The Barracuda Championship is unique on the PGA Tour because of its modified stableford scoring system, which means players earn or lose points according to their score on each hole. Fire in an albatross and you'll earn eight points, an eagle equals five, there are two for a birdie, none for a par, and you lose if you go beyond that: one for a bogey, three for anything worse.
In the simplest terms possible, this means nine birdies and nine bogeys in a level-par 71 at Old Greenwood, which hosted for the first time last year, equals nine points. A similar 71 made up solely of pars would earn zero, while an albatross, two eagles, seven bogeys and eight pars equals 11. At least I think it would.
Come the end of the week, chances are the best stroke play total will have accrued the most points, which was the case last year for all that Richy Werenski's traditional score was matched by the two who shared third. The important thing to remember, though, is that the scoring system can draw different shots from players than might have been chosen without it. There is cause and effect at play here, and it is hard for anyone to turn down the chance to go for the green on all three short par-fours, such is the reward for an eagle.
Indeed it's little more than two years since Woodland won the US Open here in California, and although his presence in this field rather than in Memphis demonstrates it's been a largely unsuccessful spell, the return of some pretty significant injury issues has been the main reason.
Now seemingly healthy once more things have started to improve and while lacking consistency, this is a player who has made the cut in three majors from four, finished sixth behind Jordan Spieth in Texas, fifth behind Rory McIlroy in North Carolina, and last time out played in the final group at the 3M Open.
Moore is his own man and plays a light schedule, seemingly content in who he is, not expecting to make another Ryder Cup team, happy to earn a good living. In fact after finishing second at the John Deere Classic he declined the invite to play in the Open Championship, instead keeping his commitment to a family holiday. Last year he decided not to play in the PGA.
BRENDAN STEELE is the last of my realistic selections and again a touch of class goes along way to explaining this one, as he's a three-time PGA Tour winner who has gone mighty close to adding to his tally over the last couple of years.
Two of those wins came here in California, where Steele was born. In fact he's from Idyllwild, which is around 1500m above sea level, so in a sense it's not surprising that he was eighth on his debut in this event, fourth on his second try, seventh in 2015 and fifth in 2016.
That's an excellent return from just seven attempts, the latest of which was a low-key debut here last summer. At the time he was in reasonable form but despite the absence of strokes-gained data, it looks like he had a bad week on the greens. That happens, and given his form under similar conditions at Montreux, Summerlin and even in Phoenix, I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Speculative options are plentiful, from the potential of Akshay Bhatia and Will Gordon to the signs of encouragement shown by former world number one Luke Donald plus fellow veterans Cameron Percy and Josh Teater. Last off my list though (and the only one I considered seriously) was David Lingmerth, who has suddenly found form to finish 11th and 28th on his last two starts and is accurate from the tee.
Preference though is for MICHAEL GELLERMAN and NICK WATNEY at the prices.
Gellerman's approach play has been a revelation lately and now he really could put it to use in weaker company. He ranked third at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, 12th at the John Deere, was just as good in two rounds at the Barbasol, then led the field in the 3M Open.
Anyone hitting their irons like this has to be worth a second glance, and it's of note that he's from Tuscon, Arizona, which is at decent altitude, and grew up under similar conditions in Kansas. Perhaps that explains why among a smattering of good performances, T3 in Colorado, where desert specialist Martin Laird went to college, really does stand out.
Sixth in greens and 32nd in strokes-gained approach for the season, he's a neat, tidy type who needs some putts to drop to make an impact. That's a chance worth taking and while we focus on the top 125 in FedEx Cup points, remember the top 200 are guaranteed a run at Korn Ferry Tour Finals. Gellerman is 197th and this is a chance to guarantee his place there, safeguarding his career in the process.
Posted at 1610 BST on 03/08/21
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