This article is part of our Weekly PGA Preview series.
April 10, 2011, the day Jason Day first became a known quantity among the casual golf fans. Prior to his run at the 2011 Masters, Day was one of a group of golfers who had potential, but had yet to fully live up to the hype. Although Day did not win that week, he left an impression on many golf fans -- that he was for real.
Flash forward four years, and although Day had yet to pick up his first major, he was becoming well known as a player to be reckoned with when the stakes were high. It didn't take long for Day to show his stripes as he nearly won the major that followed the 2011 Masters, finishing runner-up at the U.S. Open. Day wasn't himself in 2012, but 2013 was a different story as he again made runs at the Masters, U.S. Open and PGA Championship. Three more top-10s at the majors followed in 2014 and the first part of 2015, but this "close but no cigar" routine was starting to get old.
Oddly enough, though Day had yet to close out a major, he was never listed among those who seemed to wilt under the pressure. Although he may have felt the pressure, with the likes of Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy in the mix, he was certainly not receiving heat from the outside. Yet he made mention of not being listed as "one of the best golfers without a major" after he won on
April 10, 2011, the day Jason Day first became a known quantity among the casual golf fans. Prior to his run at the 2011 Masters, Day was one of a group of golfers who had potential, but had yet to fully live up to the hype. Although Day did not win that week, he left an impression on many golf fans -- that he was for real.
Flash forward four years, and although Day had yet to pick up his first major, he was becoming well known as a player to be reckoned with when the stakes were high. It didn't take long for Day to show his stripes as he nearly won the major that followed the 2011 Masters, finishing runner-up at the U.S. Open. Day wasn't himself in 2012, but 2013 was a different story as he again made runs at the Masters, U.S. Open and PGA Championship. Three more top-10s at the majors followed in 2014 and the first part of 2015, but this "close but no cigar" routine was starting to get old.
Oddly enough, though Day had yet to close out a major, he was never listed among those who seemed to wilt under the pressure. Although he may have felt the pressure, with the likes of Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy in the mix, he was certainly not receiving heat from the outside. Yet he made mention of not being listed as "one of the best golfers without a major" after he won on Sunday, so you know he was thinking about his close calls. Whether the pressure Day felt was real or imagined prior to his major victory, the pressure is most certainly real now. Now Day is being lumped in with the best young players on the PGA Tour and not just among the group with Fowler and Johnson, but with the best of the best, Spieth and McIlroy. That's a lot to live up to, but something tells me Day will be just fine with his new standing among his peers.
This week: Wyndham Championship - Sedgefield Country Club, Greensboro, N.C.
Last Year: Camilo Villegas shot a final-round 63 on his way to a one-stroke victory over Bill Haas.
PLAYERS TO CONSIDER
Webb Simpson
Not so long ago, Webb Simpson was in a similar spot to Jason Day, but Simpson hasn't exactly taken flight since his major victory. That said, he's played very well in certain spots and this is one. Simpson has teed it up here six times and finished outside the top 25 just once. He also won here in 2011.
Carl Pettersson
This is the time of the year when funny things happen. Funny things like Carl Pettersson catching fire and rolling off a few great starts in a row. This is Pettersson's time of the year, always has been. Three of his seven trips here have resulted in top-5s, including a win in 2008.
Brandt Snedeker
We didn't see much of Snedeker last week outside of a bomb he hit on the final hole at Whistling Straights, but on the whole he played really well. That momemtum should carry over to this week as he has some good history on this course, as well.
Bill Haas
Carl Pettersson isn't the only player who thrives during the fall season, Bill Haas generally plays well this time of year, too. In fact, he won the Fed Ex Cup Playoffs just a few years ago. Haas has a strong track record here with four top-20s in his last six starts.
Hideki Matsuyama
There aren't a lot of big names in the field this week, so if you have a guy like Matsuyama still available, it's probably time to use him. He doesn't have much of a track record here, but that hasn't mattered much to Matsuyama the last couple years.
PLAYERS TO AVOID
Tiger Woods
Woods likely will fair much better this week than he did last week, but at this point his upside is still in question. If he gets all the parts of his game together, then he has to battle the mental aspect of being in contention again. It still feels like he's too far off.
Paul Casey
Casey finished in the top-20 here last year, but he struggled for the most part in the three years leading up to that finish. Casey is in the midst of a strong season, but his best golf came early in the year, and he hasn't really resembled that player for a while.
Boo Weekley
Weekley opened some eyes last week at the PGA Championship when he posted a solid score on Saturday, but Weekley has been wildly inconsistent for quite a while now, so he's not exactly a guy you can trust. His track record here leaves a lot to be desired as well as he's never cracked the top 30.
Adam Scott
Scott playing here is a bit of a surprise as he's only made the trip to Greensboro two times in the past 10 years, but considering how he played last week, he's probably here to get his game in shape for the FedEx. Scott will get it figured out at some point, but this is not the week to use him.
K.J. Choi
Choi is a former champion at this event, but that win came back in 2005 when this event was held at a different location. His two attempts on the current course have resulted in a T37 and a missec cut. I don't expect this former champ to regain his form this week.
ONE AND DONE GOLFER
Last week: Rickie Fowler (T30) - $56,570; Season - $5,290,090
This week: Carl Pettersson - Call it a hunch, but I really like Pettersson this week. This is his time of the season and he's played well here before. His form isn't the greatest now, but he's a streaky guy and could turn it around at any moment.
YAHOO PICKS
Points: 5,068
Rank: 6,946
This Week:
Group A: Webb Simpson, Bill Haas
Group B: Brandt Snedeker, Hideki Matsuyama, Billy Horschel, Nick Watney
Group C: Carl Pettersson, Justin Thomas
SURVIVOR PICK
Last week: Jason Day (1); Streak - 1
This week: Brandt Snedeker - I'm fine using my gut in a one-and-done format, but for a survivor format, you need a little more. With that in mind, I'm playing it safe and going with the more trustworthy Snedeker.
