PGA Tour: The California Coast Swing: Notes from the Ballwasher

First topic message reminder :

1).Albert Hammond, the Pride of Gibraltar, used to warble that "It Never Rains in Southern California", "but girl, don't they warn ya, It pours man, it pours", and seldom does the California coastal swing suggest that Albert might be wrong. This week's "Farmers Insurance Open" at Torrey Pines just north of San Diego may have to deal with some rainy weather before the skies clear, and the temperature drops, for the weekend.
So: This week's entertainment is in San Diego, we trek to the desert for next week's action in Phoenix, then back to the coast for Pebble Beach followed by L.A.'s Riviera before returning to the desert and Tucson's WGC MatchPlay event.

2).This week's event, in particular, has favoured California boys, and not just Woods (7 wins) and Mickelson (3). O'Meara has won here in the past 25 years as have Scott Simpson, Greg Twiggs, Steve Pate (2), Stadler and Watney. Two others, Jacobsen and Crane are from Oregon, just to the north of California. I picked Watney when he won a few years ago and this is just the sort of course he plays well on - and the same types of player will be worth watching over three of the next four weeks.

3).But what about last week, and the "Humana Challenge" in the Palm Springs area? Personally, I find this the least satisfying event to watch during the PGA Tour season and didn't bother until Sunday, but that doesn't mean there's nothing to be learned. In particular, we saw three European "rookies", Sweden's David Lingmerth, Ross Fisher and David Lynn in action and Lingmerth, who must have gained confidence from the previous week's 31st place finish in Hawaii, reached the 3-man play-off. He's now 80% of the way towards retaining his card for the 2013/2014 season.
Fisher birdied three of his final four Saturday holes to barely make the cut, and Lynn missed badly. The next four weeks are crucial for Fish as the first "rookie reshuffle" will be on us as the Tour moves to Florida in a month's time.
He has the game, but does he have the temperament, not to mention the putter?
And does Lynn have the birdies in his bag that will be so essential to success here?
Not confident yet of either.

4).Brian Gay won, of course; he says he's added length to his game, but is still 123rd in driving distance for the year and benefitted from accuracy and his magical short game. Don't bother to look for him to churn out wins; he'll compete on shortish tracks, especially with Bermuda greens, and probably won't even bother to enter the remaining California tournaments. Could contend in Phoenix though.

5).More predictable was Charlie Howell ball-striking his way to the 14th career runner-up of his career, against only two wins. But he doesn't have nine consecutive years with at least one second-place finish, which Phil Mickelson does!
TRIVIA: Who is the other player with a current string of nine years with at least one second-place finish???
(Nicklaus has seventeen years with at least one runner-up finish - one record that Tiger will never break.)
ANSWER: Tim Clark - sussed out by barragan

6).One thing is for sure this week: The golfer entering next Sunday in second place (as Robbie Castro did at "Humana") and shooting even par will certainly not drop 35 places. Castro is an entertaining lad; GolfWorld ran a page-worth of his tweets last autumn - if they'd've been rip-roaringly funny I'd've posted the link. Everything's relative.
Which in this case is an unintended pun to pass on a fact I learned from Karen Crouse's NY Times notes about Castro, namely that, like Keegan Bradley, his aunt is an LPGA Champion and long-time LPGA member, Jenny Lidback, a Peru-born Swede who makes her home in Texas! I didn't know that!

7).Only two+ months to go until cut-off for owgr top 50 qualification for The Masters. The 15 golfers immediately outside the top 50 (and without a Masters exemption) are:
#52: Stenson
53: Ramsay
54: Cabrera-Bello (already in the WGC Cadillac)
56: Jaidee
58: Fraser (in the Cadillac)
59: Lowry
60: Siem (in the Cadillac)
61: Noren
62: Ogilvy
63: Jimenez (sadly injured)
64: Wiesberger
65: A.Hansen
66: C.Howell
68: Cauley
69: Jacobson

8).In this bleak midwinter (here as well as there: -2F at noon as I write) it was only appropriate that David Frost led (almost all the way) in Hawaii in the Champions Tour before being overhauled on the 56th hole by John Cook's birdie.
Say what you like about the Champions Tour but these guys can still play! Frost at least has a hot putter and is currently at 254 holes and counting since his last 3-putt.
And another trivia question, inspired by Lanny Wadkins' appearance in the broadcast booth (where he is as boring as his game was entertaining). Wadkins was losing Ryder Cup Captain in 1995.
TRIVIA: Who is the only member of his Team who wasn't playing last Friday and Saturday?
ANSWER: Peter Jacobsen, deduced by princedracula

9).Despite rain in the forecast, Torrey Pines, North and South Courses, is expected to play hard and fast this week. Colsaerts makes his first appearance as a PGA Tour member; I see pgatour.com lists him as resident in Mauritius which surely makes for a tricky commute? Could be a good event for him though as the Torrey Pines set-up is often felt to favour bombers. Brian Davis is awol which, to be fair, he has been in his two events so far this season anyway, but Fisher, Laird, Lynn and Owen will be on hand.
I'd fancy Dustin Johnson to follow up his fine performance at Kapalua but am not optimistic he has come up for air since being swallowed up by his "baby". Snedeker almost always plays well here, Phil looked good last weekend but may be preoccupied with his taxes, and I have a very luke-warm each-way fancy for Watney and Aussie Marc Leishman, two decent finishes already this year and second here a few years back.

10).Finally there was a mandatory "Players Meeting" in San Diego yesterday where Mike Davis of the USGA was hauled in to explain the "anchoring ban". Early reports suggest that Tim Clark was the first and strongest speaker in opposition to the proposed new rules. golfchannel.com quotes a traditionally anonymous source as expressing surprise "that most players who use anchored putters didn't say anything".
There are clearly strong feelings about this but will anyone voice them and bring things to a head, or will the anchorers surrender meekly?

kwinigolfer wrote:Woods not wearing red as he is about to start Round 4. Wonder when was the last that happened?

Changed for the fourth day. Wearing "light red" today, as opposed to the dark red he wears for majors?

C'mon Fish! A solo 2nd would lift him inside the MatchPlay frame, while a win would... never mind...

princedracula wrote:C'mon Fish! A solo 2nd would lift him inside the MatchPlay frame, while a win would... never mind...

Shotrock wrote:Tiger keeps this up and Rory could have some real competition this year.

The "W" all but etched.

Errant driving but short game dialed in and if TW can keep that up he'll be in the mix plenty in 2013.

Thought the cliches were on standby?

Btw: does anybody have statistics on weather delayed tournaments (Monday finishes or 54/36 hole tournaments) on the ET vs the PGATour?

Pedro - Nope - don't rest on formality. This thing is over.

When's the European tour due back in Europe BTW? February? March?

Blimey, with all this good weather it's not surprising the US wins all the Team trophies.
Let's see:
Solheim: Europe, wow, who'd've thunk a continent with such bad weather could win one of those things?

Curtis: Europe, must be coincidence.

Walker: Europe, Surely you jest?

Ryder: Europe - Can't believe it - you mean the US has only won once this century?

Just think, if the Ryder Cup was played at Torrey Pines, maybe Tiger would win a point?

Come on Fish . . . . . .

Pedro - Just did the research -- ET has two stops in America before returning to "Europe" in April.

If anyone thinks all this globetrotting helps the tour, they are sadly mistaken. But maybe you are onto some thing. Desperate times call for desperate measures: No Monday finishes could be a selling point!

Tiger in cruise control ...

I'm not sure who's left the stage but there must have been a few defections from the Phoenix field as Ross Fisher (at least third "alternate") is now in.

SR, I don't agree with the ET globetrotting!
But I would argue that the weather is just as "bad" (in terms of weather delays) on the PGAT as it is on the ET - even if you only compare mainland Europe. (Or are the PGAT players just more sensitive? Or is some US players criticism of European condititions only because its too "cold" over here? )

Pedro - I think the weather is probably better on the ET than the US tour overall. Those players can complain all they want - speaks directly to their fortitude IMO.

I hope tigers issues over the last 5 holes were nothing more than lack of pressure. What a messy way to win a tournament.

So, easy win in the end for Woods, tho' not sure what would've happened over 81 holes?!?! But what's the deal with the TV coverage. It stopped here after 4.00 p.m., can't understand why Golf Channel wouldn't continue broadcasting it.

Kudos to Brad Fritsch birdie-ing his last two holes for a top ten after struggling badly - a very big deal for him.

I read that tiger said something along the lines of him "loosing patience", with what I am not sure.

Mac,
He said he was frustrated at the pace of play - not surprising as it took him almost four hours to play 11 holes.
No idea why the Tour permits such slow play with impunity, astonishing really. We didn't have TV coverage here so not sure what the network had to say about it, perhaps there'll be some comment Tuesday. Anchoring seems so trivial when you've got PGA Tour rounds taking close to six hours.

Regardless, he took the field to the proverbial woodshed and gave 155 golfers are thorough hiding.

Off to the desert now, where it's been raining! Pleased to see Fisher in the field - he should get in to Pebble Beach also, but not sure about Riviera.

Kiwni

Have you watched the Tiger and Rory best buddies interview?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PL5vk3XeKRM

It is a little old but I only recently stumbled across it. A bit odd dont you think?


Confirmation of the slow play issue http://www.geoffshackelford.com/homepage/2013/1/28/farmers-final-round-pace-of-play.html

I have seen some tweets from various people blaming Eric Compton for causing the slow play. I know little off him other than he is in through q school this year (so must have had a bad season in 2012) and he looks a little odd.

Maybe the new qualification for the pga should include a speed of play calculation. Have a side league of the fastest players and give 5 spots on tour to the leaders of this list regardless of placing in the tournaments.

Definitely a bit odd Mac, it's like the strange Bolt/Blake situation where Blake/Woods are creeping about trying to stay in the limelight, when they know they are second best, looking for a bit of reflected glory. Pathetic.

Very very untidy finish from Woods, 2 or 3 great scrambles but that form yesterday would have seen him miss the cut had it been produced on Thurs or Friday. Yes the pace of play was pathetic but that should be no excuse for someone of Woods experience.

Incidentally why was no one or no group put on the clock? Or we're they and the utter mince TV coverage just missed it?

Great win by Tiger. He looked annoyed and frustrated on the last few holes, most likely because of the pace of play which was nothing short of glacial!

The group in front of Tiger were putting on the 17th while the group in front had finished the par 5 18th and were tucking into their nutrition bars!!

Didnt Ross F pick up a one shot penalty a couple of years ago on the ET for slow play? Time the Americans got tougher!

One thing to know about Eric Compton is that he is on his third heart, following two transplants - maybe each heart is successively slower than its predecessor? Great courage to be out there at all, very difficult to believe he was solely responsible.

If you think about it, it would show more courage if he sat all day in his mothers home playing world of war craft and beating off to the underwear section of the littlwoods catalogue. You dont expect to live too long by the third heart so wasting even a second of time must be a great risk and show of bravery.

He on the other hand is living a pretty good life as a tour pro.

the play in front of them was painfully slow too. cant blame Compton for that!

I hope I live to see the day where someone is actually penalized for pace of play on the US tour.

Very sloppy finish for Tiger, but he built the margin and final result is all that matters in a golf tournament.

The last golfer penalised for taking too much time is now a PGA Tour Rules Official - a poacher amongst the gamekeepers?!

Hey Kwin - It's not just the American golf community that perpetuate the UK weather myth. Funny stuff ...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/gallery/2013/jan/29/immigration-britain-ministers-gallery#/?picture=403157094&index=16

Morgan Pressel got done last year in a match play event, loss of hole, then lost the tournament after having quite a healthy lead

I bet shes not slow now!

Sr,
They could come round here and pass our winter wonderland off as GB OK.

Speaking of slow play........both Murray & Djokovic were collecting 3 balls from the ballboys, putting one in their pocket looking at the other 2 before chucking one back...............this after a lot of towell wiping.............

To be fair, they are actually deserving of a bit of time wasting. No reason why fat gutlords should be out on the course taking so long.

I'm already planning a trip to Scotland. But, if I hadn't already done so, this would have convinced me .... http://www.visitscotland.com/about/nature-geography/year-of-natural-scotland/art-in-nature

Melky and ARod: When HG's and PED's go wrong the takers turn in to sheep . . . . . . MLB investigating!

A-Fraud!

Shotrock wrote:I'm already planning a trip to Scotland. But, if I hadn't already done so, this would have convinced me .... http://www.visitscotland.com/about/nature-geography/year-of-natural-scotland/art-in-nature

You dirty old man.

Have lund jumpers found their way into horse fashion?

"Vijay Singh uses a banned substance"

http://www.golfchannel.com/news/golftalkcentral/report-singh-used-banned-substance/

What a bizarre story this is, just hours after I heard Ray Lewis (fantastic linebacker for the Super Bowl Ravens and probable murderer) denying taking the self-same deer spray potion.
Over to you Mr.Finchem.

If there's anything to this, the PGA Tour needs to makes its position known sharpish.

Sounds as if Woods's next airing will be at WGC MatchPlay, dissing Pebble and Riviera.

For starters SWATS seems to be nothing more than homeopathic treatments. Instead of trying to administer one molecule/litre or whatever the homeopathic nut jobs claim, SWATS are "storing" waves/dear pi55 in the fluid or holographic stickers. I was never a vijay fan, but you loose even more respect for someone when you find out they use something with no evidence and lack the insight to question such ludicrous claims. Believing (and that's all it can be without evidence) in hocus pocus like this is akin to believing in a god.

Why it would be banned i have no idea as clearly you may as well ban witches spells and cauldrons from the locker room.

But if banned it is, and Vijay has admitted to using it then I hope he will serve the ban he deserves. For no other reason than he was dumb enough to try and cheat with something that makes no sense. If you are going to treat at least use something that works like EPO.

Perdo - Can you blame a guy? I'm a sucker for high fashion.

shotrock

If you like those jumpers I hope you have checked out sarah Lund?

Did Vijay know that this spray contained an ingredient banned by the PGA? Does IGF-1, sprayed on the skin, enter systemic circulation?

Don't forget that when we have an itch or a rash, we use cortisone or dexamethasone or beclomethasone or clobetasol cream on the skin. Even if there is a chance of the steroid material getting into blood, it would be several hundred times less than the amount that could potentially enhance performance.

Media folks are in the habit of targeting Singh.

Do not jump to conclusions yet.

Leff, as I pointed out the effects are exactly what you would expect from homeopathic treatment; ZERO. Unfortunately for singh this particular "treatment" is on the banned list. I dont think wada cares about whether or not you gain an actual advantage, if something is on the list then getting caught taking it is a problem.

I have just noticed this on Stephanie Wei's site from Ty Votaw, the Tour’s communications chief;

"While IGF-1 is on the Tour’s banned-substances list, Votaw confirmed that, like many other professional sports leagues, the circuit does not test for either IGF-1 or HGH. ‘We have not determined a reliable test for it,’ Votaw said.”

So they have only been informed of vijay's use of the antler spray and will more than likely not be able to test for. I guess it depends if VJ can go down for it based on an admission to a journalist.

Leff wrote:Does IGF-1, sprayed on the skin, enter systemic circulation?...

IGF-1 == insulin-like growth factor-1

It's related to insulin (which, incidentally, has growth promoting effects although it's never spoken about having such) and if diabetics could dose themselves by spraying insulin on the skin instead of injecting, I'm sure they'd be falling over themselves to do so. So in short, no, I seriously doubt any IGF-1 (even if there actually is any in there and human IGF-1 receptors recognise deer IGF-1) gets into someone's circulation in any concentration to actually do anything.

Presumably also, if the route of administration is patently stupid, it doesn't matter what PEDs someone comes into contact with? It's what's in your body that counts and if they can't test for it...

jeas nothing should be banned for golf anyway--

just leave em all alone. let them take the odd beta or steroid.. it cant ever gain a significant advantage- golf incoporporates to many different skill sets for it to matter

Perhaps someone should suggest an interview with Oprah.

Or Kelly Tilghman. [Something like "Gosh Vijay, there's so much substance to your game today. Speaking of substances..."]

navyblueshorts wrote:
It's related to insulin (which, incidentally, has growth promoting effects although it's never spoken about having such) and if diabetics could dose themselves by spraying insulin on the skin instead of injecting, I'm sure they'd be falling over themselves to do so.

No, IGF-1 is not related to insulin. It's called insulin-like because of the similarity in molecular structure, not that they have similar actions. Insulin or any of the incretin hormones do not have growth promoting effects.

Growth hormone, release by the pituitary, exerts its effects via stimulating IGF-1, which binds to IGF-BP (binding proteins) to be carried in blood. It's own effects are then exerted via binding to IGF-receptor, which via second messenger pathways leads to processes that lead to growth.

We can measure IGF-1 easily for about $30 per sample if sent to a commercial lab. We can do it much more cheaply by buying a RIA kit if we have a hundred samples to measure. However, measuring IGF-1 does not tell us whether it is the endogenously present peptide or exogenously administered stuff. There is no consensus on interpretation of variations and fluctuations.

On the negative side, IGF-1 could promote tumour growth.

Why is Vijay talking about this now?

Watched the highlights earlier some very tidy looking golf from Woods and fisher looked quite at home .Enjoyed the look when woods hit the pin with a pitch -2nd round-not happy knew it would have finished closer without the contact.Looked a very pleasant track

Vijay, I guess it's not self tanner?