Kuchar hasn’t really played much of a factor since the restart about a year ago, but he’s found his game the past month. I'm going to take a stab on Matt Kuchar in this range.
Yup, those are actual things that happened – him winning here and me actually researching it. Also, I went down the rabbit hole of the dark web and found that 9-year-old “Scott Alexander Scheffler” won the nine-hole, coed, age 7-9 division of the Metro Area Championship by seven strokes right at this very same TPC Craig Ranch. On a week with so many unknowns, that’s as good a reason as any.Įven with some big names in the field, this event feels like it could wind up being the domain of a first-time winner – and few are more deserving of a first victory than Scheffler.
While most players use a return to a specific course to give them a little mojo for the week, Scheffler might have it here – even at a different venue – just based on familiarity with the community and the tournament staff. The 24-year-old first played here at the age of 17, posting his final three scores in the 60s and finishing in a share of 22nd place – good enough to beat the likes of Martin Kaymer, who was only in between winning The Players and the U.S. I expect this to be a popular play this week, considering Scheffler owns some very Spiethian vibes at this event.
