PGA Tour: The Players: 17 Holes and an Island: Notes from the Ballwasher

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1).Well done Rickie Fowler; an adjustment in your putting grip has transformed your season. A T10 in New Orleans should have served as a warning that the change was working. Normally your superb driving and iron play would have been rewarded with, perhaps, a top ten at Quail Hollow, but you brought your short game as well and congratulations on your first win.
Are you now ready to step it up and truly become a rival to Rory McIlroy (a big head-to-head win must be a boost?), or are you destined to being a Jason Day for a couple of years? Lots of high finishes, no visits to the winners enclosure. As a partisan Englishman, I'd say a young American who can contend week in, week out, would elevate the PGA Tour in a way that wave after wave of bright young things have failed to do.
1a).Fowler's reward is tee-time with Tiger (and Mahan) on Thursday - Rory is with Phil and Stricker.

2).A word about DA Points. I've always liked Points' engagement with, and appreciation of, the galleries and even in the bitter disappointment of Sunday's defeat he found time to applaud the crowd surrounding #18. Driving for show (almost as good as Fowler and led the field in greens hit) was let down by the putting for dough department, 65th in the Tour's "strokes gained - putting" stat; don't think he made anything longer than about eight feet on the weekend until his par putt in the play-off.
And tragic that his only bogey for forty holes was on the 72nd.

3).Quail Hollow is apparently destined for a re-do of some of its greens in preparation for the 2017 PGA. And a redesign of the very funky (and not in a good way) short par-4 eighth hole. Phil has long been a critic of the QH greens but this is some of what he had to say Sunday about the overall Course design:
"Tee to green it's a wonderful challenge. It's just the way the holes are shaped, they're beautifully done. I think the bunkering here is some of the best I've ever seen too. It's not over-bunkered. It's not bunkers everywhere you look, it's really well done here."

4).Quail Hollow is a different challenge than this week's examination at TPC Sawgrass. I see Rory McIlroy is replacing his 5-wood with a 2-iron in an effort to hit more fairways, not to mention the right part of the fairway. Seems to me that neutralises his power, not necessarily his biggest asset, but certainly not one to be dispensed with lightly.

5).Look for golfers who fare well on Pete Dye courses to have an edge this week. Els has been vocal in his support for Dye's TPC, which led one to imagine some symmetry remembering his last two wins. They were achieved at Doral (a Dick Wilson course), week off, then Bay Hill (another Wilson design). Obviously Els played well in losing that play-off to Dufner at New Orleans - then a week off. Who knows, but I'm not suggesting he should lose another play-off!

6).England's Brian Davis crossed the $10M mark in official Tour earnings with his 9th place finish last weekend. Davis has had some success at the TPC, but also missed three cuts. Nevertheless, it's his time of year - 9 of his 19 Tour top tens, and a disproportionate amount of his loot, has been earned in April and May and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him have another good tournament. Congratulations to Brian for a fine career, almost invariably under the radar!

7).Back to TPC Sawgrass. I really enjoy watching "The Players" on the box, a terrific mix of holes with one of the best quartet of par-5's anywhere. But I just can't accept that the 17th hole, as fickle as it is and beyond the meaning of risk/reward, fits anywhere on the course in general, and as the 17th hole in particular. Of course, as Woods has said in the past, if it was on the front nine no-one would notice it. And it certainly shouldn't be the opening play-off hole.
If the hole is not blown up, I'd like to see a 3-hole aggregate play-off, the par-5 16th, the fart-at-a-wedding 17th and the always challenging 18th.

8).Logic would suggest Luke Donald should have a "Players" win in his career, and many of the Europeans have enjoyed good tournaments here.
But the same cannot be said about young Americans; apart from Woods, whose dislike of the course seems to grow year on year, there's no American on Tour under the age of 39 (the soon-to-be-forty Justin Leonard) who has won or finished runner up here. Blimey, even the English at The Open have a better record than that. Just.

9).All our yesterdays, Part 1: Loved watching the golfing greats' 3-man scramble from the Houston Champions Tour event last Saturday, the Big Three of Arnie, Jack and Gary Player "winning" from two teams from Trevino, Barber, Graham, January, Stockton and Littler.

10).All our yesterdays, Part 2: Hall of Fame induction ceremonies last night for Mickelson, Lyle, Alliss, Hollis Stacy and Dan Jenkins (arguably, but not to him, the best American golf writer, good mate of Hogan) offered a reminder of just how good a golfer - though clearly not public speaker - Sandy Lyle was.
Renton Laidlaw did the induction presentation honours for Sandy and reminded all of Seve's tribute when asked who he thought was the most talented European golfer:
"If we all play our best, Sandy wins every time."
Which made one think about John Jacobs' opinion about Ian Woosnam that, "De Vicenzo and Woosnam" were "the two most correct swingers I've ever seen."
It doesn't necessarily justify an annual Masters tee-time, but worth remembering just what talent these two close childhood neighbours brought to the sport.

Martin Laird has a bit of an ugly swing, especially the last one.

Was it adam scott who actually put it in the water up 72?

Huge putt for Laird coming up.

Johnson's putt on 18, Fowler with birdies at 16 & 17 and now Curtis with a chance to tie Laird is costing me money, grrrrrrrrrr.

Scott did, in a lay up.
Good for Laird though, fine result for him, never quite there.

Curtis doing a fine job of representing the European Tour.

Kuchar getting the heebie-jeebies . . . . . .

Laird gone from 2nd alone to a 3-way tie for 3rd now. I'll be lucky to get my stake back at this rate.

Bad miss from Fowler there, could've heaped the pressure on Kuchar there.

Laird would have moved put himself right in the middle of the mix of the Euro Ryder Cup Team with a win. With his T2, he does move into the top 20.

Nice run by Laird, but just terrible approach shot on 18 - very lucky not to get wet. And Rickie could not have had an easier putt to put much needed pressure on Kuchar. At the end of the day, however, another American victory -- good for Kuchar who broke the ice (almost literally) with a win in cold Vernon NY just a few years ago.

World #2 needs to put himself in contention earlier. A really fine back 9.

Tiger shows signs of brilliance, but quickly back into the den with his (IMO) overly mechanical action. My advice would be: see the ball, see the hole, put the ball into the hole.

Sr,
I was at Turning Stone the year that Kuchar won there, just bitterly cold and miserable. Very fun despite it all.
But this is his first win without a play-off for ten years!

Another winner that was missed by our entire Fantasy Game. I think!

Wonderful story with Ben Curtis, hope it continues!

Rickie Fowler is the real thing but I bet he gets more ink than his fellow T2's put together. Rightly so in my opinion.

Another dismal telecast by NBC, most of them don't know what they don't know. Starting with Miller.

I pretty much tune Miller out all the time.

I really hope the R&A and USGA grow a pair and ban the long putter. Not likely however.

Still don't understand why they would ban the long putter but not the long driver . . . . . . .

The reason Miller aggravates me is that his ignorance of anything non-American is a metaphor for me. I know it probably shouldn't bother me but it always will! Rolfing, Pepper and Jacobsen even worse of course, though I loved Jake's Takes yesterday!!

nice victory for kooch. shame laird, fowler or johnson couldn't get closer. Luke with another fine R4 from down the field.
Sr - 93 / 145 entries were American, so why is 'another' American victory such a big deal??!! By rights Americans ought to win around 7 / 10 pga events without really taking home advantage into consideration. (though i dare say most of the journeymen pros making up the numbers are Americans and that could have a negative bearing in the more average events than tpc)

I missed the action after Lairds chip on 18. Really a very poor shot and one that maybe shows he has some issues under pressure?

Did Kuchar 3 putt or Putt it in the water on 17?


Kwini

A more sensible ball would probably negate the need to ban the long driver, as players would be grasping for all the ball control they could.

Mac, I wish you'd stop banging that drum, long hitters will always benefit whatever you do with the ball. You are always the one who says par doesn't matter so who cares what score wins, also why are all the long hitters not winning every tournament?
If you actually watch golf you'll know that tournaments are won from inside 150 yards, not sure how a ball will make much difference in chipping, pitching and putting or 8 iron shots.
How come you want golf to go back to the dark ages, but every other sport is allowed to benefit from technology. It's pathetic.

Super

I wonder, could you please set out your reasons for calling my point of view "pathetic"?

There is no reason for changing the ball, just as there is no reason to ban putters or driver length. Why do you think it needs reigned in at all, why should golf be made to regress to the equipment of yesteryear just to satisfy your own dewey eyed agenda. No one else lusts after those days. It's still golf, you don't like it. So what. Should footballers go back to a lace up ball and hobnail boots because goalkeepers are finding it difficult?

Super

Other sports do reign in technology; F1 for example has had to ban certain types of tyres and aerodynamic aids to avoid ridiculously high and dangerous cornering speeds. An F1 car is the result of maximising the regulations available and not maximising how fast in theory a car could be.

Without these regulations the race tracks would become obsolete after only a coupe of years and the drivers exposed to unnecessary risks. Golf courses are now longer with higher maintenance costs all because the technology was not controlled sufficiently. Merion will hold the US open in 2013 and I believe this will be a real test for the governing bodies and the current technology. If a great course like merion has to be tricked up in order to keep the scores down then things have gone too far.

I believe chambers bay can be extended to over 8000 yards, do you really want to see that happen?

Mac, golf already has rules and regulations regarding equipment conforming as determined by the R and A and USPGA.

Golfers aren't shooting massively different scores from ten years ago and the majority of players are not hitting it significantly further than they were a decade ago either, so going back to a worse ball or taking technology back to any point in time won't make much difference.
You have a utopian idea that golf should be played on links only and crappy ones lime toc at that, along the ground and with hickory shafts. No one else does.
What is so wrong with modern golf that you feel it ought to change amd regress.

Super

I am not convinced much would really need to be changed for the amateur game but the pro game definitely needs something done.

As for scores not changing I think you are forgetting that the courses played today are not the same as those 15 years or more ago. The holes are longer, the rough thicker and longer, fairways narrower, green speeds increased etc.

So what mac, its become a more professional game in the last twenty years, more money at stake, more reason to try harder, stronger fields.
Your objection is based purely on length from what I can see, who's been number one for the last year?, a guy of average length, and how highly ranked are Johnson, gsrrigus quirks etc?

Ban - Surely, you are aware of the world rankings. Given that, how can you suggest the sheer number of players should dictate a victory?

Home field advantage is frequently overrated, IMO. Otherwise, how could you explain the showing by Americans in the Open Championship the past 30 years? Or the Europeans at Augusta in the 80s and 90s.

Kwin - The long putter (to me at least) makes that stroke lots easier and takes away so many of the small muscle issues whereas the long driver makes that a lot more difficult.

Mac,
Thought Laird's chip on 18 was a pretty ballsy shot. He explained that he felt he couldn't go further left (at the pin) because of the slope. Shame about the missed putt. Pretty good performance all round, just too far back.


Lots of great golf I thought, but little or no pizzaz, not much electricity generated by the top half dozen. Mildly surprised that Kuchar hung on - grinning and bearing his way to victory.

Sr,
In that case, why does everyone use the long driver?

Mac is 100% correct on Merion (East). The fairways are being narrowed, tee boxes moved back to ridiculous positions (IMO) ... and yet the nuance of that course will still exist 50 yards below the tee ball of most professionals. I don't understand the USGA's preoccupation with PAR and while I applaud the Merion members for hosting the event, I can't imagine they would do it so willingly if they didn't have another course (Merion West) to play on a daily basis.

Kwin - I can only guess ... the siren's call of distance for the touring professional may be too much to ignore.

There is a very large proportion of pro's who use a driver with a shaft one inch shorter than standard, also many using a higher loft too, therefore premium of increasing accuracy over length.

Sr,
Of course!!!!
I remember when Rocky Thompson, the erstwhile Mayor of Toco, TX, first brought a long driver out on the Senior Tour and what a curiosity it was! Little did we know!!

s_r: Shorter than the new standard, certainly not shorter than the 1980's standard length.
Ban them both, long driver and long putter!!

Forget it then, let's just have 14 clubs all the same length? You actually nave to more skillful to use a long driver. The longer it is, the harder it is to keep straight.

I think there is a sensible argument to made which says the long putter and the long driver are not really the same thing. The long driver will provide the player with a more difficult challenge in terms of accuracy for what may be just a few yards of extra distance. You are still making a golf swing with that club.

With the long putter, especially when anchored to the body, can it really be said to be a golf swing?

I don’t think you can describe it as a golf swing and therefore it makes no difference if it improves putting stats or not, it is not golf.

Until there is evidence that a longer putter results in fewer putts per round than a standard putter then there isn't an issue. The putting stroke is not a thing of skill, anyone can do it, Its the line and pace that matter and putting under pressure, and no type of putter can determine any of these.
Who really cares what anyone uses to get the ball in the hole. It's in the rules, get over it.

Whatever equipment they're using, these are the matches for Thursday in Spain:
Poulter vs Senden
Sneds vs Bjorn
Hanson vs Lawrie
Garcia vs Quiros
McDowell vs Karlsson
Schwartzel vs Colsaerts
Rock vs Rose
Kaymer vs Cabrera-Bello

Rock'n'Rose. I like it.

How many OWGR points does the Matchplay get? However many it is its too many. Undoubtably my least favourite event of the year. Must have the least amount of actual golf shown for any event due to the nature of Matchplay. Boring.

diggers

i have never tried to watch it or follow it in any way. In fact last year was the first I had ever heard of it.

Just stopped by to pick up my clubs and there was everyone's favorite God Squadder Webb Simpson giving an on course lesson to a group ... I suppose he didn't want me to mention to him how I thought he was just too quick in his transition!

God dictates his swing tempo Sr, when he's not too busy letting people die in disasters. He's more than happy to help Simpson out.

Kooch is the real deal. I think he is the new Stricker. Will contend in many years to come.

kwinigolfer wrote:...Sr,
In that case, why does everyone use the long driver?

They don't. The pros anyway. Think the pro average driver length is something around 44-44.5". It's the amateurs who don't get that you actually have to hit the ball in the middle of the clubface to maximise distance and a 46+", ~50g shaft isn't the way to do it.
Re. the long putters cf. the longer (maybe) drivers, for me it's simple. If the belly etc putters have an additional anchor point on the body (i.e. chin/belly/whatever) and therefore remove some of the required muscle control, they should be banned IMO.

Interesting article on TPC Sawgrass...

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gTnZkjokvPrXhetNHjuZOSJ8pz5Q?docId=74560467045c4d8999307f12d07e1674

Great link incon.

I know the 5th major argument is largely dead anyway but if the other one course major (the masters) so successfully identifies the best players on a consistent basis it does not look good that sawgrass does not. It seems to suggest that the course is a lottery and that it does not test the same skills that usually determine who are the best players, and who are also consistently well placed players.

It is hinted that around the greens in particular recovery play is not tested, I guess the 17th being the most extreme example of this.

I think Ogilvy probably suspects the course is actually very flawed.

Mac, incon,

This is a column published a week or so ago in GolfWorld by Geoff Ogilvy; he writes an occasional column which is insightful and sometimes provocative, and seems not to have been vetted by Finchem in advance:

http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-tours-news/2012-05/gwar-geoff-ogilvy-final0say-0507

Patrick Reed Monday-qualifies (by three strokes!) for the Byron Nelson.
This guy is good!
Really hope he garners more sponsor invitations as he seems to be the real thing.

Ogilvy is one insightful guy, as this article (IMO) shows. Thanks for posting it.

I like his idea about having this tournament at the NGLA. Good luck getting the members to agree to that, however!

Shotrock wrote:Ban - Surely, you are aware of the world rankings. Given that, how can you suggest the sheer number of players should dictate a victory?
Home field advantage is frequently overrated, IMO. Otherwise, how could you explain the showing by Americans in the Open Championship the past 30 years? Or the Europeans at Augusta in the 80s and 90s.

of course i'm aware of the rankings - thanks to pd :thumbsup

another American victory isn't realy a shock given the fact the field is so heavily saturated with Americans whatever the rankings say. a series of international winners would be considerably more surprising. as for home advantage - perhaps a little too complicated an argument to represent accurately with opinion only, but i'd say it has to be a factor (however great or small) - positive or negative will depend on the individual professional. not sure majors really are the best measure for assessing home advantage either - though a fair point at face value.