We'll jump back in with another look at the upcoming Korn Ferry Tour event this week as the developmental circuit leaves Florida and heads west for this week's Utah Championship.
This geographical change makes analyzing recent form pretty tough as players will have to adjust to the high altitude. It doesn't really matter how well they were playing the last two weeks if they can't figure out their distance control.
This week, the KFT plays at Oakridge Country Club, which measures out to be around 7,000 yards for a par 71. At altitude, this is a pitch-and-putt for these players. Cameron Champ opened with rounds of 61 and 64 on his way to 24-under par for his win two years ago.
The only real defense here is the wind, which coupled with altitude adjustments, can give the players some issues on their approach.
Travelers Championship Promos!
- Win $100 if Bryson DeChambeau makes just ONE birdie all week
- Get a FREE $25 bet on Justin Thomas to win the Travelers
Davis Riley (+5000)
I'll always bet Riley on this tour. He's coming off a sixth-place finish a week ago and finished 20th here last year. At the very least, he's shown he can play solid golf at altitude.
The numbers never match the talent level with this guy, so he'll continue to be an auto-play each week.
John Chin (80-1)
Chin has struggled to find his form since the restart, but he's shown the ability to compete on this tour with back-to-back top-3 finishes prior to the hiatus.
This course has suited his eye in the past, finishing 13th three years ago.
Joshua Creel (+10000)
Creel finished 21st last week and it was his first start since play resumed, so he was able to shake off the rust pretty quickly.
Creel sparks my interest at this number because he's a Wyoming native accustomed to playing at altitude. He showed that ability a year ago when he finished second after losing in a playoff here to Kristoffer Ventura.
Patrick Fishburn (+12500)
I'll also take a local flier here on Fishburn, a KFT rookie and Utah native who played his college golf at BYU.
His best result this season was a fourth-place finish at Bogata, another high-altitude tournament in Colombia.
Fishburn missed the cut in his first start back last week, but I'm a little less concerned about that given he'll be headed to more familiar surroundings.
John Oda (+12500)
Oda isn't as long as most of the up-and-coming stars on this tour, so the shorter course will give him a better chance to compete.
The Hawaii native usually puts up his best results in the island tournaments like the Bahamas, but he's a UNLV alum so he should be pretty accustomed to these conditions.
Daniel Miernicki (+20000)
Miernicki popped up on the radar with some decent results on the Outlaw Tour and he finished 16th last week so he's carried that form over to the Korn Ferry Tour.
Miernicki played most of his golf out west, so at this price, I'll take a chance that he finds Utah to his liking and can get into contention.
Utah Championship Card
- Davis Riley +5000 (.66 units)
- John Chin +8000 (.41 units)
- Joshua Creel +10000 (.33 units)
- Patrick Fishburn +12500 (.26 units)
- John Oda +12500 (.26 units)
- Daniel Miernicki +20000 (.17 units)
Total Stake: 2.09 units
