Power Rankings: Lake Charles Championship
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BROUSSARD, LOUISIANA - MARCH 20: Justin Suh hits a tee shot on the fourth hole during the final round of the Chitimacha Louisiana Open presented by MISTRAS at Le Triomphe G&CC on March 20, 2022 in Broussard, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
Written by Mike Glasscott
It's take two on the Bayou, as the Korn Ferry Tour shifts from Broussard, Louisiana, 84 miles west on Interstate 10 to Lake Charles for this week's inaugural Lake Charles Championship.
Originally announced in August 2019 for a March 2020 date, the event was cancelled by COVID-19 on the first attempt. The rescheduled event for 2021 was wiped out by a duo of hurricanes (Delta and Laura) and was pushed back to March of this year. Finally, Lady Luck is shining brightly and as the saying goes, the third time is a charm.
A field of 156 will tackle Todd Eckenrode's 2015 creation, which is framed by the Calcasieu River and Indian Bay. On the line this week is a prize pool of $735,000, with the winner enjoying $135,000.
| Yards (per official scorecard): | 6,940 |
| Par: | 71(36-35). |
| Greens: | Mini-Verde Bermuda; Approximately 5,500 square feet on average. |
| Stimpmeter: | Tournament speed. |
| Rough: | Celebration Bermuda at 2 to 2.5". |
| Purse: | $750,000; $135,000 winner plus 500 KFT points. |
| Defending Champion: | Inaugural event. |
POWER RANKINGS
| RANK | PLAYER | COMMENT | ||
Golf in Louisiana at this level usually has plenty of marsh and bayou to navigate. Eckenrode's design here has incorporated almost a links-style layout as the sandy knolls prop up the track, enhancing the views and minimizing the marsh. The course snakes along an inland canal and also features a handful of tight driving holes with Loblolly pines framing the action.
Generous landings areas, hey, it's a resort course, are also bordered by waste areas which gobble up errant tee shots before the bayou. Room to swing it off the tee means the Mini Verde targets from the fairways shouldn't be enormous targets.
The last four holes run along the bay and river and, if the wind blows, should force quality shots to win the golf tournament.
The par-3 holes are short by TOUR standards, but the par-5 holes according to the card have meat on the bone.
Familiarity has its advantages and so does unfamiliarity. The cream usually finds a way to the top when all things are equal, and that's my angle this week.
Lake Charles has received several inches of rain over the last seven days, which should soften the course into tournament action. Sunshine and breezes from four different directions during four rounds of play will reward the steadier ball-strikers of the group, at least this week.
Last Week's Results
No. 10 - Julian Etulain - T64
No. 9 - MJ Daffue - T51
No. 8 - Eric Cole - MC
No. 7 - Martin Contini - MC
No. 6 - Scott Harrington - MC
No. 5 - Mark Hubbard- Sat two back after 36 before cashing T5.
No. 4 - Peter Uihlein – 54-hole leader lost in a playoff; playing Corales Puntacana Championship this week.
No. 3 - Marty Dou - T55 as 76 on Saturday blew away his chances.
No. 2 - Ben Griffin - MC 75-66. I'm not letting ONE poor round slow me down.
No. 1 - Justin Lower - T21 with 21 birdies (T2); playing Corales this week.
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out through Twitter or email me at mikeglasscott@gmail.com.
