News
PGA Championship: 5 things we learned on Thursday
Coming into this week, many said that a northeastern course would be a terrible venue for a month-of-May PGA Championship, especially one not built on sand. They said that the winds would blow, the rains would fall, and the course would mud up like a college Oozefest. As of Thursday, it had yet to happen at Bethpage Black, despite ominous weather earlier in the week.
With the ancillaries out of the way, attention turned to the actual golf, particularly the current major champions group of Tiger Woods, Francesco Molinari, and Brooks Koepka. As the reigning holder of the Wannamaker trophy, the oft-slighted Koepka ambled into Farmingdale with a chip on his shoulder. Did it remain there? Did he get outplayed by his two group-mates? Read up on the 5 things we learned on Thursday, to find out the honest truth.
5. George Gankas might be the name on everyone’s mind by week’s end
He coaches Danny Lee and Sung Kang. Kang won last week at the Byron Nelson, and Lee is in 2nd place (more on that later.) Gankas is a flat-brim-wearing, driving-range-teaching, rip open your hips and thrust that pelvis like Elvis, kind of guy. No holding back, and he’s fun to watch. His stable of golfers might be ready to break through, and break the mold. Remember where you first heard it.
4. Happy Hollow Club REPRESENT! Mill River Club HOLLA!
For today, the PGA professionals (not touring pros) from Happy Hollow Club in Omaha, and Mill River Club in nearby Oyster Bay, sat inside the top 20 of a major golf championship. The PGA Championship cares as much about its club professionals, as the Masters does about amateurs. When either one makes the cut, it’s a big deal. Jason Caron (the local) had 3 each of birdies and bogies, while Ryan Vermeer (the cornhusker) matched his total with 2 of each (birdies and bogies.) These are guys who not only keep golf running on the daily level, but can game it with the world’s best, if only for a day. Here’s to another hot round tomorrow for each, a made cut, and a weekend at Bethpage.
Jason Caron of #millriverclub SINKS it from off the green on 16 for birdie!#metpga #weplay #pgachamp #our20 #BethpageBlack pic.twitter.com/34SFiaDHa4
— Metropolitan PGA (@MetropolitanPGA) May 16, 2019
3. Tommy of the cascading lettuce sits in 3rd after 18
Tommy Fleetflow…Tommy Flowwood…Tommy Sweetflow…oh, sorry, where was I? This all might seem eerily familiar to the Englishman. Last June, he finished one shot behind current leader Brooks Koepka at the US Open, on a golf course located about 60 miles away, in the Hamptons. Fleetwood turned the tables at the Ryder Cup, where he was the hero of the week. Now he returns to battle Brooks, but he has 4 shots to make up. Like Koepka, Fleet started on the inward half. He birdied one-third of his holes, but made 3 bogies on the day to slip back to 3-under par. Despite the miscues, the man from Southport was surprised at the number of birdies he snared:
I was a little bit actually. It wasn’t something that I really — I mean, I didn’t really have an over and under on how many birdies I might need to make, but like sort of you feel like you make one, you feel like the course isn’t really giving you much. I think it definitely felt more playable today, though, than on the practice days. I made a great birdie on 15, which was my first one of the day, but at no point does it feel like the course is going to lend anything to you. Yeah, six birdies is a lot. It’s probably more than I thought I would get.
Tommy Fleetwood's -3 is proving a strong start to the #PGAChampionship.
Watch live on Sky Sports Golf and follow live coverage from the opening round of the 101st #PGAChampionship here: https://t.co/8jNJCpWSoa pic.twitter.com/4hOeeCjWgs
— Sky Sports Golf (@SkySportsGolf) May 16, 2019
2. Danny Lee was super good … in 2008
The Korean golfer from New Zealand won the 2008 US Amateur by 5 & 4 in the finale. He has had moderate success since then, known as much for being Rickie Fowler’s prank patsy as a tour winner. Lee has never threatened to win a professional major, so it’s doubtful that he’ll be in the mix past 36 holes. For today, he was outstanding. 8 birdies offset by 2 bogies brought him to -6 on the day, one off Brooks Koepka’s course record. By the way, Danny has real-people concerns, just like you and me:
Yes and no, but I know my family is sacrificing out there for me to chase my dream out here. I guess I should say yes. I sometimes feel like I’m a bad person when I play bad because a young baby and my wife and my mother-in-law traveling with me out here, and when I don’t make a good result, it just makes me feel like I didn’t do what I’m supposed to do. I definitely have that kind of mindset in my head now.
Danny Lee sits 1-off the lead with his opening round 64.#PGAChamp pic.twitter.com/2sRVmvJv7q
— PGA of America (@PGA) May 16, 2019
1. Koepka silences doubters for at least one day
Course record? Seven under par? No bogies? Nothing that anyone predicted, all came true for the defending champion on Thursday at the Black. Despite, or perhaps because of, a pairing with the greatest golfer of all time and the greatest Italian golfer of all time, Brooks Koepka showed them and everyone who watched, who the man to beat is this week. He opened with birdie on the 10th, the same hole Woods double-bogied, where Molinari earned bogey. Just like that, the quiet one was 3 up and 2 up, respectively. It didn’t get much better for the wee men the rest of the way. His burliness birdied his last hole, the 9th, in addition to 5 other birdies. Pretty much the perfect round, to get people to sit up and take notice. Despite it all, the big man was convinced he left three shots on the course:
Well, I didn’t take care of the par-5s, didn’t birdie any of the par-5s. That was disappointing because I felt like you know those are holes you should be able to birdie. Definitely can reach, what is it, 4 and just hit a bad drive there. And then 13 I can get there, too, I just hit it in the bunker. And then the second hole today, my 11th hole, I missed about a five-footer. That would have been nice to shoot 60. I guess that would have been pretty good.
Can anything stop Brooks Koepka?
A birdie on the final hole gives him a 7-under 63 for the round. ???? #PGAChamp pic.twitter.com/Wsbj9AMUnp
— PGA of America (@PGA) May 16, 2019
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Tour Photo Galleries
Photos from the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
GolfWRX is on site this week in McKinney, Texas, at the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson (FKA the AT&T Byron Nelson).
Last year at TPC Craig Ranch, Jason Day ended a five-year winless streak. J-Day is in the field again, as are Jordan Spieth, Tom Kim, and Will Zalatoris.
We have our usual assortment of general galleries, WITBs, and pullout albums for your perusal. As always, we’ll continue to add links to additional albums as they make their way to us from the Lone Star State.
Check out links to all our photos below.
General Albums
- 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson – Monday #1
- 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson – Monday #2
- 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson – Tuesday #1
- 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson – Tuesday #2
- 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson – Tuesday #3
WITB Albums
- Pierceson Coody – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Kris Kim – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- David Nyfjall – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Adrien Dumont de Chassart – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Jarred Jetter – North Texas PGA Section Champ – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Richy Werenski – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Wesley Bryan – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Parker Coody – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Peter Kuest – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Blaine Hale, Jr. – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Kelly Kraft – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Rico Hoey – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
Pullout Albums
- Adam Scott’s 2 new custom L.A.B. Golf putters – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Scotty Cameron putters – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
See what GolfWRXers are saying in the forums.
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News
Vincenzi’s 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson betting preview: International talent to shine
As anticipation mounts for the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla in a few weeks, the PGA Tour makes a pit stop in McKinney, Texas to play The CJ CUP Byron Nelson.
Last year was the third time TPC Craig Ranch hosted the Byron Nelson. Prior to 2021, the event was held at Trinity Forest Golf Club in Dallas.
TPC Craig Ranch is a 7,414-yard par-71 that features Bentgrass greens. The event historically plays relatively easy, and that has remained the case in the three editions at TPC Craig Ranch.
The course structure may provide some additional intrigue with the par-3 17th featuring a stadium setup called “Ranch 17” which is reminiscent of the 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale. The course also has both long and difficult par-4s mixed with drivable par-4s, which should create some exciting moments.
There are 156 golfers in the field this week, and many stars will be taking the week off to prepare for 2023’s second major championship in a few weeks and a “signature event” at Quail Hollow next week. Notable players in the field include Jordan Spieth, Jason Day, Sungjae Im, Stephan Jaeger, Tom Kim, Si Woo Kim, Min Woo Lee, Alex Noren, Adam Scott and Will Zalatoris.
Past Winners of the AT&T Byron Nelson
- 2023: Jason Day (-23 at TPC Craig Ranch)
- 2022: K.H. Lee (-26 at TPC Craig Ranch)
- 2021: K.H. Lee (-25 at TPC Craig Ranch)
- 2019: Sung Kang (-23)
- 2018: Aaron Wise (-23)
- 2017: Billy Horschel (-12)
- 2016: Sergio Garcia (-15)
- 2015: Steven Bowditch (-18)
Key Stats at TPC Craig Ranch
Let’s take a look at five key metrics for TPC Craig Ranch to determine which golfers boast top marks in each category over their last 24 rounds.
Strokes Gained: Approach
Strokes Gained: Approach remains the best measure of current form.
Hot iron play will be at a premium this week. Last year, Jason Day gained 6.4 strokes on approach, which was fourth in the field. In 2022, K.H. Lee was ninth in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach, gaining 5.2 strokes. In his 2021 victory, he was second in the field and gained 8.3 strokes on the field in the category.
Strokes Gaines: Approach Over Past 24 Rounds
- Tom Hoge (+1.12)
- Keith Mitchell (+1.02)
- Henrik Norlander (+0.99)
- Ryan Moore (+0.98)
- Ben Martin (0.80)
Strokes Gained: Off the Tee
Fairways are wide at TPC Craig Ranch.
Distance will certainly be helpful, and there aren’t too many difficult holes on the course. Golfers who put themselves in position off of the tee this week should have a sizable advantage.
Strokes Gained: Off the Tee Over Past 24 Rounds
- Peter Kuest (+0.93)
- Kevin Daugherty (+0.91)
- Alejandro Tosti (+0.83)
- Keith Mitchell (+0.82)
- Kevin Tway (+0.74)
Birdie or Better %
There aren’t many hazards on the course, and all of the par-5s should be reachable in two for the majority of the players in the field. I am anticipating a birdie fest, and this statistic should be helpful in finding the birdie-makers.
Birdie or Better % Over Past 24 Rounds:
- Wesley Bryan (31%)
- Kelly Kraft (26.2%)
- Peter Kuest (25.9%)
- Matti Schmid (25.7%
- Jimmy Stanger (25.2%)
Strokes Gained: Putting (Bentgrass)
Many golfers on TOUR have some major putting surface variance in their statistics and prefer Bentgrass to other surfaces.
Bentgrass is common in Texas, and we often see golfers who play well in Texas continue to do so, finding a great feel around the greens.
Strokes Gained: Putting (Bentgrass) Over Past 24 Rounds:
- Maverick McNealy (+0.92)
- Aaron Baddeley (+0.87)
- Callum Tarren (+0.86)
- Harry Hall (+0.81)
- Nick Hardy (+0.69)
Course History
This statistic will tell us which players have performed the best at TPC Craig Ranch over the past three seasons.
Course History Over Past 12 Rounds:
- Jordan Spieth (+2.69)
- K.H. Lee (+2.59)
- Seamus Power (+1.84)
- Ryan Palmer (+1.76)
- Adam Scott (+1.72)
CJ CUP Byron Nelson Model Rankings
Below, I’ve compiled overall model rankings using a combination of the five key statistical categories previously discussed — SG: Approach (27%), SG: OTT (24%), Birdie or Better % (18%), Course History (17%) and SG: Putting Bentgrass (16%).
- Alex Noren
- Adam Scott
- Keith Mitchell
- Si Woo Kim
- Stephen Jaeger
- Jordan Spieth
- Jhonnatan Vegas
- Nate Lashley
- Brice Garnett
- Tom Hoge
2024 CJ CUP Byron Nelson Picks
Byeong Hun An +3000 (DraftKings)
Byeong Hun put together an excellent performance at The Masters, finishing T16, which ties his best ever finish at a major championship (also T16 at 2019 U.S. Open). The South Korean gained 9.16 strokes from tee to green, which ranked 2nd in the field behind only the champion, Scottie Scheffler.
An’s next start at Harbour Town didn’t go as well (67th), but he still had a fantastic ball striking week. The 32-year-old bled strokes both around and on the greens, which was his eventual undoing. In his past three starts, An has gained significant strokes on the field both off the tee and on approach.
Benny had a strong start at last year’s Byron Nelson, finishing in a tie for 14th. With limited challenges on the course, he shouldn’t have to do much scrambling. In his past 24 rounds, he ranks 17th in the field in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee and 17th in the field in birdie or better percentage. The putter is up and down per usual, but his ceiling putting weeks with his LAB Golf putter in 2024 are higher than they’ve been in past seasons.
An is starting to become my “white whale” of the PGA Tour, but I believe in his talent and TPC Craig Ranch is a course that should suit his excellent tee to green play.
Mackenzie Hughes +5500 (FanDuel)
Mackenzie Hughes is quietly putting together a very good season. He finished in a tie for 3rd at the Valspar Championship and followed that up with a T14 at the Texas Children’s Houston Open.
In his past 36 rounds in Texas, the Canadian ranks 5th in the field in Strokes Gained: Total. Last year, he finished in a tie for 14th at this event and gained strokes putting and off the tee. Mackenzie played well that week despite being in extremely poor form. He missed two cuts in a row prior to the event, and four consecutive cuts immediately after. His irons were off that week, but in 2024, we’ve seen an improvement in Hughes’ approach game. He now comes to the event playing some steady golf. He’s gained strokes on approach in four of his past five events and is hitting the ball very well from tee to green.
Hughes has two victories on the PGA Tour, both coming in relatively low-scoring affairs (-17 in each). He will need to go a bit deeper to win the CJ Cup Byron Nelson but has the type of putter that can keep pace in a birdie barrage.
Seamus Power +7000 (FanDuel)
After struggling over the past few seasons with injuries, Seamus Power seems as if he is rounding back into the form that made him a really consistent player on the PGA Tour.
Power finished T12 in his most recent start at the RBC Heritage, which is encouraging considering it was a “signature event” with a very strong field. For the week, the Irishman gained 4.4 strokes on approach and 2.8 strokes putting, which is the combination he’s used in the past to contend on Tour.
In his three trips to TPC Craig Ranch, Power is yet to finish outside of the top-20, with his best finish being a T9 in 2019. He ranks 4th in Strokes Gained: Total at the course. The 37-year-old thrives on easy tracks and has won in 2021 (Barbasol Championship) and 2022 (Butterfield Bermuda) on easier layouts with weaker fields.
Power has the game to go extremely low and I believe he can get back in the winner’s circle for the third time in four years.
Chan Kim +10000 (FanDuel)
Chan Kim has been striking the ball beautifully this season and is a proven winner with two wins on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2023 as well as eight career Japan Tour wins.
At last week’s Zurich Classic, Kim and his partner Doug Ghim finished in a tie for 28th. Prior to that, the South Korean T14 at the Valero Texas Open and T6 at the Corales Puntacana Championship. His success this season in Texas as well as he propensity to play his best golf on the PGA Tour’s easier courses make him and ideal fit for TPC Craig Ranch.
2024 has given plenty of longshot winners on the PGA Tour, and with a birdie fest like this, I believe there’s a strong chance we get another this week in McKinney, Texas.
Alejandro Tosti +10000 (FanDuel)
Alejandro Tosti is one of the most polarizing players on the PGA Tour thus far in the 2024 season. His antics can rub many the wrong way, but he’s shown on a few occasions that he has what it takes to compete in Tour events.
This season, Tosti has been elite off the tee. In his past 24 rounds, he ranks 2nd in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee. The Argentine hits it long and straight, which works at any course on earth. He got a taste of contention a few starts ago at the Texas Children’s Houston Open, finishing in a tie for 2nd place.
Tosti had a fantastic year in 2023 on the Korn Ferry Tour, where going low is a prerequisite to success. If this turns to a shootout, which it likely will, the 27-year-old has the ability to set the pace. Tosti will look to become the second Argentine to win in Texas in the past two seasons after Emiliano Grillo emerged victorious at last year’s Charles Schwab Challenge.
C.T. Pan +15000 (FanDuel)
Outside of a T3 at the Mexico Open, C.T. Pan doesn’t have strong results this season in terms of finishes. However, over his past two starts, Pan’s iron play has come alive. At The Players, he gained 6.6 strokes on approach. At the Valero Texas Open, he gained 3.7. At last week’s Zurich Classic, Pan and his partner Kevin Yu finished T28. For a player who can get extremely hot with his scoring clubs, I believe he’s playing better than the results have shown over the past month or so.
Last season, Pan finished 4th at TPC Craig Ranch and was spectacular across all the major stat categories. In his past 36 qualifying rounds, he ranks 16th in Strokes Gained: Total in Texas.
Pan has won on the PGA Tour at the RBC Heritage and is always a player that I believe has what it takes to win on a Sunday if he finds himself in contention.
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News
Morning 9: McIlroy, Lowry win Zurich | Green repeats on LPGA | Steele victorious down under
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Rascal
May 17, 2019 at 6:53 pm
He’s sure come a long way from ggswingtips on Instagram!
Ronald Montesano
May 17, 2019 at 8:20 pm
ha ha…good one, amigo.
Stacey Uchtman
May 17, 2019 at 9:50 am
Gankas has a crazy swing himself, I think he is Wolff’s coach if I’m not mistaken too.
Ronald Montesano
May 17, 2019 at 8:21 pm
You betcha. Good catch.
Paul
May 16, 2019 at 11:48 pm
“Remember where you first heard it”. Wait, what?
George has been around for years, he didn’t get credibility because he didn’t have big name players. But now his young people are coming up fast. We heard of George on YouTube years ago. We didn’t hear about George here first, or that he was going to be a great coach, we figured it out a long time ago, Golfwrx is playing catch up.
Ronald Montesano
May 17, 2019 at 6:30 am
Notice how we didn’t write “You heard it here first.” Just reminding you to “remember where you first heard it.” Also, to split hairs even more, we are the first outlet THIS WEEK to write about Gankas’ teaching impact on the first round.
That said, I’d love to hear more about how you found the gospel according to George. I’ve been a Twitter follower for about 8 months, and am trying to gently incorporate elements of what he teaches into my swing. #NowhereNearCali
Obee
May 17, 2019 at 9:49 am
Oh come on, Ron! “Remember where you first heard it.” The implication there is absolutely that the reader heard it in YOUR article first. Otherwise it’s nonsensical. There is zero chance you really meant to have the reader take a moment to ask: “Self, where did you first hear of George Gankas.”
And if you did mean that, then that’s just bad writing. No offense. 😉
I mean, I love your stuff, but that was just a bad response.
I’ve been following Gankas for two(?) years now. Love his stuff. Even booked a lesson with him, but since I live in Riverside, it was too long a haul, and I couldn’t make it. Need to book another for sure….
Thomas A
May 17, 2019 at 10:08 am
I heard it in Ron’s article first. Never heard of the guy before.
Ronald Montesano
May 17, 2019 at 8:24 pm
#LotsaLove4ThomasA
Glad to provide a service, my peep.
Ronald Montesano
May 17, 2019 at 8:22 pm
Obee…give my best to Luke…and Rey…and the other Jedi.
S’up? I’m meeting you halfway.