The PGA Tour is in Michigan this week for the Buick Open, where Brian Bateman is the defending champion.  Bateman has struggled to stay under par this season, making only six cuts with one top 25 finish at the season-opening Mercedes-Benz Championship.

The Buick Open is played at the Warwick Hills Golf and Country Club in Grand Blanc, Michigan.  It has proven to be one of the easiest, statistically anyway, courses on the PGA Tour schedule.  But, after watching last week’s Travelers Championship, it is hard to make that many birdies to stay in the hunt.  The hole to watch is the 457-yard, par-4 15th hole.  It is the most difficult hole on the course, averaging 4.20 scoring average over the last 25 years.

The Warwick Hills course is annually rated in the top tier on the Tour for golf course condition, highlighted by the superior putting surfaces.  The course was originally designed by James Gilmore Harrison in 1957 and later remodeled by Joe Lee in 1968.  The par-72, 7,127 yard layout has played host to 43 PGA events.