Each additional event on the PGA TOUR schedule rewards 300 FedExCup points to its winner, a two-year membership exemption and spots in the next editions of THE PLAYERS Championship, the PGA Championship and many other invitationals, but because the Barbasol Championship is positioned inside the final fifth of the season, it feels like so much more is on the line. After this week’s doubleheader that includes The Open Championship, only four events will remain to determine the field for the Playoffs, the Korn Ferry Tour Finals and other considerations domestically and internationally. Keene Trace Golf Club’s Champions Trace Course outside Lexington, Kentucky, hosts the Barbasol for the third time. Like The Open, this tournament was canceled in 2020, so Jim Herman has been the defending champion for two years. For a recap of how he prevailed in this shootout, where Keene Trace challenges most and other details, scroll past the projected contenders and others to consider. POWER RANKINGS: BARBASOL CHAMPIONSHIP OTHER TO CONSIDER • Mito Pereira … After missing the cut in his PGA TOUR membership debut at the Rocket Mortgage, he manufactured a T34 at the John Deere to get on the board. Now he can look around Keene Trace and feel like he’s back on the Korn Ferry Tour where he won three times to earn the automatic promotion. Six of his old fellow members have capitalized on the special exemptions extended, so it’s time to flex again. • Richy Werenski … Perfect for this position because he shared runner-up honors here in 2018 and finished T24 in 2019. His scoring average in those eight rounds is 67.375. However, a T25 in Detroit two weeks ago is his only cut made in five starts. No doubt he has the firepower but he has more trouble just lighting the fuse. • Kevin Tway … This is a long time coming, but the form is respected. He went 22 months without a top 25 before a T14 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, and then validated with a T23 at the John Deere Classic. • Josh Teater … The Lexington native and resident answered a T40 here in 2018 with a T6 in 2019. Always among the most accurate off the tee, he’s signed for a slew of red numbers but his playing time has been limited due to conditional status. He’s dangerous because he’s overlooked when reviewing the big picture. It would be fun if he broke through in his backyard and Sergio Garcia won The Open on the same day so that fans would try to figure out who’s who in the celebratory photos. When PGA TOUR-caliber talent descends on any course for the first time, the general rule of thumb is that most require only one loop to find a reliable pulse of the property. Short of something funky tee to green, the uncertainty lies primarily in the nuance on the putting surfaces. Yeah, whatever. In its debut in 2018, Keene Trace surrendered a scoring average of 69.905. It was the lowest clip among all par 72s of stand-alone competition and Troy Merritt recorded a one-stroke victory at 23-under 265. (The field consists of 132 golfers.) The following year, Herman posted 26-under 262 that underscored an even lower scoring average of 69.589. After the 2018 field converted 43 eagles, the 2019 gathering pummeled the course for a TOUR-record 114. (The previous mark of 95 was established at TPC Summerlin in 2008.) The 2019 field hit 13.35 greens in regulation and connected for par breakers on 4.54 of those chances on average. Herman co-led with 15.75 GIR per round and ranked 14th in paying them off with two eagles and 24 birdies. He squared only two bogeys all week and led the field in scrambling. When a course is vulnerable from the air, as Keene Trace most definitely is, there almost always is an inverse relationship between greens hit and putts required. The size of the greens and weather conditions impact total GIR, while sections and undulations on the targets affect how many strokes needed to finish the holes. Keene Trace is no different in that its one-putt percentage of 37.39 and three-putt avoidance measurement of 3.57 percent were 12th- and ninth-lowest of all courses during the 2018-19 season. The bentgrass greens again will top out at 11-and-a-half feet on the Stimpmeter. However, the course also slotted 11th-lowest in conversion percentage inside 10 feet. This is where Herman went to work. He was second in the field within that range, missing on only three of 66 attempts of which he was 25-for-28 outside three feet. So, with knowledge of the greens entering its third edition for enough to do damage, and with the stock formula of hitting GIR and sinking putts proven in a shootout, this is a sprint near the end of a marathon. In a juxtaposition of the elements, while Royal St. George’s is forecast to be dry all week, central Kentucky will not be. After a cooperative opening round, a reasonable threat of inclement weather will move in by Friday and will loiter into the weekend. Daytime highs will fall into the low 80s and wind likely will be a factor only as energy nears. ROB BOLTON’S SCHEDULE PGATOUR.COM’s Fantasy Insider Rob Bolton recaps and previews every tournament from numerous angles. Look for his following contributions as scheduled. MONDAY: Power Rankings (The Open) TUESDAY*: Power Rankings (Barbasol); Sleepers (The Open); Fantasy Insider SUNDAY: Qualifiers, Reshuffle, Medical Extensions, Rookie Watch * – Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COM’s Expert Picks for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf, which also publishes on Tuesday.
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