22nd Jan 2015 | The American Express
Humana Challenge Trends
The Humana Challenge takes place this week, with a mix of celebrities and tour professionals. We look at the trends of past winners.
The Humana Challenge is in its fourth year but the tournament is steeped in history - the event was formerly known as the Bob Hope Classic. The pro-am element remains, pros play with an amateur for each of the first three rounds, with the final round limited to professionals only.
Played across three courses: PGA West Nicklaus Course, PGA West Palmer Course and La Quinta Country Club, one thing hasn’t changed. It is a birdie-fest. All three courses rank amongst the easiest par-72s on tour.
Let us look at the previous five winners to see if they offer us any clues:
Top-60 on tour for consecutive holes below par
The Humana Challenge is a fiendishly difficult puzzle to solve because there are no traditional trends amongst past champions. The winner is often a player who simply goes on a hot streak. The last five winners recorded birdie/eagle streaks that ranked amongst the top-60 on tour.
Top-60 on tour for consecutive fairways hit
Recent winners weren’t always the straightest drivers but they were all capable of going on streaks when they found the fairway.
Top-60 on tour for consecutive GIRs
To win the Humana Challenge you need to make birdies but they only arrive if you hit GIRs. Four of the last five winners enjoyed prolific streaks of hitting greens.
Players that fit all three trends:
Zach Johnson 30/1 Bet365
Tim Clark 66/1 Stan James
Daniel Summerhays 80/1 Paddy Power
Brian Stuard 125/1 Stan James
David Toms 150/1 Coral
Andrew Svoboda 200/1 Bet365
Odds correct at time of publishing: 08:38 22nd Jan, 2015 but subject to change
