PGA Tour: CJ Cup top five sleeper picks
Chez Reavie has been a sleeper pick favorite of mine in recent weeks as he keeps chugging along with quality finishes. The 35-year-old Kansan hasn’t slammed his trunk on a Friday since the AT&T Byron Nelson back in May. Even there he only missed by one!
Reavie hasn’t gotten a lot of TV time seeing as he’s placed no better than T4 all year, but he’s been a model of consistency. His last three finishes are T12 at the BMW Championship, T13 at the Safeway Open and T17 at the CIMB Classic. Not counting the no-cut BMW, Reavie’s made 12 cuts in a row.
He posted 11 top-25s in 2016-17, including a T16 at the U.S. Open and T22 at the PGA Championship in his two major championship appearances.
Accuracy off the tee seems more advantageous than length this week, which plays into Reavie’s game. He was 149th in distance and fourth in accuracy off the tee last season. While not a birdie-making machine, Reavie was 32nd in scoring average and won’t shoot himself out of the tournament.
Reavie is above average in all major strokes gained categories except for around-the-green. If Reavie can keep pace in what could be another birdie fest like last week, he could be on the way to putting it all together for his second career PGA Tour victory nine years after his first.