Power Rankings: AdventHealth Championship
3 Min Read
Written by Mike Glasscott
The 2022 Korn Ferry Tour season continues to meander northward as Knoxville’s Holston Hills CC gives way to Kansas City’s Blue Hills CC for this week’s AdventHealth Championship.
Taking over from Jack Nicklaus' Golf Club at LionsGate, Blue Hills CC, which opened in 1912, will host for the third time in four years (no 2020 event due to COVID-19) and will be played as the AdventHealth Championship for the second consecutive event. Bob Dunning's 1963 design will welcome eight of the top 10 players on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List as part of the field of 156.
Last year, Cameron Young was the only player to post all four rounds in the 60s as he posted 19-under. He circled 22 birdies and an eagle, against just five bogeys, to earn the Korn Ferry Tour’s first wire-to-wire win since 2018.
Michael Gellerman, who won the event’s first iteration at Blue Hills CC in 2019, is in this week’s field. Young, now a PGA TOUR rookie, is competing in the PGA Championship.
As is usual this season, the prize pool will be $750,000, with the winner enjoying $135,000 and inching closer to the PGA TOUR.
Blue Hills Country Club
| Yards (per official scorecard): | 7,364 |
| Par: | 72 (36-36). |
| Greens: | Penn A-4 Bentgrass; 8,500 square feet on average. |
| Stimpmeter: | Tournament speed. |
| Rough: | Fescue, Bluegrass approaching three inches. |
| Bunkers/Water Penalty Areas | 60/3 (in play on six holes). |
| Defending Champion: | Cameron Young (-19; not entered). |
| 72 Hole Tournament Record (course): | 269 (-19); Cameron Young (2021). |
| Course Record (last): | 64; Cameron Young (Round 1, 2021). |
POWER RANKINGS
| RANK | PLAYER | COMMENT | ||
It has been a tale of two AdventHealth Championships in Kansas City since the shift to the Blue Hills CC track for the 2019 edition. The first go-around saw only three players hit double digits under par as Gellerman posted 11-under to win by a shot. Temperatures were unseasonably cold, rainy and the wind relentless. Lift, clean and place didn't help, as the course was wet and long all week. It ranked No. 3 most difficult on the tracks used in 2019.
The second edition came with the same rain, but temperatures in the 70s helped scoring. The top 25 players were all 10-under or better, and there were only six rounds posted over par from the top 29 players for the week.
Blue Hills only provides 25 acres of fairway, so navigating from off the beaten path will be in play this week. The massive greens complexes will give plenty of room for recovery shots and a canvas for putters to shine. Bentgrass for the second week running and third in four shouldn't need a huge adjustment. At almost 7,400 yards, Blue Hills will require ammo tee-to-green, but it does provide four par-5 scoring chances.
Mother Nature is always top of mind in the Midwest this time of year, and this week that rings true. Thunderstorms Tuesday night give way to temperatures around 90 degrees on Thursday. A cold front moves through on Saturday with highs not reaching the 60s. Four rounds will enjoy four seasons and four different directions of wind. Big greens will come in handy!
Last Week - Visit Knoxville Open
No. 10 - Patrick Fishburn - T24
No. 9 - Quade Cummins - MC
No. 8 - MJ Daffue - 3rd
No. 7 - Robby Shelton - T16
No. 6 - Carl Yuan - 2nd
No. 5 - Taylor Montgomery - T4
No. 4 - Kevin Yu - T67
No. 3 - Erik Barnes - T9
No. 2 - Marty Dou - T40
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out through Twitter or email me at mikeglasscott@gmail.com.
