Portland Open Tips: Kyle Stanley

With the glamour and riches bestowed upon the very best of the PGA Tour it’s easy to forget how the game can chew people up and spit them out.

Kyle Stanley looked destined for the top after winning the Phoenix Open in 2012, fast forward three years and he is scrabbling for his playing rights on the Web.com.

His ascent was as rapid as his downfall and undoubtedly affected his confidence.

Much of the blame has been directed to his putting; he lost 1.382 (ranked 176th) strokes to the field putting last year but even in his pomp his putting was streaky at best. In 2012, he ranked 189th and lost 0.762 strokes putting.

A change in equipment manufacturer coupled with an attempt to hit more cuts meant he lost his identity as a terrific ball striker.

A back to basics approach has yielded positive results of late. He only loses 0.289 strokes putting and 70.4% GIRs is the best of his career.

In his last five tournaments (all on the PGA Tour) he has finished T20-T18-T23-T56-T51 and can capitalise on the drop in grade. At 50/1 (Skybet), he is a good each-way bet.