AT&T Byron Nelson: Expert Picks

Tournament Information:
AT&T Byron Nelson
Date: May 13^th – 16^th
Course: TPC Craig Ranch
Purse: $8.1MM ($1.5MM to winner)
2020 Winner: Kang Sung-Hoon (-23)

Course
TPC Craig Ranch. Established in 2004 and designed by Tom Weiskopf, this 7,438 yard course has a par of 71 with a course rating of 76.5 and a slope rating of 149. Given the distance, it will require a strong hit off the tees. The course features rolling hills, forests on the edges and best of all, golfers will be crossing the Rowlett Creek 14 times over the 18 holes. Placement of shots will be key given the water hazards and the pin placement is likely to be difficult—those that get in early and understand the lay of the course will have an edge.

Photo by Stan Badz/PGA TOUR

My Starting 4
Jordan Spieth (third selection this year) — He’s 8^th in FedEx Cup ranking, he’s from Texas with access to this course and he is 89^th in drive distance. Oh and he comes into this tournament fresh off a 9^th place at WGC – Dell Technologies, win at Valero and 3^rd at the Masters.

Wyndham Clark (second selection this year) — One of the top drivers on tour, Wyndham is 55^th in FedEx Ranking, he’s 13^th in strokes gained around the green. The downside is his putting has set him back and he has just one top 30 finish in the last seven tournaments.

Will Zalatoris (first selection this year) — 28^th in OWGR, 10^th in strokes gained around the green and 4^th in strokes gained approaching the green. He regressed after his Cinderella Masters run finishing 42^nd at RBC and missing the cut at Wells Fargo. The last time he missed a cut was at the Sanderson Farms Championship earlier this year and he rebounded with a 5^th place at Shriners Hospitals for Children Open.

Sam Burns (fourth selection this year) – Sam is 16^th in FedEx ranking, 29^th in total strokes gained and his last two tournaments prior to this were 4^th (Zurich Classic) and 1^st (Valspar Championship). He is top 20 in drive distance this season.

My Bench 2
Keith Mitchell (third selection this year) — Keith is 17^th in strokes gained off the tee, and he comes into TPC Craig Ranch with top 20 finishes in three of his last four tournaments. The bad is his short game is going horrible.

Scottie Scheffler (first selection this year) – Currently 22^nd in OWGR, he’s 15^th in strokes gained off the tee. He has top 30 finishes in four of his last five tournaments.

Fun Fact: This is the first year playing at TPC Craig Ranch

2020-2021 Stats (1^st percent would be the top golfer picked every week)
Starting 4: avg finish 40^th (31^st percent)
Bench 2: avg finish 44^th (34^th percent)