European Tour - 2019

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New Year, Time for a New Thread.

EuroTour makes it 2019 Debut this week with the Abu Dhabi HSBC Classic Presented by EGA.  Next week is Dubai and the following week is the New Saudi Event

Guessing that the EGA Presentation got Abu Dhabi a promotion to a Rolex Series event.


DJ and BK are playing in Abu Dhabi.  So is Fleetwood, Stenson, Oosthuizen, RCB, Barnrat, Poulter, and Oleson

Despite the the Hired Guns from USA and Rolex Promotion, Abu Dhabi will have its lowest OWGR rating in 10 yrs.  Pelley can't be happy about that.

Couple of weak field events and South Africa and Hong Kong. But the cream seems to be rising to the top... after 3... Oosty leading SA Open.... Finau lurking in HK...

It's early season. Fields are always weak.

robopz wrote:Couple of weak field events and South Africa and Hong Kong.  But the cream seems to be rising to the top... after 3... Oosty leading SA Open.... Finau lurking in HK...

The son of a very occasional 606 and v2 poster is having a good tournament in SA: Steve Surry.
Congrats Mary if you're tuning in!

kwinigolfer wrote:

robopz wrote:Couple of weak field events and South Africa and Hong Kong.  But the cream seems to be rising to the top... after 3... Oosty leading SA Open.... Finau lurking in HK...

The son of a very occasional 606 and v2 poster is having a good tournament in SA: Steve Surry.
Congrats Mary if you're tuning in!

A decent week for Steve and a reasonable payday - €7,700. Wonder if he’ll treat his mum?

LadyPutt wrote:

kwinigolfer wrote:

robopz wrote:Couple of weak field events and South Africa and Hong Kong.  But the cream seems to be rising to the top... after 3... Oosty leading SA Open.... Finau lurking in HK...

The son of a very occasional 606 and v2 poster is having a good tournament in SA: Steve Surry.
Congrats Mary if you're tuning in!

A decent week for Steve and a reasonable payday - €7,700. Wonder if he’ll treat his mum?

After tax and expenses he'll probably have about 2.5 grand. Bugger all if he misses the cut next week. Tough school as they say.

Just how important are the Middle East events (& their appearance fees) to Euro Tour field strengths? VERY IMPORTANT it turns out.

Average non major/WGC Euro Tour field strength is around 31 (dark line). Last season, 4 of the ET's 7 strongest field events were in the M.E.

lw1, YOU BEAUTY!!!!!!!!!!

No press ups though, very disappointing . . . . . . . .

kwinigolfer wrote:lw1, YOU BEAUTY!!!!!!!!!!

No press ups though, very disappointing . . . . . . . .

Impressive. Agree re. the lack of press ups.

Here's a laugh, fiver each way on Lee Westwood at 80/1 and cashed out yesterday!

Blue!! Press ups from you, please!!

pedro wrote: Blue!! Press ups from you, please!!

I'm beating myself around the head as we speak!

Quite impressive for Edinburgh local Westie to win such a big event at this point in his career. I heard he got some swing tips from a a low handicap atheist at braid hills driving range.

He has to be thinking about getting on the RC team for Whistling?

He is also in the Masters after his finish at the Open last year. And maybe some other way, I can't remember all the entry routes to the Masters.

This is Westys biggest win (OWGR-wise) since the Dubai WC in 2009.

Didn't know he moved to Edinburgh? Thought he still hung around Worksop.

He bought a house in Edinburgh and I think his kids go to one of the posh schools here, to be fair who knows where he actually lives.

McLaren wrote:He bought a house in Edinburgh and I think his kids go to one of the posh schools here, to be fair who knows where he actually lives.

Think he's in Archerfield Mac, although probably one of many houses I imagine he owns. Can't imagine he's up here much given his schedule.

ET's new slow play policy apparently had a slight effect last week. 5-10 minute quicker rounds according to the BBC.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/golf/51179578

Could do with being 45 minutes Mac.

True, but it is early days. Although chances are this falls by the wayside.

Fat bob looks set to return this week as well, after recovering from a hand injury.

McLaren wrote:True, but it is early days. Although chances are this falls by the wayside.

Fat bob looks set to return this week as well, after recovering from a hand injury.

Do you think Fat Bob and Fat Shane will team up in Ryder Cup?
Yanks will think they are being baited for their obesity issues.

If Fat shane doesn't start playing golf again he won't be in the team.

Wasn't the fat lump 2nd the other week?

Super

Yeh he did OK in Hong Kong but missed cut last week. Also hope he doesn't steal any bread in Saudi. Bit hard to swing with only one arm.

Eddie Pepperell paired with Bryson De Chanbeau tomorrow. Eddie has already tweeted that he won’t mind if Bryson hits it past him so that they don’t have to talk.

Sebastian Soderberg round in 75 shots in the final round. But it only took him 97 minutes.

I'm never wrong wrote:Sebastian Soderberg round in 75 shots in the final round. But it only took him 97 minutes.

Like super on an off day.

36 holes for super.

Lucas Herbert with a miracle win.
"What does this mean for you Lucas?"
"A hangover in the morning." "There's a nice bottle (just one?) of Scotch in the room and I'll have a few of the boys over."

Don't think that's how DeChambeau interviewed after his win last year.


So, sounds like Herbert will be inside the owgr Top 90 - undoubtedly has bags full of talent, but no consistency at all. Whether it's the game or the Scotch I suppose it's too early to tell.

Apparently DeChambeau was put on the clock during the round. Welcome to the new world.

pedro wrote:Apparently DeChambeau was put on the clock during the round. Welcome to the new world.

https://www.golfchannel.com/news/bryson-dechambeau-warned-slow-play-dubai-desert-classic-closes-4-bogeys

A bit tongue in cheek this, but possibly a sign that the US media might not be so forgiving for Muscles DeChambeau.

kwinigolfer wrote:

pedro wrote:Apparently DeChambeau was put on the clock during the round. Welcome to the new world.

https://www.golfchannel.com/news/bryson-dechambeau-warned-slow-play-dubai-desert-classic-closes-4-bogeys

A bit tongue in cheek this, but possibly a sign that the US media might not be so forgiving for Muscles DeChambeau.

I'd rather the tour just said he's not welcome. Golf's boring enough without players like him.

super_realist wrote:

kwinigolfer wrote:

pedro wrote:Apparently DeChambeau was put on the clock during the round. Welcome to the new world.

https://www.golfchannel.com/news/bryson-dechambeau-warned-slow-play-dubai-desert-classic-closes-4-bogeys

A bit tongue in cheek this, but possibly a sign that the US media might not be so forgiving for Muscles DeChambeau.

I'd rather the tour just said he's not welcome. Golf's boring enough without players like him.

This one is priceless though.
https://twitter.com/EuropeanTour/status/1089629619983126528

Caddie an accomplice to all the calculations when he really ought to be saying "ffs hit the f'ing thing".
BDeC's becoming a caricature of himself, and seems utterly devoid of any sense of humour whilst he's at it.
Assume he doesn't have a girlfriend . . . . . . . . .

I like how the commentator points out that at no point did they discuss the fact the ball was buried in the rough.

It doesn't matter if the press or even his fellow players hound him henceforth. Until any sort of punitive action is taken, I'm quite certain BDC will not change his pre-shot routine or speed up in any way.

Shotrock wrote:It doesn't matter if the press or even his fellow players hound him henceforth. Until any sort of punitive action is taken, I'm quite certain BDC will not change his pre-shot routine or speed up in any way.

He's just a crackpot. How on earth is he measuring air density at different levels, and how can he calculate on the hoof how its going to affect his ball?
There isn't a chance that he's good enough to be able to tell the difference between fractional differences in air density and make adjustments for it. Nor is he good enough to know the difference between a 10 o'clock and a half 10 swing. He's fast becoming one of my least favourite players.
The guy is a snake oil salesman, trying to create a faux science angle to be a bit "different"
Shame he hasn't seen the research into physical shape with that beer belly he's hawling around.

super_realist wrote:
The guy is a snake oil salesman, trying to create a faux science angle t

Can't argue with that. He is golfs gwyneth paltrow.

McLaren wrote:

super_realist wrote:
The guy is a snake oil salesman, trying to create a faux science angle t

Can't argue with that.  He is golfs gwyneth paltrow.

I imagine he's everything you hate in a golfer Mac. No style, no finesse, plays with zero feel, far too mechanical. Plus he looks an absolute bell end in that stupid flat cap.

Is he like Tiger? That is all you need to ask to know if I would like him.

McLaren wrote:Is he like Tiger? That is all you need to ask to know if I would like him.

Surprised you like his game Mac. Mad axeman swing, minimal course management, American GI gung ho, shoot first, think later mentality.

Super

Tiger is famed for his ability to play strategic courses. Think Royal Melbourne or ANGC. Sometimes it is like you follow golf about as much as you follow football.

McLaren wrote:Super

Tiger is famed for his ability to play strategic courses. Think Royal Melbourne or ANGC.  Sometimes it is like you follow golf about as much as you follow football.

He's notoriously a terrible driver Mac. The reason you like him so much is because he's had some miraculous shots to make people forget about the attrocious shot which put him in that position in the first place.
Everyone seems to climax over that chip at August, but you have to ask what on earth was he doing there in the first place. It's also a green where everyone knows how the ball reacts to that pin position. Break it down, and it actually what you call a grade a crap 2

That Tiger Woods, every golf fan always says how he's such a bad driver, with terrible course management. He'll never amount to anything....

beninho wrote:That Tiger Woods, every golf fan always says how he's  such a bad driver, with terrible course management.  He'll never amount to anything....

Think how many Majors he won if he had a brain.

Yeah, awful at course management is arguably the greatest ever player.

I get where the tours are coming from regarding pace of play and their new regulations to try to improve same.  And I like that both are attacking it from an individual standpoint instead of a groupings standpoint.  And while I abhor the use of a shot clock in golf, the only way to deal with the slowpokes is with some sort of timing.

But... Re DeChambeaus slow time in Dubai... I get that DeChambeau is a conveniently annoying whipping boy on the topic. He's earned that so that's on him. But the bad time he got during that gale blowing through is pure unadulterated BS. And in my opinion illustrates the fallacies of these new policies.  All situations are not the same, and not all situations fit nicely into a "hard timing" framework.  Even Pepperell said Bryson was moving along nicely.

Robo

Maybe he would have been shown leniency if he hadn't been dawdling all day (all career)?

McLaren wrote:Robo

Maybe he would have been shown leniency if he hadn't been dawdling all day (all career)?

Maybe. But if targeting people who are clearly working to improve (at least according to Pepperell), then the policies are even more BS.  I hope that's not going to be the case going forward. If this would have happened even 30 min. later when the wind had calmed down, it would have been more than justified.

Probably the thing that bothers me the most is I really don't want to defend THIS guy's slow play. He's been a poster child for why they have to have policies like these in the first place. But BS is BS.   It's pretty clear to me, they wanted to target somebody to make a point and they had an easy target in Bryson, so they took it in a situation that didn't call for it. Save it for when it's deserved now, not for what happened in the past.

robopz wrote:

McLaren wrote:Robo

Maybe he would have been shown leniency if he hadn't been dawdling all day (all career)?

Maybe. But if targeting people who are clearly working to improve (at least according to Pepperell), then the policies are even more BS.  I hope that's not going to be the case going forward. If this would have happened even 30 min. later when the wind had calmed down, it would have been more than justified.

Probably the thing that bothers me the most is I really don't want to defend THIS guy's slow play. He's been a poster child for why they have to have policies like these in the first place. But BS is BS.   It's pretty clear to me, they wanted to target somebody to make a point and they had an easy target in Bryson, so they took it in a situation that didn't call for it. Save it for when it's deserved now, not for what happened in the past.

He's not working to improve it if he's deliberating over the air density and the difference between a 10 O'clock swing and a half past ten swing. That's just plankery. De Chambeau and players of his pace simply shouldn't be allowed on the course.

super_realist wrote:He's not working to improve it if he's deliberating over the air density and the difference between a 10 O'clock swing and a half past ten swing. That's just plankery. De Chambeau and players of his pace simply shouldn't be allowed on the course.

Well... Apparently you know better than Eddie Pepperell who actually played with him... So thanks for the clarification....

robopz wrote:

super_realist wrote:He's not working to improve it if he's deliberating over the air density and the difference between a 10 O'clock swing and a half past ten swing. That's just plankery. De Chambeau and players of his pace simply shouldn't be allowed on the course.

 Well... Apparently you know better than Eddie Pepperell who actually played with him... So thanks for the clarification....

He's still slower than a snail on crutches, so if he is 'trying' he should forget the psuedo science and just get on with it.
How do you know that what Pepperell claimed wasn't just a platitude?
If you genuinely want to speed up, you drop nonsense like air density. Of course there is differences in air density from venue to venue and on different days, but for that flat capped half wit to believe that he can sense that air density, adjust his swing and allow for it is absolutely laughable, just as his contention that he knows the difference in his swing between 10 and half 10 does not strike me as someone who is trying to speed up.
Who knows though, maybe he's dropped his barometer, humidity, anemometer and dew point calculations from his in built ballistic computer.