Opinion & Analysis

2022 The Chevron Championship: Betting Picks & Selections

Published

4 years ago

Mar 30, 2022

The LPGA says farewell to Mission Hills on Sunday night.

Stalwart of the ladies major’s scene, Mission Hills has seen tournaments here since 1972, with major status added in 1983, and has established itself as having various traditions, though not in the somewhat stuffy way that Augusta has.

Since 1988, the winner has leapt into ‘Poppie’s Pond’, the pond surrounding the 18th green, and it all feels a bit like a party, the perfect way to crown the first champion of the season.

Tight enough off the tee, the event has still seen long drivers of the ball succeed – both 2014 victor Brittany Lincicome and last year’s winner, Patty Tavatanakit led the driving distance stats – but, in between those that find greens in regulation succeed.

Mirim Lee ranked 25th off the tee but 6th in GIR when winning in 2020, whilst Jin-Young Ko, So-Yeon Ryu and Lydia Ko were also very strong with their tee-to-green games.

It’s a shame that this event falls a week before Augusta and its prolonged hype, but it’s here, so we will deal with it.

Patty Tavatanakit +2000

Patty Tavatanakit Top-5 +400

Make no mistakes, Jin-Young Ko should win this event. And probably the next five too.

In imperious form and winner of six of her last ten events, and four of her last six, Ko is dominant in every aspect, leading the greens-in-reg stats for the year and ranking within the top seven for putting average – a lethal combination.

But they get beaten, and should she do so, it is hugely likely it will be by one of the classier players rather than a shock result.

The 22-year-old Thai burst onto the professional stage after a stellar junior career, becoming low amateur when tied-fifth at the 2018 US Women’s Open before winning three times from eight starts on the Symetra Tour.

After a solid rookie year, Patty opened with a fifth and 14th before her fourth start of the year saw her demolish the field in last season’s first major, then the ANA Inspiration.

Bombing it off the tee, Patty led the field off-the-tee for distance, for greens and was 14th in putting average – a lethal combination.

Taking a five-shot lead into the last day, she was never really threatened, with only former winner, Lydia Ko, going past her 54-hole score.

Since then, Patty has played well enough without being at her best. In five events on the 2022 LPGA season, she has finished 19/26/4/13/13, her worst finish ironically being after leading after day one.

Having studied at UCLA and now living in the state, Patty is comfortable with all things Californian, she will be spurred on (and might spur on) compatriot and last week’s winner, Atthaya Thitikul, continues to give it a good whack off the tee-peg and ranks first for putting average through the year.

Away from the hot favourite, Patty looks one of the best chances of success.

Charley Hull Top 10 +200

Very little would give more pleasure to this Brit than seeing Charley Hull lift the large-eared silver jug on Sunday.

The 26-year-old from Kettering is an absolute inspiration to so many young girls coming through the grades at home, and it’s certainly about time that she won another event, some six years after her only LPGA tour win at the season-ending CME Tour Championship, where she beat previous ANA champion So-Yeon Ryu by two shots.

It’s not a lack of effort. Known as one of the hardest working players on the tour, this tricky course seems to work for her with her eight tries being rewarded with a seventh place in 2014 (fourth into Sunday), a closing one shot defeat by Lydia Ko in 2016, and a further two top-10s, one 12th and a 14th place.

2022 form is excellent with a fourth and 11th in Florida, and she negated any worries after the withdrawal from the HSBC in Singapore with a seventh place at last week’s JTBC Classic.

Looking at the round by round figures, Charley hasn’t been out of the first 11 places in all her rounds in completed tournaments (11 in total) and perhaps comes here inspired and determined by sporting rival Georgia Hall’s latest victory.

Charley lacks a little in the short game department but is unlikely to give up when the conditions ask for a bit more effort. However, with neither recent champions Ryu and Lydia Ko ranking inside of the top-20 for putting average, her recent top-6 ranking off the tee and constant quality tee-to-green game – fourteenth, first and fifth – in her last three for GIR – can see her challenge on the front of the board.

Opinion & Analysis

5 Things We Learned: Thursday at the PGA Championship

Published

2 weeks ago

May 15, 2026

Ronald Montesano

Aronimink is not a storied club, but when Donald Ross himself proclaimed it to be as good as he can design and build, one had to take notice. Jay Sigel was the pre-eminent male amateur golfer from the mid-1970s to the mid-1990s. He might have called any number of Philadelphia clubs home, but he chose Aronimink. It served him well. Gary Player won a PGA Championship here in 1962, and was followed by the 1993 winner … nobody. Aronimink gave that event away to Inverness, for reasons of which it is certainly not proud. So be it. We had to wait sixty-four years for the PGA to return to Newtown Square, but here we are. Aronimink has been neo-restored by Gil Hanse and team, to return Ross features with an eye toward defense against the dark arts, errrr, high-tech equipment.

Day one saw Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau dig big holes, to the tune of plus-four and plus-six, respectively. Since the first-round lead will be minus-three at worst, many shots will need to be made up for the power couple to reach contention. By nightfall, seven golfers held the day-one lead at three-under par 67. Shots and sticks caught our attention, and we are proud to present Five Things We Learned on Tech Thursday at the 2026 PGA Championship. Thanks to InsideTourGolfer, Today’s Golfer, and GolfWRX for initial equipment research.

First, meet Min Woo Lee

Min Woo Lee, aka Dr. Chipinski, has once again thrust himself into the conversation of Can he, will he, when will he? Lee has so much talent, wins not nearly as often as we believe that he should, and has no major near-misses (much less titles) on his wiki. The young Aussie is getting older and wiser, but is he able to avoid the scarring that holds the older and wiser back from breaking through? Philadelphia offers another opportunity. Min Woo signed for five birdies and two bogeys on day one, and grabbed a share of the opening-day lead at Aronimink. Winners transcend history and the moment, and Lee will need that sort of ascent to lift the Wannamaker on Sunday.

Second, meet Aldrich Potgeiter

The young South African golfer can rip driver with the best of them. Aronimink tips out at nearly 7400 yards, but beyond the fairway bunkers that ensnare only the mortals, Potgeiter can take his chances with wedge from the rough. On Thursday, he spent plenty of time in the spinach. Like Popeye, he used his muscles to gouge and thrash and dig his way out. Six birdies against three bogeys on the card brought AP in a three deep.

Third, meet Martin Kaymer

Not a major event takes place without a where’s he been throwback moment. We know that Martin Kaymer left the PGA and DP World tours for LIV golf, but the two-time (US Open and PGA) major winner has a lifetime exemption into at least one major event, and he seizes the opportunity each May. Kaymer joined the six-seven brigade with four birdies and a solitary bogey on day one. Kaymer was never a long hitter, and the years are kind to no golfer. The German champion will need to uncork every bottle of guile and strategy in his cabinet to remain in contention. For today, though, he occupies a rung on the ladder of Tour Tech.

Fourth, meet Scottie Scheffler

Let’s see, he’s the defending champion at the PGA, and he found his way back to the top tier with five birdies against two bogeys. To be a favorite and then play up to that stature and expectation is quite difficult. Just ask Rory, Bryson, and some of the other pre-tournament heartthrobs. Scheffler’s game is complete, and to knock him off the OWGR #1 pedestal, one needs to defeat him at the majors. Aronimink is the sort of course that fits Scheffler’s game. Better yet, it unfits the game of many of his challengers. Don’t expect Scheffler to go away anytime soon. Come Sunday, he’ll be around.

Fifth, meet Stephan Jaeger

Clocking in for the unheralded players shift are Ryo Hisatsune and Stephan Jaeger. Hisatsune logged seven birdies on day one, but gave most of them back with four bogeys. Still, he’s tied at the top for a time. Jaeger pitched five birdies against two bogeys, including a run of three consecutive, from holes four through six. Odds are that one of the two will hang around through 36 holes. Odds also suggest that both will be gone by Saturday evening. Still, the PGA Championship has historically been the major most likely to be won by an under-known. Both Hisatsune and Jaeger feature on that list, so good luck, lads!

Club Junkie

Club Junkie’s Titleist GTS driver fitting results!

Published

2 weeks ago

May 14, 2026

Brian Knudson

On this episode of the Club Junkie Podcast, I head to the Titleist Performance Institute for a full driver fitting with the new Titleist GTS lineup. We dive into the fitting process, talk about what made the biggest difference in performance, and break down how the different GTS heads and shaft combinations compare on the launch monitor. If you are thinking about a new driver setup for this season, there is a lot to take away from this one.

I also get into Brooks Koepka and the gear setup he brought to the PGA Championship, including the putters that caught my eye during the week. There are some interesting equipment trends showing up at the highest level right now and we break down what stands out.

To wrap things up, I talk about reshafting a few wedges, what I learned during the process, and swapping an adaptor onto a new shaft for another build project in the shop. A gear packed episode from start to finish for anyone who loves golf equipment and club building.

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Club Junkie

Club Junkie WITB, week 16: New Titleist GTS woods!

Published

2 weeks ago

May 14, 2026

Brian Knudson

Excited for this week’s WITB as we get to add the new Titleist GTS woods to the bag! I was fit at Titleist’s TPI facility in Oceanside California a few weeks ago and my new clubs just showed up. I am also adding a cool set of irons that I built last year some wild custom wedges into a new golf bag. Speaking of the bag I have a new Ghost Anyday Black Ops stand bag that I will be using on my Motocaddy Remote M7 electric cart.

Driver: Titleist GTS3 (11 degrees @ 10.25)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Red 6s

3-wood: Titleist GT1 3Tour (14.5 degrees)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD CQ-7s

5-wood: Titleist GTS (18 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Red 7s

9-wood: Titleist GT1 (24 degress)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Red 7s

Irons: Bettinardi CB24 (5-PW)
Shafts: KBS C-Taper Lite 110 stiff

Wedge: TaylorMade MG5 (50-09 SB)
Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT 125 Stiff

Wedge: TaylorMade MG5 (56-12 SB)
Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT 125 Stiff

Wedge: TaylorMade MG5 (60-08 LB)
Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT 125 Stiff

Putter: Dan Carraher ZT Proto

Ball: Callaway Chrome Tour

Bag: Ghost Anyday Black Ops Stand Bag