So this week Colonial holds the Charles Schwab challenge after a gruelling and brilliant PGA at Southern Hills which bumped that profit right up and broke the 2nd itis.
The autopsy of the years 2nd major can be processed as either a myriad of missed opportunities from talented but inexperienced pros, or just the brilliance and staying power of the champion. Great tournaments are made by great courses and conditions and the prevailing and changing winds played their part in supporting Perry Maxwell's vision and the great green renovations in the last few years.
So Perry who? The great course designer pre 2nd world war has his name across so many great American courses, but as boring as I could be naming them, it's all about last week's course designer, who also has his hands on Colonial Country Club. 7209 yards par 70 you don't need to be long but you do need to be straight and clever with misses. A mix of left to right and right to left holes, Jordan Speith is the correct favourite, a former winner and perennial placer here, he is driving the ball the best he has ever done, and one half decent week with the flat stick he could be the one but not at those odds in this field for me, especially as he has the heebie geebies over the short ones (this may not age well).
1st Pick this week is ball striker extraordinaire and sleeper Viktor Hovland. He's been quiet this year and his short game is still in need of great improvement, but this test of ball striking suits his length and accuracy and he is due. It may not be this week, but it is coming and he's appealling at 20/1 top 8 5pts e/w.
After a quiet 12 months my 2nd pick is taken to place this week at the very least. The sweet swinging, sweet striking Tony Finau is a huge 33/1 top 8 places this week. 2nd in 2019 and well placed going into Sunday last year it can only be the stellar field rather than patchy form that explains the price, but his price is wrong, so very very wrong and Tony will be getting 3pts e/w top 8 this week.
Once again the bookies continue to ignore the slow return to form of blog favourite Emiliano Grillo this week. 175/1 top 8, tied 19th and tied 8th in the last 2 runnings of this he's getting another 1pt from me e/w this week, he's so talented he could just win rather than place in one of these, it was a shame he didnt get in last week too!
Two more picks and both also at small odds (for me) with similar profiles and very different styles. Abraham Ancer 3pts e/w 35/1 top 8. The Mexican Trevino is showing brilliant form recently and is trending hard. 3 top tens this year, including 9th last week, I think Colonial suits his accuracy and his eye and putting the ball in play won't be an issue for the world's number 19.
Last but by no means least is another short price but at 33/1 top 8, watching Webb Simpson last week, he just had
5 shot winner coming up, written all over him. The driving accuracy, the soft draw with the irons and the putting are all looking close to where they were pre covid. A major winner and a players winner, when Webb gets his potato rolling (to quote Radar) bookies are there for the taking. A conservative but bullish 3pts e/w on Webb this week, but he will be getting followed for the rest of the season.