Andrew's Panama Championship (KFT) Preview
- Andrew
- Jan 27
- 5 min read
It feels like ten minutes since I started popping my thoughts up on the WeKnowFantasy website. Well, folks, it has been a year. The website has a new name and is fresh, exciting and going strong. I’m… well, I’m still here after a year. If you want to look back at my first Korn Ferry Tour preview you’ll find I tipped Barend Botha (who promptly missed the cut, at 45/1) in what was an inauspicious start. Barend and I have built some bridges since then and I remain a fanboy, as regular readers will know. As to this event, I remain mystified.
The Tournament
Coming into this event last year, I was very pleased to be starting with a course like Club de Golf de Panama. It’s long and hard, I said. Look at bombers, I said. Reader, Josh Teater won it. Yes, that Josh Teater. The 125/1 shot, soft hitting (then) 45-year-old. Dylan Wu was in second (along with Johnny Keefer and Nick Gabrelcik, which made a bit more sense) with Hank Lebioda in solo fifth. Not exactly a who’s who of bombers. Worse than that, it was very hard to pick apart why that selection of golfers did so well that week. Teater had missed the cut on his last two visits to this course – though he was 13th back in 2018. He and Lebioda had shown some recent form, but the other three had looked ordinary to that point – even Johnny Keefer, the only class angle of the group. I was confused then, and I’m confused now.
Here's what we do know. The course is still hard – the cut last year was at +2, almost unknown on the KFT, and Teater won by two with a score of 271 (-9 on this 7,534 yard par 70) after a final round 65. But good rounds are out there – highlighted by Neal Shipley’s 63 in the second round. Although Shipley’s round was the best since Max McGreevy also turned in a -7 on Friday back in 2020, scores of 64 and 65 are not uncommon. Nor do I think, on reflection, that last year’s result was an anomaly. Although bombers Pierceson Coody and Isiah Salinda took this in 2023 and 2024, you don’t have to go far down the leaderboard to find shorter hitting players in both years.
So, length certainly helps. What we have, really, is a proper golfing test, something all too rare on this Tour. Not good with your long irons? You’ll need to be able to drive the snot out of the ball to keep playing wedges and short irons. Not good at chipping? For goodness sake, hit decent approaches because you’re a long way from the greens. Wayward from the fairway? You’d better putt spectacularly. This isn’t Augusta. It isn’t even the Majilis Course from last week. But it is a long, tough test that has consistently seen a range of players managing to put good rounds and tournaments together as many others struggle.
After all this waffling, I’m still veering towards strong drivers. However, I’m looking for an all-round game, I’m certainly looking for recent form and ideally I’m looking for form on paspalum greens or in this event or elsewhere in Latin America. It is also worth noting that although it is going to be hot it will be mostly calm and dry, though the forecast for Sunday is windier. If it does stay the same, expect scoring to be even higher in the final round, with total winning scores struggling to get into double figures and experience being at a real premium.
The Selections
This wasn’t an easy one to reduce down, particularly as there are effectively no useful comparative stats for this year’s KFT class (as they barely hit driver in the Bahamas, driving distance won’t tell us much – so we’re back to looking at individuals relative to their group in whatever Tours they played in 2025.) It has been something of a favourite’s graveyard historically, and nor has it proved a particularly good indicator of future success, making it hard to simply look at the “classiest” in the field.
Given my recent insight into the possibility of offsetting shorter drives with great iron play I was tempted by form starter Ben Kohles, and he went awfully well here in 2020 (though he missed the cut on his only subsequent start) but with his putter the reason he fell back to this tour I’m happy to swerve him at these prices. Similar concerns, together with a lack of recent form put me off Carson Young who is short in the market as befits a former winner, whilst Adam Hadwin might be able to outclass this field. As ever, I’m tempted by Sandy Scott, especially on a tricky course but I don’t think he deserves this price with his current form and recent absence. I even thought long and hard about Cameron Champ, which says more about the course setup than anything else.
From towards the top of the market, my eye was repeatedly drawn to Trent Phillips. I think some may be put off because he missed the cut in this last season, but it should be noted that he did so the week after withdrawing from the Great Abaco due to illness. In his first start here, in 2024, he finished 69-69-66 for a T2nd. He finished last season hot after an ordinary start and moved to 27th in the year-ending ranks, with four top ten finishes from his last eight events. This year began with a T3rd at the Bahamas Classic and this long-hitter (15th in KFT driving distance last year) will enjoy this challenge far more than many and has to be among the favourites to get a first tour card this season. Despite the record of favourites here, there’s good reason to keep him onside, and I was delighted to see later books moving him out from the initial 20/1 mark.
Joining him on my team is Mitchell Meissner, a man I expect to be backing a fair bit this season. Partly this is a reflection of my belief in his overall quality, but he does fit this course nicely too. He was a standout player on the Latin American tour in 2022 (finishing in the top 20 on ten of his 11 starts,) playing well in heat and on challenging, slow greens and learning to play outside of the US better than many in this field. Last year he was the last man out of the twenty who got cards, and he got there by consistency – 13-top-25 finishes but no podium places. He’s solid rather than spectacular from the tee but hit lots of greens in regulation (21st last year) and putts well (22nd last year.) He was 11th in this last time and was 13th on Great Abaco last time out, leading after 36 holes.
My final pick is a player who follows two trends I strongly believe in; don’t worry about one missed cut, and be patient with youngsters. Dylan Menante has a price that ignores the fact that he was among the best college players in the game just three years ago (sixth best amateur in the world, fourth in the NCAAs (behind fellow late bloomer Fred Biondi, interestingly) and so on. He was also sixth to open the year in the Bahamas, and though he missed the cut in the Abaco he shot 69 on Friday to show his game is still just fine. This is a course debut but he’s a rock solid golfer with few holes in his game, who is particularly strong in greens in regulation and scrambling which ought to keep his card clean. At these odds, I’m very happy to speculate on him starting a 2026 breakthrough down in Panama.
Trent Phillips, 25/1, 2pts win only, Fitzdares
Mitchell Meissner, 28/1, 1pt e/w, 1/5 odds 7 places, Fitzdares
Dylan Menante, 70/1, 1pt e/w, ¼ odds 5 places, Bet365
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