6th Jun 2017 | St Jude Invitational
St Jude Classic Tips: Kyle Stanley
Elite ball-striker who ranked fourth in strokes gained putting last week. Confidence on the greens could be massive for him.
Backing golfers in sometimes akin to pining for an ex-girlfriend. You remember the good times, forget the bad but whenever you try rekindle the flame you get burnt.
That is how I feel about Kyle Stanley. After his 2012 win the Phoenix Open, I thought he’d win several times on tour including perhaps a major. Things haven’t worked out that way and elite ball-striking performances have been destroyed on the greens.
In his favour heis still young at 29 and there is time to turn it around. He’s played really well this season, ranking second for GIRs and making 14/17 cuts. A T4 at The Players is excellent given the strength of field and he bounced back from a missed cut at the Dean & Deluca with a T6 at the Memorial.
The most significant thing at Muirfield Village was on the greens. Stanley finished the tournament ranked fourth in strokes gained putting, by far his best of the season. If he can take that confidence to Memphis, perhaps he can finally convert his tee-to-green excellence into a win. Place a bet with Sky Bet at 33/1 and get 6 places at 1/4 odds.
Odds correct at time of publishing: 06:04 6th Jun, 2017 but subject to change