PGA Tour: DeutscheBank Championship - TPC Bawston: Notes from the Ballwasher

1).OK, Round 2 of the Play-Offs and we're well and truly into the Jason Day era/month. Fabulous performance from Day last weekend, McIlroy didn't show up and Jordan Spieth didn't like the course (Plainfield CC) and left early.

2).The kwini/Grumpy tandem were your on-course observers at Plainfield and it seems general consensus is that the course, while fabulous as a golf course, was tricked up for the Pros and tended to penalise shorter (actually, all but the longest) hitters. That's not good; there needs to be a balance and then "May the best man win". Changes required for the Barclays in 2020 please.

3).Europeans surviving included Stenson, Rose, McIlroy, Casey, Lingmerth, Knox, Garcia, Poulter, Cejka, Pettersson, Donald and Laird.
Lee Westwood goes home. In more ways than one if NBC Sports' report that he is relinquishing his Tour card is true. Apparently a divorce in his future too. Never like to see that happen, so good luck to all of his family.
The grass is not always greener on the other side of the lake; Lee never got his Major, may have messed up his life.

4).And good luck also to another awol European as Freddie Jacobson reveals that his young lad has undergone corrective heart surgery, thus explaining his absence since May. Freddie hopes to return for the Fry's.

5).In other action last week 24 web.commers earned their Tour cards. Familiar names include:
Patton Kizzire, by far the player of the year at the ripe old age of 29. Plus:
Pride, Lovemark, Pampling and the walking sickroom known as Steve Marino.

6).The web.com Finals commence next week - four good tournaments and usually compelling stories each week. It'll be interesting to see who competes, including non-Americans who might wish to give it a whirl.

7).CBS TV's PGA Tour season concluded with last week's Barclays action and they lost no time in parting ways with David Feherty. Imagine this will have a domino affect through the Tour's TV partners as Feherty is regarded as a leading talent, and not just because of his faux American, pro-US military lickspittle. (Humbling article with Peter Oosterhuis in September's Golf Digest, a reminder that a generation of US TV Golf commentators is moving on.) NBC's crew up for the rest of the Play-Offs.

8).Of all the courses where the PGA Tour pitches its tent, TPC Bawston has the least identity for moi. Partly the date, a holiday weekend here so sometimes tricky to watch, and partly the course - after all these years I can still only visualise the 18th hole. Chris Kirk won last year, beating Billy Horschel; birdies will fly in a New England heatwave, light winds likely to be the course's only defence.
Eleven Tour Pros have qualified for the DeutscheBank Play-Off event every year and here's a QUIZ:
WHO are the only five who have qualified also for every BMW Championship????

9).Sergio takes this week off for the second year running, Wilcox is injured, but 98 are expected to come under starter's orders on FRIDAY (the tournament plays Friday to Monday).
The PGA Tour maths class has got their calculators out and figured that Europeans in danger of not qualifying for the BMW in Chicago in two weeks' time will book themselves a place if they finish as follows:
Stenson, Rose, McIlroy, Casey, Lingmerth, Knox, Garcia are all in regardless.
Poulter needs to finish 30th to be sure of advancing.
Cejka 21st.
Pettersson 17th.
Donald 11th.
Laird 9th.

10).Slightly off base here, but very pleased to see Paul Broadhurst win his Senior debut last week in Scotland.
The Ryder Cup will always be my favourite sports event and Broadhurst was an unsung hero in Kiawah Island's heartbreaking defeat. Like Feherty and Lee-on-Solent's (OK Turnip?) Steven Richardson, Broadhurst made his one and only Ryder Cup appearance at Kiawah, but won his only Team match - a fourball carrying an out-of-sorts Woosnam - and his singles match with O'Meara.

The Ryder Cup's European qualification begins this week, in Russia for some unknown reason, and Bawston. Another unlikely lad will come through a year of qualifying, make the Team and be a hero - unsung like Broadhurst, or heralded like Dubuisson and others.

Cheers Kwini...

Re point 9.. oddly I've more belief in Laird finishing 9th than Poulter finishing 30th - really odd 18 months/2 Years from him. Mercurial would imply moments of brilliance and a hint of promise and there's been none of that really. Very flat.

Good write up as usual Kwini.

I agree that a course that penalises all but the longest hitters is not good. However, I believe that a course should penalise the short hitters, especially at this level. The Tour is not a putting competition!

I think I have three of the perennial BMW qualifiers; Mahan, Mickelson, Stricker. Not sure of the rest.

What about Jim Furyk?

Donald?

And speaking of. They're (THE Donald) altering Doral for the same reasons as mentioned above (2), by moving bunkers around.

I maintain that the current evidence suggests double dipping isn't really possible given the quality and depth of the PGA tour. You just can't beat people playing 25+ events a year when you only play 15 or so. Unless you are rory and then you can do it in 9, but thats already being discussed elsewhere.

This brings me to Lee, he has clearly realized that double dipping doesn't work and will presumably be leaving the US. But I do think he was right to relocate to the US a play a lot of PGA tour golf despite the double dipping difficulties. And the reason is that he wanted to win majors.

If you look at major winners since 1990 (an probably further back) I think only the following players won a major while not based in the US at the time of their win;

Woosnam 90 masters?
Paddy (although not sure about this one)
Kaymer 2010 US open (I think this was before he moved to the US)
Charl 2011 masters (again not actually sure where he lived at this point)
DC 2011 Open


So it would seem immersing yourself in US golf is a prerequisite for major success and Lee was correct to give it a go.

I do also appreciate that there is a selection bias in that those good enough to win a major will accept the PGAT gold, but I also think playing against tougher fields and acclimatizing once the move has been made is important.

Conclusion being that Lee made the move that seemed like it might help yield a major. Sadly he seemed more enamored with pools, cars and American life than using the move as a way to progress his career.

3 x Perennial BMW qualifiers?

Mahan and Mickelson are good Grumps, but not Stricker who didn't qualify for the Play-Offs last season.

And Furyk is good Inw.

Mahan, Mickelson, Furyk and two more.

Not Luke Donald who was injured in 2008 and only qualified for The Barclays.

ray,
Completely agree golf should not be a putting contest, but there has to be a balance. Not sure they achieved that at Plainfield, and the mutually agreed upon changes at Doral indicate the same thing there.

Kwini

Returning to the issue de jour, what happens to Adam Scott given his season has ended on 14 events played?

(PS your fav Tim Clarke stuck on 12 for the year but I assume he has gotten a sick note)

Scott will play the Presidents Cup which counts towards his 15 (for some reason, but the RC does too in even years).

Clark missed six months, is already exempt, so again, no issue.

Cheers Kwini, still an avid reader of the best golf info to be found.
Our Club gets very (faux) upset if not called Lee-on-[b]the[b]-Solent even though we're a good mile inland (global warming might change that but not in my playing time!).
PUP

Would never have guessed the other two Kwini.

Hi turnip!
Great to hear from you - T-Shirt still going strong; have to be in Petersfield next March, hoping to do a trip down memory lane, or at least AR! Hope all is well close to the Solent . . . . PUP.


Still waiting for the final two BMW qualifiers.

Bubba?

Bingo!
Bubba is correct, one more to go . . . . . . . .

Sneds kwini?

Charley Hoffman! Would never have guessed he would be the fifth player.

Very good Grumps,
Me neither!!

Strange having a Thursday with no US golf.
But good to see Kafelnikov is slowly improving in Russia as he's in with a 77.

Also: Another Pablo Martin sighting, very rare.

Hardly earth-shattering news, but PGA Of America today announced their Grand Slam event for 2015 is cancelled, having earlier made the decision to move it from Trump's LA ego trip.
Could be the death knell for an event which seems to have declined in interest and significance. Used to love it when it was played in Hawaiii and televised in "prime time". Outlived its purpose now.

I guess they couldn't find a venue without illegal Mexican greenkeepers.

Ps. If it counts towards minimum tournament requirement maybe the players will bother to show up.

It should be a glorious day for golf at TPC Boston today, tho' perhaps a little breezy for some.
And it will be HOT by the time Round 4 comes around on Monday - temps into the 90's.

Hadn't realized that NBC's Mark Rolfing has recently undergone surgery for cancer - perhaps they can get Feherty signed up and into the starting line-up for today?

Apparently Spieth tried new irons last week (716 AP2) but will revert back to the 714 AP2's that he won his majors with for the deutschebank.

He obviously didn't fancy having a Rory 2013 run of form after a club change.

I'd imagine the pros try out new equipment fairly regularly, but I guess you mean he was/is going to put them into play at some stage soon? With hindsight, it seems there was more to Rory's poor 2013 than just equipment change, although I agree it didn't help.

I'll be interested to see how Spieth plays - he looked seriously un-Spieth like last week.

bob

Spieth used the 716's at the Barclays and missed the cut. He has reverted back to the 714s for this week.

bob wrote: there was more to Rory's poor 2013 than just equipment change

Like what?

He was going through a fair amount of issues off the course - for instance with his former management company, and was in arbitration with them, with the threat of litigation in the air. He settled out of court in Feb 2015, but the media reports say that the wrangling had been going on for more than 18 months. It would also seem that all was not well (at least in his head) with his GF at the time. I do believe that things like this can unsettle you on the course.

McLaren wrote:bob

Spieth used the 716's at the Barclays and missed the cut.  He has reverted back to the 714s for this week.

bob wrote: there was more to Rory's poor 2013 than just equipment change

Like what?

Like his mind being in the bin because of his nutter girlfriend

Wasn't it Rory who was the bunny boiler?

Remember the time he went bat sh%t over Caroline posting a picture of him sleeping. And that other time when he had another tantrum and called off the wedding after the invitations had gone out.

You can't say it's a tantrum to call off a wedding. Who cares if the invitations went out.

McLaren wrote:Wasn't it Rory who was the bunny boiler?

Remember the time he went bat sh%t over Caroline posting a picture of him sleeping. And that other time when he had another tantrum and called off the wedding after the invitations had gone out.

Written as if you are close to them, when of course you have no clue (me neither). Maybe there is a job who you at Heat magazine or whatever the latest celeb gossip drivel generator is called.

I'll join in with some speculation, here is an exclusive scoop: I think Woz was insecure, emotionally needy and blew hot and cold with Rory. She made him feel guilty for neglecting her whenever he was away and Rory felt he always had to convince her he loved her with public displays of affection and commitment. This ultimately led to Rory proposing. However, after a while he realised that they were rushing into things, he wasn't ready for this kind of commitment, and so with a heavy heart made the tough decision to call it off for both their sakes. As soon as he stepped off this emotional roller coaster, he felt like a huge load had been lifted off his shoulders and was quickly able to focus on his career again without feeling guilty, helping him to establish himself as world number 1.

Ryan Moore in with the first TEN of the day, on the second hole.
Who needs John Daly?

Jason Day -3 through 3 holes. Should everyone else just pack up and go home already?

Already with a "strokes gained putting" of +2.25.

Spieth +2.

Spieth needs to find that bent putter.

kwinigolfer wrote:Ryan Moore in with the first TEN of the day, on the second hole.
Who needs John Daly?

After a bogey on the third he then made eagle two at the driveable par 4 5th. Topsy turvey round so far.

Six bogeys already from Jordan Spieth, that's about a month's worth.

Scoring seems higher than usual, not sure exactly why except that it's been dry in the North-East and imagine the course is playing pretty firm.
Laird the worst among some bad rounds in progress.

Brendon de Jong really is a big dude. I reckon the circumference of his neck is bigger than my waist

That's better! Luuke, Poults and Stenson all T2 at the DeutscheBank.
If Round 2 scoring is about the same as today, the cut may be as high as +4, almost certainly +3. So, no-one really in a hole that can't be climbed out of.

Something else to play for this weekend is places on the respective Presidents Cup Teams of Jay Haas and Nick Price.

US Team: The Top Ten qualify with two "picks" to follow next week. Current Top Ten:
Spieth, Watson, Walker, Dustin & Zach, Furyk, Reed, Fowler, Kuchar, Kirk.

You'd think the Top 8 are safe, and probably Kuchar too who would likely be chosen by Haas anyway. That leaves Kirk on the edge, with Bill Haas in 11th, Holmes in 12th. Who would be your choices assuming Kirk made it? Remember, Phil Mickelson has played in every previous PC!

International:
Top Ten currently: Day, Oosthuizen, Scott, Matsuyama, Grace, Leishman, Lahiri, Schwartzel, Jaidee, Lee. Followed by Bowditch in 11th, An in 12th, Senden 13th.
Remember, the PC visits South Korea for the first time, but Sang-Moon Bae is down in 20th position.
Cameron Smith sits in 17th and I'd take a flyer on him, probably with An, but neither has a chance to improve their position this week.

Bowditch would pass Danny Lee should they both Whiffy OWGR points this week.

Possible Under the Radar Captains Pick for Nick Price:

K.T. Kim.  

Remember him?  He played the Prez Cup in Australia in 2011.  He partnered with Yang to beat Woods/Johnson in the Saturday Four-ball.

He has won twice this summer, in Thailand and Japan and has a 4 shot lead in the Japan Tournament going into the final round.  Even if wins this tomorrow, he won't be crack the OWGR Top 100, but he might be the best available player for Price.  And it won't hurt having a Korean and a representative from the Japan Golf tour on the team.

Appleby is entered in the WTF tournament next week.

GPB,
I don't think KT Kim covered himself in too much glory four years ago when he (and Ryo I think) turned up late.

See my comments on yr owgr thread about next week - plenty of Aussies with their brilliant future behind them, hoping for one lost shot at glory.

I don't remember KT Kim showing up late.  Ishikawa yes, but not Kim.

Looks like this morning's scoring is better than for yesterday's morning wave. Poulter slipping, Stenson so-so, Knox going nicely.
But everyone's on the tail of Hoffman . . . . . .

Brooks Koepka was a popular media choice for Jay Haas to pick for the Presidents Cup. Shouldn't think so any more as he's followed up his poor play last week with a stinker at TPC Boston. Bad timing.

Hoffman in with a 63, Knox with a 65; the two best rounds in the clubhouse so far, Knox probably rueing a double-bogey 7 he made yesterday when going well.

George Coetzee won't be getting a Captains pick from Nick Price

https://instagram.com/p/7P2KAsLJwa/

Thongchai Jaidee is at risk of not automatically qualifying for the Prez Cup.

Brendon de Jonge, Matt Jones, and Danny Lee are in position to pass Jaidee in the Prez Cup Standings.


BdJ has to win
Jones has to finish Solo 2nd or better
Lee has to finish solo 7th or better.

Saw that on Coetzee, GPB, a tricky decision could be in store for Pelkey - noted on Inw's thread.

Halfway through the afternoon wave's action outside Boston and the leading top 14 golfers are all from the opposite side of the draw. Hopefully Luke, at least, can get in amongst 'em.

I think Thongchai and Danny Lee would be the first two picks if either failed to qualify - Thongchai's just missed out a time or two before.

Really impressed with Spieths pre round routine, love the attention he gives to putting. I really like the putting from a distance then moving out a few feet and expanding further. Personally I do this and find it builds confidence. It can be seen here for anyone interested.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bSpWyVyDgU0

Is there anything to dislike about Spieth? Apart from the stupid nickname someone tries to give him on here

kwinigolfer wrote:Saw that on Coetzee, GPB, a tricky decision could be in store for Pelkey - noted on Inw's thread.

Halfway through the afternoon wave's action outside Boston and the leading top 14 golfers are all from the opposite side of the draw. Hopefully Luke, at least, can get in amongst 'em.

I think Thongchai and Danny Lee would be the first two picks if either failed to qualify - Thongchai's just missed out a time or two before.

I think Coetzee would be good to go... due to Sergio/Ernie dust up in 2013... they removed the minimum final series play requirement for 2014... (unless they put it back for 2015)

These were the main changes they put in for 2014...

• Leading 15 players in Race to Dubai now eligible for enhanced US$5 million Bonus Pool
• Requirement to play two out of three tournaments prior to Dubai removed
• Field for DP World Tour Championship grows to leading 60 available players

http://www.europeantour.com/europeantour/season=2014/tournamentid=2014092/news/newsid=219376.html#JjXyLSimgZUUxg3W.99