All weekend, we waited for someone to separate from the pack.

And at the start of play on Sunday, there were 11 major winners within 6 shots of the lead. Surely, one of them would step up, post a low score, and bring this thing home.

Well, none of the major winners in the field stepped up, but Aaron Rai, wearing two gloves, rocking iron covers, and using giant tees that he bought off an infomercial, certainly did.

And what’s truly incredible about his victory, is that in a world of ball rollback debates, set-up arguments, and distance, distance, distance – Aaron Rai just won a major as the 160th ranked driver on TOUR.

Aronimink was set up to reward driving accuracy over distance, and great putting.

Aaron Rai did both better than anyone in the field, and it allowed him the separate.

By the way, he was a 150-1 longshot.

What about everybody else?

 

Alex Smalley, who went into Sunday as the clubhouse leader, shot even par, and finished T2.

Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, Justin Thomas, Cam Smith, and Ludvig Aberg all tried to make a push, but no one could gain ground on Rai’s back nine performance.

However, this week, I think we need to focus on what “everybody else” had to say about Aaron Rai. As it turns out, Rai has earned a ton of respect among his peers.

Massive congrats to Aaron Rai. Such a nice guy and hard worker. Makes me want to work harder, and makes me believe that I can win majors as well. – Michael Kim

You won’t find one person on property who’s not happy for him. – Rory McIlroy.

What’s Next?

 

Scottie Scheffler headlines the field at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson at TPC Craig Ranch.

Odds For TPC Craig Ranch

  • Scottie Scheffler: +150

  • Si Woo Kim: +1250

  • Jordan Spieth: +2000

  • Brooks Koepka: +2700

  • Keith Mitchell: +3300

  • Pierceson Coody: +4000

  • Michael Thorbjornsen: +4100

  • Aaron Rai: +4200

  • Wyndham Clark: +4700

I won’t lie, I’m pretty excited for this one.

First off, Trump National Doral Golf Club – aka The Blue Monster – can be an absolute brute. It stretches over 7,700 yards, and those closing, water-lined holes are one of the toughest finishing stretches we see anywhere in pro golf.

Tiger Woods once put it plainly, talking about the 18th:

“It’s one of the toughest par 4s you’ll ever play if it’s into the wind.”

Good news if you like carnage – wind might be a factor on Saturday, with gusts up to 20mph. Unfortunately, it may thunderstorm on Sunday, but it’s Florida so that could change by the time you’re reading this.

Additionally, there’s some real history here.

The Blue Monster has crowned winners like Jack Nicklaus, Tom Weiskopf, Lee Trevino, Raymond Floyd, Nick Faldo, Ben Crenshaw, and of course, Tiger Woods. Always nice when a course brings a little pedigree with it.

It’s a Signature Event, so a strong field is expected, but this one will be missing a few stars; Rory McIlroy, Matt Fitzpatrick, Ludvig Åberg, Xander Schauffele, and Patrick Cantlay are all sitting it out.

In fairness, it makes sense. The schedule right now is a bit of a gauntlet – Signature Event (Cadillac), Signature Event (Truist), then straight into a major at the PGA Championship. Not exactly a light stretch, and this week is clearly where some guys are choosing to take a breather.

Someone at the PGA TOUR should do a better job with the schedule.

The Details

Previous Winners 

How To Watch 

Featured Groups

PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+

Weekly Bets: The Cadillac Championship

We’ve partnered with Keith Stewart at Read The Line to share his weekly golf betting picks with the Caddyshanks crew. If you’re the type who enjoys breaking down matchups, spotting trends, and hunting for value, you’ll feel right at home in the RTL community.

Keith Stewart’s Picks

Collin Morikawa (+2000 bet365)

The first player I looked for on property at Trump National Doral was Collin Morikawa. Since returning from his PLAYERS WD, Morikawa has finished T7 and T4. Is Collin healthy? Not only did he swing beautifully, but his driver speed looked fast, much quicker than in his last two starts. If you need one player to hit a 200-yard approach, I’m picking Morikawa. If Morikawa was contending with injury concerns, imagine how confident he will be swinging, not that he feels good!

Keegan Bradley (+6500 Caesars)

Keegan Bradley is one of the best mid- to long-iron players in the field. With the number of approaches around 200 yards during each round, Doral is playing right into the best part of Bradley’s game. A Southeast Florida resident, I don’t worry about the Bermudagrass or the short game. Twelfth at the RBC Heritage, Keegan has two top 8 finishes on the Blue Course in four starts. Bradley’s ball striking is solid in the wind, which is another characteristic I’m focusing on this week.

Caddyshanks Picks

Sam Burns (+3100 Draftkings)

Sam Burns has played quite well over the last 9 months, particularly with his approach play and putter, but he’s also got the length necessary to beat it around Doral.

Hideki Matsuyama (+3100 Draftkings)

If you’ve been reading this newsletter for awhile, you know I love betting Hideki, and you know it rarely ever works out for me, but we will always have that final round 62 to win the Genesis Invitational. He hasn’t won yet this year, but he will. He’s top 20 in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green, Approach and Around-the-Green.

Scottie Scheffler (+310 Draftkings)

Admittedly, the “bet Scottie every week no matter what” strategy hasn’t played out very well this season, but he’s averaging 5.1 birdies per round so far for the year – the best mark on TOUR. The wins are coming.

That’s all folks – see you next week for the Truist Championship.