PGA Tour: Career Defining Week in Greensboro: Notes from the Ballwasher

by kwinigolfer Wed 17 Aug 2016, 7:34 pm

First topic message reminder :

1).January saw the "CareerBuilder Challenge", the old Bob Hope event in California's desert - this week's "Wyndham Championship" in Greensboro, North Carolina, could be described as the Career Definer, as there is so much to play for in the final event of the PGA Tour's "regular season".

2).Let's tick 'em off:
Ryder Cup points (qualifying actually runs thru next week, for both teams).
Top 125 in FedEx points earn a Barclays tee-time for next week, plus fully exempt status for 2016/17 for those who aren't already exempt.
Top 126 - 150 - FedEx pts will take conditional status, usually 15 - 20 starts, into next year.
Top 126 - 200 will be eligible to compete in the four-tournament web.com Finals which start at the end of August.

3).GPB is explained the various wrinkles and possibilities for Ryder Cup qualification on last week's thread, so let's look at the Top 125.
Last week, Ben Martin, second at the John Deere Classic and already exempt for next year, led those assuring themselves of a trip to the Barclays and FedEx Play-Off action with Johnson Wagner securing his full card for another year.
Among those who need a strong finish this week are: Aussie Open winner Matt Jones, S-Y Noh, Stallings, Kyle Stanley, Hoffmann, Stroud, Appleby, Michael Thompson.
For an extrapolation of FedEx possibilities, reference this chart:
http://www.pgatour.com/fedexcup/2016/08/16/wyndham-scenarios-bubble.html

4).Conditional status for the 126 - 150 crew is still important, and this lot are among those who are in contention:
Sam Saunders, Willie Mac, Camilo, de Jonge, Greg Owen, Thomas Aiken and Cabrera.
I'll add the pgatour.com's real-time "Projected Standings" when the page is restored to their site Thursday morning.

5).126 - 200 qualify for web.com Finals and the chance to retrieve their card. But some "faces" are still to reach that Top 200:
John Rollins, Brendon Todd (just two years removed from being 12th on the 2014 US RC Team qualifying list), Carl Pettersson, Brian Davis (presumably injured, Tim Clark and Van Pelt too), Immelman, Two-Gloves Gainey and The Prisoner, Robert Allenby (what is it with golfers getting in to trouble at the JDC? Matt Every a few years ago and now Ryan Lochte is rumoured to have accepted an invitation to their Pro-Am next year.)

6).I watched very little of last week's Olympic Golf, but Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson were a formidable (played 3 together, won 3) Team at the 2014 Ryder Cup and great to see them battle for gold/silver. Hope Henrik's back recovers over the next month. Lots on other threads about golf-in-the-Olympics so I'll pass that by, except to hope:
~The organizers devise some sort of Team format to go with individual play for 2020.
~The Tours plan their schedules better - the way the JDC was made the sacrificial lamb for 2016, and gerry-mandering of the ET schedules were both unseemly. You've got three years chaps, get it sorted.

7).Miguel-Angel Jimenez has experienced uncharacteristic twitches in trying to close out important Senior Championships recently, and so it was that he bogeyed his final two holes to lose by one to Gene Sauers in the US Senior Open at a lovely looking Scioto CC, in the Columbus, Ohio suburbs.
Scioto was designed originally by Donald Ross and his Salem CC, in the Boston area, will host next year's Senior Open. Fleisher won the last time it was held there with an even par score and I'd say it's the hardest course for the average mid-handicap amateur I've seen, largely due to incredibly difficult green complexes. Brutal, but I'll go and have another look next June.

8).Three of this year's Senior Majors were won by Europeans (2 x Langer, plus Broadhurst) and Montgomerie and Jimenez runnered up in the other two. Woosnam played well again last week and the top tier of European Seniors is now looking pretty strong: Langer, Jimenez, Broadhurst, Montgomerie, Parnevik, Woosie and hopefully one day Olazabal.
I see Steven Richardson is in this year's Scottish Seniors field (representing Hayling - are the Lee On Solent members happy with that, Turnip?) joining David Gilford, among other ex-Ryder Cuppers.

9).This year's US Amateur is underway this week at another Donald Ross design, Oakland Hills, and GB is represented in Match Play by Messrs Gregory, Horsfield, Syme, Boote and Moore, plus Irishman Jack Hume. Boy Wonder Maverick McNeely failed to make it through a huge play-off for the final placings and last year's runner-up Derek Bard missed out altogether. Sorry to see that and he must be wondering whether to turn pro or return to College.

10).There's a good, not great, field for Greensboro's Wyndham Championship at yet another Donald Ross course, Sedgefield CC. Rafa C-B, Hatton and Lowry are among the European tourists; haven't seen anything but perhaps Rafa and Hatton are eyeing the PGA Tour for next season?
Davis Love won here last year but he's nursing a surgically repaired hip this week and he'll be left to cast his year over his Ryder Cuppers and RC wannabes - big weeks for past winners Patrick Reed and Snedeker, among others. And maybe for another past winner, Wyndham Simpson's Dad, Webb. He's been playing well recently; what do you think he'd call his next child if he won again?