🌳 Homa Hangover
Torrey Pines Review & Pebble Beach First Look | Stats, Trends & More!
Morning Friends — still riding high from Max’s win at Torrey which marks an insane set of courses that he’s won at (Quail Hollow, Riv, TPC Potomac, Torrey Pines) in his career. No offense to Silverado, but those four are just nuts.
I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but this stretch of golf is so good. Torrey last week, the scenic Pebble Beach this week then Phoenix, Riviera, Honda (?), API, PLAYERS! The Masters will be here before you know it — enjoy this!
- Rick
Last Week’s Optimal Lineup
There was also a second possible optimal lineup that would have scored the same and cost the same:
Max Homa, Collin Morikawa, Keegan Bradley, Sahith Theegala, Sam Ryder, Taylor Moore.
🔑Weekend Warriors
Taylor Moore snapped a string of three straight MCs last week by climbing the leaderboard on the weekend. Of golfers in the field this week, his 3.96 strokes gained in the ball-striking categories was the second best of anyone on the weekend, behind Joseph Bramlett.
Erik Barnes was the only golfer in the Pebble Beach field to gain 6+ strokes on the weekend but that could be Fools Gold. Literally 87.9% of the strokes he gained on the weekend came with the putter! He gained 6.10 putting on Sunday alone!
🙋♂️ Waiver Claims
Some names to consider for season long fantasy legaues:
Garrick Higgo (available in 62% of leagues) - Higgo has parted ways with swing coach Claude Harmon and that might be the spark he needs. He finished T11 at the AMEX gaining in both ball-striking categories and accomplished the same feat in his T53 last week. The putter is still a problem but things seem to be turning a corner.
Joseph Bramlett (63% availability) - He putted “well” last week — losing 1.7 in the final round to gain a tiny 0.02 for the week. That’s the second best putting week of his season and gets more poa annua this week.
🤷♂️Where’s The Distance?
The final course rotation on the schedule will feature three of the shortest courses on the PGA TOUR calendar. That opens up a pathway for shorter hitters to get to the top of the leaderboard via precision and not power.
Pebble Beach GL: Par 72 | 6,972 yards
Spyglass Hill: Par 72 | 7,041 yards
Monterey Peninsula: Par 71 | 6,957 yards
Here are the best golfers in this field, since 2020 on courses 7,100 or shorter:
⚡ Class Of His Own
We are headed into a big year for Matt Fitzpatrick who has improved statistically in basically seven consecutive years. Now he headlines this field, gaining 1.48 strokes per round in his last 100— the highest mark of anyone here.
Even more impressive, he’s the only golfer gaining at least 1.0 stroke per round during that stretch AND gaining in each of the four major categories. He’s well-rounded and ready for a big campaign.