At the beginning of the season Tiger Woods was said to have lost sleep when the gauntlet was thrown down by Jason Day, the brash and super talented young Australian.”Everyone is working toward something. I’m trying to work toward taking that No. 1 spot from him,” said Day.
His early season progress looked like a hot stock in a bull market as he went MC, 49t, 20t, and 6t in his first four starts. At this rate of ascension a win must have surely been forthcoming. But then reality and the affects of a wrist injury set in – and Day was mostly done. He missed the cut in nine of his next 10 events, concluding this nightmarish stretch at the Memorial.
It was then learned that Day was suffering from a back injury caused by over practicing, but that he was committed to getting his health back. In early June Day said, “I’ve just got to make sure that I’m on top of how I train. In golf your body is the No.1 thing.”
Another three months passed with a little progress on the scoreboard as he made the cut in four of his next six events, with a best of 27t at the Travelers Championship. Still, he somehow squeaked into the top 144 (he’s #127) to qualify for the FedExCup.
But after he opened with a five bogey laden 74, another MC appeared likely. But he rebounded with a 68 to make the cut by two, then shot a 66 on Saturday tying Vijay Singh and Robert Allenby for the day’s low round.
Going into Sunday he trails non-winner Kevin Streelman by three shots. Should Streelman falter as non-winners often do, then he’s got to bypass Singh, Mike Weir, Paul Casey, and Sergio Garcia, who lead him by two shots.
So does he have a chance? Well, he’s played his last 27 holes in five under with no bogeys and his stats on Saturday were awesome: he hit 14 greens and 10 of 14 fairways, and he averaged 305 on the two driving holes.
Sure, it might be expecting a lot for a player whose not yet 21 to win his first event against such a star studded leaderboard after coming back from injuries. But hey, if he’s as good as everyone says his day (pun intended) must surely be coming. He’ll turn 21 in November, and we know how good Tiger was in his first full season at that age. And Tiger will be back sometime in 2009. By then, perhaps Day will get his shot one Sunday at the great man.
Fred Couples has this to say about the inaugural FedExCup: “I figure if I’m 40th on the money list or 80th on the money list or 144th on the money list, I get to play in the first FedEx Cup. Whoop di doo.”
Since then the formula has been tweaked and we have a new course for the first event, which is being held at the Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, New Jersey. It is supposed to be an great test, though it’s not in Golf Digest’s top100. And I guess we should be thankful to see some of the best players in the world ply their trade.
But as far as this being an event where history is going to be made, that’s just not going to happen even though the winner will make $10 million. The majors sort of have a lock on the history department despite Tim Finchem’s wishes for FedExCup to take its place as golf’s fifth or sixth major (we must not forget THE PLAYERS).
One big problem with the Cup, among many, is the name. FedExCup is corporate. It sounds like any other event with a corporate sponsor. Besides, what will the PGA Tour do when FedEx ceases to be the event’s sponsor? Call it the PepsiCup or whatever?
By naming the cup after itself, FedEx is meeting one goal at the expense of another. The first goal is marketing oriented: to build name recognition and strengthen the brand. But I wonder how they could improve on that since everyone in the world over the age of 15 in business knows they are the best at what they do by far. That being the case, it seems like FedEx would be better off by using the event to build goodwill, which entails toning down the marketing a tad.
They could call it The Tour Cup presented by FedEx. That puts the emphasis on the game and not the corporation. And then, when a new sponsor comes along some day, it would still be The Tour Cup, providing continuity.
Goodwill or marketing? It’s clear that FedEx has made its decision, and that’s a shame because this event, adorned with a classier sounding name, might have evolved into something more than a season ending donation to the already rich pros.
Remaining in the hunt until late on Sunday at the majors is so difficult that only a handful of players usually finish within two or three shots of the winner. Ah, but for those who do, the reward is an experience to be remembered forever. To be in the arena – On Sunday – In a major – With a legitimate chance to win. Top pros live for these moments, win or lose.
In the March 2007 issue of Golf Digest Sergio Garcia said, “We all want to win, but only one guy can. Still, the thrill of competing, of being in the hunt, is what we’re about.” So even though Garcia’s first major eluded him at the PGA, the bitter pill of defeat he swallowed was not nearly as bad as the indignity of settling back into the pack.
Garcia is still lusting for a major, but he may find some comfort from knowing that others have had to pay a similar price before winning their first major. Phil Mickelson finished second three times and third an additional five before he won his first at age 33. Sergio’s only 28 and to date he’s paid a smaller price that Mickelson with three fewer thirds and three less top 10s.
Before Winning a Major
Garcia—-Mickelson
3————3 seconds
2————5 thirds
14———-17 top 10s
While Garcia wishes he’d already shed the Best Player to Never Win a Major label, his play in 2008 indicates that he certainly should within the next year or two. And when he does, those close calls will look a whole lot better on his resume. Sure, they will remind him of the pain that learning by losing inflicts, but his defeats will also remind him that he was in the arena late Sunday afternoon with Tiger Woods and two times with Padraig Harrington, one of the elite player’s of the Woods Era.
Sergio’s Seconds
1999 PGA 1 back to Tiger Woods (2nd)
2007 BP lost playoff to Padraig Harrington (2nd)
2008 PGA 2 back of Padraig Harrington (2t)
Who’s the Greatest?
Golfonline.com ran a poll asking readers how is the greater athlete, Michael Phelps or Tiger Woods? Considering that the poll was run on a golf web site, Phelps did well in attracting 42.2% of the vote to Tiger’s 57.7%. Evidently MSNBC’s pollsters assumed that Phelps is the top athlete in the Olympics, but I disagree.
US Women’s Olympic gymnasts Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson finished 1-2 in the all-around and were incredible in the team event where they felt Ryder Cup type pressure. And both were phenomenal in the individual finals as they executed to perfection a series mindboggling series of twists, jumps, leaps and landings with the whole world watching.
Phelps, as they showed on NBC, was lucky to be born with a perfect body for swimming – 6’4”, 14” feet, long arms, huge hands, short legs and a long upper body. Unlike the ladies, he just swims a couple of different strokes and never has to worry about falling in front of hundreds of millions. As for Woods, if he had the same body control as these two ladies, his every tee shot would travel 300+ down the gut. So who is the greater athlete? If they’d put Liukin and Johnson on the ballot, they’d have gotten my vote.
Michelle Wie is Rock Solid
No, Michelle Wie didn’t play her way on to the LPGA Tour for 2009 at the Canadian Women’s Open. But after opening with a 75, she closed with solid rounds of 70, 69, 71 to finish 12t, one shot out of the top 10. Her final 54 holes beat seven of the 11 players that ended up in front of her for the event. Wie hit 69.4% of the greens, and carded just one bogey over her final 39 holes.
Who knows what this unpredictable teen will do next, but one thing seems clear: this 18 year old superstar in waiting still has plenty of game. But what she needs is 100% commitment to playing women’s pro golf and some schooling on the art of winning. When this is coming is anybody’s guess.
MSNBC Poll Selects Harrington for POY
Tiger Woods phenomenal stretch of play in an abbreviated season capped by his heart stopping win at Torrey Pines carried a lot of weight with many voters as he garnered 27% of the vote for Player of the Year on a poll at MSNBC. However, it seems that a much larger segment of the public feels that two majors and a full season peppered with several top 5s is more worthy of the top prize because 71% voted for Padraig Harrington. Despite the win and Woods’ popularity, the fact that a foreign player could win over American voters shows that there are limits to Tigermania.
Players in 2008 who Made the Cut at the Four Majors
Padraig Harrington and 10 other players made the cut at all four in 2008. His average of 71.19 on four exceptionally tough layouts was .87 shots better than runner up Robert Karlsson, who missed the Top 10 Slam by three shots at the PGA. The table shows their 16 round average in the 2008 majors and their finishes.
71.19 Padraig Harrington (5t, MC, W, W)
72.06 Robert Karlsson (8t, 4t, 7t, 20t)
72.12 Phil Mickelson (5t, 18t, 19t, 7t)
72.44 Andres Romero (8t, 36t, 32t, 7t)
72.69 Retief Goosen (17t, 14t, 32t, 24t)
72.81 Paul Casey (11t, 65t, 7t, 15t)
72.88 Jim Furyk (33t, 36t, 5t, 29t)
72.88 Stuart Appleby (14t, 36t, 51t, 15t)
73.06 Mike Weir (17t, 18t, 39t, 42t)
73.25 Robert Allenby (42t, 18t, 7t, 31t)
73.38 Justin Leonard (20t, 36t, 16t, 58t)
PGA Championship Coverage
Nick Faldo made 18 straight pars to win the 1987 British Open by a shot over Ryder Cup captain Paul Azinger and Roger Davis.
At the 2008 PGA, Padraig Harrington’s approach couldn’t have been much different. Over the four rounds he made 9, 8, 8, and 10 pars daily. In between these regulation figures he sprinkled his card with a tournament leading 20 birdies on the super tough Oakland Hills. This was four better than the 16 posted by the next best birdie-maker, Ben Curtis, who tied for second. Harrington also bogeyed 17 holes (almost one in every four), which was eight more than co-runner-up Sergio Garcia.
In short, Harrington took his fans on a roller coaster ride of birdies and bogeys that flies in the face of the “par is a great score” concept of winning majors. Still, he left town with the Wannamaker Trophy, a nice addition on his mantle with the Claret Jug.
One of the reasons Harrington doubled the field’s average birdie production was that he tied for seventh in hitting fairways off the tee. This put him in position to shoot at more flags. Another was his putting – he was second with only 27 putts per round. The bottom line was 11 birdies on the 48 ultra tough par 4s, which tied him for first with Curtis in this department.
Harrington’s GIR figures barely exceeded the field’s average, but this is a bit misleading. Though his 31 missed greens were responsible for those 17 bogeys (he never 3-putted), his pin seeking iron shots (such as the one on the 71st hole that set up a birdie) and his solid putting more than made up for his misses with his onslaught of birdies.
The table shows Harrington’s average versus those who made the cut. It also shows his rank and, for several categories, the PGA Tour average through the PGA.
P.H. – The Field (who made the cut)
69.25—72.88 average (1)—(71.22)
5.00—2.58 Birdies per round (1)
10.25—9.81 GIR per round (27t)—(11.16)
42.25—42.73 Shots to Hit the Greens per round
8.75—7.27 Fairways Hit per round (7t)—(8.72)
27.00—30.15 Putts per round (2)—(29.27)
The field averaged nearly a putt per round more than the tour average even though they hit fewer greens, which would normally lead to fewer putts per hole. This showed the difficulty the players had saving pars at Oakland Hills. Even Harrington’s short game suffered as his scrambling average of 45.16% was well below his season average of 59.60.
And now for the stat that matters most – the score! Harrington’s average was 3.63 shots better than those who made the cut, or nearly two shots a side.
August 13th, 2008 · 1 Comment
Tiger Woods announced on his web site Tuesday that he won’t be swinging a golf club until 2009.
“As far as swinging a club, that’s not going to happen until next year,” Woods said in his monthly newsletter on Tuesday. “I just don’t have a choice.”
For once, it seems, Tiger is going to err on the side of caution, a decision both he and golf would have benefited from if he’d made it last summer when doctors recommended surgery. But the past is past, and Tiger must now deal with a new set of challenges if he is to resume his place at the top of the golf world.
His first challenge is to stay patient during his recovery – and evidently Tiger’s meeting that one quite nicely. According to Tiger, “I could putt right now but I’m not going to do it.” If he won’t even partake in a low or no stress activity like putting, you know he’s taking the recovery process seriously.
After undergoing his third surgery on his left knee two days after the Masters, Tiger spent about five weeks in rehab before engaging in extremely limited preparations for the US Open. He then played five full rounds at the US Open before hanging up the clubs again. So, let’s say if Tiger returns in mid January, he essentially will be coming off a nine month layoff. This means his swing will be caked in several layers of rust.
A mid January return will give Tiger only three months to get his swing and rebuilt knee ready for the Masters. Now we’ve seen Tiger do some amazing things, like winning the Open with a bum leg. But this time expect him to proceed with caution. And don’t be surprised if he delays his return a time or two as he waits until he’s absolutely sure his knee is up to lashing 330 yard drives and hacking the ball out of the deep stuff.
Hank Haney, Tiger’s head cheerleader and spin doctor, said in the September issue of Golf Digest that he expects Tiger to be better than ever.
“With a good leg to hit against, he’ll be able to move his weight forward toward the target. That’s more power and more accuracy.”
Maybe so, but history argues that getting to this point will exceed Haney and other’s improbably optimistic forecasts. After beginning to change his swing in March 2004, it took Woods another year to get to where he could trust Ranger Rick on the course. That was when he wasn’t worried about his knee destructing.
This time Tiger is fully aware of what’s at stake. If he injures his knee again, that could cost him another season – or worse. As a result, getting to where he can trust his swing is going to take time. If he’s on the fast track of a slow process, he might be ready to go full bore by the Masters. But let’s remember that it took Ernie Els far longer to regain trust in his knee after injuring it in 2005. So 2009 could be a rebuilding year as Tiger slowly but surely works his way back towards contending in the majors.
If 2009 mirrors 2004, then potential Tiger beaters Padraig Harrington, Sergio Garcia, Phil Mickelson and others as yet to be named will have another four majors to strengthen their minds for the eventual return of the real Tiger Woods.
Over the last two weeks nearly every player in the top 50 (excluding Tiger Woods) had a chance to boost their World Golf Ranking in the two point rich events. And, as expected, there were some significant moves in the Top 10. At the WGC – Bridgestone Vijay Singh earned74 points for winning to vault from the 15th spot into the top 5.
Padraig Harrington added 100 points to his total with his come from behind win at the PGA, increasing his stranglehold on third place. He also closed the gap on #2 Phil Mickelson, who’s lead has been cut from 3.16 points to 2.01 over the last two weeks.
Sergio Garcia’s tie for second at the PGA elevated him from sixth to fourth in rankings. Though he only leads Singh by .50 points, you get the feeling that he’s getting stronger while Singh is mostly getting older.
Before the WGC, Adam Scott was the fourth ranked player in the world and in perfect position to launch and assault on third place. But he finished 56t in the no cut field of 80 at the WGC, then missed the cut at the PGA to tumble out of the Top 10.
After winning the WGC – Accenture Match Play in 2007, Henrik Stenson was the fifth ranked player, which at the time did not accurately reflect his game. He ended the season at #16. This season Stenson has been quietly putting together a remarkable year that’s only lacking a trip or two to the winner’s circle. In sixteen starts worldwide, he’s been in the top six on eight occasions. He’s also done well in the last two majors, finishing 3t and 4t at the Open and PGA respectively.
The jury is still out on Phil Mickelson, 38, possibly because the golf world hates to think that he’s lost his majors winning magic. But it’s happened before to better players like Arnold Palmer (34) and Tom Watson (33), who’s winning ways ended in their mid 30s. If so, his second place ranking could be in jeopardy by early 2009.
As for the rest of the top 10, most feel like occupy those positions by default. When you read their names and think about their seasons in the majors, it’s hard to get to imagine them being much of a threat to Woods when he returns.
8/10-7/27 – WGR Ave.—Majors in 2008
1—1–18.36 Tiger Woods (2—W, DNP, DNP)
2—2–9.87 Phil Mickelson (5t, 18t, 19t, 7t)
3—3–7.86 Padraig Harrington (5t, MC, W, W)
4—6–6.13 Sergio Garcia (MC, 18t, 51t, 2t)
5—15–5.63 Vijay Singh (14t, 65t, MC, MC)
6—10–5.31 Henrik Stenson (17t, MC, 3t, 4t)
7—5–5.24 Ernie Els (MC, 14t, 7t, 31t)
8—7—5.13 Stewart Cink (3t, 14t, MC, MC)
9—8—5.12 Geoff Ogilvy (39t, 9t, MC, 31t)
10—9—5.07 Steve Stricker (MC, 29t, 7t, 39t)
11—4—5.01 Adam Scott (25t, 26t, 16t, MC)
PGA Championship Coverage
During Tiger Woods absence golf was looking to someone to step up and fill the void. It turns out Padraig Harrington had already emerged into the big time with his win at last year’s British Open at Carnasty where Woods finished 12t. The golf world evidently needed further proof considering the number of one hit wonders in the Woods Era. So this summer Harrington gave it to them.
Harrington won the British Open by four shots in howling winds at Birkdale. Then he backed that up with a gritty come-from-behind performance at Oakland Hills, the Monster. This earned him his second straight major, and recognition at the new second best player in the world. Yes, he still trails Phil Mickelson by 2.02 in the WGR, but you’d be hard pressed to find an expert who believes that’s an accurate indicator of their positions.
The story behind Harrington’s “overnight success” is that the 36 year old Irishman toiled for years as a journeyman player who, for a long time, was satisfied making a living as a touring pro while seeking incremental gains. He won his first European Tour event in 1996, but his first PGA Tour win didn’t come until 2005 at the Honda Classic. During this period Harrington seconds to wins ratio was about 2:1.
But Harrington gamely plodded along on his journey, improving slowly in the technical areas. Then he reverted to playing more by feel three years ago and his game perked up. More importantly, he’s put in the hard work on his mental game for years now with noted guru Dr. Bob Rotella, a critical part of golf that some players like Anthony Kim oddly treat with disdain.
The result is a player who’s crossed over the line from believing majors are incredibly difficult to win to knowing that he’s a player who belongs in the winner’s circle. This is no small accomplishment since it can be argued that only he and Tiger enjoy this kind of confidence and belief in themselves. Phil Mickelson had it from 2004-06, then lost it. Ernie Els has been struggling to find it most of his career. And Sergio Garcia, the new #4 in the WGR, is on the brink of discovering the magic. Other than that, the remainder of today’s top players are a cut or two below upstairs. They can all play great golf, but they are minus that X Factor that makes for multiple majors.
The Closer
As Harrington proceeded on the back nine Sunday, you could see the intensity in his eyes and his single-minded approach to playing each shot. Nick Faldo said that he “never blinks.” In the press conference Harrington said that he “wants the responsibility of playing the big shots” and he wants to be “fully accountable” for his results. Now this “one shot at a time” kind of talk sounds like psychobabble coming from most players because most tend to self destruct at the moment of truth, but not Harrington. You know he’s put in the work and he believes in his way of thinking – certainly his results testify to the rock-solid nature of his mental game.
In short, Padraig, with Rotella’s help, has joined Tiger as one of the two strongest closers on the planet. He finished off the back nine at Birkdale in 32 shots to win by four. Then shot another 32 on the back nine at Oakland Hills to overtake Garcia, who held a three shot lead at the turn, and win by two. In case you fell asleep in your chair, here’s how he did it:
Harrington on the Back Nine
10 – Holes a 15’ to go -1. Two back.
12 – Makes a 4’ birdie putt.
16 – Rolls home a 20’ with 12” of break for a par.
17 – Drilled a 5-iorn to 10’ and canned it to go -3 knowing Garcia had a 5’ for birdie.
18 – With the shadows of the flags dancing he rolls in a 15’ to win.
Padraig’s Putting Under Pressure
Harrington’s putting was sublime under pressure as the recap shows, as good as Woods’ at his best. Much of the credit goes to his technique. He uses a wide stance, which helps him to get in a solid position. He putts cross-handed, which prevents the hands from “going off” at impact under pressure. And, like Jack Nicklaus, he is in no hurry to get the putt over with, unlike the one look and putt players. Instead, Harrington takes two to three looks at the hole while he settles in. At the same his ability to will the ball in the hole steadily grows. When and only when he is absolutely certain of the putt does he pull the trigger.
Harrington and Nick Price
Players who win multiple majors in short order capture our attention. In 1994 Nick Price was on top of the world after winning this third major in three years. At that point, his career was quite similar to Harrington’s today.
- Both have a quick upright swing and are solid shotmakers.
- Both won their first major at age 35
- Both had 8 top 10s in the majors before their first win
- Both won the last two majors – Price in 1994, Harrington in 2008
After 1994 Price would go on to record nine more top 10s in the majors, but never finished better than solo fourth. Winning majors is never a certainty, and Harrington might have had his big burst like Price – but I don’t think so. He seems hungry and confident, and he enjoys the challenge while Price quickly discovered that he did not enjoy all that goes with being at the top of the game.
Harrington will be 37 when he joins Woods at the first tee at Augusta next spring. He’s probably got five good years left in the majors, maybe more, which equals 20+ starts. The way he’s playing, it’s easy to see him winning two to three more majors, which would make him the second best player of the Woods Era. And maybe a couple of those wins will come at Woods expense as he provides the kind of competition that Nicklaus faced from the likes of Lee Trevino and Tom Watson.
PGA Championship Coverage
Harrington for Player of the Year
Padraig Harrington has won two majors and has another four top five finishes in PGA Tour events this season, making him a strong candidate for Player of the Year. While Woods sole major was won in dramatic fashion, Harrington deserves points for winning his two majors from behind with clutch shotmaking, something Woods has yet to do. While Harrington is the logical favorite for POY, he would be an absolute lock if he were to win one of the four FedExCup events.
If Woods had become injured from an accident, the case for extrapolating his surgery shortened season might make a little sense. But, considering that he brought his injuries upon himself, it doesn’t seem right to give POY to someone who played in only six PGA Tour events.
Harrington
Northern Trust – 3t
Zurich Classic – 4t
Masters – 5t
US Open – 36t
Stanford St. Jude – 4t
British Open – W
PGA – W
Woods
Buick Invitational – W
WGC – Accenture – W
Arnold Palmer - W
WGC – CA – 5
Masters – 2
US Open – W
Sergio Garcia’s Latest Learning Experience
Garcia opened his final round at the PGA with a birdie and an eagle, at which point the 28 year old Spaniard looked like he was destined to win his first major title – a feeling that grew stronger as he continued to make one key putt after another. With three holes to play, Garcia was four under for the day. He led Ben Curtis and Padraig Harrington by a shot. Then the wheels came loose.
16 – After a perfect tee shot he hit his second into the lake and had to scramble to make bogey.
17 – He hit a beautiful 5-iron, but lipped out a five foot birdie putt.
18 – His relatively easy bunker shot came up 10 feet short to the right. After Harrington sank his 15 footer, Garcia missed.
Over those last three holes he lost a shot on each to Harrington to lose by two. Hopefully he can turn the pain of another lost major into a host of titles some day. He’s certainly paid his dues. Meanwhile, he just witnessed Harrington win three majors in the last 13 months, two of which could have easily been his.
Ben Curtis Gets No Respect
Thanks to the rain delay, Ben Curtis was forced to play 36 holes on Sunday. He held the 54 hole lead, and was in position to win with four holes to play. Then he buckled, playing them in two over to finish two back of Harrington. Maybe it was the pressure or perhaps he was tiring from such a long day on a long, hard, wet course. And maybe he suffered a bit because his gallery, which one announcer estimated at 150 people, had deserted him. In any case, Curtis looks cool under pressure, he’s won a major, he’s got a new and improved swing, and he nearly won his second major at age 31. Maybe this guy can play some, and maybe the golf world will wake up some day and give him some respect.
Phil Mickelson’s Disappointing Year
Phil Mickelson had a pretty good year in the majors by most players’ standards. He opened with a top 10 at the Masters (5t) and closed with another at the PGA (7t). In between he placed18t at the US Open and 19t at the British Open, giving him his third Top 20 Slam. For an elite player like Mickelson, who’s majors count has been stuck at three for ten majors now, 2008 was a disaster. It’s time he rethink his approach. He should dump Dave Pelz and hire Dr. Bob Rotella, Harrington’s guru and the author of the recently published Your 15th Club. That’s the club Phil needs, not another souped up wedge or any more of Pelz’ ill conceived strategies.
The South Americans are Coming
Camilo Villegas tamed the Monster with rounds of 67-68 over the weekend while bagging 12 birdies to finish 4t, his best in a major. The 26 year old Columbian’s other top ten was a 9t at this year’s US Open.
Andres Romero, who won his first tour event this year, recorded his fourth top 10 in a major in his last eight starts. He tied for seventh with Mickelson and shot a 65 on Saturday, the tournament’s low round. The 27 year old Argentinean with an interlocking grip (like Woods and Kim) also tied for eighth at this year’s Masters.
Robert Karlsson’s Bid Fails
Sweden’s Karlsson was five over par for the championship after 60 holes of play. If he had maintained that position over the final 12 holes he would have completed the Top 10 Slam in the majors, making him the only player to do so in 2008. Unfortunately he played those holes in +3 to finish in a tie for 20th at +8.
J.B. Holmes and Sean O’Hair
Third round leader J.B. Holmes opened with a triple bogey, after which I recall seeing him play just one more shot on his way to an 81, dropping from first to 29t. Sean O’Hair shot 73 and ended up tied for 31st. The golf gods evidently don’t approve of them using their caddies to line up putts any more than yours truly.
PGA Championship Coverage
In golf’s uniquely strange way, the competitors who play the worst over the first 36 holes (among those who make the cut) get the best tee times on Saturday. While this is usually a slight advantage for early starters who can regain their A game, at this year’s PGA it looks like it will be a bonanza for a fivesome of foreign stars.
Andres Romero from Argentina showed that he can light up a leaderboard when he bagged 10 birdies in the final round of last year’s British Open. On Saturday he was at it again, scoring seven birdies on his way to a tournament low of 65. He’s now at + 2, three back of J.B. Holmes. Should Prayad Marksaeng of Thailand par the 18th hole, he’ll card a 67 in the third round to close at +3. The red hot Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland need two pars to finish with a 67 of his own and a +3 total.
Camilo Villegas of Columbia shot the tournament low of 65 at the British Open, and can match that total if he plays the last four holes of his third round in one under. Four pars and he’s at +2. Finally, Sweden’s Fredrik Jacobson will card a 67 if he can finish the last six holes in level par. That would put him at +3 with a round to go.
The leaderboard indicates that the following players are in the lead, but all of them except Flesch (who is five holes into his round) are scheduled for 36 holes on a soggy monster that will make Sunday seem like a forced march through a rainforest. As a result, the much more rested early starters from Saturday who are also riding a wave of momentum could be the players to watch.
J.B. Holmes (-1), Ben Curtis (E), Justin Rose (E), Charlie Wi (E), Henrik Stenson (+1), David Toms (+1).
And as for Phil Mickelson, the pretourney favorite, he had just struck a mighty blow onto the shortened par 4 318 yard sixth hole when the horn sounded. Should he knock home his 10 foot eagle putt when play resumes, he would drop to +1 and right in the thick of it. Or as Jim Nantz said, “Phil Mickelson with that shot announced his return to the tournament.”
With stories galore and 18 to 36 holes awaiting the field, this Tiger-less Sunday at a major should still be a day to remember.