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Golf Fight! Golfer gets KO’d in Alberta

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Warning: This video contains explicit language

[youtube id=”xtf3qvhU_Mw” width=”620″ height=”360″]

Warning: This video contains explicit language

I had a high school friend who wrestled in the winter and golfed in the summer. He wanted to find a way to combine the two sports. Fortunately, I wasn’t around when (or if) he succeeded. He was a good golfer and a great wrestler, so you understand my reticence.

In the normally-agreeable country of Canada, where fights are restricted to frozen ponds and involve sticks, pucks and the dropping of gloves, a situation happened at the Elk Point Golf and Country Club in the province of Alberta. It can only be described, in the immortal words of Ron Burgundy, as “Wow, that escalated quickly.”

We have no names to attach to the gents involved in the one-punch bout of pugilism. The audio is sketchy at best, so what we can detect are threats, reactions, a sickening thud and apologies (and the giggles of the camera man.)

It seems that white-polo guy attempts to goad neon-green shirt dude into a debate by hurling the words “just walk away” in some sort of “you’re not a man” way. Neon-green guy decides to stand up for all luminescent shirts everywhere and returns to the fray.

“Making it right” somehow enters the picture, as both white-polo guy and neon-green shirt dude agree that something must be made right. Unfortunately, “making it right” involves a haymaker of a right cross from neon-green shirt dude to the jaw of white-polo guy.

There’s something strangely Hollywood about this segment. Smoke (possibly from the camera man’s cigarette) sets a murky scene, trailing across the screen from right to left at least five times. Two damsels run to the aid of the now-unconscious white-polo guy. Immediately remorseful, neon-green shirt guy emphasizes his contrition with a few F-bombs, as all repentant folks have done throughout the ages.

Given the state of the world, with violence exposing itself seemingly everywhere, it should come as no shock that the normally placid, genteel game of golf has fallen victim to such a passionate outburst. We’ve seen professional golfers stalk off greens when slowed down by playing partners, we’ve heard tales of locker-room dress-downs for too-long nails (metal spikes.) It seems the natural course of things that a brief fist fight should occur on the golf course.

Was alcohol involved? Were strokes shaved? Was a swing disrupted? Did someone play into another foursome? In this particular case, we don’t know. For all those posers who have threatened to bury a wedge in someone’s…something, use this as a cautionary lesson. Once executed, you can’t take it back. Golf doesn’t need this. None of us needs this.

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Ronald Montesano writes for GolfWRX.com from western New York. He dabbles in coaching golf and teaching Spanish, in addition to scribbling columns on all aspects of golf, from apparel to architecture, from equipment to travel. Follow Ronald on Twitter at @buffalogolfer.

60 Comments

60 Comments

  1. YevKasem

    Sep 28, 2013 at 11:53 am

    As Elaine Benis would have said:

    Fake…fake…fake…fake..

  2. D

    Sep 18, 2013 at 10:23 am

    So does anyone actually go to youtube to see what this was about? This wasn’t about golf at all……….

    From youtube.

    golfcrazy6969 2 weeks ago

    Guy in green had a party at his house and the guy who got laid out went into his bedroom and was watching his women sleep naked. no one knew this occurred until the next day on the course when the guy went around bragging watched her naked. this info got back to my friend and after hearing this his 15yo niece also admitted that he came into her room twice trying to we assume catch her in bed. he deserved to be knocked out and im sure a lot of people who have not? stopped with just one punch.

    • D

      Sep 18, 2013 at 10:25 am

      My bad, didn’t scroll all the way down before posting. But agree with what others said. This has no business being on GolfWRX.

  3. Doug

    Sep 17, 2013 at 10:47 pm

    Not a proud moment for either of them.

  4. Zach

    Sep 13, 2013 at 9:48 pm

    Reminds me of that srixon commercial with gMac getting owned by the UFC fighter.

  5. TheLegend

    Sep 13, 2013 at 12:32 pm

    The white shirt guy made a threat, and he was following him so green shirt turned around and gave him what he was looking for! Good job green! This is nothing iv had a gun pulled out on my buddy b4. Some guy stole his clubs and ran. Golf can have some violence sometimes.

  6. Mike Leether

    Sep 13, 2013 at 8:28 am

    Who called the morality police?. If you don’t wanna watch it, don’t. if you’re offended, leave the site. You’re free to have your opinions. Both camps. Bottom line this is this act of violence DID happen on the golf course and in turn IS relavent. That’s not “IMO”, that is fact!….

  7. J

    Sep 12, 2013 at 2:56 pm

    Here’s the lesson in that one. Don’t ever let anyone get inside kicking or punching distance.

  8. Burke

    Sep 10, 2013 at 1:59 pm

    The youtube uploader said this in the comments….Guy in green had a party at his house and the guy who got laid out went into his bedroom and was watching his women sleep naked. no one knew this occurred until the next day on the course when the guy went around bragging watched her naked. this info got back to my friend and after hearing this his 15yo? niece also admitted that he came into her room twice trying to we assume catch her in bed. he deserved to be knocked out and im sure a lot of people who have not stopped with just one punch.

  9. Ken

    Sep 4, 2013 at 5:15 pm

    If you read the comments on YouTube you will understand the genesis of t his fight. Apparently the guy that got knocked out was “snooping” on the green shirt guys Niece in her bedroom and was caught. That’s why he threw the punch. Listen to what he says at the end…”I didn’t want to do that, he walked in on my Niece”. Kind of changes the way you feel about the video after seeing that, but overall I have to agree with some of the other posters – I don’t feel this fits on Golfwrx

  10. Brian

    Sep 4, 2013 at 1:10 pm

    If you read the YouTube comment this was not a golf argument but something to do with a party the night before. Only thing it has to do with golf is that it happen the next day at the course.

  11. Eric

    Sep 4, 2013 at 9:50 am

    I think this video shows the effects of what can happen when your back side can’t back up your mouth…..even on the golf course. I have a feeling there are a few members on this site that are going to run into a similar situation as this someday with the way they run their mouths in the forums.

  12. tom milhaus

    Sep 4, 2013 at 12:24 am

    words have consequences…I’m sure white shirt dude will think twice before challenging the next green shirt dude he comes across. Wisdom is the better part of valor…you never know who’s going to throw the punch. I don’t mind the post of the video. If you’re going to open your mouth you better be prepared to defend your words.

  13. JB

    Sep 2, 2013 at 4:57 pm

    None of us know what happened before all of this. By the sounds of it, the white shirt guy did something totally wrong. Commenting on what he should/should not have done is unnecessary.

    Well written article BTW…as always

  14. Ronald Montesano

    Sep 2, 2013 at 9:52 am

    Rick,

    Thank you for the compliment. It’s good to be a “so called” writer. Keep reading and keep voicing your thoughts and opinions.

  15. Rocky

    Sep 2, 2013 at 2:41 am

    What do you tell someone itch one black eye?

    Nothing. Your already told them once!

    Those Canadians are violent.

  16. Rick

    Sep 1, 2013 at 9:44 pm

    I expect this kind of stuff from GolfWRX but not Golf Digest. Golf Digest should really vet some of these so called writers.

  17. Ronald Montesano

    Sep 1, 2013 at 7:07 pm

    I doubt it’s the first time someone was decked, knocked out or worse on a golf course. First time I can remember that it was caught on camera and dispersed over the web.

  18. John Mehoff

    Sep 1, 2013 at 12:51 pm

    Well the guy in green can apologize all he wants yet it looks like 2nd degree battery to me.

    p.s. I think the guy in White pissed himself.

  19. Yohanan

    Sep 1, 2013 at 1:11 am

    First off – Canucks will “Go” as one hockey player said at the drop of a hat or gloves. Its why they let them fight so they drops the sticks Eh? Now in this case we got clubs. At least he hit him with his fist? Because it sure sounds like niece to me. And KCCO find is accurate AND If white pole guy did or does have a problem then he might think twice about being a perv next time? And if that is the case, then white polo guy might be the one going to jail?

    It is too bad this had to take place on a tee box and tarnish the game of golf. But it just goes to show you how society has changed and how much golf has changed in the last 20 to 30 or so years.

    Cheers

  20. John

    Aug 30, 2013 at 6:17 pm

    Sounded like it was Tom Green

  21. yo!

    Aug 30, 2013 at 2:02 pm

    Neither guy did anything to cool down the situation … so the guy with the weak chin ended it.

  22. Ronald Montesano

    Aug 30, 2013 at 11:38 am

    I thought it was “walked up on my tee…” or something.

    • Josh

      Aug 30, 2013 at 1:43 pm

      I heard both after trying to listen several times. If it was “walked in on my niece”, well….don’t know all the details but not sure if I disagree with green shirt.

      If it was “walked up on my tee”, well green shirt should be headed to the jailhouse.

  23. Barry

    Aug 30, 2013 at 10:43 am

    Unfortunately-The golf course is not immune to the ugly realities of life, which makes it all the more upsetting when distressing incidents like this happen, as it is often a place we go for therapeutic escapism.It rarely gets to this level-but when two people clash and pride and testosterone are involved-this can happen.I know the feeling I got when my girlfriends head was narrowly missed by an errant shot-by an idiot who never gave a warning shout and offered no apology and smirked at me when confronted-the next level is only a split second away-people do not like like this post on golfwrx because we like to believe golf,our beloved game, and the people who play it are whiter than white-no thugs,cheats or thiefs-reality hurts.Great article.

  24. John

    Aug 30, 2013 at 10:35 am

    Walked in on his what???

    • Big_5_Hole

      Aug 30, 2013 at 11:22 am

      I think he says “Walked in on my niece” which indicates this guy may have deserved the sucker punch knock out…. but then again, he may have said something completely different…

      • John

        Aug 30, 2013 at 6:09 pm

        Thought it sounded like niece too, walked in where though, potra John?

      • Philip

        Sep 4, 2013 at 11:27 am

        I think he said peace…

  25. Ronald Montesano

    Aug 30, 2013 at 9:08 am

    Evan, that is a cogent response. I find nothing remotely flawed in it. Well thought-out on your part and appreciated by us.

  26. Evan

    Aug 30, 2013 at 8:44 am

    I don’t necessarily agree that the world is more violent than it was. Certainly instances of violence are more visible because of Media/ Youtube. I think 50 years ago (talking to grandparents) people were more upfront with aggression and social conduct in general. People were accountable for their words and actions, if someone was out of line it might lead to a challenge. Young men have been fist fighting since young men have been walking the earth. One could argue that people put up with more ‘talk’ these days and have suppressed confrontation, sometimes leading to an outburst or overreaction. Look at all of the inflammatory comments made on the internet because someone is behind a key board and not face to face.

    This video is an example of an outburst, the white shirted guy obviously was confrontational but did not seem to expect it to get physical. If there is a lesson to be learned here it is that you should be ready to take a punch if you’re going to run your mouth.

    • John

      Aug 30, 2013 at 6:15 pm

      Agreed, if more people thought they might get punched in the face, behavior in general would be more civil… Ironic as that may sound…

    • DB

      Sep 2, 2013 at 10:36 pm

      Couldn’t agree more. When will people be held accountable for their actions again? I’m not saying the guy deserved to be punched. But way too many people are offended by the sight of someone being punched right here. I failed a test to get a job when they asked “Is it ever ok to hit someone?” I thought back to a night at the bar and a guy walking around sticking his hand up girls skirt, after a couple good feels he was knocked out. This should happen more, and lawsuits or police calls less.

    • naflack

      Sep 4, 2013 at 4:13 pm

      well said.

    • christian

      Sep 27, 2013 at 10:42 am

      Best response. Thank you

  27. J

    Aug 30, 2013 at 8:21 am

    Posting the video only helps it reach a broader audience. Justify it as a teaching moment all you like… Laud the negativity of the video… Say that this type of behavior has no place… But apply the same principle to other materials…

    You wouldn’t post a pornographic video and then say that’s disgusting would you?

    The articles have gone downhill lately…

    From a writer pigeon holing muni players with alcoholics and drunken stupidity… To a writer saying violence is bad by spreading images of violence…

    Bravo GolfWRX… As the ” Leadership ” of this establishment is fond of saying…

    Way to take the High Road.

    • Ronald Montesano

      Aug 30, 2013 at 6:41 pm

      Keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer. Pretending it doesn’t exist doesn’t make it go away.

      Thanks for the comment, J.

    • Chris

      Sep 28, 2013 at 2:16 am

      I do slightly understand where your coming from , but at the same time, its just an article and i highly doubt the writer meant to offend anyone. It shows how unpredictable some people can be and we all need to be aware of it. For the record, I do not support violence , but it happens everywhere if you like it or not…even on a quiet golf course.

  28. Leftright

    Aug 30, 2013 at 7:49 am

    This incident begs the question though, when is it time to retaliate for something on the golf course? The other guy obviously used some words that really got under the green shirt guy’s skin but he did not throw a punch. I wonder if the green shirt guy gets charged for assault? I think some ETOH was involved in this altercation.

  29. Lenny

    Aug 30, 2013 at 7:37 am

    As someone who has played hockey professionally and has see and been in fights that was not an altercation (fight) it was a sucker punch….if your gonna fight (or GO as we say) square of and get it done. white shirt guy may have been walking over to green shirt guy but his mannerisms certainly didn’t indicate he wanted to GO and when he got KO’d his hands were by his side.. Then green shirt guys say saying “something like ” I didn’t want to do that” ….yup sucker punch. Launcher, great observation on the cart path!

    • Ronald Montesano

      Aug 30, 2013 at 6:44 pm

      These are very good points, Lenny. Once the gloves are off, the bets are off. No honor among brawlers. If you don’t throw the first one, you might not get to throw the second, as we see above.

    • naflack

      Sep 4, 2013 at 4:10 pm

      I agree with your assessment, absolute sucker punch.
      He absolutely wanted to do what he did or he wouldn’t have done it. I have been in this situation, I simply asked the gentlemen if he was here to golf or to fight, them told him that I was indeed here to golf and if he was here to fight he will easily find some takers in the club house bar. Then I went and played my ball…perhaps lucky enough for me the head pro was in the group behind me but either way sometimes people need some calm perspective. In the gentlemans defense when I walked to play my ball he moved on as well.

  30. Johnny 36

    Aug 30, 2013 at 12:53 am

    Neon = Rig Pig, I would assume

  31. Launcher

    Aug 29, 2013 at 11:28 pm

    Someone is very lucky that they weren’t 2 feet closer to the cart path. That could have been really bad.

    • Ronald Montesano

      Aug 30, 2013 at 6:44 am

      Two someones, Launcher. I’m thinking that both guys are in their twenties/early thirties. I remember those days, still a bit hot-headed. Altercations will still easy to come by.

  32. Mat

    Aug 29, 2013 at 11:10 pm

    If you think this isn’t serious, I’d invite you to see what the damage is to something like this:

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/05/ricardo-portillo-soccer-referee-dies_n_3219305.html

    • Ronald Montesano

      Aug 30, 2013 at 6:43 am

      I agree with you, Mat. It’s never a lark. This has happened at least twice in soccer leagues, also in fan interaction at professional sporting events. If it had been one-sided, blame would be simple. Both parties put down roots in the altercation. Neither one backed away and both are at fault.

      • Leftright

        Aug 30, 2013 at 7:46 am

        Ron, what is soccer? (sarc) I don’t think I have ever seen a live soccer game. On TV it’s like watching grass grow to me.

  33. Ronald Montesano

    Aug 29, 2013 at 10:11 pm

    SOMEONE took a class on metaphor in school. I wouldn’t read that into it, Vic, but by all means, don’t let me stop you from doing it.

  34. vic

    Aug 29, 2013 at 10:06 pm

    THAT WAS AWESOME! green guy is the best because he represents all the downtrodden underlings yearning to knock out the fat cat capitalist honchos in the world.

    THE BEST!

  35. Matthew Hopper

    Aug 29, 2013 at 9:59 pm

    Totally agree with your assessment mat. And if you buy Ronald’s response I’ve got some swampland for sale.

  36. Ronald Montesano

    Aug 29, 2013 at 9:46 pm

    Thank you, Mat. I disagree with your assessment. It’s a teachable moment. If anyone brings his daily, outside burdens to the golf course, a flare-up might be moments away. Watching this video and reading my words will (hopefully) stop folks from raging on the course and injuring someone.

    • naflack

      Sep 4, 2013 at 4:00 pm

      I completely agree!
      Very teachable moment indeed.

      • Curt

        Sep 11, 2013 at 2:38 pm

        I third that motion!!! A very teachable moment, indeed. Either keep your mouth shut, or learn to defend yourself!! Thats the lesson! Cuz you cant stop someone who is dead set on punching you, if you speak up.

    • chowchow

      Sep 4, 2013 at 4:42 pm

      how many people do you think reads this stuff? I am betting less than .0001 of the golfers will read this. Looks like a hockey match broke out at the driving range.

  37. Mat

    Aug 29, 2013 at 9:43 pm

    And for all the complaining you’re doing about the “given…state of the world”, you’re most guilty of purveying the violence. In fact, you’re sanctioning it. This isn’t an article; it’s simply an excuse to post a video you thought was fun – and very violent.

    This had almost nothing to do with golf other than it happened at a golf course. It’s a shame to stain GolfWRX and GolfDigest with this kind of content.

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19th Hole

Vincenzi’s 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open betting preview

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As the Florida swing comes to an end, the PGA Tour makes its way to Houston to play the Texas Children’s Houston Open at Memorial Park Golf Course.

This will be the fourth year that Memorial Park Golf Course will serve as the tournament host. The event did not take place in 2023, but the course hosted the event in 2020, 2021 and 2022.

Memorial Park is a par-70 layout measuring 7,432 yards and features Bermudagrass greens. Historically, the main defense for the course has been thick rough along the fairways and tightly mown runoff areas around the greens. Memorial Park has a unique setup that features three Par 5’s and five Par 3’s.

The field will consist of 132 players, with the top 65 and ties making the cut. There are some big names making the trip to Houston, including Scottie Scheffler, Wyndham Clark, Tony Finau, Will Zalatoris and Sahith Theegala.

Past Winners at Memorial Park

  • 2022: Tony Finau (-16)
  • 2021: Jason Kokrak (-10)
  • 2020: Carlos Ortiz (-13)

In this article and going forward, I’ll be using the Rabbit Hole by Betsperts Golf data engine to develop my custom model. If you want to build your own model or check out all of the detailed stats, you can sign up using promo code: MATTVIN for 25% off any subscription package (yearly is best value). 

Key Stats For Memorial Park

Let’s take a look at several metrics for Memorial Park to determine which golfers boast top marks in each category over their last 24 rounds:

Strokes Gained: Approach

Memorial Park is a pretty tough golf course. Golfers are penalized for missing greens and face some difficult up and downs to save par. Approach will be key.

Total Strokes Gained: Approach per round in past 24 rounds:

  1. Tom Hoge (+1.30)
  2. Scottie Scheffler (+1.26)
  3. Keith Mitchell (+0.97) 
  4. Tony Finau (+0.92)
  5. Jake Knapp (+0.84)

Strokes Gained: Off the Tee

Memorial Park is a long golf course with rough that can be penal. Therefore, a combination of distance and accuracy is the best metric.

Total Strokes Gained: Off the Tee per round in past 24 rounds:

  1. Scottie Scheffler (+0.94)
  2. Kevin Dougherty (+0.93)
  3. Cameron Champ (+0.86)
  4. Rafael Campos (+0.84)
  5. Si Woo Kim (+0.70)

Strokes Gained Putting: Bermudagrass + Fast

The Bermudagrass greens played fairly fast the past few years in Houston. Jason Kokrak gained 8.7 strokes putting on his way to victory in 2021 and Tony Finau gained in 7.8 in 2022.

Total Strokes Gained Putting (Bermudagrass) per round past 24 rounds (min. 8 rounds):

  1. Adam Svensson (+1.27)
  2. Harry Hall (+1.01)
  3. Martin Trainer (+0.94)
  4. Taylor Montgomery (+0.88)
  5. S.H. Kim (+0.86)

Strokes Gained: Around the Green

With firm and undulating putting surfaces, holding the green on approach shots may prove to be a challenge. Memorial Park has many tightly mowed runoff areas, so golfers will have challenging up-and-down’s around the greens. Carlos Ortiz gained 5.7 strokes around the green on the way to victory in 2020.

Total Strokes Gained: Around the Green per round in past 24 rounds:

  1. Mackenzie Hughes (+0.76)
  2. S.H. Kim (+0.68)
  3. Scottie Scheffler (+0.64)
  4. Jorge Campillo (+0.62)
  5. Jason Day (+0.60)

Strokes Gained: Long and Difficult

Memorial Park is a long and difficult golf course. This statistic will incorporate players who’ve had success on these types of tracks in the past. 

Total Strokes Gained: Long and Difficult in past 24 rounds:

  1. Scottie Scheffler (+2.45)
  2. Ben Griffin (+1.75)
  3. Will Zalatoris (+1.73)
  4. Ben Taylor (+1.53)
  5. Tony Finau (+1.42)

Course History

Here are the players who have performed the most consistently at Memorial Park. 

Strokes Gained Total at Memorial Park past 12 rounds:

  1. Tyson Alexander (+3.65)
  2. Ben Taylor (+3.40)
  3. Tony Finau (+2.37)
  4. Joel Dahmen (+2.25)
  5. Patton Kizzire (+2.16)

Statistical Model

Below, I’ve reported overall model rankings using a combination of the five key statistical categories previously discussed.

These rankings are comprised of SG: App (24%) SG: OTT (24%); SG: Putting Bermudagrass/Fast (13%); SG: Long and Difficult (13%); SG: ARG (13%) and Course History (13%)

  1. Scottie Scheffler
  2. Wyndham Clark
  3. Tony Finau
  4. Joel Dahmen
  5. Stephan Jaeger 
  6. Aaron Rai
  7. Sahith Theegala
  8. Keith Mitchell 
  9. Jhonnatan Vegas
  10. Jason Day
  11. Kurt Kitayama
  12. Alex Noren
  13. Will Zalatoris
  14. Si Woo Kim
  15. Adam Long

2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open Picks

Will Zalatoris +2000 (Caesars)

Scottie Scheffler will undoubtedly be difficult to beat this week, so I’m starting my card with someone who I believe has the talent to beat him if he doesn’t have his best stuff.

Will Zalatoris missed the cut at the PLAYERS, but still managed to gain strokes on approach while doing so. In an unpredictable event with extreme variance, I don’t believe it would be wise to discount Zalatoris based on that performance. Prior to The PLAYERS, the 27-year-old finished T13, T2 and T4 in his previous three starts.

Zalatoris plays his best golf on long and difficult golf courses. In his past 24 rounds, he ranks 3rd in the category, but the eye test also tells a similar story. He’s contended at major championships and elevated events in the best of fields with tough scoring conditions.  The Texas resident should be a perfect fit at Memorial Park Golf Club.

Alex Noren +4500 (FanDuel)

Alex Noren has been quietly playing some of his best golf of the last half decade this season. The 41-year-old is coming off back-to-back top-20 finishes in Florida including a T9 at The PLAYERS in his most recent start.

In his past 24 rounds, Noren ranks 21st in the field in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee, 30th in Strokes Gained: Around the Green, 25th in Strokes Gained: Total on long and difficult courses and 21st in Strokes Gained: Putting on fast Bermudagrass greens.

In addition to his strong recent play, the Swede also has played well at Memorial Park. In 2022, Noren finished T4 at the event, gaining 2.2 strokes off the tee and 7.0 strokes on approach for the week. In his two starts at the course, he’s gained an average of .6 strokes per round on the field, indicating he is comfortable on these greens.

Noren has been due for a win for what feels like an eternity, but Memorial Park may be the course that suits him well enough for him to finally get his elusive first PGA Tour victory.

Mackenzie Hughes +8000 (FanDuel)

Mackenzie Hughes found himself deep into contention at last week’s Valspar Championship before faltering late and finishing in a tie for 3rd place. While he would have loved to win the event, it’s hard to see the performance as anything other than an overwhelming positive sign for the Canadian.

Hughes has played great golf at Memorial Park in the past. He finished T7 in 2020, T29 in 2021 and T16 in 2022. The course fit seems to be quite strong for Hughes. He’s added distance off the tee in the past year or and ranks 8th in the field for apex height, which will be a key factor when hitting into Memorial Park’s elevated greens with steep run-off areas.

In his past 24 rounds, Hughes is the best player in the field in Strokes Gained: Around the Greens. The ability to scramble at this course will be extremely important. I believe Hughes can build off of his strong finish last week and contend once again to cement himself as a President’s Cup consideration.

Akshay Bhatia +8000 (FanDuel)

Akshay Bhatia played well last week at the Valspar and seemed to be in total control of his golf ball. He finished in a tie for 17th and shot an impressive -3 on a difficult Sunday. After struggling Thursday, Akshay shot 68-70-68 in his next three rounds.

Thus far, Bhatia has played better at easier courses, but his success at Copperhead may be due to his game maturing. The 22-year-old has enormous potential and the raw talent to be one of the best players in the world when he figures it all out.

Bhatia is a high upside play with superstar qualities and may just take the leap forward to the next stage of his career in the coming months.

Cameron Champ +12000 (FanDuel)

Cameron Champ is a player I often target in the outright betting market due to his “boom-or-bust” nature. It’s hard to think of a player in recent history with three PGA Tour wins who’s been as inconsistent as Champ has over the course of his career.

Despite the erratic play, Cam Champ simply knows how to win. He’s won in 2018, 2019 and 2021, so I feel he’s due for a win at some point this season. The former Texas A&M product should be comfortable in Texas and last week he showed us that his game is in a pretty decent spot.

Over his past 24 rounds, Champ ranks 3rd in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee and 30th in Strokes Gained: Total on long and difficult courses. Given his ability to spike at any given time, Memorial Park is a good golf course to target Champ on at triple digit odds.

Robert MacIntyre +12000 (FanDuel)

The challenge this week is finding players who can possibly beat Scottie Scheffler while also not dumping an enormous amount of money into an event that has a player at the top that looks extremely dangerous. Enter McIntyre, who’s another boom-or-bust type player who has the ceiling to compete with anyone when his game is clicking on all cylinders.

In his past 24 rounds, MacIntyre ranks 16th in the field in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee, 17th in Strokes Gained: Around the Green and 10th in Strokes Gained: Total on long and difficult courses.

MacIntyre’s PGA Tour season has gotten off to a slow start, but he finished T6 in Mexico, which is a course where players will hit driver on the majority of their tee shots, which is what we will see at Memorial Park. Texas can also get quite windy, which should suit MacIntyre. Last July, the Scot went toe to toe with Rory McIlroy at the Scottish Open before a narrow defeat. It would take a similar heroic effort to compete with Scheffler this year in Houston.

Ryan Moore +15000 (FanDuel)

Ryan Moore’s iron play has been absolutely unconscious over his past few starts. At The PLAYERS Championship in a loaded field, he gained 6.1 strokes on approach and last week at Copperhead, he gained 9.0 strokes on approach.

It’s been a rough handful of years on Tour for the 41-year-old, but he is still a five-time winner on the PGA Tour who’s young enough for a career resurgence. Moore has chronic deterioration in a costovertebral joint that connects the rib to the spine, but has been getting more consistent of late, which is hopefully a sign that he is getting healthy.

Veterans have been contending in 2024 and I believe taking a flier on a proven Tour play who’s shown signs of life is a wise move at Memorial Park.

 

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Opinion & Analysis

Ryan: Why the race to get better at golf might be doing more harm than good

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B.F. Skinner was one of the most important psychologists of the 20th century, developing the foundation of the development of reinforcement, and in doing so, creating the concept of behaviorism. In simple terms, this means that we are conditioned by our habits. In practical terms, it explains the divide between the few and far between elite instructors and college coaches.

To understand the application, let’s quickly review one of B.F. Skinner’s most important experiments; superstitions in the formation of behavior by pigeons. In this experiment, food was dispensed to pigeons at random intervals. Soon, according to Skinner, the pigeons began to associate whatever action they were doing at the time of the food being dispensed. According to Skinner, this conditioned that response and soon, they simply haphazardly repeated the action, failing to distinguish between cause and correlation (and in the meantime, looking really funny!).

Now, this is simply the best way to describe the actions of most every women’s college golf coach and too many instructors in America. They see something work, get positive feedback and then become conditioned to give the feedback, more and more, regardless of if it works (this is also why tips from your buddies never work!).

Go to a college event, particularly a women’s one, and you will see coaches running all over the place. Like the pigeons in the experiment, they have been conditioned into a codependent relationship with their players in which they believe their words and actions, can transform a round of golf. It is simply hilarious while being equally perturbing

In junior golf, it’s everywhere. Junior golf academies make a living selling parents that a hysterical coach and over-coaching are essential ingredients in your child’s success.

Let’s be clear, no one of any intellect has any real interest in golf — because it’s not that interesting. The people left, including most coaches and instructors, carve out a small fiefdom, usually on the corner of the range, where they use the illusion of competency to pray on people. In simple terms, they baffle people with the bullshit of pseudo-science that they can make you better, after just one more lesson.

The reality is that life is an impromptu game. The world of golf, business, and school have a message that the goal is being right. This, of course, is bad advice, being right in your own mind is easy, trying to push your ideas on others is hard. As a result, it is not surprising that the divorce rate among golf professionals and their instructors is 100 percent. The transfer rate among college players continues to soar, and too many courses have a guy peddling nefarious science to good people. In fact, we do at my course!

The question is, what impact does all this have on college-age and younger kids? At this point, we honestly don’t know. However, I am going to go out on a limb and say it isn’t good.

Soren Kierkegaard once quipped “I saw it for what it is, and I laughed.” The actions of most coaches and instructors in America are laughable. The problem is that I am not laughing because they are doing damage to kids, as well as driving good people away from this game.

The fact is that golfers don’t need more tips, secrets, or lessons. They need to be presented with a better understanding of the key elements of golf. With this understanding, they can then start to frame which information makes sense and what doesn’t. This will emancipate them and allow them to take charge of their own development.

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19th Hole

Vincenzi’s 2024 Valspar Championship betting preview: Elite ballstrikers to thrive at Copperhead

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The PGA TOUR will stay in Florida this week for the 2024 Valspar Championship.

The Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort is a par 71 measuring 7,340 yards and features Bermudagrass greens overseeded with POA. Infamous for its difficulty, the track will be a tough test for golfers as trouble lurks all over the place. Holes 16, 17 and 18 — also known as the “Snake Pit” — make up one of the toughest three-hole stretches in golf and should lead to a captivating finish on Sunday.

The field is comprised of 156 golfers teeing it up. The field this week is solid and is a major improvement over last year’s field that felt the impact of players skipping due to a handful of “signature events” in a short span of time. 

Past Winners at Valspar Championship

  • 2023: Taylor Moore (-10)
  • 2022: Sam Burns (-17)
  • 2021: Sam Burns (-17)
  • 2019: Paul Casey (-8)
  • 2018: Paul Casey (-10)
  • 2017: Adam Hadwin (-14)
  • 2016: Charl Schwartzel (-7)
  • 2015: Jordan Spieth (-10)

In this article and going forward, I’ll be using the Rabbit Hole by Betsperts Golf data engine to develop my custom model. If you want to build your own model or check out all of the detailed stats, you can sign up using promo code: MATTVIN for 25% off any subscription package (yearly is best value). 

Key Stats For Copperhead

1. Strokes Gained: Approach

Strokes Gained: Approach grades out as the most important statistic once again this week. Copperhead really can’t be overpowered and is a second-shot golf course.

Total SG: Approach Over Past 24 Rounds (per round)

  1. Tony Finau (+.90)
  2. Nick Taylor (+.81)
  3. Justin Thomas (+.77)
  4. Greyson Sigg (+.69)
  5. Christiaan Bezuidenhout (+.67)

2. Good Drive %

The long hitters can be a bit limited here due to the tree-lined fairways and penal rough. Playing from the fairways will be important, but laying back too far will cause some difficult approaches with firm greens that may not hold shots from long irons.

Golfers who have a good balance of distance and accuracy have the best chance this week.

Good Drive % Over Past 24 Rounds

  1. Brice Garnett (+91.3%) 
  2. Zach Johnson (+91.1%)
  3. Sam Ryder (+90.5%)
  4. Ryan Moore (+90.4%)
  5. Aaron Rai (+89.7%)

3. Strokes Gained: Ball Striking

Adding ball-striking puts even more of a premium on tee-to-green prowess in the statistical model this week. Golfers who rank highly in ball-striking are in total control of the golf ball which is exceedingly important at Copperhead.

SG: Ball Striking Over Past 24 Rounds:

  1. Xander Schauffele (+1.32)
  2. Keith Mitchell (+1.29)
  3. Tony Finau (+1.24)
  4. Cameron Young (+1.17) 
  5. Doug Ghim (+.95)

4. Bogey Avoidance

With the conditions likely to be difficult, avoiding bogeys will be crucial this week. In a challenging event like the Valspar, oftentimes the golfer who is best at avoiding mistakes ends up on top.

Gritty golfers who can grind out difficult pars have a much better chance in an event like this than a low-scoring birdie-fest.

Bogey Avoidance Over Past 24 Rounds

  1. Brice Garnett (+9.0)
  2. Xander Schauffele (+9.3)
  3. Austin Cook (+9.7) 
  4. Chesson Hadley (+10.0)
  5. Greyson Sigg (+10.2)

5. Strokes Gained: Total in Difficult Conditions

Conditions will be tough this week at Copperhead. I am looking for golfers who can rise to the occasion if the course plays as difficult as it has in the past.

Strokes Gained: Total in Difficult Conditions Over Past 24 rounds

  1. Xander Schauffele (+1,71) 
  2. Min Woo Lee (+1.39)
  3. Cameron Young (+1.27)
  4. Jordan Spieth (+1.08)
  5. Justin Suh (+.94)

6. Course History

That statistic will tell us which players have played well at Copperhead in the past.

Course History Over Past 24 rounds

  1. Patrick Cantlay (+3.75) 
  2. Sam Burns (+2.49)
  3. Davis Riley (+2.33)
  4. Matt NeSmith (+2.22)
  5. Jordan Spieth (+2.04)

The Valspar Championship Model Rankings

Below, I’ve compiled overall model rankings using a combination of the five key statistical categories previously discussed — SG: Approach (27%), Good Drive % (15%), SG: BS (20%), Bogeys Avoided (13%), Course History (13%) Strokes Gained: Total in Difficult Conditions (12%).

  1. Xander Schauffele
  2. Doug Ghim
  3. Victor Perez
  4. Greyson Sigg
  5. Ryan Moore
  6. Tony Finau
  7. Justin Thomas
  8. Sam Ryder
  9. Sam Burns
  10. Lucas Glover

2024 Valspar Championship Picks

Justin Thomas +1400 (DraftKings)

Justin Thomas will be disappointed with his finish at last week’s PLAYERS Championship, as the past champion missed the cut despite being in some decent form heading into the event. Despite the missed cut, JT hit the ball really well. In his two rounds, the two-time major champion led the field in Strokes Gained: Approach per round.

Thomas has been up and down this season. He’s missed the cut in two “signature events” but also has finishes of T12 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, T12 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, T6 at the Pebble Beach AT&T Pro-Am and T3 at the American Express. In his past 24 rounds, he ranks 3rd in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach and 6th in Strokes Gained: Ball Striking in the field.

Thomas loves Copperhead. In his last three tries at the course, he’s finished T13, T3 and T10. Thomas would have loved to get a win at a big event early in the season, but avoidable mistakes and a balky putter have cost him dearly. I believe a trip to a course he loves in a field he should be able to capitalize on is the right recipe for JT to right the ship.

Christiaan Bezuidenhout +6000 (FanDuel)

Christiaan Bezuidenhout is playing spectacular golf in the 2024 season. He finished 2nd at the American Express, T20 at Pebble Beach and T24 at the Genesis Invitational before finishing T13 at last week’s PLAYERS Championship.

In his past 24 rounds, the South African ranks 3rd in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach and 26th in Strokes Gained: Ball Striking. Bezuidenhout managed to work his way around TPC Sawgrass last week with minimal damage. He only made five bogeys in the entire week, which is a great sign heading into a difficult Copperhead this week.

Bezuidenhout is winless in his PGA Tour career, but certainly has the talent to win on Tour. His recent iron play tells me that this week could be a breakthrough for the 35-year-old who has eyes on the President’s Cup.

Doug Ghim +8000 (FanDuel)

Doug Ghim has finished in the top-16 of his past five starts. Most recently, Ghim finished T16 at The PLAYERS Championship in a loaded field.

In his past 24 rounds, Ghim ranks 8th in Strokes Gained: Approach and 5th in Strokes Gained: Ball Striking. In terms of his fit for Copperhead, the 27-year-old ranks 12th in Bogey Avoidance and 7th in Strokes Gained: Total in Difficult Conditions, making him a great fit for the course.

Ghim has yet to win on Tour, but at one point he was the top ranked Amateur golfer in the world and played in the 2017 Arnold Palmer Cup and 2017 Walker Cup. He then won the Ben Hogan award for the best male college golfer in 2018. He certainly has the talent, and there are signals aplenty that his talent in ready to take him to the winner’s circle on the PGA Tour.

Sepp Straka +8000 (BetRivers)

Sepp Straka is a player who’s shown he has the type of game that can translate to a difficult Florida golf course. The former Presidents Cup participant won the 2022 Honda Classic in tough conditions and should thrive with a similar test at Copperhead.

It’s been a slow 2024 for Straka, but his performance last week at the PLAYERS Championship surely provides some optimism. He gained 5.4 strokes on approach as well as 1.88 strokes off the tee. The tee-to-green game Straka showed on a course with plenty of danger demonstrates that he can stay in control of his golf ball this week.

It’s possible that the strong performance last week was an outlier, but I’m willing to bet on a proven winner in a weaker field at a great number.

Victor Perez +12000 (FanDuel)

Victor Perez is no stranger to success in professional golf. The Frenchman has three DP World Tour wins including a Rolex Series event. He won the 2019 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, as well as the 2023 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, which are some big events.

Perez earned his PGA Tour card this season and enters the week playing some fantastic golf. He finished in a tie for 16th in Florida at the Cognizant Classic and then tied for third in his most recent start at the Puerto Rico Open.

In his past 24 rounds in the field, Perez ranks 11th in Strokes Gained: Approach, 1oth in Strokes Gained: Ball Striking, 6th in Good Drive % and 15th in Bogey Avoidance.

Perez comes in as a perfect fit for Copperhead and offers serious value at triple-digit odds.

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