The Caddie Line: 2018 Barbasol Championship
By T.J. Auclair · July 18, 2018
The Open Championship isn’t the only tournament going on this week. Back stateside, the PGA Tour is in Nicholasville, Ky., at Keene Trace Golf Club for the Barbasol Championship.
Included in this week’s field is LPGA star Brittany Lincicome. When she tees off on Thursday, Lincicome will become just the sixth female in history to play in a PGA Tour event.
Grayson Murray is the defending champion at the Barbasol Championship, where 2014 FedExCup Champion Billy Horschel will be among the headliners.
RELATED: Check out the caddie picks for the 2018 Open Championship
So, who are the players you should be watching this week? We asked three people who should know better than anyone – three caddies that are on the ground working this week at Keene Trace.
To protect their identity, the caddies have submitted their five respective picks anonymously.
We’re not sure which player will win, but we’re pretty sure if the caddie gig doesn’t work out, Caddie 3 has a future in stand-up comedy.
Let’s take a look at who our caddies picked and why:
Caddie 1
- Billy Horschel, “Two weeks off coming in. He’s a good putter and not afraid to shoot low. It’s going to take 20 under minimum this week to win.
- Joel Dahmen, “He’s playing well and has been in the mix last few weeks. Next logical step: win.”
- Tom Lovelady, “Tom bombs it and will be able to take some serious shortcuts without much risk this week. If he can make some putts he’ll be around late Sunday.”
- Brian Gay, “Brian loves the opposite field events and he’s another guy who’s not afraid to shoot low. And this course isn’t long enough to take him out of the mix. Combine that with the fact that he’s an unbelievable putter and it could be a good week.”
- Josh Teater, “He’s the only guy I know from Kentucky, so why not?!”
Caddie 2
- Billy Horschel, “He’s having a good year with a win already and his confidence should be elevated in this field.”
- Joel Dahmen, “He’s in great form coming in.”
- Whee Kim, “His form is trending in the right direction.”
- Andres Romero, “He’s playing well coming in and won as recently as last year in Europe. That solid play is translating on the PGA Tour now.”
- Chris Kirk, “A quality player who could catch form at any moment.”
Caddie 3
- Joel Dahmen, “Joel keeps getting better and there’s only one place higher to finish. He’s coming off a T2 after a T5. He’s a rhythm player that’s gaining confidence in his second year with great life perspective. It’s a bonus that he’s sponsored by Barbasol, so he would be doing them a smooth to get the bag on TV. His caddie is playing with house money after lining up a buyer for his Saab convertible purchased nearly a month ago for $21.”
- J.T. Poston, “J.T. is a cool customer and solid player that could make a bunch of putts at a moment’s notice, especially on nice greens. He’s made five of six cuts starting with Colonial in May with his new caddie on the bag – a caddie who counts Kentucky basketball as more important than life itself. He’ll have the crowd on his side.”
- Tyler Duncan, “This Tour rookie has made 10 straight cuts and posted his second-best individual finish of the year at John Deere with a T12. He’s a solid all-around player that has almost assuredly locked up his full-time playing privileges for next season after surpassing 400 FedEx Cup points. He’s got a veteran caddie on the bag that will keep him pointed in the right direction all week long.”
- Johnson Wagner, “Johnson is a veteran 3-time winner who knows how to get hot when it matters most. He’s a little behind pace in the FedEx Cup points race but coming off his second-best finish of the season with a T16 at John Deere and has made nine of his last 11 cuts. He recently reunited with his reliable caddie and is picking up right where they left off.”
- Seamus Power, “This sophomore Irishman is showing late season form making five of the last six cuts with bookend top-15 finishes and looking to lock up his full-time card for next season. If improved ball striking at the John Deere pairs up with his usually solid putter, it could spell a hot week in Kentucky. He has played well in all the ‘opposite field’ events over the last two seasons, making the cut in each one with two chances to win. His caddie enjoys bourbon.”
