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Does golf need a shot clock?

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We all know the “golfers’ stance.” Not the shoulder-width apart, knees bent, back straight stance at address, but the other golf stance — the one where you obnoxiously stand on the teebox, leaning on your club with your right leg crossed over your left and hand on your hip.

Nothing is worse than looking back and seeing a guy/gal taking the “golf stance,” but slow play is brutally prevalent in golf — especially at the professional level. That’s due to the obvious factors of big purses and demanding conditions — in an era where people want information and entertainment within a few taps on a touch screen of their iPhone 6+.

People like Netflix because they can chain-watch their favorite TV shows without commercial breaks. They like apps because information can be obtained with one click instead of two or three on a browser. Most people can’t bear to read a 1,400-word news story, because it takes too long — they’d prefer to read a 200-word snippet with images and a video or take a poll to see what “color” their personality is.

Life is different. The media is different. Sports are different. Less and less people want to chew up their whole afternoon playing a 5+ hour round of golf. Most millenials would rather play six hours of Call of Duty than watch six hours of the Frys.com Open coverage on Sunday afternoon. I’m not judging them. That’s just the way it is.

The Kevin Na’s, Ben Crane’s and Keegan Bradley’s of the golf world make viewership more difficult and frustrate some of their fellow players. Golf is a game of patience and concentration, but we’re reaching a limit — and the PGA Tour has taken notice.

Starting at the Frys.com Open, the first tournament in the 2014-2015 PGA Tour season, a new pace-of-play system was put into effect. According to Golf Digest’s Dave Shedloski, the rules state that the first player who has the honors in each group must complete his stroke within 50 seconds (10 seconds less than the old rules), and all others in the group get 40 seconds.

The new rules also state that a group must tee off on a par-5 before the group ahead leaves the green. The fines haven’t changed, but the restrictions have gotten stricter.

  • The player receives a warning for his first “bad time” of the round.
  • If he records a second bad time in the same round, he gets a 1-stroke penalty and $5,000 fine.
  • If he records a third bad time in the same round, he gets a 2-stroke penalty and a $10,000 fine.
  • If he records a fourth bad time in the same round, he is disqualified.

The public was upset about a slow-play penalty against 14-year-old Guan Tianlang in the 2013 Masters, but that’s life in the big leagues nowadays.

“You talk to players, and no one complains when they play in 4.5 hours and they’re not standing around,” Andy Pazder, the PGA Tour’s executive vice president and chief of operations, told Golf Digest. “They wait on every shot and even if it takes the same 4.5 hours they get frustrated because it feels slow.”

And golf isn’t the only sport experimenting with ways to speed up their respective game.

An Arizona Fall baseball league has implemented a shot clock: 20 seconds to deliver a pitch, 2 minutes and 5 seconds between innings, and 2 minutes 30 seconds for pitching changes. The first game under the new rules lasted 2 hours 14 minutes. The average major league baseball game in 2014? Three hours and 2 minutes.

Although a shot clock in baseball may take some getting-used-to, it seems that it will have a positive effect on speeding up play.

A shot clock in basketball is old news, but the sport has had some problems of its own with games running too long. In a pre-season game between the Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics, the NBA experimented with 11-minute quarters, which brought total game minutes down from 48 minutes to 44 minutes. The NBA also dropped mandatory timeouts in the second and fourth quarters from three to two.

The Nets vs. Celtics game was played in 1 hour and 58 minutes under the experiment. The average game time in the 2013-2014 season (in games that did not go to overtime) was 2 hours and 15 minutes.

Other sports are making strides, and golf is attempting to join the speed parade. Golf, however, seems to be at a disadvantage, since it’s played over the course of 18 holes, hitting (sometimes) unreasonably demanding shots in constantly changing conditions under indescribable pressure for unimaginable sums of money.

See the problem? I think the PGA Tour is putting up a fight with new rules for pace of play, but it’s battle that can’t be won.

The NBA mandates only 24 seconds for each shot, and baseball (or at least its new experiment) allows only 20 seconds. Maybe 50 seconds is still a little generous, but putting a 1.6-ounce dimpled sphere into a 4-inch cup from 450 yards in four shots or less with $1 million on the line takes time.

That being said, let’s speed it up out there guys. I have six episodes of House of Cards to watch on Netflix, and only three hours before Sunday Night Football. Maybe the NFL should fine refs for exceeding a set maximum on penalty flags while we’re at it.

Quick note: If you find yourself in the “golfers’ stance,” please stop. We get it.

GolfWRX recently published articles on pace of play

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He played on the Hawaii Pacific University Men's Golf team and earned a Masters degree in Communications. He also played college golf at Rutgers University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.

65 Comments

65 Comments

  1. Pingback: Shooting Down Slow Play- The Shot Clock - The Golf Shop Online Blog

  2. JB

    Oct 27, 2014 at 9:03 am

    I do agree that some golfers need to speed it up, but a shot clock is a little much. Imagine having a 150 yard shot in the wind; throw up grass, trying to find the right trajectory, the wind shifts, do it all over again. Plus you add in the “I gotta hit this before the shot clock goes off”. Makes my head hurt just thinking about all that.

    But…I do agree some players are slow. The quickest way to kill a round is playing with a guy that take 48 practice swings!

    • Rich

      Oct 31, 2014 at 4:34 am

      Or someone who throws up grass more than once!

  3. golfpro

    Oct 26, 2014 at 6:32 pm

    Not sure what fancy private clubs you guys play, but I’ve never seen a guy shooting 95 check the wind on my course. What slows ppl down is they try too hard to stick together. JUST HIT YOUR TEE SHOT AND SCATTER! Who cares whos turn it is, just hit if youre ready. So what if bobs ball hadnt finished ricocheting off the portapotty. If Bill hits it in the trees go hit yours then maybe help for a minute if its convenient.

  4. golfpro

    Oct 26, 2014 at 6:28 pm

    I like the ideas of penalties but they are too soft. Heres what i’d do…. ONE warning, then if you get a second notice and you’re going to dairy queen and you are $10000 poorer. Get DQd twice and you lose your card.

  5. mike

    Oct 26, 2014 at 12:37 pm

    I believe that article is relating slow play to people watching televised golf. In that train of thought, since golf is only on t.v. for 3 hours on the weekend (network) I don’t think slow play affects viewing as much the networks showing less actual golf. It seems that only about 30 minutes of every hour show people golfing the rest is showing the announcers, player stats, history of the course or something other than actual golf being played. Show more golf and more people might start watching the telecasts.

  6. Landbe

    Oct 25, 2014 at 3:01 am

    Reasons for public golf slow play 1. Five somes 2. Players taking turns to play when playing from completly differnt areas. 3. Waiting for your turn to putt to read and get ready to putt. 4. Stopping for a sandwhich between front and back nine (stopping for anything other then pre-made ready to go snacks should never be allowed). 5. Players playing the wrong tee boxs for thier game (that includes the guys and gals that hit the ball long enough to go for par 5’s in two “move back”) 6. Following the rules of golf to the letter which should be only true for Pro and maybe local tournament play. GOLF WILL NEVER SPEED UP UNTIL SOMEONE BEATS IT INTO THE HEADS OF EVERYONE OUT PLAYING IF YOUR NOT A PLUS HANDICAP YOUR NEVER GOING TO BE A PRO….

    • Bruce Wayne

      Oct 25, 2014 at 11:48 am

      I would like to add two more things to your list and that’s course hazards. For example my home course in Palm Desert has a lot of large tumble weed growth just off the first cut of rough which maybe 10 feet from the fairway. The course could remove these ugly monster desert weed growth which would allow golfers to find errant shots faster. Some have suggested on this site making the course easier I think courses just need to make finding your ball easier as golf is a game of recovery. Unless it’s a tour event golfers don’t have spotters of the tee so long rough adds a lot of time to a round. One could argue to tee it forward but I could also argue to keep the rough shorter. Two inch rough takes plenty of spin off the ball but makes it much quicker to find. There are a lot of things golfers can do to speed up play but there are things courses can do. I understand times being tough financially and more golfers is more money especially in season in Palm Springs with rates at the top courses going from $30 to $250 a round but I see some course sending off foursomes off the first tee in 6 minute intervals. The time to play 18 holes goes from 2.5 hours to my longest which was 6 in the winter. To many people is going to jam up a golf course like Los Angeles rush hour traffic no matter how fast golfers try to play as bad shots are part of the game.

  7. Ricky Bobby

    Oct 25, 2014 at 12:00 am

    What I find understand is why sports like NFL, basketball and baseball take so long?
    I know cricket can take five days, but they are playing the whole time. What would happen if they had a running clock in basketball and no time outs?

  8. CD

    Oct 24, 2014 at 2:03 pm

    If people just hurried up when they weren’t taking a shot and got more aware, they could still line their putts up and get round quickly.

    My pet hate is someone ASSUMING you can’t hit it far. So I’m standing on the tee and if I connect and it is at all straight I’m hitting the guys in front. You get hurried up, then hit a poor shot and people look at you like ‘why were you waiting?’ Then on a later hole ‘you’re safe to go’ NO! How do you effing know that? Never met you before? How do you know?!!!!! Then I take three wood, am ten yards short and apologising to the group in front.

    I’m not talking about crazy big hits – people hurrying you up at 200 yards

    Similarly, you wait on tees

    • CD

      Oct 24, 2014 at 2:11 pm

      And in the fairway – too far to shout ‘can I play through?’ And to them I must not look like I’m waiting – but I am, for 14 holes plus usually. And the look on my buddies faces when we were slow and I invited a group 250 away to play through…

      Slow play is a genuine problem like diving in football (soccer) and gets emulated at club level. Keegan Bradley at the open – he needs help not to be copied! A bit of awareness and haste BETWEEN shots is what is needed. You can still have a relaxing round.

  9. Chris S

    Oct 24, 2014 at 8:10 am

    HELL NO. PICK ANOTHER SPORT TO PLAY OR WATCH IF YOU DON’T LIKE GOLF THE WAY IT IS. Thank you.

    • marty

      Oct 25, 2014 at 10:00 am

      Thanks for your valuable input mr. Helper.

  10. James Harvey

    Oct 24, 2014 at 7:25 am

    If i play on my own I can walk round 18 holes in less than 3hrs, a three ball takes 3.5hrs (no four balls allowed except in specail comps). Pros take too long.. too long getting yardages (let them use GPS!).. too long on re shot routines (ban caddy lining players up & restrict practice strokes – three practice swings then you must hit or it’s deemed a shot anyway!) Also, yes, bring the ball back so a pro can only just hit 300yrds.. us mear mortals would only lose a couple of yards and it would enable courses to stay shorter = less time to get round! American coverage doesn’t help the game, here in Europe the coverage of European events is much better, in the US you see one or two shots before going to a comercial.. I want to watch golf not adverts!! Should be a maximum of one add every 15mins! And why do US broadcasters think we are only interested in the top pros? I want to see who’s playing well, regardless of who they are! I watched one event were you didn’t see a single shot from the guy at the top of the leader board as the coverage was focused on Tiger & Phil struggling to make to cut!?! The Ryder Cup is not the only thing the Americans could learn a lot about from us Europeans!

    • Jeff

      Dec 21, 2014 at 3:42 pm

      Those “adverts” are why game checks are in the millions…

  11. dapadre

    Oct 24, 2014 at 6:32 am

    In all honesty its fine with it. Golf on the professional or even semi or college level is what it is. If they want to b more efficient with the time thats fine. When I watch a tournament or major I also don’t mind the time it takes.

    NOW ON A HACKER LEVEL…… that’s a whole different story. The problem are three fold IMHO.

    One: why make the damn courses so difficult! A very good acquaintance of mine owns a golf course. I was ripping him for this reason. I said look, whats the average handicap here, roughly 20 and thats only for those who have a registered one which is only half. The other half couldn’t break 100 if you let them play all day and took 100 practice swings. Yet the course is too long, the rough to hard and too many obstacles. Shorten it, make it easier, keep the rough in check and obstacles so hackers can find their balls easily and move one. Why create a course like its a mini major?

    Second: wrong tees. The frustration of seeing a 110+ hacker teeing up at the back tees, like really dude!

    Thirdly: Marshalls need to enforce the rules more. Make sure groups are moving and give correction when needed, like telling groups to let others thru or calling out the guy at the back tees to move up. Sorry but most of the time the ride around and I don’t see them carrying out their authoritative duties.

    • Ken

      Oct 24, 2014 at 1:46 pm

      My only concern with point #3 is that sometimes marshalls never take into account the size of the groups playing. If my foursome is playing in front of 3, of course we are going to be behind. We are never going to keep pace with them. But instead of looking at the groups marshalls will constantly tell us to speed us.

      • Rich

        Oct 24, 2014 at 6:00 pm

        Is there a foursome in front of that threesome? If there is and you don’t keep pace you are behind.

  12. Mad-Mex

    Oct 24, 2014 at 2:21 am

    OK, let’s say they do that, WHO is going to enforce it? And will they apply equally? Bet you a dozen Pro-V1’s that it would be applied to the journey golfer, Tiger? Rory? Naw!!!! It would be like when Jordan played, if you got with in a foot as he was shooting, Foul,,,,

  13. Ben

    Oct 24, 2014 at 1:32 am

    To me it is a simple calculation. If you take more strokes in a round you should make your pre-shot routine shorter. For example if two players have the same one minute pre-shot routine and one player shoots 75 and the other shoots 95, the player who shoots 95 take 20 minutes more to play his shots. The group goes as slow as the slowest player. Unfortunate but true.

    Also, if you have a group that obviously way faster than your group and there is nobody in front of you, it is good etiquette to just give the option to the group behind and ask if they want to play through or not. Some people take offense if the group behind wants to play through when they are obviously faster. I don’t get that.

    On the same token, rushing through a round is not fun either or hurrying up and waiting type of rounds. A good steady pace round is always best.

    • paul

      Oct 24, 2014 at 1:32 pm

      How do you expect guys off 95 to get any better if they have to rush every shot. I’m off 7 and play with many friends off mid – high handicaps, I tell all of them to take there time and commit to the shot rather than rush them up the fairway. I’d rather they played well and got faster by playing fewer shots. Maybe that’s an idealist approach, but it’s one I prefer.

      • Lime Shark

        Oct 24, 2014 at 4:17 pm

        Maybe that’s exactly what they need to do.

        Studies show that the more golfers (especially amateurs) focus on the mechanics of their swing, the worse their swing becomes.

        And what causes amateurs to focus on the mechanics of their swing? Taking their time and performing practice swings.

        Almost every duffer would hit the golf ball better if they did it quickly–before they had time to think about what hey are going.

      • other paul

        Oct 26, 2014 at 2:06 pm

        People that shoot 95 don’t have a pre shot routine…

  14. Double Mocha Man

    Oct 23, 2014 at 11:34 pm

    This will work. Trust me, this will absolutely work! Each professional foursome is assigned a timer guy. The timer guy carries a stopwatch and an airhorn. Once Keegan Bradley gets an airhorn at the top of his backswing you’ll really see him start twitching. And he’ll speed up to a much quicker pace. Not to mention the beatdown he’ll get in the locker room for ruining half a dozen other shots somewhere on the course.

    I have a foursome scheduled for this Sunday… some of the guys are a bit slow. Now where did I put my airhorn…

    • steve

      Oct 24, 2014 at 10:11 am

      Serious? Blow an air horn? The whole course gets the air horn, not just the slow player. Good thinking ruin everyone’s round

      • Lime Shark

        Oct 24, 2014 at 3:33 pm

        You’re right, a starter’s gun would work better.

        • Lime Shark

          Oct 24, 2014 at 3:35 pm

          Now that I think of it, the starter’s gun should be used to indicate when their tee off time starts and a loud whistle should be used if their time expires.

    • Lime Shark

      Oct 24, 2014 at 3:32 pm

      And if the airhorn goes off before they hit the ball, then they don’t get to tee it off at all. They must take a drop at the edge of the green farthest from the ball.

      The penalty strokes are whatever par is on the hole (3, 4, 5, etc…) Plus, they still have to put.

  15. Jason

    Oct 23, 2014 at 8:29 pm

    How would the shot clock work? When would it start? Who would be timing it? It would probably be a volunteer and those are usually 70 years old. I’m not saying they aren’t capable, but if a player receives a penalty, we would need to review the video footage to confirm the clock started correctly, yada, yada, yada. Ain’t nobody got time for dat!

    • Lime Shark

      Oct 24, 2014 at 3:39 pm

      How about a system like they have in chess?

      Use a standalone clock. When a player is done, he taps the top of the clock and it resets. Use a digital clock and everyone can see it.

      • Lime Shark

        Oct 24, 2014 at 4:22 pm

        Actually, you wouldn’t need a digital clock, just a sand filled hourglass. Position it at the back of the tee box on a pole. Just flip it over when the the time starts.

        Of course, it would have to be made of something indestructible rather than glass. I’m sure many a golfer would be tempted to beat the **** out of it.

        • Rich

          Oct 24, 2014 at 6:04 pm

          You’d have to encase it in concrete and steel.

          • other paul

            Oct 26, 2014 at 2:09 pm

            My local course has a clock on each tee box showing when you teed off. If you get to the 5th hole and it shows after your tee time you need to speed up. Sounds lime a cheap solution to let everyone know the pace. 20$ per clock plus a wood collapsible base.

  16. Brad

    Oct 23, 2014 at 8:18 pm

    make the switch to a ball the Bubba and Rory can barley hit 300 yards and make the maximum course length 7000 yards or so

  17. Paul

    Oct 23, 2014 at 8:01 pm

    once again missing the point entirely i’m afraid

    it’s not the difference between a 4 or 4.5 hour round and a 5 hour round that’s keeping the “millenials” off the golf courses

    it’s the fact it takes 4 goddamn hours in the first place

    as much as it pains me to say this as i love a full and seriously don’t care at all if it takes 5 hours (a little frustration on the golf course is better than a day at work)

    9 holes is the future, would you play a 5 set tennis match with your buddy? that’s for the pros not for your social or local competition.

  18. TheLegend

    Oct 23, 2014 at 6:11 pm

    I play mon- thur and i play in 3 hrs.

  19. golfisboring

    Oct 23, 2014 at 5:41 pm

    This slow play has been beaten to death and nothing changes. Expect slow play and you won’t be disappointed. If the round turns out to be at a good pace, then consider that a big plus for the day.

  20. lance

    Oct 23, 2014 at 5:22 pm

    I play by the hole-not by the hour.

  21. Mat

    Oct 23, 2014 at 5:05 pm

    I don’t care what the pros do. What I care about is easier tees for amateurs.

    Flat out, I dare courses to be “too easy”. Show me those courses, and I’ll show you bros playing from the tips. The only thing to do about slow play is to stop making golf harder than it should be for players that aren’t appropriately matched.

    If you can’t beat 80, you shouldn’t be beyond white tees. That’s your slow play cure.

    • Scooter McGavin

      Oct 23, 2014 at 7:16 pm

      Agreed. I see all these hacks come into the store I work at talking about their expensive and difficult courses with lightning fast greens, and then I watch them duff their irons in the hitting bay during their fittings. News flash: you don’t need a difficult course. You think I’m going to feel “less good” if I shoot a really good score at an easy course? I’m sure I’m being generous when I say that 99% of golfers need to play easier courses and/or closer tees. And full disclosure, I am one of those hacks that plays closer tees (like I should)… Just so everyone knows I’m not trying come across as superior or anything…

  22. Lime Shark

    Oct 23, 2014 at 5:05 pm

    Why focus on pros? The pro game is healthy. If it isn’t broken, why fix it.

    As far a amateurs go, penalties/punishment will never work. Tell the typical amateur golfer they can’t do something, and they’ll go it just to prove the can.

    Rewards for fast play would work better.

    Return your cart within a specific time and get a free beer, a free ball, a pen, or just about anything. It doesn’t have to be expensive. It’s amazing how people will jump through hoops to win something–no matter how cheap.

    Give golfers an incentive to finish quickly.

    • Marshall Brown

      Oct 23, 2014 at 10:09 pm

      Not sure that would work because one slow group could slow everyone down, and groups behind would just have incentive to (often rudely) rush the group ahead.

    • Rich

      Oct 24, 2014 at 6:11 pm

      My local course has employees positioned at a 3 key places on the first 4 holes on weekend mornings and it has done wonders. They’ll read greens, give yardages, rake bunkers, and keep groups moving. Getting people off to a quick start really works.

  23. Martin B

    Oct 23, 2014 at 4:36 pm

    One of the biggest contributors to slow play is the once-per-hole treat into the woods to look for the lost ball…usually by all four players. Not only is time wasted in the search, but now the three other players have to find their way back to their balls, find a yardage, choose a club and make their 4-6 practice swings. For the love of God, play Noodles instead of Pro V1’s if you’re constantly slicing it off the tee. If the ball is 30 yards OB in the woods, drop where it went in and move along.

  24. brian

    Oct 23, 2014 at 4:34 pm

    Most definitely!

  25. stripe

    Oct 23, 2014 at 3:36 pm

    Tee it Forward and if you can’t get to the hole within 4-6 shots, do the world a favor and pic it up and try again on the next hole. You’d be surprised at how fast the pace would be.

  26. Jay

    Oct 23, 2014 at 3:07 pm

    That picture is soo true and it makes me LMFAO!! These guy’s striking the pose on the box is so true of a lot of people I see playing the game but these are the guys that are also part of the problem. They should be doing practice swings to keep loose as well as maybe have a ball on a T so they are ready. These same guy’s probably don’t play ready golf either by going to their shot’s they probably do the same as most do and all go to player “A’s” shot and then to Player”B’s” etc. Probably don’t line there put up while the player that is up and putting. I CAN’T STAND SLOW PLAY!!!!!! WETHER THAT BE WATCHING OR PLAYING!! Which is part of the reason why I don’t watch much of it anymore as well as participate as much either. I rarely play weekends but my love for the game get’s me out 50-60 times a year the other 50 times I could be playing I elect to hit balls instead!!

  27. Dpavs

    Oct 23, 2014 at 2:52 pm

    From a spectators point of view, what difference does it make if they take 4 or 6 hours unless you are actually at the course watching them? On television you are going to see the final groups or the last 3.5 hours of the day no matter what.. regardless of the time taken if you need to watch it faster you dvr it and play it back as you deem fit.

    From a play point of view on the local course on the weekend, it’s too much LOFT that causes the delays usually.

  28. Tommy

    Oct 23, 2014 at 2:32 pm

    If they actually enforce a slow-play rule as enthusiastically as they enforce every other rule that exists in golf, this would be a meaningful endeavor. But they haven’t, and they won’t.

    No problem with the Guan Tianlang penalty if he was the only offender, but I doubt that was the case. It was just easier to penalize a 14-year old amateur with no standing on any tour than to penalize somebody who might actually protest or lose money.

    • Rwj

      Oct 23, 2014 at 4:30 pm

      Exactly.
      If you really wanted to speed up play and show the tour boys you mean it, penalize Tiger Woods for one of the many back offs he does for the wind.
      I imagine 10% of his long shots are taken within 40 seconds, yet nothing.

  29. John Ray

    Oct 23, 2014 at 2:23 pm

    Pace of play has a lot to do with how many players are playing in these tournaments. A lot of courses these guys play on were never designed for 180 person fields. When you have to put groups off on both nines it’s inevitable that it will be slow, think your last scramble. I’d like to see the tour take a look at which courses tend to play the slowest and institute some sort of field restriction, or perhaps a fifth day of play, where the newbies and unknowns play their first round on wed’s. Another thing they could do is have a cut after every round.

  30. ben bertok

    Oct 23, 2014 at 2:19 pm

    Hey, 10, 20 30 k is chunk change to these guys lets make it a 4 shot penalty

  31. Philip

    Oct 23, 2014 at 2:18 pm

    Why would the parties who make money from the TV commercials want the event to take up less TV time and earn them less money.

    Also, the longer people are physically at the event the more money generated for drinks, food, merchandise, etc. for the golf course hosting the event.

    It is a question of balance between the maximum amount of time an event can take before total revenues start to drop from people going there and people watching on TV.

    When the rating fall due to events taking too long (not easy to correlate) then the events will pick up the pace. Maybe it is happening now which is why they are doing this.

  32. James

    Oct 23, 2014 at 2:15 pm

    The Tour needs to get a handle on it. Why? Because many ams emulate what they see on TV as the way to play. Go back to the old TV golf shows of the late 50s and early 60s and watch how quickly the pros of that era played. No messing about. Got up there, pulled a club and hit it. Nowadays, it’s get to your ball, get yardages from 3 or 4 spots, gauge the wind, think about it, discuss with caddie, discuss some more, finally pull a club, 5 or 6 practice swings then hit it. Freaking ridiculous.

  33. Wally K

    Oct 23, 2014 at 1:43 pm

    Raise the fine to 10k and 20k and start penalizing. That will wake up the players.

  34. Wally K

    Oct 23, 2014 at 1:41 pm

    Andrew, great article, i was talking to members about this and I agree. Yeah they are good and yeah they are playing for a lot of money but playing in a threesome or twosome over 4.5 hours is ridiculous. Pretty soon no one will be watching and the sponsors will stop and then they wont be playing for so much money.

    Come on guys you guys are the best in the world and kids are watching. Kids copy the pros so lets set a good example. Pick up the pace.

  35. Johnny

    Oct 23, 2014 at 1:25 pm

    You say it’s a battle that can’t be won. I believe it’s more a case of it’s a battle that the PGA Tour doesn’t really care about winning.

    I will absolutely be shocked if the PGA Tour ever invokes the penalty stroke for slow play. And, if I’m wrong, I will be shocked if it’s ever one of the big dogs. They’ll pick on the not so big of a name player.

    • adolfo

      Oct 23, 2014 at 1:30 pm

      I agree with you but If they do penalize it will shack things up. bc 1 shot could be the difference winning a tourney and second. and that equals a lot of money lost

  36. JoeC

    Oct 23, 2014 at 1:17 pm

    I dunno about a shot clock but those dudes need to tuck in their shirts.

    • Wally K

      Oct 23, 2014 at 1:42 pm

      Yes they should.

      • paul

        Oct 23, 2014 at 2:21 pm

        Maybe they are on a public course, shirt stays un tucked. More comfortable as long as it fits. Not everyone plays on snobby courses. 300 years ago people played wearing a suit and tie. You want to call people on not tucking their shirt in then lets see you put your suit on.

      • Rwj

        Oct 23, 2014 at 4:32 pm

        Believe that was negated when they allowed Tiger Woods to wear t-shirts…oh, I mean “mock turtlenecks.”

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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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Opinion & Analysis

Myrtle Beach, Explored: February in South Carolina

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As I gain in experience and age, and familiarity breeds neither contempt nor disdain, I understand why people return to a place. A destination like Myrtle Beach offers a sizable supply and diversity of restaurants, entertainment venues, and shops that are predicated on the tenets of the service industry. Greet your customers with a smile and a kind word, and they will find comfort and assurance. Provide them with a memorable experience and they will suggest your place of business to others.

My first tour of Myrtle Beach took place in the mid-1980s, and consisted of one course: Gator Hole. I don’t remember much from that day, and since Gator Hole closed a decade later, I cannot revisit it to recollect what I’d lost. Since then, I’ve come to the Grand Strand a few times, and been fortunate to never place a course more than once. I’ve seen the Strantz courses to the south and dipped my toe in the North Carolina courses of Calabash. I’ve been to many in the middle, including Dunes, Pine Lakes, Grande Dunes among them.

2024 brought a quartet of new courses, including two at the Barefoot Resort. I’d heard about the North Myrtle Beach four-pack of courses that highlight the Barefoot property, including layouts from Pete Dye, Tom Fazio, Davis Love III, and Greg Norman. I had the opportunity to play and shoot the Dye and Fazio tracks, which means that I’ll have to return to see the other two. Sandwiched between them were the TPC-Myrtle Beach course, also from Tom Fazio, and the Pawley’s Plantation trace, by the hand of Jack Nicklaus. I anticipated a bit of the heroic, and bit of the strategic, and plenty of eye candy. None of those architects would ever be considered a minimalist, so there would be plenty of in-play and out-of-play bunkers and mounds to tantalize the senses.

My nephew arrived a few days early, to screen a few more courses. As a result, you the reader will have an extra quarter of mini-reviews, bringing the total of courses in this piece to eight. It was inconceivable that CJR would play four courses that I had never played nor photographed, but that was the case. His words appear at the end of this piece. We hope that you enjoy the tour.

Main Feature: Two Barefoots, a TPC, and Pawley’s Plantation

Barefoot Dye

What Paul “Pete” Dye brought back from his trips to the United Kingdom, hearkened back to what C.B. MacDonal did, some 65 years prior. There is a way of finding bunkers and fairways, and even green sites, that does not require major industrial work. The Dye course at Barefoot Resorts takes you on a journey over the rumpled terrain of distant places. If there’s one element missing, it’s the creased and turbulent fairways, so often found in England and Ireland. The one tenet of playing a Dye course, is to always aim away from temptation, from where your eyes draw you. Find the safe side of the target, and you’ll probably find your ball. It then stands that you will have a shot for your next attempt. Cut the corner, and you might have need to reload. The Barefoot course begins gently, in terms of distance, but challenges with visual deception. After two brief 4s and a 3, the real work begins. The course is exposed enough, to allow the coastal winds to dance along the fairways. Be ready to keep the ball low and take an extra club or two.

TPC-Myrtle Beach

If memory serves, TPCMB is my first trek around a TPC-branded course. It had all the trappings of a tour course, from the welcome, through the clubhouse, to the practice facilities and, of course, the course. TPC-Myrtle Beach is a Tom Fazio design, and if you never visit Augusta National, you’ll now have an idea of what it is like. You play Augusta’s 16th hole twice at TPCMB, and you enjoy it both times. Fazio really likes the pond-left, green-angle-around par three hole, and his two iterations of it are memorable.

You’ll also see those Augusta bunkers, the ones with the manicured edges that drop into a modestly-circular form. What distinguishes these sand pits is the manner in which they rise from the surrounding ground. They are unique in that they don’t resemble the geometric bunkering of a Seth Raynor, nor the organic pits found in origin courses. They are built, make no mistake, and recovery from them is manageable for all levels of bunker wizardry.

Barefoot Fazio

If you have the opportunity to play the two Tom Fazio courses back to back, you’ll notice a marked difference in styling. Let me digress for a moment, then circle back with an explanation. It was written that the NLE World Woods course designed by Fazio, Pine Barrens, was an homage to Pine Valley, the legendary, New Jersey club where Fazio is both a member and the architect on retainer. The Pine Barrens course was plowed under in 2022, so the homage no longer exists. At least, I didn’t think that it existed, until I played his Barefoot Resort course in North Myrtle Beach.

Pine Valley might be described as an aesthetic of scrub and sand. There are mighty, forced carries to travers, along with sempiternal, sandy lairs to avoid. Barefoot Fazio is quite similar. If you’re not faced with a forced carry, you’ll certainly contend with a fairway border or greenside necklace of sand. When you reach the 13th tee, you’ll face a drive into a fairway, and you might see a distant green, with a notable absence: flagstick. The 13th is the icing on the homage cake, a callout of the 8th hole at Pine Valley. Numero Ocho at the OG has two greens, side by side, and they change the manner in which the hole plays (so they say.) At Barefoot Fazio, the right-side green is a traditional approach, with an unimpeded run of fairway to putting surface. The left-side green (the one that I was fortunate to play) demands a pitch shot over a wasteland. It’s a fitting tribute for the rest of us to play.

Be certain to parrot the starter, Leon’s, advice, and play up a deck of tees. Barefoot Fazio offers five par-three holes, so the fours and fives play that much longer. Remember, too, that you are on vacation. Why not treat yourself to some birdie looks?

Pawley’s Plantation

The Jack Nicklaus course at Pawley’s Plantation emerged from a period of hibernation in 2024. The greens were torn up and their original contours were restored. Work was overseen by Troy Vincent, a member of the Nicklaus Architecture team. In addition, the putting corridors were reseeded with a hardier, dwarf bermuda that has experienced great success, all along the Grand Strand that is Myrtle Beach.

My visit allowed me to see the inward half first, and I understand why the resort wishes to conclude your day on those holes. The front nine of Pawley’s Plantation works its way through familiar, low country trees and wetlands. The back nine begins in similar fashion, then makes its way east, toward the marsh that separates mainland from Pawley’s Island. Recalling the powerful sun of that Wednesday morning, any round beginning on the second nine would face collateral damage from the warming star. Much better to hit holes 11 to close when the sun is higher in the sky.

The marshland holes (12 through 17) are spectacular in their raw, unprotected nature. The winds off the Atlantic are unrelenting and unforgiving, and the twin, par-three holes will remain in your memory banks for time’s march. In typical Golden Bear fashion, a majority of his putting targets are smallish in nature, reflecting his appreciation for accurate approach shots. Be sure to find the forgiving side of each green, and err to that portion. You’ll be grateful.

Bonus Coverage: Myrtlewood, Beechwood, Arrowhead, and King’s North

Arrowhead (Raymond Floyd and Tom Jackson)

A course built in the middle of a community, water threatens on most every hole. The Cypress 9 provides a few holes forcing a carried drive then challenge you with water surrounding the green. On Waterway, a drivable 2nd hole will tempt most, so make sure the group ahead has cleared the green.

Myrtlewood (Edmund Alt and Arthur Hills) and Beechwood (Gene Hamm)

A middle of the winter New Englander’s paradise. Wide open fairways, zero blind shots and light rough allow for shaking off the rust and plenty of forgiveness. A plethora of dog legs cause one to be cautious with every tee shot. Won’t break the bank nor the scorecard.

King’s North @ Myrtle Beach National (Arnold Palmer)

A signature Arnold Palmer course, waste areas, island greens and daring tee shots. Highlighted by the 4th hole Par 5 Gambler hole, if you can hit the smaller fairway on the left you are rewarded with a short approach to get to the green in 2. The back 9 is highlighted by an island green par 3 and a finisher with over 40 bunkers spread throughout. A challenge for any golfer.
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19th Hole

Vincenzi’s 2024 Players Championship betting preview: Pete Dye specialists ready to pass tough TPC Sawgrass test

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The PGA Tour heads to TPC Sawgrass to play in one of the most prestigious and important events of the season: THE PLAYERS Championship. Often referred to as the fifth major, the importance of a PLAYERS victory to the legacy of a golfer can’t be overlooked.

TPC Sawgrass is a par-72 measuring 7,245 yards and featuring Bermudagrass greens. Golfers must be patient in attacking this Pete Dye course.

With trouble lurking at every turn, the strokes can add up quickly. With a par-5 16th that is a true risk-reward hole and the famous par-3 17th island green, the only safe bet at TPC Sawgrass is a bet on an exciting finish.

THE PLAYERS Championship field is often referred to as the strongest field of the year — and with good reason. There are 144 in the field, including 43 of the world’s top 50 players in the OWGR. Tiger Woods will not be playing in the event.

THE PLAYERS is an exceptionally volatile event that has never seen a back-to-back winner.

Past Winners at TPC Sawgrass

  • 2023: Scottie Scheffler (-17)
  • 2022: Cameron Smith (-13)
  • 2021: Justin Thomas (-14)
  • 2019: Rory McIlroy (-16)
  • 2018: Webb Simpson (-18)
  • 2017: Si-Woo Kim (-10)
  • 2016: Jason Day (-15)
  • 2015: Rickie Fowler (-12)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). 

5 Key Stats for TPC Sawgrass

Let’s take a look at five metrics key for TPC Sawgrass to determine which golfers boast top marks in each category over their last 24 rounds.

1. Strokes Gained: Approach

Strokes Gained: Approach has historically been far and away the most important and predictive stat at THE PLAYERS Championship. With water everywhere, golfers can’t afford to be wild with their iron shots. Not only is it essential to avoid the water, but it will also be as important to go after pins and make birdies because scores can get relatively low.

Total SG: Approach Over Past 24 Rounds

  1. Tom Hoge (+1.37) 
  2. Scottie Scheffler (+1.20)
  3. Tony Finau (+0.99)
  4. Jake Knapp (+0.83)
  5. Shane Lowry (+0.80)

2. Total Driving

This statistic is perfect for TPC Sawgrass. Historically, driving distance hasn’t been a major factor, but since the date switch to March, it’s a bit more significant. During this time of year, the ball won’t carry quite as far, and the runout is also shorter.

Driving accuracy is also crucial due to all of the trouble golfers can get into off of the tee. Therefore, players who are gaining on the field with Total Driving will put themselves in an ideal spot this week.

Total Driving Over Past 24 Rounds

  1. Rory McIlroy (22)
  2. Akshay Bhatia (25)
  3. Keith Mitchell (25) 
  4. Adam Hadwin (34)
  5. Sam Burns (+39)

3. Strokes Gained: Total at Pete Dye Designs

TPC Sawgrass may be Pete Dye’s most famous design, and for good reason. The course features Dye’s typical shaved runoff areas and tricky green complexes.  Pete Dye specialists love TPC Sawgrass and should have a major advantage this week.

SG: Total (Pete Dye) per round over past 36 rounds:

  1. Patrick Cantlay (+2.02)
  2. Scottie Scheffler (+1.90)
  3. Min Woo Lee (+1.77) 
  4. Sungjae Im (+1.72)
  5. Brian Harman (+1.62) 

4. Strokes Gained: Ball Striking

Prototypical ball-strikers have dominated TPC Sawgrass. With past winners like Sergio Garcia, Henrik Stenson, Webb Simpson, Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas, it’s evident that golfers must be striking it pure to contend at THE PLAYERS.

SG: Ball Striking Over Past 24 Rounds

  1. Scottie Scheffler (+2.02)
  2. Tony Finau (+1.51)
  3. Tom Hoge (+1.48)
  4. Keith Mitchell (+1.38)
  5. Will Zalatoris (+1.18)

5. Par 5 Average

Par-5 average is extremely important at TPC Sawgrass. With all four of the Par-5s under 575 yards, and three of them under 540 yards, a good amount of the scoring needs to come from these holes collectively.

Par 5 Average Over Past 24 Rounds

  1. Scottie Schefler (+4.31)
  2. Erik Van Rooyen (+4.35)
  3. Doug Ghim (+4.34)
  4. Wyndham Clark (+4.34)
  5. Matt Fitzpatrick (+4.31)

6. Strokes Gained: Florida

We’ve used this statistic over the past few weeks, and I’d like to incorporate some players who do well in Florida into this week’s model as well. 

Strokes Gained: Florida over past 30 rounds:

  1. Scottie Schefler (+2.43)
  2. Erik Van Rooyen (+1.78)
  3. Doug Ghim (+1.78)
  4. Wyndham Clark (+1.73)
  5. Matt Fitzpatrick (+1.69)

7. Strokes Gained: Total on Courses with High Water Danger

With water everywhere at TPC Sawgrass, the blow-up potential is high. It can’t hurt to factor in some players who’ve avoided the “eject” button most often in the past. 

Strokes Gained: Total on Courses with High Water Danger over past 30 rounds:

  1. Scottie Schefler (+2.08)
  2. Rory McIlroy (+1.82)
  3. Tony Finau (+1.62)
  4. Patrick Cantlay (+1.51)
  5. Will Zalatoris (+1.49)

THE PLAYERS Championship Model Rankings

Below, I’ve compiled overall model rankings using a combination of the five key statistical categories previously discussed — SG: Approach (25%), Total Driving (20%), SG: Total Pete Dye (14%), SG: Ball-striking (15%) SG: Par 5 (8%), SG: Florida (10%) and SG: High Water (8%).

  1. Scottie Scheffler 
  2. Shane Lowry 
  3. Tony Finau 
  4. Corey Conners
  5. Keith Mitchell
  6. Justin Thomas
  7. Will Zalatoris
  8. Xander Schauffele
  9. Cameron Young
  10. Doug Ghim
  11. Sam Burns 
  12. Chris Kirk
  13. Collin Morikawa
  14. Si Woo Kim
  15. Wyndham Clark

2024 THE PLAYERS Championship Picks

(All odds at the time of writing)

Patrick Cantlay +2500 (DraftKings):

Patrick Cantlay is winless since the 2022 BMW Championship but is undoubtedly one of the most talented players on the PGA Tour. Since the win at Wilmington Country Club, the 31-year-old has twelve top-10 finishes on Tour and is starting to round into form for the 2024 season.

Cantlay has done well in the most recent “signature” events this season, finishing 4th at Riviera for the Genesis Invitational and 12th at Bay Hill for the Arnold Palmer Invitational. The former Tour Championship winner resides in Jupiter, Florida and has played some good golf in the state, including finishing in a tie for 4th at the 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational. His history at TPC Sawgrass has been up and down, but his best career start at The PLAYERS came last year when he finished in a tie for 19th.

Cantlay absolutely loves Pete Dye designed courses and ranks 1st in the field in Strokes Gained: Total on Dye tracks in his past 36 rounds. In recent years, he’s been excellent at both the RBC Heritage and the Travelers Championship. TPC Sawgrass is a place where players will have to be dialed in with their irons and distance off the tee won’t be quite as important. In his past 24, rounds, Cantlay ranks in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach.

Despite being winless in recent years, I still believe Cantlay is capable of winning big tournaments. As one of the only United States players to bring their best game to Marco Simone for the Ryder Cup, I have conviction that the former top amateur in the world can deliver when stakes are high.

Will Zalatoris +3000 (FanDuel):

In order to win at TPC Sawgrass, players will need to be in total control of their golf ball. At the moment, Will Zalatoris is hitting it as well as almost anyone and finally has the putter cooperating with his new switch to the broomstick style.

Zalatoris is coming off back-to-back starts where he absolutely striped the ball. He finished 2nd at the Genesis Invitational and 4th at the Arnold Palmer Invitational where his statistics were eye opening. For the week at Bay Hill, Zal gained 5.0 strokes on approach and 5.44 strokes off the tee.

Throughout the early part of his career, Zalatoris has established himself by playing his best golf in the strongest fields with the most difficult conditions. A tough test will allow him to separate himself this week and breakthrough for a PLAYERS Championship victory.

Shane Lowry +4000 (DraftKings):

History has shown us that players need to be in good form to win the PLAYERS Championship and it’s hard to find anyone not named Scottie Scheffler who’s in better form that Shane Lowry at the moment. He finished T4 at the Cognizant Classic followed by a solo third place finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

The fact that the Irishman contended at Bay Hill is a great sign considering he’s really struggled there throughout his career. He will now head to a different style of course in Florida where he’s had a good deal of success. He finished 8th at TPC Sawgrass in 2021 and 13th in 2022. 

Lowry ranks 6th in the field in approach in his past 24 rounds, 7th in Strokes Gained: Total at Pete Dye designed courses in his last 30 rounds, 8th in par 5 scoring this season, and 4th in Strokes Gained: Total in Florida over his past 36 rounds.

Lowry is a player who’s capable of winning big events. He’s a major champion and won another premier event at Wentworth as well as a WGC at Firestone. He’s also a form player, when he wins it’s typically when he’s contended in recent starts. He’s been terrific thus far in Florida and he should get into contention once again this week.

Brian Harman +8000 (DraftKings):

(Note: Since writing this Harman’s odds have plummeted to 50-1. I would not advise betting the 50).

Brian Harman showed us last season that if the course isn’t extremely long, he has the accuracy both off the tee and with his irons to compete with anyone in the world. Last week at Bay Hill and was third in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach, gaining 5.54 strokes on the field in the category.

In addition to the strong iron play, Harman also gained strokes off the tee in three of four rounds. He’s also had success at Pete Dye tracks recently. He finished 2nd at last year’s Travelers Championship and 7th at the RBC Heritage.

It would be a magnificent feat for Harman to win both the Open Championship and PLAYERS in a short time frame, but the reality is the PGA Tour isn’t quite as strong as it once was. Harman is a player who shows up for the biggest events and his odds seem way too long for his recent track record.

Tony Finau +6500 (FanDuel):

A few weeks ago, at the Genesis Invitational, I bet Hideki Matsuyama because I believed it to be a “bet the number” play at 80-1. I feel similarly about Finau this week. While he’s not having the season many people expected of him, he is playing better than these odds would indicate.

This season, Tony has a tied for 6th place finish at Torrey Pines, a tied for 19th at Riviera and tied for 13th at the Mexico Open. He’s also hitting the ball extremely well. In the field in his past 24 rounds, he ranks 3rd in Strokes Gained: Approach, 3rd in Strokes Gained: Ball Striking, 6th in Par 5 average and 15th in Total Driving.

Finau’s problem has been with the putter, which has been undeniably horrific. However, this week he will see a putting surface similar to the POA at TPC Scottsdale and PGA West, which he’s had a great deal of success on. It’s worth taking a stab at this price to see if he can have a mediocre week with the flat stick.

Sungjae Im +9000 (FanDuel):

It’s been a lackluster eighteen months for Sungjae, who once appeared to be a certain star. While his ceiling is absolutely still there, it’s been a while since we’ve seen Im play the type of golf expected of a player with his talent.

Despite the obvious concerns, the South Korean showed glimpses of a return to form last week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He tied for 18th place and gained strokes off the tee, on approach, around the green and with the putter. When at his best, Im is a perfect course fit for TPC Sawgrass. He has remarkable precision off the tee, can get dialed in with his irons on shorter courses and can get up and down with the best players on Tour.

This number has gotten to the point where I feel comfortable taking a shot on it.

Billy Horschel +20000 (FanDuel):

Billy Horschel is a great fit on paper for TPC Sawgrass. He can get dialed in with his irons and his lack of distance off the tee won’t be a major detriment at the course. “Bermuda Billy” does his best work putting on Bermudagrass greens and he appears to be rounding into form just in time to compete at The PLAYERS.

In his most recent start, Billy finished in a tie for 9th at the Cognizant Classic and hit the ball extremely well. The former Florida Gator gained 3.32 strokes on approach and 2.04 strokes off the tee. If Horschel brings that type of ball striking to TPC Sawgrass, he has the type of putter who can win a golf tournament.

Horschel has been great on Pete Dye designed courses, with four of his seven career PGA Tour wins coming on Dye tracks.

In a season that has seen multiple long shots win big events, the 37-year-old is worth a stab considering his knack for playing in Florida and winning big events.

 

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