This week is always intriguing. One of the very few team events that we see on the schedule all year long.
I’m not a huge fan of this tournament as the field is usually garbage, but this year, we have a lot of guys playing really good golf – so it should be a pretty solid week.
Field
Defending champions Jon Rahm and Ryan Palmer are back to defend their title. Rahm is coming off a solid week at the Masters, while Palmer has 2 Top 20s in his last 3 starts.
The highest ranked pair is Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay. Xander just finished Top 5 at the Masters, but Cantlay has missed 3 straight cuts.
Other pairs include Collin Morikawa and Matthew Wolff, Tony Finau and Cameron Champ, Scottie Scheffler and Bubba Watson, & Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson.
Course
TPC Louisiana
Par 72
7,400 yards
Bermuda greens
Pete Dye Design
Format
Round 1 & 3 – 4 Ball. Each player will play their own ball throughout the entire hole. Lowest score from the pair on each hole is counted. (ex. Tim makes a 4, Doug makes a 5, Tim’s 4 is recorded on their scorecard).
Rounds 2 & 4 – Alternate Shot.
Weather
Key Stats
Data Golf lacks information on this event due to it being a team event. SG stats and things like that kinda go out the window. Above is a chart of variance up to 2016, the last year this was a singles tournament. It’s the most average golf course when it comes to what is needed to succeed here.
With it being over 7,400 yards, guys who hit it a long way off the tee could be highlighted. Last years winners both launch ’em.
In these team events, I also like to focus on guys that are just consistent. Find fairways, find greens, roll the rock. Think guys like Kevin Kisner.
Data Golf Information
Course Fit: 1. Ridgewood CC, 2. Congressional CC, 3. Bay Hill
% Chance to Win: 1. Rahm/Palmer (12.3%), 2. Cantlay/Schauffele (11.9%), 3. Watson/Scheffler (5.4%)
Betting Odds
Best Bets
Top 5 – Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman (+220)
The pairing that stood out to me as soon as I looked at the field was Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman. Smith has 3 Top 10s in his last 5 starts (the other 2 are Top 20s). Leish struggled for a bit, missing the cut at the API and PLAYERS, but he just had a Top 5 at the Masters.
Cameron Smith won this event back in 2017, the very first year it was a team event.
Top 20 – Kevin Kisner and Scott Brown (+130)
These dudes are such a fantastic pair. In 2019, they tied for 5th. In 2018, they tied for 15th. And in 2017, they were solo 2nd.
They play together all the time back home in Aiken, SC at Palmetto Golf Club, which I think has a lot to do with their success in team events. They understand each others game, and to be honest, play very similar. Fairways, greens, and can roll it.
Top 10 – Max Homa and Talor Gooch (+275)
Had to go with our guy, and these 2 boys are playing some golf.
Max has missed 2 cuts in a row, but I’ll give him a pass with those, they were at Sawgrass and Augusta. His 4 starts before the PLAYERS: T10, T22, 1, and T7.
Talor Gooch has 3 Top 5 finishes this season on TOUR, the most recent being the PLAYERS. He inside the Top 30 in scoring average on TOUR, which is great heading to a tournament where you need to go LOW.
Cover via BleacherReport.com
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