Justin Thomas dominated in Hawaii, picking off both tournaments by an aggregate 10 strokes, but he won’t win this week’s CareerBuilder Challenge. OK, so that’s an easy and predictable segue into the first PGA TOUR event of 2017 on the mainland. After all, the 23-year-old is taking the week off. However, the kind of golf that he and other displayed at Waialae Country Club last week is usually reserved for the race tracks in La Quinta, California. More on the trio of host courses below. As the field of 156 takes aim on the most vulnerable par 72s on the schedule, Mother Nature will be assuming the rare role of antagonist in the desert. Rain – a brief public service reminder to locals: it’s that wet substance that falls from the sky – is forecast throughout the tournament. Daytime highs may not escape the 50s! Oh, and the wind may blow a bit, too. Sure, fairways will be wider as a result and greens will be even more receptive than the targeted and already generous 11 on the Stimpmeter, but rounds figure to be longer than usual. That will test the patience and mettle of even seasoned veterans. Two-time champ (2010, 2015) and the tournament’s all-time money leader. Thirty-nine consecutive red numbers here since 2008. He’s opened this season T20-T4-T13-T13. Validated a T7 at last year’s Sony with a T4 last week, which also carried over form from the fall (T6, RSM). Sat second after the cut here last year and finished T6. Finally authored a complete performance with a T6 at Waialae. All it takes is one from him to generate momentum. It also deflects a polarizing record in La Quinta. Among the go-to crew on the West Coast. Four top 15s in this event, including a T11 last year. T8 at the Sony is fourth straight top-15 finish. Still long as ever off the tee. The 2015-16 Rookie of the Year is making his first appearance. Concluded his fall agenda with four straight top 20s in official events worldwide. Tee-to-green specialist. T13 at Waialae matched last year’s result and continued his rare but recent theme of predictability. Five top 25s in seven trips to the CareerBuilder, including the last three. Still burnin’. A T13 at Waialae is his fifth consecutive top 15. The long hitter is ninth in par-5 scoring and 21st in birdie-or-better percentage. Shared sixth place here last year. Remains buoyed by the surprising advance to the TOUR Championship last season. T10 (Shriners) and T11 (Sony) in last two starts. Co-led field at Waialae in GIR. Shared sixth place at Kapalua despite admitting to feeling “80 percent” in the wake of an illness. Winner of the CareerBuilder in 2014 hasn’t poured in the putts as much since. Capitalizing on tracks that suit his game. Bracketed holiday break with top 10s. Closed out the Sony with second 61 of the season. T9 in GIR en route to T17 here last year. One of five co-runners-up here in 2015 sat T10 entering last year’s finale but finished T34. Placed T6 to open 2017 at Kapalua. Currently 20th in GIR and sixth in scrambling. Classic extreme example of a ball-striker who’s had success here with five top 20s in eight attempts. Opened this season with back-to-back top fives. Ninth on TOUR in GIR. Hasn’t put four rounds together here yet (T56 and T49 in his trips), but he’s in a groove. Three top 15s and a T24 in last four starts. Patented putting has been on point. Tournament debut. First action since a T8 at the World Cup in November. Began 2016-17 with a pair of T15s. Possesses potent combination of length and scorer’s mentality. Uncharacteristically went off the rails in a second-round 75 at Waialae, but opened with 66. Spiffy slate at the CareerBuilder includes four top 10s and a T17 (2016) since 2011. POWER RANKINGS: CareerBuilder Challenge RANK PLAYER COMMENT The same grouping of courses utilized last year are back in the rotation this week. The Stadium Course at PGA WEST is considered the official host since all golfers surviving the 54-hole cut will play it in the final round. (However, if more than 78 make the cut, only the low 60 and ties will tee it up in the finale. The remainder will be credited with an official cut made, FedExCup points and earnings, but will sit it out.) For the first three rounds, every golfer will take one spin each on the Stadium Course, the Tournament Course at PGA WEST and La Quinta Country Club. With a scoring average of 70.818 in its return to the PGA TOUR last year, the Stadium Course ranked as the hardest of the triumvirate. La Quinta surrendered a clip of 69.148, while the Tournament Course yielded a scoring average of just 68.936, easiest of any par 72 in the last two seasons. The cut fell at 9-under 207. Before Jason Dufner outlasted David Lingmerth in two holes of sudden death to emerge with victory a year ago, he hit three-quarters of his greens in regulation, which slotted him just T15 overall. However, Dufner ranked second in converting those 54 chances into par breakers. On balance, executing both objectives is the formula in any shootout, but wet turf benefits the longest hitters even on tests that tip at just 7,060 yards (La Quinta), 7,113 yards (Stadium) and 7,159 yards (Tournament). ROB BOLTON’S WRITING SCHEDULE PGATOUR.COM’s Fantasy Columnist Rob Bolton will be filing his usual staples leading up to this week’s event. Look for the following columns this week. MONDAY: Power Rankings TUESDAY*: Sleepers, Comfort Zone, Fantasy Insider WEDNESDAY: One & Done THURSDAY: Ownership Percentages in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf, One & Done and Champions One & Done presented by SERVPRO * – Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COM’s Expert Picks, which also publishes on Tuesdays.
Click here to read the full article…
