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.

Diggers wrote:I cant really think of any sports star that has any social change legacy. Does Federer have one, Messi, Bolt ?

Ali?

incontinentia wrote:Jesse Owens was instrumental in the collapse of the third reich

Ummm. No.

incontinentia wrote:Owens success at those Olympics confronted Hitler with the falseness of his master race theory. It was a key event. Hitler subsequently shot himself.

A bit of a leap there but definitely worthy of a chuckle.


Re. gobbing. I have never understood the U.K.'s pathetic reaction to it. You could make an argument that it might be a health hazard but beyond that? The absurd reaction in football matches when someone is gobbed on is hysterical. They'll gloss over career threatening fouls but someone spits on someone else and all Hell breaks loose. Laughable.

Spitting is rank mate.... Its worse than calling someone a c... or punching them in my book.

I wouldn't say that, punching someone or calling somebody a c would cause somebody physical or psychological damage which spitting doesn't, although it is pretty rotten.

Actually you may find that the truth is spitting could make you ill.

It could give you the flu or worse!!

Ask yourself the question

would you rather be spat at or punched or called a c...?

me .

first c..., then punched, then spat at!!

(offcourse it depends who is doing the punching )

but if we are just talking about your average tw&t!!

I think your priorities are a bit mixed if you prefer being punched to being spat at. Maybe we should ask Jesse Ryder if he thinks being spat on is worse...

Anyway, that's just my opinion!

All i know is that if someone spat at me i would punch them!

And i would feel vindicated for doing so..

messed up priorities or not. Thats the way i feel..

I once got battered for not spitting at someone. Apparently some guy thought I was someone who had spat at him and he (and a mate of his, otherwise clearly Id have killed him obviously) punched me.
I must have been a dead ringer for the spitty bloke as a mate of his came up to me the next week and asked why Id spat at some bloke...never did get to meet this incredibly handsome man with saliva issues.

I may well take a swing as well Oakey although I suspect the law would equate them somewhat differently. I doubt a claim of being assaulted by phlegm will get you a term inside whereas a bit of good old GBH certainly will.

spitting at someone is a low-down act, at least if someone punches you there is a manly respect there. I'd much rather be punched than spat at.