Articles
Aaron Wise Could Still Struggle At Riviera
Aaron Wise has had a couple of rough weeks. He missed the cut at The Farmer's and then at the WM Phoenix Open. Both times he had second round 75's which derailed any chance of Wise seeing the weekend. It is becoming a real concern that Wise has been off with his game. He was […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoRussell Henley Must Avoid Erratic Shots At Genesis
The Genesis Invitational and Russell Henley could be an interesting match come the weekend. If Henley can just knock down a few putts, he can keep himself in contention. His approach to the green this 2022 season ranks fifth on tour with 0.986 strokes gained. Henley has a flair for hitting great second shots. This […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoSi Woo Kim Could Hang Around At The Genesis
The last golf tournament on the west-coast swing is this week at the Pacific Palisades golf course. Si Woo Kim finished tied for 26th last week at The Waste Management Phoenix Open behind a final-round 67. The course this week is 7,300 yards and features Poa greens. The Korean golfer may have a few issues […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoCorey Connors Might Have Issues At TPC Scottsdale
Corey Connors was going along so well, and then the last two tournaments happened. It is hard to get off to a good start when you fire out 75s the first round two weeks in a row. Connors tried to bounce back at the American Express but had a third-round 72 to miss the cut. […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoMax Homa Looks To Rebound At Waste Management
Max Homa missed the cut at the Farmers after a second-round 74. He took some time off and comes back this week focused for the Waste Management Phoenix Open. Homa won the Fortinet Championship in September and finished tied for 15th at the Tournament of Champions in January. Homa putts pretty well but his accuracy […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoCharles Howell III Carries Upside To Waste Management
Charles Howell III may not be on the top page of the leaderboard but he may come close this weekend at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. Howell III followed up a 36th with a top-25 result at the American Express a few weeks ago. He kept it together even with a final round 71 that […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoHarold Varner III A Question Mark Heading To Phoenix
Harold Varner III had an adventure and a half at the American Express. His final round 74 clouded what was otherwise a brilliant week for the golfer. After not playing for two months, Varner III had quite a nice showing, made some putts, and showed an ability to string birdies together (5.16 a round -- […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoSam Burns Looking To Bounce Back At Phoenix Open
It is safe to say that things did not go well at the Farmers as Sam Burns missed the cut. After a middling finish (19th) at the Tournament Of Champions, the American golfer has some question marks heading into this week. Burns has missed the cut two of the past three times at Phoenix but […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoLucas Glover May Struggle At Waste Management
Lucas Glover started to play better by the third round at Pebble Beach. However, the damage had been done. After starting off at a 75-76, a 68 was just a little too late to get Glover into the final round. Glover started off inauspiciously as the Tournament Of Champions finishing 35th. The question is can […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoAaron Wise May Not Have Much Potential This Week
Aaron Wise had a nice run to head into 2022. He had five finishes in a row that were 26th or better. That included two top-ten results. After a couple of months off, Wise returned for the Farmers Insurance Open but missed the cut after a second-round 75. Now, at the Waste Management Open, Wise […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoRussell Henley's Consistency An Issue At Waste Management
Russell Henley bounced back at the American Express with a top-15 finish despite a collapse at the Sony Open the week before. The American golfer had an extra week off before this week's tournament in Phoenix. His ability tee-to-green in 2022 is other-worldly. He is fourth from tee-to-green with 1.637 strokes gained. It comes down […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoSi Woo Kim Could Have Upside At Waste Management
Si Woo Kim comes into the Waste Management Open on a nice modest streak. He has finished tied for 11th in two straight tournaments. His 70-71 last week in the Farmers was a bit of a downer but Kim kept fighting. That resolve kept him in contention and could do somewhat the same this week. […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoKurt Busch Struggles Saturday Night At Coliseum
Kurt Busch and his car just did not have it on Saturday night. He qualified 32nd out of 36 cars. The new No. 45 car for 23XI Racing just did not seem to have the same speed it did during the day. Something was off as Busch lost speed in each sector during his 14.437 […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoKevin Harvick Drops To 23rd During Qualifying
Kevin Harvick looked great during practice and had the second fastest lap among all drivers. He was two thousandths of a second behind Chase Elliott. Some of his runs rivaled Elliott even. Then, the qualifying run happened and the speed was not there for the No. 4 car. The Stewart-Haas Racing driver almost had to […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoDenny Hamlin Has Slower Than Expected Qualifying Run
Denny Hamlin has had an interesting week in Los Angeles. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has kissed a wall or two and only qualified 17th on Saturday. He did look better in practice runs where he raced 102 laps in all. His best lap there was good enough for tenth spot. The faster conditions earlier […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoChristopher Bell OK In Qualifying On Saturday At Coliseum
Christopher Bell did not have the best or worst of runs on Saturday night as he qualified 15th for Joe Gibbs Racing. Again, he was a couple of mph's faster in practice topping out just over 66 mph. Bell seems to have the car to make a run during the main event but it is […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoBubba Wallace Has Somewhat Troubling Run At Coliseum
Bubba Wallace had a better qualifying session on Saturday night and wound up 18th. However, the 23Xi Racing team is not having the best start to the season in Los Angeles. Kurt Busch was 32nd fastest on Saturday night and both cars looked slow in the qualifying session. Wallace's car may be more concerning because […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoMartin Truex Jr. Continues Troubling Week At Coliseum
Martin Truex Jr. has not had the best of weeks in Los Angeles. The Coliseum track just does not seem to suit him well. Given his history on short tracks, one would think the No. 19 car would be much closer to the top. That has not been the case. He qualified a mere 30th […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoAlex Bowman Starts Fourth In Heat 2 On Sunday At Coliseum
Alex Bowman qualified 14th on Saturday night and will be in the fourth position when Heat 2 gets underway Sunday afternoon. The No. 48 car had some nice moments in practice too but was a hair off from the top cars during that faster session. His runs were not quite as good as the top […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoRyan Blaney Hangs Around 14 Seconds On Saturday
It did not seem that Ryan Blaney overdid it on Saturday in qualifying. He qualified 13th with a time of 14.002 seconds but looked like there was a bit more speed in the Team Penske Ford. The No, 12 car easily ran in the top-ten during practice and appeared to be one of the fastest […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoMichael McDowell Manages Nice Effort To Qualify 12th Saturday
Michael McDowell put himself in a decent position on Sunday with a 12th-place qualifying result on Saturday. He will be the third car coming out for Heat 4. That will give him the luxury of seeing others on the track and how they handle the 25-lap run. McDowell can be a bit of a risk […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoWilliam Byron Starts In Heat 3 On Sunday At Coliseum
William Byron qualified 11th on Saturday night with a time of 13.973 seconds. He was one of only 12 cars to post a sub-14 second lap in the evening session. The No. 24 Chevy was in the middle of the pack during practice so maybe Byron is figuring out the track a bit better. Again, […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoHarrison Burton Not Far Off From Practice Run At Coliseum
One of the few drivers that was about as fast in qualifying as in practice was Harrison Burton. Burton qualified tenth for the heat races on Sunday with an average speed of 64.447 mph. His practice best was 65.114 mph. Again, there were a few minor bobbles in turns 2 and 4 for Burton. With […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoRicky Stenhouse Jr. Stays Upright During Nice Run Saturday
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. seemed quite fast in practice leading up to Saturday night's qualifying run. That panned out as Stenhouse Jr was ninth with a speed of 64.461 mph. If not for a late bobble, he may have qualified in the top-five. It is tough to pick these things out in a 14-second lap (give […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoKyle Larson Tuning Up For Event At Coliseum On Sunday
Kyle Larson automatically qualified for the main event on Sunday in Los Angeles. This is because he won the title last season (most points). However, his No. 5 car looked pretty quick and he finished eighth in qualifying Saturday night. The Team Hendrick Motorsports car was seventh fastest in practice just 0.058 seconds off from […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoChase Elliott Looks Strong In Advance of Sunday's Race
Chase Elliott qualified in seventh on Saturday night, just a few mph's slower than his practice session. That practice saw the No. 9 car at the top of the field. The Hendrick Motorsports Racing driver has little to worry about in qualifying for the 23-driver main event. Elliott's runs in his 103 laps of practice […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoCole Custer Finishes Well With Nice Qualifying Lap Saturday
Cole Custer will start from the second position in Heat 2 on Sunday afternoon from the Coliseum. Custer and his No. 41 Ford nearly edged out Daniel Suarez for 5th by the length of a credit card. Custer qualified sixth overall with an average lap speed of 64.502 mph. A strange quirk is that Suarez […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoDaniel Suarez Turns In Very Good Qualifying Lap Saturday
Daniel Suarez and Trackhouse Racing looked quite good on Saturday evening. Suarez qualified fifth just thousandths of a second behind Joey Logano for a top heat spot. The No. 99 car went around the track at a best speed of 64.507 mph. Suarez did run a lot of practice laps (106 in all). It seemed […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoJoey Logano Nabs Final Top Heat Spot At Coliseum
Joey Logano found himself again a couple of tenths of a second off the lead in the qualifying session on Saturday night. The difference this time translated to a fourth-place result for the No. 22 car. The Team Penske driver will lead Heat 4 on Sunday afternoon. In practice, Logano was just 26th with his […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoJustin Haley Surprises With Third-Place Qualifying Lap
Justin Haley had a fast car in practice on some of the runs, but as darkness fell on the Coliseum, he delivered a fast lap. How fast? Haley qualified third with a time of 13.891 seconds. That means he will be on the pole for Heat 3 on Sunday afternoon. For those wondering, Haley was […]
Chris Wassel 3 years ago