Capelle On Golf

Angel Cabrera: Winning Breeds Winning
Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods maintain that winning breeds winning. Entering Sunday’s final round, Chad Campbell and Kenny Perry had never won a major, but Angel Cabrera was the 2007 US Open champion. And he won it in style, bombing his drive on the super difficult 18th at Oakmont on his way to a par and a one shot victory over Tiger Woods and Jim Furyk.

When it came down to crunch time at this year’s Masters, Cabrera was able to make a six footer for par on the first hole of the playoff while Chad Campbell followed with a missed four footer. On the second playoff hole (the 10th), Cabrera hit the fairway, then dropped his second to within 20 feet. Perry pulled his second to the left of the green, chipped long, and missed his 20 foot par putt. Cabrera then lagged his putt stiff for his first green jacket and second major.

Major championship experience also helps prepare a player for the big moments in the majors. Prior to the Masters Cabrera has played in 34 of 36 majors in the 2000s, registering six top tens. During this same period Perry had played in only 23 with three top tens. Campbell had played in 25 with only two top tens.

History Repeats Itself
Thirty years ago Ed Sneed bogeyed the last three holes, then lost a three man playoff to Fuzzy Zoeller, Mr. Casual. On Sunday, Kenny Perry bogeyed the last two holes, then lost a three man playoff to Angel Cabrera, another freewheeling slugger.

Tiger Woods Fails in Bid to Match Nicklaus’ Comeback
Tiger Woods has never come from behind to win a major after 54 holes though he was certainly in position to do so on Sunday. He was -8 as he surveyed his eagle putt on 15. He missed, but moved to -9. Then he stuck his approach 5 feet from the pin on 16 and made the putt to go -10. A one under finish on the last two holes would have put him at -11, the number he’d set as his target. But he played military golf on the last two holes, driving it left on 17 and right on 18. Theses errant tee shots led to bogeys, dropping him to -8.

Tiger vs. Jack in Comebacks – the Last Four Holes
53 44 Par
32 34 Nicklaus in 1986
42 55 Woods in 2009

If Tiger had made his eagle putt on 15 as Jack Nicklaus did in 1986 from a similar distance, then finished as well, he would have entered the clubhouse at -12, the score that made the playoff. But, with a chance to match Nicklaus’s great comeback, Tiger faltered down the stretch, leaving a huge hole in his resume.

Mickelson Returns to the Majors Stage with Similar Results
Phil Mickelson threw a barrage of six birdies at Augusta National on the front nine that led to a record tying 30. His gems included a hooked iron shot from the right rough on 7 that cleared the front bunkers and spun to a stop 10 inches from the pin – a shot we’d being seeing on highlight reels on the Golf Channel for years to come if only he’d won the tournament.

After opening the back nine with pars on the dangerous 10th and 11th holes, it looked like Phil might pull off a miracle. He led Tiger by three and was bearing down on the leaders. Then disaster struck as an ill conceived punch nine iron landed short right and bounded into Rae’s Creek for a double bogey. In time the shot may be considered the ’09 Masters equivalent of his drive at Winged Foot on the 18th.

Still, the irrepressible Mickelson played the par five 13th perfectly, making a routine birdie,  then lipped out a birdie on the 14th.  On the par five 15th he outdrove Tiger by 10 yards, then stuck his approach from 187 yards to within 4 feet. Maybe he would do a Nicklaus. But he pushed his putt badly, never scaring the cup. He then pushed a five foot birdie putt at 17 and butchered 18, making a bogey to fall to -9. Mickelson, by my count, threw away at least five shots on the back nine or else he would have finished at -14. That would have given him a record 62 and his third green jacket.

But Mickelson did leave with two consolation prizes: he contended for his first major in nearly three years, and he beat Tiger in a head to head showdown that fans will be talking about for ages.

Majors Going to a Select Group – 2005-2009
Over the last five seasons, 13 of 17 majors have been won by multiple major winners during this period.
6  Tiger Woods
3  Padraig Harrington
2  Phil Mickelson
2  Angel Cabrera
Single winners: Geoff Ogilvy, Zach Johnson, Trevor Immelman, Michael Campbell

World Rankings Top 10
Phil Mickelson was the high finished among the WGR Top 10. Tiger Woods earned his first sixth place in a major, and now trails Jack Nicklaus 6-1 in this category. Vijay Singh finished 30t, breaking his streak of nine straight top 20s in the Masters. Below is the final score, finishing position, and rank going into the Masters for the top 10.

279  5th Phil Mickelson (2)
280  6t  Tiger Woods (1)
282  13t Camilo Villegas (10)
283  15t  Geoff Ogilvy (4)
286  20t  Paul Casey (6)
287  30t Vijay Singh (7)
288  35t Padraig Harrington (5)
289 38t Sergio Garcia (3)
289 38t Henrik Stenson (8)
147 MC Robert Karlsson (9)

Kenny Perry has entered the Top 10 in the sixth position.
Karlsson dropped to eleventh.

The Course
The scoring average the first two days was 72.25 and 73.74. After the deadwood excited the premises, the average dropped to 72.12 in the third round. The fourth round was even lower with an average of 71.60! John Merrick’s 66 was the day’s low while lefties Phil Mickelson each fashioned 67s.

How Tough are The Greens?
One way to judge the difficulty of Augusta National’s greens in 3-putt avoidance. The 50 players who made the cut 3-putted once every 26.67 holes, an average of 3.75%. On the PGA Tour this year, 162 of 193 players have an average below that, and 113 are under 3.00%

Par 5 Report
The par 5, particularly on the back nine, were pushovers this year.
Rd.1—Rd. 2—Rd. 3—Rd. 4
#2  4.54—4.83—4.66—4.68
#8  4.83—4.77—4.60—4.86
#13  4.64—4.59—4.74—4.38
#15  4.65—4.57—4.68—4.32