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Tour Rundown: Amateur hour and 4 more (plus a bonus)

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3 months ago

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And just like that, five tours came to play! January typically creeps in for professional golf, with the US PGA Tour leading the way in Hawaii. Europe slides in, along with the LPGA and other sundry circuits. 2024 is different, perhaps motivated by outside forces. After two weeks of PGA Tour, the second with the DP World Tour, the LPGA, Korn Ferry, and Champions brought out their debutante display for 2024. KFT treated us to some early-week action from the Bahamas, while LPGA and Champions featured in Florida and Hawaii, respectively.

The PGA Tour bore witness to the lowest round ever recorded by an amateur golfer. Alabama’s (state and university) Nick Dunlap posted a 12-under par 60 at the LaQuinta golf club in California. His round came on Saturday and gave him a three-shot advantage through three rounds. Anything can happen on Sunday, but you’ll have to wait to find out exactly what transpired. Let’s work through the quintet of events, in the order they completed play, in this week’s Tour Rundown.

Korn Ferry Tour @ Great Exuma Classic: Paul finds road to Damascus

There is something so particular about tournaments that run from Sunday to Wednesday. You find them on the KFT, and only in the Bahamas. It would be splendid (I’ve written this before) if tournaments all began and ended on different days, at least for the streaming fan. Events finishing Thursday, then Friday, then Saturday, then Sunday, would provide marvelous drama.

Since that’s not the way of the financial world, we must be grateful when January rolls around each year. Over on Exuma at the Sandals Emerald Bay Resort, the Korn Ferry Tour began its new season in style. Unlike big brother the PGA Tour, KFT has a calendar-year schedule, with no wraparound. Players arrived in the Bahamas fresh from an extended break, champing to establish themselves as early as possible.

Chandler Blanchet held the 36-hole lead at 132, but the magic left the wand on the weekend, and Blanchet went south to a tie for 25th. Stepping up on Saturday were Germany’s Jeremy Paul and the USA’s Kevin Roy. The two seized the lead at 12-under par, and it was an appropriate pairing for the final tee time. Both Paul and Roy are journeymen golfers, looking for the breakthrough season to get to the promised land of the PGA Tour.

Sunday gave them a chance to prove themselves, although for a time, it seemed that Ross Steelman would steel the show. Sitting just inside the top 15 after three rounds, Steelman went on a sizzler over the outward half. Eagle at the first was followed by four more birdies, and the man of turned in 30. A bogey stumble at the 10th was corrected by four more birdies coming home. Needing one last gain at the par-five last, Steelman flinched and signed for 63 and 15-under par.

Behind him, Paul held steady while Roy faltered. Paul was out in a clean 32, while Roy matched two birdies with two bogies, and dropped four shots. Coming to the house, Paul played conservatively, with eight pars flanking a solitary birdie. With nothing to lose, Roy played to win, and he nearly did so. Birdie at 12 gave him hope, and a trifecta over the closing holes brought him past Steelman, into solo second spot. The victory for Paul was his first important, professional title, and set the table for a stellar season.

PGA Tour Champions @ Mitsubishi: Alker returns to winner’s circle

Over the past 24 months, Steven Alker (alongside Steve Stricker) has been one of the two, most successful, senior golfers on the planet. Alker jumped into the public eye with a late-2021 win in Boca Raton. He followed that triumph with four victories in 2022, and two more in 2023. 2024 appears to be a different beast for the New Zealand champion. In each of the last two years, Alker waited until April to secure his first triumph. With one tournament completed, the Kiwi is one for one, with eyes set on another, career year.

The annual gathering of Champions Tour golfers on the island of Hawai’i marked the ignition of another season. Hualalai hosted the Mitsubishi Electric championship for the 28th time, and the scoring was ferocious. 25-under par was this year’s winning total, and two other golfers also reached 20-deep. Day one saw Alker and Vijay Singh joined at the top of the leaderboard, with rounds of seven-under par 65. Singh would not return to the 60s on the weekend, and would finish tied for 16th.

Day two saw Alker shave two shots off his card, returning a 63 for a two-shot advantage over Harrison Frazar and the aforementioned Stricker. On day three, Alker reached the 10th tee at five-under on the day. His 31 increased his lead over Frazar by one, while Stricker fell another stroke back with a 33 of his own. Both pursuers came home in 33 strokes on the inward half … and lost yet another blow to the eventual champion. Four birdies saw Alker finish four shots clear of Frazar, and five ahead of Stricker.

Tour Champions returns to action on February 16th, at the Chubb Classic. The ageless Bernhard Langer will attempt to defend his title over the Tiburon course in Naples, Florida.

DP World Tour @ Dubai Desert Classic: Rory rebounds after heartbreak 

You may remember Cameron Young from the 2022 campaign, where he appeared to contend in every major championship. He tied for third at the PGA Championship that year, then did everything but win at St. Andrews, two months later. 2023 was a down year, by his newly-found standard, and Young looked to bounce back in 2024 and contend each week. At Dubai, he took a two-shot advantage into the final round, with a golden opportunity to secure a top-tier professional win.

The trouble for Young was, the man chasing him (and his final-round, playing partner) was Rory McIlroy. As if the shadow cast by the Northern Irishman isn’t already long enough, it had an extra chip on its shadowy shoulder. McIlroy gave away his golden opportunity for a win last week, frittering away all sorts of strokes to hand the Dubai Invitational to Tommy Fleetwood. Could that happen twice in succession? Odds were not in its favor.

Despite having veteran Paul Tesori on his bag, Young never appeared comfortable on Sunday. He five bogeys on the final day, one more than his total through 54 holes. Three birdies kept him in the chase, but he ultimately settled for a bronze medal, at 12-under par. One shot ahead of Young, at -13, was another golfer with a massive chip on his shoulder. Poland’s Adrian Meronk was THE guy left off the European Ryder Cup side in 2023. Meronk should have, and could have (but wasn’t) worn the blue and yellow of the victors at Marco Simone. That slight gutted him and, like a champion, he is out to earn his spot in 2025.

Meronk did little right on Sunday, but it was three shots righter than Young. His five birdies against two bogeys and a double moved him to 13-deep, and allowed him to ascend to the second tier of the podium. In first spot, to no one’s surprise, was McIlroy. Rory turned in three-under par on Sunday, allowing him to make up the two-shot margin and stack three more on top of it. With nine holes to play, the hunted and hunter had reversed roles. McIlroy played patient, plus-one golf on the inward half, as Young continued to find unstable footing.

After all putts were holed, McIlroy had completed his fourth title chase at the DDC, earned his 17th win on the DP World Tour, and secured a 38th professional win overall. The DP World Tour moves to the United Arab Emirates this week, for the Ras Al Khaimah championship.

LPGA @ Tournament of Champions: All Systems Ko! 

We all did a double take when Lydia Ko failed to qualify for the season-ending, CME Tour Championship last November. If week one of the 2024 LPGA schedule is a reveal of sorts, we won’t have the same concern next fall. Ko posted three rounds in the 60s through Saturday evening, and carried a two-shot advantage into the final round. Her chief challenger was former wunderkind Alexa Pano, now a full-fledged member of the LPGA. Pano had been close before, and hoped that Sunday would offer a breakthrough moment.

Through ten holes on day four, Ko stood minus-three, and had increased her advantage over her playing companion to five shots. Chasing from the middle of the pack were Brooke Henderson (solo third) and Cheyenne Knight (solo fourth.) Despite a pair of bogeys coming home, coupled with a late pair of birdies from Pano, Ko had enough in reserve to play safely up 18 in five shots. Her two-shot victory was her 20th on tour, and her first since November of 2022. That one? It came at the Tour Championship that she missed the following season.

The LPGA moves westward across the Sunshine State, for the Drive On Championship this week in Bradenton. France’s Celine Boutier will defend her first of four titles at Bradenton country club.

PGA Tour @ The American Express: 

TAE is known for two unchanging things: a 54-hole cut (which is brutal) and low scores. Imagine slicing it up for 36 holes, yet knowing that you need to get another 18 in to make the cut and get paid! On top of that, knowing that others will go low on Saturday, and you will need to go low yourself. Not much lower than the 60 that Nick Dunlap shot on day three, is there? Dude simply needed 74 on Saturday to make th cut, but he was after waaayyyy more than that.

Now, if you had said at the start of day four, that Dunlap would need but a 70 to win outright, the entire betting population of golfdom would have wagered its life savings. When Kevin Yu reached -10 on the day and -28 for the week, Dunlap was on the ropes. Yu faltered at the last, and finished solo 3rd. When Christiaan Bezuidenhout made eagle two at the 15, then closed with a birdie to eclipse Yu and reach -28, Dunlap was staggered.

And when the kid himself blew his drive safely right on 18, then blew his approach safely right of the green, there was no way that he would get up and down from 75 feet for the outright win. AND when he pitched to six feet for par, it was inconceivable that he would have the guts to hole the putt.

And hole the putt he did. And win The American Express he did. And become the first amateur to triumph since Phil Mickelson in 1991. 31 years passed between non-professional victories. Nick Dunlap will return to Tuscaloosa and the University of Alabama as the biggest man on campus since that other Nick announced his retirement. His NIL will explode this week, and he’ll have a lot of decisions to make about continuing in college, or testing the professional waters. And let’s not, for the moment consider how big an offer LIV is ready to make for him. Congratulations, Nick Dunlap.

Bonus Coverage: Latin America Amateur Championship @ Santa Maria: ¡Santiago!

There may not be a road less traveled than that of Santiago de la Fuente del Valle, at least in this week’s tournament golf news. SFV (I may be the first to call him that) journeyed north from Mexico City to Russellville, Arkansas. There, he studied and competed at Arkansas Tech for two years. His mercurial rise to the top of NCAA Division II caught the attention of the University of Houston golf program. SFV transferred cities and states for his final two years of collegiate eligibility, and continued to rise. This week, SFV reached new heights in Panama City, Panama.

The 10th playing of the annual Latin America Amateur Championship saw the tournament return to the capital of Canal Country, albeit at a new venue. Santa Maria golf club replaced Club de Golf de Panamá as the host venue. Each year, residents of the Americas vie for an opportunity to compete in the Masters and the Open Championship; these perqs are bestowed on the champion. After 70 holes of golf, SFV and countryman Omar Morales stood even at eight-under par. With the courage of a lion, SFV closed with birdies at 17 and 18, to claim a two-shot victory over his counterpart, Morales.

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Ronald Montesano writes for GolfWRX.com from western New York. He dabbles in coaching golf and teaching Spanish, in addition to scribbling columns on all aspects of golf, from apparel to architecture, from equipment to travel. Follow Ronald on Twitter at @buffalogolfer.

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Morning 9: Tiger confirms playing schedule | Player: This caused Tiger’s downfall

Published

4 hours ago

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May 2, 2024

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By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

For comments: [email protected]

Good Thursday morning, golf fans, as day one of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson gets underway.

1. Woods confirms he plans to play 1x monthly, remaining 3 majors

ESPN report…”Woods, appearing on the “Today” show Wednesday morning, said he is still following the calendar he mapped out before the season began. But physical limitations continue to give the 15-time major winner pause.”

  • “He completed the Masters last month but requires a “cold plunge every day, religiously” to get his body going and was “extremely sore” when he left Augusta National. Woods shot a 16-over 304 at the Masters and finished last among the 60 golfers who made the 36-hole cut.”
  • “I have basically the next three months — three majors — and hopefully that works out,” said Woods, who last won a major in 2019.
  • “Up next is the PGA Championship at Valhalla in two weeks. The U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2 begins June 13, and the Open Championship at Royal Troon in Scotland begins July 18. Woods has not played all four majors in a year since 2019.”
Full piece.

2. Tiger on origin of red-and-black Sunday outfit

Ben Morse for CNN…”…speaking on Tuesday’s edition of ‘The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,’ the 48-year-old said his mother Kultida was key to him wearing the now-iconic red and black combination.”

  • “My mom thought, being a Capricorn, that [red] was my power color, or some BS thing like that, so I end up wearing red and end up winning some golf tournaments,” the 15-time major winner told Fallon. “And then to spite her, I wore blue, and I did not win those tournaments. So Mom is always right.”
  • “Woods’ mother was clearly was onto something as her son would go onto win a record-equaling 82 PGA Tour tournaments.”
Full piece.

3. Gary Player’s take on Tiger’s downfall

Our Matt Vincenzi…”While speaking with KW Golf, golf legend Gary Player said that he believes swing coaches ruined the career of Tiger Woods.”

  • “The US Open at Pebble Beach, he won by 15 shots. You know what that’s like? It’s like running the 100 meters in seven seconds. The next week, he’s having a lesson from a man who, I don’t think, if he played in the Masters, could break 80.”
  • “And then he goes to another guy who couldn’t probably break 85 in the Masters with the pressure, or the British Open or the PGA on the final day. And he’s having lessons from them.”
  • “Why did Tiger do that? He was so good, but I understand he wanted to get better,” Player went on. “If he had just gone along and never changed, he would have won at least 22.. He would’ve gone down as the greatest athlete the world has ever seen.”
  • In 2008, Woods had won 14 majors and was 33 years old. It would take him eleven years to win his 15th at the 2019 Masters.
Full piece.

4. Open winner: I used to hate links golf

Peter Scrivener for the BBC…”However, he did recall his chastening links golf baptism at neighbouring Prestwick, which hosted the inaugural Open in 1860.”

  • “The first time I played links golf I hated it – it ate me to pieces,” said the 37-year-old, who lost all four of his matches as Europe thrashed the United States in the 2006 Palmer Cup.
  • “I kept trying to hit lob wedges around the greens and the weather was bad. I got whipped, lost all of my matches.”
Full piece.

5. Why Tiger’s daughter doesn’t like golf

Our Matt Vincenzi…”While Tiger Woods’ son, Charlie, has certainly inherited his father’s love for golf, his daughter, Sam, has not.”

  • “On Wednesday, Tiger made an appearance on The Today Show with Carson Daly and explained his daughter’s relationship with golf.”
  • “Golf has negative connotations for her. When she was growing up, golf took daddy away from her. I had to pack, I had to leave, and I was gone for weeks. So, there were negative connotations to it.
  • “We developed our own relationship and our own rapport outside of golf. We do things that doesn’t involve golf. Meanwhile, my son and I, everything we do is golf related.”
Full piece.

6. Spieth hits ‘reset button’

Mark Schlabach for ESPN…”PGA Tour star Jordan Spieth isn’t happy that he’s not playing as well as his longtime friend Scottie Scheffler, but he’s hoping to use the world No. 1 golfer’s success as inspiration.”

  • “Spieth, a three-time major championship winner, said he used last week as a reset after a so-so start to the 2024 season. He has three top-10 finishes in 10 starts but had a disqualification and three missed cuts, including at The Players and Masters, in his past seven.”
  • “He is hoping to turn things around, starting at The CJ Cup Bryon Nelson, which tees off Thursday at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas.”
  • “I think I kind of wanted to hit the reset button this last week and I took more days off than I usually do,” Spieth told reporters Wednesday. “Got a little burned out trying to find stuff. I wanted to take some time off, clear my mind, and then get back to it.
  • “… Kind of looking at this as kind of a restart. I haven’t had the year I wanted to have after getting off to a pretty optimistic start in Hawaii. I feel really good about the work I put in since the weekend into the few days this week, so I believe that I’m really close to some great things.”
Full piece.

7. Photos from the CJ Cup Byron Nelson

  • Check out all of our galleries from this week’s event!
Full Piece.
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Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson

Published

2 days ago

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Apr 30, 2024

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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

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

See what GolfWRXers are saying in the forums.

 

 

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Vincenzi’s 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson betting preview: International talent to shine

Published

3 days ago

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Apr 29, 2024

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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

  1. Tom Hoge (+1.12)
  2. Keith Mitchell (+1.02)
  3. Henrik Norlander (+0.99)
  4. Ryan Moore (+0.98)
  5. 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

  1. Peter Kuest (+0.93)
  2. Kevin Daugherty (+0.91)
  3. Alejandro Tosti (+0.83)
  4. Keith Mitchell (+0.82)
  5. 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:

  1. Wesley Bryan (31%)
  2. Kelly Kraft (26.2%)
  3. Peter Kuest (25.9%)
  4. Matti Schmid (25.7%
  5. 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:

  1. Maverick McNealy (+0.92)
  2. Aaron Baddeley (+0.87)
  3. Callum Tarren (+0.86)
  4. Harry Hall (+0.81)
  5. 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:

  1. Jordan Spieth (+2.69)
  2. K.H. Lee (+2.59)
  3. Seamus Power (+1.84)
  4. Ryan Palmer (+1.76)
  5. 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%).

  1. Alex Noren
  2. Adam Scott
  3. Keith Mitchell
  4. Si Woo Kim
  5. Stephen Jaeger
  6. Jordan Spieth
  7. Jhonnatan Vegas
  8. Nate Lashley
  9. Brice Garnett
  10. 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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WITB

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