The world’s top golfers will head this week to the famed PGA West Stadium Course in La Quinta, California for the 2017 staging of the CareerBuilder Challenge. A cool $5.8 million is at stake for the 156-man field with the champion grabbing not only 500 FedExCup points but also the $1.044 million top prize. Read on below for an in-depth breakdown of this PGA Tour event and while you’re at it, you can check out the experts’ picks and purse breakdown for this prestigious golf tournament.
Favorites – Patrick Reed (+1,400) and Bill Haas (+2,000)
It isn’t a complete surprise to see Patrick Reed and Bill Haas installed as favorites to win this week’s CareerBuilder Challenge. Reed and Haas love playing in this particular tournament and both stars are playing some excellent golf of late. Haas has posted top-20s in each of his last four worldwide starts, including a fourth-place finish at the WGC-HSBC Champions tournament last fall.
In 12 career CareerBuilder starts, Haas has won this event twice and missed the cut just once. The 34-year-old is the All-time money leader at this tournament ($2,974,215) and he holds a 68.08 scoring average in 54 career rounds here. Reed, on the other hand, is another player who has had some success in this event in the past. He won this tournament back in 2014, shooting a 28-under-par total of 260. Reed is slowly rounding into form, finishing tied for sixth in his last start at Kapalua.
High-Value Sleepers – Jamie Lovemark (+3,000) and Luke List (+5,000)
Looking for a worthy sleeper this week? How about Jamie Lovemark? He came oh so close to winning this event last year but a final-round 73 scuppered Lovemark’s chances as he settled for a sixth-place finish. Lovemark’s starting to heat up once again, grabbing a fourth-place finish at last week’s Sony Open in Hawaii. He fired a couple of 65s over the weekend to seal his second consecutive top-10 finish. For Lovemark to capture the CareerBuilder Challenge title this week, he will need to continue his outstanding play with the putter. He is third in the PGA Tour in strokes gained via putting with a solid .901 average. That will come in handy for Lefty when tackling the delicate greens here in La Quinta.
Another golfer who’s primed for a huge performance this week is Luke List. He has been playing some superb golf of late, finishing in the top-15 in each of his last five starts. What makes List such a threat in every golf tournament that he competes in is his incredible power off the tee. He is fifth in the PGA Tour in driving distance, averaging 318.5 yards per drive this season.
One long shot who can definitely make a run at the title this week is Roberto Castro. He hasn’t missed the cut in four attempts here, with his best finish a tie for 25th back in 2014. This will be Castro’s first start in the PGA Tour this year.
Writer’s Prediction
Jamie Lovemark (+3,000) captures this week’s CareerBuilder Challenge.
