The Quick Hook

The Travelers Championship, played at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut, is quite possibly the most forgettable main event on the PGA Tour schedule that has had an inordinate number of unforgettable moments.  This event was the site of Jim Furyk's 58, the lowest round in Tour history. In 2017, Jordan Spieth holed out from the greenside bunker to win the event on the first playoff hole, before embarking on one of the most memorable celebrations in modern golf history. Hell, Ken Duke won here. Embed from Getty Images Without those reminders, however, most people would be hard-pressed to describe a single hole on this golf course. This is perhaps because it is distinctive in almost no shape or form. Even the name, 'TPC River Highlands' sounds vaguely reminiscent of one of the fantasy courses from an early-2000's Tiger Woods PGA Tour video game. When it comes to the statistics, this event stands out in the regard that it really does not stand out. No category is ...

It's an uncommon occurrence on the PGA Tour for two consecutive tournaments and golf courses to give no statistical advantage to the longest players in the field. As the Tour moves on to week-two after the restart and Harbour Town Golf Links, one week after resuming play at Colonial Country Club, this is exactly what they should expect. In fact, according to Data Golf, no course is as statistically similar to Colonial CC as Harbour Town is, adding an interesting dimension as these events find themselves positioned in back-to-back weeks on Tour for the first time ever. Adding to the intrigue of the week, is that Harbour Town has never quite seen a field as strong the one that will walk the grounds this week. Embed from Getty Images Depending on confirmation of the final field, there is currently 74 Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points to be awarded to the champion on Hilton Head Island making it, by some distance, the strongest field in the 50 year history of the event. Eight o...

A current total of 37 of the Top-50 ranked players in golf are lined up to be in the field for the 2020 Charles Schwab Challenge, as the top-tier of professional golf gets ready to return to action Thursday, June 11 at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, TX. The first-rate field includes all of the current Top-5 players in the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR), Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas, Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson.  As a result of the abnormal strength of field for this event, spurned by a 13 week absence of competitive golf, there will be 72 OWGR points allocated to the champion at Colonial. This makes the Charles Schwab Challenge the most awarded event in world golf in terms of ranking points since the BMW Championship in August of 2019. Everything is, after all, bigger in Texas. Embed from Getty Images Colonial CC has a historic imbalance of the type of golfer it crowns, making predicting a winner all the more difficult. Subsequently, there is the additional...

The Magical Kenya Open has been postponed as new governmental travel regulations are set in place due to fears over the spread of Coronavirus, meaning we will turn our attention to Florida and The PGA Tour, where TPC Sawgrass lies in wait of the world's best. The European Tour regular schedule looks like it will be on a break until at least late April, with the next two events in Kenya and India both postponed. The two European Tour events that follow this will be the WGC-Matchplay and The Masters, meaning the core tour membership in Europe will be without competitive play for quite some time. Luckily, play in the USA has faced little barrier, and all going well, shall go ahead as scheduled. One of the strongest fields of the season is set to take on TPC Sawgrass, an event that has seen a new name inscribed upon the trophy in 18 of the last 20 years; only Davis Love III and Tiger Woods have become multiple winners of The Players since 2001. There is little in the way of a...

The European Tour is in the final leg of the tour of the Middle East, travelling north from Oman to Qatar for the eleventh event of the 2020 season. Education City Golf Club, designed by Jose Maria Olazabal - Photo from European Tour Twitter Account Leaving Doha Golf Club behind, the Tour has found a new home for the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters in Education City Golf Club; a name that is quite astoundingly not even the most bizarre for a host club in the first quarter of the season. Controversy, the Middle East, and the European Tour are forming a ménage á trois that is equal parts uncomfortable, disheartening and subjectively interesting. Across social channels this week, the European Tour have been promoting photos of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Stadium that will serve as a backdrop to the golf course this week. Any research done concerning the living and working conditions reveal this promotion to be a touch sour on the pallet. Turning our attention away from this however, ...

The European Tour heads to Oman and Al Mouj Golf Club this week, as the European golf schedule returns to a semblance of normalcy.  The last two weeks included an off-week and a World Golf Championship, meaning a majority the core membership of the Tour haven't seen competitive play since Saudi Arabia at the beginning of February. Photo from The European Tour Twitter Account This week starts a stretch that will be of paramount importance to many of the lower status players, many of whom will be looking to take a big stride over the coming weeks towards securing their cards for next season. It's an important stretch on the European Tour for a majority of the players, and also a series of events that allows ardent golf fans to earn their stripes too. The Oman Open, Qatar Masters, Magical Kenya Open and the Hero Indian Open are the next four tournaments on Tour, and it's hardly exaggeration to presuppose that solely the most avid (or perhaps the most manic) of golf f...

Several big names are missing from the field as the PGA Tour and European Tour combine this week to co-host the second World Golf Championship of the 2020 season, with Mexico City, and Club de Golf Chapultepec playing host to the no-cut, big purse event. The 17th Hole at Club de Golf Chapultepec                                                                Photo from  the PGA Tour Notably, Tiger Woods, Brooks Koepka, Patrick Cantlay, Rickie Fowler and Justin Rose will be skipping this event. Some of these players are less surprising absentee's than others. Cantlay will be undergoing surgery for a deviated septum, while Koepka is still on the mend from a knee injury suffered late last year. Despite these players missing out, the field is still especially strong, and if past events at Chapultepec are indicative of the f...