FedExCup Movers: The Greenbrier Classic

With the opening tee shots struck on Thursday, the Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship becomes the first PGA TOUR event to be played twice in the same season in 70 years. But the way tournament director and head professional Jay Overton sees it, the 182 days that separate Hudson Swafford's win in September with Sunday's crowning of a champion are only part of the story. Consider this. When Corales Puntacana was postponed a year ago in March in the wake of the pandemic, the tournament was just two weeks away from being played. The grandstands and hospitality venues had already been erected. The course was roped off. The volunteers were ready to serve. All the work that goes into staging a PGA TOUR event had been completed - just as it was in September and again this week. But there was one important thing missing. "Now, keep in mind that the way I perceive it - and this is a more a sense when you have 100% build-out - this is the third event we’ve had in 365 days," Overton says. "We just didn’t have players the first time." Overton said that he and his staff started planning for this week's event the day after Swafford won in September. They made smart decisions, like storing as many things on site as possible rather than in warehouses 40 miles away. The quick turnaround - in tournament time, at least - proved beneficial. "If you think about it, all tournaments go from a calendar year to a calendar year and change volunteers, change rules, change protocols," Overton says. "But in this particular case, it’s almost an identical situation - limited spectators, limited volunteers. … "So, it’s just been so much smoother and so much easier because it’s still in everyone’s memory. Exactly what we did six months ago. I hadn’t really focused on that until I’ve seen what’s gone on this week. So, the volunteers haven’t forgotten what to do. A staff hadn’t forgotten what to do. "It really was an easy gear up and it’s just been fun." Overton says the resort contemplated closing the Tom Fazio-designed course for an extended period of time after the tournament in September due to the various worldwide travel bans. But enough property owners decided to stay on the island that the course remained open, and golf was played every day. The six months since Corales Puntacana was last played has also allowed the course to flourish. The growing time was needed after the supply chain for fertilizer and chemicals from the United States and Canada was shut down from April until August due to the pandemic, and their reserves depleted. "We had to use everything that we still had, or that we could gather on the Island, to get the course in as good a shape as we could for the event (in September)," Overton recalls. "In all honesty, we had about a three- month, four-month period there where we’re just trying to keep the course cut and survive. … "So, the course after the tournament was a little stressed out. I think you could see that probably on the weekend. But then things began to open up and we were able to get the course back. "I don’t think the course has been any better than it is this week. All the challenges that we had last year proceeding the tournament, we didn’t have those this year." Jordan Harris, one of the PGA TOUR rules officials on site this week, says the course has "rebounded tremendously" compared to where it was in September and calls the turf "excellent." So, there will be more flexibility with hole locations that will make the course play similarly to what is normally seen in March. And best of all, the players are back for the second time in six months. Overton says his phone was "ringing off the hook" with players wanting to play in September once the PGA TOUR announced its Return to Golf last summer. This week has been no different. Granted, there was some uncertainty at the time given that Corales Puntacana would be the TOUR's first international stop. But the precautions taken, and strict protocols observed - even down to those 12 tees and pencils handed out in sanitized baggies, Overton noted - made players feel more secure. Corales Puntacana also ushered in some semblance of normalcy on the PGA TOUR when a 20-team pro-am was played in September - the first since the Return to Golf began. There was strict coronavirus testing for the amateurs, as is the case this week for the Wednesday event that featured 42 teams. And has been the case on TOUR for the past month or so, a limited number of fans will be in attendance. No tickets were sold but invited guests, property owners and members will be allowed at Nos. 1, 9, 16, 17 and 18 where there will be bleachers around the green. Charley Hoffman, a member of the PGA TOUR Policy Board, says the safety measures in place eventually made him feel comfortable with traveling internationally to play in September. And those protocols, as well as the beauty of the island, prompted him come back this week. "I had big doubts that we’d ever be able to come down here in September," Hoffman admits. "Like I said, the safety that they — the Dominican did, and their tourism did to keep us safe out there was amazing. To throw on top of that a pro-am, and they tested everybody. "It was just nice to have some interaction back with the fans and the sponsors. It went on without a hitch and it was great to be back. This week, adding a few invited guests, it’s going to be nice to hear some claps and cheers, which I feed off of. "I think the majority of us, we would all rather play in front of a few fans, I think we can gain momentum from that or maybe even have them cheer us out of a rut we’re in." Swafford said he told his caddie earlier this week that it felt "kind of like yesterday we were here making a putt on No. 18 to win by a shot. And he was only half-kidding. Like Hoffman, he was worried about leaving the United States, but he and his wife "embraced" the opportunity to take a vacation and possibly find a degree of normalcy. Swafford was the only player to shoot four rounds in the 60s as he broke a 4 ½-year victory drought. "It was unbelievable how the Dominican and Grupo Puntacana ran the event," Swafford says. "… It was truly incredible what they pulled off and accomplished as the first international event and really kind of broke away from the PGA bubble of having — you know, being stateside. I thought they did a phenomenal job and just looking forward to being back here."

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Cameron Champ is known for his incredible distance off the tee, and rightfully so. In 74 rounds last season on the Web.com Tour, the 23-year-old led the way in driving distance, averaging 343.1 yards. It’s been more of the same this week at the Sanderson Farms Championship for the PGA TOUR rookie, who tops the field in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee while averaging 306.7 yards over three rounds. Given Champ’s impressive clubhead speed — he leads the TOUR at 129.6 miles per hour — and length, he’s been forced to get creative with the rest of his setup to ensure proper gapping. Case in point: When Champ first tested PING’s i500 3-iron, he was averaging 280-285 yards with the hollow-body club — a number that was too close to his G400 3-wood. Champ chose to go down one club to the i500 4-iron and found a more suitable gap at 270-275 yards. From there, Champ added another 4-iron to the bag, this time a solid construction iBlade version that went between 240-245 yards. While a 30-yard gap at the top of the bag might seem significant with long irons, Champ is able to back off the i500 to fill in the gap if he has a shot in the 250- to 260-yard range. Of course, Champ isn’t the first TOUR player to employ two irons with the same number stamped on the head. During the 2013 TOUR season, Keegan Bradley carried two 4-irons (Cleveland CG7 and 588 MT) en route to an opening-round 60 at the AT&T Byron Nelson. Jon Rahm used a similar strategy this year at the PGA Championship with TaylorMade RSi TP UDI and P750 4-irons. While the strategy might seem odd, the rise in forgiving long irons and utility irons has made it feasible for players, even those who carry a TOUR card, to throw two sticks with the same number in the bag to fill certain gaps and needs. PGA TOUR SUPERSTORE: Buy equipment here  

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Welcome back to PGA TOUR Pick ‘Em Live, you seasoned players. Remember, there’s only one, awkward first day of class. Consider yourself settled in. Everything now is familiar. If you’re new here, a plain-old welcome suffices. And relax. Every week is its own competition to win free money. Play as often or as little as you want. You can dive into more of the detail here. PGA TOUR Pick ‘Em Live enters its second week for The Honda Classic. The field of 144 presents a greater likelihood that a non-winner or a golfer with maybe one title on his résumé will prevail, and the odds powered by PointsBet reflect it. In addition to supporting all six props below, Glass and Rob share valuable feedback about what happened at Riviera last week. Understand that every week possesses a unique set of variables that require patience and understanding of where to respect the dynamics and when it’s sensible to pull levers. Register for PGA TOUR Pick ‘Em Live here. WEEKLONG Outright Glass … Lucas Glover (+6600) As we learned last week, there’s no reason to book favorites this early unless you are completely sold that they will do the business. While not everyone is going to go wire-to-wire like Joaquin Niemann did at Riviera, there is always time on Sunday to latch on and get a piece. I’m riding with an experienced ball-striker who knows when to hit the gas and when to pump the brakes in South Florida. With T21 or better in four of his last five at PGA National, including T4 in 2019, I’ll start my ascent here. Rob … Mito Pereira (+5000) What Glass said. See, we can agree! I authored the lesson in Draws and Fades on Tuesday. And yeah, I’m opening with the expectation that Chilean chums will go back-to-back on the PGA TOUR. Pereira witnessed first-hand what it was like for fellow countryman, Joaquin Niemann, to endure and survive the stress at Riviera. The big difference, at least in our world, is that Niemann was +6600 in that field, while Pereira isn’t that long at PGA National. He’s well above average with most of his bag in his rookie season, so the timely, inspirational bump is the kicker. And although he’s a non-winner, Keith Mitchell (2019) and Sungjae Im (2020) are recent breakthroughs on the Champion Course. Top 10 Rob … Hayden Buckley (+1300) I know that this is aggressive, but that’s the point. One thing we learned last week, other than having and holding a pre-tournament Joaquin Niemann at +6600, the prop for a Top 10 remained locked until after the third round. So, it pays to reach for a calculated flier in this space and still put points on the board in the finale in case it flames out. The rookie sat out the potential for last week’s large payday to rest and get ready for this week’s test where his ball-striking can shine. He also has quite of bit of success on bermuda, so I’m thrilled that his line is as favorable. With a pair of top 10s on the board as a rookie, he’s already unafraid of that airspace. Glass … Ryan Palmer (+540) Don’t let the MC at Riviera bother you as that is not one of his happier hunting grounds. T17 and T4 in his last two visits here will allow me to fly him in under the radar. Also has cashed in eight of his last nine, and I don’t mind a bit of experience this week. Top 20 Glass … Harry Higgs (+425) Made a ton of pars last week at Riviera, which is usually helpful but only good for T55. He returns to a track where he led the field in par-3 and par-5 scoring a year ago plus, and he was No. 1 in Strokes-Gained: Approach the Green. Let’s hope he can add to his T19 with three rounds in the 60s from last year! Rob … Brice Garnett (+750) C.T. Pan’s top 20 at +850 was responsible for more than half of my total points at Riviera, so I’m focusing again on the edge of the lens at PGA National. I really wanted to work in Garnett in some capacity, too. The grass is bermuda, not paspalum on which he’s thrived, but he’s one of the most underrated ball-strikers on the PGA TOUR. That toolbox comes to life on shorter courses and in the wind. Check, check! In the last two editions, he finished T11 (2020) and T25 (2021). Round 1 Leader Glass … Sam Ryder (+10000) Had to get somebody early before you used them all up! With you already investing in Buckley and Garnett, you’re awfully bullish on the first threesome off the 10th tee on Thursday morning! One of the first groups out on the back side, Ryder will get a chance to navigate THE BEAR TRAP (GRRRRRRRRRRRRR) in hopefully the quietest part of the day. Fresh greens, a 63 here in Round 2 last year plus a raucous ace on No. 16 at TPC Scottsdale, can mix into some magic mojo in Round 1. Rob … Mito Pereira (+5000) It’s almost like Glass is reading my notes (as usual). He’s right. The FRL is going to come out of the morning wave and before wind kicks up midday. I’m all-in on tiptoeing through the par 10 before the bear arises for lunch. Of course, there’s the not-so-insignificant expectation for my outright to start strong, but the juiciest part of this is that Ryder and Pereira are in the same threesome. Stakes within the stakes! Make the Cut Rob … Camilo Villegas (-149) Don’t stress too much about this prop. Last week, I snared Francesco Molinari at (-188). Those were the longest odds on the board. He made the cut and yielded 13 coins. If Villegas cashes, he’ll contribute 17 coins, and there are only two longer options available. He’s among the players commuting from home, and he’s among the locals who have won at PGA National (T8). He also finished T8 last year and has a modest three consecutive cuts made upon arrival. Glass … Jhonattan Vegas (-229) I was looking for Jason Dufner who has never MC in 12 appearances. Or Stewart Cink who has cashed 11 straight. I’ll settle on the Venezuelan who has picked up a check in five consecutive appearances and eight of nine. Surely, he was caught up in the wave of South American pride at Riviera and will be excited to join the conversation. Matchup Glass … Billy Horschel (+136) over Patrick Reed and Cameron Young Nobody is hotter than Young, but Horschel didn’t have to fly across country and fight any jetlag as he skipped Riviera. Reed hasn’t played here since 2018 and has MC in his last two visits. I’ll take #FloridaMan over the upstart making his first appearance after a career-tying-best. The letdown is natural. Rob … K.H. Lee (+150) over Ryan Palmer and Henrik Stenson. I was hoping to get Vaughn Taylor in his 3-ball but it didn’t pop up on the boards so I’ll pivot to my top sleeper pick in K.H. Lee. In his last 14 starts, he’s connected for just one top 10 – a T6 at the 3M Open that started the stretch – but he’s missed only one cut (Sanderson Farms) while adding five top 25s on the strength of solid ball-striking and a nice touch around greens. This is his fourth consecutive appearance at PGA National, which forever will be the site of his first-ever top 10 on the circuit, a T7 in 2019. Palmer, a draw from this week’s Draws & Fades presents a challenge for sure but veteran Stenson sits as a fade.

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