PGA Tour: Halfway Point of the 2016/17 Season: Notes from the Ballwasher

First topic message reminder :

1).The PGA Tour season has pretty much developed three schedules:
~One for the top players, galacticos of the sport, the DJ's, Days and Stensons. They'll play the Majors, WGC's, assume they'll play four Play-Off events, and add half a dozen, let's call them "personal choice", tournaments.

~The second is for the Tour's rank and file, Top 200 golfers, but not consistently Top 50. Charlie Howell and Charley Hoffman can regularly be seen at the head of this list. They'll play the prestigious events they can somehow qualify for, but otherwise compete in most of the upper echelon tournaments, probably take a month off when the Tour goes above the Mason Dixon line.

~Lastly, there's the Tour's journeymen/rookies/veterans-who-have-fallen-upon-hard-times. Say Cejka, Beef, Sabbatini who will likely play every week they can, knowing that at certain times of the year (like now) they'll be on the shelf for weeks at a time.

2).Depending upon which tournaments these lower-ranked players can squeeze into, this is about the halfway point of the 16/17 Tour season, so let's have a quickie glance at who's done what so far:
For the year, not the season because that takes too much time, these are the top performers worldwide as measured in owgr points:
270 pts: DJ
141: Rahm
121: Justin Thomas
110: Spieth
109: Fleetwood
98: Matsuyama
97: Hadwin
84: Fowler
81: Leishman
68: Kisner (yup, I was surprised too).

3).Player of the Half Year: Dustin Johnson who just became the first to complete the WGC career grand slam. Three top class wins and two top class quotes:
Are you dominating, Dustin, does it feel easy? "Yes, sometimes it does. But about 95% of the days it does not. But some days, when you're rolling in the putts, that's when the game gets pretty easy."
Well Dustin, how do you feel about being favourite for The Masters: "I don't care."
He might not win at Augusta, but tough to believe he won't be in the conversation late on Masters Sunday.

4).Rookie of the Half Year: Jon Rahm
No contest, a meteoric rise.
Not sure whether he's eligible for Rookie of the Year, but in reality Rahm IS the winner already.
So far he's made all nine cuts, had a 1st, 2nd and 3rd, and 5th! Following a 2nd and 3rd last season.
Still interested to see which European Tour events Thomas Bjorn can sweet-talk him into playing.

5).Breakthrough Player: Adam Hadwin
Not many pros make such a relentlessly steady rise towards the top of the game as Hadwin has done. He's been on the radar now for 7 years; a couple of hiccups early but otherwise getting better year-by-year. He's a superior putter, as he showed in his "Desert" 59, is as long as he needs to be, and would imagine he'll be round for a long, long time. Possibly overtaken Graham DeLaet as the best golfer from Saskatchewan.

6).Comeback Player: Pat Perez
This legend in his own mind left the Tour early last year to undergo shoulder surgery, returned after six months of rehab at the CIMB, and won his third event back, at Mayakoba, for his second win in his 16th season. Can be as entertaining to follow as he is sometimes combustible, but the Tour needs its characters.
Honourable mentions to Boring Rod Pampling, and Lucas Glover who has somehow rediscovered his putting stroke.

7).Where do you go to my lovely? Not what Peter Sarstedt had in mind, but some big names are way off the pace so far this year. For instance, with FedEx ranking:
~201st: Danny Willett - Golf Digest reckons "he seems to have been on a celebration tour since he won at Augusta". Maybe, but Danny's only played 4 tournaments so far, pretty much stunk up the joint every time, and needs to figure out what he wants of his Tour career. Martin Kaymer took a year's walkabout and has come back strong, but he seemed to know what he was doing. Does Danny?

~189th: Boo Weekley - (No, Boo's not exactly "lovely" is he?) Has played 13 tournaments so far and his 33 FedEx pts averages out at something less than an average finish of 70th. Ball-striking can only take you so far if you're a terrible putter; turns 44 later this year so is time to start drafting his Tour obit?

~170th: John Senden - Another Tour staple for yonks whose game is going south. Still hits more than his fair share of GIR but otherwise lousy stats and headed with Boo to the Tour's twilight zone.

~162nd: Kevin Chappell - Lost in the play-off at the Tour Championship just a few months ago, but no top 30's since and putting like a drain. Like Newcastle, not too good to go down. Dunno if there's something else going on.

Other "faces" outside the Top 125: Luke Donald, Danny Lee, Streb, Lingmerth. And Poulter of course.

8).OK, What did we think about the "Match Play"?
No accident about the result, of course. Worthy winner, worthy runner up, so no argument there. Like it or not, you could say the format worked.
But the schedule's got to change, no value in having two WGC's and Augusta so close together, back to the Tour's drawing board.
And: It seemed the course was popular but isn't the closing hole a bit of an anti-climax? Perhaps the very short 17th as well, but it certainly caused more than its share of problems.

9).At least the players in the "Shell Houston Open" don't have to travel far, 150 miles ESE to roboville. San Antonio is even closer to Austin; can't imagine why they wouldn't find a way to play the MatchPlay & Texas Open back-to-back.
The GC of Houston has hosted the "SHO" since 2006 and has been kind to course specialists. Players with at least two 1st or 2nd place finishes since then include Appleby, Holmes, Wagner & Stenson. Russell Henley has a strong record here and Phil has a win and string of Top 20's to his credit.

Last year's leaderboard was one of the year's strongest: Stenson, Dustin, Rafa, Henley, Berger all in the Top Six; Rickie, Reed, Charl and Phil not far behind. But Journeyman Jim Herman won, which just goes to show that "on any given day" etc; who'd've thunk it?
Casey scored his one and only PGA Tour "W" here, but he's taken the week off.
European Tour members playing include: Donald, Johnston, Lingmerth, Rahm, Rose, Stenson, Sullivan, Uihlein(!), Westwood, Wiesberger, Wood.

10).Soren Kjeldsen has quietly been getting his game in shape and last week's quarter-final result means he's now on pace to keep his card. He could certainly use one more top result before he's drawn to the European swing of the European Tour.

Two of the season's most consistent golfers have been Cabrera-Bello and Kaymer, the past season and a half in fact:
~Rafa: Since the 2015 Turkish Airlines action, Rafa has played 38 tournaments around the World. He's made 37 cuts, scored owgr points in 36.
~Martin: Since last year's MatchPlay, he's played 27 tournaments, made every single cut, missed out on owgr points just once (48th in Qatar).

Their records are Spieth-like over this time, except for scoring wins, but when PGA Tour no-names complain (as they did this week) about non-Americans prospering in the World Rankings, that level of top-notch performance goes under the radar. Time to hole a few more putts lads in the second half of the season, and the resultant wins will soon have you noticed again. Even to the most myopic.

super_realist wrote:Christ, How hard is this to understand?

Have players CAPABLE of winning in it, not hasbeens who are there because they won it 20 years ago.

Those players I mentioned are ranked reasonably highly, certainly more so than previous champions.

Under the current rules, Lyle etc are not taking a place, but get rid of old duffers like them and expand the players based on rankings who could get in.

What you are saying is that hereditary peers in the House of Lords aren't stopping anyone from gaining entry. Of course they are if you stick to ancient outdated rules.
This is why THe Masters falls down on credibility to me, smaller fields, lots of deadbeats = fewer top players to beat.

You're correct,  I don't understand hypocrisy.  

Christ? Excuse me?

You think that only 30 players have a chance to win so you want to add more players that do not have a chance to win.

You think that "Winning is the only thing that matters" so you want to reward players that haven't won anything with Masters invites.

super_realist wrote:They would be better limiting this to 10 years and increasing the number of players to 100 or so.

super_realist wrote:Why are Lyle, Mize, O'Meara, Woosnam, Weir, Immelman, Olazabal, Vijay, Langer, Cabrera in it?

You want to limit the Masters win exemption to 10 years yet don't want Immelman & Cabrera and Immelman in the tournament who won the Championship less than 10 years ago  (2008, 2009)

For the record, I am nto saying anything about "hereditary peers in the House of Lords" because I don't understand the analogy.

A few years ago, Corey Connors made the tournament as an amateur.  He was thrilled to play with Mike Weir, one of the best Canadian Golfers ever, in the Masters.  I suspect the Latinos America Amateur Champion is going to get to play with Angel Cabrera this week.

Dottie Pepper once told said that one of the highlights of her career was to play with LPGA founder Louise Suggs in the Dinah Shore Tournament (Closest LPGA tournament to the Masters).

Its a tournament that marries the past with the present, and I wouldn't want to change.  Anyone remember the third round leaderboard in 2016.  Check out who was TIED for 3nd going into the final round.

2016 Masters Third Round Leaderboard:

Rickie putting his way out of contention.
Hope Henley wins this.
At the other end of the "leaderboard", Luke Donald's warm up for Hilton Head not going well at all.

Could be a bittersweet Masters for:

Ernie Els
Jim Furyk
Steve Stricker
Lee Westwood

I am not bullish on any of these players ever returning to the Masters, especially Stricker.

Westwood will be back . . . . . as Champion . . . . .

Two man race in Houston so far, Kang & Henley, with Luke listing and Rickie's putting gone fowl.
Luuuke separating himself from the arse-end of the field.

super_realist wrote:Christ, How hard is this to understand?

Have players CAPABLE of winning in it, not hasbeens who are there because they won it 20 years ago.

If it is so easy to understand then why are you so loathe to set out some specifics about the extra players you would add to the Masters field?

Would it be based on OWGR, Fedex rank, ET rank or what?

It is a bit ad hoc to just ask Gmac along every year until you deem him not capable of winning.

GPB wrote:Could be a bittersweet Masters for:

Ernie Els
Jim Furyk
Steve Stricker
Lee Westwood

I am not bullish on any of these players ever returning to the Masters, especially Stricker.

Interesting spot GPB.

The categories that got them in this year were;

Els - Winner of one of the the last five Opens (current OWGR 404)
Furyk - Top 4 2016 US open (top 50 at end of 2016) (57)
Stricker - Top 4 2016 Open (111)
Westwood - Top 12 2016 Masters (top 50 at end of 2016) (53)


Els or stricker probably need to finish in the top 12 this year because it would be hard for them to turn around their OWGR ranking or get to the tour championship.

For Furyk or Westwood it wouldn't be a major shock if they finished the year in the OWGR top 50.


Out of interest what other majors are Lee and Jim qualified for this year?

Mac,
Don't you get the basic Golf websites, pgatour.com for instance:
Furyk: US Open
lw1: The Open,
Plus both will surely be in the PGA, and will most likely qualify for the other "open" that they're not currently in.

Daniel Berger's not in my top 100 favourite golfers, but I can see him with a very strong e.w. chance next week: Currently about 80/1.

Kwini

Why look myself when people on here are so helpful.

Looks like Pat Perez's summation was pretty spot on re Tiger. Its a sad way to go out for a bloke that was truly amazing with a golf club in his hand. His relationship with the media isn't great either so it's hard to see him do a Faldo into the commentary box.

Scare at bedtime Kwini? interesting article on Robert Mercer - http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/03/27/the-reclusive-hedge-fund-tycoon-behind-the-trump-presidency

Yup, I think I linked his wiki page a few weeks ago. Scary people out there.

Another superb effort from Rahm; he's relentless, a little bit like the Jordan Spieth of a couple of years ago.

Looks like a miracle in Houston with a long line of storms an hour or two to the West. Should hold off, fingers crossed.

So at least Furyk will have a chance to get top 4 in this years majors if nothing else.



Anyone know why AGNC has built a multi million dollar media centre that will get used for 1 week a year?

Because they can.


"Russell Henley has a strong record here" . . . . . send commission cheques to kwini, VT.

kwinigolfer wrote:
"Russell Henley has a strong record here" . . . . . send commission cheques to kwini, VT.

Good call Kwini, I thought he was too far back to overtake Rickie & Kang but -7 today including a bogey & a double, very impressive.

Mac - Augusta National is a surreal sort of place. It's smack dab in the middle of an "alright" area, but once you enter the property you will be hard pressed to find a stick out of place or an errant weed anywhere. I like the "restroom pavilion" at the far end of the course that, like the media center, is used but one week a year. The link is somewhere on this site, but check out what they are willing to pay for some of Augusta CC's property. $15MM ++ to extend a hole or two?

Mac,
You could also take out a loan and pick up a copy of the April Golf Digest.

Engine failure for The Mechanic on his final Champions Tour hole, double bogey, including a 3-putt, so into a play-off with Whiskey Sauers.

Kwini

Just another quickie, is Beef qualified for any of the years majors at the moment?

Just The Open, Mac. And the PGA if he is in the owgr Top 100-ish.

And The Mechanic stalled in the play-off, looks like Sauers won.
EDIT: Not sure about that, contradictions abounding on pgatour.com. Aaah, pgatour.com changed the scoring. Checkered flag for Miguel after all. Quite right too.

Good Masters warm-ups from Langer & Stricker, T3.

We all love golf. But in sports reporting, here anyway, the winners are usually read out after the rugby results at the back end of the sports news, apart from the Majors. The only time this does not happen is when people look at the sport and go WTF. Which is how it seems to be this morning after the ladies event and the penalty on Lexi. What other sport allows someone to ring in and report something? She got a four stroke penalty for that? She should have just put the ball in the hole instead of marking it mind. I would bring in a rule that says within 1 foot you have to putt out after your shot.

I reckon Westwood will be back at the Masters next year after his forthcoming joint 8th place.

That was compelling viewing (if not outstanding play) and, although she did not win the tournament, Thompson really held it together. Tough break and all this call-in stuff is goofy IMO.

Crazy stuff, there needs to be better rules brought in around it.

Westwood is a foul individual. His response to the Lexi incident was just sour graps about someone actually capable of winning a major.

@LeeWestwood wrote:You know all this rules confusion could have been averted if Lexi just mastered the art of marking and replacing the ball in the same spot.

And Lee could have won a major if he had mastered the art of not choking around and on the green when in contention.

I think Lee has a point. Interesting that not many people have commented on the actual incident, instead choosing to comment on the aftermath

Thank goodness the dreaded drink had put me to sleep by then. What a mess. Surprised there hasn't been an Executive Order returning the title to Thompson.

Hadn't noticed this before but the forecast for Augusta is now showing cool weather and high winds (20 to 25 mph) for both Thursday & Friday.
With greens mown to a stimp of about 20, there'll be rulings aplenty with balls moving all over the place and an even more funereal pace of play than normal. More congenial (sunny and seventies) forecast for the weekend.

Davie wrote:I think Lee has a point. Interesting that not many people have commented on the actual incident, instead choosing to comment on the aftermath

Yep, he does have a point. The root of the issue is her messing up the marking of her ball, its just that everything that has come after such a tiny mistake has been a massive overreaction.

I think Lee's still sore that viewers could not turn over the "Hand of God" game.

Shotrock wrote:I think Lee's still sore that viewers could not turn over the "Hand of God" game.

At least he will get a blue passport and a war with Spain. Good ol times.

At least SIX European Tour members, plus a few from other Tours, earn owgr points in Houston.

Kraft earns none, Murray earns none, but no doubt they still feel aggrieved. Pair of tosspots.

beninho wrote:

Davie wrote:I think Lee has a point. Interesting that not many people have commented on the actual incident, instead choosing to comment on the aftermath

Yep, he does have a point. The root of the issue is her messing up the marking of her ball, its just that everything that has come after such a tiny mistake has been a massive overreaction.

Aah the rules-are-rules fascists are back again... it's the same with the saudi boy stealing a bread. Yes we know the rules, but the punishment should fit the crime. And then the 'crime' should be discussed.
And there's clearly something wrong with the rules when such indicent can cost you 4 shots.

And in this case I think lw1 should shut his pie hole. Clearly an arrogant, patronising and inappropriate comment from someone with an unprecedented record in blowing majors.

I think fascist is a little strong. Did she or didn't she break the rules?

I've already stated that I think the double penalty is harsh

McLaren wrote:Westwood is a foul individual.  His response to the Lexi incident was just sour graps about someone actually capable of winning a major.

@LeeWestwood wrote:You know all this rules confusion could have been averted if Lexi just mastered the art of marking and replacing the ball in the same spot.

And Lee could have won a major if he had mastered the art of not choking around and on the green when in contention.  

Probably an unnecessary thing to say, but doesn't he have a point?

kwinigolfer wrote:At least SIX European Tour members, plus a few from other Tours, earn owgr points in Houston.

Kraft earns none, Murray earns none, but no doubt they still feel aggrieved. Pair of tosspots.

Jeeez, let it go.

edit....

And BTW, believe it or not, I agree with Westwood. And I have seen many players that have been careless marking and replacing thir golf ball. World Class elite players. Maybe not as egregious as what Lexi did, but definitely not in the same location.

Depending on the tolerance, it nearly impossible to replace in the SAME EXACT spot. The Rules of Golf should specify a tolerance like +/- 5 mm. Between placing a coin down and replacing a coin, there is going to be an error margin.

How often does ANY experienced golfer, Amateur or Pro, mark their ball in more than one different way? Really, really weird and can't imagine what her auto-pilot was thinking, her brain obviously wasn't.
Makes one wonder how many armchair referees are going through reels and reels of video trying to find similar transgressions.

Meanwhile, Pro golfers routinely get bogus drops for technicalities; very bizarre.

If you remember the clog that the fat Saltman brother got for dodgy ball marker activity, it's not surprising that this one got coverage.

good point Kwini, she gets stung for 4 shots, and placed her ball no nearer the hole. Philly Mick sticks in the trees in Mexico, claims he was going to play an underside down back to front spectacular and gets to move it out!

I sometimes double (or even triple hit) chips due to being effing crap at golf. My mate insists on penalising me a couple of times on each occasion for hitting a moving ball as well as the double hit. He has been known to rack these up to 4 penalty shots for one misdemeanor. What's the most penalty shots you can get per shot?

MontysMerkin wrote:I sometimes double (or even triple hit) chips due to being effing crap at golf. My mate insists on penalising me a couple of times on each occasion for hitting a moving ball as well as the double hit. He has been known to rack these up to 4 penalty shots for one misdemeanor. What's the most penalty shots you can get per shot?

Why does he take it so seriously?

He's taking the piss out of my ineptitude.

Can you get multiple penalties? You are on the first green. You commit an offence like incorrectly placing your ball. 2 strokes. It then moves at address. 1 stroke. You have fifteen clubs in your bag. 2 strokes. Plus however many strokes you took on the hole.

MontysMerkin wrote:I sometimes double (or even triple hit) chips due to being effing crap at golf. My mate insists on penalising me a couple of times on each occasion for hitting a moving ball as well as the double hit. He has been known to rack these up to 4 penalty shots for one misdemeanor. What's the most penalty shots you can get per shot?

Good question Monty.  I had a weird moment out on the course yesterday as I preparing to play a greenside bunker shot:  

Tee shot on par three ends up in bunker
Drop club which hits sand - testing the surface, 2 shot penalty
Club also hits ball moving it - causing ball at rest to move, 1 shot penalty
Bounce game so I didn't move it back, knifed it out into what looked like deep into the woods - playing from wrong spot, 2 shot penalty
Dropped another ball - stroke and distance, 1 shot penalty for lost ball
Hit it on green
Hole putt

I hit the ball four times on that hole, five if you count the club falling on it, and walked off with a ten which was two more than the combined score of my three friends!  Would I have been DQ'd for playing from the wrong spot or does the loss of that ball negate that?  If it was medal play I would have moved it back but was still in a FFS who cares at that point.

1GG, I'm surprised your friends were able to complete the hole. They must have been killing themselves laughing.

Yep, after I holed out I said "Hey, that's a sandy!" to much laughter and they found the ball that I thought was lost. Definitely a case of if you can't par this hole you must suck.

I see Rory's signed a 10 year extension to his Nike contract...

Be_the_ball wrote:I see Rory's signed a 10 year extension to his Nike contract...

Hope he signed it correctly. Otherwise it's 12 years..

pedro wrote:

Be_the_ball wrote:I see Rory's signed a 10 year extension to his Nike contract...

Hope he signed it correctly. Otherwise it's 12 years..

Ok ok, he's "looking forward to the next 10+ years as a Nike athlete"... Although he has a habit of not reading contracts so who knows

My tips

1. Dusty Johson
2. Fowler
3. Walker
4. Grillo

Ps. Give it a rest Choker Westwood.

Stud,
Enter sportform's competition on the Masters Competition thread.
I'll give you a start:
Day
Scott
Leishman
Luck
Then you just have to muster up two other choices.

EDIT: Ooh, Forgot about Pampling, just one to pick then.

Pity Badds' and Chalmers' wins didn't count - you'd've been all set.

Is Danny Willett really serving cottage pie as a starter for his Masters Dinner? That's a bit eccentric isn't it??