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A second week of opposite field event action for the rank and file of the PGA and DP World Tours. This one has proved a little intriguing with a couple of neat punting angles. It’s also worth remembering that it is a modified stableford scoring system. How much impact does that have? It’s debatable. But it’s 8 points for an albatross, 5 for an eagle, 2 for a birdie, 0 for par, -1 for a bogey and -3 for a double bogey or worse. Geoff Ogilvy said about the scoring: “I think you’re just a fraction more aggressive. You might go for a par-5 more often maybe over the water or something like that.” Given the weighting towards eagles there really should be five par-5s and three short par-4s. There’s actually three of each so not bad on the latter. The Old Greenwood Course at Tahoe Mountain Club is a par-71 playing to a scorecard number of around 7,400 yards but it is al elevation so plays shorter. That latter factor is the first of the two punting angles. Last year’s winner Akshay Bhatia had played very little golf at altitude so we had little to go on but, as we’ll see below, previous editions have had a weighting toward fine player in the thin air. And then there is the course designer. It is Jack Nicklaus and his distinct design principles do provide a sense of golfing deja vu. This is a fifth course visit. Richy Werenski won in 2020, Erik Van Rooyen in 2021 and Chez Reavie in 2022. Angles to consider 1/ Altitude The host town of Truckee is 1,773m above sea level. Montreux used to host the event at 1,373m and regular PGA Tour host TPC Summerlin is in Las Vegas at 610m. The first winner at Tahoe Mountain Werenski already had a second at Montreux. The link between the two courses (and maybe scoring) is strong: Troy Merritt has finished second at both, Andrew Putnam and Scott Piercy are Montreux winners who finished second and third at Tahoe. Martin Laird (second at Montreux and two-time winner at Summerlin) has been third here. 2022 runner-up Alex Noren is a two-time winner at Crans (around 1,500m) and Van Rooyen plays lots of golf in high-up Johannesburg and has four top 20s at altitude beyond the high veldt on the DP World Tour. Matthias Schwab, third here, has six top 10s at altitude. 2/ Nicklaus The Montreux link goes further. Not only another course at altitude and one on which the same unusual scoring was in place, but also another Nicklaus venue. So the links above can be underlined and put in bold. Reavie didn’t have much altitude form but he has won at Glen Abbey, another Nicklaus track while Noren had four top 20s in Nicklaus tracks and Van Rooyen had finished second on one. 3/ Form Bhatia didn’t fit the altitude or Nicklaus trends, partly due to not having played much in those circumstances. But he did make it five out of five winners who had at least one top 10 in their last four starts.
Selections The above angles have been used to create a shortlist from which the following players are selected. Rico Hoey He has a top 10 on the Korn Ferry Tour at the Nicklaus Course at Lion’s Gate and was T20th on this course in 2023 (middle rounds of 66-64). He has a rash of top 10s at altitude in South America and his form is very strong: sixth in Detroit, T26th at Deere Run, second last week at Keene Trace. Alex Fitzpatrick The Englishman will be kicking himself after going 65-75 in last week’s Scottish Open but he might be able to make amends in a week when he’ll be wishing he was at the Open (because if he’s good enough, he’ll use it as fuel). He won on a Nicklaus design at St Mellion last summer and was also fifth at Crans in the European Masters. He was recently fourth in the Scandinavian Mixed (admittedly five starts ago). Chez Reavie A top 10 last week that included a second round 62 might turn out to be a very nice hint. He won this event in 2022 and have always made the cut in his three visits. He was also a winner at Glen Abbey on a Nicklaus track.
Tips: 0-3; -6.00pts 1pt e.w. Rico Hoey at 40/1 (Skybet, W Hill, 888Sport, BetUK, Unibet 1/5 1,2,3,4,5,6) 8th 1pt e.w. Alex Fitzpatrick at 80/1 (Skybet, Spreadex, Sporting Index 1/5 1,2,3,4,5,6) mc 1pt e.w. Chez Reavie at 100/1 (Skybet, Paddy Power, W Hill, Betfair Sportsbook, Unibet 1/5 1,2,3,4,5,6) 44th
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