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Who is Matt Killen, Tiger Woods’ new putting coach?

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It was over two years ago when I met Matt Killen at an airport in Toronto. I was just obnoxious enough to chase him down and introduce myself. I’m happy I did, he’s a great human being and has been a fun person to chat with Over the past couple of years. I have always been a big fan of his work and amazed that a young man could have so much success in what had always appeared to be an older man’s field. Today it was announced that Matt is now working with Tiger Woods on certain aspects of his game…..for any teacher that’s the pinnacle. The running narrative is if Tiger trusts your opinion, you must be on to something.

Here is an article I wrote for GolfWRX in September of 2016 on who Matt is and what makes him so special.

This week, the golfing world will descend upon Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota, for the 41st playing of the Ryder Cup. The media will keep busy in deep analysis on who will win, the role of the captain’s picks and other speculation. What’s rarely discussed, however, are the people who work behind the scenes to get the world’s best golfers firing on all cylinders to represent their countries: the swing coaches.

In the Ryder Cup’s storied past, the names of those who roamed the ranges read like a who’s who of golf tutelage: Butch Harmon, David Leadbetter, Pete Cowen and Phil Rodgers, to name a few. If you tune into the coverage this week, you might see a new “kid” on the block roaming the range, but the truth is he’s been on the scene for almost 10 years. And this upcoming Ryder Cup is not his first go around.

Matt Killen is on his second tour of duty, and the previous time he was at the Ryder Cup the U.S. won. Killen’s current stable includes young guns Justin Thomas, Patrick Rodgers, Bud Cauley and 2016 Ryder Cup captain’s pick J.B. Holmes, who Killen has worked with for more than 10 years. That’s almost as long as the void in U.S. victories in the Ryder Cup (sorry to bring that up). The interesting part is Killen, whose home base is The Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Florida, turned 31 years old on Monday (let the math settle in). Yes, he’s been working with some of the best players in the world since before he could legally drink a beer.

During the 2008 Ryder Cup — a victorious endeavor for the U.S. — Killen was a busy man, as he had three different players in the event: fellow Kentucky natives J.B. Holmes and Kenny Perry, as well as Chad Campbell. Killen was also working with team captain Paul Azinger at the time — and Killen was only 22 years old! Most teachers and swing coaches don’t begin working with Tour players until well into their 30s, and many times much later. How does this happen, and what makes Killen the guy (read: kid) who Tour players trust with their careers?

On my way home from Toronto during the Canadian Open, I ran into Killen, whose story is every bit as compelling as the players he coaches. It was a random encounter at the Toronto airport, but I was compelled to introduce myself being hugely interested in his story. He’s a soft-spoken, Southern native with an overwhelming sense of confidence when he discusses golf mechanics. After a bit of small talk, we dug into his swing philosophies. I found myself dumbfounded with the ease in which he was able to explain body mechanics and clubface dynamics. That’s what the great teachers seemingly all have in common; their knowledge of the swing is ridiculously rich, but their ability to deliver the message simply and tailor it to the learning styles of each student is what breeds success.

Although the attention on our golfing prodigies always seems to focus on the players, being a swing coach to those players at such a young age is far more unlikely than winning on the PGA Tour. Young teachers are at a disadvantage based on experience and time. So how can a strong, trusting relationship be built with someone so young? After all, information in regards to the golf swing, especially at that level, always just seems a bit more reliable coming from the mouth of say a 40- or 50-year-old guy who has made the rounds in golf academies, and/or was a successful player in his own right.

Killen was just a skinny teenager who had the courage to speak up when his best friend’s father, Kenny Perry, was looking for something or someone to light the fire. With the burning passion of youth, Matt was the kid for the job. Most teenagers would have shied away from an intimidating situation like that. The saying, “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity” never seemed more appropriate.

What’s Killen’s first point of focus when working with a top player?

“What’s gonna make them the most money?” Killen said.

A pretty honest answer if you ask me, especially for a 31-year-old. Killen first determines what a golfer is physically capable of doing and then establishes what’s possible, but the science and analysis behind Killen’s philosophy is anything but simple. He is well versed in body mechanics and the physics of impact, particularly gear effect, which he said is one of the main things his top players need to understand to remedy their misses.

“Most of these guys not only own their golf swings but also have a path and club face relationship that creates a predictable pattern with the ball flight they want,” Killen said. “With modern equipment, especially the driver, understanding how gear effect can confuse certain misses is vital to a player’s working knowledge.”

I dug a little deeper with Killen. What I found was that he’s not trying to construct analytical golfing machines. Like his pursuit for the truth behind what makes a golf ball fly a certain way, he asks that his players take on the responsibility of knowing exactly who they are as players, and accepting what they can and can’t do. Once that awareness and trust is built, the success can follow.

“You always want all your players to have the comfort level to play any shot that is required, and most of the guys out there can under all conditions,” Killen said. “What I work on with my guys is to take ownership of their swing and to understand shot for shot how and why the ball is flying a certain way so they can address it quickly and focus on shooting the scores they need to win.”

I was curious; does J.B. Holmes’ plan differ this week at the Ryder Cup than it would at a typical PGA Tour event? Not really, Killen said.

“Working with J.B. this week, I will be focusing on establishing a predictable pattern,” he said. “After we walk the course and look at all the shots required, we will focus on on any particular shot he isn’t 100 percent comfortable with. Our preparation will be process focused and when he tees it up his focus will be the shot at hand and staying athletic. J.B. is a pure feel player, but he is also a student that searches for understanding of his golf swing and is able to discern the information quickly while being able to react as an athlete once he’s between the ropes.”

Under Ryder Cup pressure, especially the past few years, the players who have thrived were the those who fell back on their natural instincts and played the shots that felt right to them. At the end of the day, that’s all Killen is trying to get his players to understand and execute. At the top level, it’s often the golfer who is most comfortable in his own skin that will prevail, and the only pathway to that is to take full ownership of your motion.

What I also found compelling about Killen and his staff is that each of his Tour players, regardless of physical stature, is within the top 30 in driving distance. That includes Bud Cauley, who is currently averaging 300.1 yards off the tee while standing at only 5-feet, 7-inches and 155 pounds.

Looking at the big picture, Killen is only one teacher working with one of the 24 players this week. But for me, and maybe for many of you after reading this article, it really runs deeper than that. Golf has become a sport that has attracted some of the most unique young talents in the sports world. And prodigies of the educational variety, although not as flashy as a 345-yard drives or green jackets, are just as impressive. Matt Killen will be on PGA Tour ranges for a long time — not because he has a new swing philosophy or the flashiest stable of players. It’s because like the men he teaches, it’s all he’s cared about his entire life. It’s a selfless pursuit, and not exactly the most glamorous path. Most young golfers wanted to play like Tiger when they were 12, but Killen just wanted to know how he played like he did.

Here’s to a great Ryder Cup, and when you see great shots made down the stretch, remember there’s a swing coach watching who had something to do them.

 

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  1. smashdn

    Mar 15, 2019 at 12:15 pm

    I’ve known Matt for a long time. He was actually one of my first friends when my family moved here. While he has obviously gone and done his own thing since high school I still count him as a friend. As down to earth a dude as you can meet that will make time to talk with you about golf despite the level of guys he coaches.

  2. CrashTestDummy

    Mar 14, 2019 at 9:07 pm

    Tiger’s putting mechanics look spot on. He looks like he is hitting his putts where he wants. I think his putting issues are more about misreading putts or just a mental issue than mechanics just like Jordan Spieth. Spieth’s mechanics haven’t changed since he was a phenomenal putter it is just a mental issue that he needs to overcome. However, a coach can just give them that confidence and reaffirm that they are doing the right things which can change their entire mental state and belief. That could be the edge to turn the tides.

  3. Jon

    Mar 14, 2019 at 8:59 am

    I am not a professional putting coach by any stretch of the imagination, nor a guru, but can explain “things” quite well and am patient (so I am told!). I have worked with a PGA pro on his putting. The guy could putt serious lights out and really just wanted to understand more about the things that he could not explain or see for himself. He basically did not want to go to the “names” because he had concluded they were a rip-off and they always “upsell” and try to get you to introduce them to people you know. He says I improved his putting by helping him understand a bit more what was going on. I say it looked almost exactly the same to me but it is all in the mind with these guys and if you can find something that clicks, and they try it, you are a guru. It’s just a confidence building thing with them. they haven’t got to where they are by luck.

  4. joro

    Mar 13, 2019 at 6:19 pm

    So the question is does the Coach make the player, or does the player make the coach. Face it, all these guys were really good before the Coach, why know do they need one and several of them found a Coach and haven’t been heard from since.

    • Tim

      Mar 21, 2019 at 10:59 am

      I think Tiger tried to prove that point by moving around to different coaches, feeling they may have been getting too much credit for his success.

      Where would Pelz and Stockton be without Mickelson? Good teachers and working sure, but they built their brand off of Phil. Phil still gets streaky with the putter and his short game helped Pelz more than Pelz helped him.

  5. Milton Taylor

    Mar 13, 2019 at 2:35 pm

    Perhaps the greatest clutch putter of all times needs a putting coach… Good grief, He just can’t help himself. He has to have a coach.

  6. Ben Murphy

    Mar 13, 2019 at 12:40 pm

    Why does any professional golfer, much less Tiger Woods, need a “putting” trainer?
    Putting is about the easiest part of golf! You’re really messed up if you can’t putt
    anymore.

  7. Jack Nash

    Mar 13, 2019 at 8:27 am

    Nobody heard of Matt until, of course, he stands behind Tiger. The guy’s a phenom nobody heard about “until”.

  8. Ralph

    Mar 12, 2019 at 11:01 pm

    how can u get a lesson with this guy?

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Opinion & Analysis

The Wedge Guy: What really makes a wedge work? Part 2

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In my last post, I explained the basic performance dynamics of “smash factor” and “gear effect” as they apply to your wedges and your wedge play success. If you missed that post, you can read it here.

At the end of that post, I promised “part 2” of this discussion of what makes a wedge work the way it does. So, let’s dive into the other two components of any wedge – the shaft and the grip.

It’s long been said that the shaft is “the engine of the golf club.” The shaft (and grip) are your only connection to all the technologies that are packed into the head of any golf club, whether it be a driver, fairway, hybrid, iron, wedge or even putter.

And you cannot ignore those two components of your wedges if your goal is optimizing your performance.

I’ve long been an advocate of what I call a “seamless transition” from your irons into your wedges, so that the feel and performance do not disconnect when you choose a gap wedge, for example, instead of your iron-set-matching “P-club.” In today’s golf equipment marketplace, more and more golfers are making the investment of time and money to experience an iron fitting, going through trial and error and launch monitor measuring to get just the right shaft in their irons.

But then so many of those same golfers just go into a store and choose wedges off the retail display, with no similar science involved at all. And that’s why I see so many golfers with a huge disconnect between their custom-fitted irons, often with lighter and/or softer graphite or light steel shafts . . . and their off-the-rack wedges with the stock stiff steel ‘wedge flex’ shaft common to those stock offerings.

If your wedge shafts are significantly heavier and stiffer than the shafts in your irons, it is physically impossible for you to make the same swing. Period.

To quickly improve your wedge play, one of the first things you can do is have your wedges re-shafted with the same or similar shaft that is in your irons.

There’s another side of that shaft weight equation; if you don’t have the forearm and hand strength of a PGA Tour professional, you simply cannot “handle” the same weight shaft that those guys play to master the myriad of ‘touch shots’ around the greens.

Now, let’s move on to the third and other key component of your wedges – the grips. If those are not similar in shape and feel to the grips on your irons, you have another disconnect. Have your grips checked by a qualified golf club professionals to make sure you are in sync there.

The one caveat to that advice is that I am a proponent of a reduced taper in your wedge grips – putting two to four more layers of tape under the lower hand, or selecting one of the many reduced taper grips on the market. That accomplishes two goals for your scoring.

First, it helps reduce overactive hands in your full and near-full wedge swings. Quiet hands are key to good wedge shots.

And secondly, it provides a more consistent feel of the wedge in your hands as you grip down for those shorter and more delicate shots around the greens. And you should always grip down as you get into those touch shots. I call it “getting closer to your work.”

So, if you will spend as much time selecting the shafts and grips for your wedges as you do choosing the brand, model, and loft of them, your scoring range performance will get better.

More from the Wedge Guy

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19th Hole

Vincenzi’s 2024 Wells Fargo Championship betting preview: Tommy Fleetwood ready to finally land maiden PGA Tour title

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The PGA Tour season ramps back up this week for another “signature event,” as golf fans look forward to the year’s second major championship next week.

After two weaker-field events in the Zurich Classic and the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, most of the best players in the world will head to historic Quail Hollow for one of the best non-major tournaments of the year. 

Last season, Wyndham Clark won the event by four shots.

Quail Hollow is a par-71 measuring 7,521 yards that features Bermudagrass greens. The tree-lined, parkland style course can play quite difficult and features one of the most difficult three-hole stretches in golf known as “The Green Mile,” which makes up holes 16-18: two mammoth par 4s and a 221-yard par 3. All three holes have an average score over par, and water is in play in each of the last five holes on the course.

The field is excellent this week with 68 golfers teeing it up without a cut. All of the golfers who’ve qualified are set to tee it up, with the exception of Scottie Scheffler, who is expecting the birth of his first child. 

Past Winners at Quail Hollow

  • 2023: Wyndham Clark (-19)
  • 2022: Max Homa (-8)
  • 2021: Rory McIlroy (-10)
  • 2019: Max Homa (-15)
  • 2018: Jason Day (-12)
  • 2017: Justin Thomas (-8) (PGA Championship)
  • 2016: James Hahn (-9)
  • 2015: Rory McIlroy (-21)

Key Stats For Quail Hollow

Strokes Gained: Approach

Strokes gained: Approach will be extremely important this week as second shots at Quail Hollow can be very difficult. 

Total SG: Approach Over Past 24 Rounds

  1. Akshay Bhatia (+1.16)
  2. Tom Hoge (+1.12)
  3. Corey Conners (+1.01)
  4. Shane Lowry (+0.93)
  5. Austin Eckroat (+0.82)

Strokes Gained: Off the Tee

Quail Hollow is a long course on which it is important to play from the fairway. Both distance and accuracy are important, as shorter tee shots will result in approach shots from 200 or more yards. With most of the holes heavily tree lined, errant drives will create some real trouble for the players.

Strokes Gained: Off the Tee Past 24 Rounds:

  1. Ludvig Aberg (+0.73)
  2. Rory McIlroy (+0.69)
  3. Xander Schauffele (+0.62)
  4. Viktor Hovland (+0.58)
  5. Chris Kirk (+0.52)

Proximity: 175-200

The 175-200 range is key at Quail Hollow. Players who can hit their long irons well will rise to the top of the leaderboard. 

Proximity: 175-200+ over past 24 rounds:

  1. Cameron Young (28’2″)
  2. Akshay Bhatia (29’6″)
  3. Ludvig Aberg (+30’6″)
  4. Sam Burns (+30’6″)
  5. Collin Morikawa (+30’9″)

SG: Total on Tom Fazio Designs

Players who thrive on Tom Fazio designs get a bump for me at Quail Hollow this week. 

SG: Total on Tom Fazio Designs over past 36 rounds:

  1. Patrick Cantlay (+2.10)
  2. Rory McIlroy (+1.95)
  3. Tommy Fleetwood (+1.68)
  4. Austin Eckroat (+1.60)
  5. Will Zalatoris (+1.57)

Strokes Gained: Putting (Bermudagrass)

Strokes Gained: Putting has historically graded out as the most important statistic at Quail Hollow. While it isn’t always predictable, I do want to have it in the model to bump up golfers who prefer to putt on Bermudagrass.

Strokes Gained: Putting (Bermudagrass) Over Past 24 Rounds:

  1. Taylor Moore (+0.82)
  2. Nick Dunlap (+.76)
  3. Wyndham Clark (+.69)
  4. Emiliano Grillo (+.64)
  5. Cam Davis (+.61)

Course History

This stat will incorporate players that have played well in the past at Quail Hollow. 

Course History over past 36 rounds (per round):

  1. Rory McIlroy (+2.50)
  2. Justin Thomas (+1.96)
  3. Jason Day (+1.92)
  4. Rickie Fowler (+1.83)
  5. Viktor Hovland (+1.78)

Wells Fargo Championship Model Rankings

Below, I’ve compiled overall model rankings using a combination of the five key statistical categories previously discussed — SG: Approach (27%), SG: Off the Tee (23%), SG: Total on Fazio designs (12%), Proximity: 175-200 (12%), SG: Putting Bermuda grass (12%), and Course History (14%).

  1. Wyndham Clark
  2. Rory McIlroy
  3. Xander Schauffele
  4. Shane Lowry
  5. Hideki Matsuyama
  6. Viktor Hovland 
  7. Cameron Young
  8. Austin Eckroat 
  9. Byeong Hun An
  10. Justin Thomas

2024 Wells Fargo Championship Picks

Tommy Fleetwood +2500 (DraftKings)

I know many out there have Tommy fatigue when it comes to betting, which is completely understandable given his lack of ability to win on the PGA Tour thus far in his career. However, history has shown us that players with Fleetwood’s talent eventually break though, and I believe for Tommy, it’s just a matter of time.

Fleetwood has been excellent on Tom Fazio designs. Over his past 36 rounds, he ranks 3rd in the field in Strokes Gained: Total on Fazio tracks. He’s also been incredibly reliable off the tee this season. He’s gained strokes in the category in eight of his past nine starts, including at The Masters, the PLAYERS and the three “signature events” of the season. Tommy is a golfer built for tougher courses and can grind it out in difficult conditions.

Last year, Fleetwood was the first-round leader at this event, firing a Thursday 65. He finished the event in a tie for 5th place.

For those worried about Fleetwood’s disappointing start his last time out at Harbour Town, he’s bounced back nicely after plenty of poor outings this season. His T7 at the Valero Texas Open was after a MC and T35 in his prior two starts and his win at the Dubai Invitational came after a T47 at the Sentry.

I expect Tommy to bounce back this week and contend at Quail Hollow.

Justin Thomas +3000 (DraftKings)

It’s been a rough couple of years for Justin Thomas, but I don’t believe things are quite as bad as they seem for JT. He got caught in the bad side of the draw at Augusta for last month’s Masters and has gained strokes on approach in seven of his nine starts in 2024. 

Thomas may have found something in his most recent start at the RBC Heritage. He finished T5 at a course that he isn’t the best fit for on paper. He also finally got the putter working and ranked 15th in Strokes Gained: Putting for the week.

The two-time PGA champion captured the first of his two major championships at Quail Hollow back in 2017, and some good vibes from the course may be enough to get JT out of his slump.

Thomas hasn’t won an event in just about two years. However, I still believe that will change soon as he’s been one of the most prolific winners throughout his PGA Tour career. Since 2015, he has 15 PGA Tour wins.

Course history is pretty sticky at Quail Hollow, with players who like the course playing well there on a regular basis. In addition to JT’s PGA Championship win in 2017, he went 4-1 at the 2022 Presidents Cup and finished T14 at the event last year despite being in poor form. Thomas can return as one of the top players on the PGA Tour with a win at a “signature event” this week. 

Cameron Young +3500 (DraftKings)

For many golf bettors, it’s been frustrating backing Cam Young this season. His talent is undeniable, and one of the best and most consistent performers on the PGA Tour. He just hasn’t broken through with a victory yet. Quail Hollow has been a great place for elite players to get their first victory. Rory McIlroy, Anthony Kim, Rickie Fowler and Wyndham Clark all notched their first PGA Tour win at Quail.

Throughout Cam Young’s career, he has thrived at tougher courses with strong fields. This season, he finished T16 at Riviera and T9 at Augusta National, demonstrating his preference of a tough test. His ability to hit the ball long and straight off the tee make him an ideal fit for Quail Hollow, despite playing pretty poorly his first time out in 2023 (T59). Young should be comfortable playing in the region as he played his college golf at Wake Forest, which is about an hour’s drive from Quail Hollow.

The 26-year-old has played well at Tom Fazio designs in the past and ranks 8th in the field in Strokes Gained: Total on those courses in his last 36 rounds. Perhaps most importantly, this season, Young is the best player on the PGA Tour in terms of proximity from 175-200 in the fairway, which is where a plurality and many crucial shots will come from this week.

Young is an elite talent and Quail Hollow has been kind to players of his ilk who’ve yet to win on Tour.

Byeong Hun An +5000 (FanDuel)

Byeong Hun An missed some opportunities last weekend at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson. He finished T4 and played some outstanding golf, but a couple of missed short putts prevented him from getting to the winning score of -23. Despite not getting the win, it’s hard to view An’s performance as anything other than an overwhelming success. It was An’s fourth top-ten finish of the season.

Last week, An gained 6.5 strokes ball striking, which was 7th in the field. He also ranked 12th for Strokes Gained: Approach and 13th for Strokes Gained: Off the Tee. The South Korean has been hitting the ball so well from tee to green all season long and he now heads to a golf course that should reward his precision.

An’s driver and long irons are absolute weapons. At Quail Hollow, players will see plenty of approach shots from the 175-200 range as well as some from 200+. In his past 24 rounds, Ben ranks 3rd in the field in proximity from 175-200 and 12th in proximity from 200+. Playing in an event that will not end up being a “birdie” fest should help An, who can separate from the field with his strong tee to green play. The putter may not always cooperate but getting to -15 is much easier than getting to -23 for elite ball strikers who tend to struggle on the greens.

Winning a “signature event” feels like a tall task for An this week with so many elite players in the field. However, he’s finished T16 at the Genesis Invitational, T16 at The Masters and T8 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. The 32-year-old’s game has improved drastically this season and I believe he’s ready to get the biggest win of his career.

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19th Hole

Vincenzi’s LIV Golf Singapore betting preview: Course specialist ready to thrive once again

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After another strong showing in Australia, LIV Golf will head to Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore looking to build off of what was undoubtedly their best event to date.

Sentosa Golf Club sits on the southern tip of Singapore and is one of the most beautiful courses in the world. The course is more than just incredible scenically; it was also rated 55th in Golf Digest’s top-100 courses in 2022-2023 and has been consistently regarded as one of the best courses in Asia. Prior to being part of the LIV rotation, the course hosted the Singapore Open every year since 2005.

Sentosa Golf Club is a par 71 measuring 7,406 yards. The course will require precise ball striking and some length off the tee. It’s possible to go low due to the pristine conditions, but there are also plenty of hazards and difficult spots on the course that can bring double bogey into play in a hurry. The Bermudagrass greens are perfectly manicured, and the course has spent millions on the sub-air system to keep the greens rolling fast. I spoke to Asian Tour player, Travis Smyth, who described the greens as “the best [he’s] ever played.”

Davis Love III, who competed in a Singapore Open in 2019, also gushed over the condition of the golf course.

“I love the greens. They are fabulous,” the 21-time PGA Tour winner said.

Love III also spoke about other aspects of the golf course.

“The greens are great; the fairways are perfect. It is a wonderful course, and it’s tricky off the tee.”

“It’s a long golf course, and you get some long iron shots. It takes somebody hitting it great to hit every green even though they are big.”

As Love III said, the course can be difficult off the tee due to the length of the course and the trouble looming around every corner. It will take a terrific ball striking week to win at Sentosa Golf Club.

In his pre-tournament press conference last season, Phil Mickelson echoed many of the same sentiments.

“To play Sentosa effectively, you’re going to have a lot of shots from 160 to 210, a lot of full 6-, 7-, 8-iron shots, and you need to hit those really well and you need to drive the ball well.”

Golfers who excel from tee to green and can dial in their longer irons will have a massive advantage this week.

Stat Leaders at LIV Golf Adelaide:

Fairways Hit

1.) Louis Oosthuizen

2.) Anirban Lahiri

3.) Jon Rahm

4.) Brendan Steele

5.) Cameron Tringale

Greens in Regulation

1.) Brooks Koepka

2.) Brendan Steele

3.) Dean Burmester

4.) Cameron Tringale

5.) Anirban Lahiri

Birdies Made

1.) Brendan Steele

2.) Dean Burmester

3.) Thomas Pieters

4.) Patrick Reed

5.) Carlos Ortiz

LIV Golf Individual Standings:

1.) Joaquin Niemann

2.) Jon Rahm

3.) Dean Burmester

4.) Louis Oosthuizen

5.) Abraham Ancer

LIV Golf Team Standings:

1.) Crushers

2.) Legion XIII

3.) Torque

4.) Stinger GC

5.) Ripper GC

LIV Golf Singapore Picks

Sergio Garcia +3000 (DraftKings)

Sergio Garcia is no stranger to Sentosa Golf Club. The Spaniard won the Singapore Open in 2018 by five strokes and lost in a playoff at LIV Singapore last year to scorching hot Talor Gooch. Looking at the course setup, it’s no surprise that a player like Sergio has played incredible golf here. He’s long off the tee and is one of the better long iron players in the world when he’s in form. Garcia is also statistically a much better putter on Bermudagrass than he is on other putting surfaces. He’s putt extremely well on Sentosa’s incredibly pure green complexes.

This season, Garcia has two runner-up finishes, both of them being playoff losses. Both El Camaleon and Doral are courses he’s had success at in his career. The Spaniard is a player who plays well at his tracks, and Sentosa is one of them. I believe Sergio will get himself in the mix this week. Hopefully the third time is a charm in Singapore.

Paul Casey +3300 (FanDuel)

Paul Casey is in the midst of one of his best seasons in the five years or so. The results recently have been up and down, but he’s shown that when he’s on a golf course that suits his game, he’s amongst the contenders.

This season, Casey has finishes of T5 (LIV Las Vegas), T2 (LIV Hong Kong), and a 6th at the Singapore Classic on the DP World Tour. At his best, the Englishman is one of the best long iron players in the world, which makes him a strong fit for Sentosa. Despite being in poor form last season, he was able to fire a Sunday 63, which shows he can low here at the course.

It’s been three years since Casey has won a tournament (Omega Dubai Desert Classic in 2021), but he’s been one of the top players on LIV this season and I think he can get it done at some point this season.

Mito Pereira +5000 (Bet365)

Since Mito Pereira’s unfortunate demise at the 2022 PGA Championship, he’s been extremely inconsistent. However, over the past few months, the Chilean has played well on the International Series as well as his most recent LIV start. Mito finished 8th at LIV Adelaide, which was his best LIV finish this season.

Last year, Pereira finished 5th at LIV Singapore, shooting fantastic rounds of 67-66-66. It makes sense why Mito would like Sentosa, as preeminent ball strikers tend to rise to the challenge of the golf course. He’s a great long iron player who is long and straight off the tee.

Mito has some experience playing in Asia and is one of the most talented players on LIV who’s yet to get in the winner’s circle. I have questions about whether or not he can come through once in contention, but if he gets there, I’m happy to roll the dice.

Andy Ogletree +15000 (DraftKings)

Andy Ogletree is a player I expected to have a strong 2024 but struggled early in his first full season on LIV. After failing to crack the top-25 in any LIV event this year, the former U.S. Amateur champion finally figured things out, finished in a tie for 3rd at LIV Adelaide.

Ogletree should be incredible comfortable playing in Singapore. He won the International Series Qatar last year and finished T3 at the International Series Singapore. The 26-year-old was arguably the best player on the Asian Tour in 2023 and has been fantastic in the continent over the past 18 months.

If Ogletree has indeed found form, he looks to be an amazing value at triple-digit odds.

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