PGA Tour: The Byron Nelson - Finale at Las Colinas: Notes from the Ballwasher

1).What a performance at The Players last week, but from an unexpected source (or two)!
Si Woo Kim first earned his Tour card at the age of 17 when he was below the minimum age for Membership! He played the web.com Tour in 2015 to win some pocket money and re-qualified for the Tour Membership that he couldn't take up for the 2015/16 season.

2).He was enjoying a solid "rookie" season when he played well at the "Barbasol" only to lose in a play-off to Aaron Baddeley - he rather fluffed his lines that day, but made no mistake when he ran away from a decent field in Greensboro to win by five strokes. Middle rounds of 60 & 64 will do that. He carried his fine form thru the FedEx Play-Offs  and finished 10th in the Tour Championship. . . . . . . .

3). . . . . . . . and promptly played his first 18 x 2016/2017 tournaments without a Top 20 finish, just about last on Tour in several ball-striking categories. If The Players had been a horse-race there'd've been a Stewards Enquiry, and probably investigations into unusual betting patterns.
No argument about last week's win though; it seemed every missed fairway, and there were plenty, was followed up by a successful scramble, some brilliant. By the time he made the turn, courtesy of a huge slice of luck on #9, he was clear of the field and seemed to play the back nine in third gear as challenges receded. Only half a dozen players (all who've played 20 events) have teed it up more times than Kim's 19 this year and persistent back discomfort seems to have persuaded him to call in sick this week.
He's something of a protege of KJ Choi, and KJ and one or two fellow countrymen followed Kim over his final few holes at the "Barbasol" - good to see that week, and now he's almost a dead cert for Presidents Cup play.
One thing: He reckons that if he wasn't going to be a golfer, he'd've been a professional footballer - not with that shape you wouldn't, mate.

4).And then there was Ian James Poulter - what's not to like about his performance last week?
OK, Golf Channel, you've picked plenty of holes but screw you, this was Poults almost better than his best, and in the process ensuring his "playing privileges" for 2017/18 (Rafa too) almost certainly into the PGA, and in good form as the points are counted down to Open and US Open qualification. And, remember, this Open is at Birkdale where IJP runnered up behind Harrington in 2008.

5).Some epic collapses at TPC Sawgrass, and not just by JB Holmes who's been there and dome that, notably at Harrington's PGA at Oakland Hills. Weird though, in that he's played very well with the lead, too.
Rahm's 3rd round 82 was his worst score on Tour by 6 strokes, and what's with Kuchar, cruising in with a 3rd round 81? (A very uneven season for Kooch so far, not sure why.)
Spieth and Justin Thomas missed out on Sunday play, where Jason Day ballooned to an 80, just to keep McDowell & Rose company. Don't often see such carnage, especially on the weekend.

6).Amidst the "international" flavour of the leaderboard, it's easy to forget the interesting trifecta of the three Americans to finish in the Top 11, Stanley, Glover and Steele, all in dire straits a couple of years ago because of their putters:
Steele had to migrate from his anchored style which he campaigned vigorously to hang on to. Fair to say he's probably transitioned just about as well as anyone.
Glover and Stanley because they couldn't hole a thing. A few years ago I watched Glover 5-putt from 4 feet at Oak Hill, whilst a year later we hung around the putting green in Montreal while Stanley struggled to hole 3-footers. Great ball-strikers both and very happy to see them both somewhere close to their best.

7).A long ago "Byron Nelson" was only the second Tour event I'd followed, the final year, I think, at Preston Trail, a parkland course with nice elevation changes in the salubrious North Dallas suburbs. It was a good course, a fair test, but either the members wanted the Tour gone or the Tour wanted to capitalise on a TPC they'd just opened in non-descript Las Colinas.
Jay Morrish is labelled as the architect with an assist from Byron Nelson, but Morrish must have been drinking and Nelson losing his sight because they conjured up 18 of the most boring holes you'll ever find in championship golf. D.A.Weibring put his name on a much-needed tarting up a few years ago, but it still ranked 49 out of 52 courses rated by Tour Pros six years ago. Two examples of the snarky comments:
"The worst course we play on Tour, Just terrible all round."
"It's a 4 (out of 10) because I like D.A.Weibring. And it's a good thing there's a Four Seasons there." And I can vouch for that.
Las Colinas is a dump and the course fits right in.

8).But wait! After 35 years the Tour is taking its Dallas stop to Dallas again. Imagine that! They're off to a 400-acre tract south of the City including a disused landfill that the architectural cavalry of Coore and Crenshaw have turned into "Trinity Forest Golf Club", next year's Byron venue. This is what pgatour.com had to say about it:

http://www.pgatour.com/long-form/2017/05/16/early-look-trinity-forest-att-byron-nelson.html

Looking forward to seeing it.

9).Anyway, there's an interesting field turning out to say goodbye this week, quite a few top players, and dozens at the lower end. Dustin Johnson is here, coming off his best ever Players result (12th), former champ Day looks to rebound, and so in their various ways do Spieth and Garcia, who beat Koepka in last year's play-off. Brooks is back, plus Charl & Louis, and Kuchar.
Poulter leads the Europeans, at a place where he has some form, but otherwise they've mostly taken an early flight to Wentworth.

10).No brilliant ideas for the winner, but Spieth badly wants a "W" in his hometown and DJ has six straight Top 20's here. Sergio would love to win a third time at the tournament which gave him his first Tour invitation. He finished 3rd that week, in 1999.
Ryan Palmer and JJ Henry have local ties and occasional good form here and may be worth a longshot look.

But, despite the harping and carping about the course, this is one of the best-run tournaments in the country with one of the largest contributions to charity orchestrated by the Salesmanship Club of Dallas. As one of those Tour Pros said about the place:
"It's a great event, a great charity but just not a good piece of architecture."
Can't have everything I suppose.

Good report Kwini, one nitpick:

Si Woo Kim finished 10th in this season's CIMB Classic.

PGATour opens a London office. EuroTour cannot be pleased

http://www.golfdigest.com/story/the-pga-tour-reportedly-is-setting-an-office-up-in-london-is-a-turf-war-near

Drat,
Nitpick: I KNEW he'd done that! 10th in the CIMB, just forgot!!

I think a European presence, not necessarily a tournament unless it's a WGC, is a good move for the PGA Tour - I wouldn't see anything too sinister, but always good to see how the other half lives.


It looks like a windy day in Big D for Round 1, and they could be dodging stray storms for the first three rounds. But definitely blustrous on Thursday.

Good read as usual, thank you once again for providing this and all its golfing literary brethren Kwin.

Interesting on the PGAT office in London, although not a huge surprise for the pre-eminent professional golf competition organisers in what is a truly global sport (or game...) to have an office in one of the largest business centres in the world.

Wonder what it's true purpose is though. Perhaps it's to speed up play by taking a drop by the hazard rather than returning to the tee, just a provisional or a course management ploy around a tricky risk and reward hole...

needlessly cryptic*, I know

*dribble

Cheers chaps,

Unusual prices for the Byron Nelson. PPower is "offering":
4/1: DJ
12/1: Spieth
14's: Day, Sergio & Koepka
28/1: Bar those

I like Koepka out of that lot, Danny Lee (100/1) e.w. best of the rest, but definitely good value away from the top five. Still expected to be quite windy and this course always looks quite exposed. We'll see.

Cheers kwini, great stuff as per usual! I've always had a soft spot for this week, one of the last few associated with a legend. Is the Memorial now the actual last?!?!

Wasn't there rumblings a few years back of hosting the PGA Championship in NI, i seem to remember McDowell saying it could happen at Portrush... The R&A weren't too happy if I remember correctly..

Im down your neck of the woods this week Kwini, staying in Winchester, flew into Southampton. If I had played my cards better I could have gone to see Southampton v Manu last night, if i could have gotten a ticket that is. No golf while I'm here unfortunately!

Jon Rahm is signed up to play the Irish Open, looking forward to seeing him in action.

Can't see past DJ this week!!

B_t_b,
You should have given puligny or drive4show a shout, they'd've enjoyed a game . . . . .

Doesn't sound as if you missed too much at St Marys, this season has rather petered out, hasn't it?

4/1 is a great price about DJ - if he wins! But awfully short, especially with the forecast being a bit fickle. Be nice to Hampshire.

I think we have a hat-trick of legends' associations coming up, Byron Nelson, Colonial (Hogan), Memorial.

Action starting shortly.

Plenty of nice looking courses around the area Kwini, no Golf bats with me this time though unfortunately ...

Yeah, the API, Nelson, Colonial & Memorial were the ones I was thinking of. Only Memorial left with a living host. Tiger very much in the modern era.

Top 8 finish and above Bournemouth for the Saints, I would say they'd have taken that at the start of the season. 0-0 last night, but would have been a novelty for me...

I'm never inclined to contribute to the takings of PP,  the odd flutter's okay, but there's too much gambling going on imo, "in play" and "acca's" and all that stuff, too many ppl being sucked in.

I was surprised to hear that Harry Redknapp has a night club in Portsmouth, I asked the cabbie do ppl from Portsmouth actually go to it? and he laughed and said "when they're not trying to burn it down".  

Yup,
Sounds like betting is becoming way more pervasive than when I used to run a book at school.
PP is the easiest site for me to access; but there's plenty of great value on US Tour events.

Two holes, two birdies to start with for Poults.

(And imagine 'Arry is "surprised to hear" he has a night club too . . . . . . )

Excellent piece Kwini. Coore and Crenshaw don't seem to mess up so already looking forward to seeing what they've done down Texas way - at least players won't need water wings!
We got coverage Sunday of featured group out early - Phil Mc and LW. Plenty of errors from both, but really enjoyed watching it yesterday. Reckon they could put it out as a 'here's how to enjoy a round of golf' item.
Just settling down to watch golf from Sicily - fabulous 127 yard par 3 with sea in background. Puts some, at least one, similar length par 3 I've seen recently well in the shade!
BTB - you don't need to bring bats to get a game in these parts!

Cheers puligny! It's been a bit changeable weatherwise the past couple of days, but beautiful today... as I sit in Southampton airport, always the way

Btb yesterday was a shocker, and it's now raining 25 miles north of where you are - hopefully just a shower but the grass will have to wait until tomorrow!

The magical start - birdied his first three holes - for Poults fizzled out, but even par is not too bad and conditions might be worse this afternoon.
No-one really setting 'em alight, six under leading.

Windy in Big D.
And JB Holmes continuing where he left off on Sunday - 84 then, and +7 after 12 holes today.

Not much good for the Spanish either, Sergio +2, Gonzo +3.

But promising for Seamus Power, and he needs some good results in his few remaining chances this season. Having a much better year, though, than many more vaunted rookies.

Im afraid to mention him by name so I don't put the mockers on him, but yeah very good opening round there!

Little blast from the past, remember these two shots from WGC playoff JD v Tiger? Classic

https://youtu.be/qf_Ja1MdJf0

I think that was one tournament, perhaps the only one ever, where Woods would have been perfectly happy to lose, or at least for the other guy to win. As it was, JD LOST it, perhaps the beginning of the end for his Tour career, downhill from then on.

Couldn't believe Daly won a couple of weeks ago, on the Champions Tour, only time he's been in the shake-up and running the risk of losing his card if he didn't improve this year.

First "Major" for the "Champions" this week, in Alabama.
The Mechanic tied for the lead, and Montgomerie, Jose Maria, Jesper, Chapman and Bernhard all in a T13.

Off and running for Round 2 in the Nelson, imagine the cut will be about +1 in calmer conditions today, which means Sergio is among those who need to get their finger out, Gonzo and Freddie Jac too.

Yeah he gave his putter to somone in the crowd that shouted they still loved him, then went straight to Vegas and blew all his winnings!

Be_the_ball wrote:Yeah he gave his putter to somone in the crowd that shouted they still loved him, then went straight to Vegas and blew all his winnings!

Sergio signs for a 65. Would be nice if Poults could produce something similar.
Scoring definitely better than yesterday and cut could go from +1 to even par.

No Rory for Wentworth. No word yet on Memorial.

What with Day and McIlroy taking it in turn to call in sick, Dustin should be Number One for years to come. And his 4/1 looks increasingly good value this week!

Grayson Murray with the round of the week thus far. 63.

World #1 flexing some muscles and good to see O'Hair make a cut.

Good lord.
Spieth registered a NINE on the par-5 16th and missed the cut. He'll be v.disappointed about that, but what do his recent performances say about his prospects over the coming months?
Another friendly track for him next week at Colonial. And then? Who knows?

super's favourite golfer running away after two rounds . . . . . . .

Local Qualifying for this year's US Open has been going on for a couple of weeks and those who advance to "Sectional" qualifying contains the usual vast majority of golfers we've never heard of.

But Billy Mayfair qualified, good for him for taking a break from his Champions Tour action. Dunlap & Wes Short also had a go.
College hot-shots (McCoy, Wilson, Niebrugge, Dru Love, Hossler etc).
A motley collection of fringe pro Tour players, a couple of Vermon'ers (would be nice if they actually played a qualie in N.New England, but no!) . . . . . .
And some English guys - Skinns, Horsfield and one-time Walker Cupper Matt Richardson is an "alternate".

Most intriguing name is Carter Page - would think he'd be spending most of his time under investigation for collusion with Russia rather than golf, but you never know.


Byron Nelson action off both nines begins at 10.00 a.m., CDT.

I guess the PGATour is the only tour with slow players.

Final two-some in Italy is going to finish in 4.5 hours.

Not too bad in that wind

Nice comment by Rich Beem. "I was much longer when the courses were shorter"

I'm never wrong wrote:Nice comment by Rich Beem. "I was much longer when the courses were shorter"

I really like Rich Been, he's great fun and always has something funny to say! It helps that he also knows what he's talking about especially in Texas.

Sergio looks to have borrowed someone else's putting stroke! Lovely round of golf so far!

Thats an unreal back nine from Sergio, 29! Super putting!

Sergio's going to have to come up with something special for the third day running on Sunday - good conditions expected, but three proven winners ahead of him and tied with Duf who's something of a course specialist also.

Playing in pairs tomorrow and starting early; DJ a couple of hours before the leaders, but he'll have to shoot around 60 to have a chance. And a 57 for Poulter would be just the job! Imagine he'll be focused more on the footie than the golf.

Beemer's the best!

PXG Golf will get some exposure tomorrow with Hahn and Horschel in the final group.

Seems storms have changed the tee times for Sunday? From an early start in two-balls to 10.00 a.m. CDT in threesomes.

Eleven golfers within four strokes of the lead at Byron Nelson. But that includes neither DJ nor Sergio - who has missed three putts inside six feet in his first four holes. Feet shot off early.

Meanwhile, a few hundred miles to their East, is the first "Major" of the Champions Tour with Langer ca-chinging his way to another big payday, four stroke lead with four to go. Stranger things have happened, but not many.

Hotting up nicely at the top of the leaderboard, Sergio's woken up with his usual putting stroke

Billy Horschel with something to prove this week? He took some flack on twitter after throwing his club in the direction of his caddy having just holed a chip last week. He even posted a reply -> Take a look at @BillyHo_Golf's Tweet: https://twitter.com/BillyHo_Golf/status/863413773004046336?s=09

He's playing great golf this week, Beemer fancies him to win it!

Quality playoff here, former World no 1 v's Fedex cup winner.

Fricking Sergio

Cost my first place in my yahoo league today.

Can't depend on him for nothing.

Great to see Day getting back to the top level, but nice win for Billy Horshel. Taking driver off the tee on 18 both in regulation and in the playoff paid off. Ballsy.

Yessss! Good to see Billy Horschel win again! Far too long for a player of his talent not to be winning...for me he still has major champion written all over him

Missed the last hour or so, but really happy for Billy Ho.

Having said which, Jason Day is most of the way back to his best isn't he?

EDIT: princedrac reports that Lee Westwood qualifies for US Open action. Good news.

Coincidence?
The final Byron Nelson at Preston Trail was won in a play-off with a one-time World Number One being beaten on the first hole by an established Tour winner. Watson that time, beaten by Bruce Lietzke - Lietzke had some serious surgery recently - anyone know how he's doing?

Now Billy Horschel has done the same to Jason Day. Trinity Forest GC for next year's Nelson.

It's too bad that one of the better tournament venues, Colonial CC in Fort Worth, on Tour suffers from a clash of dates with the PGA at Wentworth.

But the Dean & Deluca's field has some high spots:

Spieth, Horschel, Zach, Kisner, Kuchar, Mickelson, Moore, Schwartzel (must be doubtful?), Snedeker

Casey, Sergio, Laird, McDowell,

No Furyk (wonder why?), and shocked that Toms is playing the Champions event.

kwinigolfer wrote:
Having said which, Jason Day is most of the way back to his best isn't he?

EDIT: princedrac reports that Lee Westwood qualifies for US Open action. Good news.

Day missed a few on the greens that he would have buried when at his absolute best, trending in the right direction at the right time.

DJ had a bit of a 'meh'

C'ummon LEE!!

Confirmation that these Europeans have booked a US Open tee time:
Rafa, Fisher, Fitzpatrick, Fleetwood, Hatton, Molinari, Pieters, Rahm, Westwood, Wiesberger.


Day might have missed a shorty or two but his miracle birdie on #15 was vintage smelling-like-a-rose stuff from his best!

28 of the 43 PGATour Pre-Playoff Tournaments have been completed.

Of the Players not exempt past this season, who is in the "Danger Zone" of not reaching the playoffs and losing their 2017-18 Tour Card.  Here is a list of players, ranked 98th or worse in the FEX, and had Full Playing privileges through the 2016-17 season (No webbies)

Spoiler:

FWIW, #98 Holmes has 295 FEX pts and I am estimating that it will take 375 pt to make the playoffs.

Players exempt through 2018:

Players exempt through 2019:

Players exempt through 2020:

Players exempt through 2021:

Players exempt through 2022 Season:  Spieth, Garcia, DJohnson, SW-Kim

"Active" Players with Lifetime exemption: Woods, Mickelson, Singh, Love

Brilliant! Thanks GPB

Rory has played 6 PGATour events thus far this season, but only two them Un-co-sanctioned events. Along with the 3 WGC's and Masters, he has played Bay Hill, and the Players

Rory "has" to play 5 more un-co-sanctioned PGATour events (along with the majors, and B-Stone) to play the requisite 15 PGATour events

At this time, I think he planning to play Memorial, Hartford and at least three playoff events to get to 15.

He has pulled out of the BMW-PGA, and its conceivable that he won't play Memorial

Not sure if the Tour will give him a "Medical injury" benefit of doubt if he plays the big tournaments but doesn't play the un-co-sanctioned tournaments.

At 54th in the FEX, Rory is not a lock to reach the 3rd stage of the Playoffs.

Schwartzel has disappeared from the Colonial field - presumably because of the "wrist injury" which caused him to w/d on Saturday.

Billy Horschel's wife just revealed why Billy got so emotional after his win yesterday.

Brittany Horschel is an alcoholic, one year sober this past weekend.  She went into rehab for three months last summer.

After the Players Championship, Horschel only played the US Open, Open Championship, and PGA, until the Wyndham as he took on the primary care giver for their daughter.

Its in a Briittany Horschel tweet, but there is some

Spoiler:

in the tweet, so I didn't post it.