Quick look at The Greenbrier Classic

THE OVERVIEW The Old White TPC is the rare PGA TOUR venue that concludes with a par-3, but the unique finishing hole has produced its fair share of dramatics. It started with the first edition of The Greenbrier Classic, and has continued on an annual basis. Stuart Appleby sank an 11-foot birdie putt on the final hole of the 2010 tournament to shoot 59, and he needed every single stroke to squeeze out a one-shot win over Jeff Overton. Appleby was just the second PGA TOUR winner to shoot a 59 in the final round (David Duval, 1999 Bob Hope Classic). Four men were tied after 72 holes at the most recent Greenbrier Classic, in 2015. Danny Lee emerged victorious after a two-hole playoff. Half of the six playings of the PGA TOUR’s visit to West Virginia have ended in a sudden-death playoff. No one has won The Greenbrier by more than two shots. The 175-yard, par-3 18th, and its unique “Thumbprintâ€� green, gives players the opportunity to author an exciting finish, as they stand on the final tee with just a mid- or short-iron in hand. In the past two Greenbrier Classics, three players (Justin Thomas, Bud Cauley and George McNeill) have aced the 18th. The Old White TPC had the second-closest proximity to the hole (30 feet, 8 inches) in the 2014-15 season. Coupled with the par-5 17th, players have an opportunity to make a move on the closing holes, and many have. In 2011, Scott Stallings birdied both the 72nd hole and the first hole of a sudden-death playoff. Ted Potter Jr. won the following year, finishing eagle-birdie to overcome a four-shot deficit with four holes to play. He completed the comeback with a 4-foot birdie putt on the last hole. Robert Streb sank a 6-foot birdie putt – with his sand wedge – to join the playoff in 2015. He had to use the club after his putter broke. The Greenbrier Classic has seen its share of excitement in its brief history, thanks in large part to its historic venue. The Old White TPC, the first 18-hole golf course at The Greenbrier, was designed by Charles Blair Macdonald and opened for play in 1914. The course was named for the well-known Old White Hotel, which stood on the grounds from 1858 through 1922. Macdonald, the father of American golf course architecture, modeled several holes after some of the most famous throughout the British Isles. And now it’s a venue that allows the players of the PGA TOUR to display their skills. He’ll be making his first start since he and his longtime caddie, Jim “Bonesâ€� Mackay, split up. The 2012 champion is back on the Web.com Tour this season as he continues his comeback from an ankle injury, but he ranks fourth on that circuit’s money list. This year’s NCAA champion is making his second PGA TOUR start. How’d he fare in his first? He finished T4 at the FedEx St. Jude Classic. THREE PLAYERS TO PONDER Rank PLAYER COMMENT THE FLYOVER A closer look at the 616-yard, par-5 17th hole, which played as The Old White TPC’s second-easiest hole in 2015. The field averaged 4.82 on the hole, as 20 percent of players went for the green in two. THE LANDING ZONE The 444-yard, par-4 16th, which features a large lake right of the fairway, was the second-most difficult hole on The Old White TPC last year. Players hit the fairway just 65 percent of the time in 2015, and only hit it about half the time in the final round. Those who bail out in the left rough are still faced with a difficult approach. Players hit the green just 54.5 percent of the time from the left rough, compared to 80 percent of the time from the fairway. WEATHER CHECK TEMPS: Lows will be in the 60s during the week, and sneak into the 50s over the weekend. The high temperature may sneak over 80 degrees a couple days. RAIN: There is a 50 percent chance of rain on both Thursday and Friday, but the threat of precipitation lessens over the weekend. WINDS: It should be relatively calm all week, with wind barely topping 10 mph. ODDS AND ENDS 1. DANNY’S DEFENSE: Danny Lee won The Greenbrier Classic two years ago, but he is the tournament’s de facto defending champion after last year’s tournament was canceled by the fatal flooding that hit West Virginia. Lee’s win at The Greenbrier helped him qualify for that year’s Presidents Cup in his native South Korea and his first TOUR Championship. He finished ninth in the 2015 FedExCup, but fell to 92nd in last year’s standings. “I know I was struggling a little bit late in the last year and early this year. I was just testing some stuff and switching coaches and off the golf course I had a little bit of problem with it,â€� Lee said. “Everything is all settled in and I’m in a good place right now. I’m just ready to play some good golf.â€� He’s 48th in the current FedExCup standings thanks to three top-six finishes in his past six starts. “it’s definitely getting better. I feel more comfortable with my game. Right now I feel very comfortable about it. Especially my putting and my iron game has been really good,â€� Lee said. 2. OPEN DOOR: The Greenbrier Classic is the second PGA TOUR event that is part of this year’s Open Qualifying Series, which offers spots in the upcoming Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. The top four finishers this week who are not already exempt into The Open (and who finish among the top 12 at The Greenbrier) will earn spots into the year’s third major. Last week, Kyle Stanley, Charles Howell III, Martin Laird and Sung Kang earned spots in The Open with their finishes at the Quicken Loans National. One final spot will be available at next week’s John Deere Classic. 3. AMATEUR HOUR: Thornberry isn’t the only amateur in the field this week. Joaquin Niemann, the world’s top-ranked amateur, also received a sponsor exemption. He will be playing his second PGA TOUR event. Niemann missed the cut at the U.S. Open at Erin Hills. The Chilean will start his freshman year at the University of South Florida later this year. Curtis Luck, last year’s U.S. Amateur champion, turned pro after this year’s Masters (T46), but he deserves a mention for earning his way into The Greenbrier Classic with his T5 at last week’s Quicken Loans National. It was his first top-25 in six PGA TOUR starts as a pro. He has earned 112 non-member FedExCup this season. That would have finished 200th on last year’s FedExCup points list. He’ll need to match No. 200 from this season’s FedExCup points list to qualify for this year’s Web.com Tour Finals.

Click here to read the full article…