Fantasy Golf Predictions – 2014 Hyundai Tournament of Champions

Fantasy Golf Predictions for the 2014 Hyundai Tournament of Champions

Tournament Preview

It’s that time of the year again; when golf fanatics come out from their hibernation to watch their favorite players take on the early “West Coast” swing.

The 2014 PGA TOUR will officially kick off on this Friday as The Hyundai Tournament of Champions plays host to 2013’s PGA TOUR winners in beautiful Hawaii.  This year 13 new names (first time winners) will be in the field to compete.  Rookie of the Year Jordan Spieth (John Deere Classic) highlights the group of 13 first-timers, along with two-time winner Harris English (FedEx St. Jude Classic, OHL Classic at Mayakoba) and a handful of others.  Masters champion Adam Scott and PGA Championship winner Jason Dufner will also join the field, along with Dustin Johnson who won this event in 2013.

The Course

Plantation Course at Kapalua measures 7,452 yards and plays as a rare par 73. The course sits along the seaside of the West Maui Mountains. This track is known for both its scenic views and January typhoon style wind.

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Some of the guys in the field we’re hitting drives just shy of 400 yards with the help of huge wind gusts.  Last year’s event was shortened due to a few days of postponement from wind and rain, but in the prior four years, all winners produced total scores better than 22-under.  So…scoring is possible on this windy course.

The Plantation Course at Kapalua. Photo by Kapalua.com

Weather forecast for the 2014 Hyundai TOC in Kapalua, HI (from weather.com)

• Round 1: Friday  (Jan 3)  80 degrees, 60% chance of rain, scattered showers.
• Round 2: Saturday (Jan 4) 79 degrees, 30% chance of rain, scattered showers.
• Round 3: Sunday (Jan 5) 79 degrees, 0% chance of rain, sunny.
• Round 4: Monday (Jan 6) 79 degrees, 0% chance of rain, sunny.

2013 Results

Gusty winds stopped play for 3 days and cut the tourney to only 3 days from the typical 4, but Dustin Johnson was still able to post 3 rounds in the 60’s, kicking off the season strong.  A second-round 66 gave the young superstar a three-shot lead, which he almost blew with a double bogey 13th, which only gave him only a 1-stroke lead over Steve Stricker with 5 holes to play.

DJ must have spotted his girlfriend Paulina Gretzky in the crowd, because something ignited him to blast a monster drive on the par-4 14^th that rolled to the front of the green.  What was even more impressive was his chip-in for eagle which padded his lead back up to 3-shots.

Although this is the first tournament of 2014, DJ already recorded a win this season as part of the new PGA TOUR 2013-2014 wrap around schedule, by taking 1^st at the WGC-HSBC Champions on November 3, 2013.

Notes

It’s a small field this week, with only 30 players fighting for the top prize.  The winner of this event will receive $1.14 million dollars and 500 FedExCup points.   Keep in mind that wind usually plays a factor, so long ball hitters may have a bit of an advantage on this course (and few hit the ball further than DJ).

Round 1 may get a little sloppy with 70% chance of rain and wind at 13-15 mph, but come Sunday and Monday, it should be clear blue skies and beautiful Hawaiian weather.

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Our Top 5 (and Top 2 Sleeper) Picks/Odds to Win the 2014 Hyundai Tournament of Champions

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Top 5 Picks/Odds to Win the 2014 Hyundai Tournament of Champions

• Adam Scott (Golficity Odds 5/1):  We are right in line with Vegas on this one.  Adam Scott is no doubt going to be a favorite to win majors and multiple events this year.  His game is top notch and this tournament will suit his play nicely. Besides, this guy is hot right now , fresh on the heels of winning the Australian Triple Crown.
• Matt Kuchar (Golficity Odds 7/1):  Kuchar is a name you’ll see quite often in the top-10 area.  He is a two-time winner in 2013 and has 3 top-4’s worldwide during that run.  Look for “Mr. Consistent” to be in the mix at the top all week.
• Dustin Johnson (Golficity Odds 10/1): The returning champ won this shortened event in 2013 with a 4-shot victory. DJ went on to add 5 more top 10 finishes in 2013 and picked up yet another win a couple of months ago at the WGC-HSBC Championship.  His long-game should give him a significant competitive advantage at Kapalua.
• Jimmy Walker (Golficity Odds 17/1): Coming off a career year, Walker is looking like an All-Star now that he’s a student of Coach Butch Harmon.  Walker is a GIR animal, and in 2013 he had 5 top-10s with one 2^nd and one 3^rd place finish to boot.  Jimmy already has a win this season as part of the new wrap-around schedule and leads the FedExCup rankings so far this year.
• Harris English (Golficity Odds 20/1):  English is easily one of the hottest players on TOUR right now.  He won his first title last season and already won this year at the Mayakoba Classic. We think he’ll carry this momentum into 2014, so look out for this name this week and the rest of the season.

Sleeper Picks/Odds to Win the 2013 Hyundai Tournament of Champions

• Jordan Spieth (Golficity Odds 25/1): Although this is his first time playing Kapalua, that fact alone shouldn’t keep this young stud from making some serious noise.  Moving into his sophomore season on the PGA TOUR, Jordan will look to carry the momentum from his 2013 Rookie of the Year season (which brought him fame, fortune, and a President’s Cup Pick) into 2014.
• Zach Johnson (Golficity Odds 28/1):  Zach doesn’t have much success at Kapalua, only cracking the Top-15 once in six tries where he T6 in 2009, but he had a great second half in 2013 with 2 wins and 6 total top 10s.  Johnson even beat out Tiger at the Northwestern Mutual World Challenge in early December by holing out a wedge shot that easily made the 2013 highlight reel.  His game looks sharp…but we’re not big fans of his Kapalua experience.  Sleeper pick for sure here…

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(Cover Photo Credit)