What: Fort Worth Invitational (Formerly the DEAN & DELUCA Invitational)
Where: Colonial CC, Fort Worth, Texas
When: May 24-27
Defending Champion: Kevin Kisner
FedEx Cup Points: 500
Purse: $7.1 million
Before we head to the Fort Worth Invitational, let’s look back at Aaron Wise’s win last week at the AT&T Byron Nelson. Wise posted an incredible score of 23-under. It was the 21-year-old’s first PGA win and an impressive one at that. Marc Leishman set a course record on Thursday with a score of 61, but it wasn’t enough to hang onto the lead. He finished three shots back. Here’s a recap of our picks from last week:
Byron Nelson Results
Top Picks
Spieth: T21
Leishman: 2nd
Walker: T6
Second Tier
Kuchar: CUT
Scott: T9
Howell III: T9
Third Tier
Horschel: T21
Hossler: T32
Matsuyama: T16
Sleepers
Jaeger: CUT
Grace: T3
Knox: T16
Fort Worth Invitational Picks
Formerly known as the DEAN & DELUCA Invitational, Kevin Kisner won the 2017 edition by a score of 10-under. He took the championship by one stroke over Jordan Spieth, Sean O’Hair, and Jon Rahm.
We stay in Texas this week for the Fort Worth Invitational as Colonial CC plays host. Colonial is a par-70 measuring around 7,200 yards with narrow fairways and small greens. Accuracy in long irons and off-the-tee and tee-to-green metrics will be very important, as hitting the fairways are crucial. Driving distance will not matter this week.
Putting is always important, but the Forth Worth Invitational will require an emphasis on hitting the fairways and greens almost always. Of, course a hot putter can change a lot of things, but these greens are difficult to hit. It will speak volumes to who is hitting greens and who isn’t.
Top Picks
Jordan Spieth: The 24-year-old continues his reign at the top of the ranks. Spieth has played here five times with his worst finish coming in at T14. Spieth has sandwiched a win here in 2016 between two T2s in 2015 and 2017. His putting issues could be reversed quickly as he ranks seventh in SG: approach-the-green and second in SG: tee-to-green.
Jimmy Walker: Also making his second appearance in a row atop the list is Jimmy Walker. His best finish here in four trips is T10 and he’s riding a hot-streak like none other. He hasn’t finished worse than T20 in six events which showcases three top-6s. He ranks 36th in SG: approach-the-green and ninth in going for the green – birdie or better.
Webb Simpson: Simpson took a week off since his Players Championship victory and is now ready to go again. In the last two years at this event, he has finishes of T3 and fifth. Simpson is fifth in SG: putting and is ninth in par-4 scoring, which could be important this week as par-5 scoring will go by the wayside with distance off the tee being put on the backburner.
Second Tier
Kevin Kisner: Some very streaky play lately with three cuts missed but two top-15s in his last six events. Kisner is the defending champion in this tournament and has top-10 finishes each of the last three years at Colonial. He ranks 12th in SG: putting and 19th in driving accuracy.
Brian Harman: The 31-year-old lefty hasn’t posted a start better than T23 since April 4 in Mexico but it’s worth nothing he’s missed just two cuts on the year. He has three top-25s in a row at Colonial with finishes of T10, T25, and T7. 22nd in GIR, 17th in par-4 scoring, and 26th in birdie average. He leads the tour in top-10s this year.
Zach Johnson: A whopping 12 career starts here shows Johnson with two wins among five top-10s. Johnson is ranked number one in career earnings for this tournament. He’s also 17th in par-4 scoring, first in proximity, and 18th in SG: approach-the-green.
Third Tier
Adam Scott: Scott failed to punch his ticket to this year’s U.S. Open last week. That may add some fuel to the fire as he looks to improve upon his great track record here. The Aussie has six appearances here with a win in 2014. Last week was his first top-10 in nearly a year, but the 12th rank in SG: approach-the-green on the year is promising.
Jon Rahm: Rahm finished T2 here last year in his tournament debut. He’s coming off a win at the Spanish Open just a month ago and will surely be fresh with just one start in the last month (T63 at the Players). Rahm can make special things happen whenever he steps on the course. He’s second in SG: off-the-tee, 24th in SG: tee-to-green, and 23rd in GIR percentage.
Jason Dufner: “Duff-Daddy” gets the call again as the two-time Colonial runner-up. Dufner has an additional finish of T6 in 2016 among his encouraging 10 appearances. Dufner has two top-5s in his last three events and is top-80 in SG: approach-the-green and SG: putting.
Sleepers
Emiliano Grillo: Pushed out of the spotlight this week with some bigger names ahead of him, Grillo hasn’t missed a cut since the 2017 Wyndham Championship. That’s 18 starts. Grillo has three top-10s in his last seven times out and owns a 17th rank in par-4 scoring, and 23rd rank in SG: approach-the-green. The Argentinian has been to Colonial twice with a T55 and T24.
Adam Hadwin: Owns seven finishes in the top-25 in his last 10 tournaments and is also racking up a nice consecutive cuts streak with 17 and counting. His finishes here are fifth, 22nd, and 53rd. He’s in the top-34 in SG: tee-to-green and SG: approach-the-green.
Danny Lee: A longshot if you view his season stats, but Lee has three top-25s in his last three years here. Lee has only made eight cuts in 17 events this season, but he’s coming off a T7 at the Players Championship. He’s out of the top-100 in any major stats for this week, but he does rank 26th in putting average. Try taking a chance if he’s cheap in your league.