PGA Tour: Transitioning: Notes from the Ballwasher

First topic message reminder :

1).What a win for Justin Rose last week and, from my point of view at any rate, who'd've thunk it so quickly after rather messing up an equally good opportunity at the "Honda". This win compelled me to review my pre-season projection about Rose and I see that he's already exceeded (my) expectations!
He's been big on stressing the upward mobility in the calibre of tournaments won, first "Memorial" and the "AT&T National", then a FedEx Play-Off event and now a WGC Championship. But the fact remains that it's been almost four years since his last Major top ten and one can only hope that Rose takes whatever it is he's found down Magnolia Lane with him.

2).Not much respect in the American media for Justin's win, all the headlines (and those of the BBC website) reserved for another of Sean Foley's pupils who completed his third Tour withdrawal in less than two years. Rose could be forgiven for echoing Caddyshack's Rodney Dangerfield, "I don't get no respect!", yahoo sports even calling Justin "Dustin" in their headline.

3).But the promise of another Tiger spectacular was enough to boost TV ratings 30% over last year, proving the extent to which the Tiger factor attracts viewers even when he slips from contention.

4).One more year of the "tired" old Blue Monster and The Donald will Trump it with Gil Hanse's rebuild of the course. He pledges to leave #18 well alone however and don't you love a finishing hole that is really, truly demanding? "To get a putt at par is sometimes all you're trying to do" on this hole says Stricker, and average score on this 467 yard par-4 was 4.539. (In contrast to the first hole, a par-5, which played to 4.16.)

5).Keegan Bradley seems to have been the flavour of the opening two months or so of the season, but his rather feeble challenge on Sunday seemed to suggest a man in need of a break. He butchered par-5's #8 and #10 from just off, and on, the green in two shots respectively, but he sits on top of the US Ryder Cup qualifying points list.
Mickelson is second and the two of them are some way ahead of positions 3 thru 8, which include would-be-rookies Haas, Stanley, Wilson and Snedeker as well as Stricker and Mahan.
Other among Celtic Manor's vanquished include Watson (10th), D.Johnson (11th), Woods (14th), Kuchar (19th), Fowler (22nd), Z.Johnson (31st), Furyk (48th), Overton (66th) and Cink (who has sunk to 71st).
Other struggling notables inlude Simpson (17th), Toms (24th) and Watney (33rd).

6).Before we leave South Florida, there have been a number of articles in the golfing press recently regarding the number of touring pros now resident there, 61 by one count, including Luke and Ernie, Rory and Jack, Greg and Karrie. That's possibly, depending on who's counting, one up on "Orlando", with an assist of course from Elin's ex.
SI amuse with a story of the Swedish contingent at the "Dye Preserve" where Richard Johnson, Jacobson and Parnevik play regular games, not for the traditional money game Nassaus but for press-ups, "the loser of each hole (having) to do a certain number, right there on the green". And compatriot Elin is apparently a sometime companion at these wags' barbecues! (Don't expect any of the three to be paired with the "ex" any time soon.)


7).And so to the pros' favourite Florida course, Innisbrook Resort's "Copperhead" course, home of the "Transitions Championship", in the Tampa area. The 1971 Larry Packard design is rated 9th in GolfWorld's survey, ahead of TPC Sawgrass (11th), for instance, and well ahead of Doral and Bay Hill, both in the thirties. The set-up for the "Transitions" will feature 5 par-3's and 4 par-5's, and Carnoustie native Ryan Stewart, the Superintendent, is expecting firm conditions helped by a forecast of unseasonably warm, dry weather.

8).Only two more weeks to qualify for a Masters invitation, and those not already in who are on the bubble of making it via the owgr top fifty include:
#45: Paul Lawrie (withdrawn - perhaps tactically? - from the Open de Andalucia)
48: Crane (not playing this week)
52: Goosen - playing Transitions
56: Rock - playing Andalucia
59: Chalmers - playing Transitions
60: Cabrero-Bello - playing Andalucia
62: HowellIII (w/d this week)
63: Manassero - playing Andalucia
64: Allenby - playing Transitions
67: Colsaerts (not playing this week)
68: Els - playing Transitions

9).Strong GB&I representation this week including Messrs Casey, (edit to include Gary Christian who was added to the field Tuesday p.m.), Davis, Donald, Harrington, Laird, Owen and Rose. And Tom Lewis making, as far as I can tell, his first ever appearance on the PGA Tour, in the company of fellow young 'uns Ishikawa and Bud Cauley. Other Europeans include Garcia and Peter Hanson.

10).The "Transitions" tends to favour course specialists and Choi and Goosen have two wins apiece, while Senden and Pettersson have a good record here. After a string of American wins to open the season, GB&I have two wins on the trot now, and I'd expect another "International" win this week. Donald plays his first two rounds with Justin Rose, and maybe he'll find inspiration/incentive to break their tie with Tony Jacklin for most post-war Tour wins by an Englishman not named Faldo.

Keep it going Padraig!!!

kwinigolfer wrote:There's another!

What's more surprising?
Harrington at the top??
or:
Schwartzel at the bottom???

really-!! got to go with schwartzel being bottom

kwinigolfer wrote:There's another!

What's more surprising?
Harrington at the top??
or:
Schwartzel at the bottom???

Guess who I backed this week on the GC FT...? Yep, Charl and Padraig!

Harrington has now mised at leasat twp putts less than ten feet, could be really setting 'em alight.
Driving as if he's slurping a or , only four fairways hit out of nine, so he's recovering very well.

Just a par at the 11th, but still a 2 shot lead... shot tracker suggests he's missed an 11 footer at the 5th and a 6 footer at the 11th, with those he could've been -8 thru 11!

When is something going to go wrong??!!

- 7 now for POD

kwinigolfer wrote:Harrington has now mised at leasat twp putts less than ten feet, could be really setting 'em alight.
Driving as if he's slurping a or , only four fairways hit out of nine, so he's recovering very well.

The fairway stats and green stats are misleading you could miss both by an inch and they count as a missed one.

This is the big test Paddy, a long par 5... the last one! C'mooon Padraig!!!

Just seen that Ishikawa's "special invite" for Augusta means the Masters won't count as one of his 12 PGA events for the year. Seems the benefits of being Japanese are limitless...

Somehow, via his usual parallel univers/fairway, Padraig gets to the green in three shots.... well, almost on the green...

NedB-H wrote:Just seen that Ishikawa's "special invite" for Augusta means the Masters won't count as one of his 12 PGA events for the year. Seems the benefits of being Japanese are limitless...

Being "Japanese" has nothing to do with it. (all due respect to "The Vapors")

If a player accepts Temporary Membership status, I think that means they can accept an unlimited amount of Sponsor's Invites.

I also think that have to become full Members next year, if they earn enough money, and conditional status if they earn enough to be in the top 126-150 category. So there are consequences.

Personally, I think the criteria to become Temporary Membership Status is too easy to obtain. There are too many QS/NW that cannot get into tournaments each week. Brian Harmon was the first alternate as of yesterday (and he is in since someone WD) as he is 19th out of 50 in the pecking order.

Approximately 60% of the NW/QS grads did not get to play this week.

-8 POD... Who saw that coming....

Iron play seems sublime today

If Paddy can find some form that will throw a wrench into some the Ryder Cup "Wannabes" plans for Chicago.

Hey Poulter, Casey, GMac, Jimenez, and Quiros: I am looking at least one of you fellows.

Edit, Paddy just dropped a bomb on #17, 74+ footer!! Good lord!

A 75 footer hold to get Harrington -9!!!!!!!!

wowza what a round by podds!!

Amazingly has only parred 3 of the 4 par 5 holes.

Who the f#@! is that at -10 and at the top of the leaderboard, and what the f#!@ has he done with Padraig Harrington???

Bl00dy He11 . . . .

Awesome, when he puts like he did today he is still a major threat!

Now THAT'S golfing your ball.

Hope he keeps it up over the weekend.

Pad...

Apparently Padraig made a hole-in-one during the pro-am. He's on a roll then, just three more days to go!

Sorry to read Immelman withdrew with a wrist injury, hopefully not a recurrence of the injury he had surgery on a couple of years ago. Trev was playing really well the second half of 2011 without really contending for a championship. Untimely setback with The Masters less then a month away.

Jesper shoots a sub 70 round. That hasn't happened often.

really does look like an easy course in fairness- its gonna be low

I've been lost for words for a while here... Fantastic stuff, one of the best days I can remember with Padraig and Matteo at their best!!! The only drawback is that probably it can only get worse from here, but I'm hoping they can keep it going at a nice pace throughout the week...

Wonder if they'll stretch the course for Round 2?

Winning scores the years they've played range from -18 (Vijay in 2004) to -4 (Sean O'Hair in 2008). Only four golfers last year better than Padraig's Round 1 of -10!

Good for Parnevik, and Sergio lurking in the weeds at -3.

As for last week's withdrawals, Toms showing no ill-effects with a 67, and Woods pledging he'll be fit for Augusta, maybe even Bay Hill.

Still trying to get my mind around Harrington finishing fifteen shots ahead of Schwartzel!

ok only just started using this shot tracker- it doesnt work very well does it! they seem to get alot wrong, is that normal.

mystiroakey wrote:ok only just started using this shot tracker- it doesnt work very well does it! they seem to get alot wrong, is that normal.

I never can get shot-tracker to run on my computer. I don't even try anymore.

Luuuuuuuuuuuuke

Shot tracker is a great idea, but it is an extremely memory hungry tool... It runs ok on my computer most of the time, but it can slow down quite visibly other things that I may try to run in parallel...

Shot tracker is also only as good as the volunteers that are operating the equipment, some of them don't really know what they're looking at, and only identify golfers by what they're wearing. Which all accounts for why sometimes it appears they're providing data for the wrong player. They are.

Kwin - I was just about to post this ... very true! Theoretically, the volunteers should know how to point the lasers at the right player's golf ball, but sometimes you get exactly what you pay for. This was the hardest volunteer position to fill. It can be deadly dull.

kwinigolfer wrote:Shot tracker is also only as good as the volunteers that are operating the equipment, some of them don't really know what they're looking at, and only identify golfers by what they're wearing. Which all accounts for why sometimes it appears they're providing data for the wrong player. They are.

yep thats my concern! cheers, alot of the players data was switching about alot

donald and rose looking v good- just chilling out out there doing nothing special yet 3 under through 9 should both get to 4 under through 10 as well

If Harrington weren't to win I would like Donald to so he can get back to number 1!

Tom lewis has a sexy swing!! looking like he has got bigger over the last few months- guy is a talent!.

in all fairness i cant really see past donald,rose or poddy in this event

Lewis is playing a very solid round, perhaps without quite making the putts he'd like.
Scores seem a shade higher this afternoon, no-one better than -4 yet.

And, talking of putting on weight, Daly looks like he's packed a couple of stone on to last year's model.

yeah i was thinking that kwini-daley looks alot bigger, i suppose when you 'cheat' and use the gastro band its gonna be very hard to keep it off when you take it out

just heard a Paidi interview on the radio on the way to work- apparently he shot a 64 in wednesday's pro am.

John Daly on the Copperhead course's 10th tee just about to let rip.

Another lovely day in store, and if the course keeps drying out as it did Thursday afternoon there won't be any 61's out there today.

Cut line at -1 or -2? Whichever, Laird and Lewis are among those with work to do to play the weekend.

Does Bud Cauley have Tony Navarro on his bag?

Lairdy, Yes!
I imagine that would be a huge help to him, fine green reader and a very solid presence for the golfer. Not sure Adam Scott is any better off with Steve Williams.

Thanks Kwini. I tried googling it but couldnt see anything. Only stories of Navarro leaving Scott then hitching up with Ryan Moore(?). Thats a big land for Bud at such a young age. Definitely worth keeping an eye on this young lad.

Just noticed that one of the contenders for best player never to have won a major has not teed it up so far on the pga tour this season; Brad Faxon.

He made his champions tour debut last year so I wonder if he has left the pga tour for good, at least in terms of regular play?

His best finish in a major is 5th Mac and just a couple of other top 10's. Think you might need to have come a bit closer than that to actually winning one to earn that particular moniker personally.

He was considered one of the best putters ever, but did not use a driver for many seasons after developing a phobia.

Mac,
I don't even think Fax would go so far as to think he is in "best player without a major" contention - I think he was very happy to bolt to the Champo Tour as soon as he could.

Slow start for Team Europe at the Transitions . . . . .

IN my opinion THE best putter of the last 25 years.

Unbelievable statistics for Total Putts, putts per GIR and Single putts per GIR, especially considering that he was so short off the tee he was coming in from a long way out with some very long clubs.

He's got some great tutorial videos on youtube and is an all round good egg. Really complimentary about Scotland after some great qualification attempts for the Open, particularly Lundin Links which he loves.