The Players Championship Recap
Scottie Scheffler is the undisputed number one golfer in the world and it's not even close right now. Scottie’s success as of late is because of one thing, his putting. Ever since Scottie changed putters, switching from a blade to a mallet, it has made a world of difference. Scottie was dangerous before, but now that he can actually putt, he’s scary good now. Now in my opinion I think Scottie has always been a good putter, he just lacked the confidence. Switching putters and putting something different in your hands makes a world of difference, but in the end, it's all confidence and Scottie has that confidence back now. Scottie’s victory did not come easy, going into the final Scottie was trailing and had significant ground to make up on Sunday. He got off to a great start and shot 31, five under on his opening and didn't look back, and turned in a final round eight under 64. The only thing left for Scottie to do was wait and hope and it came down to the last putt of the event. On 18 Wyndham Clark had a 20 foot birdie putt to tie Scottie and move into a playoff, but unfortunately due to a nasty lip out Clark fell one short and tied for second with Brian Harman and Xander Schauffele. I watched Clark’s putt and albeit a great putt it had way too much speed. I really don’t think it had a chance unless it hit the back of the cup straight on, but for a putt like that to get in a playoff you can’t leave it short you have to give it a chance to go in and he did just that. While that was heartbreaking for Clark he has finished runner-up in back to back weeks so he's clearly trending and will get another win sooner rather than later.
With the major season right around this is around the time players start to find their stride and get into a groove before the four biggest events of the year, which typically carry the best fields in golf. However, this year will look a little different, with many top players dropping well out of the major qualification rankings. The most notable player that has dropped out of the top 50 in the world is Cam Smith. Now due to his Open Championship win he's exempt through the next few years, but still this man is still at the very least a top 20 golfer on the planet. Another player who has now dropped out of the top 500 in the world is Talor Gooch and depending on the cutoff date for the U.S. Open if Gooch were to qualify he would have to go back to local qualifying and not be exempt through sectional qualifying. I'd like to think karma played a part in that, but regardless Gooch has had multiple opportunities to qualify for majors and he chose to whine and complain. With qualifying in mind this week at the Valspar, the field is much stronger than in years past.
This week fans can expect a lot of firepower this week including Jordan Spieth, Sam Burns, Keegan Bradley, Tony Finau, Eric Cole, Brian Harman, and Xander Schauffele. This is a really stacked field this year and a lot different than in years past. I think a lot of players are playing this week to get some final reps in before Augusta because after this week the tour heads to Texas for two events and then Augusta for the Masters. I'd expect most of the top players in the field to take a week or two off after this week to prepare and get their games in top form. We may not see top players like Rory or Wyndham until Augusta, as for Scottie i’d expect him to play in one of the events in Texas to get his reps in before Augusta. As for this week at the Valspar, I’d have to go with Sam Burns. The guy has won this event numerous times, he loves the course and he's coming off a decent week at The Players. Nevertheless, it’ll be a great finish with how much stronger than normal the field is this week. (Mike)
Once again, the big events for the PGA Tour continue to fall short for me. The finish on Sunday was pretty electric because Scottie went scorched earth and the competition kept it just interesting enough. However, there were very few players in contention over the weekend and as usual, the broadcast was horrific. Not being able to watch the players play, a lackluster weekend and many other issues continue to make the current PGA Tour unwatchable. (Tyler)
Picks of the Week:
My pick for the week is Keegan Bradley. He is a popular pick for me this year, but the Valspar is a tournament he should be competing for. Although the field is stronger than in years past, his game shapes up for this course extremely well. I do not think a lot of the big names playing this week will play well. I do not have faith in JT or Spieth after last weekend so that leaves Tony, Sam, and Keegan. I think all three of those guys will play well, but Keegan will reign supreme. A sleeper for this week is Keith Mitchell. He has improved over the last few seasons and always seems to play well on the Florida swing. As long as he drives the ball like he has been, another weekend will be in the cards for Keith.
I have said it many times, but Xander is one of the biggest frauds on the PGA Tour. There is no denying he is a great player, but when the pressure is on there are not many worse players in the game. What Scottie did was incredible, but Xander should have never let that happen. Having a lead on Scottie with more holes to go is as good of a situation as you could ask to be in. Unfortunately, we saw a very familiar sight and witnessed Xander make back to back bogeys to remove himself from contention. Every once in a while he does something that makes me think he might be over the hump, but last weekend was a firm reminder that Xander is who he is. (Tyler)