There is good promise for this Georgia football team heading year 2 under Kirby Smart.

Nick Chubb and Sony Michel made amazingly mature and intelligent decisions as they decided to return for their senior years. I hope they both stay healthy, because if they do, with the assured improvement and progression of quarterback Jason Eason, a 5 star quarterback 2 years ago who had a pretty good freshman year and shows plenty of promise, along with a defense that returns 10 of 11 starters, the Dawgs could very well going be to Atlanta with a chance to play the west winner for the SEC Championship and a possible New Year’s Six bowl game and having a chance of getting into the playoff.

Chubb burst onto the scene 3 years ago as a freshman rushing for 1,547 yards and 14 TDs. In 2015 as a sophomore, he injured his knee severely in the 6th game against Tennessee after rushing for 747 yards and 7 TDs, but he came back last year and rushed for 1,130 yards and 8 TDs. Not the prolific performance of his freshman year, but in Media Days, Chubb seemed locked and loaded and ready for a tremendous senior season. Same for the phenomenal Michel. Chubb is the north-south guy with excellent speed when necessary, while Michel is powerful and has tremendous wheels. When Chubb was hurt in 2015, Michel rushed for 1,161 yards and 8 TDs. After an all terrain vehicle accident last summer, Michel played the 6 games and rushed for 747 yards and 7 TDs. Both are spectacular players. Brian Herrion looks like a good third option when necessary. Elijah Holyfield had a really fine spring game, but got into trouble with marijuana and will be suspended for a game or more. The receiving corps is not that experienced overall, but Terry Godwin caught 35 passes for 865 yards and 2 TDs and looks like a very good vertical threat. Riley Ridley, Calvin Ridley’s younger brother, had an impressive freshman year and looked to be a star in the making, but got arrested for marijuana as well this spring and he’ll miss at least one game, maybe more. But there are some young guys like Jeremiah Holloman, who look like they could be pretty special. Isaac Nauta is a terrific tight end.

The o line was a problem for the Dawgs last season, but they brought in 6 freshman for the 2017 signing class, and 2 might play right off the bat. Five star Isaiah Wilson is a 6’7″, 350 pound tackle out of Brooklyn, New Yawk who looks like he could be a dominant player. The Dawgs are also high on 98, 4 star tackle Andrew Thomas, who is 6’5″, 335  and played at Pace Academy in Atlanta. There are 4 more and there are some good players returning. including guard Isaiah Wynn (6’2″, 302) and Lamont Gaillard, a 6’2″, 302 guard-center. The Dawgs have work to do on the line, but if they can solidify that spot along with wide receiver, they should be pretty effective offensively and explosive with Chubb and Michel churning out the yards and house calls. Eason got some good competition from early enrollee Jake Fromm, a 6’2″, 229 pound 5 star quarterback out of Warner Robbins, GA. Fromm looks outstanding and even could give Eason a challenge for the starting job in the near future. Eason will start in game 1 versus App State, but if he struggles, Fromm looks more than capable to take the reins. Jeb Blazevich is another weapon at tight end to go along with Nauta. Probably a better blocker than Nauta, Blazevich will be a major contributor to this offense as well. The Dawgs just got a 4 star linebacker commit, Caleb Tannor,  this afternoon to add to their 2018 class, which includes 5 star running back Zamir White. 

 Up front defensively the Dawgs look big and strong. Defensive tackle Trenton Thompson (6’4″, 295) is the horse in the middle. He was 3rd on the team last year with 56 tackles and led the team with 9 1/2 tackles for loss last year. Kirby is expecting a stellar year out of Thompson. Defensive end Jonathan Ledbetter (6’4″, 277) is another Sherman Tank up front who will be a major disrupter for the Dawgs’ D. Lorenzo Carter and Davin Bellamy are excellent linebackers, and the secondary will be led by senior safety Aaron Davis. Kirby and defensive coordinator Mel Tucker will have a lot of work to do in August to get this defense ready and for game 1 and will need to develop depth, but there is potential for a good year on that side of the ball.

The kicking game is pretty solid with kicker Rodrigo Blankenship. He converted 14 of 18 kicks last season, but was 3 of 5 in the spring game and missed from 40 and 49 yards, so he’ll need to improve on that distance. But he’s pretty solid overall. Marshall Long will be the punter. Godwin and Mecole Hardman look like pretty dynamic kick and punt returners respectively.

The schedule

Last year, Georgia finished 8-5 and 4-4, and it was a disappointing first year for Smart. But he was in a rebuilding mode in Athens. While I see this team as better this season, I’m not sure they have the total horses to beat Alabama or Auburn in the SEC Championship game, but you never know. I like the Dawgs in the east though. They’ve got talent, and I’m a believer in Kirby Smart. I’m watching offensive coordinator Jim Chaney closely because I’m not sure he’s the answer there. They have weapons this year, so we’ll see if he can make it click. 

The Dawgs open at home vs. App State, which gave Tennessee everything it wanted in game one last season, losing 20-13 in Knoxville, and finished 10-3 last year winning their bowl game over Toledo, 31-28 in the Camellia Bowl in Montgomery. So that’s no gimme. App State returns a 1,000 yard rusher in Jalin Moore and a good senior quarterback in Taylor Lamb with talent around them, so that’ll be a challenge in Athens. That game will be at 5:15 PM CT on ESPN, Saturday, Sept. 2. Then the Dawgs head up to Notre Dame for a Saturday, Sept. 9th contest at 6:30 PM CT on NBC.  Those first 2 games should tell us a lot about this team. Game 3 is versus Samford on Sept. 16th. On Sept. 23rd, the Dawgs play a key game against superstar quarterback Nick Fitzgerald and the Mississippi State Bullies. Should be a major challenge for the Georgia defense in that game. That’ll be another key game. Then, Sept. 30th, the Dawgs head up to Knoxville to face the Vols. Huge. The Dawgs are @ Vandy, Oct.7th, vs. Missouri, Oct. 14th, then after a week off, it’s that Cocktail shindig vs Florida on Oct. 28th, another massive game. The Dawgs host South Carolina, another heated rival, on Nov. 4th. Then, on Nov.11th, the South’s Oldest Rivalry commences on the Plains as Georgia travels to Auburn for the 121st meeting. Georgia leads that series 57-55-8, and won last year between the hedges, 13-7. Kentucky comes to Athens on Nov. 18th. Kentucky’s getting better and better, Mark Stoops has recruited well and continues to do so, so that’ll be a challenge. Then Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate transpires on November 25th when the Dawgs travel to Atlanta to play the Ramblin Wreck of Georgia Tech for the 112th time. Georgia leads this intense rivalry, 65-41-5, but Tech upset the Dawgs last year, 28-27, in what was a classic albeit for college football fans not Georgia fans. So Georgia will be amped up for that one. But Tech is tough. That triple option offense is extremely hard to defend, and while Tech lost quarterback Justin Thomas, who graduated, Paul Johnson will most likely find another guy to lead the offense well.

So it’s a major challenge. That’s life in the SEC though. Everybody has to go through it. The key for the Dawgs is keeping Chubb and Michel healthy by rotating them, but leaning on the hot hand in games.  The offensive line must be productive and Chubb and Michel don’t need to get hurt. There’s usually an injury or more than one at running back, but if they can stay healthy, that’ll really help the Dawgs’ cause. 

I like the Dawgs to emerge from the East if they can remain relatively healthy. Chubb and Michel are dynamite, and if Eason can get improve his completion percentage, checking down to Chubb and Michel, and being more accurate down the field, he can be pretty spectacular. But the line has to block, the receivers have to catch it, and the defense needs to be stout. So there are some question marks for Kirby Smart in year 2, but he and his team have a chance to win the SEC East and challenge Alabama or Auburn in the SEC Championship game if they can execute. 

Jordan Spieth

Jordan captured his 3rd major just 4 days shy of his 24th birthday, which is this Thursday. Spieth looked in trouble on No.13 when he pushed his ball ball way right off the tee and took 21 minutes to get his ball dropped and hit his shot, but ended up with a miraculous up and down for bogey. Down by a shot to Matt Kuchar, Kuchar was -8 and Spieth was -7, he then went birdie, eagle, birdie, birdie on holes 14-17, and parred 18 to finish -12 and claim a 3 shot victory over Kuchar and capture his 3rd major championship.

Spieth won the 2015 Masters and U.S. Open, and claimed the 146th Open Championship yesterday at Royal Birkdale in England. He almost aced the par 3 14th and had a kick in birdie. On 15, he sank a 55 foot eagle putt. On 16, he canned a birdie putt from 25 feet, and sank an 8 footer on 17 for birdie and finished the round with a low stress par on 18 to finish -12. Kuchar was -9, but gave Spieth a superb battle all afternoon long. It would have been a terrific story had the 39 year old veteran Kuchar won, but it was just as good a story that the humble Spieth, from Dallas, who brings his game face every time out without fail, won the Claret Jug. He was electric yesterday and now goes for a career Grand Slam at age 24 when he’ll compete in the 99th PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C. on Aug. 10th-13th. That should be epic.  

Bama Golf and Brownie were victorious in their predictions.  Well done guys.  

Royal Birkdale, Southport, England, 7,156 yards, par 70.

Defending Open Champion: Henrik Stenson, shot a major record -20, 264 last year at Royal Troon (Scotland) to defeat Phil Mickelson by 3 shots.

This is the 10th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale with the last one in 2008, which Predrag, I mean Padraig Harrington, won at age 36, as he went back to back at Opens. He won in 2007 also, in a playoff over Sergio at Carnoustie (Scotland).

Total purse: $10,250,000, first place, $1,840,000

Weather: Not terrible, but windy as one would expect at the Open. Padraig won here at +3 in 2008 with tough weather. Thursday: 64, partly sunny, winds 13-18 MPH; Friday, 64, periods of rain, 12-20 MPH; Saturday, 63, cloudy a little rain, 9-15 MPH; Sunday, 64, a little rain, 9-14 MPH.  Some good scoring is definitely attainable.

TV: Thursday-Friday, 12:30 AM-3 PM, Golf Channel. Saturday, 3:30- 6 AM Golf Channel. 6 AM-2 PM NBC. Sunday, 3-6 AM, Golf Channel. 6 AM-1 PM, NBC. 

Key holes:

No. 1,  448 yards, par 4

Tight driving hole with a bunker 260 yards out on the left. and out of bounds on the right. Second toughest hole on the course in 2008. Greens are relatively flat at Royal Birkdale, but winds could make the hole tricky.

There are 123 bunkers on the course.

No. 5, 346 yards, par 4.

A chance to go for the green on this dogleg left to right hole. It’s only 290 to reach the front of the green off tees that are moved up, so players can give it a shot. There are pot bunkers in front of the green, so that makes the drive more challenging. But a real chance to make birdie and with a terrific drive, an eagle.

No.6 499 yards par 4.

The toughest hole on the course in 2008. A big cross bunker on the right hand side and any player who tries to take it on with a driver, hits into it or pulls it left, at least that’s what happened in 2008. The course guide recommends hitting a long iron, which will be necessary on a lot of holes as driver will not be used much by the players, and get the ball in position to get out of number 6 with a par.

No. 15, 542 yards, par 5

There are 15 bunkers on this hole and it’s the first par 5 of only 2 par 5’s on the course.  No. 17 is the other. There are 13 bunkers in the fairway and 2 in front of the green. Accuracy is at a premium. The bunkers are tough and very penalizing at Opens, and this course and hole are no exceptions. The green on the 15th slopes back from right to left. A back left pin placement would be a massive challenge on Sunday.

No.16, 438 yards, par 4

A lot of bunkers, so accuracy off the tee once again is a must. The green is elevated with 5 bunkers surrounding it. This last 4 holes are, for the most part, pretty difficult, but not as much the next one. It’s doable and could lead to excitement on Sunday.

No.17, 567 yards, par 5

A birdie, even an eagle chance, but another tough driving hole. The player’s drive needs to carry two large sand dunes to the left and right of the fairway, and avoid 2 hidden bunkers 312-323 off the tee. Another driving iron or 3 wood hole most likely. But a good shot at an eagle or birdie which could be highly significant on the 71st hole on Sunday.

No. 18, 432 yards, par 4

Another challenging driving hole protected by a fairway bunker and out of bounds on the right and a new bunker 304 down the left side. Maybe Dustin, Rory, Jon Rahm the guys who go deep, will challenge that bunker on the left. There is an additional bunker for the really long hitters, like those 3, at 349 yards out. Three bunkers surround the green. The course guide recommends hitting a rescue-like club, equivalent to a 3 or 4 iron, off the tee, and hit a 5 iron on the second shot to a small green surrounded by sand. Should be drama filled at this hole on Sunday with the championship in the balance.

Winner

I’ve done a lot of thinking this week on this one. My first thought was going with one of the young guns, then I went to a different young guy from the U.S., then a veteran who has played well on this course before. I looked at a recent winner on the European tour, thought about picking a really blazing hot young player, but came back full circle to my original pick.

From Jon Rahm to Jordan Spieth, who won electrically at the Travelers 3 weeks back, to Justin Rose, who finished 4th here in 1998 as a 17 year old amateur, to Rafa Cabrera- Bello, who won the Scottish Open last week impressively, to Hideki Matsuyama, who finished 2nd at the U.S. Open to Brooks Koepka, and is a real threat here, I came back to the 22 year old Spaniard by way of Arizona State, to capture the 146th Open. He was beyond impressive 2 weeks ago in capturing the Irish Open, winning at -24 and by 6 shots. His victory at the Farmers Insurance Open in February at Torrey Pines in San Diego with a majorly clutch 50 foot eagle putt on 18, proved to me, once I finally decided today, that this young guy is ready to win a major. I’m taking the man from Barricka, Espana to raise the Claret Jug on Sunday afternoon eastern and central time in the U.S. 

Jon Rahm

Coach Mason was impressive as usual at Media Days. He’s so optimistic and he should be. He’s building a very good football program on the West End. And he doesn’t put any limits on his football team. He wants to win championships at Vanderbilt and he’s not shy to say that. It hasn’t happened ever at Vanderbilt, but, as Bob Dylan said, “the times they are a changin.”

We’ve got a good football team, with great talent and a lot of leadership. D Mase harped on the fact that, in his 4th year, he finally has a junior-senior laden team. And he feels very good about this 2017 group. We’re physical, tough, skilled and highly competitive. We have weapons at quarterback and the skilled positions. Our offensive line is physical, deep and very well coached by O line coach Cameron Norcross. Coach Andy Ludwig is a a superb offensive coordinator with great fundamental play calling along with some pretty cool gadget plays. We can run it, throw it intermediately, throw screens, and throw the deep ball. We have excellent tight ends, which Mason and Ludwig really like to utilize. On defense, Coach Mason has got a tough, talented group. We’ve got a good starting group up front, but need to keep developing depth there in August. Linebacker will be without the great Zach Cunningham, who now plays for the Houston Texans and we’re hopeful Zach will have a stellar career. Can’t wait to follow the man. But I like Oren Burks, brothers Emmanuel and Josh Smith, and guys like Jordan Griffin and Caleb Peart among others. Our secondary is one of the strengths of the team. Our kicking game will be solid with Sam Loy punting and Tommy Openshaw back to kick along with some possible good return guys. This is a really solid football team.

The SEC will be outstanding this season, and we respect every team in the conference. But we will NOT shy away from the challenge. Coach Mason has instilled toughness and confidence in this team, and in his fourth year, he has his team hitting its stride.

Here’s a look at the schedule in 2017 and thoughts on our chances in each game.

Sept. 2- @ MTSU- Coach Rick Stockstill has taken his teams to 5 consecutive bowl games. They will be a tough opening game. We can certainly win it if we play well. 7 PM CT, CBS Sports Network.

Sept. 9- vs. Alabama A&M- Can’t take any opponent likely. We have a good chance in this one, but it’s not who you play, it’s how you play.

Sept. 16- vs. Kansas State-Seventy seven year old Bill Snyder has done a tremendous job at K State, and they’ll be solid and physical as always. Important game to come out on top with the opponent that’s coming into Nashville the next weekend.

Sept. 23- vs. Alabama. We know about the greatness and all the superlatives thrown their way. Just bring’em on.

Sept. 30-@ Florida-Key game on the schedule. Florida doesn’t have a starting quarterback yet, but has a lot of talent on their roster, so it’ll be a major challenge in the Swamp.

Oct. 7- vs. Georgia-Another pivotal game on the schedule. Nick Chubb, Sony Michel and Jacob Eason are all 3 back and they have 10 returning starters on defense returning. Tough matchup, but if we play well, we could come out on top.

Oct. 14-@ Ole Miss- They’re reeling a little bit from the NCAA black cloud hovering over their heads, but they have a really good sophomore quarterback in Shea Patterson and good skilled players, a good line and some good defensive players, so it’ll be a challenge on the Grove in Oxford.

Oct. 21-OFF

Oct. 28- @ South Carolina- Another key game. We lost a heartbreaker to them last year. Will be a hard fought game. Hopefully we can prevail.

November 4- vs. Western Kentucky- A challenge as well. Explosive offense and a fine young coach in Mike Sanford who came down from his offensive coordinator position at Notre Dame and takes over from Jeff Brohm, who moved on to be the head coach at Purdue. This will be a key out of conference game like K State and MTSU. Could be a shootout. 

November 11-vs. Kentucky- Key matchup. Mark Stoops has built a good program at Lexington. Will be a challenge, but we can come out on top if we play like we’re capable of playing.

November 18-vs. Missouri-Winnable game, though the Tigers are better and Drew Lock is a fine quarterback. We might need to outscore’em and play enough defense to be successful.

November 25-@ Tennessee- After cleaning their clocks last year in Nashvegas, they’ll be ready for us on Rocky Top. But it’s a game we can win, and if would be a huge victory in-state just to beat those clowns and for recruiting in the state of Tennessee.

I don’t like predicting how many games we’re going to win because I don’t want to put any limitations on this team. They can win every game they play in. We’ve got the talent, we’ve got the coaching, and we’re hungry. So let’s get to August and get this thing started.  

Ja’Veon Marlow, an 85 and 5.5 3 star running back out of Winter Haven, Florida, is our 14th commitment to this 2018 class. Ja’Veon dropped his anchor yesterday.

Ja’Veon is a 5’10”, 200 pound Florida product who ran for 900 yards and 11 TDs last year. His tape is excellent. Saw 6 or 7 house calls. Tough, physical, breakaway speed, great cutter, and catches the ball very well out of the backfield. I saw him grab a 30 yard TD pass. Ja’Veon is the real deal. 

He chose us over offers from Kentucky, Missouri, Nebraska, Arizona, UNC, Pittsburgh and several other schools. He was highly regarded by many staffs throughout the country. While his ratings are solid on 247 sports and Rivals, I see him going up in the rankings this fall with more carries and more success. I like Ja’Veon very close to a 4 star by the middle, latter half of the fall. He’s outstanding. 

We are 26th in the team rankings on Rivals, and 28th by 247. We are fifth in the SEC by both services. Tennessee is at 3, LSU is 5, A&M is 12th, Kentucky is 16th and we’re at 28th on 247. 26th by Rivals, with LSU at 3, Tennessee at 4, though Butch still has to coach’em and that’s where we have the advantage, A&M is 15, and Kentucky is 16. So both services like our class.

We now have in this 2018 class a running back, a quarterback, a wide receiver, an athlete who can play a slot running back/wide out role, 2 tight ends, 2 offensive linemen, a linebacker, 4 defensive backs and a kicker. It’s a good mix of talent at a variety of positions. I’d like to see us get two defensive linemen even 3, a tackle or 2, and maybe 2 d ends, depending on who’s out there. Another linebacker wouldn’t hurt either. I know D Mase wants to add another db and there are good candidates out there. So it’s really exciting right now with recruiting and Media Days is here. Will have D Mase’s comments along with inside linebacker Oren Burks, running back Ralph Webb, and quarterback Kyle Shurmur thoughts as well, coming up either tomorrow or Wednesday. Really getting excited for the 2017 season. We’ve got a good team. We’re going to do well. 

David Price, Pedro Alvarez, Tony Kemp
 

David Price pitched very well yesterday though his bullpen couldn’t hold a 3-2 lead and the Boston Red Sox lost to the Tampa Bay Rays 5-3 yesterday at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL. 

David went 6 innings, gave up 5 hits, 2 runs with 2 walks and 5 ring ups. He threw 106 pitches with 72 for strikes against 34 balls, over a 2:1 strike to ball ratio, which is solid. He gets to where he throws a lot of pitches in an inning and gets his pitch count up. Would like to see him extend his innings to 7 or more per game, but I still think he’s getting comfortable from his injury. His elbow has heeled, but he’s just getting into his rhythm on the mound. I see David having a strong 2nd half and he’s on a good team that leads the American League East at 50-39, though tenuously, with a 3.5 game lead over the Yankees and the Rays. So while they have a lead, David and company are going to have to pitch well in the second half for the Sox to excel. Excited to see that transpire though. Should be an excellent second half of major league baseball. David was hitting 94-96 with his heat, he threw some very good cutters, 88-90 MPH, and had a good change up working at 85-87 MPH. His curve ball is coming along. It’ll keep developing where he’ll be confident to use it in the second half. David is 4-2 with a 3.91 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP, walks plus hits per inning. His ERA has really improved over the past 3 weeks. It was over 5 maybe a month ago, so he’s been pitching well recently. A 1.26 WHIP is decent. I know he’d like to get it down to 1.10 even 1.00, where he’s usually at. I see that coming in the second half. Clayton Kershaw has a 0.88 WHIP which is spectacular. The Los Angeles Dodgers ace is having not only a Cy Young season, but an MVP season as well. He’s 14-2 with a 2.18 ERA. In 132 innings, he’s walked 22 and struck out 159. That’s spectacular. He pitched a complete game victory yesterday and walked none while striking out 13. He’s the best in the business. But David is pretty darn good too. 

Pedro Alvarez had 2 hits yesterday, 2 singles, and drove in what turned out to be the winning run in the 7th inning for the Norfolk Tides as they defeated the Columbus (Ohio) Clippers 3-2. Pedro came up with 2 outs in the top of the 7th at Columbus, with runners on first and 2nd. He stroked a single hard through the left side. Pedro has a flair for the dramatic. He’s got 17 homers and 56 RBIs, good for 5th in homers and tied for 3rd in Ribeyes in the International League. The Baltimore Orioles have got to be noticing Pedro’s hitting They need him up there. They’re struggling and need a spark. Pedro can carry a team with his bat when he’s hot and right now he is. I wish they’d get him up there.

Also, Tony Kemp is hitting .332 for the Fresno Grizzlies, the Houston Astros triple A team in the Pacific Coast League. Tony just keeps putting up the numbers. I wish the ‘Stros would give him a shot. I know they have a super team with the second best record in baseball behind the Dodgers (61-29) at 60-29. Jose Altuve is one of the best players in the big leagues at 2nd, but Tony can play left field, center or right. He’s a tremendous athlete, so the Astros, as loaded as they are, can still use him. If not, I wish he could get a trade to a contender that’ll play him. He really has earned the right to be a major league starter in my opinion, as has Pedro. They’re too good to keep in the minors.

Will be back with D Mase, Ralph, Oren and Kyle unplugged tomorrow or Wednesday AM. Great stuff going on in recruiting and 2017 looks riveting for our football team. 

The Old White Course TPC, White Sulphur Springs, West VA., 7,287 yards, Par 70

Defending champion: Danny Lee, 2015, -13. Won in a 4 way playoff over David Hearn, Robert Streb and Kevin Kisner.

18 hole record: Stuart Appleby, 59 in 2010 to come from behind and win the inaugural tournament.

Weather: Thursday-Saturday, 80-82, scattered t-storms each day, around 50% each day. Sunday, perfect, sunny, 79. Winds, 6-12 MPH Thursday-Saturday, and 5-7 MPH Sunday, so good scoring conditions for the final round.

TV: Thursday-Friday, 2-5 PM CT, Golf Channel. Saturday-Sunday, 12-1:30 PM CT, Golf, 2-5 PM CT, CBS.

The course was flooded last year on June 23rd when catastrophic flooding hit the area and 23 people were tragically killed. Architect Kevin Foster oversaw the restoration of the flooded course and 6 time major winner Lee Trevino, who has a house on the course, says the course is better than ever. The area residents rebuilt the community. Really a super comeback story for an area devastated by the 2016 flooding. 

Key Holes

No. 15, 217 yards, Par 3

Fashioned after the 11th hole on the Old Course, St. Andrews, the player should keep his tee shot under the hole as the green slopes aggressively from back to front. There is a deep pot bunker in front and there’s an equally deep bunker on the left. A shot going long may find one of the 2 bunkers in back.

No.16, 444 yards, Par 4

Many of the players will take an aggressive line and attempt to carry Swan Lake to have an obstacle free shot to the green. Players who take the safer shot away from the water will leave themselves a demanding approach over the left greenside bunker. 

No. 17, 616 yards, Par 5

This hole can possibly be reached in 2 by the longer hitters, Bubba’s in it, so certainly him. There are bunkers lining the fairway. This hole is patterned after the “Road Hole”, the 17th at the Old Course, St. Andrews, with a road running along the right side. The green is surrounded by three bunkers. A challenge, but certainly a birdie possibility, which will probably be necessary for contenders on Sunday.

No.18, 175 yards, Par 3

This is a very interesting finishing hole as a par 3, which there aren’t too many of on tour. There is water that really isn’t a factor, as the green is clear by 15 yards of it. The green is surrounded by 4 traps, and it is horseshoe shaped with a slope in the middle separating the front half of the green from the back. Will make for some interesting putts for a contender who is long on Sunday, or a leader trying to close the deal. Pretty classic course here.

Winner

Going with the 26 year old from San Antonio Texas, a 5 time PGA tour champion already. He shot 66 on Sunday 2 weeks ago to finish tied for 5th at the Travelers, and shot 67 last Sunday to finish tied for 17th at the Quicken Loans National. Like the trending and I always like this player.

Patrick Reed

Winner at The Irish Open

Like the 28 year old Irishman to defend his title and get his game tuned up for the 146th Open Championship in 2 weeks at Royal Birkdale in Southport, England. He won the Open Championship in 2014  at Royal Liverpool, one of his 4 majors,  along with a U.S.Open at Congressional in 2011, and 2 PGA Championships, in 2012 and 2014 at Kiawah Island and Valhalla respectively. 

Rory McIlory