Best Picks for Constellation Furyk & Friends in 2021 – PGA Tour Predictions

It’s a special treat this week on the Champions Tour. Not only has Phil Mickelson decided to grace the “old guys” with his presence, but the field this week in Jacksonville is loaded with tons of household names. Ryder Cup captains Steve Stricker and Padraig Harrington are here, as are US vice captains Davis Love III and Fred Couples.

Langer’s here, so are Els, Goosen, Weir, and Clarke. The list goes on and on. In fact, pga.tour.com is touting this week as one of the best fields in the history of the tour.

Those looking for PGA Tour Champions picks, you’ve come to the right place.

Phil Mickelson is the heavy favorite to win this week on the Champions Tour. Lefty’s hanging out at +350 at most of the top sites for golf betting online; nobody else is priced lower than +700. While Phil has won two of his three starts on the 50-and-over circuit, I have no interest in backing Mickelson to hoist the trophy this week.

Timuquana Country Club is a shorter Donald Ross design filled with tree-lined fairways and well-placed bunkers. Courses like this tend to be Phil’s kryptonite.

As for a couple of guys who should have no problem taming the pristine venue nestled up against the St. John’s River, here’s who comes to mind.

Don’t worry about Stricker being distracted or resting on any laurels. He played the week before Whistling Straits and finished 6^th; he hasn’t finished outside of the top-11 at all in 2021.

To help shine a light on how impressive Stricker has been this season on the Champions Tour (two wins), here’s a tidbit to consider.

Steve’s deadly accurate off the tee, he’s a marksman with his wedges, and his putting stroke is still as silky as it’s ever been. All signs are pointing toward him thriving at this week’s layout.

I usually don’t try and chase the most recent winner on tour, but I’m willing to make an exception in this particular case. Choi’s victory at Pebble Beach marked his third top-4 finish in his last four starts. He’s shot 69 or lower in six straight rounds and is finally in the groove he was looking for all season long.

K.J. Choi's last two starts … 💪@PUREFirstTee: Win@SanfordIntl: T2 pic.twitter.com/PivBHaTim6

— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) September 27, 2021

Given his recent form, combined with his strengths and how Timuquana CC sets up on paper, K.J.’s on my shortlist of “best” Champions Tour picks.

Now for a couple of Constellation Furyk & Friends picks that aren’t so obvious. Here’s why Bernhard Langer should…..I’m KIDDING!

Priced at +3300 at nearly all of the top sportsbooks, BetOnline installed David Toms at +4000 to win. There’s enough value there for me to hop on board.

Toms understandably had an “off week” last time out in South Dakota (T44); he was still riding high from his win the week before in St. Louis. Dating back to the start of June, the Louisiana native has a couple of top-3 finishes to go along with his latest victory. He’s landed 18^th or better in six of his last eight starts and will be inspired from watching a family friend (Sam Burns) win on the PGA Tour.

Lurking at +9000 to hoist the hardware, Paul Stankowski has caught my attention. The 51-year-old rookie doesn’t have to worry about being at a disadvantage course knowledge-wise; this is a brand-new event on the schedule. The tour hasn’t hosted an event in the Jacksonville area for 19 years.

Last but not least, Paul’s got nothing to lose. Stankowski has only played in 11 events due to his limited status to begin the year and sits 66^th on the Schwab Cup Money List. Stankowski needs to rack points up fast in order to keep his season going.