Jerry Kelly picked up his second win of the Champions Tour season last week at the Pacific Links Bear Mountain Championship. Now, the scene heads south from British Columbia in Canada to California for the PURE Insurance Championship, which takes place at Pebble Beach Golf Links and Poppy Hills Golf Course. It is split between the two courses and the field of 82 professional players will be joined by 82 junior golfers, as well as 156 amateurs, and there is no cut. There is a prize pool of $2 million for the professionals.
Details
Event: PURE Insurance Championship
Category: Champions Tour
Date: September 22nd – September 24th
Location: Pebble Beach Golf Links/Poppy Hills Golf Course, Monterey, California
The winning scores for this event, which was first played in 2004, have ranged from -9 to -15; the record was set by Craig Stadler in the tournament’s first year. Also, all but two editions of this tournament have had a margin of victory of either one or two strokes.
Past Five Winners
2016: Paul Broadhurst -11
2015: Estaban Toledo -9
2014: John Cook -11
2013: Kirk Triplett -11
2012: Kirk Triplett -10
The Field
Bernard Langer enters the week as the favorite. He finished in a tie for fifth at the Pacific Links – his latest start – which helped him stretch his lead for the Charles Schwab Cup to $400,000. Remember, he had a strong showing at this event last year as he was projected to win until Broadhurst hit a birdie while Langer was in the clubhouse.
Scott McCarron is also a player to keep in mind. He has picked up four wins on the Champions Tour this year – tied with Langer for the most. Jerry Kelly is tied with the same odds as McCarron. He’s the only rookie to win the PGA TOUR Champions this season but he’s now won twice in the last month. There are only three other golfers – Colin Montgomerie, Vijay Singh and Davis Love III – that are inside of 20/1.
What To Know About The Course
Poppy Hills is a par-71 that is 7,002 yards, while Pebble Beach is a par-72 that is 7,040 yards. Everyone knows Pebble Beach, one of the venerable courses in all of golf with legendary holes like the par-3 seventh hole and the par-5 18th hole, and it has hosted the U.S. Open six times on the PGA Tour, along with annual events on the PGA and Champion Tours. Poppy Hills used to be in the rotation for the PGA Tour event, and like Pebble Beach, it features a par-5 18th hole, which could lead to some fireworks.
A Good Matchup To Bet: Joe Durant over Billy Mayfair
Durant is rated at +105 to -125 for Mayfair, who finished T-2 at the Japan Airlines Championship. He has three top-10s in his last eight starts, but in the other five starts, he has finished outside of the top 20. Durant finished T-34 at the Japan Airlines Championship, but he has six top-20s in his last eight starts, including two top-10s, so he is slightly more consistent and that is enough to get him the nod in this matchup.
Top-Five Pick: Vijay Singh
Singh has finished in the top 20 in four of his last five starts, including a T-8 at the Shaw Charity Classic, one of three top-10s. He is also very familiar with Pebble Beach and Poppy Hills as he won the 2004 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am there. He finished T-8 at the 2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach and T-40 in 2010 there, so Singh knows how to get around there. He is also rested as he hasn’t played since the Shaw Charity Classic, so keep an eye on Singh to finish in the top five. If he can get some putts to drop, which has always been a key for him, he could win the whole thing.
Odds To Win 2017 PURE Life Championship
Bernhard Langer +605
Jerry Kelly +1015
Scott McCarron +1015
Kevin Sutherland +1015
Colin Montgomerie +1250
Vijay Singh +1550
Davis Love III +1650
Brandt Jobe +2050
Billy Mayfair +2550
David McKenzie +3050
Joe Durant +3050
Seve Flesch +3250
Bob Estes +3250
Kenny Perry +3550
Gene Sauers +3550
Woody Austin +3550
Paul Broadhurst +3550
Stephen Ames +3550
Scott Parel +3550
Scott Dunlap +4050
Lee Janzen +5050
Tom Lehman +5500
Jerry Smith +5500
Doug Garwood +5500
Kirk Triplett +5500
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