Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches
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A Woody Woodpecker for the Win!
Brian Campbell, +15000 pre tournament longshot, cashed in on one of the luckiest bounces you will ever see. Campbell, shortest hitter on tour (186th out of 186 in Driving Distance) and Aldrich Potgieter (1st out of 186 in Driving Distance) battled each other and their nerves all weekend at VidantaWorld before it was Campbell who made a 4 foot birdie putt to be yet another first time winner on the PGA Tour joining fellow Fighting Illini college teammate, Thomas Detry. Grinder. Grit. Grotesque to….
Alex Looney and Kevin Smith who both were holding Potgieter outright tickets. Brutal result for a pick that was made early in the week by both gentleman in the +7500 range. Listen to our Tuesday show they give you a first hand account of being on the opposite side of the luckiest break in golf history. Clubhouse held Stephan Jaeger tickets as well who was in the final pairing with Campbell and Potgieter, but didn’t have his best stuff in tune to a T7 finish.
Golf Claps to Champ and Sammy with winning pre-tourney tickets
Champ: Kris “Ace” Ventura +7500 winner (3-way split, cut down to +2500)
Sammy: Greyson Sigg Top 20 Finish +230 cashes with a tie for 17th
Disappointing Sunday for Clubhouse One and Done Contest entry, Stephan Jaeger. Playing in the final group with the most experience, clubhouse was hopeful Jaegerbomb would make a Sunday move, but it just wasn’t to be with poor iron shots and a cold putter. $245,000 is a decent haul for a low tier event, clubhouse crew was looking for a top 3 finish. Check out the distribution of picks for the Top 9 finishers at The Mexico Open and our current standing postion.
Top Strokes Gained Leaders at The Mexico Open at VidantaWorld via DataGolf.com
Sammy’s Patio Preview
Cognizant Classic
Formerly known as the Honda Classic
PGA National (Champion Course)
Host of Cognizant/Honda Classic since 2007
140+ players
Cut: T65 & Ties
Par 71
Roughly 7,150 yards
Greens: Bermuda grass
George and Tom Fazio Design
Redesigned by Jack Nicklaus a few times to make it more more playable for all golfers
Course plays difficult and is famously known for the “Bear Trap”
Holes 15, 16, 17
15: Par 3 about 170 yards with a semi-island green
16: Par 4 that is difficult OTT and on approach
17: A short Par 3
Not the only above-par stretch of holes on the course
Holes 5-7 play above par
Almost as difficult as the Bear Trap
Holes 10-12 play above par
Hole 14 leading into the Bear Trap is one of, if not the hardest hole on the course
More than 70% of approach shots will come from 125 to 200 yards
Avoiding bogeys and doubles is going to be key
6 holes with 15%+ bogey rate
4 holes with 3.5%+ double bogey rate
Looking for consistent ball strikers that find the greens
A lot of water in play
Distance + ability to control ball consistence = ideal combo
Good Bermuda putters are the cherry on top
Have to score on the Par 5s
All 3 have a 45%+ birdie rate
Previous Winners
2024: Austin Eckroat (-17) - 3 strokes over Erik van Rooyen and Min Woo Lee
2023: Chris Kirk (-14) - playoff over Eric Cole
2022: Sepp Straka (-10) - 1 stroke over Shane Lowry
2021: Matt Jones (-12) - 5 strokes over Brandon Hagy
Stats
Shots Gained: Off-the-Tee
Shots Gained: Approach
Shots Gained: Tee-to-Green
SG: P (Bermuda)
Driving Distance/Total Distance Efficiency
Fairways Gained/Driving Accuracy %
Distance from Edge of Fairway
Greens In Regulation %
Approach shots from 150-200
3-Putt Avoidance (Bermuda)
Putting from 10-15’ (Bermuda)
Scrambling (Bermuda)
Shots Gained: Par 4
Par 5 BOB%
Bogey Avoidance
Birdie or Better %
Early Week Model
Champ’s Cove
Similar Type Courses (Comps)
Renaissance
Silverado
Ridgewood
Nicklaus Design Courses
Odds of Eventual Champion
1-25: 5
26-50: 2
51-100: 3
100+: 5
Winner Position By Round
R1: 13/15 within 5 shots of lead
R2: 14/15 within 3 shots of lead
R3: 14/15 within 3 shots of lead
First Round Leader Tee Time
AM 11/15
PM 8/15
FORM for Eventual Champion
7/15 Top 20 finish in last start
5/15 ZERO missed cuts in last 2 starts
8/15 at least 2 Top 20 finishes in last 4 starts
Champ’s Model
Based on Current Season, Non-Filtered Season Stats
Green: Top 100 or better ranking this season
Red: Outside Top 125 ranking this season
Yellow: No Data Available
Model Based on Field Rank
Green: Top 25% in Field
White: Middle 50% in Field
Red: Bottom 25% in Field
Yellow: No Data Available
Initial #CognizantClassic Top 10
Sepp Straka
Keith Mitchell
Jhonattan Vegas
Russell Henley
Lucas Glover
Kris Ventura
Ryan Gerard
Matt Kuchar
Ben Griffin
Joel Dahmen
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