Defending a tournament victory is never easy, but at the Fort Worth Invitational it is nearly impossible. In the event’s 72-year history it’s been accomplished only twice, and by the same person. The great Ben Hogan won two successive years in 1946-47 and 1952-53.
That doesn’t exactly look good for last year’s winner, Kevin Kisner. Oddsmakers tend to agree. He is a 45/1 pick to repeat as champion at the iconic Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas.
Just don’t tell Kisner that, as he thinks he can win here again.
“Well, it’s one of my favorite golf courses on tour, so I love coming back here,” Kisner said at a Tuesday press conference. “Love being able to compete at Colonial.”
Though he does concede how difficult the feat of winning an event twice in a row can be.
“I have a pretty decent track record around here,” Kisner said. “I think it just suits a lot of guys’ games that come to play here. I think a lot of the same guys are up there near the lead every year, and it’s all about who can get the job done coming down the stretch.”
Jordan Spieth Off His Game
Kisner made an astute observation. Past records here matter. Take a look at the 2017 leaderboard and many of the names were near the top the prior year. Kisner tied for 10th in 2016 and then won in 2017.
Jordan Spieth, who won in 2016, nearly repeated, losing to Kisner by a stroke. Spieth is the favorite this week at 9/1 and for good reason. He is the highest ranked golfer in the field and has won this tournament twice.
The Open Championship winner has been struggling by his standards this year. He hasn’t won since the major championship in July, though he does have four top 10 finishes, including a third at the Masters.
The culprit has been his putting. He has been struggling with the flatstick and is 134th in putts per round. At last week’s Bryon Nelson he was critical of how he performed on the greens.
“Felt like I played better than I scored,” Spieth said. “Just burned the edges or barely missed, and I misread a lot of putts, too. Overall just struggled a little bit matching line and speed and kind of getting it all together out here.”
Zach Johnson Worth a Look
Another former winner that might be a good bet is Zach Johnson. He also is a two-time winner and has made the cut in all 12 appearances. One reason Johnson likes the layout is that it fits many styles. He is listed at 35/1.
“We’ve seen everybody win here,” Johnson said during Tuesday’s press conference. “We’ve seen the guys that kind of plot their way around, the guys that can overpower places, too. I think first of all it requires patience more than anything. You can get after every hole, especially if the wind is benign. I think more than anything what it requires is keeping the golf course in front of you.”
A good value bet might be Webb Simpson. The winner of The Players Championship is 18/1. He finished fifth last year and tied for third n 2016.
