This weeks event on the US Tour is the Canadian Open. I will post a full preview on tomorrows site but for now enjoy some of the fantastic highlights over the years from this special tournament. Who will ever forget Tigers six iron to the 18th or the heartache in seeing Mike Weir come so close to winning his national championship only to see his dream shattered by a visit to the water on the 18th. Lets hope this week has more drama in store for us.
This week the Bro Hof Slott golf course hosts the Nordea Scandinavian Masters for the first time and from looking on the website, it looks absolutely stunning. It was in fact recently voted the ninth best course in Europe and is sure to provide some excellent viewing over the four days I believe.
Since it is the first time a European tour event has been played at the golf club, there are no past results for us to judge our potential winners on. However, we will persevere and see if we can unearth some gems for you this week. Last week’s tips unfortunately didn’t provide us with the desired result at the British Open, although my man McIlroy did earn himself a place so congrats to anyone who backed him each way. Although pleased with a top 5 finish I really though McIlroy could do the business last week, especially after that blistering opening 63.
Ian has been analyzing the field for this weeks Scandinavian Masters and hoping to put last week behind him, here is what he has to say:
“My first pick is Englishman Robert Rock. Although perhaps not a household name, he has been in terrific form this year and from what I’ve seen, it’s difficult to understand why he has yet to win on tour. It is surely a matter of “when” and not “if”. With five top top four finishes and a further two top tens, most notably finishing tied seventh at the Open Championship last week, perhaps that day of reckoning is upon us. His putting stroke is sublime and if the rest of the game can match it this week, I think he has a great each way chance. At 28/1, his odds aren’t bad either.
My second tip is the Swede Peter Hanson. He has already won on tour this year, and recent form could be pointing him towards yet another. Tied sixth in France three weeks ago and a strong showing in the Open Championship only for two poor closing rounds of 74, Hanson is not far off the top of his game. The big Swede has such a calm demeanor that if he gets into contention, he generally doesn’t let much phase him. His odds are relatively low at 16/1 but buoyed on by the local support, I think he has a big chance. Furthermore, he is also paired with Rock over the opening two days so I’m hoping that they can get off to good starts and ensure that they bring out the best in one another.
Lastly, after much head scratching and pencil gnawing, my final tip is Raphael Jacquelin. He, like the other two, is beginning to show some solid form. The last competition he played in was the Barclay’s Scottish Open where he finished tied 3rd but he also came runner up in the Saint-Omer Open. True he was poor at the beginning of the season but he has proven before he has the credentials to win, and when playing well, there are not too many more fluid and classic swings. I’m giving him the nod at 28/1
Okay, Im just readjusting to our new host at the PGA Tour, Casey Black (I think thats her name anyway…please advise?) as she replaced our former shining light, Win McMurry (who never mentioned any of this to us in our interview last year by the way). Who knows, maybe Ms.Black will shoot me an email looking for an interview on the blog to really rubber stamp her place in the golf interview world (oh ya, Im using the We Get Golf blog to measure how far these presenters have come….seems about right).
Anyway, enough of my rambling, or at least my off-golf-topic rambling. You would think that after shooting 59 on the opening day, Paul Goydos would be forgiven for thinking the title was all but his this week at the John Deere but as we pointed out before, when someone like Steve Stricker is only a shot behind you after you have just played the best golf of your career, the warning signs are ominous. Credit to both who played superb golf over the four days, the brief highlight of which you can watch above.
Oh how I wish we hadn’t stated which Molinari would win at Loch Lomond and instead just simply claimed, “Mr Molinari” was our tip here at We Get Golf. Ian will be quietly content to have had an early placed finish at 28/1 with Francesco Molinari, which more than makes up for the other calls of Kaymer and Ferrie (who both missed the cut) and McDowell (who I suggested might tire as the weak wore on).
However it was his brother, Edoardo Molinari who claimed the spoils at Loch Lomond this week. The first 3 days were majestic from Edoardo and the final day was a lesson in conservative, do-enough-to-win, style golf. When his nearest challenger Darren Clarke dropped 3 shots in the first 3 holes, Edoardo never looked back. One poor tee shot on the 15th cost him a double bogey but his tee shot into the par 3, 17th and his drive down the 18th took a lot of nerve and for me, it really epitomized the fact that Edoardo is one serious golfer who we should expect to see a lot more of.
Darren Clarke was impressive too and will be comforted by the fact his second place finish gets him into the British Open this week. At odds of 80/1 and sure to feel right at home on the links of St.Andrews, many people will be having a flutter on Darren next week. You will have to wait and see if we are one of those people by checking in with us on Wednesday/Thursday in our preview to the Open.
Although our man Francesco only finished tied 3rd in the end, his long game was probably the best of anyone throughout the week. Time after time, he split the middle of fairways and gave himself birdie putts within 20 feet. However, that old saying “drive for show, putt for dough” certainly must have rang through in his ears. Francesco changed from the long putter back to the short putter a few weeks ago and as such can be forgiven for missing a few. Hopefully though, he can begin holing more putts because if he does, he will challenge for top honors. His form is scintillating right now so he remains on our radar and for as long as the bookies keep offering him at 28/1 in regular tour events, we will have to keep taking that each way value.
Finally, I was personally delighted to see our man, Shane Lowry claiming a top 10 finish. After a poor first nine holes, Shane rallied in the back nine and will be quietly content as he heads to his first ever major as a professional this week. I heard recently that Shane was down playing in my local club, Carton House. Should he return, I will have to dust off the microphone and bring you that interview……now where exactly did I leave that damn thing?….8 months is a long time!
An incredible round of 59 from Paul Goydos sees him lead the John Deere Classic. Turning in -4, Goydos birdied 8 of his next 9 holes in an exhibition of golf. I remember watching the last time 59 was done in a counting event by David Duval, way back in 1999 I think, so to see it happen again 11 years on is pretty cool. One question I have though is does it actually go down in the record books? The reason I ask is that “lift, clean and place” was in use so I’m not sure if it goes down as a course record even!!!
Regardless, it was a cracking round of golf and you would think having shot 59, you could afford the luxury of a 4 or 5 shot lead but defending champ Steve Stricker had other ideas. His round of 60 has him hot on the heels of Goydos and undoubtedly the favorite going into the final 3 days.
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!
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 ☺
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!!
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.
