Connect with us

19th Hole

2021 Ryder Cup Player Ratings

Published

on

The U.S. recorded the biggest margin of victory in Ryder Cup history at Whistling Straits, dominating the European side all three days to win 19-9.

It was an incredible display by the U.S. youngsters and a chastening experience for Team Europe, with some veterans on the side likely to have competed in their final Ryder Cup.

Here we take a look at each player and rate their performance for the week at Whistling Straits.

U.S.

Patrick Cantlay: Three and a half points out of a possible four, as Patrick Cantlay continues to impress. Looks as calm and confident in his ability as anyone these days, and while his singles match against Shane Lowry was touted to be close, the 29-year-old bossed the Irishman. 9

Collin Morikawa: Perfect in team play, proving to be the ideal partner for both DJ and Cantlay, and his half a point against Europe’s best young gun in Viktor Hovland capped a top showing by the Californian. 8.5

Dustin Johnson: Perfection from DJ who went five for five in Wisconsin. Outstanding performance. 10

Bryson DeChambeau: Whether it was drives of over 400 yards or strutting off the first tee Sunday with a putter in hand, Bryson was at his very best last week. Dominated arguably the best Ryder Cup player in history in singles, and alongside his teammate Scheffler he was the only player who could deny World Number One Jon Rahm in team play. 9

Scottie Scheffler: There’s stepping up to the plate, and then there’s doing what Scottie Scheffler did over the weekend. Excelled in team action with Bryson DeChambeau, and then the rookie went out against the best player in the world and put him to the sword 4&3. Sensational performance. 9.5

Xander Schauffele: Phenomenal in team play, taking three points from a possible three and looks like he could partner anyone and get the best out of them. Suffered a hefty defeat in Sunday singles but had done his part brilliantly in forging the USA’s monstrous lead by then. 8

Harris English: Looked excellent alongside Tony Finau in taking down the Irish duo of McIlroy and Lowry on the opening day, but that was as good as it got for the 32-year-old who lost his Saturday fourball and Sunday single matches. 7

Daniel Berger: Another man who justified his Captain’s pick, ending the week with a winning record thanks to his single’s victory where he played the tricky anchor match. 8

Justin Thomas: Started slow but rode a wave of confidence bordering on arrogance and ended up delivering the goods. Played four times, and while he won just once in team play, JT’s crushing defeat of Tyrrell Hatton on Sunday was a statement win. 8

Jordan Spieth: Played four times and ended up on the winning side of those matches just the once. Earned half a point on Sunday, which means he’s still yet to taste victory in single’s RC action. 7

Brooks Koepka: Began the event with a nice win but struggled on Saturday, where he went 0-2 in team action. Stepped up on Sunday with a strong showing. Has the feel of a guy you’d dread to be paired against in singles play. 7.5

Tony Finau: Carbon copy of his partner Harris English’s week. 1-1 in team play, but couldn’t handle the Postman in Sunday’s singles. 7

Steve Stricker: From his captain picks to his pairings to the course setup, Steve Stricker got everything right when in the build-up to the event many had their doubts. Captained the most dominant Ryder Cup team ever. Enough said. 10

Europe

Matthew Fitzpatrick: Played three and lost them all. Has now played a total of five matches across two Ryder Cups and still hasn’t earned even half a point. Doesn’t look cut out for the competition. 3

Tommy Fleetwood: Fought hard but was only able to earn a point from his three matches in Wisconsin. Hard not to feel he was underplayed, particularly in foursomes where his omission both days raised some eyebrows. 4.5

Sergio Garcia: Another strong showing at the Ryder Cup for Sergio, who excelled alongside his fellow countryman Jon Rahm. Perfect in team play, but couldn’t handle Bryson on Sunday in a match that was more one-sided than anyone expected. 7.5

Tyrrell Hatton: Looked flat all week which was a surprise for a player that gets amped up quite often on Tour. Earned one and a half points in team play, but when Europe needed him on Sunday, he offered nothing as JT ran over the Englishman. Highlight was a stunning shot on 18 to earn half a point on Friday afternoon. 4.5

Paul Casey: Played four and lost four. Really poor performance from Casey, who despite his experience, looked out of his depth at times. 3

Rory McIlroy: Failed to contribute anything in three appearances in team play. Was bitterly disappointed in his performance in a very honest interview on Sunday. Did show up and perform admirably in singles action, but his assessment of his contribution over the week was correct; he needed to do much more. 4

Viktor Hovland: Didn’t play particularly poorly, but when you play all five matches and bring home just one point, it must go down as a big disappointment. Will learn a lot from his experience at his first Ryder Cup. 4

Shane Lowry: Trusted just the three times by his captain, Lowry delivered a great moment on Saturday on 18 to win his match, but that was as good as it got. Comfortably defeated in Sunday’s singles. 4.5

Jon Rahm: Showed he’s now the European leader with a strong display, particularly in team play. Earned three and a half points from a possible four over the first two days, which was a top, top display against this U.S. side. Ran out of gas on Sunday in a surprising upset. 7.5

Lee Westwood: Likely to be Westwood’s final Ryder Cup, and while he offered very little over the opening two days, it was nice to see him pick up a point, albeit a pretty meaningless one, on Sunday. 4.5

Bernd Wiesberger: A very tough debut at the Ryder Cup for Wiesberger, who went 0-3 in Wisconsin. You’d hope he’d be better for the experience. 3.5

Ian Poulter: Credit to Poulter, put him out in Sunday’s singles, and he’ll will himself to a point against anyone it seems. Sadly his days look numbered as a competitor at the event, however, as he looked miles off it in the team format. 4.5

Padraig Harrington: Didn’t get much right, offering himself fewer captain picks than his adversary, some odd pairings, and not picking Fleetwood for foursomes was a strange one. In his defence, if he had done everything perfectly, he’d still have been on the losing side. 4

Your Reaction?
  • 57
  • LEGIT14
  • WOW4
  • LOL1
  • IDHT1
  • FLOP7
  • OB1
  • SHANK14

Gianni is the Managing Editor at GolfWRX. He can be contacted at [email protected].

19th Hole

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

Published

on

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.

Your Reaction?
  • 8
  • LEGIT2
  • WOW0
  • LOL0
  • IDHT0
  • FLOP1
  • OB1
  • SHANK2

Continue Reading

19th Hole

‘I really think it’s possible’ – 4-time major champ says Scottie Scheffler could win the Grand Slam in 2024

Published

on

During the Sky Sports commentary after the PLAYERS Championship, analyst and golf legend Laura Davies said she believes Scottie Scheffler could win the grand slam this year.

“He’s on a different level,” said the four-time major champion.

“As soon as he started holing those putts at Bay Hill the rest of the field must have thought ‘oh we’re in a bit of trouble here’ because they know statistically, he’s No.1 in every category apart from the putting. But he now looks so relaxed over his putts.”

In his last two events, Scheffler has gained an average of .87 Strokes Gained: Putting on the field, which is more than enough for him to be absolutely dominant.

“The fact he won this week with an injury in the third round, and it was uncomfortable for him, but it was really nice to see on Sunday because he did feel more comfortable that he turned it into an 8-under 64, and the others have got their hands full now,” Davies added.

“Going forward, I don’t think it’s a long shot to say he’s going to win at least two of the four majors this season, maybe even three, maybe even the Grand Slam.

“I really think it’s possible.”

It would be an amazing feat, but if anyone can do it this season, it’s Scottie Scheffler.

More from the 19th Hole

Your Reaction?
  • 0
  • LEGIT0
  • WOW0
  • LOL3
  • IDHT0
  • FLOP2
  • OB0
  • SHANK4

Continue Reading

19th Hole

Rory McIlroy takes shot at Greg Norman while discussing Monday’s Saudi PIF meeting

Published

on

Rory McIlroy has recently changed his tune on both LIV and the Saudi Arabian PIF, but according to recent comments, he still isn’t a big fan of LIV Golf CEO, Greg Norman.

While speaking to the media after his final round of the PLAYERS Championship, McIlroy expressed optimism for PIF Governor Yasir al-Rumayyan’s intentions in the game of golf.

“They’re a sovereign wealth fund. They want to park money for decades and not worry about it,” McIlroy said of the PIF.

“They want to invest in smart and secure businesses, and the PGA Tour is definitely one of those, especially if they’re looking to invest in sport in some way.I have spent time with Yasir. I think the people who have represented him in LIV have done him a disservice, so Norman and those guys.

Reportedly, a meeting will be taking place in Ponte Vedra today with the PGA Tour Board of Directors and the PIF. According to Bob Harig of Sports Illustrated, that meeting will include Tiger Woods.

“I think it should have happened months ago, so I am glad it’s happening,” Rory said.

“Hopefully that progresses conversations and gets us closer to a solution.”

More from the 19th Hole

 

 

Your Reaction?
  • 3
  • LEGIT0
  • WOW0
  • LOL1
  • IDHT0
  • FLOP1
  • OB1
  • SHANK6

Continue Reading

WITB

Facebook

Trending