2020 PGA Tour...

[cliftonparksufan]

Si Woo Kim has 'hit the cycle' with a bogey, double, triple, and quad on the front nine at the Amex tournament.

I guess I have a lot in common with Si Woo Kim.

 

[jncuse]

Tiger -3 after 6 holes. Up to -7 for the tournament, 3 shots behind the leader and in 4th.

Tiger doesn't play in many events that have weaker tour players fill the field like Torrey. So mediocre veterans or newer players from the Web.Com, rarely play with him. Two tour rookies in Chris Baker and Tyler McCumber are probably facing something they have never seen today. Will be interesting to see how they react.

 

[jncuse]

Up to -8, 2 shots from the lead. Looks like it could be another year where haternation will be silent.

Rahm up to -8 as well, and Mcilroy just got to -6. Many younger or Web.Com newbies from the past two years on the board -- will be interesting to see how they hold up around those big names.

 

[rrlbees]

Tiger with a 32 on the front nine. In 3rd at -8.

 

[jncuse]

Tiger struggled a bit on the back nine -- couldn't really get anything going ended up at -7, and is 5 back. Impressive 68 shot by his playing partner Tyler McCumber, who probably never played in an atmosphere close to this, and finished at -8. Maybe some experience gained from his father, who won 10 times on tour.

Jon Rahm at -12, shot a 65, and will be tough to catch. Rory and Rahm may be the 2 best players in the world right now. Rory is only 3 shots back. Finau and Leishmann also within 4.

Harry Higgs is also at -8. Higgs is the new Tim Herron on tour.

 

[cliftonparksufan]

Harry Higgs is also at -8. Higgs is the new Tim Herron on tour.

Lumpy!!!!! He was a great player for a while.

 

[jncuse]

Waste Management this week.

Jon Rahm will be extremely close to #1 in the world if he wins this week. And it a strong possibility -- he is very strong at this course and coming off a 2nd place finish.

Patrick Reed laid low and did not play this event. Reed at the 16th hole would have been asking for trouble -- so he made the right call.

 

[cliftonparksufan]

Waste Management this week.

Jon Rahm will be extremely close to #1 in the world if he wins this week. And it a strong possibility -- he is very strong at this course and coming off a 2nd place finish.

Patrick Reed laid low and did not play this event. Reed at the 16th hole would have been asking for trouble -- so he made the right call.

I've been out there a couple times. It's a must see golf/sports/cultural/entertainment event. Everyone needs to put it on their bucket list.

 

[jncuse]

I've been out there a couple times. It's a must see golf/sports/cultural/entertainment event. Everyone needs to put it on their bucket list.

I can see how it interests many people, but for me it is not that intriguing. At least not the first time I would go to the event... I like to walk the course and get a sense of the course, rather than spending too much time at one hole.

But if I was going twice in a week to the Waste Mgmt, perhaps the second day I would be more open to it.

My favourite thing to do when I go to a PGA event, is to walk 5-7 holes in reverse over a few hours... stop at a few holes. You see many more players like that, and seeing the balls come in rather than following them gives you a different perspective.

I have not been at that many events however. I have been to the Canadian Open, WGC - Bridgestone (great to see many shots), and Oak Hill (PGA 2014). I have been to 4 different courses for the Canadian Open however (Glen Abbey, Royal Montreal, Hamilton GCC, and Angus Glen)

 

[jncuse]

So Webb Simpson ended up winning the Waste Management. He moves up to #7 in the world...the highest he has been in world rankings since the end of 2012, when he got to as high as #5 in the world. The Olympics has to be one of his targets this year, and now it is clearly in site. Surprised to see he is now this high... just seemed to quietly sneak up in the rankings.

On to this week - Pebble Beach. It's a bit of a weaker field this year -- event seems to be losing some allure... although I wonder if some players really don't like the Pro-Am aspect of it. It makes for some really long rounds and distractions. 2 players in the top 10 in Dustin Johnson and Patrick Cantlay. Dustin Johnson has been in good form however since has come back with a 7th and a 2nd in Saudi Arabia last week.

Phil Mickelson also had a good event last weekend in Saudi Arabia and finished in 3rd. That was his first top 15 finish in about one year. Before that his last good event was finishing first at the 2019 Pebble. So maybe he is a contender this week as well.

Seems like the #1 spot in the World Golf Ranking will hold steady, although now it is getting very close between Koepka, Rory, Rahm. Rory will probably get to world #1 if he gets a top 10 finish before Brooks gets his next one. Rahm may get it with a 2nd place finish, or better, in his next event.

 

[jncuse]

Random post.

I was on the World Golf Rankings website, and at the top of the page it just popped up "Luke Dona;d - #1 in the world for 56 weeks". As an FYI, they scroll through pics of players who have been #1.

I totally forgot that Luke Donald was a #1 for that long, and that he was either #1 or #2 for all of 2011 and 2012. The "Luke Donald" era of 2011 and 2012 was a strange period for golf.

Back in 2011, there was really a lack of a real dominant American on tour, and Europe dominated the world rankings with Luke Donald, Martin Kaymer, Lee Westwood, and Rory Mcilroy. The top American was Steve Stricker. In 2012, Tiger Woods started winning again so the Americans would have a presence in the top 5 for most of the year

The gold landscape has really changed the past 8 years. in 2011 and 2012, the game was really lacking some fresh blood. All kinds of it came in the subsequent 5 years.

 

[rocklloyd]

I can see how it interests many people, but for me it is not that intriguing. At least not the first time I would go to the event... I like to walk the course and get a sense of the course, rather than spending too much time at one hole.

But if I was going twice in a week to the Waste Mgmt, perhaps the second day I would be more open to it.

My favourite thing to do when I go to a PGA event, is to walk 5-7 holes in reverse over a few hours... stop at a few holes. You see many more players like that, and seeing the balls come in rather than following them gives you a different perspective.

I have not been at that many events however. I have been to the Canadian Open, WGC - Bridgestone (great to see many shots), and Oak Hill (PGA 2014). I have been to 4 different courses for the Canadian Open however (Glen Abbey, Royal Montreal, Hamilton GCC, and Angus Glen)

I think i did Bridgestone something like 14 years in a row. Great event as you say. I loved walking in reverse as well. OUr company villa was on 16 right in line with the pond in front of the green so after about year 8, I hung out by the ropes under the shade and let the guys come to us. Loved watching guys go for it in 2, dump into water, walk back to their money distance (usually around 100) and still make par.

 

[Newhouser]

So Webb Simpson ended up winning the Waste Management. He moves up to #7 in the world...the highest he has been in world rankings since the end of 2012, when he got to as high as #5 in the world. The Olympics has to be one of his targets this year, and now it is clearly in site. Surprised to see he is now this high... just seemed to quietly sneak up in the rankings.

On to this week - Pebble Beach. It's a bit of a weaker field this year -- event seems to be losing some allure... although I wonder if some players really don't like the Pro-Am aspect of it. It makes for some really long rounds and distractions. 2 players in the top 10 in Dustin Johnson and Patrick Cantlay. Dustin Johnson has been in good form however since has come back with a 7th and a 2nd in Saudi Arabia last week.

Phil Mickelson also had a good event last weekend in Saudi Arabia and finished in 3rd. That was his first top 15 finish in about one year. Before that his last good event was finishing first at the 2019 Pebble. So maybe he is a contender this week as well.

Seems like the #1 spot in the World Golf Ranking will hold steady, although now it is getting very close between Koepka, Rory, Rahm. Rory will probably get to world #1 if he gets a top 10 finish before Brooks gets his next one. Rahm may get it with a 2nd place finish, or better, in his next event.

I too think the players are not fond of the Pro-Am piece. Many years ago you could almost see the pros losing patience by the second as they watched Ray Romano doing his schtick.

 

[jncuse]

While the field is weaker there are certainly some large names on the leaderboard right now at Pebble Beach. Several players making "comebacks" of sort after struggling.

Three leaders are Phil Mickelson, Jason Day, and Nick Taylor. Mickelson and Day are similar in that they have been crashing down the world rankings the past year as they have struggled. They are currently #72 and #46, and this could kick off a bit of a return for them. (Mickelson was 3rd last week).

Nick Taylor is also a big name for me since he is Canadian. The one advantage of being a Canadian Golf fan is that it provides about eight decent or journeymen golfers to cheer for,

Dustin Johnson is also hanging around at 4 shots behind the lead. It would be his first win in about 50 weeks.

 

[cliftonparksufan]

While the field is weaker there are certainly some large names on the leaderboard right now at Pebble Beach. Several players making "comebacks" of sort after struggling.

Three leaders are Phil Mickelson, Jason Day, and Nick Taylor. Mickelson and Day are similar in that they have been crashing down the world rankings the past year as they have struggled. They are currently #72 and #46, and this could kick off a bit of a return for them. (Mickelson was 3rd last week).

Nick Taylor is also a big name for me since he is Canadian. The one advantage of being a Canadian Golf fan is that it provides about eight decent or journeymen golfers to cheer for,

Dustin Johnson is also hanging around at 4 shots behind the lead. It would be his first win in about 50 weeks.

Unless your boy pulls a Van de Velde this will be a nice win. As I've said a million times, although I have warmed to Phil as he has aged, I am not a fan of his. But even with that, I wouldn't have expected him to self destruct.

 

[cliftonparksufan]

Unless your boy pulls a Van de Velde this will be a nice win. As I've said a million times, although I have warmed to Phil as he has aged, I am not a fan of his. But even with that, I wouldn't have expected him to self destruct.

Not even a case pf these guys self destructing but more a case of these guys not being able to figure out the wind.

 

[cliftonparksufan]

Not even a case pf these guys self destructing but more a case of these guys not being able to figure out the wind.

That said Taylor just chipped one in from off the green for a birdie after a double on the previous hole.

 

[jncuse]

An interesting day. Many Twists and turns, but in the end Taylor got himself under control over the last 4 holes to win fairly comfortably.

But when that lead was cut from 5 to 2 I was getting nervous. Even Streelman at one point enetered as a potential back door winner.

I really do not like Phil, so I was glad to see him lose, however I do respect his ability at 49. But certainly happier to see Nick win.

 

[jncuse]

Riviera will be a much bigger event this upcoming week.

9 of the top 10 in the world playing, including Rory, Koepka, Rahm and Tiger.

McIlroy took over the world #1 today, and their will be a 3 way battle for it this weekend as well.

 

[Newhouser]

Pebble plays so easy due to the Pro-Am - can't really take much from this tournament. I think Phil is a public phony and a private dirtball so I was glad to see him self-destruct. I think he can't play solid for 4 straight days anymore and if he couldn't on Pebble he wont' when the courses get a bit more legit.

 

[690West]

It’s crazy to think Eldrick has never won at Riviera in 13 tries. Will be fun watching him with JT the next two days.

 

[sutomcat]

I guess I have a lot in common with Si Woo Kim.

He puts the Woe in Woo.

 

[690West]

He puts the Woe in Woo.

 

[690West]

Tremendous front nine for TW. -4. He’s back to being the best iron player in the world. Remarkable

 

[cliftonparksufan]

Tremendous front nine for TW. -4. He’s back to being the best iron player in the world. Remarkable

But...he has to stay in the fairway.