2 years agoAfter a disappointing missed cut at The Masters, Jordan Spieth responded with an impressive ball-striking display in Hilton Head. Spieth won the event while gaining 13.3 strokes tee-to-green and 4.8 strokes on approach. He followed up his win with a second-place finish at The Byron Nelson last week. Spieth had another strong showing with the ball striking. The multiple major winner is a popular choice to play well at Southern Hills. While his ownership will be high, Spieth is a recommended play and a good chance to complete his grand slam. Source: PGA Tour
2 years agoBilly Horschel has the short game to be an interesting play this week at Southern Hills. With an extreme emphasis being put on the short game this week, the Florida native ranks sixth in the field strokes gained: short game, over the last 24 rounds. He also ranks 23rd off the tee and has gained strokes on approach. The 35-year-old has yet to win a major, registering just one top-ten finish in his career. Horschel has however won a FedEx Cup and could be an under the radar option this week to contend. Source: Fantasy National
2 years agoCameron Young has four finishes T3 or better in his rookie season but has not yet managed to get his hands on any hardware. He enters the week as one of the more popular plays courtesy of his controlled power off the tee that has reliably gained him an average of 0.9 strokes per round this season. However, the last time Young averaged over 0.2 strokes putting was in February, six starts ago. As his around the green game and approach play have improved throughout the season his putting has simultaneously abandoned him. If his tee-to-green game performs as expected and he finally gains putting, his first win on tour could be a PGA Championship.Source: PGA Tour
2 years agoSince his win at the RSM Classic in November, Talor Gooch has either finished in the top 30 or missed the cut. If Gooch makes the cut, you will most likely be rewarded with an impressive finish. He does the majority of his scoring with his irons, around-the-green game and with his putting. Over the last three seasons on tour, he has averaged negative 0.05, 0.02 and 0.01 strokes off the tee, which may be the definition of a non-factor aspect of his game. He will be looking to improve on his major-best T14 at the Masters in April.Source: PGA Tour
2 years agoWill Zalatoris may have lost the trust of those that played him last week at the Byron Nelson, where he lost 4.26 strokes putting en route to his first missed cut since November. In his seven major appearances, Zalatoris has gained over 1.8 strokes per round in five of those starts, culminating in four top-eight finishes. It appears that his game is built to dominate at majors, which may reward those who go back to him again.Source: PGA Tour
2 years agoJoaquin Niemann entered his final round of the Byron Nelson in third place and ended his day T25, losing 5.69 strokes to the field in a single round. He will be looking to bounce back this week at a course that suits his impressive tee-to-green game. At a course that demands exceptional play around the convex green complexes, Nieman has improved that area of his game tremendously, averaging 0.38 strokes per round compared to losing strokes in prior seasons. If he can rekindle his level of play he displayed when he won the Genesis Invitational, he stands a fantastic chance to contend over the weekend. Source: PGA Tour
2 years agoScottie Scheffler trails Justin Thomas by a fraction in strokes gained total on the 2022 season, but has four more victories than Thomas. Scheffler has risen to the top of the world rankings in rapid fashion and is playing golf at such an exceptional level that it will not be surprising to see him continue his historic run by winning the PGA Championship to collect his fifth win on the season. He enters the week with field-leading around the green numbers and ball-striking stats that are not far behind. Needless to say, Scottie Scheffler is a smash play this week.Source: PGA Tour
2 years agoJason Day remains a mixed bag of results. He has flashed rounds of brilliance with stellar iron play and a tidy short game that has always been a crutch to lean on during lackluster rounds. Day has also had a few recent rounds where he was not sure which direction the ball would fly off the club face and it appeared that under pressure that is the general outcome. He remains a high-risk, high-reward play as his range of outcomes is one of the largest on tour. Source: PGA Tour
2 years agoAbraham Ancer will be a fade this week at the PGA Championship. The Mexican's game has not been sharp this year as he has failed to finish inside the top-20 in any event in 2022. The 31-year-old has last strokes around the green in six of his last seven events, a statistic that should be key in succeeding this week. While Ancer's accuracy of the tee continues to be a strength, the rest of his game is not dependable enough to rely on this weekSource: Fantasy National
2 years agoWith very little statistics to go off, it is tough to predict how Tiger Woods will play when he tees it up for the second time this year. He made the cut at The Masters which is essentially his backyard as he has played well there so many times. He heads to Southern Hills where he may not have as much course knowledge to support a golf game that is still hampered by injuries of his car accident a while back. In a field stacked with talent he will have his work cut out to make the cut this week. Source: PGA Tour
2 years agoXander Schauffele displayed one of the most impressive 2.5 rounds of golf since Cameron Smith and Jon Rahm broke scoring records at The Tournament of Champions in January. After appearing to be headed for an imminent missed cut, eight strokes off the cut line early on Friday, he rattled off 13 holes of blistering ball striking, going eight under par. He continued his impressive golf into the weekend eventually clawing himself back to a top-5. His game is ideal for Southern Hills and may be confident enough to win his first big event in quite some time. Source: PGA Tour
2 years agoJustin Thomas has finished T8 or better in 75% of his regular starts this year. He lights up the strokes gained columns across the board, including putting which is an area of his game he has seen drastic improvement in. He is having the best statistical season of his illustrious career, gaining an average of 9.24 total strokes per tournament. His game suits any course he tees it up at and his elite approach play and around the green game suits Southern Hills perfectly. Source: PGA Tour
2 years agoTony Finau has been inconsistent in many aspects of his game leading up to this week's PGA Championship. He looked incredibly sharp at the Mexico Open gaining over eight strokes on approach and finishing in second place. The 32-year-old then followed that up at the Wells Fargo losing over seven strokes on approach. The inconsistencies have been there both in putting and around the green game as well. The Arizona native has lost strokes putting in five of his last seven contests and around the green in six of his last eight. If Finau puts it all together he can surely contend, but it's a big ask. Source: Fantasy National
2 years agoAdam Scott makes for an interesting decision at the PGA Championship this week. On one hand, he's been putting extremely well, ranking top-ten in the field over his last 24 rounds. He is also a veteran who knows how to grind it out in tough conditions, similar to what it will take to win this week. However, the Aussie has lost strokes tee to green in two of his last three measured starts and is struggling around the green, which will be key this week if you want to win. It will take a well-rounded game to win this week and the former Master's champion does not have that going for him right now. Source: Fantasy National
2 years agoSince his top-five finish at the RBC Heritage, Sepp Straka has struggled over his last three starts. After missing the cut at both the Zurich Classic and Wells Fargo Championship, Straka finished T73 last week at the AT&T Byron Nelson. Straka has been one of the toughest players to figure out this season, due to his inconsistency. Before his win at the Honda Classic, Straka only had two finishes inside the top-20 in his first 13 starts. Then after his win, Straka has two top-ten finishes in his last eight starts. With that much inconsistency, it's hard to consider Straka as someone to trust this week, going into only the second PGA Championship start of his career.Source: PGA Tour