While I am hoping the wind picks up and dries the course out somewhat so that it plays more like a links course, Phil Mickelson is suggesting that while it may look like a links, it will play like an American course. That may not suit some of the shorter players considering the length of the course but if the greens are soft, the players rarely have much problem these days. This observation is further enhanced when you consider that Firestone last week measured over 7,400 yards and yet still, despite it being only a par 70, the course yielded plenty of birdies.
Highlights of round 1 from the WGC Bridgestone Invitational, brought to you by Casey Black (who looks striking in red don’t you agree?). It was a good day for scoring with Bubba Watson leading the way at -6 but Mickelson, McDowell and co are in hot pursuit.
It was not a day for Tiger Woods though as he slumped to a horrible four over par 74. The worst thing for Tiger is that he cant simply point to one part of his game being the problem because every aspect of it was horrible. On numerous occasions, he missed fairways by 40 yards+. his distance control was average at best and his putting was terrible. The world is now wondering are we now witnessing the demise of the great one? I’m reserving judgement for now!
Finally, Ive decided to take a swipe at golf commentators, surprise, surprise!! For those who watched on the Golf Channel yesterday, the commentary was brought to you by Ewan Murray, Craig Perks and Ian-Baker Finch. Now while I generally enjoy listening to them, I sometimes wonder do they suffer from amnesia or something during the days play. For instance, let me explain what annoyed me yesterday.
Lee Westwood starts off yesterday one group ahead of Padraig Harrington. Westwood is known for his immaculate play from tee to green but suspect short game. Harrington is the complete opposite, a somewhat wild, inconsistent ball striker with probably the best short game in the world (possibly joined by Phil Mickelson but I still think Harrington has a wider array of shots in the bag).
So, as the round gets going, Im watching and commenting on how Lee is enduring such a non-Westwood like round as he sprays the ball off the fairways and misses countless greens. Meanwhile, Harrington is still missing fairways but his greens in regulation are pretty good so all in all, its not bad from Padraig. Bearing all this in mind, you can imagine my surprise then when as Westwood approaches the end of his round, Ewan Murray suggests Lee has been a little unfortunate with his round in that he hadnt played badly and gotten nothing out of it. Meanwhile, they are still harping on about Harrington’s erratic driving and how he has gotten the max out of a substandard round. Here were three “professional”commentators who were completely disillusioned with their stereotypical views as opposed to analyzing the game that was being played in front of them. Im not saying that going forward, Harrington will be a more consistent player than Westwood but on this particular day, Harrington was less erratic than Westwood and it was Lee who got the max out of his game with some great sand saves etc. To back up my conclusions, I checked the stats and here they are:
Driving Accuracy: Lee Westwood - 50%, Padraig Harrington - 50% Putt Per Round: Lee Westwood - 28, Padraig Harrington - 28 Greens In Regulation: Lee Westwood - 50%, Padraig Harrington - 67% Sand Saves: Lee Westwood - 100%, Padraig Harrington - 50%
So to sum up, Westwood hit 9 greens while Harrington hit 12 greens in regulation. Considering the superior short game of Harrington, you would think that Harrington would have outscored Westwood by 4 shots or so! Not the case though as Lee hung in there and ground out a 71 while Harrington returned a 69….One would hope that these commentators could conduct a similar analysis and maintain perspective throughout a round rather than making silly unfounded claims.
Okay, perhaps I’m being just a wee bit nationalistic here by claiming The Irish Open is the 5th Major but for every Irish golfer, it certainly is one they would like to get their hands on. The Irish golfing public has been fortunate enough to witness 2 Irish winners in recent year with Padraig Harrington doing the business in a play off against Bradley Dredge at Adare Manor and who could forget Shane Lowry’s monumentuous win last year in a play off against Robert Rock at rain drenched Baltray.
Thats was then and this is now though. Fortunately, the cream of Irish golf have turned up for this weeks event. Boasting 4 major wins out of the past 13, McDowell and Harrington will be sure to have their fair share of followers. However, in this golden generation of Irish golf, we also have one of the worlds greatest talent in Rory McIlroy, backed up by such talents as Clarke, Lowry, Lawrie, McGrane, Hoey and Thornton.
The venue is Killarney Golf Club, one of my absolute favorite places to spend a weekend and play golf. The course is not long but the scenery is sublime, especially on a beautiful summers day. throw into the mix that it is a bank holiday over here and we are hoping for fine weather and record breaking crowds. the only thing that may draw from it is the fact the Galway Races are on this week also……and of course the fact that the Recession is alive and kicking on these shores.
So, with the introductions over, its time to turn to out tipster Ian who’s form over the past few weeks reminds has been far from impressive. Having reminded him of such this week, he has been grinding through the history and statistic books more than ever to provide you with his first winner since his appearance here (in fairness, its only been a couple of weeks but there are standards to be met here). Without further procrastination, here are Ian’s selections:
“Our National Professional Golf Open returns once again to Killarney Golf and Fishing Club. The last two times it was played at this course, in 1991 and 1992, Sir Nick Faldo walked away with the title both times. A lot has changed since then however, both on the course and in terms of players. The greens have been remodelled to USGA specifications and some work has been done with the tees as well. The course should offer low scoring, with the risk of it turning into a ‘birdie fest’ if the conditions are right. Heavy rain has plagued the Killarney area over the last couple of weeks, but the weatherman tells us that conditions will be pretty good for the Irish Open. With some big names in golf arriving in Ireland, it should make for some exciting viewing. Marcel Siem, Graeme McDowell and Damien McGrane were all vying hard to make my final 3 but each just came up short for various reasons. Now for the final 3:”
Rory Mcilroy each way @ 8/1
The odds aren’t great for the young Northern Irishman and it takes a pretty special player to get me to back them at such short odds but Mcilroy is that special player. Two words spring to mind when people mention Mcilroy’s name to me and that’s ‘Quail Hollow’. The quality of his final two rounds there showed just how good a player he is and showed why there is no doubt that he will be world number one someday. But back to stats; Mcilroy booms the ball off the tee at nearly a 294 yard average. Granted that his accuracy isn’t fantastic but he is driving the ball better presently than he did at the start of the season so his stats don’t tell the full story of his present game. The good thing about his accuracy is that he doesn’t seem to have one of these Phil or Tiger shots that will go a country mile off line. He hits nearly 78 percent of green and that with improved putting make him almost the ultimate player. In fact, he has managed to improve his putting by an average of nearly one putt per round. Irish fans will be cheering him on this week and he will want to do well for all his fans. Even at these short odds, Mcilroy seems well worth a bet.
Bradley Dredge each way @ 45/1
The Welshman has been in great form this year and had it not been for his inability to close off tournaments, he would have one or two in the bag already. He hasn’t won in four years which of course is a worry but his play suggests another might be just around the corner. Long off the tee, albeit not always the most accurate, he hits over 67 percent of greens in regulation and a lot of players would kill for his putting. Also he should have good memories from Ireland after coming second in 2007, losing to our own Padraig Harrington, and from finishing tied eighth in 2008. Another thing was that he commented that he wanted to make Monty’s Ryder Cup team. With valuable Ryder Cup points on offer, Dredge is eager to put on a good show. Hopefully that added pressure will prove a boost for Dredge as opposed to a burden, but I am confident he has the mentality to cope. Clearly the bookies are coy on Dredge’s chances but that gives us the opportunity to snap up what appears to be a great value bet, with Dredge priced at 45/1
Alejandro Canizares each way @ 50/1
Canizares is another man who is in the form of his life. He has done all but win this year and coming out the wrong end of two playoffs has only spurred the twenty seven year old Spaniard on. On paper, his game seems suited to all golf courses and there are no glaringly apparent weakness. He averages nearly 287 yards in driving distance and couples that with both driving accuracy and greens in regulation percentages of nearly 69 percent. Moving on to the flat stick and he aint half bad either with an average of 28.21 putts per round and 1.7 putts for greens in regulation. The more I look at these stats, the more appealing this bet becomes. His odds of 50/1 are ridiculously high and should be taken advantage of. His past results in the Irish Open are quite poor but don’t let this put you off as the old Canizares wasn’t a patch on the one that showed up this year.
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!
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 ☺
Brian Gay leads the way on -6 after a superb round of 64. David Toms is also well positioned in T8 after a solid opening round of 67. No surprise to see Toms leading the driving accuracy stats. Regardless of what happens the next few days, with his driving is in such good shape, he has to be a serious consideration for the US Open next week.
While it is true that you cannot win the tournament on Thursday, you certainly can loose it.
Other notables with good opening rounds were Jose Maria Olazabal and Graeme McDowell with 66’s, Jerry Kelly, Robert Allenby and “Boss of the Moss” Loren Roberts with 67’s and crowd favorite Phil Mickelson, who leads the driving distance stats, is 4 shots back after a 68.
This week the European Tour travels to The London Golf Club for the European Open. A high-class field will be present in Kent for the event where last year, Ross Fisher won the tournament in real style. A fantastic holed bunker shot at the final hole completed a majestic seven shot victory.
Sergio Garcia returns to European soil this week looking to kick-start his poor season thus far. He has not had a top ten finish since January and his last five tournaments in America have been particularly disappointing - 31st, 77th, 38th (at the Masters Tournament), a missed cut and 22nd in his defence of The Players Championship. But he returns to The London Golf Club full of belief that he can go one better than last year, when he was runner-up to Ross Fisher.
Elsewhere, Rory McIlroy looked like he would challenge last week before fading away on the back nine, largely due to some errant tee shots. It is the mark of the young man however that at such an early stage of his professional career, he is joint favourite at 12/1 with defending champion Ross Fisher.
Henrik Stenson (25/1) and Angel Cabrera (25/1) will both be looking to bounce back after disappointingly missing the cut in Wentworth last week while Graeme McDowell will look to avoid what is becoming an all to familiar dreadful start to his tournaments. To his credit, he has bounced back from these starts and if he can shoot a sub 70 round on Thursday, he wont be without his chances.
Colin Montgomerie has played well in his last two tournaments only for final rounds of 80 and 77 undoing all the good work. Rafael Cabrera-Bello had a nightmare last week but the Spaniard remains on our radar and we are convinced it is a matter of “when” and not “if” he wins on Tour. At 80/1 his price looks too high and we just hope his confidence hasn’t taken too big a hit from Wentworth. David Horsey was impressive last week also and at 80/1, is again tempting. Finally, newly turned professional Shane Lowry (125/1) makes his debut on Tour after his Irish heroics. I’m keeping my fingers and toes crossed for Lowry and would love to see him make it through to the weekend at least.
Verdict
Ross Fisher nearly came through for us last week and we are finding it difficult to oppose him this week despite the low odds. At 12/1 we recommend him as an each way bet due to the fact he likes the course and played so beautifully last week. I would imagine McIlroy and Stenson won’t be too far away however.
As an outside bet, David Horsey impressed me last week. His swing looks very compact and despite falling back in the final round at Wentworth last week, he should be brimming with confidence. At 80/1, I think he offers value. Rafael Cabrera-Bello is also tempting but I will stick with Horsey this week
