So Near, Then So Far – The Pack Slumps as Burns Prevails At The Charles Schwab Challenge

Harold Varner III first came to my attention by telling a story about Tiger Woods.  Young HV3 once waited after a Tour event, with an outstretched hand to touch his hero, or ask for an autograph. The Big Cat had walked past him, staying in the zone, likely on his way to another PGA Tour win.

Tiger was made aware of the story when Varner reached the upper ranks of the professional game. He calmly said ‘might be the reason you’re out here’.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Harold Varner III (@hv3_golf)

Whatever motivated Harold Varner III’s career, his 2021-22 season has elevated it to a new level. He won the Saudi International in February with a 92-foot putt on the final green. He reached his highest finish in a major with a T23 at the Masters. He achieved a T3 at the RBC, a T6 at the Players, and a T4 at the Zurich Classic. These excellent results demonstrate a fine vein of form that I feel has been overshadowed by Scheffler’s four-win season, or the return of Tiger, or the controversy elsewhere in the golfing world.

“HV3” has an unconventional swing. Short, compact, almost Jason Dufner-esque. An exaggerated follow-through that looks hurried, involving a right foot slide that Scheffler could emulate. Regardless, the end result has led to being ranked 39^th in the Official World Golf Ranking at the time of writing. Varner is officially better than a lot of big names, including Tommy Fleetwood, Seamus Power, Webb Simpson and Justin Rose.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Harold Varner III (@hv3_golf)

Varner is outside the top 50 on Tour in driving distance, accuracy, greens in regulation and sand saves. In a Moneyball-style twist that Billy Beane would be proud of, Varner makes up for it on the aggregate. What has helped in his recent string of results is that Varner has almost +0.4 strokes gained around the green, where he is ranked 16th on the tour. A refreshing stat for the golf purists out there who cannot relate to 340-yard drives but who can relate to getting up and down to save their par.

Another reason golf is fascinating. With over four birdies per round, he is ranked 11^th on Tour in the birdie category. He is a converter. When he came T6 at the Players and T3 at the RBC Heritage, he hit 75% of greens in regulation over the course of both weeks. When he hits the greens, he makes the putts. I feel like Pete explaining to the Oakland A’s that they need to get on base. The maths behind it is perplexing, but the premise is simple and sound.

With sixteen pars and two birdies on his card on Saturday, Varner didn’t set the world alight on moving day at the Charles Schwab, but that doesn’t seem to be his style. That is why his final-round collapse at the Charles Schwab was so unexpected. Two under par through 11 holes, and then an unforced anomaly in the form of a triple bogey seven on the 12th (that included four putts from 19 feet) and a double bogey five on 13 and he is almost out of the top 10. He slumped home in 45 strokes, resulting in a T27 finish, the same day he was tied for the lead. What a game.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Sam Burns (@samburns66)

Sam Burns converted his win well in the playoff, preventing Mr. Scheffler from winning his fifth title in his glittering 2021-22 season. The pack retreated to his 9 under total as the wind blew and the bogeys threw blemishes onto the cards. A day where a level par round meant moving up a few spots, all Burns had to do on Sunday was finish his round and then sit back and watch others capitulate around him. Unfortunately, HV3 was one of those names. It was incredible, he was able to drop eight shots in three holes. Another relatable moment for us golfers sat at home, observing from afar.

I expect HV3 to continue to perform well for the duration of the season, obviously having found something in his game that puts him in contention on a regular basis. Maybe this Sunday collapse will knock him down a bit before returning with a vengeance. Other notable names on the leader board include Tony Finau, ever the master of the T5 finish, as well as another strong week for young Mito Pereira, showing that his strong week at Southern Hills was no fluke. Jordan Spieth was back to his flamboyant ways and is still the one to watch on the course, always providing intriguing conversations with his caddie Michael Greller. These names will be queueing up for the Memorial next week; if last year is anything to go by, the tournament threatens to offer another star-studded leader board.

Cover Image Via SkySports