PGA Tour: Is the "Honda" the First Loser of the Tour's new Calendar?: Notes from the Ballwasher

1)."Loser" rather than "casualty" as there is no expectation that "The Honda Classic" is for the chopping block but tournament guru Ken Kennerly certainly thinks so:
"Somebody's got to get hurt. Unfortunately, if you look at the one most affected, it's the Honda Classic." so far anyway.

2).And the owgr pts earned by the winner has declined this year:
2010: Villegas (remember him?) won 50 pts.
2011: Sabbatini: 54
2012: McIlroy: 50
2013: Thompson: 56
2014: Henley: 60
2015: Harrington: 60
2016: Scott: 58
2017: Fowler: 54
2018: Thomas: 52
2019: tba: 48 (at most)

3).The Honda used to be a poor relation of the "Florida Swing", behind The Players, Bay Hill and Doral. But the Honda moved to PGA National's water park, and The Players moved to May leaving Innisbrook's Valspar as low event on the totem pole. Then Doral became a victim of NAFTA, and now The Players is back.
They may be the first "loser" of the new Tour schedule, but we know they won't be the last.
It looks as if Phil will skip The Players; will he be the only top player? And who will give the WGC: MatchPlay a miss?

4).What did everyone make of Dustin Johnson's laconic dominance in Mexico? When he's in such form and spreadeagling the field, it's almost like watching golf in slow motion; no histrionics, no seismic fist-pumps, just having his way with the course. And he plays quickly (unless he's stuck behind a tree), often before the TV director has time to finish showing the previous shot.  
I love it, but can understand TV Networks and sponsors aren't delirious about it - he makes it all look like the walk in the park that it is. Whereas Tiger always wanted galleries and viewers to know that it was a walk in the park and millions loved that.
WGC wins to date:
18: Woods!
6:  Johnson
3:  Ogilvy & Mickelson

5).Well played Rory, another Top Five finish and starting to hole some important putts.

6).And well played Martin Trainer (about whom I know nothing) for winning in Puerto Rico.
Last week we offered up some names of established pros who are having lousy seasons and Daniel Berger and Charl Schwartzel took advantage of playing in Puerto Rico by finishing T2 and T6 respectively.
Schniederjans made the cut but not much else, while Chris Kirk contrived to take the weekend off. Once a PGA Tour pro starts to string together poor results, it's tough to come back from and a handful virtually disappear, due to form or injury (past Honda champs Donald & Villegas for instance), every year.

7).So, who's playing this week? Only 3 x Top Twenty pros, Thomas (who's in terrific form despite his lack of recent wins), Koepka and Fowler for a start. Most leading Europeans are skipping Honda, though Matt Wallace, Knox (decent record here), McDowell (ditto), Noren and Sergio are playing.

8).I like Justin Thomas, Daniel Berger and Adam Scott against the field this week, but am really interested to see how Matt Wallace goes and Russell Knox must be good e.w. value.


PS: Haven't seen any reaction to Hoylake getting the 2022 Open - very interesting choice I reckon. Will Turnberry "get" 2023, when you'd think Muirfield is due?

I doubt they'll announce Turnberry until everyone's favourite president is not president. However much it's "nothing to do with politics" the pipe and afternoon sherry brigade at the R&A won't have much truck for that kind of thing until fartypants trundles off to simply be a bell end businessman.

Cue announcement of Turnberry for 2023 sometime this morning!

There was a bit of Matt Wallace clamour for the ryder cup after his good euro tour season, but he has to back it up with some decent performances at wgc, majors and on the pga tour to show he is more then a euro tour player.

Roller_Coaster wrote:I doubt they'll announce Turnberry until everyone's favourite president is not president. However much it's "nothing to do with politics" the pipe and afternoon sherry brigade at the R&A won't have much truck for that kind of thing until fartypants trundles off to simply be a bell end businessman.

Cue announcement of Turnberry for 2023 sometime this morning!

I wouldn't have thought it would bother the R&A, in fact they could see it as an opportunity to lick his arse.

beninho wrote:There was a bit of Matt Wallace clamour for the ryder cup after his good euro tour season, but he has to back it up with some decent performances at wgc, majors and on the pga tour to show he is more then a euro tour player.

I like his steady improvement ben, 19th in last year's PGA and a couple of respectable finishes in his 2 x WGC's. A nice trajectory.

A trio of what-have-you-done-for-me-latelys leading in Florida - Jhonny Vegas, King Charl & Zach Johnson.

Alex Cejka was DQ for using a illegal Green Reading Book

According to this tweet,

TACODFS wrote:Updated list of every event Alex Cejka has been DQ'd from: Honda Classic, Sanderson Farms, Houston Open, The Memorial, John Deere, St Jude, MCI Heritage, Heineken Classic, German Masters.  What a career

Is it time to start calling Cejka the Goat of DQs

https://twitter.com/tacoDFS/status/1101230788287361025

===============

Update and Edit:

The rest of the story.

The greens book was from last year, and the greens have been rebuilt and redesigned.

That's probably a Tour record, but his 22 w/d's during tournament play are far surpassed by John Daly:
web.com: 3 withdrawals
PGA Tour: 39
Champions: 11

Quite apart from all the walk-offs from poor saps around the world who paid filthy lucre for his premature departures.

PS: Kind of a fan of Alex Cejka - he's a manic guy, one of my favourite refugees, fun to follow.

Yep no excusing Daly's WD record. Particularly bad are the 11 WDs in 51 PGATour Champions events. Those starts are hard to come by for low priority players.

Shameful.

83 golfers teeing it up for Round 3 at the Honda, all within 8 strokes of the lead.

Freddie Jac leads the European charge! Matt Wallace with a nice second round, Bjerregard too.

Just Noren (whassup with that?) and Power among the European entry taking Saturday off.

EDIT: Plenty of MDF's tomorrow.

"Kafelnikov" update:

Baseball Hall Of Fame pitcher John Smoltz shoots even par in Round 1 of today's Champo Tour event in Arizona. Beat some golf HOF'ers.

Leaderboard at the "Honda" getting more cluttered by the minute.
Now Bjerragaard just 2 shots back, in T6, along with the likes of Vijay, Sergio, Rickie, Freddie and half a dozen of their best friends.

Wasted chance for McDowell to do himself some good - back to Nona Blue for the evening. What does he care about most?

Wyndham Clark and Vijay Singh in Sunday's final pairing. You couldn't make it up.

On a more serious note, Darren Clarke is starting to play some decent golf on the Champions Tour. Don't be surprised if he plays well in a European Tour event or three. (PS: I love watching him hit the ball, concentration may be lacking but the strike is usually superb.)

kwinigolfer wrote:Wyndham Clark and Vijay Singh in Sunday's final pairing. You couldn't make it up.

On a more serious note, Darren Clarke is starting to play some decent golf on the Champions Tour. Don't be surprised if he plays well in a European Tour event or three. (PS: I love watching him hit the ball, concentration may be lacking but the strike is usually superb.)

An ex of mine had a boss who won a "play with Darren Clarke" type thing about 15 years ago. I think he flitted between a few groups and played a few holes with each of them. Apparently Clarke was a right miserable sod (although that of course might only have been that day) and didn't want to chat with any of them. But, even in a mood and not wanting to be there, how and where he hit the ball was apparently utterly phenomenal.

I see the deer antler spray wore of after three rounds.

He still beat half the field on Sunday.

Not much interest apparently in these tournaments, so this thread can serve for Bay Hill as well.

Another new face, Keith Mitchell, in the Honda winners enclosure. Top twenties for Bjerregard & Wallace.

And, by my reckoning, that's six months elapsed since the last time an American born away from "The South", Texas/Oklahoma and So Cal has won a full field, individual event on Tour. Only four in the last 18 months and that includes BDeC.

It doesn't seem that long ago that northerners like Nicklaus and Palmer, Miller & Weiskopf, Stricker and Couples, Watson and Azinger would hold their own. But we don't see many northeners breaking through any more.

You have interest Kwin, I remain an avid reader but I don't however have a massive amount of knowledge and practically nothing to add.

I can throw in the odd, "go Tiger" or "what on earth was Phil thinking" (or "who the hell is Seamus Mc Power") but beyond that I have little.

Cheers Roller,

And . . . . . if he can't get his act together sometime very soon, the entire McPower family will be wondering who Seamus is. More like Shameless with his recent "efforts".


But not this lot:
Qualifiers not previously exempt into The Players include:
Kiradech
Bjerregaard
Fitz
Eddie Pepp
Lowry
Mitchell
Haotong Li
Olesen
Wallace
. . . . . . and it seems Michael Thompson will also gain entry.

Kwini

I think I have said this before but your weekly article is one of the main ways I keep track of the pro game, and easily the most interesting to read.

I am sure there are many more people who read but don't post and hopefully as the "proper" season kicks in we will get more posters. The new site mod asked what we needed in the golf section recently and hopefully they can provide us with some new faces. Your article certainly deserves as big an audience as possible.

Thanks Mac.

But no reason not to make it a mostly fortnightly effort, talking to myself gets old though; there's really quite a lot going on!

Especially with both the modified rules and the compressed schedule making headlines - lots of dismay at rules application from unlikely sources, Ryan Palmer, Justin Thomas (having a spat with the USGA which suggests all is not well in the "locker" room, even Schwartzel.

kwinigolfer wrote:
And, by my reckoning, that's six months elapsed since the last time an American born away from "The South", Texas/Oklahoma and So Cal has won a full field, individual event on Tour. Only four in the last 18 months and that includes BDeC.

It doesn't seem that long ago that northerners like Nicklaus and Palmer, Miller & Weiskopf, Stricker and Couples, Watson and Azinger would hold their own. But we don't see many northeners breaking through any more.

Really don't know where you are trying to throw shade but........

In what world is Sacramento California is considered Southern California and San Francisco is not considered SoCal. Azinger? sure he was born in the NE, but make no mistake, he is a Florida kid.

Campbellsville KY is only a couple degrees south in latitude with regards to Kansas City.

Woodstock VT might be in Southern Vt, but it sure is not in the Southern USA.

Who was born in Sacramento? I said "my reckoning", didn't say I had it right.

Keegs grew up in Woodstock, went to college in NY, of course he's a northern boy.
As for Azinger, I DID say "born" - I know very well where he ended up.

Just trying to make a point; this is not a congressional hearing. Sorry I bothered.

Cam Champ was born in Sacramento.

and Keegan won less than 6 months ago.

GPB wrote:Cam Champ was born in Sacramento.

and Keegan won less than 6 months ago.

In what world was Cameron Champ's win a full field (by which I meant non-opposite field) event? Like Putnam's & Merritt's & Garnett's.

Keegs' win was this week 6 months ago, close enough?

I have Woodland, BDeC, Bradley.

What a pain in the neck.
T.Woods withdraws from Bay Hill.

He’ll stay in his own neck of the woods.

Kwini, I enjoy your articles as well. Despite me not contributing with more than the odd lame one-liners, your pieces help making even dull tournaments interesting.

pedro wrote:He’ll stay in his own neck of the woods.

But with whom?

PS: Cheers pedro . . . . . . Plain truth is, lots of interesting "stuff", nothing much that one could call compelling though.

Keep them coming kwini. Like others I don't always comment but always enjoy reading

Cheers Davie,

At least 18 Europeans in this week's field, plus one or two other ET members. Not surprising this has a high "Strength Of Field" rating.
Time to redress the balance after Kitayama, DJ, etc on the ET.

Ditto Kwini.

On another issue, don't often (rarely!) agree with the BBC's Iain Carter, but have to say I'm 100% with him here:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/golf/47442403

The behaviour and comments from some of the so-say big names of the game have been pathetic in the extreme.

Cheers navy,
Not that keen on Carter's article - and the application of penalties for alleged violations has been haphazard at best. Meanwhile, they have all the data they need to penalise slow play and have done virtually nothing about it.

I'm all for simplifying rules, but there's a gap currently between publishing these rules and commonsense application by officials. Until they address that, and start to rein in slow play, they're going to have problems.

Yeah, I'll give you the slow play one. They're just scared of applying it to non-Asian, high-OWGR players it would seem.

I haven't seen anything that said any of the caddy/alignment or drop penalties were incorrect decisions though. The players' behaviour is childish, at best, and illustrates what a schidt influence 'social media' is in far too many areas.

navyblueshorts wrote:Ditto Kwini.

On another issue, don't often (rarely!) agree with the BBC's Iain Carter, but have to say I'm 100% with him here:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/golf/47442403

The behavior and comments from some of the so-say big names of the game have been pathetic in the extreme.

It's a bit of a joke that Stenson is shown taking the mick out of slow play by sprinting.




He would need to reach Usian Bolt speeds between shots to make up for his glacial pace.



In general I find Carter ok, and he is probably correct to point out some of the pro's are spoiled brats.

navyblueshorts wrote:Yeah, I'll give you the slow play one. They're just scared of applying it to non-Asian, high-OWGR players it would seem.

I haven't seen anything that said any of the caddy/alignment or drop penalties were incorrect decisions though. The players' behaviour is childish, at best, and illustrates what a schidt influence 'social media' is in far too many areas.

Here's one:

https://www.golfchannel.com/news/pga-tour-rescinds-denny-mccarthy-penalty-full-support-usga-and-ra

The Adam Schenk ruling last week was also bl00dy stupid, although that one stood, two-stroke penalty because his caddie stood behind him above a bunker as he handed clubs back and forth and didn't dare move, for fear of dislodging his ball, the lie was that precarious.

I think this is a big deal, especially when you've got otherwise rational pros up in arms, guys like Scott, Thomas, Fowler, Schwartzel. The caddie alignment, for instance, was to address a pervasive issue on the LPGA Tour but has never been a discernible issue on the bigger men's tours.

The Tour's PAC needs to take charge or this will all get worse before it improves and the USGA and R&A become divorced from rulings as they apply to individual tours.

Who was the poster on BBC606 that absolutely hated Carter (no, not me)? His rants were epic.

kwinigolfer wrote:

navyblueshorts wrote:Yeah, I'll give you the slow play one. They're just scared of applying it to non-Asian, high-OWGR players it would seem.

I haven't seen anything that said any of the caddy/alignment or drop penalties were incorrect decisions though. The players' behaviour is childish, at best, and illustrates what a schidt influence 'social media' is in far too many areas.

Here's one:

https://www.golfchannel.com/news/pga-tour-rescinds-denny-mccarthy-penalty-full-support-usga-and-ra

The Adam Schenk ruling last week was also bl00dy stupid, although that one stood, two-stroke penalty because his caddie stood behind him above a bunker as he handed clubs back and forth and didn't dare move, for fear of dislodging his ball, the lie was that precarious.

I think this is a big deal, especially when you've got otherwise rational pros up in arms, guys like Scott, Thomas, Fowler, Schwartzel. The caddie alignment, for instance, was to address a pervasive issue on the LPGA Tour but has never been a discernible issue on the bigger men's tours.

The Tour's PAC needs to take charge or this will all get worse before it improves and the USGA and R&A become divorced from rulings as they apply to individual tours.

Who was the poster on BBC606 that absolutely hated Carter (no, not me)? His rants were epic.
 

I'll bow to your better judgement here Kwini. I don't watch any golf anymore as it's been pillaged by Sky et al and I'm not across all the news. You're right re. alignment and the men's Tour cf. the women - thought it was odd at the time, but I guess you have to have consistent rules across all forms of the game.
I'm not sure how you deal with a d**khead like Thomas and his serial tweet BS, when (assuming true) he's cancelled numerous (presumably agreed) meetings to discuss his issues. Still finds time to tweet like a child though. As to Fowler, what was he thinking? Does he think it's a) funny and b) clever to aim scatological brickbats at the game's governing bodies? Really?
Were none of the players involved in consultations, at all, for the rule changes? Seriously? Let's see - I can picture it now. Players asked for opinion/feedback way back, but it's not near the top of their priority list and/or their reps didn't get their arses in gear and encourage necessary feedback on proposals so, after due process, R&A/USGA go ahead and make their changes. Players then retrospectively bitch about it, when had they fed in to the process as they'd been asked and when they'd been asked to do it, the problems they're bitching about might not have even existed.

TBH, I knew there was a reason (other than satellite monopoly) that I don't watch or really follow the pro game anymore. Was inspired to play by people like Nicklaus, Watson, Trevino, Ballesteros and Norman, and loved watching them on TV, but I'm only really bothered about playing golf now and I don't get the chance for enough of that either!

navy,
I certainly don't have "judgement" on this stuff, but there's been a growing row developing between the USGA and the Tours, obviously born in contention with US Open course set-up, but with rules and their application too.
There's a sense also that the USGA has back-tracked from saying JT has "cancelled meetings". I never used to be a Justin Thomas fan, but he was the leader of the US Ryder Cup effort, led from the front on Sunday, played great and he's become an important voice in golf.

As an old fogey, I'm all for meetings, face-to-face before on-line was invented, rather than being referred to web-sites which seems to be the USGA's defacto recourse, and it is clear that there have been very few of these, if any. Perhaps with the PAC, but not with the rank-and-file.

Remember, back when you and I and so many of us were enthralled by the stars of the 60's - 80's, Palmer and Nicklaus were turning golf upside down by splitting off the PGA Tour from the PGA Of America.

PS: Fowler is a berk and hardly advanced his cause.

PPS: I very seldom watch Feherty but his double-header with Fred Couples is a terrific series of interviews with a hugely entertaining and insightful (who knew??!!) subject. Well worth watching.

Regarding the Rules brouhaha/mountain-out-of-a-molehill, I would suggest this is a pretty "fair and balanced" perspective:

https://www.golfchannel.com/news/need-repair-pga-tour-pros-usga-relationship-fractured

Thanks Kwini. Interesting read, but it just confirms for me (with the exception of Furyk and Els) that the players are acting like a bunch of spoilt children. Zach's quoted comments in that article are BS and JT's comments in reaction to the USGA tweet (for all that it was wrong, and Furyk's correct on that) are utterly pathetic. So we're meant to believe JT over USGA on the basis of two competing tweets? He's "hurt"? Who gives a ****? Grow up.
Horschel expresses a better opinion and I could get that those 'consulting' (i.e. USGA) appear to listen, but don't really. God knows I get enough of that at work from my institution.

The US Open layout row is a separate issue. The tour pros using that as justification to behave like babies over rules changes is about as good an example of whataboutery as you might see.

All of the above said, we only get the Chinese whispers on this (am I allowed to say that these days?), so we're in the dark and it's a "he said, she said" load of nonsense. Personally, I think the proactive and childish denigration of the changes on social media, while the USGA initially bent over and took it, gives me little to zero sympathy with the players in many ways. Think the USGA lost some of the higher ground though with the JT tweet, although I suspect that was out of pure frustration, which I understand.

Finally, Els's comments on course tweaks are funny, given the almost universal opprobrium for his changes at Wentworth's 18th hole.

Vive la difference!!

Two cliches will usually remain truisms:

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

If you're in a hole, stop digging.

Keep an eye on JT though, I don't think he's quite the pillock you feel he portrays himself as.

And: Telling that the elephant in the room is slow play yet no-one addresses that, nor do they penalise it.

The USGA with its official statement re Justin Thomas:

"After further and more direct conversations with Justin Thomas, we realise he did not avoid a discussion with the USGA, nor cancel any meetings. We value his and all players' opinions and are committed to a productive dialogue as the golf world adjusts to the modernised rules."

No apology so imagine that there's some grey in there, and no hint of backing down from the "modernised rules".
Hope all move on and some commonsense is introduced into the rules and their application.

Looks like the USGA took a page out of Trump's book with the quick and confrontational tweet. Here comes the backpedal. A top page leaderboard player being penalized for slow play in a big event would be must see TV for me.

It is a little hard to give a s*** about JT's moaning. What is his problem? Does he not have enough of a privileged life without also gettting to make the rules of the sport he plays?


Shotrock

What about Sergio penalized for slow play while in contention at the Masters and he goes bananas, possible hurling something in Reas creek.

Shotrock wrote:Looks like the USGA took a page out of Trump's book with the quick and confrontational tweet.

Quite!

Here comes the backpedal. A top page leaderboard player being penalized for slow play in a big event would be must see TV for me.

And:

Quite!

Mac - Ha! I can only imagine the ratings bump.

McLaren wrote:It is a little hard to give a s*** about JT's moaning.  What is his problem?  Does he not have enough of a privileged life without also gettting to make the rules of the sport he plays?

Mac,
Thomas is beefing more about the USGA's porkies than the rules.
I'm sure you can esasily come up with a Michael Carrick analogy.

Hadn't realised Molinari is playing new clubs for the first time in competition this week. He has a good record at Bay hill though, so we'll see how he goes. Strange timing as he also has a fine record at TPC Sawgrass - apart from last year.

And what a crappy draw he has (with Garnett and Potter) - don't think they'd give Koepka a grouping like that.

kwinigolfer wrote:Vive la difference!!

Two cliches will usually remain truisms:

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

If you're in a hole, stop digging.

Keep an eye on JT though, I don't think he's quite the pillock you feel he portrays himself as.

And: Telling that the elephant in the room is slow play yet no-one addresses that, nor do they penalise it.

JT may not be a pillock (tweets not helping though), but the idea that because you're good at hitting a golf ball means you'll be a skilled diplomat with excellent negotiating skills and a corresponding intellect is stretching it for me somewhat.
Until, and unless, they penalise all slow play, without fear or favour, it'll always give players room to beef about inconsistency etc. They need to bite the bullet and penalise anyone, in contention and/or big name, or not.

kwinigolfer wrote:The USGA with its official statement re Justin Thomas:

"After further and more direct conversations with Justin Thomas, we realise he did not avoid a discussion with the USGA, nor cancel any meetings. We value his and all players' opinions and are committed to a productive dialogue as the golf world adjusts to the modernised rules."

No apology so imagine that there's some grey in there, and no hint of backing down from the "modernised rules".
Hope all move on and some commonsense is introduced into the rules and their application.

Yeah. It needs to move on, but the USGA should stick to their guns and the players should get on with playing the game as defined by those rules.

kwinigolfer wrote:

McLaren wrote:It is a little hard to give a s*** about JT's moaning.  What is his problem?  Does he not have enough of a privileged life without also gettting to make the rules of the sport he plays?

Mac,
Thomas is beefing more about the USGA's porkies than the rules.
I'm sure you can esasily come up with a Michael Carrick analogy.

Really? Thought most of his recent twitter drivel was whining about new rules, with the exception of his 'hurt' response to the USGA's tweet.

As a colleague of mine often says: this is a learning opportunity for quite a few people.

Koepkas whining is a bit annoying as well, complaining that he doesn’t know of any other pro sport where the organisation running the event doesn’t make the rules. I thought he was a little less insular and better informed about non-US sports by having played/lived in Europe? But apparantly not.

Koepka should have a look at F1. The teams are forever meddling in the rule making process and it creates a mess.

Kwini, a couple of weeks ago, we were talking oldest major champs, and of course Charles Coody is one of the oldest.

Yesterday afternoon I caught a little of collegiate tournament from Las Vegas. Univ of Texas was playing and their team includes two Twin brothers. Grandsons of Charles Coody and sons of Kyle Coody who played in the Father-Son a few times back in the 90's.