Tournament Recap
Former NCAA division one individual champion Max Homa won for the second time in his career this weekend at the Genesis Invitational. Homa attended Riviera’s tour events as a child and openly said it is his favorite course on tour. He once had a fifteen-minute conversation about his future in professional golf with former tour star Payne Stewart at a young boy’s tour event hosted by Riviera. His victory proves that in many cases, recent success plus course knowledge equals future success. Homa seems to play his best on difficult golf courses, so keep an eye on him come U.S Open.
Tony Finau continues his pursuit in learning how to win on the PGA Tour. Finau now has three straight second-place finishes. The skill has never been a problem for Finau, who was once ranked ninth globally and had a top-five finish in every major. When Finau gets into contention on the final day of a tournament, his game seems to suffer greatly. He shot a fantastic 64 on Sunday this week to push his way into contention, but once he got into a playoff, his game suffered. Finau still has time since he is only thirty-one. If his great form continues and he finds a way to win an event, watch out. Many players deal with this early in their careers, but many wins usually come once the ice is broken.
Sam Burns had a two-shot lead going into the final round and finished third. Unknown to many, Burns has three top twenty finishes in his past four events. The twenty-four-year-old has plenty of time to learn how to win and should benefit a great deal from experiencing playing in a final group on Sunday.
Cameron Smith finished fourth at the Genesis and continues his great form. A two-time winner on the PGA tour, Smith, seems poised for a win sooner rather than later. Smith now has four top tens this season and has the ability to contend (and win) a major shortly.
Viktor Hovland finished T5 and shows why he is one of the best young players on tour. Hovland already has two wins on tour after one full season and is currently ranked fourteenth globally. He has been extremely successful at every stage in his golf career, including college at Oklahoma State; there is no reason to think it will not continue on the PGA Tour.
Prospect Watch
Will Zalatoris
It doesn’t seem like he should be considered a prospect, but he has yet to gain full status on the PGA Tour, so he meets the criteria. He finished T15 this week on the PGA Tour in a tournament with one of the best non-major fields you will see. Zalatoris seems poised to be a top ten golfer globally; he has six top twenty finishes this season, including a T6 at the U.S open. At this point, I would be surprised if he didn’t win this season.
John Pak
Finished second in the Seminole Intercollegiate over the weekend, shooting 69-70-67. Currently ranked seventh in the World Amateur golf rankings, Pak has seven college individual wins under his belt. Pak made the cut at the 2020 U.S Open and will likely turn professional this summer.
Hayden Buckley
Won the Lecom classic on the Korn ferry tour this weekend, shooting thirteen under. Buckley moves into 27th place in the 25 rankings making him just outside the cut for a tour opportunity. Buckley turned pro in 2018 after a solid collegiate career at the University of Missouri. Buckley is not a top prospect now, but he is certainly heating up with six top 25s this season.
Lee Hodges
One of the most consistent players on the Korn Ferry tour showed it again this week with a T7 finish. Hodges is safely inside the 25 rankings, currently sitting at 5th. With a win and six top 10s, Hodges will certainly be on tour next season.
Taylor Pendrith
Second to only Will Zalatoris in Korn Ferry points, Pendrith shows consistency with a T23 this weekend. At 29, Pendrith is one of the oldest players you will ever see on my “prospect watch,” but he demands to be recognized for his great play. Pendrith pounds the ball off the tee averaging 322, which certainly fits the mold of today’s PGA Tour. He finished T23 at the U.S Open last season, proving he belongs on the main tour. Although he has never won on the Korn Ferry Tour, his consistent play could lead to wins at the next level.
WGC Workday Picks
Patrick Cantlay
The Concession has never been used for a PGA event, so we will be forced to rely heavily on recent form. Cantlay has been on fire lately with top 20s in his last three appearances, including a solo second. The concession has very small greens and should benefit the more proficient iron players, and he certainly fits that mold.
Sungjae Im
He typically plays his best golf this time of the season and in Florida in particular. Form seems to be fine with a T17 at the Phoenix Open.
Xander Schauffele
Two-second place finishes within the month and a T15 last week.
Bryson DeChambeau
One of very few who have tournament experience on this golf course, DeChambaeu won the 2015 NCAA championship here. He missed the but last week but had a top 20 at Saudi not long ago.
Tony Finau
He has to win at some point, right? The guy continues to stack great performances but struggles to finish strong, which has been the case his entire career. One of the most talented guys on tour, with three straight second-place finishes, he is destined to figure out how to win. You could say this for much of his career, but the more opportunities he gets to contend, the more comfortable he will be.
Last Week Pick Results
Dustin Johnson – T8
Patrick Cantlay – T15
Max Homa – 1st
Rory McIlroy – CUT
Kyoung-Hoon Lee – 66th
Season Pick Results
Number of Tournaments | 1 |
Winners | 1 |
Top 20 | 3 |
Missed Cut | 1 |
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