Jon Rahm was glaring at spectators and generally in a foul mood through two rounds of the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow last week, eventually missing the cut by two shots. The Spaniard will now be hoping to use the AT&T Byron Nelson to find some form for next week’s US PGA Championship.
Maybe Rahm is finding life as a father difficult – his first child was born just before the Masters – and a lack of sleep is getting to him. For whatever reason, he failed to sparkle at Quail Hollow, but the world number three had strung together a series of consistently good results prior to that flop and will still be a popular selection at 7/1 for the Byron Nelson.
The previous tournament in which Rahm missed a cut was the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial – the first post-lockdown PGA Tour gathering. He failed to finish in the top 20 in his subsequent three starts, but then won the Memorial at Muirfield Village.
Dangerous DeChambeau Employing Home Advantage
Bryson DeChambeau had an adventurous week at Quail Hollow, but it ended on a high and the cocksure Californian can be expected to make a significant impact in the AT&T Byron Nelson at TPC Craig Ranch.
DeChambeau thought he had missed the Wells Fargo cut, so jetted to his Dallas home, only to discover he had sneaked through to the weekend on the mark. A hasty early-morning return to North Carolina followed, then a pair of 68s over the weekend which saw him rocket up to ninth place.
His Dallas residence comes in handy this week, with the Tour just outside of the city, and he knows the TPC Craig Ranch venue much better than most of the field. The course lends itself to his style of play – it is long and wide-open – so DeChambeau can fully unleash his enormous power.
Texan Jordan Spieth has suffered with Covid since the Masters and seems likely to be rusty, so the 17/2 about DeChambeau appears golden value.
Scheffler May Be Ready For Tour Breakthrough
The main threat to DeChambeau backers may come from another Dallas-based PGA Tour star – Scottie Scheffler. The powerful Texan is well suited to Craig Ranch, which was softened by thunderstorms earlier in the week.
Scheffler is an imperious ball-striker who can cut this giant layout down to size and he will fancy his chances of claiming a maiden PGA Tour title on Sunday.
The 24-year-old finished runner-up in the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play at the end of March, beating Jon Rahm and other big names before losing the final to Billy Horschel.
Scheffler has had the scent of a Ryder Cup debut in his nostrils since his Match Play heroics and fourth place in last year’s US PGA Championship, provided further evidence that he has developed into an elite player.
The 18/1 Scheffler seems a solid each-way alternative to the shorter odds about DeChambeau.
*All odds correct at time of writing.