European Tour - Maybank Malaysian Open

Question marks for some of the top players like Donald and Schwartzel in particular, choosing to come to play in Malaysia this week, even though they could've had arguably better options to prepare for the Masters, other than travelling to the other end of the world and then travel back the week after... Previous years it didn't matter because this event was placed after the Masters, but now it's different. I assume the 'compensation' package these guys receive makes it worth while... Donald was just begining to show promissing signs of his top form returning and hope this sort of adventure won't mess things up for him. Harrington is a case in point to that extent, as his Asian trip started with a rather demoralising result in Thailand, adding to that the anxiety caused by the fact that he wrecked his trusted driver last week and seems to struggle to find a proper replacement in time. That's exactly what you don't need to happen in the run up to the Masters...

No querries with Matteo though coming here again after that great win two years ago and another top 10 finish last year and following two impressive top 30 finishes at Honda and Cadillac, two of the toughest tournaments on the PGA Tour this year. The youngster shed apparently 6 kilos in recent weeks and is looking very lean and mean, and I wouldn't be at all surprised to be calling him a 'birdie machine' over the next few days... At less than 7000 yards/par 72, that course looked to suit him perfectly in the past, so I expect to see him in contention once again this week. Noren, Wood, RCB, Gallacher, Fraser, etc. are a few other top names that should be a factor this week. As an outsider pick, had a glass of Chardonnay earlier so I'm feeling a bit French right now, so I'd go for someone like Quesne or Dubuisson to have a good run... And then there are the Asians, of course, who seem to be mixing and competing better and better all the time with the Europeans in these co-sanctioned events (Siddikur would be my pick from that group)...

Unsurprisingly, the calendar change placing it before the Masters seems to have hurt this event's field strength, droping from 42 and 36 points the last two years, to only ~30 points this year, and I can't really see this improving next year if it stays the same. Weather is forcasted to be hot and humid, with some possible thunderstorms late afternoons...

Good stuff, pd, Thanks. Amazing what a little Chardonnay can do.

To be fair to Luke, he probably feels Bay Hill, Houston and San Antonio are not his type of course. And perhaps Chubby has some sort of agreement to send one of his stars to Malaysia? As for Harrington, I find it amazing that club-makers can't get two identical drivers for these boys to travel with. Oh well.

Regardless, looking forward to the E.T. getting in to gear again; it would be healthy for some of the regular top 150 guys to pick up plenty of points to help boost the value of upcoming events when the Tour reaches Europe at last.

Great start for Eddie Molinari with a 66, his best round for exactly one year!

One to forget for Luke though....

The same Eddie Molinari who was runner-up to Ernie Els at Bay Hill three years ago!

Very poor from St.Luke, terrible start, and apparently he needed a chip-in to make his first birdie.

Jamieson going nicely.

Surely it is a poor decision to hold the even in the same week as F1 visits malaysia?

Sure, Where do you want F1 to go?

I meant people may choose to visit the F1 instead of the golf and that the golf will get less media coverage.

Media coverage will be devoted to the weather forecast and the inevitable monsoon.

Good start Padraig, time to kick on and win a European tour event now!!!

Kiwini

I don't think its that hard for manufacturers to find two identical clubs, or at least to you and I and most measuring machines but for these guys they have a higher level of sensitivity. I saw an article a while back about this and the manufacturers tried giving their players identical clubs and they gave back the new one. Then when they measured them, sure enough they are microscopically different.

Bubba was even given a load of clubs to play with, announced that he liked the 6 iron so much he wanted it as his back up and was told that it already was.

I would imagine that they all have backups but they don't go everywhere with them so getting them to them around the world is the problem.

289,
Yup, understand that, but you'd almost think they'd switch them round so they don't get so totally dependent upon one feel.
Point well made though.
Perhaps Luke has damaged his driver as well - or perhaps he ought to.

I'm sorry but I really don't buy this sensitivity bollox. These guys could play the standard they play with pretty much anything. Look at someone like Els - in his time he's played Titleist, Taylor Made and Callaway (that I can recall, there are probably others!) and had high level success with all of them. If he can adjust, as I'm sure Rory will and as McDowell did shooting 64 with a new set of clubs last year, you can't seriously believe they can tell the difference between identical spec clubs.

They are supposed to resume play in a couple of minutes as the T-storms have moved away. King Charl an obvious pick for the title, together with Manassero, Noren and Luiten I would think.

So, Chris Wood withdrew in Malaysia, but his bad experience travelling from US to Asia last week, seems to be nothing compared to what Rafa Cabrerra-Bello had gone through, on his way to this event, having his bag, passport, money, credit cards, etc. stolen, in Switzerland of all places...

http://www.europeantour.com/europeantour/season=2013/tournamentid=2013023/news/newsid=187484.html

Yet, he got there in the end and having a great 2nd round before the play got suspended again. Hope he does really well after all that (and because I have him in my FT )

Schwartzel was looking like he'll storm ahead of the rest, before getting a couple of bogeys over the last few holes. Great to finally see Eddie and Alvaro posting some great scores, hope that'll happen more and more from now on...

PD, do you know why Chris has withdrawn?

SJ - I recall the article 289 refers to, the link was on here a while ago I think. Really fascinating. Can't guarantee it was all 100% true, but I bought it. I think that if they are hitting the same club day in day out as many times as they are they probably do become that attuned to it that they can tell the difference. Apparently the differences were proved out afterwards by the OEM tools.

The only thing I don't get, thinking about it now, is surely the grips on each club will feel different and also that their own club must change feel every time the grips are changed? 0.00000003% difference (or whatever) on a head must surely be less than the feel difference between a worn grip to a new grip?

Exactly, RC, that's one of the many variables at that level of tolerance. If they were able to pinpoint the difference I might be impressed, but just to say they like or don't like a club is nonsense. The Bubba thing with the backup 6 iron is bound to be based on the fact that he'd hit it before, so the grip would have felt more comfortable than an absolutely fresh one.

Luuuuke!

Anyone heard any more about Chris Wood's defection?

More dismal golf from K.T.Kim . . . . . . .

Kwini, KT would be right inside the cutline if not for his three triple bogeys (!) in two rounds... absolutely horrific

He's lost it, mighty, don't you think?
Pretty awful from Simon Dyson also, despite NINE birdies! Out of the owgr Top 100 for him, perhaps both of them?

Good start from Harrington today, hopefully kick on tomorrow to complete his second round....


Is Noren gonna get a Masters spot this week....He looks determined to get into the top 50.....Good to see.

Dyson, combined -5 over the first 9 and +8 over the second 9. Says it all. KT Kim sure seems to have lost it although I would not be surprised to see him return to form a lot sooner than for example our beloved MC

The only reference I saw about Wood's WD was citing illness, agravated by the excessive heat...

Noren needs a top 3 to have a chance at top 50...

Promising for Padraig Harrington but self-destruction from Luke Donald. Playing as if the meter's running on his taxi outathere.
Noren making a nice run towards Augusta halfway thru Round 2.

The Malaysian malaise seems to have struck Lukey - don't say he's coming down with malaria . . . . . Just the rehearsal for Augusta.

I guess the bright side to Luke's MC in Malaysia, if there was one, is that it brought to light this amazing stat, which I have to say I haven't thought of until this morning...

@LukeDonald:
"I guess all good runs come to an end eventually. Hugely disappointed to miss my first ever cut in a European Tour event."

That stat ignores, of course, the majors who have their own separate status, but still... Glad to say his first official main ET event was the Irish Open in 2003, so that means ~10 years without a missed cut, quite extraordinary...!

Amazing. But clutching at straws Luke, that is a terrible result!

54 holes then and not much time for Noren to retrieve the bad start to his Round 3. Harrington in grave danger of enjoying a top finish - must be he figured something out for his driver; be good to see him win this.

E Molinari's new Swing looks very impressive, one to watch this year.
Howller keeps plodding away, must be about 6 events on the trot in the top 30's now.

Delighted for Eddie, great to see him back in contention, and I'm pretty sure this is the begining of bigger and better things for him this season.

But a well deserved win in the end for the 'rotund' (the overweight issue is due apparently mainly to a thyroid problem) but very likeable and certainly very able Kiradech Aphibarnrat from Thailand. And as I said, the 3rd Thai golfer inside the top 100, pretty impressive stuff, overtaking the Japanese in that regard the moment, and rightly so I would add...

Lots of positives to take from the week for Harrington but a three putt from 15 feet on 13 ruined any chance he had of winning....Anyway on now to the Valero and then the Masters........and a fourth major hopefully!!!!!