PGA Tour: "Bridgestone" / Reno-Tahoe: Notes from the Ballwasher

1).Whatever the merits of corporations appointing golfing ambassadors, and the impact they had on the quality of last week's Glen Abbey field, it is unarguable that two of those ambassadors provided a thoroughly absorbing RBC Canadian Open last week. Snedeker proved he has finally, and fully, rebounded from rib problems to his early season form, while Mahan played beautifully before returning to Dallas for the birth of his Zoe.

2).Sneds will be forgiven if he cruises through this week's Bridgestone event, and punters will be forgiven for thinking he might take it easy this week, honing his game for Oak Hill's PGA Championship. His schedule is hectic as his long-time sponsor Wyndham are hosting the Greensboro event following the PGA, and right before the Play-Offs begin.
(Hadn't realised that Snedeker's caddie, Scott Vail, is Eric Vail's son - Eric Vail was an extremely talented ice-hockey player for the Atlanta/Calgary Flames franchise during the 70's, scoring bucketloads of goals but with a work ethic that ultimately fell foul of the increasingly disciplined regimes of the time. Imagine Scotty has already passed his Dad in career earnings!)

3).Hunner is taking this week off and hopefully will get some sleep before the PGA. It'll be inneresting to see what birthday pressie Snedeker gets for Baby Zoe, as Daddy Hunner had stretched last week's field and looked completely in control - he should win much more than he does and maybe this was a tournament that got away, for all the right reasons.

4).Messrs McGirt, Bohn (seems one of the genuinely good guys on Tour so happy to see him playing well again) and Badds wrapped up their Tour cards for 2013/2014, but others slip inexorably in to the mire of uncertainty, including Gary Woodland, Charlie Wi and Ben Crane.
Appleby helped himself but is still in trouble while others such as Colsaerts and Hanson desperately need some good finishes this week and next.
And then there's Mansfield Man, Greg Owen, who played himself in to job security only to make a pig's ear of the par-5 18th in bogeying it on Saturday. But fortitude saw him retrieve that situation and came to #18 on Sunday needing a birdie to secure himself "playing privileges" for next season. So, from a perfect position, he shanked his wedge in to the drink, wrapped up a closing double, and has to play well this week and at Greensboro to survive.
His Bay Hill horlicks was no fluke - his 15th club is a blunderbuss with which to blast away at his feet at the most inopportune moments.

5).We can't stop writing about Russell Knox so here we go again, in the wake of his web.com 59 last Friday. Unfortunately he was unable to spin that in to a victory and a PGA Tour card for next year, but he's surely got the right stuff as illustrated by his post-59 comment:
"I didn't come here to shoot 59, I came here to win the tournament." Better luck this week, Russell, in Reno.

6).Finally for last week, and moving to Russia for a moment, Michael Hoey won his 5th European Tournament. I'll repeat a curiosity I spotted in his career record on the European Tour web-site:
This is Hoey's 5th win, but he has only three other Tour top ten finishes. That seems extraordinary to me and the only thing I can imagine compares, on a totally different level of course, is Tiger Woods's record in Majors pre 2008 surgery:
Won 14.
Other top tens: 13.
Closer.

7).And so to Bridgestone and Reno-Tahoe.
There are sure to be divergent views on WGC's, especially the "cookie-cutter" versions at Doral and Bridgestone, but they can't be ignored and, no doubt the select few who will still be grinding out a result on Sunday afternoon will provide excellent entertainment. But the difference for most of the field between a 20th place finish and 40th, say, or 50th, is just so much petty cash and hardly surprising if the majority will care more about getting to Rochester than ekeing out a result.

8).Who will win? No idea, but Firestone Furyk is a course specialist, should have won last year, and played well in Oh Canada. No doubt the likes of Westwood and Jason Day will "ball-strike" their way to a fat cheque and it's impossible to look past Woods's multiple victories here. More important for some Europeans will be to play well enough to extend their season in to the Play-Offs, Martin Kaymer for instance, while Play-Off participation is synonymous with a job next year for Colsaerts and Hanson - has anyone managed their season worse than Peter Hanson?

9).Ah, yes! I can see Ross Fisher putting up his hand in Reno - sorry Fish, forgot about you.
There's a very competitive field on the Nevada/California border for the Tour's annual Stableford event. Harrington will be there looking to extend his season and guys like Fisher, Karlsson, Knox, Norlander and Owen will hope for a decent result to take in to the season's final "regular" event in Greensboro.

10).Very pleased to see Paul Casey teeing it up at Bridgestone. At least as talented as any of the thirty-something British crew, this could be the second step towards rehabilitation as a top PGA Tour golfer and threat at upcoming Major Championships. Paul has got a long way to go before returning to golf's upper echelon, but a top finish this week, and/or next week at Oak Hill, could see him earning his PGA Tour card after two miserable years in the wilderness. Good luck to him.

Does Paul Casey "owe" the Euro Tour anything, rather then jumping straight back to America if the opportunity arises again?

kwinigolfer wrote:...This is Hoey's 5th win, but he has only three other Tour top ten finishes. That seems extraordinary to me and the only thing I can imagine compares, on a totally different level of course, is Tiger Woods's record in Majors pre 2008 surgery:
Won 14.
Other top tens: 13.
Closer.

I can sort of see what you're driving at with the comparison, but Woods turned professional in 96, so by 2008 had only really competed in about 46 majors so his major record up 2008 would read:
Won: 14
Other top 10s: 13
Non top 10s: 20
Closer

Hoey's professional record would read (excluding challenge tour)
Won: 5
Other top 10s: 3
Non top 10s: 179!
Weirdo

ben,
That's a good point but Casey has always, and given his recent plight perhaps to his detriment, been more loyal to the European Tour than guys like Donald, Poulter and Rose. Don't see any reason why that should change.
Key to him though is playing well enough to reach the Top 50 and entree in to WGC's and Majors. Crucial to any top player really.


Bob,
It was the sh1t or bust nature of Hoey's record that I found so bizarre - your points about Woods correct of course, but to see someone contend so seldom yet, when he does, he wins, just seemed extraordinary! Certainly wasn't trying to compare the two otherwise!!

Sounds like Steve Stricker tweaked a hamstring water-skiing when all his contemporaries were at Muirfield.
It sounds as if he'll try to play Bridgestone (and he still has a goal to make the Pres Cup Team), possibly with a shorter-than-normal driver.
He needs "official" money in an effort to keep pace at 9th position in Pres Cup qualifying, but this must be a bit of a warning signal.

Regarding Michael Hoey, this is on a higher level but didn't Lee Janzen have a brilliant strike rate when he was in contention back in the mid 90s? I know he won two US Opens and a Players. It seemed like he didn't contend all that much but whenever he did, he very often won.

Wow! Would never have thought of Janzen, though have always had a high regard for him.
Just checked his record during the 90's when he was at his best:
Won 8, other Top Tens: 37

That's a very solid hit rate and, as you say, it includes some biggies.

Janzen is one of those 2-Major men who get overlooked by the Hall Of Fame voters but, when he was good, he was very very good!

Kwini - great write up as ever.
Hoey has some pedigree - British Am Champion and Walker Cup with other better known luminaries. I think this year he has produced good rounds, but not 4 in a row. I think he can climb a bit higher, but not too far!
Great to see Casey getting back. I mentioned watching him at Walton Heath - fantastic ball striking, putting and composure. Not easy when the likes of me are stalking him up every fairway. Great to watch and I hope gets right back to the top (formerly number 3 in the world?) also I believe he has done as much to get back and play Euro events as any of the top guys. Good luck to him.
Finally, just back from a productive day at Goodwood - I assume an old Kwini stomping ground? Great racing but the sun didn't shine. Will have to go back Friday and see if it shines then!

Thanks puligny,
Sounds Glorious, despite the weather.
Love Goodwood - picked up a flyer for this week when supping a few pints at the Best Pub In The World, just outside Petersfield in one final pre-LHR fling last Monday!
Fingers crossed for Casey and concur with your comment about his support for the E.T.
Good luck on Friday . . . . . . .

Are the PGA Championship tee times released on Friday?

Wouldn't have thought so SB. The field is yet to be completed as there are slots open to the winners of the WGC and Reno-Tahoe if they are not already qualified.

I think the tee-times will be published before the field is final - 1/100 that Scott / Rose / Mickelson will play together.

Love, McGinley and Watson would be an interesting group.

Assume Woods and McIlroy will be separated but maybe not - perhaps the two of them with either Bradley or Kaymer?

kwinigolfer wrote:I think the tee-times will be published before the field is final - 1/100 that Scott / Rose / Mickelson will play together.

Love, McGinley and Watson would be an interesting group.

Assume Woods and McIlroy will be separated but maybe not - perhaps the two of them with either Bradley or Kaymer?

Hoping Harrington can get into one of those all PGA Champs groups they tend to do......and isn't it a certainty the three major champions get paired together?

Kwini wrote:Messrs McGirt, Bohn (seems one of the genuinely good guys on Tour so happy to see him playing well again)

You mention Bohn being a good guy and that seems to be the subject for an article in Septembers golf digest.

StinaSternberg wrote:Stina Sternberg @StinaSternberg

The Sep issue of @GolfDigestMag is on digital newsstands TODAY, and it includes our coolest ranking ever. https://twitter.com/StinaSternberg/status/362248545664892929/photo/1

Just wondering if you get DG, and if so, would you consider sharing the rankings on 606v2 thread?

Kwini wrote:There are sure to be divergent views on WGC's, especially the "cookie-cutter" versions at Doral and Bridgestone

Not sure what you mean by "cookie-cutter" but I posted on another thread yesterday that I thought Tiger's 17 WGC wins might be the most overlooked stat in golf.

I value the WGC's because they have very strong fields and are sure to unleash the players competitive instincts.  I am as cynical as they come so buy the argument that some will be there to just pick up the easy money and points if things start to go wrong.  For those that start to play well at a WGC however, they will be going all out to beat the best fields in golf.

So to rephrase the tiger stat, he has beaten the strongest fields possible (I guess we should really exclude the masters) 31 times. Or 33 if you include the players.

Some other players of tigers generation

Phil 7 (5 majors, 2 WGC)
Els 6 (4, 2)
Geoff Ogilvy 4 (1, 3)
VJ 4 (3, 1)
Darren Clarke 3 (1, 2)
Harrington 3 (3, 0)

So tiger is about 4.5 times better than the next best on the list in terms of beating very strong fields.

Mac,
re Good guys: I don't get the digital version, but it might be google-able. Can't find anything on-line yet.

I'm not impressed with Tiger's stat's in WGC's other than in the context of him being the greatest player of his generation. He used to beat strong fields everywhere, except Riviera and the Ryder Cup.

Kwini, how can the golf nerds get excited over the bears major runner up record but dismiss tigers 17 WGC wins?

Remember as robo has showed before even the majors in Jacks time had a weak field strength in comparison to today's 70+ OWGR point events.

If we are to compare the performance of players then the romance of majors would not come into the equation.  What would count would be performance relative to the fields you played against.

In this context the greatness of Tiger is vastly superior to anyone who has ever played the game.  Therefore WGC are very important indicators of ability.

Kwini wrote:re Good guys: I don't get the digital version, but it might be google-able. Can't find anything on-line yet.

From the photo I think it will be in the paper copy as well.  will be an interesting read if we can find it.

To win loads of wgc is impressive. But you cant use it as a tool to make home best ever as the guy you are comparing him did not have these events to play in. So it's a meaningless stat in that regard. It just proves that tiger is well out in front as the greatest in his era. Until he breaks the majors record though he still isn't the greatest ever.

beninho wrote:To win loads of wgc is impressive. But you cant use it as a tool to make home best ever as the guy you are comparing him did not have these events to play in. So it's a meaningless stat in that regard. It just proves that tiger is well out in front as the greatest in his era. Until he breaks the majors record though he still isn't the greatest ever.

Fortunately, he looks even less likely to win a major than Westwood, just as big a bottler now in majors.

5 years and counting

Mac,
What a pointless argument!
Nicklaus beat the best in his era and set new standards.
Woods has beaten the best in his era and, until the last five years, was setting new standards.
Just recently he's been more Hunter Mahan than Jack Nicklaus. Not that there's anything wrong with that - perhaps he'll even do a golfboys video?

Should be benign conditions for Round 1 of The Bridgestone, some early morning showers might have softened the going a little, but dry, mild (up to mid-70's) weather is the order of the day. Quiet weather expected all thru the weekend, just a little breezy so expect the course to get firmer, the greens to get faster.

Peter Hanson and Steve Stricker are known to be carrying injuries - with anyone dropping out receiving last-place money (about $40K+) what odds of all the starters completing 72 holes? Three drop-outs last year, and expect one or two again this week.

Meanwhile, the faux Stableford in the Reno-Tahoe area gets underway in an hour or so - important for many of the Tour's "C" list Europeans.

Super - Less likely to win a major than Westwood? I smell a bet ... if you are interested let me know! 

Mac - Nice research - for a player that's won 4 times this year on the hardest tour on the planet, it's obviously all and only about majors for the Tiger watch. Not in my book, but I strongly suspect Tiger doesn't share that opinion.

Kwin - Old Forge bound in 48 hours! Lined up for play at the Sadaquada on Saturday early afternoon on way in ... Newport in the next two weeks for sure.

Sr,
Have a great time.

Will possibly be at the GCofN early Saturday (Aug 10th) on our way home from Oak Hill. If so, it will be my first round of the year following floods and travel. Not sure you'll be that impressed with Sadaquada, except for the history of the place. Sounds like lunch at Symeons . . . . . .

Dufner EW
Day to beat Kuchar, DJ to beat Scott in their groups

benson,
Not many PGA Champs to group Tiger and Padraig with next week, especially with Phil out of the mix.
Just:
Vijay
Yang
Rory
Brooks
Micheel
Love
Beem
Kaymer
Bradley
Toms

Birdie, Eagle start from Stenson . . . . .

Hi Kwini, thanks for the notes,

Pleased that Hoey won last week after wondering what he'd been up to since the Dunhill in 2011. Nice to see the stats backed up my hot and cold theory too, which then prompted the great stat on Janzen, who of course is most famous for copping Kevin Costner's chilli dippers.

Fancied the straight and steady guys this week who probably wont feature prominently next week, meaning Bo van Pelt and Kuchar are my runners and riders for this week. Perhaps a bit unfair on Kuch. Matsuyama had decent value too...

McLaren wrote:Kwini, how can the golf nerds get excited over the bears major runner up record but dismiss tigers 17 WGC wins...

Certainly a very impressive stat but I don't suppose it could be that most don't give two hoots about the WGCs except as a loads-a-money event? The Majors are where it's at re. legacy - pretty much end of story - and try as Finchem et al might, I don't think anyone buys into the WGCs as remotely the same challenge depsite the depth of field.
As for the Nicklaus comparison, Nicklaus didn't have access to them so it's hardly fair to talk about them now is it? Apples vs. apples would be best don't you think?

p.s. - I edited your original post. Think nothing of it!

Different era, but I'm of the opinion that Tiger faced (faces) stronger competition, tournament-in, tournament-out. Nothing Jack could do about that however!

How would Jack (in his prime) do against Tiger (in his prime)? Just fine -- but I think Tiger would be a bit finer.

All opinions.

Cheers Lairdy,
Did Mr Knox's 59 receive much attention in the British press? I would think it's one of the very first 59's for a European, though have a suspicion there have been one or two on the Challenge Tour.

I have Kuchar in my Yahoo team, sure to jinx him. BVP in desperate need of a decent finish or two - it hasn't been his year so far but this seems his sort of course.

Looks like the Barnrat has joined Stenson in the lead. Pace of play pretty good so far!

Just a quick question that Kwini or someone else might know. As there are now only three weeks left in before the Fedex events start, I was wondering what the situation is regarding the retention of a playing card for next year. I know there is a whole new setup to replace Tour School but are the 125 players who retain full playing rights being taken from the Fedex points list or from the Money list?

If they come from the points list, it would seem unfair that a player with more earnings might lose out to someone with less. But taking them off the money list would create problems too. Someone in 125th position on the money list might be No 130 on the points list, so miss out on the chance to earn any more money and then lose their card. While someone else in 130th on the money list but No 125 on the Fedex list would qualify for the first stage of the playoffs with the chance to earn a big cheque.

I think it is both top 125 in the Money List and Fedexcup retain their cards!

Tinmar,
Status for retaining a card for the 2013/2014 season comes direct from the FedEx points, regardless of any perceived unfairness.
To summarise as far as I understand it:
Top 125 in FedEx points comprise the field for Round 1 of the FedEx play-offs, The Barclays. This is synonymous with a PGA Tour card for 2013/2014.
126 - 200 in FedEx points advance to web.com Tour Finals - the four-tournament series which begins in late August, four $1M events.
Positions 1 - 25 on the web.com money list secure PGA Tour cards for 2013/2014, and they also advance to the web.com Tour Finals.
26 - 75 on the web.com money list also advance, so there is the potential for 4 x 150-player events.

In reality there will be some no-shows, such as Oosthuizen who is injured, and a few more PGA Tour players who have exemptions.

As I understand it, there will be an all or nothing scramble for a number of slots available from the web.com Tour Finals - I think 25, though it may be more, and there is no consideration of earnings, either from the PGA Tour or the web.com Tour; everyone starts from scratch.

Following these "Finals" there will be the traditional PGA Tour Q-School to award cards to next season's web.com Tour.

The only concession to the PGA Tour moneylist as I understand it, is to allocate priority in "conditional" PGA Tour status.

If this all sounds too arcane to be true, it is. Hopefully the mud will start to clear as the web.com Tour Finals approach.

The only exception to the above, apart from lifetime money earnings, exemptions for previous victories, medical exemptions etc will be "Category 20": non members who have earned sufficient money in 2013 to reach the top 125 of the money-list.

No doubt I have some fine print wrong, but that's pretty close.

Thank, Kwini.

So effectively the money list rankings don't mean anything now. This will surely lead to several anomalies. Being Irish, I checked Padraig's situation. Due to lifetime earnings he's hardly in any danger but he's 103 on the money list and 123 on the FedEx. There must be others in a similar situation. It seems very unfair that a player could lose his card to someone 20 places lower on the money list.

Also, the new setup should surely help the European Tour. Aside from European players, Peter Uihlein & Brooks Koepka will hardly give up their playing rights in Europe in order to play the web.com. Their best chance for the PGA Tour is surely to work their way up the OWGR and eventually make it through the Category 20.

Change of currency, Tinmar; the only thing to be said in mitigation is that the crucial parts of these rules were laid out well in advance of the season's start.

There are definite downsides for the European Tour but you have an upside spot on. Not just Uihlein and Koepka, but possibly the return of Fisher, Colsaerts, Karlsson and Hanson also.

The web.com Tour Finals could be almost as fascinating as the FedEx Play-Offs with some BIG names fighting for their careers!

Nice opening round from Chris Wood - would love to hear an assessment of his fitness from "faldo" - and the 2011 version of Luke Donald has turned up, for an opening few holes at any rate.
Four Aussies in the field, all comfortably placed in the bottom dirty dozen.

Tinmar,
sirbenson mentioned above that the TOP 125 in money AND FefEx points will retain their cards for 2013/2014, but only the Top 125 FedEx points would play The Barclays.
I hadn't seen that before, but I've just seen a comment to that effect on rotoworld. Still not 100% sure but benson is usually right (hence the knighthood).

Thanks guys. Interesting the top 125 on the money list might retain their card as well. The only problem is that it might be hard to still be in the top 125 after the FedEx events if you haven't played in any of those events.

I read it on Harrington's Facebook page and one of the fans said that Harrington has all but secured his card as he was 111 on the money list at the time and that both 125 in both lists keep your playing status for next season.

Good to see Immelman playing well in Reno-Tahoe

Tinmar,
If that moneylist criteria is as we now think, then I would assume it becomes frozen prior to the Play-Offs and permits direct retention of playing privileges by virtue of their position after Greensboro.
We'll see soon enough!
Padraig now on the move in Reno.

benson,
Re: Trev: About time - he threw strokes away from good positions last week. A great golfer to follow, not many compress the ball like he does.

Terrible start for Ross Fisher in Reno - fires the equivalent of a +3 round of 75 and needs plenty of birdies tomorrow or he'll be going to Greensboro needing a top 4 finish.

The schedule he's kept this year hasn't deserved any better unfortunately.

Kwini

Touch Wood (no pun intended) Chris seems to have put his back problems behind him. After pulling out of the PGA after a prolonged break before this he eventually returned at the French. He doubled the last to miss the cut by one, but then played all 4 rounds in Scotland & the Open. I think he was 2nd in GIR's at the Open, but couldn't putt. He has spent the last week at his club in Long Ashton & the greens there are some of the quickest in the Bristol area. Looks like he putted a lot better in round 1 here. Hopefully this continues & he has a good week.

Nick!
Good news!!
That's one heck of a round from Wood, great news that he might be returned to full fitness.
Looks like scores this morning were better than this afternoon, but anything under par tomorrow will have him in good shape going in to the weekend.
He won Qatar in such great style that it will be good to watch him build on that - he seems to have his head screwed on, but also needs to be pushing forward with his career. Good finish this week would provide great momentum going in to Oak Hill where good "ball-striking" will be especially rewarding.

I believe these non-members are eligible to play in the WEB-Com finals. #200 on the official money list has earned $84K Gonzo, Hideki and Thorbjorn have a great chance to get their card through EXEMPTION 20, earning more than #125 which looks like it will be about $600K this year.



Gonzalo Fdez-Castano 589,653 (a near-lock to be in top 125)
=======
Hideki Matsuyama 501,907
Thorbjorn Olesen 485,700
=======
Marcel Siem 291,606
John Peterson 259,679
Francesco Molinari 206,892
Peter Tomasulo 196,490
Patrick Cantlay 195,411
George Coetzee 171,161
Branden Grace 170,459
Jeff Klauk 149,830
Paul Lawrie 136,119
Shane Lowry 132,251
Kyle Reifers 128,400
Richard Sterne 128,258
Peter Uihlein 121,625
Miguel Jimenez 121,381
Shane Bertsch 112,000
Franklin Corpening 112,000
Danny Lee 112,000
Jamie Donaldson 99,697
Eduardo De La Riva 95,043
Danny Willett 95,043
Mathew Goggin 86,579

Some of these players won't consider the Web-Finals (Jimenez), but most will (if they are eligible)

Bloody hell, tiger clearly doesn't rate Donald Ross.

Tiger Woods wrote:“It’s a similar golf course in the fact that obviously it’s just straight in front of you,” said Woods, comparing Firestone to next week’s venue. “Oak Hill is just like this place but a little bit more difficult.

http://www.weiunderpar.com/post/tiger-starts-strong-at-firestone#ixzz2amy0WTqz


Can't imagine many archie's would like to see their work compared to firestone!

Woods seems to have had a lot to say about Oak Hill recently - earlier this week he was complaining about the "spotty" greens.
A bit like all the hindsight perceptions about Muirfield's greens.
Some of Hank Haney's comments about Tiger's sketchy pre-Major preparation on courses he doesn't know very well seem to have a grain of truth to them.

Should be a luvverly day for golf in Akron today, sunny, mild, a bit of breeze to spice things up, and a chance of overnight watering.
Cloudy start forecast for Saturday, then fine (and cool for August) thru close of play Sunday.

I think it's more that Woods isn't very good at thinking on his feet when asked a question when he isn't expecting and prefers a pre-prepared sanitised response.

Well, Oak Hill will play the same for all ... including Mr. Tiger. Going into this year I thought this was the major he had the best chance of winning. On my shortlist for this tournament and next. But also have a hunch about Dustin Johnson.

None of the European players needing a strong result at this week's Reno-Tahoe got off to a good start in Round 1.

It looks like the cut-line will be about +4 points, which means Karlsson, Parnevik and Knox would just be inside it, Owen, Harrington, Fisher and Norlander well adrift.

Other "faces" who need a top finish that got off to a good start include Immelman, Romero, Cauley and Appleby, while Ben Crane, Ishikawa and Jonathan Byrd are among those who got a decent start but "must do better".


Dustin at Oak Hill?
One wrinkle for the bombers will be the fact there are only two par-5's and no driveable par-4's, unless they have a go at #14 (very risky given the thick rough that usually surrounds the green). And at least one of those par-5's is almost unreachable (#13).

But then there is the very hole-in-one-able par-3 6th hole!

kwinigolfer wrote:Cheers Lairdy,
Did Mr Knox's 59 receive much attention in the British press? I would think it's one of the very first 59's for a European, though have a suspicion there have been one or two on the Challenge Tour.

I have Kuchar in my Yahoo team, sure to jinx him. BVP in desperate need of a decent finish or two - it hasn't been his year so far but this seems his sort of course.

Looks like the Barnrat has joined Stenson in the lead. Pace of play pretty good so far!

I never noticed anything in the press but then again I wasnt really looking for it. Pretty sure there was nothing on the beeb and surprised I didnt notice anything in the Scotsman, which covers scottish golf pretty well. The scottish red tops still think Monty is the main guy...

Still, good to see so many Saltires on a WGC leaderboard, no matter how little WGCs mean to the masses. Shame Laird is propping things up.

That's too bad, Lairdy; hopefully Knox will make them sit up and take notice, much as Laird has done - though as you say he's down with the dead men as he ventures out on to Round 2.

The wounded still seem to be walking - no sign yet of Stricker or Hanson giving up on Firestone. But would think Oak Hill next week might be a trickier proposition, at least for Stricker's hamstring - much hillier than Firestone.