PGA Tour: Something Completely Different: Notes from the Ballwasher

First topic message reminder :

1).Not that different really, just a variation of the long-standing Shark Shoot-Out, but this week's "Team Event" in New Orleans will be the first official team event on Tour since the old Disney Team tournament of 30 or 40 years ago.
Nothing Mickey Mouse about this, the "Zurich Classic of New Orleans" has 160 Pros playing for $7.1M and media praising the idea of something different. Hopefully they'll be as enthusiastic come Sunday evening.

2).The format says:
Round 1 and Round 3: Foursomes - Trust that really means foursomes and not "greensomes".
Round 2 and Round 4: Fourballs. (Imagine they'll take an eternity, especially if the weather is half as bad as it's forecast to be this weekend.)

3).It's difficult to know what to make of most of the teams. One or two that stand out, not necessarily for strictly golfing reasons, include:
Jerry Kelly & Steve Stricker who have been playing together for about sixty years (seems like). Kelly is a former New Orleans winner so watch this greybeard partnership.

Rose & Stenson, Grace & Oosthuizen have established Ryder/Presidents Cup success. We know Rosy and Grace are in form, but are their partners?

English & Swafford are good ol' boys from Georgia, while Loupe & Peterson have been competing against and with each other for a decade.

The Koepkas presumably have a feel for each other's games, whilst Justin Thomas and Bud Cauley are both (Ala)Bama Boys, just not on the same team.

Danny Berger & Tommy Pieters could walk this if they're in form, but so could Darren Anderton & Rickie Fowler.

Bubba Watson & JB Holmes have dithered their way through the first half of the season, while Cejka & Kjeldsen badly need to work together for a good result. (Dark horses I would think.)

Aiken Boys Scott Brown and Kisner look a good team, not many will have better short games than Cameron Smith and Jonas Blixt, while none will be fitter than Hoffmann & Villegas.

And how's about Jordan Spieth & Ryan Palmer?

4).You probably saw the report that Spieth and Palmer were playing in Dallas with Harrison Frazer and Beau Hossler. And Palmer's caddie James Edmondson who had a side bet with Spieth: "If I beat you, you will partner Ryan at the Zurich". Edmondson is no ordinary caddie and duly beat the Spieth. Which is interesting in itself, but perhaps not as interesting as the question: What is the intangible that keeps someone like Edmondson from finding success in the Pro ranks?

5).Last week's winner, Kevin Chappell, teams up with Gary Woodland.
Chappell is someone who I've followed for ages, since he'd score tournament invitations as an amateur and fledgling pro. He finished 6th at Pebble Beach before he earned his web.com card, then looked a hot-shot brat when winning on that Tour. He was runner-up at the "Valero" as a "rookie", then finished 3rd in Rory's US Open. Then largely disappeared for 18 months.
He seems to have calmed down from his sometimes tempestuous on-course persona, had a terrific year last year, and will contend any time his putter behaves.

6).We ran through European golfers who needed to improve to secure their Tour status, and Carl Pettersson and Gonzo did the trick in Texas. Time for Johnston, Cejka and Kjeldsen, Power and Poulter to take advantage this week.

7).It's going to be a windy week in New Orleans, with the chance of strong storms on Sunday. I spent a long weekend in New Orleans in high summer's scorchio last year and, away from the squalour of Bourbon Street, what a good time we had! Fabulous food and music, and you can see why the New Orleans stop is so popular for some of the Pros - I wonder if they'd get more of the top players, though, if they could find a week on the schedule with a better chance of good weather?

8).No owgr points this week, and winning doesn't qualify you for The Masters.
The Top 50 in owgr points after this week will earn exemption into The Players - Lee Westwood pretty much the bubble boy; he's in if Chris Wood or Thongchai Jaidee don't win in China, and Wang doesn't finish in the top 17, according to princedrac.
Then, the Top 60 on the owgr list on May 22nd qualify for Erin Hills and the US Open. Perhaps Westwood's chances of qualifying are enhanced by not playing? Local qualifying begins this week.

That's it; looking forward to seeing how this experiment works out, and hoping its success is not compromised by crappy weather. The true indicator of success will be the Player Commitments for next year.

Nooses tightening in NOLA, all sorts of pursed lips and trembling knees, anyone would think they're playing for a million bucks.
Cameron Smith aging thru his teens, he'll be 19 by the time this wraps up.
Par-3 next.

Well done Cam Smith, Jonas Blixt!
Lots of fun, but what a different atmosphere out there in the play-off . . . . . .

Very interested to see how the players will react to this format - hope it's rewarded with an even stronger turn-out next year.

Cam Smith was near speechless after making the putt to win the Zurich. He literally could not talk in his talking head with Dottie Pepper.

Last three Aussie winners do not include Jason Day and Adam Scott. (Smith, Leishman, Pampling)

Its been nearly a year since Jason Day's last PGAT win and over a year since Adam Scott's last win.

GPB,
It must have been extremely tense out there; the four of them played well tee-to-green but were very tight putting.
Which might have contributed to Cam's choked-up state. Mind, Jonas Blixt can talk enough for the whole Tour, always seems a really good guy.
Which I imagine Scott Brown is too, always seems very popular among his fellow pros.

Cam Smith should get a look from Nick Price to compensate for no owgr's being awarded - the lad will be a star.

BTW, Nick Watney met the terms of his major medical this week. via dollars, not FEX points.

He is not eligible to play the Players.

So far, Five players have met the terms of their major medical in the 2016-17 season.

Watney joins Pat Perez (who won a tournament), Patrick Cantlay, Brian Gay, & Ian Poulter.

Just seen a tweet by Poulter. R&A and USGA looking into the use of green reading materials as they impact on pace of play. They say that reading a green is a skill that's part of the game. Quite.

I'm never wrong wrote:Just seen a tweet by Poulter. R&A and USGA looking into the use of green reading materials as they impact on pace of play. They say that reading a green is a skill that's part of the game.  Quite.

Honestly, who'da thunk it?

I'm never wrong wrote:Just seen a tweet by Poulter. R&A and USGA looking into the use of green reading materials as they impact on pace of play. They say that reading a green is a skill that's part of the game.  Quite.

I wonder will this include "AimPoint"?

Be_the_ball wrote:

I'm never wrong wrote:Just seen a tweet by Poulter. R&A and USGA looking into the use of green reading materials as they impact on pace of play. They say that reading a green is a skill that's part of the game.  Quite.

I wonder will this include "AimPoint"?

If they just had the balls to enforce their published time limits for each shot, they wouldn't have to ban something which is already ingrained in so many tour pro's m.o.. Given that they're opening the door, albeit slowly, to rangefinders, etc, don't see how they can close it on other "green-reading materials".
Poulter is spot on (except when he talks about "the exact pin position on the grind", don't know what he had in mind there, sounds a bit naughty) but not sure they're properly treating the disease of slow play.

Lasers would speed play up, green reading materials slow it down.

Only because they're allowed to . . . . . . .

Thread title: "Something Completely different."

I think that applies to the Euro event in England this week.

Agreed Kwini, if they ban AimPoint as well, that might just tip Adam Scott over the edge! First anchored putters, then AimPoint!! Can't imagine he'd be too pleased

Why not eliminate the course guide alltogether and ban taking notes? Maybe just provide a rough sketch of each hole. Then it'll boil more down to individual skills, judgments, assessments and experience. And speed up pace of play.

GPB wrote:Thread title:  "Something Completely different."

I think that applies to the Euro event in England this week.

Yes - I am very intrigued about the Golf Sixes event! I'll post something on the European Tour thread.

ray,
Are you going?
GPB will be pleased to note that neither Norn Iron nor Oireland is represented.

kwinigolfer wrote:ray,
Are you going?
GPB will be pleased to note that neither Norn Iron nor Oireland is represented.

Yes I am going on Saturday, it's only 20 mins from my house and advance tickets were only £6 for adults!