PGA Tour: Open Championship / True South Classic: Notes from the Ballwasher

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1).Well done Zach Johnson, winning the John Deere Classic after you tried hard to throw it away on the first play-off hole. Second win of the season for Zach who is on the Board of the tournament and has done so much to ensure its place on the PGA Tour schedule - reminiscent of Carl Pettersson's win at Greensboro a few years ago in that respect.

2).This win doesn't arithmetically ensure Zach Johnson of a place on Davis Love's Ryder Cup Team, but he and DLIII are near neighbours on the Georgia coast, have worked together to help create "The McGladrey Classic", and it would be a huge surprise if his John Deere success doesn't clinch a spot at Medinah.

3).Troy Matteson came way too close to winning last week's John Deere Classic, leading as he did every day, to throw it all away on his first play-off hole. He would have been the first player to win a Tour event in which he finished last in driving accuracy for 24 years! But he putted for his dough, leading the field in "strokes gained - putting". Sometime College Teammate of Kuchar and Molder, among others.

4).Open Championship week, then, and let's hope Royal Lytham gets the Champion it deserves. Rather like Carnoustie did in 1999, or so Davis Love thought:
"When you have a screwy setup, you're going to get a screwy finish," Love was quoted as saying. "And if Paul Lawrie is the champion that Scotland wanted, I think they got exactly what they wanted."
The R&A get exactly what they want on Thursday, 8.31 a.m. BST, when Lawrie and Love tee it up together with Tim Clark!

5).Let's see who's done well in the past at Lytham:
1996 result:
1st: Lehman
2nd: Els
11th: Darren Clarke, Vijay Singh
14th: Duval
18th: Harrington
22nd: Woods, Stricker
27th: Broadhurst (also 58th and Leading Amateur in 1988 - hope he plays well this week, will never get the credit he deserves for his 1991 Ryder Cup play.)
41st: Calc, Mickelson
Also made the cut: Hamilton, Furyk, Allenby, Ames, Lyle, Daly, Goosen

6).2001 result:
1st: Duval
3rd: Els, Clarke, Jimenez
9th: Garcia
13th: Vijay, Goosen, Jacquelin
21st: DLIII
23rd: Michael Campbell, Greg Owen
25th: Woods
29th: Barry Lane
30th: Cink, Mickelson, Rose
37th: Harrington
42nd: Stricker, Paul Lawrie
Also made the cut: Allenby, Scott, Westwood, Calc, Lyle.

7).The last two Major winners won Majors their namesakes had won, Watson and Simpson. Sadly Jarrod Lyle won't be maintaining the tradition as he battles leukemia in Australia. But Aussie Luke Elvy tweets a promising update on Jarrod's condition:
"Has had his ups and downs over the past 6 weeks but Bone Marrow tests overnight showed no leukemia cells. Great news."
Get well, Jarrod, hope to see you on Tour soon.

8).No idea who'll win this week, fingers crossed though for Westwood and Harrington. Obviously Els, Clarke and Vijay have played well here in the past, but, Woods apart, it's difficult to see where any American challenge might come from. (Interesting take in USA Today on David Toms' non-participation: "He's pulled out of the British on several occasions due to injury and general disinterest."!)
Apart from the golden oldies, Woods, Stricker, Furyk and Phil, the leading Americans in the owgr have little to show for their trips to The Open, Dustin Johnson, Fowler, Mahan and Watney scoring the only 5 top 15's.

9).Hate disclaimers but this week's "opposite field event", the True South Classic in Mississippi, has been abandoned by PGA Tour players in their droves, very few of the owgr top 200 bothering to show up for a $540K first prize. Players are withdrawing by the dozen and it seems futile to speculate too much about the event. If they don't care, why should we?

Except to say that it's a BIG tournament for Gary Christian and Russell Knox, not to mention the ailing Richard S.Johnson and a golfer with an excellent record in Lytham Opens, Alex Cejka - a cut for Cejka this week will earn him PGA Tour "Veteran" status as he reaches 150 career cuts. Good luck Alex, but a poor reward for a first-time sponsor and a Jack Nicklaus course that the players rate more highly than Torrey Pines, Doral, Bay Hill and the Greenbrier.

10).Finally, Majors may be two-a-penny on the Champions Tour, two-in-Michigan even, but Sundridge Park's Roger Chapman won't be complaining as he added the US Senior Open title to the Senior PGA he won a few weeks ago. Two fingers, then, to the USGA who only saw fit to invite five Europeans (Hogberg went through qualifying) to their Senior Open which is even more of a closed shop than the Champions Tour. Pathetic.

Roger Chapman won't mind though as he will be at Kiawah Island for next month's PGA Championship, and joins Lee Westwood in being the first two Englishmen to punch their tickets to next year's US Open at Merion.

ernie is playing nice(in fact the only to be!)- cant say i am suprised! been playing well all year. can scott hold on!

gmac wtf!

Wow, what a shot, or not, for G-Mac

THE END for Gmac. Lost in wilderness.

Was that a top! Or a hook a very strange shot indeed from McDonutmuncher! Not gonna help with the timing on the clock looking for that one

Can't believe he didn't hit a provisional. What a donut

Wish they showed pro tracer on the first one

If only Ernie could putt well..

Luke donald looks like he is gonna be club house leader and tied 7th!

the way things are going he will probally finish top 5!! and made many peops each way

Woods and Sneds further behind the group in front than Scott and GMc.
Trust they're on the clock too.

Thing is one bad decision, swing or shot and you can rack up a big number. If Scott does that Els and Woods are right back in it

Least Woods didn't curse on that one. Oops not the best way to mount a charge now

anti climax lol- i reakon scott will win on 5 under at this rate

Vijay parred all 18 holes today! That's strange on a day like this.

So we did get pro tracer on G-Mac's miscue in the what you missed section

Ernie in position again. Bet he wishes someone would say that's good

Leff wrote:Vijay parred all 18 holes today! That's strange on a day like this.

Bet he shot up the leaderboard though

More like hacker tracer, heh heh

hard to see past Scott at this juncture

3 putt country for Scott but he has some shots to play with

Mac predicted -9 winning score for Scott. Looks like his prediction is coming true.

They dont call me the oracle for nothing.

that was my predo

well kind of

note to luke donald; Lythms greens are not 200-300 years old, in fact it is not even the original course.

Lucky Ernie, almost Seve country

Game over now. Ernie with a valiant effort

ffs the way things are going lukes gonna have a second place

Ernie is set to finish in 2nd or 3rd place for the 9th time in majors.

Yeah, Luke should be very pleased with his top 5 finish in his 32nd major.

Loving watching Woods suffer out there.

Woods is not looking as strong physically as he used to be. Maybe he needs Androgel or Cialis (or both) they keep advertising every 5 minutes on telly here.

What's with Woods 'club foot' corrective footwear. Looks like they cost about 19.99 out of tk maxx.

ermm 3 putt for scott

Hope Ernie can make a birdie on the 18th and hope for Scott (-8 now) to falter on the last two holes.

Squeaky bum time for Scott - especially if Ernie pops his birdie putt in on 18.

Well done Ernie !

goon ernie!!!!!!!!!!!


whoop what a great player

There it is, when a birdie was most needed. Let's have a playoff.

Lots of glass appearing around Scott. Bottle crashing.

About time this got interesting. Until now, its been boring.....

Maybe Ernie can win this outright?

omg

Did someone say it was all over... !

It may be more appropriate to discuss this in the aftermath, and the bbc have just caught up with it 5/6 hours too late, but there is talk that tiger is injured. Is it possible his knee cant take the force of hitting many drivers?

McLaren wrote:It may be more appropriate to discuss this in the aftermath, and the bbc have just caught up with it 5/6 hours too late, but there is talk that tiger is injured. Is it possible his knee cant take the force of hitting many drivers?

I don't think its his knee but his hips... not good either way

Mac, who cares about that whank? It's about Ernie and Scott. Woods hasn't been at the races today thank goodness.

By the way, he's getting pretty bald now.

It's all left for Scott. Birdie for win, bogey for 2nd place, par for playoff. Exciting finish.

Any predictions?

I say bogey for scott and outright win for Ernie.

Mr Oracle?

can i just say i also predicted a play off.

Who cares about Woods knee, this just got interesting. C'mon big Ernie. Either wat its gonna be a win for a long putter.

Tee shot in bunker and not a good spot.