Entries Tagged as 'Tournament Previews/Odds/Reviews'
Clarke Leads After Rd 1 At Loch Lomond!
Fresh off his victory in Adare Manor at the 2 day J.P McManus Pro-Am event, Ulsterman Darren Clarke was at it again, this time in Scotland. Shooting a blistering 6 under par, 65, Clarke leads by one from Graeme Storm, Edoardo Molinari and in form Damien McGrane.
What was notable in Clarke’s win last week was his second round of -4 in what were incredibly difficult conditions on a long testing golf course. There is no question he has always had the talent to compete with the very best but an inconsistent putter and quick (very quick) temper has all too often seen him slip down leaderboards in recent seasons. We don’t doubt his credentials to win but there’s a lot of golf left yet.
As for our tips, it was a steady opening round rather than spectacular. Francesco Molinari was only one shot off the lead playing the 17th but two bogeys dropped him back to -3 and nicely in contention. Elsewhere, Graeme McDowell birdied his final two holes to finish on level par. As usual, Graeme mixed his fare share of birdies with bogeys. However, McDowell is probably one of the best iron players in the world right now and if he can get on a hot streak in any part of his round, birdie blitzes usually follow. We remain hopeful he will catch fire at some stage but acknowledge that fatigue could of course be an issue come the weekend.
Martin Kaymer still doesn’t look himself and although he shot level par, it is somewhat worrying that his form is average at best. It is encouraging that he is still there or thereabouts but we are hoping something clicks over the next few days. It is only a matter of time before it does so why not this week? We shall see!
Finally, Kenneth Ferrie was our outside 100/1 shot and at level par, he hasn’t had a bad start. Looking through his stats, everything in his game seems to be in order except for perhaps his putting. When you see the professionals having 30+ putts, you know they feel they are conceding ground to their fellow peers. If Ferrie can get the putter working, he has to game to move up that leaderboard.
Elsewhere, I am delighted to see Shane Lowry playing well. Having had an early double bogey he had 5 birdies to finish on -3. With his love for links golf and his game looking very solid, Shane will be quietly confident about his chances in St.Andrews next week.
Of the rest, how great is it to see John Daly at -4? For him to win, or at least compete again would be marvelous…..golf cannot replace aggressive golfers like him or Phil Mickelson easily. Long may they grace our TV screens!
We Are Back & Open For Business!!!
It’s been a while since Ive typed in these pages due to other commitments that simply had to take precedence. However, with a bit of luck and one hours less sleep per night, Im hoping to post a bit more regularly going forward. Nevertheless, due to my time contraints, I have sought out help with the blog so it is with great pleasure that I welcome my younger brother Ian, to the We Get Golf Blog.
The good news for you guys is that Ian and I have had a very successful year with picking winners from the golf in 2010. I have been lucky to have had both major winners while Ian has had a host of high priced placed finshes as well as multiple winners. So, going forward, Ian (a golf-a-holic) has agreed to share his observations on upcoming tournaments in an effort to aid you in your research. Needless to say, past performance is not indicative of future performance, but I’d be surprised if we don’t unearth a few gems before the season is out. I will also be weighing in and discussing our picks before posting live to the blog so as to leave no stone unturned. With that being said, I always think the early part of the season is a little easier to pick winners than the busier, more illustrious summer months, but hey, maybe that’s just me looking for an early excuse.
Well, enough of my ramblings, here is Ian’s take on the upcoming Scottish Open in Loch Lomond.
The first player we have to look at is the defending champion Martin Kaymer. He came close in France last week and by his own admittance, struck the ball poorly. But if he can mix it up with the best in the game by hitting the ball poorly, then you have to give him every chance here. At 16/1, his odds are not exactly screaming value but at the same time, it stills offers reasonable each way value. Kaymer currently lies eighth in The Race to Dubai, a little over eight hundred thousand euro behind leader Graeme McDowell and with the winners share being a little over six hundred thousand euro; he could make up some serious ground on McDowell.
The second player to lo have a look at is Francesco Molinari. The Italian also came oh so close last week to picking up his second European Tour victory of his career. He was narrowly beaten in a play-off last week by Miguel Angel Jimenez and he is clearly hungry for more success. The Italian thus far has had a T2nd, a 3rd and a T4th place finishes this year as well as another top ten finish. His tied sixth finish here in 2008 shows that he has the history to back our selection. At 28/1 Molinari’s odds are fair for the quality he represents and the world number thirty five could well outshine the rest of the field and take home the title.
Graeme McDowell is also another man to look out for on Sunday. He has won the last two 4-round competitions he has played in, most notably winning the US Open by one shot only three weeks ago. He also has form in this event, winning it in 2008. So, just so long as McDowell isn’t sporting any kind of hangover upon his return to the Emerald Isle last week, we think he is worth a punt at 28/1
If you were looking to back a long shot, you could be tempted by Kenneth Ferrie. The Englishman would have had a very strong finish last week but he unfortunately found the water twice on the treacherous eighteenth at Le Golf National in Paris and ended up taking a nine. He still finished at T18th but he was T3 at the BMW International Open the week before. He has had two top fifteen finishes and two further top twenty finishes in this event. His odds of 100/1 represent good money for an each way bet.
There you have it, 4 players who Ian thinks could contend this weeks Scottinsh Open. Im busy looking into who I think will walk away with the coveted Claret Jug the week after but the above should keep you going for now. Aside from this, I also want to apologise to those who have left comments on the blog over the past few months and to which I never responded. I am only reading through the comments now but wanted to take this opportunity to thank you all for your kind words and best wishes. I have just deleted over 1,500 emails from my inbox and if that’s not enough, there are 2,927 left to go. Im trying to read through as many as I can but simply will not have the time to respond to them all. Going forward, Im going to stay on top of this though and ensure I get to know more of you better. Feel free to email me at wegetgolf@gmail.com……Response guaranteed ☺
President Cup Review 2009
What an incredible performance overall from Fred Couple’s American team but in particular, that man Tiger Woods. 5pts from 5pts in what was near flawless golf, along of course with Steve Stricker. Phil Mickelson was also inspiring which has me a little worried ahead of next years Ryder Cup. However, on home soil, I am still confident our European lads will be more than capable.
Greg Normans controversial, and in my view plain stupid, decision to select Adam Scott backfired badly as the Australian failed to produce any form or much points. Normans decision in my view was a patriotic one that he should not have made. I was expecting Rory Sabbatini to get the nod ahead of the rest, especially Adam Scott, whose form has been appalling.
I did feel sorry for Scott though. Although I am sure he was desperate to play, he should not have been put in that situation. It will be interesting to see if Norman now remains at the helm after making such a critical error in judgment. I hope Colin Montgomerie is taking note!!
Wyndham Championship 2009 Review
I know how you all like to party on a Sunday evening so in case you missed it, here is the PGA Tours wrap of the Wyndham Championship 2009. It was a first win for Ryan Moore but more disappointment for Sergio Garcia as he let his 54 hole lead disappear. Question marks will undoubtedly arise once more following Garcia’s inability to close out an event. I still think Garcia is good enough to challenge the very best in the game but he has to, simply has to, find some way to improve his putting.
Y.E Yang Strikes a Blow For Asian Golf…Watch Out!
What a great USPGA Championship it was this year. The only regret is that there was not a few more involved coming into the final few holes. Y.E Yang was hugely impressive as he held off Tiger to win and when you consider he hit the fairway on the 16th and 18th as well as all three greens on the 16th, 17th and 18th, it was clear he was not one bit phased.
Woods on the other hand was unusually subdued. He hit some lovely iron shots but the putter was stone cold, a rarity for him in a major championship. Many people are pointing to his poor putting on Sunday for the reason he lost but I disagree. For me, Woods relinquished his dominant status on Saturday. With a comfortable lead, Woods played conservative golf on Saturday and allowed competitors like Yang and Harrington the opportunity to take advantage on what is typically known as “moving day”. The Woods of old would have extended, not relinquished that lead. However, it is becoming more apparent that the great one is human after all, as he chases down Nicklaus record. Woods would have been somewhat anxious to win his 1st major of the year and on this occasion, he was not up to the task and it is not unreasonable to suggest that Woods perhaps got nervous and more to the point, he looked under more pressure than the cool, unflappable Yang. When you consider Woods was 1 shot behind with 4 holes to go and failed to birdie the par 5 15th and then never gave himself a realistic birdie opportunity on the 16th, 17th or 18th, it doesn’t sound like the Woods of old. In saying that, he is still the best in the world and more majors lie in store. It just seems now like people won’t be rolling over and conceding anymore so Woods will have to produce his best in every major going forward.
Disappointingly, Woods etiquette was bang out of order AGAIN, on the golf course. When he missed his par putt on the 17th, he immediately muttered F**K. A few seconds later as he approached the ball, he again exclaimed F**K and again it was there for all to hear. Finally, as he walked away from the green, he covered his mouth with his arm and again shouted F**K. Now I play golf and I am not immune to the odd curse etc on the golf course. However, he is Tiger Woods and he is a global role model for all kids. It is not very often you hear professional golfers cursing on the course and that is the way it should stay. It is completely inexplicable if Woods does not get disciplined for his verbal misuse but then again, the PGA Tour officials, in my opinion, will balk once again at the opportunity to impose a fine on him. Their inaction is cowardly, as is the failure of TV commentators to criticise the great one when he engages in such behavior.
Even more disappointingly for me, was Padraig Harrington’s 8 on the par three 8th. It was the second week in a row Harrington threw away a competition with an 8 and it will take all his resolve to come back from this one. It will be difficult but I think Harrington is made of sterner stuff. His swing changes look to be taking shape and he drove the ball as well as I have ever seen over the past few weeks. For Padraig, I feel it is imperative now that he just has a consistent end to the season and is in the right frame of mind for next season. Plenty of work for Mr Bob Rotella no doubt!
Lee Westwood continues to perform well in the majors and surely, surely, he can win a major sooner rather than later. His ball striking is as good as it gets right now and he just needs to work on the scrambling department in my view. If he can improve his short game a little, he will find himself shaving an extra couple of shots off his score. Rory McIlroy is another who will be pleased with his performance and it appears, like he is ready to take the golfing world by storm. The only concern is his putting which looks extremely ordinary. He never looks confident over the 4-8ft putts and there is shades of Garcia beginning to emerge. For me though, McIlroy is fundamentally more sound and will realise his talent going forward.
So that’s it, all four majors are now finished and it must be said that Y.E Yang’s performance eclipses them all. At one stage he was +5 for the USPGA but finished -8. That is quite incredible. His shot into 16 did not get the credit it deserved. It was a marvellous shot and Ewan Murray, who said it was pulled a little….shame on you! If that had been Woods, we would have had 5 minutes of what a masterful shot it was. His eagle chip on the 14th was also memorable but for me, the shot of the Championship and the shot of the golfing season so far, was his second into the 18th. With a rescue club in his hands and over 200 yards out, Yang hit the most beautiful shot into 12ft. Any miss-hit would have opened the door for Woods to force a playoff but Yang was mentally too strong and swinging great. The South Koreans win could now mark the beginning of Asian golfers winning globally. We have seen it on the women’s tour and I’ve always maintained we would see frequent Asian golf winners on the men’s tour at some point. Perhaps now is their time. Congrats once again to Y.E Yang!
Woods Claims 70th Title @ Firestone
It’s 7pm Sunday evening in Ireland and at long last, Tiger Woods and Padraig Harrington are going head-to-head for the first time since Harrington’s back-to-back major success. Finally, Padraig has found some bit of form and looks like he might just pull this off, considering he does have a 3 shot advantage!
45mins later and a Woods eagle has seen Harrington’s lead whittled down to only one and I am already twitching in my seat. I’m receiving text messages from friends acknowledging this could be one of the great duels and I am agreeing. I am worried about Harrington’s drives however and the length of time it has been since he has been in contention…could he possibly stay in touch with the great one?
Fast forward a few hours and they have played nine holes. Woods has gone out in 5 under with a superb ball striking exhibition. He leads by two now from Harrington who has holed some clutch par putts but he is driving the ball well. It’s what we expected to see really, Woods with the blistering start but Harrington refusing to go away.
A Harrington birdie on the 11th and then deficit is cut to one. But wait a second, Woods bogeys 13 and 14 and an incredible par from Harrington on the 14th means he now leads. Harrington is now splitting the fairways and even outdrives Woods by 40 yards on one of the holes. Yes, 40 yards!! After they exchange pars on the 15th, Harrington still leads by one playing the 16th. A pushed drive on the 16th though and this is where everything changes.
Up to now, it had been a fantastic battle. Two of golf’s modern stars, head to head, and all to play for. The tension is audible and the crowds are 10 deep. This could be special they all agree! So Paddy stands over his ball in the right rough on 16 and then, unusually, appears to hit his layup with very little consideration and puts in the rough again. I’m amazed and think, he is after completely loosing concentration. This is so unlike Harrington I thought. 5 minutes later and Harrington has taken 8 to Woods 4 and the competition is over. The battle has ended and Harrington is wounded. Woods goes on to finish him off with the calm of a true great and with it earns his 70th Title. World class…he certainly is. Harrington shakes his hand and reassures him “We will do battle many times again”
However, in his speech, Woods praises Harrington for the battle they had but criticises referee John Paramor for putting them on the clock on the 16th……Hold up a second, they were put on the clock? That explains Harrington’s rushed behavior and Woods pointed out that it visibly affected Harrington.
Now, we will never know what would have happened and I know that slow play is not welcome but for John Paramor to stick his nose in what was a great battle is absolutely ridiculous in my view. Who the heck are they holding up? Hell, the spectators wouldn’t mind if they spent an extra 5hrs on the course such was the intensity and desire amongst these two to win. Maybe, if there were others in contention, the referee might have had a point but there was no one else. The winner was going to be Harrington or Woods…period!
Such is golf however and personally, the most satisfactory thing for me was watching Harrington compete again. He is now a serious consideration again for the upcoming USPGA Championship and being paired with Woods in the opening two rounds, the rivalry continues sooner that most might have expected.
Bridgestone Invitational Rd2 & 3
Watching the final round of the Bridgestone. Praying Harrington can bring it home. Here is a recap of rounds 2 and 3.
Bridgestone Invitational Round 1
A quick round up of Rd 1 from Firestone where of course, Padraig Harrington currently leads.
Harrington Leads at Firestone!
Backed into a corner over his poor performances since winning last years USPGA Championship, Padraig Harrington yesterday came out fighting. Harrington fired a superb 6 under par 64 to lead after round 1 at the Bridgestone Invitational, to the delight of the travelling and non-travelling Irish fans. Like Woods, Harrington has this incredible ability to put the bad stuff behind him and continue to believe in his own strengths.
The putter at long last was back working its magic. Harrington wielded it like a wand again, reminiscent of the way he did to capture 3 majors. At the recent British Open, it was evident his putting stroke was as smooth as ever but he was burning the edges. Not many commentators were pointing that out at the time but it should have been clear to anyone watching. Yesterday, it was dead centre of the cup and after he holed one or two, they just kept dropping. It’s amazing what confidence can do for a player.
Harrington said: “It’s my best score of the year. The first six months had a purpose. I was working on things and I suppose I said it was time to go and play some golf. The last couple of weeks at home I was more focussed on my overall game, whereas for the first six months of the year I was focussed on my swing.”
“What has really showed up to me this year is that at times I have made changes in the past but my short game has really been tidy, so you couldn’t really see that I was making changes. This year my short game has been poor and every errant shot I hit on the golf course was magnified. I wasn’t getting up and down and I didn’t have any part of my game working well. When you are making a change you have to make sure that some part of your game is good.”
Now, the big thing for Harrington is to keep producing that level of golf for the next 3 rounds and the next few weeks. I would still be concerned about his driving. He only hit 7 of 14 fairways yesterday and he will have to get this right if he is to win more majors. However, yesterday was a step in the right direction. I’m still not convinced he will win this week due to the ongoing swing changes though. They take time and if in contention Sunday evening, the swing could come under severe pressure. However, if he can remain in contention for the week, what a boost that will give him going into the defence of his major title next week.
“Harrington’s back”, the papers are screaming! Not quite in my opinion but yesterdays round showed he is not far from being back to his brilliant best. The wheels are certainly in motion…..All aboard now!
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