|
One week to to until the Masters and this year the Texas Open becomes the final pre-Augusta National test, a repeat of 2013, but a change from the recent norm when the Houston Open played that role. This is the tenth time that the tournament, one of the oldest of the state championships, has been played on the Oaks Course at TPC San Antonio and the list of champions it has produced is a little enigmatic. There are three major champions (Adam Scott, Ben Curtis, Jimmy Walker), four long-term PGA Tour performers (Brendan Steele, Martin Laird, Charley Hoffman and Kevin Chappell) and two leftfield winners (Stephen Bowditch and, last year, Andrew Landry). The track is a par-72 set at 7,435-yards with Bermuda greens (overseeded with Bent and Poa) and Bermuda on the fairways and in the rough (this time overseeded with Ryegrass). Typically, for Texas, it is blustery, the fairways are harder to hit than most and the greens are not known for being quick. If that suggests a test not especially Augusta-like it might explain why so many in next week’s field have given it a swerve. “Greens are not too big and you have it drive the ball well,” said Sergio Garcia last year. Kevin Chappell added: “It’s such a difficult scrambling course because of the wind and how severe some of the run-offs are around the greens.”
Angles to consider
1/ Greens in Regulation The event profile shows that of the last four winners two (Andrew Landry and Jimmy Walker) ranked first for GIR whilst another (Kevin Chappell) was third. Moreover, in 2017 everyone in the top five was ranked sixth or better and last year Sean O’Hair, second for GIR, was also second on the leaderboard. Other GIR examples: Ben Curtis (winner in 2012) ranked first, 2013 runner-up Rory McIlroy was first and 2014 runner-up Daniel Summerhays was ranked second.
2/ Texas Form There have been exceptions, no-one more so than Landry whose previous Lone Star State starts were four missed cuts and T51st. But Chappell had six top 20s in the state, Hoffman loves the course and the state, Walker had a top three on the track, Stephen Bowditch would later win in Texas again, and Martin Laird has three top tens in his previous four Texan starts. (Landry might have had no form to drop a hint, but he was born and lives in Texas. Jimmy Walker went to college in the state and has continued to live there. Adam Scott has often talked of how Australians enjoy playing in Texas, the blustery conditions and dry courses reminding them of home.)
3/ Course Form The first three winners were all course debutants (not entirely surprisingly), but since then, with the exception of Landry last year, every winner has played the track well in the past. Martin Laird has been T9 in his only previous start; Bowditch had been second at halfway the year before; Walker, Hoffman and Chappell all had top three finishes.
Selections The above angles have been used to create a shortlist from which the following players are selected.
Billy Horschel His course form is very strong with two thirds, a fourth and last year’s 11th. He’s also a distinct Texas specialist having claimed victory at Las Colinas in the Byron Nelson Championship and been runner-up in the Houston Open. Greens in regulation? He currently ranks third in the field for that category in Course Compatibility and has twice ranked top ten in the tournament for finding the putting surface. He’s also not missed a cut since the middle of last year.
Charley Hoffman Found his putter last time out at the Valspar Championship and it helped him to finish T18, not magnificent, but quite an upgrade on the four missed cuts that preceded it after his T20 at the Phoenix Open. It’s not much to go on, but Hoffman loves the course and the state. 52 starts, on the Web.com and PGA, in Texas, with 12 top tens. On the course he has seven results of T13 or better in nine starts.
Ryan Moore He’s finished T8, T18 and T7 on the course, ranking second, tenth and third for GIR. He also ranks 11th for GIR in the field on Course Compatibility. He was T20 in the Players Championship and his Texas form backed up with second in the 2008 Byron Nelson Championship.
Tips: 2-1; +16.00pts 1pt e.w. Billy Horschel at 25/1 (BetVictor 1/5 1,2,3,4,5,6) mc 1pt e.w. Charley Hoffman at 50/1 (Skybet 1/5 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8) 2nd 1pt e.w. Ryan Moore at 50/1 (Unibet 1/5 1,2,3,4,5,6) 3rd
|
