Reaching For The Claret Jug- Day Three

Darren, Dustin, and Rickie……..sounds like the three leads in a 50’s rockabilly band.  Actually two out of the three look the part.

Moving day was actually nudging day today, but these three were the only guys who shot in the 60’s when we had 20 to 30 guys breaking par on the first two days.  With these scores they jockeyed to the front of a tightly bunched leaderboard with 12 guys still within five shots of the lead.

When the players arrived at the golf course this morning the caddies knew they were in for a high maintenance Two-Gloves Gainey kind of day-umbrellas, rain gloves, winter mittens, rain suits, wool hats, the works were going to be in and out of the bags all day .  The temperature was 60’s and it was raining sideways with winds close to 30 miles an hour.  The early games took it on the chin from these conditions and, until Fowler managed to defy the weather of the same name and shoot 68, the 41 players before him had an average score of over 76.  Then the weather moderated considerably-at least the rain stopped-and then the singing began because the last 29 players after him shot an average score three and a half strokes better at just under 73.

But it was really the play of these three guys that stood out from the rest of the field.  Until Fowler posted a score in red numbers the best score of the day was the grisly Old Tom who had carded a two over 72 showing that he is still has it and is probably the best links player of the modern era.  Fowler’s round was instinctive creativity-he managed his trajectories like a wily old veteran-saving pars from everywhere and making three birdies in the last six holes when the rest of the field could not even tread water.  The patience he showed belied his age and he displayed a mastery of links shot strategy and execution that you would not expect from an American who probably has only played a couple of handful’s of competitive rounds in conditions like this.

Dustin Johnson showed once again that power and penetrating driving along with a good pitching game and a solid putter can be a huge advantage in managing a score in big winds.  John Daly showed that when he won the 1995 Open Championship in howling winds at  St. Andrews.  Through this day Johnson out drove Clarke by 20 yards and Rickie by 30 yards on average and took only 27 putts on route to his 68.

The 42-year-old Clarke was the most amazing story of all since he is playing strictly on guile and gumption-his ball striking was rock solid and his putting was mediocre.  He hit 16 greens on a day when the rest of the field could not hit the broad side of a barn but he took 34 putts on the way to a 69 that could have been a whole lot better.  What you could see is that pure ball striking in these kinds of conditions makes for low stress pars-he was one under over his last 10 holes.

The weather for tomorrow is calling for winds on the same level without the driving rain so you have to believe the formula for success will be the same as today.  The guys who hit it pure and control their trajectory will get a chance to putt for pars and birdies.  If it is anything like today those guys will be few and far between.

July, 2011

Reaching For The Claret Jug- Day Two

In what can only be described as an unseasonably nice day on the southeast coast of England, Royal St. Georges seemed primed for the taking by the field in the Open Championship on Day Two. Temperatures around 70, blue skies, and only a 2 flap wind (British commentator’s relative wind measurement based on the flapping of trouser legs). Given all that, we would have expected a number of people to go low and grab this championship by the collar. But that was not the case-best scores today were three guys at 67 and the leading score at the end of the day was one worse than Day One. There was no evidence of collar in hand.

I guess they did not count on the grounds crew at Royal St. Georges putting the pins in places that seemed to be surrounded by force fields. It was impossible for guys to manage the ball into the area of the cup and keep it there. Royal St. Georges has large greens but in many cases the actual part of the green where they can place the pin is only a third of the surface-the rest has such drastic slope it is unfit for putting. Links can demand ricochet golf especially when the green complexes are full of humps and hollows that redirect the ball once it is on the ground. What we saw to day is that it takes great experience and imagination to figure out where to bank it off the side cushions to get it towards the pocket.

So the result is old salty guys like Darren Clarke, Thomas Bjorn, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Anders Hansen, Davis Love, and Tom Lehman are occupying half of the top spots on the leaderboard. There are some strong young players in this group-Glover, Campbell, Johnson, Kaymer, Larrazabal, Coetzee, and Schwartzel-but at least four of those are guys who have played links golf most of their careers.

It is clear at this point that Royal St. Georges favors the guys who understand ricochet golf and have the imagination to do it and the patience to accept the arbitrariness of the result. Right intention and good execution will not always end up with a good results. The guys who don’t take this personally will be the ones who succeed when this is all said and done.

Speaking of old dogs and new tricks, we have to shout out to Old Tom who had a Barney Adam’s moment when he holed his 4-iron on the Par 3 sixth hole this morning. Watson’s 15^th ace of his career was witnessed by thousands of spectators clinging to the dunes surrounding this hole and it sent them into a state of delirium. Unfortunately the resulting tumult caused Young Tom Lewis to pull hook his approach into the fur left of the green and make a double bogey that jarred him off the rails for the next eight holes.

(Click here to see video of Tom Watson’s hole-in-one from ViaSat Golf Live)

The weather forecast for the weekend is sketchy-no surprise in that-and this should continue to favor those with experience in the foibles of links golf. But with 31 guys within 4 shots of the lead picking a winner now is about as predictable as the roll out on the sixth green and we saw today how unexpected that result can be.

July, 2011

Reaching For The Claret Jug- Day One

To any one who has played this silly game we know how fickle the Golf Gods can be in treating us from day to day.   So we can probably relate somewhat to the oddity that 40 year-old Thomas Bjorn must feel today tied for the lead in the Open Championship after day one.

The last time Bjorn was at Royal St. Georges he was leading the 2003 Open Championship by three shots with four holes to play on the final day only to see it all wiped out when it took him a fateful three swipes to extricate himself from the greenside bunker on the sixteenth hole.  The agony of watching his pitch hit the green and roll right back into the bunker at his feet multiple times was something few golf fans will ever forget.

The Dane was not even in this 2011 Open Championship until late Monday evening where, as the sixth alternate for the event, he got his opportunity to play when Vijay’s chiropractor told him to rest his sore back and stay out of the harsh climates of southern England this weekend.  With little or no “major preparation” Bjorn resigned himself to treat this Open Championship as “a bit of a joyride” and just see what happens.

What happened on Day One is that the Golf Gods embraced Bjorn and granted him this day a wonderful swing, straight driving, brilliant iron play, and a sizzling putter on the quirky links of Royal St. Georges.  Typical links golfing day on the eastern coast of England, charcoal grey skies, temperature around 50 degrees, winds a good 20 mph and gusting-players were wearing wooly hats, winter gloves, rain pants, and layers of gortex to deal with the elements.   Bjorn ignored all that and played unconsciously hitting 11/14 fairways where the average pro hit less than 7, 12 greens in regulation where the average was about 10, 25 putts where the average was close to 30, and he had 12 one-putt greens which clearly qualified him for being in the zone.  He made 7 birdies and 2 bogies on the way to 5 under and a piece of the first round lead in the Open Championship at a venue where his personal locker must be brimming with psychological demons.

Bjorn actually has a history of going low in individual rounds at majors-he shot 63 in the 2005 PGA at Baltusrol-and he does have six top ten finishes in majors over his career including three runner-ups.  His 11 European Tour wins-the most recent being the 2011 Qatar Masters in February-show that this man has a golf pedigree, but who would have thunk him coming back to this place that treated him so harshly and playing so well the next time in competition.

There is no telling how those unpredictable spirits will treat Thomas over the next three days but at least for the moment he can sense that the jug is within reach again-something I doubt even he had the audacity to consider when he got that call from the R & A on Monday night.   Today’s performance does show how mentally tough he is and how character and focus can sometimes trump adversity in this game.

July, 2011

The adopted favorite son of Illinois, Steve Stricker, finished a spine chilling roller coaster ride to this third John Deere Classic win in a row on Sunday.  After shooting 64-63 on Friday and Saturday he built himself a five-shot lead going into the back nine on Sunday.  But the sterling play of tour rookie Kyle Stanley and two bogies by Stricker on 15 and 16 left him two back and put a three-peat win at the Deere in jeopardy.

But this is Illinois and this is Steve Stricker. If there has ever been lightning in a bottle on the PGA Tour this is the guy and this is the place.  He birdied 17 and then made a Tiger-esque birdie from the fairway bunker on 18 that will become a thing of lore.

His drive on 18 into the left fairway bunker left him with a lie only a chiropractor could love-one foot in-one foot out hanging lie below his feet. 185 to a back pin full carry over the water-only about six things could go wrong on this shot.  But as this video will attest, Stricker hit it flush barely dislodging a grain of sand.  He then did what Steve Stricker does, showing nerves of steel he rolled in a 25 footer from just off the back of the green to reach 22 under and steal his third Lawn Mower Trophy in three years and $810,000 in lawn service fees to boot.

(Click here to see the video of Steve Stricker’s amazing winning shots-this will give you goosebumps!!)

This is Stricker’s 11th career win, his third year in a row with at least two PGA wins.  With his 8th win since he turned 40 he is doing his best Vijay impression but with a real putting stroke.

Stricker joins a fairly heady group of guys who have won the same event on the PGA Tour three times in a row-it includes Tiger, Arnie, Jack, The Hawk, Young Tom, and The Desert Rat. NIce company, eh?

Little doubt who will be the hometown favorite when the Ryder Cup comes to Medinah in 2012.

July, 2011

During this holiday season it is a great time to reflect on the sacrifices the men and women of our military are making on your behalf in the active military theaters around the world every day.

The Folds of Honor Foundation provides a vehicle for you to support military families by providing post secondary scholarships to the spouses and children of active military service men and women who have died or been seriously wounded serving our country.  You can visit the Folds of Honor Foundation website link below to learn more about this incredible program.

(Click here to visit the Folds of Honor Foundation website)

The Salute Military Golf Association support the rehabilitation of wounded returning service men and women in the Washington Metropolitan Area under the direction of Jim Estes at the Olney Golf Park.  They provide free golf instruction, sourcing of assistive devices, and access to golf courses around the area to Wounded Veterans and their family members as part of a return to a normal life in our community.  You can visit the SMGA website link below to learn about the fine work of this nationally recognized non-profit organization.

(Click here to visit the Salute Military Golf Association website)

Take this opportunity to support those who are protecting our freedom every day.  Click on the “Donate” button on their sites to make a donation to support these great causes.

Every once and a while in sports a professional athlete posts a score that mere mortals cannot relate to….it seems beyond human for them to have done it….it reaches so far beyond the pale of what we think is possible.

Roger Bannister running a 4 minute mile in 1954…..Wilt scoring 100 against the Knicks in ’62…..Bob Beamon breaking the long jump record in the 68 Olympics by almost 2 feet……Isner and Mahut playing the fifth set at Wimbledon to 70-68 in a match that was played over 11 hours and 4 minutes……

These are numbers at the time that we could not relate to-they just seemed huber human.

Well Nick Watney shot 27 on the back nine in the third round of the ATT National at Aronimink Golf Club yesterday…..this was not a casual round….it was in a full field PGA event on par 70 course that plays over 7200 yards and has only two par fives.

He scored the back nine in base 3.  He took only 11 putts.  It was just a routine two pars, six birdies, and an eagle.  8 under on the back nine!!!

Either the greens keeper replaced the cups with suction drains or the pins had duck pin gutter guards on either side of them on every hole.

People don’t contemplate 27 on the back nine at their local Putt-Putt…..even there they would expect a 5 to ruin the card when they get a bad bounce off the windmill and get stymied under the house.  Guess there were no clown’s noses or windmills at Aronimink yesterday.

Maybe we could imagine 27 on the back nine at Augusta…..playing EA Sports Tiger Woods 2011 Masters video game…….at three in the morning after a six pack of Red Bulls.

The majority of the pros who played at Aronimink yesterday had 27 on their back nine scorecards by the time they pegged it on the par three 17^th with two holes to play.

When asked about the round Nick said, “For some reason……the hole just looked really big on the back nine….”.  That explains it……..we just need holes the size of ash cans.

July, 2011

Which clearly Erik Compton has plenty of coming from two back and outlasting weather delays and some fiesty competition to win the Nationwide Tour Mexican Open with eight birdies on the final day. Erik is a two-time heart transplant recipient so he has overcome adversities much bigger than the yips or a bad marriage. With this win and the $126,000 first prize, he is second on the earnings list and a shoe-in for earning his PGA Tour Card at the end of the year as one of the top 25 on the Nationwide Tour.

Don’t you want to give him a big virtual hug-this is a comeback story that I am sure Kevin Costner will consider making into a movie.

June 2011

That is about how the sunglass giant Oakley must feel after Rory’s wire-to-wire victory at the U.S. Open at Congressional this past week.  They have him signed to a $6 million contract to promote their sunglasses and fledgling line of sports apparel.  Hope is that he can do for them what Eldrick did for Nike Golf.   Rory’s entire outfit-pants, belt, shirt and sunglasses-everything but the Jumeirah hat, sported the Oakley brand.  The only thing that is amusing is that he wore the sunglasses backwards on his hat the entire four days-I cannot remember him ever putting them to practical use.

Rory was at Ballyliffin Golf Club in Northern Ireland three days after the finish of the Open to work on a multi-million dollar ad campaign for Oakley.  No surprise that Rory is an honorary member at Ballyliffin and holds the course record of 67 on the Old Course that he shot when he was 17.  This photo shoot was supposed to be hush-hush but word got out and hundreds of locals showed up to greet his helicopter when it touched down on the club’s landing pad.  Lots of Irish revelry ensued as the locals celebrated the return of their conquering hero.

A visit to the Oakley Site reveals they have a long way to go if they are going to make a meaningful inroad into golf apparel and accessories. (Click here for Oakley website)  Seems to me that their design crew needs to move out of the extreme games mode into something more suitable for the Lance Ultra Light crew.  Good news is that Rory is likely to have a very long career so they have plenty of time to work out the kinks.

June 2011