Ryan Moore wins the CIMB Classic
Posted on October 26, 2013 Leave a Comment
Ryan Moore (Courtesy: Zimbio.com)
Ryan Moore defeated Gary Woodland on the first hole of a sudden death playoff at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club, winning the 2013 CIMB Classic.
What Happened
No matter where the PGA Tour goes these days, they can’t seem to avoid bad weather. The final round was pretty entertaining, with back and forth lead changes and players constantly jumping in and out of contention, but a lengthy rain delay caused the final round to run later than expected. Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Chris Stroud, Graham DeLaet and others all made a run for the title, but at the end of the fourth round, Moore and Woodland were left standing at 14-under par in near darkness at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club. The players decided that rather than finish it right there, with extremely limited visibility, they would come back on Monday morning for the sudden death playoff.
The 634-yard par-5 would be the playoff hole, which gave Moore a bit of advantage, as Woodland’s obscene length off of the tee was neutralized. Woodland wasn’t going to be able to reach the green in two shots, making it a battle of wedges into the green. Both players found the fairway from the tee, and attempted to lay up, with Moore ending up in the fairway and Woodland in the first cut of rough. Moore’s approach into the green was near perfect, landing four feet from the hole, while Woodland ended up short in the rough.
After a good chip by Woodland ended up just short, Moore would tap in from four feet for his third career PGA Tour win.
Final Leaderboard
- 1. Ryan Moore -14 *wins in playoff*
- 2. Gary Woodland -14 *loses in playoff*
- T3. Kiradech Aphibarnrat -13
- T3. Chris Stroud -13
- 5. Aaron Baddeley -12
What The Win Means For Moore
When I selected Moore this week in my betting preview, I mentioned that Moore was one of those guys that has underachieved in his career to this point. This is only his third career PGA Tour win, which is a solid career, but certainly not the amount that he was expected to have at 30-years old. I do think that this could be a breakout for Moore, as he now has two PGA Tour wins in his last 12 months, and his talent has never been in question.
He moves into second place in the FedEx Cup standings, sitting just behind Jimmy Walker. What this also does is it gets him a guaranteed spot at the Masters and PGA Championship this season, as well as the Hyundai Tournament of Champions. He will also move to 31st in the Official World Golf Rankings, and while he’s currently a long shot for the American Ryder Cup team, he has a chance to put himself into the conversation.
Aphibarnrat’s here to stay
One of the great things about golf is how global the game has become over the years, and a player like Aphibarnrat getting a chance to shine can only bring good things to the game. Aphibarnrat got into the tournament through the Asian Tour, who is co-sanctioning the event this week with the PGA Tour, and if you watch the game closely, you’ve seen him a few times in 2013. He won on this very course at the Malaysian Open earlier this year, and ended up playing at the Open Championship, the Bridgestone and the PGA.
He’s talked openly about his goal of playing full time on the PGA Tour, and a win here would have granted him his two-year exemption, plus entry to the Masters and a whole host of other privileges that the players really covet. His style of play, with surprisingly accurate ball striking considering how wild and aggressive the swing looks, would be a perfect fit for the PGA Tour and you could tell how desperately he wanted this win in the dying minutes of the final round. He had his chances and he let it slip through his chubby fingers, but if he keeps playing like this, the 24-year old will get to the PGA Tour in short order, and that’s a very good thing for the game.
Based on his finish, he is able to play in the McGladreys next week, and according to PGATour.com, we’re probably going to see him in the field:
“I think the schedule will change right now,” Aphibarnrat said. “If I have my chance even like just 1 percent, I will try and do it.”
Phil Mickelson is terrible, according to Phil Mickelson
“The path of the club is too inside, then it’s vertical, the head’s moving, my legs are loose. Divots are steep. It’s terrible. Right now, the difficulty is I may make some decent swings and not miss too much, but I don’t know if I’m missing it left or right.”
Those quotes are after the first two rounds this week, in which Mickelson was under par in both and not too far back of the leaders at -3. Phil’s one of the best players in the world, so obviously he has a severely high expectation level, but man, he sounds like a guy who was at the bottom of the board after firing back-to-back 85’s. He ended up tied for 19th at 5-under par after rounds of 68 and 74 on the weekend.
Bo Van Pelt misses The Mines
Bo Van Pelt won this tournament back in 2011 at a different venue, the Mines Resort and Golf Club. He’s only picked up one win worldwide since then, and after a second round 77, he tweeted this:
Considering the kind of season he had in 2013, with only one top-10 in 22 appearances, he seems to be missing a lot of things at the moment. Rounds of 69 and 65 on the weekend should have him in better spirits heading to Shanghai next week though.
Other Notes
- No cut with the short field this week. Notable finishes: Graham DeLaet (T7), Keegan Bradley (10th), Sergio Garcia (T11), Bill Haas (T16), Rickie Fowler and Phil Mickelson (T19), Hideki Matsuyama (T25), Bubba Watson (T31), Nick Watney (T35) and Ernie Els (T47).
- A lot was made this week about Woodland getting some putting tips from Mickelson and that helping him get to the top of the leaderboard, but that happens every week on the PGA Tour with these guys. The bigger thing for Woodland, and this goes back to last year, was getting his short game in order with the help of Pat Goss. Former Adam Scott and Greg Norman caddie Tony Navarro is also now on the bag for Woodland, and that should also make a huge difference for the 29-year old, who hasn’t always had the best course management.
- Bubba Watson goes kid bowling during the rain delay.
- Another interesting rules discussion this week, with Aphibarnrat eventually not getting penalized for grounding his club on the 13th. Video below:
Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano wins the BMW Masters
Posted on October 26, 2013 Leave a Comment
Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano (Courtesy: Zimbio.com)
Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano was able to hold off a bevy of quality challengers on Sunday in Shanghai, getting his first win of the 2013 season at the BMW Masters.
What Happened
Conditions were brutal all week at Lake Malaren Golf Club, with high winds making it very difficult for the players to post low numbers, but that changed on Sunday. The course played much easier on the final day, with all but one of the top-12 finishers ending up under par for the round. Defending champion Peter Hanson posted the round of the day, a 9-under par 63 despite making two bogeys and ended up tied for 9th even after an opening round 79.
After a chip-in on the par-3 17th, Castano opened a three-shot lead over Francesco Molinari, and he needed every bit of it after finding two bunkers on the last. He was able to hit his putt on 18 for double bogey to get away with a one-shot victory.
Final Leaderboard
- 1. Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano -11
- T2. Francesco Molinari -10
- T2. Thongchai Jaidee -10
- 4. Luke Guthrie -9
- T5. Thomas Bjorn -8
- T5. Peter Uihlein -8
- T5. Pablo Larrazabal -8
What The Win Means For Castano
Castano now moves into the top five in the Race to Dubai, but perhaps most importantly to him, this win probably gets him back on Paul McGinley’s radar for the 2014 Ryder Cup at Gleneagles. Castano basically split his 2013 season between the PGA and European Tours, and the result was only four top-10’s and no wins until today. It’s his seventh career professional victory, and the win will get him back into the top-50 of the Official World Golf Rankings.
Simon Dyson’s DQ
If you’ve read anything from me in the past, you know that I take issue with the Rules of Golf on occasion, but this one is pretty much as clear cut as it gets. Simon Dyson, who after the second round of play was 4-under par and in contention, was disqualified after pushing down a spike mark on the green that was in the line of his putt. Video below:
Dyson was disqualified after a fan called in the ruling, which I still don’t like, but this is pretty basic, day one stuff. Dyson was in direct violation of rule 16-1a, which you can check out at the official USGA site. Some of you may also remember that this is why Sergio Garcia chipped while on the green on Sunday at the Wells Fargo this year.
Joost Luiten’s WD
Joost Luiten hit exactly one shot on Thursday, a drive of 120 yards down the middle of the fairway, and withdrew from the tournament citing a shoulder injury. Obviously Luiten was injured before he hit the shot, so why was he out there? Well, the European Tour’s Final Series, a play on the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup playoffs, states that in order to be qualified for the Dubai World Championship and the bonus money pool, players must play in two of the three events preceding the final in Dubai. Luiten currently sits 11th in the Race to Dubai, so he’s going to have a chance to win a good amount of money at the end of it, but in order to have that shot, he needed to hit that opening tee ball. Luke Donald, who was playing with Luiten, tweeted about the situation after the round:
It’s a new wrinkle in the rules, and it sucks for the first alternate, who was South Africa’s Justin Walters. The players knew Luiten was hurt and there was a chance that he might withdraw, but Donald’s right: the European Tour forced Luiten’s hand with this, and there will definitely be calls for change considering how ridiculous this makes the tour look.
John Daly’s Performance
He didn’t have the kind of finish that he would have liked, but an opening round 68 in his first competitive round in four months after elbow surgery was the shock of the week for probably everyone in the golf world. When the tough conditions got even tougher, it hit Daly harder than most and he couldn’t keep up, eventually ending up tied for 48th. Still though, he should be happy with the way he played, and who knows, maybe it leads to more quality play going forward.
Other Notes
- No cut this week with the short field. Some notable finishes: Paul Casey (T8), Martin Kaymer (T13), Ian Poulter (T15), Lee Westwood (T17), Rory McIlroy and Padraig Harrington (T27), Luke Donald and Thorbjorn Olesen (T31), Henrik Stenson (T34), John Daly (T48), Graeme McDowell (T53), Louis Oosthuizen (59th), Miguel Angel Jimenez (60th) and Branden Grace (T61).
- Watching the coverage, I couldn’t help but notice how slow Luke Guthrie is when he plays. In the first two rounds, he was paired with Uihlein and Daly, and it must have been killing Daly to watch how long Guthrie took over the ball. Daly’s always been a fast player and obviously came up in a time when rounds were a lot shorter than they are now, so I’d love to know what he honestly thought of what was going on. Guthrie’s a great young player, but it was difficult to watch at times.
- Interesting story from Brian Keogh at the Irish Golf Desk regarding the potentially cold relationship between Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell. I don’t usually like to comment on rumour, especially when the involve things that we can’t honestly see for ourselves, but I bring this up because of McDowell’s quotes. He’s never been one to shy away from things and he always gives a thorough answer, so it surprised me when I saw this:
“I don’t have any comment. It’s been a long complicated year for everyone (talking about the slump) so I prefer not to talk about Rory McIlroy in this conversation,”
In any event, the link above is worth checking out. I’m sure they’ll get it resolved at some point, but it seems pretty apparent that they aren’t on the best of terms at the moment.
The Tiger Woods/Brandel Chamblee saga
Posted on October 23, 2013 4 Comments
A view of Tiger Woods as he walks off the 8th green at Torrey Pines during this morning’s practice round at the 2008 U.S. Open in San Diego, CA. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
When Tiger Woods speaks, he tends to receive a lot of attention. That doesn’t just stay within the golf world either, as the entire sports scene tends to focus on him whenever he says or does anything. Over the last week or so, many who follow golf closely have been intrigued with comments made by Golf Channel’s Brandel Chamblee in his regular column for Golf.com. As a quick refresher for those of you who may not have seen it:
- Chamblee wrote this piece for Golf.com, giving out report cards for various players at the end of the 2013 season.
- The remarks made about Tiger, in which he compared his cheating on a math test in the fourth grade to Tiger’s run-ins with rules violations this year, caused a storm. At the end of it, he gave Tiger an ‘F’ despite five wins during the 2013 PGA Tour season.
- Several people, including Tiger’s agent Mark Steinberg, thought that the column was completely unfair and that the label of “cheater”, which Chamblee never explicitly used, was off-base. Steinberg threatened a lawsuit.
- Chamblee stood by his comments on Tuesday morning when talking to Doug Ferguson of the Associated Press.
- Then Tuesday night, Chamblee fired off the following tweets:
I’m not sure I’ve seen a faster backtrack, but, why did we even get to this point?
Chamblee knew what he was doing and he accomplished what he set out to do in the first place: grab attention and pageviews. We all clicked on it, and some got outraged, but at the very least, all of us were talking about Brandel Chamblee and his latest opinion regarding Tiger Woods. The same thing happened late in 2012 when he suggested that Tiger needed to fire Sean Foley and go back to Butch Harmon, despite a complete lack of evidence to back up his claims that Tiger was nowhere near the player he could be.
Chamblee has always been critical as an analyst, especially of Tiger, but usually this revolved around his swing or his results on the course. Venturing into the area of cheating, pretty much the worst thing you can ever call a golfer, was his way of criticizing a player he couldn’t otherwise do anything about since he had been so successful. Sure you could mention that he didn’t win a major, but five wins is pretty much impossible to ignore.
It certainly seems like someone, either a lawyer or employer told him to say something in an attempt to diffuse the situation. Why else would he have been so adamant that he was standing by his comments in the first place? Funny enough, his outright bashing of Vijay Singh, who many in the golf media can’t stand anyway, was just swept under the rug because of his comments about Tiger. Also, his apparent love for both Phil Mickelson and Amanda Dufner, plus a random shot at Padraig Harrington made the column seem even more pointless than a regular report card column would be.
So, where do we go from here? There are people in the pro and anti camps for both Tiger and Chamblee, and this thing really won’t change any of that. The lawsuit may still happen, but with Chamblee apologizing, I doubt anything really comes of that either. Basically, something that should have been a non-story ended up being a story and we should all be moving on at this point, although I’m not sure that we’re going to be that fortunate. The comments were stupid and we shouldn’t have been surprised, but when it comes to Tiger Woods, people have a tendency to go a little overboard in both opinion and coverage.
By the way, Tiger still hasn’t said anything and we shouldn’t expect him to at any point soon. Even without saying a word, he’s still the focus, and as usual, he comes out looking pretty good in a messy situation.
BMW Masters Betting Preview
Posted on October 23, 2013 Leave a Comment
Henrik Stenson (Photo credit: Keith Allison)
The first leg of the European Tour’s Final Series starts this week, as a loaded field descends on the mammoth Lake Malaren Golf Club in Shanghai for the 2013 BMW Masters.
2013 BMW Masters Fact Sheet
- Course: Lake Malaren Golf Club
- Location: Shanghai, China
- Yardage: 7,607 yards, par 72
- Defending Champion: Peter Hanson
- Five Consensus Favourites: Henrik Stenson, Rory McIlroy, Martin Kaymer, Luke Donald and Lee Westwood
TV Schedule
- Thursday – 6:00 AM to 10:00 AM ET (Golf Channel)
- Friday – 6:00 AM to 10:00 AM ET (Golf Channel)
- Saturday – 6:00 AM to 10:00 AM ET (Golf Channel)
- Sunday – 6:00 AM to 10:00 AM ET (Golf Channel)
Key Storyline This Week
As mentioned above, this week is the start of the European Tour’s Final Series, similar to the FedEx Cup played on the North American PGA Tour, and it’s brought out some of the best players in the world, even if they haven’t been full time European Tour players in several years. It promises to be a quality event on a course that most of the players agree as being one of the finest that the European Tour visits each year.
Outside of that, all eyes will be on Rory McIlroy. His runner-up finish in Korea last week, albeit against a field of players that even the most ardent of golf fans couldn’t pick out, does provide some thought that maybe things are starting to turn around for the former world number one. Of course, many thought that to be the case after he finished behind only Martin Laird in Texas earlier this year and that didn’t work out, but I can honestly say that his swing looks solid and I think he’s ready to get back into the winner’s circle. I’m not saying it’s going to happen this week, but it’s definitely a real possibility.
Lake Malaren Golf Club
Designed by Jack Nicklaus and opened for play in 2011, Lake Malaren is an absolute beast of a course at just over 7600 yards, and if last year was any indication, the greens are difficult even for the best players in the world. It’s no shock that Peter Hanson, one of the world’s best with the putter and also a guy who can go long off the tee, came away with the win last year. The greens will run between 12 and 13 on the stimp, and there are tons of pin placement possibilities, so the players will get a lot of different looks this week. There are pretty much no trees on the course, but large bunkers are present throughout. The weather is looking decent for the week, with a slight chance of rain for the opening round, but it should clear out ahead of the weekend.
The toughest hole on the course last year was the par-3 17th. At 201 yards, it played to an average of 3.2 strokes last season, and has a tiny green surrounded by water and usually a very strong wind. Hanson offers his thoughts on the course below, courtesy of the European Tour:
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Thoughts On The Favourites
- Henrik Stenson: Played here last year ending up tied for 26th, and he is coming off of the win at the Tour Championship where he was able to secure an additional $10 million for winning the FedEx Cup. He should be rested, but there was a report earlier in the week that he was considering withdrawing with a wrist injury. He says he’s playing, but that’s a red flag, so I’ll be passing on him this week.
- Rory McIlroy: Was the runner up to Hanson last year, and like I said above, he had a good week in Korea last week, minus a third round 75 that cost him the win. He’s getting there.
- Martin Kaymer: Four rounds in the 60’s here last year gave Kaymer a T11 finish, and he hasn’t had a round above 72 since August. He’s been a bit of a disappointment since becoming world number one, but as someone who’s going to be on the fringe of the Ryder Cup selection process, he’s going to be motivated every week until those picks are announced.
- Luke Donald: So, Donald fired Pat Goss as his coach earlier this year and since then, he’s been playing some solid golf. Much like Kaymer, he hasn’t had a round above 72 since the PGA Championship, and he did finish tied for 3rd here last year with rounds of 70-67-68-66.
- Lee Westwood: Always seems to play well in China, but he hasn’t done much of anything since his contending at the Open. His best finish after that? A tie for 25th at the Barclays. On a long course, he usually has the upper hand, but his form right now is all over the place.
Suggested Plays
Luke Donald (Best Odds 18-1 at Betfred)
To be honest, I was more surprised at Donald’s poor year than Rory’s, but there are signs that it’s coming around. We know he’s not the longest hitter out there, but his prior form at the course and his putting ability make him an intriguing play. Much like Rory, he’s too good to go a full year without a win.
Ian Poulter (Best Odds 25-1 at bet365)
Donald and Poulter are very similar in their relatively small length and great putting ability, and Poulter also enjoyed a quality result here last year, ending up tied for fourth. He hasn’t played since the BMW, so he’ll be well rested and he has always played well in China, picking up two wins in his last six starts in the area.
Peter Uihlein (Best Odds 35-1 at Sky Bet)
Uihlein is a big hitter, so he should feel like he can bomb the ball here, especially with how open the course setup is. Coming off of three top-7’s in his last four events, including two runner-ups, Uihlein is in good form.
Victor Dubuisson (Best Odds 66-1 at Betfair)
Top-20 finishes for Dubuinsson in four of his last five events, and even though he hasn’t played the course before, he has a third and a fourth place finish in three previous events in China. Much like Uihlein, Dubuisson can crush the ball off the tee and is one of the better putters on the European Tour.
Chris Wood (Best Odds 81-1 at BETDAQ)
Another bomber, Wood has a greater ability to go low than many in the field this week, but that will largely depend on his putter. At around 80-1 though, you’re not going to find better value in the field, and it won’t shock anyone if he comes away with a win.
Wen-Chong Liang (Best Odds 203-1 at BETDAQ)
Liang plays mostly on the Asian Tour, where he has racked up four consecutive finishes inside the top-11. His T-20 last year at this event where he played all four rounds in par or better, along with numerous wins in China, lead me to believe that he can stick around this week and at the very least, challenge for a finish inside the top-5.
CIMB Classic Betting Preview
Posted on October 22, 2013 Leave a Comment
Sergio Garcia and Phil Mickelson (Courtesy: Zimbio.com)
The third event of the 2013-14 PGA Tour season sees a strong field, including Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia, head to Malaysia for the 2013 CIMB Classic.
2013 CIMB Classic Fact Sheet
- Course: Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club
- Location: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Yardage: 6,967 yards, par 72
- Defending Champion: Bo Van Pelt
- Five Consensus Favourites: Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, Keegan Bradley, Hideki Matsuyama and Nick Watney
TV Schedule
- Wednesday – 11:00 PM to 3:00 AM ET (Golf Channel)
- Thursday – 11:00 PM to 3:00 AM ET (Golf Channel)
- Friday – 11:00 PM to 3:00 AM ET (Golf Channel)
- Saturday – 11:00 PM to 3:00 AM ET (Golf Channel)
Key Storyline This Week
There’s a few things to look out for this week, the first being that much like the rest of the former Fall Series events, the CIMB Classic is receiving full FedEx Cup points for the first time. Secondly, we’re looking at a short, no-cut field of 78 players on a course that by my calculations, only fourteen of those who are teeing it up this week have ever played on. Those players, who would have played at Kuala Lumpur G & CC at previous Malaysian Open’s, should have some form of advantage over the rest of the field, even if they are not of the biggest name brand quality.
Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club
The course first opened in 1991, but was redesigned and reopened in 2008, and even though the routing and layout remain the same, every blade of grass was replaced on the course with seashore paspalum. This tends to make it a little easier for the pros due to how high the ball sits on it, even in the fairways, which will likely lead to lower scores throughout the week. There are very few trees that will be in play, but water is present on 13 of the 18 holes, including the toughest stretch on the course from 11-14. Expect the greens to run to around 11 on the stimp, and the course to put a real premium on ball striking.
As you can see based on the yardage, we’re not looking at a long course here, even though the finishing hole is a par-5 that plays to a monstrous 634 yards. Based on the location, it should come as no surprise that the weather will likely play a factor, as it will be very humid throughout the week, with rain and right around a 50% chance of thunderstorms for each day of the event.
Thoughts On The Favourites
- Phil Mickelson: Lefty is a big addition to the field this year, and he should be well rested after last playing in the Presidents Cup a few weeks ago. He’s always enjoyed his time in Asia too, and usually does well in short fields that are light on talent. It’ll likely be the same story as always with Phil: he’ll either have a chance on Sunday, or he’ll be nowhere near the top.
- Sergio Garcia: By my calculations, Sergio has played in Malaysia once in his career, winning the 2012 Johor Open. Does that mean he’s going to do anything this week? Of course not, but it’s a good sign. He’ll also be well rested since he’s been off since the Tour Championship a month ago where he finished tied for 9th.
- Keegan Bradley: Bradley had a quality 2013 season, but he didn’t really do anything memorable outside of a couple of Sunday charges, leading to seven top-10 finishes. Much like Mickelson, he usually plays well in these no cut events, and even with a strong field, his name stands out as one to watch.
- Hideki Matsuyama: Unlike the first three guys we talked about, Matsuyama has been playing a lot of golf recently as he tries to become a regular on the PGA Tour. He was a star for the Internationals at the Presidents Cup and finished T3 at the Frys, before withdrawing late on Thursday with an illness from the Shriners. People will tell you about the “beware the wounded golfer” theory, but I’ll be taking a pass on Matsuyama this week.
- Nick Watney: I thought Watney would pull it out last week at the Shriners, but he had a disappointing week, finishing tied for 48th. Now he returns to a tournament that he won on a different course back in 2011, and I don’t know what to make of his game. There might not be a single player on the PGA Tour who has a wider variance of results than Watney, which can make him tough to back on any given week.
Suggested Plays
Sergio Garcia (Best Odds 15-1 at BETDAQ)
Remember what I said earlier about ball striking. Despite the problems that he does have, Garcia is probably the best ball striker in the field, and is still one of the best in the world. Combine that with the fact that Sergio usually does best in events that have smaller fields, and this seems like the place to trust one of the favourites.
Ryan Moore (Best Odds 35-1 at Betfair)
Count me in the group of people who think that Moore should have way more than two wins at this point in his pro career. He does just about everything well, but is also very streaky. At the moment, he’s coming off of back-to-back finishes inside the top-11, so you could be getting him on the upswing here.
Rickie Fowler (Best Odds 40-1 at 888 Sport)
With little to go on for course experience, I’m relying on local form plus overall talent with this selection. Fowler finished tied for 5th in his lone appearance in Malaysia, plus he’s got the talent to be coming in at better than 40-1. It’s been a long time since his last win, and he’s more than overdue.
Kiradech Aphibarnrat (Best Odds 56-1 at Betfair)
Those of you who watch the European Tour on a regular basis are likely familiar with Kiradech, plus he did come over here for a few WGC events after winning the Malaysian Open at this course earlier in 2013. He also has a tie for third here, so he does seem to like the course. Is it likely that he wins twice in the same year on the same course? Probably not, but he’s worth a shot at this price.
Boo Weekley (Best Odds 125-1 at bet365)
Earlier this year, there was a story about how Weekley is one of those guys that the other pros stop and watch on the range because he’s that good of a ball striker. He finally got back on the board earlier this year in Texas, and that ball striking is what usually prevents him from missing cuts. If the putter is hot, like it was in Louisiana, Texas and Tennessee earlier this year, he’ll be in contention to win.
Stewart Cink (Best Odds 175-1 at Sportingbet)
Much like Weekley, Cink is a great ball striker, and he actually showed signs of getting some form back last season, even though it didn’t result in a win in 2013. His only appearance in the area yielded a T13, and while I don’t think he wins this week, I think it’s possible that he has a good showing and gets into contention.
Webb Simpson runs away in Vegas
Posted on October 20, 2013 Leave a Comment
Webb Simpson (Courtesy: Zimbio.com)
Webb Simpson was able to grab the lead after the second round at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open and he never gave it up, easily strolling to a six-shot win at TPC Summerlin.
What Happened
Simpson entered Sunday’s final round with a four-shot lead over Web.com Tour graduate Chesson Hadley, and the rookie struggled through most of the round when playing with the 2012 U.S. Open champion. Challenges were made by Ryo Ishikawa and Jason Bohn, but Simpson’s lead was never really in any kind of jeopardy. Simpson rolled in a long 25-footer for par on 18 for a final round 66 and the 2013 Shriners Hospitals for Children Open title.
Final Leaderboard
- 1. Webb Simpson -24
- T2. Ryo Ishikawa -18
- T2. Jason Gore -18
- 4. Charley Hoffman -17
What The Win Means For Simpson
It’s actually the first win for Simpson since his triumph at the 2012 U.S. Open at Olympic, so it obviously means a lot to him to get back into the winner’s circle. Coming into the week, Simpson was part of a group of players who clearly stood out in comparison to the regular PGA Tour journeymen that you see every week, so it’s not a surprise that he came away with the win. It’s the fourth PGA Tour title for Simpson, and it gets his 2013-14 season off to a great start, even though it might not actually feel like a new season for him.
The $810,000 first place prize and the 500 FedEx Cup points are nice, but after a year that didn’t go exactly the way Simpson would have hoped, I’m sure he’s just happy to win an event. Simpson will also move from 24th to 17th in the Official World Golf Rankings.
Ryo’s Return?
This might not get a ton of attention because of how well Simpson played this week, but Ryo Ishikawa’s T2 has the potential to be a really good thing for the game if he can keep up his form. After a poor 2013 season, Ishikawa had to go back to the Web.com Tour Finals to regain his tour card, and he did just that, finishing inside the top-10 in three of his four events. Last week, he played well at the Frys, ending up tied for 21st and this result gives him his first top-10 on the PGA Tour since the last year’s Byron Nelson.
He’s a superstar in Japan, and in recent years, that’s pretty much the only reason why he’s received sponsors exemptions into tournaments like the Masters and the PGA Championship. If he’s playing well, he is someone who makes a big difference to the game on a global level, and at 22 years of age, he’s got lots of time to figure it out. He said recently that he’s made some swing changes and that when he first came over here full-time, he wasn’t properly adjusted to the North American style of play. In recent weeks however, that doesn’t seem to be an issue.
The Tiger Woods/Brandel Chamblee Report Card
If you follow me on Twitter, you may have seen my reaction to Chamblee’s column for Golf.com that was published this week in which he gave out report cards for several players on the PGA Tour for the 2013 season. The big headline was his grade of ‘F’ for Tiger Woods, on the basis of his rules violations this year. Chamblee’s comment that Tiger was “a little cavalier” with the rules this season led some to suggest that he was calling Tiger a cheater, and Mark Steinberg, who represents Tiger, definitely saw it that way, saying that he was considering legal action.
Chamblee has made a career since his playing days ended of targeting Tiger at every turn, but usually, this has revolved around the swing or his results on the course. The questioning of his integrity and potential accusations of cheating is something that is completely different, and in my opinion, is irresponsible and unfair.
Several people have penned takedowns of the article, with the best one probably coming from Jenn Bosworth at the Back 9 Network, but I’m sure that Chamblee doesn’t actually care, as he already got everything that he wanted: attention and pageviews, and we all contributed to it, myself included. Ignoring him and moving on, which admittedly isn’t easy considering his place in the game right now, is probably best for everyone.
The Game Doesn’t Make Sense, Part 2978721
Andres Romero looked unstoppable in Thursday’s opening round, posting a 10-under par 61. The second round didn’t go as well, as the Argentinian ended up twenty shots worse, with a 10-over par 81.
It happens to everyone, even the pros.
Other Notes
- Notables to miss the cut: Kyle Stanley, Graham DeLaet, Tim Clark, Russell Henley and Angel Cabrera.
- Other notable finishes: Charles Howell III (T5), Freddie Jacobson, Ryan Moore and Jeff Overton (T9), Carl Pettersson and Jimmy Walker (T12), Vijay Singh (T23), David Toms (T36), Zach Johnson (T40), Nick Watney (T48), Davis Love III (T62) and Geoff Ogilvy (69th)
- I tweeted this during the round, but listening to Simpson and his caddie Paul Tesori, as well Ishikawa and Simon Clarke really makes me think that we need to go without announcers for a tournament. Letting the players and the caddies do all the talking might seem boring to some, but it would give fans a real amount of insight into the game. What’s the harm in doing that in one of these smaller events, especially if it’s just for a round?
- Biggest key for Simpson this week? The putter was on fire, as he was first in Strokes Gained Putting, averaging over 2.4 putts gained over the field at TPC Summerlin.
Bizarre rules violation in Korea
Posted on October 20, 2013 Leave a Comment
Kang Sung-hoon won today in Korea. (Courtesy: OneAsia Golf)
If you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time, you know that my thoughts on the Rules of Golf are that they are unnecessarily complicated. There’s too many of them and it certainly seems like every rule in the book has another one that can contradict and override it, making things more difficult for the players and officials than it needs to be. Now, the violation in question today won’t get as much play as any Tiger Woods fiasco and it doesn’t seem to be nearly as complicated, but it’s worth exploring.
Kim Hyung-tae entered Sunday’s final round at the Kolon Korea Open with a four-shot lead, and as he approached the 17th tee, he still carried a two-shot advantage. Before he teed off, an official notified him and playing partner Hong Soon-sang that they had both grounded their clubs in a hazard on the 13th, leading to a pair of sixes instead of fours. The two finished their rounds and before signing their cards, went back to the 13th with tournament officials to discuss the ruling. After nearly two hours of arguing, Kim signed for a six, eventually ending up tied for second, one shot back of Kang Sung-hoon. Here’s a GIF of the incident:
It’s really tough to see from this camera angle, but Kim argued that he never grounded his club, and despite it appearing to be the case from this vantage point, he’s obviously the closest to the ball, so he’d know better than anyone. The fact that he put up such a fight with the two-hour argument leads me to believe that he feels like he did nothing wrong in the first place, but clearly the rules committee saw it differently and forced him to sign for a six after voting 5-3 in favour of the violation. Three people voting against the ruling shows that Kim wasn’t the only one who thought that it wasn’t a penalty.
It was obviously a higher profile event, but it did take me back to Dustin Johnson’s “violation” at the 2010 PGA Championship. I can’t think of a worse way to lose a tournament.
In other news from Korea, Kim ended up tied for second place with Rory McIlroy who fired a final round 67, and will definitely be angry with himself over a third round 75 that left him ten shots back of Kim’s lead. I know it wasn’t a big event with a loaded field, but a T2 should make Rory pretty happy, and with another five events left on his 2013 schedule, he’s still got plenty of time to get into the winner’s circle. If you want to watch highlights of the event, I posted the first two rounds here, and the final two rounds are embedded below.
VIDEO: Rory McIlroy’s first two rounds in Korea
Posted on October 18, 2013 1 Comment
Rory McIlroy in Korea.
After a second round 69, Rory McIlroy finds himself two shots back of the lead in Korea. There isn’t a whole lot of TV coverage of the event, but you can check out highlights of Rory and those at the top of the leaderboard after two rounds in the videos below.
The swing looks great, and with a chance to win on the weekend, it’s possible that Rory will be in the winner’s circle for the first time in 2013.
Is the PGA Championship moving overseas?
Posted on October 17, 2013 2 Comments
Jason Dufner (Courtesy: Zimbio.com)
Could the PGA Championship be moving overseas? Ron Sirak has the details at Golf Digest, and it certainly seems like a possibility. You can check out the article at the link above, but the gist of it is that the PGA of America is currently investigating the kind of impact it would have on the club and teaching pros, as well as the potential growth of the game both in North America and abroad. When asked about the report, PGA of America CEO Pete Bevacqua had this to say to Sirak:
“This is an exercise we are going through, an analysis. It is far from a fait accompli that we are going to take the PGA Championship international. When we sat down to map our strategic plan to service our members and grow the game the question arose as to what impact it would have to take the PGA Championship to an international location once or twice a decade.”
For me, the last sentence is what matters here, as it would be crazy to think that the PGA of America would host the tournament annually at an international location, but if it was a couple of times per decade, I could see it making sense. So, what kind of timeline are we looking at here? Sirak points out that the earliest it could happen would be in 2020 when the TV deal with Turner and CBS expires. Below, you can see the list of courses that are currently announced as future PGA Championship sites:
- 2014: Valhalla – Louisville, Kentucky
- 2015: Whistling Straits – Kohler, Wisconsin
- 2016: Baltusrol – Springfield Township, New Jersey
- 2017: Quail Hollow – Charlotte, North Carolina
- 2018: Bellerive – Town and Country, Missouri
- 2019: Bethpage Black – Farmingdale, New York
It’s an interesting move for the PGA of America, who has seen their championship fall clearly behind the other three majors in terms of prominence. Moving the tournament overseas every now and then probably doesn’t help in that regard, but in theory, it would add some spice to an event that has, in the eyes of some, grown a touch stale.
There are obstacles though. As much as the PGA of America has control over what they do with the tournament, they probably wouldn’t move it overseas if the PGA Tour and their players had any objections to it, so they will definitely be consulting with them before they do anything. The other thing that I can see being a problem is the TV situation. Assuming that the broadcast landscape stays similar to what it is now, we could be looking at a major championship not being broadcast on a major network in primetime or even near primetime. I’m certainly not opposed to morning or late night golf, but it’s not the most ideal situation.
If this were to happen, where could we see the tournament held? Luke Kerr-Dineen from Golf Digest put together a list of potential locations, suggesting that South Korea and China would be two of the favourites. What I would say is that one of the things that has grown stale on the PGA Tour is that we’re seeing all of the same courses on a yearly basis, and while that’s fine for places like Augusta National or Pebble Beach, it’s quite another for Dove Mountain and TPC Four Seasons.
Even of the courses listed above for future sites, do any of them really excite you? They don’t do much for me, that’s for sure. Playing the PGA Championship at say, Royal Melbourne in Australia, Royal County Down in Ireland or Stone Forest in China would be something that would be great for the overall game and tournament.
Of course there are downsides to this, but I don’t see the harm in moving it overseas every few years. Let’s get it done, guys.
Shriners Hospitals For Children Open Betting Preview
Posted on October 15, 2013 1 Comment
Ryan Moore (Courtesy: Zimbio.com)
The PGA Tour is off to Vegas this week and TPC Summerlin for the playing of the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open.
2013 Shriners Hospitals For Children Open Fact Sheet
- Course: TPC Summerlin
- Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
- Yardage: 7,243 yards, par 71
- Defending Champion: Ryan Moore
- Five Consensus Favourites: Zach Johnson, Nick Watney, Webb Simpson, Hideki Matsuyama and Graham DeLaet
TV Schedule
- Thursday – 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM ET (Golf Channel)
- Friday – 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM ET (Golf Channel)
- Saturday – 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM ET (Golf Channel)
- Sunday – 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM ET (Golf Channel)
Key Storyline This Week
As with the Frys last week, the Shriners will be offering full FedEx Cup points and an invite to the Masters this year for the first time in the FedEx Cup era, and after last week, it appears that some of the bigger name players are showing up. Outside of Matsuyama, the four guys listed above didn’t play at the Frys, and would have been inside the top-5 favourites for the event if they had decided to tee it up. Why are they playing this week? Who knows, but I’m sure the PGA Tour is happy to see them show up. The added purse money, from $4.5 to $6 million, may have been a motivating factor as well.
TPC Summerlin
Bobby Weed and Fuzzy Zoeller collaborated to create TPC Summerlin back in 1991, and it doesn’t contain a ton of memorable holes, but the final four do provide a very exciting finish, as all four are risk/reward propositions. From the official course website:
Hole #15: A short, drivable par-4 measuring 320 yards, which most players will attempt to reach with their tee shot. If the tee shot misses the green, an “up and down” birdie is possible, but not easy, due to the severely elevated and undulated green – which is surrounded by five bunkers that regularly attract stray tee shots.
Hole #16: A relatively downhill par-5 that is reachable with two good shots. The green is guarded by water short of the green, and bunkers beyond. For scratch golfers and TOUR players, only a mid-iron will be necessary for the second shot, with a birdie almost a certainty. The scoring swings will come with balls in the water as well as aggressive second shots hit close to the pin.
Hole #17: A challenging and un-nerving par-3 plays from 180 to 210 yards downhill, depending on the hole location, with the green guarded closely by a lake on the left and by bunkers on the right. Par is good score and birdies are rare, should players need to make up ground.
Hole #18: A well-designed and strategic finishing hole measuring 450 yards which moves right to left off the tee. The green is protected on the left by a lake, with the hole protected by the water. An aggressive tee shot with the driver can leave the player just a short iron to a very deep green from front to back. An aggressive tee shot and second shot could lead to a one-putt birdie. Find the water and you will be lucky to make bogey.
This is a course that will surrender low scores. In the last five years, the highest winning score at TPC Summerlin came back in 2009 when Martin Laird posted 19-under par to win in a playoff. Other winning scores of the last five years: -21, -23, -24 and -25.
Signature Moments
This tournament, despite not being the most high profile, has had several important moments in PGA Tour history. From Chip Beck’s 59 to the first PGA Tour wins for both Jim Furyk and Tiger Woods, Las Vegas has produced some quality golf. The most recent big moment from Vegas came in 2010 when Jonathan Byrd won in a playoff with an ace, despite being in near darkness.
Thoughts On The Favourites
- Zach Johnson: Johnson’s coming off of a good week at the Presidents Cup at Muirfield Village, and he does have a bit of a history here, finishing tied for 10th back in 2008 in his lone appearance. That year he fired an opening round 62 before fading with rounds of 65, 70 and 72 on the weekend. Don’t forget that before the Presidents Cup, he had seven top-10 finishes in his last eight starts.
- Nick Watney: Watney had a disappointing 2013 season after the move to Nike (stop me if you heard that one this year), but he picked it up towards the end of the season, with top-15’s in three of the four FedEx Cup playoff events. Here, he hasn’t finished outside the top-10 since 2009.
- Webb Simpson: It’s Simpson’s first time back at this event since 2010, but he’ll have some good memories, as he finished tied for 4th here three years ago. Tied for 4th in his last stroke play event at the Tour Championship, and went 2-1-2 at the Presidents Cup.
- Hideki Matsuyama: Last week, I talked about how I wasn’t sure what to expect out of Matsuyama at CordeValle because he’d never seen the course before and he went out there and ended up tied for 3rd. This week, we’re at another course that he’s never played, but apparently that’s not much of an issue. He’s finished outside the top-25 in one of seventeen tournaments since April.
- Graham DeLaet: Very few players in recent memory have made the kind of impression DeLaet has without winning a tournament, but it’s probably just a matter of time before that happens. He was the best player for the International side at the Presidents Cup and was successful at the end of the PGA Tour season, making it to the Tour Championship. In his lone appearance at TPC Summerlin, he finished tied for 18th with rounds of 69-63-70-67.
Suggested Plays
Nick Watney (Best Odds 18-1 at Stan James)
His course form as mentioned above is just too good to ignore. Yes, the field quality is better here this year than in years past, but it’s still not great, so a player of Watney’s ability stands out. He should also be relatively well rested since his last tournament out was the Tour Championship in September.
Graham DeLaet (Best Odds 25-1 at bwin)
I talked about how this is a tournament that will yield low scores, and few on the PGA Tour can go as low as DeLaet. Las Vegas has a tendency to produce first time winners, with ten of the last twenty champions here claiming their first PGA Tour win. That might be more of a coincidence than anything, but DeLaet is primed to get that first win very soon.
Martin Laird (Best Odds 60-1 at Stan James)
Laird is one of those guys that runs very hot and cold, but he seems to play well every time he’s at TPC Summerlin. He was one of those first-time champions here back in 2009, and nearly repeated in 2010, losing to Byrd thanks to that playoff hole-in-one. In 16 rounds here in his career, he has never been over par, firing a 62 and a pair of 63’s in the process. His form hasn’t been great, with just two top-10’s since the PLAYERS, but I’ll take a chance at 60-1.
Ryo Ishikawa (Best Odds 85-1 at Betfair)
Yes, I took Ishikawa last week and for a good chunk of the Frys, it looked possible that he would come away with a win. Even though he ended up tied for 21st, he still had a good week, and he shouldn’t be readily available at this price. Much like Laird, he is a very streaky player and with four consecutive top-25’s, he’s on a good run. He’ll either be in contention again this week, or he’ll miss the cut by a bunch.
Camilo Villegas (Best Odds 123-1 at Betfair)
So, the same thing that has killed Villegas in the past two years did it to him again at the Frys. Look at his rounds at CordeValle: 68-66-77-65. Every week, it seems like he puts himself in contention, only to have one round send him out of it, but the game is still there. He’s only had one missed cut since May, and he’s too good of a player to be available at this kind of price.
Geoff Ogilvy (Best Odds 271-1 at BETDAQ)
Speaking of one round blowups, Ogilvy has become a master of them as well, starting with an opening round 76 last week before bettering it by ten shots in the second round. He hasn’t played TPC Summerlin since 2005, but he did finish tied for 16th that year. He’s trying to fight his way back into relevance and this seems like a good spot for him to do it.
AdamSarson.com 