Let’s start with the fact that Phillip Reedy and Joe Harrison are going to be a problem for other franchises for the foreseeable future. The two caddies from Shadow Creek finished T2 in the 2026 Grass Clippings Open, their first Grass League event, and then followed it up by winning their quarterfinal match against John Chin and Grant Hirschman of the San Diego Munis.

The problem is that they’re running into another Munis pairing that also has a chance to win the entire tournament.

Kevin Lucas and Matt Ryan were my picks to win the 2025 GL Championship. They missed an eight-footer on the 18th green and finished second. That was the last time we saw them in a Grass League event. As any successful basketball coach would say, “Continue to feed the hot hand.”

I can tell you they were bummed to miss the 2026 Grass Clippings Open back in April, especially as they watched their good friends Austin Quick and Tyler Weworski run away with the tournament on live television. But they had a pretty good reason. Kevin Lucas got married that same weekend, and Matt Ryan stood by his side as a groomsman.

Well, the pairing is back and motivated. Each player has a chance to become the No. 1 player in the world with a dominant performance. Their return is part of the tremendous optimism surrounding the San Diego Munis as they enter the Summer Grind. Ask anyone, and they’ll tell you, “The Munis are back at full strength.”

For any golf diehard, this matchup could be its own primetime event. It features four golfers in their mid-twenties who are currently playing or have previously played at an elite level. The local Sisk brothers should have a decent following given the noise they made while growing up in San Diego. Parker Sisk went on to play college golf at USC, while Cameron left for ASU. At ASU, Cameron set the school’s single-season scoring average record, besting both Jon Rahm and Phil Mickelson.

It would make logical sense to pick the brothers in this matchup, but I’m going in a different direction.

If you don’t keep your ear to the ground, you probably aren’t aware that Mason Glinski is one of the hottest golfers in the sport right now. Just a few weeks ago, he won the first Dakotas Tour event he had ever played in, shooting a tournament-record 32-under and winning by four strokes.

His partner, Dylan Vanderveer, seems to have crossed into a different tier of professional golf by all accounts. He won on the Asher Tour earlier this year and qualified for the professional tour in Mexico. There is even more reason to believe in this pairing based on its performance in a GL Match Series match earlier this year, when Glinski and Vanderveer overpowered Torey Edwards and TJ Vogel of the Hollywood Hitters.

If Mason’s putter gets hot, this head-to-head matchup could be over early.

The easy pick here would be Ryder and Hunter Epson. The brothers finished second in last year’s Summer Grind with a final score of 19-under par. Everything would suggest they’re early favorites, but this is very much a “what have you done for me lately?” league. The Horsemen currently sit in eighth place in the season-long points race and are still trying to find their footing in the league.

On the other hand, the Las Vegas Action franchise seems to have all the momentum in the world entering the Summer Grind. Although this will be Gigi Stoll’s first Grass League event, I think she’ll settle right in.

Regardless of the Epson brothers’ performance at last year’s Summer Grind, I’m taking Gigi Stoll and her playing partner, Ricky Hearden, based purely on the trajectory of each franchise. I’ll take the Action in this head-to-head matchup.

This is one of the more unique matchups in the field because both teams feature replacement players. Gabe Salvanera nearly posted the lowest two-person score at last year’s Summer Grind alongside Ryan McPherson. This time, he enters with Matt Kang, who has some big shoes to fill.

Phoenix United has even more moving parts. Will Kropp, who posted the tournament’s lowest two-person score with Brian Bigley last year, will miss the event as he welcomes a baby back home in Oklahoma. Bigley is no longer on the roster, leaving Sam Fidone and Ty Strafaci to step in.

With all things considered, I’m leaning Phoenix United. Strafaci is a former U.S. Amateur champion, Fidone shot a 59 earlier this summer and I assume the entire Goat Hill community will be behind the Will Kropp replacements. Meanwhile, Salvanera and Kang will have to answer the obvious question: Why break up a pairing that finished second last year?

Give me Fidone and Strafaci.

You could argue that this matchup is a coin flip.

For the Roses, Asaeli Batibasaga has already proven he can go low in this league, having finished tied for third at the 2025 Grass Clippings Open. Manny Manzone also earned his spot by surviving a 100-team qualifier and has shown that he can deliver in windy conditions. However, both players will be making their Summer Grind debuts at Goat Hill.

Joe Hooks is the only player in this matchup with experience in this event. He finished tied for 13th last year while helping Michigan capture the inaugural franchise title. Quinn Riley also came through the APGA ranks and already has a close relationship with his partner, Joe Hooks.

Michigan won the Summer Grind in 2025, and Joe Hooks was a big part of that. Why fade him now?

Although Tampa Bay has recruited one of the best résumés in the entire field, I’m still leaning toward San Diego’s Cody Massa and DJ Lantz.

Here’s why: Massa may be the hottest player in the field after winning the 2026 Arizona Open as an amateur against a field full of professionals. He and Lantz have also played four Grass League events together, finishing tied for third at each of the past two Grass League Championships. There’s a reason the Munis were hell-bent on signing this pair during the offseason, and that move may pay off here at the Summer Grind.

Brandon Harkins’ game should fit this par-54 scramble format perfectly, but he’s new to the Grass League, and the Swamp Dawgs are putting a lot on his shoulders right away. Ben Herman will need to help carry that weight against one of the league’s most established pairings.

Tampa Bay may have the biggest name, but San Diego has the hotter player and the more proven team. Give me Massa and Lantz.

This may be the closest matchup in the opening round, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it end in a tie. Both pairs have incredible résumés, but New York has the two players who are already familiar with Goat Hill.

Chad Hambright and Michael Herrera have both played in the Summer Grind, and both have deep ties to the surrounding area. Hambright lives nearby in Encinitas, while Herrera earned his first professional victory down the road in Carlsbad.

There’s a strong case for the Strikers. Brannon Fahrny recently shot a 63 to earn medalist honors at a PGA Tour Monday qualifier, while Jon Yoshihiro won the APGA Tour Championship last year. They’re also the more established partnership, having already won together in the Grass League Match Series.

But over 36 holes in this format, I’m siding with course experience. Hambright has already shown that he can go low at Goat Hill, and Herrera owns four APGA victories at PGA Tour venues. It’s a narrow edge, but give me Hambright and Herrera.

John Chin owns the best Goat Hill result in this matchup, having finished tied for fourth at last year’s Summer Grind. But I’m still taking Canon Claycomb and Brendon Jelley because that’s what my gut is telling me.

Jelley has broken 60 twice and enters the event in strong form after winning on the All Pro Tour in June. Claycomb has been equally impressive, shooting a 63 with a back-nine 29 while competing on the HotelPlanner Tour this year. In a 36-hole scramble on a par-54 course, that kind of explosiveness is difficult to pick against.

The Munis counter with plenty of experience. Chin is a former PGA Tour member, while Grant Hirschman has made roughly 140 Korn Ferry Tour starts. There’s also a fun college rivalry within the matchup: Hirschman won a national championship at Oklahoma, and Jelley won one the following year with Oklahoma State.

Both groups are capable of setting a tournament record on any given day. This matchup should produce as many birdies as any other pairing in Round 1, if not more. Give me the Roses in a tight contest.

Alex Chiarella and Colin Featherstone are both Goat Hill members who have already proven they can score here. Featherstone finished tied for ninth at last year’s Summer Grind, while Chiarella finished tied for 13th. They don’t just know Goat Hill. They practically live there.

Featherstone also has something to prove. He played well for the Hollywood Hitters last season but wasn’t brought back. The Blue Birds were smart to pick him up, especially with this tournament being played on his home course. You could even argue that TJ Vogel is his replacement.

Vogel brings an impressive résumé, but he has no competitive history at Goat Hill. Featherstone knows the course and gets a chance to make his former franchise regret letting him go.

With two Goat Hill members and a little extra motivation, give me the Blue Birds.

We already saw a preview of this matchup at the 2026 Grass Clippings Open. Willie Mack III and Jennifer Song finished tied for 21st, beating the teams featuring both Aaron Hicks and Andrew Von Lossow. That’s the cleanest evidence I need.

Mack enters as the winningest player in APGA Tour history and one of the hottest golfers in this field. Song brings 15 seasons of LPGA experience, two USGA championships and an illustrious college career at USC. Her strength with the irons should translate perfectly to a par-54 scramble.

Von Lossow is a steady Grass League performer and the only player in the group with Summer Grind experience. Hicks brings star power and ridiculous distance, but a course like Goat Hill neutralizes much of that advantage.

The Roses will be fun to watch, but the Action have the clear advantage and they are suiting up for a surging Action franchise. Give me Mack and Song.

Willy Wilcox might be the most talented player in the entire field, which makes this matchup especially intriguing. He brings PGA Tour experience, has shot a 59 on the Korn Ferry Tour and owns the kind of scoring ceiling that can take over a scramble.

But Hayden Wood and Ricky Romano have already proven themselves as a team. They finished tied for fourth at last year’s Summer Grind and nearly won the 2025 Grass Clippings Open. Both are ranked inside the league’s top 20 and have been knocking on the door in almost every tournament.

Corby Segal is a three-time SCGA Four-Ball champion and should fit this format well, but he’ll be making his Grass League debut. Wilcox also hasn’t competed regularly in recent years, while Wood and Romano have already contended twice in this league.

Wilcox may be the best player, but the Munis have the better team. Give me Wood and Romano.

Phoenix United enters with the league’s second and third-ranked players, but the Roses have number one. That’s where I’m leaning.

Austin Quick and Tyler Weworski deserve plenty of respect. They won the 2026 Grass Clippings Open by six shots, posted the largest margin of victory in league history and have spent two years building their partnership. Weworski also grew up nearby in Carlsbad, making this a home game for him.

But Ryan Ruffels is, according to the rankings, the individual player in this matchup. He has already played well at Goat Hill, won The Q and recently made his first PGA Tour cut since 2022. Luke Kwon may be making his Grass League debut, but he’s a proven winner and projects to be a Grass League mainstay.

Phoenix has the established team, but the Roses have the highest ceiling. If Kwon gives Ruffels a reliable second ball, Los Angeles can beat anyone in the field.

Give me Ruffels and Kwon.