PGA Tour: Back to Proper Golf after Donald Duck's Doral: Notes from the Ballwasher

First topic message reminder :

1)."The longest 3 in the field are position 1,2 and if you hadn't guessed 3rd. HaHaHa(repeat about 50 times)": Ian Poulter.

2).Similar Twitterage from others has been deleted, but suffice to say the Tour's best were not happy with their second week at Doral. Even JB Holmes (hardly surprising after his second shot of Round 2 which looked perfect until it went down one side of a hog's back, past a windmill and down a waterslide) and Bubba were critical, while Commish Finchem was a little defensive, whether about the course or the set-up was not clear.

3).Golf Channel's Rex Hoggard did a straw poll of the pro's favourite courses and Doral received no mentions, even in 15-course itineraries. Fortunately, this week's venue, Innisbrook's Copperhead Course, appeared on every pro's dream itinerary, a welcome respite before we return next week to Bay Hill, recipient of only one vote.

4).Suffice it to speculate it is most unlikely that the three longest drivers in the field will finish 1, 2, 3 this week, on the late Larry Packard's Par-71 design, with 5 x Par 3's and 4 x Par 5's. A good golf course will seek to identify the best golfers, not eliminate 75% of the field. Gary Woodland is a recent winner at Innisbrook, but so are Luke Donald and Furyk, while Vijay's won once and the Goose twice, long hitters but with a complete game.

5).The US Presidents Cup qualifying rankings have undergone plenty of changes recently, especially with DJ's last month of earnings.
Jimmy Walker and Bubba Watson are far ahead of the rest, followed by Dustin Johnson.
#4 thru #10: Reed, Kuchar, Ryan Moore, Furyk, Haas, Chris Kirk, Spieth.
Ryder Cuppers from Gleneagles who languish outside the leaders are:
Zach Johnson (11th), Simpson (14th), Fowler (20th), Mahan (25th), Bradley (30th), Mickelson (47th).

6).Lest we forget, there was an "opposite field" event last week, the Puerto Rico Open, won by Alex Cejka. ALEX CEJKA? That's Harrington and Cejka in successive weeks, probably the longest-priced double in the history of Europeans dabbling on the PGA Tour. More significant results for the longer term were the T2 finish from Emiliano Grillo and the T10 for Rafa C-Bello. Both earn places in this week's Innisbrook field for the "Valspar Championship" and Grillo, especially, will now be in great position to play the web.com Final series late this summer. Grillo's going to be quite the player I would suggest.

7).While talking golfcourse design, or lack of it, the architects' fraternity lost one of its more eminent members last week, with the death of Jay Morrish. Morrish was a sometime collaborator with Tom Weiskopf (TPC Scottsdale & Loch Lomond for instance) but earlier had helped Jack Nicklaus establish his design business. Nicklaus, Bob Cupp and Pete Dye were among those to pay effusive tributes to Morrish, who worked mainly west of the Mississippi and whose best known solo design was probably "The Boulders" in Arizona's beautiful Sonoran Desert.

8).There's a splendid turn-out for the Valspar this week with five Top Ten players, Scott, Rose, Stenson, Spieth and Furyk.
European Tour regulars, as well as Grillo and Rafa, include Donaldson, Luiten, Poults, Donald, Westwood, Molinari and Harrington, while Marc Warren,. Wiesberger and Zanotti tried and failed the Monday Qualie.

9).Russell Knox and a rested Martin Laird have played well here, while Louis Oosthuizen makes a welcome appearance after his out-of-the-blue top 6th place result at Doral. Amazingly King Louis has only played six times since last year's Barclays: five top tens and a T14. You can't keep a good man down; hope he stays fit for Augusta.
I like to look at golfers who seem to be running in to form and doubling up each-way bets until they pay out: Snedeker a few weeks ago was such a player, Dustin Johnson too, and imagine Rose will be a candidate when his game comes round. But keep an eye on Brandon Todd whose form seems to be coming together and will be a decent price.

10).Apart from Stenson, there are some countrymen of his playing this week, Tour regulars Blixt and Jacobson, plus the hold-out anchorer Carl Pettersson - frankly, his form has been poor, whatever he putts with and however he does it. But he has a decent record here and won in 2005. Not sure if he has a plan B when they pull his anchor, but he's been a good Tour ambassador, and influential in sustaining the Tour stop in Greensboro.
Lastly, Happy 50th birthday to Jesper Parnevik. He's reportedly fit and ready to embark on his Champions Tour benefit run. He'll be exempt for a few years and hopefully he'll bring the entertainment to his Senior career that he graced the PGA Tour with until injuries sapped his competitiveness.

As much as I don't like Reed I'll totally take my hat off to him if he reaches Top 5 which is clearly now within the bounds of possibility. Certainly more likely than a Poulter/Tiger Top 2!! To make a bold statement is one thing, to back it up is quite another.

Hibbz wrote:Poulter generally disappears like Miss Popov from Rentaghost when there's a stroke play event to be won.

Superb sir.

Well done to Spieth, top young golfer. And whatever about Reed's off -course allegations, he certainly can play. Golf needs bad guys as well as clean-cut all-American heroes like Spieth.

John Huggan on Ian Poulter in this week's GolfWorld:

http://www.golfworlddigital.com/gw/03_16_2015?sub_id=m6YFz2X7vbcH#pg19

Overdue for a tournament win; disappointing finish again this week after being in 3rd round contention until hitting into water on the 13th on Saturday and getting heckled. Disappeared after that.
Huggan has a factual error or two (Italy in 1992? - he'd've been 16, 2002 apparently) but interesting light reading nevertheless.

At least Poulter has mover into choker status, as I had him in the "not good enough to win on the PGAT" category. Choker implies you could actually win.

despite him actually having won on the PGA tour, twice

Super

Any real golf fan knows his two "pga tour wins" aren't really the real thing.

Really, I think the PGA would disagree with you.

I'm sure 95% of "real golf fan"s would rate WGC's higher than, say, squeaky play-off wins at the JDC and Valspar . . . .

Isn't WGC excellence one of the criteria that is hailed as part of ETW's legacy for instance?

To say hes not good enough to win on the pga tour is a bit rediculous. Plenty of worse players have won before. Is Chejka better than poulter?

kwini

If it helps I can refine the statement to "not good enough to win a pga tour strokeplay event".

I will now even concede that the matchplay was a good win for him. But come on, what evidence is there that poulter is likely to win a PGAT strokeplay event by the time his career is up?

skiddy wrote:To say hes not good enough to win on the pga tour is a bit rediculous. Plenty of worse players have won before. Is Chejka better than poulter?

Maybe Poulter should start focusing on the alternative field events?

What, Apart from the WGC: HSBC Champions do you mean?

Kwini

Do you really count the HSBC champions as a proper PGAT event? It's certainly not a proper WGC event.

Mac, Of course it is .
Don't dis it just because Woods never won it and it's played outside the USA.

It gets worse for tiger

http://www.golfdigest.com/blogs/the-loop/2015/03/rory-mcilroy-is-officially-the.html

R-mac now the face of EA sports golf game.

kwinigolfer wrote:
Ned,
Do you know anything about Greg Eason and Kelvin Day? Both getting solid web.com results. And Patrick Reed's mate Norlander scored a T2 in Brasil.

Kwini,

don't know masses about either but believe both played on the Canadian Tour last summer. Think Eason had the better results; pretty sure he was playing fresh out of college and was very highly rated whilst still amateur. Big things expected there. Not so sure on Kelvin Day but I believe he is a Surrey man, and has spent the last 3 or 4 years bouncing around US mini-tours with middling results. Wouldn't have predicted such a good start to the year for him.

Hoping Seamus Power joins the fun on the Web.com soon...

McLaren wrote:It gets worse for tiger

http://www.golfdigest.com/blogs/the-loop/2015/03/rory-mcilroy-is-officially-the.html

R-mac now the face of EA sports golf game.

You can hardly have a chopper selling your game

Thanks Ned,
Agree about Power, He certainly has a good exemption priority, just has to take advantage.
I'd bet on Norlander qualifying for a return to the PGA Tour for next year.


Back to the bombers for Bay Hill . . . . . . .

Any idea on how the last 12 spots in the field will get filled Kwini? Last time I checked there was 120 listed as starters and the "First Look" article on the PGA Tour states that there will be 132 in the field. Thanks

I think it's just a field of 120 Grumps - I would bet that the "132" reference is an erroneous number. There have already been four withdrawals and they've been filled from the alternate list, which would be an indication the 120 declarations represent the final field, always subject to w/d's of course.
No Monday qualies either.

EDIT: Just checked last year's field: 120 golfers. Sure it will be the same this week.

Thanks Kwini, I'll take another look to make sure I have got the withdrawals and alternates correctly accounted for.

Could the 132 have been from last year when some fields were enlarged to account for the new qualification routes?

See Edit above.
Think they just need a proof-reader.

I don't think they exist anymore Kwini.  I've just read a corporate release document that states:

It that identifies what we want to "famous" for and what sets us apart from the competition.

Huh?  Good job guys

1GrumpyGolfer wrote:I don't think they exist anymore Kwini.  I've just read a corporate release document that states:

It that identifies what we want to "famous" for and what sets us apart from the competition.

Huh?  Good job guys

"and what sets us apart from the competition"?? Yep, the fact you're illiterate. Congrats.

It was 132 players, two years ago.  That was because of the shortened PGATour season (no fall series) and the HQ was concerned that Webbies would not get enough starts.

Shocking, I know, but golf digest have produced a story that isn't about a hot woman with a tenuous connection to golf.

http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-tours-news/golf-masters/2015-04/the-masters-finances-ron-sirak

They attempt to work out how much ANGC make from masters week. The headline numbers are $115 million revenues and $30 million profit.

A topless figure on the cover though, plus "confessions of a cart girl".

And:
Talking of The Masters, I haven't seen any sign of Special Invitations being handed out this year. Must be no young Asian golfers around that will help commercial revenue from the Far East.

kwinigolfer wrote:And:
Talking of The Masters, I haven't seen any sign of Special Invitations being handed out this year. Must be no young Asian golfers around that will help commercial revenue from the Far East.

And there was not one last year either!

Yup, Can't actually think of anyone who merits a special invite.
Although it's surprising that Sam Saunders doesn't get one.

Rory grouped with Rickie Fowler again this week; this getting a bit old.

I know, but I can't stand these contrived groupings for PGA Tournaments.
Just as surely as they put sponsors' favourites together, they also appear to target guys they have a problem with. How about the 12.56 p.m. tee time on #10:
Harrington: You play so bl00dy slow we're putting you with:
Sabbatini who we can't stand and plays really quickly. And we'll round you off with:
Oosthuizen, who we're thoroughly p1ssed off with for w/d'ing from so many events and barely playing the minimum.

Not sure how Harrington gets those two in a prestigious event - no chance a recent American winner, a multiple Major Champ at that, gets guys who haven't won in four years, even in GPB's world.

Oliver Stone is posting in this forum?

GPB

Don't you think it's got more a David Icke ring to it?

Kwini, Harrington and sabbatini do have a bit of the lizard eye about them.

McLaren wrote:GPB

Don't you think it's got more a David Icke ring to it?

Kwini, Harrington and sabbatini do have a bit of the lizard eye about them.

No idea who David Icke is.

But I do know that Kwini likes to examine tee times and then develop conspiracy theories about the pairings.

IMO, he sees what he perceives as a bad tee time, and his imagination goes into overdrive.  He suddenly forgot that Paddy was in the featured threesomes last week.  And promptly reminded us why he had dropped to #297 in the OWGR with a Missed Cut.

BTW...Paddy is not playing Valero next week.  He talked with Tourney officials and promised to be there next year.  He didn't want to play 5 weeks in a row again.

1).The Bay Hill winner will receive an extra year's exemption on the PGA Tour - 3 as opposed to the usual 2.
2).The greens are so bad that the Tour placed "health warnings" about them in the players locker room at last week's Valspar.
3).All greens will be replaced this summer.

Sounds like Arnie's got a mess on his hands.

kwinigolfer wrote:1).The Bay Hill winner will receive an extra year's exemption on the PGA Tour - 3 as opposed to the usual 2.
2).The greens are so bad that the Tour placed "health warnings" about them in the players locker room at last week's Valspar.
3).All greens will be replaced this summer.

Sounds like Arnie's got a mess on his hands.

His diaper burst again?

kwinigolfer wrote:And:
Talking of The Masters, I haven't seen any sign of Special Invitations being handed out this year. Must be no young Asian golfers around that will help commercial revenue from the Far East.

Probably. That and the fact they don't want to screwed over as a scapegoat when they're a touch slow playing a shot...

GPB wrote:No idea who David Icke is....

Sometime sports TV anchor this side of the pond who went into serious politics (Green Party I think) and then went doolally talking about how some island was going to sink, the end of the World was nigh and something about Ley Lines. Still off with the pixies as far as I know.
If you want a good giggle: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Icke

Some twitterage about the European Tour and PGA of Australia potentially merging in some manner, although at the moment the PGA of Australia are denying this.

If some sort of merger were to go through, maybe increasing the number of co sanctioned events, would this help boost a flagging European tour?

There are certainly a number of very good courses in Australia that would provide more interesting coverage than some of the venues currently visited by the European tour.

navyblueshorts wrote:

GPB wrote:No idea who David Icke is....

Sometime sports TV anchor this side of the pond who went into serious politics (Green Party I think) and then went doolally talking about how some island was going to sink, the end of the World was nigh and something about Ley Lines. Still off with the pixies as far as I know.
If you want a good giggle: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Icke

Don't forget the Lizard People controlling everything/had taken over the world (or something)...

And the weirdest one, he was Coventry City's goalkeeper (soccerball for you US types).

hence the lizard eye comment.

Like Steve Ogrizovic...