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The TOUR heads to the Copperhead Course at the Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor, Florida this week for the Transitions Championship. Last year it was rookie big hitter Gary Woodland who took home the hardware, and he surprising won the tournament with his putter, not his driver. The Copperhead Course is a tough track, and despite it’s 7,300 yard distance and only par 71 layout, the bombers don’t typically do well there. Last year the average driving distance measured only 277 yards. So look for guys who can roll the flat stick as well.
The Picks
A Group - Luke Donald got out of his early season “slump” last week by posting a T6 at the WGC Cadillac Championship. The last time he visited the Copperhead Course in 2010 he also posted a T6 finish. Donald looked strong last week where he only had five holes over par all week. Backing him up I like last year’s runner up at the Transitions, Webb Simpson. Simpson was rolling along well last week until firing a closing round 77 to take him out of any type of contention.
B Group – I don’t always like picking last week’s winner, but in this case it’s hard not to. Justin Rose led the field in birdies last week en route to his victory at the WGC Cadillac Championship. The week prior he took a T5 finish after sharing a 36 hole lead. Add to that his T5 at the Transitions last year. Bo Van Pelt also gets the nod for the B group. BVP seems to be a top 10 machine the past couple years and he’s continuing that trend this season with his third consecutive top 10 last week at the WGC.
C Group - I’m keeping my C group completely in tact coming off of last week. Charl Schwartzel again showed last week that he’s one of the top players in the world and is consistently on the first page of the leaderboard. His T4 last week despite missing 31 greens on the week just shows how great his short game is. An asset that will come in handy on the tough Copperhead Course this week.
Starting Foursome: Luke Donald, Bo Van Pelt, Justin Rose, Charl Schwartzel
On the Bench: Webb Simpson, Brandt Snedeker, Jason Day, Martin Laird