This event was one of the more contentious on last year’s tour, so it’s no surprise that many of the top players have sidestepped this one. Obviously, that also has to do with the schedule rejig. This event began its life as the Dallas Open way back in 1944, renamed as the Byron Nelson Classic in 1968.
However, the decision to move this event from Las Colinas to Trinity Forest was met with derision by some. Cottonwood was extremely popular with players and some may have felt their delicate sensibilities were being offended by a course built on the site of an old, illegal dumping site. Matt Kuchar publicly lambasted the course and you can see why some players may be phased by it.
2019 US PGA Tour | T&T Byron Nelson Classic
Trinity Forest Golf Course, Dallas, Texas
Thursday 9 May – Sunday 12 May 2019
As designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, Trinity is very much antithetical to what the players experience on tour. The onus on strategically picking apart the course means that certain lines will be preferable to others, with the middle of some fairways, not ideal locations. There is also a distinctive lack of primary rough, with waste areas awaiting those who stray extremely far off course. The heavily contoured greens will also demand much from the player in what can only be described as a thinking man’s golf course. Extremely wet conditions contributed to a birdie fest last year and conditions are once again expected to be conducive to good scoring.
Brooks Koepka will be looking to muscle this course and dominate ahead of his PGA Championship defence. Jordan Spieth is desperate for something to click in a year characterized by a complete collapse in his putting stroke. Defending champion Aaron Wise will return while there have been some encouraging signs of late for Japanese superstar Hideki Matsuyama. Elsewhere, the likes of Patrick Reed and Henrik Stenson will add some gloss to a fairly truncated field.
Past Winners
2018: Aaron Wise (-23)
2017: Billy Horschel (-12)*playoff
2016: Sergio Garcia (-15)*playoff
2015: Steven Bowditch (-18)
2014: Brendon Todd (-14)
Outrights Betting (To Win)
Brooks Koepka (13/2)
Hideki Matsuyama (16/1)
Jordan Spieth (18/1)
Aaron Wise (25/1)
Henrik Stenson (25/1)
Value Bets
Sungjae Im
To Win (40/1), To Place (17/2)
Sungjae Im dominated the Web.com Tour last season from week one. There are many in the game who have tipped him for much bigger things. He has backed that up with an excellent rookie campaign with three top-four finishes thus far this season. Only five guys teeing it up this week sit ahead of Sungjae Im in the FedEx Cup standings. Top 5’s at the Bayhill and the Valspar Championship speak to his obvious potential. He also finished in a tie for 7th at the Corales Puntacana event, highlighting his ability to take advantage of a diminished field: the Corales event was a corollary event to the WGC Match-Play.
Rory Sabbatini
To Win (50/1), To Place (11/1)
Never a stranger to controversy, Rory Sabbatini has actually been in the midst of a solid period of form. The South African – oh scratch that, Slovakian – hasn’t missed a cut since Pebble Beach, with his results really heating up over the last few weeks. He finished inside the top 10 at the RBC Heritage prior to a third-place finish at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. He followed that up with another top 20 at Quail Hollow last week. The outspoken Sabbatini won the 2009 Byron Nelson and looks a steal at 50/1.
The Man to Beat
Brooks Koepka
To Win (13/2), To Place (14/10)
Generally speaking, I try to avoid favourites, especially at this kind of price. But three-time Major Champion Koepka is a machine and loves events prior to Major Championships. He belongs to that slightly antiquated group that enjoys playing the week prior to a Major Championship. He has finished inside the top six in four of his last eight starts the week prior to a Major Championship. He also finished runner-up last time out at Augusta. One also just has to look at the courses where he has won Major Championships to see his suitability for this course. Erin Hills is similarly wide and tactical. It would also appear that the long hitters will prosper as they did last season, with uncharacteristically wet conditions likely to soften the course.
