PGA Tour: Twelve Days of Christmas: Notes from the Ballwasher

First topic message reminder :

With the time of sunset, here at least, now becoming later by the day there is northern hemisphere optimism that one of the most dismal facets of winter is at least improving, (even if sunrise is still also creeping later for another week or two).

And the Twelve Days of Christmas will be starting soon so here are some thoughts as to what else is going on apart from:

1).A partridge in a pear tree? Or the number of Tour wins each for Fowler and Spieth. Extend it to stroke play Tour wins and include Day and Poulter too. Wouldn't bet against at least three of those four (sorry Poults) securing win number two in 2015, but we'd've thought that last year also.

2).Two turtle doves? Or the number of times Tiger Woods completed 72 holes in a Tour event in 2014. Surely we can expect more in 2015, but how much more?

3).Three French hens? Or the number of notable golfing trees removed from the landscape this year.
~The Eisenhower Tree on #17 at Augusta.
~The tree overhanging the 6th tee at TPC.
~And last week's storm brought down one of the cypress trees guarding Pebble Beach's 18th fairway.

4).Four calling birds? Or Augusta National, Chambers Bay, St.Andrews, Whistling Straits, major venues all in 2015. Very interested in seeing Chambers Bay - don't know anything about it. Not sure I much care for Majors being played at courses that haven't been tried and tested by Father Time or the Pros, but more of the same due soon when the US Open rolls in to Erin Hills.

5).Five golden rings? Well, not all golden exactly, but we should know fairly soon if the Olympic golf course will be ready in time for the five Olympic rings to be circling around it in Brazil. What a farce it will be if the course is not suitable, or in suitable condition, for Gold Medal competition.

6).Six geese-a-laying? Or the six strokes by which Jordan Spieth won the Aussie Open. Not sure whether the appropriate yardstick for this was a 6-stroke win over luminaries such as Scott and McIlroy, or that his closest pursuer was Rod Pampling. Remember him?

7).Seven swans-a-swimming? Or the number of strokes Brad Fritsch won by at web.com Q-School. Good for him, very unlucky to have lost his PGA Tour card each of the past two years having had to withdraw from several events due to back problems. The perils of journeymen playing while nursing injuries.

8).Eight maids-a-milking? Or just eight months (more like seven full months really) for Tour Pros to earn their cards for 2015/2016. There are two more events this season than last, but so far no-one has accrued sufficient points to qualify to join otherwise exempt players. Lots of speculation that the West Coast Swing will be weaker this year as players take a break, but the other side of the coin is "notable" pros adding early events to their schedule in the hope of achieving some sort of comfort level asap. Messrs Donald and Poulter may fall in to that category.

9).Nine ladies dancing? Or nine plus three ladies dancing with the Solheim Cup as battle is joined in Germany; Carin Koch and Juli Inkster are the Captains, and if the competition is half as exciting as last year's, it will be some show. So long as the Europeans win, of course.  

10).Ten lords-a-leaping? Or the ten drinkies consumed by Jeff Overton at a College Basketball game recently before being escorted from the premises by Madison Square Garden arena security. Boom Baby more likely to receive a gardening leave notice from Tim Finchem than a Christmas Card.

11).Eleven pipers piping? Or eleven US Ryder Cup Task Force members piping the "Call for Freddie" tune. Who knows what will come of that; will Fred even answer the phone (as he's usually loth to do "in case there's someone there")?  

12).Twelve drummers drumming? My favourite drummers in 2014 were named Bjorn, Donaldson, Dubuisson, Gallacher, Garcia, Kaymer, McDowell, McIlroy, Poulter, Rose, Stenson, Westwood.


Perhaps by the time these notes resurface Tommy Fleetwood will have qualified for The Masters, Tony Jacklin will be celebrating a much-overdue knighthood and all of us will have enjoyed a safe and festive off-season.
Happy Christmas.

Black Eyed Peas and Hog Jowls is a traditional New Years Day dish.

Cabbage is a Southern Slang word for money, and eating cabbage is supposed to bring prosperity,.

I always eat some Black eyed Peas and cabbage for NY Day...and Hog Jowls, if someone else is cooking.  I don't personally do it.

And Robo...check your EMAIL.  Got something you might be interested in.

Can't think of any traditional new years day meals. Had a very British takeaway curry last night. It was awesome. You cannot beat a keema naan. Shame I was asleep by 10.30 and missed the new years thing. But the darts is back on tonight at least.