PGA Tour: Play-Offs Round 3: Notes from the Ballwasher

1).Plenty of prizes on offer this week as Round 3 of the FedEx Cup takes place at Chicagoland's Conway Farms, the BMW Championship.
70 qualifiers will be whittled down to the 30 likely lads who'll've earned a tee-time in Atlanta's East Lake for the Tour Championship.
And those 30 will earn a minimum of $135K just for playing in Atlanta, plus they'll qualify for Augusta, Shinnecock and Carnoustie.
Can't get too excited though; Robbie Castro made it to East Lake last year and this week finds him playing the WTF's in Idaho. Spuds in.

2).Business being business, the Tour avoided last week; perfectly understandable for the Big Tour to take a break but no idea why the web.commers couldn't play.
But at least it offered amateurs a glimpse of the spotlight in the Walker Cup - suffice to say that the Americans took advantage, GB&I did not, and the Cup returned to the USofA.
Scant consolation that last time a Team conceded 19 points it contained a 3-time Major winner of the future - not sure we should expect that this time around.
Back to Hoylake in 2019 where GB&I will hope to complete a hat-trick of home wins.

3).There has still been no announcement regarding the fate of the Dell Championship at TPC Boston, though no-one, broadcaster, sponsor nor Tour did anything to dispel speculation that it's a goner, if not next year, certainly in 2019.
I've never been to TPC Boston but it's not the most attractive course as I view from my armchair - just doesn't seem to flow.
An Arnold Palmer original (which seldom suggests a classic course), it's been re-done and re-tweaked again over the past 15 years and they still don't seem to have got it right, highlighted by Justin Thomas winning partly because he was able to hit his tee shot on #12 down the 13th fairway. Great. Not sure how many others chose that route, but no coincidence that the winners of the last five Play-Off events have been elite bombers. Chicks still dig the long ball - as does the Tour.

4).Jason Day won last time at Conway Farms and he's playing this week with a different caddie - Luke Reardon, apparently a friend - as Colin Swatton takes a break. Whether enforced or just cleaning up after the hurricane is not yet clear.

5).I've no idea if Conway Farms played a different set-up in 2015, when Day won, from 2013 when Zach Johnson won and Furyk shot 59. Will this week see bombers supreme or will average-length golfers have a chance?

6).So, just 70 golfers this week after losing some "notables" as 30 were eliminated at the Dell, including: Bubba (who says he'll take a 4-month break. Which would see him free-fall down the owgr's - and perhaps lose his caddie, Ted Scott, to those posting sit's vac?), Adam Scott, Knox, and Grace. The Top Twenty in FedEx Points are undoubtedly secure but there'll be some big names falling by the wayside, Stenson, Day, Garcia, Mickelson and McIlroy among those in jeopardy.

7).Sang Moon Bae has two wins to his credit and tees it up in Asia this week after two years of military service. Expect him back on Tour at the Safeway tournament at Napa Valley's "Silverado" where he won three years ago. Good player, only two years removed from his Presidents Cup debut.

8).Meanwhile, Round 2 of the web.com Tour Finals gets underway Thursday in Boise, Idaho, where Andrew Johnston clinched his Tour card last year with a 4th place finish. He probably thought every week would be like that, but his season rolled downhill from there.
Peter Uihlein won two weeks ago and that confirms his Tour card for 17/18, along with the unfunny slowcoach known as Ben Crane. Seamus Power got off to a good start two weeks ago, tied with Hunter Mahan and they're grouped together Thursday & Friday.
Brian Davis continues his comeback from injury, and Colt Knost's return from sick bay (or partying with Anthony Kim?) adds weight to the field.

9).Justin Rose has been playing better recently and he, Stenson and Day, look the best bets outside the DJ/Thomas/Spieth favourites. Europeans still "alive" in the Cup race, along with their ranking are:
5th: Rahm
8th: Casey
17th: Rose
26th: Stenson
34th: Sergio
42nd: Molinari
47th: Poults
49th: Laird
51st: Rory
60th: Rafa

10).Haven't seen any reports yet about damage to the East Lake course in Atlanta where the Tour will head next week. The Tour has an excellent record of remediating courses where possible - hopefully this will be the case this time.
No word either from the GC of Houston which looked like a huge lake, or from Sea Island in Georgia, home of November's RSM Classic.
Perfect here, leaves turning, fairways firm and green speeds fast.
And should be good conditions, at least for Rounds 1 and 2, in Chicago for the Beemer.

Good one Kwini, thanks. I shall be looking out for Poulter; not everyone's cup of tea I know, but I like him. GPB tells me he needs about a 5th or 6th place (solo) to advance to East Lake. I think that's a bit of a stretch, but if he keeps the one poor round off his card, which he is at fault for lately, my belief is he could get a top ten.

Hey all..

Sorry to have not checked in but all is fine with me, but for much of Houston metro area not so much. The benefit of living in a well engineered master planned community pays off once again, but lots and lots of lives forever changed close by.

Good to hear from you, robo.

Any update on GC of H?

"Houston" is receiving terrible views for reported antiquated drainage infrastructure - hope it's not as bad as your local-ish experts seem to imply, and hope the necessary infrastructure investment is forthcoming.

Keep safe,

Walker Cup - I wouldn't read too much into the U.S. drubbing of GB&I in the Walker Cup...

1st... I can't imagine a venue that gave more of a home course advantange than LACC. Mostly the greens. Very few of the GB&I players had ever experienced anything like the speed of these greens. Everyone was putting defensively, but it appeared to me the GB&I team was so befuddled by them they didn't stand a chance.

2nd... Not a lot of U.S. college experience by this crop of GB&I players. 4 of them by my count... David Boote, Harry Ellis, Paul McBride & Robert MacIntyre. And that experience showed at least somewhat... Boote wins his one singles match while MacIntyre gets a win and a half in his two singles matches. Ellis had just an awful time of it partnering with Alfie Plant, but played quite well against Thornberry & Morikawa in singles. Those two just weren't gonna be headed this week. And then McBride gets a point in his Saturday Foursomes. Experience MATTERS on courses like this, and outside of those 4, GB&I not having near enough of it was huge.

3rd... Momentum...Sometimes players/teams get it... and it's damn hard to head off once they do. Saturday singles getting turned around late was the key... and when GB&I couldn't stem the tide Sunday morning... it was over.

My guess is... the advantage shifts again in 2019 at Hoylake... and I wouldn't be the least surprised to see GB&I on top again.

kwinigolfer wrote:Good to hear from you, robo.

Any update on GC of H?

"Houston" is receiving terrible views for reported antiquated drainage infrastructure - hope it's not as bad as your local-ish experts seem to imply, and hope the necessary infrastructure investment is forthcoming.

Keep safe,

Kwini... as far as Houston and "infrastructure" is concerned... this was a time-bomb waiting to happen from mistakes that were made in development decades and decades ago. But still, nobody really expected 40-50 inches of rain.. sheesh... The problem is, going about 100 miles inland we are basically one big sheet of a coastal plain sloping gently into the gulf. When it rains, the water has to sheet off until it finds a creek, bayou or River. Then those drainage systems need to stay within their banks. But due to poor planning WAY, WAY back.. those channels are simply not wide or deep enough to prevent widescale flooding.

The only answer is in effect "reverse development". And in effect that is exactly what's been going on here for a couple of decades already. For instance, Trinity River basin used to be the worst of the Houston area flooding. But once the Federal Govt, State and Local all got to working together in the 70-80ish time frame... when areas flood, they are usually condemned, meaning no replacement or future building. So in effect the channel becomes wider. So today... flooding is every bit as bad in the Trinity basin as it's ever been... but you never hear of it anymore because there is virtually no remaining development within that corridor to get damaged.

That's what has to happen on a wider scale in the greater Houston area... and it will. But politically, you just can't kick people out of houses that "might flood someday" before they do, and that's been the problem. Now that many of those people well get their settlements or buy-outs... that flood prone house they lived in will be leveled and not replaced... thus the "channel" get's wider and wider, and there's less concrete to repel water. Upshot is once you get to that point... then meaningful flood control projects can take place within that corridor.

Painful as hell to many for sure... but that's the way it's got to happen... and over time it will.

I wouldn't complain if the dull East Lake got Irma'ed. Would only make the course more interesting, one way or the other.

Well it seems Day's longtime caddie Swatton is out for good. Two friends are caddying in the next few events while he thinks about his future options. Dunno what to make of this, maybe Day has spent too much time with Rory (in the gym most likely).

I was away all weekend and just now catching up with Walker Cup coverage. I still have the Sunday Singles to watch.

Poulter played with Jack Singh Brar during the Open Championship 11th hour qualifiers and he gushed about his future prospects.

I love the look of LACC. But I just don't see how it is going to handle the 2023 US Open. The course just doesn't look big enough to handle fans, let alone concession stands, port-o-potties. The walk from the 9th green to the 10th tee was about 10 ft and that look fairly typical.

And I agree with East Lake. Might be the most boring course on the Tour. Land Locked and in a very low income neighborhood. But it is a propaganda gold mine for the PGATour and Coca Cola and FedEx. I played the course 35 years ago when I was in college and it was really scary as it was the most crime ridden area of Atlanta at that time. Its much much better now, but still not great.

I guess the 2019 plan is for the Tour Championship to played on Labor Day weekend. I would like the tournament to go on a "rota". Pinehurst, Southern Hills, Oak Tree, San Francisco, Seattle.

Even go to some other Atlanta courses , Capital City Club, Druid Hills, Peachtree CC which are really close to downtown or even outside the perimeter highway (Atlanta Country Club and Atlanta Athletic Club) or even the Reynolds Plantation courses which is affluent residential sleeping community about 50 miles east of Atlanta.

Two Tour Championship venues in Oklahoma? I'd replace one with Oakland Hills or Chicago (is Butler National off the persona non grata list yet?). Even Hazeltine or Cherry Hills.


Fog in Chicagoland this morning, hopefully the 9.00 a.m. (local) start won't be affected. Poults off in the second threesome, Sergio & Stenson not far behind.

EDIT! They're off! After a 20-minute delay.

European Tour form horses:
It may not last but the Idaho WTF event is currently being led by Peter Uihlein and last week's play-off loser Scott Hend.
(Quite the travel itinerary for Hend & Romero: Ohio, Switzerland, Idaho.)

Another horrendous day on the greens for Rory, "strokes gained putting" shows he lost 2.27 strokes putting, his season long ranking presumably due to dip from 128th. Can't blame JP.

Par looks about 69 at Conway Farms, not the most demanding test of the year.

McIlroy should just call it a day this season and try and start afresh next season as someone ranked about 15th.

I agree entirely. Ranking isn't all that for him right now. If he has trust in his ability, take the break get to full fitness/rest-ness and by playing well next year the ranking will take care of itself.

Maybe he should take up caddying .. JDay?

Rory caddying for JDay? 50/50 on who'll get injured first.

Ben Crane gets 2 (TWO) 4 (FOUR) stroke penalties for having stickers on his clubs in Round 1 of the Webbie tournament.

http://www.pgatour.com/webcom/news/2017/09/14/ben-crane-penalty-albertsons-boise-open-presented-by-kraft-nabisco.html?cid=TWWCT

I can see no valid reason why he was docked 8 shots for having stickers on his clubs.

Seems harsh, even given that it's Ben Crane - but strange that he didn't check out his entire bag after noticing the first mistake.
Thankfully for him, he's assured of retrieving his Tour card based upon his result two weeks ago.
Now he looks to have been dq'd, which was probably a blessing in disguise. Not sure his transgression this time, three yellow cards?

beninho wrote:I can see no valid reason why he was docked 8 shots for having stickers on his clubs.

I'm sure the rules fascists can...

Can't understand why Tiger doesn't try this:

http://www.golfchannel.com/news/grill-room/tour-player-amazed-pro-am-partners-crazy-swing/?cid=rr_trending_p1

pedro wrote:

beninho wrote:I can see no valid reason why he was docked 8 shots for having stickers on his clubs.

I'm sure the rules fascists can...

It's easier to police a blanket rule than try to make case-by-case interpretations of what is and isn't OK. That's why you get no relief from a divot and can't repair spike marks on the green etc etc. It's not difficult...

Just the way the Tour likes it:
Cantlay joins the leaders after covering the front nine in five-under-par - after hitting just one fairway.
Don't you think the Tours have to strike a balance between distance and accuracy? Otherwise, what's the point??

Do you expect Conway Farms (and its membership) to grow 6" high rough and disrupt a significant chunk of its playing season so Tour Players don't go really low?

It would take a couple months for CF to grow thick long rough that will negatively impact scoring and then 3-4 weeks to mow it down to a playing length for the membership.

You just can't mow 6" rough to 1.5" in one swipe. You would scalp the grass, possibly killing it. You have to trim it down gradually, maybe a 1/2" at a time, twice a week.

Meanwhile you have negatively impacted the course for the membership for 3 months of a 5 month prime time playing season.

kwinigolfer wrote:Can't understand why Tiger doesn't try this:

http://www.golfchannel.com/news/grill-room/tour-player-amazed-pro-am-partners-crazy-swing/?cid=rr_trending_p1

I think Harrington is more apt to try that technique.

#Happy-Gilmore

GPB wrote:Do you expect Conway Farms (and its membership) to grow 6" high rough and disrupt a significant chunk of its playing season so Tour Players don't go really low?

It would take a couple months for CF to grow thick long rough that will negatively impact scoring and then 3-4 weeks to mow it down to a playing length for the membership.

You just can't mow 6" rough to 1.5" in one swipe.  You would scalp the grass, possibly killing it.  You have to trim it down gradually, maybe a 1/2" at a time, twice a week.

Meanwhile you have negatively impacted the course for the membership for 3 months of a 5 month prime time playing season.

Couldn't care less what CF do with their rough, just can't understand why the Tour plays such one-dimensional courses - I'm sure CF are receiving a big fat fee, so assume it's set up just as the Tour wants it. No complaints if Molinari wins though.
A bit tidier from Rory today; just a couple of 50-somethings over the weekend and he'll be back in contention.

one dimensional golf courses?

WTF is that?

I'm never wrong wrote:Good one Kwini, thanks. I shall be looking out for Poulter; not everyone's cup of tea I know, but I like him. GPB tells me he needs about a  5th or 6th place (solo) to advance to East Lake. I think that's a bit of a stretch, but if he keeps the one poor round off his card, which he is at fault for lately, my belief is he could get a top ten.

He is going to have to hustle this weekend to get there.

Poults realistically has no chance - he's never reached the Tour Championship in the FedEx age, and he'll fall short this year unless he nudges the 50's; twice. Laird & Rors also.

GPB,
I just don't much care for a succession of tournaments that favour the bombers to the extent these ones do.


Another good cut for Seamus Power to make - earning money, any money, is crucial in the WTF's - sorry Gonzo.

In 2013 at Conway Farms, the winner was Zach, and Furyk, Donald, Snedeker were in the Top 8.

this year, Molinari and Cink are in the top 5.

See Note 5). above.

And both Franny and Cink are among the top 50%, but take your point. I've a feeling the long ball will win the week though.

If anyone cares about the Vardon Trophy, Spieth had a 10 shot lead on Fowler going into the BMW.

after 36 holes, Fowler has made up 6 of those shots.

Excuse my ignorance, but what is the Vardon Trophy?

The Vardon Trophy is a award for having the lowest stroke average on the PGATour.

Never heard of that before. Always thought the Vardon Trophy was "Best Rookie" (despise that term)

An hour of play already complete at Conway Farms; any interest in Europeans surely is restricted to who will progress to East Lake, (unless Justin Rose goes low and Leishman goes high):

For this lot, the season surely ends here: McIlroy, Laird, Rafa, Poulter.

Stenson should move on if he shoots in the 60's, as will Sergio, and Casey is definitely OK.

Molinari probably needs a 66 or possibly 67 to move on, having taken a step backwards in Round 3.


At the WTF event in Idaho, Seamus Power and Alex Cejka could assure themselves of a 17/18 Tour card with good rounds today. Southgate and Straka have put themselves in position for a good cheque, but both probably need top ten results next week and/or at the Tour Championship outside Jacksonville (if the course is fit to play) to have a chance at PGA Tour membership.

Looks like Drumpf had the wrong man in his sights when he called the N.Korea berk "Rocket Man"; Wes Bryan round Conway Farms in well less than 2 hours.

Cejka has been around an absolute age, I remember him representing Germany in the team event at the 1995 Dunhill when I worked on the scoreboard as a callow youth.

Kwini did you see that David Skinns WD from the Web.com event from a top ten placing at halfway? Jumped in the car when he heard his wife had gone into labour. First time he's got into the finals series, only scraped in with a final round 64 to share runner up in the last regular event. Guess the rationale was that he'd have taken this a month ago

Ned,
Missed that completely; wonder how many children he has - some things you never get a second chance of experiencing, good for him. Mahan like.


super,
Hope the years have been kinder to you than they have to Mr.Cejka - though, once again, this is gravy compared to where he was 40 years ago.

Another young gun with a decision to make as Can-Am prodigy Austin Connelly pretty much secures his ET card for 2018 in Holland.
A few youngsters who'll be doing a bit of thinking in the coming weeks.


Disappointing last two holes for King Louis - he'll be a bubble boy for the next five hours, probably along with Jason Dufner. Doesn't matter how much money you've got in the bank, a $135K payday, minimum, is tough to ignore.

Stenson sunk.

Garcia & Franny still in with a good chance, both probably needing one more bird to clinch a FedEx Top 30.

Yup, Franny's putter let him down on #16, #17 & #18. Wish him luck in Italy in a couple of weeks.

Sergio needs to par in, not so easy from where he currently is.

kwinigolfer wrote:

Sergio needs to par in, not so easy from where he currently is.

He needs to stop wasting everybody's time and take a penalty drop. I didn't have much respect for Sergio, but I just lost what respect I did have.

SHEEEEEEEEEEEEEESH

Great par Sergio, Anyone would think the rules guys and officials were Spanish. Off to Atlanta . . . . . .

After getting stock from GPB and myself two weeks ago I see Southgate could seal a Tour card tonight. Fair enough. Surprised to see Tringale playing the Web.com, even more so that he still hasn't won on the main tour.

Par on the 18th should do it for Southgate; but Power failure for Seamus over his first twelve holes.
EDIT: Disappointing 18th hole bogey for MS; destiny must be even money now, this week at least.


Justin Rose in superb form this autumn, hope it inspires him to play some R2D events the next couple of months.

GPB wrote:

kwinigolfer wrote:

Sergio needs to par in, not so easy from where he currently is.

He needs to stop wasting everybody's time and take a penalty drop.  I didn't have much respect for Sergio, but I just lost what respect I did have.  

SHEEEEEEEEEEEEEESH

Do people actually say that GPB outside of Scooby Doo cartoons?

super_realist wrote:

Do people actually say that GPB outside of Scooby Doo cartoons?

I didn't know they said that on Scooby Doo cartoons. Apparently you are a Scooby Doo connoisseur. I bow to your expertise!

No need to be so defensive GPB, I was just asking, it just sounds an expression that you usually hear in your childhood or old seventies films where people were afraid of swearing.

A bit like saying "fiddlesticks" or "crumbs".