PGA Tour: The "PGA" - Best Major, or an Afterthought?: Notes from the Ballwasher

First topic message reminder :

1).Strange, isn't it, that the lightly regarded "Fourth Major" invariably has the best field and often the most interesting finish?
The ambition to produce the Top 100 in the owgr has clearly been punctured with Dustin Johnson absent, Tiger Woods a doubt, and others (Crane, Day, DeLaet, Toms) who were sufficiently infirm last week to withdraw from their respective tournaments, but the Top 130 in this week's field won't be matched this year anywhere in the World.

2).You don't need Mark Knopfler to tell you that half the Tour is coming down with Industrial Disease.
No word as to who's got smoker's cough from smoking, brewer's droop from drinking beer, and if Jesus is on hunger strike, dying by degrees, a dozen or two of the field will undoubtedly give up the ghost on the first tees. Not sure about "Rule Brittania, gassy beer, page three"! Have to speak to Poulter about that.

Whatever, we certainly have more than our fair share of casualties, most of whom will play, but whether just going through the motions or not remains to be seen.

3).Another wonderful win from Rory last week - reckon he won it on Saturday with birdies on #17 and #18 rather than on Sunday. Those two threes crept him closer to the lead and deeper inside Sergio's head, and early Sunday birdies clinched the deal.
Just a thought as one reflected upon the summer form of Rory, followed albeit at a distance, of Kaymer, Scott, Rose and Garcia:
Are we entering a brand new post-Tiger era of golfing excellence, or has it always been there, just a level below the Woods of a decade ago? I'm inclined to feel we're seeing some separation with Rory at one level, the next five or six consistently just behind, and some distance to those below the top seven or eight players.

4).As at Tuesday afternoon Valhalla time, all we know is that Woods has not yet been to the course and it's anyone's guess as to whether he'll be teeing it up on Thursday. But he won't be a force just because he's playing, he'll only be a force again, if ever, when he sets his ego aside, gets himself properly fit, and ratchets down his swing and resultant effect on his aging physique. Odds against in my book, but he's surprised before.

5).The PGA will be played, for the third time in 20 years, at Valhalla GC a Jack Nicklaus design outside Louisville, Kentucky. The Par-71 was also the venue for Azinger's Ryder Cup Team victory in 2008.
Several of the Team members from 2008 played well, Mickelson among them to go with Top Ten finishes in the 1996 (T8) and 2000 (T9) PGA Championships. Robert Karlsson was entering the best run of form of his life, Messrs Mahan, Rose and McDowell made promising Ryder Cup debuts, and Poulter excelled in a losing cause.

6).Others in the field with PGA Championship / Ryder Cup form who might be expected to contend (so not you Mark Brooks, nor even Kenny Perry who will doubtless perform well following his Langer-beating effort last week) include:
1996 PGA:
T17: Furyk
T24: Jimenez
T61: Els

2000 PGA:
3rd: Thomas Bjorn
T16: Westwood
T19: Cabrera (Nantz looked at Faldo as if he had two heads when sirnick suggested El Pato as a contender this week)
T34: Els, Garcia (who's on recent record as saying he doesn't like the course, certainly played as if he didn't in the Ryder Cup)
T64: Jimenez
T72: Furyk

2008 Ryder Cup:
0.5 pt: Jimenez, Stricker
1.0 pt: Casey, Garcia, Westwood
1.5 pts: Stenson
2.0 pts: Karlsson, Mickelson (playing mostly with a young hotshot called Kim)
2.5 pts: Furyk, Holmes, McDowell
3.0 pts: Rose
3.5 pts: Mahan
4.0 pts: Poulter

7).European chances:
Got to include McIlroy of course and I like the chances of Bjorn, Karlsson, Rose and Stenson.
Can't see Sergio contending while there's chat about Kaymer having back/neck issues.
Hopefully McDowell will play well but is this course a little too long for him? He'll be off on paternity leave shortly.
Big week for Donald (nah) and Donaldson. And will Lowry bring his links form to the Blue Grass?

8).Americans, also playing to earn a spot on Watson's Ryder Cup Team:
Bradley and Fowler are in great form right now.
Dufner's got his bulging discs and wonder if Valhalla is just too long for Furyk and Zach Johnson (who needs a good result for Ryder Cup ambitions)?
No doubt Kuchar will be there or thereabouts, perhaps Mahan will rediscover his form of 2008, while Snedeker and Holmes are local-ish.
And I wouldn't rule out Mickelson, somewhat (and rightly so) overlooked all year, but he found something last Sunday - can he keep it going?

9)."Internationals":
Great to see Ogilvy pick up his win last week and like him and Scott best of the Aussies, especially given Day's fitness issues.
No South African has won in the US for three years and can't see that changing.
But I love Cabrera's recent form and expect him to make some noise, while Matsuyama has already won on one Nicklaus course this year.

10).It won't be the stiflingly hot August week that you'd expect in Louisville, but there'll be enough humidity to make it feel warm and precipitate random thundershowers.
Hopefully the cream will rise to the top as it has for most big events this year.
The PGA won't have the glamour of The Masters, the history of the US Open or the tradition of The Open Championship, but it will host the best field and will surely provide a deserving winner.
Hope ailing stars get healthy and we enjoy a great Championship.

Do you get coverage in the states at this time?

Which god - there are so many?

We have different standards by which we judge people.

Ben Crane is one of the good guys. He devotes a lot of his, and his family's time, to working for and raising money for very many worthy charities.

the god that helps players win tournaments obviously Bob.

Crane has a bad back, an injury that's been with him for many years now.

Eye,
That may very well be. Hopefully Crane is generous with his charities and dispensing largesse and aid in a "democratic" way - most pro golfers do not.
Still awaiting next developments in Congressional investigation into the PGA Tour, its "non-profit" status and "charitable" ventures. Lots of tax avoidance and piddling charitable contributions by the looks of it.

Consecutive twos for Jonas Blixt - that'll turbo-charge any round.

super_realist wrote:the god that helps players win tournaments obviously Bob.

The playing partners kept saying: "God, he's slow." Eventually He listened.

super_realist wrote:If it's wet McIlroy will look like he's got "Soul-Glo" in his hair.

The GF in the movie is a McDowell. Ironic.

Is Ryan Palmer the new Rich Beem?

SmithersJones wrote:Is Ryan Palmer the new Rich Beem?

Did he sell cell phones?

stevie stricker as VC is a terrible choice. should defo be playing!

Kwin - Ireland wishes this was "Olympic Golf Weekend", that's for sure.

Be interesting to see if Westwood can hold up (or make more stuff happen) ... I think he has the more difficult end of the draw.

Well hopefully he doesn't shot..

Rors is playing well in this wet at the moment. It should stop raining soon .I still don't understand this one group coverage. Just do full coverage the whole time ...

mysti,
"Full" coverage will start at 6.00 p.m., Whyteleafe time.

Scoring better than I expected but still imagine cut will ease up to +1; no more lightning in the forecast, though that could change if temps heat up quickly. PGA might have dodged a bullet.

Barnrat's gone down the Crane/Dufner/Kuchar dustpipe.

Yeah same as us then kwini.

Kaymer and bubba are chopping the course up. Rors is snaking putts. It's ominous.

Stricker: Age 47: -4 for the day so far.
Vijay: 51, -3
Perry: 54 on Sunday; -2.

Montgomerie has his work cut out to emulate those guys!

Manassero seems to hate majors.
Lowry struggling a bit today.
Kenny Perry and Stricker showing the young guns how it's done.

Rors will finish on -9 . Hopefully there will be some more with him.

Ha! Cry baby Blubba having his caddie tee up the ball for him! Hope it rains cats and dogs at Gleneagles! WD'ing soon?

http://www.golfdigest.com/blogs/the-loop/2014/08/bubba-watson-isnt-happy-at-val.html

Kaymer's chances sinking fast. Get that shoulder healthy Martin.

pedro wrote:Ha! Cry baby Blubba having his caddie tee up the ball for him! Hope it rains cats and dogs at Gleneagles! WD'ing soon?

http://www.golfdigest.com/blogs/the-loop/2014/08/bubba-watson-isnt-happy-at-val.html

Huh, where is your messiah now Gerry?

Pretty poor from Blubba - surely not just sunk by the wonder boy for his head to implode.

Cut to +1, 80 players at +1 or better.

Love the way they cut away from Rory's finish to show Woods etc, as if they're in denial about the best of British!

mystiroakey wrote:Rors will finish on -9 . Hopefully there will be some more with him.

Good call

How do you like that 4 on #2 for lw1 mysti?
Couldn't have played the hole much worse. Par!

Seems to be universal condemnation for the 'no lift clean place' policy.

Great start by lee. The easy stretch comin now... Time to get up to 10. Back nine seems slightly harder bar the last

It's going to get worse inco; turning in to the kind of sticky wicket that only Derek Underwood might appreciate.

Just bomb it high and plug every tee shot.... = clean and place.. Lee loves a bomb.. Sadly rors does even more

The Poulter's are also having a tough time....
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2156735-ian-poulters-tweet-complaint-met-with-unsympathetic-response

PS. Next time, keep us on a need-to-know basis.

Poultry you dim wit...

Even I can admit that... Oh dear poor wifey . She has to look after her kids in business class on her own with only 4 or so stewardesses to help out.

pedro wrote:The Poulter's are also having a tough time....
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2156735-ian-poulters-tweet-complaint-met-with-unsympathetic-response

PS. Next time, keep us on a need-to-know basis.

   and just down the page, a story about Chris Wood ripping the arse out of his trousers yesterday    

luckily Kok was on hand to help out

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2156593-chris-woods-ripped-pants-leads-to-wild-day-of-looking-for-a-replacement-pair

Is this another example of the USGA having a laugh pairing Wood and Kok together?

mystiroakey wrote: Any Ryder cup top moment competition that doesn't include poultry(despite his nonsense tweet)  isn't worthy...

I'm surprised Monty didn't pick something with himself.

Convinced something going with Poulter at the moment by which - I mean outside of golf. only in top 100 of fed ex due to 2nd place in HSBC WGC back end of 2013.

incontinentia wrote:
Is this another example of the USGA having a laugh pairing Wood and Kok together?

Disappointed they didn't go with Jason Bohn as third.

The Woods/Harrington/Mickelson group doesn't excite me as much as it should. More about who hits the wildest shots and the best recoveries.

Westwood looks in the mood.

Lee westy playing the 6th like its easy. Very good signs.

Ermmm. He should have attacked that 5. Not impressed . played the percentage perfect. But the pitch to perfect a strike. 

He is striping the nuts of the ball though. 

I can see a top group of Lee and rors tommorow. Both on 9.

mystiroakey wrote:Ermmm. He should have attacked that 5. Not impressed . played the percentage perfect. But the pitch to perfect a strike. 

He is striping the nuts of the ball though. 

I can see a top group of Lee and rors tommorow. Both on 9.

Furyk will be a factor on sunday I feel. Woods really making an effort to mingle with the gallery on every hole!

Woods needs to get outathere, not proving anything to anyone except he's not fit to be playing golf.

Day getting involved

TW MC/WD @ PGA = VC @ RC

WC?


Sponsor forced?

No, VC. It'll be a nice compromise to get him somehow in the RC and to give the media something to drivel about.

Oh vice captain.

Striker has it doesn't he.

Maybe they can swap places

Currently they have 3 VC's, Stricker and two geezers. Last time Europe had 4 iirc. So why not TW as 4th VC for the US?

Tiger's disregard for his body is disturbing. Is there anything he won't sacrifice in the attempt to achieve his goals?

Rickie fowler  

Cabrera has waddled off in to the sunset - will the Tiger follow El Pato?