By Walker Polivka
The PGA Tour continues on this week as it visits Keene Trace Golf Club for the Barbasol Championship. Read on below to see our prediction for who will win the tournament, as well as our top 10, dark horse, and player to fade predictions.
Player to Fade: Matt Every- It is no secret that Every has struggled mightily on tour of late. Every has made 1 cut, has had 1 withdrawal, and has missed 3 cuts in 5 starts so far this season and had 2 withdrawals and 20 missed cuts in 22 starts last season. Every has a missed cut and a withdrawal in 2 previous starts at Keene Trace Golf Club, so his track record here certainly has room for improvement. Even in a field as weak as this week’s is, Every is nothing more than just another body to round out the field at best and will most certainly miss the cut.
Dark Horse: Sam Ryder- The 252nd ranked player in the Official World Golf Rankings, Ryder has had an up and down season on tour, with 3 top 10’s, 13 made cuts, and 12 missed cuts. There have been several lows, as Ryder has missed 3 or more cuts in a row on 3 different occasions this year, but the highs have been there too, highlighted by a T-3 finish at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans and top 10 finishes at the Zozo Championship and the Honda Classic. Ryder’s not playing extremely inspiring golf at the moment, but he has played extremely well at Keene Trace Golf Club in the past, finishing in the top 10 in both of his prior starts here, including a T-3 finish last year. A win would be unlikely, but a top 25 is certainly doable considering his recent struggles.
Top 10: Chesson Hadley- Hadley got off to a rather slow start this season, missing the cut in 14 of his first 21 starts, including a stretch of 8 missed cuts in row, but has turned it around as we enter the closing stretch of the regular season, finishing in the top 10 each of the last two weeks. Hadley doesn’t have any past mojo to rely on at Keene Trace Golf Club, as he missed the cut in his lone start here last year, but Hadley does rather well when the pressure is on. Hadley fired a final round 62 at the Wyndham Championship last season to claim the 125th and final spot in the FedEx Cup Playoffs and is currently ranked 137th in the FedEx Cup Standings entering this week. Hadley hopes to make the playoffs with more of a cushion this season, and we predict he will take a step in the right direction with a third consecutive top 10 finish this week.
Winner: Adam Svensson- Svensson is having a quiet, but consistent season on tour, with 2 top 10’s, 6 top 25’s, and 16 made cuts in 26 starts. Coming off of 3 straight top 25 finishes, Svensson has not had much past success at Keene Trace Golf Club, missing the cut here in his lone start back in 2019. Even so, Svensson has the stats to contend here this week. This is a course that was made for ball strikers and will penalize those who are errant with their shots, with 76 bunkers spread out across the course. Svensson is a solid ball striker on tour, ranking 57th in Strokes Gained: Approach the Green and 39th in Proximity To Hole From Sand. He may not be a heavy favorite to win, but we predict that Adam Svensson will put it all together and pick up his first career PGA Tour victory this week at the Barbasol Championship!