Frys.com
CordeValle Golf Club
San Martin, California
CordeValle Golf Club
Twitter: @frysopengolf
Yards: 7,379 as per the scorecard
Par: 71 (35-36)
Greens: Bentgrass with Poa annua; 8,300 square feet on average.
Stimpmeter: 11’
Rough: Perennial ryegrass and Kentucky bluegrass at 2”
Bunkers: 63
Water Hazards: 2
Course Architects: Robert Trent Jones (1999); redesign 2010
Purse: $5,000,000
Winner’s Share: $900,000 plus an invite to the Hyundai Tournament of Champions.
FexExCup Points: 500 to the winner
Defending Champion: Jonas Blixt outputted the field in winning for the first time on TOUR.
Dates: October 10-13
Notes: This is the beginning of the 2013-2014 season TOUR. The field will be cut to the top 70 at ties for the weekend in this stroke-play event.
History Lessons
Welcome to the new way of doing business on the PGA TOUR! Instead of the Fall Finish players start anew this week as they try to accumulate as many wins/points as they can en route to the 2014 FedExCup Playoffs 40-something events from now.
The beginning of the season will last six weeks before taking a hiatus from late November until the second week in January when the Sony Open welcomes everyone to 2014 with the first full-field event of the new CALENDAR year.
Enjoy this six week sprint to the holidays! Be sure to stretch as not to pull a fantasy muscle.
There were 40 tournaments last season. The USA won 31 of them but it was Sweden’s Henrik Stenson who went home with all the cash on the final weekend in Atlanta.
There were 12, first-time winners in 2013. Remember, that was LAST season but at least it’s a point of reference.
There were six players with multiple victories last season as Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Matt Kuchar, Brandt Snedeker, Adam Scott and Henrik Stenson. No monkey business in that group.
Past Champions in the field include:
Mike Weir (2007) at Grayhawk in Scottsdale
Cameron Beckman (2008) at Grayhawk in Scottsdale
Troy Matteson (2009) at Grayhawk in Scottsdale
*Horse-for-course players please use data for this event from 2010-2012 ONLY*
Rocco Mediate (2010)
Bryce Molder (2011)
Jonas Blixt (2012)
The last two winners of this event have been first-time winners.
No player has successfully defend their title here.
This is the last year for this event at CordeValle before it moves to Silverado in 2014. CordeValle will be the host of the Women’s U.S. Open in 2016. And now you know this.
Inside the Ropes
CordeValle Golf Club was ranked the 37th-easiest (of 49) on TOUR in 2012 and was 35th-easiest in 2011. I’d tell you it’s a private resort but that would take all the fun out of you dreaming that you could be out there, just like the pros, making birdies. The winning scores over the last three years have averaged 16-under-par and that means it’s going to take birdies to win this week. The rough is not going to be a huge factor because the greens measure over 8,000 square feet. With greens that large, TOUR pros will hit well more than they will miss so it will come down to a putting contest this week.
The CordeValle Golf Club meanders through the meadows and valleys of San Martin, Calif., but the elevation changes, based on past scores, shouldn’t present much of a problem for TOUR pros. Anytime they hear/read “resort course”, their eyes light up because they know they can get low. Bryce Molder made one bogey in his final 54 holes two years ago en route to victory; Jonas Blixt made five last year. The formula is simple this week: Avoid bogeys and rack up birdies!
Players who hit tons of greens will have plenty of chances for birdies because the Stimpmeter won’t be running fast enough to put them off. Premium putters, just like premium iron players, will also have plenty of chances to make the flat stick cash during the week. I’m looking for players who have been trending in the right direction recently as well as those who have fared here before. I’m not crazy about the Presidents Cup players this week but this is a nice come-down after a stop-start week in Columbus. I don’t like that they have to pick up and head to the west coast but we’ll see below who made the cut, if any of them!
Welcome to 2013-2014! If you have any ideas/suggestions/wants/etc. for the column this season, shoot me an email and I’ll try and include it. After all, you are the reason I’m writing this so to not listen to your suggestions would be quite stupid.
The Chalk
Billy Horschel: After his break-out 2013 it should be no surprise to see him on this list almost every time he tees it up in 2013-2014. He was eighth in the all-around category last year and racks up birdies for fun. In two previous trips around CordeValle, he’s found par-or-better in six of eight rounds including a 65 each year.
Gary Woodland: He found his footing last summer and his excellent run of play found him in the top 30 at the season’s end. His work with Butch Harmon has paid off as he racked up a win and a T2 in August which vaulted him into the conversation in Atlanta. He’s comfortable making birdies and he’s found the weekend in 10 straight.
Jimmy Walker: To think this time last year Walker was recovering from knee surgery and was on his way to a career-best $2.1 million in earnings. His 62 on Sunday here last year capped off 68-67-62 final 54 holes so I would suggest he likes it here. Walker makes plenty of birdies and destroys par fours. He was T11 at BMW in his last event of 2013.
John Peterson: In his last five events of 2013 on the Web.com Tour, he didn’t finish outside of the top five. Four of those events were the Web.com Playoffs. I’m going to stop typing now. Hot golf is hot golf regardless of where’s it played. He should be on your radar for 2013-2014 as he’s already hit a top 10 at the 2012 U.S. Open and T8 at Zurich last June.
Charles Howell III: He’s the turtle in the world of fantasy golf, nice and steady. He’s a cut-making machine and is a must-look in less-than-premium fields. His iron play and putting makes him a contender most weeks and this week shouldn’t be any different. Charley Three Sticks was 12-under heading into Sunday here last year before 1-over 72 derailed his chances at victory.
Hideki Matsuyama: I’m not crazy about the President’s Cuppers this week but Matsuyama has been and will be an exception to most rules as 2013-14 rolls on. The young Japanese lad blew away any expectations that gamers had last year with his performances in the majors and there should be no reason to see any regression this season. His worst start in 2013 on TOUR was T21. He was six of seven in the cuts-made department. Konnichiwa and get on board.
Bryce Molder: This is the site of his only TOUR victory here in 2011 and he backed it up last year with T11 so I’m confident he’ll be ready to go again in 2013. Giving up distance for accuracy off the tee, Molder has proven that you don’t need to be long to play this course well. His GIR number will improve this week with the large greens and his trusty putter will have in position come the weekend.
Jonas Blixt: The 2012 champion putted the lights out, similar to Molder in 2011, for his first victory on TOUR. Blixt backed this win with the 2013 Greenbrier title but had only one other top 10, the PGA Championship. His putter is too good and his memories of his first victory should put him at ease this week.
Patrick Reed: His wonderful run of summer form ran out when the FedExCup Playoffs began but he proved over two months that he belonged on the big-boy circuit for 2013-14. He hit one of the best shots of the season to defeat Jordan Spieth on the second hole of a playoff at the Wyndham Championship and he no longer has to worry about Monday qualifiers! Reed’s putter and short game are his strengths and his 63 here last year on Sunday shows that he can get low at CordeValle. He finished T11 in 2012 and was T75 (MDF) IN 2011 so he’s seen plenty of this course.
Ben Martin: In the last three seasons, Martin has found a trajectory that you might want to jump on NOW instead of later. In 2011, he was on TOUR and missed 13 of 25 weekends with only one top 10. In 2012, on the Web.com tour, he made only 10 of 24 weekends but racked up two top 10s, including a third. Last season on the Web.com he played 19 of 22 weekends, won TWICE, finished third TWICE, hit the top 10 four more times and had 13 total top 25s. I’m betting he’s ready to take his chance this time on TOUR. He was first in the all-around on the Web.com. No smoke. No mirrors. Giddy up.
S.Y. Noh: His work with Sean Foley started to pay off late in 2013 (golf season, that is) as he finished T7, MC, T7, MC and WIN in his last five starts. His T7 at Reno-Tahoe to start that run was his first top 10 of the season and his T7 and WIN came on the Web.com tour playoff series. After making 24 of 28 cuts with 13 top 25s in 2012, I would expect a big bounce-back year from Noh this season and his final results of last season suggest that’s on the way.
Form Players
Chesson Hadley: He finished the season on the Web.com as their Tour Champion in addition to his other victory in June plus a second and two thirds. He hit the top 10 a total of eight times in 22 events played. Another in the long line of Engineers from Georgia Tech to play the TOUR, he was fourth on the Web.com last year in putting and his money earned was the second-most ever. Not bad for a rookie. He needs to eat a sandwich or two but he won’t be waiting tables anymore!
Brendon Todd: If you read this column last season, it should be zero surprise to find Todd in here somewhere. Since his win on the first weekend in May at the Stadion Classic at UGA, the former Georgia Bulldog made the weekend in nine of 11 events over each TOUR. His worst result in those nine weekends was T26. He best was T2 last time out at the Web.com Tour Championship. Works for me.
Ryo Ishikawa: After missing the cut in the first of four Web.com playoff events, Ishikawa came storming home as he finished fifth, T7 and T8 to secure his 2013-14 TOUR card. All the talk this summer has been about Matsuyama, and rightfully so, but Ishikawa is flying nicely under the radar. He’s quite temperate at the moment and he should use this momentum to get a nice jump on the new season.
Russell Knox: He’s no stranger to this column either as the Scotsman fired a 59 earlier this year but somehow finished T12 at that event in Boise. Since mid-June he’s accumulated eight, top-18 finishes in just 11 events. A very steady ball-striker, he’s shown once his putter gets going he can be a handful. He played all four rounds under par in his maiden voyage here last season.
Edward Loar: @BigEinBigD in the Twitterverse, you have to root for a guy who has triplets based on principle alone. He hit on 15 of 18 weekends on the Web.com last season and that included a win, two second and a third. He spent the 2012 season bouncing between the TOUR and the Web.com. He missed 16 of 23 cuts on TOUR in 2012 but yet had a victory on the Web.com. His second time around should be more comfortable for the former OSU Cowboy and 1999 Walker Cup player.
Brooks Koepka: The three-time All-American from Florida State decided that the Challenge Tour in Europe would be the way to go to start his career. He was right. He won once in 2012 and THREE more times in early 2013 to gain his Euro Tour card. He’s covered through 2014 so he’s going to try and “Jordan Spieth-it” in the States. He’s a lights-out putter but a little birdie tells me that his little brother is even BETTER. Write that down.
Horses-for-Courses
David Hearn: He’s played five of six rounds here par or better and that includes a T7 finish in 2011. His putter is his weapon of choice and that’s a good problem to have on greens of this size.
Jason Kokrak: He finished second in his first start here last season. He can overpower some parts of this course as evidenced by his eagles on the drivable par-four No. 17 on Saturday and Sunday. His putter worries me but he should be encouraged by last year’s performance.
Jeff Overton: He fired all four rounds in the 60s in his first trip to CordeValle last season and his 68-66 finish saw him claim solo eighth. Overton can really get the putter going and has been working on honing his short game. He could use a good start to 2013-14 after a very quiet 2013 by his standards. This course might just be what he’s looking for to do that.
Freddie Jacobson: He dropped off the radar after the middle of May last season but he did finish T16 in his only appearance here in 2010. He can spray it around here with the light-ish rough and massive greens and his putter can bail him out. As indifferent as he was last season on TOUR, his putting was 17th overall.
Danny Lee: Here’s another player who was within striking distance on Sunday last year only to make eight on No. 15 on Sunday. It seems like Lee has been around forever since winning the U.S. Amateur at Pinehurst in 2008. He’s a very good putter and that will come in handy this week.
Off the Radar
Brian Davis: Need a veteran putter than makes plenty of birdies this week to shore up your line up? Ding.
Tommy Gainey: Need a veteran putter that has no problems going low in the fall season? He can shoot 80 as easily as 60 but not as many guys can brag of on the “60” side of this equation.
Brian Gay: Anytime that a putting contests breaks out, there are much worse options than you can choose than Brian Gay. He put together four rounds of par or better here in his first time last year.
Spencer Levin: The northern California native is trying to work his way back into the groove on TOUR after his brother passed away last year. If he gets in contention on Sunday, the whole place will be rooting for him.
Jamie Lovemark: West coaster who can hit it a mile and putt.
Daniel Summerhays: Another solid putter who was THIS close to winning at JDC and Sanderson last summer. He’s had no luck here in the past but he’s had a steady, steady summer.
Fades:
Angel Cabrera: He had a great win over Phil Mickelson in singles at the Presidents Cup. I don’t see him getting up for it this week. It’s not a big enough event in his eyes.
Rory Sabbatini: His form has been excellent this summer but he’s 0-3 at CordeValle and has no rounds in the 60s in six.
Anyone Currently Coming Off Injury: My rule when guys are coming off injury is to sit back and wait. There are PLENTY of healthy guys in the field each week where I don’t need to reach for a guy who’s playing himself back into tournament shape.
Jordan Spieth of the Week Last Week
The column was taken over and thrashed by the kid from Texas last year. Out of respect, I’m not changing the title of it for 2013-14. It will remind me just how good Spieth was in the last three months of the season.
Frys.com: TBD
One-and-Done
SEASON TOTAL: ($6,689,685 in 2013)
Frys.com: Gary Woodland
GolfChannel.com Fantasy Challenge
Frys.com
I play as “Glass” for ALL fantasy games.
Mike Glasscott
Group 1: Billy Horschel
Group 2: John Peterson
Group 3: Bryce Molder
Group 4: Danny Lee
Ryan O’Sullivan
Group 1: Billy Horschel
Group 2: Gary Woodland
Group 3: Jason Kokrak
Group 4: Jamie Lovemark
Ned Brown “Pure Spin”
Group 1: Jonas Blixt
Group 2: Gary Woodland
Group 3: Bryce Molder
Group 4: Danny Lee
Rob Bolton
Group 1: Hideki Matsuyama
Group 2: Gary Woodland
Group 3: Bryce Molder
Group 4: Jim Herman
Fantasy Golf columnist Mike Glasscott joined Rotoworld in 2012. He can be contacted via email at RotoworldGlass@gmail.com or on Twitter. Email: Mike Glasscott
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