PGA Tour: John Deere, US Senior Open, Tasty Trivia: Notes from the Ballwasher

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1).OK, Let's turn this upside down and start with a tasty trivia question:
CBS were covering a tournament recently when Ian Baker Hyperbole Finch commented that one golfer "has been a good player for a long time now", or words to that effect. In fact, the man in question has finished in the Top 125 money-winners each year for at least the last dozen (excluding 2013), one of only "Thirteen" Golfers to do so. Who are they?

Only clues to start with are:
~I can only come up with a dozen, so IBF might be hyperbolising again.
~That dozen includes five Americans, seven "overseas" players.
GO!

2)."The Greenbrier Classic" produced an entertaining enough tournament and a European winner, Jonas Blixt, who returned from the wilderness in the nick of time. A super "rookie" season followed by ho-hum results this year which risked keeping him from the Play-Offs, but he certainly played the best on Sunday, albeit in somewhat bizarre circumstances.

3).Following a lengthy weather delay, the final twosome (Johnson Wagnier and Jimmy Walker) teed off on Sunday at 5.10 p.m, and finished up 3 hrs 38 minutes later. One would imagine that's the fastest final round for the last pair out at a PGA Tournament for a very long time. Wagnier was "furious" at his play - he struggled on the back nine to a 73 - but also complained that "it was dark, it was really dark . . . . . the last few holes I felt like we were just trying to finish." The de-moustachioed Johnson was adamant he wasn't blaming the pace of play for his own disappointment, but it does make one wonder whether 3 1/2 hours is the new Tour gold-standard for a final twosome, or if players were instructed to get a move on.

4).Nothing diminishes from Blixt's blitz of the lovely "Old White" design, however. Pleased to see him back at his best, and the owner of the last two Continental European wins on Tour. Jonas will keep his date at "The John Deere Classic" this week before catching the charter to Scotland and The Open Championship.

5).Before going on to the "Quad Cities" border region of Illinois and Iowa however, one notices the withdrawal of Kris Blanks from this week's web.commer in Utah. Nothing unusual in that most likely, except that Blanks wasn't firing blanks when he tried to get a loaded gun through security at West Palm Beach airport a couple of weeks ago. I wonder if he's suspended pending completion of the police investigation? He's out on bail right now on weapons charges. If he's not suspended he should be. For a good long time I would suggest.
What a berk.

6).And no news yet about D.H.Lee who offered an emphatic finger to all and sundry after playing a third round shot which apparently disappointed him at Congressional. He expected to be fined by the Tour - if anyone is wondering what D.H. might stand for, the well known (to me anyway!) horse racing trainer of the 70's and early 80's Richard Head might offer a clue.

7).The most highly sought after tee markers (John Deere diggers of various sorts, taken as souvenirs) on the PGA Tour have attracted a pretty good field for "The John Deere Classic" at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois. It's great to see so many local-ish players supporting a terrific community event, Steve Stricker and Zach Johnson of course, but other prominent quasi-locals include Messrs Points, Mark Wilson, Jerry Kelly, Guthrie and Streelman.
Keegan Bradley and King Louis Oosthuizen will also be here, and Europe is represented by Brian Davis and Greg Owen, Messrs Christian, Karlsson, Knox, Pettersson, Blixt, Parnevik and Norlander.

8).Two golfers who won't be are Paul Goydos (who shot 59 here three years ago and is trying to come back from wrist surgery) and Peter Hanson, who withdrew during Round 4 at The Greenbrier. Goydos may be more concerned about being fully fit for his Champions Tour debut next year, but Hanson must be getting concerned about his fitness after struggling most of this year. He's now 126th in the FedEx Cup points list and that (out of the leading 125) would be enough to lose him his card.

9).A few hundred miles to the West of the John Deere action is Omaha Country Club in Nebraska, site of this week's US Senior Open Championship; don't know much about the course except that Perry (Colonial, Prairie Dunes, Southern Hills) Maxwell conducted an extensive renovation of a 19th century original shortly before he died. It's subsequently been brought up to date by Keith Foster who has "done" some previous Perry Maxwell restorations.

10).Despite a very limited overseas presence, last year's winner Roger Chapman and 2010 champ Bernhard Langer will lead a thin (nothing personal Colin) European challenge including Montgomerie, Barry Lane, Wolstenholme and Wesselingh.
Pathetically insular that the USGA fails to embrace more of an international presence, but greats of the past have won this Championship, Gary Player, the legendary Simon Hobday, Graham Marsh and Eddie Romero so hopefully another international golfer might win this year - perhaps Peter (long-putter) Senior which would represent a double-fisted D.H.Lee-style salute to the USGA.

Good win from Spieth!!!!


Whatever happened to John E Morgan golfing wise? Because he is working for SKY tonight and has done in the past!

kwinigolfer wrote:Very impressive by Jordan Spieth.
Is he the next Tiger Woods?
Or the next Jamie Lovemark??

Assume he'll take his place at Muirfield. But someone needs to tell him pros don't normally miss so many crucial putts as Zach and David Hearn did.

Well... I guess Spieth's already proved he's no Jamie Lovemark... and the Open has announced Spieth has accepted his invite and the field is set at 156.

robo,
My thought was back to the (what was it, Arizona Frys.com) when Fowler and Lovemark had no status and they were in a play-off.

Incredible the fine lines between victory and defeat - suppose I should have said David Gossett more appropriately.

Lots of play-offs this week - and Steven Alker just one of a number of lesser-known players who played well out of the blue at Merion, and have kicked on - John Parry another, Jim Herman too, and likely some others. A bit like Wittenberg last year, and Jason Gore in days of yore.

according to Jason sobel these were the fates of the other teenage tour winners

One couldn't win a major
One lost his game at 28
One committed to mental institution
One dead at 24

I think Master Spieth might do better than that lot. Lucky today but he's good enough to make his own luck.

He seemed in full control of himself during the playoff. Interesting to follow the rest of his season. Kinda reminds of Matteo and Thorbjorn btw.