Capelle On Golf

PGA Championship Coverage

Mickelson Recovers After Shaky Start
Phil Mickelson looked like he was going to shoot his way out of the championship from the start when he opened with bogeys on 10 and 11, the 11th and 13th hardest holes on the course. After nine holes he’d recorded four bogeys, three birdies, and only two pars. He then reverted to major winning form, playing the front nine in two under before missing a three foot par putt on the ninth to finish with a 70. Ladbrokes was impressed, because his odds dropped from 10/1 to 8/1.

The Rule of 76
Ben Hogan opened his bid for the 1951 US Open with a 76 at Oakland Hills before taming the monster with a closing 67 for his third Open title. Jack Fleck opened with a 76 on his way to winning the 1955 US Open. Since then, no one has won a major with an opening round over 75.

So, according to the Rule of 76, the following players have already shot themselves out of contention: Colin Montgomerie (76), Robert Allenby (76), Zach Johnson (76), Lee Westwood (77), Davis Love III (77), and K.J. Choi (78). Others in trouble include Adam Scott (+6 thru 11), Woody Austin (+6 thru 12), and Trevor Immelman (+5 thru 14).

Robert Karlsson’s Strong Bid for the Slam
Jack Nicklaus recorded five majors Top 10 Slams. Tiger Woods has two Top 10 Slams (2000, 2005). Phil Mickelson owns one (2004), Ernie Els has one (2004), and Vijay Singh did it once (2005). Robert Karlsson can join them (and a few others from the Modern Era) if he finishes in the top 10 in the PGA. His opening round of 68 is a strong start.

The Monster
The announcers are relishing their task of educating viewers on the difficulties of Oakland Hills uniquely challenging layout, complete with its 126 bunkers, four inch rough, and diabolical greens. The problems include:
When a player drives into the second cut of rough, they are usually able to advance the ball 100-150 yards. As a result, players must often play pitch and putt to save par.
If a player hits the ball on the wrong part of the green, they will often be lucky to putt within 10 feet of the cup.
The puttable portion of most greens are much smaller than they appear. This makes approach putts more like short game shots – only they are played with a putter.
Approach shots need to be on the low side of the steeply sloping greens because downhill putts can run far past the hole.
Long uphill putts tend to stop short because it is hard to hit them hard enough.
Short siding is a huge problem, but nothing compared to overshooting the greens, which is the cardinal sin.
The course tends to dry out as the day goes on, making it tough to hold the greens as they turn into browns.

Par 4.5s
Ian Baker-Finch on the brutal 18th hole, where only 20% of the field was able to hit the green in regulation: “It’s really a par four and a half.”
Turns out there were two of them.
7 – 449 yards 4.5000 (126 players)
18 – 498 yards 4.6068 (117 players)

The Brutal Par 3s
Oakland Hills set of par 3s might be the toughest on record, or close to it. This updated table shows how all but a handful of players fared on each hole. The number at the end shows each hole’s relative difficulty.

3 – 198 yards 3.2244 (156 players) 14
9 – 227 yards 3.5238 (147 players) 2 – the short tee was used and still one birdie
13 – 191 yards 3.3782 (156 players) 4
17 – 238 yards 3.3061 (147 players) 11

The Asterisk Players
Sean O’Hair (whose caddy lines him up for putts) is an asterisk player to watch. He shot a 69 in the morning wave and expressed a lot of confidence in his game.
Billy Mayfair (long putter) chipped in twice on his way to a 69.
J.B. Holmes is Mr. Triple Asterisk. He plays ungodly slow, he uses a long putter, and he uses his caddy to line up his putts. After nailing a 240 yard 6-iron to three feet on #12, he missed his eagle putt – after having his caddy line him up for the putt! He was even after 11.
Vijay Sing (long putter) was four over after four, and was still +4 after 13 holes.
Stewart Cink (long putter) shot a 75.
Tim Clark (long putter) shot a 76.

The Club Pros
The 20 club pros in the PGA should be competing for the Club Pro Cup because they have zero chance of winning. The morning wave of 10 players averaged 77.4. The afternoon wave had played an average of 12.8 holes when play was halted. At the rate they were soaring over par, their average score was headed towards 81.

Thirteen club pros are making their PGA debut and five have played before but not made the cut. Don Yerne (75 – 68th in ’07) and Ryan Benzel(+6 through 16 holes – 71st in ’07) have each made one cut in the PGA.

Gary’s Goof’s
Gary McCord on Padraig Harrington’s ability to make short putts: “He’s one of the guys inside five feet I’d like putting for me. He never misses.” In truth, Harrington ranks 188th on tour as he makes only 82.56% of his 3-5 footers.
McCord was describing Retief Goosen’s choice of a fairway metal on the par 3 ninth hole – then he realized that Goosen was teeing off on #10!

How Soon they Forget
“And the former Masters champion” was how Ernie Johnson described current champion Trevor Immelman.

Peter’s Follies
Peter Kostis on John Daly’s tee shot to the par 3 third hole: “He’s going with an iron on the 203rd par 3 third,” said Kostis. John Daly - an iron on a par 3 barely over 200 yards – Peter, think that’s enough club?