PGA Tour: Pilgrims' Play-Off Progress: Notes from the Ballwasher

1).All sorts of superlatives describing Rory McIlroy's win at the Deutsche Bank, the most telling being the observations that Rors didn't exactly have his "A Game", echoing the young Eldrick's frequently voiced lament in victory. Only 23 and, following last week's note, just Garcia, Faldo, Ballesteros and Olazabal among Europeans have more wins in America than Rory's five.

2).Just a two-day gap between tournaments this week, which makes little or no sense when players travel to a course, Pete Dye's Crooked Stick outside Indianapolis, that none of them have played in professional competition. One could be excused for thinking Dye is the official architect of the PGA Tour given the number of Dye lay-outs on this year's calendar (only a month removed from Kiawah after all, and three in five weeks earlier in the year).

3).This is the site of John Daly's grip-it-and-rip-it win at the 1991 PGA Championship but only Billy Mayfair and Davis Love of this year's FedEx Play-Off contestants teed it up that week, and their challenge ended two weeks ago at Bethpage. Jeff Overton and Bo Van Pelt are the only Indiana Boys looking to be groovin' on Indiana nights (and days) this week and your guess is as good as mine as to who might be successful.

4).So let's have a quick review of the Europeans in this year's Play-Offs. Cejka, Chopra, Karlsson and Knox didn't make it and are preparing to fight for their Tour lives in the Fall Series.

5).Gary Christian, Jacobson and Stenson fell at the first (Bethpage) hurdle and Owen, Brian Davis and the desperately unlucky Jonas Blixt fell at Boston. Owen double-bogeyed his 36th hole last week to miss the cut reinforcing the feeling that he's been puching above his weight for much of the (successful for him) year, while Davis has missed 6 of his last 7 cuts and just can't break the image of "all ATM, no win" touring pro.
So then there were ten:

6).Harrington, Laird, Poulter and McDowell are struggling as the field tee off at Crooked Stick, all lying fortieth or worse and needing a big finish to reach the Top Thirty and East Lake's Tour Championship. Harrington, Laird and Poulter likely need a top five or six finish, McDowell probably a top ten. Poulter has been increasingly scornful of the courses so far, the ridiculous Saturday set-up at Bethpage and his "love affair" with TPC Boston. He seems ambivalent about this week's outcome, "Sh1t or bust next week. Go at every pin or it's 2 weeks off, Don't mind either." While McDowell has complained about increasing tiredness: "I've just been fatigued the last few weeks, I think I'm tired."
Hardly a ringing endorsement for the form of any of them and I'd be surprised if they advanced.

7).McIlroy (1st), Pettersson (11th), Garcia (15th) and Donald (17th) are assured of reaching East Lake while Justin Rose (22nd) and Westwood (23rd) have to play especially poorly not to progress. Which would be no surprise for Rose who's been in terrible form since Kiawah. Westwood continues to lead the Tour in greens in regulation, but languishes 185th in "scrambling" and 165th in "strokes gained putting". Hopefully Tony Johnstone's in town.

8).Coming in to this year's Play-Offs there was the sentiment that they'd suit the bombers and that's been largely true so far, whether by accident or design. Crooked Stick (par 72) can be stretched to 7,500 yards and length obviously played its part in Daly's win in 1991. But the US Senior Open was staged here in 2009 and Fred Funk (one of any Tour's shortest hitters) won by six shots with a 20-under performance. So who knows? Strategy or length?
Interestingly, Tiger Woods has only won on one Pete Dye design but if the "Stick" is set up to reward length and not accuracy (seemingly a Play-Off trend) then he can't be ruled out.

9).The "BMW Championship" goes to Chicago's Conway Farms next year, another new course for most of the pros (not Luke Donald though, he's a member there) and wouldn't it be nice if they had a week off to prepare? I'd say the Tour's got this year's schedule all wrong, demanding the top pros play five out of six weeks and Garcia and Dufner taking weeks off (not that the likes of Justin Rose and Bubba Watson looked too interested in Boston) suggests some of them agree. Still not sure whether Schwartzel will play Thursday or rehab his injury.

10).Mixed feelings for Hunter Mahan this week as he's joined a rogue's gallery of US golfers missing Ryder Cup qualification by one place, Estes, Tim Simpson, Flesch, Rollins and Tommy Tolles among them!
Even if qualification had been extended to the Deutsche Bank, Mahan would have finished 11th. Earlier in the season he was top and his MatchPlay defeat of Rory must surely stand for something. But Johnson and Sneds missed large chunks of the season with injuries so perhaps that factor, combined with recent results, contributed to Love's selections.
Alternatively, this would have been Mahan's fourth "Captain's Choice" in six years.
Whatever, not surprising he feels "empty" right now.

And after this coming Sunday's action, the glass will be half empty for forty golfers as the field of 70 is shrunk to 30. Though it sounds as if the respective glasses of Poulter and McDowell will be half full whatever happens.


Edit: Meant to add some interesting final positions from the 1991 PGA:
1st: Daly
5th: Steven Richardson
7th: Feherty
T16: Faldo, Lyle
23th: Ballesteros
48th: Woosnam

After a long hot (and dry) summer, the Indianapolis area has had a ton of rain in the past few weeks and more showers expected today. But the forecast for the Beemer is good, just a chance of showers at the weekend when the temps will also be much cooler, in the low 70's.

This looks like the week for a top ball-striker who hits the ball far enough and mostly straight - Westwood-ish, Senden-like, for instance, even Adam Scott-style. Relatively small greens. Would fancy Tiger if it wasn't for his distaste for Pete Dye courses.

"Just a two-day gap between tournaments"

How long do the poor little lambs need between those arduous rounds of golf in the sun?

The wheelchair basketball teams seem to play every day and they actually do some exercise.


"none of them have played in professional competition"

This is a bad thing? I would hate to see them have to work out a shot for themselves without the use of a caddie, three pages of notes, yardages to the tenth decimal place and having played a practice shot from every conceivable angle.

I dont mean to sound like I am having a go at you kwini but are you really going to buy into any argument that says pga tour golfers are anything other than pampered?



As for Mahan, do you reckon his chunked chip has anything to do with his non selection?

Mac,
I'm just saying it's different from the norm, and for no good reason, and pointing out that, however pampered they might be, some of them are clearly running on fumes and, especially with the travel, they don't get a break. Not sure that's a good recipe for great golf.

Thought Mahan's "chunked chip" was the most blown-out-of-proportion nonsense I've ever heard. Fact is, he could've hit a beauty and McD holed his - it really didn't do anything other than confirm his defeat.
I really think Mahan is unlucky this year, hoist by his own petard I suppose, but he's first in ball-striking on Tour, yet sitting out the week. Would think Olazabal would love to have him on the European Team (or is saying that heresy?).

I agree, it probably didn't change anything. But once a choker always a choker?

That wasn't the way it looked at the WGC MatchPlay, Mac, Mahan dominated McIlroy.

Mahan's a top player, and a proven winner; any characterisation to the contrary is wide of the mark. Plus, he probably holes more long putts, and goes lower on a regular basis, than any pro golfer out there today.

I meant in the eyes of the public. Still, the US have a strong team which would remain the same no matter who was selected.

kwini

Meant to ask, are you surprised by tiger's showing in the play offs so far? It's almost like he is pretty intent on winning something other than a major, which is not always the feeling I get from his play. A bit sad maybe that it takes a massive pot of gold to motivate him.

Mac,
Don't know if I'm surprised, neither course was particularly demanding, accuracy-wise anyway, off the tee, but he still doesn't seem that comfortable with his driver and seems to be working the ball only one way, cutting almost everything.
From all pre-match accounts, Crooked Stick should suit him too, but a slightly smaller margin for error given relatively small greens.

Would be astonished if he doesn't rack up another top ten, and then he'll feel he's right in with a chance of the East Lake loot.

Nice article about Sergio:

http://www.pgatour.com/2012/tournaments/r028/09/05/verdi-column-sergio-garcia/index.html#

I'd say he has good taste in tennis players.

Kwini,

I read the article earlier but didn't know the tennis player. After your comment I just checked images on google.

Firstly, another reason not to feel too sorry for Sergio when he is moping round a golf course.

Secondly, glad the office was quiet when I opened the images or I could have been in a spot of bother.

You'd never heard of Hantuchova?

Kwini,

Haven't heard the name Tommy Tolles banded about for a while, have to be a real golf nut like us to remember him i'd say

Nearly won the Players in 96, had another great year in 97 with some great majors then nothing

it happens

Sergio was busy last week; he was also shown in Mardy Fish's "box" every time the Fish was on court.
Hope Sergio has better luck with his health this week than Fish did.

Apparently Sergio and Adam Scott have a friendly tennis rivalry - mixed doubles now I suppose.

No golfing action from Indiana until 10.15 a.m. CDT.
TV coverage starts at 2.00 p.m. CDT, 8.00 p.m. in Islington.

Alsie,
Re: Tommy Tolles.

Amazing (or not, curious anyway) how some successful pros just seem to lose their game or otherwise disappear. Tolles with more top Major (and Players) finishes than many far more celebrated players, but now seemingly without any status on Tour, and doubt if he has any exemption criteria for the Champions Tour in four years' time.

Lennie Clements is another who went from years in the top fifty money, and then nothing.

And never really quite sure why Brett Ogle disappeared as quickly as he came on to the scene (tho some suspicions in his case). Won Q-School, two tournaments, yips (or so we are led to believe) then broadcasting.

No Clijsters/Roddick retirement fanfare for golfers, old (and sometimes young) golfers just fade away.

i think Maggert maybe pipped him for Valderrama, could it be it was that blow which caused it?
I guess once pros start to tinker for improvement and change something they run the risk of doing damage to other parts of there game and can never recover such are the fine margins in golf.

Hi Kwini, how are things?

Been an interesting few weeks. Disappointed Sergio couldn't win 2 weeks ago and it was great to see Louis and Rory battling it out last week - two prettier swings you'll struggle to find!

Cant really be shocked at any of the RC wild card choices. Love III musta thought he'd enough ball strikers when he left Mahan out.

Talking of glasses half full in Indiana, do you think our Jeff will stay focused enough this week??

Kwin - Only a two day break due to the Monday finish. That makes perfect sense to me - better TV revenue with the Labor Day holiday. To give the players that extra day of rest of letting the tail wag the dog, IMO. It's a biz-ness as they say.

VERY impressive US finishes for Mr. McIlroy. Has Rory won a professional golf tournament in Europe yet (I'm sure it's just a matter of time)?

Hi Lairdy,

Yup, disappointing that Sergio couldn't hang on at Bethpage but he looked like a man reborn that week and, especially, his week in Greensboro. Long may that continue.

Our friend and your namesake has rather been going through the motions since his Players 2nd place finish - doesn't he realise that a top three result this week will earn him a ticket to next year's Majors??!! Looked at his season stats, and his ball-striking has deteriorated since last year, compounded by terrible scrambling and sand-save stats.

Not really sure what penalties Indiana Jeff incurred following his exuberances last autumn - he may be a bit of an immature frat boy but I kinda like him; he's shown a lot of guts at various times on Tour and is a good guy to follow on the course, (tho' I still feel as if his swing suggests a straight right shot might be coming any moment). Boom Baby!


Sounds as if Crooked Stick is playing a bit soft, but I hope the greens are not too spongy - feel as if we've had enough of that (one Bethpage Saturday excepted) recently.

Interesting that Woods is playing almost everything with a cut these days; runner up to Daly at Crooked Stick in 1991 was Bruce Lietzke and don't think he ever hit anything other than a high fade all his career. We'll see!

Sr,
Do you feel more people watch sport on Labour Day than Saturdays?
Must admit, what with the Prem, US Open, Crans and baseball, I avoided the Deutsche Bank until Sunday, prefer to watch the Meadow Flushing anyway!

When the business side of any sport overtakes the sporting element, that's when I stop watching. Tipping point long since reached with NBA and NFL, not to mention Chelsea and Man City!

No, not on Saturday, but yes to Thursday!

They basically got the full weekend and an "amped up" weekday with the Monday finish.

WTF is going on with our Yankees? Mariano is missed.

Brett Gardner is missed even more! In the field (statue of Bob Uecker shows more life than Andruw Jones in the outfield) and at the bat.
You're right, we need Robertson pitching the 7th, Soriano the 8th, Mariano the 9th, if necessary.
But we're not hitting and not making anything happen on the basepaths. Without runs, even Mariano is at a loss.


Still no word on whether Schwartzel's playing - imagine someone from Tour HQ has had a word in his ear . . . . . . .

Good points ... too much reliance on the long ball this whole year.

The thing about Mariano was that the team actually believed they had 9 at bats and the opposition at 8. Great line about Uecker and Jones!

Have you seen that statue - it's awful!

(PS: I also have a major issue with that blood-flushing diva - who of course reminds me of a certain golfer - at 3rd base, but he got a big hit last night. Passed ARod in a hotel lobby once - huge!)

Have not seen the statue, but will look for it.

The ONLY good thing about A-Fraud was that Jeter did not give up his position. (OK, to be fair, he was productive in 2009)

Kwini you mention switching off when business overtakes sport, then start talking about the Yankees, and while i enjoy my american sports, i am no expert. But aren't the Yankees the biggest sports brand in USA? My friend in Manhattan declares them the Man Uted of baseball...and therefore sent me some Mets gear!

Great article Kwini,

My € 5 this week is on Matt Kuchar at a generous 55/1.....................

Beninho - PLEASE discard any and all Mets stuff!

My issue with American Baseball ... certainly not with the Yankees and teams that actually win and risk all to do so, but with teams like the Cubs ... put out a mediocre product for years and the owners just cash check after check. The demand never goes away for that team. Monopoly in action.

Boy, I wish there was relegation.

beninho,
Yup, we're all hypocrites!

Only thing with the Yankees is that they make a fortune, so it's not artificial spending in the certain knowledge that a loss is inevitable.

Whereas most Prem teams make a loss, Arsenal may be the exception. I'm a rabid Portsmouth fan, but couldn't stand the supposed glory years of the past decade, certain to end in tears and, no investment whatsoever in Fratton Park or the immediate area around it. We'd've been much better off in mid-table Championship mediocrity than paying way over the top for the gutter/mercenary element of football's foreign legion.

Yankee Stadium (way over-priced though it is) and associated development on the other hand is an economic dream for the Bronx and New York City as a whole.

Shotrock's description of the Cubs is spot on!


John, Thanks!
Let's hope I'm wrong about Mr.Harrington . . . . .

Never mind the start day, what's with threeballs and a two-tee start when there's only 70 in the field? Surely a rare chance to send everyone off from the first....

Kwini,

Laird changed his putter this year I'm sure, which is always a tell tale sign that he's struggling with that game. Always has struggled with it but seems like those struggles are eeking into the rest of the game.

Either that or he's spending all his time with that lovely new bride of his.

As Phil Mickelson approached the green (forgotten which hole), final round of the Barclays, a fan shouted "Phil, buy the Mets. Please. I'm beggin ya". Got a smile from all involved.

Have to own up to a fondness for the Cubs as they were the first team I ever rooted for -- first baseball game I ever saw over here. It was way back before they had lights in Wrigley Field, and the hero of the cubs (picture on the program etc) was Bill Buckner. Are you allowed to mention his name in new England ?!

Plunks,
Fortunately I'm a Yankee fan in Red Sox Nation!

You gotta love New York crowds though.


Next week sees the beginning of the Road to Q-School, preliminary contests with very few familiar names, but some sons of famous golfers, Jacklin, Sindelar etc. One or two European addresses but no-one I'm at all familiar with though there are one or two college grads in the field, Phillip Francis, for instance, has played quite a few PGA Tour events.


Lairdy,
Certainly agree with that, if Mrs.Laird is his excuse for poor form, good for him!

Lift, clean and place at a soaked Crooked Stick; so much for their drought.
But that might explain the flocks of birdies.

Pity Sergio has yet to join the party - you can't win it on Thursday Serge, but you know what you can do.

Super start from Poulter, can't even remember if I've ever seen him being so consistent in stroke play events...

Goo Roorrryy!!

Maybe Sergio can't get Daniela out of his mind...

I wonder how Nick Watney likes batting it over par around while McIlroy and Woods are birdie-ing every other hole. Exercise in futility.

Stricker and Donald on a mission also.

52 of the 70 under the card already. Playing easy or just the best players in the world? Surely pick, wipe 7 & cheat doesn't offer that much advantage?

Great write-up again Kwini.

Steven Richardson! What ever happened to him? He looked a talent for a while...

McIlroy's ball-striking must be superb, but he's 56th out of 70 in putting! Improve that just a smidgeon tomorrow, keep hitting it as well, and another victory could be on the cards.

Westwood on the other hand, allegedly striping it off the tee and then hitting wild irons. But 4th in "strokes gained putting"!

Lies, damned lies and statistics of course.


Cheers Navy, I think Steven Richardson is still in the golf business in Hampshire, but sure someone has something more authoritative?

kwinigolfer wrote:
Next week sees the beginning of the Road to Q-School, preliminary contests with very few familiar names, but some sons of famous golfers, Jacklin, Sindelar etc. One or two European addresses but no-one I'm at all familiar with though there are one or two college grads in the field, Phillip Francis, for instance, has played quite a few PGA Tour events.

Always enjoy tracking the progress of any Euros through Q-school Kwini... easiest way to get some interest in it!

I had a scan of the fields last week, and came up with 21 Euros across the 8 venues for this "stage"; the most well-known (stretching the definition) are Wallace Booth, who Walker Cup-ped in 2009, and Adrien Mork, who had a 59 en route to graduating from the Challenge Tour a few years back, then fell off the face of the earth. Also Olafur Loftsson, who was the first Icelander to play on the PGA Tour after he won a college event and got an invite last year. I forget which week it was...

I should have spotted Wallace Booth; Loftsson played last month in Greensboro I think.

There's a "Leahy" from Ireland - not a familiar name to me.

Steve Richardson plays out of Lee on Solent in Hampshire. Plays pro am circuit locally and is as nice a bloke as you could have a game of golf with. Modest and unassuming despite occasional flashes of brilliance!

Pretty good play by the Ryder Cuppers participating in the BMW and the KLM Open on the Euro Tour.

At the BMW... 17 of the 19 Cuppers were T29 or better (only Bradley and Duffner were not) And Kaymer and Hanson are playing well in the KLM. Of course there's a LONG way to go... but for the 1st round, here's the list:

European Team

BMW Championship
T1 - Mcilroy
T7 - Donald
T16 - Poulter
T16 - McDowell (with a 2 stroke penalty)
T16 - Rose
T16 - Westwood
T29 - Garcia

KLM Open
T2 - Kaymer (showing signs of life)
T5 - Hanson
- - -
T50 - Colsaerts

U.S.A Team - All at the BMW

T1 - Simpson
T5 - Woods
T10 - Z Johnson
T16 - D Johnson
T16 - Stricker
T29 - Furyk,
T29 - Mickelson,
T29 - Kuchar
T29 - Watson
T29 - Snedeker
- - - - - -
T51 - Bradley
T56 - Dufner

At this point only Poulter (42) and McDowell (41) are in jeopardy of not making the Tour Championship.

puligny,
Thanks for the scoop, had a feeling he was around, Thanks for the confirmation.

(My childhood treat to go on the ferry across the Harbour to Gosport and LOS. )

Great to hear from you.


Cheers robo, impressive stuff. I hope Colsaerts will have done himself proud by this time Friday!

Kwini, sad to see Pompey hanging by a thread. If it doesn't kill them will make them stronger!

Sad indeed puligny,
Looks like the next month will be crucial, on and off the field. Fingers crossed here, but they/we need more than that.
Looks like they're lucky with Appleton though . . . . .

For anyone tracking the Live Fed Ex Projected Standings over the weekend, dio not rely on Pgatour.com who continue to project anyone in a tie for 1st place with the maximum winners 2500 points.............it has 4 of them with 2500 each at present. Not sure why they cant just average out 1st to 4th and project each player in a tie foe 1st that way, thereby showing a more realistic picture...................


Proj Event Overall

1 -- 1 Rory McIlroy 2,500 7,299
2 19 Webb Simpson 2,500 4,187
3 Bo Van Pelt 2,500 4,087
4 3 Tiger Woods 525 3,942
5 2 Nick Watney 128 3,596
6 60 Graham DeLaet 2,500 3,422
7 4 Brandt Snedeker 183 3,377
8 5 Louis Oosthuizen 245 3,154
9 6 Dustin Johnson 245 2,867
10 8 Zach Johnson 319 2,598

A very wet forecast for the next 24 hours in Indianapolis - surprised they haven't got the golfers out early this morning.
Edit! Ah ha!! I see they ARE getting them out two hours early - good move, and first tee-times (including McDowell) now scheduled for 8.00 a.m. local time.

But up to two inches of rain could drench an already sodden Crooked Stick and no doubt we'll see more lifting, cleaning and placing over the weekend, if not today.

The weekend itself should be clear, coolish, breezy and dry. Not the course though, presumably.

GMac 3under through 6 - looking like he's keen to make up for his two shot penalty yesterday.

Bob,
McD and Westwood both -4 now.
What was McD's penalty for yesterday?