WGC Workday Championship

Before we start to get into anything this week, I want to extend our thoughts and prayers to Tiger Woods and his family. Earlier today, Tuesday March 23rd Tiger was involved in a solo vehicle accident which required him to be removed from the vehicle via jaws of life. As of right now Tiger is in surgery and his injuries are not life threatening. Tiger is a figure head in the game of golf, he’s the reason millions of people around the globe play golf. We wish Tiger all the best and for a safe and speedy recovery. While this was a horrific accident, golf has to continue on. 

This past week at The Genesis Invitational was one for the ages. One of my personal favorites Max Homa took home the trophy in a spectacular fashion. All week long Max played steady and aggressive, it wasn’t until the third round restart on Sunday morning when Max really turned it on. Max did not make a bogey all day Sunday and came in with solid 66. This final round 66 put him into a two way tie with Tony Finau who came in with a red hot 7 under 64. However, Max had a chance to win the event outright. Max was walking down the 18 fairway with a 3 foot putt for birdie to win the event. Ultimately Max had a brutal lip out and ended up remaining tied for 1st, having to enter a playoff with Finau. The playoff was just as intense as the finish. Each player made solid pars on the 10th hole the first playoff hole. The pair then headed to the 14th, the par 3. Tony left his shot short left in the bunker and Max put his shot on the green. Max comfortably two-putted for par and Finau unfortunately failed to get up and down for his par save. This win for Max was especially important since he was born and raised in California and he’s been attending this event since he was a little kid. During Max’s post round interview he got choked up and showed some truly raw emotion. This marks Max’s second PGA Tour title, and let me be the first to say he’s got a lot more wins on the way. In my opinion Max’s win really shakes things up in the Ryder Cup conversation. I know it's very premature but Max has now moved into the 14th ranked position, he's on the right track to potentially become a captain’s pick. In other Ryder Cup news Tony Finau’s solo second place finish has moved him into the 6th ranked position which guarantees him a spot on the team. Nevertheless, the intensity continues as we head down to Florida for our first WGC (World Golf Championship) event of the season. 

This is the first event in this year’s Florida swing and the PGA Tour heads down to Concessions Golf Club in Bradenton Florida for the WGC Workday Championship. WGC events are always high intensity because they carry some of the best fields of the year besides the majors. This week’s field will not disappoint. This week fans will be able to follow all their favorite players including Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Max Homa, Dustin Johnson, Daniel Berger, Brooks Koepka, Tony Finau, Patrick Cantlay, Webb Simpson and Jon Rahm. In my opinion this is going to be the best field we’ve seen since last year’s Master’s Tournament and Concessions will be a great test for these players. Concessions Golf Club is Florida’s most difficult track. Thanks to some recent renovations, Concessions has been lengthened to over 7,400 hundreds yards. This par 72 beast navigates its way through the typical Florida landscape. Water surrounds more than half the holes and trees and high grass cover the rest. One of the major challenges of this golf course is its forced carries. Players will need to harness some of the more powerful drives as well as remain accurate. Many of the carries require at least 300 yard plus drives. Another barrier for the players to overcome is the wind. Florida weather is extremely unpredictable and if the winds start blowing players will need to quickly switch up their game plans. Golf fans gear up for a fun week. (Mike)

Pick’s of the Week:

Mike: Well last week was a huge week for me, not only because Max Homa, my favorite player won, but because I actually picked him to win last week. Max was my underdog pick of the week and after last week’s performance he’s no longer an underdog. However, while I am confident with Max’s ability I don’t see him winning in back to back weeks. This week’s winning pick goes to Dustin Johnson. DJ put himself in a great spot going into the final round last week, while he did struggle on Sunday, I believe his game is really sharp right now. The putter is working for him right now and we all know how lethal he is when he’s rolling the rock well. Look for DJ to make a strong push for another win this week. 

As always all WGC have no cut so the entire field will be playing all four rounds of the event. As for the underdog pick, none of these players are technically underdogs since the field is composed of the top 50 players in the world and the points leaders from both the PGA and European Tour, however I still will be picking an underdog or sleeper this week. This week’s sleeper pick goes to Kevin Kisner. It's been a few weeks since we've seen Kisner, but Kis is trending in the right direction. Through 7 events this season he's already notched one top 10. He’s sneaky, so don’t be surprised if he makes a run at this winners circle this week. (Mike)

Tyler: Last week I definitely rebounded on my picks. First of all, I predicted Bryson DeChambeau to miss the cut, which he ended up doing. I was shocked at how many big names missed the cut, but it goes to show you how tough the course was truly playing. I predicted Francesco Molinari as the Darkhorse and he had a quietly nice week finishing with a high finish as well as Dustin Johnson finishing near the top as well. Dustin Johnson definitely did not have his A game last week, but he was still in position to win going into Sunday. That is extremely scary for everybody else on tour.

My pick for this week is Justin Thomas. I know he did not play well last week, but he always seems to bring his game in the biggest tournaments and a WGC is just that, a big tournament. I expect him to play much better this week and put himself in contention for the weekend.

As for my sleeper pick this week, I think Tommy Fleetwood somehow find a way to get it done on American soil. He is a great player and his wins don’t necessarily back that up, but I like his chances to fly under the radar and put himself in a good position come Sunday afternoon. The field for this tournament is great and we continually see some world class golf week in and week out. Truly is a treat for us fans. (Tyler)