Power Rankings: LECOM Suncoast Classic
2 Min Read
Written by Mike Glasscott
The Korn Ferry Tour returns to the States this week after four consecutive weeks playing in exotic international destinations. There's something to be said when the fifth event of the season takes the northernmost point of play to date and yet sits south of Tampa Bay!
The Commander Course at Lakewood National will host for the fourth consecutive edition. For the second straight year it will play as Par-71. The first two editions were 36-36 on the card.
| Lakewood National Golf Club | Commander Course |
| Yards (per official scorecard): | 7,113 |
| Par: | 71 (36-35) |
| Greens: | TifEagle Bermuda over-seeded with Poa Trivialis; 8,200 square feet on average. |
| Stimpmeter: | 12' |
| Rough: | Celebration Bermuda at 2". |
| Bunkers/Water Hazards: | 57/21 (Water in play on 14 holes). |
| Architects: | Arnold Palmer Design (2016). |
| Purse: | $750,000; $135,000 winner plus 500 KFT points. |
| Defending Champion (event): | Hayden Buckley (-13; 271; not entered). |
| Tournament Record: | 262; Mark Hubbard, 2019 (not entered). |
| Tournament Course Record: | 62; Albin Choi (Round 1, 2021). |
POWER RANKINGS
| RANK | PLAYER | COMMENT | ||
From the jungles of Panama and Columbia to the marshlands of Sarasota County, a new challenge awaits the field this week at Lakewood National. Missing the generous fairways (45 acres!) will come with stern penalties of water, marshes, sand and Bermuda rough. Recovery shots and perfect drives will be staring at massive Bermuda greens, some of the biggest on Tour. Attacking the proper tiers will keep putting numbers reasonable and add circles to the card.
The track was changed to par-71 last year but still has four, par-5 holes and three, par-3 holes to navigate. EVERYONE scores well on the par-5 holes but the par-3 holes will reward the accurate ball-strikers. Putting massive greens will be enjoyed by those who love Bermuda.
The Commander Course at Lakewood National has been busy in the previous three editions. The maiden voyage in 2019, after opening in 2017, was firm and fast but the top 42 KFT pros were all 10-under or better with the top five 20-under or better.
The scorecards weren't bothered much in the 2020 edition as the winning score dropped to 23-under but the overall scoring dropped half of a shot. The top six were 20-under or better with the top 42 again double digits under par.
The 2021 edition saw just the top 10 player reach 10-under as the LECOM Suncoast Classic was the first event since 2020 October. Hayden Buckley (-13) only made three bogeys for the week and defeated Armstrong and Montgomery in a playoff.
| Year | Course ranking (KFT) | Scoring average |
| 2021 | No. 20 of 48 | 70.675 |
| 2020 | No. 40 of 48 | 69.724 |
| 2019 | No. 25 of 29 | 70.349 |
With four events already in the books and the weather seasonably warm, I would look for scores to start inching back towards the 20-under range. With not even an inch of rain for February, balls in the fairway should keep rollin' and wedges will need to be dialed in.
Last Week's Results
No. 10 - Mark Anderson - T54
No. 9 - John VanDerLaan - MC
No. 8 - Taylor Montgomery - T13
No. 7 - Brandon Matthews - WIN
No. 6 - Eric Cole - T7
No. 5 - Erik Barnes - T59
No. 4 - Marcelo Rozo - MC
No. 3 - Ben Taylor - T21
No. 2 - Zecheng Dou - MC
No. 1 - Carl Yuan - MC
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out through Twitter or email me at mikeglasscott@gmail.com.
