Taylor

Montgomery

The UNLV product split just 6-of-14 fairways and mustered up just 9 GIR while taking on the “easier” North Course today. While he was playing the easier of the two courses, Mother Nature also had her say with blustery conditions on day. Montgomery did well to swallow just three bogeys, given his lack of GIR. Montgomery has family history at Torrey Pines, with his father playing his lone PGA TOUR event at the 1994 Farmers. It would be a nice story if he broke his maiden at the same course. The PGA TOUR rookie arrived with top 15s in eight of his first nine starts of the season.

The UNLV product looked comfortable in the California desert all week. He striped 41 of 56 fairways (T20) and pelted 61 greens in regulation which was 1st in the field when all was said and done. Montgomery was locked in on Sunday but surely wants his tee shot back on the par-3 16th which he rinsed en route to a double-bogey 5. It would have certainly applied some pressure to the leaders had he been able to post 26-under but it’s tough to complain about a fifth-place finish. Montgomery now has top 15s in seven of eight starts this season and currently ranks 9th in the FedExCup standings.

The UNLV product split 9-of-14 fairways and missed just one green in regulation. “I hit it really good today. I hit a lot of good iron shots. Just felt like a relaxed round playing with a bunch of ams. I had a lot of fun.” Montgomery walked off the course gaining 5.34 shots over the field at La Quinta CC today. On Friday he’ll turn his attention toward the Nicklaus Tournament Course. Montgomery has opened his rookie campaign with top 15s in seven of eight starts and he’s right back in the hunt with 54 holes remaining at PGA WEST.

There are 144 golfers in the field this week and a majority of them were able to finish their round today. There are currently 15 golfers yet to turn in their cards with a few more stragglers potentially finishing up in the dark. One of the golfers that just squeezed in before the horn sounded was Taylor Montgomery who fired a 6-under 64 to match the lead at the top of the board. He traded seven birdies with one bogey while nearly gaining four strokes putting, good for best in the field putting on day one. Montgomery had a strong fall, arriving at 12th in the early FedExCup race but this will be his first time posting a lead or co-lead after any round on the PGA TOUR.

Montgomery fired out of the gate with top 15s in six of his seven starts this fall. He racked up 135 birdies or better over that time span with the RSM Classic birdies counting double for the standings. His adjusted tally of 155 par breakers edged out Patrick Rodgers (154) and Will Gordon (151) on the final leaderboard. “It was a nice fall. I played really well, had a lot of birdies, a few too many bogeys, but I’ll take it for sure,” Montgomery wins $300,000 to be given to a children- or family-focused charity of his choosing. Rodgers earned $150K for a charity of his choosing while Gordon grabs $50K.

Montgomery arrived with three straight top 15s to start his rookie campaign and he kept that streak of top 15s alive with a low round today. His round included nine birdies and an eagle which erased a pair of blemishes along the way. “Anytime you can play well on a Sunday it makes you look like a better player, and it helps your bank account and gives you a lot of confidence going into next week.” He’s not in the field for next week’s Bermuda Championship but we should see him a few more times before the calendar flips to 2023. This will go in the books as his third sub-65 round on the PGA TOUR in just 26 total rounds played. He remains one of the leading candidates for Rookie of the Year.

Montgomery has roared out of the gate in his rookie season, bagging back-to-back top 10s before heading home this week for his debut at the Shriners. “It’s awesome. Just sleeping in your own bed, waking up, playing a practice round, going home, acting like there’s no golf tournament happening, it’s really nice. It’s a special week for sure. Got a lot of family coming out. I’m excited to play.” He’ll start the week alongside his good buddy, Harry Hall, and Las Vegas resident Justin Suh. There are times when a home game can bring more distractions to a player but on paper, Montgomery is certainly a top name to target this week in all fantasy formats.

The UNLV product could do no wrong on Sunday at Silverado Resort and Spa. He peppered 14 GIR and gained nearly four strokes putting to soar up the board. “I didn’t feel like I played much different, but the score is obviously a lot different.” He walked off the course ranked 1st in strokes gained putting for the week. He’s going to be a popular play in the near-term in all fantasy formats. Montgomery impressed with a T11 at the 2022 Farmers Insurance Open but this will be his first top 10 (and top 5) in a PGA TOUR event.

The 27-year-old Montgomery recorded the fifth runner-up finish in the 58th start of his KFT career. He also finished solo second at the AdventHealth Championship in May. The KFT is currently using 875 points as a fail-safe threshold for players to finish inside The 25 and earn a PGA Tour card at regular season’s end. Cards for the 2022-23 season will be awarded at the end of the Pinnacle Bank Championship next month. It will mark the first time as a PGA Tour member for Montgomery, while Shelton will take aim for a second time on Tour after previously graduating from the KFT following the 2019 season. On the season, Montgomery has made 10 cuts in 14 starts with six top 10s. In two PGA Tour starts in 2022, he finished T-11 at the Farmers Insurance Open in January and missed the cut at the U.S. Open.

The UNLV alum enters the week with eight top 15s in 12 starts on the Korn Ferry circuit this season. That includes five straight in the lead-up to this week’s big event. However, he is still searching for the first win of his career. Montgomery ranks 23rd in driving distance, 32nd in GIR percentage, 3rd in putts per round, but just 123rd in driving accuracy. Will his go-low, birdie-making skills translate to the big stage, or will his inability to find the fairway hold him back? Montgomery is just 2-for-3 in his career on the PGA TOUR but one of those was a T11 at this year’s Farmers Insurance Open.