The top two players in the world — Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler — finally took a week off to allow someone else the opportunity to dominate a tournament.
Wyndham Clark was the player to answer that bell at the Wells Fargo Championship. Clark cruised across the back nine of Quail Hollow to win by four shots; he stretched out to 20-under going into his 72nd hole and was simply dominant. It was certainly the next step forward for a player who has been racking up top-5 and 10 finishes this season.
Now, the TOUR goes back to Texas for the AT&T Byron Nelson at TPC Craig Ranch. Scheffler and fellow Texan Jordan Spieth will headline the field before the second major championship of 2023. They'll need to be on their best if they want to knock off two-time defending champion, K.H. Lee.
Lee put on a show in each of the past two years at this event, gaining more than 10 shots on the field tee to green and at least 3 1/2 more on the greens. His scores of 25- and 26-under tell us this will be a tournament where going really low is a requirement to contend.
I'll be dialing in on the players who have shown the ability to contend in birdie-fests as we look to grab a winner before the PGA Championship.
First Look
Jordan Spieth
Editor's Note: Spieth has withdrawn from the AT&T Byron Nelson as of Monday at 6 p.m. ET.
It may seem odd to be starting with Jordan Spieth after he had an ugly missed cut this past week at Quail Hollow, but there are a few things that have me interested going into the Byron Nelson.
The first is simply the fact that this event is in Texas, where Spieth is almost always a contender. He gave K.H. Lee a run for his money down the back stretch last year and finished just one shot short.
My second note is how well Spieth has bounced back from missed cuts over the past year. The Wells Fargo was his eighth missed cut since the start of 2022. In those prior seven instances, he posted four top-10 finishes in the start immediately following a missed cut. His last win was at the RBC Heritage last year after missing the weekend at the Masters; he also had two other top-four results during that stretch.
I fully expect Spieth to rebound at a course that seems to suit his game better than the big course he just struggled on. All of these factors, in addition to the great play we have seen from Spieth this year, have me looking at him if I'm going to bet on anyone at the top of the board.
Tom Kim
Monday odds update: +2400
Everyone expected a fast start to 2023 for Tom Kim, but it just hasn't happened. He hasn't posted a top-10 finish since January at the American Express. However, I have a feeling this is the week we see him near the top of the leaderboard.
Kim played well this past week outside of a poor second round that saw him lose strokes to the field in both aspects of his ball striking. He quickly found his stride and gained on the field in both metrics on Saturday and Sunday, but never got his putting going to contend.
He now gets to head back for a home game (Dallas as his home) and he should be another player we keep an eye on anytime the TOUR makes stop in the Lone Star State. Kim may grab some attention for that very reason and it's why I'll be looking to grab him early at the release of odds for the Byron Nelson.
Pick: Tom Kim +2400 |
