OWGR - Week #31

It's a bit unfortunate for two of the bigest golf events of the year to take place at the same time with the Olympic Games. Hard to concentrate too much on the golf in these conditions, but things should be somewhat different by the time of the next Olympics... After Andy Murray's great win today (it's actually yesterday ), I heard Henman and McEnroe talking about the idea of awarding more ranking points to the tennis players participating in the Games, and I thought that could be a very good idea, not only in tennis, but also in golf in 4 years time... you've heard it here first!

Anyway, congratulations to Keegan Bradley for his rather unexpected win in the end at Bridgestone Invitational! It's his secong big win, coming just the week before he has to defend his USPGA title, and like him or not, who can bet that there won't be more of these wins for him in future. As a result he jumps straight into the top 15 in the world for the first time in his carreer. Otherwise, Stricker and Furyk are both making not spectacular, but solid moves up the ranks to #11 and #28 respectively. As a general comment, we can see a consoldation of US golfers presence at the top of the rankings, with no less than 12 US players now inside the top 20 (there were onlt 7 this time last year). Martin Kaymer's continuous descent, droping now out of the top 20 for the first time in over three years, is epitomising the rather poor season that many of the non-American golfers are having so far...

Congratulations also to JJ Henry, winner of the unconventional Reno-Tahoe Open. An interesting experiment perhaps, although it remains to be seen how successful the modified stableford system really was and how good a preparation this has been for the USPGA for guys like Harrington (certanly didn't help him with his rankings, dropping now one more place to #63). JJ Henry should be pretty happy though, as he will be climbing up inside the top 140 with this win...

Finally, well done to Kristoffer Broberg from Sweden, winner of the CT event in Finland, moving up around 600 places to somewhere around #475. And last, but certainly not least, big congrats again to young Ben Kohles from Virginia, who amazingly went on to win his 2nd ever Web.com event as a professional, just as he did with the first one last week! And all of a sudden, out of nowhere, he should find himself somewhere around the #260 in the world... an unbelievable achievement in the space of only 10 days!!

The OWGR table after week #31 should look as follows:

1 Luke Donald
2 Tiger Woods
3 Rory McIlroy
4 Lee Westwood
5 Webb Simpson
6 Bubba Watson
7 Adam Scott
8 Jason Dufner
9 Matt Kuchar
10 Justin Rose
-------------------------
11 Steve Stricker
12 Graeme McDowell
13 Zach Johnson
14 Hunter Mahan
15 Keegan Bradley
16 Louis Oosthuizen
17 Ernie Els
18 Dustin Johnson
19 Phil Mickelson
20 Rickie Fowler
21 Martin Kaymer
22 Charl Schwartzel
23 Jason Day
24 Francesco Molinari
25 Brandt Snedeker
26 Sergio Garcia
27 Bo Van Pelt
28 Jim Furyk
29 Bill Haas
30 Ian Poulter
31 Peter Hanson
32 Paul Lawrie
33 Nick Watney
34 Nicolas Colsaerts
35 David Toms
36 John Senden
37 K.J. Choi
38 Carl Pettersson
39 Martin Laird
40 Thomas Bjorn
41 Fredrik Jacobson
42 Simon Dyson
43 Rafael Cabrera Bello
44 Gonzalo Fdez-Castano
45 Bae Sang-moon
46 Aaron Baddeley
47 Mark Wilson
48 Alvaro Quiros
49 Geoff Ogilvy
50 Jonathan Byrd
------------------------
51 Branden Grace
52 Kevin Na
53 Kyle Stanley
54 Anders Hansen
55 Scott Piercy
56 Ben Crane
57 Robert Garrigus
58 Robert Karlsson
59 Marcel Siem
60 Michael Thompson
61 Alexander Noren
62 Jamie Donaldson
63 Padraig Harrington
64 Retief Goosen
65 Robert Rock
66 Greg Chalmers
67 Ryo Ishikawa
68 John Huh
69 Johnson Wagner
70 Matteo Manassero
71 Rory Sabbatini
72 Miguel A Jimenez
73 K.T. Kim
74 Vijay Singh
75 Spencer Levin
76 Bernd Wiesberger
77 Ryan Moore
78 Hiroyuki Fujita
79 Ben Curtis
80 Marc Leishman
81 George Coetzee
82 Marcus Fraser
83 Y.E. Yang
84 Charles Howell-III
85 Jeev Milkha Singh
86 Brendan Jones
87 Ryan Palmer
88 Pablo Larrazabal
89 Ted Potter-jr
90 Toru Taniguchi
91 Darren Clarke
92 Gary Woodland
93 Paul Casey
94 Bud Cauley
95 Brian Davis
96 Thorbjorn Olesen
97 D.A. Points
98 David Lynn
99 Joost Luiten
100 Charlie Wi
---------------------
101 John Rollins
102 Jeff Overton
103 Sean O'Hair
...

They do award ranking points for the olympics already as it happens.....750 for the win.....meaning it is the 15TH most important event ranking wise in TENNIS....(4 SLAMS, YEAR END CHAMPIONSHIP AND 9 MASTERS SERIES EVENTS WORTH MORE)

sirbenson, that's true, I missed the word 'more' there... Henman and McEnroe were in fact arguing that there should be more ranking points awarded for the Olympics in tennis...

I think the idea of awarding owgr points for the Olympics golf competition in future is certainly worth considering for a number of reasons...

120 Fat men, having someone to carry their bag as they walk slowly between shots should not be anywhere near the olympics.
They should carry their own bags and sprint between shots.

super- look up Holley Mangold, female weightlifter. If she can make the Olympics anyone can!

Mangold's brother, Nick, is one of the NFL's best centres.
'Course, he doesn't have to play against his sister.

Poor week for the Continental Europeans, Cabrera-Bello's first two rounds excepted.
This has all the makings of a very unbalanced Ryder Cup Team, but with all the "Continentals" being the weak part of the Team; five or six (if you include Poulter) British horses with the rest of the "ensemble" looking very shaky.
Farewell to the Top 100 this week for Casey?

Thanks pd

Could well be farewell... But he's not droping any further after amortisation this week, so he may be lucky and still hang in there for a while (or maybe he's gonna find something magic in Kiawah, who knows)...

Quick projections:

- Tiger needs a 3-way tie for 2nd or better to have a chance to go to #1
- Tiger will go to #1 with a win, regardless what Luke does
- Rory could go to #1 only with a solo 2nd or a win

princedracula wrote:
- Tiger needs a 3-way tie for 2nd or better to have a chance to go to #1
- Tiger will go to #1 with a win, regardless what Luke does
- Rory could go to #1 only with a solo 2nd or a win

PD... Got it on Tiger... but Rory... If he wins does he take #1 regardless of what Donald does?

OK, here are the scenarios for this week:

- Rory wins: Luke needs solo 2nd or 2-way tie for 2nd to stay #1
- Rory finish solo 2nd: Luke needs to make cut to stay #1
(obviously, Rory will go to #1 only if the winner is not Tiger in this case)

- Tiger wins: he goes to #1
- Tiger finish solo 2nd: Luke needs 4-way tie for 4th or solo 5th to stay #1
- Tiger finish 2nd with one other: Luke needs 4-way tie 13th or solo 14th to stay #1
- Tiger finish 2nd with two others: Luke needs to make the cut to stay #1
(in the last three cases, Tiger will go to #1 only if Rory doesn't win)

- Lee will have a chance to go to #2 only with a win or a solo 2nd

- No one outside the top 4 could break into the top 3 with a win this week
- Any of the guys from #5 to #11 (Simpson to Stricker) could replace Lee at #4 with a win
- Harrington could move as high as #23 with a win...

Nothing much to shout about here in Europe in this USPGA week apart from a CT event in Norway. Having said that, we've a top notch amateur event here in Ireland at Carton House in Maynooth, the 2012 European Amateur Championship. It's a really strong field of 144 elite European amateurs (from 25 countries), including guys like Dunbar and Schwab, the finalists of the British Amateur, etc. Former winners of this event include McIlroy, Garcia and 'Red Neck' Pettersson among many others...

Conditions have been pretty good today and the scores look very impressive for that tough Montgomerie Course. Leader is Jennevret from Sweden with a brilliant 64 (-8), followed by Porteus (Eng) and Pieters (Bel) at -6 and Schwab (Aut) with -5. Poor start from Alan Dunbar though (+4)...

Could be relevant to note for the future, that the country best represented in this elite amateur field is France, with 19 players in total! Then follows Ireland 17, England 16, Scotland 11, Spain 11, Italy&Germany 7, Sweden&Switzerland 6, Wales&Austria 5, Denmark/Netherlands/Belgium 4, etc.

Allez France!!!!


Not a bad field in prospect for next week's Johnnie Walker Championship, but some players who might need a Captain's Pick are disappointingly absent:

Present and correct: FMolinari, Cabrera-Bello, Colsaerts, F'Dez, Dyson, Bjorn, Hanson, Siem, Noren, Oleson

Absent: Without Leave?: Kaymer, Garcia, Poulter, Harringon, Laird.


And something (almost) completely different: Is it just me or is Montgomerie's lobbying for the 2014 Ryder Cup Skipperdom all a bit unseemly?
It's easy to be sympathetic that he's missed out on winning a Major, but it's surely time for him to move on and make way for the post-Monty generation.

kwinigolfer wrote:
And something (almost) completely different: Is it just me or is Montgomerie's lobbying for the 2014 Ryder Cup Skipperdom all a bit unseemly?
It's easy to be sympathetic that he's missed out on winning a Major, but it's surely time for him to move on and make way for the post-Monty generation.

Sandy Lyle?

kwinigolfer wrote:Allez France!!!!


Not a bad field in prospect for next week's Johnnie Walker Championship, but some players who might need a Captain's Pick are disappointingly absent:

Present and correct: FMolinari, Cabrera-Bello, Colsaerts, F'Dez, Dyson, Bjorn, Hanson, Siem, Noren, Oleson

Absent: Without Leave?: Kaymer, Garcia, Poulter, Harringon, Laird.


And something (almost) completely different: Is it just me or is Montgomerie's lobbying for the 2014 Ryder Cup Skipperdom all a bit unseemly?
It's easy to be sympathetic that he's missed out on winning a Major, but it's surely time for him to move on and make way for the post-Monty generation.

So... we play this game too much as is, but Clarke for 2014 maybe? Not many alternatives if Westwood's still competitive, I can't really see McGinley or Jimenez getting it if I'm honest.

Would think Laird and Padraig have cooked their gooses unless they play well this week, possibly Kaymer too though I have a suspicion he'll have a decent week. Nuts to leave Poulter out regardless if you ask me.

Clarke for me, in 2014, or McGinley if DC doesn't want it.
Don't see M-A J getting it, but do see Bjorn as being an option - not sure about Harrington.

Kwini: I have feeling Poulter, Garcia, & Westwood will be entering Wyndham, to play events and to try to get more FE points.

Westwood is not yet guaranteed BMW, and Poulter and Garcia are not guaranteed the Deutschebank.

kwinigolfer wrote:Is it just me or is Montgomerie's lobbying for the 2014 Ryder Cup Skipperdom all a bit unseemly?
It's easy to be sympathetic that he's missed out on winning a Major, but it's surely time for him to move on and make way for the post-Monty generation.

I thought McGinley was being groomed as the next captain? If not I wouldn't mind seeing Monty in the driver's seat once more- he has a certain panache that is perfect for the role.

GPB,
Sergio should have won the Wyndham a couple of years ago, lost in a play-off, so at least he has previous there.

This may come a few days too early, but news are coming through from down under that GMac and Poults will join Adam Scott at the Aussie Masters in mid November. As I said before, it will be interesting to see how various top pros (US, Euro, RoW) are going to set their schedules in those last three months of the year...

Nine of the top 26 miss a Major cut - that doesn't happen very often.
And Donald Dufner and Dustin hanging precariously via their lifeline thread.

So maybe there'll be significant movement this week.

But Michael Hoey won't benefit as the shocking news has just arrived that he was d/q'd. Don't know why yet.

Will Day start sliding?
Will Casey leave the Hot 100?
Will Vijay reach the Top 30 when he wins?
Will Poulter win the PGA and make the Olympic closing ceremonies?

Oliver Wilson leading in Norway after a 62 - two more of them should do the trick then.

When I look it up the first headline I saw read...
Hoey disqualified after a 70 for embedded lie
and I thought he may have told a lie to somebody...

Such a pitty after that great round, but fair play to him for reporting the whole thing afterwards. Those sandy areas seem to generate all sorts of problems for the players...

As for your quastions...

Will Day start sliding?
Only a couple of places right now...

Will Casey leave the Hot 100?
Still just about hanging in there at the moment...

Will Vijay reach the Top 30 when he wins?
He could jump as high as #29...

Will Poulter win the PGA and make the Olympic closing ceremonies?
Don't think so, but...

kwinigolfer wrote:Oliver Wilson leading in Norway after a 62 - two more of them should do the trick then.

...and Chris Wood leads in Thailand.
Is this the week when these two English W's will finally get that illusive first W...?

After 4 days of great golf at Carton House (Montgomerie Course), the European Amateur Championship title went in the end to the Welshman Rhys Pugh, so congratulations to him! He said that this was undoubtedly the biggest trophy of his carreer, but probably one of the biggest prizes he gets is an early ticket to next year's Open Championship at Muirfield... Not bad!

Yesterday we had (finally!) a fabulous summer day here (clear skies, warm and no wind) and I decided to drop in for a couple of hours and followed Alan Dunbar's group for their last 6-7 holes. He played with two Scots, Matthew Clark (drinking water) and Graeme Robertson (white trousers).

Spoiler:

Just to emphasise the standard of golf on display, apart from a new course record (62!) set in an other group by another Welshman, James Frazer (he finished 2nd overall today), only during those few holes, I had the privilege to witness some remarkable things. First of all it was the longest drive that I've ever seen in my life (boy, this guy, Matt Clark really is a bomber!)... The par 5 15th has 554 yards from the back tees and his ball landed just one step ahead of the 150-yard yellow marker(!), which makes it ~405 yards!! That's him leaving after he hit his second shot (you can see the marker behind him) being congratulated by a certain fellow Scot (in white shirt)... You'll get some brownie points if you guess who that is...

Spoiler:

The other two guys were not short by any means, but at ~300 yards each they were over 100yards behind him. Clark hit only a 9-iron from there on the green and got his birdie. Dunbar got a birdie as well after a great chip (his 3rd shot) from outside the green stopped just inches from the hole... Robertson's second shot ended up in a very, very deep greenside bunker (those who played Monty's course there would know how deep some of those bunkers are). But then surprise, surprise, as we were just finishing our clapping after Dunbar's genius chip, Robertson who disappeared completely inside that deep bunker, just scoops it out and the ball rolls straight in the hole for an eagle! He actually went on to eagle the 18th as well (also a par 5) in a crazy eagle-bogey-birdie-eagle finish! Fantastic show! And for those who haven't played there, the setting is fantastic. Here you can see Dunbar hitting his second shot on the 18th fairway, with the beautiful Carton House in the background...

Spoiler:

It may sound from that like this is not such a difficult course, but it isn't at all the case and in fact when the wind starts to blow it is a true beast. Today actually it turned out to be pretty windy and Dunbar ended up with a 79! In 2005-2006 when the Irish Open was held there and weather wasn't that great, I remember many of the pros were complaining that the course is too difficult... All in all, it's been a great tournament and have to say once again, I've been really impressed with the standard of golf I've seen from these youngsters...

Fantastic stuff pd! Pleased for Pugh, another success for the Walker class of 2011. He's still only 18 I believe, and about to enroll at East Tennessee State, if he lives up to his promise there he could take the college scene by storm! Sorry to see another tough day for Dunbar though, seems like he's struggling slightly to kick on in light of his big win.
That mystery Scotsman looks a little like Coltart to me...

pd

PS; David Lingmerth leading the web.commer.
Oliver Wilson down to 3rd on the CT.

Thanks Ned, kwini.

Ned, you're spot on about the mystery Scot...

Spoiler:

Luke making the cut has made the job of Rory or Tiger just a bit harder in the #1 chase. So, Rory now needs to win and Tiger to finish in a 2-way tie for 2nd or better...

Adam Scott will replace Lee at no.4 only with a win...
Vijay could move as high as #29 with a win and would need at least solo 4th to have a chance to climp back inside the top 50...

Chris Wood is no longer winless as he wins the Thailand Open and $180k. Horsey, Finch, Howell and McGinley have been in that field as well...

Oliver Wilson not really making any significant charge for the top in Norway...

And Harrington has a share of the lead in US going into Sunday...

pd,
Haven't been keeping up with "Thailand"; is that an Asia Tour event? Presumably official then?

Good for Wood!

It's on OneAsia Tour... A strong tournament money-wise on that tour, but not so much impact on OWGR, he'll be lucky if he gets 8 pts for that...

Thanks

60 foot putt in a play-off for Broberg to win again!

Not so good this week for Ben Kohles at the web.commer but Luke Guthrie going well again.

Meanwhile, back beside the seaside, Japan have once again been all at sea - Ryo and Taniguchi will surely be having an interesting chat with Martin Laird as they go through the formalities this afternoon.

And I'm guessing while Bo Van Pelt needs at least a top two. Furyk will just have to join Mahan, Fowler and Dustin Johnson in hoping for a Love pick.