PGA Tour: Double-Header: Notes from the Ballwasher

First topic message reminder :

1).Two PGA Tournaments this week.
Riding in first class are the WGC-HSBC Champions competitors, 78 of la creme de la creme, or gold tops at least.
Then there are the economy class runners and riders travelling to Jackson, Mississippi, for the Sanderson Farms Championship.
I'm much more interested in the latter, may even be able to watch it without setting my alarm clock.

2).Last week Justin Thomas may (not sure really) have set a PGA Tour record by winning a second event without yet getting a W in the USA. I'm sure the media obsessed with the early 20-something generation (yup, they're back at it in next month's Golf Digest) will be thrilled, but Thomas has yet to convince the Ballwasher that he's the real deal. Regardless, it's doubtful that any first-time double has been watched by fewer US viewers.

3).But wait, the Tour thinks this type of event is just the business, so much so that we'll be going for the treble next year with an event in South Korea. Back-to-back-to-back with CIMB & HSBC.
There were stories earlier in the year of initiatives by the Tour to reduce the "All Exempt" Tour from 125 to something lower, perhaps 100. It sounds as if the players nixed that, but perhaps this is the next best/worst thing.
I would think a strong rank-and-file on Tour is a big positive, but this sends messages in the exact opposite direction - if you're a Top 50 US-based pro you have to play really, really badly, or at least be unlucky with injuries, to lose your card; you could play at least nine no-cut tournaments, come last in every one, and bank about $386K plus the Korean money-for-nothing. Amazing.

4).Russell Knox enjoyed his breakthrough to the winners' enclosure at last year's HSBC and established himself as a proven winner by adding August's Travelers Championship to his record. Plenty of Europeans in this week's field, many of them in pretty good form. Hatton, Rafa, Casey, Kaymer, Wiesberger, Noren - a win for any of them would scarcely be a surprise.

5).We've morphed from a lengthy Indian Summer here in the North Country to winter without the pleasure of autumn to ease the transition. Killington is open and others will follow if this lot carries on; 20% chance of rain forecast by the Weather Channel here this morning - the idiots didn't mention the 100% chance of snow. (Why can't the US get a decent weather forecasting system? Answers to/in the New York Times.)
But none of that will be on the Tournament Director's mind in Mississippi where the autumn continues warm and dry, with not much wind. In other words perfect for golf, and there's a decent turn-out for the "opposite field" event.

6).Poulter brought home a T17 from CIMB and 48 FedEx points so well on pace to satisfy the requirements of his Medical "extension". He's teeing it up Thursday & Friday with Chris Kirk who is my idea of a contender this week - Russell Henley, Badds and Kizzire are among others who look good to me.

7).The PGA Tour seems to have redesigned parts of its website over the past few weeks and the good news is that graphics are even better than before.
Bad news is that navigation is tortuous, and seemingly incomplete - designed to do one's head in. Or at least use google. Is that a good idea, Tim?
Wouldn't it be great if their website designers actually followed golf?

8).Let's have some Senior moments as the Champions Tour season concludes with three "Play-Off" tournaments.
72 golfers have qualified for Round 1 (71 expected to actually play), which is contested over three rounds at California's Sherwood Country Club. For many years this was the site of Greg Norman's Shark Shoot Out, then subsequently for Tiger's "World" Challenge (and site of absolutely brilliant golf by some guy called Harrington when he won in 2002. Whatever happened to him?).

Don't know what the course is like to play, but it's surely one of the more photogenic courses around, with plenty of risk/reward and three Par-5's in the final seven holes.
The 54 money-list leaders after this week travel cross-country to Virginia for Round 2, after which the leading 36 backtrack across country to Arizona for the finale.
As for the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup, the numbers are adjusted for the Final to ensure that it's not a foregone conclusion that Bernhard Langer will win.

9).Ian Woosnam starts in 50th place but the good news for Woosie is that his election to the World Golf Hall Of Fame entitles him to a place in all "regular season" Champions Tour events. Sandy Lyle's already comfortably seated on the same gravy train and I think this is utterly ludicrous, guys who only sporadically played on the PGA Tour (altho' Sandy did have a card for about ten years) queue-jumping Tour regulars.

10).Back to the present and a couple of items in the Tour's fine print:
~It's looking likely that the season-opening Tournament of Champions will be without a title sponsor.
~The LA Open is now called the "Genesis Open" - not clear if this is about a bunch of lads from Charterhouse or a brand of ugly looking imported cars.
~The MatchPlay event will now be the "WGC Dell Technologies Match Play".
~And the former Deutsche Bank Championship, initially renamed the EMC Championship, is now the "Dell Technologies Championship" following Dell's takeover of EMC.
That's it. (And it's tough to find that "fine print" on the mess that is pgatour.com.)

1. Poor Ryder Cup Record.

FWIW Euro Captains Mark James and Sam Torrance had 8-15-1 and 7-15-6 Ryder Cup records.

But they performed exactly as their records suggested they would. But they still came through in crucial moments.

Tiger has underperformed against anyone's expectations.

Point is that, IMO, this board puts far too much emphasis on RC records. Its match play, conducted over 18 holes.

Results are far more random. Golfers can make 7 birdies and bogey free, and lose. Or they can be over par and win.

Spieth was under par in his singles match against Stenson. If he had played most of the rest of the Euro Team, he would have won.

Mickelson and Garcia would have won their respective matches and they played against anyone else.

GPB wrote:

1. Poor Ryder Cup Record.

FWIW Euro Captains Mark James and Sam Torrance had 8-15-1 and 7-15-6 Ryder Cup records.

Yes and Mark James LOST.

There is NOTHING in 9C which would make him a good captain.

super_realist wrote:

There is NOTHING in 9C which would make him a good captain.

In golfing terms, you may be right. But the TV companies would love it.

Of course, but that isn't a reason to put him as Captain and it is perhaps the only reason that America would pick him.

I would imagine that Stricker might get it next.

super_realist wrote:I would imagine that Stricker might get it next.

I will take your bet and raise you one Jim Furyk

Could be either of them, but it certainly won't be 9C.

I guess they'll be naming the new captain within 6 months and that's way too early for 9C as he'll probably be in the midst of his eighth comeback by then. And Furyk will still be going strong, so it's too early for him too. I also think Fred Couples is toast with the current PGA management. Stricker would be my guess too. He's semi retired already and fits the bill having been VC a couple of times. And you can bet your hat Bjorn will be the Euro captain - and he'll be able to pick one player who's not a ET member.

Does there have to be an agreement between the two teams as to how each makes their selection or can they just dictate without entering into discussion that they are going to select this way or that?

super_realist wrote:Does there have to be an agreement between the two teams as to how each makes their selection or can they just dictate without entering into discussion that they are going to select this way or that?

Theoretically I think each side can do what they want.

Very much doubt it will be Stricker, given that he's doing the Pres Cup.
Bjorn & Furyk perhaps?
But Furyk might be like Phil, say he wants to play.

Selection policy? Each side can do what they want.

Didn't realise Strick did the Prez. Yet, it'll probably be now or never for him. Still think it's early for Jim. He's still highly competitive.