Procore Championship Preview and Picks

In partnership with

🌟 Welcome to this week's GolfStats Insider, your go-to resource for the Procore Championship at Silverado Resort. We're delivering exclusive insights, historical data, and player analysis you won't find elsewhere. Whether you're aiming to win your bets, dominate your fantasy league, or simply understand the game better (and impress your golf buddies), our unique perspectives have you covered. Let's dive into the numbers that matter for this week's tournament.

While our free newsletter keeps you in the loop, our premium edition takes your insights to the next level, complementing our comprehensive GolfStats website subscription. Dive deeper into the game you love - consider upgrading today! 🏌️‍♂️📈

If this newsletter was forwarded to you, we would really appreciate you subscribing by clicking the button below.

Evolution of the PGA Tour Fall Schedule

In 2012, the PGA Tour made the FedExCup playoff events more meaningful by ending the season with the Tour Championship. Previously, despite the playoffs concluding in mid-September, the Tour continued for another seven weeks. This inconsistency made it difficult for the public to fully embrace the FedExCup playoffs as the true season finale. Although unlikely, there was always a chance that a player could theoretically overtake the FedExCup winner during the fall events.

To address this, the PGA Tour introduced the "wrap-around" season in 2013, following the European Tour's model. The Tour Championship in September would end the season, and the new season would begin weeks later in October. While this solved the season-ending problem, it created a new challenge: how to classify the fall events that now started the season?

Initially, these fall events were considered less important, and top players often skipped them. However, as new sponsors came aboard and prize money increased, the fall schedule became more attractive. By 2017, six of the seven fall events offered over a million dollars for first place. The addition of high-profile Asian tournaments further elevated the importance of the fall schedule.

By 2022, the fall schedule had grown to nine events, each with substantial prize money and some offering no-cut formats. This evolution made the fall an essential part of the Tour, prompting marquee players to participate to gain FedExCup points.

However, in 2022, the Tour abandoned the "wrap-around" season. Now, eight fall events will conclude the 2024 season, with the Sentry Championship in January marking the start of the new season. The fall events now serve a different purpose: players outside the top 70 can use these tournaments to secure their place in the top 125 and retain their tour cards for 2025.

Winners of fall events will still qualify for the Sentry Championship and Masters. Additionally, players can earn spots in two Signature Events by finishing in the top 60 of the FedExCup after The RSM Classic. Those in the top 50 of the FedExCup points list can skip the fall events and start fresh at Kapalua.

This restructuring has effectively devalued the fall schedule, making it challenging to attract top players. The PGA Tour now faces the task of maintaining the credibility of these events to appease sponsors. While the fall remains crucial for players looking to secure their Tour cards, its overall significance has diminished.

The upcoming Procore Championship in Napa boasts a strong field, partly due to players preparing for the President's Cup. Eleven team members will participate, including defending champion Sahith Theegala, two-time winner Max Homa, and Wyndham Clark. The event has also attracted notable amateurs like Luke Clanton and Neal Shipley, who have shown promise in recent tournaments.

The Procore Championship, formerly known as the Fry.com Open, has a rich history dating back to 2007. It has been held at various locations before settling at the Silverado Resort in Napa in 2015. The event has seen multiple sponsorship changes, with Procore being the latest title sponsor.

Silverado Resort's North Course, measuring 7,123 yards, will host the tournament. The course, renovated by Johnny Miller's investment group, features challenging greens and a mix of long and short holes. Miller described the greens "as tough as Augusta at high speeds." The course's history of producing high-caliber champions, including Billy Casper and Tom Watson, adds to its prestige.

The renovation also involved turf improvements, replacing Kikuyu grass with a rye and Kentucky bluegrass mix. This change has enhanced both playability and aesthetics, making the course popular among players, sponsors, and fans alike.

As the PGA Tour continues to evolve, the Procore Championship at Silverado Resort remains an important event in the fall schedule. While the significance of fall events has changed, they still offer crucial opportunities for players to secure their tour status and provide entertaining golf for fans and bettors alike.

Sponsor

Winning Is A Choice…Choose INMO!

Ready to win cash daily? Download INMO and join the fun! Play $1 to play or vote. Enter daily challenges by either posting an original video, sourced video or voting for your favorite. Whether you’re showing off your skills or supporting the best, you’ve got a shot at winning cash every day. And yes, it really works! Start owning your content or voting for your favorite — download, play and start earning!

Win Cash With INMO

🏌️‍♂️ Overview of Silverado for the Procore Championship

Silverado Resort’s North Course is set to host the Procore Championship, continuing its legacy as a significant stop on the PGA Tour. Originally designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. in the 1960s, the course was extensively renovated by Johnny Miller after he and his investment group purchased the Napa Valley resort. Miller’s upgrades, including extending the course to 7,123 yards, redesigning bunkers, and reshaping the greens to make them faster and more undulating, have modernized the course while preserving its classic feel.

These changes have made Silverado a fair but challenging test for pros. In last year’s event (2023), the course played to an average score of 71.16, just under par, ranking as the 30th hardest course on the PGA Tour. The previous year the course played slightly tougher with an average score of 71.52, making it the 22nd hardest on the Tour. Despite its shorter length compared to other courses, Silverado’s blend of tight fairways, fast greens, and strategic layout continues to test the skills of the best golfers in the world.

📉 Tough Fairways to Hit

One of the defining features of Silverado is its notoriously difficult fairways. The course consistently ranks among the hardest on the PGA Tour in terms of driving accuracy. Last year (2023-2), only 46.55% of fairways were hit, making it the 2nd hardest course to find the fairway on Tour. In the prior event (2023-1), players fared only slightly better with 46.77% of fairways hit, ranking 3rd hardest.

This has been a recurring theme at Silverado. In 2022, only 47.10% of fairways were hit, again making it the 2nd toughest course in this regard. Despite the course’s relatively short yardage, the tight, tree-lined fairways present a significant challenge. Hitting the fairway is critical to setting up good scoring opportunities, but even the best players struggle to consistently land their drives where they want to.

🎯 Greens in Regulation

While the fairways are hard to hit, players typically have more success hitting the greens at Silverado. In last year’s event (2023-2), players hit 68.78% of greens in regulation, ranking 38th on Tour. Despite the tightness of the fairways, the relatively short length of the course allows players to recover well with short irons, even from the rough. In 2023-1, players hit 66.44% of greens, and in 2022, 67.05% of greens were hit, both placing the course in the middle of the Tour’s rankings.

The rough at Silverado has also been less penal in recent years due to drought conditions, allowing players to better control their approach shots. However, when players miss the greens, they must rely on excellent scrambling skills to avoid bogeys and stay in contention. The combination of tight fairways and tricky greens means that precise iron play is essential to scoring well.

🦅 Birdie Opportunities Abound

Despite its challenges, Silverado is known for producing a high volume of birdies. Last year (2023-2), 1,660 birdies were made, ranking it 40th on Tour in terms of birdie production. In the earlier 2023-1 event, 1,632 birdies were recorded, placing it 18th among all courses on Tour. The previous year (2022), 1,688 birdies were made, ranking it 11th overall, while in 2021, a whopping 1,891 birdies were made, making Silverado the second easiest course on the PGA Tour for birdie opportunities.

This trend indicates that while the course presents challenges with its tight fairways and tough greens, there are plenty of scoring opportunities for players who can navigate the course well. Hitting greens and making putts are critical to taking advantage of these birdie chances.

Runners, join the 2024 RunDot Project and receive 2 free months of training.

The RunDot Project is an annual research initiative that helps runners reach their true potential with optimized run training.

Research shows that RunDot athletes improve their running performance an average of 3.2x more than non-users. They also experience improvements in 30% less training time.

Do you qualify for 2 free months of training?

To qualify, you must meet these criteria:

• Train with a GPS device

• Have not used RunDot or TriDot in the last 12 months

• Not a professional runner

• Enthusiastic and motivated to reach your running goals

Be part of the team. Apply here to join the 2024 RunDot Project (it takes just 3 minutes).

⛳ Key Statistics for Success

Strokes Gained Tee-to-Green: This is arguably the most important stat at Silverado. The past champions have excelled in this category, showing that control off the tee and strong iron play are crucial. Last year (2023-2), Sahith Theegala ranked T-6th in Strokes Gained Tee-to-Green, combining solid driving (23rd in distance, T-46th in accuracy) with excellent approach play. Max Homa, the 2023-1 champion, led the field in Strokes Gained Tee-to-Green, ranking 1st in this stat while finishing 34th in driving distance and T-7th in accuracy. This pattern is consistent among previous winners: the ability to gain strokes from tee to green often leads to victory at Silverado.

Strokes Gained Around-the-Green: Silverado’s tricky greens demand strong scrambling and short-game skills. Theegala ranked 3rd in Strokes Gained Around-the-Green during his win in 2023-2, while Homa ranked 7th in 2023-1, highlighting the importance of getting up and down from difficult positions. Missing greens is inevitable, so players need to excel around the greens to save pars and avoid costly bogeys.

Strokes Gained Putting: Putting is always a key stat, and at Silverado, it’s even more critical due to the Poa annua and bentgrass greens. These greens are known to be challenging, especially later in the day when they become bumpy. Last year (2023-2), Theegala ranked 2nd in Strokes Gained Putting, which helped him secure the win. Homa’s victories in 2023-1 and 2022 were also fueled by strong putting performances, ranking 15th and 22nd in those years, respectively. To win here, players need to handle the challenging greens with confidence.

Par Breakers: To contend at Silverado, players need to capitalize on birdie opportunities and occasionally make eagles. The course consistently ranks among the easiest for making birdies, with last year’s winner, Sahith Theegala, leading the field in Par Breakers by making 24 birdies and one eagle. In 2023, Max Homa ranked T-10th with 18 birdies and one eagle, while in 2022, he was T-1st with 24 birdies and two eagles.

Silverado’s shorter yardage and strategic layout create plenty of opportunities for low scores, particularly on the par-5s. Players who can consistently break par on these holes and avoid mistakes on the tougher par-4s will find themselves in contention come Sunday.

Silverado’s North Course remains one of the most challenging yet rewarding venues on the PGA Tour. Its tight fairways, difficult greens, and birdie potential make it a unique test of precision and skill. To win the Procore Championship, players need to combine strong tee-to-green play, excellent scrambling, confident putting, and the ability to convert birdie opportunities. Year after year, the champions at Silverado showcase a well-rounded game, excelling in all aspects of play. The winner this year will be no different, and those who can dominate the key stats mentioned will likely emerge victorious.

Who to watch for at the Procore Championship

Subscribe to Premium to read the rest.