Capelle On Golf

The Best Field? Not a Chance
THE PLAYERS likes to boast that it has the best field. If best field means the most players in the WGR’s top 200 or whatever, then perhaps it does. But in this case what best field really means is the deepest field, not necessarily the best.

At the majors, and wannabe majors like THE PLAYERS, most fans and experts want these to be won by top players. Their names look better in the history books, and they are, quite simply, more deserving. Among those at the top of the leaderboard going into Sunday, the names that would look best on the trophy include Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, Bernhard Langer, Stuart Appleby, and Tom Lehman.

Kenny Perry has won nine tour events and once lost a playoff for the PGA, so his name would look okay on the trophy. But Paul Goydos? No way. He’s the 169th ranked player in the world, and he hasn’t even played 72 holes in a real major since 1999. Sorry, but a real major like the Masters would never even give a player like this a chance to experience a hot week with a putter, which is what Goydos, who ranks #1 in putting, is experiencing. For the record, he is 42t in GIR, 41t in driving accuracy, and 62nd in distance.

Sergio Garcia
After finishing second here and at the British Open last year, Garcia remains a sentimental favorite for golf’s biggest prize outside of the majors. And, based on his tee to green performance he “deserves to win” according to NBC’s Johnny Miller.

Though Garcia “only” hit 14 greens and 10 of 14 fairways on Saturday, he still leads in both categories. However, he didn’t help his cause by bogeying four of the last six holes. Included in these miscues was an annoying three putt from 10’ 6” (thank you ShotLink) on 17 after he bravely went for the front pin position and succeeded.

Mickelson’s Still in Contention
The bad news for Phil Mickelson is that he’s five back going into the final round thanks in large measure to a pushed drive into the lake at 14 that cost him a double bogey. The good news is that he’s playing very well overall (he’s 4t in GIR). He’s also tied for fourth, which means he has only a few players to climb over to the title. Should he succeed, he would be the first player to defend their title in the 35 year history of the event.

The 17 Takes out Anthony Kim
Anthony Kim was not having a good day when he reached the 17th tee. Still, he had just come off a birdie at 16 and was two under for the tournament, five back. His tee shot cleared the lake on 17 and it looked like it would be within 15-20 feet of the hole. But then his ball bounced backward in the water, and he went on to make a triple bogey.

This fiasco no doubt unnerved him, and he promptly double bogeyed 18 for a big fat 79. After 52 hard fought holes he was still a contender. Two holes later he’s out of the running. Such is life at Pete Dye’s Stadium course. He wasn’t the first to be destroyed by the 17-18 Combo, and he surely won’t be the last. Which is one reason why tomorrow’s telecast is must see TV.