Capelle On Golf

Hoffman Dominates the Deutsche Bank
Charley Hoffman won The Deutsche Bank by five shots in a blowout, completing 72 holes of the trouble laden and photogenic  TPC Boston course at -22. As a bonus, he moved into second place in the FedExCup standings.

Starting the back nine, however, he was in a tightly contested duel with Luke Donald and Jason Day, but then he turned on the afterburners, shooting a six under 29 on the more difficult back side. On the 11th he got robbed when his slow rolling ball hit the flag almost dead center, then rebounded to about three feet. If the pole had been sitting straight up and down instead of leaning slightly forward, he would have surely made an ace.

Two holes later the golf gods paid him back when they guided his lengthy bunker shot into the cup for a birdie, sending him into the lead for good at -19. He would go on to birdie three of the last four for a nifty round of 62 on a day when the next best scores were a 65 and a 66.

Hoffman’s tournament long brilliance showed up in the stats here he finished sixth in GIR and fourth in Putts per GIR, a lethal combination. He was also long off the tee (10th) and straight (5t), another potent combo. Add it all up and it’s a wonder that this was only Hoffman’s second win on tour. Given this dominating performance, we should be looking for many more from the shaggy haired native of San Diego.

Mickelson Math
There was much speculation during the week that Phil Mickelson would finally overtake Tiger Woods for the #1 ranking in the world. Going into the final round Mickelson was in sixth at -12 and Woods was at -7, so a changing of the guard appeared imminent. But then Woods battled for his third straight round under 70 to tie for 11th, while Mickelson imploded once again, shooting a 76, which included a horrendous back nine 41, six over. His debacle included two trips into a water hazard on 10 for a triple bogey, and a three putt bogey from about six feet on the next hole. For the record, Mickelson would have had to shoot a 66, 10 shots lower, to pass Woods this week. He’s also failed to finish in the top 10 in his six starts following the U.S. Open, his best being a 12t at the PGA.

Phenom Watch
While the big names were plying their trade in the FedExCup, two talented teenagers were doing quite well overseas. Ryo Ishikawa, who has been in a freefall of late, won on the Japanese Tour. Though the field was weak (he earned only 18 WGR points), a win is a win, and it moved him from 56th to 52nd in the rankings. Ryo will turn 19 in 11 days.
Meanwhile, Italy’s Matteo Manassero, 17, finished solo third in a European Tour event won by Miguel Angel Jimenez, climbing into the 175th position in the WGR.  He’s also moved up to 89th in the Race to Dubai, which is held in the last week in November. The top 60 make it to the European’s Tour’s grand finale, so Manassero has a shot at making the field in his rookie season.