Power Rankings: NV5 Invitational
3 Min Read
Written by Mike Glasscott
One event. One week. One weekend. One putt.
It all can change and that's exactly what happened last week in Kansas City.
Trevor Cone picked up his second career victory on the Korn Ferry Tour as he holed an 18-footer on the final hole to win by a shot.
He hadn't finished better than T45 this season and his last top 10 was T9 in Bogota in 2020, a span of 45 events.
That's it.
That's what the code we're trying to crack every week!
Hold on with both hands as we try to indentify the next Mito Pereira, Cameron Young or Will Zalatoris.
I bet you noticed them on the first page of the leaderboard all day Sunday at Southern Hills!
Speaking of Young, he took the title in Kansas City last year on KFT, came to the Chicago suburbs and won for the second week in a row. #Clues.
He's not here to defend this week and neither is 2019 winner Scottie Scheffler as The Glen Club hosts for the third time in four years. The 2020 edition was held at the Chicago Highlands Golf Club and won't be much use this week.
As is usual this season, the prize pool will be $750,000 with the winner enjoying $135,000 and inching closer to the PGATOUR.
The Glen Club
| Yards (per official scorecard): | 7,225 |
| Par: | 71 (36-35). |
| Greens: | G2 Bentgrass; 7,000 square feet on average. |
| Stimpmeter: | Tournament speed. |
| Rough: | Fescue, Bluegrass approaching three inches. |
| Bunkers/Water Penalty Areas | 55/8 (in play on six holes). |
| Defending Champion: | Cameron Young (-18; not entered). |
| 72 Hole Tournament Record (course): | 26 (-18); Cameron Young (2021). |
| Course Record (last): | 62; Ollie Schniederjans (2021; Round 4). |
POWER RANKINGS
| RANK | PLAYER | COMMENT | ||
Tom Fazio's design on a former Naval Air Station base takes center stage for the third time in 2022. The inaugural event in 2019, known as the Evans Scholars Invitational, played to Par-72. Upon return in 2021 Hole No. 14 was converted to a Par-4 hole while remaining 540 yards on the scorecard.
It's no surprise that the conversion didn't help scoring as the 2021 edition ranked the third most difficult on KFT. The top 30 players in 2019 were 10-under or better and that number dropped to the top FOUR players in 2021. The 2019 edition ranked the 18th most difficult on KFT.
With only 26 acres of fairway to catch tee shots accurate tee balls will be in play this week. Bentgrass greens checking in at 7,000 square feet on average will allow room for recovery shots but will be tricky to putt, like most Fazio tracks.
The four Par-3 holes face four different directions so the wind around the Windy City will make for challenging one-shot holes. Of the four holes, three play 200 yards or deeper.
Cameron Young and Scottie Scheffler are known for their ball-striking skill set and that plays this week. Players who have been on KFT since 2019 will be seeing the layout for the third time and that should be an advantage, especially on the greens. It's also the third week running on Bentgrass.
Prevailing winds, along with some showers, will kick the first round into gear. Winds shifting to Northerly will make for a more difficult Round 2 especially with showers early and a high barely into the 60s. Warmer air returns for Round 3 but the wind will blow from the third direction in three days (SSE). Summer returns for Sunday as winds from the south will blow 10 to 20 but the temperatures will hit the mid 80s. Less than a 20 percent chance of rain for the two weekend rounds.
Last Week - AdventHealth Championship
No. 10 - Rob Oppenheim - MC
No. 9 - Ryan McCormick - 73rd
No. 8 - Patrick Fishburn - MC
No. 7 - Robby Shelton - MC
No. 6 - Grayson Murray - T4
No. 5 - Taylor Dickson - MC
No. 4 - Ben Griffin - MC
No. 3 - MJ Daffue - 3rd
No. 2 - Erik Barnes - T16
No. 1 - Taylor Montgomery - 2nd
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out through Twitter or email me at mikeglasscott@gmail.com.
