PGA Tour: Don't Panic! Don't Panic!!: Notes from the Ballwasher

1).Almost as if in tribute to Clive Dunn who died last week, Charlie Beljan wobbled his way to victory on the PGA Tour's final event of the year. Caddie Rick "Handlebar" Adcox did his very best Corporal Jones trying to calm Beljan down as he was stumbling, bumbling his way down Disney's fairways last Friday. Beljan would kneel down, sit on his bag, lie down and, almost took a header in to a water hazard. Miraculously he played in this condition for the final seven holes of his second round in level par, telling Adcox between shots he thought he was going to die.

2).Certainly he looked like death warmed up as he was carried from the scorer's table to a waiting ambulance following his round. Yet, after just an hour's sleep in hospital - still with his golf shoes on - and ignoring medical advice to withdraw, Beljan recovered sufficiently to make his Saturday tee-time and finally go on to win the last "Children's Miracle Hospital Network Classic" on Sunday. Amazing.
Happy ending for Caddie Handlebar though, who went from thinking his player was going to peg it to taking his share of the spoils - 15% would be $126,900.

3).A great story but two questions of the PGA Tour:
~Why didn't they have a doctor walking with Beljan?
~Why wouldn't they supply him a cart to travel the 200 yds from the 18th green to the scorer's tent?
And one observation:
Does this prove what people say about Golf being more of a pastime than a sport?

4).But Charlie Beljan might not be the nice young guy he comes across as in interviews. His recent Tweets about the Penn State scandal, and his observation after last week's election that President Obama is "the biggest D Bag this country has ever seen," are somewhat typical of most young Tour players, Brian Harman and Billy Horschel among others to tweet acrimoniously about the election result. In Beljan's case, his agent has apparently persuaded him to close his Twitter account. Good thing.

5).It's that time of the post-season for voting for awards. And Beljan is nominated for Rookie Of The Year, along with Jonas Blixt, Bud Cauley, Ted Potter and John Huh. Huh will likely win it, but I'd vote for Blixt.

There is no Comeback Player Of The Year award this year, but you'd think JB Holmes (following last year's brain surgery) and Tiger Woods (following all his travails) should have been considered.

For some reason there are five nominees for Player Of The Year (incl Dufner, Watson, Snedeker and Woods) but you'd think Rory would win it unanimously. Won't he?

6).Inverness's Russell Knox had a terrific day on Sunday lifting himself inside the Top 150 and earning him exemption from Stage 2 Q-School, which starts this week at six sites. We'll see him again in the Q-School Finals in a few weeks. Good luck to him!
While Camilo Villegas proved why he's 144th on the money-list: Opened with a seven under par 65, but only one under the rest of the way. Bags of talent, but bereft of confidence, especially on the greens.

7).Talking of Stage 2, there are:
Four Major Championship winners: Janzen, Beem, Hamilton, Micheel.
Six Ryder Cup veterans: Janzen, Fisher, Karlsson, Parnevik, Riley and Wetterich.
Five Presidents Cuppers: Janzen, Austin, Begay, Franco and Lonard. Edit: Better add KT Kim.
Europeans: Several, including Donaldson, Oli Fisher, Noren and Wattel.
One-time bright young things: Cantlay, Danny Lee, Lovemark and Michael Sim.
US Open fourth-place finisher: John Peterson (arrogant young man but immensely talented).
Etc, etc.

8).Champions Tour Q-School Final is underway in Florida, with Barry Lane and Anders Forsbrand the leading Europeans, joined this week by Mark Mouland, Spaniards Luna and Martin, Andrew Sherborne and Marc Farry of France. Trevor Doods, Eddie Romero and Aussie Peter Fowler are the leading "Internationals".

9).Forgot to mention that New Jersey's Liberty National Golf Club, site of the 2013 Barclays received an unusual visitor during "Sandy" as the storm washed a passenger ferry up beside the 10th fairway. Given the idiosyncratic nature of the course, especially the greens (on being told that Tom Kite had designed the putting surfaces, Tiger Woods asked "Before or after he had his eyes fixed?"), perhaps they'll leave that ferry there.

10).Haven't had a trivia question for a while, so here's a topical one:
"Which PGA Tour player has two Tour wins only, achieved in consecutive Tour starts?"
Edit: This should read across "three consecutive starts."

Champions Tour Q-School:
Only the top four in this week's qualie receive full "cards", with conditional cards for the next four:
Top four so far are:
1).Damon Green (Zach Johnson's caddie)
1).Boring Bobby Clampett
3).Esteban Toledo
3).Neil Lancaster

Among those tied for 5th are Mouland, Forsbrand and Fowler, with Barry Lane a shot further back.

The Spanish armada has somewhat run aground, Santiago Luna 59th and Miguel-Angel Martin in 71st.

Best comedy line of the year there Kwini ref the Tiger Woods/Tom Kite eyes qoute. I nearly wet myself when I read that line! Absolute classic, Woods has gone right up in my estimations with that!! Best laugh I've had all week!

Just one of many witty quips from Woods through the years. Super take note, he's not as dreary, wooden etc as he seems.

Was gonna say Jason Dufner for your quiz question kwini but after checking the Players (T68) came between his 2 victories!

Camillo in the playoffs a few yes ago?

hend0,
Good shout. But he has another (Honda, 2010) win.

Kwini

Is there anything in the public domain to suggest his troubles were anything more than a panic attack?



For the quiz question what about Rich Beem? International then PGA.

Hi Mac,
No, not really, except that it was above and beyond anything he'd apparently experienced before. But he had fainted during a flight back to AZ from Reno a few months ago; all pretty extreme. He's undergoing a battery of tests in the Mayo Clinic in Arizona this week, so maybe we'll learn more.
My main point though, is that such melodrama which may be good for TV ratings is not so good for the PGA Tour and you'd think they'll make sure to take better care of their ailing players in future.

Rich Beem had already won the Kemper Open . . . . . .

I mentioned the fainting to my girlfriend and she still says panic attacks - given flying is a stressful situation - but send him for an ECG to "cover my ass" as she put it. It seems those used to seeing the properly sick would find any level of fuss over his symptoms as melodrama. As you point out however there was no need for the media to go overboard when someone was ill, no matter what could be wrong with him. I imagine it would not have been so badly hyped had this happened on Uk commentary during the European tour. Americans do seem to go in for drama wherever possible.


Damn, don't remember beems Kemper win.

Will you reveal the decade the two wins happened in or is it too soon for clues?

incontinentia wrote:Just one of many witty quips from Woods through the years. Super take note, he's not as dreary, wooden etc as he seems.

Yeah, he's a laugh a year. Where is this famed hilarious anecdote, or is he saving it for Parkinson?

Note 10). Trivia question:

"Which PGA Tour player has two wins only, achieved in consecutive Tour starts?"

A little research suggests I should have fact-checked this first. They were actually achieved in three consecutive starts, so the question, somewhat topical, should read:
"Which PGA Tour player has two wins only, achieved across three consecutive Tour starts?"

I believe it is still unique for a current player and was accomplished within the past ten years.

Uh uh, That lets in Jason Dufner . . . . . .

kwinigolfer wrote:Note 10). Trivia question:

"Which PGA Tour player has two wins only, achieved in consecutive Tour starts?"

A little research suggests I should have fact-checked this first. They were actually achieved in three consecutive starts, so the question, somewhat topical, should read:
"Which PGA Tour player has two wins only, achieved across three consecutive Tour starts?"

I believe it is still unique for a current player and was accomplished within the past ten years.

Justin Rose - until this years WGC-Cadillac

Justin Rose up to four wins now, I think.

Hmm, yeah, there was a BMW in between.

YE Yang, Todd Hamilton, Notah Begay?

No, No and No!

Does Jason Dufner not fit this now that the question has been amended?? Or am I misunderstanding?!

ralph,
I think I royally screwed this up - as noted above (just!), that disclaimer DOES now let in Dufner. Oh dear.

I was trying to get to Daniel Chopra, got to have some reason for mentioning him, but I didn't originally realise he also had a tournament in-between. Chopra difficult to figure out as he did it over two seasons!

So you're right and I'm wrong


I should have offered a clue to the effect that it was achieved with different colour barnets but that would have given it away.

There are six sites for Stage 2 Q-School, three started play Tuesday, three Wednesday.
Those Europeans who are in qualifying positions after Round 1 include:
Ross Fisher,
Guillaume
Norlander
Mikkelson
Alex Noren

Only got the title to your article now!!..........

Great write-up, kwini
Some very funny bits in there, quite like the idea of having a big boat as part of the decorum around the green...

Can't say I know very well all the details behind those rookies, but to me Blixt would've been at least a tie with Huh at this stage. Huh had a great spell but sort of faded away over the last few months...

Cheers pd,
I think Blixt has had the better year, Las Vegas a bigger tournament than Mayakoba, and almost in the top 30 money despite being out in the middle of the year for two months. But I bet the players go for Huh, all the scribes reckoning his reaching the Tour Championship trumps Blixt's late run.
I'd have gone for Jonas regardless, just in the hope of seeing his entourage again.


Now then, Champions Tour Q-School:
The top four after 36 holes are:
1).Gene Jones (Champions Tour veteran)
1).Boring Bobby C
3).Jeff Brehaut (a very good player from California who was always on the fringes of the PGA Tour.
4).Barry Lane
4).Rutledge
4).Horgan

Other Europeans include:
T17: Andrew Sherborne, Forsbrand, Mouland
T31: Santiago Luna with one of the best rounds of the day.
T40: Farry
72nd: M-A Martin: Almost no chance of qualifying from there, might as well cut his losses and go home to Espana.

Fisher Time!
Halfway through their Second Stage Q-School:
Ross is 5th, Oli is 6th, comfortably inside the pace necesary to qualify; Sam Osborne is 18th, right on the bubble.
Messrs Power, Guillaume, Parnevik, Hafthorsson off the pace.

Reporting from more precincts later.

Evening kwini! Oilver Fisher at PGA Q-School? Interesting. Good luck to him.

And not a good sign when you start to question if players are old enough to be playing Champions golf! Sherbourne? Farry? M-A Martin? Surely not!!!?!?!

Gosh this Grouse tastes good!

Gary Boyd off to a good start in Hongkers, gw, fingers crossed for him.


And all votes are in from today's Q-School fun and games. These Europeans are in qualifying position tonight (but that will change Thurdsday!):

Ross Fisher
Oli Fisher
Sam Osborne
Henrik Norlander
Joakim Mikkelsen
Alex Noren
Robert Karlsson
Rikard Karlberg

Oliver Fisher is perhaps the worst pro who has ever held a card, actually that's a bit harsh but perhaps the pro who promised the most but who has delivered almost nothing.

kwinigolfer wrote:
I'd have gone for Jonas regardless, just in the hope of seeing his entourage again.

OK... the above is reason enough to change my unofficial "official vote" from John Huh to Jonas Blixt... Man... Caroline Blixt is a keeper..

I see that Willie Park, Jr, is joining his father in the World Golf Hall Of Fame.

Not only a two-time Open Champion, of course, but a fine architect. The press release cites the Old Course at SAunningdale, Olympia (Furyk) Fields in Chicago, and Long Island's Maidstone Golf Links.
But I'd say his most important design was Stoneham Golf Course, in Southampton.

Announcements of inductions to the World Golf Hall Of Fame seem to just happen, no apparent rhyme or reason to their timing. For instance, Fred Couples was elected (just) via the PGA Tour ballot a couple of months ago, but the results of the International ballot have still to be announced.

Perhaps no-one scored the requisite 50%, but wouldn't it be nice to be informed about it? Any notion that Colin Montgomerie might have to play on the Champions Tour next summer might depend on it!

Have to admit kwini, don't get the Couples HOF selection. One major and just 15 career wins on the pga tour. Yes, there was a bunch of other stuff but as far as I'm concerned it's all about number of majors together with number of pga tour wins and I just don't think his career cv quite cuts the mustard.

Hi gael,
Just a popularity vote for Freddie, even quite a few of the US media's golfheads thought it was a bit ott - paves the way for Davis Love though.

Mark O'Meara a bit miffed in some remarks recently that Freddie got in to the HOF and not him, and that he's been passed over for Davis and Pres Cup Captaincy gigs. One big year for O'Meara and a solid career, but not great otherwise.

I was very pleased that Venturi finally made it.

Time for a Q-School update:

18 holes for Champo Tour Q-School and the top eight are as follows:

1).Gene Jones
2).Mark Mouland, on the back of a Thursday 66, equal best round of the event so far.
3).Brehaut
T4).Esteban Toledo
Jeff Hart
Horgan
C-H Lin

Peter Fowler (9th), Barry Lane and Forsbrand (both 11th) have their work cut out for them Friday, mid-sixties probably necessary to gain a full exemption.

Others need a miracle:
Sherborne and Luna (T 30th), Eddie Romero (37th), while Farry and M-A Martin can exit stage right.


PGA Tour Q-School Stage 2 concludes at three sites today, at three more on Saturday. Those Europeans in qualifying positions after 54 holes include:

3rd: Joakim Mikkelsen
8th: Ross Fisher
16th: Seamus Power
17th: Henrik Norlander
19th: Alex Noren (right on the bubble after a crummy 74 on Thursday)

Oliver Fisher now outside the qualifying positions, needs at least something in the 60's today.

After 36 holes, these are in qualifying positions:

2nd: Karlsson
11th: Wattel
17th: Sluiter

Among those OUTSIDE the qualifying positions at halfway is 2011 Presidents Cup player K-t Kim.

Keep up the great work kwini. Your previews are great. Always a critical eye on the pga tour but a true fan at heart. What's not to like..

Keep up the great work kwini. Your previews are great. Always a critical eye on the pga tour but a true fan at heart. What's not to like..

Sorry about that.

Cheers Aruglia,

Seems as if the criteria for Champions Tour cards has changed.

According to pgatour.com, the Top FIVE finishers this week will receive a full exemption, with the next seven receiving "conditional" status, meaning they may get in to some events - this is an almost impossible "status" to play out of, especially for an overseas player.

Anyway, if true, this certainly increases the chances for the likes of Forsbrand and Lane to establish some sort of status for 2013.

This talk about the seniors prompted me to think that Roger Chapman should deserve a place on the shortlist for "player of the year". However, I think it would be a bit pointless to run such a poll as it's very likely that the winner will be one Roy McAvoy... er... Richard McEvoy... um... that young Northern Irishman. Feel free to disagree though.

Perhaps we should do sub-categories? [Especially as, with no disrespect intended, I can't remember with much certainty who won the women's majors]

Sky,
I think Chapman played his first few Champions Tour events out of the "conditional" status, but gained entry to this year's Senior Players based on his efforts on the European Senior Tour.

I'm not sure what his exemption status is now, certainly fully exempt for at least 2013 due to his 13th place on the Champions Tour money list but probably nothing yet beyond that unless the Champions Tour adds an extra 12 months for a second win in a year. Not sure about that.

Certainly enjoyed a "who'd've thunk it" year over here - an object lesson for what CAN be achieved, but could easily become a poster child for how little regard the Champo Tour has for wins. His status for 2014 most likely depends entirely on his 2013 season or it's back to Q-School for him!

So far, so good for the two Fishers as both advance to Q-School Finals.

Disappoointment though for Seamus Power and Sam Osborne, while Guillaume, Parnevik and Hafthorsson were out with the washing.

Barry Lane among those to have failed in Champions Tour qualifying, Mouland still in with a shout and Forsbrand looking good for "conditional" status at least.

Alex Noren also scrapes into the Final of Q-School, while Mark Mouland earns a full Champions Tour exemption. Fate of Forsbrand still unreported!

Full Champions Tour exemptions:
Gene Jones, Mark Mouland and Canada's Jim Rutledge
John Riegger and Jeff Brehaut will take full exemptions when they turn 50 in June.
Meanwhile Esteban Toledo and C-H Lin assume full exemption, which will revert to "conditional" (a euphemism for negligible) status in June along with Forsbrand, T-C Wang, Lancaster, Steve Jones and Jeff Freeman.

Got that?

Barry Lane and Peter Fowler look as if any dreams they harboured for Champions Tour riches will have to wait for a third year.

How Swede it is!

Plenty of Swedes lining up and hoping to join Jonas Blixt, Freddie Jac, Pettersson, Stenson etc.

Chopra and Niklas Lemke went low today to join Norlander & Noren, who qualified yesterday, at the Q-School Final, Robert Karlsson looks like he'll do the same and Rikard Karlberg is still in with a shout.
Pity about Gronberg and Parnevik who missed out, while Richard S.Johnson will be on the edge of his computer after his 66 today placed him in contention to squeak in.

So far 2 x Fishers, Mikkelson, Noren, Norlander, Chopra and Lemke go to PGA West for the Final in two weeks, Dinwiddie, Gronberg and Parnevik among those to miss out. More as results come in.

Karlsson and Johnson make it for sure, Rafa Echenique also.

Good for Noren, but I'm a bit worried for him and Donaldson in particular as they'll need some decent showing in Dubai to make sure they stay inside the top 50 by the end of the year (travelling back and forth to US in the mean time). Hopefully it won't prove one of those cases of chassing two rabbits and catching none of them in the end...

Does Donaldson somehow get a free pass into Final Stage PGA Tour Q-School?

One player who certainly won't is K-t Kim and his failure and precipitous slide concludes a calamitous year for him.

Bad Q-School for Holland, with Lafeber (would think he's just wrapped up his ET card for 2013) and Derksen w/d'ing after being given a lifeline, and Tim Sluiter flunking Stage 2.

Right, Romain Wattel makes it by one stroke, Aussie Bryden MacPherson, Am Champ is in, as is US Am Champ Danny Lee.

So: O'Grady's knees will be trembling as he sees two Fishers, Noren, Wattel and Echenique reach the Final Q-School fence, plus Gonzo and any other ET Member exempt into the Final.

He'd probably prefer to see Karlsson flame out, but hopefully cream will rise to the top.

Not sure O'Grady will be too fussed about Echenique Kwini, given his feeble Euro Q-school efforts.

I reckon you can put the Euro qualifiers into 3 categories: The vets trying to keep the flame burning for another year or two (Chopra, Johnson). The ET home players with nothing to lose (Fisher x2, Noren, Wattel, arguably Karlsson with a helping of column 1). And the college grads and mini-tour players, who have reached target A of final stage and a conditional Web.com card, and now have target B - full Web.com status, and then target C of a full card... Mikkelsen of Norway, Norlander and Lemke the Swedes, and Jaeger and Wiedergruen of Germany.

Lemke's looked a good player during what little I've seen of him.
I missed Jaeger and Wiedergruen, Ned but knew you wouldn't .

I'd say Fisher, Fish, Noren and Wattel would be definite minuses, with a possible plus if Karlsson returns full-time. And then there's Cejka, who's played pretty well in Europe, now has the, almost useless for 2013, "veteran status" on the PGA Tour, but doesn't seem to be stooping to Q-School.

All will be revealed in a couple of weeks, and perhaps this week we'll know if Gonzo or any others are taking their exemption into "Finals".

Fascinating interview with Adam Scott:

http://www.golf.com/tour-and-news/adam-scott-life-his-collapse-royal-lytham-and-potential-belly-putter-ban?sct=obinsite

I've said it before and will likely say it again, but Adam Scott and Badds are two of the most enjoyable pros to follow.
Some interesting stuff in here, vis-a-vis his Open, the long putter, Butch and Tiger, Steve Williams, Sergio and the all-important implication that Adam and Ana are no longer an item (hadn't heard that before).

Quite the turn-out for Final Stage Q-School:
No sign of Donaldson or Ramsay, but Cabrera-Bello and Gonzo will be on parade as well as the survivors from Stage 2.

Imagine the European contingent is stronger than for some regular ET events:
Gonzo
Cabrara-Bello
Noren
Ross Fisher
Karlsson
Oliver Fisher
Wattel
Cejka (not sure how he made it)
Stephan Jaeger and Wiedergruen (German according to the Gospel of St.NedB-H)
Mikkelson
Norlander
Lemke
Chopra
Johnson
Christian
Knox


not to mention Villegas, Danny Lee, Pinckney, Hamilton and Micheel, and some Aussies who would have elevated the status of their "Masters".