Matt Every: Three-Peat Quest Falls Short
Matt Every has shown he can compete at a high level. What’s holding him back from repeating?
Matt Every seemingly came out of nowhere in 2014 and and again in 2015 to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational. As a journeyman on the PGA Tour, Every delivered performances that nobody expected. Given the inconsistencies of his performances, Every probably even surprised himself.
In those events, accuracy and GIR’s were the name of the game. Matt Every racked up birdies and converted on the par 5’s with birdies at a stunning rate. He was 9/14 in 2014 with birdies on the par 5s and 10/16 in 2015.
Bay Hill is an ideal venue for Every to have stepped into the winner’s circle in such a big way. It’s a tourney with a lot of glitz and glamour behind it. With Hall of Famer Arnold Palmer stamping his imprimatur on the event, breaking through the way Every did becomes even more special.
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The famous course was first established in 1961 with two main architects responsible for its birth. Dick Wilson designed and the course and Bob Simmons built it, adding nine additional holes after the unfortunate passing of Wilson in 1965. In 1974, the man at the front of the line as we speak, Arnold Palmer, took hold of the event and made it his own.
The Arnold Palmer Invitational originally debuted in 1966 as the Florida Citrus Invitational. That event was played at Rio Pinar Golf Club, east of Orlando. Arnold Palmer was the founder of the event in 1979 as a successor to the FCI. It has gone through many name changes throughout the years, such as the Bay Hill Invitational until Arnold Palmer stamped his name on the event in 2007.
Since 2007, the quality of the field and the quality of the players took to the forefront once Mr. Palmer put his stamp on the event has increased. In addition to Every, Ernie Els, Loren Roberts, Gary Koch, Jerry Heard, and Tom Kite have twice won the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
They usually say the cream rises to the top, and that was evident with Tiger Woods capturing 4 wins at the API (2008, 2009, 2012, 2013). Another top notch player who stood out in the time frame was Vijay Singh who captured a win and a second place finish.
Matt Every is the epitome of an up and down golfer. He hasn’t posted a top-10 in the past 51 weeks. He’s compiled a painful record of 11 missed cuts, 3 withdrawals, and no finish better than an 18th since the 2015 RBC Heritage at Harbor Town Golf Links.
Every’s quest for a three-peat at the Arnold Palmer Invitational just plain fell short of the mark. Finishing his 2nd round at 1-over par Every has missed the cut. Catching lightning in a bottle three times in a row is rare, and it wasn’t to be for the golfer who has 10 years on the PGA TOUR.
What’s Holding Matt Every Back?
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Some of Every’s struggles since his 2nd straight win at the API can be attributed to “blackouts” as he references them to in a golf sense. His head gets in a funk. There is no rhyme or reason, no clear thoughts, or concentration to what he’s been doing. This has been a key component of the recent hiccups in his game.
Every is quoted as saying most of the blank canvas moments for him come while he has driver in tow, leading to many wayward shots or misses that cannot be fixed or rectified in the end. He wonders what the heck is wrong. The game of golf is mental for some and in Every’s case, he fits the bill.
Golf is about strategically placing your shot, pinpointing where you want the ball to go. Calculating distances and course knowledge are also boons. But Every often won’t fit into any of those stat categories. This does, however, make it that much more interesting to consider how he has compiled two victories in two years at the same event leading up to this year’s tournament.
In 2014 and 2015, Every was outside the top 100 in almost every single statistical category that is considered important to success in competitive golf. He was 85th in strokes-gained putting in 2015 and 4th for the season in 2014, but that was the only feather he could put in his cap. In those years, he was 25th in 2014 and 64th in 2015 for the FedEx Cup standings, while he was 59th in the OWGR in his 2014 breakthrough on the TOUR.
But if Every is to put any notch in his belt other than the two wins at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, it’s that he came close to reaching the goal of being one of only 4 people to have accomplished the feat.
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Despite good effort, Matt Every just isn’t standing alongside great clutch closers in golf: Tom Watson (Byron Nelson), Stuart Appleby (Kapalua), Steve Stricker (John Deere), and Tiger Woods who conquered the feat 6 times in his illustrious career.