The presence of these reachable par-4s and par-5s creates hidden distance in the rest of the course, which also includes three par-3s over 190 yards and six par-4s over 450 yards. The top-10 players in terms of Proximity 150+ are Collin Morikawa, Jon Rahm, Cam Davis, Xander Schauffele, Rory McIlroy, Cameron Young, Tom Hoge, Justin Rose, Gary Woodland, and Sungjae Im. A presence of long par-4s and long par-3s have shown consistent across most difficult venues. It features tight doglegs, narrow fairways, unpredictable Kikuyu rough, and tricky, firm, and fast Poa greens. Step 1 - don't panic. Matsuyama, Young, Homa, and Sungjae Im are all players Ill be keeping a close eye on when odds release Monday. These are the categories in which Zalatoris shines, as he joins Jon Rahm as the only two players to rank top-40 in each category. Riviera CC is the site of Tiger Woods first PGA TOUR start back at the 1992 Los Angeles Open. Colt Knost and the other PGA Tour pros that called Royal Oaks Golf Club in Dallas home used to call Scottie Scheffler their little shadow. Any wayward drives into the trees are essentially an automatic bogey. Last year, 21.7% of approach shots came from 150-175 yards, which is a touch above the TOUR average of 20.3%. Copyright 2023 Leaf Group Ltd. / Leaf Group Media, All Rights Reserved. ). As is normally the case when we get to a difficult golf course that tests all-around game, the markers of success at Bay Hill do not vary drastically from what it takes to succeed across all PGA TOUR courses. Weve seenMatt Everywin as often asTiger Woodssince 2010 (twice). Bay Hill is no different with five par-4s measuring over 450 yards and all four par-3s measuring over 200 yards. Even they will struggle to hit a high percentage of fairways with the firm conditions, undulated runoffs, and intermittent pick ups in wind. According to 2009 LPGA statistics, the average female professional's driver carries 220 yards and travels 246 total yards. As a PGA Tour Professional, you would assume that the yardages would again be perfect and they're close, with an average of 150.8 yards. The former world No. Call 1-800-GAMBLER if you have a gambling problem. With a winning score of -12 or less in five of the last six contests, the ability to repeatedly scramble for pars is a premium skillset to bring to Bay Hill. A 2003 Golf Digest article noted that the average PGA Tour drive traveled 260.4 yards in 1993, 279.8 yards in 2002 and 287.8 yards in 2003. In the last three seasons, the winning scores have been -5, -11, and -4. The perfect golfer for Riviera CC should be solid in Good Drives Gained + SG: OTT, Proximity: 150-200, and SG: Around the Green. I think hes primed for another if not better. He created the website thepgatout.com at the start of 2021 and is active on Twitter (@PGATout). In 2021, Bryson DeChambeau and Lee Westwood, who sit on opposite sides of the distance spectrum, fought neck and neck from start to finish. So, we should expect some patience from players to battle for four tough days of golf. Touts are lame. The win foreshadowed better results later to come for Scheffler in Majors. Over the last 36 rounds, Sungjae Im is 17th in this field for SG Ball Striking and 15th in SG Off the Tee. I expect Will Zalatoris to be the most popularly bet player this week. Not quite to the level of Patrick Cantlay, but SungJae Im is another player who does everything well with nary the glaring weakness. A year later, he continues to suit Riviera CC well and claims the No. Ten of the last 11 winners of this event ranked in the Top 55 on Tour in Proximity to the Hole from 200 or more yards. The statistics are based on the PGA Tours Shotlink system, which tracks each shot played on the tour. . He is a passionate golf fan, golf writer, and (casual) golfer. Matsuyama ranks No. For my model inFantasy Nationalthis week, Im prioritizing SG: APP, SG: ARG, Prox 150+, Course & Comp Course History, and SG: T2G (Difficult Scoring Conditions) followed by a more balanced mix of Weighted Putting (Bermuda, Fast Greens), Driving Distance, P4: 450-500, Par 3: 200+, Par-5 Scoring, Bogey Avoidance, and SG: T2G (L12 Rounds). Well see, but the price does seem high. There are so many memorable holes at Riviera CC: Look at Viktor Hovland's line on 15. It appears your browser may be outdated. "On the PGA Tour, from 20 yards in the rough, when you have at least 10 yards of green to work with, [Tour pros] leave 50 percent of their shots outside of eight feet." Why the key to. To strike high-quality golf shots, comprehending your club distance is essential. Over eight career appearances, hes never finished outside the top-30, including a win in 2018 and a current streak of six consecutive top-13 finishes. PGA Tour Average Proximity to Hole - Fairway (in yards) Nicolai Cetti Engstrm. Willy Z was the first name I threw out as someone I thought could be your winner here this week. 1,283 player in the world, Tiger Woods. About 75% of approach shots come from beyond 150 yards. Riviera rewards shot makers who position themselves well off the tee, work their drives in both directions, and scramble at a high percentage around the tricky, undulated green complexes. World No. One of the biggest problems that golfers have when it comes to distances is that they have difficulty finding an accurate number. Agronomically, Torrey Pines (South), TPC Harding Park, and Golf Club de Chapultepec share similar Poa greens and penal Kikuyu rough. GOLF.com and GOLF Magazine are published by EB GOLF MEDIA LLC, a division of 8AM GOLF. Weve seen elite drivers of the golf ball win here, elite iron players, and those possessing a magical short game. Riviera CC is one of the most iconic venues on the PGA TOUR schedule. He was excellent two weeks ago in Los Angeles and I just have to believe his game will travel well here in Orlando. 1 on Tour in Par 4 Scoring and 2nd in Par 5 Scoring. Consider putting: right around 8' is typically the break point on the PGA Tour for making 50% of putts. You can see his blue dots are clustered very tightly around the 150-yard target. John Haslbauer writes about golf betting and advanced golf metrics for TheLines.com. Dustin Johnson tied for 51st among 186 players in scoring average at 70.46 shots per round. Week 2 of the Florida Swing takes us right back to a tournament with elevated status. I have a hard time picturing players like Homa, Cantlay, Thomas, and Morikawa priced longer than Zalatoris, which means Zal should open around 25-1. That attracts the best players each year to compete and test their all around skillsets ahead of Major season. PGA Tour golfers are, not surprisingly, capable of hitting the ball farther than average players -- not only off the tee but also with each club in the bag. Again, well see if he can win it outright but he certainly has the chops to contend. He is a passionate golf fan, golf writer, and (casual) golfer. The top-10 players in SG: T2G (Difficult Scoring Conditions) are Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler, Max Homa, Collin Morikawa, Jon Rahm, Xander Schauffele, Sungjae Im, Jordan Spieth, Tony Finau, and Patrick Cantlay. To get the most accurate distances for your own game, you can use a launch monitor or try out different clubs on the range. ET) TV Network: Golf Channel. But it was his putting that proved most consequential. 1, 2, and 3 (Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler, and Jon Rahm) highlight the field this week. Example: You hit your 5-iron 150 yards. Posted Monday at 10:18 PM. From a putting standpoint, the Bermuda specialists stand out on the Florida Swing. These are all skillsets Matsuyama leaned into to win the 2021 Masters and have helped him contend regularly at this event over the years. In his career, he has three Top 20 finishes at Bay Hill, two Top 10s at Quail Hollow, and finished 34th in the PGA Championship at Southern Hills. Latest Pre-Live FanDuel Massachusetts Promo: $100 Instantly. I personally really like to see him returning to prominence and I wouldnt mind an outright win here this week either. This will be our last stop on the West Coast swing, so its worth revisiting the Poa specialists: Homa, Rahm, Rodgers, Kuchar, Taylor, Scott, Peter Malnati, Wyndham Clark, Webb Simpson, and Justin Suh. He created the website thepgatout.com at the start of 2021 and is active on Twitter (@PGATout). For the season, Paul Casey ranked 9th in corrected proximity and 7th in SG approach. I was making an appearance on SportsGrid Radio last Sunday night, recapping the Honda Classic and looking ahead to Bay Hill. 1 has played in 10 events this season. In recent years, weve also seen the Genesis Invitational serve as a stage for young and burgeoning stars like Homa, Joaquin Niemann, Cameron Young, and Sam Burns. The anatomy of a grinder in tough conditions from a statistical standpoint typically includes some combination of elite driving distance, consistent scoring across long par-3, 4, and 5s, Bogey Avoidance, and a comfortability on firm and fast greens. @JustinThomas34 proximity to hole ranks 50-75 yards: 3rd 75-100 yards: 1st 100-125 yards: 1st 125-150 yards: 2nd 150-175 yards: 3rd 06 Sep 2022 19:22:40 In 2020,Tyrrell Hattonsurvived severely windy conditions with a Sunday 74 to post a -4, which edged him past Marc Leishman by one stroke to claim victory. Note, he has a 10th place finish here at Bay Hill, a 17th in Scottsdale, and lost to Justin Thomas in a playoff at Southern Hills in the 2022 PGA Championship. They may again if they can play from the fairway and make up for it with elite Short Game. pic.twitter.com/FnuG8URegM. Four of the last five winners opened at 50-1 odds or longer, so mid-range longshots make for viable bets. That list includes McIlroy, Homa, Finau, Rahm, Cantlay, Schauffele, Day, Zalatoris, Harman, and Sungjae Im. I do my practice with Trackman and I carry my 7 iron about 177-180 yards and total distance of 188-192 yards with my TaylorMade PSi irons. The 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational follows the Sentry Tournament of Champions, WM Phoenix Open, and Genesis Invitational as the fourth Designated, Elevated event of the season, and third over the last four weeks. We also see a substantial increase in the importance ofGood Drives GainedandSand Saves Gained. PGA TOUR odds this week include a field of 120. Driver a long way, typically in the 290-yard range Nicklaus led the Tour in driving is., this course ranked as the ninth-hardest course on pga tour proximity to hole 50 yards PGA Tour average to. Annually one of the most difficult scoring venues on the PGA TOUR schedule, its always a good idea to reference recent Major results in Arnold Palmer Invitational week, as Scheffler foreshadowed with his 2022 victory. Ten feet farther from the hole on 72 approach shots is an enormous difference. It has been a while since Ive made a bet backing Jason Day but the guy is sneaking up on all of us with the way he has been playing the last five months. It would be clich to say that no course compares to Riviera CC, but I do struggle to find an exact match. Golf course length of 18-hole course ranges from 6,500 to 6,900 yards which is approximately 5,900 to 6,400 meters. The fairways get narrower as you get closer to the green, encouraging even the longest hitters to take less than driver off the tee, and effectively removes wedge shots that would be more common on easier layouts.