Power Rankings: Huntsville Championship
3 Min Read
Written by Mike Glasscott
The Korn Ferry Tour returns to Alabama for the second edition of the Huntsville Championship at The Ledges Golf Course.
Paul Barjon defeated Mito Pereira and Billy Kennerly in a playoff to claim the inaugural victory on the Dr. Michael Hurdzan track. None of the players from last year's playoff are in the field in 2022.
The field of 156 is chasing a prize pool of $735,000 with the winner enjoying $135,000.
| Yards (per official scorecard): | 7,114 |
| Par: | 70 (35-35). |
| Greens: | A-1 Bentgrass; No approximate square footage listed. |
| Stimpmeter: | 11.5 feet. |
| Rough: | 419 Bermuda at 1.5 inches. |
| Bunkers/Water Penalty Areas | 45/6 (in play on 3 holes). |
| Defending Champion: | Paul Barjon (not entered). |
| 72 Hole Tournament Record: | Paul Barjon, Mito Pereira and Billy Kennerly (-15; 269). |
| Course Record (last): | 63; Billy Kennerly, Round 4. Cameron Young, Round 3. Adam Svensson, Round 2. |
POWER RANKINGS
| RANK | PLAYER | COMMENT | ||
Just Missed
Rob Oppenheim, Michael Johnson, Alex Weiss, TJ Vogel
The aptly named Ledges Golf Course sits on top the highest point in Huntsville and will test the nerves and resolve of the best players on the Korn Ferry Tour again in 2022.
Only 10 players posted 10-under or better on the Par-71 during the debut event as clubbing the elevation (almost 1,600 feet above sea level) and navigating the putting surfaces proved a stern challenge.
After having the chance to swing it in Arlington last time out The Ledges will provide a different game plan. With only 27 acres of fairway, the targets off the tee are noticeably smaller this week and the penalty greater. With ridge lines constantly in play as hazards proper misses will be the angle this week.
Bentgrass greens will make an appearance for the first time in 2022. Known for their smooth rolling surfaces the trick this week will be navigating which of the two valleys will pull which putts in which directions.
Less than two inches of rough off the fairway will allow for recovery shots and scrambling but the collars and approach areas will be new, firm TifTuf Bermuda. Scrambling
The Par-71 features three Par-5 holes and five Par-3 holes to keep the pros on their toes. The top 10 players last year on the leaderboard accounted for exactly one round over par for the week. Only 22 players squared less than 10 bogeys for the week.
There were only nine bogey-free rounds total last year as the inaugural event ranked 10th-most difficult in the wrap around season.
Mother Nature will provide cool air early in the week but seasonable temperatures return for tournament days. Benign breezes will barely ruffle the flags before the cut Friday but a thunderstorm could be possible Sunday.
Last Week's Results
No. 10 - Tyson Alexander - WINNER
Became the only champion to defend in the history of the Korn Ferry Tour, which dates back to 1990.
No. 9 - Paul Haley II - MC
No. 8 - Nicholas Echavarria - T7
No. 7 - Carl Yuan - MC
No. 6 - MJ Daffue - T26
No. 5 - Marty Zecheng Dou - T26
No. 4 - Erik Barnes/Eric Cole - T26 each
No. 3 - Ben Griffin - T58
No. 2 - Mark Hubbard - T12
No. 1 - Justin Suh - T7
Just Missed
Sean O'Hair - mc, Martin Contini - T46, Peter Uihlein - DNS, Grant Hirschman - mc, Ben An - T2
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out through Twitter or email me at mikeglasscott@gmail.com.
