25th Jun 2019 | Utah Championship
Utah Championship: Charlie Saxon
Shot a second round 64 on way to a T60 finish in 2017. Returns a much better player and one who has started to find form again. Second longest hitter on tour a big danger at altitude.
Charlie Saxon was a player I was massively keen on at the start of the Web.com (now Korn Ferry) season but he’s hit a real slump over the last couple of months. A run of 5 missed cuts in 6 starts was partially corrected by a T22 finish at the Wichita Open but what gave me great hope was seeing him ranked T7 for GIRs.
It suggests Saxon’s ball-striking is back on song and just in time for Oakridge Country Club. This is the second event of the season played at altitude, the first was in Columbia where Saxon was fifth after three rounds. For a player averaging 318 yards off the tee (second on tour) an extra 10-15% distance at altitude could see him make mince-meat of a course measuring just 7,045 yards.
It means there are several par-4s that are almost within driving distance for Saxon but the experience of playing in 2017 will help him understand when to press and when to throttle back. He finished T60 that year but showed his hand with a second round 64.
Last season Cameron Champ (another massive hitter) triumphed in Utah and the stage is set for Saxon to emulate him.
Odds correct at time of publishing: 18:59 25th Jun, 2019 but subject to change