It feels like The Masters just concluded — because it did, less than three weeks ago. And it feels like the PGA Championship is approaching soon — because it is, with the first round starting in just two weeks. Such is life in the spring and summer, when the PGA TOUR has at least one big tournament every month.
This week’s competition — THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas — isn’t quite on par with the majors, but it still has a decent field, including Texans Scottie Scheffler and Jordan Spieth.
Scheffler, obviously, is the favorite, with +280 odds to lift the trophy come Sunday afternoon at DraftKings Sportsbook.
But golf isn’t just about winning; even finishing in 20th in a PGA TOUR event with a $9.9 million earns a payday of $131,000. Here are my three favorite golfers to be in the Top 20 come Sunday afternoon:
Best Top-20 Parlay at the CJ CUP Byron Nelson
Sungjae Im Top 20 Finish
At No. 20 in the Official World Golf Rankings, Im is the second highest-ranked golfer in the field. After finishing third at The Sentry to open his season and a tie for fourth at the Farmers Insurance Open a few weeks later, Im went on an extended cold streak. But he has bounced back with a fifth-place finish at Augusta National Golf Club — his third top-10 finish at The Masters — and he followed it up by tying for 11th the following week at the RBC Heritage, a signature event with an extremely strong field. TPC Craig Ranch is one of the easiest courses on TOUR in all facets of the game, but its greens are its biggest defense. This season, Im ranks 38th in Strokes Gained: Putting, and the course’s easy long approach shots should nullify his struggles with his long irons.
Taylor Pendrith Top 20 Finish
The Canadian has only finished in the top five once this season, but it came at the Texas Children’s Houston Open, at a course in Memorial Park that, like TPC Craig Ranch, doesn’t have any unique challenges. He had a strong weekend at the RBC Heritage two weeks ago, firing 67-68 in the final two rounds to sneak a tie for 42nd, and he’s also one of the higher-rated players in a relatively weak field. Plus, while the course is easier than average overall, it is easier on its approaches and around the green than off the tee, so Pendrith, who has an impressive combination of distance and accuracy and ranks second in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee this season, should be well-suited to capitalize.
Ben Griffin Top 20 Finish
Griffin earned his first career PGA TOUR victory last weekend, when he and Andrew Novak fired a 28-under 260 to win the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. But it’s not like he hasn’t had other strong finishes this season; his and Novak’s win at the Zurich Classic was his fourth Top-10 finish of the season. He’s shown a tendency to put together multiple hot weeks at a time, having posted back-to-back joint-fourth results at the Mexico Open and the Cognizant Classic late in the winter. He’s also a fairly well-rounded player, ranking in the top half in every major Strokes Gained category except for putting, where he’s slightly below the median. On a course without any specific challenge, being able to excel in all facets of the game is critical.
