Power Rankings: Hoag Classic
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PHOENIX, AZ - NOVEMBER 12: Ernie Els of South Africa smiles while walking off the ninth green during the second round of the PGA TOUR Champions Charles Schwab Cup Championship at Phoenix Country Club on November 12, 2021 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)
The third of three consecutive weeks of competition will take us into a month-long break after the test at venerable Newport Beach Country Club.
The Hoag Classic returns after a 2021 COVID-19 absence, and 2020 winner Ernie Els is back to defend his title.
| Yards (per official scorecard): | 6,612 |
| Par: | 71 (35-36) |
| Greens: | Poa annua; 4,100 square feet on average. |
| Stimpmeter: | 12 feet. |
| Rough: | Kikuyu and Poa annua at 1.5". |
| Bunkers/Water Hazards | 65/2 (water in play on two holes). |
| Architects: | William Bell & Sons (1954). |
| Purse: | $2 million; $300,000 winner. |
| Defending Champion: | Ernie Els (-16). |
| Tournament Course Record: | 60; Tom Purtzer. |
| Tournament Scoring Record: | 20-under; Duffy Waldorf (2015). |
POWER RANKINGS
| RANK | PLAYER | COMMENT | ||
Newport Beach Country Club adds a new dimension to PGA TOUR Champions this week as tiny greens and Poa annua enter the 2022 portion of the schedule. Florida marshes were replaced by High Sonoran desert last week and now it's time for coastal Poa annua to decide the winner!
California and West Coast natives will enjoy the return to the familiar grass this week on a very familiar track. NBCC has hosted this event since 1996, so the yardage books and green maps will have value again this week.
Playing just 6,612 yards (par-71), NBCC was the shortest on PGA TOUR Champions in 2020. With greens averaging only 4,100 square feet as well, it's hard not to think of the Pebble Beach comparison. The defense this week will be the coastal breezes, as the rough only stands an inch and a half of Kikuyu and Poa. Ernie Els led the field in GIR in 2020 but was T75 in driving accuracy, so it's obvious which is more important.
Els’ mark of 16-under in 2020 was six better than 2019 champ Kirk Triplett and five better than 2018 victor Vijay Singh. Duffy Waldorf set the scoring mark of 20-under in 2015.
Temperatures don't get out of the 50s on Friday as rain is expected. Westerly winds of 20 mph and similar cool temps follow on Saturday, while Sunday returns to the 60s. Barely.
It's going to feel like Scotland in the summer!
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Cologuard Classic Results - Last Week
10. Mark O'Meara - DNS
9. Scott Parel - Fifth
8. Ernie Els - T20
7. Retief Goosen - T64
6. Tim Petrovic - T9
5. Jim Furyk - T25
4. Steven Alker - T20
3. Bernhard Langer - T2
2. Miguel Angel Jimenez - WIN
1. Kevin Sutherland - T13
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