All the attention will be on the Ryder Cup but here is what else is at stake including our Canucks on the Nationwide tour...
How are Hearns and Mills doing ???
There are 4 weeks left on the Nationwide tour including this week's Soboba Classic in California...
Here are the top 25....
1 1 Jamie Lovemark 19 $416,669 1
2 2 Chris Kirk 20 $407,673 2
3 3 Tommy Gainey 23 $371,960 2
4 4 Hunter Haas 19 $333,604 2
5 5 Martin Piller 21 $324,427 2
6 6 Kevin Chappell 20 $308,793 1
7 7 Jhonattan Vegas 19 $307,334 1
8 8 Daniel Summerhays 21 $260,992
9 13 Fabian Gomez 22 $254,272 1
10 9 Bobby Gates 19 $244,401 1
11 10 D.J. Brigman 21 $231,969 1
12 11 Tag Ridings 22 $219,535
13 12 Peter Tomasulo 18 $217,412 1
14 14 Michael Putnam 18 $203,347 1
15 15 Jim Herman 20 $197,440 1
16 16 Kevin Kisner 21 $194,692 1
17 17 Chris Nallen 21 $185,293
18 24 Brandt Jobe 19 $184,356
19 18 Justin Hicks 23 $179,892 1
20 19 James Hahn 23 $167,820
21 20 Scott Gutschewski 22 $162,042
22 21 David Hearn 21 $158,815
23 22 Keegan Bradley 23 $158,360
24 39 Alistair Presnell 22 $153,522
25 78 Nate Smith 23 $153,054
32. 34 Jon Mills $134,193
Sadly the rest of our Canucks are not in contention....
This week they are in San Jacinto, California
CHAMPIONS TOUR
Ensure Classic
Conover NC
Jay Haas defends
PGA Tour
Viking Classic
Madison Mississippi
Annandale GC,
Will MacKenzie defends
Bryan Angus
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Friday Fourball pairings at the Ryder Cup..analysis
They start to play with live ammo at around 2.45am tomorrow morning. Each captain has submitted their pairings and here is how they have worked out along with my analysis.
Pavin has already shocked us by sitting Furyk, Z Johnson and Mahan while selecting rookies Watson and Overton to play in the 4th match
Remember this is Fourball or best ball as many of you may call it with Foursomes or alternate shot to follow in the afternoon, so a lot of strategy comes into play. For example in the Woods / Stricker pairing you will see Stricker play first to get one ball in play, to take the pressure off Tiger and let him cut loose..
Also this is a very American style course, parkland with a lot of water and target golf, not a links course. Gordon Simpson played it on Saturday and told me it is in mint condition and that the last 4 holes are a fabulous finish including a drivable par 4, a long par three and a reachable par 5 to finish... This 2010 course was built just for this Ryder Cup.
The weather forecast is posted at the end of this post but all four seasons are in it, typical fall weather in the UK..
Friday Morning fourball matches
Match 1: Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson v Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer
Match 2: Stewart Cink and Matt Kuchar v Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell
Match 3: Steve Stricker and Tiger Woods v Ian Poulter and Ross Fisher
Match 4: Bubba Watson and Jeff Overton v Luke Donald and Padraig Harrington
USA not selected........ Furyk, Mahan, Z Johnson, Fowler
EUROS not selected .. Molinari's, Hansen, Jimenez
MATCH 1 2.45AM EST ( fourball )
Westwood
Years played: 1997 (winners), 99, 02 (winners), 04 (winners), 06 (winners), 08
Overall record: Played 29, Won 14, Lost 10, Halved 5: Points 16½
Singles: Played 6, Won 2, Lost 4, Halved 0
Foursomes: Played 11, Won 6, Lost 2, Halved 3
Fourballs: Played 12, Won 6, Lost 4, Halved 2
Kaymer
Ryder Cup rookie
Mickelson
Years Played: 1995-97-99-2002-04-06-08
Total Matches: 30
Career Ryder Cup Record (W-L-H): 10-14-6
Singles (W-L-H): 3-4-0
Foursomes (W-L-H): 2-4-4
Fourballs (W-L-H): 5-6-2
Total Points Won: 13
Total Points Won Point %: .43
D Johnson
Ryder Cup rookie
ANALYSIS
Questions are being asked about Westwood, his fitness and lack of play. Monty says he is playing superbly, like he was never away and has made him play 36 holes in one day just to ensure his fitness. Although Kaymer is a rookie, he is rock solid and id of course the PGA champion.
Mickelson is the Ryder Cup veteran on this team with 30 matches and I think the emotional leader of this team and he is paired with rookie D Johnson who is in form and has had a brilliant year, he seems to have an unflappable type of personality although he did meltdown when leading the US Open at Pebble Beach..
This will be a tight match, remember the guys all play their own ball.
Pick Europe 1 up
MATCH 2 3AM EST
McIlroy
Ryder Cup rookie
McDowell
Years played: 2008
Overall record: Played 4, Won 2, Lost 1, Halved 1: Points 2½
Singles: Played 1, Won 1, Lost 0, Halved 0
Foursomes: Played 1, Won 0, Lost 0, Halved 1
Fourballs: Played 2, Won 1, Lost 1, Halved 0
Cink
Years Played: 2002-04-06-08
Total Matches: 15
Career Ryder Cup Record (W-L-H): 4-7-4
Singles (W-L-H): 1-3-0
Foursomes (W-L-H): 2-4-1
Fourballs (W-L-H): 1-0-3
Total Points Won: 6
Total Points Won Point %: .40
Kuchar
Ryder Cup rookie
ANALYSIS
The sensational rookie Rory McIlroy and his Northern Ireland friend Graeme McDowell have been paired together all week. McDowell won on this course all ready this year, and Rory is the lightning rod of this team.They were the leading partnership at the 2009 Vivendi Trophy, winning three points out of four.
Cink and Kuchar are Georgia Tech alumni for what that is worth. Cink is always steady but hasn't figured in much recently and Matt Kuchar just fell right off the charts last week after what has been a fabulous year. I wonder how much he has in the tank mentally..
This Irish pair will be tough for anything the States has.
Pick Europe 3&2
MATCH 3 3.15AM EST
Poulter
Years played: 2004 (winners), 08
Overall record: Played 7, Won 5, Lost 2, Halved 0: Points 5
Singles: Played 2, Won 2, Lost 0, Halved 0
Foursomes: Played 2, Won 1, Lost 1, Halved 0
Fourballs: Played 3, Won 2, Lost 1, Halved 0
Fisher
Ryder Cup rookie
Woods
Years Played: 1997-99-2002-04-06
Total Matches: 24
Career Ryder Cup Record (W-L-H): 9-13-2
Singles (W-L-H): 3-1-1
Foursomes (W-L-H): 3-6-1
Fourballs (W-L-H): 3-6-0
Total Points Won: 10
Total Points Won Point %: .42
Stricker
Years Played: 2008
Total Matches: 3
Career Ryder Cup Record (W-L-H): 0-2-1
Singles (W-L-H): 0-1-0
Foursomes (W-L-H): 0-0-0
Fourballs (W-L-H): 0-1-0
Total Points Won: .5
Total Points Won Point %: .17
ANALYSIS
Many of you will say Ross "Who' and you are in for a surprise if you do. Gordon Simpson Dir of Communications Euro Tour has been raving about him for several years. He is a major matchplay winner and at one point last year led all four majors. Poulter was a horse for captain Faldo at Valhalla, won the WGC World Matchplay this year and is an emotional leader. They played together in the 2008 and 2009 Omega Mission Hills World Cup, finishing sixth in 2008 and fourth in 2009.
Well here we go. Tiger and Stricker were 4-0 together at the Presidents Cup. Pavin clearly thought they might get a weaker pairing by playing these guys 3rd, normally they would be the premier pairing, but that has already backfired.
Tiger should benefit for the steady play of Stricker but truth be known, Stricker's play of late has been spotty and we all know about Tiger's.
Pick Match halved
MATCH 4 3.30AM EST
Donald
Years played: 2004 (winners), 06 (winners)
Overall record: Played 7, Won 5, Lost 1, Halved 1: Points 5½
Singles: Played 2, Won 1, Lost 1, Halved 0
Foursomes: Played 4, Won 4, Lost 0, Halved 0
Fourballs: Played 1, Won 0, Lost 0, Halved 1
Harrington
Years played: 1999, 02 (winners), 04 (winners), 06 (winners), 08
Overall record: Played 21, Won 7, Lost 11, Halved 3: Points 8½
Singles: Played 5, Won 3, Lost 2, Halved 0
Foursomes: Played 9, Won 2, Lost 4, Halved 3
Fourballs: Played 7, Won 2, Lost 5, Halved 0
Watson
Ryder Cup rookie
Overton
Ryder Cup rookie
ANALYSIS
Monty says Paddy has been his best player in practice this week and has been jumping around with all the enthusiasm of a rookie. Harrington closed with a 64 at the Vivendi last week and you all know about his rock solid partner Luke Donald who is putting as well as anyone in the world right now and who was 3rd to McDowell on this course earlier this year.
This pairing of Watson and Overton is such a surprise, considering Furyk, Z Johnson and Hunter Mahan are sitting on the bench. Watson and Overton are the first American rookies to be paired together in the opening series of matches since Bill Rogers and Bruce Lietzke in 1981.
It would be a huge upset if the USA won this match, but look out. They can just wing it because everyone except the US team expects them to lose and that is always dangerous, but really, come on !!
Pick Europe 4 &3..
WEATHER FORECAST
It is 14C right now and drizzling at Celtic Manor.
Friday a mixture of sun, cloud and rain high 15C low 8C
Saturday partly cloudy, high 15C low 8C
Sunday a mixture of sun, cloud and rain 15C 8C
Your comments ???
Bryan Angus
Pavin has already shocked us by sitting Furyk, Z Johnson and Mahan while selecting rookies Watson and Overton to play in the 4th match
Remember this is Fourball or best ball as many of you may call it with Foursomes or alternate shot to follow in the afternoon, so a lot of strategy comes into play. For example in the Woods / Stricker pairing you will see Stricker play first to get one ball in play, to take the pressure off Tiger and let him cut loose..
Also this is a very American style course, parkland with a lot of water and target golf, not a links course. Gordon Simpson played it on Saturday and told me it is in mint condition and that the last 4 holes are a fabulous finish including a drivable par 4, a long par three and a reachable par 5 to finish... This 2010 course was built just for this Ryder Cup.
The weather forecast is posted at the end of this post but all four seasons are in it, typical fall weather in the UK..
Friday Morning fourball matches
Match 1: Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson v Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer
Match 2: Stewart Cink and Matt Kuchar v Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell
Match 3: Steve Stricker and Tiger Woods v Ian Poulter and Ross Fisher
Match 4: Bubba Watson and Jeff Overton v Luke Donald and Padraig Harrington
USA not selected........ Furyk, Mahan, Z Johnson, Fowler
EUROS not selected .. Molinari's, Hansen, Jimenez
MATCH 1 2.45AM EST ( fourball )
Westwood
Years played: 1997 (winners), 99, 02 (winners), 04 (winners), 06 (winners), 08
Overall record: Played 29, Won 14, Lost 10, Halved 5: Points 16½
Singles: Played 6, Won 2, Lost 4, Halved 0
Foursomes: Played 11, Won 6, Lost 2, Halved 3
Fourballs: Played 12, Won 6, Lost 4, Halved 2
Kaymer
Ryder Cup rookie
Mickelson
Years Played: 1995-97-99-2002-04-06-08
Total Matches: 30
Career Ryder Cup Record (W-L-H): 10-14-6
Singles (W-L-H): 3-4-0
Foursomes (W-L-H): 2-4-4
Fourballs (W-L-H): 5-6-2
Total Points Won: 13
Total Points Won Point %: .43
D Johnson
Ryder Cup rookie
ANALYSIS
Questions are being asked about Westwood, his fitness and lack of play. Monty says he is playing superbly, like he was never away and has made him play 36 holes in one day just to ensure his fitness. Although Kaymer is a rookie, he is rock solid and id of course the PGA champion.
Mickelson is the Ryder Cup veteran on this team with 30 matches and I think the emotional leader of this team and he is paired with rookie D Johnson who is in form and has had a brilliant year, he seems to have an unflappable type of personality although he did meltdown when leading the US Open at Pebble Beach..
This will be a tight match, remember the guys all play their own ball.
Pick Europe 1 up
MATCH 2 3AM EST
McIlroy
Ryder Cup rookie
McDowell
Years played: 2008
Overall record: Played 4, Won 2, Lost 1, Halved 1: Points 2½
Singles: Played 1, Won 1, Lost 0, Halved 0
Foursomes: Played 1, Won 0, Lost 0, Halved 1
Fourballs: Played 2, Won 1, Lost 1, Halved 0
Cink
Years Played: 2002-04-06-08
Total Matches: 15
Career Ryder Cup Record (W-L-H): 4-7-4
Singles (W-L-H): 1-3-0
Foursomes (W-L-H): 2-4-1
Fourballs (W-L-H): 1-0-3
Total Points Won: 6
Total Points Won Point %: .40
Kuchar
Ryder Cup rookie
ANALYSIS
The sensational rookie Rory McIlroy and his Northern Ireland friend Graeme McDowell have been paired together all week. McDowell won on this course all ready this year, and Rory is the lightning rod of this team.They were the leading partnership at the 2009 Vivendi Trophy, winning three points out of four.
Cink and Kuchar are Georgia Tech alumni for what that is worth. Cink is always steady but hasn't figured in much recently and Matt Kuchar just fell right off the charts last week after what has been a fabulous year. I wonder how much he has in the tank mentally..
This Irish pair will be tough for anything the States has.
Pick Europe 3&2
MATCH 3 3.15AM EST
Poulter
Years played: 2004 (winners), 08
Overall record: Played 7, Won 5, Lost 2, Halved 0: Points 5
Singles: Played 2, Won 2, Lost 0, Halved 0
Foursomes: Played 2, Won 1, Lost 1, Halved 0
Fourballs: Played 3, Won 2, Lost 1, Halved 0
Fisher
Ryder Cup rookie
Woods
Years Played: 1997-99-2002-04-06
Total Matches: 24
Career Ryder Cup Record (W-L-H): 9-13-2
Singles (W-L-H): 3-1-1
Foursomes (W-L-H): 3-6-1
Fourballs (W-L-H): 3-6-0
Total Points Won: 10
Total Points Won Point %: .42
Stricker
Years Played: 2008
Total Matches: 3
Career Ryder Cup Record (W-L-H): 0-2-1
Singles (W-L-H): 0-1-0
Foursomes (W-L-H): 0-0-0
Fourballs (W-L-H): 0-1-0
Total Points Won: .5
Total Points Won Point %: .17
ANALYSIS
Many of you will say Ross "Who' and you are in for a surprise if you do. Gordon Simpson Dir of Communications Euro Tour has been raving about him for several years. He is a major matchplay winner and at one point last year led all four majors. Poulter was a horse for captain Faldo at Valhalla, won the WGC World Matchplay this year and is an emotional leader. They played together in the 2008 and 2009 Omega Mission Hills World Cup, finishing sixth in 2008 and fourth in 2009.
Well here we go. Tiger and Stricker were 4-0 together at the Presidents Cup. Pavin clearly thought they might get a weaker pairing by playing these guys 3rd, normally they would be the premier pairing, but that has already backfired.
Tiger should benefit for the steady play of Stricker but truth be known, Stricker's play of late has been spotty and we all know about Tiger's.
Pick Match halved
MATCH 4 3.30AM EST
Donald
Years played: 2004 (winners), 06 (winners)
Overall record: Played 7, Won 5, Lost 1, Halved 1: Points 5½
Singles: Played 2, Won 1, Lost 1, Halved 0
Foursomes: Played 4, Won 4, Lost 0, Halved 0
Fourballs: Played 1, Won 0, Lost 0, Halved 1
Harrington
Years played: 1999, 02 (winners), 04 (winners), 06 (winners), 08
Overall record: Played 21, Won 7, Lost 11, Halved 3: Points 8½
Singles: Played 5, Won 3, Lost 2, Halved 0
Foursomes: Played 9, Won 2, Lost 4, Halved 3
Fourballs: Played 7, Won 2, Lost 5, Halved 0
Watson
Ryder Cup rookie
Overton
Ryder Cup rookie
ANALYSIS
Monty says Paddy has been his best player in practice this week and has been jumping around with all the enthusiasm of a rookie. Harrington closed with a 64 at the Vivendi last week and you all know about his rock solid partner Luke Donald who is putting as well as anyone in the world right now and who was 3rd to McDowell on this course earlier this year.
This pairing of Watson and Overton is such a surprise, considering Furyk, Z Johnson and Hunter Mahan are sitting on the bench. Watson and Overton are the first American rookies to be paired together in the opening series of matches since Bill Rogers and Bruce Lietzke in 1981.
It would be a huge upset if the USA won this match, but look out. They can just wing it because everyone except the US team expects them to lose and that is always dangerous, but really, come on !!
Pick Europe 4 &3..
WEATHER FORECAST
It is 14C right now and drizzling at Celtic Manor.
Friday a mixture of sun, cloud and rain high 15C low 8C
Saturday partly cloudy, high 15C low 8C
Sunday a mixture of sun, cloud and rain 15C 8C
Your comments ???
Bryan Angus
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Euro team wears Rory wigs..McIlroy comments 'much ado about nothing'..
As always the media scrutiny of an event this big means that no stone goes unturned..
Months ago Rory McIlroy was interviewed, and it was after Tiger had just shot +18 at the Bridgestone. He was asked if he fancied his chances playing against Tiger at the Ryder Cup and he said (and I paraphrase) " Sure, I think any of us would right now, the way he is playing" That got some headlines which have been gathering steam now that they are in Wales.
So yesterday he was asked again about those comments and answered by reiterating what a wonderful golfer Tiger is, perhaps going down as the best of all time and reminded the questioner Tiger had just shot +18..
Then he was asked if the ' aura' of Tiger was gone now and again he was effusive in his praise, but said that when he first met Tiger and played with him he realized what a normal guy he was apart from his ability at golf, and did say that it was inevitable with all the scandal surrounding him that some of the aura may have dimmed.
So this is being turned around to be blunt, that Rory is giving the US Team and Tiger fuel to burn by dissing him !!
That is so ridiculous that this morning the European team all showed up on the first tee wearing Rory wigs and hats with the big hair just, as Monty would say in his presser ' to let Rory know he is very much a part of our team and has done nothing wrong "
Much ado about nothing !! Must be a slow week in Newport !
Bryan Angus
Months ago Rory McIlroy was interviewed, and it was after Tiger had just shot +18 at the Bridgestone. He was asked if he fancied his chances playing against Tiger at the Ryder Cup and he said (and I paraphrase) " Sure, I think any of us would right now, the way he is playing" That got some headlines which have been gathering steam now that they are in Wales.
So yesterday he was asked again about those comments and answered by reiterating what a wonderful golfer Tiger is, perhaps going down as the best of all time and reminded the questioner Tiger had just shot +18..
Then he was asked if the ' aura' of Tiger was gone now and again he was effusive in his praise, but said that when he first met Tiger and played with him he realized what a normal guy he was apart from his ability at golf, and did say that it was inevitable with all the scandal surrounding him that some of the aura may have dimmed.
So this is being turned around to be blunt, that Rory is giving the US Team and Tiger fuel to burn by dissing him !!
That is so ridiculous that this morning the European team all showed up on the first tee wearing Rory wigs and hats with the big hair just, as Monty would say in his presser ' to let Rory know he is very much a part of our team and has done nothing wrong "
Much ado about nothing !! Must be a slow week in Newport !
Bryan Angus
Possible pairings...2 key players
Here are the pairings that captains Monty and 'Borey' (as he is being dubbed by the US Press) Corey Pavin sent out in yesterday's practice rounds
Tuesday
European Team
8.30 Graeme McDowell, Rory McIlroy, Francesco Molinari, Edoardo Molinari
8.45 Peter Hanson, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Martin Kaymer, Lee Westwood
9.00 Luke Donald, Ross Fisher, Padraig Harrington, Ian Poulter,
USA
8.30 Zach Johnson, Hunter Mahan, Steve Stricker, Tiger Woods
8.45 Stewart Cink, Jim Furyk, Matt Kuchar, Jeff Overton
9.00 Rickie Fowler, Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Bubba Watson
Wednesday
European Team
10.30 Graeme McDOWELl, Rory McILROY, Martin KAYMER, Luke DONALD
10.45 Peter HANSON,Padraig HARRINGTON, Ross FISHER, Lee WESTWOOD
11.00 Edoardo MOLINARI, Francesco MOLINARI, Ian POULTER, Miguel Angel JIMÉNEZ
USA Team
Approx 8.45 Phil MICKELSON, Jeff OVERTON, Bubba WATSON, Dustin JOHNSON
Approx 9.00 Tiger WOODS, Rickie FOWLER, Jim FURYK, Steve STRICKER
Approx 9.15 Matt KUCHAR, Zach JOHNSON, Hunter MAHAN, Stewart CINK
I can report that McIlroy and McDowell played the Molinari's on Tuesday for 50,50 and 50 pounds and scooped the cash, McIlroy reporting that birdie was needed on 14 straight holes to win so the standard of play was high.
Here is a look at a 2 key players
As always when I am predicting who should do well when it comes to golf, I look at who is in form, how they play the course, or as in the Americans case this year since none of them have any tournament play on this 2010 course, how their games should match up with the course, their past records, their current state of mind and the weather..
From the pairings so far Monty has McIlroy and McDowell and the Molinari's together for 2 days while Pavin has shuffled the deck with his guys. Tiger played well with Stricker at the Presidents Cup but neither are red hot right now so I expect Tiger to be re-united with his Ryder Cup partner Jim Furyk.
LUKE DONALD .. I have been watching Luke a lot this year and I picked him to win our RBC Canadian Open (3rd) He of course nearly won the whole shebang in Atlanta last week and is in form, plus he has a great Ryder Cup record and has never lost yet in foursomes. Here are his numbers this year and note he plays this course well.
1st - 2010 Madrid Masters, 2nd - 2010 Northern Trust Open (US PGA Tour), 2T - 2010 BMW PGA Championship, 3rd - 2010 The Celtic Manor Wales Open, 3rd - 2010 RBC Canadian Open (US PGA Tour), 3T - 2010 Verizon Heritage (US PGA Tour), 6T - 2010 Transitions Championship (US PGA Tour
RYDER CUP EXPERIENCE
Years played: 2004 (winners), 06 (winners)
Overall record: Played 7, Won 5, Lost 1, Halved 1: Points 5½
Singles: Played 2, Won 1, Lost 1, Halved 0
Foursomes: Played 4, Won 4, Lost 0, Halved 0
Fourballs: Played 1, Won 0, Lost 0, Halved 1
2004: Oakland Hills: USA 9½ Europe 18½
Day 1 Fourballs: Donald/McGinley (halved) with Riley/Cink
Day 1 Foursomes: Donald/Garcia beat Perry/Cink (2 and 1)
Day 2 Foursomes: Donald/Garcia beat Furyk/Funk (1 hole)
Singles: Donald lost to Campbell (5 and 3)
2006: The K Club: Europe 18½ USA 9½
Day 1 Foursomes: Donald/Garcia beat Woods/Furyk (2 holes)
Day 2 Foursomes: Donald/Garcia beat Mickelson/Toms (2 and 1)
Singles: Donald beat Campbell (2 and 1)
Neither Garcia nor McGinley are available as partners (both vice captains this year) and so far he has played with Kaymer and Fisher in practice..
Either way Luke Donald is on top of his game right now on a course he loves and he will be a key player for this Euro squad.
TIGER WOODS...Despite his inconsistent form, both on tour and in the Ryder Cup I have a feeling he is the ballast point for this team. They are away, on the road with him bonding, talking about life, wife's, kids, the big bad media, having a few pints, just being guys together on a team. They are going to rally around him and may well sink or swim with him.
RYDER CUP EXPERIENCE Years Played: 1997-99-2002-04-06
Total Matches: 24
Career Ryder Cup Record (W-L-H): 9-13-2
Singles (W-L-H): 3-1-1
Foursomes (W-L-H): 3-6-1
Fourballs (W-L-H): 3-6-0
Total Points Won: 10
Total Points Won Point %: .42
1997: Valderrama Golf Club (0-3-1)
Europe 14 ½, USA 13 ½
Day One Afternoon Foursomes: Mark O'Meara/Tiger Woods lost to Bernhard Langer/Colin Montgomerie (5/3)
Day Two Morning Four-Balls: Tiger Woods/Mark O'Meara lost to Nick Faldo/Lee Westwood (2/1)
Day Two Afternoon Foursomes: Justin Leonard/Tiger Woods halved with Jesper Parnevik/Ignacio Garrido
Day Three Singles: Tiger Woods lost to Constantino Rocca (4/2)
1999: The Country Club (2-3-0)
USA 14 ½, Europe 13 ½
Day One Morning Foursomes: Tom Lehman/Tiger Woods lost to Sergio Garcia/Jesper Parnevik (2/1)
Day One Afternoon Four-balls: David Duval/Tiger Woods lost to Darren Clarke/Lee Westwood (1-up)
Day Two Morning Foursomes: Steve Pate/Tiger Woods (1-up) def. Padraig Harrington/Miguel Angel Jiminez
Day Two Afternoon Four-balls: Steve Pate/Tiger Woods lost to Paul Lawrie/Colin Montgomerie (2/1)
Day Three Singles: Tiger Woods (3/2) def Andrew Coltart
2002: The Belfry (2-2-1)
Europe 15 ½, USA 12 ½
Day One Morning Four-balls: Tiger Woods/Paul Azinger lost to Darren Clarke/Thomas Bjorn (1-up)
Day One Afternoon Foursomes: Tiger Woods/Mark Calcavecchia lost to Sergio Garcia/Lee Westwood (2/1)
Day Two Morning Foursomes: Tiger Woods/Davis Love III (4/3) def. Darren Clarke/Thomas Bjorn
Day Two Afternoon Four-Balls: Tiger Woods/Davis Love III (1-up) def. Sergio Garcia/Lee Westwood
Day Three Singles: Tiger Woods halved with Jesper Parnevik
2004: Oakland Hill Country Club (2-3-0)
Europe 18 ½, USA 9 ½
Day One Morning Four-balls: Phil Mickelson/Tiger Woods lost to Colin Montgomerie/Padraig Harrington (2/1)
Day One Afternoon Foursomes: Phil Mickelson/Tiger Woods lost to Darren Clarke/Lee Westwood (1-up)
Day Two Morning Four-balls: Tiger Woods/Chris Riley (4/3) def. Darren Clarke/Ian Poulter
Day Two Afternoon Foursomes: Davis Love III/Tiger Woods lost to Padraig Harrington/Paul McGinley (4/3)
Day Three Singles: Tiger Woods (3/2) def. Paul Casey
2006: The K Club (3-2-0)
Europe 18 ½, USA 9 ½
Day One Morning Four-balls: Tiger Woods/Jim Furyk (1-up) def. Padraig Harrington/Colin Montgomerie
Day One Afternoon Foursomes: Tiger Woods/Jim Furyk lost to Luke Donald/Sergio Garcia (2-up)
Day Two Morning Four-balls: Tiger Woods/Jim Furyk lost to Darren Clarke/Lee Westwood (3/2)
Day Two Morning Foursomes: Jim Furyk/Tiger Woods (3/2) def. Padraig Harrington/Paul McGinley
Tiger Woods (3/2) def Robert Karlsson
Remember in the Ryder Cup the captains hand in their pairings sheets without knowledge of the other teams pairings, unlike the Presidents Cup where the captains sit down together to select their pairings.
Tiger has a chance to turn this year of his around from a golfing standpoint this week, From a personal perspective this team trip probably already has.
BryanAngus bryanangus4@gmail.com
Tuesday
European Team
8.30 Graeme McDowell, Rory McIlroy, Francesco Molinari, Edoardo Molinari
8.45 Peter Hanson, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Martin Kaymer, Lee Westwood
9.00 Luke Donald, Ross Fisher, Padraig Harrington, Ian Poulter,
USA
8.30 Zach Johnson, Hunter Mahan, Steve Stricker, Tiger Woods
8.45 Stewart Cink, Jim Furyk, Matt Kuchar, Jeff Overton
9.00 Rickie Fowler, Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Bubba Watson
Wednesday
European Team
10.30 Graeme McDOWELl, Rory McILROY, Martin KAYMER, Luke DONALD
10.45 Peter HANSON,Padraig HARRINGTON, Ross FISHER, Lee WESTWOOD
11.00 Edoardo MOLINARI, Francesco MOLINARI, Ian POULTER, Miguel Angel JIMÉNEZ
USA Team
Approx 8.45 Phil MICKELSON, Jeff OVERTON, Bubba WATSON, Dustin JOHNSON
Approx 9.00 Tiger WOODS, Rickie FOWLER, Jim FURYK, Steve STRICKER
Approx 9.15 Matt KUCHAR, Zach JOHNSON, Hunter MAHAN, Stewart CINK
I can report that McIlroy and McDowell played the Molinari's on Tuesday for 50,50 and 50 pounds and scooped the cash, McIlroy reporting that birdie was needed on 14 straight holes to win so the standard of play was high.
Here is a look at a 2 key players
As always when I am predicting who should do well when it comes to golf, I look at who is in form, how they play the course, or as in the Americans case this year since none of them have any tournament play on this 2010 course, how their games should match up with the course, their past records, their current state of mind and the weather..
From the pairings so far Monty has McIlroy and McDowell and the Molinari's together for 2 days while Pavin has shuffled the deck with his guys. Tiger played well with Stricker at the Presidents Cup but neither are red hot right now so I expect Tiger to be re-united with his Ryder Cup partner Jim Furyk.
LUKE DONALD .. I have been watching Luke a lot this year and I picked him to win our RBC Canadian Open (3rd) He of course nearly won the whole shebang in Atlanta last week and is in form, plus he has a great Ryder Cup record and has never lost yet in foursomes. Here are his numbers this year and note he plays this course well.
1st - 2010 Madrid Masters, 2nd - 2010 Northern Trust Open (US PGA Tour), 2T - 2010 BMW PGA Championship, 3rd - 2010 The Celtic Manor Wales Open, 3rd - 2010 RBC Canadian Open (US PGA Tour), 3T - 2010 Verizon Heritage (US PGA Tour), 6T - 2010 Transitions Championship (US PGA Tour
RYDER CUP EXPERIENCE
Years played: 2004 (winners), 06 (winners)
Overall record: Played 7, Won 5, Lost 1, Halved 1: Points 5½
Singles: Played 2, Won 1, Lost 1, Halved 0
Foursomes: Played 4, Won 4, Lost 0, Halved 0
Fourballs: Played 1, Won 0, Lost 0, Halved 1
2004: Oakland Hills: USA 9½ Europe 18½
Day 1 Fourballs: Donald/McGinley (halved) with Riley/Cink
Day 1 Foursomes: Donald/Garcia beat Perry/Cink (2 and 1)
Day 2 Foursomes: Donald/Garcia beat Furyk/Funk (1 hole)
Singles: Donald lost to Campbell (5 and 3)
2006: The K Club: Europe 18½ USA 9½
Day 1 Foursomes: Donald/Garcia beat Woods/Furyk (2 holes)
Day 2 Foursomes: Donald/Garcia beat Mickelson/Toms (2 and 1)
Singles: Donald beat Campbell (2 and 1)
Neither Garcia nor McGinley are available as partners (both vice captains this year) and so far he has played with Kaymer and Fisher in practice..
Either way Luke Donald is on top of his game right now on a course he loves and he will be a key player for this Euro squad.
TIGER WOODS...Despite his inconsistent form, both on tour and in the Ryder Cup I have a feeling he is the ballast point for this team. They are away, on the road with him bonding, talking about life, wife's, kids, the big bad media, having a few pints, just being guys together on a team. They are going to rally around him and may well sink or swim with him.
RYDER CUP EXPERIENCE Years Played: 1997-99-2002-04-06
Total Matches: 24
Career Ryder Cup Record (W-L-H): 9-13-2
Singles (W-L-H): 3-1-1
Foursomes (W-L-H): 3-6-1
Fourballs (W-L-H): 3-6-0
Total Points Won: 10
Total Points Won Point %: .42
1997: Valderrama Golf Club (0-3-1)
Europe 14 ½, USA 13 ½
Day One Afternoon Foursomes: Mark O'Meara/Tiger Woods lost to Bernhard Langer/Colin Montgomerie (5/3)
Day Two Morning Four-Balls: Tiger Woods/Mark O'Meara lost to Nick Faldo/Lee Westwood (2/1)
Day Two Afternoon Foursomes: Justin Leonard/Tiger Woods halved with Jesper Parnevik/Ignacio Garrido
Day Three Singles: Tiger Woods lost to Constantino Rocca (4/2)
1999: The Country Club (2-3-0)
USA 14 ½, Europe 13 ½
Day One Morning Foursomes: Tom Lehman/Tiger Woods lost to Sergio Garcia/Jesper Parnevik (2/1)
Day One Afternoon Four-balls: David Duval/Tiger Woods lost to Darren Clarke/Lee Westwood (1-up)
Day Two Morning Foursomes: Steve Pate/Tiger Woods (1-up) def. Padraig Harrington/Miguel Angel Jiminez
Day Two Afternoon Four-balls: Steve Pate/Tiger Woods lost to Paul Lawrie/Colin Montgomerie (2/1)
Day Three Singles: Tiger Woods (3/2) def Andrew Coltart
2002: The Belfry (2-2-1)
Europe 15 ½, USA 12 ½
Day One Morning Four-balls: Tiger Woods/Paul Azinger lost to Darren Clarke/Thomas Bjorn (1-up)
Day One Afternoon Foursomes: Tiger Woods/Mark Calcavecchia lost to Sergio Garcia/Lee Westwood (2/1)
Day Two Morning Foursomes: Tiger Woods/Davis Love III (4/3) def. Darren Clarke/Thomas Bjorn
Day Two Afternoon Four-Balls: Tiger Woods/Davis Love III (1-up) def. Sergio Garcia/Lee Westwood
Day Three Singles: Tiger Woods halved with Jesper Parnevik
2004: Oakland Hill Country Club (2-3-0)
Europe 18 ½, USA 9 ½
Day One Morning Four-balls: Phil Mickelson/Tiger Woods lost to Colin Montgomerie/Padraig Harrington (2/1)
Day One Afternoon Foursomes: Phil Mickelson/Tiger Woods lost to Darren Clarke/Lee Westwood (1-up)
Day Two Morning Four-balls: Tiger Woods/Chris Riley (4/3) def. Darren Clarke/Ian Poulter
Day Two Afternoon Foursomes: Davis Love III/Tiger Woods lost to Padraig Harrington/Paul McGinley (4/3)
Day Three Singles: Tiger Woods (3/2) def. Paul Casey
2006: The K Club (3-2-0)
Europe 18 ½, USA 9 ½
Day One Morning Four-balls: Tiger Woods/Jim Furyk (1-up) def. Padraig Harrington/Colin Montgomerie
Day One Afternoon Foursomes: Tiger Woods/Jim Furyk lost to Luke Donald/Sergio Garcia (2-up)
Day Two Morning Four-balls: Tiger Woods/Jim Furyk lost to Darren Clarke/Lee Westwood (3/2)
Day Two Morning Foursomes: Jim Furyk/Tiger Woods (3/2) def. Padraig Harrington/Paul McGinley
Tiger Woods (3/2) def Robert Karlsson
Remember in the Ryder Cup the captains hand in their pairings sheets without knowledge of the other teams pairings, unlike the Presidents Cup where the captains sit down together to select their pairings.
Tiger has a chance to turn this year of his around from a golfing standpoint this week, From a personal perspective this team trip probably already has.
BryanAngus bryanangus4@gmail.com
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. ????!!
Get used to it. Wales is a beautiful, green mountainous country with a whole whack of names that even we Scots who speak the Gaelic can't pronounce... This one is apparently the name of a Railway stop !! As in "..Next stop Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch "
Here are some of the dishes that the teams will be eating ( or at least offered ) during this Ryder Cup.
Some traditional Welsh food...
Welsh Cawl Traditionally it is a straightforward lamb (or beef) and vegetable stew.
Laverbread Laverbread is made from laver, an edible seaweed found along the coast of Wales
A hearty Welsh breakfast ?? A Welsh breakfast comprises grilled Welsh bacon, locally produced pork sausages, black pudding, eggs (may be poached, scrambled or fried), laverbread, grilled tomatoes, mushrooms (fried in butter) and baked beans. In some areas cockles may be on the menu too.
Bara Brith Bara Brith is a glorious cake-like fruited bread. Its name translates to 'speckled bread'.
Welsh Rarebit one of the most famous dishes.. It's really fortified cheese and toast.. Here's how you make it...1. Thinly slice or grate the cheese.
2. Put the butter and flour in a small saucepan and cook for a few minutes.
3. Add the ale, seasoning and cheese.
4. Cook over a low heat until the cheese has melted. Do not allow to get too hot.
4. Pour over the toast and put under the grill for a minute. Dust with cayenne or sprinkle with Worcestershire sauce and eat at once.
Roast Welsh lamb with gin and cranberry, accompanied by stuffed, baked onions
Clarkies 'Clarks Pies', also colloquially nicknamed "Clarkies" or "Clarksies" are well known meat pies in South Wales and the West of England.
Welsh Ale there are many breweries, all producing fine ale and lagers. Perhaps the most famous is.. S.A. Brains Brains is Wales' most famous drink. Like Guinness in Ireland, it's become the toast of a nation
There are fish pies, potato pies, all kinds of soup many using leeks..
Still knowing Americans as we do, I'll bet they have already been asking where the local Denny's is !!
Next I am going to look at who I think some of the key players on either team are.
Bryan Angus
Here are some of the dishes that the teams will be eating ( or at least offered ) during this Ryder Cup.
Some traditional Welsh food...
Welsh Cawl Traditionally it is a straightforward lamb (or beef) and vegetable stew.
Laverbread Laverbread is made from laver, an edible seaweed found along the coast of Wales
A hearty Welsh breakfast ?? A Welsh breakfast comprises grilled Welsh bacon, locally produced pork sausages, black pudding, eggs (may be poached, scrambled or fried), laverbread, grilled tomatoes, mushrooms (fried in butter) and baked beans. In some areas cockles may be on the menu too.
Bara Brith Bara Brith is a glorious cake-like fruited bread. Its name translates to 'speckled bread'.
Welsh Rarebit one of the most famous dishes.. It's really fortified cheese and toast.. Here's how you make it...1. Thinly slice or grate the cheese.
2. Put the butter and flour in a small saucepan and cook for a few minutes.
3. Add the ale, seasoning and cheese.
4. Cook over a low heat until the cheese has melted. Do not allow to get too hot.
4. Pour over the toast and put under the grill for a minute. Dust with cayenne or sprinkle with Worcestershire sauce and eat at once.
Roast Welsh lamb with gin and cranberry, accompanied by stuffed, baked onions
Clarkies 'Clarks Pies', also colloquially nicknamed "Clarkies" or "Clarksies" are well known meat pies in South Wales and the West of England.
Welsh Ale there are many breweries, all producing fine ale and lagers. Perhaps the most famous is.. S.A. Brains Brains is Wales' most famous drink. Like Guinness in Ireland, it's become the toast of a nation
There are fish pies, potato pies, all kinds of soup many using leeks..
Still knowing Americans as we do, I'll bet they have already been asking where the local Denny's is !!
Next I am going to look at who I think some of the key players on either team are.
Bryan Angus
Monday, September 27, 2010
Renton Laidlaw's all time Euro team
For us Brit's Renton Laidlaw was never the voice of golf for the BBC... Henry Longhurst was for years and Peter Alliss has taken over. He is so brilliantly under stated and paints such a nice picture with his words..
Here is an example.. Steve Sands from the Golf Channel Tiger has this putt from 12 feet 3 inches and his percentage of make in this situation is 83... It breaks 7 inches from right to left...
Peter Alliss... So here's Tiger from just over 12 feet, and this putt breaks a lot from the right towards the river Taffe which meanders sedately throughout this magnificent piece of property.It's a putt he makes comfortably more often than not, and my money says he will again..
But Renton worked for the opposition ITV for years and is now the voice of the Euro tour on the Golf Channel and Sky Sports.. He is a Scottish institution, and there is no more an authority on the game of golf.
Here is his marvellous analogy of the All-Time European team just for your enjoyment..
In the 15 Ryder Cup contests played since 1979, when the event first embraced golfers from Continental Europe and not just Great Britain and Ireland, 65 players have been involved.
England has provided 21 players, Spain and Scotland nine, Sweden eight, Ireland six, Northern Ireland four, two each from Denmark, Wales and France and one representative each from Germany and Italy.
It gives me plenty to choose from as I set about selecting my greatest European Ryder Cup Team of all time.
Those players who in the past 31 years have collected the most points in the fourballs, foursomes and singles – 420 matches in all – come high on the list but before I delve into that I want to look at some other interesting facts surrounding golf’s greatest team contest.
If the Americans held sway in the years following the inauguration of the match in 1927 – they lost only three of the 22 matches prior to 1979 - the inclusion of players from Continental Europe transformed the contest.
Since 1979, Europe has produced as many amazing and unforgettable moments of sheer golfing brilliance as the Americans have, and the two Teams head to The Celtic Manor Resort with seven wins each from those 15 contests – the 1989 match resulting in a tie – although Europe has an overall points advantage, leading the Americans by 212½ - 207½.
Of course, choosing an all time great European Team is very subjective. This is my choice but I appreciate it might not be yours.
Some players are automatic selections and simply cannot be left out. So let us start with five who fall into that category: Severiano Ballesteros, Bernhard Langer, Sir Nick Faldo, José Maria Olazábal and Colin Montgomerie.
These five have remarkable Ryder Cup records. Ballesteros, especially when partnering fellow Spaniard Olazábal, was always an inspiration. He played in 1979 but failed to make the Team in 1981.
He returned in 1983 and thereafter collected 21½ points from 32 games, winning 11 times out of 15 in partnership with Olazábal and only losing twice. That was not all. In 1983, when Europe came within a point of winning for the first time on American soil at PGA National, he selflessly took a young Paul Way under his wing, won 2 ½ points out of four in foursomes and fourballs and inspired the youngster so much that Way beat Curtis Strange 2 and 1 in the singles.
That was the year Ballesteros played one of the greatest shots ever seen when he took a three wood from a deep fairway bunker at the last and somehow managed to get the ball on the green and earn a half point against Fuzzy Zoeller. The shot could have won the contest for Europe but Lanny Wadkins later played a superb approach to the last to gain a vital half-point for the Americans.
German maestro Langer has long been known for his clinical approach and never more so than in The Ryder Cup. He was a brilliant Captain in 2004 but that was no surprise. As a player he had been one of the truly strong men of the side whose potential moment of glory at Kiawah Island in 1991 was cruelly snatched away when his putt for victory was deflected away from the hole by a spike mark, giving a very relieved and exhausted Hale Irwin the half point the Americans needed to hang on to the famous gold trophy. Langer, being the man he is, handled his disappointment with typical graciousness and courage.
Langer is the ultimate team man, a real Cup all-rounder. In 42 games he won 24 points – 18½ of them in foursomes and fourballs in which he played with no fewer than 12 different partners. In singles he lost only three out of ten, underlining how reliable his contribution was.
Sir Nick Faldo, top scorer with 25 points from 46 games, is another Ryder Cup great. He and Ian Woosnam were a devastating duo while in singles, Faldo had impressive victories over Tom Watson, Raymond Floyd, Lee Elder, Paul Azinger, Johnnie Miller and Jay Haas.
Olazábal whose career has been dogged by injury and illness, is an automatic choice not just because of his partnership with Ballesteros but because he is one of the great characters in world golf. From 31 games he collected 20½ points.
If Seve was an inspiration in the 1980s, that role was taken over by Montgomerie in the two decades which followed and nobody matches his singles record of played eight, won six and halved two.
The Ryder Cup inspires Montgomerie just as he will look to inspire his Team as Captain at Celtic Manor in October. He won seven points out of 14 fourball games with six different partners and 9½ out of 14 in foursomes with the same number of partners.
Moving on from the initial five, I now nominate four more Ryder Cup greats who would grace any line-up, starting with a man I have already mentioned – Ian Woosnam. The Welshman would certainly make the side because of his indefatigable spirit and his partnership with Faldo. There would be spots in the Team, too, for three other golfers with impressive records – Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia and Darren Clarke.
Westwood, whose value to the Team is unquestionable, has earned 16 ½ points from his 29 matches and is the natural on-course general to follow the role played in the past by Ballesteros and Montgomerie.
Garcia’s flair and enthusiasm is as important off the course as it is on it, where he has teamed up well with Jesper Parnevik, Westwood and Olazábal.
The man known as El Niño has as much commitment to the cause as Ireland’s Clarke, who missed out on a place in 2008 at Valhalla but who has earned 11½ points from his 20 games nevertheless, most notably the three he made in emotional circumstances at The K Club in 2006.
With his friend Westwood by his side, Clarke, whose wife Heather had passed away a few months earlier, won two fourball matches and then took care of Zach Johnson, the former Masters Champion, in a highly charged singles. It was a truly massive achievement in the circumstances.
Padraig Harrington, winner of two Open Championship titles and the US PGA Championship, has undoubted calibre and would also make my Team. He has won two of his seven fourballs – both with Montgomerie – and has halved three and won two in foursomes.
That makes ten and now it becomes much more difficult. I understand how tough it must be each time for any Captain to choose his final picks but in this case the task is more difficult because I have over 50 players available for the final two places!
High on my list to fill those spots is Bernard Gallacher, a Ryder Cup stalwart, and Peter Oosterhuis. Jesper Parnevik also deserves to be considered as does Luke Donald, who may have missed out last time but in his two matches has won 5½ points from seven.
Dare I leave out Sandy Lyle, a double Major winner who played in five Ryder Cups? Then there are the host of golfers whose contribution in Ryder Cups at one time or another has been crucial: Christy O’Connor Jnr, for instance, with his famous two iron second shot at the last which helped him end the challenge posed by Fred Couples in the drawn match at The Belfry in 1989.
Irish players have played significant roles in matches when the overall result is on a knife-edge. Remember Eamonn Darcy keeping his nerve by holing a lightning fast downhill seven foot left to righter on the last to beat Ben Crenshaw at Muirfield Village when Europe scored their first win on American soil in 1987? Or Philip Walton’s one hole triumph over Jay Haas when Europe won by a point at Oak Hill in 1995? And do not forget gutsy Paul McGinley rolling in the winning putt against Jim Furyk in the Sam Torrance-inspired 2002 victory?
Then there is Manuel Piñero, who won four points out of five overall – three of them with Ballesteros – in 1985 and when given the task of leading the side in the singles, responded brilliantly with an inspired victory over Lanny Wadkins
.Others worthy of consideration are Costantino Rocca, who scored an important 4 and 2 victory over Tiger Woods in the Valderrama triumph; Peter Baker, anxious all week about the health of his young daughter who had been hospitalised, who somehow dug deep to beat Corey Pavin in 1993; and Welshman Phillip Price, under the most extreme pressure, who played some of the best golf of his career to beat Phil Mickelson in 2002.
Miguel Angel Jiménez also deserves consideration, but ultimately I am going to go with the two men who were Captain Nick Faldo’s picks the last time – Paul Casey and Ian Poulter.
Poulter rewarded Faldo for his confidence in him with an impressive performance at Valhalla in 2008 where he finished top points scorer of the 24 men in action, while Casey, with five points from his nine games so far is a dogged competitor whose claims are hard to ignore.
So there you have my Team: Ballesteros, Langer, Olazábal, Faldo, Montgomerie, Woosnam, Garcia, Clarke, Westwood, Harrington, Casey and Poulter.
I know I could select a different dozen who would give my chosen 12 a jolly good game – and I’m sure you could too.
Do you have an All time US team ??
Bryan Angus
Here is an example.. Steve Sands from the Golf Channel Tiger has this putt from 12 feet 3 inches and his percentage of make in this situation is 83... It breaks 7 inches from right to left...
Peter Alliss... So here's Tiger from just over 12 feet, and this putt breaks a lot from the right towards the river Taffe which meanders sedately throughout this magnificent piece of property.It's a putt he makes comfortably more often than not, and my money says he will again..
But Renton worked for the opposition ITV for years and is now the voice of the Euro tour on the Golf Channel and Sky Sports.. He is a Scottish institution, and there is no more an authority on the game of golf.
Here is his marvellous analogy of the All-Time European team just for your enjoyment..
In the 15 Ryder Cup contests played since 1979, when the event first embraced golfers from Continental Europe and not just Great Britain and Ireland, 65 players have been involved.
England has provided 21 players, Spain and Scotland nine, Sweden eight, Ireland six, Northern Ireland four, two each from Denmark, Wales and France and one representative each from Germany and Italy.
It gives me plenty to choose from as I set about selecting my greatest European Ryder Cup Team of all time.
Those players who in the past 31 years have collected the most points in the fourballs, foursomes and singles – 420 matches in all – come high on the list but before I delve into that I want to look at some other interesting facts surrounding golf’s greatest team contest.
If the Americans held sway in the years following the inauguration of the match in 1927 – they lost only three of the 22 matches prior to 1979 - the inclusion of players from Continental Europe transformed the contest.
Since 1979, Europe has produced as many amazing and unforgettable moments of sheer golfing brilliance as the Americans have, and the two Teams head to The Celtic Manor Resort with seven wins each from those 15 contests – the 1989 match resulting in a tie – although Europe has an overall points advantage, leading the Americans by 212½ - 207½.
Of course, choosing an all time great European Team is very subjective. This is my choice but I appreciate it might not be yours.
Some players are automatic selections and simply cannot be left out. So let us start with five who fall into that category: Severiano Ballesteros, Bernhard Langer, Sir Nick Faldo, José Maria Olazábal and Colin Montgomerie.
These five have remarkable Ryder Cup records. Ballesteros, especially when partnering fellow Spaniard Olazábal, was always an inspiration. He played in 1979 but failed to make the Team in 1981.
He returned in 1983 and thereafter collected 21½ points from 32 games, winning 11 times out of 15 in partnership with Olazábal and only losing twice. That was not all. In 1983, when Europe came within a point of winning for the first time on American soil at PGA National, he selflessly took a young Paul Way under his wing, won 2 ½ points out of four in foursomes and fourballs and inspired the youngster so much that Way beat Curtis Strange 2 and 1 in the singles.
That was the year Ballesteros played one of the greatest shots ever seen when he took a three wood from a deep fairway bunker at the last and somehow managed to get the ball on the green and earn a half point against Fuzzy Zoeller. The shot could have won the contest for Europe but Lanny Wadkins later played a superb approach to the last to gain a vital half-point for the Americans.
German maestro Langer has long been known for his clinical approach and never more so than in The Ryder Cup. He was a brilliant Captain in 2004 but that was no surprise. As a player he had been one of the truly strong men of the side whose potential moment of glory at Kiawah Island in 1991 was cruelly snatched away when his putt for victory was deflected away from the hole by a spike mark, giving a very relieved and exhausted Hale Irwin the half point the Americans needed to hang on to the famous gold trophy. Langer, being the man he is, handled his disappointment with typical graciousness and courage.
Langer is the ultimate team man, a real Cup all-rounder. In 42 games he won 24 points – 18½ of them in foursomes and fourballs in which he played with no fewer than 12 different partners. In singles he lost only three out of ten, underlining how reliable his contribution was.
Sir Nick Faldo, top scorer with 25 points from 46 games, is another Ryder Cup great. He and Ian Woosnam were a devastating duo while in singles, Faldo had impressive victories over Tom Watson, Raymond Floyd, Lee Elder, Paul Azinger, Johnnie Miller and Jay Haas.
Olazábal whose career has been dogged by injury and illness, is an automatic choice not just because of his partnership with Ballesteros but because he is one of the great characters in world golf. From 31 games he collected 20½ points.
If Seve was an inspiration in the 1980s, that role was taken over by Montgomerie in the two decades which followed and nobody matches his singles record of played eight, won six and halved two.
The Ryder Cup inspires Montgomerie just as he will look to inspire his Team as Captain at Celtic Manor in October. He won seven points out of 14 fourball games with six different partners and 9½ out of 14 in foursomes with the same number of partners.
Moving on from the initial five, I now nominate four more Ryder Cup greats who would grace any line-up, starting with a man I have already mentioned – Ian Woosnam. The Welshman would certainly make the side because of his indefatigable spirit and his partnership with Faldo. There would be spots in the Team, too, for three other golfers with impressive records – Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia and Darren Clarke.
Westwood, whose value to the Team is unquestionable, has earned 16 ½ points from his 29 matches and is the natural on-course general to follow the role played in the past by Ballesteros and Montgomerie.
Garcia’s flair and enthusiasm is as important off the course as it is on it, where he has teamed up well with Jesper Parnevik, Westwood and Olazábal.
The man known as El Niño has as much commitment to the cause as Ireland’s Clarke, who missed out on a place in 2008 at Valhalla but who has earned 11½ points from his 20 games nevertheless, most notably the three he made in emotional circumstances at The K Club in 2006.
With his friend Westwood by his side, Clarke, whose wife Heather had passed away a few months earlier, won two fourball matches and then took care of Zach Johnson, the former Masters Champion, in a highly charged singles. It was a truly massive achievement in the circumstances.
Padraig Harrington, winner of two Open Championship titles and the US PGA Championship, has undoubted calibre and would also make my Team. He has won two of his seven fourballs – both with Montgomerie – and has halved three and won two in foursomes.
That makes ten and now it becomes much more difficult. I understand how tough it must be each time for any Captain to choose his final picks but in this case the task is more difficult because I have over 50 players available for the final two places!
High on my list to fill those spots is Bernard Gallacher, a Ryder Cup stalwart, and Peter Oosterhuis. Jesper Parnevik also deserves to be considered as does Luke Donald, who may have missed out last time but in his two matches has won 5½ points from seven.
Dare I leave out Sandy Lyle, a double Major winner who played in five Ryder Cups? Then there are the host of golfers whose contribution in Ryder Cups at one time or another has been crucial: Christy O’Connor Jnr, for instance, with his famous two iron second shot at the last which helped him end the challenge posed by Fred Couples in the drawn match at The Belfry in 1989.
Irish players have played significant roles in matches when the overall result is on a knife-edge. Remember Eamonn Darcy keeping his nerve by holing a lightning fast downhill seven foot left to righter on the last to beat Ben Crenshaw at Muirfield Village when Europe scored their first win on American soil in 1987? Or Philip Walton’s one hole triumph over Jay Haas when Europe won by a point at Oak Hill in 1995? And do not forget gutsy Paul McGinley rolling in the winning putt against Jim Furyk in the Sam Torrance-inspired 2002 victory?
Then there is Manuel Piñero, who won four points out of five overall – three of them with Ballesteros – in 1985 and when given the task of leading the side in the singles, responded brilliantly with an inspired victory over Lanny Wadkins
.Others worthy of consideration are Costantino Rocca, who scored an important 4 and 2 victory over Tiger Woods in the Valderrama triumph; Peter Baker, anxious all week about the health of his young daughter who had been hospitalised, who somehow dug deep to beat Corey Pavin in 1993; and Welshman Phillip Price, under the most extreme pressure, who played some of the best golf of his career to beat Phil Mickelson in 2002.
Miguel Angel Jiménez also deserves consideration, but ultimately I am going to go with the two men who were Captain Nick Faldo’s picks the last time – Paul Casey and Ian Poulter.
Poulter rewarded Faldo for his confidence in him with an impressive performance at Valhalla in 2008 where he finished top points scorer of the 24 men in action, while Casey, with five points from his nine games so far is a dogged competitor whose claims are hard to ignore.
So there you have my Team: Ballesteros, Langer, Olazábal, Faldo, Montgomerie, Woosnam, Garcia, Clarke, Westwood, Harrington, Casey and Poulter.
I know I could select a different dozen who would give my chosen 12 a jolly good game – and I’m sure you could too.
Do you have an All time US team ??
Bryan Angus
Teams have arrived in Cardiff.. Ryder Cup schedule
The US team has arrived to some pomp and ceremony at Cardiff airport and at 7.45am ( 2.45am here in Toronto) on Friday, the first fourball matches will begin. I will be writing everyday with all the latest news and of course my opinions, so please join me for what has become the most exciting 3 days in golf.
Here is the schedule of interviews and events. Look for the pairings for Friday's play to be announced at around 1030am our time on Thursday, but I should have all that figured out well before then !!!
Monday, September 27 ( all times local.. est is 5 hours ahead)
11.00 US Charter Arrives
11.45 Colin Montgomerie/Corey Pavin - Interview in Cardiff Airport together
16.00 Colin Montgomerie/Corey Pavin - Media Centre Conference together
Tuesday, September 28
8.30 USA Team Photos
8.30-9.30 Europe On Course (11TH Tee)
8.30-9.30 USA On Course (1st Tee)
12.00 Colin Montgomerie - Media Centre Conference
13.00 Corey Pavin - Media Centre Conference
14.30-15.30 Luke Donald; Edoardo Molinari; Graeme McDowell
15.30-16.30 Rory McIlroy; Francesco Molinari; Ian Poulter
16.30-17.30 Jim Furyk; Tiger Woods; Dustin Johnson
17-30-18.30 Hunter Mahan; Stewart Cink; Steve Stricker
Wednesday, September 29
7.30-8.30 Zach Johnson; Rickie Fowler; Matt Kuchar
8.00 Europe Team Photos
8.30-9.30 Europe On Course (1st Tee)
8.30-9.30 USA On Course (11th Tee)
11.30 Corey Pavin - Media Centre Conference
12.00 Colin Montgomerie - Media Centre Interview
13.30-14.30 Bubba Watson; Phil Mickelson; Jeff Overton
14.30-15.30 Ross Fisher; Padraig Harrington; Martin Kaymer
15.30-16.30 Peter Hanson; Miguel Angel Jiménez; Lee Westwood
Thursday, September 30
8.00-9.30 Europe (11th Tee)/USA (1st Tee) On Course
15.30-16.45 Opening Ceremony (Morning Pairings Announced)
17.05 Corey Pavin - Media Centre Interview
17.35 Colin Montgomerie - Media Centre Interview
Friday, October 1
07:45: Fourball Matches start (at 15 minute intervals)
07:45, 08:00, 08:15, 08:30
13:15: Foursome Matches start (15 minutes intervals)
13:15, 13:30, 13:45, 14:00
Saturday, October 2
07:45: Fourball Matches start (at 15 minute intervals)
07:45, 08:00, 08:15, 08:30
13:15: Foursome Matches start (15 minutes intervals)
13:15, 13:30, 13:45, 14:00
Sunday, October 3
11:35: Singles Matches start (at 12 minute intervals)
11:35, 11:47, 11:59, 12:11, 12:23, 12:35
12:47, 12:59, 13:11, 13:23, 13:35, 13:47
17:30: (approx) Closing Ceremony
BryanAngus bryanangus4@gmail.com
Here is the schedule of interviews and events. Look for the pairings for Friday's play to be announced at around 1030am our time on Thursday, but I should have all that figured out well before then !!!
Monday, September 27 ( all times local.. est is 5 hours ahead)
11.00 US Charter Arrives
11.45 Colin Montgomerie/Corey Pavin - Interview in Cardiff Airport together
16.00 Colin Montgomerie/Corey Pavin - Media Centre Conference together
Tuesday, September 28
8.30 USA Team Photos
8.30-9.30 Europe On Course (11TH Tee)
8.30-9.30 USA On Course (1st Tee)
12.00 Colin Montgomerie - Media Centre Conference
13.00 Corey Pavin - Media Centre Conference
14.30-15.30 Luke Donald; Edoardo Molinari; Graeme McDowell
15.30-16.30 Rory McIlroy; Francesco Molinari; Ian Poulter
16.30-17.30 Jim Furyk; Tiger Woods; Dustin Johnson
17-30-18.30 Hunter Mahan; Stewart Cink; Steve Stricker
Wednesday, September 29
7.30-8.30 Zach Johnson; Rickie Fowler; Matt Kuchar
8.00 Europe Team Photos
8.30-9.30 Europe On Course (1st Tee)
8.30-9.30 USA On Course (11th Tee)
11.30 Corey Pavin - Media Centre Conference
12.00 Colin Montgomerie - Media Centre Interview
13.30-14.30 Bubba Watson; Phil Mickelson; Jeff Overton
14.30-15.30 Ross Fisher; Padraig Harrington; Martin Kaymer
15.30-16.30 Peter Hanson; Miguel Angel Jiménez; Lee Westwood
Thursday, September 30
8.00-9.30 Europe (11th Tee)/USA (1st Tee) On Course
15.30-16.45 Opening Ceremony (Morning Pairings Announced)
17.05 Corey Pavin - Media Centre Interview
17.35 Colin Montgomerie - Media Centre Interview
Friday, October 1
07:45: Fourball Matches start (at 15 minute intervals)
07:45, 08:00, 08:15, 08:30
13:15: Foursome Matches start (15 minutes intervals)
13:15, 13:30, 13:45, 14:00
Saturday, October 2
07:45: Fourball Matches start (at 15 minute intervals)
07:45, 08:00, 08:15, 08:30
13:15: Foursome Matches start (15 minutes intervals)
13:15, 13:30, 13:45, 14:00
Sunday, October 3
11:35: Singles Matches start (at 12 minute intervals)
11:35, 11:47, 11:59, 12:11, 12:23, 12:35
12:47, 12:59, 13:11, 13:23, 13:35, 13:47
17:30: (approx) Closing Ceremony
BryanAngus bryanangus4@gmail.com
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Furyk wins it all !!
The ultimate grinder Jim Furyk has just won the Tour Championship and the Fed Ex Cup and the 10m that goes with it !!!
He came into the playoffs 3rd and has won twice this year already. He was 11th coming into this week and he bought his winning putter for $39.00 in Boston, the only heel shafted putter without a line on it he found.
He leaves for Cardiff tonight and will likely be paired with Tiger come Friday morning at the Ryder Cup..
Don't ask me where all the others finished, but all that matters is that Furyk scooped it all and know we move on to Wales
More to follow
Bryan Angus
He came into the playoffs 3rd and has won twice this year already. He was 11th coming into this week and he bought his winning putter for $39.00 in Boston, the only heel shafted putter without a line on it he found.
He leaves for Cardiff tonight and will likely be paired with Tiger come Friday morning at the Ryder Cup..
Don't ask me where all the others finished, but all that matters is that Furyk scooped it all and know we move on to Wales
More to follow
Bryan Angus
Fed Ex final round needs a capologist.. or a crystal ball !!
What I can tell you is that going into today's final round...I have no idea who will win this tournament never mind the Fed Ex Cup and the $10m..
Here's how they stand.. (big 5 in bold)
Jim Furyk 67,65,70 202 -8
R Goosen 71,66,66 203 -7
L Donald 66,66,71 203, -7
G Ogilvy 66,67,72, 205 -5
P Casey 66,71,69 206 -4
K Na 69,68,69 206 -4
C Hoffman 71,67,69 207 -3
N Watney 71,74,63 208 -2
P Mickelson 69,72,68 209 -1
S Stricker 74,68,68 210 E
M Kuchar 72,70,72 214 +4
D Johnson 73,71,73, 217 +7
E Els 71,71,71 213 +3
So to win the Fed Ex Cup.... Furyk needs to win but needs help from the big 5. Luke Donald will win it all if he wins the tourney..Retief Goosen can win but needs Paul Casey to wear shorts.. Geoff Ogilvy can win but needs Kevin Na to sing Na Na Na Na, Hey Hey Hey Goodbye....Charlie Hoffman can win but needs the gallery to all wear blond wigs... Get my drift..
At least this year we will just have to wait and see, unlike the year Vijay just had to show up for this event. Nick Watney gave hope to players further down the field with his 63 yesterday.
Bad weather is forecast to hit Atlanta at around 3 this afternoon so tee times are moved up with Furyk and Goosen just off at 1120am.
CHAMPIONS TOUR
Nice story happening today at the SAS down in Cary NC with Russ Cochrane 64,67 131 -13 taking a 4 shot lead into the final round.
He won 2 weeks ago in Korea,and it was his first win on the Champions Tour and his first win period in 19 years.. Ted Schulz 67,68, 135, John Cook 72,64 136 and Nick Price 67,69 136,and Tom Pernice 65,71 136 are all chasing him..
Bryan Angus bryanangus4@gmail.com
Here's how they stand.. (big 5 in bold)
Jim Furyk 67,65,70 202 -8
R Goosen 71,66,66 203 -7
L Donald 66,66,71 203, -7
G Ogilvy 66,67,72, 205 -5
P Casey 66,71,69 206 -4
K Na 69,68,69 206 -4
C Hoffman 71,67,69 207 -3
N Watney 71,74,63 208 -2
P Mickelson 69,72,68 209 -1
S Stricker 74,68,68 210 E
M Kuchar 72,70,72 214 +4
D Johnson 73,71,73, 217 +7
E Els 71,71,71 213 +3
So to win the Fed Ex Cup.... Furyk needs to win but needs help from the big 5. Luke Donald will win it all if he wins the tourney..Retief Goosen can win but needs Paul Casey to wear shorts.. Geoff Ogilvy can win but needs Kevin Na to sing Na Na Na Na, Hey Hey Hey Goodbye....Charlie Hoffman can win but needs the gallery to all wear blond wigs... Get my drift..
At least this year we will just have to wait and see, unlike the year Vijay just had to show up for this event. Nick Watney gave hope to players further down the field with his 63 yesterday.
Bad weather is forecast to hit Atlanta at around 3 this afternoon so tee times are moved up with Furyk and Goosen just off at 1120am.
CHAMPIONS TOUR
Nice story happening today at the SAS down in Cary NC with Russ Cochrane 64,67 131 -13 taking a 4 shot lead into the final round.
He won 2 weeks ago in Korea,and it was his first win on the Champions Tour and his first win period in 19 years.. Ted Schulz 67,68, 135, John Cook 72,64 136 and Nick Price 67,69 136,and Tom Pernice 65,71 136 are all chasing him..
Bryan Angus bryanangus4@gmail.com
Saturday, September 25, 2010
My 'playoff' solution, Round 2 wrap..
Golf has the longest season of any sport, starting in Hawaii in January, continuing after the Tour Championship with the Fall Series and finishing in December with Q school. As if that wasn't enough, they cram in made for TV events like the PGA Grand Slam, and the Wendy's 3 Tour Challenge, Skins games, Merrill Lynch Shootout, the Target World Challenge,etc etc.
That's just the PGA Tour... The European Tour is so long they play some 2011 events in 2010. If players want they can start in South Africa move to Australia before working their way back to the middle east, before even starting in 'Europe'...
You get the point. I don't think there are any of us who follow this Fed Ex points thing all year. So why not just scrap it ?? One reason is that the PGA Tour doesn't own any of the majors and they really want a championship, and a money maker of their own, and this is it.
I would just take the top 100 money makers for one make or break weekend where the Barclay's is now in the 3rd week of August ( 18-24 this year).. Make it a 5 rounder, with 100 being cut to 50 after 36 holes, 25 after 54 and the top 12 survive after 72... They then play the final18 for all the marbles.
It would get the "championship" decided before the NFL starts, it would focus all the attention on one weekend for some drama. I would scrap this $10m bonus prize, in my opinion all it does is alienate the fans. It's like telling us all that Donald Trump has just made another $10m with his latest project ! Who cares, he is so rich it's just sickening...
Also the guys are playing a lot of golf from the Open Championship right through the PGA and on into the playoffs so they are saying no to at least one week of the playoffs anyhow. Remember the fuss we had for our Canadian Open at Angus Glen a few years ago when Davis Love didn't show up after been given a couple of mil' to re-design the north course. He was playing too many weeks in a row...
Why waste perfectly good sponsors like Barclay's, the DeutscheBank and BMW you say. Well let's not. Times have been tough for the world's economy, the States are no exception and I would examine other sponsors who would gladly be bailed out of binding agreements with the tour if help were at hand. Or how about throwing their sponsorship into the Players Championship or heaven knows, one of the majors ??
One thing I do know is the Fed Ex points race is a non event, and the playoffs don't feel like playoffs, and the Tour Championship has no edge to it... None of that is good !!
Speaking of the Tour Championship, Jimmy Furyk and Luke Donald are tied for the lead at -8.
Top 5 are in bold
Furyk 67,65 -8
Donald 66, 66 -8
Ogilvy 66,67 -7
Choi 68,68 -4
Goosen 71,66 -4
Na 69,68 -3
Casey 66,71 -3
Hoffman 71,67 -3
Day 69,69 -2
Crane, Streelman,Mahan E
Mickelson 69,72 +1
Stricker 74, 69 +2
Kuchar 72,70 +2
Els 71,71 +2
Johnson 73,71+4
Listen to Fairways at 7.25 this morning for a live preview with Gordon Simpson from Celtic Manor in Wales..
Bryan Angus bryanangus4@gmail.com
That's just the PGA Tour... The European Tour is so long they play some 2011 events in 2010. If players want they can start in South Africa move to Australia before working their way back to the middle east, before even starting in 'Europe'...
You get the point. I don't think there are any of us who follow this Fed Ex points thing all year. So why not just scrap it ?? One reason is that the PGA Tour doesn't own any of the majors and they really want a championship, and a money maker of their own, and this is it.
I would just take the top 100 money makers for one make or break weekend where the Barclay's is now in the 3rd week of August ( 18-24 this year).. Make it a 5 rounder, with 100 being cut to 50 after 36 holes, 25 after 54 and the top 12 survive after 72... They then play the final18 for all the marbles.
It would get the "championship" decided before the NFL starts, it would focus all the attention on one weekend for some drama. I would scrap this $10m bonus prize, in my opinion all it does is alienate the fans. It's like telling us all that Donald Trump has just made another $10m with his latest project ! Who cares, he is so rich it's just sickening...
Also the guys are playing a lot of golf from the Open Championship right through the PGA and on into the playoffs so they are saying no to at least one week of the playoffs anyhow. Remember the fuss we had for our Canadian Open at Angus Glen a few years ago when Davis Love didn't show up after been given a couple of mil' to re-design the north course. He was playing too many weeks in a row...
Why waste perfectly good sponsors like Barclay's, the DeutscheBank and BMW you say. Well let's not. Times have been tough for the world's economy, the States are no exception and I would examine other sponsors who would gladly be bailed out of binding agreements with the tour if help were at hand. Or how about throwing their sponsorship into the Players Championship or heaven knows, one of the majors ??
One thing I do know is the Fed Ex points race is a non event, and the playoffs don't feel like playoffs, and the Tour Championship has no edge to it... None of that is good !!
Speaking of the Tour Championship, Jimmy Furyk and Luke Donald are tied for the lead at -8.
Top 5 are in bold
Furyk 67,65 -8
Donald 66, 66 -8
Ogilvy 66,67 -7
Choi 68,68 -4
Goosen 71,66 -4
Na 69,68 -3
Casey 66,71 -3
Hoffman 71,67 -3
Day 69,69 -2
Crane, Streelman,Mahan E
Mickelson 69,72 +1
Stricker 74, 69 +2
Kuchar 72,70 +2
Els 71,71 +2
Johnson 73,71+4
Listen to Fairways at 7.25 this morning for a live preview with Gordon Simpson from Celtic Manor in Wales..
Bryan Angus bryanangus4@gmail.com
Friday, September 24, 2010
Casey the best of the big 5 on a 'dull' day in Atlanta
I don't mean dull, as in cloudy weather, I mean dull as in little drama. I agree with my colleague Bob Weeks on this.. Playoffs, the way we Canadians think of them, tense, fast paced, life or death exciting, just don't work in golf.
Does this feel like anything other than just another tournament ?
The answer is no, despite all the story lines and all that is at stake.. Anyhow much more on that later, plus what I would do to change this whole 'who cares' Fed Ex setup.
Paul Casey played the best of the big five
Casey -4, 66
Hoffman +1 71
Kuchar +2, 72
Johnson +3 73
Stricker +4 74
There is a 3 way tie for the lead all at -4, 66 Casey, Ogilvy, Donald
At -3, 67 is Jim Furyk
KJ Choi is in at -2, 68, then Mickelson, Mahan and Day all at -1, 69
My man Ernie Els +1 71 and the worst of the field were Martin Laird and Bubba Watson at +5, 75
It's 5am and I am getting ready to head to the gym, but when I get back let's talk about a possible solution to this 4 week playoff system, or if in fact we even need one
Bryan Angus
Does this feel like anything other than just another tournament ?
The answer is no, despite all the story lines and all that is at stake.. Anyhow much more on that later, plus what I would do to change this whole 'who cares' Fed Ex setup.
Paul Casey played the best of the big five
Casey -4, 66
Hoffman +1 71
Kuchar +2, 72
Johnson +3 73
Stricker +4 74
There is a 3 way tie for the lead all at -4, 66 Casey, Ogilvy, Donald
At -3, 67 is Jim Furyk
KJ Choi is in at -2, 68, then Mickelson, Mahan and Day all at -1, 69
My man Ernie Els +1 71 and the worst of the field were Martin Laird and Bubba Watson at +5, 75
It's 5am and I am getting ready to head to the gym, but when I get back let's talk about a possible solution to this 4 week playoff system, or if in fact we even need one
Bryan Angus
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Scottish government's golf initiative would be welcomed here in Canada..
Now I haven't read every paragraph of every page of Golf Canada's mission statement, and I am sure my friend Scott Simmons and his staff have forged good relationships with all levels of government here, but I am willing to bet they would welcome the initiative recently announced by the Scottish government in lieu of Gleneagles being awarded the 2014 Ryder Cup
They are committed to introducing every youngster in the country aged 9 to the game of golf by 2014 !!
All of us who care, and you know I have been on this hobbyhorse for years both on the air in this space, to get youngsters whose families can't afford it into this game we need either the private sector or the government to donate parcels of land across this country to be turned into simple 9 hole courses,with no agenda to make a profit.
A simple budget to cover staffing ( which must include 2 CPGA pros for proper instruction ), maintenance and rental equipment will be required,and the courses will be designed for youngsters, not adults,to play.
The courses will be feature simple, straight forward, fairways, void of bunkers or water, to large open greens.
The cost to play will be negligible, enough to help cover administering play, say $5.00 which will include the rental of a half set of clubs.
Youngsters will be required to attend a class which will cover the basic rules of play and etiquette before being allowed to play, and details of all of this will be provided in conjunction with Golf Canada, the local government and the local school boards..
Sound like I'm dreaming... I have been for years, but there is a ton of land in this huge country of ours that is tied up by very wealthy Canadians and by the Federal and Provincial governments and I can't really imagine there would be a public outcry for this initiative !!
This program is not for kids who's parent/parents who can afford to buy them a junior membership at a private club.. This is for the masses, the kids who would love to get a chance and who would benefit from all the values that golf teaches us..
Tip of my cap to the Scottish government. I hope I'm still alive when I hear the same thing here !!
Here are excerpts from the announcement.
More than 1,200 local school children and World Cup-winning rugby coach Andy Robinson will be at The Gleneagles Hotel next week for the 2010 Junior Ryder Cup.
The biennial event will not only showcase the cream of young golfing talent in Europe and the United States, but is a chance to celebrate the progress being made at grass roots level in Scotland as a result of the country winning the bid to host The 2014 Ryder Cup.
When it was announced that The Gleneagles Hotel would be the next home venue for golf’s greatest team competition, the Scottish Government committed to introduce every nine year old in Scotland to golf by 2014, and Clubgolf was subsequently set up to create initiatives to support development in young golfers. It will ensure The 2014 Ryder Cup leaves a lasting legacy for many years
Clubgolf have organised a festival showcasing their fun introduction to golf at the Junior Ryder Cup, with 600 children taking part each day on Monday 27 and Tuesday28 September on The Gleneagles Hotel’s Wee Course. It will be the first time the Junior Ryder Cup has welcomed such large crowds.
Through the hard work in recent years, there are now more than 10,000 Scottish children in Clubgolf coaching programmes in more than 300 clubs and facilities.
The aim is to provide opportunities and create pathways from entry to elite level and, with its partners the Scottish Golf Union, the Scottish Ladies’ Golfing Association, the Professional Golfers’ Association, sportscotland and the Golf Foundation, Clubgolf is making golf more accessible to thousands of children.
Perth and Kinross Council’s Lifelong Learning Convener, Councillor Liz Grant, said: “This is a really exciting opportunity for lots of children from around Perth and Kinross to see top junior players in action at Gleneagles. Our youngsters will also have the chance to try out clubgolf, a fun way to start playing the sport.
“I am also delighted that the Ryder Cup European Development Trust has made an extremely kind donation of £5000 worth of clubgolf equipment which will help us continue delivering sessions for pupils across the area.”
Bryan Angus bryanangus4@gmail.com
They are committed to introducing every youngster in the country aged 9 to the game of golf by 2014 !!
All of us who care, and you know I have been on this hobbyhorse for years both on the air in this space, to get youngsters whose families can't afford it into this game we need either the private sector or the government to donate parcels of land across this country to be turned into simple 9 hole courses,with no agenda to make a profit.
A simple budget to cover staffing ( which must include 2 CPGA pros for proper instruction ), maintenance and rental equipment will be required,and the courses will be designed for youngsters, not adults,to play.
The courses will be feature simple, straight forward, fairways, void of bunkers or water, to large open greens.
The cost to play will be negligible, enough to help cover administering play, say $5.00 which will include the rental of a half set of clubs.
Youngsters will be required to attend a class which will cover the basic rules of play and etiquette before being allowed to play, and details of all of this will be provided in conjunction with Golf Canada, the local government and the local school boards..
Sound like I'm dreaming... I have been for years, but there is a ton of land in this huge country of ours that is tied up by very wealthy Canadians and by the Federal and Provincial governments and I can't really imagine there would be a public outcry for this initiative !!
This program is not for kids who's parent/parents who can afford to buy them a junior membership at a private club.. This is for the masses, the kids who would love to get a chance and who would benefit from all the values that golf teaches us..
Tip of my cap to the Scottish government. I hope I'm still alive when I hear the same thing here !!
Here are excerpts from the announcement.
More than 1,200 local school children and World Cup-winning rugby coach Andy Robinson will be at The Gleneagles Hotel next week for the 2010 Junior Ryder Cup.
The biennial event will not only showcase the cream of young golfing talent in Europe and the United States, but is a chance to celebrate the progress being made at grass roots level in Scotland as a result of the country winning the bid to host The 2014 Ryder Cup.
When it was announced that The Gleneagles Hotel would be the next home venue for golf’s greatest team competition, the Scottish Government committed to introduce every nine year old in Scotland to golf by 2014, and Clubgolf was subsequently set up to create initiatives to support development in young golfers. It will ensure The 2014 Ryder Cup leaves a lasting legacy for many years
Clubgolf have organised a festival showcasing their fun introduction to golf at the Junior Ryder Cup, with 600 children taking part each day on Monday 27 and Tuesday28 September on The Gleneagles Hotel’s Wee Course. It will be the first time the Junior Ryder Cup has welcomed such large crowds.
Through the hard work in recent years, there are now more than 10,000 Scottish children in Clubgolf coaching programmes in more than 300 clubs and facilities.
The aim is to provide opportunities and create pathways from entry to elite level and, with its partners the Scottish Golf Union, the Scottish Ladies’ Golfing Association, the Professional Golfers’ Association, sportscotland and the Golf Foundation, Clubgolf is making golf more accessible to thousands of children.
Perth and Kinross Council’s Lifelong Learning Convener, Councillor Liz Grant, said: “This is a really exciting opportunity for lots of children from around Perth and Kinross to see top junior players in action at Gleneagles. Our youngsters will also have the chance to try out clubgolf, a fun way to start playing the sport.
“I am also delighted that the Ryder Cup European Development Trust has made an extremely kind donation of £5000 worth of clubgolf equipment which will help us continue delivering sessions for pupils across the area.”
Bryan Angus bryanangus4@gmail.com
All to play for in Atlanta..
A little later this morning the season finale, which really isn't the season finale ( how could you forget the Fall Series ), gets under way for the 30 remaining players in the Fed Ex playoffs. At stake, the tournament trophy and the $1.3m first prize, the Fed Ex Cup and the $10m dollar bonus that goes with it, (and for once that $10m isn't going into Tiger's jeans.), player of the year, the world #1 slot, just to mention a few.
I have listed all the Fed Ex standings and who needs to do what to win in previous articles for you suffice to say 5 guys control their own destiny, win and nobody can catch them... Kuchar, Stricker, Johnson, Casey and Hoffman.
So can Phil Mickelson defend the title he won last year and with a little help from the top 5, run the tables and scoop the world #1 spot, the Fed Ex Cup and the $10m ?? Possible but not probable, and his play during these last 3 week's of playoffs certainly have not warranted it.
What of Paul Casey, he's been in the spotlight since the Open Championship at St Andrews and can you imagine the story a week before the Ryder Cup and his non selection, if he wins and scoops the Fed Ex Cup !!
How about Georgia Tech star Matt Kuchar the points leader on a course he knows and loves in front of a partisan crowd in Atlanta. He certainly has earned it.
Dustin Johnson... what a story he has become !! Leading the US Open at Pebble going into the final round he blows up. Then he has the PGA within his grasp at Whistling Straights until the infamous "bunker" shot cost him that title. He wins 2 weeks ago and will be off to represent his country at the Ryder Cup next week, so why not just top things off with a win here !!
Ernie Els is who I am rooting for and he loves this course with several top 10's. If he wins he would get the Player of the Year award, which would be a fitting finale to a great year for the big guy to go along with his induction to the World Golf Hall of Fame. He received 66% of the vote in this his first his first ballot. He has 62 wins world wide and 3 majors, 2 US and the Open Championship. His first was in 1994 at Oakmont and he called it "the turning point" in his career.
"If you rewind the history, just to my country of South Africa, when President Mandela was elected, that was a huge year in 1994. If I look back it will be my defining moment as a young pro from South Africa winning the biggest tournament in the world, you've got to call that a defining moment. Since then it was a very comfortable ride "
Those are just a few of the story lines, in what will be a great next 2 weeks of golf.
Here are today's tee times..
11:35 am Streelman, Kevin Van Pelt, Bo
11:45 am Allenby, Robert Watney, Nick
11:55 am Villegas, Camilo Moore, Ryan
12:05 pm Choi, K.J. Overton, Jeff
12:15 pm Clark, Tim Crane, Ben
12:25 pm Johnson, Zach Na, Kevin
12:35 pm Goosen, Retief Watson, Bubba
12:45 pm Mahan, Hunter Palmer, Ryan
12:55 pm Rose, Justin Scott, Adam
1:05 pm Furyk, Jim Ogilvy, Geoff
1:15 pm Laird, Martin Mickelson, Phil
1:25 pm Donald, Luke Els, Ernie
1:35 pm Casey, Paul Day, Jason
1:45 pm Hoffman, Charley Stricker, Steve
1:55 pm Kuchar, Matt Johnson, Dustin
BryanAngus
I have listed all the Fed Ex standings and who needs to do what to win in previous articles for you suffice to say 5 guys control their own destiny, win and nobody can catch them... Kuchar, Stricker, Johnson, Casey and Hoffman.
So can Phil Mickelson defend the title he won last year and with a little help from the top 5, run the tables and scoop the world #1 spot, the Fed Ex Cup and the $10m ?? Possible but not probable, and his play during these last 3 week's of playoffs certainly have not warranted it.
What of Paul Casey, he's been in the spotlight since the Open Championship at St Andrews and can you imagine the story a week before the Ryder Cup and his non selection, if he wins and scoops the Fed Ex Cup !!
How about Georgia Tech star Matt Kuchar the points leader on a course he knows and loves in front of a partisan crowd in Atlanta. He certainly has earned it.
Dustin Johnson... what a story he has become !! Leading the US Open at Pebble going into the final round he blows up. Then he has the PGA within his grasp at Whistling Straights until the infamous "bunker" shot cost him that title. He wins 2 weeks ago and will be off to represent his country at the Ryder Cup next week, so why not just top things off with a win here !!
Ernie Els is who I am rooting for and he loves this course with several top 10's. If he wins he would get the Player of the Year award, which would be a fitting finale to a great year for the big guy to go along with his induction to the World Golf Hall of Fame. He received 66% of the vote in this his first his first ballot. He has 62 wins world wide and 3 majors, 2 US and the Open Championship. His first was in 1994 at Oakmont and he called it "the turning point" in his career.
"If you rewind the history, just to my country of South Africa, when President Mandela was elected, that was a huge year in 1994. If I look back it will be my defining moment as a young pro from South Africa winning the biggest tournament in the world, you've got to call that a defining moment. Since then it was a very comfortable ride "
Those are just a few of the story lines, in what will be a great next 2 weeks of golf.
Here are today's tee times..
11:35 am Streelman, Kevin Van Pelt, Bo
11:45 am Allenby, Robert Watney, Nick
11:55 am Villegas, Camilo Moore, Ryan
12:05 pm Choi, K.J. Overton, Jeff
12:15 pm Clark, Tim Crane, Ben
12:25 pm Johnson, Zach Na, Kevin
12:35 pm Goosen, Retief Watson, Bubba
12:45 pm Mahan, Hunter Palmer, Ryan
12:55 pm Rose, Justin Scott, Adam
1:05 pm Furyk, Jim Ogilvy, Geoff
1:15 pm Laird, Martin Mickelson, Phil
1:25 pm Donald, Luke Els, Ernie
1:35 pm Casey, Paul Day, Jason
1:45 pm Hoffman, Charley Stricker, Steve
1:55 pm Kuchar, Matt Johnson, Dustin
BryanAngus
Ryder Cup week in Wales.. way more than just golf !!
While it's my favourite event in golf every 2 years, it must just be a blast for these 24 pampered pros who for once are not playing for themselves, but their country / continent for the ultimate in bragging rights.
These guys never need another dime, they drive the best in cars, they live in mansions that we can only dream about, their families and their family's families are all secure, rich and safe. They are feted every week with the best every tournament organizer can offer and that ranges from behind the scenes tickets to the latest Broadway smash hit, to snorkeling in Maui with giant sting rays and everything, including the Alps in between.
But put a little history and some team play and some bragging rights on the line, all for no financial gain, and we have the best 3 days in golf.... Except it's really 6 days for these guys and here is some idea of the comradeship they enjoy before Friday's Foursomes are even played from my pals at the EuropeanTour,Roddy Williams and Gordon Simpson
Ryder Cup stars join galaxy of international celebrities at Welcome to Wales
The countdown to The 2010 Ryder Cup will enter its final, energetic phase in the iconic sporting setting of Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium as the players and Captains of Europe and the United States take a bow at the Welcome to Wales concert on September 29.
Captains Colin Montgomerie and Corey Pavin, plus all of the 24 players who contest The Ryder Cup just 36 hours later, will be introduced on stage at The 2010 Ryder Cup celebration concert starring international stars Dame Shirley Bassey and Katherine Jenkins and hosted by Catherine Zeta Jones and TV presenter Steve Jones.
Dame Shirley Bassey, Katherine Jenkins, Lostprophets, Only Men Aloud and Shaheen Jafargholi and The Mark Jermin Stage School will all perform during the 90-minute show. Guest presenter Catherine Zeta Jones makes a welcome return to her homeland to deliver a special opening speech for this very special concert to celebrate The 2010 Ryder Cup.
Twenty four global golfing superstars from both continents, and their partners, will enjoy the warmth of a stirring Welsh welcome under the gaze of honoured guests, HRH The Prince of Wales and the Rt. Hon. Carwyn Jones AM, First Minister of Wales, at the Millennium Stadium.
PRINCE CHARLES TO VISIT THE RYDER CUP
The Ryder Cup is set to be given a Royal seal of approval when His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales visits The Celtic Manor Resort in the build-up to the 38th biennial contest between Europe and the United States of America.
The Prince of Wales will attend part of the second official practice day on Wednesday September 29 and will meet respective Team Captains Colin Montgomerie and Corey Pavin at The Twenty Ten Clubhouse as well as Jim McKenzie, Director of Golf Courses and Estates Management of The Celtic Manor Resort, before undertaking a Tour of the complex’s vast Tented Village
The visit to The Celtic Manor Resort is part of a full day of Ryder Cup related activity for The Prince of Wales on Wednesday September 29.
Following the course visit, His Royal Highness will attend an official Ryder Cup Dinner at Cardiff Castle where Captains Montgomerie and Pavin will introduce him personally to the 24 men who will make up the two respective Ryder Cup Teams.
Then, to end the day, His Royal Highness will attend the Welcome to Wales Celebration Concert at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff where personalities such as Katherine Jenkins and Catherine Zeta Jones will perform in support of the evening’s star guest, and one of the Prince’s favourite performers, Dame Shirley Bassey.
Schedule of Events for the 2010 Ryder Cup
Tue, 28 Sept: 08:00 - 19:00 Team Practice Rounds
Wed, 29 Sept: 08:00 - 16:00 Team Practice Rounds
Thur, 30 Sept: 08:00 - 15:00 Team Practice Rounds
15:30 - 16:15 approx. Opening Ceremony
Fri, 1 Oct: 07:45 - 15 min intervals
AM Matches - Fourballs
07:45, 08:00, 08:15, 08:30
PM Matches - Foursomes
13:15, 13:30, 13:45, 14:00
Sat, 2 Oct: 07:45 - 15 min intervals
AM Matches - Fourballs
07:45, 08:00, 08:15, 08:30
PM Matches - Foursomes
13:15, 13:30, 13:45, 14:00
Sun, 3 Oct: 11:35 - 12 min intervals Singles Matches
11:35, 11:47, 11:59, 12:11, 12:23, 12:35
12:47, 12:59, 13:11, 13:23, 13:35, 13:47
17:30 - 18:00 approx. Closing Ceremony
Much more to follow next week including player bios and reports from me as they happen in Wales on all the action and stories as they break. Remember the UK is 5 hours ahead, so a 745am tee time as listed is 245am here in Toronto....
I will predict my winners and why in each match and as always encourage your comments.
Bryan Angus bryanangus4@gmail.com
These guys never need another dime, they drive the best in cars, they live in mansions that we can only dream about, their families and their family's families are all secure, rich and safe. They are feted every week with the best every tournament organizer can offer and that ranges from behind the scenes tickets to the latest Broadway smash hit, to snorkeling in Maui with giant sting rays and everything, including the Alps in between.
But put a little history and some team play and some bragging rights on the line, all for no financial gain, and we have the best 3 days in golf.... Except it's really 6 days for these guys and here is some idea of the comradeship they enjoy before Friday's Foursomes are even played from my pals at the EuropeanTour,Roddy Williams and Gordon Simpson
Ryder Cup stars join galaxy of international celebrities at Welcome to Wales
The countdown to The 2010 Ryder Cup will enter its final, energetic phase in the iconic sporting setting of Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium as the players and Captains of Europe and the United States take a bow at the Welcome to Wales concert on September 29.
Captains Colin Montgomerie and Corey Pavin, plus all of the 24 players who contest The Ryder Cup just 36 hours later, will be introduced on stage at The 2010 Ryder Cup celebration concert starring international stars Dame Shirley Bassey and Katherine Jenkins and hosted by Catherine Zeta Jones and TV presenter Steve Jones.
Dame Shirley Bassey, Katherine Jenkins, Lostprophets, Only Men Aloud and Shaheen Jafargholi and The Mark Jermin Stage School will all perform during the 90-minute show. Guest presenter Catherine Zeta Jones makes a welcome return to her homeland to deliver a special opening speech for this very special concert to celebrate The 2010 Ryder Cup.
Twenty four global golfing superstars from both continents, and their partners, will enjoy the warmth of a stirring Welsh welcome under the gaze of honoured guests, HRH The Prince of Wales and the Rt. Hon. Carwyn Jones AM, First Minister of Wales, at the Millennium Stadium.
PRINCE CHARLES TO VISIT THE RYDER CUP
The Ryder Cup is set to be given a Royal seal of approval when His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales visits The Celtic Manor Resort in the build-up to the 38th biennial contest between Europe and the United States of America.
The Prince of Wales will attend part of the second official practice day on Wednesday September 29 and will meet respective Team Captains Colin Montgomerie and Corey Pavin at The Twenty Ten Clubhouse as well as Jim McKenzie, Director of Golf Courses and Estates Management of The Celtic Manor Resort, before undertaking a Tour of the complex’s vast Tented Village
The visit to The Celtic Manor Resort is part of a full day of Ryder Cup related activity for The Prince of Wales on Wednesday September 29.
Following the course visit, His Royal Highness will attend an official Ryder Cup Dinner at Cardiff Castle where Captains Montgomerie and Pavin will introduce him personally to the 24 men who will make up the two respective Ryder Cup Teams.
Then, to end the day, His Royal Highness will attend the Welcome to Wales Celebration Concert at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff where personalities such as Katherine Jenkins and Catherine Zeta Jones will perform in support of the evening’s star guest, and one of the Prince’s favourite performers, Dame Shirley Bassey.
Schedule of Events for the 2010 Ryder Cup
Tue, 28 Sept: 08:00 - 19:00 Team Practice Rounds
Wed, 29 Sept: 08:00 - 16:00 Team Practice Rounds
Thur, 30 Sept: 08:00 - 15:00 Team Practice Rounds
15:30 - 16:15 approx. Opening Ceremony
Fri, 1 Oct: 07:45 - 15 min intervals
AM Matches - Fourballs
07:45, 08:00, 08:15, 08:30
PM Matches - Foursomes
13:15, 13:30, 13:45, 14:00
Sat, 2 Oct: 07:45 - 15 min intervals
AM Matches - Fourballs
07:45, 08:00, 08:15, 08:30
PM Matches - Foursomes
13:15, 13:30, 13:45, 14:00
Sun, 3 Oct: 11:35 - 12 min intervals Singles Matches
11:35, 11:47, 11:59, 12:11, 12:23, 12:35
12:47, 12:59, 13:11, 13:23, 13:35, 13:47
17:30 - 18:00 approx. Closing Ceremony
Much more to follow next week including player bios and reports from me as they happen in Wales on all the action and stories as they break. Remember the UK is 5 hours ahead, so a 745am tee time as listed is 245am here in Toronto....
I will predict my winners and why in each match and as always encourage your comments.
Bryan Angus bryanangus4@gmail.com
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Sean Foley on Fairways from Isleworth this morning.
The services and amenities available to you as an Isleworth resident are unparelled in this Orlando, Florida golf homes development. The private gated community employs fulltime staff of security professionals with a 24 hour monitored gate and makes your safety and privacy their top priorities.
Isleworth concierge services provides a comprehensive menu of the finest services for our residents ranging from personal errands to home maintenance. Whatever your needs, Isleworth Concierge can be completely customized for you and your Isleworth golf home....
No wonder this community in southwest Orlando attracts the likes of Tiger Woods, Justin Rose, Mark O'Meara, Shaq ONeil and.... Sean Foley??!!
Heady days for this young lad from Burlington, good friend to many of us and up until the last 2 months our resident golf pro on Fairways.
Sean replaced the late Ben Kern at my request 4 years ago, at no cost and despite a very full coaching schedule that includes a bevy of juniors at the Core Golf Academy, and of course pros Justin Rose, Stephen Ames, Sean O'Hair, Hunter Mahan and others that have come and gone including Trevor Immelman.
Recently of course he has been asked for help by another struggling pro that has upped the attention monitor a million fold... Tiger Woods
"Recently Bubba Watson came second in a tournament and I was on the TV more than him" Sean told Scott and Bob this morning on Fairways.
When asked what his day was like today he replied, " This morning I'm on my way to the course to work with Justin Rose, then I need to get home to look after Quinn while Kate does her running around, then this afternoon I'll go back to the course to work with Tiger"
He might as well have added that he and Kate are having the Clinton's over for dinner !!
One of Sean's great strength's and it was evident again in this morning's interview is that his feet are firmly planted on the ground. He is completely confident in his knowledge of the golf swing and his philosophy on life, and to those many who know him he simply applies that knowledge and belief to his clients and pupils.
He diffused more media crap that had him at odds in a "turf war" with the 'Stack and Tilt " guys Andy Plummer and Mike Bennett.. " Everything with Andy, Mike and I is all good. Nobody has an original thought to themselves about the golf swing, we all develop our thing from each other"
He added that he is sure Tiger will return to the prominence he has become accustomed to, it's just a matter of when..
We (Scott, Bob and I) have no doubt that with Sean's help, it will be sooner rather than later.
BryanAngus bryanangus4@gmail.com
Isleworth concierge services provides a comprehensive menu of the finest services for our residents ranging from personal errands to home maintenance. Whatever your needs, Isleworth Concierge can be completely customized for you and your Isleworth golf home....
No wonder this community in southwest Orlando attracts the likes of Tiger Woods, Justin Rose, Mark O'Meara, Shaq ONeil and.... Sean Foley??!!
Heady days for this young lad from Burlington, good friend to many of us and up until the last 2 months our resident golf pro on Fairways.
Sean replaced the late Ben Kern at my request 4 years ago, at no cost and despite a very full coaching schedule that includes a bevy of juniors at the Core Golf Academy, and of course pros Justin Rose, Stephen Ames, Sean O'Hair, Hunter Mahan and others that have come and gone including Trevor Immelman.
Recently of course he has been asked for help by another struggling pro that has upped the attention monitor a million fold... Tiger Woods
"Recently Bubba Watson came second in a tournament and I was on the TV more than him" Sean told Scott and Bob this morning on Fairways.
When asked what his day was like today he replied, " This morning I'm on my way to the course to work with Justin Rose, then I need to get home to look after Quinn while Kate does her running around, then this afternoon I'll go back to the course to work with Tiger"
He might as well have added that he and Kate are having the Clinton's over for dinner !!
One of Sean's great strength's and it was evident again in this morning's interview is that his feet are firmly planted on the ground. He is completely confident in his knowledge of the golf swing and his philosophy on life, and to those many who know him he simply applies that knowledge and belief to his clients and pupils.
He diffused more media crap that had him at odds in a "turf war" with the 'Stack and Tilt " guys Andy Plummer and Mike Bennett.. " Everything with Andy, Mike and I is all good. Nobody has an original thought to themselves about the golf swing, we all develop our thing from each other"
He added that he is sure Tiger will return to the prominence he has become accustomed to, it's just a matter of when..
We (Scott, Bob and I) have no doubt that with Sean's help, it will be sooner rather than later.
BryanAngus bryanangus4@gmail.com
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Now for something different !!
There is no PGA tour or Champions Tour events this week.
So the Nationwide Tour has much of the stage to themselves..Their broadcast on Saturday this week will be different and may be the sign of things to come !!
Here is the news from John Dell at pgatour.com
During the third round of the Nationwide Tour's Albertsons Boise Open presented by Kraft, there won't be the traditional host-broadcaster and an analyst. Instead, there will be plenty of golf action with most of the sounds coming from the caddies and the players.
It's an approach that hasn't been tried in golf, but maybe there will finally be enough silence where the caddie-player conversations won't be interrupted. More on-course microphones will be utilized, and there's a chance one player wearing a microphone during play.
Keith Hirshland, 54, who has been a producer at Golf Channel since it's inception in 1994, is in charge of the experiment and admits to being a little nervous. The biggest difference, he says, is that viewers hear more from the actual participants.
"The sound will be coming mostly from the players and caddies," said Hirshland, who produces about 25 to 30 tournaments a year for the network. "Originally, we kind of thought about having Jerry Foltz come on and say here's the third round and then for the next two and half hours just air the golf without any announcers at all.
"But then it just kind of morphed into what we have now."
Golf Channel has plans to make the broadcast utilize social networks like Twitter for viewers to ask questions. Foltz and analyst Curt Byrum will interact more with viewers who send in their questions and they will limit their comments on the play-by-play of the golf.
"Fans can go to Golfchannel.com, PGATOUR.COM and we'll be on Twitter and Facebook so we thought it would be a great for fans to interact with Jerry and Curt while the broadcast is going on," Hirshland said. "The idea is to kind of have them sitting and watching the telecast and answering questions from viewers."
Plans also call for on-course reporters Kay Cockerill and Stephanie Sparks, who usually follow particular groups, to set up at interview stations at the par-3 13th hole and the par-4 15th which players can drive with a good tee shot. There's a likelihood of some delays on the 15th as players will try to drive the green.
Also, Phil Parkin will interview players after their rounds, but instead of giving the broadcast back to the booth play will just continue
What Hirshland is most excited about are the possibilities of the caddie-player conversations as they size up various shots. He's frustrated when the on-course microphones start to pick up a conversation between the caddie and the player, then the on-air host or analyst interrupts.
Hirshland says the concept of an announcer-less broadcast is nothing new. He points out that in 1980 Don Ohlmeyer, who was the president of NBC Sports, broadcast a game with no announcers, but it never caught on.
Another aspect that Hirshland is excited about is the chance to put a microphone on a player who is in contention. The only directive from the PGA TOUR's Policy Board is that the player's comments not air live.
"We'll put it in the tape machines and then turn around and air it pretty quickly," Hirshland said.
The Nationwide Tour has seven tournaments left on the schedule and the push to make into the top 25 is heating up. The top 25 on the list earn PGA TOUR cards for 2011.
Here are the top 25 plus where all our Canucks are..
1 1 Chris Kirk 19 $407,673 2
2 2 Jamie Lovemark 18 $393,288 1
3 3 Tommy Gainey 21 $350,532 2
4 4 Martin Piller 19 $322,361 2
5 5 Kevin Chappell 19 $297,193 1
6 7 Jhonattan Vegas 17 $260,984 1
7 6 Bobby Gates 18 $229,901 1
8 8 Tag Ridings 21 $219,535
9 11 Fabian Gomez 20 $212,607 1
10 9 D.J. Brigman 19 $208,619 1
11 10 Peter Tomasulo 17 $205,812 1
12 12 Hunter Haas 17 $201,266 1
13 13 Jim Herman 19 $197,440 1
14 14 Kevin Kisner 20 $194,692 1
15 47 Michael Putnam 17 $191,747 1
16 16 Chris Nallen 19 $185,293
17 15 Daniel Summerhays 20 $182,692
18 19 James Hahn 22 $165,355
19 17 Justin Hicks 21 $162,811 1
20 18 Scott Gutschewski 20 $162,042
21 20 David Hearn 19 $156,074
22 21 John Riegger 16 $148,559 1
23 32 Brandt Jobe 17 $145,156
24 22 Dicky Pride 17 $136,498
25 24 Brian Smock 21 $136,080
32 Jon Mills $125,380
101 Dustin Risdon
114 Barrett Jarosch
123 Ted Brown
147 Bryan DeCorso
172 David Morland
192 Kevin Fortin Simard
Chris Baryla contacted me to say that he has been rehabbing his back surgery and is back playing and is in the field this week. Remember Jon Mills won this event in 2007, and Graham DeLaet who went to Boise State University ( Phys Ed) is also playing.
Chris Baryla 9.30, Barrett Jarosch 8.20, Ted Brown 1035, Graham DeLaet 1.35, David Hearn 10.35, Jon Mills 1.45 ( all times local)
Bryan Angus bryanangus4@gmail.com
So the Nationwide Tour has much of the stage to themselves..Their broadcast on Saturday this week will be different and may be the sign of things to come !!
Here is the news from John Dell at pgatour.com
During the third round of the Nationwide Tour's Albertsons Boise Open presented by Kraft, there won't be the traditional host-broadcaster and an analyst. Instead, there will be plenty of golf action with most of the sounds coming from the caddies and the players.
It's an approach that hasn't been tried in golf, but maybe there will finally be enough silence where the caddie-player conversations won't be interrupted. More on-course microphones will be utilized, and there's a chance one player wearing a microphone during play.
Keith Hirshland, 54, who has been a producer at Golf Channel since it's inception in 1994, is in charge of the experiment and admits to being a little nervous. The biggest difference, he says, is that viewers hear more from the actual participants.
"The sound will be coming mostly from the players and caddies," said Hirshland, who produces about 25 to 30 tournaments a year for the network. "Originally, we kind of thought about having Jerry Foltz come on and say here's the third round and then for the next two and half hours just air the golf without any announcers at all.
"But then it just kind of morphed into what we have now."
Golf Channel has plans to make the broadcast utilize social networks like Twitter for viewers to ask questions. Foltz and analyst Curt Byrum will interact more with viewers who send in their questions and they will limit their comments on the play-by-play of the golf.
"Fans can go to Golfchannel.com, PGATOUR.COM and we'll be on Twitter and Facebook so we thought it would be a great for fans to interact with Jerry and Curt while the broadcast is going on," Hirshland said. "The idea is to kind of have them sitting and watching the telecast and answering questions from viewers."
Plans also call for on-course reporters Kay Cockerill and Stephanie Sparks, who usually follow particular groups, to set up at interview stations at the par-3 13th hole and the par-4 15th which players can drive with a good tee shot. There's a likelihood of some delays on the 15th as players will try to drive the green.
Also, Phil Parkin will interview players after their rounds, but instead of giving the broadcast back to the booth play will just continue
What Hirshland is most excited about are the possibilities of the caddie-player conversations as they size up various shots. He's frustrated when the on-course microphones start to pick up a conversation between the caddie and the player, then the on-air host or analyst interrupts.
Hirshland says the concept of an announcer-less broadcast is nothing new. He points out that in 1980 Don Ohlmeyer, who was the president of NBC Sports, broadcast a game with no announcers, but it never caught on.
Another aspect that Hirshland is excited about is the chance to put a microphone on a player who is in contention. The only directive from the PGA TOUR's Policy Board is that the player's comments not air live.
"We'll put it in the tape machines and then turn around and air it pretty quickly," Hirshland said.
The Nationwide Tour has seven tournaments left on the schedule and the push to make into the top 25 is heating up. The top 25 on the list earn PGA TOUR cards for 2011.
Here are the top 25 plus where all our Canucks are..
1 1 Chris Kirk 19 $407,673 2
2 2 Jamie Lovemark 18 $393,288 1
3 3 Tommy Gainey 21 $350,532 2
4 4 Martin Piller 19 $322,361 2
5 5 Kevin Chappell 19 $297,193 1
6 7 Jhonattan Vegas 17 $260,984 1
7 6 Bobby Gates 18 $229,901 1
8 8 Tag Ridings 21 $219,535
9 11 Fabian Gomez 20 $212,607 1
10 9 D.J. Brigman 19 $208,619 1
11 10 Peter Tomasulo 17 $205,812 1
12 12 Hunter Haas 17 $201,266 1
13 13 Jim Herman 19 $197,440 1
14 14 Kevin Kisner 20 $194,692 1
15 47 Michael Putnam 17 $191,747 1
16 16 Chris Nallen 19 $185,293
17 15 Daniel Summerhays 20 $182,692
18 19 James Hahn 22 $165,355
19 17 Justin Hicks 21 $162,811 1
20 18 Scott Gutschewski 20 $162,042
21 20 David Hearn 19 $156,074
22 21 John Riegger 16 $148,559 1
23 32 Brandt Jobe 17 $145,156
24 22 Dicky Pride 17 $136,498
25 24 Brian Smock 21 $136,080
32 Jon Mills $125,380
101 Dustin Risdon
114 Barrett Jarosch
123 Ted Brown
147 Bryan DeCorso
172 David Morland
192 Kevin Fortin Simard
Chris Baryla contacted me to say that he has been rehabbing his back surgery and is back playing and is in the field this week. Remember Jon Mills won this event in 2007, and Graham DeLaet who went to Boise State University ( Phys Ed) is also playing.
Chris Baryla 9.30, Barrett Jarosch 8.20, Ted Brown 1035, Graham DeLaet 1.35, David Hearn 10.35, Jon Mills 1.45 ( all times local)
Bryan Angus bryanangus4@gmail.com
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Top 30 for the Tour Championship.... Fed Ex Cup points re set
So here is what they've all been playing for. The top 30 who will play in 2 weeks in Atlanta for the whole shebang !! On the line is the Tour Championship, the Fed Ex Cup and the $10m bonus pool that goes with it.
Here is how PGATOUR.COM staff explain it..
Of the 30 players headed to East Lake in two weeks, only the top five in points are guaranteed the FedExCup should one of them win THE TOUR Championship. Dustin Johnson, the winner of Sunday's BMW Championship, moved into the top five, as did runner-up Paul Casey.
They will join Barclays winner Matt Kuchar, Deutsche Bank winner Charley Hoffman and Steve Stricker as the only players who control their own destiny in terms of winning the FedEx Cup and the $10 million bonus.
FedEx Cup points are reset before THE TOUR Championship in order to give any player in the top five the FedEx Cup title should he manage to win at East Lake
Here is how the reset points work courtesy pgatour.com
The FedEx Cup points will be reset following the BMW Championship in order to give each of the 30 players who advance to THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola a chance to win the FedExCup title.
While the points will be reset, however, the seeds will not. The player who ranks first in FedEx Cup points after the BMW Championship will still rank first after the reset. The player who ranks 30th will still rank 30th. And the player who ranks 31st? He will get the week off -- remember, just the top 30 in points after the BMW Championship will advance to East Lake (and no alternates will be added).
Each of the first five seeds going into THE TOUR Championship will control his own destiny -- if any of those five seeds wins at East Lake, he will win the FedEx Cup title. Meanwhile, seeds 6-10 will have an excellent chance of capturing the title with a victory.
Reset points
Here are the FedEx Cup points that each player will start with going into THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola:
TOUR Championship
1 Matt Kuchar 2,500 16 Ryan Palmer 380
2 Dustin Johnson 2,250 17 Retief Goosen 360
3 Charley Hoffman 2,000 18 Bubba Watson 340
4 Steve Stricker 1,800 19 Zach Johnson 320
5 Paul Casey 1,600 20 Kevin Na 310
6 Jason Day 1,400 21 Tim Clark 300
7 Luke Donald 1,200 22 Ben Crane 290
8 Ernie Els 1,000 23 K.J. Choi 280
9 Martin Laird 800 24 Jeff Overton 270
10 Phil Mickelson 600 25 Camilo Villegas 260
11 Jim Furyk 480 26 Ryan Moore 250
12 Geoff Ogilvy 460 27 Robert Allenby 240
13 Justin Rose 440 28 Nick Watney 230
14 Adam Scott 420 29 Kevin Streelman 220
15 Hunter Mahan 400 30 Bo Van Pelt 210
Following THE TOUR Championship, the total points each player is awarded in the reset plus the points that player earns based on his finish at THE TOUR Championship will be added together, and the player with the highest point total will be named winner of the FedEx Cup.
In the event of a tie for first in FedEx Cup points following THE TOUR Championship, those players tied for first will compete in a playoff to determine the winner of the FedExCup.
So, how many FedEx Cup points are available at East Lake? THE TOUR Championship will have the same points distribution as the first three Playoffs events, in which point values are quintupled from most regular-season events.
Here is the point distribution for THE TOUR Championship:
1st 2,500 points 16th 275 points
2nd 1,500 points 17th 270 points
3rd 1,000 points 18th 265 points
4th 750 points 19th 260 points
5th 550 points 20th 255 points
6th 500 points 21st 250 points
7th 450 points 22nd 245 points
8th 425 points 23rd 240 points
9th 400 points 24th 235 points
10th 375 points 25th 230 points
11th 350 points 26th 225 points
12th 325 points 27th 220 points
13th 300 points 28th 215 points
14th 285 points 29th 210 points
15th 280 points 30th 205 points
Thus, if the leader in FedEx Cup points entering THE TOUR Championship ends up winning at East Lake, he would have 5,000 points (and win the FedEx Cup). If the No. 5 ranked player wins at East Lake, he would finish with 4,100 points (and also win the FedEx Cup).
However, if the No. 10-ranked player wins at East Lake, he would finish with 3,100 points. That might be good enough to win the FedEx Cup title, but there are no guarantees. For instance, if the top seed finishes second at East Lake, he would have 4,000 points.
That's why it's important to be ranked in the top five after the BMW Championship. That way, you control your own destiny and are not reliant on how others finish.
So here are the T30.. Still with me ???!!
Week Player Events Points # of Wins # of Top 10's Points behind Lead Reset Points
1 1 Matt Kuchar 24 4,935 1 11 2,500
2 16 Dustin Johnson 22 4,299 2 7 636 2,250
3 2 Charley Hoffman 22 3,449 1 4 1,486 2,000
4 3 Steve Stricker 18 3,372 2 9 1,563 1,800
5 21 Paul Casey 16 3,015 0 6 1,920 1,600
6 4 Jason Day 23 2,633 1 5 2,302 1,400
7 5 Luke Donald 19 2,597 0 6 2,338 1,200
8 7 Ernie Els 19 2,343 2 6 2,592 1,000
9 6 Martin Laird 24 2,294 0 3 2,641 800
10 14 Phil Mickelson 19 2,249 1 6 2,686 600
11 11 Jim Furyk 20 2,121 2 6 2,814 480
12 9 Geoff Ogilvy 18 2,121 1 2 2,814 460
13 10 Justin Rose 21 2,105 2 4 2,830 440
14 15 Adam Scott 19 2,083 1 4 2,852 420
15 8 Hunter Mahan 23 2,058 2 3 2,877 400
16 13 Ryan Palmer 24 1,988 1 4 2,947 380
17 20 Retief Goosen 18 1,976 0 9 2,959 360
18 12 Bubba Watson 21 1,948 1 4 2,987 340
19 17 Zach Johnson 23 1,896 1 2 3,039 320
20 41 Kevin Na 24 1,837 0 4 3,098 310
21 22 Tim Clark 22 1,757 1 6 3,178 300
22 18 Ben Crane 23 1,732 1 5 3,203 290
23 52 K.J. Choi 21 1,725 0 3 3,210 280
24 19 Jeff Overton 25 1,669 0 6 3,266 270
25 33 Camilo Villegas 19 1,621 1 6 3,314 260
26 58 Ryan Moore 23 1,610 0 5 3,325 250
27 27 Robert Allenby 20 1,604 0 4 3,331 240
28 30 Nick Watney 22 1,584 0 6 3,351 230
29 26 Kevin Streelman 26 1,575 0 4 3,360 220
30 23 Bo Van Pelt 25 1,572
Notable omissions..
42. Tiger
36. Rory McIlroy
39. Ian Poulter
41. Anthony Kim
68. Stephen Ames
73. Paddy Harrington
As you can see there was so much at stake last weekend at the BMW, and obviously Dustin Johnson and Paul Casey did themselves huge favours with their 1,2 finish, as did Charlie Hoffman who came from no where into the top 5 with his win the week before.
Conversely Rory McIlroy, Paddy Harrington and Ian Poulter who chose to chase the Fed Ex pot of gold as opposed to the Race To Dubai didn't make it into the final field.
Finally consider the year Matt Kuchar has had.
1st Fed Ex Points
1st Money List $4.75m
1st Top 10's with 11
1st in Scrambling ( 29th in Driving accuracy )
1st in Scoring Average 69.57
So the stage is set and tomorrow I will look at where they are playing this week and in particular how our guys on the Nationwide Tour are doing, with the Top 25 there getting their PGA tour cards next year.
Bryan Angus bryanangus4@gmail.com
Here is how PGATOUR.COM staff explain it..
Of the 30 players headed to East Lake in two weeks, only the top five in points are guaranteed the FedExCup should one of them win THE TOUR Championship. Dustin Johnson, the winner of Sunday's BMW Championship, moved into the top five, as did runner-up Paul Casey.
They will join Barclays winner Matt Kuchar, Deutsche Bank winner Charley Hoffman and Steve Stricker as the only players who control their own destiny in terms of winning the FedEx Cup and the $10 million bonus.
FedEx Cup points are reset before THE TOUR Championship in order to give any player in the top five the FedEx Cup title should he manage to win at East Lake
Here is how the reset points work courtesy pgatour.com
The FedEx Cup points will be reset following the BMW Championship in order to give each of the 30 players who advance to THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola a chance to win the FedExCup title.
While the points will be reset, however, the seeds will not. The player who ranks first in FedEx Cup points after the BMW Championship will still rank first after the reset. The player who ranks 30th will still rank 30th. And the player who ranks 31st? He will get the week off -- remember, just the top 30 in points after the BMW Championship will advance to East Lake (and no alternates will be added).
Each of the first five seeds going into THE TOUR Championship will control his own destiny -- if any of those five seeds wins at East Lake, he will win the FedEx Cup title. Meanwhile, seeds 6-10 will have an excellent chance of capturing the title with a victory.
Reset points
Here are the FedEx Cup points that each player will start with going into THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola:
TOUR Championship
1 Matt Kuchar 2,500 16 Ryan Palmer 380
2 Dustin Johnson 2,250 17 Retief Goosen 360
3 Charley Hoffman 2,000 18 Bubba Watson 340
4 Steve Stricker 1,800 19 Zach Johnson 320
5 Paul Casey 1,600 20 Kevin Na 310
6 Jason Day 1,400 21 Tim Clark 300
7 Luke Donald 1,200 22 Ben Crane 290
8 Ernie Els 1,000 23 K.J. Choi 280
9 Martin Laird 800 24 Jeff Overton 270
10 Phil Mickelson 600 25 Camilo Villegas 260
11 Jim Furyk 480 26 Ryan Moore 250
12 Geoff Ogilvy 460 27 Robert Allenby 240
13 Justin Rose 440 28 Nick Watney 230
14 Adam Scott 420 29 Kevin Streelman 220
15 Hunter Mahan 400 30 Bo Van Pelt 210
Following THE TOUR Championship, the total points each player is awarded in the reset plus the points that player earns based on his finish at THE TOUR Championship will be added together, and the player with the highest point total will be named winner of the FedEx Cup.
In the event of a tie for first in FedEx Cup points following THE TOUR Championship, those players tied for first will compete in a playoff to determine the winner of the FedExCup.
So, how many FedEx Cup points are available at East Lake? THE TOUR Championship will have the same points distribution as the first three Playoffs events, in which point values are quintupled from most regular-season events.
Here is the point distribution for THE TOUR Championship:
1st 2,500 points 16th 275 points
2nd 1,500 points 17th 270 points
3rd 1,000 points 18th 265 points
4th 750 points 19th 260 points
5th 550 points 20th 255 points
6th 500 points 21st 250 points
7th 450 points 22nd 245 points
8th 425 points 23rd 240 points
9th 400 points 24th 235 points
10th 375 points 25th 230 points
11th 350 points 26th 225 points
12th 325 points 27th 220 points
13th 300 points 28th 215 points
14th 285 points 29th 210 points
15th 280 points 30th 205 points
Thus, if the leader in FedEx Cup points entering THE TOUR Championship ends up winning at East Lake, he would have 5,000 points (and win the FedEx Cup). If the No. 5 ranked player wins at East Lake, he would finish with 4,100 points (and also win the FedEx Cup).
However, if the No. 10-ranked player wins at East Lake, he would finish with 3,100 points. That might be good enough to win the FedEx Cup title, but there are no guarantees. For instance, if the top seed finishes second at East Lake, he would have 4,000 points.
That's why it's important to be ranked in the top five after the BMW Championship. That way, you control your own destiny and are not reliant on how others finish.
So here are the T30.. Still with me ???!!
Week Player Events Points # of Wins # of Top 10's Points behind Lead Reset Points
1 1 Matt Kuchar 24 4,935 1 11 2,500
2 16 Dustin Johnson 22 4,299 2 7 636 2,250
3 2 Charley Hoffman 22 3,449 1 4 1,486 2,000
4 3 Steve Stricker 18 3,372 2 9 1,563 1,800
5 21 Paul Casey 16 3,015 0 6 1,920 1,600
6 4 Jason Day 23 2,633 1 5 2,302 1,400
7 5 Luke Donald 19 2,597 0 6 2,338 1,200
8 7 Ernie Els 19 2,343 2 6 2,592 1,000
9 6 Martin Laird 24 2,294 0 3 2,641 800
10 14 Phil Mickelson 19 2,249 1 6 2,686 600
11 11 Jim Furyk 20 2,121 2 6 2,814 480
12 9 Geoff Ogilvy 18 2,121 1 2 2,814 460
13 10 Justin Rose 21 2,105 2 4 2,830 440
14 15 Adam Scott 19 2,083 1 4 2,852 420
15 8 Hunter Mahan 23 2,058 2 3 2,877 400
16 13 Ryan Palmer 24 1,988 1 4 2,947 380
17 20 Retief Goosen 18 1,976 0 9 2,959 360
18 12 Bubba Watson 21 1,948 1 4 2,987 340
19 17 Zach Johnson 23 1,896 1 2 3,039 320
20 41 Kevin Na 24 1,837 0 4 3,098 310
21 22 Tim Clark 22 1,757 1 6 3,178 300
22 18 Ben Crane 23 1,732 1 5 3,203 290
23 52 K.J. Choi 21 1,725 0 3 3,210 280
24 19 Jeff Overton 25 1,669 0 6 3,266 270
25 33 Camilo Villegas 19 1,621 1 6 3,314 260
26 58 Ryan Moore 23 1,610 0 5 3,325 250
27 27 Robert Allenby 20 1,604 0 4 3,331 240
28 30 Nick Watney 22 1,584 0 6 3,351 230
29 26 Kevin Streelman 26 1,575 0 4 3,360 220
30 23 Bo Van Pelt 25 1,572
Notable omissions..
42. Tiger
36. Rory McIlroy
39. Ian Poulter
41. Anthony Kim
68. Stephen Ames
73. Paddy Harrington
As you can see there was so much at stake last weekend at the BMW, and obviously Dustin Johnson and Paul Casey did themselves huge favours with their 1,2 finish, as did Charlie Hoffman who came from no where into the top 5 with his win the week before.
Conversely Rory McIlroy, Paddy Harrington and Ian Poulter who chose to chase the Fed Ex pot of gold as opposed to the Race To Dubai didn't make it into the final field.
Finally consider the year Matt Kuchar has had.
1st Fed Ex Points
1st Money List $4.75m
1st Top 10's with 11
1st in Scrambling ( 29th in Driving accuracy )
1st in Scoring Average 69.57
So the stage is set and tomorrow I will look at where they are playing this week and in particular how our guys on the Nationwide Tour are doing, with the Top 25 there getting their PGA tour cards next year.
Bryan Angus bryanangus4@gmail.com
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Woods / Mickelson pairing will overshadow tight leaderboard.
There are 16 players within 5 shots of brilliant young Ryan Moore's precarious lead going into this Sunday's play, and none of them are called Tiger or Phil but you can bet that pair will get all the attention.
With the leaders Moore and Dustin Johnson due off at 1.45pm, the world's top 2 are due off nearly 2 hours earlier ( unlike yesterday when NBC and the PGA Tour agreed to send the leaders out at 9.15am so you and I wouldn't miss a second of the Michigan 28-24 win over Notre Dame which they aired at 3.30pm) so they will be right in the midst of their round when NBC goes to air at 2pm.
Tiger (68) and Mickelson ( 70) are both at 213, 8 shots behind Moore (66) at 205. While Mickelson will be in the Tour Championship finale in Atlanta in 2 weeks, Woods needs to at least T5 today to make it, which means he has to make up about 7 shots on the 22 players above him, a tall task considering his inconsistency these days and a Cog Hill course that is extremely difficult...
Here are some story lines if you are not only interested in Tiger..
* If you haven't heard of 28 year old Moore you haven't been paying attention. He has been all over the leader board for the last month. In 2004 as an amateur he won the US Amateur, US Public Links, NCAA Champioship, the Western Amateur and the Sahalee Players Championship. Also if he wins today he gets a great shot at the $10m Fed Ex bonus and exemptions to the Open, the US Open and the Masters.
* Dustin Johnson keeps on showing up in the final pairing and don't you think a win here would be nice after his "sand" shot from the "bunker" at the PGA cost him that championship ??
* Matt Kuchar (70) is also a short shot back at 206 and after his win last week and his gutsy performance here this week a win would really put him in the cat birds seat for the Fed Ex Cup.
* Poulter and Casey both with 69's are at 207 and will play together. Pully made Monty's team, Casey wasn't selected so a win here would be sweet, plus he was nice enough to show up at St Georges the week after his final round drama at St Andrews..
* Ernie Els (67) 208 was leading the Fed Ex points list and the PGA and European Tour money lists as late as the last week of July, and he is quietly just 3 shots back. He is also 4th in the Race to Dubai !!
Stephen Ames will play his last round of the playoffs today. He is 4th last in the field after scores of 74,77,72 223. I heard him say earlier in the week that he needs to get together with Sean Foley to sort out his game. Sean seems to be busy with someone else these days and here you have the problem, if you want to call coaching Tiger a problem, that Sean faces.
Moore -8
D Johnson -7
Kuchar -7
Wi -7
Casey -6
Poulter -6
Els -5
Na -5
EUROPEAN TOUR
Martin Kaymer, your PGA champion, member of Monty's Ryder Cup squad, and world #6, is enjoying his walk down the 18th with a 4 shot lead (-13) at the KLM Open in Hilversum Holland.
He's hardly broke sweat. There is a 5 way tie for 2nd including Open champion Louis Oosthuizen, all at -9, but Zanotti and Nilsson are both putting for birdie on 18 to get to -10.
As I watch, Nilsson ( Sweden) has made his, and so has Zanotti (Italy) so they T2 and in doing so have secured their playing cards for next year !!
Kaymer just made his for 66, -14, his 7th win including the major and he is just 25...
He is now leading the Race to Dubai by 2.5m Euros over Graeme McDowell and is the odds on favourite to win that which carries a share of the $10m dollar bonus.
Incidentally he has just been asked who he would like to be paired with in Monty's team and he said his first choice would be Rory McIlroy !!
LPGA
It's deja vu for Michelle Wie. The last tourney she played was our CN Open in Winnipeg and I think she had a 3 shot lead going into Sunday and she does again today in Arkansas after a -7 64 132 total which included an amazing front nine of 28 !!
Julie Inkster, Yani Tseng and Na Yeon Choi are 3 shots back at 135.
NATIONWIDE TOUR
David Morland who has been in contention, slipped to a +4, 75 211 total 13 shots behind leader Bradley Iles 70, 65, 63 -15...
Bradley is from Papamoa,New Zealand, and folks he spent 3 days in a coma in 2004 with a serious brain injury he suffered when he fell out of a golf cart !! This would be his first pro win.
CHAMPIONS TOUR
Remember the old guys are all in Sondo City South Korea. Freddie Funk 69,67 has a 2 shot lead over Tom Pernice 74, 64 138 and then Russ Cochran 73,65 and John Cook 70,68 are at 138.
11 players are within 5 shots of the lead.
Bryan Angus bryanangus4@gmail.com
With the leaders Moore and Dustin Johnson due off at 1.45pm, the world's top 2 are due off nearly 2 hours earlier ( unlike yesterday when NBC and the PGA Tour agreed to send the leaders out at 9.15am so you and I wouldn't miss a second of the Michigan 28-24 win over Notre Dame which they aired at 3.30pm) so they will be right in the midst of their round when NBC goes to air at 2pm.
Tiger (68) and Mickelson ( 70) are both at 213, 8 shots behind Moore (66) at 205. While Mickelson will be in the Tour Championship finale in Atlanta in 2 weeks, Woods needs to at least T5 today to make it, which means he has to make up about 7 shots on the 22 players above him, a tall task considering his inconsistency these days and a Cog Hill course that is extremely difficult...
Here are some story lines if you are not only interested in Tiger..
* If you haven't heard of 28 year old Moore you haven't been paying attention. He has been all over the leader board for the last month. In 2004 as an amateur he won the US Amateur, US Public Links, NCAA Champioship, the Western Amateur and the Sahalee Players Championship. Also if he wins today he gets a great shot at the $10m Fed Ex bonus and exemptions to the Open, the US Open and the Masters.
* Dustin Johnson keeps on showing up in the final pairing and don't you think a win here would be nice after his "sand" shot from the "bunker" at the PGA cost him that championship ??
* Matt Kuchar (70) is also a short shot back at 206 and after his win last week and his gutsy performance here this week a win would really put him in the cat birds seat for the Fed Ex Cup.
* Poulter and Casey both with 69's are at 207 and will play together. Pully made Monty's team, Casey wasn't selected so a win here would be sweet, plus he was nice enough to show up at St Georges the week after his final round drama at St Andrews..
* Ernie Els (67) 208 was leading the Fed Ex points list and the PGA and European Tour money lists as late as the last week of July, and he is quietly just 3 shots back. He is also 4th in the Race to Dubai !!
Stephen Ames will play his last round of the playoffs today. He is 4th last in the field after scores of 74,77,72 223. I heard him say earlier in the week that he needs to get together with Sean Foley to sort out his game. Sean seems to be busy with someone else these days and here you have the problem, if you want to call coaching Tiger a problem, that Sean faces.
Moore -8
D Johnson -7
Kuchar -7
Wi -7
Casey -6
Poulter -6
Els -5
Na -5
EUROPEAN TOUR
Martin Kaymer, your PGA champion, member of Monty's Ryder Cup squad, and world #6, is enjoying his walk down the 18th with a 4 shot lead (-13) at the KLM Open in Hilversum Holland.
He's hardly broke sweat. There is a 5 way tie for 2nd including Open champion Louis Oosthuizen, all at -9, but Zanotti and Nilsson are both putting for birdie on 18 to get to -10.
As I watch, Nilsson ( Sweden) has made his, and so has Zanotti (Italy) so they T2 and in doing so have secured their playing cards for next year !!
Kaymer just made his for 66, -14, his 7th win including the major and he is just 25...
He is now leading the Race to Dubai by 2.5m Euros over Graeme McDowell and is the odds on favourite to win that which carries a share of the $10m dollar bonus.
Incidentally he has just been asked who he would like to be paired with in Monty's team and he said his first choice would be Rory McIlroy !!
LPGA
It's deja vu for Michelle Wie. The last tourney she played was our CN Open in Winnipeg and I think she had a 3 shot lead going into Sunday and she does again today in Arkansas after a -7 64 132 total which included an amazing front nine of 28 !!
Julie Inkster, Yani Tseng and Na Yeon Choi are 3 shots back at 135.
NATIONWIDE TOUR
David Morland who has been in contention, slipped to a +4, 75 211 total 13 shots behind leader Bradley Iles 70, 65, 63 -15...
Bradley is from Papamoa,New Zealand, and folks he spent 3 days in a coma in 2004 with a serious brain injury he suffered when he fell out of a golf cart !! This would be his first pro win.
CHAMPIONS TOUR
Remember the old guys are all in Sondo City South Korea. Freddie Funk 69,67 has a 2 shot lead over Tom Pernice 74, 64 138 and then Russ Cochran 73,65 and John Cook 70,68 are at 138.
11 players are within 5 shots of the lead.
Bryan Angus bryanangus4@gmail.com
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Leaderboards going into Saturday
PGA TOUR
Matt Kuchar is not feeling well, he's lost his voice, has a temperature and is basically grinding it out.
So God help the field when he starts to feel better !! He recovered from being 4 over on his first 8 to shoot 72 +1 and remain in a tie for the lead at -6.
Matt Kuchar +72 -6 136
Charlie Wi -2, 69 -6 136
Mark Leishman -6 65 -5 135
Ian Poulter +1 72 -4 136
Paul Casey -2 69 -4 136
Luke Donald -1 70 -4
Dustin Johnson -1 70 -4
Retief Goosen E71 -4
Phil Mickelson E 71 +1 143
Tiger is T40, 9 shots off the lead after a +1 72 +3 total.. He will need a T5 finish to make it to the Tour Championship.. He missed a few putts under 10 feet, also had a double and is currently 51st in the Fed Ex points race. " I made nothing today, I hit the ball a hell of a lot better than my score indicates" he said later
Because NBC is committed to show a Notre Dame football game this afternoon the players are off at first light this morning with Kuchar and Wi scheduled to tee off at 9.15am !!
Also the players are bitching about Cog Hills greens, saying they are bumpy and inconsistent in speed, Mickelson also was critical of the redo the course has had under Rees Jones saying "Today I was not good enough to play this course
LPGA
Arkansas Championship
Only saw the highlights but of course the last time we saw the ladies was in Winnipeg where Wie won so I am cheering for her to win back to back.
Morgan Pressel 66 -5
Gloria Park 67 -4
Yani Teeng 67 -4
Na Yeon Choi 67 -4
Janice Moodie 68 -3
Danielle Downey 68 -3
Suzann Pettersen 68 -3
Jee Youing LEE 68 -3
Michelle Wie 68 -3
Ji Young Oh 68 -3
CHAMPIONS TOUR
Songdo Championship, South Korea
It's a brand new Jack Nicklaus course in golf crazy South Korea, that has taken heavy rain that has delayed play, but after round 1 Fred Funk, Jay Don Blake and Micheal Allen share the lead at -3
Fred Funk -3 69
Jay Don Blake -3 69
Micheal Allen -3 69
Sandy Lyle -2 70
John Cook -2 70
DA Weibring -1 71
Bernhard Langer +1 73
Tom Watson +3 75
EUROPEAN TOUR
KLM Open in Holland
Shiv Kapur -8 68
Nicholas Colsaerts -8 70
Todd Hamilton -7 67
Daniel Vancsik -7 71
NATIONWIDE TOUR
Utah Championship, Sandy Utah
Micheal Putnam -5 66 -10
Cliff Kresge -4 67, -9
Rob Oppenheim -4 67 -8
Bradley Iles -6 65, -7
Skip Kendel -5 66 -7
Canucks David Morland -2 69 -6 T7, MC... Ted Brown, Bryan DeCorso, Barrett Jarosch
Bryan Angus bryanangus4@gmail.com
Matt Kuchar is not feeling well, he's lost his voice, has a temperature and is basically grinding it out.
So God help the field when he starts to feel better !! He recovered from being 4 over on his first 8 to shoot 72 +1 and remain in a tie for the lead at -6.
Matt Kuchar +72 -6 136
Charlie Wi -2, 69 -6 136
Mark Leishman -6 65 -5 135
Ian Poulter +1 72 -4 136
Paul Casey -2 69 -4 136
Luke Donald -1 70 -4
Dustin Johnson -1 70 -4
Retief Goosen E71 -4
Phil Mickelson E 71 +1 143
Tiger is T40, 9 shots off the lead after a +1 72 +3 total.. He will need a T5 finish to make it to the Tour Championship.. He missed a few putts under 10 feet, also had a double and is currently 51st in the Fed Ex points race. " I made nothing today, I hit the ball a hell of a lot better than my score indicates" he said later
Because NBC is committed to show a Notre Dame football game this afternoon the players are off at first light this morning with Kuchar and Wi scheduled to tee off at 9.15am !!
Also the players are bitching about Cog Hills greens, saying they are bumpy and inconsistent in speed, Mickelson also was critical of the redo the course has had under Rees Jones saying "Today I was not good enough to play this course
LPGA
Arkansas Championship
Only saw the highlights but of course the last time we saw the ladies was in Winnipeg where Wie won so I am cheering for her to win back to back.
Morgan Pressel 66 -5
Gloria Park 67 -4
Yani Teeng 67 -4
Na Yeon Choi 67 -4
Janice Moodie 68 -3
Danielle Downey 68 -3
Suzann Pettersen 68 -3
Jee Youing LEE 68 -3
Michelle Wie 68 -3
Ji Young Oh 68 -3
CHAMPIONS TOUR
Songdo Championship, South Korea
It's a brand new Jack Nicklaus course in golf crazy South Korea, that has taken heavy rain that has delayed play, but after round 1 Fred Funk, Jay Don Blake and Micheal Allen share the lead at -3
Fred Funk -3 69
Jay Don Blake -3 69
Micheal Allen -3 69
Sandy Lyle -2 70
John Cook -2 70
DA Weibring -1 71
Bernhard Langer +1 73
Tom Watson +3 75
EUROPEAN TOUR
KLM Open in Holland
Shiv Kapur -8 68
Nicholas Colsaerts -8 70
Todd Hamilton -7 67
Daniel Vancsik -7 71
NATIONWIDE TOUR
Utah Championship, Sandy Utah
Micheal Putnam -5 66 -10
Cliff Kresge -4 67, -9
Rob Oppenheim -4 67 -8
Bradley Iles -6 65, -7
Skip Kendel -5 66 -7
Canucks David Morland -2 69 -6 T7, MC... Ted Brown, Bryan DeCorso, Barrett Jarosch
Bryan Angus bryanangus4@gmail.com
Friday, September 10, 2010
Golf this week... First round recaps..
The BMW Championship at Cog Hill just outside Chicago is the last of the 3 playoffs prior to the Tour Championship in 2 weeks in Atlanta..
The top 70 left after last week in the Fed Ex standings will be whittled down to the last 30.
At least this year we don't know who the winner is already like we did with Vijay a couple of years ago, and here's another example with Tiger out of the mix, how exciting it could become..
PGA TOUR
BMW Championship
Cog Hill G&CC
Lemont, Ill.,
Purse $7.5m 1st $1.35m
Defending Champion Tiger Woods
Canuck Stephen Ames 69th
It's down to the short strokes for the $10m Fed Ex... So here are the top 10 in Fed Ex points
1. Matt Kuchar
2. Charley Hoffman
3. Steve Stricker
4. Jason Day
5. Luke Donald
6. Martin Laird
7. Ernie Els
8. Hunter Mahan
9. Geoff Ogilvy
10. Justin Rose
Matt Kuchar opened up with a brilliant -7 64 to take the first round lead. In form, but not selected to the Ryder Cup squad Ryan Moore is a shot back at -6 65. Ian Poulter is next at -5 66, Retief Goosen -4 67 then Justin Rose , Luke Donald and Brian Gay all at -3 68..
Tiger since you will be asking had an up and down day and finished at +2 73. His round consisted of some errant driving, poor putting and bad mental mistakes mixed in with some absolutely brilliant recovery shots which saved the round from a 76 or worse.
Today he is -1 thru 9 holes, T34 and at #51 in the Fed Ex points... Remember only the top 30 go through
Stephen Ames opened with a +3 74 and is off at 1.20pm today
European Tour
KLM Open
Hilversum Holland
Hilversumsche G &CC
Purse $2.3 m
Winner $386,950
Weak field as most top Euros rest..
LPGA Tour.
Arkansas Championship
Rogers Ark
Pinnacle Pinnacle CC
Purse $2m Wiiner $300m
c
Canucks Alena Sharp +3 74, Lorie Kane 1.37, Samantha Richdale 2.21, Lisa Meldrum 3.05,
NATIONWIDE TOUR
Utah Chanpionship
Sandy Utah
Willow Creek CC (7104 par 71)
$550,000 1st prize $99,000
Canucks : David Morland-4 67, Ted Brown 3 74, Barrett Jarosche +1 72, Bryan De Corso +5 76
I haven't seen any off this but can tell you of the Canucks, David Morland opened with a -4 67 and started play T5... He is currently E thru 7 as I write
The leader is Cliff Kresge at -7...
Guys like Mark Brooks and Jim McGovern, Bob May, Frank Lickliter, Skip Kendell, Steve Pate, Mark Hensby and Paul Stankowski, all proven PGA Tour pros are in this field, it shows you how deep this tour is.
CANADIAN TOUR
Next event Nov 1 Desert Dunes Championship, Palm Springs, Calif.
Bryan Angus bryanangus4@gmail.com
The top 70 left after last week in the Fed Ex standings will be whittled down to the last 30.
At least this year we don't know who the winner is already like we did with Vijay a couple of years ago, and here's another example with Tiger out of the mix, how exciting it could become..
PGA TOUR
BMW Championship
Cog Hill G&CC
Lemont, Ill.,
Purse $7.5m 1st $1.35m
Defending Champion Tiger Woods
Canuck Stephen Ames 69th
It's down to the short strokes for the $10m Fed Ex... So here are the top 10 in Fed Ex points
1. Matt Kuchar
2. Charley Hoffman
3. Steve Stricker
4. Jason Day
5. Luke Donald
6. Martin Laird
7. Ernie Els
8. Hunter Mahan
9. Geoff Ogilvy
10. Justin Rose
Matt Kuchar opened up with a brilliant -7 64 to take the first round lead. In form, but not selected to the Ryder Cup squad Ryan Moore is a shot back at -6 65. Ian Poulter is next at -5 66, Retief Goosen -4 67 then Justin Rose , Luke Donald and Brian Gay all at -3 68..
Tiger since you will be asking had an up and down day and finished at +2 73. His round consisted of some errant driving, poor putting and bad mental mistakes mixed in with some absolutely brilliant recovery shots which saved the round from a 76 or worse.
Today he is -1 thru 9 holes, T34 and at #51 in the Fed Ex points... Remember only the top 30 go through
Stephen Ames opened with a +3 74 and is off at 1.20pm today
European Tour
KLM Open
Hilversum Holland
Hilversumsche G &CC
Purse $2.3 m
Winner $386,950
Weak field as most top Euros rest..
LPGA Tour.
Arkansas Championship
Rogers Ark
Pinnacle Pinnacle CC
Purse $2m Wiiner $300m
c
Canucks Alena Sharp +3 74, Lorie Kane 1.37, Samantha Richdale 2.21, Lisa Meldrum 3.05,
NATIONWIDE TOUR
Utah Chanpionship
Sandy Utah
Willow Creek CC (7104 par 71)
$550,000 1st prize $99,000
Canucks : David Morland-4 67, Ted Brown 3 74, Barrett Jarosche +1 72, Bryan De Corso +5 76
I haven't seen any off this but can tell you of the Canucks, David Morland opened with a -4 67 and started play T5... He is currently E thru 7 as I write
The leader is Cliff Kresge at -7...
Guys like Mark Brooks and Jim McGovern, Bob May, Frank Lickliter, Skip Kendell, Steve Pate, Mark Hensby and Paul Stankowski, all proven PGA Tour pros are in this field, it shows you how deep this tour is.
CANADIAN TOUR
Next event Nov 1 Desert Dunes Championship, Palm Springs, Calif.
Bryan Angus bryanangus4@gmail.com
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Warning from the Ryder Cup
This issued today from my guys in the European Tour office..
Just in case you were thinking of heading to Wales. I remember vividly in 1984 travelling with the Scottish support to Dublin where the Scottish Rugby team was set to win the Grand Slam. We had official tickets for the match and were at the Lansdown Road end behind the posts.
Some enterprising Irish lads printed off 5000 illegal tickets for our end of the park, sold them, made a fortune and as a result I was involved for the only time in my life, with a crowd stampede, as the 5000 poured in on top of us. We were being crushed, people were fainting and being trampled.
I with the help of my 6'6" partner big Bill Brown finally fought our way out and went back to our hotel to watch Scotland win !!
So beware.. here is the release...
RYDER CUP EUROPE WARN FANS – BEWARE OF PIRATE TICKET OPERATORS
Ryder Cup Europe today launched a vigorous campaign to protect companies and the general public from being duped by pirate operators seeking gain from The 2010 Ryder Cup at The Celtic Manor Resort, City of Newport, Wales, on October 1-3.
SMG Worldwide and THG Sports, part of the Marcus Evans Group whose employees were arrested in South Africa over allegations of ticket touting, are offering so called “Hospitality Packages” which in reality are located in a hotel five miles from the venue.
Richard Hills, the European Ryder Cup Director, said: “Make no mistake, customers will feel that this is misleading at best. Two global “Brands” have contacted us in the past two weeks after booking with SMG Worldwide and THG Sports. Both were horrified to hear that they had booked unofficial and off-site hospitality and that as tickets cannot be transferred they might not receive any valid tickets for the Ryder Cup from the ticket supplier being used by SMG/THG. Luckily they were able to re-book with Ryder Cup Europe – the ONLY official way to book – but we are determined other companies are not similarly trapped because the consequences are dire.
“There are a number of other pirate operators who claim they have genuine tickets, which simply is not the case. Ryder Cup have a record of every single ticket purchased and all tickets are non-transferable. They may also claim that they will apply for tickets on your behalf, but as all tickets will have photo ID this time around, this also is a fraudulent claim.
“Pirate operators also claim they are running shuttles to the course, which is impossible. Throughout the week we have a series of road closures and restrictions that only allow shuttles from Ryder Cup Travel Services, the official provider of transport to the event, through the security cordon around the site.
“The last thing we want to do is to disappoint companies, their clients and true fans by turning them away. But, these companies leave us no option, and make no mistake, we will turn people away if they have invalid tickets. This is THE warning and there will be no exceptions. Anyone who believes they may have been duped should contact us now.
“You can still book hospitality and you can still book tickets – but to do that you MUST go through www.rydercup.com, the Official Ryder Cup website.
“Please don’t be fooled, some unscrupulous companies will take your money, and leave you disappointed, please don’t end up being a victim and missing The 2010 Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor. Don’t disappoint the people of Wales – they deserve better and they are going to be great hosts.”
Bryan Angus
Just in case you were thinking of heading to Wales. I remember vividly in 1984 travelling with the Scottish support to Dublin where the Scottish Rugby team was set to win the Grand Slam. We had official tickets for the match and were at the Lansdown Road end behind the posts.
Some enterprising Irish lads printed off 5000 illegal tickets for our end of the park, sold them, made a fortune and as a result I was involved for the only time in my life, with a crowd stampede, as the 5000 poured in on top of us. We were being crushed, people were fainting and being trampled.
I with the help of my 6'6" partner big Bill Brown finally fought our way out and went back to our hotel to watch Scotland win !!
So beware.. here is the release...
RYDER CUP EUROPE WARN FANS – BEWARE OF PIRATE TICKET OPERATORS
Ryder Cup Europe today launched a vigorous campaign to protect companies and the general public from being duped by pirate operators seeking gain from The 2010 Ryder Cup at The Celtic Manor Resort, City of Newport, Wales, on October 1-3.
SMG Worldwide and THG Sports, part of the Marcus Evans Group whose employees were arrested in South Africa over allegations of ticket touting, are offering so called “Hospitality Packages” which in reality are located in a hotel five miles from the venue.
Richard Hills, the European Ryder Cup Director, said: “Make no mistake, customers will feel that this is misleading at best. Two global “Brands” have contacted us in the past two weeks after booking with SMG Worldwide and THG Sports. Both were horrified to hear that they had booked unofficial and off-site hospitality and that as tickets cannot be transferred they might not receive any valid tickets for the Ryder Cup from the ticket supplier being used by SMG/THG. Luckily they were able to re-book with Ryder Cup Europe – the ONLY official way to book – but we are determined other companies are not similarly trapped because the consequences are dire.
“There are a number of other pirate operators who claim they have genuine tickets, which simply is not the case. Ryder Cup have a record of every single ticket purchased and all tickets are non-transferable. They may also claim that they will apply for tickets on your behalf, but as all tickets will have photo ID this time around, this also is a fraudulent claim.
“Pirate operators also claim they are running shuttles to the course, which is impossible. Throughout the week we have a series of road closures and restrictions that only allow shuttles from Ryder Cup Travel Services, the official provider of transport to the event, through the security cordon around the site.
“The last thing we want to do is to disappoint companies, their clients and true fans by turning them away. But, these companies leave us no option, and make no mistake, we will turn people away if they have invalid tickets. This is THE warning and there will be no exceptions. Anyone who believes they may have been duped should contact us now.
“You can still book hospitality and you can still book tickets – but to do that you MUST go through www.rydercup.com, the Official Ryder Cup website.
“Please don’t be fooled, some unscrupulous companies will take your money, and leave you disappointed, please don’t end up being a victim and missing The 2010 Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor. Don’t disappoint the people of Wales – they deserve better and they are going to be great hosts.”
Bryan Angus
No surprises in Pavin's picks..
As I wrote here yesterday Corey Pavin has selected Woods, Z Johnson, S Cink and Rickie Fowler as his 4 captains picks.
In an interview from the New York Stock exchange he said he had kept an open mind until play was finished last night and he sat down with Julius Mason and his vice captains and came to a conclusion fairly early in the evening.
So the final team is Mickelson, Woods, Cink, Stricker, Mahan, Furyk, D Johnson, Z Johnson, Overton, Kuchar, Watson and Fowler
Pavin was very calm, said all the right things even hinted that we will see something a little different in the team uniforms that his wife Lisa has been planning for the last 2 years.
It is a deep and talented squad but to be honest who in there really scares you to play against ?
Mickelson blew up again yesterday when he had the chance once again to become #1 and where have we seen that before !!
Tiger even at his best has a marginal Ryder Cup record at 13-10-2 and as Rory McIlroy said in a recent interview " I fancy my chances against him, I think we all do "
I expect Stricker, Furyk and Cink to be rock solid, I would even put Z Johnson and Hunter Mahan in that group.
D Johnson, Bubba Watson, Jeff Overton and Matt Kuchar are all very talented but huge "ifs" under the extraordinary pressure that will exist at Celtic Manor,pressure none of them has experienced at this level, and Walker Cup play is not at this level.
As I mentioned yesterday I am glad he picked Fowler who will not be wearing his trademark over sized cap but who is a good investment for the future and will bring some colour and flair to this team and may well provide that spark that Kim provided for this team in Valhalla..
They will need it !!
Bryan Angus bryanangus4@gmail.com
In an interview from the New York Stock exchange he said he had kept an open mind until play was finished last night and he sat down with Julius Mason and his vice captains and came to a conclusion fairly early in the evening.
So the final team is Mickelson, Woods, Cink, Stricker, Mahan, Furyk, D Johnson, Z Johnson, Overton, Kuchar, Watson and Fowler
Pavin was very calm, said all the right things even hinted that we will see something a little different in the team uniforms that his wife Lisa has been planning for the last 2 years.
It is a deep and talented squad but to be honest who in there really scares you to play against ?
Mickelson blew up again yesterday when he had the chance once again to become #1 and where have we seen that before !!
Tiger even at his best has a marginal Ryder Cup record at 13-10-2 and as Rory McIlroy said in a recent interview " I fancy my chances against him, I think we all do "
I expect Stricker, Furyk and Cink to be rock solid, I would even put Z Johnson and Hunter Mahan in that group.
D Johnson, Bubba Watson, Jeff Overton and Matt Kuchar are all very talented but huge "ifs" under the extraordinary pressure that will exist at Celtic Manor,pressure none of them has experienced at this level, and Walker Cup play is not at this level.
As I mentioned yesterday I am glad he picked Fowler who will not be wearing his trademark over sized cap but who is a good investment for the future and will bring some colour and flair to this team and may well provide that spark that Kim provided for this team in Valhalla..
They will need it !!
Bryan Angus bryanangus4@gmail.com
Monday, September 6, 2010
Who will Pavin pick ??
Tonight at PGA headquarters in New Jersey, Corey Pavin will sit down with Julius Mason of the PGA and his co-captains, Tom Lehman, Davis Love, Paul Goydos and Jeff Sluman via phone from South Korea.
They will probably sit until the wee hours debating all the pros and cons of who their 4 captains picks will be..
Mickelson 2, Stricker 4, D Johnson 24, Mahan 13, Watson 25, Furyk 6, Overton 46 and Kuchar 10 are already in (number is World Ranking)
Woods 1, Z Johnson 17,Cink 36, Kim 16, Glover 30, Van Pelt 43, Crane 44, Barnes, Watney 29, O'Hair 22, Fowler 32, R Palmer and RMoore 47 are all in the mix as picks..
Apart from Tiger, Z Johnson, Cink and Kim none of them have played in the Ryder Cup.
I believe they have to pick Tiger and in fact they should. Despite his indifferent form and his spotty Ryder Cup record (25 matches 10-13-2) Julius Mason will point out on behalf of the PGA and NBC etal the financial implications of his possible absence.
That aside, he will be the rallying point for this squad, playing well or poorly. If he finds something between now and October and plays well it will be a bonus. If he struggles his teammates will rally around him even more than usual now that he has lost his teflon shield, and don't forget he gets help in this format. Pavin can pair him with Furyk to make sure the ball is in the fairway at least half the time if Tiger struggles off the tee.
Zack Johnson played in 2006 with a 1-2-1 record but is playing well right now and Stewart Cink has been a steady eddie for the past 4 Ryder Cups and remember they are both major champions, the ultimate status amongst these 24 guys, and I believe they will be picked...
Now you get down to the last pick and you can make arguments for them all. Palmer and Moore have been red hot of late, none strike it better than Sean O'Hair according to our pal Sean Foley, and O'Hair and Mahan are stablemates who know each others games so well, Kim would be automatic if not for his injury.
So in a team that has a blend of experience ( Woods, Mickelson, Furyk, Stricker, Cink, ZJohnson and Mahan, and rookies in Watson, Overton, Kuchar D Johnson) I am going to suggest Rickie Fowler. He is T49 playing today at the Deutsche Bank and has been in form. More important I think the team will adopt him as their baby and he may well replace Kim as the sparkplug. Also remember the McIlroy's, Kaymer's and Molinari's of this Euro team will be around for years to come, so the Yanks will need young Mr Fowler for the future as well as the present.
This is who they are up against..
Monty, D Clarke, Bjorn, McGinley and Sergio are the captains
Westwood 3, McIlroy 7, Kaymer 5, McDowell 14, Poulter 12, Fisher 26, F Molinari 35, EMolinari 15, MJimenez 38, P Hanson 40, Harrington 19, Donald 11.. (number is world ranking)
Deutsche Bank
The final round is underway at the TPC @ Boston
1.Jason Day -5, 66 -17 196
2.Brandt Snedeker -4,67, -16 197
3.Luke Donald -5,66 -15 198
4.Steve Stricker -4, 67,-13 200
are the leaders..
Keeping an eye on Tiger, T23 , -2, 69 -7. 206....... Mickelson T6 -4, 67 -12 201 (could get to #1) and Adam Scott T6-6,65, 201 who has had a great return to form this year with only 4 cuts missed in 23 starts and 7 T10's who won this in 2003.
Stephen Ames started the day T41 after a +4 75 yesterday..
The top 70 go through to the BMW in Chicago next week
By the way congrats to 46 year old Miguel Jimenez, who delighted his captain Monty by winning the Omega European Masters in Switzerland yesterday
BryanAngus
They will probably sit until the wee hours debating all the pros and cons of who their 4 captains picks will be..
Mickelson 2, Stricker 4, D Johnson 24, Mahan 13, Watson 25, Furyk 6, Overton 46 and Kuchar 10 are already in (number is World Ranking)
Woods 1, Z Johnson 17,Cink 36, Kim 16, Glover 30, Van Pelt 43, Crane 44, Barnes, Watney 29, O'Hair 22, Fowler 32, R Palmer and RMoore 47 are all in the mix as picks..
Apart from Tiger, Z Johnson, Cink and Kim none of them have played in the Ryder Cup.
I believe they have to pick Tiger and in fact they should. Despite his indifferent form and his spotty Ryder Cup record (25 matches 10-13-2) Julius Mason will point out on behalf of the PGA and NBC etal the financial implications of his possible absence.
That aside, he will be the rallying point for this squad, playing well or poorly. If he finds something between now and October and plays well it will be a bonus. If he struggles his teammates will rally around him even more than usual now that he has lost his teflon shield, and don't forget he gets help in this format. Pavin can pair him with Furyk to make sure the ball is in the fairway at least half the time if Tiger struggles off the tee.
Zack Johnson played in 2006 with a 1-2-1 record but is playing well right now and Stewart Cink has been a steady eddie for the past 4 Ryder Cups and remember they are both major champions, the ultimate status amongst these 24 guys, and I believe they will be picked...
Now you get down to the last pick and you can make arguments for them all. Palmer and Moore have been red hot of late, none strike it better than Sean O'Hair according to our pal Sean Foley, and O'Hair and Mahan are stablemates who know each others games so well, Kim would be automatic if not for his injury.
So in a team that has a blend of experience ( Woods, Mickelson, Furyk, Stricker, Cink, ZJohnson and Mahan, and rookies in Watson, Overton, Kuchar D Johnson) I am going to suggest Rickie Fowler. He is T49 playing today at the Deutsche Bank and has been in form. More important I think the team will adopt him as their baby and he may well replace Kim as the sparkplug. Also remember the McIlroy's, Kaymer's and Molinari's of this Euro team will be around for years to come, so the Yanks will need young Mr Fowler for the future as well as the present.
This is who they are up against..
Monty, D Clarke, Bjorn, McGinley and Sergio are the captains
Westwood 3, McIlroy 7, Kaymer 5, McDowell 14, Poulter 12, Fisher 26, F Molinari 35, EMolinari 15, MJimenez 38, P Hanson 40, Harrington 19, Donald 11.. (number is world ranking)
Deutsche Bank
The final round is underway at the TPC @ Boston
1.Jason Day -5, 66 -17 196
2.Brandt Snedeker -4,67, -16 197
3.Luke Donald -5,66 -15 198
4.Steve Stricker -4, 67,-13 200
are the leaders..
Keeping an eye on Tiger, T23 , -2, 69 -7. 206....... Mickelson T6 -4, 67 -12 201 (could get to #1) and Adam Scott T6-6,65, 201 who has had a great return to form this year with only 4 cuts missed in 23 starts and 7 T10's who won this in 2003.
Stephen Ames started the day T41 after a +4 75 yesterday..
The top 70 go through to the BMW in Chicago next week
By the way congrats to 46 year old Miguel Jimenez, who delighted his captain Monty by winning the Omega European Masters in Switzerland yesterday
BryanAngus
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Soggy TPC@Boston no match for Deutsche Bank 100
With Hurricane Earl rampaging up the east coast, (about to hit Halifax this morning around 9am), PGA officials had the tees up and the pins accessible to help speed up play. Throw in lift clean and place on perfect fairways and little wind and you have a recipe for low scoring.
Only 13 players failed to break par of 71, and yes Tiger was one of them at +1, 72. Remember this is the last week for captain Corey Pavin to make his 4 picks..
Woods, I didn't drive it well, I didn't putt it well and my irons weren't very good either", bogeyed 4 of his first 6 holes and will need a strong round today to make the cut, and stay in the playoffs.
The leaders are the guys who have all been playing well for the last month
Jason Day and Zach Johnson lead at -8, 63
8 guys are at -7, 64 including Hunter Mahan, Ryan Moore, Ryan Palmer, Rory McIlroy, Charlie Hoffman and Geoff Ogilvy who hasn't had a top 10 since he won the SBS early in the year.
Others... Stricker T11, -6,65....Matt Kuchar and Martin Laird continue their fine play T16 -5,66... Phil Mickelson T61 -2,69.....Stephen Ames T28, -4,67
So the leaderboard is bunched and the winds and rain from the hurricane will dictate play today.
For me Corey Pavin does not have any one jumping out at him from the group he is choosing from..
Anthony Kim ?? Stewart Cink, Zack Johnson, Ben Crane, JB Holmes, Ricky Fowler, Tiger Woods are some of those who are on his list. Personally I would pick Fowler since he is playing as well if not better than anyone else and he would be a youthful spark plug for this underdog team.
Big question of course is Tiger. On form alone he would not be on the team, but there must be tremendous pressure from the PGA never mind ESPN and NBC to select him. If you select him he becomes the lightning rod immediately. If he plays well he becomes the rallying cry for the team.
Unfortunately for Pavin, his team ,the PGA and TV, Tiger's play and his spotty Ryder Cup record does not warrant his selection.
However in my opinion, he will be selected. After all, as we all know in the US, Tiger is the story whether he shoots 64 or 84 and country and others more worthy be damned, he will be in the team
Bryan Angus bryanangus4@gmail.com
Only 13 players failed to break par of 71, and yes Tiger was one of them at +1, 72. Remember this is the last week for captain Corey Pavin to make his 4 picks..
Woods, I didn't drive it well, I didn't putt it well and my irons weren't very good either", bogeyed 4 of his first 6 holes and will need a strong round today to make the cut, and stay in the playoffs.
The leaders are the guys who have all been playing well for the last month
Jason Day and Zach Johnson lead at -8, 63
8 guys are at -7, 64 including Hunter Mahan, Ryan Moore, Ryan Palmer, Rory McIlroy, Charlie Hoffman and Geoff Ogilvy who hasn't had a top 10 since he won the SBS early in the year.
Others... Stricker T11, -6,65....Matt Kuchar and Martin Laird continue their fine play T16 -5,66... Phil Mickelson T61 -2,69.....Stephen Ames T28, -4,67
So the leaderboard is bunched and the winds and rain from the hurricane will dictate play today.
For me Corey Pavin does not have any one jumping out at him from the group he is choosing from..
Anthony Kim ?? Stewart Cink, Zack Johnson, Ben Crane, JB Holmes, Ricky Fowler, Tiger Woods are some of those who are on his list. Personally I would pick Fowler since he is playing as well if not better than anyone else and he would be a youthful spark plug for this underdog team.
Big question of course is Tiger. On form alone he would not be on the team, but there must be tremendous pressure from the PGA never mind ESPN and NBC to select him. If you select him he becomes the lightning rod immediately. If he plays well he becomes the rallying cry for the team.
Unfortunately for Pavin, his team ,the PGA and TV, Tiger's play and his spotty Ryder Cup record does not warrant his selection.
However in my opinion, he will be selected. After all, as we all know in the US, Tiger is the story whether he shoots 64 or 84 and country and others more worthy be damned, he will be in the team
Bryan Angus bryanangus4@gmail.com
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