PGA Tour: "Arnold Palmer Invitational" etc: Notes from the Ballwasher

First topic message reminder :

1).Before we move up Interstate 4 from the course that the Pros consider the best they play in Florida to the course they rate the worst, let's have a look back at last week's Tampa Bay Classic, at Innisbrook's Copperhead Course. Kevin Streelman became the fifth first-time winner on Tour with a marvellous final nine holes which trumped Boo Weekley's best-of-the-week 63.
Streelman beat a good field to secure his maiden victory the right way, with birdies on two tough par-3's and brave, straight-down-the-middle drives on the "Snake Pit's" two par fours.

2).But who is Kevin Streelman? He's 34, middle-aged for a first-time winner, has collected $7M in official prize-winnings as he enjoys his sixth season on Tour, and won a cool $1M as the inaugural winner of the Kodak Challenge in 2009. Despite bursting on the scene in San Diego (twice, as he was joint first-round leader at the Torrey Pines US Open) in 2008, when he led after 36 holes and was grouped with E.T.Woods for Round 3 before fading, his only podium finishes before Tampa were third places in golfing hotbeds of Cancun, Puerto Rico and New Jersey.
Now he's a Tour Champion and the sky's the limit for someone who's always been much more than a journeyman and, by all accounts, one of the nicer guys on Tour. (Especially when he's not reading "the scriptures".)

3).He'll tee it up at Bay Hill this week and he's enjoyed a top ten finish here in the past. One bloke who won't be there is JB Holmes who has broken an ankle roller-blading and will be out of commission for three months. While this portends a pick-up in pace of play on Tour, it sadly suggests also that his brain surgery in 2011 wasn't as succesful as first thought. A terrible start to JB's season and now this.

4).This is one week where it's impossible not to speak of defending champion Tiger Woods. And of course he jump-started coverage of himself by posting mug-shots of Lyndsey and him all over social media and then requested privacy for the smiling couple. Good luck with that, especially following his week's canoodling with Lyndsey on his yacht "Privacy" (nothing if not ironic) during Doral. Las Vegas odds-makers are offering 4-1 against an engagement by January 2015 - I imagine Paddy Power and other reputable houses might offer rather different odds regarding rather different aspects of the joyful coming together of a sex addict and a depressive.

5).Speaking of Tiger, and why not, he was on the radio the other day likening the spotlight's glare on Rory and Wozza with that on himself and, you name her. He also revealed, in the aftermath of his (personal) record of 100 putts at Doral and putting tips from Stricker, that he had indeed offered tips to "Stricks" during last year's FedEx Play-Offs. 'Course, they then travelled together to Medinah and we know how that worked out, don't we. Needless to say he wasn't pressed on that but Thanks Tiger.

6).No tips on the putting green this week, Stricker is back in Wisconsin. But the fact is that Tiger has won here seven times and any consideration of likely winners has to include him. Which will mean that prices for the rest of the field should be generous, if only you can pick someone to beat the favourite. I certainly can't.

7).There's a terrific field on hand, no Luke or Rory, no Charl or Louis, but just about everyone else is in town. Strangely, and as noted last week, this has been a happy hunting ground for GB&I golfers with Martin Laird having won two years ago, Greg Owen incomprehensibly contriving to lose to Pampling in 2006, and decent best finishes by McDowell (2nd twice), Poulter (3rd last year), Rose (3rd in 2011), Davis (4th last year) and Westwood (5th in 2007). David Lynn makes his first visit and, at the other end of the scale, Ross Fisher was DQ'd after one round on his only appearance.
Maybe Justin Rose's turn? Wouldn't put any money on it but there seems to be something in Justin's DNA that has him winning this sort of event, especially after not doing so great coming in. Will playing with Tiger (and Ernie) in Rounds 1 and 2 help or hinder the English petal?

8).A strong web.com field is assembling in Louisiana for the first US-based tournament of the year, and Gary Christian and Russell Knox tee it up for Britain along with 18 Tour winners (and seven more are alternates).

9).While the old farts are in adjacent Mississippi, where Brian Henninger makes his first Champions Tour start. Not many Tour players can say their only two tournament wins were in Mississippi but Henninger certainly can. He was also the guy holding Ben Crenshaw's hand during the final round of Gentle Ben's post-Penick-funeral Masters win in 1995. Chapman, Mouland and Lyle will be there as well, Lyle presumably making his final (and futile) start before Augusta.

10).Easy to be cynical writing notes about the famous and wannabe famous, but much harder to express adequate admiration and appreciation for Stacy Lewis's relentless rise up the Rolex rankings to be Number One in the World.
Her difficulties with scoliosis, spinal fusion, years in a cast are well known, but she was also the first Curtis Cupper to win all five of her matches, at St.Andrews, in 2008, having already won a rain-shortened (and hence unofficial) LPGA event as an amateur. She qualified for the 2008 US Open which she led after three rounds before crumbling with a Sunday 78.
Lewis qualified for the LPGA Tour in the same Q-School as Michelle Wie, receiving far less publicity but winning the event by three shots, Wee Wie finishing six shots back.
Her career has maintained its upward trajectory including a 2011 Kraft Nabisco Championship and, without falderal or fanfare has become the first American since Beth Daniel (in 1994!!) to be LPGA Player of the Year in 2012. Great to see her go from strength to strength, even as she and her caddie go over the Rules Book regarding etiquette in a bunker.
A credit to the LPGA Tour and one of many good reasons why the Tour seems to have bottomed out and is on the rise again.

Course not.

Brilliant sequence of 3 shots there from the DeLaet-Campbell group!

Someone needs to get Tiger a JCB. Bet he gets up and down though.

Looking grim for Laird, much better for Westwood.

Has Westwood gone in the drink again? Laird and Owen would be pleased if he has.
Tiger with a face dark as thunder.

kwinigolfer wrote:Has Westwood gone in the drink again? Laird and Owen would be pleased if he has.
Tiger with a face dark as thunder.

Racist...........

Rose into double figures.

Can England do the same?

Rose out of double figures - what a careless mistake.

Lee safe, Laird and Owen need some help.

Yeah, that was a disappointing way too finish, silly of him...

Atwal in the lead...?!

Nine Chins drops another.

Atwal and Roger Chapman - LadyPutt will be pleased.
Russell Knox (gaelgowler will be pleased) and Christian with decent rounds going.

Could be Woods and Gonzo tomorrow if they're paired in, well, pairs.

Shotrock quiet recently regarding Tiger's "trend line"

Inco too. He doesn't know what I've planned for him either.

Not quiet ... but not the finish I hoped for! (Or Tiger)

Fortunately, lots of time left. Looks to me like team UKs hopes lie with Mr. Rose. You could do worse, but Yanks all around.

If you get like me into the bad habit of following some of those guys on twitter, you should certainly give Gonzo a follow, he's pretty funny and refreshing compared to most of the other golfers out there...One of his tweets after hearing he's playing Tiger today...

https://twitter.com/gfcgolf/status/315277057519144960/photo/1

or this one he posted in reply to that cringing picture with old dog Arnie giving Kate Upton a big fat kiss and splashed all over the golfing media the other day...

https://twitter.com/gfcgolf/status/314890571938414592/photo/1

Gonzo is one of my favourite golfers - would love to see him do well over here. Pleased to see Franny make the cut also. Not to mention Laird and Owen who get paid by the skin of their teeth.


Was hoping there'd be a contingent of Europe-based golfers in Houston but not many. Europeans include:

Blixt, Jacobson, Olesen, Pettersson, Stenson
Casey, Davis, Fisher, Laird, Lowry, Lynn, McIlroy, Owen, Westwood

Plus Coetzee and Grace.

Others include Bradley, Dustin J, Mickelson, Mahan, Oosthuizen, Snedeker, Stricker, Watney etc.

Am surprised Peter Hanson is absent - would think he needs a tournament or two before Augusta; maybe his injury is more serious than has been suggested?

Chance of afternoon showers at Bay Hill for Round 3 but a very good chance of severe weather for Sunday - at the very least it will be extremely windy and one would think the Tour will need to give serious thought to modifying the course set-up for Round 4. 25 mph winds as a norm, stronger gusts will mean mayhem if the greens are hard.

One final thought for Arnie: What's the point of the 17th hole - long carry over water and sand to a shallow green with all the consistency of the M1?
can understand holes being hard, but unplayable except via total fluke (Immelman's shot yesterday was the only one within 10 ft) is pointless.

One player anxious to do well this weekend will be Charlie Howell, currently 57th in the owgr and not currently exempt into Augusta.

No-one immediately ahead of him in the rankings is likely to score significant points this week unless Noren engineers a miracle in Malaysia.

Chuck is 21st at Bay Hill and I'd guess a top four finish at worst would secure his Masters invite.

Of those players in the Bay Hill top 20, very few have the chance to reach the owgr top 50 except with a win but Jimmy Walker might be the exception as a runner-up shoud lift him from 78th, while a third-place would get him close.

Ogilvy may lose his precarious 50th place after his dismal 78 in Round 2 sent him packing. So much talent, and not enough to show for it.

Hi Kwini

Do you have any decent links which report on arnie's attack on obamacare, or whatever it was he had an issue with regarding healthcare?

Mac,
No, but the Golf Channel crew were tossing him sycophantic softballs about the Arnold Palmer Children's Hospital - or whatever it's called - and he talked about how well it was doing before saying words to the effect of 'we're having problems with government interference'.

He didn't specify whether Federal Gov't or State Gov't, and no-one asked him a follow-up. Florida stacks up pretty well with the rest of the country (but certainly not the world) when it comes to healthcare costs (relatively high)measured against outcomes (relatively good). Not really fair to speculate what he was having a dig at, but wouldn't be surprised if he was conveniently short of all the facts.

A curiosity on the Champions Tour, especially in light of American success so far this year on the PGA Tour and of course the closed shop nature of the Champo circuit:

Of six Europeans in this week's field of 81 golfers, four Europeans (Mouland, Chapman, Farry and Langer) are tied for first as at 11.00 EDT. Lyle and Forsbrand adrift.

Some good scores early on with Matt Every in with 66 and Martin Laird climbing the leaderboard with his 68. Greg Owen carded a 71 but so far McDowell and Westwood not taking advantage, both registering their second sevens of the week. Not very good. And Coetzee, who had it at 6 under, rinsed his chances of gaining significant ground on "Special Temporary Membership" by making a total horlicks of the 18th.

pgatour.com's "live scoring" on life support - wish they'd get that sorted out.

Three birdies in the first 3 holes! Piece of cake for Thorbjorn...!

https://twitter.com/gfcgolf/status/314536482192887808/photo/1

Time for a big break onto the big scene for Olesen...?

Europeans having quite a good day, McDowell excepted.
Franny in with 70, Sergio under par already, Stenson and Lingmerth going well and now Gonzo getting one up early on E.T.
Plus, another birdie for Thorbjorn.

Wow, -5 after 6 for Olesen!
Gonzo should pass those nappies to Eldrick...

Olesen putting on some show. And that major winner Ben Curtis rolling it well. Fun to watch.

Justiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin!

Luke had better get used to being Number Four . . . . . . .

GONZO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Justiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin!!!

At least we're assured of seeing plenty of Gonzo, more than Rose so far. Hope we see some of Mrs.Gonzo also, definitely Gonzo 1 Woods 0 in that department.

Great start by Rose, just what he needed.

He's another man punching above his weight. Funny looking chap, but well liked by all accounts.

Tiger?

And he will soon be Englands finest

I hope our friends in Europe are receiving better coverage than we are getting from NBC - nice bird from Gonzo that they avoided, super eagle they showed from Poults, and nice bounce back for Thorbjorn. Good stuff from Stenson too.

Get this up and down Justin . . . . .

I havent got any coverage for the second week running . It has rugby and it had cricket highlights before- Even though its scheduled for Golf.

What the heck...

Tiger!!!!

where did that little twerp Fowler come from?

Come on Olesen, #1 nike player.

its on sky sports 2..

rose is wilting. glad tjorbjorn did well. guess likely to have a new (old) world number 1 Monday.

Justin Rose looks like he's spooked by the leaderboard, or at least the Tiger roars, not swinging freely at all.

If Woods can scrape at least a couple of bogeys on 17 & 18 he'll likely win going away.

Eldrick nine chins is in the lead

has rose been hit with the tiger factor. The ghost could be back

Is Johnny Miller correct in his "facts" about Woods?

Dead last in fairways hit.
16 putts inside 20 feet made in 17 attempts.

Says all you want to know about the course and Tiger's putting. Bloody amazing really.

His putting in that range was allways his biggest plus.

amazing stuff

when the chins number nine, it's victory time.

Poor Rose coming a cropper.

shagger woods should stroll this. I don't think he seems likeable but just having his name on the board gets to the opposition. like away teams st old Trafford. beaten in the head first.

what's with Woods' iron yardages, 180 yard 9-iron??

Curses, looks like I might be absent if this man sausage wins again.

Can't stand Fowler but I'd even prefer him to win than sports biggest barclays banker.

180 yards out I go with a 9 iron aswell...........

so that I can get it to within a wedge for the next shot.

incontinentia wrote:what's with Woods' iron yardages, 180 yard 9-iron??

Warmer temperature, different air, wind, different loft than conventional 9 irons. All pro's seem to have mad yardages compared to ours, our yardages very rarely match any pro's.

Maybe there's a lot of kinetic energy behind his chins, like some sort of spring.