PGA Tour: Damn The Torpedoes: Notes from the Ballwasher

1).Even The Losers . . . . .
from last Tour season, which ended just ten days ago, get to play this week's Safeway Open. Well, most of them anyway; certainly all the qualifiers from the web.com season are eligible, as well as some old lags from the "Past Champion" category of player eligibility. The winner is forecast to earn 24 or 26 owgr points, just about as weak a full field as we're likely to get. Too bad as they'll have fantastic late summer weather in California's Napa Valley and play on Johnny Miller's Silverado resort's North course. Recent Open winners Zach Johnson and Phil Mickelson are there but precious few other "notables".

2).Runaway Train . . . . .
That's what the US Presidents Cup Team looked like last Thursday, Friday and Saturday. US media seems to think that's a splendid building block for future "Cup" success. Mebbe, mebbe not. Nothing wrong with fighting through a little adversity - though not as much as the Internationals inflicted upon themselves. Anyway, tough to argue with the successes of US Foursomes & Fourball teams and they certainly think they've found something. We'll see.

3).I Won't Back Down . . . . .
Take me up to the gates of hell, but this US Presidents Cup Team is suggesting that they won't back down.
This is Daniel Berger's take on the whole thing:
"Our goal from the minute we got here was to crush them (International Team, presumably) as bad as we can. I hope that we close them out today and we go out there tomorrow and beat them even worse."
Hope Thomas Bjorn is paying attention.
(Perhaps Berger is miffed that the US Davis Cup team that his old man worked on a couple of years ago got duffed up in Glasgow?)
Nice response from Tweeter Alliss: "Quite lively by young Berger, proving it's a gentleman's game and you can sympathise with your opponents."

4).Refugee . . . . .
Jhonathan Vegas needs to mind his p's and q's if he wants to continue to travel freely between his Venezuelan home and his US Tour career. He mostly came up short at the Presidents Cup but I didn't see any International embrace the occasion as heartily as Jhonny did. Good for him, but watch yourself coming and going now your country is on the White House's black list.

5).Don't Come Around Here No More . . . . .
Several golfers whose names we recognise during increasingly rare incursions to Tour leaderboards lost their full exempt status following last week's Tour Championship. Some have conditional membership or other avenues but they certainly won't be able to plan a full schedule: Crane, Ricky Barnes, Spencer Levin, Ishikawa, Zac Blair, Summerhays, Johnson Wagner, David Hearn, Ken Duke, Gonzo among them.

6).You Don't Know How It Feels . . . . .
Patrick Can'tLay finished 2017 with a succession of strong finishes and you'd think that he'll be a regular contender in 2018, if only he can stay fit. A bit of a callow youth, but one hell of a golf game and arithmetically sure to rocket up the owgr's. Smile Pat, it's not that bad.

7).It's Good To Be King . . . . .
Or at least his grandson, as Sam Saunders regained his Tour card - pretty much wrapping it up with an opening 59 at the WTF. He's had a lifetime of Tour chances, which he readily acknowledges, but also a lifetime of heavy expectations. It seems he's improved his consistency this year and I wouldn't be surprised to see him win.

8).Running Down A Dream . . . . .
Ireland's Seamus Power came to PGA Tour membership last year with few expectations, from others anyway, but quickly belied that with a couple of excellent 54-hole performances which he annihilated with dreadful fourth rounds. Fast forward to last week and he scraped through 50th of 50 qualifiers for this year's Tour. Unless he can turn those early season 54-hole efforts into 72-hole contention, he'll stayed towards the bottom of the "reshuffle" category and see his opportunities few and far between. A fast start this week would go a long way.

9).Free Fallin' . . . . .
The steepest descents by owgr Top 50 & 100 Tour golfers in 2017 have been by:
"A" Flight - from Top 50:
80 places: Furyk
56: Willett
49: Piercy
47: Bubba Watson
43: Knox

"B" Flight - from Top 100:
198 places: Patton Kizzire
177: Gamez (EDIT: s/b Fabian Gomez)
135: Ishikawa
96: Castro
88: Harris English (what on earth has become of him?)

10).Stop Draggin' My Heart Around . . . . .
Sadly, it looks as if two-time heart transplant patient Erik Compton's career could be at an end. He had suggested last year that he'd retire, but has competed unsuccessfully on the web.com circuit this year. One of golf's feelgood stories could be at an end.

The ballwasher is running dry so this thread will have to suffice for the Asian tournaments also. More of this rubbish in a fortnight.

Good to see Ian James Poulter has entered the US gun-(lack of)control debate on the side of commonsense.

Good notes as always Kwini...

Shockingly weak field in Napa. Guess that 3-event Asian swing is taking quite the toll. More than I would have expected.  The events after the WGC HSBC probably won't be as severely affected, but we'll see.

Presidents' Cup - Awesome display from the American's no doubt... but the world can turn mightily in a years time... Just ask any of your "Free Fallin" list.   Berger a bit much no doubt, but Team USA has been the victim of the Euro Ryder Cup team "thinking" exactly the same way quite a bit over the last few decades, but they let their clubs instead of their mouths do their talking.

Speaking of Free falling.  Willett's issues were obvious all the way back to last summer.... but Kizzire and English are the head scratcher's to me.

You know I don't like talking politics... but can't help to note that over the last 8 months I've learned that an amoeba is NOT the living thing with the thinnest skin... sheesh... enough of that.

There's something a little ironic about coming out in support of gun control in such an all guns blazing fashion...

Also, hate being a pedant but I assume it's Fabio Gomez who's dropped in the OWGR. Spent a couple of minutes trying to think what Robert Gamez had done last year...

Fortunately I've avoided politics . . . . . good thing too.

And another good thing Ned: Ainsworth now the Florida leader, Taylor in a Wednesday Funk. Not so good from the man from Carisbrooke.

Pleased to see Mr 56, Trevor Murphy, off to a promising start in San Diego.


I like pedantry on my Notes: What was I thinking??!! Fabian Gomez it should be, I'll change it before GPB sees it.

66-79 is interesting from Funk, lucky he's still on the bubble after that. But looks like Jason Day should be safe for another year's caddying. Tough gig at the Texas venue where -3 is still well off the pace. Still think I have 4 of 8 Europeans inside the qualification places from the first three venues though, good hit rate that.

Waiting on the scores from the California venue but Jeremy Paul of Germany is among the early starters there, who quit college a year early to turn pro in the summer, leaving his twin brother behind on the team in the process. Struggling to think of any twins to make it on the big tours, or even siblings full stop. The Molinaris are one, I think both Saltmans came through the same ET Q-School one year, and a couple of Putnams have had a struggle on the PGA tour. Any others?

Wadkins? Byrums? Ozakis? Must be one or two others.

Nicklaus's have tried! Stocktons too.
And I see there's another generation of Geibergers bidding for fame and fortune.

Plus there's the Furgols from New York Mills, both Ryder Cuppers of the same era, but not related; no 'course they aren't!

Should have thought Wadkins and the countless Ozakis. Wouldn't have remembered the Byrums, but they did remind me of the Bryants. And they in turn reminded me of the Sutherlands.

On the LPGA there's the Kordas and the Jutanugarns. They've all been in contention at one time or another this season. Don't think any of the Lees and Kims are related !

Can't immediately think of any others from the LPGA entirely, but I guess Nicholas and Lexi Thompson count.

NedB-H wrote:Can't immediately think of any others from the LPGA entirely, but I guess Nicholas and Lexi Thompson count.

And Curtis.

Bill and Cathy Kratzert too, and the Gallaghers.

Does the list go on?

robo,
Have you been invited to the Chris Stroud/Bobby Gates "Harvey" benefit at Bluejack? Perhaps you're the official photographer??

Good for them; it would be nice if the Tour did a better job of recognising the undercard guts who do so much for charity (and perhaps they do), a la Kelly Gibson.

First off   to you Kwini, not only for your excellent golf chat but also your Tom Petty homage. All the guys I listened to growing up are shuffling off their mortal coil and as sad as it is the great music they leave behind will live forever. Spotify will be getting a Petty hammering this weekend for sure.

As for the golf, a quick word on Saunders. News of his 59 made the sports report on the Chris Evans breakfast show on Radio 2 last week. For our non-UK members Evans is the biggest breakfast DJ here with over 7 million daily listeners and to put it into perspective other recent sub-60s (Thomas, Furyk etc) didn't merit a mention but we all know why Sam's did.

I like him and we know he is never going to be as good as his Grandad but a win would be lovely and would hopefully stop the "doesn't deserve to be here" crowd for good.

Back here in autumnal Scotland we have the Dunhill links to keep us going and I'll certainly be tuning in, not least to see how Holmes and McGirt deal with the East coast October chill.

Also after McIlroy's storming weekend I'm keen to see how he will get on a course he has played very well on before.

Why does the Jack in the POTY trophy have a horse on its head?

It's the fabled Hampton Golfing Horse, the first recipient of the POTY trophy back in 1771

Cheers chaps,

Safeway Open action starts in a few; Brendan Steele brought home the groceries last year; native Californian and course specialist and no doubt he'll go close again.
Martin Laird could be worth an each way shout, 3rd, 64th and 8th in his three trips to Napa. Perhaps he'll ensure that GB&I won't get shut out of the winners enclosure for another season.
I quite fancy Kevin Na's chances, my one-and-done for the week.
Whilst Ryan Moore should be comfortable here as he looks to make up for a forgettable (largely due to injuries) 2017.

Phil and Emiliano Grillo (2015 champ) are the only ones flying straight from the Presidents Cup, but 2015 Presidents Cupper, and 2014 champ, Sang Moon Bae returns after military service.

Hopefully this week's fun will show sponsors you don't need a great field to showcase a quality golf course and worldclass resort and location.

Excellent again Kwini. Great Petty references. Always much appreciated .

superb stuff Kwini.

Loved the Free fallin and runaway train references in particular... seamless.

Audrey leishman's take on the presidents cup.

https://psdontusetampons.com/2017/10/03/this-is-not-the-tour-i-know/


For similar reasons the RC does nothing for me.

McLaren wrote:Audrey leishman's take on the presidents cup.

https://psdontusetampons.com/2017/10/03/this-is-not-the-tour-i-know/


For similar reasons the RC does nothing for me.

Not much does Mac, unless it involves something which makes you look right on and hipsterish.

Mac,
Beautifully written by Audrey Leishman.

Whether the behaviour described now extends to the RC I don't know - all I can say is that the "galleries" at the three RC's I attended, all in the US and including the so-called WOTS, were 99% well-behaved and sporting in their appreciation of the feast of golf in front of them.

The RC has crowds in great numbers supporting both teams - perhaps that offers balance that the Presidents Cup will never have. And, if the PC bars are open at 7.00 a.m., shame on the PGA Tour for acting as an enabler.

Daniel Berger's garbage speaks for itself; hopefully someone will have a word, but if the Tour does we'll never know. Perhaps he just doesn't know that he's a total pillock?

Casey, Knox and Poulter among the runners and riders for next week's CIMB.
Thomas Pieters also "committed" along with Rafa C-B and most of the double-dipping International Pres Cup Team. Justin Thomas defends his title, just as he did so successfully last year.

"...Americans are Stupid. I Hate Them..."

- Paul Casey

GPB wrote:"...Americans are Stupid. I Hate Them..."

- Paul Casey

Not quite, That was the Daily Mirror that said that.


"Oh, we properly hate them" said Casey. Stupid at the time and he's had to answer for it for 13 years. Hopefully Berger will grow up before 2030. Or join the European Tour.
(Casey has always said that was tongue in cheek, hence use of the word "properly" with different connotations in English than American.)

It just rhetoric! Casey comments were out of context.


We got a Berger soundbite. We don't know what preceded those comments. For years, the Euro rhetoric is that the US teams don't have enough passion. Now that an American is showing some passion, he is getting flamed for the passion

D@mned if you do, d@mned if you don't.

I agree with GPB, I don't really see much controversy here. The PC and the RC are both head-to-head two team contests so naturally they'll be more partisan than a regular tour event. Especially in a sport where the fans don't get that partisan feeling for the other 52 weeks of the year. As with every other sport you'll get the odd idiot fan who takes it too far, but that's because the world contains the odd idiot.
Berger was probably a bit naive in saying what he did so bluntly, but surely no one's surprised at the sentiment? It'd be an odd team that didn't want to beat the opposition by as much as possible... anything less than that essentially implies you want some of your teammates to lose. Casey's comments were more daft than Berger's. But then we all know Casey's a bit of a tool anyway.

Back in the real world I'm wishing I'd stuck more than two quid on Steele. Thought 28/1 seemed generous for a course specialist in decent nick.

I don't see anything wrong with what Berger said. Who doesn't want to win a game they're playing in?, even if it is something as tinpot and lop sided as The Presidents Cup, one of the worst and most pointless tournaments in sport

At least one side is interested in it, which is good because Golf and "Soccer" are about the only two "sports" in which America get a chance to get excited about International competition. Shame about the Internationals not bothering to be arsed about it though, perhaps if they were it people might find it interesting.

Ainsworth 7th with 18 holes to play. Level par tomorrow should do the trick.

Kinda surprised to see Brian Davis in with a decent round - probably one of only about 12 or 15 Tour courses he can still hope to be competitive on.

Currently T4th, Xinjun Zhang is the player that was suspended for incorrect scorecards on the PGATour China

http://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/1636823/banned-zhang-xinjun-can-still-earn-webcom-tour-card

GPB,
Have you seen a statement yet on which players are taking Career earnings exemptions or medical extensions (I've seen Freddie, Senden, Padraig, Beef but sure there are others)?
Solid rounds from Phil and Ryan Moore.

Here is the 2017-18 priority list

https://www.pgatour.com/news/2018/2017-2018-pga-tour-priority-ranking.html

Tim Clark, Goosen and BVP

super_realist wrote:I don't see anything wrong with what Berger said. Who doesn't want to win a game they're playing in?, even if it is something as tinpot and lop sided as The Presidents Cup, one of the worst  and most pointless tournaments in sport

At least one side is interested in it, which is good because Golf and "Soccer" are about the only two "sports" in which America get a chance to get excited about International competition. Shame about the Internationals not bothering to be arsed about it though, perhaps if they were it people might find it interesting.

I tend to agree, although people like Berger should be a little more aware of the fact that what they say has an influence on what some tanked up idiots in a crowd think they can therefore get away with.
IIRC, this kind of idiot cheering bad shots etc started with the European crowds at The Belfry in the RC even before Europe actually won; I don't remember it before then. I can cut them some slack as Europe had taken a beating for so long, it was probably relief that they were finally getting the upper hand. Not sure it excuses it though. Speculative, maybe, but FWIW I also think that where we are now, Farage & Trump et al have given some license to these sort of A-holes to say what they've always wanted to.

Top 50 after this week qualify for HSBC Champions, joining other qualifiers. Full details on princedrac's Twitter page.
Brendan Steele one of those who need a good result to qualify, Fisher, Ikeda, Holmes, Grillo, Westwood also. Whilst others, not many, would need a win.

I like the partisan nature of the RC and PC. Not the personal insults or cheering bad shots but the rawkus cheering and to oppose it, the silence finger are all good.

And yes Berger should have phrased it better but nothing wrong with the sentiment.

Coming back to win at Medinah was one of the greatest sporting joy moments I have ever felt and although I was 3,500 miles away I was (figartively) doing cartwheels at the end

kwinigolfer wrote:Top 50 after this week qualify for HSBC Champions, joining other qualifiers. Full details on princedrac's Twitter page.
Brendan Steele one of those who need a good result to qualify, Fisher, Ikeda, Holmes, Grillo, Westwood also. Whilst others, not many, would need a win.

I thought Steele had been a model of consistency over the past year. I'm surprised he isn't in the Top 50.

GPB wrote:Here is the 2017-18 priority list

https://www.pgatour.com/news/2018/2017-2018-pga-tour-priority-ranking.html

Tim Clark, Goosen and BVP

Thanks GPB, Did you have to google that? It's not coming up on the tour site.

Beyond bizarre to see Furyk at such a low level - can't understand why he wouldn't have taken his Top 25 exemption. There must be events he'd like to play that he'll need a sponsors OK to get in the field.

GPB wrote:It just rhetoric!  Casey comments were out of context.  


We got a Berger soundbite.  We don't know what preceded those comments.  For years, the Euro rhetoric is that the US teams don't have enough passion.  Now that an American is showing some passion, he is getting flamed for the passion

D@mned if you do, d@mned if you don't.

GPB (other RC sympathizers), I was first turned off the RC by European fans and players about ten years ago because of the jingoistic way they started to view the event. Sadly the US fans caught up pretty quickly on the patriotic angle (Although attendees of Kiawah like kwini might argue a different timeline).

It is the change in atmosphere from admiring two top teams of the worlds best golfers to shouting sexist profanities about a players ex and cringe worthy chants about national supieriority that has turned the RC into a s**t show. And this is what I think Audrey explained very clearly in the article I linked to. I am not against noise and cheering at a golf event (I couldn't really care less about the mashed potato brigade) but it is when the overall atmosphere becomes toxic that I find the event way less interesting. It is not uncommon for patriotism to foster such petty atmospheres.

What is really odd is that the lager lout types that are shouting inane pro Euro team chants are exactly the sort of idiot "lads" who voted #Brexit.

Despite the odd outburst (a la Berger) the true nature of the competition between the players is probably that of mates embracing a keen but jovial competitive spirit. The fans, sky (or other tv outlets), social media, written media etc do their best to hype the nationalistic angle and not the golf actually being played.

Kwini, I got the link for the 2017-18 Players exemptions from the 2016-17 exemption list from a Rob Bolton comment in the comment section on the bottom.

I don't see why Furyk would use his Top 25/50 exemption. He is in no danger of falling out of the Top 25 and with his his Ryder Cup duties, he probably is not going to play that much. Any PGATour event he wants to play will undoubtedly give him an exemption. His name still has some cachet.

Mahan did not take his exemption either.

Ah ha! Tks.

Can understand Mahan; see what you're saying about Furyk but still surprised.


Three more HOT days in store in Napa, increasingly breezy thru the weekend too. The superintendent needs to get some water on those greens.

Nice recovery from Power yesterday, Laird too. Every dollar will be crucial for Power to improve his "reshuffle" position come January.

Mac, Have you got any examples of the toxic atmosphere you talk of, or is it like all your opinions, just based on hearsay.

Seeing as you've never been, who are you to say?

Super:

Just google it. It is all over the internet.

Spoiler:

GPB wrote:Super:

Just google it. It is all over the internet.

Spoiler:

Which I provided for you if you recall.

Grillo has a two shot lead early in Safeway Round 2.
Waking up a week late if you ask Nick Price.

Super

I get that eye witness account can be flawed but are you really questioning that we see increasing "football" style crowd behavior from the fans. I actually hesitate to use the football comparison as it isn't fair but I think it will resonate with you.

For example, just look at the silly chanting on the first tee, or as I mentioned Rory having to listen to slurs about Wozniacki between holes.

Are you rejecting my premise that attendees of the RC are partaking in increasing levels of jingoistic support and more boisterous behavior centered around that jingoism?

Mac, the more you reply, the more I sincerely doubt you have an MSc. Will you please read properly?.  My questioning was not that it got  more vocal than a traditional event, but that it was "toxic".

I didn't hear anything toxic, there was gentle ribbing, but nothing vindictive, abusive or nasty. There might have been the odd "out of order" remark (which you get in US strokeplay events), but it wasn't pervasive (you can look up a dictionary for that one Mac)

It's an International fixture between opposing sides. Why wouldn't it get "jingoistic", and what is wrong with a bit of that? You've said you're a Man United fan, surely you're ok with that being partisan and "tribal"? So why not golf? Is it that you've got some Victorian sense of etiquette that you think "fans" should be smoking a pipe, clapping politely and extolling the virtues of how course design benefits both teams?

kwinigolfer wrote:robo,
Have you been invited to the Chris Stroud/Bobby Gates "Harvey" benefit at Bluejack? Perhaps you're the official photographer??

Good for them; it would be nice if the Tour did a better job of recognising the undercard guts who do so much for charity (and perhaps they do), a la Kelly Gibson.

no... But if I'm not busy I'll try to get out there... And yeah... Good on Stroud/Gates

OH dear... Daniel Berger actually saying out loud what every Ryder or Presidents' Cup player has actually been thinking for like EVER... {{{GASP}}}

super_realist wrote:

GPB wrote:Super:

Just google it. It is all over the internet.

Spoiler:

Which I provided for you if you recall.

Yep, IIRC, three non-mainstream web-sites that no one in their right mind would take seriously and credible website.

And only after you had hours if not days to google something that substantiated your claims.

Always the excuse people come up with when they've been proven wrong. Mac uses a similar tactic. Not exactly the sort of company you want to be keeping on such issues.

I'd actually found the links before you'd even bothered to ask about them. There's scores of them, but if you want to just reject every link, then it makes you look like a flat earther, which is probably what most of the god squad are anyway.