PGA Tour: Double-Header - Bridgestone, Reno: Notes from the Ballwasher

First topic message reminder :

1).That's right, two tournaments this week with:
WGC: Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone CC in Akron, Ohio, and:
The Barracuda Championship, at Montreux G&CC in the Reno/Tahoe area of Nevada. New sponsor, nothing to do with Heart, same Jack Nicklaus course, probably the Tour's most beautiful setting east of the California coast.

2).But first some thoughts further to two gorgeous days (Rounds 1 & 2) in Montreal for last week's RBC Canadian Open. The course looked even better on TV, I thought, than in person, a few great holes and one or two very "samey" pairs of consecutive par-4's.
With soft and slowish greens it was unfortunate, I thought, that a few testing holes were played with the tees up - nevertheless, watching the likes of Clark, Furyk and McDowell was a reminder of short-hitting 3-time Major winner Larry Nelson's boast that he didn't mind long courses as his fairway wood shots were more accurate than most guys' long irons.

3).We followed 18 Friday holes of Clark, Goosen and Watney and what a pleasure it is to watch Tour Pros who seem to be having a good time together. Not surprisingly they all played well. A 225 yard Goosen rocket off a cart-path, under a tree, that never rose above four feet high was alone worth the price of admission.
David Hearn was my Canadian Pro to watch and followed his threesome (with Camilo & Kisner). We watched Hearn shoot a Thursday 67 which could have been so much better, but he's got less charisma than my dentist. Camilo lost interest but Kisner is one to watch. Doesn't hit it a mile but plays aggressively.
Also watched three hours of Martin Laird who looks to have found some form - he's also playing more quickly and in better humour, might be worth a couple of bob each way this week in Reno where he's played well in the past.

4).Tour pros and Broadcasters continually rabbit on about 6ft 4in guys, "athletes" a la Dustin Johnson, coming out of college and threatening to take the Tour by storm. They may find the proverbial lightning in a bottle and win occasionally, but not consistently until they learn to ratchet things down a touch and introduce some course management to their game.
Interestingly, the Canadian Open featured just one under-30 golfer in its Top 19 finishers, Jamie Lovemark who has been a work in progress for five years now and is still a long way from the finished article and, not incidentally, from renewing his Tour card.
The top 11 had an average age of 37, with the likes of 50-year-old Joe Durant, Els and Goosen all one shot behind.

5).Impossible not to feel for Jim Furyk as he runnered up again, Clark (4) and Sunny Jim (5) enduring 9x2nd place finishes since their last wins, in 2010.
Baker Finch was talking about Furyk's record compared to that of Mickelson on Sunday. The two of them, plus Els, are 44-years-old.
Furyk:
Played: 519
Cuts made: 430, 83%
Top 25's: 293: 56%
Top 10's: 168: 32%
Wins: 16: 3.1%

6).Els:
Played: 380
Cuts made: 322: 85%
Top 25's: 208: 55%
Top 10's: 123: 32%
Wins: 19: 5%
(Obviously a fabulous international record in addition.)

7).Mickelson:
Played: 502
Cuts made: 419: 83.5%
Top 25's: 273: 54%
Top 10's: 172: 34%
Wins: 42: 8.4%

8).US Ryder Cup Team places are on the line this week and next.
Dufner (8th) and Zach Johnson (9th) are the vulnerable players currently inside the qualifying places with bags of experience, mostly in a losing cause, right behind them and in the cases of Stricker and Woods far adrift.
I fancy Dufner and Keegan Bradley (outside looking in) to have strong fortnights leaving Tom Watson with tough choices to make:
Senior pros: Mickelson, Stricker, Woods, Zach?
Young guns: Reed, Kirk, Todd?
Good mate: Snedeker?
Not to mention a raft of golfers who are only a win, or two hot weeks, away from moving in, Simpson & Mahan being others who would have expected to go to Gleneagles.

9).With Gonzo finishing 4th place in Montreal, his Tour card is secure for next season and I'd expect him now to consolidate his Tour status and become a popular figure in the US.
It seems half the European Tour will be in Akron and they'll be greeted by unseasonably low temps as the eastern half of the U.S. is cool (mid-60's in Akron midday Tuesday). Sure we'll hear the usual nonsense about Europeans feeling right at home - hopefully they'll respond by earning lots of loot and "points"! Donald? Poulter?? Westwood???

10).The Reno field has suffered a dozen or more withdrawals since Friday commitments were announced. Hopefully guys I enjoyed watching last week like Laird and Watney will take advantage and boost their chances of a trip to The Barclays. And Padraig Harrington will be there, perhaps inspired by the "Modified Stableford" format - he can just pick up his ball once the errors of his Par-5 ways exceed double-bogey.

Trivia supplied by "GPB":
With the report that Molinari and Manassero have accepted Special Temporary Membership of the PGA Tour for the remainder of 2013/2014, he asks:
Who is the last Italian golfer to have earned PGA Tour Membership?

Hopefully they both carry this form into next week, would be great to see them battle for the Wannamaker trophy.

Sergio and Rory are quite similar players in ways, an important difference being how each reacts to setbacks..and break-ups!

Garcia vs Mcilroy is about the worse showdown in the world I could ask for. Being a hater of both though, the Open was good to watch to be fair.

Here is hoping Scott, Leishman or Rose can win it haha!

It's going to be an iffy day with the weather, light rain now, chance of thundershowers later. But still scheduled to start on time.

Jason Sobel's take on the absent DJ veers from "I told you so" to downright snarky:

http://www.golfchannel.com/news/jason-sobel/djs-troubled-past-spotlight-latest-drug-suspension/

And another moron from the Golf Channel reckons DJ's absence from the Ryder Cup will somehow benefit Captain Watson:
Yeah right, Dustin's 4-0 in his last four matches, wonder where those wins are going to come from in Scotland? Tiger? Phil??

I prefer this view of DJ from Zach Byrd:

http://www.golfchannel.com/news/jason-sobel/old-college-roommate-gives-his-take-djs-personal-issues/

Would actually say that, however "freakishly" good he is, guys like Rory and this summer's version of Sergio are freakishly better - perhaps it ain't so easy for Dustin any more. I for one hope he's back better than ever, the sooner the better.

It looks like the boys are starting on time at the Bridgestone.

Meanwhile, they'll be playing in threesomes off both nines in Reno where some guy called Geoff Ogilvy (remember him?) is leading.

are there expected to be any delays at firestone?

kwinigolfer wrote:I prefer this view of DJ from Zach Byrd:

http://www.golfchannel.com/news/jason-sobel/old-college-roommate-gives-his-take-djs-personal-issues/

Would actually say that, however "freakishly" good he is, guys like Rory and this summer's version of Sergio are freakishly better - perhaps it ain't so easy for Dustin any more. I for one hope he's back better than ever, the sooner the better.

DJ for me has more potential to win majors than Garcia....I would back him even over Garcia of this summer.

skiddy,
Your guess is as good as mine; there looks to be a narrow stream of light rain "training" south to north over the area right now. They won't suspend play unless there's lightning spotted and there's no sign of that at the moment.

i cant imagine the players will be happy if theyre forced to play on monday with the pga this week!

They've got at least another eleven hours of daylight skiddy, plus it's not far to Louisville from Akron.
Don't think you have anything to be concerned about.

Finally clearing, Noon local time Restart means the last groups now teeing off at 3:20 ET.

They should be done well before 7:30 ET...and if there is a playoff, they should have an hour of substantial daylight as the sunsets at 8:40 pm today

sirbenson wrote:

kwinigolfer wrote:I prefer this view of DJ from Zach Byrd:

http://www.golfchannel.com/news/jason-sobel/old-college-roommate-gives-his-take-djs-personal-issues/

Would actually say that, however "freakishly" good he is, guys like Rory and this summer's version of Sergio are freakishly better - perhaps it ain't so easy for Dustin any more. I for one hope he's back better than ever, the sooner the better.

DJ for me has more potential to win majors than Garcia....I would back him even over Garcia of this summer.

I think Garcia has been beaten more often by the better player on the day whilst DJ has gassed it a few times.

Garcia has the lowest final round scoring average on Tour (2013-14). Wouldn't have thought that.

DeLaet out with the flu.
Funny how that tends to happen when you get $40K+ just for turning up, no questions asked when you quit, just get handed the cheque.

Nine chins having an "interesting" round so far

incontinentia wrote:Nine chins having an "interesting" round so far

He's playing like a Europro Tour Pro

From word and deed it sounds and looks as if he's feeling the pressure of having to prove himself. He blames his putter for all that ails his game even after he hit three fairways with his driver in 17 first-and-second round attempts. In pretty sad denial right now and not giving Watson any reason to pick him for Gleneagles.

Plus: He still goes on about "more reps" yet he won't sign up for Greensboro, not yet anyhow. Perhaps he'll play Celtic Manor for old times' sake?

Oops, There he goes, Exit stage right.

Amusing Golf Channel tweet describing a call from Tom Watson to the PGA Of America asking to postpone Ryder Cup Captaincy 'til 2016!

Meanwhile, how things change: Mickelson & Westwood showing signs of life, both four under at the turn. Can it last?

Is Tiger injured again?   

"It's just the whole lower back. I don't know what happened."

Assume he's now got a jet-ski vacation planned with Dustin.
What with Dufner's injury, things are not looking good for some of America's best.

A consequence of coming back too early from surgery?

Who knows?
Hopefully it's something that will heal without surgery.

Back to Dr.Galea perhaps?

Meanwhile, Phil and lw1 are lighting it up.

Woods and his gym bufty physique not so strong as he likes to think.

Ironically, this can only be good for the US Ryder Cup team as Woods won't be there to give away 75% of the points he'd have played in.

incontinentia wrote:Interesting stat there from Simon Holmes on sky: Sergio has gone from 173rd to 1st in strokes gained putting.

That stat is so out of date, was 173 rd years ago, managed to be 1st last year for a while. Ask kwini said Sergio is around 27th this season. Still decent.

Must say the golf woods played before his injury, was the funniest thing I have seen this year. Love how he claimed he did it on 2 but didn't look like any injury till 9.

Sand wrote:Must say the golf woods played before his injury, was the funniest thing I have seen this year. Love how he claimed he did it on 2 but didn't look like any injury till 9.

Funny isn't it, like when people miss a penalty they glare at the penalty spot. Maybe he can play Mr Glass in Unbreakable 2?

Hilarious how BBC report "he could miss the Ryder Cup". What sort of moron would pick him on this form?

Rory's driving is outrageous! His Open win may have ignited a hot streak similar to his one of August/September 2012.

Is Bradley playing with his sons irons? The shaft seems 2ft too short.

Fantastic golf being played by a load of different guys, including Bradley.
Sergio will start going backwards fast if he keeps wussying his putts.

super_realist wrote:

Sand wrote:Must say the golf woods played before his injury, was the funniest thing I have seen this year. Love how he claimed he did it on 2 but didn't look like any injury till 9.

Funny isn't it, like when people miss a penalty they glare at the penalty spot. Maybe he can play Mr Glass in Unbreakable 2?

Hilarious how BBC report "he could miss the Ryder Cup". What sort of moron would pick him on this form?

Assume same logic applies to Poultry?

I agree he's out of form and you wouldn't pick a normal player on that basis, but unlike Baldy Nine Chins, has a habit of turning up for the Ryder Cup like no one else, Nine Chins has never turned up.


Saying that, I think this could be his "average" Ryder Cup, so I probably wouldn't pick him.

wheres anthony kim got to?

How many more times is Rory going to hit it in trees and bounce back into the fairway?

Certainly riding his luck. Seems to have acquired a case of the push/cuts recently...

Geoff Ogilvy wins in Reno and books his ticket to Valhalla.
Martin Laird T6.

This is Rory's sandbox they are all playing in. A true world beater and closer.

Fun to watch.

He's got away with a couple of drives but in general, I've never seen a professional drive as long and straight so consistently as Rory has.

Agree Sand -- just a different game from where he plays.

Sergio goes over par for the day; when virtually everyone else in the top 10 goes red. That doesn't get it done.

Gotta love Rory for the PGA.

there should be a stat 'strokes gained driving' after that

Rors and McDool tied for the best weekend; great weekend for the Nor'n Ireland guys.

Boring, unmemorable golf course but that's the way Finchem likes it.

How ridiculous is it that a par-5 can almost never be reached in two? Talk about risk/reward, their 16th neutralises the reward exacerbates the risk. Robert Trent Jones at his appalling best/worst.

Pretty Rubbish course agreed kwini. Only two par 5s one probably too short and one far too long. Zzzzzzzz

Does the results this week push Donaldson out the Ryder Cup team?

Hi Sand,
Think Donald & Donaldson are almost tied, McDool just ahead of them according to GPB.

You'd think Valhalla will strongly favour Donaldson (and maybe Bjorn) vs Donald or McDowell.

Lots to play for, and Poulter, Westwood, Molinari, Luiten, Gallacher & Jimenez have some waking up to do!

US Ryder Cup placings with one (double point PGA) tournament to go:
Top Six are in:
Watson, Furyk, Walker, Fowler, Kuchar, Spieth.
7th: Top Five: $3.6M
8th: Dufner: $3.56M
9th: Zach: $3.53M
---------------------
10th: Phil: $3.35M
11th: Keegs: $3.32M
12th: Todd: $3.31M
---------------------
13th: Moore: $3.29M
14th: Kirk: $3.28M
Then:
15th: Simpson
26th: Snedeker
33rd: Mahan
39th: Stricker
70th: Woods

I reckon the top 11 will go, perhaps minus Dufner if he's really not fit.
No chance Watson picks a rookie who hasn't qualified if they're not in the Top 11 unless it's Ryan Moore who's 12th. Which would open the door for Sneeeedeker.

I think Tiger will actually play this week in the PGA, someone from the golf channel on twitter said that LaCava is gone to scout the course today....I know that doesn't automatically mean he is going to play, but it doesn't rule it out

It was comical how he "injured" it. Falling back towards a bunker. The guy is a clown.

Still don't believe he injured himself in that bunker. No change of facial expression at all, he was only interested in seeing where the ball went.

I'd be shocked if Woods played this week. LaCava only doing due diligence - perhaps he can pick up another bag, what with the spectre of his boss being out of commission for a while?

That "bunker" shot was just another unnecessary over/out of control swing; OK if you're 25 and in great physical shape, but quite unnecessary if you're 38 and fresh off rehab. Not sure what he's been trying to prove.

If there was absolutely no chance though....LaCava wouldn't have bothered. There must be a glimmer.