Tony Finau heads David John's three selections for this week's Dean & DeLuca Invitational at Colonial.
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Two of the brightest young stars in golf tee it up this week at the Dean & DeLuca Invitational with a question mark hovering over their respective heads but it does not stop them dominating the head of the market.
Defending champion Jordan Spieth and uber-talented Jon Rahm have a little something to prove at Colonial, just outside Fort Worth in Texas, and the spotlight will be very much on the pair as we discover how they react to a recent blip or two.
Both have recorded victories already in 2017 but the game has just got the better of them lately so a little bit of mental fortitude will be required to go with the unquestionable talent.
Spieth arrives on the back of successive missed cuts at the Players and Byron Nelson, the latter registered following a nine in round two on the relatively straightforward par-five 16th, leaving him a dearth of holes to stage any sort of recovery.
A new putter was in the bag too at the TPC Four Seasons Resort having lost some faith in the trusty old Scotty Cameron so the world number seven seems to be in a little bit of a transitional phase as he searches for his best with less than a month until the US Open.
He had last weekend off to put in some work with his team at Dallas National and the results were promising by all reports.
Spieth’s coach Cameron McCormick revealed: “We met, had a chat, played golf, had a great time, and he shot a super, low score. The state of his game is very good despite what the scoring says.”
Last year’s win cemented what was already an excellent record around this traditional, old-style golf course as Spieth made history by becoming the first champion to birdie his last three holes to take the title.
The 23-year-old is now on a quest to become the first back-to-back winner since Ben Hogan in 1952-53 and it boils down to whether he has found that few extra per cent to get him over the line.
Rahm’s march into the top 20 of the world rankings in 2017 has been relentless but the wheels seriously came off for the first time at Sawgrass when he plunged out of title contention with a third-round 82 and an MDF (Made Cut Did Not Finish).
The Spaniard was seven over through seven holes on a day where nothing went right and his frustrations ultimately got the better of him at a course that can be exceptionally penal if you are a fraction out of sync.
I doubt that effort will have any long-term effect but he wisely skipped the Nelson to regroup as he attempts to get back on the front foot in what will be his Colonial debut.
Ask some of the more experienced players what is required to win around here and they will talk about position off the tee on the numerous dog-leg holes, avoiding strategically-placed bunkers and creating the correct angles to attack the target.
But I am going to argue for big-hitting Tony Finau taking the title despite being a less-than-obvious candidate around this tree-lined venue where you have just as much chance plotting a way to glory with a long iron from the tee-box.
“I think it is a great golf course and it sets up good for a guy who hits it far,” he said.
“What I mean by that is that I can fly a lot of the bunkers so I can use my driver probably more than people would think. It is a world-class course and I can advance my ball up the fairway and be aggressive.”
Two starts here (T19-T35) have hinted plenty of promise for Finau using that strategy and the fact he is inside the top 30 when it comes to the Total Driving statistical category this season certainly suggests he can harness the power to put him in position over the weekend.
He rallied well last week after an opening 75 to finish T13 and that is his second good recent performance in Texas having posted a T3 in San Antonio at the end of last month while three other top-10s since the turn of the year make him a likely candidate to notch his second PGA Tour title.
Finau will need a good week on the greens – his stats this year are awful – but consecutive 65s at the Byron Nelson were a welcome shot in the arm on that front as he ended the week 38th in Putts Per GIR and steadily improved over four rounds in Strokes Gained: Putting.
I am not averse to putting forward a contender with local connections and Lubbock native Sean O’Hair is well worth a second glance at a three-figure quote.
This will be the ninth time in his career he has teed it up at Colonial so won’t be found wanting when it comes to course knowledge, although you might have expected a little better overall than four top-35s and a best of T16 in 2011.
Like so many on the PGA Tour though, he does enjoy a tournament in his home state and is looking forward to another crack at glory.
“I feel a bit more comfortable coming home and playing in front of a few people I know,” he said as he attempts to end a winless spell stretching back to Canada six years ago.
O’Hair has an excellent foundation to build on following his T5 at the Byron Nelson and now might be the time to catch him with a bit of momentum once again following missed cuts at The Masters and the Players.
A final pick goes to India’s Anirban Lahiri, who is worth a chance to rediscover his touch at a big price on the back of two missed cuts.
The dual European Tour winner is gradually getting a foothold in the USA and his performance at Colonial 12 months ago was his best effort (T6) from a rookie season that saw him retain his status by finishing just inside the top 125 on the Money List.
He has already almost surpassed the total amount of money he made in 2016 and much of that will be down to greater familiarity with life on the PGA Tour as he gets to know the nuances of each venue.
Colonial is right up his street too and he said after last year’s excellent performance: “This is more like the courses we have back home – it is more old school where you have to shape and control the ball. I really enjoyed this week.”
Lahiri is certainly a horses-for-courses type player as he has proved in India and Malaysia and although not short from the tee, he is just as happy using his shot-making ability and strategy to get in a position to make a score.
I certainly don’t think we have seen the best of him by any stretch of the imagination in the USA and he looks a nice complement alongside Finau’s more direct approach to going about business this week.
Where to watch on TV: Sky Sports
Posted at 1130 BST on 23/05/17.
