|
Well I don’t think the Hyundai TOC went exactly how the PGA Tour had drawn up. After a crazy weekend where rounds were canceled and scrapped from the books, the tournament finally finished on Tuesday with only 54 holes on record. This week the players continue living the life in Hawaii, for the Sony Open at Waialae Country Club. This week will feature many of the Web.com Tour graduates, but be weary on selecting any first timers this week. They haven’t always fared well here.
Waialae is a relatively short track, measuring only 7,044 yards, but its fairways can be difficult to find, with the added wind affect that will surely be a factor again this week.
The Picks
A Group: It looks as if Tim Clark’s time with the long putter will be limited, but the little guy from South Africa had a bit of a resurgence last year coming off of elbow surgery. At the Sony in 2011 he was co-runner up, and also co-led the field in GIR for the week. His accuracy off the tee will be a great asset at Waialae, a track where it can be difficult to find the fairway. Backing him up will be Mark Wilson, who’s coming off of a good showing last week at the Hyundai where he placed T11.
B Group: The B group is very deep this week. It will be difficult to stay away from Dustin Johnson, who picked up his seventh victory last week at the TOC. He’ll be on my roster, but to save a start (I had him last week as well), he’ll start off the week on the bench. Instead, I’ll be starting Keegan Bradley and Carl Petterson. Bradley tied for 4th last week, and it’s tough to discount him on any track. Bradley is coming off of leading the All-Around category on Tour last year as well. Petterson plays Waialae very well, where he finished T2 last year and also has a T5 in 2010, where he also ranked T3 in GIR for the week. Petterson is coming off of a fantastic 2012 season and another guy that will be looking to make a lot of bank before the long putter gets banned on Tour!
C Group: In 2012 Matt Every led the Sony through the first two rounds, and was tied for the lead going in to Sunday. After a bit of a stumble and finishing T6. Backing him up will be Brian Gay, who has a very good track record at the Sony. Last year Gay finished T6 and fired all four rounds in the 60s.
Starting Foursome: Tim Clark, Carl Petterson, Keegan Bradley, Matt Every
On the Bench: Mark Wilson, Webb Simpson, Dustin Johnson, Brian Gay
Did you end up subbing in Johnson last week?
Good looking picks. What do you think about Blixt this weekend?
Beetle, yes I ended up subbing in Johnson for the final round. Just barely got it in before the deadline. Picked up the win and the bonus points!
Stephen, certainly no discounting the finish to the 2012 season that Blixt had. However, he T54 at the Sony last year, and the course seems to favor guys that can put it in the fairway. Blixt ranked 130th last year in Driving percentage, so that’s not in his favor.