoidance.

The cut has never been worse than Even over the last decade.

Gaining strokes tee to green and on the greens will go a long way.

Only Snedeker posted a round in the 70s on the North Course and went on to win.

South Course – take your medicine, attack when given the chance, and try to get up and down on the Par-5 holes.

North Course – Time to score!

Players to consider for Top 10, Top 20, or Top 40 action:

Beau Hossler: Long Beach native knows Poa.

Nicklas Norgaard: If he’s 70-1 in this field, you have my attention.

Rico Hoey: Led the field in GIR last week and was T3 at Sony. SoCal.

Michael Kim: San Diego HS alum.

Austin Eckroat: Can flush it. That never goes out of style.

Taylor Moore: Did NOT make a bogey last week (T7). That will change this week but still #Evidence.

Patrick Rodgers: Three top-10 finishes and six missed cuts. DO YOU LIKE VOLATILITY??

Vincent Norrman: Good start, great ball-striker.

Hayden Springer: Played really well on the South Course in 2024.

Taylor Montgomery: If he’s in decent shape physically this number is free money.

Peter Malnati: He won’t win, but he’ll make the cut and sneak into the top 40.

Good luck!

One and Done – Spotter’s Game

1 player per event (plus a backup pick if your guy gets kidnapped on Wednesday night and doesn’t make it to the first tee Thursday).

1 use per year.

With EIGHT Signature Events spread out throughout the season, player management becomes a major issue. These events do NOT include the four majors or THE PLAYERS Championship. These events do NOT include the FedExCup Playoffs. This game ends with the BMW Championship.

LAST WEEK – AMEX

MY CHOICE: Adam Hadwin – MC

Just Missed: Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Davis Thompson, J.T. Poston, Si Woo Kim, Tom Hoge

Just terrible on every level. I keep reminding myself that this is hard, but it shouldn’t be this hard.

Event	Selection	Place	Earnings
The Sentry	Sungjae Im	3^rd	$1,360,000
Sony Open in Hawaii	Russell Henley	T10	195,025
The American Express	Adam Hadwin	MC
Farmers Insurance

THIS WEEK – Farmers Insurance Open

A perfect event for overreaction after a terrible week in the desert!

Plenty of course horses to saddle, but after last year’s first-timer barrage, I’m experiencing paralysis by analysis.

MY CHOICE: Will Zalatoris

His spiritual home and the results followed. Led the field in Bogey Avoidance last year and is trending nicely to start 2025. Time to kick open the door!

Others to consider: Jason Day, Tony Finau, Max Homa, Aaron Rai, Maverick McNealy

The Amercian Express

January 15, 2025 / mikeglasscott / Leave a comment

The American Express

The Stadium Course at PGA West (Host)

Nicklaus Tournament Course

La Quinta Country Club

La Quinta, CA

Golfbet articles from the entire crew – click here

Chalk

My thoughts on the top players for betting purposes:

Justin Thomas (+1200): After favorite Xander Schauffele dipped on Monday, the man who shared third with him last year moved up. The two-time PGA Championship winner returned to the Coachella Valley last year for the first time since 2015. Playing this three-course rotation for the first time, he led the field in Birdies (31) and tied the course record (61) at the Stadium Course. Not bad.

Sungjae Im (+1200): Never missed the weekend here but only has one top-10 result from six visits. All six paydays are T25 or better. Safe as you like.

Sam Burns (+1600): In his three previous visits to Kapalua, the new father as of May had never cashed inside the top 25. Circling 28 birdies against five bogeys at the Plantation Course, he took home T8 money. Leading the field in Par-5 scoring last year, the five-time winner on TOUR was the 36-hole leader before drifting to T6. All aboard!

Patrick Cantlay (+1800): He hasn’t won since the 2022 BMW Championship but has an excellent record in Las Vegas, plus three top-10 paydays and a share of the course record here. I’ll save him for more difficult tracks.

Tony Finau (+2500): Cashing fourth in 2021 is his only top-10 result in seven trips. Easily overpowering the three courses, he needs a banner week from the putter to contend.

Tom Kim (+2800): Surely he recovered from watching his mates in TGL get smoked on Tuesday night. A two-time winner in the Las Vegas desert, he’s missed the cut twice in three visits. T6 in 2023 included 62 at NT.

NOW PLAYING:

Host Course	Stadium Course at PGA West
Yards (per official scorecard):	7,210
Par:	72 (36-36).
Greens:	Overseeded Poa annua (TifEagle); 7,000 square feet on average.
Stimpmeter:	11 feet.
Rough:	Overseed at 1 inch. Dormant Tifgreen Bermuda at 2 inches.
Bunkers/Water Hazards/In-Play	Over 90 bunkers; seven holes with water in play.
Architect(s):	Pete Dye (1986).
Defending Champion (event):	Jon Rahm (-27; not entered).
Multiple Champion(s) Entered:	Bill Haas (not on this rotation).
Course Record (last):	61; Justin Thomas (Round 3, 2024), Patrick Cantlay (Round 4, 2021).
72 Hole Tournament Record (2016-current rotation):	259; Nick Dunlap (-29).
Fact of the Week:	Only six international winners from the previous 65 events.
Fact of the Week II:	Johnny Miller is the only player to defend the title (1975-76).

Notes:

Field of 156.
First multi-course event of 2024 and first pro-am.
The OWGR is represented by 19 of the top 50.
The top 65 and ties will make the cut and play the weekend after 54 holes (play each course once).
$8.8 million – $1.584 million – 500 FedExCup points – Sentry and Masters ticket punched.
Points are available for the Aon Next 5 for Pebble Beach qualification.

Recent Winners

2025 Season Winners

Event	Winner
The Sentry	Hideki Matsuyama
Sony Open in Hawaii	Nick Taylor
The American Express
Farmers Insurance Open

2024 Season Winners

Event	Winner
The Sentry	Chris Kirk
Sony Open in Hawaii	Grayson Murray (Rest in Peace)
The American Express	Nick Dunlap (a)
Farmers Insurance Open	Matthieu Pavon (rookie)
AT&T Pebble Beach	Wyndham Clark (54 holes)
WM Phoenix Open	Nick Taylor
The Genesis Invitational	Hideki Matsuyama
Mexico Open at Vidanta	Jake Knapp (rookie)
Cognizant Classic	Austin Eckroat (first time)
Arnold Palmer Invitational	Scottie Scheffler
THE PLAYERS Championship	Scottie Scheffler (2)
Valspar Championship	Peter Malnati
Texas Children’s Houston Open	Stephan Jaeger (first time)
Valero Texas Open	Akshay Bhatia
88^th Masters Tournament	Scottie Scheffler (3)
RBC Heritage	Scottie Scheffler (4)
Zurich Classic	Rory McIlroy & Shane Lowry
THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson	Taylor Pendrith (first time)
Wells Fargo Championship	Rory McIlroy (2)
106^th PGA Championship	Xander Schauffele
Charles Schwab Challenge	Davis Riley
RBC Canadian Open	Robert MacIntyre (first time)
The 49^th Memorial Tournament	Scottie Scheffler (5)
124^th United States Open	Bryson DeChambeau
Travelers Championship	Scottie Scheffler (6)
Rocket Mortgage Classic	Cam Davis
John Deere Classic	Davis Thompson (first time)
Genesis Scottish Open	Robert MacIntyre (2)
152^nd Open Championship	Xander Schauffele (2)
3M Open	Jhonattan Vegas
2024 Paris Olympics	Scottie Scheffler (7)
3M Open	Jhonattan Vegas
Wyndham Championship	Aaron Rai (first time)
FedEx St. Jude Championship	Hideki Matsuyama (2)
BMW Championship	Keegan Bradley
The TOUR Championship	Scottie Scheffler (8)

FedEx Cup Fall
Procore Championship	Patton Kizzire
Sanderson Farms Championship	Kevin Yu (first time)
Black Desert Championship	Matt McCarty (first time)
Shriners Children’s Open	JT Poston
ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP	Nico Echavarria
World Wide Technology Champ	Austin Eckroat (2)
Butterfield Bermuda Champ	Rafa Campos (first time)
The RSM Classic	Maverick McNealy (first time)

Recent Winners – The American Express

Italics – not entered this week.

Year	Winner	Notes
2024	Nick Dunlap (-29)	First amateur to win on TOUR since 1991; First TOUR start (sponsor’s exemption); Tournament scoring record.
2023	Jon Rahm (-27)	Played in the final group with Davis Thompson and beat him by a shot to win for the second time.
2022	Hudson Swafford (-23)	Defeated Tom Hoge by two shots to win for the second time.
2021	Si Woo Kim (-23)	Only made two bogeys for the week on the SC/NT rotation to win by one.
2020	Andrew Landry (-26)	Tied the tournament scoring record winning by two.
2019	Adam Long (-26)	Became the first rookie to win since Jhonattan Vegas (2011).
2018	Jon Rahm (-22)	Needed a playoff to knock off Andrew Landry.
2017	Hudson Swafford (-20)	Wet, windy weekend produced the highest winning total in the new rota.
2016	Jason Dufner (-25)	Saw off David Lingmerth in a playoff in the first iteration of Stadium Course, Nicklaus Tournament Course, and LQCC

Angles

The Nicklaus Tournament Course plays to Par-72 and 7,147 yards. Playing 7,000 square feet on average, the Overseeded Poa annua greens are the largest of the three courses. Dylan Wu (2023) and Will Zalatoris (2022) have posted 61 here.

La Quinta Country Club is known for premium putting surfaces and usually plays the easiest of the trio. All three courses have minimal rough and green speeds that won’t exceed 11 feet. Playing to Par-72 and 7,060 yards, it ranks as one of the easiest tracks on TOUR annually. Adam Hadwin posted 59 in Round 3 in 2017.

All nine winners have posted 20-under or better to win and have ranked in the top 10 in Par-4 and Par-5 scoring.

The HIGHEST cut in this rotation in the last three editions was 7-under. The LOWEST cut in this rotation was 13-UNDER-PAR last year.

First tournament with Poa annua greens.

Players to consider for Top 10, Top 20, or Top 40 action:

Davis Thompson (+4000): Runner-up in 2022 can send it and putt it. Good combo.

Harry Hall (+4500): After making nine birdies in one round at Kapalua, his career-best, he put 10 circles on the card in Round 1 at the Sony Open. The Las Vegas resident has cashed T14 or better in his last five on TOUR, including T10-T8 to open the new season. Bang.

Cameron Young (+4000): Ok, I’ll bite. He putted GREAT at Kapalua and hit it like shit. ANYTHING with the flat stick this week and he should contend.

Nick Dunlap (+5500): First defense. No back-to-back winner since Johnny Miller in the mid-1970s. No, thank you. Let him enjoy the love this week.

Nico Echavarria (+6000): Here it is: Four T6 or better results in his last six include a win, T2, and a playoff loss last week. I mean…

Eric Cole (+7000): Posted 20-under through 54 holes last year, but an even-par 72 in Round 4 knocked him back to T21. Lesson learned. Solo fifth last week at Waialae with 23 birdies (T1).

Adam Hadwin (+7500): A perfect nine from nine comes with three podium finishes and five total top-10 results.

Rico Hoey (+10000): Super tee-to-green, he hit the podium with T3 in Las Vegas.

Alex Smalley (+10000): Three straight in the T20 range.

Andrew Putnam (+12000): Seven straight. T36 or better in six.

Frankie Capan III (+15000): No pressure and handled a few shootouts on the KFT last season. Play freely.

Sam Ryder (+27500): Cashed in six of seven visits. Toss him in.

Taylor Montgomery (+40000): If his shoulders feel good, his putter can bail him out.

Good luck!

One and Done – Spotter’s Game

1 player per event (plus a backup pick if your guy gets kidnapped on Wednesday night and doesn’t make it to the first tee Thursday).

1 use per year.

LAST WEEK – Sony Open in Hawaii

MY CHOICE: Russell Henley – T10

That was a wild ride, man! For the sake of my sanity, I will NOT relieve his putting woes from inside 10 feet in this column. Sitting three back entering the final round, I was pleased to have a chance. I’ll take this result and run. Nothing wrong with back-to-back T10 or better to start.

Event	Selection	Place	Earnings
The Sentry	Sungjae Im	3^rd	$1,360,000
Sony Open in Hawaii	Russell Henley	T10	195,025
The American Express
Farmers Insurance

THIS WEEK – The American Express

Back to the mainland this week for the first Pro-Am and multi-course event!

Two major differences this week:

Pro-Am
Three courses in play = 54-hole cut

Over the years, this event has had the full bingo card of winners. Major champions, journeymen, youngsters, veterans, and everything in between.

When a minimum of 20-under is required to contend, heck last year that was good for T21, anything can and does happen. The previous two years, 10-under or better was required to play on Sunday.

The Stadium Course has just enough trouble to turn 64 into 74 but in classic Pete Dye design, great shots result in fantastic scoring chances.

There’s too much volatility this week for me to worry about a top 10 or winner from a premium player.

MY CHOICE: Course Horse Adam Hadwin

Others to consider

Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Davis Thompson, J.T. Poston, Si Woo Kim, Tom Hoge

Sony Open in Hawaii

January 8, 2025 / mikeglasscott / Leave a comment

Sony Open in Hawaii

Waialae Country Club

Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii

Welcome to 2025!

For those of you who are just arriving for the first time, here’s what’s going on:

This column is me. My thoughts, my humor, my fun, my opinions.

I write Odds Outlook every Monday and Horses for Courses each Wednesday at PGATOUR.COM.

Please follow along at the TOUR website for all our great betting and fantasy content!

Chalk

My thoughts on the top players for betting purposes:

Hideki Matsuyama (+900): Record-setting 35-under-par winner last week at Kapalua plus a previous champion here makes for an easy consensus favorite. Coming off 33 birdies and two eagles against just two bogeys should scare the others. Amazingly, he owns just one top-10 result at Waiale from 12 tries.

Corey Conners (+1400): Guess who finished T5 and led the field in SG: Putting last week? Yes, SG: PUTTING!

Tom Kim (+2000): Ran second in Korea to Ben An and then went to The Bahamas and ran second to Scheffler at the Hero World Challenge. Did not qualify for The Sentry last week.

Russell Henley (+2000): The 2013 winner on debut in his first event with a TOUR card was also beaten in a playoff in 2022 by Matsuyama and missed a playoff last year by a shot. I’d say he’s comfortable at Waialae! Posted 17-under last week for T30.

Maverick McNealy (+2500): Plenty, including me, will point out that the Seaside Course on Sea Island, host of the RSM Classic, is a course comp this week. McNealy won for the first time on TOUR to wrap up the FedExCup Fall in November on that track. Four rounds in the 60s and only four bogeys at Kapalua (T8) suggests he’s not satisfied.

Keegan Bradley (+2800): Imagine posting 21-under (T15) last week and not hitting the top 10! The Ryder Cup captain is streaking wildly at Waialae during the previous five years: T12-MC-T12-MC-P2. The playoff loss last year was his best result from 14 visits.

NOW PLAYING:

Host Course	Waialae Country Club.
Yards (per official scorecard):	7,044.
Par:	70 (35-35)
Greens:	TifEagle Bermuda; 7,100 square feet on average.
Stimpmeter:	11 feet.
Rough:	Celebration Bermuda at almost three inches inches.
Bunkers/Water Hazards/In-Play	83/4/5.
Architect(s):	Seth Raynor (1927).
Defending Champion (event):	Grayson Murray (-17). RIP.
Multiple Champion(s) Entered:	None.
Course Record (last):	59; Justin Thomas (Round 1, 2017).
72 Hole Tournament Record (last):	253 (-27); Justin Thomas (2017).
Fact of the Week:	Waialae CC has hosted every event since 1965 except for 1970 (no event).
Fact of the Week II:	Hideki Matsuyama (2022) was the last of nine consecutive winners who played the previous week at Kapalua.

Notes:

Field of 144.
The OWGR is represented by 10 of the top 30.
Top 65 and ties will make the cut and play the weekend.
$8.7 million – $1.566 million – 500 FedExCup points – Sentry and Masters ticket punched.

Recent Winners

2024 Season Winners

Event	Winner
The Sentry	Chris Kirk
Sony Open in Hawaii	Grayson Murray (Rest in Peace)
The American Express	Nick Dunlap (a)
Farmers Insurance Open	Matthieu Pavon (rookie)
AT&T Pebble Beach	Wyndham Clark (54 holes)
WM Phoenix Open	Nick Taylor
The Genesis Invitational	Hideki Matsuyama
Mexico Open at Vidanta	Jake Knapp (rookie)
Cognizant Classic	Austin Eckroat (first time)
Arnold Palmer Invitational	Scottie Scheffler
THE PLAYERS Championship	Scottie Scheffler (2)
Valspar Championship	Peter Malnati
Texas Children’s Houston Open	Stephan Jaeger (first time)
Valero Texas Open	Akshay Bhatia
88^th Masters Tournament	Scottie Scheffler (3)
RBC Heritage	Scottie Scheffler (4)
Zurich Classic	Rory McIlroy & Shane Lowry
THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson	Taylor Pendrith (first time)
Wells Fargo Championship	Rory McIlroy (2)
106^th PGA Championship	Xander Schauffele
Charles Schwab Challenge	Davis Riley
RBC Canadian Open	Robert MacIntyre (first time)
The 49^th Memorial Tournament	Scottie Scheffler (5)
124^th United States Open	Bryson DeChambeau
Travelers Championship	Scottie Scheffler (6)
Rocket Mortgage Classic	Cam Davis
John Deere Classic	Davis Thompson (first time)
Genesis Scottish Open	Robert MacIntyre (2)
152^nd Open Championship	Xander Schauffele (2)
3M Open	Jhonattan Vegas
2024 Paris Olympics	Scottie Scheffler (7)
3M Open	Jhonattan Vegas
Wyndham Championship	Aaron Rai (first time)
FedEx St. Jude Championship	Hideki Matsuyama (2)
BMW Championship	Keegan Bradley
The TOUR Championship	Scottie Scheffler (8)

FedEx Cup Fall
Procore Championship	Patton Kizzire
Sanderson Farms Championship	Kevin Yu (first time)
Black Desert Championship	Matt McCarty (first time)
Shriners Children’s Open	JT Poston
ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP	Nico Echavarria
World Wide Technology Champ	Austin Eckroat (2)
Butterfield Bermuda Champ	Rafa Campos (first time)
The RSM Classic	Maverick McNealy (first time)

2025 Season Winners

Event	Winner
The Sentry	Hideki Matsuyama
Sony Open in Hawaii
The American Express
Farmers Insurance Open

Recent Winners – Sony Open in Hawaii

Italics – not entered this week.

Year	Winner	Notes
2024	Grayson Murray (-17)	Knocked out Byeong Hun An and Keegan Bradley with a 48-foot birdie on the first playoff hole. May he rest in peace.
2023	Si Woo Kim (-18)	Shot 64 on Sunday to make up a three-shot deficit and knock out 54-hole leader Hayden Buckley by a shot.
2022	Hideki Matsuyama (-23)	Matched the second-highest winning score since 2000. Rain and windy conditions all weekend.
2021	Kevin Na (-21)	Shot 61 in Round 3 and beat Chris Kirk by one.
2020	Cameron Smith (-11)	Matched the second highest winning score since 2000. Rain and windy conditions all weekend.
2019	Matt Kuchar (-22)	Won comfortably by four over Andrew Putnam.
2018	Patton Kizzire (-17)	Needed a playoff to win in just his second visit.

Angles

Waialae Country Club stretches to just 7,044 yards, one of the shortest courses on TOUR, and plays to Par-70.

Par-70 was established for the 1999 edition, the only tournament to produce a single-digit winning score (-9). The two highest winning scores since are 11-under in 2005 and 2020.

Hideki Matsuyama was the last of nine consecutive winners to play the week before at Kapalua. The last two champions did not.

Bermudagrass fairways, rough, and greens are in play again this week.

With greens averaging 7,100 square feet, Waialae has some of the largest putting surfaces on TOUR.

Experienced players flourished in this event from 1997 through 2019. All but three winners were under the age of 30. Over the last five years, only one champion has been older than 30. If you’re good enough, you’re old enough.

The course record, 59, was set in 2017 by Justin Thomas (not entered), in Round 1. Going on to victory, he smashed the tournament scoring record by three shots (253; 27-under).

Four of the last five winners previously represented the International team in the Presidents Cup.

Murray (second attempt) ended a run of champions who needed four or more previous tries before winning.

Si Woo Kim is the only winner in the last 10 to NOT register in the top 6 in Par-4 scoring.

The last 10 winners finished in the top 18 in Proximity. None were in the top 10 of Driving Accuracy.

There has been a playoff every other year since 2016. This year suggests NO PLAYOFF!

Players to consider for Top 10, Top 20, or Top 40 action:

Robert MacIntyre (+3000): Making his second start, few in the field handle stiff breezes better than the Scotsman. A two-time winner on TOUR last year, he can play free as a bird in 2025.

Byeong Hun An (+3000): After defeating Tom Kim in a playoff in Korea last fall, the winner on the European Tour, KFT, and Challenge Tour has not won on the PGA TOUR. Falling in a playoff last year after cashing T12 in 2023, he quickly picked up what it takes to contend at Waialae.

Luke Clanton (+3000): I’ve forgotten what class he is in at Florida State, but I remember his sponsor’s exemptions. The young man usually takes advantage of the privilege and the latest evidence was cashing a share of second place at the RSM Classic last fall. Oh, and he’s ranked 87^th in the OWGR!

Austin Eckroat (+3500): The winner in Mexico, his second victory of 2024, also cashed T17 at the RSM and T15 last week. Smash it, find it, and smash it again!

JT Poston (+4000): I loved him last week, but a first-round fizzle (74) knocked him out of contention. Last year, he closed with 61 to secure solo sixth, his best at Waialae.

Ben Griffin (+5000): Nobody posted more rounds in the 60s on TOUR last season.

Chris Kirk (+5500): Matt Kuchar and Russell Henley are the only players in the field who have won more cash here. Do not forget Kirk has never won the event but has hit the podium twice in his last four.

Cam Davis (+6000): Playing for the seventh consecutive season, the Aussie has cashed T32 or better in five straight.

Harry Hall (+5000), Thomas Detry (+5000), and Tom Hoge (+7000) all painted the top 10 at The Sentry last week. Detry is the only non-winner in that trio.

Course Horses Andrew Putnam (+9000), Nick Taylor (+11000), and Matt Kuchar deserve a look.

I love a nibble on Bud Cauley and Vince Whaley at +20000.

Good luck!

One and Done – Spotter’s Game

1 player per event (plus a backup pick if your guy gets kidnapped on Wednesday night and doesn’t make it to the first tee Thursday).

1 use per year.

LAST WEEK – THE SENTRY

MY CHOICE: Sungjae Im – 3rd

Just Missed: Sahith Theegala, Justin Thomas, Akshay Bhatia, Jason Day

I was more surprised at the lack of results from the gang in “Just Missed” than I was riding the safe play of the Korean. Nothing like a podium finish to kick off the new campaign!

Event	Selection	Earnings
The Sentry	Sungjae Im	$1,360,000
Sony Open in Hawaii
The American Express
Farmers Insurance Open

THIS WEEK – Sony Open in Hawaii

The second stop on The Opening Drive in Hawaii takes the TOUR to a familiar stop. Waialae has followed Kapalua in every edition since 1999.

Two major differences this week:

No Cut
Field of 144 players

This is not the time to fall in love, but if you had a big week last week (Matsuyama, Morikawa, or Im) you can gamble this time.

Winning $1.566 million this week is great, but that’s almost third place for a major, FedExCup Playoff event, THE PLAYERS or seven more Signature Events.

If you’re one of those folks planning out all your plays before the season, fantastic but form, function, and injury also factor over the long haul.

Also, if you are saving your best guys for last, they all must hit perfectly. Remember Keegan Bradley at the BMW Championship last year? Was anyone saving him for that event??

Right.

My approach is more art than science. There’s an old saying that guys peak for six to eight weeks per year, usually around the big events for the biggest of players. Remember, Scottie Scheffler won just about everything last year so don’t fret if you weren’t on Matsuyama last week. Hell, he might win again at TPC Scottsdale next month or successfully defend at Riviera if it doesn’t burn down. Be safe Los Angeles and Godspeed to our firefighters.

MY CHOICE: Muscle Russell Henley

Others to consider/fade

Hideki Matsuyama, Corey Conners, Byeong Hun An, Cam Davis,

Opening Drive 2025 – The Sentry

January 1, 2025January 1, 2025 / mikeglasscott / Leave a comment

The Sentry

The Plantation Course at Kapalua

Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii

Welcome to 2025

For those of you who are just arriving for the first time, here’s what’s going on:

This column is me. My thoughts, my humor, my fun, my opinions.

I write Odds Outlook every Monday and Horses for Courses each Wednesday at PGATOUR.COM/Golfbet.

Please follow along at the TOUR website for all our great betting and fantasy content!

Chalk

My thoughts on the top 10 players for betting purposes:

Xander Schauffele: Slides into the role of the favorite with Scottie Scheffler missing out due to a Christmas Day accident. If you haven’t heard Scheffler is hurt, you might want to donate your money to charity or bet College Football games instead. The two-time major winner from 2024 is a former winner here and rakes on Maui.

Justin Thomas: Podium finishes before and after the birth of his first child suggests an explosive 2025. Bet. Only two-time winner in the field (2020, 2017).

Collin Morikawa: Five starts at Kapalua, T7 is the worst payday. Nobody can match that over the last five years. The next step is finding a hot putter on the weekend.

Ludvig Aberg: Knee surgery in September will be tested walking up and down the mountain this week. How important is it to go low this week? Making his debut last year, he posted 10-under 63 in Round 4 and yet only cashed T47.

Patrick Cantlay: Two top-five paydays from six starts are the highlights. Has not won on TOUR since the 2022 BMW Championship.

Sungjae Im: Super comfortable on the Pacific Rim and super-comfortable making a boatload of birdies, including a PGA TOUR record 34 at this event last year. Four starts, three top-10 paydays, and T13.

Hideki Matsuyama: His first three visits all cashed in the top five. His next four = nothing better than T13.

Sahith Theegala: I’m trying to talk myself off the ledge after leaving him off my PGA TOUR Fantasy Lineup. I’m having a terrible time rationalizing that decision. Fell one shot short of a playoff here last year after opening with 64 and closing with 63.

Viktor Hovland: Broken toe and parted ways with his swing coach made for a hectic final week of 2024.

Akshay Bhatia: Lovely outsider. Handles big ballparks and ocean breezes. T14 debut last year and fourth in The Bahamas, where he previously won an event on the KFT, in the Hero World Challenge.

Sam Burns: Joins Nick Taylor as the only two players with three starts and never hit the top 25.

Corey Conners: Never better than T18 in three visits. Putting matters in Maui.

NOW PLAYING:

Host Course:	The Plantation Course at Kapalua
Yards (per official scorecard):	7,596
Par:	73 (36-37)
Greens:	TifEagle Bermuda; 8,722 square feet on average; LARGEST on TOUR.
Stimpmeter:	11 feet.
Rough:	Celebration Bermuda at 2.5 inches.
Bunkers/Water Hazards/In-Play	93/0/0.
Architect(s):	Coore and Crenshaw (1999).
Defending Champion (event):	Chris Kirk was listed at +12500, posted 29-under, and won by a shot (Theegala).
Multiple Champion(s) Entered:	Justin Thomas (2020, 2017).
Course Record (last):	61; Justin Thomas is the only player in the field who has posted this number. Three others are not entered/did not qualify.
72 Hole Tournament Record (last):	258 (-34); Cam Smith 2022 (no longer a member on TOUR).
Fact of the Week:	72 holes, no cut.
Fact of the Week II:	19 players making their debut this week. The last player to win on their first attempt at Kapalua was Daniel Chopra in 2008.

Notes:

Field of 60.
Winners in calendar year 2024 and/or qualifiers for the 2024 BMW Championship are eligible.
The OWGR is represented by 15 of the top 20.
First of eight SIGNATURE EVENTS of 2024.
$20 million – $3.6 million – 700 FedExCup points – Sentry and Masters ticket punched.

Season Winners

2024 Season Winners

Event	Winner
The Sentry	Chris Kirk
Sony Open in Hawaii	Grayson Murray (Rest in Peace)
The American Express	Nick Dunlap (a)
Farmers Insurance Open	Matthieu Pavon (rookie)
AT&T Pebble Beach	Wyndham Clark (54 holes)
WM Phoenix Open	Nick Taylor
The Genesis Invitational	Hideki Matsuyama
Mexico Open at Vidanta	Jake Knapp (rookie)
Cognizant Classic	Austin Eckroat (first time)
Arnold Palmer Invitational	Scottie Scheffler
THE PLAYERS Championship	Scottie Scheffler (2)
Valspar Championship	Peter Malnati
Texas Children’s Houston Open	Stephan Jaeger (first time)
Valero Texas Open	Akshay Bhatia
88^th Masters Tournament	Scottie Scheffler (3)
RBC Heritage	Scottie Scheffler (4)
Zurich Classic	Rory McIlroy & Shane Lowry
THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson	Taylor Pendrith (first time)
Wells Fargo Championship	Rory McIlroy (2)
106^th PGA Championship	Xander Schauffele
Charles Schwab Challenge	Davis Riley
RBC Canadian Open	Robert MacIntyre (first time)
The 49^th Memorial Tournament	Scottie Scheffler (5)
124^th United States Open	Bryson DeChambeau
Travelers Championship	Scottie Scheffler (6)
Rocket Mortgage Classic	Cam Davis
John Deere Classic	Davis Thompson (first time)
Genesis Scottish Open	Robert MacIntyre (2)
152^nd Open Championship	Xander Schauffele (2)
3M Open	Jhonattan Vegas
2024 Paris Olympics	Scottie Scheffler (7)
3M Open	Jhonattan Vegas
Wyndham Championship	Aaron Rai (first time)
FedEx St. Jude Championship	Hideki Matsuyama (2)
BMW Championship	Keegan Bradley
The TOUR Championship	Scottie Scheffler (8)

FedEx Cup Fall
Procore Championship	Patton Kizzire
Sanderson Farms Championship	Kevin Yu (first time)
Black Desert Championship	Matt McCarty (first time)
Shriners Children’s Open	JT Poston
ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP	Nico Echavarria
World Wide Technology Champ	Austin Eckroat (2)
Butterfield Bermuda Champ	Rafa Campos (first time)
The RSM Classic	Maverick McNealy (first time)

Recent Winners – The Sentry

Italics – not entered this week.

Year	Winner	Notes
2024	Chris Kirk (-29)	Only squared ONE BOGEY; won for the sixth time on TOUR.
2023	Jon Rahm (-25)	Won by two, no longer a member on TOUR.
2022	Cam Smith (-34)	Set the tournament scoring record, no longer a member on TOUR.
2021	Harris English (-25)	Won in a playoff on his second visit.
2020	Justin Thomas (-14)	Won a three-man playoff over Schauffele and Reed in breezy conditions.
2019	Xander Schauffele (-23)	Closed with 62, tying the course record at the time, to win in his second try.
2018	Dustin Johnson (-24)	Winning by eight shots, he tied the margin of victory standard.

Angles

The Plantation Course tips at 7,596 yards, the third longest course used in 2023, and plays to Par-73.

The Plantation Course ranked as the easiest course on TOUR the last four seasons, playing more than three shots under par per round annually. Weather is the only deterrent to scoring.

The resort course features generous fairways and the largest greens complexes on TOUR.

Elevation changes and uneven lies will challenge players on second shots.

TifEagle Bermuda greens running at 11 feet will allow players to be aggressive on the short grass.

The last 10 winners finished in the top 16 in SG: Putting.

Kirk is the only winner from the last 10 to rank outside the top 10 in SG: Off the tee.

Kirk and English (not entered) are the only two non-major championship winners in the last decade.

Diving Deeper

Players for top 10 and top 20 action, reason to avoid, or OAD questions and answers.

Ben An: Wasn’t bothered on debut last year (solo fourth) and won in October.

Russell Henley: Save him for next week.

Tony Finau: Off-season knee surgery will keep me on the sidelines until I see evidence.

Adam Scott: Only Justin Thomas has made as many starts. Only Morikawa and JT have more top 10s (5) than the Australian (4).

Robert MacIntyre: One of 19 first-time participants. Careful.

Wyndham Clark: Closed with 63 for T29 on debut in 2024. I didn’t see any inspiration in Napa Valley (mc) or at the Hero World Challenge (T17 of 20 players).

Davis Thompson: First-timer. The Birdie machine hits it a mile. Nibble.

J.T. Poston: Likes it here. Bigger bite.

Max Greyserman: Shit-fire hot minus that elusive first win. Water is deeper in this field.

Brian Harman: Turing 38 in three weeks, his Georgia teammate won here at 38 last year. Making his fifth start, he’s hit the top five twice and never worse than T17. Interesting.

Cameron Young: Here we go again. Make a putt already.

Jason Day: Veteran loves the extra room to move it off the tee and has no problem on these greens.

Keegan Bradley: The Ryder Cup captain for 2025 at Bethpage Black has a very busy eight months in front of him. TGL, his game, and selecting his team makes a full plate.

Maverick McNealy: FINALLY. One of my favorites over the years is now healthy. Grew up on Pebble Beach.

Max Homa: The finishes might not scream PICK ME PICK ME, but he’s never posted less than 20-under in his last three visits. He likes it here. Now, about that current form…

Si Woo Kim: My buddy Jay always bets the Korean on Bermuda. A winner at Sony at The American Express in the last five years, I will let him get loose this week.

Taylor Pendrith: Another who can smash it and make a ton of birdies, the Canadian hopes to be more Hadwin than Nick Taylor.

Matt Fitzpatrick: T14 and T7 in his first two visits but has not hit the top 10 since the Memorial last June. I wonder if the problem with dialing in his new irons is still bothering him. Lovely risk-reward in a no-cut field.

Alex Noren: Debutant.

Will Zalatoris: I doubt he would fly halfway around the world to South Africa if his back was bothering him. T11 with four rounds in the 60s on his debut in 2023. Value here.

Aaron Rai: 2 gloves and zero problems tee to green. First appearance on the massive greens.

Denny McCarthy: Not sure he has enough ammo, but the large targets will create more chances to wield his INCREDIBLE flat stick.

Sepp Straka: T9 at the Hero plus T12-T21 here the last two years.

Billy Horschel: Only eight rounds in the 60s here in seven previous visits.

Eric Cole: T16 or better in three of his four last starts plus T14 on debut last year. What am I missing?

Nick Dunlap: Maker or breaker!?!? Remember, Castle Pines was a level playing field (most guys had never seen the place before the event). That’s not true this week.

Christiaan Bezuidenhout: Opened his season solo second at The American Express last year. Big ask this year.

Nico Echavarria: Love it. Top 10 just in case.

One and Done – Spotter’s Game

1 player per event (plus a backup pick if your guy gets kidnapped on Wednesday night and doesn’t make it to the first tee Thursday).

1 use per year.

With EIGHT Signature Events spread over the season, player management becomes a major issue. These events do NOT include the four majors or THE PLAYERS Championship. These events do NOT include the FedExCup Playoffs. This game ends with the BMW Championship.

This is a bonus week as there is NO CUT. Everyone gets a paycheck!

MY CHOICE: Sungjae Im

Just Missed: Sahith Theegala, Justin Thomas, Akshay Bhatia, Jason Day

Glass Houses

Fantasy Golf Only

Month: January 2025

AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am

Farmers Insurance Open

The Amercian Express

Sony Open in Hawaii

Opening Drive 2025 – The Sentry