2 years agoAfter two top-40 finishes leading up to the Rocket Mortgage Classic, Nick Hardy struggled to gain strokes in any category but off-the-tee en route to a missed weekend in Detroit. The struggles were a surprise, as Hardy had been trending upwards in his putting and approach games. Perhaps it was just a blip on the radar, and the 27-year-old will look to put those woes behind him in his home state of Illinois. If Hardy can find his groove with the irons and pour in some putts, he should be able to make it 4-for-4 in made cuts at the John Deere Classic in his career and provides some value on his $7.3k price tag on DraftKings.
--Tommy BellSource: PGA Tour
2 years agoIt's well known that a hot putter is necessary to win most weeks on the PGA Tour. While predicting who will gain six or more strokes on the greens this week in Detroit is near impossible, it's at least worth noting that Nick Hardy's putter is in great form. The 27-year-old Illinois native has gained 3.8, 2.8, and 3.4 strokes in three of his last four contests, respectively. The lack of firepower off the tee, inaccuracies with irons, and below-average chipping has led to some lackluster finishes, but the 20th-place finish at the U.S. Open shows what Hardy is capable of when he gains strokes in all four areas. In his lone start at the Rocket Mortgage Classic last year, Hardy missed the cut, but he'll look to maintain his solid form in order to play the weekend and see if his putter can stay hot in what should be good scoring conditions.
--Tommy BellSource: PGA Tour
2 years agoNick Hardy won a tournament. The American golfer paired up with Davis Riley to win their first titles on the PGA Tour at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. The partners combined to shoot -30 in the victory. Now comes the hard part. Can Hardy build off of this? The problem is he missed cuts in six of his last eight tournaments (including five straight). Also, an individual stroke-play tournament that is world class may be too tall of a challenge. That 179th ranking with putting at almost half a stroke lost is scary on a course like Quail Hollow. The overall body of work causes hesitation.
--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: PGATour.com
2 years agoNick Hardy rattled off eight-straight birdies on route to a Sunday charge up the leaderboard to finish T21 at the Mayakoba Classic. His irons have been scorching hot, as he has averaged +1.17 per round on approach in 13 rounds in the new season, gaining +0.49 strokes as his worst round. Prior to his irons cooking, Hardy was a good putter, averaging a quarter stroke on the greens until August. Since his irons have improved, he has lost half a stroke on the greens. Once he gets comfortable with the abundance of birdie looks he affords himself, we could see him soar up the world rankings.
--Byron LindequeSource: PGA Tour
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