The Legends Reno-Tahoe Open
Aug. 6 – 9, 2009
Montreaux Golf and Country Club- Reno, NV
The Golf Channel
by Matt of Predictem.com
As the elite players head to Ohio, the remainder of the PGA Tour heads to Nevada for the Reno-Tahoe Open. The secondary events that run alongside the WGC events or Majors are great opportunities for young players to earn their first victory or to keep some struggling pros from losing their cards. The Reno-Tahoe Open will keep with the theme of low scores that we have seen the last few weeks on Tour with last year’s winning total coming at 18-under. The Montreaux G and CC is a beautiful Nicklaus design that will play par-72 and measure 7,472 yards for the week. Check out some stars of the future all week on the Golf Channel.
No head to head matches for the Reno-Tahoe, but here are some picks for the win.
Short Favorite: Kevin Na (20 to 1)
Na is the deserved favorite on the board with 10 top-25’s in his 13 made cuts this year. Kevin has been a birdie machine in 2009, ranking 9th in par-5 conversion and notching the 27th most birdies overall. Na is ranked in the top-25 in putting average, total putting, scoring average and all around rank.
Middle of the Road: Vaughn Taylor (25 to 1)
Taylor has made the cut in only half of his starts this year, but is coming off his best finish this past week with a T8 at the Buick Open. Vaughn narrowly missed the field for the WGC event and is the 2004 and 2005 winner of this tournament. Taylor is 23rd in putting average and 41st in total birdies.
Longshot: James Nitties (60 to 1)
You may have seen his name hanging around the top-15 in some early rounds this year, but it hasn’t quite materialized into something substantial. Nitties is a solid putter, ranking 7th in putts holed from 15 to 25 feet (birdie range) and has the 43rd most birdies on Tour this year. A T6 at the Mayakoba proves he can jump up there when the big dogs are elsewhere.
Good Luck!
