Capelle On Golf

The TPC Boston looks like a stiff challenge on paper. It’s a 7,200 yard par 71 with the obligatory 600 yard par 5, two par 3s over 210, and six par 4s in excess of 450 yards. It’s got lots of trees, traps, rough and all the trappings of a difficult course.

But evidently it’s not. On Saturday 70 of the 86 players who made the cut (139) broke 70 and 24 players shot 66 or lower! And, for the second straight day, the course gave up a round in the low 60s – this time it was a 62 by Tim Clark, which followed on the heels of Mike Weir’s 61 in the opener.

Maybe the fans like to see tons of birdies instead of bogeys like at the majors. But the problem is that this is no regular tour stop. This is the highly prestigious much sought after career defining FedExCup – so it should be played on courses that offer some stiff opposition, not like a defenseless 6,500 yard muni of yesteryear in today’s era of ball inflation.

As for Tim Clark, he stood at -11 for his round with two to play. A birdie and a par on the final two and he’d have posted a 59. But he closed with two bogeys to post a bittersweet 62. It’s too bad that he couldn’t have broken 60 because then the long putter wielding South African could have gone into the record books with the first 59*.
*Aided by the long putter.