It is YPGA open week! After shaking off the pesky Covid-19 and hitting the links for the 7 weeks through practice rounds and informal competitions, the YPGA is finally ready to host its first major of the 2020 season. While the YPGA Open on June 28, 2020 will be held without fans, it is a major feat for the Executive Committee to get this tournament off the ground so that Americans can move to a sense of normalcy.

First, the YPGA Exec Committee would like to honor the past winners of the YPGA Open: Chris Meyer (2017), Ed Grambo (2018), and Matt Launi (2019). This year's event will be held at Broad Run Golfer's Club in West Chester, PA. The players on tour have each gotten a little better, and some have gotten a little worse (i.e. Paul Koch). However, this year's tour is stocked with 16 competitors ready to etch their names in history.

Without further ado, here's the 2020 YPGA Open Preview:

Andy Kotulka: +2100

Reasons he will win: Solid chipping and putting game, and the course sets up where you do not need to bomb the driver…something Andy can only dream about.

Reasons he will not win: banana shaped shot shape off the tee and relying on his short game is asking too much for this high handicapper to be considered a true contender.

Prediction: Between 7th and 10th

Billy Kelly: +400

Reasons he will win: Driver – check. Irons – check. Hybrids – check. Putting/chipping. Check. Judicious albeit pussy-ish decision making. Recent scores are trending in the right direction for BK.

Reasons he will not win: If his driver and woods overdraw, or if he gets preoccupied with the Carney v. Sobo rivalry. Also, recent successes and a lower handicap means he will have to shoot sub-80 to win. Daunting task in Chesco’s county seat.

Prediction: Top 3.

Chris Meyer: +800

Reasons he will win: Solid and steady game tee to green will keep Chris in the mix all day. Replicating his back-9 from Five Ponds is the blueprint for success. If he gets some help from the mid handicappers playing poorly, he will be there in the end.

Reasons he will not win: Not getting quite enough strokes as he used to. You can almost always pencil Chris in for an 88 in a given round which is yeoman’s work, but not sure it gets it done at the Open. Not connecting on a few must-birdie attempts will doom Chris’ title hopes.

Prediction: Top 5

David Carney: +1000

Reasons he will win: Getting 16 strokes with improved play as of late (including an 86 at Broad Run a few weeks ago). Renewed mental approach which limits outbursts and clubs breaking mid-round. If the driver is clicking, he can definitely outdrive Billy which may be the key in that foursome.

Reasons he will not win: Struggles to put all facets of the game together in a single round which is his bugaboo. Being too focused on beating Vince in a side bet, or if the driver gets too snappy, then no one will be singing songs about him for ages to come.

Prediction: Top 6.

David King: +1800

Reasons he will win: 23 strokes and acting like he is not good while knocking down knee-knocking birdies. The driver is clicking (moonshots that go straight and 240), the irons don’t lead him astray and he’s able to chip and putt above average. Those areas plus 23 strokes can get Dave the Open trophy.

Reasons he will not win: Resting on his laurels from 2019 and losing the killer drive to be great.

Prediction: Top 8.

Ed Grambo: +1100

Reasons he will win: He’s able to mash the driver off the tee leaving him with 150-yard wedge shots all day long. The 19 strokes put Ed in the cross-hairs of dark horses to win the Open. Plus, he’s done it before at Broad Run! In the words of Lou Brown, “it has happened before.”

Reasons he will not win: Driver is slicing OB all day and the irons are very, very chunky leading Ed with patches of earth as his parting gift for the day.

Prediction: Top 3.

Greg Taglialatela: +10000

Reasons he will win: hmm….I’ll get back to you.

Reasons he will not win: Lots of reasons, but let’s hope Greg enjoys the day among friends and improves upon his rounds from last year.

Prediction: 15th place.

Jerry Margiotti: +1200

Reasons he will win: Solid performer with his Callaway Mavrik driver off the tee, and his relative under the radar mystique can allow Jerry to play stress free during the day and go low. If he continues to hit his GIR, then Jerry will be in contention to take hope the Open.

Reasons he will not win: There is no pressure that can be simulated to compare to a YPGA event. Jerry won’t know what hit him when the gallery is behind his back on the opening tee, when the shotguns are flowing, and when he skulls his first approach shot into the brush. First timers do not fare well on the Tour.

Prediction: middle of the pack.

Matt Kelly: +1300

Reasons he will win: Best golfer on the Tour, new clubs, and you can pretty much guarantee that Matt will shoot sub-85. However, getting only 7 strokes, Matt will likely have to shoot a 77 to win. Does he have the testicular fortitude for that?

Reasons he will not win: New golf clubs, same whiny attitude. Matt loves to whine about the number of strokes everyone is getting rather than focusing on the task at hand. Matt’s own mental state will be the reason he fails to win on Tour, again.

Prediction: Top 5.

Matt Launi: +1800

Reasons he will win: Prior pedigree of winning on the tour with the 2019 YPGA Open title under his belt. His ability to scramble is the key for Matt as he can take 3 ugly shots and one beauty to make par. If he is on his game scrambling all day, look for Matt to be in the running.

Reasons he will not win: Game hasn’t rounded into form this year yet and he’s struggled off the tee. He continues to leave the tour wondering how he can shoot an 82 one day, and then a 101 the next. A recent 101 at Glen Mills leaves a lot to be desired.

Prediction: Bottom 6 finish

Michael Musselman: +600

Reasons he will win: Mike’s ability to make par no matter the circumstances on a hole makes him a force to be reckoned with. Recent low scores have boasted his confidence and he’ll be coming into the Open at the top of his game. He’s no stranger to a 70s score and while getting 10 strokes, this writer thinks he’ll need to be at 80 in order to win.

Reasons he will not win: Driver is a little too snappy that day and all those one-putt pars turn into two-putt bogeys, making the chances of breaking 80 under the pressure of the Open a far-fetched dream.

Prediction: Top 3.

Mike Patitucci: +3500

Reasons he will win: Mike is at the perfect stroke line (getting 23 strokes while being able to shoot in the mid-90s). His driver will need to be clicking since he has no clue with his irons. As an alternative tactic, if he wears the non-performance polo from 1998 again, he could cause the rest of the Tour to withdraw due to illness, leaving him as the de facto winner.

Reasons he will not win: There is more to the game than swinging out of your shoes off the tee. Recent stock market turmoil and clients terminating his services for failure to simplistically explain how options-trading works. It cannot all be about carrots.

Prediction: Bottom 6

Mike Sabara: +12000

Reasons he will win: Perfect follow through despite failing to make contact with the ball. Actually, I cannot think of one reason.

Reasons he will not win: Can think of too many. Hopefully he’s dressed neatly, the hair looks good, and he enjoys the camaraderie with his pals.

Prediction: 16th

Nate Kraynak: +2100

Reasons he will win: The driver isn’t snappy, the irons go straight, and he’s feeling the flow with his short game.

Reasons he will not win: Unfortunately, the driver probably will be snappy, the irons may go more left than straight, and bogeys turn into doubles.

Prediction: 10th.

Paul Koch: +1200

Reasons he will win: Getting 17 strokes for someone that can throw up an 84-85 score after blacking out the night before. While Paul’s game hasn’t rounded into form as much as he would like, he still has the ability to shoot in the mid-80s so long as the driver is working. Strong drives from the Pook Monster will have him at the top of the leaderboard…

Reasons he will not win: Without his driver, he’s in trouble leading him to scrambling for most of the day which will push him towards and upper 80s to low 90s score. Also, pressure on the home front to capture his first Major will likely add tension to a guy that thrives on stress-free environments.

Prediction: 7th

Vince Sobocinski: +1400

Reasons he will win: The driver comes back to life, the hybrid that he uses 40 times per round is on fire, and his putting can be average. If Vince gets into a rhythm that has him constantly using his hybrid and hitting it as planned, he has the ability to break 90 and contend. The set up of Broad Run plays to Vince’s strengths as there are many holes where weak flaring drives that max out at 210 yards are more advantageous.

Reasons he will not win: Too concerned about beating Carney, leaving no real estate in his cluttered head to focus on winning the Open.

Prediction: 8th.

Leaderboard Prediction

1. Mike Musselman

2. Billy Kelly

3. Ed Grambo

4. Chris Meyer

5. Matt Kelly

6. David Carney

7. Jerry Margiotti

8. Paul Koch

9. Vince Sobocinski

10. Andy Kotulka

11. David King

12. Nate Kraynak

13. Matt Launi

14. Mike Patitucci

15. Greg Taglialatela

16. Mike Sabara