PGA Tour: WGC & Sanderson Farms: Notes from the Ballwasher

First topic message reminder :

1).The third leg of the PGA Tour's Far East "swing" gets underway in a few hours at the WGC-HSBC Champions event in China.
With Oosthuizen's withdrawal, the owgr points to earned by this week's winner will be the lowest since the "Champions" became recognised by the PGA Tour in 2009, matching Poulter's haul of 64 points in 2012 and only Martin Kaymer's 62 pts in 2011 carrying less reward
Poults will be disappointed the withdrawals didn't extend to his "alternate" position as he needs another three no-shows to get him to the show. Ain't gonna happen.

2).And the Tour stages an "opposite field" tournament in Mississippi, the Sanderson Farms won last year by Cody Gribble. It's surprising the field for this stop is as poor as it is - I have a bit of an issue with the way "Past Champion" and "Veteran Player" status on Tour is rewarded with old lags whose competitive fires have long since burnt out, some even not making this week's Champions Tour field, gaining precedence over guys, Kyle Reifers for example, who barely missed conditional status last season. Arguments to and fro at the very least but it's one area where I'd say the Tour could help itself.

3).Paul Casey may come across as an entitled knob but he's not stupid and will have got his FedEx Cup season off to a decent start, along with quite a few others, by competing in all three Far East tournaments. He dodged the Safeway this year, just 12 months after finishing 3rd. hmmmm.

4).All Tour pros who finished 95th or better in 2016/17 FedEx points made the fields for both CIMB and CJ Cup, but it will be interesting to see how the busman's holidays with guaranteed earnings affected the fields for other autumn events. If the "Safeway" is anything to go by, possibly quite a bit.

5).Posted elsewhere, but worth repeating, that the USGA has announced that the 2027 US Open has been awarded to Pebble Beach. With repeat visits to Shinnecock (8-year span), Pebble (8 yr), Oakmont (9 yr), Pinehurst (10 yr), Torrey Pines (13 yr) and Winged Foot (14) all hosting the US Open again in the next decade, it almost looks as if the USGA rota is taking an Open Championship-type look with very few outliers on the horizon.

6).Last week saw the first tournament in the Champions Tour "Play Off" series - 72 players compete in the first event as qualified via the Schwab money list, 54 play this week at Sherwood CC north of LA and the leading 36 qualify for the Final, in 3 weeks time, in Phoenix. Bernhard Langer won "Round 1" by one stroke over Scott Verplank, courtesy of a final hole eagle. That's what he does. Phillip Price was the unlucky odd man out, 55th and on his way back to Q-School.

7).web.com Q-School commences Stage 2 at five venues over the next fortnight, starting next Tuesday. Fields should be confirmed shortly.

8).Grayson Murray seems not to have had much fun on his Far East freebie, throwing in a combined +30 over two tournaments - just months after bemoaning easy owgr points in Asian events. Didn't help Grayson much. Tosspot.

9).Pat Perez is probably the Tour's big winner in the early season going, in more ways than one: "I'm still not going to work out. I'll still have a bad diet, and I'm going to enjoy myself." And he's getting pretty large. Not Tim Herron, Beef large, but Perez is a big boy. Laughing all the way to the bank.

10).No idea who's going to contend this week in China, but Adam Scott usually takes this tournament seriously, and Aphibarnrat is in decent form. Winner? Who knows.
But I DO fancy Matt Jones in Mississippi - he's dozed through the last couple of years since winning the Aussie Open. Time for him to give his talent more respect, and this'd be a good place for it. And the same could be said for Will McGirt.
(Here's hoping Seamus Power shoots four rounds like his first three last year.)

Interesting article on Adam Scott. I thought he was born on a surfboard and while in college, he gets knocked over by a small wave and almost drowns in waist high water.

https://www.pgatour.com/long-form/2017/10/31/adam-scott-unlv-rebel-shriners-hospitals-for-children-open.html

GPB,
You don't have to listen to Adam Scott's Dad, Phil, for long to tell you that Adam would have his head screwed on.

Five holes-in-one is pretty sporty - that's a lot of drinks; hope you pushed the boat out . . . . . . .

Las Vegas gets some pretty good fields, and some good names here again this year. Smart of Donald and McDowell to give it a whirl; would be nice to think they'd play these last three events as they'll be needing the points.

super_realist wrote:

Roller_Coaster wrote:I did like his tweet that he'd "like to thank the tournament committee of 1 for letting myself play" or words to that effect

Shouldn't that be, the tweet that one of his minions sent out on his behalf, although given how pathetic an attempt it is at humour, could well be his.

I thought it was quite funny. And it tackled any accusations of preferential treatment head on.

It's my ball and I'm playing with it.

Came across as tongue firmly in cheek and amused me.