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

First topic message reminder :

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?

navyblueshorts wrote: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...

Exactly, so why is the team captain trying to stop his players from taking the decision to protest if they had wanted to?

McLaren wrote:

navyblueshorts wrote: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...

Exactly, so why is the team captain trying to stop his players from taking the decision to protest if they had wanted to?

Is he? Really? Reads to me as if he thinks no-one should protest during their Anthem, but I don't think that's the same as actually telling his team not to engage in any protest.

Navy

When the guy in charge of you at "work" says something like that it is intended to send a message.

What is DL3 the captain of now?

Technically he is an assistant captain but the message has a similar purpose.

I'd think the captain of a Ryder Cup team is a role with more in it than the Captain of a football team. There's not much more useless positions than that.

DL3 basically says NFL footballers are a bit unsophisticated. Which they are. Mac translates that to being racist, which makes mac a racist. Which we already knew.

Doesn't Mac realise that American footballers can be white?

Mac is such a benevolent leftie/sexist/gay rights activist etc. I doubt he genuinely believes half of the things he says, he just does it because it sounds right on.

McLaren wrote:Navy

When the guy in charge of you at "work" says something like that it is intended to send a message.

Really? Needs to be explicit for me. Too open to interpretation otherwise.

Navy

Lets face it, #SB2K17 are hardly likely to join the protest whatever DL3 has to say. It will however be interesting if big cat will have anything to say on the matter.


Super

Are you sure you mean benevolent?

And yes I understand that some players are white, but the protest is about the treatment of black people.

navyblueshorts wrote:The PGA Tour is hardly awash with Americans of colour now, is it?

Don't know about that. I see plenty of colour on the PGA Tour. Mainly red. In the neck region.

McLaren wrote:Navy

Lets face it, #SB2K17 are hardly likely to join the protest whatever DL3 has to say.  It will however be interesting if big cat will have anything to say on the matter.


Super

Are you sure you mean benevolent?

And yes I understand that some players are white, but the protest is about the treatment of black people.

Was thinking much the same thing. I won't hold my breath that he'll do anything 'controversial' though.