PGA Tour: Aussie Rules???: Notes from the Ballwasher

1).It seems only a few weeks ago we were talking about this 20/30-year-old generation of Aussie Golf not pulling its weight on the PGA Tour and now look what's happened! Jason Day at the Match Play, Sendo (OK, he's 40-something) at Innisbrook, and now Bowditch in San Antonio. Three wins in six weeks and another thrown away by Adam Scott. Whatever next!
 
2).Steven Bowditch's win seemed a popular one among the Aussies in San Antone, with Senden, Baddeley and Scott Gardiner among those surrounding the 18th green to greet him. And good for him. I shared this link on last week's thread when Bowditch won but I'll offer it again as a rare insight into one of the sporting life's rarely discussed (Trescothick excepted) illnesses, depression:
 
http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-tours-news/2009-04/gw20090427_moriarty
 
Don't want to characterize it any more, make your own mind up. Some of the stuff makes Bowditch sound like a golfing savant, almost Moe Norman-like. Let's hope the demons stay away and he can enjoy the success his sheer talent may earn.
 
3).So, halfway through the FedEx Cup season, pre-play-offs, and we have three Aussie wins and the rest is American domination. But, having said that, it's a very regional domination. Of the 17 tournaments American golfers have won so far, the split by State/Region where the golfer grew up, is as follows:
 
Texas/Oklahoma: 5 (Walker (3), Reed (2)
Carolinas: 3
Georgia: 3
Florida: 2
Washington: 1
Mid-West: 1
North-East: 1
California: 1
 
4).The big surprise recently has been the dearth of top golfers from California. The State that just a few generations ago gave us Casper, Littler, Geiberger and Venturi, and followed up with Stockton, Miller, Stadler, O'Meara, Cook, Pavin, Simpson, Loren Roberts etc, now only offers Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson among the game's best, although Fowler, Mahan and Watney may yet get there.
 
5).Of America's best, only Stricker still lives in the Northern States, whilejust Furyk, Bradley and Dufner of the 2012 Ryder Cup Team hailed originally, like Stricker, from Northern States - and they all now live in the South.
This trend will surely continue, the days when three PGA Tour and Ryder Cup Team contemporaries from a tiny village settled by Polish emigres in Central New York could each gain Tour success simultaneously are seemingly gone for ever.
 
6).So! It's not just Europe who's having a dry spell on Tour!! Most of the Americas is too.
 
7).That Woods bloke won't be playing The Masters and the tournament may well be all the poorer for that. Many of our other favourites are also crocked going in to next week's Billy Payne Invitational. To name but a handful:
Phil: We still don't know whether he'll play this week, let alone next.
Day: Very quiet from Camp Jason, apparently rehabbing his injury by practicing at Augusta.
Justin Rose: Is his shoulder still hurting, or is that healed and it's just his putter to worry about?
Oosthuizen: Who knows with King Louis? Who ever knows with him??
Mahan: Withdrew during Bay Hill - is he fully fit?
Schwartzel, Watney: Returning from paternity leave - will they have their heads back in the game? Watney has also been injured and hasn't played since leaving a 6-figure pay cheque behind by w/d'ing from Doral.
Lots of caveats emptor going down Magnolia Lane.
 
8).With Mickelson and Woods both with their backs to the wall, how does the US Ryder Cup Team look now?
 
With the very real prospect that at least Tiger, and possibly Phil also, will be on the shelf for much of the summer, Tom Watson must be wondering about having to (or being press-ganged into) use two of his three picks on his two biggest stars. Right now, the top nine on the qualifying points list looks like this:
~Walker, Dustin, Reed, Bubba, Dufner, English, Zach, Phil, Simpson. With more potential rookies Moore, Kirk and Matt Every to follow.
 
So, Tom, that could be one Captain's Choice to share among Spieth, Bradley, Furyk, Kuchar, Mahan, Bill Haas, Snedeker and Stricker to name just candidates from the most recent two Presidents and Ryder Cup squads.
 
9).Don't panic! The season's only halfway through, and here we are at Houston. There'll be 144 golfers teeing off but this is one tournament where it's tough to tell whether all the talent will have thier competitive motors running at 100%. This is an event where Americans have had to yield a few wins in recent years, with Aussies Appleby, Allenby and Scott, Paul Casey and Vijay being among the winners. Henrik Stenson has played well and, if he's going to carry my money in to Augusta, he'd better have another decent week.
Westwood seems to like the place also with good finishes, but his traditionally excellent ball-striking stats are downright horrible for 2014 - is this the place to rediscover his competitive mojo?
 
10).One guy who won't be in Houston is my fave Will MacKenzie, but what a year he's having!
There was chat on here a few weeks ago about the number of young Americans going straight from school to university. Willie Mac is one guy whose college scholarship offer was as a kicker on the East Carolina football team, which he declined, and took a path less well travelled to the mini-tours and wherever that took him.
 
To get an insight into Tour life through the eyes of a real live character, I recommend this excellent interview on pgatour.com:
 
http://www.pgatour.com/video/2014/03/31/will-mackenzie-talks-with-john-swantek-on-march-31st--2014.html
 
Will is probably never going to win a Green Jacket, but one might feel that every Tour Pro could use a healthy dose of the lifestyle he chose as an early 20-something.

kwinigolfer wrote:
7).That Woods bloke won't be playing The Masters and the tournament will be so much better for that.

I've just fixed that quote for you Kwini

Phew, Thanks Davie!

Phil has confirmed he's flying to Houston tonight and will be playing tomorrow, grouped with his chum Keegs.

Hi Kwini Is Bradley still he living dead of golf slowwwww,
Always look forward to the masters .Back in the BBC day we used to do a quotations drinking game.Along the lines of 'the pine straw','the wind swirling down here on 13',any mention of Bob Jones,the patrons,the elevation changes,butler cabin etc etc ,Very easy to down a few.
Have to acknowledge the history of the event like it or not for the entry system

Hi dyna,
Yup, Bradley is still slow but other culprits have been making the news recently and Keegs has been out of the spotlight.
Looking forward to The Masters, but cliches at one-a-minute are guaranteed. And stomach-churning. Feherty the worst of the sycophants, it has to be said.

Not sure if there needs to be an OWGR thread, but Tiger's #1 ranking is vulnerable this week. Stenson has to win.

Tiger is losing about 0.2 points per week in attrition (in the short term). He will be at 9.07 next week and 8.87 after the Masters.

If Stenson does not win, at least three players can take the #1 spot at the Masters. (Scott, Stenson and Day)

Phil, Rory, DJ, and Sergio can get in the #1 mix if they win this week.

A lot of OWGR points are up for grabs in the next few weeks. Houston is rated 58, Masters is a 100, Quail Hollow should be in the High 50's and the Players will be 80.

If Tiger is out until the Open Championship, he will probably be out of the top 10 going into that week.

"the Players will be 80" . . . . . . . and then comes Wentworth . . . ..

Kwini

I don't think phil is injured, it has been reported he is missing the pro am to play a practice round at ANGC.

Hi Mac,
Yup, I see that now. But he's still permitted to miss two pro-ams, and that's what he's done.

Hopefully he'll be on the 10th tee in Houston at 7.50 a.m. CDT with slow-coaches Simpson and Bradley, and prove his fitness over four days.

Really looking forward to "Ken on the Course" at the masters. He played one green with a pool cue the other year. Guys a classic.

Hazel Irvine, down by the ravine etc etc

I like Ken on the course too Merko, although I'm not a fan of Hazel's ravine.

Do the bbc just have weekend coverage this year?

It's a good job Ken is more entertaining as a commentator than he was as a player . . . . .
And I'm not sure about all this chat about Hazel's ravine.

But remember: The Houston winner this week will gain entry to The Masters if not already invited. And Harrington is off to the best possible start, tied for the lead after 2 holes, but with his first Par-5's on the horizon. And we know how they go.

Harrington Watch: As he makes the turn at -3, one shot off Keegan Bradley's lead. Padraig playing the Par-5's one under par so far. Fingers crossed it stays that way.

Mickelson tooling along nicely, -2 at the turn.

Poor starts for Colsaerts (+2 after 10) and Brian Davis (+4 after 9).

Ken on the course is great, hitting all the balls at different speeds and watching them catch up with each other. Worth the license fee on its own.

IS colsearts just passing time before returning to europe? Bit like David Lynn, had a couple of years in the sun, maybe they think thats enough.

Not sure about Colsaerts, ben.
Imagine he must have picked up some nice endorsement income from signing on to the PGA Tour, but his golf has been very disappointing.

Would think David Lynn is a slightly different case and I'd expect him to pick up his US schedule from next week onwards - he took a long holiday last year in the middle of the season, missed Merion etc. Doubt he'll do that again and imagine he's just trying to pace himself thru the season.

Lynn's schedule at least makes some sense, whereas there seems no rhyme nor reason to Colsaerts' schedule.
And Olesen's hardly playing at all.


But Harrington is playing, and playing very well in Houston - one 3-putt but everything else looks pretty sound.

See big Angel is warming himself up for his yearly challenge at Augusta. And Andrew loupe doing well again, I read he is ridiculously slow though.

Another 3-putt to conclude Harrington's entertainment for the day, but still a good round, 69.


ben,
Loupe redefines "slow" - coincidence that he's up there in a tournament where Bradley is leading with Kuchar (who also went "on the clock" last week), and Simpson, Harrington and JB Holmes all in close attendance!

Angel should have been on my injured list above - I think he's undergoing shoulder surgery after Augusta. Would love to see him play well there again.

It's a Major Champion leaderboard!
With Bradley leading, Els, Mickelson, Simpson, Cink, Cabrera a couple of shots back, and Curtis, Harrington & Goosen lurking.

Don't forget Kuch .. that where my money has gone this week

Yes, Don't think Kuch has a Major yet (tho' sure Finchem would disagree). He's been in good form these past few weeks - must have a great chance next week, each way at least.

Kwini

Do you follow Jason Sobel on twitter?

Seems some players (and officials?) are getting pretty pi**ed of with players WD'ing after poor rounds. DJ the latest culprit after an opening 80.

Mac,
I don't really follow anyone on Twitter - but it's hardly surprising. Every so often there has been just one golfer left out of a threesome. In fact, I think that might have happened to Casey at the 2008 US Open when Donald and Poulter w/d'd.

Anyway, it's happening too often, from Number One all the way down - trickle down withdrawals.

Kwini

Sobel seems to have put the thoughts from his tweets into a blog;

http://www.golfchannel.com/news/jason-sobel/strategy-behind-withdrawing-becoming-epidemic/

Maybe worthy of its own thread but what do you make of what sobel has to say on WD's?

Mac,
I really don't feel as if the situation is any worse than it has been for a generation or two, at least.
Altho' it may be letting fans and sponsors down to book out prematurely, and Daly's thrived on that for 2 1/2 decades, there's nothing worse than following a group when a player appears to be dogging it.
I'd say that any golfer who says he doesn't do that is telling porkies. Same with any sport in my opinion.
Sad but true.

Do you think Rafa and Roger, Murray and Djokovich go flat out every week? Of course they don't, and by and large couldn't care less if they go home early.

Is Sportville running the Masters Competition like he usually does? Normally it'd be up by now.

EmmDee57 wrote:Is Sportville running the Masters Competition like he usually does? Normally it'd be up by now.

I think he goes by 'sportform' these days, I'm sure it will be up in the next few days.

incontinentia wrote:

EmmDee57 wrote:Is Sportville running the Masters Competition like he usually does? Normally it'd be up by now.

I think he goes by 'sportform' these days, I'm sure it will be up in the next few days.

Sportform? Sounds like a press on towel for the active menstruating woman.

super_realist wrote:

incontinentia wrote:

EmmDee57 wrote:Is Sportville running the Masters Competition like he usually does? Normally it'd be up by now.

I think he goes by 'sportform' these days, I'm sure it will be up in the next few days.

Sportform? Sounds like a press on towel for the active menstruating woman.

    

Scoring was very low yesterday in Houston, not so sure about today as there are high winds in the forecast - even some thunderstorms but they seem to be moving away.

Would think the cut-line will be about -3, which demands even par from Harrington, for instance, and under par efforts from all remaining British & Irish players.

Charlie Hoffman is my one-and-done this week so he'll doubtless fall swiftly from the lead - but as it stands, he's the leading golfer not already qualified for The Masters.

birdie, eagle for Sergio, now joint leader    

and another birdie...   

quite an aviary he's putting together.

Some good rounds being put together by guys who need them.
Great to see Surgeio, plus McIlroy is 3 under for the day and even Westwood is two under.

Unless conditions get a lot easier this afternoon, the cut-line guess of -3 will be way out - looking more like -1 right now. But Casey and Donald still have plenty of work to do to play the weekend.

What's up with Poulter? Big numbers on his scorecard again, Bay Hill-like.

Colsaerts withdraws, and what's wrong with him?
Losing Tour status and losing friends I should think. More grist for the Sobel mill of dodgy withdrawals. Given that he's not playing in the US, allegedly anyway, for the next month, what exactly is the point of obtaining Tour Membership? Mussels from Brussels strikes again.

Just as an aside, isn't the location of this week's tournament something of an oxymoron?

Humble??

!!!!

Surgeio to -6.

If Auusies should rule this week, perhaps it will be Matt Jones doing the business. Currently T3 and another of the better players still looking for their first win. Gorgeous swing and seems a very nice guy.

Can't wait for Augusta. Really can't wait.............

It's the 1st year in a long time that there aren't 3 or 4 players who are really fancied. Anyone of 30 or 40 players could win this year - even sergio!!- well, maybe not him.

kwinigolfer wrote:What's up with Poulter? Big numbers on his scorecard again, Bay Hill-like.

I put a fiver on him. That's what's wrong

kwinigolfer wrote:Colsaerts withdraws, and what's wrong with him? Losing Tour status and losing friends I should think. More grist for the Sobel mill of dodgy withdrawals. Given that he's not playing in the US, allegedly anyway, for the next month, what exactly is the point of obtaining Tour Membership? Mussels from Brussels strikes again.

Sore neck apparently. At least it wasn't toothache though

Pain in the neck for Mussels?

It's difficult for me to believe that Poulter has any interest in most of the run-of-the-mill Tour events - his record in the US over the years in anything other than Majors and near-Majors has been pretty grim.


Bl00dy Hell! The Par-5 brain cramps are getting worse for Harrington. Snowman!
He's not going to Augusta.

Hold on, Shot Tracker has Harri on the Green at a Par 5 in 2. Was there no bunkers or water on this hole???

Birdie!!!!!!
Back inside the cut-line - sure he can c0ck that up, there's still a Par-5 to go.

kwinigolfer wrote:Birdie!!!!!!
Back inside the cut-line - sure he can c0ck that up, there's still a Par-5 to go.

Kwini, he might be slow but he is never dull!!

Wish him the best,but id be shocked if he made the cut.

!!
I used to wonder if he was deliberately deliberate, but think he's actually just oblivious.
Still possible he might have a stroke of wiggle room - 9 & 18 are both tough pars.

Oh no, What did I say?
Oblivious!
He's got cramp in his finger so he's let the group behind play through - sure the others in his group must be thrilled.
And now he's in the woods, wide right.
Things are looking precarious for any chance of a payday.

John,
Your pessimism is well founded.
What a shambles.
Imagine St.Padraig can take a week off now to get the cramp in his finger looked at.

They'll be off early tomorrow/Saturday, off both nines, in anticipation of afternoon storms and, perhaps, trying to make sure they get Round 3 in on time because the chances of bad weather Sunday are even stronger.
And: No-one wants to go to Augusta a day late.

Surgeio off at 9.30 a.m. CDT with Kuchar and Matt Jones.

Since when does golf allow Injury Time outs like Paddy got.

This is not Tennis or Soccer. No Injury Timeouts in Golf

Apparently they're allowed up to 15 minutes for medical attention. I've seen Harrington pull this before, not his finger though.


On a more positive note, there's a super leaderboard in California for the "Kraft Nabisco" Dinah Shore major.
Six Major Champions in the top 8, 6 Europeans in the top 18, including Catriona Matthew and Charley Hull.

Did Rory take a medical time out when he hurt his wrist that time, after contact with a tree route?

Davie wrote:Don't forget Kuch .. that where my money has gone this week

Kuchar is on my short list for Augusta. But at odds around 21 it would hardly be worth an e/w bet?