Dim Tim & Luke

So Finchem's plan of moving the voting day for the players player of the year, seems to have backfired. Luke didn't travel to the WGC event, because of the impending birth of his daughter. Finchem was hoping to see plenty of US based players topping the leader board, but sorry Tim, Mahan was the best placed player at tied 7th. As usual the Europeans stole the show, with some stunning golf. Luke still at No1, with Rory moving up to 2nd, Lee down to 3rd and Martin K now in 4th after a great result. Also good to see Gmac get a bit of form back and his putter was red hot for a change. Can't wait to see the outcome of the vote though.

He seems to be the sepp blatter of the golf world.

super_realist wrote:He seems to be the sepp blatter of the golf world.

Correct and will probably ban the ET from wearing poppies this week.

Was also good to see the likes of Casey getting back to form after injury, and even Poults and Rose were up there too.

Did you see that tom Lewis was 36 (thirty six) shots off the pace.

super_realist wrote:Did you see that tom Lewis was 36 (thirty six) shots off the pace.

Yeah he was my longshot bet of the week too

The Sepp Blatter of the golf world, sounds pretty accurate that description to me.

Be interesting to see how the voting for this works out, Luke imo is the rightfull and should be the only winner of the award, but smart money on all thinks yank based would goto Webb Simpson especially in light of the comments made by Garrigus et al.

The players player of the year? Who cares? All sounds a bit precious to me and certainly not worth getting knickers in a twist about.

Im with NBS on this, and really ultimately on any award that you "honoured" with.
I can see why winning the lowest stroke average matters, or topping the money lists (even though I find it a bit crass that success is measured so much in golf in euros and dollars), and of course winning events. You earn these things directly through your play. When someone votes for you really its just a purely subjective viewpoint. And you have no real right to "expect" to recieve any award under those circumstances.
Does he deserve it, sure, does it matter....not much really.

Surely as it's voted for by fellow touring professionals it would have significant importance to the winner? Agreed however that noone has a right to expect to win it.

What about Steve Williams as player of the year?

A few positives if Luke does not win:

It will add some spice to next year's Ryder Cup.
Give Luke some motivation to push-on next year and hopefully win his first major.

Luke is the most integrated European on the US Tour (US College, US wife and kids, kept his US Tour card all through his career). If I was him I'd be seriously p*ss*d *ff if Webb Simpson won the award.

I was expecting estabished players like Michelson to make a public statement in support of Luke. Perhaps they have and I've missed it.

Maybe we should have a poll for 606v2 player of the year, now that would be ab honour worth having.

Lets not get narrow minded and limit it per tour, just best golfer of the year from any tour.

In the sensible world of 606v2 it would be a guaranteed shoe in for Luke Donald.

It also seems like people are getting a little bit wound up about nothing so far. Donald hasnt actually not won the award, nothing has changed to suggest that the PGA players wont vote for him.

Precisely, ultimately meaningless, like a man of the match award. It's not something that he'll have on his mantelpiece.

As I said IMO Luke is the rightful winner, likely to be Webb, is it worth losing sleep over something that really does not show anything but opinion... Nope.

He is world No1, PGA Tour No1, and likely to finish RTD No1... That in itself is far more important and noteable than winning any award voted for on opinion of players and it's that which will go down in the record books

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/25/sports/golf/luke-donald-and-webb-simpson-in-hunt-for-pga-player-of-the-year.html?ref=golf

Fun read. But, at the end of the day, a bit of a popularity contest and that's all. Luke's bank account speaks for itself.

My player of the year? Rory ... comeback at Congressional one for the ages. Transcends all else that happened this year IMO.

I think most neutrals would say that Luke’s win in Disney should have clinched it for him but the bottom line is majors are the ones they all want in golf. We can slaughter the American players as much as we want for voting for an American but it the tables were turned and it was European players voting under similar circumstances well I’m not so sure we would be as impartial as we like to think.

The way I see it Donald probably deserves it but Simpson will get it and the players will justify it in their own minds at least because Simpson got a major.

Shotrock I have to agree with you, when I look back at 2011 I think the biggest moments of the year were Rory at the Masters and Rory at the US Open.

Simpson hasn't won a major at all. Keegan Bradley has though.

hogie wrote:I think most neutrals would say that Luke’s win in Disney should have clinched it for him but the bottom line is majors are the ones they all want in golf. We can slaughter the American players as much as we want for voting for an American but it the tables were turned and it was European players voting under similar circumstances well I’m not so sure we would be as impartial as we like to think.

The way I see it Donald probably deserves it but Simpson will get it and the players will justify it in their own minds at least because Simpson got a major.

Shotrock I have to agree with you, when I look back at 2011 I think the biggest moments of the year were Rory at the Masters and Rory at the US Open.

What Major would that be then....

Schwartzel - Masters
McIlroy - US Open
Clarke - Open
Bradley - PGA

super_realist wrote:Simpson hasn't won a major at all. Keegan Bradley has though.

They may as well be the same person to be honest. Dont they both use cheat sticks as well ?

Diggers wrote:

super_realist wrote:Simpson hasn't won a major at all. Keegan Bradley has though.

They may as well be the same person to be honest. Dont they both use cheat sticks as well ?

God is on Simpson's side. (and I'm not talking about Finchem.) I call that cheating.

What gets me "Webb" isn't even his real name....

Its James Frederick Simpson.... Presumably soume weird family nickname is how he got Webb....

Either that or God felt it needed to rename a disciple

Maverick wrote:What gets me "Webb" isn't even his real name....

Its James Frederick Simpson.... Presumably soume weird family nickname is how he got Webb....

Either that or God felt it needed to rename a disciple

Maybe he is part duck.

What Major would that be then....

Schwartzel - Masters
McIlroy - US Open
Clarke - Open
Bradley - PGA
Maverick



My apologies all these rookie yanks look the same

Whatever happens Luke has won the two that really count: Money title and scoring average.

If he doesn't get players player of the year what difference is it going to make. I doubt his sponsors have this award in his performance bonuses. If anything I think if Simpson got the award it would devalue Simpson's performance as he didn't top any category.

What makes Luke's money title win more impressive is that he played 7 fewer tournaments than Simpson.

1GrumpyGolfer wrote:Whatever happens Luke has won the two that really count: Money title and scoring average.

If he doesn't get players player of the year what difference is it going to make. I doubt his sponsors have this award in his performance bonuses. If anything I think if Simpson got the award it would devalue Simpson's performance as he didn't top any category.

What makes Luke's money title win more impressive is that he played 7 fewer tournaments than Simpson.

Amen brother grumps amen... As Webb would say....

I think the award is a real irrelevance in the grand scheme of things what Lukes done will go down in the record books whereas Simpsons will just get him valued by his american compadres but nothing else

As I said before on another thread, just another pointless backslapping award.

It's of no more value than the 606v2 "Woman of the year" award which is another 2 horse race between Bella and Megan