Capelle On Golf

PGA Championship Coverage

Golf is on the verge of a crisis. Should J.B. Holmes, the 36 hole leader, or Sean O’Hair, who is three back, win the PGA, they could usher in the widespread usage on tour of a technique that violates the very spirit of the game.

When putting, they often have their caddy crouch behind them and inform them when they are aiming correctly. Then he moves away before the stroke is made as the rules require. Though this practice is within the rules, it shouldn’t be because it crosses the line from giving advice to assisting with the shot.

The rule makers have ignored the fact that lining up correctly is one of the most important skills in game, and especially so in putting. Jack Nicklaus, in fact, once said that “the best players are the best aimers.” He did not say “caddies.”

Using a caddy for this purpose is an artificial aid, and the practice should be abolished as soon as possible. Furthermore, it shouldn’t take the USGA long to enact a ban because it will mostly affect the pros (amateurs seldom use caddies) and there are no manufacturers or expensive lawsuits to worry about. Besides, there is a precedent for banning non-traditional methods of putting. In 1967 it took the USGA less than a year to ban Sam Snead’s croquet style of putting.

It is a mystery in the first place that the rules even permit this practice – but no player of any prominence has ever used his caddy this way so I suppose the rule makers have never thought to ban a crime no one had ever committed.

I would wager that if Woods’ putting with the traditional method was so bad he couldn’t compete, he would quit first before resorting to this method because it violates the spirit of the game. In fact, I’m surprised Woods hasn’t spearheaded a move to have caddy line ups banned considering that he’s come out against drugs and slow play (after playing against the tortoise like Holmes).

If you haven’t had an opportunity to see this practice before, you’ll get plenty of chances on Saturday because Holmes will be in the featured last pairing. O’Hair could also garner plenty of coverage if he hangs around the leaderboard. In fact, O’Hair, with four top 15s in the majors, does better in the big events than Holmes, who’s best in the majors is a 25t. As a result, O’Hair could become the featured player while the super fidgety Holmes might be expected to implode.

I’d be interested in what you think about their practice of using their caddies to line them up for putts. If you agree that the USGA’s rules committee should put an end to this nonsense, write them at: rules@usga.org.

As for the PGA Championship, I will spend the weekend enjoying the golf and cheering for my favorites. I will also be rooting for the demise of two players who threaten to win a major using this technique and, in the process, destroy the integrity of our great game.

PGA Championship Coverage

The cut fell at 148 on Friday, spelling the end for 82 players, and leaving 73 players to fight it out for the Wannamaker Trophy over the weekend. Here are some of the more interesting stories among the survivors and those who will have the weekend off.

The Survivors
Charlie Wi – this 36-year-old South Korean shot 70-70 and is one off the lead in his first major.
Paul Goydos – this 44-year old journeyman, who lost a playoff to Sergio Garcia at THE PLAYERS is in the thick of it again at 143!
Rocco Mediate – this newly minted fan favorite shot 147.
Charl Schwartzel – birdied six of the first seven holes on the front nine (his second nine), shot a 39-31-70 to make the cut with a shot to spare.
Robert Allenby – he birdied 8 and 9, his last two holes, to make it by a shot.
Jim Furyk – he birdied the brutal 18th (two day average of 4.68) to make the cut by a shot.
Paul Azinger – the 48 year old captain of the Ryder Cup abandoned his duties in the booth for TNT and made the cut by a shot.
Corey Pavin – this 48 year old hits it shorter than a good percentage of the LPGA pros but he somehow got the ball in the hole in 148 shots on this super long course.

Selected Players Who Missed the Cut
Zach Johnson – missed an eight foot par putt on the last hole to miss by a shot.
Ryan Moore – this promising young player opened with a 70, then shot 79 to miss by a shot.
Fred Couples – this perennial fan favorite bogeyed three of his last five holes to miss by a single shot.
John Daly – he only missed by a shot and made only two doubles and no “others” in a surprisingly solid performance.
Adam Scott – he shot 150 to miss by two shots, closing out a forgettable year in the majors, and raising questions about when Harmon’s star pupil is going to breakout, if ever.
Vijay Singh – last week’s winner putted his ball off the green on the ninth, his final hole, made a triple bogey, and missed the cut by four shots.
Trevor Immelman – Masters champ shot 76-77-153.
Rod Pampling – he shot 70 in the first round and parred the first three holes in second round, then played the next seven holes in nine over, shot 81, and missed the cut by three shots.
Lee Westwood – a pretourney favorite, he let the conditions get to him and limped home with rounds of 77-78 -155, seven above the cut line.
The Club Pros – Frank Esposito Jr. shot 78 to miss by a shot, but he was low club pro. All 20 missed and the five highest 36 scores (161-170) were by club pros.

PGA Championship Coverage

You’ve no doubt read or heard that Oakland Hills is the Monster, that it’s roller coaster greens make it all but unplayable, etc, etc. But the truth is, a fair share of the world’s best players always find a way to survive the most tortuous tests, even if that means playing 72 incredibly difficult holes in a handful of shots over par.

A total of 74 players, or 47% of the field, managed to shoot 74 or lower on Thursday. Seventy players and ties will make the cut, so if you double that score, 148 (+8) should be good enough to make the cut. This total is almost identical to the cut lines at the three previous majors this season. It also suggests that the winning score will be somewhere around two over par.

147—280 Masters
149—283 US Open
149—283 British Open
148—282 PGA – A Guess!

The lack of birdie holes makes this PGA like a marathon race. Once a player falls too far off the pace, it is all but impossible for them to make up the lost ground. As the tournament progress, more and more players fall by the way side, leaving an ever shorter list of contenders. We’re not surprised by the players who make an early exit – we know John Daly and the 20 club pros will be long gone from the leaderboard before Sunday.

And then there are the early departures of those we had such high hopes for. Adam Scott, for example is +9 with six holes to play, so Butch’s top protégé is likely miss the cut. Lee Westwood, who shot a 77 in the morning and who’s been grousing about the conditions, will probably be catching an early flight back home.

Woody Austin, who finished second last year, is +15 with four to go, so he’s done. Trevor Immelman’s hopes of joining Jack Nicklaus as the only player to win the Masters and the PGA are kaput. He’s +14 with three to play. And K.J. Choi, who contended at the British Open, will need a strong round to make the cut after his opening 78 in the morning.

Last week’s winner Vijay Singh is +8 with four tough holes to go, so he may not make the cut and he certainly won’t win. And as for poor Andres Romero, he opened with a 69 but closed out his opening nine of 42 with a quadruple bogey, par, double bogey train wreck, taking him from contender to possibly missing the cut in three holes. Hey, maybe Oakland Hills is a monster after all.

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?

PGA Championship Coverage

The odds at Ladbrokes are fluctuating wildly as the English bookmakers are moving them in response to the wagering and to their perceptions of each player’s chances of winning.

Their oddsmaking is anything but a precise science. For example, Lee Westwood is now at 20/1, down from 40/1 just three days ago. Has he really improved that much? Probably not – the lower odds are likely in response to his play at the WGC on a course that’s totally different from Oakland Hills. Ernie Els, Jim Furyk, Anthony Kim, and Retief Goosen are lumped together at 25/1. If bookmaking in golf was more scientific as in football, Els might be at 22/1, for example, while Goosen could be at 28/1.

You can be sure that these four wouldn’t be considered equals in Las Vegas as they are in golf. So here are two big conclusions: 1) these odds are based on Ladbrokes hunches, and 2) because of point 1, there are some great bets and some terrible ones as well since most player’s odds don’t accurately reflect their chances.

The list below shows the changes in odds over the last three days. Those in red have had their odds cut (they are hot) while those in blue (the cold players) have been increased.

The results after each player’s name show each player’s record in the last three PGAs and their last three starts. The obvious favorites should be those with a strong record in the PGA who have been playing well lately. Five players are labeled BB for best bet.

Odds are X/1 - Last three PGAs and Last Three Starts
8/6-8/3
10–10 Phil Mickelson (W, 16t, 32t)–(38t, 19t, 4t) BB
20–14 Padraig Harrington (MC, MC, 42t)–(17t, W, 20t)
20–14 Sergio Garcia (23t, 3t, DQ)–(2, 51t, 36t)
20–25 Vijay Singh (10t, MC, MC)–(5, MC, W)
20–40 Lee Westwood (17t, 29t, 32t)– (19t, 67t, 2t) BB
25–16 Ernie Els (DNP, 16t, 3)–(9t, 7t, 27t) BB
25–16 Jim Furyk (34t, 29t, MC)–(5t, 14t, 27t)
25--25 Anthony Kim (DNP, DNP, 50t)–(7t, 8t, 36t)
25–40 Retief Goosen (6t, 34t, 23t)—(32t, 30t, 4t) BB
33–25 Adam Scott (40t, 3t, 12t)–(25t, 16t, 56t)
40–25 Kenny Perry (23t, 49t, 23t)—(1, 6t, 66t)
40–33 Geoff Ogilvy (6t, 9t, 6t)–(9, MC, 68t)
40–33 K..J. Choi (40t, 7t, 12t)–(25t, 16t, 56t)
40–33 Stewart Cink (28t, 24t, 32t)– (W, MC, 43t)
40–40 Henrik Stenson (47t, 14t, MC)–(33t, 3t, 16t)
40–50 Hunter Mahan (DNP, MC, 18t)—(12t, MC, 10t)
40–66 Paul Casey (59t, MC, 40t)—(3t, 7t, 8t)
50–50 Ian Poulter (47t, 9t, 23t)—(25t, 2, 16t)
50–50 Mike Weir (47t, 6, MC)—(MC, 39t, 5t) BB
50–50 Miguel Angel Jimenez (40t, DNP, MC)—(3t, MC, 10t)
50–66 Robert Allenby (MC, 20t, MC)—(3t, 7t, 20t)
50–66 Stuart Appleby (15t, 55t, 12t)—(60t, 51t, 2t) BB
50—66 Robert Karlsson (DNP, 29t, 57t)—(6t, 7t, 20t)

PGA Championship Coverage

The Weather Forecast
The forecast for the first two days of the PGA is for slightly cooler temperatures on Friday with a 10% greater chance of thunderstorms than on Thursday. as a result, it appears as if neither the morning or afternoon waves will gain an edge from the weather. This is unlike the British Open where the Thursday afternoon starters had a distinct advantage. The forecast for the first two days:

Thursday: High of 81 – 30% chance of Thunderstorms
Friday: High of 76 – 40% chance of Thunderstorms

Assuming weather isn’t a factor, there are a number of reasons why every player prefers to go out early on Thursday:

• After psyching themselves for battle, the players are anxious to play.
• The excellent condition of the greens in the AM helps in getting off to a good start.
• Players have about 5-6 more hours to rest up for the second round.
• They have the afternoon and Friday up till their tee time to work out any flaws.
• This helps contenders develop a routine of playing the last three days in the afternoon.
• A low score by a Thursday AM player can put immediate pressure on the afternoon wave.

The WGR Top 15 and Their Draws
The two main components of a pairing are the time and the playing partners. Of the four possible combinations here are the best and the worst:
Best: Thursday morning – excellent playing companions
Worst – Thursday afternoon – partners (and possibly their galleries) that could be a distraction

Of the 14 members of the WGR Top 15 (in bold) who are competing, seven members drew the best combination:
Jim Furyk , Steve Stricker, Phil Mickelson, K.J. Choi, Stewart Cink, Geoff Ogilvy and Lee Westwood.
Anthony Kim, Sergio Garcia, with Camilo Villegas. Seeing these names together conjures up images of a pack of alpha males, each one trying to assert their superiority. A poor draw for all.

Four of the five members of the WGR Top 15 in the afternoon wave were assigned especially poor tee times and drew less than ideal playing partners.
Padraig Harrington got the best draw in the afternoon wave.
Vijay Singh with John Daly and David Toms. A horrible draw for Singh as Daly’s fans and his game are sure to be a distraction.
Henrik Stenson with Woody Austin and Brandt Snedeker. The reserved Stenson is stuck with Austin, a real character. A very poor draw.
Ernie Els, Adam Scott with Fred Couples. Very late in day (1:35) is bad enough, but foreigners Els and Scott must deal with what could be a pro Couples gallery.

TV Schedule
Thanks to the TV schedule you will see all of the afternoon wave each day, but miss most if not all of the morning wave.
Thursday and Friday - TNT 1-7pm ET

PGA Championship Coverage

When Phil Mickelson reached the 15th tee at the WGC – Bridgestone the tournament was his to win or lose. Unfortunately he chose the latter.
Mickelson, who was nursing a one shot lead at -11, limped home with a series of horrid shots, the kind that have been torturing him and the popular Californian’s fans in the big moments throughout his career.

15 (par 3) 4-iron far left into a bunker – blasts just over the green – two putts. Bogey.
16 (par 5) a wedge from about 100 yards to eight feet. Misses birdie putt. Par.
17 (par 4) overly aggressive play with driver finds the left fairway bunker – second comes up well short – pitches just over the green – two putts. Bogey.
18 (par 4) drive into trees left – second into bunker well short of the green – blasts to edge of the green – two putts. Bogey.

Mickelson’s meltdown is a reminder of the huge gap between Woods and the world’s number two player. It could also be a sign that Winged Foot was such a confidence wrecking event that his recovery from it remains in doubt.

On a more practical level, Mickelson entered the final round of the WGC with a chance to build some winner’s momentum prior to the PGA like he did prior to the 2006 Masters when he ran away with the Bell-South. Now the doubts linger on. He had a chance at Player of the Year and still does, but he’s made his job so much harder now. Finally, the difference between a win and his 4t was about 54 WGR points. As a result, his WGR inched up from 9.54 to 9.64 when it could have soared into double digits at 10.84.

During the post mortem Mickelson sounded more like a politician that a realist as he attempted to spin his disaster into a positive.

“I played great, I really played well. I played great today. I felt like I should have shot 63 or 64, had countless birdie opportunities from 6 to 15 feet and then I make three bogeys on the last four holes and turn a 64 into a 70. So I feel like I’m playing well, I just need to get that final piece of scoring down.”

He needs a bit more than that. Despite all of his work with Butch Harmon Mickelson is now, like Greg Norman in his prime, failing to release the club under pressure, resulting in a push. He did it at Winged Foot. He did it again on the final hole at Colonial, but got a break and scored the winning birdie from the trees. Then at Firestone he hit three wide lefts on the closing four holes after playing superbly all day long.

It looks as if the second most prolific winner of the Woods Era has now got issues with closing the deal. Maybe an hour on the couch with Dr. Bob Rotella on the short game between the ears and not another strategy session with Dave Pelz is what he really needs.

About the best thing that can be said for Mickelson’s disaster is that it didn’t come in a major. Otherwise, the roasting from the media would have reached epic proportions and the scar tissue might have spelled an end to his career as a contender in the majors.

PGA Championship Coverage

The 2008 season is shaping up as the year of the asterisk. So far we’ve got four winners who deserve the dreaded punctuation mark, the latest going to Vijay Singh at the WGC Bridgestone. He earned his for using the long putter while the honor role below shows how three others earned theirs.

Asterisks in 2008
J.B. Holmes at the FBR – for having his caddy line him up for putts
Sean O’Hair at the PODS – for having his caddy line him up for putts
Stewart Cink at the Travelers Championship – for using the long putter
Vijay Singh at the WGC – Bridgestone – for using the long putter

Even though Singh putted poorly at the WGC, it could have been even worse with a regular putter – he might have missed those two 3-4 foot par savers at 17 and 18, which could have turned a win into a tie for third. And so, as Singh confided to one announcer, the long stick is here to stay.

Let’s hope not. Let’s pray that Singh realizes that history is against him in the majors and that he comes to his senses and ditches the long putter for the PGA. After all, the way Singh struck the ball at the WGC, he could win putting blindfolded. For the week, Singh ranked 11t in accuracy and 5t in distance, which is an incredible combination considering that he was using his driver on nearly every par 4 and 5. He also tied for first with 20 birdies, which attests to the quality of his ball striking more than to his putting.

Indeed, the way Singh was splitting the fairways with 320 yard drives and knocking pins down, he could become the first to win an asterisk appended major, and he’s too good of a player and a guy to let that happen.

The Broadmoor course in Colorado was hardly impossible on Sunday considering that 10 players broke its par of 70 in the final. But it must have seemed like a monster to the top three going into the final round of the US Senior Open. Fifty-four hole leader Eduardo Romero from Argentina “closed” with a four bogeys on the final eight holes for a 73, but still managed to win by four shots over Fred Funk.

Funk, normally as reliable as a T-bill, closed with a five over 39 on the back nine, making a big fat triple bogey on the 13th hole. He shot a 75 on a day when 10 players in the top 22 shot 70 or better, scores that would have given him the victory outright. Think Open pressure had anything to do with his performance?

The same could be said for John Cook, who began the final round three back of Romero. Cook stumbled home with a 77, dropping him from third to fifth. His round consisted of seven bogeys, ten pars, and not one birdie. Cook is good buddies with Tiger Woods, so it would seem that some of Tiger’s closing skills would have rubbed off on Cook – but apparently not because he missed all of the short putts Tiger almost always makes on Sundays.

The top 10 was populated by players that were so far back at the beginning of the day that none must have felt the suffocating Open pressure the leaders obviously did. As a result, they all felt free to play their best game. The freewheelers included Mark McNulty (3rd - 68), Greg Norman (4th -70), Joey Sindelar (6t – 69), David Edwards (6t – 67), and Bernhard Langer (6t – 66).

So here’s the lesson for Funk and Cook going forward: the next time you’re in contention going into the final round of a senior major pretend you’re so far behind going that there is no way you can win. Then just go out and play great golf. I know, it’s far easier said than done. But anything is better than caring so much that you systematically grind your way right out of a championship.

It is all but official. With the completion of a sweep of the ladies’ majors by foreign players, the LPGA (the A being for America) was put to rest Sunday afternoon at the Women’s British Open. From here on it is to be known as the Ladies Professional Golfers of the World (LPGW). Okay, the marketing mavens and top brass at LPGA haven’t made this bold step yet, but they should when you consider their tour is being dominated by foreigners.

Annika Sorenstam, the former number one from Sweden, just played her last major. Number one ranked Lorena Ochoa, who won the 2008, Kraft-Nabisco, is from Mexico. Yani Tseng from Taiwan won the 2008 LPGA followed by South Korea’s In-Bee Park at the US Open. And now we have South Korean Ji-Yai Shin, the winner of the 2008 British Open.

The top of the leaderboard at the Open looks like something you might expect to see at the Japan Open, not the British Open. Lest you think this was a fluke, consider that these Amazin’ Asians are only 21 years old on average. And then we have Park, who is 20. And there are tons more just like them as shown by the 13 Asians in the top 20.

Women’s British Open Leaderboard
1 Ji-Yai Shin (20) South Korea
2 Yani Tseng (19) Taiwan
3 Yuri Fudoh (21) Japan
3 Eun-Hee Ji (22) South Korea
5 Ai Miyazato (23) Japan

If it were not for the highly marketable trio of Christie Kerr (6th), Paul Creamer (9t), and Natalie Gulbis (9t), commissioner Carolyn Givens and company would already be packing up LPGW headquarters and be heading for Seoul. And don’t think they would be alone. The European Tour, recognizing the game’s gone global, has already announced they will soon be relocating their offices to Dubai!