2nd Jul 2018 | The Greenbrier Classic
The Greenbrier Tip: JJ Spaun
Opened with a 63 last week and led the field in strokes-gained off the tee. Tremendous ball-striker who has a similar profile to last year's winner. Finished T29 on debut at Old White TPC.
J.J. Spaun has suffered an interrupted season due to injury but either side of his break he recorded top-3 finishes at the RSM Classic and the Byron Nelson, giving him enough FedEx points to comfortbarly keep his card whatever happens.
The 27-year-old can therefore set his sights higher and make a run for his first PGA Tour win. The signs were good last week as Spaun opened with a flawless 63 at the Quicken Loans National, unfortunately he was unable to keep it going and faded to a T27.
The good news is that the ball-striking is there. He led the field at the Quicken Loans for strokes-gained off the tee and his accurate driving (he is also relatively long) gives him a very similar profile to last year’s champion Xander Schauffele.
Currently ranked in the top-25 on the PGA Tour for strokes gained with approaches to the green and birdie averages he manages to overcome his inconsistent putting. He is a player who makes few mistakes and just a ‘good’ week on the greens would see him contend for the win. A winner on the Web.com and PGA Tour Canada, he can get over the line and is ready to break through at the highest level.
Odds correct at time of publishing: 20:35 2nd Jul, 2018 but subject to change