🫗 Just A Ferry Ride

📢 Fore, Please…

This week I’m feeling grateful. I just left an awesome U.S. Open and now get to be on PGA TOUR Live this week. Even crazier, the RickRunGood YouTube channel is just a few clicks away from hitting 40,000 subscribers.

I started that channel 12 years ago and have posted 1,630 videos. It’s been the most constant “work” thing that I’ve done even though it doesn’t ever feel like work. And 40,000 of you have clicked subscribe?! That’s crazy. I love you.

Oh, and if you haven’t already — subscribe.

Rick

🏆 Last Weeks Optimal Lineup

$7,800: Wyndham Clark (102.0)
$6,200 Keith Mitchell (80.5)
$6,200: Tom Kim (79.5)
$7,400: Joaquin Niemann (79.0)
$7,700: Sam Burns (77.0)
$6,300: JT Poston (75.0)
$41,600: 493.0 Pts

🔥 This Man Is On Fire

Since the Masters, Wyndham Clark has been absolutely scorching hot. In his seven starts since, he’s gaining +2.36 strokes per round which is second to (say it with me now) Scottie Scheffler. They are the only two golfers to eclipse the +2.00 threshold during that span.

His two winds are about as different as they get. He destroyed TPC Craig Ranch to the tune of 30-under and then he slayed Shinnecock Hills and one of other three golfers to break par for the week.

This success is running firmly through his flatstick. During that seven start streak, he’s gained +1.33 strokes per round on the putting surfaces, also the best in the world. That makes up roughly 50% of his total strokes gained with +1.36 coming from his tee-to-green play.

He became the 24th player in men’s major history to win multiple U.S. Opens. Hat tip, dub.

✒️ Siggy Siggy Siggy

We are a few years into the Signature Event system and many players have played ~20 of these things. I think they are a good comparison point because they are all so similar. They often feature no cut (there are some exceptions), have the same size field, and have many of the same players in those fields. It’s probably some of the strongest data we have in a game that usually is ripe with variables.

Here are the best players, overall, in Siggys:

1. Scottie Scheffler +2.21 (19 starts)

2. Collin Morikawa +1.27 (21)

3. Patrick Cantlay +1.00 (22)

4. Tommy Fleetwood +0.92 (22)

5. Xander Schauffele +0.76 (20)

6. Ludvig Aberg +0.74 (21)

7. Russell Henley +0.73 (22)

8. Maverick McNealy +0.67 (16)

9. Justin Thomas +0.66 (20)

10. Sungjae Im +0.62 (21)

There are only six golfers who play better in signature events than non-signature events. They are:

Scottie Scheffler, who is +0.60 strokes better in Signature Events than non-Siggys. Followed by Sepp Straka (+0.36), Collin Morikawa (+0.36), Si Woo Kim (+0.24), Maverick McNealy (+0.07) and Russell Henley (+0.02).

⏱️ This Is Certainly The Time, Right?

Over the last few years, Xander Schauffele has gone from one of the game’s best putters to a slightly above average putter with a lot of volatility. His last three starts — +7.50 at Aronimink, -5.04 at Muirfield Village, +3.83 at Shinnecock Hills. That’s a 12 stroke different from his worst to best performance in his last three starts alone. Sheesh!

If there was ever a spot for Xander’s putter to get right, wouldn’t it be at TPC River Highlands? He’s gaining +0.88 strokes per round putting here. It’s his best putting course on the PGA TOUR schedule.

🏇 The Stable Is Full

TPC River Highlands is sticky! The players who play well here usually do it year-after-year and vice versa. Here are some of the most interesting course horse nuggets:

• Xander Schauffele has gained +0.88 strokes per round putting here, the best rate of any course he’s played at least five times.

• Patrick Cantlay has ten (!!) different courses that he’s gained at least 1.5+ sg/rd in his career. This is one of them — he has eight top 10s … in a row!

• Brian Harman’s best course is TPC River Highlands, +1.54 in 15 starts. He’s never won but he has eight top-10s in his last 11 trips.

• Since Jordan Spieth’s win in his debut, his best finish in T42 and he’s failed to make the weekend in 3/6.

• This is the only course that Collin Morikawa has played at least four times and has also lost strokes on approach — make that make sense.

🐋 $30,000 In Prizes

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Best 5 scores count.

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