PGA Tour: Barracuda / Bridgestone: Notes from the Ballwasher

1).The summer's "International Swing" is over, Play-Offs are looming, and so is the desperate scramble for PGA Tour pros to secure "status" for the 2017/2018 season (which starts in ten weeks' time!).
With so many FedEx points to be earned, in Ohio and Nevada, and many journeyman players having to sit and watch next week's PGA Championship at home, it's now or nearly never for many "notables", both American and "International" pros.

2).Top 125: Players otherwise still exempt for next season who are currently at risk of missing out on the FedEx Play Offs include:
~117th: Bubba Watson!
(Bubba, Charley Hoffman and Phil Mickelson are the only three golfers to have reached the BMW (3rd) Round of the Play-Offs, for the Top 70. Bubba needs to get his skates on just to qualify for Round 1.)
~123rd: McDowell - not playing this week so may be resigned to his fate.
~129th: Badds
~131st: Kaufman - who's smylieng now?
~141st: Lowry
~149th: Furyk - Tough to believe that Sonny Jim is exhausting his exemptions; but like Goosen (160th), KJ Choi (180th), Mahan (194th), Harrington (196th)and Els (210th) has a career earnings' safety net.

3).Top 125: Well known players who have no exemption for next season and may not reach the Top 125 include:
~120th: David Hearn - has been in respectable summer form but pulled a clunker in native Canada when he needed a strong result. Playing Barracuda.
~121st: Ogilvy - returning to Reno where he won the Barracuda a few years ago.
~124th: Tringale - Rickie Fowler's former flat-mate has hit a speed bump in his Tour career. Once one of the top players without a win, he's struggled all year.
~128th: Summerhays - seems to have been up with the leaders a lot since Memorial only to fall at the last.
~133rd: Varner - as Matt Jones would tell him, a nice win in Australia does nothing for you on the PGA Tour.
~134th: Ryan Palmer - has been distracted by family health concerns and may be in for a "compassionate" extension.
~145th: Matt Jones - has finished 126th twice, and 127th once, in FedEx points - frustrating for the sweet swinging, quick playing, Aussie, but results recently fail to match his talent.
~147th: Troy Merritt - all his stats are mediocre, at best.
~148th: Kjeldsen - Some good work in the spring but not good enough if you're only playing 15+ events.
Outside the Top 150, are Ben Crane (151st), Boo Weekley (165th), Ishikawa (171st), Johnston (182nd), Cabrera (190th), Senden (206th, but hopefully due for a compassionate extension), Freddie Jac (218th - injured? Again??). We could lose them all.
~126th: Seamus Power has been in good form recently, has played well enough to show he belongs, and one trusts he can keep it together at Barracuda and Greensboro.

4).Top 200: Of secondary importance is the imperative to qualify for the web.com Finals, open among other qualifications to players ranked 126th to 200th in FedEx points. As things stand, that's a destination for:
Sam Saunders, Sabbatini, Gonzo, Greg Owen, Cejka, Chris Stroud, Bohn, Johnson Wagner, Ricky Barnes, Robby Castro, Will MacKenzie, Romero - all of whom are regular attendees.

5).Presidents Cup: US Team for Captain Steve Stricker:
Currently the leading 10 qualifiers are: DJ, Spieth, Thomas, Berger, Koepka, Fowler, Kisner, Kuchar, Chappell, Hoffman - That's 5 FIVE! golfers who have neither Presidents nor Ryder Cup experience.
Two Captain's choices will be added: Patrick Reed is 11th in qualifying points, followed by Harman, Dufner, Snedeker, Woodland, Steele and Mickelson (17th).

6).Patrick Reed has been spinning his wheels all summer, playing almost every week with diminishing returns. Take a break! . . . . . but that's not likely. He's played seven weeks on the trot (slipping from 17th in the owgr's to 25th), plays Bridgestone and the PGA, followed by Greensboro and Northern Trust both of which you'd expect him to play as recent past champion. You'd think Stricker would want a rested Reed but that ain't likely.

7).Presidents Cup: International Team for Cap'n Price:
Qualifying positions currently occupied by: Matsuyama, Day, Scott, Charl, Louis, Leishman, Grace, Si Woo Kim, Jhonny Vegas, Grillo. Half of that lot are conspicuously out of form so Nick's Picks will be important. Just outside his Top Ten are:
Tanihara, Hadwin, Ben An, etc. Not much form there either.

8).Exciting finish at Glen Abbey last week - Jhonny Vegas became the 3rd player to successfully "defend" his title this season, and in the process halted two notable streaks:
~8 wins by golfers in their 20's.
~11 wins by Americans.
Difficult not to feel that Charley Hoffman rather threw this away with so many chances going begging by not getting his putts to the hole. He should know better.
And Well Done Ian James Poulter. A 3rd place finish represented his 9th straight cut and lifted him from 205th to 62nd in owgr terms in the last 5 months. A couple more decent finishes and he'll be in the Top 50 where he will tell you is the very least he deserves. After the summer he's had, who could disagree?!

9).No Poults this week as we return to boring old Firestone - a fine challenge for the best in the world, but little pizzazz on this testing Par-70 in Akron, Ohio; just two Par-5's and, unless the Tour sets up the course with some unforeseen imagination, one of those is a true 3-shotter.
And no Lowry this week either as Shane gets scant reward for winning here two years ago. Less prestigious events give past champs a 5-year exemption but no such luck in WGC's unfortunately.
I like the past two winners that have actually qualified, Rory and DJ, but with their form on the blink, you'd think longer odds longshots would offer better value, each way. Can Rafa C-B continue his form? Or (one-time local boy) Dufner?
And, for a much longer price, I kinda like Kyle Stanley's chances on this fairways-and-greens type of course.

10).One thing's for sure in Reno, venue for the opposite-field Barracuda Championship. No Masters invite for the winner, but most of the other perks for a winner are available, including the final spot in next week's PGA Championship.
The jazzy Jack Nicklaus design, Montreux G&CC, will offer a festival of birdies and eagles encouraged by the "modified" Stableford scoring system, and some of the most spectacularly scenic views on Tour. It's going to be hot. Very hot. 100+F hot, at altitude which possibly(?) makes it feel even toastier. Survival of the fittest.
Experience has helped since the points scoring system was adopted, with Geoff Ogilvy, Snakey Chalmers and JJ Henry (twice) among recent winners. Harrington is in the field and he played well here before. And a BIG week is imperative for his compadre Seamus Power.
Whatever happens at Firestone and Reno, a small handful of pros will have extended their careers by a year or more, while others will know their last chance saloons are in North Carolina, at the PGA Championship in Charlotte (for some) and Greensboro.

If B-Stone champs got a five year exemption a guy ranked 1046th would have an exemption for this year and next year.

Bubba definitely could use the Free FEX pts welfare this week. Bubba would have not qualified for the B-Stone had it not been for OWGR recognizing Hero World Challenge as a OWGR worthy event. Guaranteed FEX point this week could definitely be the difference of Bubba going to play the Northern Trust and someone (Seamus Power?) not keeping his PGATour Card.

It situations like this why I am against the HWC getting OWGR recognition. The 100K guaranteed paychecks is incentive enough for these players to go to the Bahamas.

Also noteworthy is NBA star Steph Curry playing the Web-event this week. Little to no chance that he makes the cut, but I have seen reports that ticket sales are 10x from last year. Admittedly, I am curious in seeing how he performs.

GPB,
Just highlighting the inequity of the WGC past champions benefit, that's all - not all Status Category 17A exemptions are created equal.

As for the Hero WC, couldn't agree more.

Given Bubba's typical autumn schedule, if he doesn't make the cut at the Northern Trust, his free fall will be unusually precipitous, not unlike the pickle that Furyk finds himself in.

It looks as if Adam Scott will be missing Rounds 1 and 2 of the FedEx Play-Offs, on paternity leave. In The Bahamas. Probably the bright spot for him in a really crummy year.

GPB wrote:If B-Stone champs got a five year exemption a guy ranked 1046th would have an exemption for this year and next year.

Bubba definitely could use the Free FEX pts welfare this week.  Bubba would have not qualified for the B-Stone had it not been for OWGR recognizing Hero World Challenge as a OWGR worthy event.  Guaranteed FEX point this week could definitely be the difference of Bubba going to play the Northern Trust and someone (Seamus Power?) not keeping his PGATour Card.

It situations like this why I am against the HWC getting OWGR recognition.  The 100K guaranteed paychecks is incentive enough for these players to go to the Bahamas.

Also noteworthy is NBA star Steph Curry playing the Web-event this week.  Little to no chance that he makes the cut, but I have seen reports that ticket sales are 10x from last year.  Admittedly, I am curious in seeing how he performs.

See Kafelnikov.

Likely similar to Kafelnikov, but like others interested in seeing, just in case. What is he, +1 (US h/cap system)? Should theoretically be miles behind (around 6 - 8 shots off cut at a guess if he plays OK).

What is the modified stableford? 0 for par, 1 for birdie 2 for eagle etc and -1 for all bogey and worse?

8 for albatross
5 for eagle
2 for birdie
0 for par
-1 for bogey
-3 for double or worse.

--------------------------

Who woke Russell Knox up?
Top four names on the leaderboard at the mo are last four winners of WGC-HSBC Champions . . . . . .

Ta Kwin. null points for Faldo at Muirfield then!

Paul Lawrie playing well - he and Knox are (temporarily no doubt) tied for the lead in the two-man national stroke play event . . . . . . .

Are DJ and Rory back?

Cheers Kwini, great stuff from Poulter last week. Good to see him in some form. Squeeky bum time for Power, potentially every shot counts from here in (don't say that to him though ). Its been a strange season since the Masters, Jason Day completely vanished (focus on mum I expect), Rory's never got going, DJ not a force either and Matsuyama failed to carry his early season form over. I've been giving Rory a hard time re his pick of Harry to take over on the bag, I hope I'm proved wrong and they kickstart their season here, course suits him and no cut to worry about...

kwinigolfer wrote:8 for albatross
5 for eagle
2 for birdie
0 for par
-1 for bogey
-3 for double or worse.

--------------------------

Who woke Russell Knox up?
Top four names on the leaderboard at the mo are last four winners of WGC-HSBC Champions . . . . . .

Who'd've thunk it? Padraig -3 after his first hole. Not the albatross that would normally get him off to a storming start, but a double bogey.
Compadre Power having his clubs checked on the first tee - good luck to him.

Curry beat one of his playing competitors, Sam Ryder, incidentally who just won a tournament on the WEB-Tour.

Respectable 74 for Steph.

I wasn't expecting him to break 80.

Well done.

BTW...I see Michael Sim from Australia. I have always hoped he would make a comeback. Got up well inside the Top 50 when he was playing the Webbie tour in 2009. Qualified for the 2010 Masters but an injury prevented him from playing.

Good for Steph!

Always suspicious of young amateur golfers coming out of Australia these days. Are Curtis Luck and Ryan Ruffels the latest version of Badds and Scott, or Flanagan and Sim (born in Scotland incidentally), or even Brady Watt and Ollie Goss? Guys like Cullen have crashed and burned on the E.T., none really forced their way through, though Jason Day did it his own way.

Bubba, Ben Martin and Ryan Palmer doing themselves some good, Seamus Power just going through the gears - hope he finds the right ones.


EDIT: Interesting that the Reno field has 133 golfers; strange number, not sure why.

Sang Moon Bae is getting discharged from the Korean Army in a couple weeks, going to start his comeback in a Korean tournament next month.

He has full status on the Tour next season.

GPB wrote:Sang Moon Bae is getting discharged from the Korean Army in a couple weeks, going to start his comeback in a Korean tournament next month.  

Unless Kim Young-One goes ballistic..so to speak.

GPB wrote:Curry beat one of his playing competitors, Sam Ryder, incidentally who just won a tournament on the WEB-Tour.

Respectable 74 for Steph.

I wasn't expecting him to break 80.

Well done.

+4 is good work, brought it back well from dropping (I think I read) 3 in the first 5 - including his tee shot on the first that apparently ended up in a golf buggy!

How did Paul Lawrie get into the Bridgestone?

He won an event in Safrica.

Hole in one for Steph..

http://www.golfchannel.com/news/golf-central-blog/watch-highlights-currys-webcom-debut

He's playing so well the Golfchannel didn't bother to mark him as amateur on the scoreboard.

It's going to be a very dodgy day for weather at the Bridgestone; storms and occasionally strong winds - tee-times already delayed half an hour.
Andres Romero off to a decent start - he was 6th here ten years ago. And 63rd at his next effort. T9 overnight, which Romero will turn up for Rounds 2, 3 and 4?

Tiger now fit enough to catch a lobster.





https://twitter.com/TigerWoods/status/893445391722713088

McLaren wrote:Tiger now fit enough to catch a lobster.





https://twitter.com/TigerWoods/status/893445391722713088

Good for him, that's good to see.

The lack of competitive golf has clearly hit him hard, he's had to cut back on the number of chins he supports by 7 or 8.

Tiger Woods, big game hunter. He'll be appearing on Stan Kronke's new TV channel next!

He might be gearing up for an appearance on that Sky Sports Carp fishing programme that was always on around the Golf repeats, Tight Lines or something?!

There has to be a Woods tight lines euphemism?

Dunno but some smart arse on twitter commented "it must beat diving for crabs at the waffle house", cruel but

Jon Rahm 5 over so far today wtf?!?!

Be_the_ball wrote:Jon Rahm 5 over so far today wtf?!?!

One of your picks B-T-B?

And DJ +4 after 8 - some shockers out there and lw1 and Perez looking as if they're happy enough to pocket the $50+K and book off to Charlotte.

But Seamus is Powering along in Reno, Greg Owen too, amazingly enough - assume he'll self-destruct as soon as he glimpses a leaderboard.

Hopefully the rain delay gives em a chance to right whatever's wrong INW, thankfully there's no cut.

Kwini, he who shall not be named (for the fear of jinxing him) is goin along nicely. Greg Owen has talent, I wish he'd have sought out a Bob Rotella earlier in his career (ok, after the API he nearly won) if he'd learned to get out of his own way who knows what a career he'd have had. There were definitely a few wins at least in there. Wonder if Rory reminded 'arry to pack the umbrella

McLaren wrote:Tiger now fit enough to catch a lobster.





https://twitter.com/TigerWoods/status/893445391722713088

and shortly after he pulled a black tiger shrimp..

Some tee times for next week:

https://www.pga.com/events/pgachampionship/tee-times

Looks like someone else has dropped out but not yet sure who that is.

pedro wrote:

McLaren wrote:Tiger now fit enough to catch a lobster.





https://twitter.com/TigerWoods/status/893445391722713088

and shortly after he pulled a black tiger shrimp..

From a golf point of view quite an interesting picture and indicative of his terrible training regime. Big arms and shoulder but looks like he's sitting on a chicken. Those lower legs are tiny. All that power going through knee joints protected by very little.

Kwini, I think it maybe Scott Piercy who has withdrawn

OK, Thanks sirb.
Not sure what's ailing him, except a supersize ego . . . . . . some very good results at big events, just never seems to win 'em.

Scott Brown up to first alternate and he's almost sure to get in, earn the slot of the Bridgestone winner provided he's already exempt - just about a racing cert.



GPB must be excited . . . . . . .

Excited? for Scott Brown? I don't get it.

Not sure why World #3 (Hideki) got paired with Els and Poulter

and why World #9 (Noren) gets paired with a club-pro and Knox.

McLaren wrote:Tiger now fit enough to catch a lobster.





https://twitter.com/TigerWoods/status/893445391722713088

Inspired by? (Guess it's putin-take..)

McLaren wrote:Tiger now fit enough to catch a lobster.





https://twitter.com/TigerWoods/status/893445391722713088

Nice shellfish. Tiger didn't fancy taking on one with claws then? Maybe a few more reps...

GPB wrote:Not sure why World #3 (Hideki) got paired with Els and Poulter and why World #9 (Noren) gets paired with a club-pro and Knox.

Is there any (or supposed to be) any structure or pattern to the pairings? I've often thought it was random.
I know that some tournaments put "marquee" players out togther at the "best" times, but apart from that, can someone enlighten me?

Thanks.

Dominant start from Pieters so far!

It's definitely not random pairings.

The PGA almost always pairs the Masters-US Open-Open Champions together.  (and they did this year)

And former PGA Champions get paired together (Like Mickelson-Dufner-Walker)

Featured pairings are not random on the PGATour.  Even though Xander Schauffele and Jordan Spieth fall in the same group of A-Players (recent winners), there is no way that Xander is going to get paired with Spieth in the opening rounds of a regular tournament.  

In the FEX playoffs, they pair the players by FEX Ranking.

In the non featured pairings on the PGATour, they are random (more or less)

===========


Spieth paired with Kuchar tomorrow.

Greg Owen found out he was in the lead so he thought it was most appropriate to finish off with a 7..

At least the European Tour website got a picture of "Greg Norman" with his clothes on.

EuroTour's bio of Greg Norman:

Some really shocking scores at the tail end of the wgc field! Polloi I

GPB wrote:At least the European Tour website got a picture of "Greg Norman" with his clothes on.

EuroTour's bio of Greg Norman:

Nothing worse than a man as vain as Greg Norman, he loves himself. Weirdo.

pedro wrote:Greg Owen found out he was in the lead so he thought it was most appropriate to finish off with a 7..

Recovered today tho, hope he kicks on and wins it.

Seamus could do with a few birdies too...

Be_the_ball wrote:

GPB wrote:At least the European Tour website got a picture of "Greg Norman" with his clothes on.

EuroTour's bio of Greg Norman:

Nothing worse than a man as vain as Greg Norman, he loves himself. Weirdo.

Greg looking a lot like Anders Hansen these days

I wouldn't begrudge Charley Hoff a win here, he's been great this season and has a big tournament in him. Pieters having a mare on the greens.

Luke Donald should study ZJ's game in detail and tweek his own to match it. On paper theres no way ZJ should be any where near the top of this LB.

Eagle on 18 for Seamus, that can only help