PGA Tour: Three Weeks Off: Notes from the Ballwasher

1).That's right; no PGA Tour event until the 2014/2015 season starts anew with the Frys.com Open at Johnny Miller's Silverado Resort in Napa, the heart of California wine country.
Jimmy Walker won the tournament last year, and hopefully he'll be back to defend after a fruitless week in Scotland, but he'll be in unfamiliar surroundings as the tournament moves north, from CordeValle.

2).Meanwhile, the last of four legs of Q-School, which masquerades as the web.com Tour Finals, will be played this week on the "Valley Course" at TPC Sawgrass.
Several "notables" earned enough prize money last week to secure their Tour Card for the coming season, including South Africa's Richard Sterne, Presidents Cupper Sean O'Hair and Ryder Cupper JJ Henry. We'll follow the fates of Henry's erstwhile teammate in Ireland, Vaughn Taylor (he probably needs about $5K) and others through the weekend.

3).And the 2014 Champions Tour continues in Hawaii with two of the PGA Tour greats of the past thirty years, Vijay Singh and Davis Love, making rare appearances. How long before each of them plays full-time on the Champions Tour?

4).Billy Horschel finally realised some of the potential we've been rabbitting on about for years.
Skylar Horschel's gain will be the Ryder Cup's loss as he might just have added a bit of spice to an American Team that appears to have precious little of it.
But Horschel wasn't the only big winner last week. Apart from their tournament prize money, all East Lake's participants earned a FedEx bonus which will have compounded nicely by the time they can use it:
$10M: Horschel
$3M: Kirk
$2M: McIlroy
$1.5M: Furyk
$1M: Watson
. . . plus:
$300K: Rose
$280K: Garcia
$242.5K: Kaymer
Bonuses are paid all the way down to the 150th position in FedEx points, positions 126-150 each earning $32K as well as Conditional Status on the fringes of Tour Membership for next season.

5). Tim Finchem has been leaking details about next year's WGC-Match Play event at San Francisco's Harding Park only sparingly. But he added that next year's sponsor will be a one-off, to be announced in October, and plans for future years have still to be determined. My vote would be for Volvo to pick the WGC up and take it around the world. Please.

6).Perhaps even to India, and that's where Tiger Woods has apparently gone in search of his "World Challenge", now sponsored with a new name, the "Hero World Challenge", to be played at Isleworth; in Florida, not Middlesex unfortunately.
Hero are reportedly the world's largest maker of mopeds which offers the image of Tiger buzzing around Florida, or even Mumbai, the Tour's very own Slumdog Billionaire.
Perhaps David Bowie will be warbling on the first tee.

7).Woods says he's "been busting my butt in the gym pretty hard", which is ironic as most observers seem to feel that's the last thing he should be focussed on. Still, he'll be swinging clubs soon and the world awaits breathlessly as his Isleworth tee-time in early December approaches.
As Family of the Year sing in their "Hero":
"I wanna be a big man,
I just wanna fight with everyone else."
Quite.

8).What do we think of the European Tour suspending play while they carted the bleeding Fabrizio Zanotti off the course at Kennemer last week? Was that perfectly normal or an overreaction to Iain McGregor's death on the fairway in Madeira?
What would the PGA Tour have done?
We've seen David Toms and Joey Sindelar among others carted off in medical emergencies without significant delays but the sports world is getting ever more careful and politically correct, so who knows?
Bert Yancey died 20 years ago on a Senior Tour tournament practice range, but I can't remember whether play continued as normal.

9).The increasingly down-market Golf Digest has an "Undercover Pro" piece this coming month on slow play, calling some aspects of it cheating. The only Tour Pro he calls out for slow play without a remediating remark is Padraig Harrington, which I would think is editorially deliberate. Poor form in my book as there are plenty of Americans, among others, who are equally glacial.
The undercover pro nominated Lucas Glover as the fastest player on Tour, surprising choice I would think as there are plenty quicker, and a fat lot of good it's done him.

10).Twelve US Touring Pros will be assembling in Atlanta on Sunday for their charter to Scotland. Some of the passengers have shown little or no form in recent weeks and one is reminded of Nicklaus's comments one day prior to the 2007 Presidents Cup. To the effect of:
"Hunter, you've been playing well, Lucas is swinging nicely, Charles (Howell), come outside, you need a lesson!"
I wonder what Captain Tom will be thinking?
(Or Skipper McGinley for that matter.)

Good to see 9C isn't learning. I expect to see him return with the same swing similar to a man trying to kill a snake in a phone box.

He'd be working on his brain if he had one.

Interesting to see both Colt Knost and Billy Horschel giving some fairly undiguised stick directly to DA Points on Twitter yesterday, having a go at him for playing this week as is already fully exempt for next year and should - in their eyes - be giving someone who is not yet a chance

Is there an honour system in pro golf?

incontinentia wrote:Is there an honour system in pro golf?

What do you mean Inco? Like an OBE?

'Morning MPB,
Hadn't seen that; would have thought both Knost (never has a Colt been that fat) and Billy have better things to do. I think one or two guys did the same thing last year, playing in one or more of these events to get match fit for the coming season even though they already had exempt status.
Within the rules though.

Golf Channel's Rex Hoggard is tweeting that Adam Scott and Steve Williams have called it a day.
Williams always said that he'd only work part-time after this year, but doubt if that's what they were having a very public barney about a week or so ago.

Hopefully the last we'll see of the second most unpleasant man in golf

Hopefully Adam will hire Joe LaCava . . . . . .
A highly desirable "bag" for someone, even if not for Joe!


Williams has said he's available for hire on a part-time basis. Tiger says he's planning on a "full schedule"; that's usually a euphemism for three or four Majors, one or two WGC's, and most events which benefit his Foundation. Sounds perfect for Stevie.

The European interest in the WTF Q-School tournament is limited to recycled journeymen and a couple of youngsters who need a super finish this week to reach the PGA Tour:

~Journeymen: Owen, Lingmerth (journeyman a bit harsh on him but he plays like one) and Cejka have already earned their cards - the only detail remaining is their priority status. Otherwise Richard Johnson needs a top finish to return to the Tour where he's been out of his depth recently, and Gary Christian needs a podium finish.

Young guns Cappelen and Norlander need a strong finish and a miracle respectively.

Did Ian Poulter or Lee Westwood get mentioned as slowest pros?

I once saw Westy take 4+ minutes to play a golf shot and we all know at 606V.2, once a slow player, always a slow player.

At Wentworth, on the 6th tee!

Have followed both often and neither is usually slow.
Tho McDowell is slower than I expected, Zach Johnson too.
No, they mentioned Crane and Na, plus Luke Guthrie which surprised me. All a bit gratuitous though when, as you've pointed out GPB, they have access to the actual data!

Get your stop watch out for Poulter at GlenEagles.

Ah, Gamesmanship in wartime doesn't count!

PS: In another misplaced editorial decision, in what passes as their Ryder Cup preview, GD did a feature on Luke Donald! Interestingly Luke credits McGinley as being a great partner!!

Joost Luiten is the PaddyPower favorite (12/1) this week in Wales.  Ahead of Ryder Cuppers Donaldson (14/1), Westwood (16/1), Gallacher (20/1) and Bjorn (33/1)

Notables Paul Casey at 14/1, Frannie at 25/1.

Interesting

These AK stories are so weird; can't possibly imagine how clandestine his "hitting balls" at a TPC can be; someone who's not under threat of instant elimination must see him and tell the story.

AK was obviously a talent but to bracket him with McIlroy, or a dozen others, is delusional.

kwinigolfer wrote:
Williams always said that he'd only work part-time after this year

Then Nick Dougherty is your new man. You'll be off by Friday afternoon.

Nick Dougherty is Di's guy. If I had a piece of that action to look forward to on Saturday and Sunday I'd miss some/all cuts too!


DA Points has w/d'd from the web.com finale, sensitive to the tweets he received. He wasn't wrong to want to play, the rules were wrong. They will be changed!

kwinigolfer wrote:
AK was obviously a talent but to bracket him with McIlroy, or a dozen others, is delusional.

I know the Tiger fanboys are hypersensitive to any slights against their favorite golfer.  Apparently Rory groupies have learned the tricks of the trade.

AK was 27 when he went awol.
Compare what he achieved (three Tour wins), and think about what Rors will have achieved at 27.
No comparison.

kwinigolfer wrote:AK was 27 when he went awol.
Compare what he achieved (three Tour wins), and think about what Rors will have achieved at 27.
No comparison.

No reasonable or knowledgeable person would think their achievements are comparable.  It's just poetic license using an hyperbolic analogy.

I read the article and thought nothing about it.

Tiger fanboys get their knickers in a knot about the silliest things too.

I'm a Wayne Levi fan boy! Ooh, and Trevor Murphy and Moira Dunn.

GPB wrote:Anthony Kim Article.



http://www.golf.com/tour-and-news/anthony-kim-ryder-cup-breakout-star-2008-nowhere-be-found?page=1 

An enigma wrapped in a riddle. 

Allegedly he has a 8 figure insurance policy (tax free) on a career ending injury which becomes null and void if he ever plays the PGATour again.

If the insurance company has read that article then his policy may not be worth much anyway.  Hard to prove you have a career ending injury if you're out hitting balls.

Kim had the potential to win 3-5 majors.....shame, what a waste of a talent


Interesting to see who Scott gets to caddie and if anyone will get Steve Williams part-time.

AK was one of my favourite golfers to watch, I hope he returns one day.

sirbenson wrote:AK was one of my favourite golfers to watch, I hope he returns one day.

With Steve Williams as caddie?

If Kim has a policy then surely others do as well. I wonder what tiger would get if he claimed he could never hit a ball again?

McLaren wrote:If Kim has a policy then surely others do as well.  I wonder what tiger would get if he claimed he could never hit a ball again?

A round of applause?

super_realist wrote:

McLaren wrote:If Kim has a policy then surely others do as well.  I wonder what tiger would get if he claimed he could never hit a ball again?

A round of applause?

I shouldn't.....but .

Westwood starting to show the form that saw him need a "pick".

Christ, a pick, I'm bad but I only ever need a wedge to get out of the sh*t.

kwinigolfer wrote:Westwood starting to show the form that saw him need a "pick".

and Bjorn with a confident start as well....

kwinigolfer wrote:DA Points has w/d'd from the web.com finale, sensitive to the tweets he  received. He wasn't wrong to want to play, the rules were wrong. They will be changed!

Wow just saw this, i assume an alternate got in!

Westwood in with a 73, including +1 on the par fives. Still not quite sure what Lee in this form gets you at the Ryder Cup level.

MPB:
Don't know much about Points, something of an anonymous pro, but he earns high marks from me for applauding the fans, a la Jimenez, after his final round of a tournament. Think he was an innocent party in this brouhaha.

PS: No alternate as only those originally qualified, as Points was, are eligible to play.

kwinigolfer wrote:
PS: No alternate as only those originally qualified, as Points was, are eligible to play.

So kwini you're saying those tweets were point(s)less?

!!!!
Pretty much, except that the reasoning was any money he earned would be cash taken out of a wannabe's pocket.

As Ped says, so the whole thing was a waste of breath?! In that case he should have told Horschell and Knost to stick it!

Can't see that he reacted or responded in any way on Twitter. Obviously keeps himself to himself

'DA Points' sounds like he should have been in the A Team

D.A. Points ought to change his name to Frederick Xavier.

Then he could be known as 

Fred X Points.

Exactly MPB.

Kwini, I don't think, though, that Horschel is concerned about somebody taking cash from somebody else........ and not the right time for Billy Ho to enter into such a discussion anyway IMO.

Think Points just wanted the whole issue to disappear, so he did. Billy Ho is just an angry boy, going to bat for his mates, a bit misguided in this case methinks.

Ben Curtis did exactly the same thing last year without comment; focus was more on players like Spencer Levin and Jhonny Vegas who had medical extensions.

It seems perfectly appropriate that Knost and Anthony Kim are good mates.

A lot of focus on Watson Captains picks last couple of weeks,

Over in Wales, two of McGinley picks are not playing well today.

Westwood is in the clubhouse with a 73 

Gallacher is +3 after 7 holes.

Gallacher may not break 80 today.

And Apparently McGinley asked the ET to pair Westwood w/ Donaldson and Gallacher w/ Bjorn for the early rounds.

I am sure Bjorn is really impressed with Gallacher and Donaldson is impressed with Westwood.

Sounds like Westwood has lost a stone and a half - doesn't seem to have done him much good so far.
78 for Gallacher - nothing a low 60-something won't remedy tomorrow.

Trevor Immelman didn't come under starters orders today so now he has lost his Tour card by default.
He'll always have some "status" but wonder what his plans are? Very young to have fallen so far so quickly.

Colsaerts hits the longest drive ever recorded on the ET: 447 yds!

Should have taken driver.

Pah.

kwinigolfer wrote:Sounds like Westwood has lost a stone and a half.

How many times has he done this?  Doesn't do him much good if he just gains it back a month later.  I suspect he would look like Twiggy (circa 1970) if he never gained back the weight he keeps losing.

Don't understand why Carlos Ortiz is not getting any criticism for playing the WTF tournaments.

He has his tour card confirmed for next year just like D.A. Points