PGA Tour: Zurich Classic Team Event / Quail Hollow / Byron Nelson: Notes from the Ballwasher

First topic message reminder :

I'll be off the grid for a week, so if you need a "Topic" to follow the New Orleans action in the Zurich Classic team event, and Charlotte's Wells Fargo business at Quail Hollow, use this!

Just a couple of random notes:
1).We're about 60+% of the way through the Tour season. With the exception of the mostly disappointing efforts at The Masters, it's been a largely positive season so far for Europeans, but pros who have got off to a slow start will be reassessing their tournament schedule.

2).Wins for Rose, Casey, Molinari, McIlroy and McDowell. And plenty of Top Ten finishes for Rahm & Poulter.
Bjerregard and Fitzpatrick have played well enough to be invited to take Special Temporary Membership, and Pepperell & Wallace are closing in on earning similar status (whether or not they choose to take it).

3).But what of the rest?
This lot are on track to retain their "playing privileges":
All the winners, obviously.
Rahm
Cabrera Bello
Poulter
Fleetwood
Garcia

4).On track in the Top 125 in FedEx points, but in poor form recently:
Hatton
Knox
Work still to do gents.

And, On the Top 125 edge:
Blixt (exempt for another year), Noren and Lowry.
All the above need a strong finish to the season.

5).Off the pace, plenty of ground to make up:
Stenson - only played six tournaments so far, does he care? Exempt for another couple of years if he plays enough to retain his membership.
Power - fine result at Hilton Head but still with it all to do.
Laird - coming to the end of his Tour tether? No sustained form all year and not many happy hunting grounds remain.
Willett (still exempt from his Masters win), Jaeger, Kaymer, Cejka (closing in on 50!) - all struggling.

6).Donald, Jacobson:
On "Medical Extension", both with form to find if they're to fulfil the requirements - Luke still has "career earnings" parachutes remaining. Freddie's in trouble!
And Harrington is using one and not very well! Following injuries to start the season, he's played poorly on rejoining the Tour. He can probably secure some kind of "Medical", but his Tour future looks well behind him.

7).Plenty of "Cup" Teams & wannabes lining up this week in New Orleans:
Els / Immelman
Grace / Harding
Ancer / Vegas
Day / Scott
Fleetwood / Garcia
Frittelli / Niemann
Hads / Badds
Holmes / Watson (no sh1t Sherlock)
Cantlay / Reed
McDowell / Stenson
Charl / Louis
. . . . . and then there's Lowry auditioning with Padraig Harrington.

8).Next week they'll be in Charlotte, North Carolina, for the Wells Fargo (which has been in so much trouble I'm surprised all their executives aren't in the pokey - message clearly that white collar crime pays) Championship at Quail Hollow. Still a relatively young tournament but a must-play for most of the Tour elite, great course, hospitality, city, the lot! And Tiger should be there which will mean everyone else can slide nicely under the radar.
More on that later.
PUP

What’s with the wds Kwini? All injured? With the possible exception of DLIII I’d expect all those to be desperate for a major start

I think so Ned.
A shame Kinhult can't be considered for a start.

Cold, wet and windy at Bethpage today, plus a gale warning, but drier days in the forecast, though temps still well below normal (about 21C) for the time of year. Unless the PGA set the course up in sympathy with the wet conditions, it'll be advantage to the long, high ball-strikers who are reasonably accurate. Not unlike Lucas Glover who won at Bethpage in similar conditions in 2009.

NedB-H wrote:What’s with the wds Kwini? All injured? With the possible exception of DLIII I’d expect all those to be desperate for a major start

Assumed you meant the PGA Championship and not the contemptible performance by the entitled "Seniors", 7 (that's 7 of 78, almost 10%) of whom walked out on the first Champions Tour "Major" of the year. Montgomerie among them, plus Kenny Perry, Kite, Nelson and Parnevik, T0ssp0ts one and all.

Justin Thomas is the latest withdrawal, and the first top 100 player to give Bethpage a miss, from the PGA:

https://www.pgatour.com/news/2019/05/13/justin-thomas-withdraws-from-pga-championship-with-wrist-injury.html

Veej withdraws from the PGA, Poston in.
Slovakia on deck . . . . . . .

Still not sure on the major being played at this time of year.

beninho wrote:Still not sure on the major being played at this time of year.

No, same here. It's just very strange. I don't know anyone who thinks The FedEx Cup is worth winning from a prestige perspective. I don't agree with moving a Major to accommodate it. Being a major winner ranks way higher than being a FedEx Cup winner imo.

Why is Daly in the PGA? Surely not because he won in 1991? That's an absurd exemption.

super_realist wrote:Why is Daly in the PGA? Surely not because he won in 1991? That's an absurd exemption.

The same sort of exemption applies to The Masters and The Open but not the US Open who I think only do 10 year previous winners. I don't know about the PGA but the Open has some sort of age restriction although didn't they fiddle it when Tom Watson came close one year?

super_realist wrote:Why is Daly in the PGA? Surely not because he won in 1991? That's an absurd exemption.

Isn't he driving the beer cart?

BlueCoverman wrote:

super_realist wrote:Why is Daly in the PGA? Surely not because he won in 1991? That's an absurd exemption.

Isn't he driving the beer cart?