PGA National made for a difficult challenge and it was tough on my picks. The good news, I picked the winner (Thanks, Adam Scott). The bad news, two of my picks missed the cut.

The Picks

Adam Scott won. I don’t think I really need to explain anything else. Camilo Villegas finished T-14th and I was nervous making the selection. He’s been mediocre over the past few years and I chose to trust a player that had a strong record at a difficult course. The odds for Villegas were long and he definitely exceeded expectations this weekend. Phil Mickelson finished T-37th. Mickelson had a tough 2nd round and he was unable to make enough birdies to overcome it. Shane Lowry finished T-53rd and was wildly inconsistent. He shot 67 in the first round and a 69 in the 3rd round. He wasn’t sharp in rounds two or four and shot 75. Lowry seemed to be a good pick and was destined to make my picks look good. Alas, he did not.

Rory McIlroy and Daniel Berger both missed the cut. Rory made plenty of birdies and I thought he was going to do well. He still struggles to win or contend when he’s not on his A-game. I think he’s the most talented player in all of golf, however, he’s unable to grind out good scores when he’s hitting it poorly. It’s beginning to look like McIlroy makes too many mistakes and is falling behind some of his peers. I took a roll of the dice on Berger and he couldn’t replicate his strong performance from last year.

Winning Time: Adam Scott

Scott finished at nine-under par and hit an unreal number of greens in regulation (GIR) this week. He’s got one of the best swings in the world and has a rare combination of accuracy and power. He’s the example most teaching professionals use for their students because he’s got sensational fundamentals. Scott is the antithesis of last week’s winner Bubba Watson.

Scott is improving with the short (traditional) putter and claw grip. He started his career as a good putter, slumped, and then found some consistency with the long putter. The anchored method is now banned so he’s got to learn a new way to putt. He’s using a variation of a claw grip and many analysts believe that the claw will help everyone make more putts. Scott is still only 35 yrs. old and was prematurely removed from lists of the game’s best players. I am excited to see what the rest of 2016 will hold for Scott.

Show Me the Money!

I am thrilled that Adam Scott won because I’d be left with some pretty week numbers without it. Scott won $1,098,000 and the rest of my picks netted just $138,302. The Honda Classic total was $1,236,302. I’m looking forward to previewing the WGC-Cadillac Championships.