Texas Children’s Houston Open

March 27, 2024 / mikeglasscott / Leave a comment

The first of four this spring in the Lone Star state takes us to the muni at Memorial Park.

Our turn.#TCHO #ItsAWholeVibe #PGATOUR pic.twitter.com/PfCzf1XZdl
— Texas Children’s Houston Open (@TCHouOpen) March 24, 2024

Texas Children’s Houston Open

Memorial Park Golf Course

Houston, Texas

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Bet365: Top of the Board

Scottie Scheffler (11/4): Trying to become the first player to defend the title at THE PLAYERS Championship, the Dallas resident is no stranger to making recent history. No player has won three straight entered events since Dustin Johnson in early 2017, but Scheffler has course history to rely upon here as well. Finishing T9 in 2022 came after holding the 54-hole lead in the 2021 tournament and finishing tied for second. Ball-Striking is a major factor this week, and nobody is doing it better on TOUR than the only multiple winner of 2024. Fade him at your own discretion.

Wyndham Clark (12/1) has been the bridesmaid to Scheffler in his previous two victories. Already a winner this season at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the 2023 U.S. Open champion lipped out a putt at THE PLAYERS Championship to force extra holes with the eventual champion. Cashing T16 on his last visit, he will not be flying blind this week.

Sahith Theegala (18/1) lives in the north suburb of Spring, Texas, and already has four top-10 paydays to his name in 2024, including his last two starts at Bay Hill and TPC Sawgrass. Breaking through winning the Fortinet Championship last September, the former Pepperdine man has not slowed down. This time last year, he was gearing up for his first appearance at the Masters, where he finished ninth on debut. With the rough down and trouble off the tee minimal, I would expect a big week from him.

Will Zalatoris (20/1) grew up in Dallas, so a bit of breeze will hardly bother his tee-to-green prowess. Making his tournament debut, he won’t have to navigate a point of reference from the previous fall editions. I know, I know, I tipped him at THE PLAYERS, and he easily missed the weekend. Taking on a new event to tune up for Augusta suggests he’s happy with where his game is, regardless of the result at TPC Sawgrass. Big, breezy, deep tracks (Torrey Pines, Southern Hills, Augusta National) rarely bothered him.

With three trophies from the state of Texas already on his mantle, Jason Day (22/1) returns to Memorial Park for the fourth time in search of another piece of hardware. Another who handles big tracks well (two-time winner at Torrey Pines), the Australian’s power and short game should line up nicely again this year. Never missing the cut in his first four visits, he’s posted eight of 12 rounds in the red.

Reigning champion Tony Finau (25/1) has only hit the top 10 once this season, and it was at one of his favorite stops, Torrey Pines GC. Missing the cut last week at Valspar after T45 at THE PLAYERS suggests he’s looking for a spark before the first major of the season in two weeks. The big hitter made over 415 feet of putts to win by four shots in 2022. Repeating that number would be a feat. I’ll pass.

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

Keith Mitchell (35/1) provides a quandary this week. Are we getting the back nine 31 on Saturday at Valspar or the 77 from the final group on Sunday? A superb driver of the golf ball, his short game will need a quick fix to contend again this week.

Mackenzie Hughes (50/1) won’t mind another week on big greens where his putter can get hot and stay hot. Like many this week, having big targets off the tee boxes and into the greens should grab his attention. Hitting the podium last week, he will remember this time last year when he was in the final eight of the WGC-Match Play up the street in Austin.

Tom Hoge (50/1) has been cruising along, under the radar for most of 2024. Outstanding with his iron play, he will have plenty of opportunities to pay them off on these big greens. Posting T28 or better in five straight before T54 at THE PLAYERS, five of his last eight resulted in T17 or better.

Jake Knapp (55/1) won at Vidanta Vallarta on Paspalum for his first TOUR victory. The Greg Norman layout didn’t have penal rough and featured huge greens. Oh, and he was on the podium at Torrey Pines. Dots connected.

Andrew Novak (100/1) continues to stripe it on approach, and that will travel again this week. After three straight top-10 paydays halted at THE PLAYERS, he ranked in the top 10 in SG: Approach last week and added T17 at Valspar to his impressive start to the season.

Playing college golf in the area at Texas A&M, Cameron Champ (110/1) should be comfortable in this part of the world. Bundle him with another Aggie, Chandler Phillips (140/1), who picked up his career-best payday of T3 last week at Valspar playing with Champ, and off to the window you go.

Robert MacIntyre (110/1) grabbed T6 at Vidanta Vallarta. Let’s see if the theory plays again this week. Missing the cut just once (THE PLAYERS) in his last five, he’s heating up with the weather.

Dylan Wu (175/1) has picked off T26, T19, and T24 in three of his last four. The best finish of the bunch was at THE PLAYERS Championship.

NOW PLAYING:

Host Course	Memorial Park Golf Course
Yards (per official scorecard):	7,435.
Par:	70 (35-35).
Greens:	Poa Trivialis; 7,000 square feet.
Stimpmeter:	12 feet.
Rough:	Overseeded Rye barely over an inch.
Bunkers/Water Hazards/In-Play	21/2/4.
Architect(s):	John Bredemus (1934); Tom Doak (2019).
Defending Champion (event):	Tony Finau (-16).
Multiple Champion(s) Entered:	None.
Course Record (latest):	62; Tony Finau (Round 2, 2022); Scottie Scheffler (Round 2, 2021).
72 Hole Tournament Record (March):	First event at Memorial Park in March.
72 Hole Tournament Record	264; Tony Finau (2022).
Fact of the Week:	First event at Memorial Park since November of 2022.
Fact of the Week II:	The second of three municipal courses used on TOUR (Torrey Pines South & North) this season.

Memorial Park Golf Course

The eyes of Texas and the PGA TOUR are on the municipal Memorial Park Golf Course. Making the first of four stops in the Lone Star state, the Texas Children’s Houston Open will host for the fourth time since 2020.

Joining Torrey Pines Golf Club as the only other municipal tracks used on TOUR, the 2019 Tom Doak redesign plays to Par-70 and has plenty of meat on the bone. Everything is bigger in Texas, and at 7,435 yards tipped out, Memorial Park qualifies.

The yardage from the tips will be different for the third time in four events. The common denominator is all four events played over 7,400 yards.

Sporting five Par-3 holes and three Par-5 holes, the Par-70 also provides three Par-4 holes 490 yards or more. The trio of Par-5 holes was the most difficult on TOUR for the 2020-21 season and ranked T2 for the 2021-2022 year.

Adding four bunkers and expanding and shifting the tee box 23 yards on Hole No. 17 are the cosmetic changes for 2024.

Water penalty areas are in play on only four holes, a welcome respite from wet and sandy Florida.

The most significant alteration for 2024 is moving the event from November to March. The firm and fast Bermuda gives way to Ryegrass overseed on the fairways and rough. Mowing the rough barely over an inch, down from 2.25 inches in 2022, provides more opportunities to attack hole locations from off the fairway.

The Poa Trivialis greens, checking in as some of the largest on TOUR at 7,000 square feet on average, will be on display for the first time. Missing the big targets will come with closely mown areas that repel mishit shots.

With the rough not as penal and the course playing softer than the fall editions big hitters and ball-strikers should thrive. Ranking in the top 11 in the most difficult tracks in the three previous editions, the average winning score is 13-under-par.

Tony Finau owns the tournament scoring record of 16-under, set in November of 2022. Posting 62 in Round, he joined Scottie Scheffler as the co-course record holder.

Texas Children’s Houston Open

Hosting for the fourth time, TCHO returns to its traditional late March/early April spot on the calendar.

Highlighted by World No. 1, the field of 144 players includes 10 of the top 50 players in the Official World Golf Rankings.

Finau, who led or shared the lead after 18, 36, and 54 holes is the only previous winner at Memorial Park in the field.

The defending champion ran his total to 19-under before coming home in 38 (+3).

The field will be cut to the top 65 and ties after two rounds.

On the line is a purse of $8.4 million, with the winner taking home $1.512 million, collecting 500 FedExCup points, and an invitation to the Masters in three weeks.

This is the last week to qualify for the Masters through the OWGR Top 50.

Season Winners

2023 Season Winners

Event	Winner
Sentry Tournament of Champions	Jon Rahm
Sony Open in Hawaii	Si Woo Kim
The AMERICAN EXPRESS	Jon Rahm (2)
Farmers Insurance Open	Max Homa (2)
AT&T Pebble Beach	Justin Rose
WM Phoenix Open	Scottie Scheffler
The Genesis Invitational	Jon Rahm (3)
The Honda Classic	Chris Kirk
Arnold Palmer Invitational	Kurt Kitayama (first TOUR win)
THE PLAYERS Championship	Scottie Scheffler (2)
Valspar Championship	Taylor Moore (first TOUR win)
Corales Puntacana	Matt Wallace (first TOUR win)
WGC – Dell Technologies MP	Sam Burns
Valero Texas Open	Corey Conners
Masters	Jon Rahm (4)
RBC Heritage	Matt Fitzpatrick
Zurich Classic of New Orleans	Davis Riley & Nick Hardy (first TOUR win for each)
Mexico Open at Vidanta	Tony Finau (2)
Wells Fargo Championship	Wyndham Clark (first TOUR win)
AT&T Byron Nelson	Jason Day
PGA Championship	Brooks Koepka
Charles Schwab Challenge	Emiliano Grillo
Memorial	Viktor Hovland
RBC Canadian Open	Nick Taylor
U.S. Open	Wyndham Clark (2)
Travelers Championship	Keegan Bradley (2)
Rocket Mortgage Classic	Rickie Fowler
John Deere Classic	Sepp Straka
Genesis Scottish Open	Rory McIlroy (2)
The Open Championship	Brian Harman
3M Open	Lee Hodges (first TOUR win)
Wyndham Championship	Lucas Glover
FedEx St. Jude Championship	Lucas Glover (2)
BMW Championship	Viktor Hovland (2)
TOUR Championship	Viktor Hovland (3)
Fortinet Championship	Sahith Theegala
Sanderson Farms Championship	Luke List
Shriners Children’s Open	Tom Kim
ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP	Collin Morikawa
World Wide Technology	Erik van Rooyen
Butterfield Bermuda	Camilo Villegas
The RSM Classic	Ludvig Aberg

2024 Season Winners

Event	Winner
The Sentry	Chris Kirk
Sony Open in Hawaii	Grayson Murray
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
Arnold Palmer Invitational	Scottie Scheffler
THE PLAYERS Championship	Scottie Scheffler (2)
Valspar Championship	Peter Malnati

Recent Winners – Texas Children’s Houston Open

Italics – not entered this week.

Year	Winner	Notes
2023	No event	No event in since November 2022.
2022	Tony Finau (-16)	Went as low as 19-under before closing with 38. Won by four shots.
2021	Jason Kokrak (-10)	Scottie Scheffler shot 69 on Sunday with the 54-hole lead, but couldn’t close for his first TOUR victory.
2020	Carlos Ortiz (-13)	Played the week before the Masters in November, Oritz was just one of three players 10-under or better.

One and Done

I’ll be joining Spotter’s game again this season. Now, where did I put my checkbook…

35 events.

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.

Add up the total money and Spotter is yer uncle!

Event	Selection	Earnings
The Sentry	Collin Morikawa	690,500
Sony Open in Hawaii	Corey Conners	18,592
The American Express	Adam Hadwin	310,800
Farmers Insurance Open	Jason Day	0
AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am	Jordan Spieth	70,125
WM Phoenix Open	Matt Fitzpatrick	156,200
The Genesis Invitational	Max Homa	329,000
Mexico Open at Vidanta	Tony Finau	145,125
Cognizant Classic	Russell Henley	32,850
Arnold Palmer Invitational	Scottie Scheffler	4,000,000
THE PLAYERS Championship	Will Zalatoris	0
Valspar Championship	Sam Burns	0

Total Winnings:		5,753,192

Recapping Last Week – Valspar Championship

MY CHOICE: Sam Burns – MC

After missing the cut at the most lucrative event of the season, I decided to dumb it down to get back to business at Palm Harbor.

Entering the 2024 event on solo sixth, win, and win, I believed Sam Burns to be the safest of the safe.

I was the wrongest of the wrong.

The kick in the nuts? Bogey at the last to miss when the lead was only 7-under. Anyone who made the cut last week had a legit chance to catch fire on the weekend.

Nope.

We move on, salty AF.

Other to Consider:

Brian Harman: Odd track record here, but the way he’s played in the last two big boy events, I can’t see the angle to fade him. MC 70-74.

Christiaan Bezuidenhout: Each week appears to be more comfortable. Cashing T24 at Riviera and T13 at TPC Sawgrass is my proof. Three more rounds in the 60s on a tough layout for T9.

Justin Thomas: Coming off a missed cut, he should be raring to go. His talent suggests using him for a bigger purse. He can also get hot and stay hot. My Old Kentucky home is in two months. Birdied the first hole on Saturday to tie the lead and then played the final 17 holes in NINE OVER. Sorry to those of you who were on board. T64.

Longshots

Adam Schenk – T33

Adam Hadwin – T5

Adam PacMan Jones

Adam West

Adam Viniateri

Taylor Montgomery – MC

This Week – Texas Children’s Houston Open

MY CHOICE: Wyndham Clark

Third time the charm? He’s one lip-out away from potentially having two wins on the season. Instead, he’s barely mentioned because of the man who has beaten him. I don’t have to worry about form, and I’m excited to see how he reacts this week. Surely, he can make the cut!!!

Or am I the “new Chadders”?

Stay tuned!

Other to Consider:

Sahith Theegala: I had trouble getting off of him this week and I might change it up before the bell sounds. Top-10 paydays from his last two events, a full bag, and he’s impossible not to like.

Tony Finau: I’ll wait until later in the summer when he finds some more.

Jason Day: Proven record in Texas comes with a perfect 3-3 here. Burned me already this season on a course he loves at Torrey Pines.

Tom Hoge: TCU man has produced a steady stream of results in 2024. Nobody made more feet of putts at TPC Sawgrass. Not many made more doubles or worse. Less water = mo money!

Lone Star Longshots:

Alex Noren: Ran T4 here in 2022 but never lifted a trophy on TOUR.

Aaron Rai: There’s no need, in this format at least, to drift down here, but some of you gotta ketchup.

Mackenzie Hughes: Less trouble off the tee, the better. Big week last week as well.

Cameron Champ/Phillips: Gig ‘em.

Anybody with the last name Coody: Texas lads. Big jeans. Big genes.

LAST CALL – RSM CLASSIC

November 15, 2023 / mikeglasscott / Leave a comment

Time to fire back that final shot, pay your tab, and GET INTO THE TOP 125 or THE NEXT 10!

RSM Classic

Sea Island Golf Club

Seaside (host) course

St. Simons Island, Georgia

Weekly Readers:

Horses for Courses – click here

Betting Stat Pack – click here

Expert Picks – click here

Odds Outlook – click here

Chalk (via Bet365.com)

My thoughts on the top 10 players

Ludvig Aberg (11/1): Listing him as the favorite in a field with 11 of the top 50 in the OWGR tells you what the book thinks! This is an event where first-time winners have flourished over the last 13 years.

Russell Henley (14/1): I’m never crazy about backing a guy who hasn’t played in almost three months in a shootout. One quiet round this week to knock the rust off might be too much to overcome. With the wind in play in Round 1, he might find the perfect storm.

Brian Harman (20/1): No current resident has ever won.

Cameron Young (22/1): With the way he hits it, he would prefer windy conditions all four days.

Corey Conners (25/1): Looking to become the third Canadian winner, he’s never cashed better than T10 in four trips.

Eric Cole (25/1): It’s time. Hop on. Bermuda expert.

J.T. Poston (28/1): Already a winner twice in shootouts, his red-hot form is hard to ignore.

Si Woo Kim (33/1): Hasn’t posted a top 10 since June and has MC in his last three visits here. Hits it great tee-to-green so I better throw a top 10 ticket on here just in case!

Denny McCarthy (33/1): Almost three months to the day since his last competitive round. Not many roll it better on the greens.

Adam Svensson (35/1): Reigning champion defends for the first time. Yeah, I’m out.

Alex Noren (35/1): White hot form. Once I back him, you shouldn’t. I’ll give you an early Xmas present by fading him.

NOW PLAYING:

Host Course	Seaside
Yards (per official scorecard):	7,006.
Par:	70 (35-35).
Greens:	TifEagle Bermuda; 7,200 square feet on average.
Stimpmeter:	12.5.
Rough:	Ryegrass overseed at 2 inches.
Bunkers/Water Hazards/In-Play	47/14/13
Architect(s):	Colt & Alison (1929); Tom Fazio (1999).
Defending Champion (event):	Adam Svensson (-19).
Multiple Champion(s) Entered:	Robert Streb (2014, 2020).
Course Record (last):	60; Set twice in 2021 (both not entered); Tommy Gainey 2012, Round 4.
72 Hole Tournament Record (last):	260 (-22); Talor Gooch (2022); Kevin Kisner (2015).
Fact of the Week:	Oldest TifEagle Greens on TOUR.
Fact of the Week II:	19-under or better is the winning score over the last SIX editions.

Notes:

Field of 156.
The OWGR is represented by 11 of the top 50.
FINAL EVENT of the FedExCup Fall.
$8.4 million – $1.512 million – 500 FedExCup points – Sentry and Masters ticket punched.

Season Winners

2022-2023 Season Winners

Event	Winner
Fortinet Championship	Max Homa
Sanderson Farms Championship	Mackenzie Holmes
Shriners Children’s Open	Tom Kim
ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP	Keegan Bradley
CJ CUP at CONGAREE	Rory McIlroy
Butterfield Bermuda Championship	Seamus Power
Mayakoba Championship	Russell Henley
Cadence Bank Houston Open	Tony Finau
The RSM Classic	Adam Svensson (first TOUR win)
Sentry Tournament of Champions	Jon Rahm
Sony Open in Hawaii	Si Woo Kim
The AMERICAN EXPRESS	Jon Rahm (2)
Farmers Insurance Open	Max Homa (2)
AT&T Pebble Beach	Justin Rose
WM Phoenix Open	Scottie Scheffler
The Genesis Invitational	Jon Rahm (3)
The Honda Classic	Chris Kirk
Arnold Palmer Invitational	Kurt Kitayama (first TOUR win)
THE PLAYERS Championship	Scottie Scheffler (2)
Valspar Championship	Taylor Moore (first TOUR win)
Corales Puntacana	Matt Wallace (first TOUR win)
WGC – Dell Technologies MP	Sam Burns
Valero Texas Open	Corey Conners
Masters	Jon Rahm (4)
RBC Heritage	Matt Fitzpatrick
Zurich Classic of New Orleans	Davis Riley & Nick Hardy (first TOUR win for each)
Mexico Open at Vidanta	Tony Finau (2)
Wells Fargo Championship	Wyndham Clark (first TOUR win)
AT&T Byron Nelson	Jason Day
PGA Championship	Brooks Koepka
Charles Schwab Challenge	Emiliano Grillo
Memorial	Viktor Hovland
RBC Canadian Open	Nick Taylor
U.S. Open	Wyndham Clark (2)
Travelers Championship	Keegan Bradley (2)
Rocket Mortgage Classic	Rickie Fowler
John Deere Classic	Sepp Straka
Genesis Scottish Open	Rory McIlroy (2)
The Open Championship	Brian Harman
3M Open	Lee Hodges (first TOUR win)
Wyndham Championship	Lucas Glover
FedEx St. Jude Championship	Lucas Glover (2)
BMW Championship	Viktor Hovland (2)
TOUR Championship	Viktor Hovland (3)
Fortinet Championship	Sahith Theegala
Sanderson Farms Championship	Luke List
Shriners Children’s Open	Tom Kim
ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP	Collin Morikawa
World Wide Technology	Erik van Rooyen
Butterfield Bermuda	Camilo Villegas

Recent Winners – RSM Classic

Italics – not entered this week.

Year	Winner	Notes
2022	Adam Svensson (-19)	Wins by two for first victory on TOUR.
2021	Talor Gooch (-22)	Matched tournament scoring record; wins by three for first victory on TOUR.
2020	Robert Streb (-19)	Defeated Kisner in a playoff to become the only two-time champion.
2019	Tyler Duncan (-19)	Defeated Webb Simpson in a playoff to win for the first time on TOUR.
2018	Charles Howell III (-19)	Defeated Patrick Rodgers in a playoff for his first win since 2007.

Angles

The Seaside course, covering 7,005 yards and Par-70, will be used in three of the four rounds.

The Plantation course, stretching to just 7,060 yards and playing to Par-72, will be used once before the 36-hole cut.

Both courses are tee-to-green Bermuda grass and TifEagle Bermuda greens.

Svensson is the only winner to sign for a round over 70 on the scorecard. He opened with 73 last year.

Winners here annually rank in the top 10 GIR, SG: Putting, and Scrambling.

Kevin Kisner is the only player in the field this week to post 22-under as a winning total, equaling the tournament scoring record.

The last six winning totals have been 19-under or better. Go low!

The field of 156 contains 11 of the top 50 OWGR.

Stretching

Justin Suh (40/1) will enjoy the generous landing areas and inviting Seaside greens as targets. A super putter, he rolls into town after T10 and a career-best solo fourth in Mexico in his last two starts.

Sea Island resident Davis Thompson (55/1) has been watching this event for as long as his father, Todd, has been running it. Making his fifth appearance, he should be ready to contend on the weekend.

Chesson Hadley (55/1) has cashed T7 in his last two starts on TOUR on resort courses in Las Vegas and Mexico. No point overthinking it.

Sleepers

Will Gordon (100/1), T15 and T21 in his last two on TOUR, is top 10 GIR, and that plays this week. … 2017 winner Austin Cook (150/1) has cashed T10 and T13 in his last two starts on TOUR. … If Kevin Kisner (175/1) is going to figure it out, it’s going to be this week.

Butterfield Bermuda Championship

November 8, 2023November 8, 2023 / mikeglasscott / Leave a comment

Aruba, Jamaica, ooooo I wanna take ya

Bermuda, Bahama, come on pretty mama

Butterfield Bermuda Championship

Port Royal Golf Course

Southampton, Bermuda

Weekly Readers:

Horses for Courses – click here

Betting Stat Pack – click here

Expert Picks – click here

Odds Outlook – click here

Chalk (via Bet365.com)

My thoughts on the top 10 players

Adam Scott (16-1): Sitting on top of the heap this week in a very muted field at Port Royal, he will put the “class v form” argument to the test. The winner of the 2013 Grand Slam of Golf on this track posted T41-MC in Japan in his last two starts. The optimist will point out he’s cashed T7 twice in his last five worldwide.

Alex Noren (18-1): Never a winner on TOUR, it’s hard for me to jump on this number.

Brendon Todd (18-1) owns the tournament scoring record and has posted three top-10 paydays from his last six on TOUR.

Akshay Bhatia (18-1) has the most recent win from this point on the list and up. Superior wind player.

Lucas Glover (20-1) busted his rust with T59 last week after ten weeks on the sidelines. He’ll be hoping the wind blows all weekend!

Thomas Detry (20-1): Making cuts for fun, his streak has reached nine worldwide. Runner up here last year, he also cashed T8 in March in the Dominican Republic. Interesting, yet I’m not sure there’s any value here for a guy who hasn’t won anywhere in the world since 2016.

Alex Smalley (20-1): Cashing in the top 10 twice this summer with T9 at TPC River Highlands and TPC Deere Run, he also produced T11 and T12 the last two years.

Lucas Herbert (22-1): Champion from 2021, the Australian did so in blustery conditions. Hell, I might just stack an all-Aussie card this week just to have some fun in this moribund field.

Taylor Pendrith (22-1): All gamers are looking for an angle. Double-dip here with the “revenge factor” and solid, current form (T15-T3).

Ben Griffin (22-1): Cashing T25 or better in five of his last nine worldwide, he also has unfinished business on the island. Playing from the final group, he was 23-under with seven holes to play. He played the next five holes SIX-OVER PAR (four bogeys, one double) and settled for T3. I wouldn’t have come back.

NOW PLAYING:

Host Course	Port Royal Golf Course.
Yards (per official scorecard):	6,828.
Par:	71 (36-35).
Greens:	TifEagle Bermuda; 8,000 square feet on average.
Stimpmeter:	10.5 feet.
Rough:	419 Bermudagrass at 2 inches.
Bunkers/Water Hazards/In-Play	87/4/7.
Architect(s):	Robert Trent Jones (1971); Roger Rulewich (2008).
Defending Champion (event):	Seamus Power (not entered).
Multiple Champion(s) Entered:	N/A.
Course Record (last):	61; Taylor Pendrith, Round 2, 2021.
72 Hole Tournament Record (last):	260 (-24); Brendon Todd, 2019.
Fact of the Week:	Shortest course on TOUR.
Fact of the Week II:	Par-71, 6,828 yards for the fifth consecutive event.

Notes:

Field of 132
The OWGR is represented by 2 of the top 50.
Sixth of seven events of the FedExCup Fall
$6.5 million – $1.170 million – 500 FedExCup points – Sentry and Masters ticket punched.

Season Winners

2022-2023 Season Winners

Event	Winner
Fortinet Championship	Max Homa
Sanderson Farms Championship	Mackenzie Holmes
Shriners Children’s Open	Tom Kim
ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP	Keegan Bradley
CJ CUP at CONGAREE	Rory McIlroy
Butterfield Bermuda Championship	Seamus Power
Mayakoba Championship	Russell Henley
Cadence Bank Houston Open	Tony Finau
The RSM Classic	Adam Svensson (first TOUR win)
Sentry Tournament of Champions	Jon Rahm
Sony Open in Hawaii	Si Woo Kim
The AMERICAN EXPRESS	Jon Rahm (2)
Farmers Insurance Open	Max Homa (2)
AT&T Pebble Beach	Justin Rose
WM Phoenix Open	Scottie Scheffler
The Genesis Invitational	Jon Rahm (3)
The Honda Classic	Chris Kirk
Arnold Palmer Invitational	Kurt Kitayama (first TOUR win)
THE PLAYERS Championship	Scottie Scheffler (2)
Valspar Championship	Taylor Moore (first TOUR win)
Corales Puntacana	Matt Wallace (first TOUR win)
WGC – Dell Technologies MP	Sam Burns
Valero Texas Open	Corey Conners
Masters	Jon Rahm (4)
RBC Heritage	Matt Fitzpatrick
Zurich Classic of New Orleans	Davis Riley & Nick Hardy (first TOUR win for each)
Mexico Open at Vidanta	Tony Finau (2)
Wells Fargo Championship	Wyndham Clark (first TOUR win)
AT&T Byron Nelson	Jason Day
PGA Championship	Brooks Koepka
Charles Schwab Challenge	Emiliano Grillo
Memorial	Viktor Hovland
RBC Canadian Open	Nick Taylor
U.S. Open	Wyndham Clark (2)
Travelers Championship	Keegan Bradley (2)
Rocket Mortgage Classic	Rickie Fowler
John Deere Classic	Sepp Straka
Genesis Scottish Open	Rory McIlroy (2)
The Open Championship	Brian Harman
3M Open	Lee Hodges (first TOUR win)
Wyndham Championship	Lucas Glover
FedEx St. Jude Championship	Lucas Glover (2)
BMW Championship	Viktor Hovland (2)
TOUR Championship	Viktor Hovland (3)
Fortinet Championship	Sahith Theegala
Sanderson Farms Championship	Luke List
Shriners Children’s Open	Tom Kim
ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP	Collin Morikawa
World Wide Technology	Erik van Rooyen

Recent Winners – Butterfield Bermuda Championship

Italics – not entered this week.

Year	Winner	Notes
2022	Seamus Power (-19)	Set the tournament record circling TWENTY EIGHT* birdies. Won by one over Thomas Detry.*
2021	Lucas Herbert (-15)	Matched the highest-winning score. Won by a shot for his first TOUR victory in just his 20^th start.
2020	Brian Gay (-15)	Defeated Wyndham Clark in a playoff after closing with 64.
2019	Brendon Todd (-24)	Posted rounds of 63 in Round 2 and closed with 62 to win by four.

Longer Shots, Longest Shots, Others

After a shootout last week in Mexico on Tiger’s track, Mother Nature is probably going to have her say this week. Tight fairways are pinched only by two inches of rough, but awkward, uneven lies will require concentration. Big Bermuda greens, exposed to the elements, will only run around 10 feet.

The winners here have ranged from 20-1, red-hot Seamus Power last year to 200-1 veteran Brian Gay. Wide open would be an understatement.

I can’t look away from Luke List (25-1) this week. With nothing to play for, he’s making the trip. Is it a trip or a trap? … It’s great to see kids Nick Dunlap (50-1) and Peter Kuest (55-1) live, but I’ll take a veteran on the upswing, Lanto Griffin (55-1) at a similar number and take my chances. … Russell Knox (90-1) won’t win but he’ll be playing the weekend. … Kramer Hickok (60-1) will be making his fifth appearance and has posted three previous in the top 30. … Kelly Kraft (110-1) has cashed five in a row and plays ocean courses well. … Satoshi Kodaira (175-1) for a top 40.

Good luck!

World Wide Technology Championship

November 1, 2023 / mikeglasscott / Leave a comment

Hey, at least it ain’t ALL CAPS again!

Way down here, you need a reason to move.

The fifth of seven FedExCup Fall tournaments should provide motivation at Tiger Woods’ El Cardonal at Diamante in Los Cabos, Mexico.

World Wide Technology Championship

El Cardonal at Diamante

Los Cabos, Mexico

Weekly Readers:

Horses for Courses – click here

Betting Stat Pack – click here

Expert Picks – click here

Odds Outlook – click here

Chalk (via Bet365.com)

My thoughts on the top 10 players

Ludvig Aberg (+900): Nothing has slowed him down over the last two months and I don’t believe a resort course setting is going to do the trick. The problem with a shootout and appears to be what we will have on the cards this week, is making enough putts over four days to win. Remember in Las Vegas he needed 62 on Sunday just to hit T13. He won’t be in my win tickets.

Cameron Young (+1200): Rest or rust? Returning to tournament competition for the first time in ten weeks, the big bomber should be licking his chops and cleaning the grooves on his wedges. Time to exact his revenge for the Ryder Cup snub?

Sahith Theegala (+1400): The interesting angle this week involves, for me, putters versus ball-strikers. With massive targets off the tee and into the greens, I would think the less accurate will have more chances to wield the putter. The absence of rough (there literally isn’t any) combined with only one water hazard should make for a less stressful week. Not many are better on and around the greens than Theegala. With a trophy on the shelf from Fortinet, he should be playing freely for the rest of the FedExCup Fall.

Beau Hossler (+2500): Looking to breakthrough for the first time on TOUR, he continues to sniff around over the last three months. Back-to-back top-10 paydays plus a run of T30 or better highlights his consistency. Add a few more bucks and take the top 20 price.

Stephan Jaeger (+2800): Making his 125^th start on the PGA TOUR, he is still looking for his first podium finish. Cashing in 28 of his last 31 events including too many in a row to count, the German is on great form but hasn’t been pushing into contention on the weekends.

Lucas Glover (+3000): Nobody was interested in thinking he would end the regular season with a win and follow it up with another in the first FedExCup Playoff event. Never posting a two-win season in his career, he’s now checked that box. Time for three? I don’t think so. The putter, which was white hot for a month, has had ten weeks off from competition.

Akshay Bhatia (+3000): If this week wasn’t on Paspalum, I’m not sure he’s up here. The winner at Barracuda in July, the lefty hasn’t popped a top 20 in his last six on TOUR. BUT MAN HE LOVES PASPALUM. Opening the 2022 KFT season he won on this surface in the Bahamas, In 2023 he’s cashed solo second in Puerto Rico, T24 Corales Puntacana and solo fourth at Vidanta Mexico Open.

J.J. Spaun (+3000): After cashing in eight straight on TOUR, Spaun rolls in after his best result (T6) last week since The Sentry last January. Finding his form in the FedExCup Fall, he sits at No. 56 entering the week. One more decent finish will push him into The Ten for 2024. Everyone is playing for something!

Emiliano Grillo (+3000): Fade or follow. The man is in form, and he absolutely shreds on Paspalum. With a victory at Colonial in May, another course he annually produces on when playing, stacking his first, two-win season is on the cards. The Argentine is my first name on the team sheet this week.

Thomas Detry (+3300): The only man listed at 33/1, the Belgian has cashed eight straight worldwide. On closer inspection his best of the bunch was T13 at The Open Championship at Royal Liverpool. His only win in professional golf was in 2016, but he has cashed second multiple times. Digging deeper, he’s posted T15 or better the last three times at Mayakoba and never missed in five visits.

NOW PLAYING:

Host Course	El Cardonal at Diamante.
Yards (per official scorecard):	7,452.
Par:	72 (36-36).
Greens:	Platinum Paspalum.
Stimpmeter:	11.5 feet.
Rough:	There isn’t any!
Bunkers/Water Hazards/In-Play	48/1/1.
Architect(s):	Tiger Woods (2014).
Defending Champion (event):	Russell Henley (not entered).
Multiple Champion(s) Entered:	N/A.
Course Record (last):	Inaugural event.
72 Hole Tournament Record (last):	Inaugural event.
Fact of the Week:	First Tiger Woods designed course to be used on the PGATOUR.
Fact of the Week II:	Resort course Par-72.

Notes:

Field of 132
The OWGR is represented by 5 of the top 50.
Nine of the top 10 FedExCup Fall are entered.
Fifth event of the FedExCup Fall season (seven events).
$8.2 million – $1.475 million – 500 FedExCup points – Sentry and Masters ticket punched.

Season Winners

2022-2023 Season Winners

Event	Winner
Fortinet Championship	Max Homa
Sanderson Farms Championship	Mackenzie Holmes
Shriners Children’s Open	Tom Kim
ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP	Keegan Bradley
CJ CUP at CONGAREE	Rory McIlroy
Butterfield Bermuda Championship	Seamus Power
Mayakoba Championship	Russell Henley
Cadence Bank Houston Open	Tony Finau
The RSM Classic	Adam Svensson (first TOUR win)
Sentry Tournament of Champions	Jon Rahm
Sony Open in Hawaii	Si Woo Kim
The AMERICAN EXPRESS	Jon Rahm (2)
Farmers Insurance Open	Max Homa (2)
AT&T Pebble Beach	Justin Rose
WM Phoenix Open	Scottie Scheffler
The Genesis Invitational	Jon Rahm (3)
The Honda Classic	Chris Kirk
Arnold Palmer Invitational	Kurt Kitayama (first TOUR win)
THE PLAYERS Championship	Scottie Scheffler (2)
Valspar Championship	Taylor Moore (first TOUR win)
Corales Puntacana	Matt Wallace (first TOUR win)
WGC – Dell Technologies MP	Sam Burns
Valero Texas Open	Corey Conners
Masters	Jon Rahm (4)
RBC Heritage	Matt Fitzpatrick
Zurich Classic of New Orleans	Davis Riley & Nick Hardy (first TOUR win for each)
Mexico Open at Vidanta	Tony Finau (2)
Wells Fargo Championship	Wyndham Clark (first TOUR win)
AT&T Byron Nelson	Jason Day
PGA Championship	Brooks Koepka
Charles Schwab Challenge	Emiliano Grillo
Memorial	Viktor Hovland
RBC Canadian Open	Nick Taylor
U.S. Open	Wyndham Clark (2)
Travelers Championship	Keegan Bradley (2)
Rocket Mortgage Classic	Rickie Fowler
John Deere Classic	Sepp Straka
Genesis Scottish Open	Rory McIlroy (2)
The Open Championship	Brian Harman
3M Open	Lee Hodges (first TOUR win)
Wyndham Championship	Lucas Glover
FedEx St. Jude Championship	Lucas Glover (2)
BMW Championship	Viktor Hovland (2)
TOUR Championship	Viktor Hovland (3)
Fortinet Championship	Sahith Theegala
Sanderson Farms Championship	Luke List
Shriners Children’s Open	Tom Kim
ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP	Collin Morikawa

Recent Winners – World Wide Technology Championship

Italics – not entered this week.

Year	Winner	Notes
2022	Russell Henley	Posted 23-under, won by four. Paspalum layout at Mayakoba.
2021	Viktor Hovland	Posted 23-under, won by four. Paspalum layout at Mayakoba.
2020	Viktor Hovland	Posted 20-under, won by a shot. Paspalum layout at Mayakoba.
2019	Brendon Todd	Posted 20-under, won by a shot. Paspalum layout at Mayakoba.
2018	Matt Kuchar	Posted 22-under, won by one. Paspalum layout at Mayakoba.

Longer Shots, Longest Shots, Others

Now, let’s have some fun! New course, no weather, big fairways, big greens, and plenty of rounds in the 60s should be flying around.

There is plenty of like-for-like between 35 and 50 but I’ll point out Adam Svensson (+3500) has cashed nine straight T41 or better. … I keep falling back to Las Vegas guys again this week in the arid, desert-like setting so don’t be surprised if 54-hole leader in Japan, Justin Suh (+5000), starts rolling in putts from everywhere. … Taylor Montgomery (+6000) is starting to come around again and enjoys Par Breakers for breakfast. … Brandon Wu (+7000) loves Mexico and Paspalum. … Maverick McNealy (+8000) returns this week after a long layoff rehabbing a shoulder. I don’t like the number but when healthy, he can get it going with the putter. … Mackenzie Hughes (+10000) always pops up this time of year and has two previous podiums on this surface. … There’s my Paspalum buddy Cam Percy (+30000) sitting in the weeds. … My three best BOOM OR BUST picks are Harry Hall (+10000), Ryan Moore (+20000), and Brice Garnett (+30000).

Good luck!

ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP

October 18, 2023 / mikeglasscott / Leave a comment

I’m not shouting, YOU ARE SHOUTING.

Better hurry up and read this, they will be teeing off around 7pm ET…

Las Vegas ✈️ Chiba

Japan awaits @ZOZOCHAMP 🇯🇵
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) October 17, 2023

ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP

Golf Accordia Narashino Country Club

Chiba, Japan

Weekly Readers:

Horses for Courses – click here

Betting Stat Pack – click here

Expert Picks – click here

Odds Outlook – click here

Chalk (via Bet365.com)

My thoughts on the top 10 players

Xander Schauffele (7/1): Class is permanent. Form is temporary. Looking to pick up his third top 10 from four starts at Narashino, it’s hardly a surprise he’s the favorite. Limited field, no-cut events have been his calling card over the last five seasons. With ties to the area (his mother is Japanese), I would expect another spirited 72 holes.

Collin Morikawa (11/1): Making his fourth start, the two-time major champ will look to pick up his second top-10 paycheck. Flashing glimpses with 64 twice, the Californian has produced just one top 20 (T7) in three previous attempts. Punishing fairways and greens, I prefer his putter on Bentgrass, in play this week, over Bermuda.

Sungjae Im (12/1): The quiet summer finally bloomed when the biggest (non-major) money was on the table in the FedExCup Playoffs. Cashing T14 at Wyndham to end the regular season was followed by T6 in Memphis and solo seventh at the BMW Championship. Winning the Asian Games and finishing P2 last week in Korea suggests the momentum should be very real this week. I’m on board!

Hideki Matsuyama (16/1): Second on debut. Winner by five in his second attempt. Native son. Crowd favorite. The last time he played on TOUR he withdrew at the BMW Championship. Lovely risk/reward proposition based on his course history.

Rickie Fowler (16/1): Many, including myself, thought this would be his launching point for the 2022-23 season last October. Instead, he was beaten to the finish line in the final group by Keegan Bradley. The leader after 36 holes and 54 holes posted 70 in Round 4 and lost by a shot. If he’s healthy this week, he will factor again.

Min Woo Lee (16/1): There’s no chance I’ll ignore 30-under and a victory last week. The field in Macau wasn’t the strongest, but there’s no better tonic after three weeks off than a win, regardless of field or course. The rust is gone, the confidence is high, and the Australian will look to keep it going as summer approaches in his native land.

Sahith Theegala (18/1): The confluence of results here is strong. Winning for the first time on TOUR in his last time out combined with T5 in his first event here last October equals a “no-brainer”. Guys who win for the first time on TOUR should be allowed to celebrate, relax, and enjoy the fruits of the labor. I’m not fading Theegala this week. I’m also pushing him to the front.

Cameron Davis (20/1): Primed to kick down the door, the Australian has cashed in the top 10 in five of his last six events. Copy and paste until he does.

NOW PLAYING:

Host Course	Narashino Country Club
Yards (per official scorecard):	7,079.
Par:	70 (34-36).
Greens:	Bentgrass.
Stimpmeter:	N/A.
Rough:	N/A.
Bunkers/Water Hazards/In-Play	N/A.
Architect(s):	Kinya Fujita (1965).
Defending Champion (event):	Keegan Bradley.
Multiple Champion(s) Entered:	N/A.
Course Record (last):	61; John Huh (not entered), 2022.
72 Hole Tournament Record (last):	261; Tiger Woods (2019).
Fact of the Week:	The 2020 edition was held in Los Angeles at Sherwood Country Club.
Fact of the Week II:	Five Par-3 holes and three Par-5 holes. Oh, and every hole has two greens.

Notes:

Field of 78.
The OWGR is represented by 15 of the top 50.
46 players competed last week in Las Vegas.
Six of the top 10 in Las Vegas are in the field this week.
The fourth event of the FedExCup Fall season (seven events).
$8.5 million – $1.53 million – 500 FedExCup points – Sentry and Masters ticket punched.

Season Winners

2022-2023 Season Winners

Event	Winner
Fortinet Championship	Max Homa
Sanderson Farms Championship	Mackenzie Holmes
Shriners Children’s Open	Tom Kim
ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP	Keegan Bradley
CJ CUP at CONGAREE	Rory McIlroy
Butterfield Bermuda Championship	Seamus Power
Mayakoba Championship	Russell Henley
Cadence Bank Houston Open	Tony Finau
The RSM Classic	Adam Svensson (first TOUR win)
Sentry Tournament of Champions	Jon Rahm
Sony Open in Hawaii	Si Woo Kim
The AMERICAN EXPRESS	Jon Rahm (2)
Farmers Insurance Open	Max Homa (2)
AT&T Pebble Beach	Justin Rose
WM Phoenix Open	Scottie Scheffler
The Genesis Invitational	Jon Rahm (3)
The Honda Classic	Chris Kirk
Arnold Palmer Invitational	Kurt Kitayama (first TOUR win)
THE PLAYERS Championship	Scottie Scheffler (2)
Valspar Championship	Taylor Moore (first TOUR win)
Corales Puntacana	Matt Wallace (first TOUR win)
WGC – Dell Technologies MP	Sam Burns
Valero Texas Open	Corey Conners
Masters	Jon Rahm (4)
RBC Heritage	Matt Fitzpatrick
Zurich Classic of New Orleans	Davis Riley & Nick Hardy (first TOUR win for each)
Mexico Open at Vidanta	Tony Finau (2)
Wells Fargo Championship	Wyndham Clark (first TOUR win)
AT&T Byron Nelson	Jason Day
PGA Championship	Brooks Koepka
Charles Schwab Challenge	Emiliano Grillo
Memorial	Viktor Hovland
RBC Canadian Open	Nick Taylor
U.S. Open	Wyndham Clark (2)
Travelers Championship	Keegan Bradley (2)
Rocket Mortgage Classic	Rickie Fowler
John Deere Classic	Sepp Straka
Genesis Scottish Open	Rory McIlroy (2)
The Open Championship	Brian Harman
3M Open	Lee Hodges (first TOUR win)
Wyndham Championship	Lucas Glover
FedEx St. Jude Championship	Lucas Glover (2)
BMW Championship	Viktor Hovland (2)
TOUR Championship	Viktor Hovland (3)
Fortinet Championship	Sahith Theegala
Sanderson Farms Championship	Luke List
Shriners Children’s Open	Tom Kim

Recent Winners – ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP

Italics – not entered this week.

Year	Winner	Notes
2022	Keegan Bradley (-15)	Caught and passed second and third round leader Rickie Fowler in the final group on Sunday.
2021	Hideki Matsuyama (-15)	Opened with 64, closed with 65 and won by five after being runner-up to Tiger Woods in the inaugural event in 2019.
2020	Patrick Cantlay	Won in Los Angeles.
2019	Tiger Woods (-19)	Circled 27 birdies, most in the field by seven. Won by three over Matsuyama. Six clear of third.

Longer Shots, Longest Shots, Others

Cameron Champ (45/1): There’s no value here, but the heat is real. After missing the cut at Fortinet, he rebounded with T9 at SFC and T18 last week in Las Vegas. Posting four rounds in the 60s on debut last year, he went home with solo eighth prize money. … Alex Noren (45/1) cashed T3 last week after hitting T2 GIR. Game travels. … Joel Dahmen (66/1) has produced in his last three on Bentgrass greens (T7, T13, and T10). Sold. … With all the eyeballs on Matsuyama, Takumi Kanaya (80/1), another former great Japanese amateur, will look to sneak in the back door again. Posting four top sevens in his last seven events, I’ll play one JTGO member this week. Cashing T7 here in 2021 doesn’t push me away. … Michael Kim (90/1) closed 65-65 last week in Las Vegas for T18 after T5 in his previous TOUR start. … Mackenzie Hughes (110/1) has made two visits and they have resulted in T4 and T23.

Shriners Children’s Open

October 11, 2023 / mikeglasscott / Leave a comment

TPC Summerlin hosts event No. 3 of the FedExCup Fall and welcomes a field of 132.

Plenty of things to play for before the start of the 2024 season!

Shriners Children’s Open

TPC Summerlin

Las Vegas, Nevada

Weekly Readers:

Horses for Courses – click here

Betting Stat Pack – click here

Expert Picks – click here

Odds Outlook – click here

Chalk (via Bet365.com)

My thoughts on the top 10 players on the betting market.

Ludvig Aberg (12/1): He was my selection in the Expert Picks and I haven’t found anything to scare me off. Two things are in play: Another top finish and he’s locked up the big events early next year. Another victory worldwide pushes him into the top 50 OWGR and that will solve plenty of issues moving forward.

Tom Kim (12/1): The Korean will have to spring to life quickly after a long layoff. Returning to the event to defend should kick him into LET’S GOOO mode, plus he’s too young to be complacent.

Cam Davis (22/1): Australian summer is here! His outstanding form continued in Wine Country and should be on display again this week in Las Vegas. With his ball-striking, he should be a factor weekly.

Si Woo Kim (22/1): With the mandatory military service situation solved, the Korean should be playing free as a bird this week. Cashing four top 25 paydays from six starts includes T8-MC-T8 in his last three.

Adam Schenk (30/1): Not wanting 2023 to end, the career season continues on a track he’s found success recently. Fantastic TOUR Championship result was his fourth top 10 in seven starts.

JT Poston (30/1): Cashed for T25 or better in six of his last seven. Like Tom Kim, he’s also posted 20-under plus at Wyndham to win. Oh, and he was bogey-free as well!

JJ Spaun (33/1): West coast player. West Coast recent results. Plenty of evidence, including three T15 or better here, recently.

Tom Hoge (33/1): Trending here (T4-T14-T24).

Beau Hossler (35/1): Super form, super putter.

Eric Cole (35/1): Plays every week, produces every week. Fearless rookie in a putting contest isn’t the worst angle I’ve heard this week.

Vincent Norrman (35/1): With a win at Barbasol, I won’t have to worry about him being in contention come the weekend.

Andrew Putnam (35/1): Super short game blends with wonderful iron play. Another West Coast player.

NOW PLAYING:

Host Course	TPC Summerlin.
Yards (per official scorecard):	7,255.
Par:	71 (35-36).
Greens:	Dominator Bentgrass; 7,400 square feet on average.
Stimpmeter:	12.5 feet and up.
Rough:	419 Bermudagrass at 2.5 inches.
Bunkers/Water Hazards/In-Play	92/4/4.
Architect(s):	Bobby Weed and Fuzzy Zoeller (1992).
Defending Champion (event):	Tom Kim.
Multiple Champion(s) Entered:	Martin Laird.
Course Record (last):	60; Patrick Cantlay (not entered), 2021.
72 Hole Tournament Record (last):	260; Tom Kim (2022).
Fact of the Week:	Exclusive host since 2008.
Fact of the Week II:	Only two events in the last calendar year have produced more birdies than the 2022 edition.

Notes:

Field of 132.
The OWGR is represented by eight of the top 50.
Third event of the FedExCup Fall season (seven events).
$8.4 million – $1.512 million – 500 FedExCup points – Sentry and Masters ticket punched.

Season Winners

2022-2023 Season Winners

Event	Winner
Fortinet Championship	Max Homa
Sanderson Farms Championship	Mackenzie Holmes
Shriners Children’s Open	Tom Kim
ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP	Keegan Bradley
CJ CUP at CONGAREE	Rory McIlroy
Butterfield Bermuda Championship	Seamus Power
Mayakoba Championship	Russell Henley
Cadence Bank Houston Open	Tony Finau
The RSM Classic	Adam Svensson (first TOUR win)
Sentry Tournament of Champions	Jon Rahm
Sony Open in Hawaii	Si Woo Kim
The AMERICAN EXPRESS	Jon Rahm (2)
Farmers Insurance Open	Max Homa (2)
AT&T Pebble Beach	Justin Rose
WM Phoenix Open	Scottie Scheffler
The Genesis Invitational	Jon Rahm (3)
The Honda Classic	Chris Kirk
Arnold Palmer Invitational	Kurt Kitayama (first TOUR win)
THE PLAYERS Championship	Scottie Scheffler (2)
Valspar Championship	Taylor Moore (first TOUR win)
Corales Puntacana	Matt Wallace (first TOUR win)
WGC – Dell Technologies MP	Sam Burns
Valero Texas Open	Corey Conners
Masters	Jon Rahm (4)
RBC Heritage	Matt Fitzpatrick
Zurich Classic of New Orleans	Davis Riley & Nick Hardy (first TOUR win for each)
Mexico Open at Vidanta	Tony Finau (2)
Wells Fargo Championship	Wyndham Clark (first TOUR win)
AT&T Byron Nelson	Jason Day
PGA Championship	Brooks Koepka
Charles Schwab Challenge	Emiliano Grillo
Memorial	Viktor Hovland
RBC Canadian Open	Nick Taylor
U.S. Open	Wyndham Clark (2)
Travelers Championship	Keegan Bradley (2)
Rocket Mortgage Classic	Rickie Fowler
John Deere Classic	Sepp Straka
Genesis Scottish Open	Rory McIlroy (2)
The Open Championship	Brian Harman
3M Open	Lee Hodges (first TOUR win)
Wyndham Championship	Lucas Glover
FedEx St. Jude Championship	Lucas Glover (2)
BMW Championship	Viktor Hovland (2)
TOUR Championship	Viktor Hovland (3)
Fortinet Championship	Sahith Theegala
Sanderson Farms Championship	Luke List

Recent Winners – Shriners Children’s Open

Italics – not entered this week.

Year	Winner	Notes
2022	Tom Kim (-24)	Bogey-free champion. Ties tournament scoring record. Wins by three.
2021	Sungjae Im (-24)	Opened with 63, closed with 62 to win by four and tie the tournament scoring record.
2020	Martin Laird (-23)	Won a three man playoff for his second victory at TPC Summerlin.
2019	Kevin Na (-23)	Defeated Patrick Cantlay to win for the second time at TPC Summerlin.
2018	Bryson DeChambeau (-21)	Four rounds of 66 or better and won by a shot.

Longer Shots, Longest Shots, Others

Adam Hadwin (40/1) is a must-play this week. … Matthew NeSmith (66/1) has never finished worse than T18 in four tries and ran joint second last year. … Troy Merritt (100/1) has made two starts in the FedExCup Fall and has cashed two top-10 paychecks. … Harry Hall (125/1) played college golf in town at UNLV and has hit the top 15 both times he’s played. … Kelly Kraft (225/1) is trending so nick in for a Top 40.

Sanderson Farms Championship Preview

October 4, 2023 / mikeglasscott / Leave a comment

Ain’t nobody here but us chickens…

The FedExCup Fall rolls on in Mississippi at the Country Club of Jackson.

Sanderson Farms Championship

Country Club of Jackson

Jackson, Mississippi

Weekly Readers:

Horses for Courses – click here

Betting Stat Pack – click here

Expert Picks – click here

Odds Outlook – click here

Chalk (via Bet365.com)

My thoughts on the top 10 players on the betting market. Check the linked columns above for extra information, course angles, and other stats.

Ludvig Aberg (12/1): The stress of his first Ryder Cup, the celebration of the first victory, and the party/jet lag that came with it isn’t the recipe for me. His talent suggests that he could win every time he tees it up. I don’t think a shootout this week fits for me. You do you!

Stephan Jaeger (18/1): Making cuts for fun, the German has rarely threatened on the weekend. In 123 starts on TOUR, he’s never hit the podium.

Eric Cole (20/1): The birdie machine kicked off the FedExCup Fall with solo fourth in Wine Country. Nobody on TOUR has made more birdies this season and not many putt better. His best result was a playoff loss on Bermuda in March. Gotta chuck him in this week!

Lee Hodges (25/1): The 3M Open winner from July will look to add his second title in four months close to his native Alabama. The switch back to Bermudagrass this week won’t bother him a bit.

Emiliano Grillo (25/1): Each day this week he’s grown on me more. Playing for the fifth consecutive season in an event he DOES NOT NEED TO PLAY (he has status for next season) tells me what I need to know. Tying for fifth in 2022 was his best in four consecutive seasons. I’m on board.

Beau Hossler (28/1): Finished the previous “season” in fantastic form hitting the top 30 in five of his last six. Looking for his first TOUR victory, he returns for the first time since 2020.

Lucas Herbert (30/1): Followed him for a couple of holes when he was posting 63 at Silverado to open the FedExCup Fall. He fell to T30 at the end of the week but that’s still a clue. Putting matters at SFC and he excels on the accessible greens.

Keith Mitchell (30/1): The Tennessee native should thrive on Bermuda and a track where a big driving week could help. Only one top 10 since February doesn’t inspire.

S.H. Kim (30/1): I would put him 1-2 with Eric Cole this week. The Korean only posted three bogeys finishing second at Fortinet and he finished second to Cole in SG: Tee to Green. Another super putter, I’ll ride his recent tee to green heat to the winner’s circle.

Garrick Higgo (35/1): The lefty was third here on debut and led the field in birdies in 2022. The winner at Congaree on a big, Bermudagrass ballpark has been a bit all-or-nothing recently (MC-MC-T13-T19).

NOW PLAYING:

Host Course	Country Club of Jackson
Yards (per official scorecard):	7,461.
Par:	72 (36-36).
Greens:	Champion Bermuda; 6,200 square feet on average.
Stimpmeter:	12.5 feet and up.
Rough:	419 Bermudagrass and Zoysia blend at 2.5 inches.
Bunkers/Water Hazards/In-Play	56/7/5.
Architect(s):	John Faught (2007 redesign).
Defending Champion (event):	Mackenzie Hughes (-17).
Multiple Champion(s) Entered:	None.
Course Record (last):	61; Will Zalatoris (not entered), 2021.
72 Hole Tournament Record:	266; Sam Burns (2021).
Fact of the Week:	10^th consecutive year as host.
Fact of the Week II:	The first six champions were first-time winners. Of the last four champions, three were internationals.

Notes:

Field of 144.
The OWGR is represented by two of the top 50.
The second event of the FedExCup Fall season (seven events).

Season Winners

2022-2023 Season Winners

Event	Winner
Fortinet Championship	Max Homa
Sanderson Farms Championship	Mackenzie Holmes
Shriners Children’s Open	Tom Kim
ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP	Keegan Bradley
CJ CUP at CONGAREE	Rory McIlroy
Butterfield Bermuda Championship	Seamus Power
Mayakoba Championship	Russell Henley
Cadence Bank Houston Open	Tony Finau
The RSM Classic	Adam Svensson (first TOUR win)
Sentry Tournament of Champions	Jon Rahm
Sony Open in Hawaii	Si Woo Kim
The AMERICAN EXPRESS	Jon Rahm (2)
Farmers Insurance Open	Max Homa (2)
AT&T Pebble Beach	Justin Rose
WM Phoenix Open	Scottie Scheffler
The Genesis Invitational	Jon Rahm (3)
The Honda Classic	Chris Kirk
Arnold Palmer Invitational	Kurt Kitayama (first TOUR win)
THE PLAYERS Championship	Scottie Scheffler (2)
Valspar Championship	Taylor Moore (first TOUR win)
Corales Puntacana	Matt Wallace (first TOUR win)
WGC – Dell Technologies MP	Sam Burns
Valero Texas Open	Corey Conners
Masters	Jon Rahm (4)
RBC Heritage	Matt Fitzpatrick
Zurich Classic of New Orleans	Davis Riley & Nick Hardy (first TOUR win for each)
Mexico Open at Vidanta	Tony Finau (2)
Wells Fargo Championship	Wyndham Clark (first TOUR win)
AT&T Byron Nelson	Jason Day
PGA Championship	Brooks Koepka
Charles Schwab Challenge	Emiliano Grillo
Memorial	Viktor Hovland
RBC Canadian Open	Nick Taylor
U.S. Open	Wyndham Clark (2)
Travelers Championship	Keegan Bradley (2)
Rocket Mortgage Classic	Rickie Fowler
John Deere Classic	Sepp Straka
Genesis Scottish Open	Rory McIlroy (2)
The Open Championship	Brian Harman
3M Open	Lee Hodges (first TOUR win)
Wyndham Championship	Lucas Glover
FedEx St. Jude Championship	Lucas Glover (2)
BMW Championship	Viktor Hovland (2)
TOUR Championship	Viktor Hovland (3)
Fortinet Championship	Sahith Theegala

Recent Winners – Sanderson Farms Championship

Italics – not entered this week.

Year	Winner	Notes
2022	Mackenzie Hughes (-17)	Canadian wins on his third visit in playoff over Sepp Straka (not entered).
2021	Sam Burns (-22)	Set the tournament scoring record winning by a shot.
2020	Sergio Garcia (-19)	Held off 2017 champion Peter Malnati by a shot.
2019	Sebastian Munoz (-19)	Knocked off Sungjae Im in a playoff for his first career victory.
2018	Cameron Champ (-21)	Canadian wins on his third visit in a playoff over Sepp Straka (not entered).
2017	Ryan Armour (-19)	Picked up his first TOUR victory at 41, the oldest to do so at CCofJ.
2016	Cody Gribble (-20)	Rookie wins by four and picks up his first TOUR trophy.
2015	Peter Malnati (-18)	Held off veterans William McGirt and David Toms for his first win.
2014	Nick Taylor (-16)	The first winner at CCofJ.

Longer Shots, Longest Shots, Others

Hayden Buckley and Davis Riley are locals who have both sniffed around the leaderboard in their home state. … Callum Tarren rolls in off T7-MC-T13 in his last three. … Dylan Wu is also simmering with T14-T51-T5 in his last three. … CT Pan hasn’t hit the top 10 here but has posted T11 and T12 in two of his last three. … Jason Dufner is quietly going about his business with four of his last five on TOUR ranging between T19 and T31.

Fortinet Championship

September 14, 2023 / mikeglasscott / Leave a comment

Back at it!

Fortinet Championship

Silverado Resort & Spa

North Course

Napa, California

Weekly Readers:

Horses for Courses – click here

Betting Stat Pack – click here

Expert Picks – click here

Odds Outlook – click here

This Week – Fortinet Championship

Chalk (via Bet365.com)

Max Homa (7/1): Not only will he be battling a field of 155 others, but history will not be on his side either. Since 2011, many have tried, but all have failed, to win an event three consecutive times. Steve Stricker, at the John Deere Classic in July of 2011, is the last man to climb that mountain. The Californian is 35-under in his last two visits and enters the week on RED-HOT form. Racking up four consecutive top-10 paydays, his worst finish from his last six events is T21. I’m a sucker for historic performances, so I’ll sprinkle a win ticket here, just in case.

Justin Thomas (14/1): Cashing in the top 10 in his last three visits at Silverado has not helped his number for those looking for value this week. After being named a captain’s pick for the Ryder Cup by Zach Johnson, I don’t think he’s longing in the confidence department. The pressure of making the FedExCup Playoffs didn’t flip the switch. Perhaps the freedom of being a member of the USA team headed to Italy next week will be the tonic. I’ll let you show me.

Sahith Theegala (14/1): Picking up T15 and T13 in two FedExCup Playoff events should bang him back into rhythm. Missing three cuts before the Playoffs, his last top 20 was T5 at Harbour Town the week after the Masters. The Pepperdine alum cashed T14 in 2020 on his debut and hit the top 10 last year with T6. Never missing the cut in three starts, he will look to pick up his first win on TOUR.

Cameron Davis (20/1): The Australian’s blazing sprint to make the FedExCup Playoffs and then qualify for the second event, the BMW Championship, isn’t lost on me. Picking up five top-10 paychecks in his final 13 starts, he’s already qualified for 2024 so his arrival this week tells me everything I need to know. The big-boy ball-striker will look to improve on T17 on his debut at Silverado in 2018. I’m going to saddle up here.

Stephan Jaeger (22/1): Racking up 13 consecutive weekends, the German has been on fire. Conversely, he’s produced just two top-10 finishes from 26 cuts made in 29 events. Securing just four top-10 paydays from 122 TOUR starts, his best payday in Wine Country is T30 in 2017.

NOW PLAYING:

Host Course	Silverado North Course
Yards (per official scorecard):	7,123.
Par:	72 (35-37).
Greens:	Poa annua/Bentgrass; 5,400 square feet on average.
Stimpmeter:	12 feet.
Rough:	Ryegrass/Bentgrass blend at 2.5 inches.
Bunkers/Water Hazards/In-Play	52/2/2.
Architect(s):	Ben Harmon (1955); Robert Trent Jones (1966); Johnny Miller (2011).
Defending Champion (event):	Max Homa (-16).
Multiple Champion(s) Entered:	Max Homa (2022, 2021).
Course Record (last):	61; Ricky Barnes (2019), Chesson Hadley (2018).
72 Hole Tournament Record:	267; Stewart Cink (-21), 2020.
Fact of the Week:	10^th consecutive year as host.
Fact of the Week II:	Five of the last nine winners are Californians

Notes:

Field of 156.
The OWGR is represented by 4 of the top 50 players.
First event of the FedExCup Fall season (seven events).

Season Winners

2022-2023 Season Winners

Event	Winner
Fortinet Championship	Max Homa
Sanderson Farms Championship	Mackenzie Holmes
Shriners Children’s Open	Tom Kim
ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP	Keegan Bradley
CJ CUP at CONGAREE	Rory McIlroy
Butterfield Bermuda Championship	Seamus Power
Mayakoba Championship	Russell Henley
Cadence Bank Houston Open	Tony Finau
The RSM Classic	Adam Svensson (first TOUR win)
Sentry Tournament of Champions	Jon Rahm
Sony Open in Hawaii	Si Woo Kim
The AMERICAN EXPRESS	Jon Rahm (2)
Farmers Insurance Open	Max Homa (2)
AT&T Pebble Beach	Justin Rose
WM Phoenix Open	Scottie Scheffler
The Genesis Invitational	Jon Rahm (3)
The Honda Classic	Chris Kirk
Arnold Palmer Invitational	Kurt Kitayama (first TOUR win)
THE PLAYERS Championship	Scottie Scheffler (2)
Valspar Championship	Taylor Moore (first TOUR win)
Corales Puntacana	Matt Wallace (first TOUR win)
WGC – Dell Technologies MP	Sam Burns
Valero Texas Open	Corey Conners
Masters	Jon Rahm (4)
RBC Heritage	Matt Fitzpatrick
Zurich Classic of New Orleans	Davis Riley & Nick Hardy (first TOUR win for each)
Mexico Open at Vidanta	Tony Finau (2)
Wells Fargo Championship	Wyndham Clark (first TOUR win)
AT&T Byron Nelson	Jason Day
PGA Championship	Brooks Koepka
Charles Schwab Challenge	Emiliano Grillo
Memorial	Viktor Hovland
RBC Canadian Open	Nick Taylor
U.S. Open	Wyndham Clark (2)
Travelers Championship	Keegan Bradley (2)
Rocket Mortgage Classic	Rickie Fowler
John Deere Classic	Sepp Straka
Genesis Scottish Open	Rory McIlroy (2)
The Open Championship	Brian Harman
3M Open	Lee Hodges (first TOUR win)
Wyndham Championship	Lucas Glover
FedEx St. Jude Championship	Lucas Glover (2)
BMW Championship	Viktor Hovland (2)
TOUR Championship	Viktor Hovland (3)

Recent Winners – Fortinet Championship

Italics – not entered this week.

Year	Winner	Notes
2022	Max Homa (-16)	Wins for the third time in his native state as he defended the title.
2021	Max Homa (-19)	Closed 65-65 to win by a shot in his sixth attempt at Silverado.
2020	Stewart Cink	Closed 65-65 to win for the first time since 2013 on TOUR.
2019	Cameron Champ (-17)	Sacramento native bombed his way to his second win on TOUR.
2018	Kevin Tway	Won in a playoff for his first TOUR win.

Longer Shots, Longest Shots, Others

Russell Knox

Cameron Percy

Brian Stuard

James Hahn

Sam Stevens

Kevin Yu

Zac Blair

Aaron Baddeley

TOUR Championship 2023

August 23, 2023 / mikeglasscott / Leave a comment

Since 2006 East Lake Golf Club has hosted the TOUR Championship exclusively. The FedExCup Playoffs, which began in 2007, will crown another champion on the Donald Ross layout in Atlanta. Rory McIlroy returns as the defending champion.

24 hours until @TOURChamp begins 😎 pic.twitter.com/3GTeDT4OVb
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 23, 2023

TOUR Championship

FedExCup Playoffs Final

East Lake Golf Club

Atlanta, Georgia

Weekly Readers:

Horses for Courses – click here

Betting Stat Pack – click here

Expert Picks – click here

Odds Outlook – click here

This Week – TOUR Championship

Chalk (via Bet365.com)

Scottie Scheffler (-10) will try to win from the front again this year. He’s been caught once. All it took last week to beat him was 65-61 on the weekend!

Viktor Hovland (-8) was the man who did it! Making his fourth start at East Lake, the Norwegian loves a ball-striking test and this qualifies. Momentum is very real in this game.

Rory McIlroy (-7) has been here, done this now three times. Streaking into East Lake with nine consecutive top-10 paydays, he’ll find a layout where he’s cashed in the top 10 on seven of nine visits.

Jon Rahm (-6) surprisingly didn’t catch fire at Olympia Fields last week. The 2020 winner in Chicago didn’t factor but is only four shots back beginning the week.

Lucas Glover (-5), to the surprise of most, will be making his fifth appearance at the season-end money grab at East Lake. Gaining shots off the tee is a major factor this week and that’s his angle. The last time we saw him putt on Bermuda, he made EVERYTHING in Memphis!

Max Homa (-4) set the Bermuda course record here last year with 62 in Round 2. Not bad for his second competitive round! Cashing T5 in his first trip to East Lake, I wouldn’t be surprised if he beats that mark this season.

Patrick Cantlay (-4) has produced his two best results in the last two seasons. Winning the title in 2021, he returned last year and left with T7. Finishing T20 or worse in his first three attempts was confounding.

Brian Harman (-4) will look to add the FedExCup trophy to his Claret Jug in a very busy summer. The lefty took home T5 money last week in Chicago and will be making his third start in his native Georgia.

Welcome Wyndham Clark (-4) to the big show! The first-timer has two wins under his belt from Quail Hollow and the U.S. Open this season. Don’t be surprised if he shows up, shoots a million, and laughs all the way to the bank. He’s on the Ryder Cup. He’s a major champion. At some point the tank empties.

Matt Fitzpatrick (-4) broke out of a stagnant run of form last week (T2) that stretched all the way back to the Memorial Tournament in late May. Making his second visit to East Lake after T15 last year, he’ll look to keep the Chitown Mo rolling in Atlanta.

Tommy Fleetwood (-3) makes his third appearance but first since 2019. The Englishman has never bested 68 in eight rounds at East Lake. He’ll need to crank it up a few notches this week to contend.

Russell Henley (-3) also returns to his native Georgia for the first time since T3 in 2017. Posting eight rounds over two visits he’s signed for 67 or better in half of them. IF he can get his putter going, he makes for a lovely dark horse to break onto the podium again.

Keegan Bradley (-3) returns for the first time since 2018 and fifth time overall. Picking up T11 in 2011, his rookie year, is his best of the bunch. With his putting greatly improved over the last five years, I’m interested to see how it holds up on slick, grainy, Bermuda this week. I’ll let you ride it.

Rickie Fowler (-3) will be making his first start at East Lake since T19 in 2019. Winning in Detroit in July hasn’t kicked him on like I thought it would. His play leading up to Detroit was fantastic. A big week will make Zach Johnson’s big decision much, much, easier. Unless Fowler already knows the outcome…

Xander Schauffele (-3) has some of the best history on this track (non-McIlroy division). The 2017 winner has never finished worse than T7, posted a round above 70, and owns at 67.25 stroke average. Heating up at the right time with T8 last week, he has my full attention on a course he loves.

Tom Kim (-2) has won on a Donald Ross design at Wyndham and frankly, nothing seems to bother him. He gets my vote for best finish for a debutant this week.

Sungjae Im (-2) was T2 last year and posted 16-under gross. His worst round last season was 67. Only McIlroy has posted a better four-round gross in event history. Ding. Arriving on solo seventh and T6 in the previous two Playoff events will not deter me!

Tony Finau (-2), enter the joke, “where he be now?”. He be in the TOUR Championship for the seventh consecutive season, tying Rahm for the longest streak. Posting 64 in Round 4 last year saw him pick up his third top-10 payday in that streak with T9. He’s never cashed better than T7.

Corey Conners (-2) makes his fourth appearance at East Lake and will be looking for his first bonus check inside the top 20. The Canadian appears to be getting closer as he posted 66 and 67 last season, his best from his 12 loops.

Si Woo Kim (-2) made his only appearance in 2016 with T10. He’s always worth a punt on Bermuda and has a victory on a Donald Ross track at Sedgefield.

Taylor Moore (-1) SHOULD improve on his 18-over result from Olympia Fields, right? He SHOULD challenge Tom Kim for the best newcomer.

Nick Taylor (-1) won his national open in the most dramatic of fashion. He’s a hero regardless of his score/finish this week. Buy that man a Molson!

Adam Schenk (-1) has had a super season and this week should present a fantastic free roll. Nothing wrong with having some fun this week and enjoying the dreams of the next two years on TOUR.

Collin Morikawa (-1) will have four more chances to hone his skills on Bermuda greens. I will gladly sit on the sidelines and watch without an investment.

Jason Day (-1) was told by his wife to “keep playing” if she goes into labor. Distractions, like injuries, can shift the focus and free the mind. First appearance since 2018 and ninth overall.

Sam Burns (Even) was supposed to break out in Memphis, light up the Bermuda greens, and put me right back into the Expert Picks game. Bitter? Me? Nah.

Emiliano Grillo (Even) returns for the first time since T10 in 2016. Closing 66-69, he posted his best two rounds after getting comfortable. He’ll need plenty of rounds in the 60s this week to leapfrog the gang in front of him.

Tyrrell Hatton (Even) will have to navigate another week in hot, humid conditions. His smile should return as he remembers he posted 66 twice, plus a 67, cashing seventh in his only visit in 2020.

Jordan Spieth (Even) won here in 2015 but hasn’t found the top 10 since 2017. I’d love to see him open with 63 and see where it goes. Part of me believes it will be a Rosetta Stone week. Tu parli Italiano?

Sepp Straka (Even) showed up last year for the first time, posted three rounds of 68 and a 64, and collected seventh-place bonus money.

NOW PLAYING:

Host Course	East Lake Golf Club
Yards (per official scorecard):	7,346.
Par:	70 (35-35).
Greens:	Mini Verde ultradwarf Bermuda; 5,600 square feet on average.
Stimpmeter:	12.5 feet and up.
Rough:	419 Bermudagrass at 2.5 inches.
Bunkers/Water Hazards/In-Play	75/5/4
Architect(s):	Donald Ross (1913).
Defending Champion (event):	Rory McIlroy (-17 gross; -21 net).
Multiple Champion(s) Entered:	Rory McIlroy has won this event three times including two of the last four.
Course Record (last):	62; Max Homa (Round 2, 2022).
72 Hole Tournament Record:	263; Rory McIlroy (2022).
Fact of the Week:	Final event on this layout as renovation begins after the event ends. East Lake will be ready for play this time in 2024.
Fact of the Week II:	Rory McIlroy is the only winner in the Starting Strokes era not to start on 10-under. He’s done it twice.

Notes:

Field of 30.
The OWGR is represented by 26 of the top 31 players.
No-cut event.
At the conclusion of play, the final bonuses will be paid based on the position of finish. Read more here.

Season Winners

2022-2023 Season Winners

Event	Winner
Fortinet Championship	Max Homa
Sanderson Farms Championship	Mackenzie Holmes
Shriners Children’s Open	Tom Kim
ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP	Keegan Bradley
CJ CUP at CONGAREE	Rory McIlroy
Butterfield Bermuda Championship	Seamus Power
Mayakoba Championship	Russell Henley
Cadence Bank Houston Open	Tony Finau
The RSM Classic	Adam Svensson (first TOUR win)
Sentry Tournament of Champions	Jon Rahm
Sony Open in Hawaii	Si Woo Kim
The AMERICAN EXPRESS	Jon Rahm (2)
Farmers Insurance Open	Max Homa (2)
AT&T Pebble Beach	Justin Rose
WM Phoenix Open	Scottie Scheffler
The Genesis Invitational	Jon Rahm (3)
The Honda Classic	Chris Kirk
Arnold Palmer Invitational	Kurt Kitayama (first TOUR win)
THE PLAYERS Championship	Scottie Scheffler (2)
Valspar Championship	Taylor Moore (first TOUR win)
Corales Puntacana	Matt Wallace (first TOUR win)
WGC – Dell Technologies MP	Sam Burns
Valero Texas Open	Corey Conners
Masters	Jon Rahm (4)
RBC Heritage	Matt Fitzpatrick
Zurich Classic of New Orleans	Davis Riley & Nick Hardy (first TOUR win for each)
Mexico Open at Vidanta	Tony Finau (2)
Wells Fargo Championship	Wyndham Clark (first TOUR win)
AT&T Byron Nelson	Jason Day
PGA Championship	Brooks Koepka
Charles Schwab Challenge	Emiliano Grillo
Memorial	Viktor Hovland
RBC Canadian Open	Nick Taylor
U.S. Open	Wyndham Clark (2)
Travelers Championship	Keegan Bradley (2)
Rocket Mortgage Classic	Rickie Fowler
John Deere Classic	Sepp Straka
Genesis Scottish Open	Rory McIlroy (2)
The Open Championship	Brian Harman
3M Open	Lee Hodges (first TOUR win)
Wyndham Championship	Lucas Glover
FedEx St. Jude Championship	Lucas Glover (2)
BMW Championship	Viktor Hovland (2)

Recent Winners – East Lake

Italics – not entered this week.

Year	Winner	Notes
2022	Rory McIlroy (-17)	Won for the third time. Set the tournament scoring record (-17; gross). Made up six shots in the final round to beat Scheffler.
2021	Patrick Cantlay (-11)	Starting Strokes leader after his win the previous week at BMW. Won his first FedExCup championship.
2020	Dustin Johnson (-11)	Starting Strokes leader won his 6^th FedExCup Playoff event and first championship.
2019	Rory McIlroy (-13)	One of only two players (Schauffele) to post double digits under par. Began the week five off the lead.
2018	Tiger Woods (-11)	Justin Rose won the war becoming FedExCup champion.
2017	Xander Schauffele (-12)	Justin Thomas won the FedExCup championship.
2016	Rory McIlroy (-12)	Won a three-man playoff to claim his first title.
2015	Jordan Spieth (-9)	Last winner in single digits. Won by four.

OAD – 2023 Spotter’s Game

Already Burned

Sungjae Im – Maui

Tom Kim – Sony

Tom Hoge – AMEX

Viktor Hovland – Pebble

Xander Schauffele – WMPO

Max Homa – Riviera

Shane Lowry – Honda

Tyrrell Hatton – API

Akshay Bhatia – PRO

Jason Day – THE PLAYERS

Justin Rose – Valspar

Cam Percy – Corales

Scottie Scheffler – WGC MP

Rickie Fowler – Valero

Jordan Spieth – Masters

Collin Morikawa – RBC Heritage

Billy Horschel – Zurich

Nicolai Hojgaard – Mexico

Rory McIlroy – WFC

Adam Scott – ATTBN

Brooks Koepka – PGA Championship

Chris Kirk – Colonial

Patrick Cantlay – Memorial

Matt Fitzpatrick – RBC CO

Jon Rahm – US Open

Harris English – Travelers

Davis Riley – RMC

Adam Schenk – JDC

Tommy Fleetwood – Scottish Open

Cameron Smith – The Open

Cameron Young – 3M Open

Denny McCarthy – Wyndham

Last Week – BMW Championship

Corey Conners – T10

See you next January for OAD!

BMW Championship – FedExCup II

August 16, 2023 / mikeglasscott / Leave a comment

Jon Rahm returns to defend his 2020 title on this classic Chicagoland layout. This time he’ll have only 49 players trying to hunt him down.

Postcard Day @BMWchamps pic.twitter.com/ogsFqnKt3k
— Dave Donovan (@davedonovan44) August 15, 2023

BMW Championship

FedExCup Playoffs Event No. 2

Olympia Fields Country Club

North Course

Chicago, Illinois

Weekly Readers:

Horses for Courses – click here

Betting Stat Pack – click here

Expert Picks – click here

Odds Outlook – click here

This Week – BMW Championship

Chalk (via Bet365.com)

Rory McIlroy (7/1) circled the second-most birdies here in 2020 but also squared 18 bogeys (T12). After posting eight consecutive top-10 paydays, including a come-from-behind victory at the Scottish Open, he is still looking for his first victory on U.S. soil in 2023. The only surprise this week would be if he’s not in contention Sunday afternoon.

Scottie Scheffler (7/1) surely cannot post three consecutive starts outside the top 20, right? His two worst paydays (T31, T23) have occurred in his previous two starts on TOUR. Everybody knows the club that is holding him back. Everyone has known this for three months. The Texan closed with 66 here in 2020 during his rookie season.

Jon Rahm (10/1) is the only player in the field who has a victory to their name on this course. Posting 4-under 276 after 66-64 on the weekend, the Spaniard forced and won a playoff to secure his first FedExCup Playoffs victory. The uneven waves of momentum (T37-T2-MC-T10) over his last four starts have confounded investors. The big money is on the line next week.

Patrick Cantlay (10/1) enters the week as the two-time reigning champion, albeit on two very different layouts in Maryland and Delaware. Sharing the 36-hole lead with McIlroy in 2020, the Californian has annually been in the mix at this point in the season over the last three years. Defeated last week in a playoff in Memphis after closing with 64, I’m not worried about his current form.

Viktor Hovland (16/1) won at the Memorial Tournament earlier this year, one of the toughest tests of 2023. Posting 7-under, he defeated Denny McCarthy in a playoff to pick up his first win in the U.S.A. The tight fairways, firm and fast Bentgrass, and deep Kentucky Bluegrass rough outside of Chicago proper should remind him of his happiest days of this season.

Top 10/Top 20/Top 40

Collin Morikawa (20/1): Anybody who ranks in the top four in Fairways AND GIR will factor this week. If he’s going to have a great week with the putter, it will be on Bent/Poa.

Max Homa (22/1): Watching him graduate to a tough-track specialist has been fantastic. Wins at Riviera, Quail Hollow, and Torrey Pines suggest this task is not too tall for him.

Corey Conners (40/1): The experience of winning twice at the challenging AT&T Oaks Course in San Antonio should translate this week. Fantastic metrics tee-to-green have my full attention.

Longer Shots

Use ’em wherever you see fit!

Cam Davis (55/1): I can’t ignore the heat and the results. He’s been in this column the last two weeks and has paid off handsomely. Crashing and burning is an option this week, I know, but I’m going to ride until I’m bucked off.

Sahith Theegala (80/1): Looking to book his second consecutive trip to East Lake, he’ll gladly take his chances on a tough, ball-striking layout.

Patrick Rodgers (150/1): His best paydays have been on big, burly tracks such as Quail Hollow, Torrey Pines, and Muirfield Village GC.

Angles at Olympia Fields

The summer of Lucas Glover heads to Chicago. After winning the final event of the regular season, the veteran picked up 2,000 more FedExCup points, winning last week at TPC Southwind to jump to No. 4 in the FedExCup standings.

2020 rewind:

The course played as the fourth-most difficult track during the 2020 season (71.815).

Through three rounds there were only 30 rounds (from 70 players) in the 60s before an additional 33 were signed for on Sunday.

The first two rounds produced exactly 11 rounds in the 60s.

There were eight bogey-free rounds for the week. Half of them posted on Sunday.

Became the only event this century (non-major) to feature 2 or less players under par after 54 holes.

Matt Fitzpatrick was the only competitor squaring fewer than 10 bogeys (9) for the week.

FedExCup Playoffs Event 2 Bubble:

25. Corey Conners

26. Tyrrell Hatton

27. Jordan Spieth

28. Sungjae Im

29. Chris Kirk

30. Sam Burns

31. Sahith Theegala

32. Justin Rose

33. Kurt Kitayama

34. Denny McCarthy

35. Seamus Power

The winner takes home $3.6 million of the $20 million purse, plus 2,000 FedExCup points.

NOW PLAYING:

Returning to the North Course at Olympia Fields for just the second time in FedExCup Playoffs history (2020), the top 30 players at the conclusion of play this week will advance to The TOUR Championship at East Lake GC in Atlanta.

Playing to Par-70 and 7,366 yards, the historic course set in the Chicago suburbs matches the scorecard from 2020. The challenges this week include tree-lined dog legs, water penalty areas on half of the holes, and the return to slick Bent/Poa putting surfaces.

Hosting the 2003 U.S. Open and 2020 BMW Championship, Olympia Fields is more mysterious than known quantity on TOUR. Of the 70 players who teed it up in 2020, 24 will return this week from the field of 50.

Good luck.

Host Course	North Course
Yards (per official scorecard):	7,366
Par:	70 (35-35).
Greens:	Bent/Poa; 6,000 square feet on average.
Stimpmeter:	12.5 feet.
Rough:	Kentucky Bluegrass four inches and higher.
Bunkers/Water Hazards/In-Play	85/2/9
Architect(s):	Willie Park (1923)
Defending Champion (event):	Jon Rahm (-4; playoff).
Multiple Champion(s) Entered:	Patrick Cantlay has won the last two EVENTS (not played at this course).
Course Record (last):	63; Vijay Singh (2003 U.S. Open).
72 Hole Tournament Record:	276; Jon Rahm (2020).
Fact of the Week:	24 of the 50 players in the field played in the 2020 event (70 players).
Fact of the Week II:	Only five players broke par in 2020.

Notes:

Field of 50.
The OWGR is represented by 41 of the top 50 players.
No-cut event.
At the conclusion of play, the top 30 players in the FedExCup Rankings advance to The TOUR Championship next week in Atlanta at East Lake Golf Club.

Season Winners

2022-2023 Season Winners

Event	Winner
Fortinet Championship	Max Homa
Sanderson Farms Championship	Mackenzie Holmes
Shriners Children’s Open	Tom Kim
ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP	Keegan Bradley
CJ CUP at CONGAREE	Rory McIlroy
Butterfield Bermuda Championship	Seamus Power
Mayakoba Championship	Russell Henley
Cadence Bank Houston Open	Tony Finau
The RSM Classic	Adam Svensson (first TOUR win)
Sentry Tournament of Champions	Jon Rahm
Sony Open in Hawaii	Si Woo Kim
The AMERICAN EXPRESS	Jon Rahm (2)
Farmers Insurance Open	Max Homa (2)
AT&T Pebble Beach	Justin Rose
WM Phoenix Open	Scottie Scheffler
The Genesis Invitational	Jon Rahm (3)
The Honda Classic	Chris Kirk
Arnold Palmer Invitational	Kurt Kitayama (first TOUR win)
THE PLAYERS Championship	Scottie Scheffler (2)
Valspar Championship	Taylor Moore (first TOUR win)
Corales Puntacana	Matt Wallace (first TOUR win)
WGC – Dell Technologies MP	Sam Burns
Valero Texas Open	Corey Conners
Masters	Jon Rahm (4)
RBC Heritage	Matt Fitzpatrick
Zurich Classic of New Orleans	Davis Riley & Nick Hardy (first TOUR win for each)
Mexico Open at Vidanta	Tony Finau (2)
Wells Fargo Championship	Wyndham Clark (first TOUR win)
AT&T Byron Nelson	Jason Day
PGA Championship	Brooks Koepka
Charles Schwab Challenge	Emiliano Grillo
Memorial	Viktor Hovland
RBC Canadian Open	Nick Taylor
U.S. Open	Wyndham Clark (2)
Travelers Championship	Keegan Bradley (2)
Rocket Mortgage Classic	Rickie Fowler
John Deere Classic	Sepp Straka
Genesis Scottish Open	Rory McIlroy (2)
The Open Championship	Brian Harman
3M Open	Lee Hodges (first TOUR win)
Wyndham Championship	Lucas Glover
FedEx St. Jude Championship	Lucas Glover (2)

Recent Winners – Olympia Fields

Italics – not entered this week.

Year	Winner	Notes
2020	Jon Rahm (-4)	Opened 75-71 before closing 66-64 to win a playoff.

OAD – 2023 Spotter’s Game

Already Burned

Sungjae Im – Maui

Tom Kim – Sony

Tom Hoge – AMEX

Viktor Hovland – Pebble

Xander Schauffele – WMPO

Max Homa – Riviera

Shane Lowry – Honda

Tyrrell Hatton – API

Akshay Bhatia – PRO

Jason Day – THE PLAYERS

Justin Rose – Valspar

Cam Percy – Corales

Scottie Scheffler – WGC MP

Rickie Fowler – Valero

Jordan Spieth – Masters

Collin Morikawa – RBC Heritage

Billy Horschel – Zurich

Nicolai Hojgaard – Mexico

Rory McIlroy – WFC

Adam Scott – ATTBN

Brooks Koepka – PGA Championship

Chris Kirk – Colonial

Patrick Cantlay – Memorial

Matt Fitzpatrick – RBC CO

Jon Rahm – US Open

Harris English – Travelers

Davis Riley – RMC

Adam Schenk – JDC

Tommy Fleetwood – Scottish Open

Cameron Smith – The Open

Cameron Young – 3M Open

Denny McCarthy – Wyndham

This Week – BMW Championship

Corey Conners

Glass Houses

Fantasy Golf Only

PGATOUR.COM Betting Stat Pack

Texas Children’s Houston Open

Texas Children’s Houston Open

LAST CALL – RSM CLASSIC

RSM Classic

Chalk (via Bet365.com)

Butterfield Bermuda Championship

Butterfield Bermuda Championship

Chalk (via Bet365.com)

World Wide Technology Championship

ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP

ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP

Shriners Children’s Open

Shriners Children’s Open

Sanderson Farms Championship Preview

Sanderson Farms Championship

Chalk (via Bet365.com)

Fortinet Championship

Fortinet Championship

TOUR Championship 2023

TOUR Championship

OAD – 2023 Spotter’s Game

BMW Championship – FedExCup II

BMW Championship

OAD – 2023 Spotter’s Game