Running in parallel with the Genesis Scottish Open, the DP World Tour also visits Keene Trace Golf Club in Kentucky this week for the Barbasol Championship. Here are your five things to know.
Opportunity beckons stateside
The Barbasol Championship is the first of back-to-back tournaments being held in the United States that provide playing opportunities for DP World Tour members this season.
Upwards of 50 DP World Tour professionals will take their place in the 156-strong field and at next week’s Barracuda Championship, which runs alongside The 151st Open at Royal Liverpool.
Valuable points on the Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex are on offer as are non-member FedExCup points on the PGA TOUR.
As part of the Strategic Alliance between both the DP World Tour and the PGA TOUR, the leading ten players (not otherwise exempt) on the season ending’s DP World Tour Rankings will earn PGA TOUR cards for the following season.
Inside the field
An international cast is assembling in Kentucky, with the potential for a breakout global star to emerge.
France’s Julien Guerrier is the top-ranked player on the Race to Dubai Rankings, sitting 32nd on the season-long race, with Aaron Cockerill, Marcus Helligkilde and Jens Dantorp also in action from the top 50.
Young emerging South African player Jayden Schaper, who has already recorded three top tens so far this season, is also looking to making an impression as is Spaniard Alejandro Del Rey among others after his U.S. Open debut last month.
Two-time DP World Tour winner Russell Knox, fellow PGA TOUR winners Adam Long and Adam Long along with 2022 Presidents Cup International Team member Taylor Pendrith are also in the field.
Last time around
Trey Mullinax birdied the 72nd hole to win on the PGA TOUR for the first time at last year’s event as he secured exemptions on both the PGA TOUR and DP World Tour.
The American, who started the final round two strokes behind 54-hole leader Matti Schmid, battled with playing partner and countryman Kevin Streelman down the stretch as the pair exchanged blows.
Mullinax, who earned the final spot in the 2022 Open Championship with his win, was three under through four holes in the final round and added three more birdies on his back nine to shoot a closing six-under 66 and get to 25 under for the week.
He has opted to not compete this week in advance of making his second appearance in the Open Championship next week at Royal Liverpool, having finished tied 21st on his debut last July at St Andrews.
From Wales to America to Royal Liverpool
Last week, Jazz Janewattananond secured one of the last remaining spots on offer into The 151st Open through Final Qualifying.
The Thai star was preparing for a play-off at Royal Porthcawl until Oliver Bekker made a triple-bogey seven on his final hole to enable him to progress as one of five qualifiers with a one under total at the end of the 36-hole event.
With him missing out on the field for the Genesis Scottish Open, the 27-year-old has opted for competitive practice in America rather than taking the week off ahead of the final major of the year.
After three top-20 finishes in his opening four starts this season, Janewattananond has struggled to match those performances since but will hope he can take some confidence into his fourth appearance at The Open when Royal Liverpool plays host.
The venue
Keene Trace Golf Club in Nicholasville, Kentucky, is hosting the Barbasol Championship for a fifth time this year after the first three editions of the tournament, beginning in 2015, were staged in Alabama.
Located just south of Lexington, Kentucky, Keene Trace is one of the top-ranked courses in the state. and its 76 bunkers along with the big greens will pose one of several challenges to the field.
The 7,328-yard, par 72 course has an interesting mix of holes, including four par fives and four par threes.
The green on the closing 452-yard par-four 18th is built around the edge of a lake and could make for another dramatic finish if the tournament is in the balance once again in the final round.
