Barbasol Championship power rankings (Who are the best golfers at Keene Trace Golf Club?)
The Scottish Open isn't the only co-sanctioned event between the DP World Tour and the PGA Tour this week. There's also one on American soil, the Barbasol Championship.
This week's field is underwhelming, I'm going to be honest. Most of the golfers who are competing in next week's Open Championship will be either competing at the Scottish Open or getting practice in at Royal Liverpool. But, this week does award the final entry to the last major of the season, so there's a lot on the line.
The weak field also means it's anyone's tournament to win. To start things off, I'm going to rank the top 10 golfers to win this week based on both the betting odds and my personal evaluation.
Let's dive into it.
Barbasol Championship Power Rankings
1) Peter Kuest +2500
Peter Kuest has taken on the PGA Tour by storm, earning special temporary membership by making the most of his sponsorship exemptions. He has finished T17 or better in three of his last four starts, including a T4 finish at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. Now, with an extremely weak field, he might just be the man to beat this week.
2) Akshay Bhatia +3300
Akshay Bhatia is still young in his pro golf career, but he has been exciting to watch and has shown flashes of greatness. He can't compete against the big guns yet, but he has proven to be a man to watch in weaker field events. He finished in 2nd place at the Puerto Rico Open this season and 4th place at the Mexico Open.
3) Taylor Pendrith +1400
I'm going to go ahead and trust the oddsmakers know what they're talking about this week setting Taylor Pendrith as the betting favorite, but his recent form is a cause for concern. Sure, he finished T14 last week, but he missed two straight cuts prior to that.
4) Carl Yuan +4000
Carl Yuan has flashed his name near the top of the leaderboard at times over the past few weeks. He finished T18 at the Canadian Open and T14 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. He is another name who has been in strong form that can take advantage of a weak field.
5) Lucas Glover +2000
The 2009 US Open winner, Lucas Glover, likes to pop his name back into relevancy for a few weeks period once a season or two. We're in the middle of the 2023 Glover resurgence now after he posted a T4 finish at the Rocket Mortgage Classic and a T6 finish at the John Deere Classic.
He certainly has the experience to get it done this week.
6) Kevin Streelman +3000
Kevin Streelman was the runner-up at this event last year, finishing one stroke back from the winner, Trey Mullinax. He hasn't been in great form lately, but maybe a return to a familiar course is exactly what he needs to sort his game out.
7) Cameron Champ +4000
If there's one thing you can count on, it's Cameron Champ driving the ball further than anyone else in the field this week. Sure, the rest of his game stinks right now, but maybe his distance off the tee is enough to give him a significant advantage in a weak field.
8) Troy Merritt +3300
Troy Merritt is coming off back-to-back T17 finishes, so his game is clearly rounding into form. While historically a strong putter, it's his short game that has held him back recently. If he can find the magic in his flat stick once again, he's a strong contender to come out on top.
9) Justin Lower +4000
Justin Lower finished T25 at the RBC Canadian Open and followed it up with a solo 8th finish at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. He also finished T8 at this event last year. Strong recent form and a good course history makes his name worth considering.
10) Peter Malnati +5000
Peter Malnati is the face of the average golfer on the PGA Tour, and a T9 finish at the Rocket Mortgage Classic is a promising sign for him as he enter the final stretch of the season.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change