PGA Tour: Tour Championship - What a Difference a Year Makes: Notes from the Ballwasher

1).Well done Marc Leishman - a dominating win at the Beemer and now one of the FedEx Five who control their own destiny going in to East Lake action, along with Spieth, Thomas, DJ and Rahm.
Just a year ago, Leishman finished 68th in the season-long standings after a season derailed by his wife's frightening sickness in April. He was only six months removed from his excellent Presidents Cup singles win over Jordan Spieth and seemingly on his way to establishing himself as a top player on Tour.
Now we're beginning to see that potential realised, but what a difference a year makes on Tour.

2).Some of last year's FedEx leaders have fallen foul of injuries and/or illness, McIlroy obviously, Ryan Moore, Jimmy Walker, Sneedeker, even Day & DJ.
Whilst others have lost form, or interest, or both:
Bubba obviously, but possibly Adam Scott, Stenson, Russell Knox, even Patrick Reed has been way below his best. And Players winner Si Woo Kim has twice as many w/d's (6) than top 25's (3), surely a Tour record?
Holmes, O'Hair and McGirt have traded Tour Championship play for invitations to next month's Dunhill in Scotland.
Whilst police are still looking for the Robbie Castro who finished 17th at East Lake just a year ago.

3).But what of players who ARE at East Lake?
Tony Finau has made it and that's not a huge surprise.
But Xander Schauffele is unexpected. To say the least. Among the more "diverse" of Tour players, ethnically anyway.

4).But even Schauffele's appearance pales into insignificance to that of Patrick Cantlay - keep an eye on his meteoric rise up the owgr rankings, especially if he stays healthy.
He closed out last year at #1,866 and Tlast on the owgr's, not having played for more than two years, no owgr points since July 2014.
This season he played his first tournament since then at Pebble Beach in February, and has made every cut this year in the eleven events he's played.
And, even if he maintains a "normal" Tour schedule, he still won't have played the owgr tournament minimum of 40 events until spring of 2019 - so his ranking divisor of "40" won't change in that time.

5).We know all about Jon Rahm - Cantlay could rival Rahm's ascent if he can only throw in a win or two.
But even that seems unlikely to make him smile. Callow youth. Time to smell the roses Pat.

6).Justin Rose is back from his post-Augusta swoon, seems to be holing a few putts these days and certainly not someone anyone would count out any time he tees it up. Even though it's almost 2 1/2 years since his last Tour win. Getting a bit streaky in his old age, but on a roll now.

7).Some relative youngsters are playing well again, Woodland, Gary Stanley, Henley, Simpson and Perez. Kuchar too, though his last win is 3 1/2 years in his rear mirror.

8).Rickie Fowler and Sergio just missed out on last year's Tour Championship, 31st and 32nd respectively. Imagine Shotrock and McLaren were beside themselves watching Sergio take his drop at #18 last Sunday.
Hey, blame the Tour's officials - they allowed golf to be shown in its worst possible light, with an apoplectic Johnny Miller leading the anti-Europe/Sergio vitriol. At least he didn't need half the gallery to help him move a boulder out the way.

9).The Tour's 2017/18 schedule is now published if probably not finalised. "Puerto Rico" is on the calendar, at least until damage reports come in following Hurricane Maria, and the Dominican Republic event reaches the BIG Tour for the first time.
But "Houston" and Tiger's "National" are sponsorless; Houston seems good to go but the National, that was launched with such fanfare just a decade ago, seems about to be extinguished. No word from Woods on that. Of course.

10).East Lake is a much more attractive viewing experience with the nines having been switched. And last year we sat through a terrific finish. Thanks Rors.
Casey, Rahm, Rose and Sergio are the only Europeans left standing; perhaps Rosy can bring home the Championship but can't see Spieth letting the FedEx Cup slip away. It'll be Hotlanta this week - presumably the course took a soaking from Irma, but it's forecast to be dry all week so should be a fair test for all.
And the web.com Finals continue in Cleveland. Matthew Southgate has secured his 17/18 Tour card, Cejka too, but Seamus Power needs at least one more strong week to join them.
Lots to play for this week, but where will all these golfers be this time next year?

Cheers kwini.
Isn't Cantlay the guy who witnessed his best mate/caddie being run over by a car? No wonder he isn't grinning like Kuchar.

pedro wrote:Cheers kwini.
Isn't Cantlay the guy who witnessed his best mate/caddie being run over by a car? No wonder he isn't grinning like Kuchar.

Yup, Had forgotten about that. But he'd better get over it if he plans to enjoy the ride he's on. No point in coming across as a miserable git all yer life. Is there?! Tough to pull for him as he is.

Spieth is the only Fedex Cup champion to be at East Lake this year which seems a bit weird.

Despite his good form he hasn't won since the Open and in order to win the Fedex I think he will have to win the Tour Championship due to the way Johnson, Thomas, and Leishman are all playing.

Like you though Kwini I think he'll do it.

Also I quick word on Hideki, #1 on the rankings going into the playoffs after his win at the Bridgestone and T5 at the PGA Championship his results since have been poor at best with a MC, T23, T47 seeing him fall outside of the Top 5. So it is now out of his hands and even if he wins on Sunday he has to hope neither Spieth or Thomas are his nearest challenger.

Not exactly the PGA Tour, but occasional poster "Mary"'s son, Steve Surry, looks like he'll sleep on the first round lead on the Sunshine Tour - he had a nice result recently so it looks as if he's keeping his good form. Hopefully for the rest of the week.

Pretty good scoring at East Lake, Paul Casey pr1ck-teasing the lead again, just two strokes behind. Amazing run of form he's on, and fast closing in on the career Top 50 earnings. Imagine where he'd be if he could convert his nearly-man finishes into wins:

Wins: 1
2nd: 7
3rd: 4
Top 10: 47

And $11M in the bank over the past three seasons.


wire: Terrible front nine from Hideki today - Nick Price must be having kittens.

Early starters getting going at the Tour Championship, but in the web.com Finals Seamus Power has shot himself into the Top Ten with a Round 2 of 65 - two more of them and he'll be able to make plans for the autumn's PGA Tour tournaments, the US ones anyway.

Talking to myself here, but Casey's going crazy - can he keep it going?

Spieth's looking a beaten man - surprised at that, but wouldn't count out Jon Rahm.


Meanwhile, Seamus Power having another super day at the web.com Finals - certainly can't take anything for granted but another good round on Sunday will see him going back to the PGA Tour with a good "reshuffle" number.

Casey for sure hasn't got a recent history of closing deals. Hope he does this time though.

kwini

I haven't watched any golf since the Open and follow whats going on through your great posts, and some social media, so didn't see the pea brain incident. Sounds like he got through anyway.

At this stage I doubt anyone cares but the play offs are an odd idea. Maybe its a cultural thing but I follow sports where the winner of the season long event has to be the best over a whole season. The point being I don't and probably never will have much interest in the closing stages of the fedex cup.

Justin Thomas won the league.

Fair enough Mac, and no question the "Play Off" concept is contrived.
Having said that, the tournaments bring top-class golfers together and are high quality, exciting (usually) events.
Casey's record in them is extraordinary, but always close, never getting the job done.
A win this time could bring him the $10M - good for him if he does it, he's stretched the field and, if he can shoot under par, there's not many who can catch him.
Big IF though.

Plus: the web.com Finals are also interesting; this week's venue (Canterbury) might be a better course than East Lake! Big chance for Seamus Power.

Bank holiday weekend here in the West of Scotland and what with an Old firm game yesterday I did miss much of the golf but I since caught up with some highlights.

Still off tomorrow and in front of the TV now, just in time for Casey's weekly collapse.

I hear you Mac, it is a strange to us that a team or person could have an average season, just sneak in, hit form at the right time and go on and win the entire thing but it's very much the norm in the US.

Anyway still not betting against Spieth taking the FedEx although he has taken his time showing up.

The sponsor (Fedex) puts in tens of millions and they want excitement to the very end. Which they also got this year.

We haven't used the term 'choker' for a while. But I think Casey is starting to deserve the label..

pedro wrote:The sponsor (Fedex) puts in tens of millions and they want excitement to the very end. Which they also got this year.

We haven't used the term 'choker' for a while. But I think Casey is starting to deserve the label..

Agree about the FedEx thing, exciting tournament and a whodathunkit winner.

Not sure about Casey - he was an excellent closer in Europe, a super Ryder Cup player so we know he has the right stuff. A couple of bad breaks early in his round today and it seemed to get to him. Sorry to see it. But you've got to play East Lake from the fairway and he went through a spell where his driving went haywire and he couldn't overcome it. But his cash register keeps ka-chinging. I think he'd do well to rejoin the European Tour, if only to redefine his focus.

Sorry Kwini but he's just narrowly missed out on $10m and has had his best season for ages - why on earth would he decide to uproot his new family and come back to Europe?

Smithers,
I reckon that's a very good point; but I think he'd benefit professionally from having his focus diversified.
But, as someone who's never been anywhere close to making a million in a year, still less win a pro sporting event, who would I be to say?
I just want to see the Euros be successful.

I'd say Seamus Power has done enough to re-earn his Tour card - but double-bogeying #18 two days running does him no favours whatsoever.

Know we keep talking Southgate, but:
Five footer for birdie on the 15th today, ball hits a leaf blowing past whilst in motion and veers left. Taps in angrily for a par, signs the scorecard... then told he should have replaced his ball and retaken the putt. Two shot penalty for that, further two shots for signing an incorrect scorecard.

Meanwhile I see Malnati is the first golfer to come out pro kneeling. Doubt there'll be many more.

Hadn't seen that Ned, ridiculous for Southgate. But he's still on the BIG Tour next year.

Malnati seems to be a really good guy who "gets it" big time, probably in a way that most of his peers do. Sponsored by Major League Baseball and doubt if he has a long career in front of him, but the sort of bloke you'd like to see on the Players Advisory Committee.

SmithersJones wrote:Sorry Kwini but he's just narrowly missed out on $10m and has had his best season for ages - why on earth would he decide to uproot his new family and come back to Europe?

Doesn't have to uproot his family, he could easily play half a dozen events like many European PGA players do, and it would hardly be too much of a hardship to join the tour if he wanted to play Ryder Cup (not that he does it seems). Rose does it, Donald does it, why couldn't Casey?

People go away for work all the time, plenty of us will go away for a week several times of year. Can't see it being a problem for Casey (should he wish to do it.)

NedB-H wrote:Know we keep talking Southgate, but:
Five footer for birdie on the 15th today, ball hits a leaf blowing past whilst in motion and veers left. Taps in angrily for a par, signs the scorecard... then told he should have replaced his ball and retaken the putt. Two shot penalty for that, further two shots for signing an incorrect scorecard.

Meanwhile I see Malnati is the first golfer to come out pro kneeling. Doubt there'll be many more.

How can that possibly make sense? I bet he was really happy after the additional penalty.

NedB-H wrote:Know we keep talking Southgate, but:
Five footer for birdie on the 15th today, ball hits a leaf blowing past whilst in motion and veers left. Taps in angrily for a par, signs the scorecard... then told he should have replaced his ball and retaken the putt. Two shot penalty for that, further two shots for signing an incorrect scorecard.

If that happened to someone at my club I would have sympathy. But not a professional golfer. Very foolish of him not to know the rules when he is playing for his livelihood. Actually just lazy really.

SmithersJones wrote:Sorry Kwini but he's just narrowly missed out on $10m and has had his best season for ages - why on earth would he decide to uproot his new family and come back to Europe?

This is a good point. Casey has been settled in the US for many years. There's little rationale for him to leave the US unless he's going to get huge appearance fees.

Only bit I would disagree with is use of the word "narrowly". Only 3 shots back but in reality it looked like he was a million miles from winning on Sunday.

i generally consider myself good with rules and ive never heard this before.....
so if your ball hits a leave you have to take the shot again?

hend085 wrote:i generally consider myself good with rules and ive never heard this before.....
so if your ball hits a leave you have to take the shot again?

I read it that the leaf hit his ball after he'd hit his shot and while it was in motion, if that is correct I also haven't heard before that you must replay it. What rule is that under? Is it the same if a leaf or helicopter seed thing lands in front of the ball after you've hit it and knocks it off line? I thought it was just tough, get on with it wherever it ends up.

If an animal moves it you just put it back where it was moved from don't you? Do you have to replay if the ball hits (say) a bird whilst in flight?

So if your drive lands and rolls through some leaves you have to retake the drive?

Re Casey. There's always a reason for not making a score. Not hitting any fairways or not scrambling well qualify equally to be labeled a choker as not making the putts.

Casey posted one of the worst scores of the day, despite holding a 2 shot lead. I call it choke.

Rule is different if on the green or not. Not on the green it's apparently "tough" play it where it ends up unless (19-1a) it lands on something moving in which case you drop it where it should have stopped. If deflected on the green though you replay the shot, no penalty

Rule 19-1
If a player's ball in motion is accidentally deflected or stopped by any outside agency
, it is a rub of the green, there is no penalty and the ball must be played as it lies, except...

b. If a player's ball in motion after a stroke on the putting green
is deflected or stopped by, or comes to rest in or on, any moving or animate outside agency, except a worm, insect or the like, the stroke is cancelled. The ball must be replaced and replayed.
Two shot penalty for breach.

Can't work out now if you're on the green and a helicopter thing is blown in front of the ball but it is stationary before the ball gets to it and is deflected. Not a moving or animate object at the point of contact just a loose impediment. May be a ruling somewhere but not found it yet.

Not a rule I'd guess most people were aware of, certainly I thought you just got on with it like Southgate did.

Regardless, it's a stupid rule and should be changed/modified. Punishment (4 shots) doesn't fit the crime.

Hi turnip,

Hope all is good at L on S.

Very weird situation with Southgate - almost feel as if I've seen "seeds" falling in line of a putt and super-slo-mo highlighting the fact.
All apparently blissfully unaware of the circumstance that undid Southgate.

pedro wrote:Regardless, it's a stupid rule and should be changed/modified. Punishment (4 shots) doesn't fit the crime.

I don't think the rule about dealing with a deflected ball is stupid. It's fair to me. Southgate got penalised for his cavalier attitude to the rules. What I think is stupid is when players get penalised twice for a single mistake. OK he made a mistake, 2 shot penalty, done. He shouldn't get a second 2 shot penalty at the end of his round for signing an incorrect score.

Here is the incident, "leafgate".

http://www.golf.com/tour-news/2017/09/24/pro-golfers-ball-hit-blowing-leaf-leads-four-stroke-penalty

It's the twitter video at the bottom of the page, not the main studio discussion at the top.

Aren't the air molecules the ball is moving through after the stroke "moving or animate outside agency"?

Cheers turn.

I'd have got that wrong if it had happened to me. Kind of makes sense but I wonder if there will be an increase in claims of "moving leaf" to give another go at a missed putt!

I also dislike the double penalty aspect, if I've got it wrong penalise me there and then and I'll change the score accordingly, or at least before I return a signed card if not "happily" then certainly willingly. Although I guess the "double penalty" was introduced to prevent instances of disqualification which would have been the case previously. 4 shots and (possibly much?) reduced prize money probably more palatable than DQ and nish cash.

Does the 2 shot penalty for signing for a wrong score in a similar circumstance apply to amateurs now or are we still DQ?

If someone is given a penalty, yet does not know he had a penalty until after he has signed his scorecard, how can it be fair that he gets penalised for signing an incorrect scorecard.

This seems a strange rule, as in theory it is in the players advantage, he could be well of line and gets hit by a leaf he gets another go. Suppose if you are playing the game for a living you should be aware of every rule, especially the ones in your favour

Southgate should still have "Finals" money to earn his card, though. Despite being ranked 20th and only 25 qualifying, he's $10K ahead of 26th place and that should be sufficient, the $ amount of his penalty only amounting to about $170.00.

But surely golf has a responsibility to make any penalty fit the crime?

kwinigolfer wrote:

But surely golf has a responsibility to make any penalty fit the crime?

Life ban for spitting in the cup?

;)

McLaren wrote:

kwinigolfer wrote:

But surely golf has a responsibility to make any penalty fit the crime?

Life ban for spitting in the cup?

As the cup is on the green, would you demand a rule whereby spitting on the green = life ban?

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2011/feb/14/tiger-woods-spitting-fine

McLaren wrote:

kwinigolfer wrote:

But surely golf has a responsibility to make any penalty fit the crime?

Life ban for spitting in the cup?

Sergio Garcia, 2017 Masters Champion. How does that grab you? Must hurt.

Spoiler:

The caddie merry-go-round continues with Steve Williams's part-time gig with Adam Scott ending at year's end as Scott returns to a full-time caddie again next season.
David Clark gets the job again for Presidents Cup work, but no idea if that will become a permanent appointment. Williams carrying the bag for events in China and S.Korea (nuclear warfare permitting) but after that, who knows?

2019 Presidents Cup in Melbourne will be held Dec 12th - 15th.
Wonder how many US-based players will fancy those dates?

Navy

I was definitely rooting for Rose. 


Kwini

Will they be worried about missing out on Tiger's free Owgr points hand out?

Mac,
Didn't think of that, sure the WC is a moveable feast.
But US-based golfers weren't too keen on the WGC MC when held there. And I'm thinking of blokes now like Day as well as the US.

Bob costas gets it. What chance is there that a golfer takes the knee?


I would guess pretty unlikely.

See Ned's post on Sunday, confirmed here:

http://www.golfchannel.com/news/golf-central-blog/tour-winner-malnati-offers-support-anthem-protest


Since then, some other less-than-luminaries have come out in support of his statement.

But sure the establishment will match your expectations, Mac.

The whole thing is beyond ridiculous anyway, anthem played at every possible opportunity, and often presented in a self-serving way, a performance. Daft.

kwinigolfer wrote:
The whole thing is beyond ridiculous anyway, anthem played at every possible opportunity, and often presented in a self-serving way, a performance. Daft.

If playing the anthem gets an anti Trump protest going why wouldn't you play it at every opportunity?

All a bit childish, both sides. But their anthem is sacred to them, just as the flag fellatio and stretch march are. A different world.

http://www.golfchannel.com/news/golf-central-blog/love-national-anthem-not-time-protest


Davis Love with the anthem party line - comparing apples and oranges, just like his president. Heads in sand.

Pretty much as expected from DL3. What a tool.


And he didn't disguise his racism very well.

"I think you’ll see in golf that there’s a little bit more restraint,”


Substitute restraint for racism.




It is stuff like this that means I am a player but not fan of the game. 

The PGA Tour is hardly awash with Americans of colour now, is it? It would nice if some felt they could act in solidarity with those that feel the kneeling for the anthem is a fine way to protest. Trump doesn't listen to anything nuanced (I doubt he knows what the word means), so it should be no surprise that he gets an extreme response. He owns this.

I'm not sure we can conclude DLIII is racist from what he says, but it's surely every individual's decision to protest, if they want to, how they like. Enshrined in the Constitution, Land of the Free and all that...