PGA Tour: Play-Off Round 2 - DeutscheBank Championship: Notes from the Ballwasher

1).Play-Off Round 1 is history and Hunter Mahan, who alone has played every (29 and counting) Play-Off tournament, has the chance to extend his run to 32 as he wins The Barclays and will certainly qualify for the FedEx finale.
Well done Hunner, that Sean Foley is one helluva coach!

2).Tom Watson will doubtless have noticed, especially seeing as other Ryder Cup wild-card candidates let Capt. Tom down badly:
Sneeedeker missed the cut, Moore did too, and so did Horschel, Simpson, English and Every. Todd played well for 36 holes but blew up at the weekend, and Bradley fizzled after a good start.
But Mahan has played on five Ryder/President's Teams, and needed a "pick" for FOUR of them.
Silly as it might sound, one factor in Mahan's favour could be caddie John Wood, very highly respected and reported to be a great influence in the "team room". Who knows?

3).Of course, Europe's Barclays "effort" was pretty bankrupt, only Gonzo (having a nice run of form under the radar) finishing in the Top 20. Donald left early, perhaps in a NetJet with Poulter, and Westwood's week was not much better.
Westwood has told anyone who would listen that his playing schedule was "Off until the Ryder Cup."
What does he know that we don't?
Let's just say I can't see McGinley choosing three Englishmen.

4).The consensus about whither Tiger Woods and any new swing coach seems to be, "Spend less time in the gym, get healthy and go play golf. Explosive and stronger are for the 20-somethings; smoother and faster are the recipe for any future success. You don't really need a coach."
Time will tell, but all those pundits cheering Woods to 19 Majors and beyond must be getting nervous.

5).CBS TV passes the broadcasting baton to NBC TV for the rest of the Play-Offs. So, hopefully no more endless Rickie Fowler promotions or plugs for their four favourite sports:
NFL.
College Football.
Fantasy Football.
CBS coverage of all three.
Time for Jim Nantz and the production team to move on, sick and tired of their sycophantic and self-serving drivel.

6).The web.com Tour "regular season" concluded last Sunday and Alex Cjeka was the only European in "The 25" to earn his PGA Tour card for next season.
Denmark's Sebastian Cappelen and Mansfield's Greg Owen both won this season but contrived to finish 26th and 27th respectively, very difficult to do, especially for Owen who fluked a win early and then stopped playing the tournaments. He may be an awfully nice bloke but he comes across as a total numbnuts.

7).Anyway, the web.com Tour Finals (WTF's) start this week; a dozen or so European Tour pros were eligible to compete but only Saffers Grace and Sterne and Aussie Scott Hend have committed. A big break for O'Grady and it likely means that his European Tour roster is pretty much intact for 2015, plus Colsaerts, Hanson, Lynn, Olesen etc.
These WTF's were good tournaments last year - 25 more golfers will earn Tour cards when the "Finals" are concluded, a mix of rookies and old lags if last year is anything to go by.

8).It is paradoxical that the deeper we go in to the Play-Offs, the weaker the fields get and the lower the world ranking points on offer become! Kind of perverse.
This week, we're missing six golfers who are eligible to play but are otherwise engaged: Casey, McDowell (both on paternity leave), Dufner, Garcia, Rose and Dustin. I wonder if one or two others might have been tempted to take a week off, especially Furyk (who must be fried) and Rory?

9).There will be birdies and eagles galore at TPC Boston this week; Stenson's winning score last year was 262 - 22 under par, the third time that's been the winning score. Not much pattern to those who have excelled here, so it's difficult to choose course specialists, except to say that Aussies have a fine record.
There's plenty on the line, for the Americans especially with their last chance to catch Capt.Tom's eye as well as all the filthy lucre.
Only nine Europeans tee it up on Friday - yes, FRIDAY - and almost all need a good result to reach the Top 70 in points and advance to Denver for the BMW Championship. Rory, Kaymer, Jacobson and Knox are sure to move on, but Donald, Poulter, Stenson, Gonzo and Pettersson need strong finishes.

10).Yes, the DeutscheBank runs from Friday to Monday ("Labor Day" in the U.S.), then the Pros have to leg it to Denver, 2,000 miles to the West and a Mile High, for the Beemer which starts that Thursday. Those who play 72 holes will be knackered, not surprising that Sergio and Justin Rose sat this one out.
And, on the Tuesday, Watson will be announcing his "Captain's Picks"; who ever will he choose?

Good write up as every Kwini...but I can't help pick on "Those who play 72 holes will be knackered.."

Really? I know they do lots of stuff before the round (gym, range) and afterward (press, range) but I'm not tired after a round and I carry my clubs..and hit a lot more shots. Did you more mental fatigue because I can see that.

Wrt to Rory, he talked about being rusty last Thursday, so given the form he was in - he might be better to just keep playing.

Cheers Bob,
I was referring to those who would have played The Barclays, play 72 holes at Boston, and then do 72 more in Denver after the (mostly private I know) travel and time change. And not the physical effort but potential mental fatigue if they're in any sort of contention.
Furyk, for instance, has played five of the last six, in contention much of the time, and has three more in a row.
There's a reason that is an unusual schedule - even pampered pros need to recharge sometime.

Totally agree regards CBS - could be so much better, but US coverage will always be screwed by the adverts. Is it true only the Masters is pretty much ad free? Know Sky has very limited adverts when it is on - but also head to head against the BBC might have something to do with it.

I do still find it a bit harsh on Rory etc that Mahan goes straight to the top of pile, and in theory you could win two majors in a year and not have a chance to win the bounty at East Lake. Unlikely Rory won,t be in top 5 but could happen.

Will there be a cut this tournament?

Yes, there is the normal cut of Top 70 and ties.  and an MDF cut if 79 players make the 36 hole cut.

Of the PGAT tournaments with cuts, this is the easiest one to make.

I'm obliged.

I see they're reconsidering the MDF rule for Play-Off events after this week's tournament.
Lots of adverse comment about last week's MDF guillotine from the players . . . . . .

Mahan earned 74 owgr points last week, but this week's champ will earn 70 pts at the most.

And: A bizarre note from Matt Kuchar's camp: His caddie's wife died "suddenly" early today. No idea yet what the scoop is, but hardly the ideal preparation for Kuchi Kuchi Koo.

I read that she had some kind of seizure.

Id imagine Kuchars preparation is the last thing he's worrying about.

Does anyone know how Rory got to be mates with Bill Clinton?

Thanks Plunky,
The original reports made it sound more sinister than a medical issue - tragic regardless.
Black caps for the caddies this week, wonder how many players will do the same?

Meanwhile, the first WTF series event gets underway shortly in Indiana, almost an "opposite field" quality tournament - four events after which the Top 25 players in money won, not otherwise already exempt, earn PGA Tour cards for 2014/2015.

McLaren wrote:Does anyone know how Rory got to be mates with Bill Clinton?

I doubt he is Mac, probably just a hastily arranged photo opportunity.

Looks like Stephen Gallacher will have it all to do if he's to impress McGinley this week.
Promising first few holes for Warren and Molinari.

20 years ago today

Spoiler:

McLaren wrote:20 years ago today

Spoiler:

Looks like he's in the dance troup of some gay musical.

Ceiling material for Mac.

Incredible incident in "Italy" - Nick Dougherty inside the cut-line after his first round. Such a wealth of promise five years ago, always wish him well, and hope he still gets a fun night-cap.

Night-cap?

Doesn't he still have Di to give him a goodnight treat?

Predictable, but bad news regardless, Tim Clark has withdrawn (elbow injury) from "Boston" - will they re-do the tee-times to allow the full field to play in threesomes?

Update from the WTF Journeymen and Rookies Series, with Europeans Cejka (already has a "Card"), Lingmerth and Greg Owen off to a strong start. Keep it up lads.
And Branden Grace also had a decent Round 1.

PGA Tour journeymen who started well include Snakey Chalmers, Bud Cauley, Robbie Castro (in last year's Tour Championship) and 2006 Ryder Cupper Vaughn Taylor.

Play starts in an hour's time at TPC Boston (well, it's within 40 miles of Boston) and Henrik Stenson is among those opening the batting as he defends his DeutscheBank title.
Should be a gorgeous Friday, and the forecast for the weekend is fine, though there could be a fresh breeze to give the boys something to chat to their caddies about.
Monday looks a bit dodgy with storms expected to pass thru - hopefully play won't be affected as there's little room for a Tuesday finish.

Sports Illustrated run a "sign of the apocalypse" in their weekly magazine as they poke fun at the absurd/ridiculous side of sport. Next week's could well comment on the PGA Tour "Player of the Month" award for August - so far Rickie Fowler is leading Rory McIlroy by 2 %age points. Yeah, right.

Lots of speculation that the USGA will play the 2023 US Open in California, at Los Angeles CC North Course, a George (Riviera) Thomas design. There'll be a dry run there in three years time as the same venue hosts the 2017 Walker Cup.

Future sites include:
2015: Chambers Bay, Seattle
2016: Oakmont, Pittsburgh
2017; Erin Hills, Wisconsin
2018: Shinnecock Hills, Long Island, NY
2019: Pebble Beach, California
2020: Winged Foot, Suburban New York City
2021: Torrey Pines, San Diego

I wonder if the LACC decision is a blow to San Francisco's Olympic Club?
Apart from the untested Erin Hills, the Mid-West is receiving very short shrift from the USGA.

kwinigolfer wrote:
Sports Illustrated run a "sign of the apocalypse" in their weekly magazine as they poke fun at the absurd/ridiculous side of sport. Next week's could well comment on the PGA Tour "Player of the Month" award for August - so far Rickie Fowler is leading Rory McIlroy by 2 %age points. Yeah, right.

Thought you were joking kwini. Nevertheless I went in and checked it....
That "Player of the Month" award suddently became more devalued than AVIS' "Promotional Coupons" or FIFA's "Best Player award".... Shocking really.

Update from the twilight zone between Tours:
Greg Owen has a 2-shot lead early in Round 2 of the WTF tournament in Indiana.
Robbie Castro, Lingmerth, Vaughn Taylor, Bud Cauley and Alex Cjeka among those in the Top Ten.

Signs of life at the Deutsche Bank from Kaymer and Luke Donald, tied at 2-under par with Rory & Henrik a couple of shots behind leader Keegs.
Fatty de Jonge kicked off with two triples, good if you're a baseball hitter, pretty p1ss poor if you're a touring Pro.

Pretty good response by Stephen Gallacher as he shot a 65 in Italia toshoot up the leaderboard after Thursday's lack-lustre even par round of 72.
Luke Donald starting out well at TPC Boston, even Poulter has a decent first nine holes.
Course playing tougher than in previous years, not quite sure why.

Looks like Di will be working overtime with the goodnight treat for Nick tonight...

Sad to see, Blue - looked like the world was his oyster, now just got one pearl left!

Poulter & Donald still playing well in the DeutscheBank - and they need to.

kwinigolfer wrote:Sad to see, Blue - looked like the world was his oyster, now just got one pearl left!...

Exceptional   . You really need to be making money for this sort of thing!

Palmer and Saunders leading the two big events in the USA!

Ha!
Wonder if Sam can make Mr.Palmer proud - getting his pacemaker whizzing around?

Not a good opening gambit for Messrs Grace and Sterne in their debut WTF. Both missed the cut, in company with Slocum (one short putt away from The Barclays field and a card for next year), Rollins, Wi, Richard S.Johnson, O'Hair, Hend and Two Gloves Gainey.
They can recover but it's a rotten start for them.

No sign of any Europeans in next week's WTF field so we might as well assume O'Grady has dodged that bullet.

kwinigolfer wrote:Pretty good response by Stephen Gallacher as he shot a 65 in Italia toshoot up the leaderboard after Thursday's lack-lustre even par round of 72.
Luke Donald starting out well at TPC Boston, even Poulter has a decent first nine holes.
Course playing tougher than in previous years, not quite sure why.

I really hope Gallacher doesn't make it. I don't think he's a bad player, just very ordinary. Can't see him being an asset to the European Ryder Cup team in any way.

Ah, but who would you choose?

Can't see him leaving out Donald and Poulter, but it wouldn't bother me at all if Luiten or Warren was the "pick", tho' who do you pair them with?

In reality, McGinley probably feels he's just picking the 12th man for a singles point, and sometimes it's the "ordinary" player who'll deliver that. Plenty of good examples over the years.

Molinari and Westwood make a lot of birdies. Wouldn't rule them out.

Interesting now with Gallacher, Luiten, Molinari and Warren all on the fringes of the Italian job shake-up.
And seldom-seen form from Lukey and Poults at the DeutscheBank.

McLaren wrote:Does anyone know how Rory got to be mates with Bill Clinton?

Not sure how... but I do know they played together in the fall of 2013 at Portmarnock... so this isn't something entirely new.

Maybe I missed it earlier in the thread... but exactly what does Gallacher need to finish to make the team again?... anybody know?

Hi robo,
I think GPB figured he needed a T2, but probably only one T.

Sneedeker +4 early in Round 2 at the DBC; I thought he was a dead cert for a Capt.Tom pick, but not if he misses his second cut in ten days. Shockingly poor form for such a good golfer.

Four Scots inside the Top 12 today, Ramsay, Gallacher, Knox and Warren. Not something you see every day.

Scoring yesterday at TPC Boston was almost two strokes higher than last year; looks a little easier today, tho' not for Sneds as he taps home another bogey.

As someone that is rooting for the USA team this year, I want to see Lee Westwood on the Euro RC Team.

And Poulter is headed for wake up call!

Wake up call?
Trumpet Voluntary couldn't wake up Snedeker - that's his Play-Offs over and Watson would have to overlook a raft of players with stronger credentials if he picked Sneds. Very surprising.

Almost certainly a missed cut for Todd also, Watson's pool of candidates slowly going under one by one.

I don't think Todd was in any danger of getting picked.  His wife is pregnant and due two days after the Ryder Cup.

Agree with that GPB, but he's been a popular outside choice for the pundits.
Billy Haas and Billy Ho playing themselves in to contention this morning.

PS; Getting a bit breezy down there - this morning's "wave" might have had an advantage . . . . .

IMO

Keegan and Mahan are locks right now.

The third pick is down Simpson, Haas, and Palmer.  I don't think anyone else can play themselves onto the team, even if they win DB.

If none of the three wins, Simpson gets the pick, because he can play with Bubba.

I would rather see Haas or Palmer.

I would like to see Horschel on the US Team.  He could be someone that pumps (5 Hour) Energy into a guy like Furyk.

Why wouldn't they have a GolfBoys pairing, say Bubba & Rickie, or Bubba & Hunner?

I don't think Simpson makes it - just not good enough, Westwood-like season if you like without the upsides of experience.

Horschel would be a great pick, gives a team something different.

A third good round by Greg Owen and a repeat tomorrow will see him back on Tour next year. Definition of Tour Journeyman.

Twosomes Sunday at TPC Boston, with the spectre of a 54-hole cut as 80 golfers make the cut - which means only 13 miss out on Round 3 and official money, one of whom, Pat Perez, took a mid-round hike anyway.

One message from Tim Finchem: MDF!

Only a handful of well-known players are certainly not making the trip west to Colorado: Snedeker, Garrigus, Perez, Casey and Dufner. The fate of 20+ more is still in the lap of their play, including Donald and Poulter.

I don't think The MDF rule should apply to playoff events.  In fact, I think todays cut should have +2 (and not +3).

The cut probably would have been +1 had it been a full field event.

IMO, no one should should be earning any FE points if they finish in the bottom half of the field.

I think it will change, GPB, lots of complaints after The Barclays, though not the way you would want! Saying all 80 would play Rounds 3 & 4.
All a bit of a nonsense the way it stands!

Another blustrous day in prospect for Round 3, hopefully dry though, but showers in tonight's forecast and possible rain Monday.

Poulter played well Saturday to recover from being +4 at one stage - he needs another strong effort today, for at least two reasons.

Don't know if he'll hold on to finish 2nd or better... but still brilliant effort by Gallacher so far considering the added pressure he's under...

IMO the playoff format is fine (regarding cuts anyway).  It just doesn't bother me in the least if that it's at 70 and most make the primary cut for this event. Nor does it bother me that there is a MDF.

First... all those finishing 70th or worse make a max of 5 FE points... to that I say SO WHAT?  OK... that might help some guy stay in the top-70 who might not have otherwise... but it might keep some guy out of the top-70 who might have been there otherwise too.  

Second... I don't know what the problem is with players below the mid-line finishers getting points or money.... after all, the FE Pool of money is made up mainly out of their own retirement funds and there's already plenty of risk... don't get to 70 or better... and you go home.  

Bottom line... LOTS for those "bottom feeders" to be playing for today... much more than regular weeks which is fine by me.