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Playing Away – Day Three
Unlike the day before where a 7:30 tee time had us scrambling to get there in time, today Alex, Billy, Homer and myself wouldn’t be due off until 10:30. That gave us a few hours to kill before going out on the championship course for the last time on this, our first golf trip abroad, at Penina in southern Portugal.
After breakfasting at a slightly more reasonable time than the day before and more importantly not feeling quite so hungover after going out in the local town for dinner rather than propping up the hotel bar – with 6 bars in the hotel it was difficult to choose which one we liked the most so we kept going from one to the other – we decided that some practise would do us some good.
Down at the practise range, we discovered that Billy had committed the most heinous crime of a group of golfers on a trip – he had booked a lesson from the pro. While it was obviously in our interest for someone to sort out Billy’s infamous hook-slice as it would mean less time spent in the trees looking for lost balls, there was money at stake for who had the most improved score from the day before. This was not on. Therefore, as close and supportive friends, we felt duty bound to stand behind him the entire time and jeer at him.
Unfortunately for us, the pro giving Billy his lesson could have taught a Zen master calmness. While all this baiting was carrying on, he patiently ran Billy through the basics to check that he wasn’t doing anything wildly stupid. After watching a couple of good shots followed by a couple of the legendary hook-slices, he walked up to Billy and told him to put more weight on his toes. Now, Billy’s normal golf stance only requires a newspaper to complete the impression of a man about to find some lower intestinal relief. It’s possibly only his experience as a college gymnast that allows him to keep in this position through his entire swing. So he then leaned all the way forward to vertical and took a swing.
Billy has a fairly good swing but it’s always produced odd shots. Who would have thought that this one tiny change would have produced such outstanding results? With a pumping fist, Billy was smashing ball after ball down the range and actually in the direction he meant them to go. Nary a hook, slice or hook-slice in sight.
Robbed of our show, and quite possibly of our money, we then moved onto other traditional areas of amusement when at the range – namely trying each others clubs.
Everyone has at least one club that deserves some flak. Either that 10 year old money club that just does the job or that one you picked up from the used bin at the range and hardly use. The club that came in for the most grief was Homer’s driver. Bought in a 2-for-1 deal with his apparently-from-a-cereal-packet hybrid, it resembled nothing so much as a baked bean can on a stick of liquorice and sounded much the same. Manufactured by a very well known maker of woods, his version is curiously absent from their current website. None of us were able to produce anything better than low screamers that would often veer off alarmingly after about 200 yards. Even Billy with his new and enhanced swing could not get this thing to work. But Homer, true to his tools, refused all suggestion that he would be better off using it as a cattle prod and kept it in his bag.
As both Alex and I use Mizuno irons, we were soon boring the others to tears about the benefits of forging versus the other two and their Pings. Homer showed why he has extended shafts by whiffing the ball repeatedly when using Billy’s standard length irons and Alex found out why you don’t swing irons made for someone 6 inches taller than you when he swung Homer’s 4 iron and nearly broke his wrists when the club impacted on the ground a good foot behind the ball.
Remember kids, get custom fit and don’t swing other people clubs unless you can a) afford to replace them, and b) afford replacement wrists.
Eventually we got bored of hitting each others clubs and started hitting our own. This also reminded us that we were playing for money in this next round so some short game practise was in order.
I have never been one of nature’s putters. My version of a gently stroked putt resembles a man poking a snake and only my choice of putter allows me to get near the hole (well that’s how I justify extravagant putter purchases to the wife). Thankfully, the others are similarly afflicted with putting woes. However, what we lack in ability we more than make up in competitiveness as our individual putting routines soon degenerated into a putting competition. Fairly soon we had to apologise to the other people on the green (average age 108) for hitting more than one ball at a time at the same hole as apparently synchronised putting is not yet an Olympic sport.
Soon we were back on the first tee. Somehow it didn’t appear nearly so threatening as the day before. Possibly because we were teeing off in brilliant sunshine rather than in the cold light of dawn, but more probably because we were neither being rushed nor were still drunk from the night before. Teeing off in the same order as yesterday, all of us managed to get on the fairway – even if my effort was a lucky rebound from the massive tree on the left – and we were off again.
With Billy’s new swing, Alex still without feeling in his fingers and me and Homer both playing rubbish it started off close. Billy surged into the lead with a stunning 5 iron from a fairway bunker from about 180 yards to about 10 feet (he hadn’t hit one as sweetly before or since) but then had some issues when he forgot everything he learnt in his morning lesson and started spraying it around. Alex was playing safe but got into water troubles, Homer seemed to have spent too much time hitting our standard length clubs at the range and was hitting fats all over the place and my putting went from bad to worse.
Nevertheless, by the turn all of us were a couple of strokes better than the previous day’s effort and feeling pretty chirpy. Penina’s back nine is unusual in that it starts with two par 5’s and finishes with 2 par 5’s so if you have any length, this is where you can score. This knowledge was tempered by the fact that apart from the wide 11th, all the rest of the back nine were going to be long, narrow and have large amounts either water, bunkers or both along with Penina’s ever present trees.
While none of use were exactly threatening to go round in par, the knowledge of the course from the day before and the warm-up and practice in the morning meant that we kept making respectable scores on what was a demanding course. Playing a championship course is completely different from a club course, even a good club course. You are suddenly aware of how many ways there are to play each hole: either play safe and minimise mistakes or be aggressive and score low. Sometimes being aggressive is actually the safe option when you realise that being too short off the tee only leaves you in more trouble and that the landing area that appears so tight from the tee only appears to be so due to the designers clever use of bunkering and other hazards and it is in fact much larger than it appears.
Hacking, slashing and occasionally playing a real golf shot, we made our way around the back 9 in reasonable order until we came to the 18th. A dead straight 500 yard par 5, this should be a chance to score providing one could avoid the inviting ditch running across the fairway. This ditch is cunningly placed to catch any drives not quite long enough to carry or shorter driver that get too much roll. A following wind meant that this time, unlike the day before when we had all wimped out, we could take it on. I had kept the driver in the bag for most of the day, not trusting in my ability to keep it on the fairway. With the 17th fairway running on the left hand side of the 18th and this being the last tee shot of the trip and thinking ‘no guts no glory’, I decided to let the big dog out. One huge swing later (and what could only have been a fortuitous bounce off a sprinkler head, another one off a cart path followed by a lengthy roll on a rock hard fairway) I was over the ditch and within short iron distance. A powered 9 iron (even when I knew I would be better off with an 8 – some things never change) left me an uphill putt of about 30 feet. Somehow leaving my putting yips behind me, the ball raced up the slope, broke left, broke right and then curled towards the hole, finally stopping a bare 6 inches away. No eagle but a great tap in birdie to end the day, and the trip.
Everyone had improved on their score but on count back it was Billy with his new and improved swing who took the prize money, narrowly pipping Alex. Noticing that he was about to be thrown in the pool for his unfair use of a teaching aid, he promptly (and wisely) spent all his winnings on beer and all was well.
Other great highlights-
Homer’s swearing when he realised that he’d been reading all the distance markers in yards rather than correctly in metres after insisting that ‘the air must be thicker here, I’m losing a lot of distance’, some time on day 2.
Alex shrieking like a girl when he dived in the (unheated) pool in front of the one attractive lady guest in the entire hotel.
Me, who can barely speak English, trying to talk to all and sundry in what my friends described as ‘an interesting mix of Spanish, French, Italian, Urdu and what sounded like Croatian’. Curiously this only ever happened during a night of ‘refreshment’.
Billy’s look of haunted despair when his Blackberry ran out of battery. I’ve seen junkies look less upset.
Three days of golf, played with your friends on a wonderful course in the warm sunshine. Trust me, it doesn’t get any better than this. And if you never do this at least once in your life, you’re cheating yourself out of a great experience.
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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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