Greg

Chalmers

DJ is making this a habit now. He committed to play the week before the Masters at the Valero Texas Open but backed out early in the week. He’s doing the same this week, this time citing a knee injury. DJ arrives with finishes of T48 or worse in four of his last five stroke-play events. It’s always hard to back up a world-class year as he had in 2020, but gamers probably didn’t expect this big of a fallout, when just looking at his recent form. He will likely flip the switch soon but he’ll be a boom-or-bust option in the meantime.

Chalmers landed just 11 greens today but glued his round together with strong short-game skills. ", I kind of struggled on the front nine. The back nine, but my front nine. The wind was really blowing. I didn’t have the greatest control, and my short game really held me in good stead. I made some nice saves from sort of 6, 8 feet for par. It’s a little tricky to putt when the wind is blowing like this.” The lefty now finds himself just one shot off the pace set by Brandon Wu. Chalmers hasn’t positioned himself inside of the top 10 through 36 holes since his 2016 Barracuda Championship win where he was the solo leader.

The Aussie roared out of the gate this afternoon with a four-hole birdie train that kicked off at the par-5 second hole. Just three holes later he circled a hole-in-one at the par-3 eighth, the second ace of his career at the Grand Reserve Country Club (2009 Puerto Rico Open). Chalmers now has seven career holes-in-one on the PGA TOUR, tied for fifth-best on the all-time leaders list. When asked about whether the course suits his game, he had this to say, “I grew up in Perth, at Royal Fremantle Golf Club. It’s the third windiest city in the world. So I’m used to playing in the wind. I enjoy moving the ball around and trying to keep it down.” He arrived with nothing better than a T50 in his last 14 starts so he could certainly use a big finish this week.

The 47-year-old is currently T8 on the leaderboard and three swings short of leader Brandt Snedeker. This is his 14th Houston Open with three prior top 25s among seven cashes and one top 10, a T8 five tries ago in 2011 (Redstone GC). The Texas resident needs to earn 241.107 FedExCup points to meet the terms of his medical, to date banking just 3.60 FEC points with a 67th at last season’s Travelers seven starts ago. On five (of 13) fairways and 12 greens in regulation, he lost 0.532 strokes off-the-tee but gained 2.978 approaching and 2.751 around-the-green. The Aussie rang up six birdies at holes 5, 8, 11, 12, 17 (hole-out from 15'4" away) and 18, taking some luster off with two bogey-5s at 10 and 14 (failed sand saves), and double bogey-6 at 1 (3-putt from 44'11"). He registered 1.583 putts per GIR and -0.909 SG: Putting with 28 total putts, converting three birdie tries from between 10 and 17 feet, but missing four putts from inside of 10 feet.

The 46-year-old, who celebrates his birthday in three days (Oct. 11th), was set to make his 450th career start with still the one TOUR win to his credit, the opposite-field Barracuda in 2016. He’s being replaced in the field by World No. 441 Rob Oppenheim, who was the next alternate available on site. Oppenheim will head out at 7:55 am local time with Troy Merritt and Brendan Steele (No. 10 tee). This will be his fourth consecutive Shriners and has missed the cut in each of the prior three. The 40-year-old owns three top 10s in 80 career events with a best of T8 at the 2017 AT&T Pro-Am on a sponsor exemption. Chalmers will pocket the one start he has remaining on the medical, and needs to earn 241.107 FedExCup points to meet the terms.

The 46-year-old Aussie has two starts remaining on a Major Medical with a big finish needed to fulfill the terms (241 FedExCup Points). Perhaps he’ll be inspired by Hudson Swafford who just delivered a victory when his back was up against the wall with his medical extension. As for Chalmers, he went 1-for-9 during the 2020 campaign and hasn’t cracked the Playoffs since the 2013 season. Chalmers is 4-for-4 at the CC of Jackson but none of those finishes were better than a T50 (2017). Chalmers stays busy off the course with his family’s charity foundation, Maximum Chances, which provides resources to parents who are raising children with autism. Gamers might give Chalmers a look in DFS if they need a salary saver but expectations should be kept to a realistic level.

The 2016 Barracuda Championship winner was forced to the sidelines with a back injury in the summer of 2018. He tried to play six months later back home in Australia but missed the cut in both events before getting a proper diagnosis and resting. Chalmers commented on the injury ahead of the Australian PGA Championship last week, “had arthritis in my spine and every joint in my lumbar spine, tore a ligament in my spine.” Chalmers appears in much better fitness now, evidenced by a T5 at the Australian Open and T15 at the Australian PGA Championship over the last three weeks. The Dallas resident will have 7 starts remaining on a medical extension to earn 320 FedExCup Points. He’s looking to get started as soon as possible in January so gamers should expect around 10 starts in 2020, assuming he also gets a few late-season starts in alternate-field events like the Barbasol and Reno.

The Aussie veteran is a two-time winner of this event and, moreover, he has tasted the success at two different venues: In 2011 at the Coolum Resort and in 2014 at this week’s venue, the RACV Royal Pines Resort in Surfer’s Paradise, Queensland. In the 21st century he has made 15 starts in the event, missed just two cuts, chalked up nine top 25s and last year he was in the hunt all week before finishing T11. His 2018 season ground to a halt in June after missing two cuts in a row. There has been no mention of why, but he has a history of back problems. On return to action in the Australian Open two weeks ago he again missed the cut after laps of 76-71.

The lefty’s T50 at the Frys.com was his fifth straight payday but none were top 40s. Still, he’s 105th on the money list and need not worry about losing his status entering 2012.

The Aussie’s round included four birdies to a single bogey on the strength of 25 putts and a 1.60 putting average. Long known for his putting prowess, his ball-striking struggled as he only hit seven (of 14) fairways and 10 GIR. Chalmers enters the final round at 3-under 213 and in search of his first top-10 finish on the PGA TOUR this season.