The Punter's De-Brief: Lee defends in Texas

Steven Rawlings
16 May 2022
4:00 min read

K.H Lee after his successful title defence in Texas

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K.H Lee has successfully defended the Byron Nelson Championship and Sam Horsfield has won the Soudal Open in Belgium. Our man looks back on their victories here...

"The one that really caught the eye in the AT &T Byron Nelson Championship was Xander Schauffele who played his last 50 holes in a bogey-free 26-under-par!"

Having led through rounds one, two and three, Columbia's Sebastian Munoz opened the final round of the AT&T Byron Nelson Championship with a bogey five that set the tone for his day, and we soon witnessed as many as eight players tied for the lead, but TPC Craig Ranch didn't produce the dramatic finale the early play had promised.

One of my Find Me a 100 Winner picks, the pre-event 350.0349/1 chance, James Hahn, birdied three of his first six holes and he met the first lay target of 10.09/1, trading as low as 6.05/1 at one stage, but he stalled after that and the next man to hit the front was Xander Schauffele.

Schauffele had began the weekend trailing by ten strokes and he was still nine adrift and tied for 30th with a round to go so his 11-under-par 61 on Sunday was never going to be enough around such an easy track. He sat on top of the pile after his round but he was always going to get caught and Jordan Spieth was the first to do so after he'd birdied holes five, six, eight and nine.

Spieth, a pre-event 26.025/1 chance, was matched at a low 1.768/11 when he gave himself inside seven feet to make his fifth birdie in six holes on the 10th but he three-putted for bogey!

3-putt from under 7 feet.

Jordan Spieth moves from co-leader to 1 back. pic.twitter.com/AZJuP7Eqj4
? PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 15, 2022

The defending champion, K.H Lee, who'd been a 200.0199/1 shot before the off, had made the turn in five-under-par to get within one of Schauffele and he overtook the clubhouse leader with this bit of magic on the par five 12th.

W̶a̶l̶k̶i̶n̶g̶ Running after it

K.H. Lee puts it to 4 feet from 240 yards. pic.twitter.com/VcPgLLQcKJ
? PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 15, 2022

Lee then followed the eagle with a birdie at 13 and he was never headed after that. Spieth fought back with birdies at 12 and 14 but when he missed form nine feet to tie the lead on the 17th the game was up.

This was obviously an impressive defence, and it was made even harder by the first-round draw. By the time Lee teed off on Thursday afternoon he was already trailing by 12 after Munoz had kicked off the event with a 60 on Thursday morning and he was matched at a high of 250.0249/1.

Over on the DP World Tour, the third-round leader, Ryan Fox, and the man sitting in second and trailing by one, Sam Horsfield, dominated the market with a round to go and the pair dominating the final day's play too.

The pair were tied at the top after Fox, a pre-event 34.033/1 chance, had bogeyed the second but the dropped shot galvanised the Kiwi . Fox made three birdies in-a-row from the third to go three clear and he was matched at a low of 1.331/3.

Fox had looked in command, but he bogeyed the ninth and when Horsfield birdied the tough 10th, the lead was down to one.

Horsfield bogeyed the 11th after a poor drive but be bounced back immediately at the par three 12th before Fox lost his way, bogeying 13 and 16 to trail for the first time.

Fox found the green in two on the par five 17th and he rolled his eagle putt to tap in range, but Horsfield refused to yield. He rolled in his birdie putt and parred the last to win by a cosy two strokes thanks to a bogey five on 18 by Fox.

.@hr59sam leads by one with one hole to play. #SoudalOpen pic.twitter.com/pwhlZKYIo0
? DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) May 15, 2022

If you fancy either man to double-up at the US PGA Championship, which I've previewed here, you'll be handsomely rewarded if they achieve the feat.

Lee is a trading at around 250.0249/1 to win at Southern Hills and you back Horsfield at 450.0449/1.

Scottie Scheffler still heads the market over Jon Rahm after his tied 15th in Texas and Jordan Spieth has firmed up into 20.019/1.

One of Dave Tindall's each-way picks, Hideki Matsuyama, has shortened in to 36.035/1 on the exchange after he finished tied for third in Texas but the one that really caught the eye in the AT &T Byron Nelson Championship was Xander Schauffele who played his last 50 holes in a bogey-free 26-under-par!

As a 28-year-old American in search of his first major championship, Xander hits a number of trends highlighted by Dave and I'm a bit surprised that he hasn't hardened up more than he has. Xander's price has dropped from 34.033/1 to 28.027/1 over the weekend and he's a 22/1 chance on the Sportsbook with a whopping ten places on offer.

I'll be back over the next few days with the Find Me a 100 Winner column and a look at the side markets at Southern Hills.

*You can follow me on Twitter @SteveThePunter