A Military Tribute at the Greenbrier: Top 10 power rankings
The PGA Tour begins the 2019-20 season at a Military Tribute at the Greenbrier, a tournament moved from the summer to the fall.
The PGA Tour is asking “Did you miss us?” It’s been a whole three weeks since the 2018-2019 season concluded at the Tour Championship and the 2019-2020 season begins here at A Military Tribute at the Greenbrier.
This event originated in 2010 and has been held every year, save for 2016 due to floods, at the Old White TPC course.
This was formerly a mid-summer tournament before moving to the fall for the first time in 2019.
The Old White opened in 1914 and was extended to 7,287 yards in 2013. The par-70 layout sits at 1,850 feet above sea level, so players will get some extra juice throughout the bag.
The course had to undergo a lot of post-flood renovations… Some sight lines and other changes are visible, but it still plays relatively similar. It’s a below-average difficulty course on Tour and one where short and long hitters can thrive. The fairways are generous and the course is generally pretty soft.
Stats to watch include strokes gained tee to green, par-4 scoring, approaches 200-250 yards (three par-3s at this length) and SG approach.
Birdie or better percentage is also useful as you have to be willing to go low here. The winning score was 19-under in 2018 and has been 10-under or better in all eight tournament playings. That’s pretty low for a par-70.
The weather forecast is dry with temperatures in the 80s until the last few tournament days when rain could fall.
The field isn’t too star-laden. Most big names are waiting for later in the fall with free money grabs in Asia and more notable stateside events in Vegas, for example.
Plus, with the Race to Dubai getting down to the end on the European Tour, some Europeans like Paul Casey are across the pond.
These next several weeks are prime opportunities for Korn Ferry Tour graduates to cut their teeth and get some starts under their belts.
Let’s dig into 10 players who could come away with the trophy this week in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.