⛳️ Butterfield Bets

Plus: Tiger Woods' Ankle, Costco Driver, and more.

Author

The Shanks Gator
November 08, 2023

Good afternoon! Welcome to Shanks. We’re predicting a lot of Tiger Woods news from the Big Golf Media through the end of the year. With the Fedex Fall winding down and TGL launching, his health improving, and the upcoming Hero World Challenge and PNC Championship, it’s fair to expect a lot of Tiger talk. What can we say? He’s a popular guy.

Golf Trivia: Jack Nicklaus has the most runner-up finishes in Majors. Who is second on the list?

Here's what we've got for ya today:

  • Doin Lines: Butterfield Bermuda Championship

  • Costco Driver

  • Shots Heard Round The World

  • Tiger Says His Ankle Is Fine

  • Thing We’d Buy If We Weren’t Broke

Doin Lines: Butterfield Bermuda Championship

🚩 Location: Port Royal Golf Course, Bermuda

💰 Purse: $6.5M - $1.17M to 1st.

👑 Previous Winner: Seamus Power

👀 Watch On: Golf Channel, ESPN+

The Field at a Glance & How To Watch

Okay, okay.

We feel like we’re beating a dead horse here, but as has been the trend for almost all of the Fedex Fall, it’s a weaker field. The two headliners this weekend are Adam Scott and Lucas Glover.

The draw of these events, also beating a dead horse from last week, are the storylines of individuals like last weeks winner Erik Van Rooyen. There are a lot of guys for whom the results of this fall matter greatly and that makes it fun to watch.

Thursday, November 9: 1-4PM ET (Golf Channel)
Friday, November 10: 1-4PM ET (Golf Channel)
Saturday, November 11: 11AM - 2PM ET (Golf Channel)
Sunday, November 12: 11AM-2PM ET (Golf Channel)

The Course

Port Royal is the shortest course on Tour, but because it’s coastal, the wind can sometimes make certain holes play longer or shorter, depending on the day. This weekend it looks like the wind will pick up as the tournament goes on, and will blow from different directions each day.

The point is: you don’t need to be a bomber to win here, but you do need to be able to handle wind and most of all - you need to putt well.

Previous Winners 

2019 – Brendon Todd

2020 – Brian Gay

2021 – Lucas Herbert

2022 - Seamus Power

Shanks Picks

Outright Winner: Ben Griffin +2500

  • Ben has gained strokes on the field putting for much of 2023 and he’s had a great year overall, but the only thing missing is that maiden tour win.

Top Five: Akshay Bhattia +500

  • Will Shanks get burned on Akshay again? Maybe. Maybe not. The guy does tend to play well in tropical locations after all.

Top Ten: Thomas Detry +230

  • Another strokes gained putting for 2023 pick.

Top Twenty: Nick Dunlap +300

  • Little bit of a…gamble here. Dunlap is an Amateur in the field out of Alabama, but according to our research on DataGolf.com he’s been on fire lately. In addition to the U.S. Amateur – he also won the Northeast Amateur and the North & South Men's Championship.

Longshot: Sam Bennett +9000

  • We haven’t heard too much from the rookie who played so well in The Masters this past year. Let’s take a flier.

Make The Cut Parlay: Brendon Todd, Thomas Detry, Akshay Bhattia, Adam Scott, Lucas Glover, and Ben Griffin to make the cut. +184 via Fanduel.

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Costco To Release Conforming Driver 👀 

We don’t know a ton of specifics yet, but we do know this:

In August, there was a leak from a manager’s sales meeting at the company, and that’s where we first heard about the driver and it’s projected $199 price tag.

Then, on Monday, the driver popped up on the USGA Conforming list.

They’ve already had success with balls, putters, and wedges, so why not come out with an affordable, yet conforming driver?

We will keep readers posted as soon as we learn more about this bad boy.

Shots Heard Round The World

Tiger Says His Ankle Is Fine

During a press conference to announce the team name and ownership of his TGL team, Woods was asked by a reporter about his health. Here’s what he said:

“My ankle is fine,” Woods told the Associated Press’ Doug Ferguson. “Where they fused my ankle, I have absolutely zero issue whatsoever. That pain is completely gone. It’s the other areas that have been compensated for.”

He compared it to his previous back surgery, where the vertebrae were repaired, but the other areas were in pain.

“But all the surrounding areas is where I had all my problems and I still do,” he said. “So you fix one, others have to become more hypermobile to get around it, and it can lead to some issues.”

So, the question remains, when will we see him play competitive golf again, not on a simulator?

Golf Thing We'd Buy If We Weren't Broke

Yesterday, Titleist announced the release of their new SM9 WEDGEWORKS 60A GRIND, a low-bounce lob wedge designed for golfers playing in firmer course conditions who have a shallow delivery.

From Titleist:

Wyndham Clark won the U.S. Open gaming the Vokey A grind, using his lob wedge to make several clutch up-and-downs on Sunday at Los Angeles Country Club. Tom Kim has had his WedgeWorks 60A in the bag for each of his three PGA TOUR wins, and Max Homa switched out his usual 60.04L lob wedge for a 60A at this year’s Open Championship to adjust for the firmer conditions at Royal Liverpool. 

Trivia Answer: Phil Mickelson

That’s all folks! See you Saturday Morning.