PGA Tour: The Valero Texas Open - Who Cares?: Notes from the Ballwasher

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1).The first ever Texas Open was held in San Antonio in 1922 and one doubts they've ever had a worse turn-out in terms of player quality than the 2012 edition. When pgatour.com highlights Weekley/Lickliter/O'Hern among its "notable groups" you know you're in trouble. More on this later . . . .

2).But let's rewind to last week's RBC Heritage, and Carl Pettersson's walkaway win at Harbour Town. Two runner up finishes and a win this season for North Carolina's favourite Swedish American and he's now restored to the top forty position in the world rankings he abandoned when losing weight and changing his swing.
He now is tied for most wins on the PGA Tour by an American under the age of 36, and most wins by a Swede (with Parnevik)!

3).There should never be any doubting the credentials of Pettersson; he's a proven front-runner (has converted four 54-hole leads out of six into wins) and has won on top class courses, Innisbrook, Memorial, Donald Ross's Sedgefield, Ontario's "St.George's" and now Harbour Town. Lots of chat about the Ryder Cup but Pettersson seems happy to leave that to others. The AP quotes him as saying:
"You have to be a member of the European Tour, which I'm not." "But if I'm playing well, maybe they'll take me," he shrugs.

4).Criticism of some course lengthening of Harbour Town - "Why?" seems to be the common refrain - but extra yardage didn't seem to affect the televised holes (not sure about #3) although the Tour's continued use of the back tee on the beautiful par-3 14th hole is absurd.
Here you have a gorgeous short hole, with water protecting front and right, trees left. The green tends to be firm yet they insist on playing it at 190+ yards, instead of the 140 - 150 yards that the green is designed for. Consequently almost every pro played it defensively, to the left, and a hole that should be just a wedge or a 9-iron played as the tournament's most difficult. Ridiculous and it certainly made for boring viewing.
(Despite the above, Sean O'Hair raced around his Round 4 in about 1 hr 50 minutes, shooting 73, a shade better than the average score for the day and much quicker than his Saturday 79.)

5).25% of the field (morning wave starting on #10 on Thursday, #1 on Friday afternoon) had much the worst of the conditions which certainly affected Donald, Els, Harrington, etc. Although Snedeker managed alright, it highlights that, even on Tour, a golfer can just be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
But it shouldn't disguise that fact that this year's Luke Donald is not yet up to the quality of last year's model. He was 69th of 71 in total putts taken at Harbour Town and some other key stats for the year show:
Greens in regulation: 140th in 2012 - 41st in 2011 (despite hitting more fairways)
Par 5 scoring: 122nd - 54th in 2011
Birdie average: 130th - 2nd in 2011

His short game continues to be as good as anyone's (usually!) but he's using it too much!!

6).Approximately halfway through the FedEx "regular season", it's worth noting one or two stars of the recent past who are off to very slow 2012 starts. The leading 125 FedEx points gatherers are eligible for the first play-off tournament, "The Barclays", and these players are currently adrift of qualification:
126th: Leonard
130: Karlsson
132: Goosen
133: Villegas
154: Romero
164: Appleby
193: Kim
196: Clark
209: Casey
223: Glover
Injuries have kept some of these guys off the course, but there are no "entitlement" invitations to the Play-Offs!

7).On to San Antonio and one of the Tour's most venerable events, with a very supportive long-term sponsor (Valero), and one of the most benevolent when it comes to the charitable contributions that the PGA Tour slaps itself on the back about.
In recent history the "Valero Texas Open" has been played in autumn, but 2010 saw a spring-time date and a new course. Adam Scott was the winner and there was a handful of top level players participating. Word about the TPC San Antonio course soon got about, however, and the Tour's best, apart from Choi and Kuchar, have stayed away in droves.

8).TPC San Antonio was designed by Greg Norman, with Sergio Garcia as player consultant and ranks 50th of the 52 Tour courses in GolfWorld's Pro's Ranking. Needless to say, Sergio won't be playing this week but those who are here will be negotiating 7,400 yards with narrow fairways. "There's no place to miss shots. Who thought that would be a good idea?" They'll eventually reach "crazy" undulating putting surfaces, greens which "need to be blown up", so expect very slow rounds.

9).Last year, the Texas Open was played the week after The Masters, and next year it's likely to be scheduled for the week before Augusta, so the run up to Magnolia Lane will go: Bay Hill, Houston, TPC San Antonio.
Attendance will be interesting and this could have a reverse knock-on effect through the entire Florida Swing, especially for the "International" players.

10).Freddie Jacobson leads the European contingent into Texas and he has finished 2nd and 7th in two trips to this San Antonio delight. The only other European contestants are Blixt, Chopra, Christian and Russell Knox (coming off a 7th place busman's holiday on the Nationwide Tour last week).
Freddie Jac must be among the favourites.
Brendan Steele won here last year but Kevin Chappell and Cameron Tringale were among those who contended; they're both in decent form and, with Freddie, could be decent e.w. value.

Ben Curtis now plans to play this week in New Orleans, a tournament field for which he wasn't even among the top ten alternates - 'course, he might have been planning a trip back to Europe.

Good field this week, just showing that a tournament on life support one year can be a top event a few years later. Steve Stricker's unwavering support could be instrumental in that, not to mention the presence of those golfers sponsored by the Zurich Insurance Group.

I doubt if Curtis was planning a trip to Korea to play this week.

Korea is not in Europe.

Great win by Curtis. I think he is allowed to be emotional when you consider the struggles he has had with his game over the past 4 or 5 years. I can totally understand it anyway. Seems a really genuine person so chuffed for him.

Kwini: I know where Korea is located. But you were speculating that he might be planning a trip to Europe. What European Tour was going to be played in Europe this week?

I DID say "planning"; intended to speculate that he wouldn't get in to Quail Hollow or The Players and might have a few wks in Europe.
Not important, but he'd done an effective job of keeping his options open.

Huh is out of New Orleans - possibility his wrist injury needs some rest, just not clear if he'll be fit for The Players.
Lots of walking wounded on Tour right now . . . . . .