News
Tour Rundown: Im stands alone, extra time needed elsewhere, Langer a winner at 62
After a World Golf Championship week (which means, little competition elsewhere), things were back to busy as February 29th arrived. Five tours were in action last weekend, from New Zealand, to Oman, to Mexico, to the USA. There was a lot of water in the mix, and it dashed many a triumphal effort. Such is the touring game, where forced carries are part and parcel of the demands of victory. Without delay, let’s rundown our quintet of quarrels, and find out who finished on top, and who else missed by just a little.
Sungjae Im stands alone after The Honda Classic
The eyes of the European Tour were on southeast Florida, watching Tommy Fleetwood. Hoping that the Tour’s hair god would find a way home, to his first U.S. PGA Tour triumph. It was not to be. Needing birdie at the last, Fleetwood dipped more than a toe in the pond and settled for third place, two behind the winning total. In second spot, Canadian Mackenzie Hughes had just followed his Saturday 66 with a Sunday 66. That’s one stellar weekend around the PGA National course. And ahead of him was Im.
The Korean golfer made a name for himself in 2018, when he won twice on the now-Korn Ferry tour, earning promotion to the major league. He kept his card last season and signed a contract on Sunday for another two years. That’s a prerequisite of victory. Im made birdie at four of his first five holes on day four, entering the conversation on who might lift the championship chalice. A pair of back-nine bogeys seemingly took him out of contention, but he returned with bravado, making unearthly birdies at 15 and 17. When the ripples in lake despair, hard by the 18th green, had quieted, Im indeed stood alone with victory number one in one hand, and the championship chalice, secure in the other.
El Bosque Mexico ends on playoff’s first hole
Chile’s Mito Pereira posted three birdies on his day. Beyond that, he did nothing that was expected of a player who had won, just three weeks past. He made bogeys, four of them, and added an unfortunate double to the card. Unbelievably, that disastrous 75 dropped him just one shot from the three-man playoff that decided this week’s Korn Ferry Tour event. Pereira, Dylan Wu, and Matt Atkins finished in a tie for fourth at 11 under. Settling at 12 under were David Kocher and Chad Ramey of the USA, and France’s Paul Barjon.
Ramey’s move had been the most Icarus-like: he reached eight under on the day, two clear of the chasers, then bogeyed 15 and 16 to fall back to earth. Kocher and Barjo each made birdie at 16 and joined the overtime triumvirate. At the first hole, the par-5 first, Kocher made birdie four to claim the title. Barjon had par, which wasn’t enough. Let the record show that Raney had, well, a line. No number. Must have picked up or something. His run had ended, but his second-place tie was economically and spiritually valuable. As for Kocher, victory is worth even more. A move to third spot on the money list, from 27th, is monumental. Confidence and a chance at the PGA Tour in 20-21, is inspirational.
After its Meso-American swing, the KF Tour returns to the continental USA in two weeks, at Lake Charles, Louisiana. 20 tournaments lead into the Tour Championship, where the last of the 20-21 PGA Tour cards will be passed out. Let the tee shots fly and the putts roll true!
Oman Open to Finland’s Valimaki in extra time
Adrien Saddier of France is feeling chuffed. He posted a 69 on Sunday to reach 12 under, and had hope that a penultimate-hole bogey might not cost him a chance at the title. Then came Brandon Stone, who made a 20-foot birdie putt, straight uphill, to reach 13 under. Well, second-place money would suit Saddier well, in any case. Along came Sami Valimaki, who melted a 20-feet birdie of his own, to also reach 13 under and relegate Saddier to the third spot. Off went the South African and the young Norsemen, into a playoff for the Oman Open.
On paper, Stone might have been the safer bet in the playoff. Three times a winner on the European Tour, his final round was a balanced one, with three birdies just enough to offset two bogeys. In contrast, the younger, more mercurial Valimaki was a comet flare: he overcame a double bogey and three bogeys on day four, with seven marvelous birdies. His six-hole stretch, from seven to 12, was emblematic of the unpredictable excitement that he brought on Sunday: birdie-birdie-double-birdie-bogey-birdie. And after two playoff holes, the pair was still tied. On the third go-round at 18, Stone’s reliable draw got throaty and overcooked beyond the final green. He failed to get up and down for par, then watched as Valimaki sneaked in a 30-inch putt for par. With the victory, the first-year member of the European Tour ignited what might be a memorable career.
New Zealand Open is Kennedy’s second
Golf’s great tales tend to take one of two trajectories: the great and final stand against all comers, or the heroic comeback from a distance. Brad Kennedy’s march to victory falls among the later, even though some might debate if a 2-shot recovery counts as a distance. Beginning the final day a pair of putts in arrears, Kennedy’s site was fixed on Joohyung Kim and Lucas Herbert, the leaders. Neither went away. After making 2 bogies over the first 54 holes, Kim struggle on day 4, adding 4 of the pests to his scorecard. He mustered a one-under 70, but it kept him 5 shots out of the top spot, in solo 4th. Sneaking past him, into 3rd, was Aussie Nick Flanagan, who survived a 30-putt round with excellent ball striking. His 66 brought him to -17.
Lucas Herbert, a recent, first-time winner, was closer to the task. He also had a wretched round with the flat stick, tallying 31 rolls just a day after notching 27. Those 4 putts made all the difference. His 67 was, for all the world, a winning round on appearance. In reality, it brought him to the runner-up spot. The deterrent to title number two for him, was Kennedy’s final-round magic. The 2011 New Zealand Open champion began the week with a 24-putt round, then lost his way on the greens for a spell. It all came back on Sunday: 26 putts paired with 15 greens in regulation, to total 63 strokes on the card. Kennedy sailed past the field, to the top of the platform. His 21-under par was 2 shots clear of Herbert, whose runner-up finish must have felt equal parts exhilarating and deflating.
The Open Championship was contested over two courses in Queenstown. Golfers split their first rounds between The Hills and the composite course at Millbrook Resort. The final two rounds are played across the Millbrook course. Hills comes in at par 72, and is regarded as the easier of the two venues. Sweden’s Pernilla Lindberg became the first woman to compete in the event. She missed the cut but reached her goal of beating at least one other competitor.
Langer wins Cologuard Classic in 62nd year
The wise ones tell us, a day will come when Bernhard Langer no longer wins. Age, they tell us, eventually weakens the body, if not the spirit. Generational athletes defy this notion, if for just a time. The NFL has its Tom Brady, and the Champions Tour has Langer.
On Sunday, in Tucson, Arizona, the grand German champion stood on the tee, in command of a three-shot advantage. He was not in the final grouping, but they were aware of what he had accomplished on this day. With a tip of his cap to Father Time, Langer made bogey at the final hole. He shot 65 on the day, not 64. He won by a pair of shots over Woody Austin, a competitor seven years his junior, in a league where seven years measure much more than a number. There’s no telling how Langer’s fellow touring pros view him, but they all had to stop for a moment and applaud his effort. The victory was his 41st PGA Tour Champions win. Does he have Hale Irwin’s 45 senior victory total in sight? Of course.
On Sunday, Langer came out firing, with birdies on the first 3 holes. He added a pair toward the end of the half and turned in 31. On the home nine, he notched four birdies against a par of 37. Telling was his mastery of the par-five holes on the day: he birdied all five of them. If there’s a loss in distance anywhere, it’s not in his bag. Overnight leader Brett Quigley had a second tour win in site for 2020. He was two strokes to the good on the day, when he turned for the clubhouse. Bogey at 10 and a double at 12 turned day into nightmare, and Quigley was relegated to a tie for third with Rod Pampling. Austin, as so many others have done, played brilliantly in coming up short to the Teutonic titan. He had an ace at the fourth hole, but his bogey at the 14th, despite his 66, was one that he could not afford in a title chase.
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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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News
Morning 9: McIlroy, Lowry win Zurich | Green repeats on LPGA | Steele victorious down under
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