News
Tour Rundown: LA Open has star sighting confirmed by Nasa
The final Sunday in April of 2022 saw five winners confirmed and crowned across the golf-tour globe. No win was more dominant than the LPGA, and no event was more of a nail-biter than the PGA Tour Champions. The PGA Tour celebrated its only, annual team event in New Orleans, and tournaments in Brazil and Spain rounded out the week’s slate. The northeast may finally have bid farewell to the snows of winter, so put on your flip-flops and help us run down this week’s tour events.
LPGA: LA Open has star sighting confirmed by Nasa
Glorious Wilshire country club made the LPGA the place to watch this week. The late finish on the American west coast gave golf viewers a chance to see the course in all its golden-age glory. Combined with Nasa Hataoka’s new-age wizardry, the best golf viewing this week came from La-La Land. Hataoka stood one back of Alison Lee after round one, but when the young American went away, Nasa took center stage and never gave up the spotligh.
The Japanese star won her sixth tour title, and first of 2022, by five shots over Australia’s Hannah Green. After Jin-young Ko imploded late Saturday with an eight, no one ever got close to the sublime Hataoka. Only ten bogeys crossed her path all week, and they were more than offset by 23 birdies and one eagle. After making bogey at the par-five fifteenth each of the first two days, Nasa turned the tables on the tricky, three-shot hole with birdie and eagle the last two days.
The tour moves to Torrance this week, about 25 miles down the California coast. It will celebrate the inaugural playing of the Palos Verdes Championship, before crossing the country to reconvene mid-May in New Jersey.
JUST STUNNING ?@nasagolf7355's hot putter continues and drains an eagle on 15! pic.twitter.com/UQpOpNrzdQ
— LPGA (@LPGA) April 25, 2022
PGA Tour: Zurich Classic to Ice and X
Foursomes golf, also known as alternate shot, is not as easy as Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele made it look on Friday. The pair had 68, which would win most Ryder and Presidents Cup matches, under that format. Sunday was more like a typical foursomes tally. The leading pair ground out an even-par 72, which allowed them to hold on to their three-day lead and claim the tour’s only partner event by two shots over Sam Burns and Billy Horschel.
Patty Ice and the X Man were untouchable in four ball play this week. Also known as better ball, the pair had 59 on Thursday and 60 on Saturday. Those are some big-boy scorecards. It wasn’t until the 17th hole on Sunday, when Burns-Horschel dunked their tee shot on the par-three 17th, that Cantlay and Schauffele could finally breathe. Armed with a two-shot advantage on the watery closer, the pair played left the entire way around the right-side pond. After reaching the green in four, each took one putt to close the door and win by two shots.
Eagle on 7 for the leaders.@Patrick_Cantlay and @XSchauffele extend their lead at the @Zurich_Classic. pic.twitter.com/ftMwluokrV
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 24, 2022
DP World Tour: Handa Championship in Spain in hometown hands
Pablo Larrazábal didn’t have to journey much from his hometown this week. The 38-year old from Barcelona earned his seventh DP World Tour title, and second of 2022, with a one-shot win over countryman Adrián Otaegui. Larrazábal began day four a trio of shots behind the Basque Otaegui, but made a sizable move around the turn to the back nine. Larrazábal posted consecutive birdies at holes nine through thirteen, to move to the top of the leader board. Otaegui posted a fourth-consecutive round in the 60s, but his 66 on this day was not enough to overcome the Cantabrian’s marvelous 62.
Larrazábal made his only bogey of the day at the 15th hole, but posted birdie at 16 and 18, forcing Otaegui to achieve heroics to forge a tie. Despite not making a bogey on the day, Otaegui’s run of 12 consecutive pars was his undoing. His birdie at the last was good enough to elevate him from a tie for second to solo runner-up, but left him one shy of a playoff with Larrazábal. Looking back on the conclusion, the bomb that the winner made on the 16th was the stroke that gave him confidence to close the door on win number seven.
WHAT a time to do that! @plarrazabal breaks free of the group on -13 to regain the lead on his own.#ISPSHandaChampionship pic.twitter.com/yH3UvNN9Tp
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) April 24, 2022
PGA Tour Champions: ClubCorp Classic
If someone had said that Steven Alker, the third-round leader, would toss seven birdies on day three at Irving, and not win outright, folks would have lined up to take that fellow’s money. And yet, that’s what happened. Alker’s two-shot, 36-hole advantage over his closest pursuer (Lee Janzen) was one shot by day’s end on Sunday. The problem for the Kiwi was, Gene Sauers posted 63 to tie him, and Scott Parel had a 65 of his own, to also reach 11-under par. The trio headed off to the 18th tee, where the par-five closer would decide matters after one go-round.
How did we get here? After making just three bogeys over the first 36 holes, Alker scribbled a double bogey on hole 37, and another bogey on hole 40. Sandwiching those numbers were five birdies, and when he added another at the 8th, he was out in three-under and looking like the winner. Alker ran out of gas on the back nine, posting one bogey and one birdie for 35. Both Sauers and Parel made birdie at the final hole to jump into the tie. After making birdie at the last on each of the first two days, Alker failed twice to birdie it, within half an hour on Sunday.
On the playoff hole, both Sauers and Alker dunked their second shot and made six. Parel played safely left and made par for the win. It was doubly sweet for the four-time Champions Tour winner, as he won the pro-am portion of the event with amateur partner Mardy Fish.
Advantage Parel.
Sauers and Alker both go in the penalty area with approach. pic.twitter.com/sdybxNHNSl
— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) April 24, 2022
PGA Tour Latinoamérica: Aberto do Brasil heads to River Plate
Sunday’s 10th hole nearly decided the Brazilian Open (aka Aberto do Brasil) as leader Jaime López Rivarola of Argentina made double as Holland’s Rowin Caron signed for birdie. Rivarola’s advantage was gone as the meat of the back nine beckoned. Finding an extra gear, Rivarola played the next eight holes in three-under par, to reach twenty-deep on the week.
After his birdie at ten, Caron stumbled large with bogey at the par-five 11th. He could not match Rivarola’s heroics, and played the closing stretch in even par. When the dust over the Porto Feliz course had settled, Rivarola had edged back in front by one. Even with birdie at the final hole, Caron could only reach 19-under par. From Samba to Inca, the PGA Tour LA moves westward from Brazil to Peru this week.
Birdie en el hoyo 72 y victoria para @jamesrivarola ?? en el #AbertodoBrasil.
Es su primer triunfo en PGA TOUR Latinoamérica! #TotalplayCup ?? pic.twitter.com/e7Q3hK0pA9
— PGATOURLA (@PGATOURLA) April 24, 2022
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News
Morning 9: Tiger confirms playing schedule | Player: This caused Tiger’s downfall
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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
- Ben Griffin playing Maxfli golf ball
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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