Capelle On Golf

The field of 64 has been narrowed to four and, to no one’s surprise, Tiger Woods is one of those remaining. Should Tiger win, we will have an all USA finals since his opponent is guaranteed to be an American.

Tiger Woods (USA) vs. Henrik Stenson (Sweden)
Last year’s champion Stenson carries a 10 match winning streak into his semifinal match with perennial favorite Tiger Woods. This match has the air of a finals because, should Tiger win, he would be a big favorite in a 36 hole finals. I matched their cards in the morning round just to see how that match would have turned out. After 16 holes, Stenson would have been one down. Both players are extremely long, so look for some excitement on the par 5s and two driveable par 4s.
Note: Both of these players were among my 12 pretourney selections.

Stewart Cink (USA) vs. Justin Leonard (USA)
Justin Leonard was primed to become a prime time rival for Tiger along the lines of a Lee Trevino when this gritty Texan won his first major at age 25 in 1997. Although he’s won eight tour titles since, and contended in a few majors, he never regained his major’s wining touch. Now, at 35, he is mounting a comeback. After losing a 3-up lead to Vijay Sing in the quarterfinals, he responded like a champ with a 10-foot birdie putt on 18 to claim a 1-up win. Stewart Cink has been red hot with his belly putter, so this shapes up as another close match.
Note: My remaining two Little Chance picks, Vijay Singh and Angel Cabrera, both were eliminated in the fourth round.