This article is part of our Weekly PGA Preview series.
June 25, Travelers Championship, first playoff hole. Jordan Spieth sets up for a bunker shot, which he hopes will give him a chance at par and extend the playoff. He takes par out of the equation when he sinks the bunker shot and eliminates fellow competitor Daniel Berger. The shot and the celebration that followed would make highlight reels for weeks to come, but no one could have known at the time that Spieth's bunker shot would change the course of the season ... according to my hypothesis.
Normally, a hypothesis can be tested, and this one obviously can't, but it's my belief that if Spieth doesn't sink that bunker shot, he wins neither the Travelers nor the Open Championship. If you recall, Spieth was grinding hard on the back nine at the Travelers and his putter had completely abandoned him. He needed a par putt on the 72nd hole to make it to the playoff, and even though it wasn't a long putt, it was a coin flip at that point because he simply could not make a putt.
Think of the front nine last Sunday and the trouble Spieth had on the greens; that's what he was going through down the stretch at the Travelers. If his bunker shot at the Travelers doesn't go in, and he's forced to make a mid-range putt, does he make it? What happens if he loses the Travelers Championship? Let's not forgot that Spieth wasn't exactly lighting it up prior to that
June 25, Travelers Championship, first playoff hole. Jordan Spieth sets up for a bunker shot, which he hopes will give him a chance at par and extend the playoff. He takes par out of the equation when he sinks the bunker shot and eliminates fellow competitor Daniel Berger. The shot and the celebration that followed would make highlight reels for weeks to come, but no one could have known at the time that Spieth's bunker shot would change the course of the season ... according to my hypothesis.
Normally, a hypothesis can be tested, and this one obviously can't, but it's my belief that if Spieth doesn't sink that bunker shot, he wins neither the Travelers nor the Open Championship. If you recall, Spieth was grinding hard on the back nine at the Travelers and his putter had completely abandoned him. He needed a par putt on the 72nd hole to make it to the playoff, and even though it wasn't a long putt, it was a coin flip at that point because he simply could not make a putt.
Think of the front nine last Sunday and the trouble Spieth had on the greens; that's what he was going through down the stretch at the Travelers. If his bunker shot at the Travelers doesn't go in, and he's forced to make a mid-range putt, does he make it? What happens if he loses the Travelers Championship? Let's not forgot that Spieth wasn't exactly lighting it up prior to that event. For the first time in years, he wasn't a factor at Augusta and was never in contention at the U.S. Open. Spieth had two majors under his belt at the time, but our most recent memory was of the Sunday blowup on the 12th hole at the 2016 Masters. With another blown lead at the Travelers, would Spieth begin to develop a complex about blowing leads?
After rebounding late in his round Sunday, he'll never have to answer that question, because he did make that bunker shot and did right the ship at the Open. But it's interesting to ponder nonetheless. What exactly makes a golfer mentally strong? Is it something ingrained or is it something earned on the battlefield, if you will?
Spieth now has a reputation of being mentally strong, but he sure didn't look mentally strong on the back nine at Augusta in 2016 and he showed plenty of cracks on the front nine Sunday, but maybe it's a process. Maybe you can't become mentally strong without hitting rock bottom a few times. Whatever the case, Spieth now has enough confidence to recover from just about any error, to work through any situation, which might actually be the most important thing earned last weekend.
This week: Canadian Open - Glen Abbey Golf Club, Oakville, Ontario
Last Year: Jhonattan Vegas shot a final-round 64 on his way to a one-stroke victory over Dustin Johnson.
PLAYERS TO CONSIDER
Dustin Johnson
Does DJ care that the consensus now is that Jordan Spieth is the best player on the planet? If he does, he might want to make a statement this week. But my impression is that DJ doesn't really care about all that. Either way, he's bound to play well this week as he's finished runner-up in his last two starts at Glen Abbey. DJ hasn't been the same since he fell down the stairs at the Masters, but against a weak field, at an event where he's had success, should get him back on track.
Charley Hoffman
Hoffman has been one of the most consistent players on the PGA Tour this season and is in line for another good showing this week. Hoffman doesn't have any high-end finishes at this event, but he's 4-for-4 on cuts made and has finished no worse than T29 in his four starts at Glen Abbey.
Jim Furyk
He might not have enough juice to win this week, but odds are he will play well enough to contend. Furyk has had a rough year, but his game has picked up recently and his track record at this event, and specifically at this location, is strong. Furyk has finished inside the top 15 in his last four starts at Glen Abbey.
Matt Kuchar
Only one question regarding Kuchar this week: can he recover from a crushing defeat at the Open Championship? If so, he should definitely contend this week and possibly win. Kuchar's track record at this event is among the best in the field, with a T9, T7 and T2 in his last three starts at Glen Abbey.
Scott Stallings
Stallings is an interesting sleeper as he missed his only cut at this event in 2013, but he's been playing well lately and could make a run against a light field this week. Stallings enters with top-5s in his two most recent starts on the PGA Tour.
PLAYERS TO AVOID
Graham DeLaet
It's easy to get sucked into taking a Canadian at the Canadian Open, but Canadians haven't fared well historically at this event. Not so long ago, DeLaet was the best Canadian golfer on the planet, but even with that status, he couldn't make it to the weekend at Glen Abbey. DeLaet has missed the cut in each of his Last three starts at Glen Abbey.
Grayson Murray
Murray picked up his first PGA Tour victory last week at the Barbasol Championship, but that win came out of nowhere as prior to that win he logged a T74, a missed cut and a WD. In other words, he's not in the midst of a hot streak, he just found his game for a few days against possibly the weakest field all season. In addition, Murray likely will have trouble getting ready for this event after such a big win last week.
David Hearn
Staying with the anti-Canadian theme ... Hearn has only one top-10 in 14 starts at this event and that came at a different venue than the current one. In his three most recent starts at Glen Abbey, Hearn has a T44, a T53 and a missed cut.
Jhonattan Vegas
Defending a championship is never easy and defending while your game is in tatters is even more difficult. Vegas has missed his last five cuts on the PGA Tour and he hasn't cracked the top 20 since the beginning of April.
Graeme McDowell
McDowell played well at this event in 2014 ... when it was held elsewhere, but in his three starts at Glen Abbey, McDowell has missed the cut twice and finished T74. McDowell has made the cut in 11 of 14 cuts this season, but he doesn't have a single top-10.
ONE AND DONE GOLFER
Last week: Justin Rose (T53) - $25,843; Season - $6,812,878
This week: Luke List - I'm in the unenviable spot of going outside my top 5 this week because I've used everyone listed, but I feel pretty good about List. List has not shown much consistency this season, but he has some high-end potential as he's carded a runner-up and a third-place finish this season. He's also fared well at Glen Abbey in his two starts, with a T14 and a T21.
YAHOO PICKS
Points: 3664
Rank: 21,992
This Week:
Group A: Dustin Johnson, Gary Woodland
Group B: Matt Kuchar, Charley Hoffman, Jim Furyk, Adam Hadwin
Group C: Scott Stallings, Stewart Cink
SURVIVOR PICK
Last week: Justin Rose - (T53); Streak - 5
This week: Scott Stallings - I used Stallings as my "one and done" at the Farmers, but I didn't double-up that week, so he's still available for my survivor pick. Stallings is by no means a safe pick this week, but I like his track record here, and he's played well lately.
