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Tour Rundown: WGC to new world No. 1, Werenski, Kang, and more
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Six tournaments in one week! We can all be forgiven for thinking (for just a moment) that things are as they were. The world’s golf tours have taken an uber-conservative route to the restart, and the extreme effort has allowed competition to continue. From England to Ohio, from Tennessee to Michigan, from Nebraska to California, golf was played, champions lifted trophies, and most of the competitors walked away thinking what if and if only. That’s our game, and here’s the rundown of this week’s six-pack. Check out these abs!
World Golf Championship #2 to Thomas
Justin Thomas did that thing over the closing holes at Memphis that great champions do: he broke away. World Golf Championships have the perquisites that make contenders sweat. Daniel Berger, Tom Lewis, even the four-time major champion Brooks Koepka, sweated away a chance at victory on Sunday at TPC-Crosswinds. Not Thomas. His three-stroke victory was his second in a WGC event, following a 2018 triumph at the Bridgestone at Firestone. The victory was Thomas’ second of the campaign, his first since the Tournament of Champions in Hawaii.
Brendon Todd was the 3rd-round leader, with visions of a third title in the wraparound season in his view. Five bogies and zero birdies on Sunday dashed his hopes. Tom Lewis, an unheralded Englishman, threw his hat in the ring when he reached 11-under par at the 15th. A missed wee putt for birdie on 16 was his undoing but, just in case, he proceeded to three-putt the 17th to drop another shot. He ultimately ended in a tie for 2nd with three others. Next came Berger, who also reached -11, but needed one more over the closing two holes. Berger made bogey at the watery 18th, and glance at victory went elsewhere. He tied for 2nd, as well.
Finally, it was mighty Koepka, who stood on the 16th tee with the lead. He bombed driver right…into the trees. Five shots later, he had an unthinkable bogey on an easy par five hole. He responded with grit, making birdie at the par-four 17th. Needing one more shot, the Florida man bit too much water off his tee ball, and splashed away his hopes. Guess what? Yep, tie for 2nd, along with the ageless Phil Mickelson.
As for Thomas, birdies at 16 and 17 not only brought him tour victory number 13, but also stamped him as one of the favorites for the upcoming PGA Championship, in San Francisco. The 2017 winner of the event would doubtless love another major title, and TPC Harding Park should fit his game well.
Barracuda title to…not Merritt?
Moved away in 2020 from the uber-dramatic Montreux course, to the oxymoronic Old Greenwood course in high California, the Barracuda Championship listened in as a miced-up Troy Merritt made an attempt to become the first to win a PGA Tour event while on full audio. Chasing him down was Austria’s Matthias Schwab, who reached 38 points on the week, helped immensely by a 14 points in the final round. Oh, didn’t we mention that Barracuda week means modified Stableford? Here’s a primer:
Par equals zero points. Birdie gets you two points. Eagle counts for five, and a double eagle/albatross is worth a whopping eight points. Going the other way, bogey is minus one point, and anything worse deducts three points from your tally. For one week all season, the higher the reckoning, the better. Got it? Gooood.
Back to the action. Aaron Wise came in early with 19 points on Sunday. He moved inside the top ten, thanks to that effort. More importantly, he let the field know that a high score was on the course, waiting for the taking. Remember Schwab from before? He stood at 38, until he made bogey at the last, dropping into a tie at 37 points with Argentina’s Fabián Gómez. It was left to Miced-Up Merritt to close the door on a third tour win.
Richy Werenski had other ideas. While Merritt made 10 pars to close his round at 38 points, the former Georgia Tech golfer blazed through the back nine. Birdies at 12 and 14 were followed by a preposterous pitch at 15, that barely cleared a bunker, then rolled into the hole for an eagle 2 and five points. With victory in his sight, Werenski buried a 12-feet putt at the last for one more birdie, jumping to 39 points, to claim his first PGA Tour title.
Just my opinion, but why would you move a tournament predicated on low scoring, to a course where the final four holes averaged over par (that means negative point values)? Double Eagle was always in the mix, at the 18th at Montreux. Werenski was the exception to the norm in 2020. Here’s hoping that it’s one and done for this course. #MoreMontreux
DriveOn signals LPGA’s return and a win for Kang
Speaking of geography lessons, is there ever a better one than the LPGA? The flags of the top six finishers this week were USA, France, Australia, Japan, England and Scotland. Three of those flags began the day in a tie for the lead at five deep, but just one was able to add two more strokes and finish atop the pyramid at seven under par. Here name? Danielle Kang, and what better place to earn tour victory number four, than the recently-restored Inverness Club, site of previous major championships.
Kang, Celine Boutier of France, and Jodi Ewart Shadoff of England fashioned a strong final group on Sunday. After 10 holes, Kang stood three-under on the day, and held that advantage over Shadoff, and a four-shot margin against Boutier. Then, things got complicated. The Englishwoman went away in a stunning, three-hole stretch. Bogies at 13 and 14, followed by a double at 15, dropped her to solo fifth and frustration. Next came Boutier, who made birdies at 11, 12, and 14, just as Kang stumbled with bogey at 13. Just like that, Boutier and Kang were tied once more.
And just like that, part two: Boutier dropped a shot at 15. Kang once more had the lead. Pars all around over the closing triumvirate of holes meant that Boutier would have to wait longer for her first stateside victory. As for Kang, the title was her first since October, and perhaps, a portent of things to come as the season begins to heat up. Australia’s Min Jee Lee closed with 70, and moved from sixth spot to third. Japan’s Yui Kawamoto finished fourth alone.
It almost got away but didn’t is Horsfield’s song at European Tour’s Hero Open
You can’t really say that Sam Horsfield looked like the winner this week, but neither can you say that he didn’t. Horsfield was always in the mix, after opening 68-63 to own the halfway lead. Each of those rounds was punctuated by an eagle, and he certainly appeared comfortable on the Forest of Arden course. Next came the doubts of Saturday, when the Englishman made three bogies and a double on his inward half, to give nearly all of his sizable lead away. What could Sunday possibly bring? That’s when the interest level rose.
Horsfield came out as a man on a mission, with five birdies against one bogey, over the first ten holes. The closing eight were a holding pattern, as he added one more of each, to finish on 68 for the day, and 19-under on the week. Playing partner Rasmus Højgaard of Denmark could not keep pace, and dropped to a tie for sixth. The man on even more of a mission than Horsfield, was Belgium’s Thomas Detry. The 27-year old piled 9 birdies onto his card on day four, yet came up one shot shy of the top. Detry’s problem was not the material in the book, but the cover. He bogeyed 1 and he bogeyed 18. While the former served to ignite his desire, the later doused the flame of victory, and kept him from earning European Tour victory the first.
Oh what might have been is theme for PBC on Korn Ferry Tour
If it’s Sunday on the Korn Ferry Tour, Taylor Pendrith is lurking, somewhere. For the fourth time this season, the Ontario native cavorted with victory, only to come up shy of the final dance. Pendrith has four top-three finishes on the season, and currently sits in second spot on the tour money list. He won’t receive a promotion to the PGA Tour in the fall, but he certainly gained enough of a taste for victory to eventually break through this year.
If not Pendrith, then who? Answer: Seth Reeves. The Georgia Tech alum went haywire on Sunday, signing for 64 and winning in the most unlikely manner. How unlikely? Consider that Reeves stood at 74 on Thursday evening, and had dreams of … simply making the cut. He did that on Friday, with 67, then came back on Saturday with 66, to move inside the top 30. Certainly a decent week, but not the stuff of dreams. After opening par-par-bogey, Reeves could be forgiven for considering an early flight to the next destination. At that unlikely moment, destiny intervened. Birdies at four, six and seven aroused his interest, and another pair at 10 and 11 served to caffeinate his day. Third-round leader Ryan Ruffels was struggling, and no one had risen up to seize control.
What did Reeves do next? How does eagle at 15, followed by birdie at 18 sound? Finishing on -11, Reeves had to wait and see if his tally would be matched or exceeded. Five golfers came to the last with a chance to tie him. Pendrith made par. The aforementioned Ruffels, wobbling from bogies at 16 and 17, made par. Australia’s Nick Voke and China’s Carl Yuan also made par, as did Tyson Alexander. And just like that, Seth Reeves had his first Korn Ferry tour title, and a load of confidence nearly equal to Pendrith.
The Ally Challenge sees a winning debut on the Champions Tour
Many thought that Ernie Els would be the fellow to debut with victory on the 2020 Champions Tour. The Big Easy came close, but it was Jim Furyk, in August of this year, who achieved the rare distinction. The 2003 US Open titleist went toe to toe with Retief Goosen and Brett Quigley, and came out on top. Quigley held the overnight lead at 11-under par, thanks to a wondrous, Saturday 64. Furyk nipped at his heels, while Goosen lurked in the gloaming. On Sunday, the Goose sizzled with seven birdies and an opening eagle, to insert himself fully into the conversation. Unfortunately for the South African, bogey waited at the 4th, 10th and, crushingly, at the 18th, and he would settle for a second-place tie with Quigley, at minus-twelve.
It was Quigley who suffered the greatest heartbreak of the day. Tied with Furyk through 52 holes, coming off a birdie at 16, the Rhode Islander lost shots at each of his final holes. Coupled with additional bogeyed at 10 and 12, the inward half was a plus-two affair for Quigley, precisely the number of strokes he needed to forge a tie with Furyk.
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News
Morning 9: Tiger confirms playing schedule | Player: This caused Tiger’s downfall
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Tour Photo Galleries
Photos from the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
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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
- 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
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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
- 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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WILLIAM J RIEGER
Aug 3, 2020 at 12:05 pm
The Barracuda was moved because the membership at Montreaux (in Reno) chose last year to stop hosting.