PGA Tour: WGC Dell Match Play: No Notes from the Ballwasher

First topic message reminder :

Anything to start a thread for this week, but no notes as out of town and out of touch (even more than usual).

Let the matches, and comments, begin:

Day on the first tee. Good thing.

Favourites still dominating.

What a drive from the man with a dodgy back!

kwinigolfer wrote:Haven't heard yet what Day plans to do this afternoon, but agree with puligny - if he's not on the first tee he should be dq'd.

Plans on driving the first green and making the putt for an eagle

Thongchai needs to make Day play a bit . . . . .

Americans likely to win seven of the first eight games to finish.

Kaymer got Zached...

pedro wrote:Kaymer got Zached...

Kaymer is about to be Zached of the Top 50 and not qualified for WGCs.  Still exempt for majors.  He could be out by next week.

Talking of driving range nets, if I recall correctly Riviera suffers the same fate, particularly the 11th hole. JDay should be nicknamed sick note, always some ailment to be battling with. Can't work out fact or fiction with him.

22 players eliminated after 2 rounds, same as last year but with the different rule on tied scores after 18.
So, the notion of taking out play-off drama on Days 1 & 2 doesn't seem to have been compensated for by more players being in the mix on Friday.

Top 3, though, are all 2 wins, no losses. Sponsors lovin' it

Early starters in Puerto Rico making the turn. Freddie Jac (-3 for his first 8 holes) and Poults (also -3 today, after 6) now up amongst the leaders.

No word yet on anyone (Day?, Daniel Berger??) baling on Round 3 MatchPlay.
Should be a cracker Patrick Reed vs Phil Mickelson . . . . . . Andy Sullivan vs King Louis and some others.
Rafa CB will be very close to a Masters invite with a win.

Kwini

Is the local non member gut still in the lead?


Kwini

I am sure there are some nice matches today but golf channel reported that 22 players are already out. Would most golf fans really rather see loads of meaningless matches over fewer players out on course?

Mac, yes they can't proceed but in some instances they can affect the overall outcome. In other groups there are winner takes all and who cares who wins. Might be different if the money was tied to points scored; no points, no dough just like missing the cut.

Grumpy

I thought that when you go out in the round robin you got daifferent amounts of prize money depending on your record. Eg (2 - 0 - 1) gets more than (0 - 0 - 3) and so on?

Mac,
Yup, Campos still one stroke ahead but the posse looks like it could reel him in any moment.

Plenty of room on the WGC drawing board to improve the format, methinks. Too many loopholes in this round robin nonsense - didn't like it on the European Tour and like it still less here, largely because of the increased rewards for mailing it in.

Mac,
You can see from last year's pay-outs how miniscule the differences are until you make the last 16:

http://www.worldgolfchampionships.com/dell-match-play/past-results.html

Petty cash for these guys, and differences in owgr pts are equally inconsequential.

Kwini

It looks like everyone who went out in the round robin last year got the same amount. I thought those exiting in round 1 this year were paid on the basis of their rd 1 record. Maybe I got this wrong?

RCB needs to get to the quarter finals to get inside the top 50.  A T9th won't be enough points.

Yes, WGC payout structures are much flatter than regular PGATour payouts  (both money and FEX pts).

WGC purses are generally about 50% more than a regular tour event, but 60th place in a WGC tournament pays about 5x what 60th place in the Houston Open would get.

A "de facto" appearance fee.

Mac:

Last year, the players that won two matches without going to knockout round finished T17

Those that won one match finished T34

Those that went winless finished T52nd.

GPB,
Thanks for the Rafa projection info.

Imagine there'll be nuances in pay outs due to the "halves" . . . . .

Yep, there should be a few more places


I think 2-0-1 and 1-0-2 will finish T17th

Then 2-1-0

Then 1-1-1 and 0-0-3

Then 1-2-0 and 0-1-2

Then 0-2-1

Then 0-3-0

Here is the chart of the Payout structure of a PGATour event versus the payout structure of a WGC-Cadillac from earlier this month

You can see that the WGC event gives much more money to the bottom finishers.

Purse Payouts:

Well done Poults.
Three birdies to start with, followed by twelve pars, then three birds to close things out. Round of the day so far, up to T3 and well placed for a weekend challenge.
Not smoke & mirrors either, driving it straight, hitting plenty of greens and putting well. Promising signs, and about time.

Don't know if anyone saw this live, but if you go to THIS PAGE there is a video of jason Day driving the green - 372 yards and making the putt.

Yup, That was his therapeutic, swing easy, drive on #1.

Can't get a feel for this golf course yet - but looks like Shane and Rory are having the same problem.

And in a bit of irony, J-Day is the recipient of a WD as Paul Casey WD's on the 6th green.

Deja vu for Casey as he w/d's with a stomach bug after just about having to be wheeled to the tee with something similar in last year's semi . . . . . . . .
Thongchai must be thrilled. Bloody stupid format, no incentive whatsoever for Casey to play on, he'll probably be at the airport by the time I click SEND.

Snap GPB, And a play-off between Grace & Kirk - hope they go straight back out, otherwise they'll be cooling their heels for an hour or two.

kwinigolfer wrote:Deja vu for Casey as he w/d's with a stomach bug after just about having to be wheeled to the tee with something similar in last year's semi . . . . . . . .
Thongchai must be thrilled. Bloody stupid format, no incentive whatsoever for Casey to play on, he'll probably be at the airport by the time I click SEND.

Well there is a more than a trivial amount of money, FEX pts, and OWGR points to play for.  The OWGR points may look trivial, but Poulter would be Austin instead of Puerto Rico this week, if he had earned a couple more OWGR points in 2016.

Time to start some rumors

https://twitter.com/DCunninghamCLE/status/713422218513031169

Agree about Poulter, but this week in PR could be the making of his season - even if a consolation prize.

Cracking win for Matty Fitz.

GPB wrote:Time to start some rumors

https://twitter.com/DCunninghamCLE/status/713422218513031169

I like a Tiger rumor but in the space of a month Tiger has gone from unable to sit upright in a car to playing ANGC. I am sure the truth is somewhere in between and that sadly we won't see tiger this season.

Smart of Zach to play 16, 17 & 18. Solo.

A rumour that tells us nothing. For those that can't read twitter is says...

Tiger Woods has played multiple rounds at Augusta National this week. Still not a high likelihood of him playing in The #Masters.

too much conflicting information .. if he HAS played multiple rounds at ANGC why would he do that if the likelihood of him playing was low .. just clickbait I expect

Kevin Na trying to make himself more popular. Hasn't exactly been kind with the gimmies, but just asked Mcilroy to hole a 1 footer.

Oh well, got what he deserved.

Mac,
It's stroke play, so Rory HAD to hole it.

18 pars for Luke Donald today. Good for you and me (actually impossible for me), but not the name of the game in Puerto Rico. EDIT! Lukey's score changed to add a bogey.

Is Reed on fire or has Phil checked out?

Top 5 seven up through 10?? Not everyone would agree but I'm all over that! FIGJAM getting his a$$ handed on a plate

kwinigolfer wrote:Mac,
It's stroke play, so Rory HAD to hole it.
.

Stroke play in the matchplay? I must have lost something in translation

Play-Off is stroke play in case there are multiple players involved . . . . . .

Reed has two eagles already, Phil has been abject.

How can there be multiple players involved when it's 1v1? Or is this another abomination of the round robin thing? All four in the group could potentially be in a sudden death strokeplay in a matchplay? My head hurts

But your presumption is correct!

A max of 4 Europeans through to the last 16. Pretty disappointing.

Could be just 2 x Europeans after Westwood's collapse vs Moore. Rafa and Rory and (come on Sullivan). Five last year, same as U.S.

I see. Was watching it on mute so just assumed Na was being a numpty.

last 16

Last 16 wallchart:

Strong turn out for "Houston" next week, including Rafa, Donaldson, Sergio, Harrington, Lowry, Stenson, Westwood & Wiesberger.

Rafa needs to win one match tomorrow to get into top 50.  If he loses in the round 16, I think he will fall just short.

Kizzire needs to get to the semis to get his invite.

Spieth's quadrant has gone "according to Hoyle" with all four A players advancing to the knockout round.

I don't think anyone would have predicted Kizzire, Ben An, Moore, and RCB in the lower left.

Of Jarordan McSpiethilday threesome, I think Jordan got the toughest draw to the semis, and Jason got the easiest path to the semis

Another great post on twitter by princedrac. Worth a follow if you don't already. https://twitter.com/VC606

Potential Ryder and President's cup matches in the WGC:

Good week for the Americans so far against there potential team event rivals.

Ps. I predict a Spieth vs Zach Johnson final.