OWGR - Week#26

This is also a test to see how the table format that I've been using works here.
So here is how owgr should look after week 26. With all those changes of divisor
that should happen this week, hope I won't have too many errors...

1 Luke Donald
2 Lee Westwood
3 Rory McIlroy
4 Martin Kaymer
5 Steve Stricker
6 Phil Mickelson
7 Matt Kuchar
8 Graeme McDowell
9 Jason Day
10 Carl Schwartzel
11 Dustin Johnson
12 Bubba Watson
13 Paul Casey
14 Ian Poulter
15 Nick Watney
16 K.J. Choi
17 Tiger Woods
18 Robert Karlsson
19 Hunter Mahan
20 Jim Furyk
21 Adam Scott
22 Francesco Molinari
23 Retief Goosen
24 Ernie Els
25 Martin Laird
26 Alvaro Quiros
27 Miguel Jimenez
28 David Toms
29 Matteo Manassero
30 Kim Kyung-Tae
31 Justin Rose
32 Louis Oosthuizen
33 Y.E. Yang
34 Tim Clark
35 Edoardo Molinari
36 Zach Johnson
37 Ryan Moore
38 Geoff Ogilvy
39 Bo Van Pelt
40 Brandt Snedeker
41 Peter Hanson
42 Gary Woodland
43 Anders Hansen
44 Robert Allenby
45 Jonathan Byrd
46 Bill Haas
47 Rory Sabbatini
48 Ryan Palmer
49 Ryo Ishikawa
50 Ben Crane
--------------------------------
51 Sergio Garcia
52 Rickie Fowler
53 Aaron Baddeley
54 Padraig Harrington
55 Ross Fisher
56 Mark Wilson
57 Webb Simpson
58 J.B. Holmes
59 Lucas Glover
60 Charley Hoffman
61 Fredrik Jacobsen
...

Larazabal moves into top 100 (#94).

Wow,
That highlights the slide that some people are on, Casey, Furyk, Ogilvy, Allenby, Crane, Fowler, Harrington and others below the plimsoll line: Kim, Camilo etc.
Ross Fisher among those who need to chalk up 10th place finishes just to stand still-ish.

Next deadline for exemption criteria for special events:
Bridgestone: July 25th AND Aug 1st: Top 50 in owgr and certain worldwide tournament winners. (Today's winners Larrazabal and Jacobson should qualify for the quality of their respective wins)
PGA Championship: Aug 1st: Top 100 (or very close to it) in owgr, plus Top 70 in PGA Championship money list.

Does anyone know please, has Garcia qualified for the Open yet?

Yes he has D4S by virtue of his second place yesterday.

Excellent! I knew a win would get him in but wasn't sure about any other finish.

Cheers super

I think all he needed was a 7th place to get in. Up to 51 in the rankings and really looking like he's getting back to form and more importantly he looks like he's enjoying himself.
I'll be having a cheeky each way on him this year. I'm very surprised he's as low as 16/1 on Paddy Power, especially as this puts him at shorter odds than McDowell, Mickelson, Kaymer and others. In fact he's 5th favourite behind, McIlroy, Donald, Westwood and Woods (although I think Woods' odds reflect his popularity rather than realistic chances of winning).

Very true about Woods, in fact I'm not even sure he's confirmed to play yet due to his injuries. Garcia has a decent track record in the Open. Driving, irons and short game are all top notch, just depends on the dodgy putting stroke holding up.
I watched the playoff yesterday, he really did look like he wanted to be out there in the heat of battle. Bit concerned what that 3 putt will do to his confidence though

Ah well, everybody has three putts from time to time. I'm sure he's more happy that he's up there again. A good week at the US Open and another this week. If someone had offered him that three weeks ago I think he'd be pretty happy to take it.

Garcia is a popular player......no idea why, cant stand him personally....so will get a lot of attention at the bookies. If he really was 5th favourite to win it then there is a serious lack of obvious talent to win it this year.

He's probably low odds in a similar vein to Woods, i.e. he'll get a lot of bets placed on him because he's popular, but not matched by his realistic chances.

The Open is matches up to it's name in that it's wide open and virtually anyone could win it. Some players deserve longer odds than others given, but it's definitely worth putting a few quid on a couple of 50 or 75 to one chances. Who'd of though Schwartzel would win at 90's (well apart from me)

Diggers

what don't you like about him? The guy plays with his heart on sleeve. I find him entertaining to watch, dare I say it, a bit of a modern Seve with his swashbuckling style? I'd prefer to watch him than any of the Robopro's.

super_realist wrote:He's probably low odds in a similar vein to Woods, i.e. he'll get a lot of bets placed on him because he's popular, but not matched by his realistic chances.

The Open is matches up to it's name in that it's wide open and virtually anyone could win it. Some players deserve longer odds than others given, but it's definitely worth putting a few quid on a couple of 50 or 75 to one chances. Who'd of though Schwartzel would win at 90's (well apart from me)

I did! I even told all the part time golf fans in the office to back him as well.

Yeah you guessed, guess who didn't put money on him.........

D4S, Diggers doesn't seem to like anyone who has a bit of attitude, personality or character.

I can see why he doesn't like Poulter, as you either like him or you don't but I'm not sure what he finds objectionable about Garcia.

Maybe I find spitting in cups a tad objectionable. He's always struck me in the past few years as being thoroughly sulky and miserable on course...I also think he has very little personality when Ive seen him interviewed.
Funnily enough all the things you say you hate about Woods really, but with Garcia none of the achievements to admire.

Diggers, so he spat in one cup. Wow, get the gallows out.
Woods virtually desicates his entire body of fluid during 18 holes, but that's ok.
Anyway, it isn't the spitting I dislike about Woods as you well know.

Is he any more sullky and miserable than Woods either? I don't think so.

I dont give a monkeys whether you like Woods for spitting on the course or not but I do think Garcia spitting in a cup was disgusting. Funnily enough the post is about my opinion on Garcia, not about your opinion on Woods. And it isn't anything I havent said about Garcia on 606 before.
I have as much right to dislike Poulter and Garcia's, or any other player for that matter, demeanour on the course as you do Woods.

Yes Diggers, of course you do, but if you claim you dislike Garcia for doing exactly the same things which Woods does more frequently it seems a rather flimsy basis on which to dislike a player.

As Ive already said Garcia does all those things without actually winning the events his talents merit. He comes across to me as being a bit woe is me, Paddy cclearly cant stand him and Id take him as being a good judge of charachter.

So are you saying you can behave as you like, as long as you win tournaments?

Isn't it incredibly childish to hate or can't stand someone who you don't actually know?

Unless it's Woods

It really is a bit rich for you to criticise someone for not liking a player.
Lets try again -
I think he's disgusting for spitting in a cup which other people had to then use
I think he is incredibly bland in interviews, seems to me not that bright
I dont like the hangdog body language on the course...Woods is yes surly and arrogant but he never gives up, Garcia looks like he doesnt want to be there half the time.
However unlike you and Woods I wont bring up my dislike of Garcia on the next post about preferred brands of golf shoes.

Diggers, it's hard to determine who you are describing as apart from the location of the spittle there is precious little to distinguish them on the things you mention.

Eyetoldyouso, I didnt say I hated him, it annoys me to watch him? Do you have exactly the same views on everyone pro golfer, none you prefer over another ?

Might be hard for you Super but they are perfectly clearly defined differences to me. I cant help you if you cant see that Im afraid.

So you hate Garcia for spitting in a hole, but not Woods for spitting on other parts of the green (and with far more regularity)
You hate Garcia for being surly, yet Woods permanently has a scoul, poor demeanour, his bottom lip tripping him up and attrocious body language.
You hate Garcia for being bland in interviews, yet Woods is a past master at being dull, dreary and uninformative in interviews, and also not that bright. Have you listened to Woods? He's completely incapable of spontaneity and won't say anything that hasn't been screened by his media training. I don't see Garcia ensuring that certain questions aren't asked.
You say Garcia gives up and doesn't look like he wants to be there? Funny that, I'd say the same for Woods on that a lot of the time. In fact Woods hardly ever looks like he's enjoying himself, at least you get a smile from Garcia every now and then.


The reasons you give are perfectly good reasons to dislike a player, and they are not attributes I particularly like about Garcia or Woods, but to say you dislike one over the other based upon those very things on which they are just as bad as one another seems rather strange and selective.

The problem being I think Woods is a bright guy and I dont agree with the fact that Woods doesnt look like he wants to be on course. And you have also missed out the fact I admire Woods for his achievements.
So really when you look at how I see it rather than your opinion of how I should see it then its not really strange and selective at all.

So then Diggers, would you like Garcia if he had won 14 majors, but still shared all the same regrettable behavioural traits with Woods?

Sorry, does the phrase if my auntie was my uncle mean anything to you ?

Of course it does, although the expression is actually, "If your aunty had balls she'd be your uncle", however you seem to dislike Garcia because he hasn't won majors, which is pretty much all that separates him from Woods because both of their behaviour can be pretty lamentable, I would however add a caveat that Woods tends to be poorly behaved far more frequently.

Ive given you my reasons and differences...several times. If Garcia had won 14 majors Im sure he'd be a happier chap....he hasnt. Whether Id like him more who knows, its a pointless question as so many differentials would have changed.

Woods HAS won 14 majors, yet he still looks as if someone has doused his chips in urine.

If Garcia does look miserable, which I don't think he does, at least most of the time, then at least he's got a reason. What is Woods excuse for looking so downtrodden? You'd think that being in the top two golfers ever to hold a club he might have a spring in his step, a big beaming smile and something interesting to say, but instead he's just a spitting, club throwing, bottom lip tripping, swearing grump who gives predictable and rather pointless interviews.

Im not talking about Woods.....you are. Again.

Perhaps there should be a Diggers / super_realist "Handbags" section every day.

Certainly don't want to get into this but would suggest that Sergio in the past, especially in the US, has been criticised for things he's said in English when his English clearly wasn't very good (tho considerably better than that of 90% of "White Caucasians", either in the US or in GB&I).

If he's been burned for perhaps misspeaking when he was still learning English, it is hardly surprising that he is less than forthcoming know that he has become more fluent in the language - after all, he's largely dealing with the same people.

Can certainly see why people get turned off by Sergio and/or Tiger, but at least Tiger's interviews are in his native tongue - haven't ever read in any depth what Spanish journalists get out of Sergio but he certainly seems popular there whereas the US media (at least) still gets on Sergio's back in a very gratuitous manner. Don't blame him for not giving much away.

.

Diggers - perhaps with all the vitriol you post you forgot this gem -
"Garcia is a popular player......no idea why, cant stand him personally"

I do indeed have many golfers I prefer to watch but at no time do I suggest that I hate him/her or can't stand him/her.

Kwini, I dont read any US press so thats certainly doesnt bias me in any way. Id say his English for the past few years has been excellent.

Diggers doesn't like Garcia much, he prefers Tiger
Super has a dislike for Woods but likes Garcia...

I think that covers it? Let move on...

Am i correct in assuming if Rory wins at RstG he will be No.1? Or can Luke/Lee stop him if they can get a high finish? Or is it too early to say...

Yes, Diggers I know that, but you are talking about the reasons you dislike Garcia, yet you frequently stand up for Woods who displays exactly the same things that you dislike Garcia for, except usually more frequently.

I'm sure what you meant to say is that you admire Woods for his career wins, despite the fact he frequently behaves poorly.

I didnt forget it, Im saying I cant stand him which to me is very different to hating someone. I dont give the guy a seconds thought aside from when I see him on TV or read about him in a newspaper or on here. So I certainly dont hate him, I possess no manevolent thoughts to him, he just annoys me.
Im sure you have never done anything similar when talking about a football player or club ?

No point in having theses 'arguments' as everyone likes / dislikes a person for different reasons.

I can see what Diggers is saying, Garcia can be a bit 'spoilt child' sometimes like in his second round this week (when he smashed up most of the 9th fairway after hooking his shot 5 yards left of the green).

It's a shame really as when he plays well he's a joy to watch.

Rather than a daily handbags thread maybe we could have Super give us hourly updates on how he is feeling about Woods, just so that we know.

Alternatively, I wonder if there was some sort of test that we could do where Super can find a link between some really obscure topic that has nothing to do with golf and his dislike for Woods.

Please dont tell me what I meant to say. Ive said exactly what I think several times, its all in my past posts. I do not think they are similar, thats what you seem to keep ignoring which is getting a bit dull to be honest.

Rossa wrote:
Am i correct in assuming if Rory wins at RstG he will be No.1? Or can Luke/Lee stop him if they can get a high finish? Or is it too early to say...

Rossa

No idea but I certainly think that if it would make him #1 then we could be in for fireworks from a very motivated Rory.

Could be the best thing to happen to the rankings for quite some time, put an end to all the arguments about the #1 player not having won a major.

Bring it on!

Digs,
Just trying to say that Sergio quite likely tars every English language interviewer with the same brush.
Would suggest that even a very close-lipped Sergio reveals more than Tiger who often just plain refuses to answer questions. Part of the media's embrace of Rory is surely a relief that he's not "Tiger".

Separately, Rory would have to win The Open and Donald would have to be out of the top ten-ish for Rory to go to Number One - Westwood could also reach number one with a high finish even if Rory should win, tho' Lee could strengthen (or not) his position at Castle Stuart. It'll get closer and closer though if Rory continues to play better than Lukey and/or Lee.

drive4show wrote:

Rossa wrote:
Am i correct in assuming if Rory wins at RstG he will be No.1? Or can Luke/Lee stop him if they can get a high finish? Or is it too early to say...

Rossa

No idea but I certainly think that if it would make him #1 then we could be in for fireworks from a very motivated Rory.

Could be the best thing to happen to the rankings for quite some time, put an end to all the arguments about the #1 player not having won a major.

Bring it on!

i'll ditto that. it all feels a bit like limbo for now until rory comes back and we see what happens. i've been a fan since seeing him at the dunhill just after he'd turned pro and wanting a swing like that! that was the tourny where he secured his card for the following season with a 3rd place. not really looked back has he?!

when you take a bit of a detailed look at the rankings and money won both in the US and on the european tour, donald is simply light years ahead of anyone else on current form, ie 2011. those making big gains on the points are donald, mcilroy, day and schwarzel with a good number of the emergent world class of americans also making gains - kuchar, johnson, watson, watney.

they would appear to be the top current form players along with choi but you'd never write off any one of the T20 from hitting form at RStG.

Rossa wrote:
Am i correct in assuming if Rory wins at RstG he will be No.1? Or can Luke/Lee stop him if they can get a high finish? Or is it too early to say...

Rossa, it's certainly a bit early to make any definite predictions on things like that.
But here are a few things we can say at this point with some confidence:
- Definitely the possibility is there, i.e. with a win at RSG, Rory could become #1.
- Lee and especially Luke will have to finish probably outside top 10 or so at the Scottish Open
next week in order to maintain that chance for Rory as they tee it off at the Open.
- And then Lee/Luke will have to MC ot finish around the bottom of the pile at the Open...

So all in all I'd say it's possible, but perhaps not very probable to happen after RSG. But there will be
another small chance for Rors to get some extra point at the Irish Open at the end of July (not sure
what Lee&Luke will do for the rest of July) and then obviously they're all going to be at Bridgestone...

I thought it was interesting to see his remarks in this article made at Wentworth the other day

http://www.europeantour.com/europeantour/news/newsid=139464.html#mcilroy+visits+the+european+tour+offices

“It’s another step towards my ultimate goal of being the best player in the world
but I have two great players ahead of me in Luke Donald and Lee Westwood”

So obviously now becoming #1 is a pretty clear goal of his for the next period, so I guess we shall watch this space....

Luke Donald's next event will be the Scottish Open, followed by RStG, then almost certainly by the Canadian Open. Assume neither Westwood nor McIlroy will play the week following The Open.
Interesting that Ernie Els is now signed up for Aronomink this week, Castle Stuart, The Open, then also Canada. Who's he kidding??!!

So is the field for Castle Stuart looking better than previous years at Loch Lomond given it represents a better Open warm up?

...and we shouldn't write off Kaymer just yet from all these no.1 scenarios. He's playing this week in Paris and a top 8 there will bring him back ahead of Rory and probably back into the #1 mix at RSG...

Loch Lomond last year was worth 52 points to the winner and I'd expect to be something similar this year. We can do a more accurate assessment of that after the end of this week...