PGA Tour: Not your father's Bob Hope any more: Notes from the Ballwasher

1).Thirty or forty years ago, it seemed that every "A" List entertainer attached themselves to a PGA Tour event, from Bing Crosby to Glen Campbell. This lot are mostly dead now, or at least don't know the difference, but certainly made their mark in PGA Tour golf, either helping to save tournaments that were struggling or attracting new fans to the game as television coverage grew.
Bing Crosby might have been one of the pioneers in this, with his Pebble Beach "clambake", but his one-time sidekick, Eltham's own Leslie Hope, probably had the most enduring impact.

2).The "Bob Hope Desert Classic" began in the California desert's Palm Springs area in 1960 and has endured, just about, seemingly reinventing itself every two or three years ever since, its latest reincarnation lyrically named the "CareerBuilder Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation", as in Bill and Hillary.
The Pro-Am part of the event has declined in terms of household-name participants and is largely unwatchable, but the competitive nature of the host courses is slowly improving and fingers crossed for a competitive Final Round, pros only, on Sunday.

3).156 golfers tee it up in Rounds 1, 2 and 3 (on three different courses) and the cut will be made after Round 3. Round 4 will be at PGA West's Stadium Course. Who will be Building their Career this week?

4).Fabian Gomez certainly built his career at last week's Sony Open and most likely sealed a spot with Emiliano Grillo representing Argentina (blue and white striped shirts please) at Rio's Olympics. That's Fabian's third win in seven months, Memphis, November's "Personal Classic" on the Latinoamerica Tour, and now Hawaii!

5).Zac Blair's ten foot eagle putt just missed wide right on the 72nd hole, but he's another Career Builder, half a generation younger than Gomez. Shortish and baby-faced (almost Joe Root-ish) he nevertheless has Spieth-like confidence. His Dad has flirted with the PGA and Champions Tours, but with less success than that showed already by Baby Zac.
He also created a stir of his own on Sunday by appearing to play a chip shot on Waialae's 17th with his fairway wood touching his stomach. This was (no doubt correctly) ruled inadvertent but, together with Shingo's efforts in Malaysia shows just how fine a line the Tour's gestapos are going to have to tread in enforcing the "anchoring" rule.  

6).And now I see the European Tour are leading the way on stamping out egregiously slow play. One day's worth of watching Premier League games shows just how rules can be interpreted in different ways so let's hope the Paramors of this world can officiate with common sense without being gratuitously officious (or vindictive). Another fine line as football's best refs prove every week.

7).European Tour Ryder Cup wannabes have largely failed to make up any significant ground in the Qualifying process, with Harrington's good result at Kapalua the only Top Ten in the Hawaii part of the "West Coast Swing". McDowell has reverted to last year's mid-season form, Knox has lost his form, while Donald, Harrington and Molinari will rue throwing away good starts at the "Sony".
Better luck next week? Let's hope so, but only Luke and Franny among the big names go this week, though David Lingmerth is clocking up Top Twentys. He announced himself to the PGA Tour at this tournament a few years ago with a Play-Off loss, and is playing well again.

8).Two golfers who have had trouble over the past few years with sickness of body and putter are Jason Dufner and Graham DeLaet. Both scored Top Tens at the "Sony" and both should be worth following at favoured courses this year. Might almost be worth doubling up on each-way investments until they pay off.

9).Phil Mickelson's seasonal return from his customary sabbatical will no doubt attract the TV cameras, and there's someone who could use these coming weeks as a Career REBuilder, having slipped to #36.
If Phil can't get things turned round early this year, with the motivation of playing on Davis Love's Team, I'm fearing his brilliant career could fade fast.

10).With not much course form (other than at various Q-Schools) to go by, it's probably best to look at current form (Reed, Blair and Lingmerth, for instance) and desert success (Howell, Steele, Haas etc) for likely winners, but all a bit of a lottery really.
But things start to get tasty next week, with San Diego followed by Phoenix, Pebble Beach and the mini-Major LA Open at Riviera, three out of four played on great courses where horses-for-courses once again becomes a good guide.

Confirmation on pgatour.com that Hyundai will be the new LA Open sponsor at Riviera next year. Northern Trust to take over sponsorship of the "Barclays".
Still not sure who takes over at Kapalua . . . . .
Finchem earning his $gazillions.

Ref Note 6).
I see it didn't take long for Paramor to ding Spieth for slow play . . . . . .

Does monitoring include timing how fast they walk?

A slow pre shot routine can be mitigated by someone walking fast.

The ET policy sounds like a knee jerk reaction and poorly thought up.

If a group is in position, then they should be "on the clock" or "monitored" whatever the euphemism of the day is.

I would say the best thing about the European Tour policy is that they have one and they now make even minor warnings/penalties transparent - it's only a year or two ago that Ross Fisher was penalized a shot for slow play and that arguably took him out of contention at the Wales Open.
Whereas the PGA Tour retains its omerta.


Opening action on the Champions Tour later today, looking forward to the Most Interesting Title Defence. Not to mention Langer's putting.

"CareerBuilder Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation?"

Didn't Monica Lewinsky use to participate?

the PGA did NOT have financial relations with that women...

Is Hillary trying to convert some republicans with the golf link up?

At least for this fleeting moment, it looks like the European Tour should fear that Yank Amateur Bryson DeChambeau. Nice run thus far!

Not just that SR, another Yank with a stupid name.

Super - I know! Again, imagine how disturbing this is for the blokes at the Drones Club this day. I can almost hear the "harumph, harumph's" clear across the pond!

BDeC played well in Australia too, just a matter of months (after The Masters) before the best of the PGA Tour "should fear" him. Utterly screwed by the application of archaic NCAA rules at SMU.

Interesting to see how Lahiri fares the rest of the way in the Desert, good start so far, and this could become a very big tournament for him in his quest to keep his card.

super_realist wrote:Not just that SR, another Yank with a stupid name.

Isn't he the first golfer named after French breakfast?

Hopefully he'll follow his uncle Bill and write a golfing version of Notes From A Small Island . . . . . .


Poor second nine holes from Luke Donald yesterday; hope he doesn't follow his mate Lee who's already go down the drain in the other desert.

Actual uncle bill did recently write a new version of Notes from A Small Island.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Road-Little-Dribbling-Island/dp/0857522345

Indeed Mac, Sometimes it seems as if you've spent some time in the Little Dribbling Infirmary, possibly getting your menisci fixed.

No Dribbling in the Palm Desert, except by St.Luke who rather dribbled away a decent position over his final few holes.
Should be perfect scoring weather again as the early birds make their way to the first tee; and that should continue through the weekend.

Fine first 18 holes (64) from Lahiri, and a good start (67) from Molinari - three more of them please Francesco.

I don't get what you mean kwini?

I thought it was a strong effort from Lahiri, being as he had to travel from the EurAsia thrashing. Interesting to see how he goes today. Early birdie for Molinari. That's all.

Anyone see Langer's putting yesterday? I think he's taking the p1ss, everything exactly the same and he puts the putter into its normal anchored position and then, almost imperceptibly, moves it an inch in front of his chest, still brushing his shirt. I can't see his fellow pros thinking much about that - you can sense that he's just a twitch away from a rules transgression and I don't see how his fellow pro can be expected to tell the difference. Will the Tour have to station a Rules Official with him all the way round the course?
Farce.

STP writing for #gcw on slow play. Jason Day takes the brunt.

http://thegcw.co.uk/latest-stuff/2016/1/21/the-secret-tour-pro-on-slow-play

"The biggest high profile culprit of slow play is Jason Day! We should call him Jason AllDay, he's that slow! Fuck me, he reminds me of that moment at the dentist when your having a root canal and any moment he will be finished and the he utters those dreadful words 'just a few more minutes then I'll be done!'

I watched him on the 17th at the BMW in November taking nine minutes over his tee shot on a Par 3!

Yes, you heard that correct, NINE FUCKING MINUTES!

Who takes nine minutes over a tee shot? I could of played the hole, read a book, took a shower, washed my hair and got dry in that time! The game has gone beyond a joke! In total his round took 5hr 45min, just think in that time I could of (nearly) flown to New York from Europe! "

Day IS very slow, seems like he relies on Swatton too much, to a fault.
Difficult to criticise his pace of play in November though when he didn't play on any Tour between September and two weeks ago, neither in 2015 nor 2014.

Surely the other two in a group have a duty to either A) Report him, B) Keep pace with play, C) Tell the likes of Day to get his finger out.

Birdies and eagles flying everywhere in the desert, but no-one going crazy low.
Laird showing signs of life, but they're all going to need to keep their foot down as tomorrow's cut is likely to be -6 or -7.

Kwini

They should have checked the BMW dates before publishing but I think we are missing the point of the article if that is what we are focusing on.

Mac,
If he can't get the month right, he probably can't get the time right either.
I would think all would agree it's ludicrous to imagine anyone taking anything like NINE minutes over any shot that didn't involve a ruling.
Plus, the nickname ALLDay has already been assigned, decades ago to his namesake, so no marks for originality either.
I give no credence to this ridiculous hyperbole whatsoever! Not surprising he's "Secret".

Lukey dribbling along nicely now, and Molinari + Laird on the threshold of signing for good rounds.

9 minutes over a shot sounds clearly like hyperbole. The more this stp posts on twitter the more I doubt he's a touring pro. I think he may have some link to golf maybe a personal assistant or in management.

The Secret Tour Pro can get his stopwatch/sundial out in San Diego as Jason Day is among the commitments for this coming week's Farmers Insurance Open.

Also: Paul Dunne and Shane Lowry! Plus Casey, Rose, Molinari.

Today's cut at the CareerBuilder could easily go to -7, which means Luke Donald will need a 70 at least to survive, a 60-something to be comfortable. Important week for him as he needs to build some momentum.

Blimey - best scoring of the week so far. Cut likely to go to -8; get your fingers out Laird, Molinari, Donald, Freddie.
But Lingmerth going like a train.

Horrible day for Luke Donald. Sunday off and not sure when we'll see him again.

If more than 78 golfers make the 54-hole cut, only the Top 60 and ties will play Sunday. Those in the Top 70 but not 60 will receive the dreaded MDF.

Opening tee shots at the CareerBuilder should coincide with second half kick-off in N.London.
Team GB&I out of contention, apart from Laird they're out of the tournament.
But should be perfect weather for low scores - my one-and-done for the week is Dufner, and I'd love to see him prove that he's getting back to his best. Still worth following even if he comes up short.
And a big chance for Lingmerth to stockpile some Ryder Cup points.

Another podium finish for Stenson, who's making a habit of it. Good news and bad news there.
But interesting to see he's planning to miss the WGC-MatchPlay tournament to focus on Masters preparation.
Based upon previous form, you'd think The Masters is a long shot for him, nothing better than 14th in ten trips.
But Henrik knows best, he always does . . . . .

OK, No-one seems to give a sh1t about the CareerBuilder tournament, exciting conclusion tho' we had:

Some interesting stats from this week's action:

Hadn't realised we now have two golfers in the owgr top 30, one whose name is the reverse of the other. Imagine that's a first.

Who was the only player in the field whose father was a kicker for the Cleveland Browns?

Which player had the most holes in one on the PGA Tour? Before this month.
And who tied him earlier in January??

I know David Lingmerth's uncle was a kicker, so I'm going with.....David Lingmerth's cousin. As for the other questions.. no idea.

That was a great playoff. Clutch putt from Duffner and very impressive stuff from Lingmerth. That one bad shot obviously cost him the playoff.

Yup. And. Oops. Had always thought it was his father! Goran Lingmerth it is.
Ricky Barnes' Dad was a punter for the Patriots.
Nice work if you can get it.

Lingmerth looks very solid when he's on. Thought he had it wrapped up after Jason's tee shot on 17 and again on the first playoff hole. But he got dufnered!! Well done Jason.

Hope some took my advice and had a tickle on Dufner . . . . . .

I wonder how good a player Lingmerth will become. Looking at him, you'd think he's a bit limited, but he goes thru spells where he looks flawless.

Something for double-dippers to keep an eye on - DeutscheBank appear to have told Finchem they won't be renewing their contract for the Bawston Play-Off event after 2016, and there's speculation that the Tour might go with just three Play-Off tournaments.
No word as to whether the Tour has a replacement in mind for the Boston market, but there's been buzz in the past that the unofficial CVS team event in Rhode Island might be upgraded and reformatted.
Watch this space on that.

Am I the only one surprised that Fowler has now reached #4 in the world?

I suspect he is working a lot harder behind the scenes than we knew about and it taking his career more seriously than most.

Mac,
He's won some big tournaments while you weren't watching:
Players: 80 pts
DeutscheBank: 72 pts
Abu Dhabi: 52 pts
Scottish: 50 pts

Difficult to believe that two yrs ago he was outside the Top 50. Not as consistent as Stenson, for instance, but he WINS!

An & Na

!! Is this a sign of things to come?

At least it isn't only An & US.

Kwini

Clearly I don't question his ranking based on his form over the last year or so, but I remember myself and most of the board being quite skeptical about whether or not Fowler would reach the very top of the game when we talked about him a year or so ago.

Yup, He's exceeded my expectations for sure; no Majors, or even Ryder Cup match wins, and still somewhat sceptical but difficult to argue against his success so far.

I first saw young Fowler play in person at the Walker Cup at Merion. Impressive, but I was not surprised at his inconsistency as a pro given what looked like a Sergio-type lag. Hard to keep that timing so exact.

Then I saw him in the last group on Sunday at Aronimink in the AT&T a few years ago. He double bogeyed the 2nd hole and never recovered. Seemed to lack that extra gear - just plodded along the rest of the round.

Now, with a swing that looks a lot simpler (thanks to Butch), he's been plenty consistent and looks to be right on the heels of the big 3. We'll see.

I don't know why you guys are so sceptical about Rickiieyy (cue gag about Bianca).

Since he started working with Butch Harmon he's become a very solid golfer. He finished top 5 in all 4 majors in 2014, including two runner up spots, and contended strongly in the USPGA. Then of course 3 wins in 2015.

Sometimes I think you have a blind spot due to his attire, ironically it seems the brighter his trousers, the more invisible his golf becomes.

raycastleunited wrote:I don't know why you guys are so sceptical about Rickiieyy (cue gag about Bianca).

Since he started working with Butch Harmon he's become a very solid golfer. He finished top 5 in all 4 majors in 2014, including two runner up spots, and contended strongly in the USPGA. Then of course 3 wins in 2015.

Sometimes I think you have a blind spot due to his attire, ironically it seems the brighter his trousers, the more invisible his golf becomes.

Agreed Ray - I've always thought he'd become a pretty special player but as you say, people are blinkered (or maybe need to be blinkered with some of his outfits!)

Don't forget until Spieth came from relatively nowhere, Ricky was the great white hope for America, and while that is no substitute for natural talent, he was always earmarked for success

Ray

I agree that I must have had a blind spot regarding Rickie. Even after his great 2014 major season I still thought he was more style than substance.

And yes, butch doing great stuff for his player again. Not to open a can of worms - ok, I admit I love the Tiger chat - but Woods has 18+ majors if he had given Butch a call at some point in the last ten years.

Mac - I beleive Tiger won more majors under Hank Haney's coaching. But, I'm in agreement: I think Tiger would have more majors now had he gone back to Butch after Haney. Tiger seems to be a maniacal tinkerer.

ray,
Absolutely right. Regarding his step up in achievement since going with Butch. But I, for one, had been judging him on his five years before that as well, the mental part of the game as much as anything, and a short game that sometimes left him.
Different player today, and always been fun to follow.

As for Davie and his "great white hope for America"; there's one of them every year! Reason enough to be sceptical, but one man who has never been regarded as that great white hope who has outperformed almost all of them is Patrick Reed, residence wrong side of the tracks. Dustin as well in a way.