PGA Tour: The Barclays: Notes from the Ballwasher

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1).Not much more to say about Webb Simpson's breakthrough last week at Greensboro, and certainly not worth adding anything to his hand of god report afterwards - makes Maradona look a novice. But Simpson's paid his dues, his challengers rather fell away, and he was able to saunter through the back nine with relatively little pressure. He leapfrogs into Fred Couples' Presidents Cup qualifiers, Jim Furyk dropping out, and it's going to be facinating to see Couples finesse his Captain's Picks if the standings remain the same (which they won't) with Fowler, Furyk and Woods bidding for two places. (I'd expect Zach Johnson, for one, to be anxious to make the Team.)

2).Job done for Els and Harrington squeezing into the FedEx Play-Offs, but they'll need to be a lot sharper to be among the 100 survivors leaving The Barclays destined for the Deutsche Bank. Casey, Leonard and Cabrera were among the more notable Wyndham participants whose efforts left them out of the FedEx fun.

3).And so, from Donald Ross's Sedgefield CC in Greensboro to Donald Ross's New Jersey gem, Plainfield CC. Sparing no expense, 606v2's very own correspondent, Shotrock, has filed this assessment of the course:
"It's a great course. Really a gem. I'm in agreement about it being the second best course in the Garden State, (after Pine Valley). Others will shout Baltusrol, but not in my book." Seldom seen by TV viewers, or anyone outside Shotrock's exclusive set, it has hosted John Cook's US Amateur and Laura Davies' US Women's Open but not much else on the national stage.

4).We detailed some of the golfers who were in peril of missing out on qualifying for The Barclays; now to identify those who will need a good result this week to be among the 100-strong field progressing to Round 2. Let's say the top 90 are secure. That leaves this lot among those fearing for their FedEx future:
Anthony Kim
McDowell
Immelman
Goosen
Villegas
Appleby
Poulter
Els
Harrington

Again: George O'Grady, hope you're reading this.

5).123 golfers will be playing this week, the top 125 qualifiers, less Schwartzel who's sitting this one out, and JB Holmes who's undergoing some scary (but reportedly non-invasive, non-life threatening) brain surgery next week. Hopefully Webb Simpson's guiding hand can help JB through this difficult time - JB: all distance and no-putt - until he became one of the early Stockton disciples. Good health to him, and play faster when you return.

6).Best wishes on returns to good health to others currently in sick bay, including Tim Clark and Mike Weir who have apparently recently undergone quite similar elbow sugery, and a forgotten man, Arron Oberholser, a rising star of the last decade, now nursing hand, hip, wrist etc etc injuries. Clark and Weir (Presidents Cup partners in a memorable Harding Park Presidents Cup battle with Stricker and Woods) hope to return early next year, but there's no timetable for when, or if, Oberholser will be good to go again.

7).Talking of Woods, all of a sudden Won't Play Woods is on the hook as he wants to play the Presidents Cup in Melbourne, and has contractual obligations with the Australian Open to pay for TWA's aircraft fuel, but Couples has said he must play to be selected. Tiger says: "I might add another PGA Tour event to my schedule. Right now, I'm looking at my options." According to Tiger's blog, he'll tee it up next Wednesday at Notah Begay's "Foundation Challenge" at Turning Stone. Unfortunately he might have trouble making his tee-time as he writes that this will be held in Verona, NJ. Too bad the event is in Verona, New York. He's missed some fairways in his time but 200 miles off-course is a lot, even for Tiger.

8).Woods has won 3 of the 16 FedEx Play-Off tournaments held so far. And there are four other multiple winners - in fact the first 12 events were won by just six guys, Slocum being the only one-timer. But all the 2010 tournaments were won by first-timers, including Furyk, the ultimate winner. He is one of five (Els, Furyk, Mahan, Mickelson and Stricker) to qualify for every Tour Championship since the Play-Offs began, Mahan and Stricker are the only ones to play every tournament, Stricker the only man to play every round.

9).Fred Couples beat John Cook in a play-off to win the Senior Players Championship last week at Westchester CC. The over-fifties cross country to the Seattle area this week, for the Boeing Classic. Once again Roger Chapman and Mark Mouland are merely alternates and their dream of earning full Champions Tour membership is fading fast, both of them almost certainly headed back to Q-School. Wonder if Barry Lane will join them?

10).And there'll be a second Scot on the 2012 PGA Tour as Russell Knox has pretty much sewn up his card for next year, via Nationwide success. He'll be in Tennessee this week, a happy hunting ground for him last year when he was 7th. Gary Christian and Greg Owen also compete with Matt Richardson "first alternate". And Boo Weekley and Nathan Green are among a raft of exempt PGA Tour players hoping to keep their game sharp after failing the FedEx test, John Daly also playing.

Some of the video from VT looked amazing, glad you and SR in Philly came through relatively unscathed, Kwini. I confirmed what my missus thought all along; that I am capable of sleeping through a hurricane.

Looks like we were far enough West to avoid the majority of the really bad stuff. Lost power for a while and was worried the basement would flood as the sump pump had been working overdrive all through the night and morning. Just as I was about to start bailing out power was restored. Still quite a few people locally without it; the missus has had people round to use the internet and get coffee this morning.

As thought the Barclays was a birdie fest, glad I didn't arrange for tickets for Sunday beforehand. Hopefully they will back to down to earth with the TPC in Boston.

Cheers Grumpy,
Not at all bad for us but devastation all around.

I see that the Tiger is coming out of hibernation to play the Fry's.com event in the Bay Area in early October. That'll be a new tournament for him and could easily be seen as a quid pro quo to the Tour for his guaranteed Presidents Cup place.
From a commercial point of view this makes great sense but one can only speculate on the pressure applied by Team Tiger on the Tour and Couples for assurances that he'll be picked for Royal Melbourne.
Imagine steam coming out of a few eminent ears right now, Fowler's and Furyk's among them . . . . .

Noel,
You've got some decent prices there; some guys have done well here in the past, Adam Scott (though the course has undergone changes since he won), Ogilvy and Vijay. Not sure who I like of those you mention but I always fancy Sergio to play well in these events. And he needs to!

Kwini,
Seems the names you mentioned and previous form recognised by bookies as Scott 18/1 and VJ 30/1. I think very good odds for Scott. Ogilvy at 55/1

Good to see Tiger back as I do think he adds something to the tourneys he enters

Grumpy - What part of the keystone state do you live in?

SR - The Poconos, I'm pretty close to the Delaware Water Gap.

Grumpy,
I imagine the Delaware will be raging as you send it down Shotrock's way.

Forecast still great for the rest of this week in the Boston area, could be a bit dodgy come Monday . . . .

The Irene-related reports posted on here sound thankfully "good" so far (by which I mean it might have been a heck of a lot worse), but can I just send my best wishes to our friends (and their friends/families) based out in north-east US.

Thank you Sky,
Much worse than expected in our State and neighbouring Northern New York, but thankfully not in our town.
Sentiments much appreciated, Thanks.

Good to hear that kwini, some scary scenes on the news.

I hope the worst is over regarding Irene, makes our rainy summer seem like a mere inconvenience and not the tragedy it is perceived as.

I did not see any of the golf but going by the scoring it would have been sad to see such a great course destroyed in such a manner. I know the weapons the greens had to combat the pro’s were neutralised by the weather but it is never pleasant to watch an old great fail to demonstrate the power it could once offer.

Mac,
Doubt if our experiences were much worse than floods over there in places like Workington and some of the Devon and Cornwall deluges over the past few years. I was in England in 2007 and it seemed everywhere was underwater! Part of our problem was that rivers and streams were already high following severe flooding in the spring.

I missed the golf too, all seemed a bit contrived really, players firing at greens with impunity making a nonsense of a classic course. Hated also the Friday announcement that, should Round 3 not be completed, results would based on 36-hole scores. Can't recall that sort of statement ever before.

Hope you enjoyed the GP.

Hi Kwin

Spoke to my friend from Montgomery County yesterday she said they got quite a pasting from Irene...trees down and bad flooding around Amsterdam...she herself lost a big tree from her yard...luckily it fell on the road and not her house. Might be heading that way soon to visit her.

Hi hayston,
Yup, I think part of the Thruway is still closed between Syracuse and Schenectedy. The mountain towns up around Lake Placid got hammered also. We're supposed to be down at Piseco Lake, north of the Amsterdam are on Saturday; it'll be interesting if all the camps down there are still standing.
Parts of Vermont got whacked too, eleven towns still completely isolated except by helicopter.
Hope your friend stays safe. You too!