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.

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 – 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

World Wide Technology Championship

November 6, 2024 / mikeglasscott / Leave a comment

The second edition features a field of 120 led by reigning champion Erik van Rooyen,

https://twitter.com/PGATOUR/status/1853544901926912503

FedExCup Fall – Event No. 6

World Wide Technology Championship

El Cardonal at Diamante Cabo San Lucas

Los Cabos, Mexico

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Quick Links:

Odds Outlook – DFS Report – Horses for Courses/Stats Suggest – Expert Picks

World Wide Technology Championship tips

Tip to win

Harris English 27/1 – The veteran, already a previous winner at this event on a different course in 2013, rolls into town with back-to-back top-10 paydays in the deserts of Utah and Las Vegas. Possessing plenty of power, I’m more interested in his patience and putter to pick up his first win since the 2021 Travelers Championship, another shootout.

Matti Schmid 30/1 – Representing Germany at the 2024 Paris Olympics, the Munich native has hit his stride in the FedExCup Fall. Cashing T3 at the Shriners Open after solo fifth at the Black Desert Championship, his trend of beating the previous result has reached five starts in a row.

Tips to finish top 10

Nate Lashley 5/1 – Veterans tend to gravitate to the top of the leaderboard this time of year. Lashley, 41, has a win and a top-five result at Corales Puntacana on Paspalum, plus three top-10 paychecks on the same grass at the Puerto Rico Open.

Sam Stevens 3/1 – A big boy ball striker, the Texan can handle a coastal breeze. His partner from the Zurich Classic (T4) in late April, Nico Echavarria, won two weeks ago in Japan. Big fairways will produce more chances to pepper flags. He makes tons of birdies as well.

Tips to finish top 20

Joe Highsmith 2/1 – Producing three T16 or better finishes from four made cuts in the FedExCup Fall, the lefthander needs another big finish, or two, to maintain the dream of keeping his card. Cashing T6 at Puerto Rico on the same Paspalum grass produced his best payday of the year.

Vince Whaley 12/5 – The runner-up, one of four at the ISCO Championship in July in a playoff, has also cashed T16 twice in his last three starts. A big hitter who makes plenty of birdies, the 28-year-old should enjoy the WIDE-OPEN layout.

El Cardonal at Diamante

The TGR Design opened in 2014 and hosted a PGA TOUR event for the first time in 2023.

Tipping at 7,452 yards for the second consecutive year, the stock Par-72 played as one of the easiest resort courses on TOUR last season (68.993).

With only one water penalty area and no rough, tee balls should find the Platinum Paspalum fairways. Last year players averaged hitting 90 percent of the fairways.

The Paspalum putting surfaces, managed to run between 11 and 12 feet, provide enormous targets. Averaging 8,700 square feet, the greens are difficult to miss and easy to putt.

Recent PGA TOUR 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 (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

Recent Winners – World Wide Technology Championship

Italics – not entered/qualified this week.

Year	Winner	Notes
2023	Erik van Rooyen (-27)	Inaugural winner led the field with 3 eagles, including one on the 72^nd hole to win by two shots.

World Wide Technology Championship

Moving to Cabo San Lucas for the 2023 edition, the event was previously held at Mayakoba on the Yucatan Peninsula. Both events featured Paspalum grass from the parking lot to the 19^th hole.

The first event featured nine players posting 20-under or better.

Of the 73 players who made the cut, 68 posted 10-under or better.

There were only 13 rounds above par for the week from the players who made the cut.

The field of 120 contains just two players from the OWGR top 50 after Cameron Young withdrew Wednesday morning upon arrival.

The winner will pocket $1.296 million of the $7.2 million prize pool, plus 500 FedExCup points.

The sixth of eight events in the FedExCup Fall, the TOUR continues its fall world tour in Bermuda next week before returning to the U.S.A. for the final event on Sea Island in two weeks. Read more about the final eight events of the season here.

Others to consider

Max Greyserman 19/1 – The favorite has yet to win on the PGA TOUR, but he has finished second or T2 in three of his last five starts. A big hitter, he’s also a deft putter and is in the form of his life.

Cameron Young 22/1 – The theme at the top of the board is players who have not won on TOUR. The seven-time runner-up has not played since the BMW Championship in late August and has not posted a top-10 result since Detroit at the end of June.

Doug Ghim 24/1 – Only two top-10 paydays on the season include solo second, a career-best in Las Vegas three weeks ago, and T8 at Vidanta Vallarta in Mexico on Paspalum in late February.

J.J. Spaun 27/1 – Another veteran infiltrating the top of the board, the Californian is one of the few favorites with a trophy on the mantle. Three top-10 finishes in his last seven events, including T6 in Japan two weeks ago, demands attention.

Nico Echavarria

Chad Ramey

Patton Kizzire

Nick Hardy

Patrick Fishburn

Henrik Norlander

Austin Cook

ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP

October 23, 2024 / mikeglasscott / Leave a comment

Tee times begin TONIGHT AT 745 ET

Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club is ready to shine 🤩 pic.twitter.com/xUiUi3zvJP
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) October 23, 2024

FedExCup Fall – Event No. 5

ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP

ACCORDIA GOLF Narashino Country Club

Chiba, Japan

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Quick Links:

Odds Outlook – DFS Report – Horses for Courses/Stats Suggest – Expert Picks

Mike Glasscott: ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP tips

Win: Hideki Matsuyama (8/1)

Top 10: Beau Hossler (3/1), Will Zalatoris (3/1), Doug Ghim (3/1)

Top 20: Ryo Hisatsune (2/1), Satoshi Kodaira (11/2)

Bet365: Top of the Board

Xander Schauffele (9/2): The Number Two player in the Official World Golf Rankings headlines the field of 78. The winner of HALF of the major championship events in 2024, the PGA Championship victory, and Champion Golfer of the Year will look to add to his collection. A record of 4-1 in the Presidents Cup, plus five consecutive finishes on TOUR in the top 10 makes him the man to beat.

Collin Morikawa (7/1): The previous time the two-time major champion was in the winner’s circle was last year at Narashino Country Club. Nobody made more birdies (24) and only one player had fewer putts. The last time he played his own ball, he won the GROSS division at the TOUR Championship in late August.

Hideki Matsuyama (8/1): The local legend is the only player to hit the podium twice. Posting 16-under-par, he finished second to Woods in 2019. Returning to Japan for the 2021 edition, his total of 15-under-par was good enough for a victory. Making two eagles en route to victory in 2021, he is the only champion to put two double circles on the card. The 2021 Masters champion has two wins on the ledger in 2024 already.

Sungjae Im (12/1): The Korean won in his native land in April for the second time in two years and racked up eight top-10 paydays on TOUR. Cashing T3 on debut in 2019, he’s added T12 and T29 in the last two years.

Sahith Theegala (16/1): Making his third start in Japan, the 2023 Procore Championship winner has already cashed T19 and T5 in two previous visits. Steady throughout the bag, the 26-year-old sits ninth in SG: Total.

Justin Thomas (20/1): The ebbs and flows of 2024 find the two-time PGA Championship winner on a run of five straight without a top-10 payday. Making his first appearance since the inaugural event, he has had plenty of big finishes in the Pacific Rim during his career.

Kurt Kitayama (25/1): Ranking 11th in SG: Tee to Green and ninth in SG: Approach, finding fairways and greens won’t hurt this week.

Others to consider:

Last year, four Japanese players cashed in the top 12, led by Ryo Ishikawa (400/1) at T4. Kensei Hirata (100/1), a 23-year-old, six-time winner in Asia, finished one shot further back on T6 with 22-year-old Ryo Hisatsune (75/1). Sponsor’s exemption Satoshi Kodaira, the 2018 winner at the RBC Heritage over Si Woo Kim (28/1), cashed T12, his second consecutive season inside T16.

Beau Hossler (33/1) will be boom or bust this week, but without a cut, I’ll gamble. Losing a playoff at the Sanderson Farms Championship, he added T11 and T23 and is playing for the fourth week in a row. Never signing for a round above 70 in eight career loops, I’m on board.

Will Zalatoris (35/1) has also been riding the roller coaster following back surgery. Some days are better than others, including T13 at the BMW Championship and T12 at the FedEx St. Jude Championship the week before. Well rested, I don’t think he would have made the trip if he was “iffy”.

Doug Ghim (35/1) is riding high after a career-best solo second in Las Vegas last week. The ball-striker makes his money from tee to green and that’s the formula this week.

Eric Cole (45/1) showed great putters can also contend outside Tokyo. The birdie machine cashed T2 on debut in 2023.

Gary Woodland (50/1) has persevered after brain surgery and continues to stack rounds together. I am not a fan of this number, but, I am following his progress.

Narashino Country Club

The composite course, made of up holes from the Kings and Queens nines, was designed by Japanese legend Kinya Fujita and opened in 1965.

The 34-36 Par-70 layout stretches to 7,079 yards for the third consecutive season.

The front nine consists of three of the five Par-3 holes and just one of the three Par-5 chances.

With 10 Par-4 chances on the card, exactly half will stretch 480 yards or longer. The Par-5 holes stretch 587 and 605 yards before closing with 562 yards on No. 18. Only quality shots are rewarded.

The Par-3 holes feature one challenge over 183 yards and present scoring opportunities.

Rough approaching four inches and greens running upwards of 12 feet will mitigate scoring opportunities.

There have only been 24 tournament totals posted in double figures in four events. Morikawa, on 14-under in 2023, was the only one last year.

Recent PGA TOUR 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 (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

Recent Winners – ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP

Italics – not entered/qualified this week.

Year	Winner	Notes
2023	Collin Morikawa (-14)	Only player to post double digits under par; won by six.
2022	Keegan Bradley (-15)	Won by a shot over Rickie Fowler and Andrew Putnam.
2021	Hideki Matsuyama (-15)	Won by five shots after winning the Masters earlier in the year.
2020	Patrick Cantlay	Event was held at Sherwood Country Club in Los Angeles.
2019	Tiger Woods (-19)	Defeated Matsuyama by three shots to win the inaugural event and set the tournament scoring record.

ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP

Last week, the Shriners Children’s Open was the site of the first PGA TOUR win in the career of Tiger Woods. This week, the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP was the site of the 82^nd, and to this day, final victory for Tiger Woods.

The event was contested for the first time in 2019 at the Narashino Country Club in Chiba, Japan. Woods was victorious, defeating Hideki Matsuyama by three shots, and owns the tournament scoring record on 19-under-par 261.

The fifth edition contested in Japan features defending champion Collin Morikawa and 2021 winner Hideki Matsuyama.

The course record, 61, was last posted by John Huh (not entered) in the 2022 event.

The winning total has been 14-under or lower in every tournament.

The 2022 event is the only tournament to play under par for the week.

Morikawa is the youngest winner at 26. Woods earned his victory at 43, the oldest champion.

Morikawa, a winner by six shots in the 2023 edition, owns the largest margin of victory.

No tournaments have required a playoff to determine the champion.

All four previous winners at Narashino Country Club in Chiba are major champions.

The field of 78 players includes 18 from the Japan Tour. There is no 36-hole cut.

The winner will pocket $1.53 million of the $8.5. million prize pool, plus 500 FedExCup points.

The fifth of eight events in the FedExCup Fall, the TOUR is off next week before stopping in Cabo San Lucas for the World Wide Technology Championship. Read more about the final eight events of the season here.

Black Desert Championship

October 9, 2024 / mikeglasscott / Leave a comment

https://twitter.com/PGATOUR/status/1843297735631573019

FedExCup Fall – Event No. 3

Black Desert Championship

Black Desert Resort Golf Club

Ivins, Utah

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Quick Links:

Odds Outlook – DFS Report – Horses for Courses/Stats Suggest – Expert Picks

Mike Glasscott: Black Desert Championship tips

Win: Kurt Kitayama (28/1), Ryan Fox (33/1)

Top 10: Erik van Rooyen (33/10), Matti Schmid (5/1)

Top 20: Zac Blair (7/2), Peter Kuest (11/2)

Bet365: Top of the Board

Keith Mitchell (20/1): For the second consecutive week the former Georgia Bulldog sits at the top of the Bet365.com board. Last week, he missed a four-foot putt on the 72^nd hole to miss out on a playoff. The leader after 36 and 54 holes could not pick up his second win and settled for T3, his third consecutive T12 or better on TOUR. He will need another big week from his putter to replicate the low scores produced in Mississippi.

Seamus Power (25/1): A quick glance shows a payday of T11 last week for the Irishman. A deeper inspection reveals four rounds in the 60s. Twice a winner on TOUR, the 37-year-old relies on Par 5 scoring and his short game to contend.

Kurt Kitayama (28/1): The more I dug into his stats this week, the more I’m interested! The Las Vegas resident will not be bothered with desert golf, regardless of the venue. Cashing T8 at TPC Scottsdale in February, another Weiskopf design, he has finished on the podium four times in the last two years on courses he’s never played.

Beau Hossler (30/1): Half of the top four players at Bet365.com had heartbreaking moments on Sunday. Searching for his first win on TOUR, he found himself behind a tree after his tee shot on the final hole. Unable to make a birdie and win the event, he lost in the first hole of the playoff to Kevin Yu (not entered). The good news is that, like Mitchell, he circled 27 par breakers to co-lead the field.

Ryan Fox (33/1): The Kiwi, snubbed by Mike Weir for the Presidents Cup last month, played two non-descript events in Great Britain before cashing T11 in Mississippi. The big hitter possesses a hot putter and should thrive in a birdie fest.

Chan Kim (33/1): The last time the Korean found the top 10 was at the ISCO Championship in July. Before that result, he cashed T8 at the Mexico Open at Vidanta, another wide-open track from the tee box with enormous greens.

Patrick Fishburn (33/1): Teaming up with fellow Utahn Zac Blair at the Zurich Classic, the Ogden resident is no longer an unknown quantity. Taking home a paycheck for T48 in Mississippi, he broke his streak of eight consecutive paydays of T25 or better. Posting 11-under, he didn’t play poorly, but two rounds in the 70s on the weekend didn’t help and will not help this week either. The pressure of being one of the favorites plus one of the crowd favorites creates a complex cocktail.

Black Desert Championship

The PGA TOUR returns to the Beehive State for the first time since the 1963 Utah Open Invitational.

The field of 132 players in the inaugural event will play 36 holes before being cut to the top 65 and ties for the final 36 holes.

The winner will pocket $1.350 million of the $7.5 million prize pool plus 500 FedExCup points.

This is the third of eight events in the FedExCup Fall. Read more about the final eight events of the season here.

Others to consider:

The Utah contingent entered this week includes a range of players highlighted by 65-year-old Jay Don Blake, who is making his 500thPGA TOUR start, and 18-year-old Kihei Akina, who is making his PGA TOUR debut.

Erik van Rooyen (35/1): The winner in his first start at Old Greenwood (2021 Barracuda Championship), the 34-year-old South African also won a shootout at Vidanta Vallarta on 27-under last November.

Andrew Novak (35/1): Grinding along in his best season on TOUR, he has cashed a paycheck in his last eight starts and cashed T8 at TPC Scottsdale earlier in 2024.

Daniel Berger (45/1): The five-time winner on TOUR opened 65-65 last week and sat one off the halfway lead. Cashing solo seventh, a round of 71 on Saturday muted his challenge.

Harry Hall (55/1): The Englishman calls Las Vegas home and already has won a shootout this season. The winner of a five-man playoff at the ISCO Championship in July, his super short game results in plenty of birdies, and that will play in the desert of Utah.

Matti Schmid (66/1): The German international cashed in 11 of his last 12 starts worldwide and has been steady regardless of the postcode of the event. Last week, he secured T16 after posting just one bogey in his last 54 holes.

Zac Blair (110/1): One of five me to fall to Hall in the ISCO Championship playoff, the Orem resident will embrace the home-state advantage. Blowing hot and cold, his missed cut last week came on four-under. Not all missed cuts are created equal.

Austin Smotherman (125/1): Cashing T7 at the Procore Championship after the first event of the FedExCup Fall, combined with T5 at Vidanta Vallarta last November, allows me to connect a longshot dot.

Peter Kuest (200/1): The BYU grad has played three PGA TOUR events this year and hit the top 10 twice. When the stars align!

NOW PLAYING: Black Desert Championship

Host Course	Black Desert Resort Golf Club
Yards (per official scorecard):	7,371.
Par:	72 (36-36).
Greens:	XL007 Bentgrass; 7,000 square feet on average.
Stimpmeter:	12 feet or less (wind dependent).
Rough:	Kentucky Bluegrass at two inches.
Bunkers/Water Hazards/In-Play	44/3/2
Architect(s):	Tom Weiskopf & Neil Smith (2022).
Defending Champion (event):	Inaugural event.
Multiple Champion(s) Entered:	None.
Multiple Champions (course):	None.
Fact of the Week:	The last event held in Utah was the 1963 Utah Open Invitational.

Black Desert Resort Golf Club

Sitting 3,100 feet above sea level, Black Desert Resort Golf Club opened in late 2022. Designed by Tom Weiskopf and Neil Smith, the course was built on, through, and around the black lava in the valley of Greater Zion in the southwestern part of the state.

Tipping at 7,371 yards, the Par 71 will not play that long due to the altitude. Three Par-5 holes range between 571 and 589 yards. The quartet of Par-3 holes features an homage to the “Postage Stamp” at Royal Troon, the site of Weiskopf’s only major championship. Adding to the scoring drama will be two risk-reward Par 4 holes that measure less than 325 yards, one on each nine.

The risk-reward from the tee box offers fairways 30 yards wide in places. Framed by two inches of Kentucky Bluegrass, players pushing the edge of where the grass meets the lava will provide the best angles of attack. If the wind in the desert decides to blow, there is plenty of room to navigate off the tee and into the greens.

The 7,000-square-foot targets are carpeted with Bentgrass. The green complexes, above average in size by TOUR standards, will run true and roll just a click under 12 feet. The complexes have plenty of room for different styles of hole locations.

Only two holes have water penalty areas, while 44 bunkers litter the lava fields just 120 miles north of Las Vegas. Closely mown areas repel approaches that do not reach the intended targets. Two inches of Kentucky Bluegrass keep wayward tee shots from being swallowed by the ancient rocks.

Recent PGA TOUR 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 (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)

Recent Winners – Black Desert Championship

Italics – not entered/qualified this week.

Year	Winner	Notes
2024	Inaugural Event

RBC Canadian Open

May 29, 2024 / mikeglasscott / Leave a comment

We stand on guard for thee!

RBC Canadian Open

Hamilton Golf & Country Club

Ancaster, Ontario, Canada

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Quick Links:

Odds Outlook – DFS Report – Horses for Courses/Stats Suggest – Expert Picks

Bet365: Top of the Board

Rory McIlroy (4/1): The two-time champion has racked up three top-10 paydays on three different courses, including T9 at Oakdale last year. With two victories in his last three starts on TOUR, I can easily make the case for him again this week. This field is nowhere near the depth of the PGA Championship, and with only one water hazard, he is free and clear to fire away.

Tommy Fleetwood (18/1): Making his third start in Canada, the Englishman has lost in a playoff and cashed T6 in his previous two appearances. Hamilton will be his third different course in three starts, and the changes won’t be new to him.

Sahith Theegala (20/1): The 2023 is an outstanding putter and doesn’t mind new Bentgrass greens. Finishing T12 at Valhalla, he continues to produce results on unfamiliar greens. The only weakness in his game is around the greens, but he sits in the top 32 of the other Strokes Gained categories.

Corey Conners (22/1): After the drought finally broke last year, I am starting my card with an Ontario native this week. The Listowel native, a two-time winner on TOUR, will not have a nation sitting on his shoulders. Asking him to play target golf and pound greens in regulation is the perfect recipe. If he makes a few putts, away we go!

Shane Lowry (25/1): Martin Ebert also oversaw the renovation at Royal Portrush, the scene of his only major championship. Finishing seven shots behind McIlroy in the 2019 event, the Irishman has cashed T12 or better in three of five weekends. After T6 at the PGA Championship, I can’t dismiss him.

Alex Noren (25/1): Cashing T26 or better in 10 of 12 events, the days of finding any value on the Swede are long gone. Sitting fourth in SG: Total and eighth in SG: Tee to Green, it’s easy to see why. Like Fleetwood, he’s still looking for his first win in North America.

Sam Burns (28/1): The new father tends to make money with the flat stick. Maybe a few quiet nights out of the country will rejuvenate his game!

Cameron Young (28/1): One of the best drivers of the golf ball on TOUR, he’s still looking for his first win. Finishing second at a hilly, tough-driving Innisbrook makes me take a second look this week. Cashing T63 at Valhalla, his third consecutive T34 or worse payday pushes me away.

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

Tom Kim (33/1): Making six cuts in a row, four have resulted in T30 or better. Something is cooking here, and I don’t want to be late.

Aaron Rai (40/1): Placing T3 and T13 the last two seasons suggests he enjoys golf in the Toronto area.

Adam Scott (40/1): Outside of a missed cut at Valhalla, the veteran has racked up T30 or better in five of his last six.

Erik van Rooyen (55/1): Cranking out frequent results of T25 or better since last fall, the South African has three top-10 paydays in his last nine.

Taylor Pendrith (60/1): The Canadian has not produced the goods on home soil, but he’s won and cashed T10 and T11 in three of his last four starts on TOUR.

Greyson Sigg (125/1): For the gamblers only! His last four starts have resulted in MC-T13-MC-T9. The 29-year-old sits 12^th in SG: Approach and 30^th in SG: Tee to Green.

Bud Cauley (175/1): Finishing T4 in 2012, it’s been a long road back to Hamilton. There are not many in the field this week who cashed a check in that edition. Kevin Kisner is the only other player in the field who cashed in the top 10.

Robby Shelton (225/1): Cashing T9 last week, he was second in Putting and T9 in Fairways.

David Lipsky (300/1): Finishing T9 at Colonial last week, he led the field in GIR. Now, about that putter…

Stuart McDonald (500/1): A winner on the PGA Tour Americas this spring, the Canadian played the weekend last year at Oakdale.

Mike Weir (2500/1): The Presidents Cup captain was T14 at the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship last week in Michigan. Drop a loon on him to make the cut!

Mike Glasscott: RBC Canadian Open Tips:

Win: Corey Conners (22/1)

Top 10: Adam Scott (4/1), Shane Lowry (13/5), and Alex Noren (13/5)

Top 20: Taylor Pendrith (12/5), Greyson Sigg (15/4), and Ben Silverman (9/2)

NOW PLAYING:

Host Course	Hamilton Golf & CC
Yards (per official scorecard):	7,084
Par:	70 (35-35).
Greens:	V8 Creeping Bentgrass; 6,000 square feet on average.
Stimpmeter:	11 to 12 feet.
Rough:	Poa annua, Kentucky Bluegrass and Turf Tuff fescue at three inches plus.
Bunkers/Water Hazards/In-Play	72/1/1
Architect(s):	HS Colt (1916); Martin Ebert & Tom Mackenzie (2019).
Defending Champion (event):	Nick Taylor (-17*) at Oakdale
Defending Champion (course):	Rory McIlroy (-22) 2019.
Multiple Champion(s) Entered:	Rory McIlroy (2022, 2019), Jhonattan Vegas (2017, 2016).
Course Record	61; Rory McIlroy (Round 4, 2019), Ben Silverman (Round 2, 2019).
72 Hole Tournament Record:	258, 22-under; Rory McIlroy (2019).
Facts of the Week:	Every tee box, bunker, and green complex was renovated after the 2019 event.

Hamilton Golf & CC

One of just two Harry S. Colt designs in Canada, Hamilton Golf & CC opened outside Toronto in 1916. Located in Ancaster, the club has 27 holes, but the event uses the 18 holes (West and South) designed by the legendary architect Harry S. Colt.

Martin Ebert and Tom Mackenzie renovated the entire property after the conclusion of the 2019 event. The 2024 edition will play 7,084 yards (Par-70), 117 yards longer than the 2019 tournament.

The tee boxes, greens, and bunkers were reconstructed, and a new irrigation system was added. The most noticeable change will be the return to the bunkering from Colt’s original design from photographs found at the club. The penalty for finding the sandy areas, 72 total, will include increased depth, jagged edges, and fescue “eyebrows.”

New tee boxes provide additional yardage, and the expansion of the putting surfaces features pin positions new to all.

Reducing trees throughout the property added new sightlines, fresh angles of attack, and better growing conditions for the turfgrass.

The elevation changes up and down the valley requires navigating sidehill lies and properly judging yardage.

For the third week in a row and fourth time in five events Bentgrass (V8 Creeping Bentgrass) will comprise the putting surfaces. The new, expanded greens, now covering 6,000 square feet on average, will provide bigger targets to attack. The Stimpmeter will run between 11 and 12 feet.

Recent 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 (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

Preceded by the Western Open in 1899, the RBC CO, established in 1904, is the second-oldest non-major championship.

Hosting for the seventh time in history and the fifth time this century, Hamilton Golf & CC has crowned Bob Tway (2003), Jim Furyk (2006), Scott Piercy (2012), and Rory McIlroy (2023) as champions. As of Tuesday, McIlroy is the only one entered this week.

The invitational field of 156 players includes 12 of the top 50 in the Official World Golf rankings, led by No. 3 Rory McIlroy.

After two rounds the top 65 and ties play the final 36 holes. The last two editions at Hamilton produced cuts of 2-under (2019) and 1-under (2012).

Nick Taylor, the 2023 winner at Oakdale Golf & CC after defeating Tommy Fleetwood in a playoff, became the first Canadian to win this event since 1954.

The 2019 champion, Rory McIlroy, also won the 2022 edition. No event was played in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic. Jhonattan Vegas won the 2016 and 2017 editions at Glen Abbey.

The winner will take home 500 FedExCup points plus $1.692 million from the $9.4 million purse.

Recent Winners – RBC Canadian Open

Italics – not entered this week.

Year	Winner	Notes
2023	Nick Taylor (-17*)	First Canadian to win since 1954. Defeated Tommy Fleetwood in a playoff by holing a 72-foot eagle putt at Oakdale.
2022	Rory McIlroy (-19)	Defended his 2019 title defeating Tony Finau (not entered) at St. George’s.
2021	No Event
2020	No Event
2019	Rory McIlroy (-22)	Equaled the course record, 61, on Sunday to win by seven shots over Shane Lowry.

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
Texas Children’s Houston Open	Wyndham Clark	54,418
Valero Texas Open	C Bezuidenhout	67,735
88^th Masters Tournament	Rory McIlroy	175,500
RBC Heritage	Patrick Cantlay	1,160,000
Zurich Classic	Nick Taylor	122,375
THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson	Stephan Jaeger	112,100
Myrtle Beach Classic	Daniel Berger	20,350
Wells Fargo Championship	Sahith Theegala	47,000
106^th PGA Championship	Brooks Koepka	113,962
Charles Schwab Challenge	Taylor Moore	0

Total Winnings:		7,626,632

His game has more fun stuff to it. Reach out @A340Spotter on Twitter or A340Spotter@frontier.com for more details and to join.

Recapping Last Week – 78^th Charles Schwab Challenge

MY CHOICE: Taylor Moore – MC

My pal Chadders thinks he has a curse. Well, I just halted a streak of 15 straight for Moore at Colonial.

What a game.

Others to Consider:

Jordan Spieth: Those of you who have been saving him, it’s time. It’s time for him to get his wrist fixed. Imagine cashing T37 but hitting 39 of 56 Fairways (T2).

Tony Finau/Collin Morikawa: I don’t love the prize pool for using either of these two, but with the new greens they should be chomping at the bit. Finau cashed T17 after imploding with 75 on Sunday. Morikawa took home solo fourth after four rounds in the 60s.

Thomas Detry/Billy Horschel: Both are sizzling recently and can get it going with the putter. It has been suggested by TOUR pro Michael Kim that the approach play will be EASIER after the renovation, but the new grass will make it play firmer this week. Reaffirming there is no reason to ever stretch in this game, Detry cashed T56 and Horschel T24.

Tom Hoge: Played at Texas Chrisitan down the street and kills it on approach. T17, solid angle and payday if you went off the grid.

Mark Hubbard: If you’re looking to zig, he’s had too many good weeks in a row. T65 Taylor Moore’d it but with $19,292.

This Week – RBC Canadian Open

I’m loading up on any and all hockey players, curlers, and Tim Horton franchisees.

MY CHOICE: Mackenzie Hughes

I was surprised to remember I have used Adam Hadwin, Corey Conners, AND Nick Taylor! Gotta go with what’s available!

Others to Consider:

Taylor Pendrith: The Canadian produced a spectacular run of results over the last month but was halted at the PGA Championship with a missed cut. Winner at TPC Craig Ranch earlier this season.

Adam Svensson: His victory was on a Par-70 with big greens at The RSM Classic two years ago.

Shane Lowry/Tommy Fleetwood: SOMEBODY HAS TO WIN THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP, RIGHT?

Rory McIlroy: One angle this week is the field isn’t deep enough. The other angle is the prize pool isn’t worth it.

Good luck! You’ll need it!

88th Masters Tournament

April 10, 2024April 10, 2024 / mikeglasscott / Leave a comment

A tradition unlike any other, this preview.

Relax.

Play the Par-3, get ready for tomorrow.

Claim your spot. #themasters pic.twitter.com/WipbtgW7M1
— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 10, 2024

88^th Masters Tournament

Augusta National Golf Club

Augusta, Georgia

Head to Golfbet for all our content each week.

Quick Links:

Odds Outlook – DFS Report – Horses for Courses/Stats Suggest – Expert Picks

Quick Fire Thoughts (odds via Bet365.com)

Scottie Scheffler (4/1): Do you remember the last time the betting favorite won? It was 19 years ago.

Rory McIlroy (10/1): The career grand slam makes its 10^th appearance.

Jon Rahm (10/1): Champions have repeated three times in history. Jack Nicklaus, Sir Nick Faldo, and Tiger Woods. Big club.

Xander Schauffele (14/1): I’d read my good friend Ben Everill.

Hideki Matsuyama (16/1): Winner here in 2021, winner at Riviera, and playing well.

Brooks Koepka (18/1): This is one of four times a year where he cannot be ignored. The five-time major champion has *THAT* switch.

Jordan Spieth (20/1): This is the place. Kids, a balky wrist, and a DQ earlier this season makes for a full bingo card. Calm in the chaos.

Ludvig Aberg (25/1): He won’t win, no first-timer has since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979, but he should not be dismissed with his tee-to-green power.

Joaquin Niemann (25/1): Rumor has it he’s been hot. You do you.

Wyndham Clark (28/1): The 2023 U.S. Open winner has produced the goods over the last 11 months, including winning the Signature Event at Pebble Beach and running second to Scheffler at Bay Hill and THE PLAYERS Championship. First appearance at ANGC.

Viktor Hovland (30/1): New swing, new coach, and the results have not followed. The 2023 FedExCup champion hasn’t bothered a leaderboard on Sunday in 2024.

Matt Fitzpatrick (30/1): Back-to-back top-10 paydays on TOUR and T10-T14 here on the last two visits. I’m in.

Patrick Cantlay (33/1): I wish I had evidence suggesting this would be the week. Hey it’s not Florida, so that will help, but the major championships have not been his strong suit. Super contrarian play based on sheer ability.

Bryson DeChambeau (33/1): Not my cup of tea. I prefer the artist over the guy running the jackhammer.

Will Zalatoris (35/1): Two starts, two top-six finishes at ANGC. In his last two starts TOUR he’s produced MC (THE PLAYERS) and T74 (Valspar). I think I tipped him in both of those! I’ll let you lead this week.

Justin Thomas (35/1): Dropping a veteran caddy who has won three times at this event the week before the Masters is something. So is a T64-MC-T12-MC run in his last four. See you in Louisville.

Tony Finau (35/1): His best two paydays of 2024 are from courses he annually enjoys. Making his seventh start, he’s never missed the weekend and has three top 10s. I’ll bite.

Tommy Fleetwood (35/1): One of the safest plays on the board. Cashed in six straight events, but his best result is T14.

Shane Lowry (35/1): Super Florida Swing should fill him with the confidence he needs. Already a major champion, I don’t have to worry about him on Sunday. He should be on your card.

Collin Morikawa (40/1): If he is above 30/1, he’s an autobet, right Jay?

Max Homa (55/1) and Sam Burns (55/1): You’re buying talent, not recent results, or course form. That’s why it’s called gambling.

Russell Henley (55/1): T4s are wild. Get some.

Patrick Reed (66/1): The 2018 winner has three top-10 paydays since including T4 last year.

Thorbjorn Olesen (125/1): No stranger to the former Fruitland Nurseries property, the Dane posted T6 on debut in 2013 and T21 on his last visit in 2019. A winner in January in the Middle East, he broke a three-event streak of missing the cut with T14 last week in San Antonio.

Taylor Moore (250/1): The 2023 winner at a difficult Valspar Championship posted T12 in defense this season and missed a playoff in Houston by a shot. Sat T20 after three rounds last year. Load him in.

NOW PLAYING:

Host Course	Augusta National Golf Club
Yards (per official scorecard):	7,555.
Par:	72 (36-36).
Greens:	A1-Penn Bentgrass; 6,486 square feet.
Stimpmeter:	Tournament Speed – 13 feet and up.
Second Cut:	Ryegrass Overseed at 1.375 inches.
Bunkers/Water Hazards/In-Play	44/6/5
Architect(s):	Dr. Alister Mackenzie & Bobby Jones (1933).
Defending Champion (event):	Jon Rahm (-12).
Multiple Champion(s) Entered:	Plenty. Tiger Woods (5), Phil Mickelson (3), lead the way.
Course Record (latest):	63; Greg Norman (1996); Nick Price (1986).
72 Hole Tournament Record (Spring):	270 (-18); Jordan Spieth (2015) and Tiger Woods (1997).
Fact of the Week:	The Par-3 contest winner has never won the 72-hole event.

Augusta National Golf Club

Contested on the former grounds of the Fruitland Nurseries, the Masters Tournament is the first major championship of the season. Purchased by Bobby Jones in 1931, he hired Dr. Alister Mackenzie to create his vision for a course that would host and challenge the best in the game.

The Augusta National Invitational Tournament debuted in 1934, setting the bar for future events. The 88th edition, now the Masters Tournament, will play 7,555 yards to Par-72 with all the modern bells and whistles.

The annual April examination requires power, precision, and putting to don the Green Jacket at the end of 72 holes.

Finding fairways is the first requirement, but escaping less-than-perfect tee balls is possible. Tree limbs won’t interfere with errant drives, but uneven lies, pine straw, and patrons lining the second cut do not always result in optimum second-shot chances. The art of finding the sprinkler line in the middle of the fairways guarantees nothing but full concentration for approach shots.

The pure A1- Penn Bentgrass putting surfaces are the best in the business. Powered by Sub-Air systems, the targets, averaging 6,486 square feet, can be managed to run at tournament speed. Undulating and difficult to read, experience reading greens matters. Elite players will play away from danger to avoid difficult up-and-downs. Skilled iron players know the proper trajectory and spin required to get it close. Keeping the ball below the hole is the beginning of most winning plans.

A new tee box on No. 2 provides the extra yardage for 2024. Holes Nos. 2, 4, and 6 have been reshaped, softened, and flattened on the putting surfaces to add flexibility for hole locations and shot selection.

Par-5 scoring captures the headlines but saving shots on the Par-4 holes will carry the momentum of the rounds. Hammering Greens in Regulation is the recipe for success, but resolving errant approaches is necessary. Scrambling to save pars from tight lies and bunkers is required.

There will be bogeys this week. Taking advantage of the proper number from the fairway will need to be paid off on the greens.

Major championship golf should be difficult.

The five water penalty areas are located on the inward nine holes add to the challenge of Holes No. 11, 12, 13, 15, and 16.

Greg Norman (1996) and Nick Price (1986) share the course record with 63 (-9). Neither man won that season or any other season.

The April tournament scoring record was last set by Jordan Spieth (270, 2015) after Tiger Woods posted that total in 1997.

The November scoring record is 20-under 268, set by Dustin Johnson in 2020.

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 (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

The 88^th Masters Tournament

The field of 89 players includes the top 50 from the Official World Golf Rankings.

The final player to gain entrance into the event was Akshay Bhatia, the winner at the Valero Texas Open last week.

Winning the 2019 edition, Tiger Woods is the most decorated player in the field with five victories. Phil Mickelson, the winner in the 2004, 2006, and 2010 editions, is also competing.

Winning a record sixth Green Jacket, Jack Nicklaus became the oldest winner in 1986.

The average age of winners is around 33 years old. The last three champions had not reached birthday No. 30.

The only player (post-1945) to win on debut was Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979.

The youngest champion was Tiger Woods (21 years old) in 1997.

Since 2000, three players have won on their second attempt: Charl Schwartzel (2011), Jordan Spieth (2015), and Danny Willett (2016).

The last wire-to-wire was Spieth, becoming just the fifth player in history to lead after all four rounds.

Only three players have successfully defended the title. Jack Nicklaus (1965-66), Sir Nick Faldo (1989-1990), and Tiger Woods (2001-2002) are the members of this exclusive club.

Only three players ranked No. 1 in the OWGR went on to win: Tiger Woods (2007), Dustin Johnson (2020), and Scottie Scheffler (2022).

Adam Scott is the only Australian winner.

Hideki Matsuyama is the only Asian winner.

Gary Player (three times) is the only African winner.

Sergio Garcia was the last winner to need a playoff. Defeating Justin Rose, the Spaniard won his first Green Jacket in his 19th attempt, the record for a first-time winner.

Mark O’Meara, aged 41 in 1998, is the oldest first-time winner.

Raymond Floyd, aged 49 in 1992, is the oldest runner-up.

The field will be cut to the top 50 and ties after two rounds.

The winner this week will take home 750 FedExCup points.

The purse and winner’s share will be announced later this week.

Recent Winners – Masters Tournament

Italics – not entered this week.

Year	Winner	Notes
2023	Jon Rahm (-12)	Sat two off the lead of Brooks Koepka before closing with 69 to win by four shots. Second major, first Green Jacket.
2022	Scottie Scheffler (-10)	Only player to post all four rounds under par. Wins his first major comfortably by three shots over Rory McIlroy.
2021	Hideki Matsuyama (-10)	Sat four shots clear after 54 holes and won his first major by one over Will Zalatoris.
2020	Dustin Johnson (-20)	Moved to November, the soft, overseeded layout was shredded by Johnson to set the scoring record. Won by five.
2019	Tiger Woods (-13)	The only player to win from outside of the top 10 after Round 1. He’s done that twice and won the tournament FIVE times.

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
Texas Children’s Houston Open	Wyndham Clark	54,418
Valero Texas Open	C Bezuidenhout	67,735
,
Total Winnings:		5,875,345

His game has more fun stuff to it. Reach out @A340Spotter on Twitter or A340Spotter@frontier.com for more details and to join.

Recapping Last Week – Valero Texas Open

MY CHOICE: Christiaan Bezuidenhout – T25

Would have rather gone with a LONESTAR LONGSHOT.

Other to Consider:

Corey Conners: The “Finau” effect will rush over most of you this week. I don’t blame you. Sometimes, I have to fade myself. Same T25 as my pick! I guess I have him for the Canadian Open…Weird to see him T73 in Fairways.

Ludvig Aberg: Not a care in the world as he keeps producing big finishes and is prepping for his first major. Playing four years in Lubbock in the wind will have him prepped for another big finish. Why am I not playing HIM this week? T14. Don’t be surprised when you see him on the leaderboard this weekend. T7 Fairways AND Greens at VTO. Now, about that putter…

Billy Horschel: Winner in Dallas and Austin, the proof is on in the trophy cabinet. With his excellent form and past excellent course form, he will be tempting for some. 75-73, MC.

Charley Hoffman: The all-time leading money winner at the Oaks Course already has a podium finish this season in Phoenix but has MC in his last three. San Antonio is chicken soup for his game. T69, nice. Big pair of hockey sticks on Saturday killed any chances of him cashing a big check.

Harris English: Another consistent performer, you might want to save him for Bermuda greens in the summer. 72-77 MC. Getting them right on the wrong end also counts!

Lone Star Longshots:

Akshay Bhatia: The windier, the better. His only finishes this season are in the top 20. WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER. #UrWelcome. Can’t believe I took him out of my lineup at the PGA TOUR Experts game.

Aaron Rai: Off T7 last week, did you think I would leave him out? I should have! T58.

Matt Kuchar: Never missed and is T3-T2-T12-T7 in the last four years. You will have to check his current form…Current form wins again, MC.

Lanto Griffin: Veteran knows how to get it around if the breeze picks up. T51.

This Week – 88^th Masters Tournament

MY CHOICE: Rory McIlroy

It’s time. Tiger Woods gave his blessing on Tuesday. He closed with 66 last Sunday. Making his 16^th appearance, nothing is holding him back. Sergio Garcia owns the record for most attempts with 19.

Other to Consider:

Xander Schauffele: Never wins enough, does he? Fantastic 2024 form, minus a trophy.

Scottie Scheffler: If you believe in the numbers, you save him for down the road. If you have watched him play, I don’t see how you can.

Hideki Matsuyama: Stay healthy, my friend!

Brooks Koepka: Limited chances in this game to use him.

Jon Rahm: See above with Scheffler and Koepka.

Jordan Spieth: He’s home.

Valero Texas Open Preview

April 3, 2024April 6, 2024 / mikeglasscott / Leave a comment

The stars at night

Are big and bright

Deep in the heart of Texas

Valero Texas Open

TPC San Antonio

Oaks Course

San Antonio, Texas

Head to Golfbet for all our content each week.

Quick Links:

Odds Outlook – DFS Report – Horses for Courses/Stats Suggest – Expert Picks

Bet365: Top of the Board

Rory McIlroy (10/1): The only victory that matters is the first one at Augusta National next week. The OWGR No. 2 has found the winner’s circle multiple times before major championships, so he’s not an automatic fade this week. Cashing T19 at THE PLAYERS for his best finish in the States in five events suggests investing elsewhere.

Ludvig Aberg (12/1): Too young to have a “plan” knocking over another field before his first major championship would not surprise anyone reading this column. With four years of college experience in the wind of Lubbock, Texas, he will not be bothered by any of Mother Nature’s challenges. Heading to the Masters next week, his only concern this week is winning. Sign me up.

Hideki Matsuyama (20/1): The 2021 Masters champion has produced the goods in his last three starts (T16-T12-WIN). The goal this week is getting dialed in tee-to-green, and everything else is gravy. If he is in contention on Sunday, he’s not going to back down. If he’s not in contention on Sunday, do not be surprised if he saves on fuel for next week.

Jordan Spieth (22/1): Picking up his trophy boots after the 2021 edition before heading to his favorite event, the Dallas native needs a pick-me-up before returning to Augusta in 2024. A pair of early weekend exits and a DQ for an incorrect scorecard muted his strong start after Kapalua (3rd) and TPC Scottsdale (T6). A big weekend at the Oaks Course wouldn’t surprise me. Neither would a quiet one. Sigh.

Max Homa (25/1): The more demanding the track, the more focus the Californian brings. Wins at Qual Hollow, Torrey Pines, and Riviera accentuate that theory. Strangely, his success at Augusta National is almost non-existent. Picking up this event tells me he needs to find some confidence before next week. Making his first visit to the Oaks Course since 2019 suggests he has left it late.

Corey Conners (25/1): Not many enjoy a horse for a course more than I do. Two wins, 16 rounds in the red, and nothing worse than T35 over five starts will not push me away.

Matt Fitzpatrick (28/1): Teeing it up for the first time in Hill Country, the Englishman is riding high off solo fifth in the last outing at TPC Sawgrass. Gaining strokes tee-to-green isn’t an issue; neither is chipping and putting. Tough laydown this week.

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

Billy Horschel (33/1): I will pair his current form with his experience at the Oaks Course. A winner up the road in Austin at the WGC-Match Play in 2021, he should be excited to return to a happy hunting ground. The Florida native has cashed T11 or better in five of his last eight visits.

Harris English (35/1): Pure heat. Not missing a cut in 2024, he has cashed out T21 or better in his last four starts.

Byeong Hun An (40/1): With three top-10 paydays in his first seven starts in 2024, I’m hoping a missed cut at THE PLAYERS kicks a few off the scent. He’s comfortable where he’s comfortable. Producing two top-seven paydays in his last three visits suggest he’s comfortable outside San Antonio.

Christiaan Bezuidenhout (50/1): Running as my second choice at Valspar, he produced T9 and his best result of the season. I can’t leave him out at an event that has crowned plenty of first-time winners. All aboard!

Akshay Bhatia (60/1): Collecting T17 at Valspar is his worst paycheck from five weekends (nine starts) in the new season. Sitting one shot off the lead at the halfway point at Memorial Park last Sunday, he knows the only way to Augusta is winning THIS week.

Lee Hodges (90/1): Posted 12-under over his last 54 holes here last year. Not overthinking this the week before a major!

Charley Hoffman (125/1): The horse for the course. The 2016 winner has 10 paydays of T22 or better, including three seconds/T2.

Matti Schmid (125/1): Always looking to add a hot runner to the stable, the German, no doubt inspired by Jaeger’s win last week, has run his streak to T26 or better in the last four weeks. I should add him above for a Top 20 just in case!

Matt Kuchar (140/1): Never missing the weekend in 11 starts, he returns after a four-year run of T3-T2-T12-T7. While his current form hasn’t produced a top-30 payday in 2024, maybe the Fountain of Youth is by way of the Alamo.

Aaron Baddeley (175/1): The Australian has cashed T30 or better in eight of nine. Never missing the cut, he makes his first visit since T18 2022.

Sam Stevens (250/1): Missed a playoff by a shot last year. Wind doesn’t bother him. Top 40 to start.

Peter Kuest (400/1): Monday qualifier with absolutely nothing to lose, he registered last year in Par-5 scoring and Putting: Birdie or Better Percentage over 15 events. Everyone needs a long shot to find the weekend.

Mike Glasscott: Valero Texas Open tips

OUTRIGHT – Christiaan Bezuidenhout (50/1)

TOP 10 – Ludvig Aberg (8/5), Billy Horschel (15/4)

TOP 20 – Corey Conners (29/20), Charley Hoffman (17/4)

NOW PLAYING:

Host Course	TPC San Antonio – Oaks Course
Yards (per official scorecard):	7,438.
Par:	72 (36-36).
Greens:	Poa Trivialis; 6,400 square feet.
Stimpmeter:	11 feet.
Rough:	Overseeded Rye and Fescue at 2.25 inches.
Bunkers/Water Hazards/In-Play	64/3/3
Architect(s):	Greg Norman (2010).
Defending Champion (event):	Corey Conners (-15).
Multiple Champion(s) Entered:	Corey Conners (2023, 2019).
Course Record (latest):	62; Trey Mullinax (2018, Round 3).
72 Hole Tournament Record	268; Corey Conners (2019).
Fact of the Week:	There has never been a playoff since the Oaks Course became the host (2010).
Fact of the Week II:	The winner this week, if not already qualified, will take the final place in the field at the Masters.

TPC San Antonio – Oaks Course

The Oaks Course at TPC San Antonio, designed in 2010 by Greg Norman, plays as a stock Par-72 and can reach 7,438 yards.

The ball-striking examination includes surviving missed fairways and greens. The recipe for success includes avoiding the big misses that come with big penalties. The rough this week will be only 2 ¼ inches, but the bunker count is 64, and there are water penalty areas on three holes. The breezes that blow in this part of the world will require a commitment to tee shots and irons.

Perched greens, 6,400 square feet on average, require quality shots for scoring opportunities. Poorly struck shots will drift into heavy bunkering or down closely mown areas. Running at 11 feet on the Stimpmeter, the pros will not have to worry about getting putts to the hole or the wind blowing their approaches off the putting surfaces.

Each nine has a pair of Par-5 holes. Together, the quartet annually ranks inside the top 12 most difficult on TOUR. If the wind cooperates, the first two, measuring over 600 yards, should play downwind. The remaining two on the inward nine, including the 591-yard finish hole with water, should provide drama coming home.

Paying off greens in regulation with birdie putts, scoring on the Par-5 holes, and getting up and down are the challenges presented in the Texas Hill Country.

In 13 previous editions, the Oaks Course ranked in the bottom half one time (2019). The 2022 edition was the only other event to play four rounds UNDER par.

The course record (62) was set in 2018 by Trey Mullinax (Round 3).

Reigning and two-time champion Corey Conners produced the tournament scoring record in a benign 2019 edition on 20-under par 268.

Valero Texas Open

The Texas two-step of late March/early April is the first of two trips to the Lone Star state and the final tune-up for 30 players heading to the first major of the season next week.

Every year since 1923, San Antonio has hosted a professional event, and it is the longest-serving city hosting an event on the PGA TOUR.

Highlighted by World No. 2 Rory McIlroy, the field of 156 players includes 21 of the top 50 players in the Official World Golf Rankings.

Sitting at No. 47 in the OWGR is Canadian Corey Conners, the only multiple winner from 13 previous events at the Oaks Course. The tournament record holder from 2019 returned last season and posted 15-under to win by a shot.

Joining the Canadian as past champions in the field this week are J.J. Spaun (2022), Jordan Spieth (2021), Andrew Landry (2018), Kevin Chappell (2017), Charley Hoffman (2016), local Jimmy Walker (2015), Martin Laird (2013), and inaugural winner Adam Scott (2010).

Spieth, Landry, and Walker are the only native Texans to win at the Oaks Course.

The last rookie to win this event was in 2006 at another course.

The last player to win on debut was the 2012 champion, Ben Crane.

In 13 events, six first-time PGA TOUR winners have been crowned, including four of the last six (bold above), including Conners in 2019.

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

On the line is a purse of $9.1 million, with the winner taking home $1.658 million and collecting 500 FedExCup points.

Most importantly, if the winner is not qualified, he will take the final spot in the field at the 88th Masters next week in the first major championship of 2024.

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 (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)

Recent Winners – Valero Texas Open

Italics – not entered this week.

Year	Winner	Notes
2023	Corey Conners (-15)	Held off Sam Stevens by a shot to become the first multiple winner at the Oaks Course.
2022	J.J. Spaun (-13)	Winning by two shots over Matt Kuchar, he picked up his first win on TOUR.
2021	Jordan Spieth (-18)	Defeated “The Mayor” Charley Hoffman by two shots.
2020	No event
2019	Corey Conners (-20)	Defeated “The Mayor” Charley Hoffman by two shots.
2018	Andrew Landry (-17)	Winning by two shots, picked up his first victory on TOUR.
2017	Kevin Chappell (-12)	Held off Brooks Koepka by a shot.
2016	Charley Hoffman (-12)	Finally paid off his hot run in San Antonio.
2015	Jimmy Walker (-11)	Boerne, Texas, local resident became the first of three Texans to win (Landry and Spieth) at the Oaks Course.

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
Texas Children’s Houston Open	Wyndham Clark	54,418

Total Winnings:		5,807,610

His game has more fun stuff to it. Reach out @A340Spotter on Twitter or A340Spotter@frontier.com for more details and to join.

Recapping Last Week – Texas Children’s Houston Open

MY CHOICE: Wyndham Clark – T31

Beware the injured golfer is only a phrase people use when they don’t take the injured golfer and he plays well.

After cashing behind Scheffler in the last two events, the U.S. Open champion stayed true to form as he cashed behind Scheffler again, but this time 29 extra places.

It would have been so easy just to take reigning champion Tony Finau, but there’s nothing easy about this game to me.

Whatever.

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. T28 with four rounds of 70 or better. I don’t think throwing out the first pitch for opening day helped with the golf. At all. Especially for a guy who has never thrown a baseball, his words, not mine.

Tony Finau: I’ll wait until later in the summer when he finds some more. T2 sounds MUCH MUCH MUCH worse than what it “really” was. He shared second with, checks notes, FIVE OTHER DUDES. Instead of a nice payday, essentially he took home really good fourth-placed money. Win some, lose some, and meh some.

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. How can we dance when our beds are burning? Midnight Oil might have a better angle on trying to solve Day than I do. Is there another baby on the way? Is he hurt again? His last three events on tracks he’s played well over his career he hasn’t found the top 30. Glad I had him MC at Torrey Pines, just like you guys who had him this week.

Tom Hoge: TCU man has been 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! T14 and closed with three rounds in the 60s to continue his excellent start to 2024.

Lone Star Longshots:

Alex Noren: Ran T4 here in 2022 but has never lifted a trophy on TOUR. T11 after closing 66-65.

Aaron Rai: There’s no need, in this format at least, to drift down here, but some of you gotta ketchup. And catch up you did, T7.

Mackenzie Hughes: Less trouble off the tee, the better. Big week last week as well. T14 as he stormed home with 65 on Sunday. Hey, lock the back door then!

Cameron Champ/Chandler Phillips: Gig ‘em. I guess “gig ‘em” is Texan for T45.

Anybody with the last name Coody: Texas lads. Big jeans. Big genes. Pierceson T57, Parker MC.

This Week – Valero Texas Open

MY CHOICE: Christiaan Bezuidenhout

Too many good ones to ignore recently (T9, T13)! Hitting it great and full of confidence, there’s nothing to reset or reload after a week off. Already has a “victory” this year after Nick Dunlap won in Palm Springs, but he’d like one of his own!

Other to Consider:

Corey Conners: The “Finau” effect will rush over most of you this week. I don’t blame you. Sometimes, I have to fade myself.

Ludvig Aberg: Not a care in the world as he keeps producing big finishes and is prepping for his first major. Playing four years in Lubbock in the wind will prepare him for another big finish. Why am I not playing HIM this week?

Billy Horschel: Winner in Dallas and Austin, the proof is on in the trophy cabinet. With his excellent form and past excellent course form, he will be tempting for some.

Charley Hoffman: The all-time leading money winner at the Oaks Course already has a podium finish this season in Phoenix but has MC in his last three. San Antonio is chicken soup for his game.

Harris English: Another consistent performer, you might want to save him for Bermuda greens in the summer.

Lone Star Longshots:

Akshay Bhatia: The windier, the better. His only finishes this season are in the top 20.

Aaron Rai: Off T7 last week, did you think I would leave him out?

Matt Kuchar: Never missed and is T3-T2-T12-T7 in the last four years. You will have to check his current form…

Lanto Griffin: Veteran knows how to get it round if the breeze picks up.

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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Odds Outlook – DFS Report – Horses for Courses/Stats Suggest – Expert Picks

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.

Valspar Championship Preview

March 20, 2024March 20, 2024 / mikeglasscott / Leave a comment

Terrifying!

The Snake Pit is ready to make its mark on this year's tournament. 🐍 #Copperhead #SnakePit #Copperhead #InnisbrookLife pic.twitter.com/bNFnvxjRlL
— Innisbrook Resort (@Innisbrook) March 20, 2024

Valspar Championship

Innisbrook Resort & Spa

Copperhead Course

Palm Harbor, Florida

Head to Golfbet for all our content each week.

Quick Links:

Odds Outlook – DFS Report – Horses for Courses/Stats Suggest – Expert Picks

Bet365: Top of the Board

Xander Schauffele (15/2):Making birdies, holing putts, and racking up top-10 finishes, the Californian is right on schedule. Despite adding swing changes, he’s been in the fight just about every time he’s teed it up this season. Making his second start in Palm Harbor, the only question lingering this week is whether he has enough gas in the tank for four more rounds at the top of the leaderboard.

Sam Burns (12/1): The safest selection on the board, the two-time winner extended his run of top-10 paydays to three straight years with solo sixth last year. Flashing 65 in Round 3 at TPC Sawgrass shows me he’s ready for another big week at Valspar.

Justin Thomas (14/1): Twice this year, he was at the top of my team sheet. Twice, he missed the cut in both events. One of the course horses this week, only Burns has a better scoring average. Adding to a streak of T13 or better over the last three seasons should be about right.

Jordan Spieth (18/1): The 2015 champ also missed the weekend at THE PLAYERS Championship and should be rested and ready. Returning to the event in 2023 for the first time since missing the cut in 2018, the Texan played in the final group and cashed T3 for his third top-10 payday in six tries.

Brian Harman (20/1): Turning the corner after his victory at Royal Liverpool last summer, he’s constantly on my radar. Posting 19-under over the final 54 holes last week, the Georgia native missed a playoff by a shot. Asking him to grind tee-to-green again this week won’t bother him.

Sungjae Im (25/1): After opening the season with T5 at The Sentry, the Korean star has struggled to keep up the pace. Returning to Palm Harbor for the first time since T29 in 2021, his best finish was T4 in 2019.

Tony Finau (25/1): Smashing it tee-to-green, it’s fascinating to remember he only has one top-10 payday this season. Skipping the Signature Event at Bay Hill, he returned to action with T45 at TPC Sawgrass. I’m not sure what’s going on here, so I’ll pass.

Cameron Young (28/1): Making his tournament debut, the big hitter is still looking for his first TOUR victory. The layout makes sense for the Wake Forest grad. Putting isn’t difficult, but fantastic ball striking will go a long way. This event has not required years of experience to figure out. Interesting outsider.

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

Nick Taylor (35/1): The Canadian has shown zero signs of letting up since his victory at TPC Scottsdale last month. Steady throughout the bag, he cashed T12 at Bay Hill and T26 last week.

Christiaan Bezuidenhout (45/1): Missing two cuts this season on 2-under and 1-under, respectively, the South African has posted five T28 or better finishes in eight tries. Cashing T13 last week, he also picked up T24 at a difficult Riviera Country Club.

Victor Perez (90/1): The Frenchman ran T3 in Puerto Rico before taking last week off. Not qualifying for THE PLAYERS Championship, the alternate did not get it, but he also did not burn any emotion or calories watching on television. Cashing T45 on debut last season, nothing will be new this time.

Sam Ryder (90/1): Posting 27 birdies last week, the Florida native set the THE PLAYERS Championship record. Making his sixth start, he will look to chase down last year’s T19 result. Cashing T21 and T16 in the last two events in the Sunshine State, he should be ready for another top payday.

Matt NeSmith (110/1): Setting the course record and cashing T3 in 2022, the South Carolina native missed out last year. Another top-25 finish this season will make it three-from-three at Innisbrook.

Brice Garnett (250/1): The winner two weeks ago in Puerto Rico cashed for the second consecutive week with T35 at TPC Sawgrass. All eight of his rounds are par or better. Lovely hot streak.

NOW PLAYING:

Host Course	Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort & Spa
Yards (per official scorecard):	7,340.
Par:	71 (36-35).
Greens:	Poa Trivialis; 5,300 square feet.
Stimpmeter:	12 feet.
Rough:	Overseeded Rye at almost four inches.
Bunkers/Water Hazards/In-Play	74/8/9
Architect(s):	Larry Packard (1971; 2015).
Defending Champion (event):	Taylor Moore (-10).
Multiple Champion(s) Entered:	Sam Burns (2022, 2021).
Course Record (latest):	61; Matt NeSmith (Round 2, 2022).
72 Hole Tournament Record (March):	267; Sam Burns (2022, 2021).
72 Hole Tournament Record	266; Vijay Singh (2004).
Fact of the Week:	The last six winners have won in five attempts or less.
Fact of the Week II:	The Copperhead Course has played UNDER PAR across the field just four times since 2007.

Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort & Spa

The PGA TOUR season does not allow many breaths to be taken from January through August. The Palm Harbor “resort” layout is in name only. Like its cousin at PGA National, the Copperhead Course will not provide relief, even after THE PLAYERS Championship.

The fourth and final stop in the Sunshine State, the Valspar Championship stretches to 7,340 yards and plays to Par-71. The classic design, originally laid out by Larry Packard in 1971 and renovated in 2016, ranks annually among the best courses on TOUR by the rank and file.

Featuring five Par-3 holes and four Par-5 holes, the Copperhead Course also features the “Snake Pit”. Beginning at Hole No. 15 and ending at Hole No. 17, the three-hole stretch is one of the most difficult to navigate on TOUR.

Packard’s challenge features oak tree-lined fairways, elevation changes, and perched greens. Unlike TPC Sawgrass, the Copperhead Course sits right in front of the field of 156 players.

If the challenge last week was finding the fairways, Innisbrook features fewer acres of landing area off the tee than TPC Sawgrass. The classic layout requires getting it close in regulation, but scrambling and putting provide a chance to survive.

The pure Poa Trivialis greens allow players to lag it close or hole out but will not run at speeds seen at major championships. Getting up and down will save shots this week.

Scoring isn’t the focus this week. In 16 events since 2007, nine times the event has ranked in the top 10 most difficult on TOUR.

The main challenge this week is getting it close from the sprinkler line or the overseeded ryegrass. The four Par-5 holes would suggest scoring chances. They’re not easy, either. Surviving the “Snake Pit” stretch and any weather arriving will provide a solid foundation to contend.

Valspar Championship

The event made its debut in the fall of 2000. Since 2007, March has hosted every event except the 2021 edition (May).

One of the rare instances on TOUR, the Copperhead Course, even with a renovation following the 2015 edition, has played to Par-71 and 7,340 yards since 2012.

The field of 156 players includes 16 of the top 50 players in the Official World Golf Rankings.

Highlighted by Taylor Moore, seven previous winners are entered.

The last eight champions needed five or fewer attempts to win for the first time.

Gary Woodland, the 2011 champion, is the only winner since the move to March to win on debut.

The only event played outside of March was the 2021 edition. Won by Sam Burns on 17-under, the event returned to March 2022 and was won by… Sam Burns on 17-under.

The last five events have produced only three champions. Sam Burns and Paul Casey (not entered) won in back-to-back seasons before Moore’s victory last year.

Moore became the third first-time winner from the last four champions to lift the trophy.

The course record, last set by Matt NeSmith with 61 in Round 2 in 2022, was posted first by Padraig Harrington in 2012.

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.

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)

Recent Winners – Valspar Championship

Italics – not entered this week.

Year	Winner	Notes
2023	Taylor Moore (-10)	Became the third first-time winner from the last four champions.
2022	Sam Burns (-17)	Successfully defended his championship defeating Davis Riley in a playoff.
2021	Sam Burns (-17)	Won for the first time on TOUR defeating Keegan Bradley by three shots in a May event (COVID).
2020	Cancelled
2019	Paul Casey (-8)	Successfully defended his title by posting the third, single digit winning total in six seasons.

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

Total Winnings:		5,753,192

His game has more fun stuff to it, so reach out @A340Spotter on X/Twitter or A340Spotter@comcast.net for more details and to join.

Recapping Last Week – THE PLAYERS Championship

MY CHOICE: Will Zalatoris – MC

From the penthouse to the shithouse in five days. Big shoutout to Zalatoris for not even giving the weekend a sniff. It’s MUCH EASIER (I have plenty of reps) to see the train coming down the tracks instead of tripping and falling on No. 17 Friday afternoon.

Whatever.

Any momentum from the Scheffler pick was completely thrown away. Hell, it is only the biggest goddam purse of the season and I took home exactly ZERO from it.

Let’s see how my other choices would have done!

Other to Consider:

Hideki Matsuyama – Healthy, confident, and playing well. The Genesis Invitational winner and Masters champion won’t be bothered with all the happenings going on. It was him or Zalatoris. T6 and I got this entirely wrong. $875k wrong.

Jusitn Thomas – I’m saving him for my Old Kentucky Home in May. You gotta do you. Hell, he’s good enough to win both. MC. I backed him in other places to win. Disastrous.

Brian Harman – Tough laydown, but I’ll find other uses for him. TOUGH LAYDOWN???? $1.891 million tough!

Scottie Scheffler – I included him for those of you considering using him. Winning the week before this event has happened like three times and Tiger Woods and Ray Floyd are the two of the names. I’m glad I’m not butting heads with the history the Texan faces this week. Can he? Of course. If he does, it’s an all-time result. WINNER. And it was an all-time result. All you needed to hit was surviving a pinched nerve, a five-shot deficit, and a record-tying 64 on Sunday. Remind me again if you get “screwed” down the road so I can laugh out loud.

Longshots

Tom Hoge – T54 after 75-75 weekend.

Sahith Theegala – T9, oh hey, another top 10 that I didn’t select.

Harris English – T19.

Garrick Higgo – WD (wrist injury after Round 1).

This Week – Valspar Championship

MY CHOICE: Sam Burns

Read Horses for Courses.

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.

Christiaan Bezuidenhout – Each week appears to be more comfortable. Cashing T24 at Riviera and T13 at TPC Sawgrass is my proof.

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.

Longshots

Adam Schenk

Adam Hadwin

Adam PacMan Jones

Adam West

Adam Viniateri

Taylor Montgomery

Glass Houses

Fantasy Golf Only

Tiger Woods

Sony Open in Hawaii

Opening Drive 2025 – The Sentry

World Wide Technology Championship

ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP

Black Desert Championship

RBC Canadian Open

RBC Canadian Open

88th Masters Tournament

88^th Masters Tournament

Valero Texas Open Preview

Valero Texas Open

Texas Children’s Houston Open

Texas Children’s Houston Open

Valspar Championship Preview

Valspar Championship

One and Done

This Week – Valspar Championship