News

Tiger Woods avoids penalty at Hero World Challenge

Published

5 years ago

Nov 30, 2018

5-under through 17 holes in his second round at the Hero World Challenge, Tiger Woods was sailing along nicely until his drive at Albany’s 18th, well, sailed right and wound up beneath a bush in the native area.

After considering his options, Woods, from his knees, attempted a quick swat at the ball with an iron. The good news: Woods extricated himself from the trouble. The bad news: Woods’ rules trouble was only beginning.

First, have a look at the shot here, via PGATour.com on Twitter.

"Did he hit the ball twice?"

It's been determined there's no penalty for Tiger Woods on the 18th hole. pic.twitter.com/xMCUAnBkcB

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) November 30, 2018

As you can see, and as the coverage team suggests, the ball appeared to stay on the club face for an extended period of time. If Woods “pushed, scraped or spooned the ball” he violated Rule 14-1 (a two-stroke penalty).

Secondarily, some questioned whether Woods struck the ball twice in the course of freeing it from the native area, a violation of Rule 14-4 (which is still in effect until the 2019 revision goes into effect).

When Woods entered the scorer’s tent, he was asked to review footage of the incident in conjunction with Tour Officials.

(via PGA Tour on Twitter)

Ultimately, as PGA Tour Rules Official Mark Russell told Golf Channel, Woods wasn’t assessed a penalty, it seems, because all parties believed he intended to make a legal strike. Further, as a double-hit couldn’t be determined by the naked eye, and per the 2017 rule limited the power of later video evidence, Woods was cleared of a breach of Rule 14-4.

Russell cited Decision 18/4 , which states “a player’s determination that the ball has not moved will be deemed to be conclusive, even if that determination is later shown to be incorrect through the use of sophisticated technology.”

He added the following later, via Golf Channel’s Rex Hoggard on Twitter

Tour rules official Mark Russell on Tiger Woods’ ruling on the 18th hole at the Hero World Challenge. pic.twitter.com/4eBW1wSpis

— Rex Hoggard (@RexHoggardGC) November 30, 2018

For his part, Woods has this to say to Golf Channel’s Steve Sands

“First of all, I didn’t feel like I violated any rules. I felt like I was trying to play a shot. But the rules committee pulled me aside and said ‘Hey, there may be a violation there’ so we took a look at it. I didn’t feel like I hit it twice, it happened so fast and it was such a short motion, but under high def and super slow-mo, you can see it. I made contact twice, but there was no, they’ll explain it to you. There is no violation, I guess, so I shot what I shot today.”

What he shot — after an 18th hole double bogey — was a 3-under 69. Through two rounds, he sits at 2 under, eight strokes behind leader Jon Rahm and tied for 15th in the field of 18.

Your Reaction?

LIKE27
LEGIT2
WOW7
LOL6
IDHT1
FLOP7
OB6
SHANK54

Related Topics:featured

Up Next

GolfWRX Morning 9: Rahmbo the Hero | Thoughts on Tiger’s 2019 schedule | TW Monster Energy drink?

Don't Miss

GolfWRX Morning 9: Reed leads the Hero…and Ryder Cup drama continues to follow | Ailing Tiger?

Ben Alberstadt

GolfWRX Editor-in-Chief

39 Comments

Darryl

Dec 5, 2018 at 6:38 am

What I love is that the raking story has had zero coverage on the home page here. If Eldrick had hit a 290 yard baby fade out of a pot bunker to a tight cut pin with a 6 iron, all top 5 stories would be about it, three days later, even if he still only finished 17 of 18. But since the actual story doesn’t depict him as Jeebus on a flaming bun, all is quiet.

Reply Report comment
Tom

Dec 4, 2018 at 3:15 pm

He has impeccable character and honesty, just ask Elin or Lindsey. lol!

Reply Report comment
Kelly Gallagher

Dec 3, 2018 at 11:42 pm

All players can feel the difference between pushing the ball away and hitting it. I wish just once he would admit to doing something wrong. But I’m sure that will never happen. He showed with all his lying and cheating he has no morals. Yes he is one great golfer. But that is where it ends.

Reply Report comment
Bob Jones

Dec 3, 2018 at 8:34 pm

They said he wasn’t assessed a penalty because he was intending to make a legal strike.

I was intending to hit my ball in bounds, so I shouldn’t have to take a penalty because I missed.

Reply Report comment
Bob Jones

Dec 3, 2018 at 8:33 pm

They said he wasn’t assessed a penalty because he was intending to make a legal strike.

Well, I was intending to hit my ball in bounds, so I shouldn’t have to take a penalty because I missed.

Reply Report comment
Dave r

Dec 3, 2018 at 12:37 pm

Who cares he finished 17th out of 18 players. And yes he hit it twice and then proceeded to rake it out, the call was up to him to make and as usual he did not , can’t recall him ever calling himself on anything it must be great to be so perfect.

Reply Report comment
- Tartan Golf Travel
  
  Dec 3, 2018 at 3:45 pm
  
  Correct. In 20 years on tour he had never called a penalty on himself. In fact he has argued vehemently when visual proof has been shown to him.
  
  Reply Report comment
- Kelly Gallagher
  
  Dec 3, 2018 at 11:32 pm
  
  Yes he did push it out. One of many things he has been caught at. He just won’t admit it. Liar,Liar.
  
  Reply Report comment
Ron

Dec 3, 2018 at 11:41 am

All these comments on here about Woods cheating….The determination was made by the officials, not Tiger.

Reply Report comment
- Jack Nash
  
  Dec 3, 2018 at 12:01 pm
  
  It was Tigers Tourney, I’m sure they’ll penalize him. Kinda like years ago at the Masters where he “wasn’t” penalized for an obvious infraction on 15 with the “yellow” staked area.
  
  Reply Report comment
CJ

Dec 3, 2018 at 11:15 am

I believe he got away with a clear penalty. Not on purpose but its still a penalty regardless

Reply Report comment
Tartan Golf Travel

Dec 3, 2018 at 8:19 am

It’s obvious he cheated and it’s certainly Not his first time. Sad to see especially in a hit and giggle.

Reply Report comment
Tony

Dec 3, 2018 at 1:13 am

In my opinion (and as an experienced trial lawyer and long-term golfer I think I bring to bear objectivity and experience) it was a two-stroke penalty for a breach of Rule 14.1.a, which provides that “The ball must be fairly struck at with the head of the club and must not be pushed, scraped or spooned.” The fact that it was also a double hit (as determined on slow motion television) compounds the offence.

Any experienced golfer who has been in that position will know when the ball has been scraped or spooned. I can recall several occasions when I have been against a tree with limited backswing and I have genuinely attempted to strike the ball but it has stayed on the clubface resulting in a scrape or spoon. I have always felt it and penalised myself.

Ruling 14.1.a/4 provides, inter-alia, as follows: “It is possible to strike a ball fairly with a half inch backswing. However, in most such cases the player would be pushing the ball, contrary to Rule 14-1a. In the absence of strong evidence to the contrary, it should be ruled that the player has pushed the ball. In order to strike the ball fairly, it must be swung at with the clubhead. If the ball is moved by any other method, it has been pushed, scraped or spooned. If a ball is fairly struck at, there is only momentary contact between the clubhead and the ball or whatever intervenes between the clubhead and the ball.”

I note part of Mark Russell’s explanation that you could see the “club [sic-ball] stay on the clubface quite a bit of time”. Why, then, did they not have reference to Ruling 14.1.a/4 — the contact was not momentary and the ball was pushed, scraped or spooned.

Admittedly the backswing was more than half an inch – but it was only a few inches, and the ball was in sand. The fact that Tiger genuinely attempted to strike the ball is irrelevant. If the motion was a push, scrape or scoop there is a two shot penalty. A compelling piece of evidence against the “first strike” finding by the PGA officials is the fact that, in the motion, Tiger turns his wrist to hood the toe of the club to scrape it in the right direction. Also, I don’t believe a fair strike with such a limited backswing, with the ball in sand, would ever have resulted in the ball travelling as far as it did.

Finally, all of those who say get over it because the rule changes next year are missing the point that rule 14.1 does not change and has nothing to do with double hits. It is Rule 14.4 which will change from January.

Reply Report comment
b

Dec 2, 2018 at 3:36 pm

Woods purposely RAKED the ball with the clubface!!!

It was raking just like you would use to rake leaves or rake anything by keeping the object you are trying to move on the clubface or head of the stick.

If Woods at made a strike (in lieu of a raking motion) the ball would have compressed and bounced (sprung) off the clubface instead of remaining on the clubface as it was raked.

It was definitely a PENALTY that Woods got away with. BIG TIME BAD RULING!!!

Reply Report comment
- geohogan
  
  Dec 3, 2018 at 10:10 am
  
  Ball clubface contact is 5, 10, 000 th of a second
  
  Clearly , in real time, without stop action camera, Tiger raked the ball.
  
  If Woods “pushed, scraped or spooned the ball” he violated Rule 14-1 (a two-stroke penalty).
  
  Reply Report comment
Bert Gwaltney

Dec 2, 2018 at 10:42 am

1″ back swung usually doesn’t produce a 3′ follow-through, yes he was trying to get the ball out and into the grass, past the sand area. Certainly looks like a swoop and not a normal hit, but he said he make a stroke at the ball, and didn’t believe he hit it twice. OK, but maybe when he viewed the shot on camera, he might have thought of calling the penalty on himself. “I saw the ball move” seems to remember a great amateur making that comment.

in 2019, golfers will Intentionally strike the ball twice, perhaps with the putter and claim, it wasn’t intentional. This is why a rule for double-strike was put into the Rules of Golf in the first place. A putt that might come up a little short on slow greens could be made with a long follow-through.

Reply Report comment
Tom

Dec 1, 2018 at 11:33 pm

Cheetah

Reply Report comment
Johnny Penso

Dec 1, 2018 at 9:34 pm

You’re in 15th place out of 18. One would think that legacy would triumph personal reward at an event that is almost entirely meaningless within Tigers’ career.

Reply Report comment
RulesCop

Dec 1, 2018 at 8:04 pm

There are golf pros and there are true, iconic, consummate sports heros. I can’t imagine Arnie, Jack or Jones not owning up to a rules breach, but not Eldrick. That’s yet another reason why Eldrick will never be in their league no matter which and how many wins. You have to have the whole package to qualify……performance and integrity.

Reply Report comment
- TWE
  
  Dec 3, 2018 at 12:05 pm
  
  Ummmm…..please don’t make statements when you don’t know the facts…..Palmer won his first Master after he insisted on playing two balls because he did not get the ruling he desired on an embedded ball rule. I love Arnie, but please don’t spew garbage.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Peter McGill
    
    Dec 4, 2018 at 5:38 am
    
    You’re allowed to play a second ball in those circumstances. Apples and oranges.
    
    Reply Report comment
- Kelly Gallagher
  
  Dec 3, 2018 at 11:38 pm
  
  Rules Cop you are so bang on. He has no class and that has shone through for years. The greats would have put their hand up and said yes I did that. And taken their penalty. Not him. I don’t care how many wins or majors he has. Just cause you can golf does not make you a stand up person.
  
  Reply Report comment
Nack Jicklaus

Dec 1, 2018 at 4:59 pm

I rake my balls too.

Reply Report comment
Rich Douglas

Dec 1, 2018 at 1:54 pm

SCRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAPPPPPPPPE!

This isn’t even close, and it doesn’t require high-def replay to discern it. (Lame excuse, Tour officials!)

How is that any different than swiping away someone’s gimme putt? He used the exact same method you’d use to pull the ball out of there so you could drop it.

Another example of Tiger being Tiger and the Tour being his best friend.

Reply Report comment
- Speedy
  
  Dec 1, 2018 at 4:20 pm
  
  I agree, Rich.
  
  Reply Report comment
RulesCop

Dec 1, 2018 at 1:50 pm

Double hits aside, it was obvious, even a normal speed, that he raked it out. That is a penalty in any year. Shame on Tour officials and so much for Woods ‘integrity’ setting an example for the 1st tee kidz.

Reply Report comment
David

Dec 1, 2018 at 12:57 pm

ANOTHER example of Woods CHEATING again…
There’s no way in this world anyone can make a pulling motion to the ball with no back swing without double touching/ball sticking on the club face .. and Woods KNOWS that.
He also KNEW immediately he’d double touched. Anyone else would have called it on himself but not Woods… it shows his total lack of honesty.
Anyone that’s ever played golf know exactly when they’ve double hit … anyone reading this and feels differently has never played golf.
And that they let him off without penalty is utterly RIDICULOUS … anyone other than Woods would DEFINITELY have received a penalty.

Reply Report comment
S&TisKing

Dec 1, 2018 at 11:32 am

That wasn’t a swing, that was a swipe!!!

Reply Report comment
Andrew Wainer

Dec 1, 2018 at 6:00 am

He “scoop/spooned” it

Reply Report comment
DONNIE GRAY

Dec 1, 2018 at 12:06 am

PGA STOOPED TO A NEW LEVEL,DRIVING WITH 4 DIFFERENT PRESCRIPTION IN SYSTEM, ONLY 2 HE HAD PRESCRIPTIONS FOR[NO REPERCUSSIONS FROM TOUR],REMEMBER WHEN THEY SUPENDED DALY FOR THE HOOTERS INCIDENT HE ADMITTED HE HIT IT TWICE AND THE NEW RULES ARE NOT INFECT TILL JANUARY IN HIS CAREER HOW MANY FAVORABLE CALLS HAS HE RECEIVED IN HIS CAREER

Reply Report comment
Lovejoy

Nov 30, 2018 at 9:52 pm

A player admits to a double hit having seen the evidence and does not call a penalty on himself?

CHEAT

Reply Report comment
- Scheiss
  
  Dec 1, 2018 at 11:16 am
  
  Exactly. Signed for wrong score, therefore DQ
  
  Reply Report comment
He Who Remembers

Nov 30, 2018 at 9:05 pm

Yeah, this kind of stuff reminds me of the EXTRA favorable drop Woods received at the Players Championship……got away with that one too. It took a call from a distinguished senior tour player to make the officials rule Tiger made an illegal drop at The Masters. Cmon, how many time does the tour have to roll over for this guy.

Reply Report comment
BF

Nov 30, 2018 at 5:42 pm

If they were playing under the new 2019 rules, which I know they aren’t, isn’t there no penalty for hitting it twice if it’s unintentional?

Reply Report comment
- Bubbert
  
  Dec 1, 2018 at 8:33 am
  
  In the new 2019 rules, there is no penalty for unintentionally hitting the ball twice.
  
  Reply Report comment
- Rich Douglas
  
  Dec 1, 2018 at 1:56 pm
  
  This wasn’t a case of “hitting it twice” with one swing. This was a scrape. He yanked the ball out of there, not using a clean hit. That is a penalty now, and it will be a penalty in 2019.
  
  Reply Report comment
dat

Nov 30, 2018 at 5:37 pm

Certainly didn’t look like a double hit or a scoop to me in real time. Slo-mo is deceptive and irrelevant here. Officials made the right call.

Reply Report comment
Brian McGrnahan

Nov 30, 2018 at 4:42 pm

Its obvious the ball was compressed on the clubface.

Reply Report comment
Tom

Nov 30, 2018 at 4:38 pm

Ray Lewis told him to say “I didn’t see nuttin!”

Reply Report comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

News

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

Published

4 hours ago

May 2, 2024

Ben Alberstadt

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.

Your Reaction?

LIKE0
LEGIT0
WOW0
LOL0
IDHT0
FLOP0
OB0
SHANK0

Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson

Published

2 days ago

Apr 30, 2024

GolfWRX Staff

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.

Your Reaction?

LIKE10
LEGIT0
WOW0
LOL0
IDHT0
FLOP0
OB0
SHANK1

News

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

Published

3 days ago

Apr 29, 2024

Matt Vincenzi

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.

Your Reaction?