PGA Tour: Tiger's Comeback? Or Publicity Stunt??: Notes from the Ballwasher

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1).Given the way Tiger Woods is dampening expectations for this week's return to Tour action, one wonders:
"If it wasn't the Foundation and our impact we can have with kids, I probably would not play", said Tiger yesterday following his microdickectomy.
On the other hand, he's been famous for his oft-declared mantra of not turning up if he didn't think he could win.

2).Regardless, Tiger's return is certain to help revive one of the few ailing tournaments on the PGA Tour, the "Quicken Loans National". Sports editors all over America can't wait, CBS might condescend to send their "A" commentating team (tho' I thought last week's "B" Team were at least as good), and, to hear Woods say he's been following the World Cup more closely than the PGA Tour, perhaps PGA Tour brass are relieved too?
This is USAToday's take:
"The surprising addition of Tiger to the field has added excitement to a PGA Tour stop that badly needed it."
Both the tournament and the PGA Tour if recent TV ratings are anything to go by.
Sad commentary that Martin Kaymer's excellence pales in to commercial insignificance here to the promise of Woods.

3).And if this week goes well, expect the buzz for Hoylake to grow and bring early attention to Tiger's quest for Major #15, stimulating a four-week summer spell where the European Tournaments are on a par with, or stronger than, the PGA Tour's.

4).I spent 12 hours walking TPC River Highlands last Friday - always try to watch a mix of established stars that I've not seen much of previously, lots of Sergio and Patrick Reed last week for instance, plus young up-and-comers, especially Morgan Hoffmann and Jamie Lovemark.

5).Reed doesn't look back to his Doral form yet, making amateur mistakes in course management; but perhaps The Travelers doesn't motivate him.
It surely motivates Lovemark; he hit all 18 greens the round we followed him and hit the longest drive on #13 I've seen in six years of following golf at Hartford. But he didn't maintain that form at the weekend and one wonders when, or whether, all his youthful promise might mature.

6).Lovemark was playing with a newly-minted Pro, Bobby Wyatt, fresh out of the Uni of Alabama - he holed putts from all over Connecticut until the one that really counted, a ten-footer on #18 to make the cut.
But the most striking thing about this youngster was his gallery, including what appeared to be his father who would duck inside the ropes, marshalls seemingly oblivious, to check his son's lie and prospects.
Don't know about young "Bobby", but his Dad needs to grow up or roll his "Tide" back to Alabama.

7).Also saw some of Bud Cauley and Russell Knox, both proof positive that you don't need to be 6 foot 4inches with Greg Norman shoulders to hit the ball a mile and play top-level golf. And plenty of Aaron Baddeley who must rival Adam Scott as the most appealing golfer to follow on Tour (tho' not as appealing as Sergio's young lady).

8).Didn't see Kevin Streelman's record-breaking seven consecutive birdies to close out his win, but KJ Choi's runner-up finish reminded one that there's a strong chance next year's Presidents Cup Vice-Captain could make the International Team as a player. After a year in the doldrums, he's back playing close to his best and wouldn't be surprised to see him contend again at Congressional; hope he does, seems a great bloke.
Right now, and obviously early days, the International Team would look like this:
Scott, Day, Matsuyama, Schwartzel, DeLaet, Thongchai, Oosthuizen, Matt Jones, Senden, Els are the Top Ten, followed by Sterne, Leishman, Coetzee and KJ.

9).Would imagine Jason Day might fancy his chances at Congressional following his distant runner-up finish behind Rory in the 2011 US Open where Kevin Chappell was 4th. But the big winner will likely be Tiger's Foundation.

10).Apart from Martin Kaymer, Europeans can't seem to win on this year's PGA Tour but a young Dane from Odense, Sebastian Cappelen, Monday qualified and won his first web.com Tour start last week. That gives him a head's start towards gaining PGA Tour "privileges" for 2014/2015.

At the other end of the age spectrum, the Seniors are playing yet another Champions Tour "Major", the "Constellation Senior Players" on a very attractive Seth Raynor course, Fox Chapel, in the Pittsburgh area.
Kenny Perry won last year but the most recent Senior Major, the Senior PGA, was won by Colin Montgomerie and it wouldn't be at all surprising if four-round tournaments suited him much better than the customary three-round "sprints".
I'm sure Monty will place his "first major" up there on a pedestal with all the Ryder Cups he's won.

Simpson's slow reputation is well-deserved!
 
But he got his skates on today and good for him.
 
Looks like scoring every day has been better in the morning than afternoon; can anyone separate themselves from the field in the Saturday heat?

War of attrition for the leaders at Congressional, with Patrick Reed taking his fourth 54-hole lead (incl ties) into Round 4 in 11 months. Guess what happened the last three times - not just Top Five, Top One.

31 golfers within 6 shots of the lead and if the course gets as progressively tougher Sunday as it did today, all that lot have a fighting chance, some of them teeing off two hours and more before the final pair.

Reed will have one leg in his Ryder Cup outfit if he should win, while a Justin Rose victory from 3 strokes adrift will have him difficult to catch for his third Ryder Cup outing.

Incredible finish in prospect in Cologne - if Patrick Reed stumbles at Congressional, there's the prospect of something similar this afternoon.

Away from all the knee-trembling excitement in Cologne, there's a thrill-a-minute at Congressional as Sabbatini is on pace to play his 18 holes in ninety minutes.
Come on Roary!

EDIT! Looks like about 110 minutes round Congressional for Roary, ultimately disappointing but those bogeys will slow the best of us down.
Next pair just making the turn . . . . . . .

A wasted chance for Molinari and Jimenez to gain meaningful "World" Ryder Cup points - no significant change other than Jamie Donaldson enhancing his chances, plus any owgr points which Justin Rose gathers at Congressional, hopefully 48!
Three big weeks upcoming en France, in Aberdeen and Liverpool.

A torrid afternoon at their Nation's Capital, only two rounds (Knox 69, Castro 70, and playing together) under par so far.

And a quick Patrick Reed double bogey on #2 to keep the rest of the field interested - still reckon it's his to lose.

A win for Langer and Greg Owen on the other tours. Hopefully Rose can follow them...

To paraphrase Alf Ramsey:
Come on Justin, you've won it once, now win it again.

Bloody Hell, Greg Owen was busy screwing up the final hole last time I checked.


Europe!

Some finish from Zanotti earlier on!

Congrats to Rose!

Noh and Reed a combined +12 for the back nine....yikes!

Good to see Lowry qualifying for the Open!

It's looking as if Europe has at least six of its automatic qualifiers for Ryder Cup action in place following Rosie's win Sunday.

Dubuisson, Stenson, Garcia, McIlroy, Kaymer, Rose all look pretty much locked in to me. Bjorn is almost there, with Jamie Donaldson in the driving seat for the eighth spot and Luke Donald currently holding on to 9th place.

No doubt there'll be a surprise or two in the coming weeks but, Poulter possibly excepted, I can't see an automatic Captain's Pick for anyone else. McDowell may well be taking most of August off as Mrs McDool is due to give birth and presumably take priority. Westwood has seemingly taken the past few months off and it's looking like he could be the odd man out if someone else makes a Molinari-like run this summer. Such intrigue!

not saying he would buckle, but there would be alot of irish pressure on Mcginley to pick Gmac if he didnt qualify. (i expect him to do very well in the open fwiw.)

not saying he would buckle, but there would be alot of irish pressure on Mcginley to pick Gmac if he didnt qualify. (i expect him to do very well in the open fwiw.)

hend085 wrote:not saying he would buckle, but there would be alot of irish pressure on Mcginley to pick Gmac if he didnt qualify. (i expect him to do very well in the open fwiw.)

Not sure I understand why Hendo, Why would the pressure for an Irish player be any more than the pressure for any other player?

hend0,
I also fancy McD for Hoylake, and hope he enjoys a strong warm-up en France. But a big mountain for him to climb if he wants to qualify - unless he wins a Major or WGC, he needs to pile up plenty of podium finishes, Westwood and Molinari too, they've fallen so far off the pace.

Scott Piercy is ready to comeback to tournament golf.  He is going to make to rehab starts on the web-com tour and his first PGATournament is scheduled to be the Canadian Open.

He has been out for more than 4 months and has fallen all the way down to 117th in the OWGR.

Richard Sterne is in the field at Open de France, this will be his first tournament since the Cadillac.  Incredibly, he has only fallen 6 spots in the OWGR after being out for 3.5 months (#52 to #58)

Unconfirmed reports here that the WGC MatchPlay will be staged next year, in May at San Francisco's Harding Park.
No word on dates or sponsor, or what the chances are of the World's Top 64 players turning up.

Also, Doug Ferguson reports that The Open Championship field is undersubscribed and alternates from the owgr's will fill spaces available.
What a shame they restrict the open qualifying to the extent that they do - it seems The Open is increasingly the Closed (to couldn't-care-less Tour players).

Christ - I'd have a go (OK if I play out of my skin the 103 and 115 would be unlikely to make the cut!) but that's a tad disappointing to hear. Cut the exemptions and open up the spaces through "proper" open qualifying then.

What's in a name? A rose by any other name would smell as sweet Apparently nothing when referring to The Open!