Damien Kayat previews the 2022 edition of the PGA Tour’s Barbasol Championship taking place at the Keen Trace Golf Club in Kentucky.
The joys of opposite-field events
I always find it liberating when I preview these opposite-field events. It really allows you to get slightly creative in your decision-making. This event began life seven years back when the Sanderson Farms Championship moved to its current autumnal slot.
It has traditionally been played as the opposite field event to the Open Championship. But this year things are slightly different, with the Barbosol Championship brought one week forward to be played in conjunction with the now hugely elevated Scottish Open.
The Scottish Open is now both a Rolex Series event and a co-sanctioned event with the US PGA Tour and DP World Tour. 14 of the world’s top 15 players will be teeing it up in Scotland this week.
Barbasol Championship – a low down
This week’s Barbosol Championship and next week’s Barracuda Championship have also been given the co-sanctioned treatment. But not too many have decided to cross the pond this week ahead of next week’s 150th Open Championship.
This will be the fourth renewal of this event staged at Keene Trace Golf Club. The Champion’s Course was designed by Arthur Hills and opened 34 years ago.
This is a typical opposite field event in that it is a basic set-up. The bentgrass fairways are spacious and the bluegrass/bentgrass rough is very manageable.
James Hahn shot a 12-under-par 60 in round three of last year’s championships. Look for guys who find plenty of greens and scramble efficiently.
A hot putter is generally essential in these birdie fests. This event has also proven to be a haven for the more experienced heads, with the likes of Jim Herman and Aaron Baddelay making hay while the greats are away.
Weak field presents opportunities to find value
Just to highlight how poor this field is: Chris Gotterup has jumped to a 20/1 favourite after fourth place at last week’s John Deere Classic. I would probably be keener to back known quantities such as Kevin Streelman and Patton Kizzire.
Richard Mansell also comes into this event with some good form, picking up three top 10 finishes on the DP World Tour over the past few months.
Not only will players obviously be competing for FedEx Cup points this week, the winner of this week’s event will also pick up a final Open Championship qualification spot.
Past Winners – Barbasol Championship
2021: Seamus Power (-21) *playoff
2020: event cancelled
2019: Jim Herman (-26)
2018: Troy Merritt (-23)
2017: Grayson Murray (-21)
To Win Outright – Barbasol Championship
Christopher Gotterup 20/1
Kevin Streelman 20/1
Adam Svensson 22/1
Mark Hubbard 25/1
Patton Kizzire 28/1
Value Bets – Barbasol Championship
Chesson Hadley
To Win 28/1
Hadley broke through with victory at an event of similar stature: the 2014 Puerto Rico Open. But things haven’t really evolved from there. But there have been some signs that he is getting back to his best. Last year he nearly won the Palmetto Championship before a disaster finish. But it’s his last two events that have really inspired confidence. He finished fifth at the Travellers and T10 at the John Deere Classic. He was eighth in putting at the Travellers and 3rd approaching the green at the John Deere. Those were far tougher fields and those should prove to be crucial stats this week.
Ryan Moore
To Win 33/1
Once a top 30 player, Ryan Moore has suffered hugely with back issues and a drastic loss of form over the last few years. This saw him miss out on action for four months following a 49th place at the Phoenix Open. He made his return at the Memorial in June where he would have felt relieved to make the cut. He has played twice since then, finishing 35th in Canada and 24th last week at the John Deere Classic. His result last week included an excellent 2nd round 64. Moore seems to be finding his range on approach and he just needs some of the other facets of his game to click. He is also a past winner of several events that corollate well to this one (the Shriners, Wyndham Championship and John Deere Classic).
The Man to Beat- Barbasol Championship
Adam Svensson
To Win 22/1
Svensson must be one of the most in-form players in this week’s field and he could win his maiden title in Kentucky this week. The Canadian is coming into this event with three consecutive top 25 finishes and six consecutive made cuts. He is averaging just shy of 70 all season in his 2nd round scores (so he looks a sure bet to make the weekend). He is uber consistent and should thrive in this decimated field.
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