Course Guide: The AT&T Byron Nelson returns to TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas for its third visit. A relatively new course to the PGA Tour, Craig Ranch has hosted U.S. Open Sectional Qualifiers in 2019 and various PGA Tour and Korn Ferry 2nd Stage Qualifying Schools, which are worth a look. It’s also hosted a couple of Korn Ferry Tour Championship tournaments across 2008 and 2012. Set in a rolling valley, the course features tree-lined fairways and plenty of water in-play around the course. At a revised 7,414 yards and a Par 71 – previously a Par 72 – the course allows for a real birdie-fest, so expect the same in 2023 with 2-3 shots shaved off the winning total due to the slightly more stretching scorecard.
TPC Craig Ranch, McKinney, Dallas, Texas: Designer: Tom Weiskopf, 2004; Course Type: Parkland , Resort, Long; Par: 71; Length: 7,414 yards; Holes with Water Hazards: 13; Fairways: Cavalier Zoysiagrass; Rough: Bermudagrass 2.5″; Greens: 6,778 sq.ft. average Bentgrass; Tournament Stimp: 11.5ft. Course Scoring Average 2021: 69.57 (-2.43), Difficulty Rank 47 of 51 courses (5th easiest). 2022: 69.22 (-2.78), Difficulty Rank 47 of 50 courses (4th easiest).
Course Designer Links: For research purposes other Tom Weiskopf designs include (including re-designs):
- North Course, Torrey Pines 2017-Present Farmers Insurance Open
- TPC Scottsdale – Waste Management Phoenix Open
Course Overview: The AT&T Byron Nelson moved in 2021 to a new home. Part of the PGA Tour’s own TPC Network, Craig Ranch has proven to be a breeze for the very best players in the world. Located in McKinney on the north-east fringes of Dallas, Texas, it played as a 7,468 yard, Par 72 set-up, with the standard split of 4 par-3s and 4-par-5s. However the PGA Tour to this point has not been immune to bringing tees forward, making the course play shorter and much easier.
2023 sees the scorecard change to a 7,414 yard, Par 71 set-up. That change has been made by changing the par-5 12th hole at 547 yards, into a stretching 493 yard par-4. This to all intents and purposes changes little, except shaving a few shots off the winning total. Undoubtedly this will still be a resort-level scoring, eagle- and birdie-making test.
The course itself is a Tom Weiskopf design, with gently rolling hills and mature woods surrounding the limestone banks of Rowlett Creek. Ex-PGA Tour player D.A. Weibring also served as a consultant on the golf course design. Water in various guises is apparent throughout the course with Rowlett Creek crossing the course 14 points. The course itself is far more conventional than the quirky faux-links at Trinity Forest, which hosted the Byron Nelson across both 2018 and 2019.
The front 9 at Craig Ranch is where some serious birdies can be made. The 1st, 3rd and 6th holes are all par-4s at 430 yards or less. Throw in 570 yard (5th) and 564 yard (8th) par-5s and there are birdies to be made on these Bentgrass greens. The back 9 sees a driveable par-4 at the 14th, a short 147 yard par-3 at the 17th and an easy par-5 at 552 yards (18th). The 12th has now changed to a 493 yard par-4, whilst the other back 9 holes are made of sterner stuff, but it’s all relative! TPC Craig Ranch played as the 5th easiest course on the PGA Tour in 2021 and the 4th easiest last season and that was with gusting +20 mph winds in-play.
TPC Craig Ranch does share one familiarity with previous host venue Trinity Forest in that the course has been planted from tee to green with Zoysiagrass fairways, which we see on occasions in the southern states of the United States, plus in Japan.
Zoysiagrass fairways also feature at
- East Lake (Tour Championship)
- Narashino CC (2019, 2021 & 2022 ZOZO Championship)
- TPC Southwind (WGC St Jude Championship & WGC-St Jude Invitational & FedEx St Jude Classic)
Zoysia isn’t the most popular of fairway grasses with many players who claim the quirky grass promotes flyers. These fairways also featured at the 2011 PGA Championship hosted at Atlanta Athletic Club and at Bellerive Country Club which hosted the 2018 PGA Championship.
Winners: Hosted at Craig Ranch: 2022: K.H. Lee (-26); 2021: K.H. Lee (-25); Hosted at Trinity Forest: 2019: Sung Kang (-23); 2018: Aaron Wise (-23); Hosted at AT&T Four Seasons: 2017: Billy Horschel; 2016: Sergio Garcia; 2015: Steven Bowditch; 2014: Brendon Todd; 2013: Sang-moon Bae; 2012: Jason Dufner; 2011: Keegan Bradley; 2010: Jason Day.
- 2022: K.H. Lee 64-68-67-63 -26/262
- 2021: K.H. Lee 65-65-67-66 -25/263
OWGR of AT&T Byron Nelson Winners: 2022: K.H. Lee 88; 2021: K.H. Lee 137; 2019: Kang 138.
TPC Craig Ranch Cut Line: 2022: -5; 2021: -6.
TPC Craig Ranch Lead Score Progression:
- 2022: Round 1 -12; Round 2 -15; Round 3 -21; Round 4 -26.
- 2021: Round 1 -9; Round 2 -17; Round 3 -20; Round 4 -25.
Tournament Stats: We’ve published some key player statistics for this week’s event that are well worth a look. Naturally they’ll help to shape a view on players who could go well this week: Current Form | Tournament Form | First Round Leader | Combined Stats.
My published predictor is available here. Top 10 of my published predictor are: Scottie Scheffler, Jason Day, Aaron Wise, Tom Kim, Matt Kuchar, Tyrrell Hatton, Tom Hoge, K.H. Lee, Byeong Hun An and Hideki Matsuyama.
Our brand new predictor model is running alongside, where you can build your own rankings in live time, using the variables listed on the left hand side.
AT&T Byron Nelson Winners & Prices: 2022: K.H. Lee 125/1; 2021: K.H. Lee 200/1; 2019: Kang 125/1; 2018: Wise 50/1; 2017: Horschel 125/1; 2016: Garcia 25/1; 2015: Bowditch 500/1; 2014: Todd 100/1; 2013: Bae 150/1; 2012: Dufner 22/1; 2011: Bradley 200/1; 2010: Day 100/1. Past 8 Renewals Average: 156/1 Overall Average: 127/1.
Historical Weather:
- 2022: Thursday: Sunny. High of 91. Wind SSE 13-17 mph, gusting to 25 mph. Friday: Sunny. High of 92. Wind SSE 14-18 mph, gusting to 24 mph. Saturday: Sunny. High of 91. Wind SE 6-12 mph. Sunday: Sunny. High of 96. Wind S 12-16 mph, gusting to 23 mph.
- 2021: Thursday: Mostly sunny. High of 71. Wind NNW 5-10 mph. Friday: Mostly sunny. High of 69. Wind NW 12-18 mph, gusting to 30 mph. Saturday: Partly sunny and breezy. High of 74. Wind W 10-15 mph, gusting to 25 mph. Sunday: Partly Cloudy. High of 81. Wind SSW 12-15 mph with gusts of 30 mph.
Weather Forecast: Latest weather forecast for Dallas, Texas, is here.
Expect firm fairways and watered greens this week as we have seen here since 2021. The tournament will be cooler than last year, but pleasant enough at 25-29 degrees Celsius, that’s 77 – 84 Fahrenheit. Wind levels are per both 2021 and 2022 should be in-play – it’s Texas after all, but they may disappear for Sunday. Also there is the threat of thunderstorms around, which could suspend play and soften the course. With a change from a Par 72 to a Par 71 I’d therefore expect tighter scoring, but a birdie-fest nonetheless.
Player Strokes Gained Rankings: These top 25 in the field rankings are based on an 8-tournament window that stretches back to the Valspar Championship / SDC Championship which includes both PGA Tour and DP World Tour events, where recorded. Player rankings are based on performance relative to the rest of the field:
- Top 25 SG Off The Tee: 1) Scottie Scheffler; 2) Adam Schenk; 3) Derek Lamely; 4) Hideki Matsuyama; 5) Cameron Champ; 6) Cameron Percy; 7) Carl Yuan; 8) Jason Day / Si Woo Kim / Luke List; 11) Tyrrell Hatton / Seung-yul Noh / J.J. Spaun; 14) Byeong Hun An / Tom Kim; 16) S.H. Kim / Ryan Palmer; 18) Michael Thompson; 19) James Hahn / Davis Thompson / Trevor Werbylo; 22) Garrick Higgo; 23) Joseph Bramlett / Adam Scott; 25) Scott Stallings.
- Top 25 SG Approach: 1) Scottie Scheffler; 2) Derek Lamely; 3) J.J. Spaun; 4) Christiaan Bezuidenhout; 5) Hideki Matsuyama; 6) Kevin Chappell / Tom Kim / Erik van Rooyen; 9) Nate Lashley; 10) Michael Kim; 11) K.H. Lee / Sam Stevens; 13) Lucas Glover / Charley Hoffman; 15) Alex Smalley; 16) Kevin Roy; 17) Eric Cole / Dylan Wu; 19) Davis Riley; 20) Joseph Bramlett; 21) Tyrrell Hatton / David Lipsky; 23) Jason Dufner / Augusto Nunez / Scott Stallings.
- Top 25 SG Around The Green: 1) Aaron Baddeley; 2) Matt Kuchar / Geoff Ogilvy; 4) Jonathan Byrd / Derek Ernst; 6) Jonas Blixt; 7) Scott Brown; 8) Min Woo Lee; 9) Ricky Barnes; 10) Harry Hall; 11) Stephan Jaeger / Adam Scott; 13) Tom Kim; 14) Tyrrell Hatton / Aaron Wise; 16) S.H. Kim; 17) Mackenzie Hughes / Taylor Montgomery; 19) Joseph Bramlett / Seung-yul Noh / Jimmy Walker; 22) Ben Griffin / Hideki Matsuyama; 24) Scott Harrington / Andrew Landry.
- Top 25 SG Tee to Green: 1) Scottie Scheffler; 2) Derek Lamely / Hideki Matsuyama; 4) J.J. Spaun; 5) Joseph Bramlett; 6) Tyrrell Hatton; 7) Tom Kim; 8) Stephan Jaeger / Matt Kuchar / Seung-yul Noh; 11) Kevin Chappell; 12) Adam Scott / Sam Stevens; 14) Eric Cole / Si Woo Kim; 16) Geoff Ogilvy / Adam Schenk; 18) Scott Stallings / Trevor Werbylo; 20) Byeong Hun An; 21) Charley Hoffman / S.H. Kim / K.H. Lee / Greyson Sigg; 25) Jimmy Walker.
- Top 25 SG Putting: 1) Greg Chalmers; 2) Aaron Baddeley; 3) Aaron Wise; 4) Michael Kim / Matt Kuchar; 6) Justin Suh; 7) K.H. Lee; 8) Ben Griffin; 9) Christiaan Bezuidenhout / Adam Hadwin / Maverick McNealy; 12) Jason Day / Marty Dou; 14) Adam Scott; 15) Jimmy Walker; 16) Min Woo Lee / Sean O’Hair; 18) Bill Haas / Andrew Novak / Dylan Wu; 21) Ryan Brehm / Kevin Chappell / Patton Kizzire / Austin Smotherman; 25) Chad Ramey.
- Top 25 SG Total: 1) Scottie Scheffler; 2) Matt Kuchar; 3) Kevin Chappell / K.H. Lee; 5) Hideki Matsuyama; 6) Michael Kim; 7) Adam Scott / Dylan Wu; 9) Andrew Novak; 10) Jason Day / Tyrrell Hatton / Jimmy Walker; 13) J.J. Spaun; 14) Joseph Bramlett / Adam Schenk; 16) Christiaan Bezuidenhout / Cody Gribble; 18) Tom Kim; 19) M.J. Daffue / Seung-yul Noh; 21) Aaron Baddeley / Eric Cole; 23) Sean O’Hair / Sam Stevens; 25) Stephan Jaeger.
Trends & Key Factors: Analysing the Strokes Gained Stats of the AT&T Byron Nelson winners here at TPC Craig Ranch since 2021 gives us a little more insight into the requirements for this low scoring, Texan test:
Strokes Gained Tournament Trends:
- 2022, K.H. Lee (-26). SG Off the Tee: 20th, SG Approach: 8th, SG Around the Green: 10th, SG Tee to Green: 5th, SG Putting: 13th.
- 2021, K.H. Lee (-25). SG Off the Tee: 23rd, SG Approach: 2nd, SG Around the Green: 24th, SG Tee to Green: 2nd, SG Putting: 9th.
Strokes Gained Tournament Skill Averages:
- SG Off the Tee: 22nd, SG Approach: 5th, SG Around the Green: 17th, SG Tee to Green: 4th, SG Putting: 11th.
Tournament Trends & Key Factors: Analysing the final stats of AT&T Byron Nelson winners here since 2021 gives us a little more insight into the requirements for this test:
- 2022, K.H. Lee (-26). 307 yards (49th), 66.1% fairways (22nd), 76.4% greens in regulation (18th), 44’9″ proximity to hole (76th), 88.2 % scrambling (4th), 1.67 putts per GIR (33rd).
- 2021, K.H. Lee (-25). 292 yards (35th), 66.1% fairways (41st), 80.6% greens in regulation (5th), 34’3″ proximity to hole (4th), 78.6 % scrambling (18th), 1.60 putts per GIR (2nd).
Tournament Skill Averages:
- Driving Distance: 42nd, Driving Accuracy: 32nd, Greens in Regulation: 12th, Proximity to Hole: 40th, Scrambling: 11th, Putting Average 18th.
Let’s take a view from players as to how the TPC Craig Ranch course sets up and what skill sets the course favours:
K.H. Lee (2022): ” I think here is irons game, need irons game good and also putting, because a lot of guys a lot birdie and eagle, so need to low under par. I’m comfortable with tee shot here. I hit a really good iron shot and then I think the key here is iron shot, because a lot of guys make a birdie. So when I hear par-3 or when I tee shot any holes, very, very comfortable, then make more confidence and then it helped this week.”
“Honestly, just my goal is when I, before final round I want to play well, but I don’t think about win, just keep momentum and next week. But No. 2 I think birdie, maybe 50 feet something, make a long putt. And then on number 3 it’s pretty, like 25 feet in the hole. So make more momentum. And then No. 12 make eagle. So I think maybe some chance winning again, so that makes more confidence in myself at that time.”
Jordan Spieth (2022): “ So if you’re in the fairway you can attack pins on a lot of the greens, but if you’re not you’re really out of position because they stick ’em over in corners and the way the course is designed it’s, you have to be able to have spin on the ball to get close to the pin. So it’s still going to be a premium on driving, probably more of a premium on driving the ball accurately than it was maybe last year, just because the fairways will play 5 to 10 yards smaller with how firm they are and I think that that’s going to be what the tournament, the Tour, everybody wants out of this place. It can show a little bit of teeth and it’s certainly in the best condition, shape I’ve ever seen it in.”
“I think I said ahead of time I thought that it would show a little more teeth than last year and I couldn’t have been more wrong. I mean a 60 yesterday and a lot of 8s and 7s all over the board. I mean it’s just, a lot of tees are up, it was very surprising. Like the 9th tee being up on the front box, I hit 7 and 8-iron into that par-5 and it’s just designed to have to hit a shot from 250 yards. So obviously that’s nice when you’re in the situation. But they moved some par-3s up too. They moved, like No. 2 they moved to the front of the box. Some interesting ones. And then I think they were looking at the weekend as a lot less wind and so they used more of the easier pins the first two days because I can only name one or two pins on this golf course that were not the easiest two locations that are on the greens. So maybe that’s the reason why, I’m not sure. I’m a little bit surprised at how, on a not-so-difficult golf course they have also set it up a little easier for us too.”
Charl Schwartzel (2021): “ Yeah, I did think about it halfway through the back nine. I was like, I haven’t had a round without a bogey for quite sometime. I’ve been playing well. You know, this golf course is really there for the taking, so if there was ever one to do it on, it would be this one. Yeah, especially after last week, Quail Hollow is such a tough golf course and you have to be very strategic. I found myself through the first 12 holes being too conservative, and I turned to my caddie and said, Course is soft. I don’t think we can keep hitting away from the flags. It’s a mental shift. I tried to be a bit more aggressive.
This course driving is quite easy, so it’s all second shots, trying to get them close enough. End of the day this tournament is going to come down to a putting contest, who putts the best.”
Sergio Garcia (2021): “For my eagle on 6. Yes, we hit driver and thought we couldn’t reach because it was into the wind, but we knew if we hit it in the fairway we’re going to be around that 50 yard range, and a little bit into the breeze even with a front pin I could nip it nicely out of the Zoysiagrass and spin it. Caught it perfectly. As soon as hit it I knew it was going to be close. Didn’t know if it was going to go in or not, but knew it was going to be close. It was nice to hear the crowd go a little bit crazy there, because we couldn’t see it go in.”
Matt Kuchar (2021): “Warming up on the range this morning it was blowing hard. I was nervous going out there. I saw some pretty good scores up on the leaderboard thinking, boy, I don’t see how the guys are putting them up. I know the course is receptive, but with 15 to 20 mile an hour winds it’s a lot more challenging. Thankfully I was able to get a few birdies early on and kind of get off to a really good start. Think I was 4-under through 6, and made me feel like, All right, it is gettable. Let’s see if we can keep going, and was able to get in with 6-under par today.
Yeah, you never know when the birdies are going to come. You take them when they come, and I was grateful to get them early. Couple scoring holes, I think the third hole is a scoring hole, was able to take advantage there. Then the 5th hole is a par-5, so those two are good. The 6th hole is also almost a drivable hole. So kind of took advantage of those three really easy holes and threw another birdie in as well.”
Patton Kizzire (2021):”I would say my approach, my iron game is one of my strengths, and that’s huge when you match that with my putting. My putting is the best part of my game by far, so when I start hitting the iron shots close I can go low, and I did today.Yeah, I’ll take a lot of confidence. Yeah, so on 15 tee the storm came in, and, gosh, it seemed like it sped everything up. You got the umbrella, you got the wind, rain, yardage, you got so many different factors going and it throws your routine off.
15, 16, 17, and 18, played very difficult, and I would’ve liked to played them under par. The birdie on 17 helped me get it back to even on those four holes, and certainly would’ve liked to birdie 18. But I’m going to hang around and see what happens, and very pleased with 9-under. Most of my wins have come on courses with low scoring, so I enjoy this type of golf. I like to try to go low. I like a lot of birdies and I’ll be back next year. ”
Path to Victory: Below are the end of round positions for the winners of the AT&T Byron Nelson since 2010:
- 2022 – K.H. Lee: Round 1: 2nd, Round 2: 6th, Round 3: 6th.
- 2021 – K.H. Lee: Round 1: 7th, Round 2: 3rd, Round 3: 2nd.
- 2019 – Sung Kang: Round 1: 4th, Round 2: 1st, Round 3: 1st.
- 2018 – Aaron Wise: Round 1: 4th, Round 2: 2nd, Round 3: 1st.
- 2017 – Billy Horschel: Round 1: 14th, Round 2: 2nd, Round 3: 2nd.
- 2016 – Sergio Garcia: Round 1: 1st, Round 2: 2nd, Round 3: 3rd.
- 2015 – Steven Bowditch: Round 1: 1st, Round 2: 1st, Round 3: 1st.
- 2014 – Brendon Todd: Round 1: 13th, Round 2: 1st, Round 3: 1st.
- 2013 – Sang-moon Bae: Round 1: 9th, Round 2: 2nd, Round 3: 2nd.
- 2012 – Jason Dufner: Round 1: 11th, Round 2: 1st, Round 3: 1st.
- 2011 – Keegan Bradley: Round 1: 3rd, Round 2: 8th, Round 3: 8th.
- 2010 – Jason Day: Round 1: 1st, Round 2: 3rd, Round 3: 1st.
Shots From the Lead: Below are the shots from the lead during the tournament of the TPC Craig Ranch winners since 2021:
- 2022 – K.H. Lee: Round 1: 4 back, Round 2: 3 back, Round 3: 4 back.
- 2021 – K.H. Lee: Round 1: 2 back, Round 2: 3 back, Round 3: 1 back.
Form of AT&T Byron Nelson winners since 2010:
- K.H. Lee: 25th TPC Potomac/MC Heritage/MC Masters/MC San Antonio.
- K.H. Lee: 58th Quail/29th Copperhead/23rd New Orleans/56th Heritage.
- Sung Kang: MC Quail/MC New Orleans/42nd San Antonio/18th Copperhead.
- Aaron Wise: 2nd Quail/MC New Orleans/MC TPC San Antonio/32nd Houston.
- Billy Horschel: MC Sawgrass/MC New Orleans/MC TPC San Antonio/MC Heritage.
- Sergio Garcia: 54th Sawgrass/3rd Valderrama/34th Augusta/MDF Houston.
- Steven Bowditch: DQ Colonial/47th Quail/MC Sawgrass/12th New Orleans.
- Brendon Todd: MC Quail/38th Heritage/43rd Houston/6th San Antonio.
- Sang-moon Bae: 33rd Sawgrass/MC Ballantines/48th Heritage/WD San Antonio.
- Jason Dufner: 68th Sawgrass/1st New Orleans/24th Heritage/24th Masters.
- Keegan Bradley: 72nd Sawgrass/MC Quail/26th New Orleans/MC Heritage.
- Jason Day: MC Players/22nd Quail/22nd Heritage/MC Houston.
First Round Leader Analysis: First round leader(s), their wave and winning score since 2010. Full First Round Leader stats are here.
- 2022 – Munoz – AM -12/60 – 80/1.
- 2021 – Spaun / Spieth – AM/PM Split -9/63 – 175/1 & 20/1.
- 2019 – McCarthy – AM -8/63 – 100/1.
- 2018 – Leishman – PM -10/61 – 35/1.
- 2017 – Barnes / Hahn – Both AM -6/64 – 200/1 & 125/1.
- 2016 – Garcia / D Lee / Wagner – 1AM/2PM -7/63.
- 2015 – Bowditch – AM -8/62.
- 2014 – Hanson – PM -5/65.
- 2013 – Bradley – AM -10/60.
- 2012 – Palmer – PM -6/64.
- 2011 – Overton – PM -6/64.
- 2010 – Day / Mahan – AM/PM Split -4/66.
For the record, here’s the breakdown of pure Bentgrass green PGA Tour victors in the field since 2008:
- 4 – Jason Day, Hideki Matsuyama.
- 3 – Lucas Glover, Ryan Moore, Adam Scott.
- 2 – Stewart Cink, Jason Dufner, Martin Laird, K.H. Lee, Troy Merritt.
- 1 – Sang-moon Bae, Jonas Blixt, Jonathan Byrd, Cameron Champ, Dylan Frittelli, Bill Haas, Jim Herman, Charley Hoffman, Tom Kim, Michael Kim, Russell Knox, Ben Martin, Trey Mullinax, Sean O’Hair, Seamus Power, Chez Reavie, Scottie Scheffler, Scott Stallings, Michael Thompson, Camilo Villegas, Nick Watney.
The Byron Nelson is always a difficult tournament to call and a move, 2 years ago, to yet another new course adds another level of intrigue to this betting heat. As a tournament, we’ve seen a whole list of unexpected winners. Indeed Jason Day (this was 2010), Keegan Bradley, Sang-moon Bae, Brendon Todd, Steven Bowditch, Billy Horschel, Sung Kang and K.H. Lee (twice) have won 9 of the past 12 renewals at triple-digits. Bowditch topped the lot price-wise delivering a 500/1 coup for the bookmakers 8 years ago. K.H. Lee’s 2 wins here at TPC Craig Ranch came at 200/1 and 125/1.
On the reverse side, Jason Dufner (22/1 in 2012) and Sergio Garcia (25/1 in 2016), have been the only short-priced players in the betting market who ultimately prevailed since 2010. And 2018 saw the prestigiously talented Aaron Wise overhaul long term leader Marc Leishman and capture his first PGA Tour title at 50/1.
Another angle is that recent winners K.H. Lee, Kang, Wise, Todd, Bae, Bradley and Day had never won on the PGA Tour.
Jason Dufner in 2012 had only captured his previous victory 2 appearances prior at TPC Louisiana. 2017 saw Billy Horschel arrive with form of MC-MC-MC-MC to then go onto capture his 4th PGA Tour victory. The Floridian had not won a tournament since the 2014 Tour Championship ending a 2 and 1/2 year hiatus. Sergio Garcia in 2016 had not won on the PGA Tour for 2 and 3/4 years. K.H Lee won when defending his maiden PGA Tour title. It’s certainly a mixed picture!
From a timing perspective, we now have 2019, 2021 and 2022 renewals to work from in terms of this tournament the week prior to the PGA Championship in May.
For 2019 it’s worth pointing out that it was a far weaker field than this week’s as its headline players featured only Brooks Koepka, Hideki Matsuyama, Marc Leishman, Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed. Winner Sung Kang was a 125/1 shot. He ranked 138th in the Official World Golf Rankings – and had no entry for the PGA Championship. Scott Piercy finished T2 with Matt Every. Piercy at 50/1 had finished 3rd on his previous outing at Harbour Town, whilst Matt Every had finished 3rd in the team event at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans 2 starts prior. 15/2 tournament favourite Brooks Koepka finished 4th and went on to win the PGA Championship a week later in New York.
For 2021 the tournament contained Dustin Johnson, Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, Jordan Spieth, Daniel Berger, Hideki Matsuyama and Marc Leishman. Winner K.H. Lee was a 200/1 shot. He ranked 138th in the Official World Golf Rankings – and had no entry for the PGA Championship. Sam Burns finished runner-up at 33/1 and had won his maiden PGA Tour title on his last outing at Copperhead. Of the shortest prices, Daniel Berger was the best finisher after he back-doored a T3, with a closing -8/64 catapulting him from 18th spot. He went on to finish 75th at the PGA Championship a week later. 12/1 shot Jordan Spieth led after 18 holes and was still T3 going into Sunday, where he went backwards finishing T9. 22/1 chance Brooks Koepka missed the cut at the Byron and then finished 2nd at Kiawah Island a week later.
That takes us to 2022 where K.H. Lee successfully defended his crown at 125/1 – the South Korean had a OWGR rank of 88th and was in the PGA Championship field. The field also contained elites in the form of Scheffler, Thomas, Schauffele, Dustin Johnson, Spieth, Burns, Zalatoris, Matsuyama, Niemann and Koepka, who all played at prices 28/1 and shorter. Jordan Spieth went for broke at an event he loves and finished 2nd at 20/1. Both Schauffele (20/1) and Matsuyama (28/1) back doored T5 finishes with scorching -11/61 and -10/62 final rounds, whilst eventual PGA Championship winner Justin Thomas was always within 3 shots of the lead going into Sunday eventually finishing T5 at 14/1.
