PGA Tour: The "Honda": Driver's Seat or On Yer Bike?: Notes from the Ballwasher

First topic message reminder :

1).Seems early in the season but the best consecutive streak of courses played on Tour ends at three as the Tour waves goodbye to California for a couple of months and goes coast-to-coast, to Florida. This week also signifies the end of the first one third (give or take a decimal point or so) of the PGA Tour season.

2).There are 47 PGA Tour events, played during 43 weeks, but there are only 39 weeks of tournament play before the FedEx Play-Offs begin for the Tour's Top 125 Points getters.
So golfers who have scarcely played this season only have approx 26 weeks left to secure a Play-Off place, and earn a "card" for next year; deduct one week off that for each of three Majors, a TPC and WGC:MatchPlay event you miss; plus limited field "Invitationals" that might not invite you!

3).Got that? Hope some of the Tour's overseas players have figured it out as some will have to play an intensive schedule, or gamble on reaching that Top 125. Points threshold will likely be a dozen either side of 500 FedEx points.
(Strongly suspect that one or two (Scott? Stenson?) won't give a damn, but for most it's crucial.)

4).Overseas golfers who are behind the pace they need to squeeze in the mandated 15 PGA Tour events include, by number played thru last week:
3).Garcia, Westwood, Poulter, Donaldson, Schwartzel, Els.
2).Rose
1).McDowell, Kaymer, Scott, Oosthuizen, Stenson, Dubuisson.

5).Let's imagine how Westwood will reach, say, 14:
Honda, WGC:Cadillac, Bay Hill or Houston, Masters, Quail Hollow and/or Memorial, WGC: MatchPlay, TPC, US Open (he should qualify for Chambers Bay), Open Championship (if he qualifies, EDIT: He IS qualified, Tks SJ), Bridgestone, PGA Championship.
That gets him to 14 or 15 and, with a running start, he should achieve the Top 125.
Hopefully Donaldson knows his way around the PGA Tour to manage his schedule appropriately. Poults and Schwartzel will play where/what they have to, and there are enough tournaments that Sergio and Ernie usually play for them not to be too concerned.

6).Rose should also be OK, but what about the onesies?
Oosthuizen has a 5-year exemptions which will expire this year, so Top 125 is imperative for him, and he and Dubuisson are going to have to play some unfamiliar courses if they are to satisfy 15 tournaments AND Top 125. Early days of course, but they need to get their thinking caps on or they'll be on their bikes.

7).So: Who's in the "driver's seat"?
Top overseas golfers so far are Sang-Moon Bae and Jason Day, and Hideki Matsuyama.
Top Europeans, with FedEx Points-to-date are:
416: Martin Laird
358: Garcia
354: Knox
317: Casey
212: Lingmerth
192: Cejka
165: Westwood
Most of the rest will be OK, but there will be a surprise failure or two, there always is.
(Sterne won't be a surprise failure; he's played 6 events, missed every cut, and doesn't even have a profile page on pgatour.com. The ultimate dis?)

8).Lots of golfers "lost" last week's Northern Trust LA Open before James Hahn won it, Goosen and Garcia of course, but also Casey and Dustin Johnson with late bogeys, while Jordan Spieth can't be too pleased with bogeying his 72nd hole to fall out of a potential play-off. Two thoughts:
~Was Paul Casey's match-play expertise his play-off undoing? He sees DJ and Hahn in highly bogeyable positions on #10 and plays it relatively safe. So they produce worldies to make birdie, and Casey is left with a lonely walk back to the club-house.
~And: The PGA Tour made something of a mockery of the great "short par-4" 10th hole with its set-up for Rounds 1, 2 and 3 when conditions were pretty hard and fast and the green was beyond fiery. Conventional wisdom seems to be that the green will have to be re-done to prevent the carnage (not all of it self-inflicted) that messed up so many rounds.

9).One American golfer doing very nicely thank you on the European Tour is Paul Peterson. He's already played 3 tournaments as an affiliate member and risen to 38th on the R2D. Love to see the recent US contribution to the European Tour, and very interested to see how Koepka fares in his home State this coming month.

10).Back to "Bermuda" greens this week so the recent form book may be turned upside down. Terrific European contingent on hand and it could have been larger still if European Tour Cadillac contestants had succeeded in Monday qualifying, Marcel Siem, Alex Levy and Mikko Ilonen all coming up short; good for them for giving it a whirl though, hope they do well next week and show that they deserved a chance in the Honda field.
It's going to be warm this week, but characteristically breezy and, perhaps stormy.
Let's hope there's another European (Freddie Jac e.w.?) or two who puts himself in the Tour's driver's seat at an event that's favoured non-Americans in recent years. No European wins this season so far. Overdue!

Does anyone really want to win this? 6 under for a playoff it seems.

I thought Furyk was slow but wow Harrington is something else!!!

MustPuttBetter wrote:I thought Furyk was slow but wow Harrington is something else!!!

There is a million dollars on the line no?

Just for Harrington??

You could say that about every tournament...

FFS, Harrington just cannot resist hitting it in the water

Hope against hope he can keep it dry on the 18th

How may shots did he drop?

It's the new Titleist Pro V Lemming ball

GunsGerms wrote:How may shots did he drop?

Two. Needs a birdie on 18.... And has hit it in a fairway bunker....

It'll be interesting to hear what Top Five has to say about this round - he looks steaming.

Eagle from the sand is going to be tricky! Sensible lay-up and perfect wedge. Please.

GunsGerms wrote:How may shots did he drop?

2 shots, DB on a par 3

I'll be more curious to read what Poulter tweets later today.

Do you realize that Daniel Berger was 9 back at the start of this round? Making a playoff from that far behind would be a feat in itself.

I really enjoy watching Top Five play Kwini
Love his shot shape and seems to have all sorts of courage / confidence

Earlier Riley was going on about his taking on a bold one from the rough and about how there's loads of money even for 2nd. Reed doesn't seem to think like that. He's playing to win. I like that

Its Berger's now

Shotrock wrote:Do you realize that Daniel Berger was 9 back at the start of this round? Making a playoff from that far behind would be a feat in itself.

Playoff it is!

Do you think he bothered to hang around? I know he had joint best score of the day but would he really have envisaged a playoff, given the quality of those playing behind him?

Well played that man, what a putt under pressure

You beauty!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What a man!!!!

Paddy not done yet! Major winner shows some real mettle.

incontinentia wrote:Its Berger's now

Or maybe not!! Way to go Paddy!

MPB,
Agree about Reed, but it doesn't bother me at all to see Poulter and Padraig beat him.

I think Berger thinks he had it won. Time for a mental re-set.

But one thing is for certain, whatever happens next, Harrington's decision not to take an earnings exemption looks like being justified. Good for him.

Who is going to win the play off?

Good times for Irish sport. Unbeaten in the cricket WC, unbeaten in the six nations and Harrington closing in on a big win.

Five of the Top Six for GB&I will be no consolation unless Padraig wins this.

Get in!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Shotrock wrote:I'll be more curious to read what Poulter tweets later today.

All those shots into the water and still only one behind. Talk about kicking yourself later!!
Never really had the feeling Poulter would see it out. Never really got the vibe he thought he would either. Odd for a guy who is so confident at matchplay

It only took the final group 3 hours 20 minutes to play the final 11 holes today.

Do it Paddy!!!!!

kwinigolfer wrote:MPB,
Agree about Reed, but it doesn't bother me at all to see Poulter and Padraig beat him.

Completely agreed Kwini. I'm not a big fan of Harrington but I would like to see him win this. I've got a feeling he won't though. Think he's likely to crack first, despite having more experience, stature etc

I would have loved Paul Casey to win. Big fan of Casey and pleased to see him back in some form. Seems to have been 'away' forever

Casey is in the Top 50 and has an invite to the Cadillac next week.

"It's 185"
"So it's 185?"
"Yeah"
"You said 185?"
"Yeah, 185"
"Happy with 185?"
And so on.......

Jeez

The dude is methodic. But it evidently works!

Very good interview with Poulter - hope he takes the very good away from this instead of beating himself up. Best I've seen him play in the U.S. except for his Match Play exploits.

This week.....

There was one point he said "So 177 minus 2, that's....175?"
Yeah yeah move along fella!

Is it wrong to laugh at top two poulter and his cracking under pressure. I'm not a fan.

Oooh, squeaky bum

Back at the scene of the crime. Don't think these Play-Off holes do average length players a favour. Why not go to #16?

Miracles DO happen . . . .

Game over

If Berger had waited for everyone on the course to stop breathing a la Padraig he might have hit a better shot

GET IN PADRAIG!!!!!!!!!!

What's happening?  PGA Tour webiste seems to be stuck on Paddy missing his birdie attempt on 18 and Berger having a birdie attempt for the win.

Edit: Just updated; looks to be all over now

Paddie won.

Well done Padraig, but jesus how bl00dy slow is he.

IN THE MASTERS, WOW!!!

Well done Paddy, shame Poulter didn't see it through as he does make me smile, but you can't win a tournament from the water 4 times in a round.

This will only worsen Paddy's lunacy, as he will now feel his methods have been validated.

McLaren wrote:This will only worsen Paddy's lunacy, as he will now feel his methods have been validated.

Definitely a good result but I fear you may be right Mac...

Buzzing, absolutely buzzing. Never stop believing!!!

New OWGR thread for March started!! Paddy up to #82

Bizarre tournament. But what a result!

Even bizarrer is that the PGA Tour is having to publish a denial that allegations from a one-time PGA Tour pro that Tiger Woods is on a one-month suspension for a failed drug test. Also accusations that he's been using untested equipment.

kwinigolfer wrote: Also accusations that he's been using untested equipment.

Untested by who?  Tiger?  {{rimshot}}