Steve's Golf Picks
Hello everyone. Well Bubba won his second Green jacket in three years and Jordan Spieth showed he is ready to contend in majors. We witnessed a Masters that lacked the superstar power as Tiger was not there, and players like Jason Day, Phil Mickelson, Keegan Bradley, Luke Donald and Adam Scott all struggled.
We could not pick up our 5th Masters win in the last 6 editions but we head to South Carolina for another tournament that has given us success over the years.
The Course
We move onto to Hilton Head, South Carolina for a terrific event. Harbour Town Golf Links is one of my favorite courses through the PGA Tour season. It is a ball striker's course and this is evident with Brian Gay, Luke Donald and Jim Furyk having success here in the last few seasons. Graeme McDowell is the defending champion here after winning a close battle with Webb Simpson last year. Look for this year to have yet another bunched up leaderboard, as the course tends to create excitement on Sunday afternoon.
Harbour Town is a Par 71 that should measure on average around 7100 yards this week ( I say on average because the organizers tend to move the tee blocks around). Look for players who are straight off the tee and excellent around the greens to be near the top of the leaderboard. The designer Pete Dye tends to challenge players by utilizing undulating greens and carefully placed hazards.
When you do watch this weekend please take note of how difficult a challenge the players are facing and how well the winner will have to play to raise the trophy. Watch the 17th (a 185 yard Par 3 with water everywhere) and then the 18th, (a 452 yard Par 4 with the historic Lighthouse in the background) and you will be thankful the finishing two holes at your home course are much easier.
The Players
It may surprise many people but though this week is the one following a major an extremely strong field has gathered. Patrons and golf fans will be treated by the opportunity to watch players such as Luke Donald, Jordan Spieth, Brandt Snedeker, Jim Furyk, Matt Kuchar, and Graeme McDowell. This tournament has seen a common trend of players playing well at this course multiple times ( Davis Love won 5 times, Boo Weekley twice, Stewart Cink twice, and the late Payne Stewart twice).
A champion this week will have to putt the ball very well and manage the course properly. I feel that course knowledge will play a huge part this week and it may be most prominent on the greens. When you look at the past 4 champions, Graeme McDowell (2013), Carl Pettersson (2012), Brandt Snedeker (2011), and Jim Furyk (2010), they all putted the ball fantastically for the victory. We have five selections below that I can see rolling in the ball on the 72nd hole this week for the plaid jacket and the 2013 title.
STEVE'S SIX PACK SYSTEM PICKS
*We will be going two units on one of our picks this week
KEVIN STREELMAN 55/1 - Kevin enters this week playing average golf for his standards. He is coming off an ugly final round 79 at the Masters to finish in a tie for 42nd. He should however be very excited about the venue the Tour is headed to this week, especially based on his past results there. Last season Kevin finished T3 at the RBC Heritage, and possibly would have won if were not for a final round 72. In 2012 Kevin finished in a tie for 17th here. Kevin has relied upon his great putting and Par 5 scoring over the past two years at Harbour Town. He has shot a combined -10 on the Par 5’s over the past two seasons, and will once again look to make plenty of birdies on these scoring holes this week. The Duke grad is known on the PGA Tour as an accurate player and that has continued in 2014. He ranks 21st on Tour for driving accuracy and 27th for Total Driving. Look for Streelman to get off to a good start this week and contend against a strong field.
*TWO UNITS* - JIM FURYK 18.5/1 - Jim has been a mainstay on the first page of the leaderboard at Harbour Town. Jim has six Top 10 finishes here, including a victory in 2010, and two runner ups. The course is difficult and demands accuracy and a great short game. This is exactly what Jim does well, and I have no doubt that he will contend once again this week. Jim has finished inside the Top 15 in each of his past two tournaments, including a T14 at The Masters. His last win came at the 2010 Tour Championship, but he has had many very close calls since. After watching him at Augusta he should be primed for a great tournament at a course he loves. Make note of how well Jim plays the Par 3’s this season. Over past years at The Heritage he has struggled only when he did not play the Par 3’s well.
CHESSON HADLEY 80/1 - I really like this rookie and feel he will be a name that pops up in the Fed Ex Cup near the playoffs. Chesson won this season at the Puerto Rico Open. Since that victory he has two finishes inside the Top 30 in his three tournaments. He is coming off a T56 finish but played much better than that looks. Chesson shot a final round 80 after opening with (69, 73, 71). While many other players were competing at the Masters, Chesson had his sights set on Harbour Town. The course demands accuracy and a solid short game. He hits over 66% of his Greens in Regulation and 15th on Tour for putts between 5-10 feet. If you analyze his past 7 starts he has been rolling the ball terrifically with the flat stick and I expect that to continue. This long, lean player from Georgia Tech will surprise many people this week, but not us.
CHARLEY HOFFMAN 46/1 - We go with the enigma that is Charley Hoffman. I have taken him as a selection and he has shot 78 and 80. I have also selected him and he has provided us with close finishes and even a victory (Duetsche Bank Championship in 2010). This is a tournament however when Charley has a high probability of paying off for us. In 2012 at the RBC Heritage Charley opened with a not so lovely 74. He battled back however and finished the tournament in a tie for 8th place. Last season Charley improved on his Harbour Town result as he posted a T6. Charley did however enter the final round with an excellent shot to win the tournament and shot a 77. He will once again be there on Sunday, as Hoffman has found a way to make plenty of birdies on this difficult course.
WILL MACKENZIE 55/1 - One of the break out players this season has been Will MacKenzie. He seems to be near the Top of the leaderboard each and every week. Sooner or later he will get that victory that seems to be eluding him, and I feel Harbour Town is the place. Will enters with Top 6 finishes in three of his past four tournaments. Everyone is talking about him and for good reason. Will is 34th this season in Total Driving and and 32nd for Greens in Regulation Percentage. He has dominated on the Greens all season and this will continue on the challenging greens this week ( ranks 11th in Strokes gained through Putting ). Will ranks inside the Top17 in Par 3, 4 and 5 performances. Expect to see this name in contention for the 2014 American Ryder Cup team at the end of the season because he is an amazing golfer.
HEAD TO HEAD
We will focus on the outright winner we need this week.
Hello everyone. Well Bubba won his second Green jacket in three years and Jordan Spieth showed he is ready to contend in majors. We witnessed a Masters that lacked the superstar power as Tiger was not there, and players like Jason Day, Phil Mickelson, Keegan Bradley, Luke Donald and Adam Scott all struggled.
We could not pick up our 5th Masters win in the last 6 editions but we head to South Carolina for another tournament that has given us success over the years.
The Course
We move onto to Hilton Head, South Carolina for a terrific event. Harbour Town Golf Links is one of my favorite courses through the PGA Tour season. It is a ball striker's course and this is evident with Brian Gay, Luke Donald and Jim Furyk having success here in the last few seasons. Graeme McDowell is the defending champion here after winning a close battle with Webb Simpson last year. Look for this year to have yet another bunched up leaderboard, as the course tends to create excitement on Sunday afternoon.
Harbour Town is a Par 71 that should measure on average around 7100 yards this week ( I say on average because the organizers tend to move the tee blocks around). Look for players who are straight off the tee and excellent around the greens to be near the top of the leaderboard. The designer Pete Dye tends to challenge players by utilizing undulating greens and carefully placed hazards.
When you do watch this weekend please take note of how difficult a challenge the players are facing and how well the winner will have to play to raise the trophy. Watch the 17th (a 185 yard Par 3 with water everywhere) and then the 18th, (a 452 yard Par 4 with the historic Lighthouse in the background) and you will be thankful the finishing two holes at your home course are much easier.
The Players
It may surprise many people but though this week is the one following a major an extremely strong field has gathered. Patrons and golf fans will be treated by the opportunity to watch players such as Luke Donald, Jordan Spieth, Brandt Snedeker, Jim Furyk, Matt Kuchar, and Graeme McDowell. This tournament has seen a common trend of players playing well at this course multiple times ( Davis Love won 5 times, Boo Weekley twice, Stewart Cink twice, and the late Payne Stewart twice).
A champion this week will have to putt the ball very well and manage the course properly. I feel that course knowledge will play a huge part this week and it may be most prominent on the greens. When you look at the past 4 champions, Graeme McDowell (2013), Carl Pettersson (2012), Brandt Snedeker (2011), and Jim Furyk (2010), they all putted the ball fantastically for the victory. We have five selections below that I can see rolling in the ball on the 72nd hole this week for the plaid jacket and the 2013 title.
STEVE'S SIX PACK SYSTEM PICKS
*We will be going two units on one of our picks this week
KEVIN STREELMAN 55/1 - Kevin enters this week playing average golf for his standards. He is coming off an ugly final round 79 at the Masters to finish in a tie for 42nd. He should however be very excited about the venue the Tour is headed to this week, especially based on his past results there. Last season Kevin finished T3 at the RBC Heritage, and possibly would have won if were not for a final round 72. In 2012 Kevin finished in a tie for 17th here. Kevin has relied upon his great putting and Par 5 scoring over the past two years at Harbour Town. He has shot a combined -10 on the Par 5’s over the past two seasons, and will once again look to make plenty of birdies on these scoring holes this week. The Duke grad is known on the PGA Tour as an accurate player and that has continued in 2014. He ranks 21st on Tour for driving accuracy and 27th for Total Driving. Look for Streelman to get off to a good start this week and contend against a strong field.
*TWO UNITS* - JIM FURYK 18.5/1 - Jim has been a mainstay on the first page of the leaderboard at Harbour Town. Jim has six Top 10 finishes here, including a victory in 2010, and two runner ups. The course is difficult and demands accuracy and a great short game. This is exactly what Jim does well, and I have no doubt that he will contend once again this week. Jim has finished inside the Top 15 in each of his past two tournaments, including a T14 at The Masters. His last win came at the 2010 Tour Championship, but he has had many very close calls since. After watching him at Augusta he should be primed for a great tournament at a course he loves. Make note of how well Jim plays the Par 3’s this season. Over past years at The Heritage he has struggled only when he did not play the Par 3’s well.
CHESSON HADLEY 80/1 - I really like this rookie and feel he will be a name that pops up in the Fed Ex Cup near the playoffs. Chesson won this season at the Puerto Rico Open. Since that victory he has two finishes inside the Top 30 in his three tournaments. He is coming off a T56 finish but played much better than that looks. Chesson shot a final round 80 after opening with (69, 73, 71). While many other players were competing at the Masters, Chesson had his sights set on Harbour Town. The course demands accuracy and a solid short game. He hits over 66% of his Greens in Regulation and 15th on Tour for putts between 5-10 feet. If you analyze his past 7 starts he has been rolling the ball terrifically with the flat stick and I expect that to continue. This long, lean player from Georgia Tech will surprise many people this week, but not us.
CHARLEY HOFFMAN 46/1 - We go with the enigma that is Charley Hoffman. I have taken him as a selection and he has shot 78 and 80. I have also selected him and he has provided us with close finishes and even a victory (Duetsche Bank Championship in 2010). This is a tournament however when Charley has a high probability of paying off for us. In 2012 at the RBC Heritage Charley opened with a not so lovely 74. He battled back however and finished the tournament in a tie for 8th place. Last season Charley improved on his Harbour Town result as he posted a T6. Charley did however enter the final round with an excellent shot to win the tournament and shot a 77. He will once again be there on Sunday, as Hoffman has found a way to make plenty of birdies on this difficult course.
WILL MACKENZIE 55/1 - One of the break out players this season has been Will MacKenzie. He seems to be near the Top of the leaderboard each and every week. Sooner or later he will get that victory that seems to be eluding him, and I feel Harbour Town is the place. Will enters with Top 6 finishes in three of his past four tournaments. Everyone is talking about him and for good reason. Will is 34th this season in Total Driving and and 32nd for Greens in Regulation Percentage. He has dominated on the Greens all season and this will continue on the challenging greens this week ( ranks 11th in Strokes gained through Putting ). Will ranks inside the Top17 in Par 3, 4 and 5 performances. Expect to see this name in contention for the 2014 American Ryder Cup team at the end of the season because he is an amazing golfer.
HEAD TO HEAD
We will focus on the outright winner we need this week.
ADDING:
1* GAME: Jazz-Timberwolves u210.5 (-110: Risking 1.10 units to win 1.00 units) - TBD (TBDu)
1* GAME: Timberwolves -11.5 (-110: Risking 1.10 units to win 1.00 units) - TBD (TBDu)
1* GAME: Rockets-Pelicans o208.5 (-110: Risking 1.10 units to win 1.00 units) - TBD (TBDu)
1* GAME: Rockets +3 (-110: Risking 1.10 units to win 1.00 units) - TBD (TBDu)
1* GAME: Pistons +14.5 (-110: Risking 1.10 units to win 1.00 units) - TBD (TBDu)
1* GAME: Knicks +6 (-110: Risking 1.10 units to win 1.00 units) - TBD (TBDu)
