Power Rankings: The McGladrey Classic

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Oct. 11, 2011
By Rob Bolton, PGATOUR.COM Fantasy Columnist

The PGA TOUR makes its fourth and final stop of the year in the state of Georgia this week for the second edition of The McGladrey Classic. It boasts an exceptionally deep field that will be navigating the Seaside Course at Sea Island Resort in St. Simons Island.

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Seaside ranked as the fifth-easiest par 70 in its debut last year with a scoring average of 69.366, so it's gettable but it's not without its trouble. The 7,000-square-foot Bermuda greens were the sixth-least challenging to hit in regulation; golfers averaging 75 percent for the week ranked outside the top 50 (of 73 that completed 72 holes). And although the track ranked a benign 38th in fairways hit, a deeper evaluation suggests that course management deserves attention.

To wit, of 12 splits in proximity to the hole from the rough, Seaside ranked inside the top-seven longest in nine. Compare that to proximity of fairway approaches where none of the ranges cracked the top 12; it was 21st or higher in eight. In the aggregate, it sat fourth in proximity from the rough and 29th from the fairway.

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It's not that guys will lose shots if they don't hit the fairway -- it's that they're more likely to lose strokes against the field on this course specifically without overcompensating elsewhere. Defending champion Heath Slocum missed only 11 (of 56) fairways, ranking fourth for the week. He also tied for seventh in greens in regulation, missing only 13 of 72. Meanwhile, runner-up Bill Haas couldn't find 21 fairways, but he failed to hit only seven greens, leading the field.

A persistent threat of inclement weather early in the week moves out just in time for the opening round, if not sooner. Sunny and dry conditions are forecast throughout the tournament. Thursday's high temperature will spike in the mid-80s, but the highs for the remainder of the week will camp out near 80 degrees. Winds might be moderate, but potentially a tad tricky along the coast.

Power Rankings: The McGladrey Classic

Rank	Player		Comment
		Webb SIMPSON	Rested since the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola. Ten top-10s this year. Remains first in the all-around. Sits $68,971 in arrears of idle money leader, Luke Donald; a two-way T15 would move Simpson into first. Season's top earner gets five-year exemption.
		Charles HOWELL III	Closed out a share of sixth here last year with a bogey-free 62, the current course record. Had only two holes over par all week. Also ranked first in distance and T5 in greens. Currently 22nd on TOUR in GIR. Placed T6 in last start at East Lake.
		David TOMS	Tied for third place here last year, ranking inside the top 10 in greens hit and putting. Coming off a T10 at the BMW Championship and T16 at the TOUR Championship. Ranks fifth on TOUR in fairways hit and sixth in greens in regulation.
		Matt KUCHAR	Finished sixth in the FedExCup, but didn't contend in the last three events. Currently sixth on the money list, highest among this year's non-winners. Has 18 top 25s in 23 starts on TOUR in 2011. Rock-solid in all splits tee-to-cup.
		Bo VAN PELT	Polished off a T6 here last year with a pair of 66s on the weekend. Carded only five holes over par all week. Posted two top-10s in the Playoffs, including a solo ninth at East Lake. Ranks eighth on TOUR in total driving and 27th in GIR.
		Graeme MCDOWELL	Making his debut in a Fall Series. Coming off a share of third place at the Dunhill Links, his first top 10 in a stroke-play anywhere since March. In his post-tournament presser in Scotland, a joyous G-Mac cited that he's "turned the corner."
		Robert ALLENBY	First start since being named a Captain's Pick for the Internationals in the Presidents Cup. Finished T12 at the BMW Championship in his last appearance. Tied for third here last year after double-bogeying the 72nd hole. Ranks 37th in GIR.
		Kyle STANLEY	Arguably the most successful rookie without a win. Picked up his fourth top-10 in eight starts with a T10 in Vegas. Ranks 24th on TOUR in greens in regulation. Sits a lowly 175th in Strokes Gained-Putting, but a lofty 12th in birdie average.
		Bryce MOLDER	Emerged with his first PGA TOUR victory from that epic, six-hole playoff at CordeValle on Sunday. He led the field in putting and played his final 49 holes (including the playoff) in bogey-free 18-under. Five top 10s in last nine starts.
		Rickie FOWLER	Arrives on the heels of a convincing six-stroke victory in South Korea, his first as a professional. Not a superb fit on paper for Seaside, this is an acknowledgement to what had to have been a fulfilling and confidence-boosting experience in Asia.