PGA Tour: "Arnold Palmer Invitational" etc: Notes from the Ballwasher

First topic message reminder :

1).Before we move up Interstate 4 from the course that the Pros consider the best they play in Florida to the course they rate the worst, let's have a look back at last week's Tampa Bay Classic, at Innisbrook's Copperhead Course. Kevin Streelman became the fifth first-time winner on Tour with a marvellous final nine holes which trumped Boo Weekley's best-of-the-week 63.
Streelman beat a good field to secure his maiden victory the right way, with birdies on two tough par-3's and brave, straight-down-the-middle drives on the "Snake Pit's" two par fours.

2).But who is Kevin Streelman? He's 34, middle-aged for a first-time winner, has collected $7M in official prize-winnings as he enjoys his sixth season on Tour, and won a cool $1M as the inaugural winner of the Kodak Challenge in 2009. Despite bursting on the scene in San Diego (twice, as he was joint first-round leader at the Torrey Pines US Open) in 2008, when he led after 36 holes and was grouped with E.T.Woods for Round 3 before fading, his only podium finishes before Tampa were third places in golfing hotbeds of Cancun, Puerto Rico and New Jersey.
Now he's a Tour Champion and the sky's the limit for someone who's always been much more than a journeyman and, by all accounts, one of the nicer guys on Tour. (Especially when he's not reading "the scriptures".)

3).He'll tee it up at Bay Hill this week and he's enjoyed a top ten finish here in the past. One bloke who won't be there is JB Holmes who has broken an ankle roller-blading and will be out of commission for three months. While this portends a pick-up in pace of play on Tour, it sadly suggests also that his brain surgery in 2011 wasn't as succesful as first thought. A terrible start to JB's season and now this.

4).This is one week where it's impossible not to speak of defending champion Tiger Woods. And of course he jump-started coverage of himself by posting mug-shots of Lyndsey and him all over social media and then requested privacy for the smiling couple. Good luck with that, especially following his week's canoodling with Lyndsey on his yacht "Privacy" (nothing if not ironic) during Doral. Las Vegas odds-makers are offering 4-1 against an engagement by January 2015 - I imagine Paddy Power and other reputable houses might offer rather different odds regarding rather different aspects of the joyful coming together of a sex addict and a depressive.

5).Speaking of Tiger, and why not, he was on the radio the other day likening the spotlight's glare on Rory and Wozza with that on himself and, you name her. He also revealed, in the aftermath of his (personal) record of 100 putts at Doral and putting tips from Stricker, that he had indeed offered tips to "Stricks" during last year's FedEx Play-Offs. 'Course, they then travelled together to Medinah and we know how that worked out, don't we. Needless to say he wasn't pressed on that but Thanks Tiger.

6).No tips on the putting green this week, Stricker is back in Wisconsin. But the fact is that Tiger has won here seven times and any consideration of likely winners has to include him. Which will mean that prices for the rest of the field should be generous, if only you can pick someone to beat the favourite. I certainly can't.

7).There's a terrific field on hand, no Luke or Rory, no Charl or Louis, but just about everyone else is in town. Strangely, and as noted last week, this has been a happy hunting ground for GB&I golfers with Martin Laird having won two years ago, Greg Owen incomprehensibly contriving to lose to Pampling in 2006, and decent best finishes by McDowell (2nd twice), Poulter (3rd last year), Rose (3rd in 2011), Davis (4th last year) and Westwood (5th in 2007). David Lynn makes his first visit and, at the other end of the scale, Ross Fisher was DQ'd after one round on his only appearance.
Maybe Justin Rose's turn? Wouldn't put any money on it but there seems to be something in Justin's DNA that has him winning this sort of event, especially after not doing so great coming in. Will playing with Tiger (and Ernie) in Rounds 1 and 2 help or hinder the English petal?

8).A strong web.com field is assembling in Louisiana for the first US-based tournament of the year, and Gary Christian and Russell Knox tee it up for Britain along with 18 Tour winners (and seven more are alternates).

9).While the old farts are in adjacent Mississippi, where Brian Henninger makes his first Champions Tour start. Not many Tour players can say their only two tournament wins were in Mississippi but Henninger certainly can. He was also the guy holding Ben Crenshaw's hand during the final round of Gentle Ben's post-Penick-funeral Masters win in 1995. Chapman, Mouland and Lyle will be there as well, Lyle presumably making his final (and futile) start before Augusta.

10).Easy to be cynical writing notes about the famous and wannabe famous, but much harder to express adequate admiration and appreciation for Stacy Lewis's relentless rise up the Rolex rankings to be Number One in the World.
Her difficulties with scoliosis, spinal fusion, years in a cast are well known, but she was also the first Curtis Cupper to win all five of her matches, at St.Andrews, in 2008, having already won a rain-shortened (and hence unofficial) LPGA event as an amateur. She qualified for the 2008 US Open which she led after three rounds before crumbling with a Sunday 78.
Lewis qualified for the LPGA Tour in the same Q-School as Michelle Wie, receiving far less publicity but winning the event by three shots, Wee Wie finishing six shots back.
Her career has maintained its upward trajectory including a 2011 Kraft Nabisco Championship and, without falderal or fanfare has become the first American since Beth Daniel (in 1994!!) to be LPGA Player of the Year in 2012. Great to see her go from strength to strength, even as she and her caddie go over the Rules Book regarding etiquette in a bunker.
A credit to the LPGA Tour and one of many good reasons why the Tour seems to have bottomed out and is on the rise again.

Looks like an incredible putting round from Justin Rose; three more of them should see him home don't you think?

Essentially head-to-head for Rose and Woods tomorrow afternoon - that's how they'll see it anyway. Not sure conditions will be much better than they were this morning . . . . .

Hadn't realised that Peter Hanson has withdrawn before coming under starter's orders. Wonder if that affects the owgr bounty to Rose when he wins?

Someone else w/d'd yesterday or late Tuesday but can't figure out who!

Now that's a beautiful rose I see up there!

Hanson's a big fish all right, but should still be inside the 66pts bracket unless there were other moves like that I didn't notice (couldn't follow anything today)...

Excellent start for David Lynn - missed one fairway, one green so far and is -2 after 8 holes.
Team GB&I under par right now - Thanks Justin.

Rose still has the form...

Playing really well this year. Just faded abit weekends..

My pick for the masters..

Some rubbish being dealt out by a couple of the surname-as-Christian name brigade, Brandt and Webbo, and I'm pleased to add, Scott (Piercy).

Great day for Gonzo and Olesen.
Keep it up, lads!

kwinigolfer wrote:Hadn't realised that Peter Hanson has withdrawn before coming under starter's orders. Wonder if that affects the owgr bounty to Rose when he wins?

Someone else w/d'd yesterday or late Tuesday but can't figure out who!

Yesterday's WD was Driscoll out, McGirt in...

A fine start from Mr. O'Hair ... he would need some magic to earn his way to Merion. Let's hope it starts now.

Mixed bag in the end for the British Bay Hill invasion, a tale of the putter to some degree. The Tour's ubiquitous "strokes gained putting" stat shows the sublime:
Rose: 6.0 strokes gained in the round on the field.
McDowell: 3.05
Westwood: 1.2

and the ridiculous:
Poulter: 1.0 strokes lost to the field.
Owen: 1.1
Fisher: 2.4
Lynn: 2.4
Davis: 2.6
Laird: 2.9


By contrast:
Huh: 3.7 strokes gained
Woods: 2.9 gained
O'Hair: 4.4 gained
Mickelson: 0.1 lost

Bottom line is, no matter how good a ball-striker you are, and we know guys like Fisher, Laird and Owen can be very, very good, you've got to putt, and there's a huge differentiator on Bermuda, especially for the guys who aren't used to it.
Then of course, it percolates back up thru the bag as poorer putters try to hit perfect approach shots, often short-siding themselves.

Should be perfect conditions today, but we saw yesterday how the greens firmed up in the afternoon (Justin, Tiger), then the wind gets up on Saturday, and storms roll in on Sunday.

Cut? +2 or +3.

Does anyone know anything about the tv coverage?

kwinigolfer wrote:Some rubbish being dealt out by a couple of the surname-as-Christian name brigade, Brandt and Webbo, and I'm pleased to add, Scott (Piercy).

Would Sneds be named after the famous German chancellor Willy? And his brother Haymes, would the source for his first name be a certain Mr Dick Haymes?

mighty,
Our coverage starts at 7.00 p.m. GMT, but there's also limited stuff on pgatour.com.

Who knows about those Snedeker names? Gil Brandt was the architect of the Dallas NFL franchise that was so successful in the 70's and 80's so maybe they're all Cowboys fans. I think they're all pretty well connected, Haymes a rising star in Alabama politics after being a judge at the age of 28 and on Big Break around the same time! Alabama political power is to the right of Dick Cheney so hoping Haymes doesn't make it to Washington.
Daft names.

Rotten starts today for Thorbjorn and David Lynn.

Mickelson with a four putt from......4 feet and makes a triple bogey. Inexcusable

I say, the PGA Tour website is up and running with video coverage? Almost fell off my chair.

Brad Fritsch looks as though he has had a couply of nights out together with Mr Lowry...

Does anyone use the android PGA app? What a pile of ****

You can add "favourites" on the leaderboard but every time it auto refreshes it "forgets" who you had tagged!

The funniest thing about that PGA app is the Player pictures. Not one of them looks normal.

Time Phil changed his putting again. He seems to find something that stems off the short misses for a period but eventually they come back to haunt him.

I saw that stat for Laird, Kwini. Not a real bad score either but giving away 3 putts to the average is not going to get it done.

TMO - and it even works for those outside the USA!

Davie,
The entire pgatour.com website is a pile of c.r.a.p., absolutely useless compared to the efficiency it had three or four years ago.
A terrible advert for CDW.

No-one making much of a move at the head of the leaderboard, many more snakes than ladders so far.

Lairdy, it works in Europe, that's for sure. I am starting to like the PGA tour website again, even better than the European Tour's!

Conditions more trickier today?

Lairdy wrote:Conditions more trickier today?

Peculiar sight of a Mr Gamez: he is playing with a yellow ball

Wow - that's some start to the morning for Bill Haase! -4 through 7.

Haase is a tennis player from Holland!

'Orses was six under yesterday until his putter took over - we'll see how he finishes things off today.

Cut looks as if the +3's will make it, +4's go home. And that'll include Laird and Lynn unless they can sharpen up their putting.

Yes - him too!

Looks to be quite a day.

Disappointing end to David Lynn's adventure, ending in a splashdown whimper followed, fittingly by a 3-putt.

Billy Horschel jumps one ahead of Ian Poulter with 19 consecutive cuts made - can Poults keep up with him? We'll find out soon enough as he's underway shortly.

Hate to see top golfers (even Tiger) give up, but that's what Phil looks to have done. Pathetic.

Spain going nicely . . . . . . .

Give up ... better described as "Going Rory".

Meanwhile looks like Mr. Rose is answering the call. Great start to the day, hope O'Hair follow suit.

Looks like Inco could be up for a forfeit.

Fine finish from Martin Laird to conclude his entertainment at +3, currently one shot outside the cut-line. Doesn't sound that swift but he birdied three of his final five holes just to get himself a chance.
Odds on him making the weekend, but wouldn't bank on it yet. (Hope he does though, because Coetzee would join him.)

8 putts in 3 holes from Westwood. Fortunately for him, one of the 3 putts was for par so he's only +1 so far. Something tells me his move isn't paying off just yet!

super_realist wrote:Looks like Inco could be up for a forfeit.

bit early to say that. Besides, baldy nine chins is only 3 off the lead

Nothing given ... but the fact that Tiger Woods wins 27% of the PGA tournaments he enters, has a higher winning % than that at Bay Hill, is a multiple winner on tour this year ... If Justin (or anyone else) is going to be shaking Arnie's hand on Sunday they will almost certainly have to go through Woods.

I wouldn't want to shake Arnie's hand. He seems a pretty foul man.

sirbenson wrote:Mickelson with a four putt from......4 feet and makes a triple bogey. Inexcusable

For Pmick.

Another day for him..

And the plastic "gee whiz" smile to boot!

Wonder why there's a police presence around the green when Woods is there? Someone been throwing hot dogs??

All getting a bit political what with Palmer complaining about government interference at hospital - must be someone's trying to control the cost of health care Arnie, and you wouldn't like that, would you?

"Wonder why there's a police presence around the green when Woods is there?"


Has anyone got a GPS tag on Super?

I'd be on the grassy knoll Oakey. No point in putting yourself at the scene of the crime.

Rosey Tont

super_realist wrote:I'd be on the grassy knoll Oakey. No point in putting yourself at the scene of the crime.

Westwood's challenge is sinking without trace - he needs to move back to Worksop.
There'll be more from the owgr top 20 going home than there will be to hang around with Arnie.

princedracula wrote:Rosey Tont

ah prince, not another Tiger hater?

Tiger started the day 4 back but now is 2 back.

Early obviously ... but love the trend line!

Not a hater inco, but Rosey has to win this week... for a number of reasons...

Are you nervous yet super?

No, are you?

Ah, Rosey...