PGA Tour: Shoot-Outs in Texas: Notes from the Ballwasher

First topic message reminder :

No, silly, not another shoot-out between the Bandidos and Cossacks, but the "Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial" in Fort Worth, followed next week by the "AT&T Byron Nelson" in the Dallas area.

In deference to arguably more important golfing events at Wentworth and Royal County Down, I'll anticipate European Tour threads for the fortnight and abbreviate these Notes.

1).Wonderful from Rory McIlroy at Quail Hollow, obviously a dominating performance with a brilliant driving exhibition and improved putting, possibly courtesy of a few minutes with Dave Stockton.
Unfortunately, Rory's schedule after this five-tournaments-in five-weeks means he misses out on "Memorial" which is a course one would think would suit him even better than Quail Hollow. Imagine his US schedule for the rest of the year will look like:
US Open
Bridgestone
PGA Championship
Barclays
Deutsche Bank
BMW
Tour Championship.

2).Interesting that Martin Kaymer, possibly among others, advocates a later date for "Wentworth" - can't see it happening before 2017 simply because of an inevitably compressed summer schedule in 2016, Olympic Year. With the PGA Tour's schedule in some flux around the first weekend of July, there might be an opportunity for the E.T's flagship event to be staged then come 2017.

3).Colonial pays homage to Ben Hogan and sees the two-thirds point in the PGA Tour season before the FedEx Play-Offs get underway.
If previous seasons are anything to go by, Graeme McDowell's schedule won't be much different from Rory's (above), and at this rate, and in this form, McDool will miss the Play-Offs. He's down to 135th in FedEx points, only played 9 tournaments in a schedule that doubtless was expected to include two or three Play-Off stops, and needs to pretty much double his FedEx points haul to qualify for The Barclays.
Luke Donald is in even worse shape although he's played two more tournaments than McDool - Lukey still has to qualify for the Bridgestone and two "Opens" and will surely have to show up at tournaments he hadn't expected to!

4).Colonial and next week's Byron Nelson are big-money events and Europeans such as Casey, Jacobsen and Poulter can help themselves mightily in the absence of most of the Tour's galacticos.
There will be some confluence of course specialists (Johnson, Weekley, Stricker, Toms), local guys (like Palmer, Reed, Spieth and Walker) and form.
If Grumpy's game was focussed here this week I'd be looking at:
Walker, Kirk and Johnson.  Palmer, Todd and Streb.  Weekley, Campbell and Stroud. (Edit: Should have found a place for John Peterson who probably ticks all three boxes. Gonna break through one day soon!)

5).Lastly, another week, another "Major" on the Champions Tour and twenty-plus Europeans are teeing it up there, contesting this week's Senior PGA Championship, led by Langer, Montgomerie, sirNick, Parnevik, Chapman, Barry Lane (still haven't figured out why he hasn't flourished on the Champions Tour) and Lyle.
The venue for their entertainment is French Lick.
I can't follow that.

Rory & Spieth at the Irish and Nelson still and interesting competition between the two. Home games for both with both events coming in around 50 level. I'd have to like Rory better to take home a larger OWGR haul at home than Spieth though. Colonial probably suited Spieth's game better than TPC Four Seasons.

pedro wrote:

GPB wrote:Poulter only in it for the money?

https://twitter.com/IanJamesPoulter/status/602624271622352896

Stupid comment from Poulter. Reminds of the 'million good reason' comment from Tiger years back.

My guess the comment was him responding to the twit-nitwits that beat him up pretty good on his twitter account... no biggie, I think Poults would have gladly given up the money for the title and getting the "can't win a stroke play event in the U.S." monkey off his back.

robo,
Do I take it that the monsoon has ticked a few more geographical boxes around the State?
Hope you and yours are safe (perhaps you're still stuck in the Rockets digs?, and that the rains give Irving a break.

I thought the Nelson field would really suffer with its date this year but, at the top level anyway, some good players have elevated the owgr higher than what I imagine has been customary.

kwinigolfer wrote:robo,
Do I take it that the monsoon has ticked a few more geographical boxes around the State?
Hope you and yours are safe (perhaps you're still stuck in the Rockets digs?, and that the rains give Irving a break.

I thought the Nelson field would really suffer with its date this year but, at the top level anyway, some good players have elevated the owgr higher than what I imagine has been customary.

Kwini... we had mostly dodged the "bad stuff" down in my area for the last few weeks, but yesterday was a different story.  Generally we can tolerate up to 8-10 inches in a day down here pretty easily with maybe some of the bayou's going over, but nothing cataclysmic...  but we got absolutely hammered yesterday with tornadoes, flash flooding everywhere as the saturated ground couldn't handle the size and intensity of these downpours.  We had one in an area the never floods about a mile from me of just under 2" in 20 minutes.  Our nearest gauge showed only 1.1 in that same time frame which is what I think I got, but most people can't even fathom what that kind of rain rate really looks like or means.  NO way the drainage can handle so much so fast.   No reported deaths in my immediate area yet, but several missing.   We've had more downpours this morning... but nothing like yesterday evening... Overall though.. we should be OK.   NOTHING like the folks in Wimberly, San Marcos areas got (near Austin)...

And yeah... the Nelson field is kind of a surprise to me... I would have guessed mid to low 40's.   But interesting what the improved ranking of just one player can make.  Nelson would drop to just one ERV above a 46 without Spieth...  and if I have the field estimated right, Nelson is a 50 right on the number... any loss and it drops to 48.    Irish a little more safely in at 50...  I'll wait for the OWGR to post their estimates, as I did mine pretty quickly... but I'm close enough to know the fields are very similar.   Nelson a bit stronger in world points...  Irish stronger in home points and a bit stronger overall..

Kwini

I know you love a random draw. Rors, Fowler and Kaymer to play together in Irish open.

McLaren wrote:Kwini

I know you love a random draw.  Rors, Fowler and Kaymer to play together in Irish open.

HA! Sepp Blatter go home.

McLaren wrote:Kwini

I know you love a random draw.  Rors, Fowler and Kaymer to play together in Irish open.

Cap't Darren Clarke put that together?

Robo, PD has the Nelson and DDFIOHbtRF at OWGR 50.

Paddy and Sergio paired together.  Will they reminisce about Carnoustie and Oakland Hills?

I see Poulter is a w/d this week

Thanks for the scoop Davie, I see that now.
More surprising, and completely contrary to what I naively expected, he is saying that "this (Byron Nelson which he's now not playing) will be my last regular PGA Tour event this season".
Especially strange that he's missing "Memphis" as he top tenned there last year. Regardless, unless he enjoys top finishes at Bridgestone and the three remaining Majors, he'll enter the Play-Offs well adrift of the pace he needs to cash in on the FedEx bonus pool.

Hopefully this will be a nudge to the European Tour to get Poults to play in France or Scotland, but maybe he just wants to drive his Ferraris round his courtyard. Then he'll have to put them back in mothballs when he goes to Woburn for his contribution to the Masters that he's "hosting" there.

Poulter probably had an arse bleaching accident.


What a tool if he thinks that is a schedule befitting his talent.

Jason Day a gonner from the Nelson as well.. barely hanging in at a level 48 now.
..

EDIT Correction:  The two above, even before other corrections (McNeill & Jaco gone too) is a level 46 now...

McLaren wrote:What a tool if he thinks that is a schedule befitting his talent.

Not sure I understand the basis of that comment. Before the injury, this week would have been his 12th PGAT event. And since Ian didn't play any of the Middle East swing or the BMW... he has to start getting his his 5 extra ET starts in somewhere. Plus I'd have to think he's "safe" into at least the first two rounds of the FedEx Cup... with three big events remaining to get more points. Sure it's a shame a planned 2-week break becomes 3... but not sure I see what he should have done or should do differently going forward.

Oosthuizen WD's from Nelson...  still a 46 so far...

EDIT: And Irish Open has come in at level 48 as opposed to the 50 I had estimated earlier in the week.

robo,
It's not clear that he'll add any E.T. events, plus he's opting out of Memphis where he played so well last year.
But certainly don't agree that there's such a thing as McLaren's daft "schedule befitting his talent". Can't imagine what he means with that.

kwinigolfer wrote:robo,
It's not clear that he'll add any E.T. events, plus he's opting out of Memphis where he played so well last year.
But certainly don't agree that there's such a thing as McLaren's daft "schedule befitting his talent". Can't imagine what he means with that.

I didn't mean to imply he'd be adding more ET events. Bottom line is, if he'd played this week he'd be at the same 12 events going into the U.S. Open as last year. Granted, not all were the same events as he was going to play all PGAT events through the U.S. Open, then take in his ET schedule later in the year to cut back on the travel (last year he'd made trips to China and the BMW PGA by this time). But going forward... I'd expect a schedule for him similar to last year... Scottish, the OPEN, and the 4 R2D playoff events. However with there being no RC and him hosting the British Masters, I wouldn't bet against him playing the Dunhill as well.

robo


He just seems like the sort of plodding player that should play every week and hope for the odd good finish to boos his fedex standing. As Kwini pointed out he will need to have unusually good major and wgc finishes over the summer if he is to do ok in the play offs.

McLaren wrote:He just seems like the sort of plodding player that should play every week and hope for the odd good finish to boos his fedex standing.  As Kwini pointed out he will need to have unusually good major and wgc finishes over the summer if he is to do ok in the play offs.

I've always thought the key to good play was quality over quantity.  Not sure the ironman routine would suit him anyway... remember he's 39 and no spring chicken, Besides, he's already pretty well assured of the first two stages in the FEX... with at least 6 more events to get enough points to get to the 3rd (which is about standard for him, he's never made the TC).

Bottom line... IMO except for the best of the best... of which Poulter ISN'T one... dual Tour PGAT/ET players hurt themselves, by not being able maximize their potential on EITHER Tour.  For instance, I think Poulter is absolutely good enough to have made the FE Cup final at least 3 or 4 times by now if he were a full time PGAT player and not taking time away to play ET events...  And if he never would have dual toured over here... I wouldn't be surprised if he were approaching or even north of 20 ET wins by now.  If that were the case, and even without a major, I think a lot of people who malign him now, would see a 20+ ET winner (that includes 2 WGC's) in an entirely different light than he's viewed now.

McLaren wrote:robo


He just seems like the sort of plodding player that should play every week and hope for the odd good finish to boos his fedex standing.  As Kwini pointed out he will need to have unusually good major and wgc finishes over the summer if he is to do ok in the play offs.

How many players actually prioritise the Fed Ex Play Offs? Not many unless they've got off to an exceptional start to the season like a Spieth for instance.

Whilst I think that Poulter's schedule is now looking a little spartan, it's not unusual these days for players to cherry pick their tournaments and it may be the case that Poulter's improved and more consistent form lately is due to a more threadbare schedule.

By the way, it wouldn't be that "unusual" for Poulter to have a good major result he's already had a T6 in the only major this year.

I think we're all right, except Mac of course.

But I was wrong to think he might have a more aggressive agenda in this non-Ryder Cup year, where he might actually target cashing in on the Play-Offs. Which brings one to the perhaps uncharitable thought that he may very well be targetting the late-year European Tour events where he's enjoyed great success, and which carry Ryder Cup qualifying points.
Anyway, he'll always march to a different drummer, and that's one of the reason for interest in him.

super_realist wrote:How many players actually prioritise the Fed Ex Play Offs? Not many unless they've got off to an exceptional start to the season like a Spieth for instance.

Whilst I think that Poulter's schedule is now looking a little spartan, it's not unusual these days for players to cherry pick their tournaments and it may be the case that Poulter's improved and more consistent form lately is due to a more threadbare schedule.

By the way, it wouldn't be that "unusual" for Poulter to have a good major result he's already had a T6 in the only major this year.

SR... IMO you have it about right there...

First... with the FEX... unless a guy's the type player to be top-10 points going into the playoffs (VERY hard to do for dual tour guys)... the key to success in the playoffs is picking off that odd win or maybe 2nd place finish which puts you in good stead in the final of controlling your destiny.

And as for spartan schedule... maybe, but Poulter's been between 23-26 (OWGR rated) events for the last 5 years and I'd bet he hits that number again. And I agree with you the right amount and choice of which events to put on the schedule are those that one feels gives him the best chance of success and high finishes in the long run.

One other thing I'd point out... the thing that makes it so tough for most these dual tour guys... is they're usually playing the chalk events on both tours. Taking Ian for example... assume he makes the 4 majors, 4 WGC's, Players, 4 PGAT playoff, 4 ET playoff... then add in Riviera, Arnold Palmer & Scottish Open... that's 20 pretty darn strong events... and he's not exactly playing "Czech Opens" with his other 4 or 5.

kwinigolfer wrote:Anyway, he'll always march to a different drummer, and that's one of the reason for interest in him.

No doubt. I know he catches a bunch of crap, much of it self invited... but still, give me 3 or 4 Poulters over any 100 milk toast boring "Stepford Golfers" any day.