And straight we go to Ian’s views on this week:

For all players playing on the PGA Tour, this is the pinnacle of their season, The Tour Championship. With big money at stake, every player will be looking to have as good a week as possible. But for some, it means the chance for a greater glory and the title of Fed Ex Cup champion. The tournament once again returns to the beautiful East Lake Golf Course. The course tends to suit longer hitters and those that are in good form. With only thirty players in the field, I will only give you two tips this week.

Phil Mickleson each way @ 13/2
It’s tough to pick someone at such short odds because it doesn’t offer value for money but if said person does happen to win the tournament, then it is clearly a good pick. This is the way I feel about ‘Lefty’ and I simply can’t leave him out. Granted he hasn’t been in good form lately but a tied eighth finish two weeks ago in the BMW Championship has hinted that a resurgence of form could be expected from Phil. His past form here however, makes up for this. In the last two years, this has been a very happy hunting ground for Mickleson. In 2008, he finished in a tie for third and last year he won this tournament so that alone makes him a logical tip. However, what makes him my number one tip is what would happen if he finished at worst in a three way tie for second. If this was to happen, Mickleson would rise above Tiger Woods in the world rankings and take his place on the highest podium golf has to offer. This week I’m tipping history to happen.

Matt Kuchar each way @ 11/1
I think we may have to rename this man Kuchar the Consistent, because that’s exactly what he is. His form this year has been nothing short of splendid and on that basis, he merits a tip. Kuchar holds three season bests so far this season and these are PGA Tour earnings, average scoring and most top tens which add up to an astounding eleven. His three performances in the Fed Ex Cup playoffs have easily marked him as the in-form player with a win, a tied eleventh and a tied third place finish. This week Kuchar won’t be too far off.

James here again: The great thing about owning this blog is I am entitled to voice my opinion and in what many might consider a strange twist, I’m going to disagree with many of Ian’s statements this week. Firstly, to claim that for any PGA Tour player, that the pinnacle of the season is the Tour Championship is plain wrong. I don’t know has Ian been sipping some of the auld black stuff but clearly something is a miss because last time I checked, the four majors were the pinnacle and the one thing all great players are measured by.

Instead Im going with Adam Scott (16/1) and Zach Johnson (20/1) to do well, in addition to Ian’s tip of Matt Kuchar. Scott is in flying form and if he can eradicate some of the silly bogeys, he surely wont be far away. Johnson too is back playing well and it would be a timely boost to win here before the Ryder Cup next week. Always a steely player, one would hope that if he can get off to a good start, come Sunday, he can be there or thereabouts.

A fantastic final round from Matt Kuchar saw him seal the deal in a playoff with Scotlands Martin Laird. After being a model of consistency throughout 2010, Kuchar finally added another title to his CV. For Martin Laird, it was a case of what might have been as he bogeyed the last to fall into a tie for the lead when a par would have won the championship outright for him. At the beginning of this year, I stated that I felt Martin Laird would have a big 2010 and I reckoned he would win at least once on tour. Approaching the 72nd hole, I thought I had been spot on. Nevertheless, there is still time for a player I think could have a very promising career.

Elsewhere, yesterday was the day when Colin Montgomerie finally had to announce his wildcard selections for his Ryder Cup team. I will be posting a more in depth piece this week but for those who are unaware, Padraig Harrington, Luke Donald and Edoardo Molinari god the nod ahead of the likes of Paul Casey and Justin Rose. Watching Berhard Langer win again on the Seniors Tour yesterday, I wonder if he was a consideration for Monty? A pairing of the two Germans, Kaymer and Langer would certainly look formidable in foursomes, although in truth, a long, possibly wet, Celtic Manor would not be the ideal venue for the veteran.

On the ladies front, Michelle Wie won on the LPGA Tour over the weekend. I wrote a blog post entitled “Michelle Wie, No. 1 To Be” some time ago on this blog putting forward the case for the talented youngster. Her career has been somewhat stop-start to say the least but hopefully she can now finally push on and realize the abundance of talent that she undoubtedly possesses.

Finally, my brother and I squared off in Rosslare Golf Club on Friday evening under beautiful sunshine. Conceding 10 shots to him, he got off to a flyer with a birdie (nett eagle) on the first hole. The match see-sawed for the next 5 holes with Ian never behind but never more than 1up. When I birdied the 7th we were back to level, which was followed by the 8th and 9th both being halved in pars. The 10th and 11th were messy affairs but halved in bogeys nonetheless. With Ian having no shots on the 12th, 13th and 14th, I knew it would prove difficult for him, and so it proved. Although I missed 3 birdie putts from within 15ft, the pars were enough to go 3up playing the 15th. An errant tee shot from Ian on the 15th and a 20ft putt for birdie from me was enough to close the deal and claim a 4&3 victory. No doubt Ian will be looking for revenge soon but for the moment at least, Im winning the Battle of The Brothers.

Big hitting Bubba Watson stormed to an early lead at the 2010 USPGA Championship at Whistling Straits with a four under par 68 but was soon joined in the clubhouse at the top by Italian, Francesco Molinari. Meanwhile, Nick Watney, Matt Kuchar and Ernie Els are also on -4 but with the three hour fog delay we saw yesterday, that trio will return this morning early to complete their first rounds.

For those who may not have seen Bubba Watson on a course before, I encourage you to tune in because in my opinion, it is one of the most unorthodox swings on tour. There is so much action going on with his feet it seriously looks like he is doing a little dance as he plays. The buttoned up shirt, the enormous length, the extreme shape he hits his shots and his emotional manner all combine to create what is an intriguing golfer. There is something unique about this guy. I would almost go so far as to say he borders on “odd” but that might be an injustice to what seems like a really affable guy off the course. He is not known for his straight hitting so to see him up there leading the way on what is a course which is renowned for its demand to hit fairways, is a surprise to many. It will be fascinating to see if he can maintain his form over the next few days. One thing can be certain though, if the course stays soft, he will make birdies. The big question is whether it will be enough to offset the inevitable bogeys.

Francesco Molinari on the other hand is a model of consistency and we all know at this stage if he putts well, he generally gives himself the opportunity to win. He is a guy you always feel confident can rack up an high number of top 10 finishes but as of yet, he has not been able to finish the job off more often than not. Perhaps that may change this week.

Elsewhere, Tiger Woods returned to some sort of form. His putting was much better than it has been and being honest, he was unlucky that a few more did not drop for him. Off the tee, he was better but still missed quite a few, including one horrible hook on the second. For most of the day, he was gripping down the grip slightly on the tee shots and as a result was sacrificing some length for accuracy. If Woods is to maintain a challenge this week, it is imperative he continues with this strategy because when he open the shoulder for a big one, his head drops significantly, everything seems out of sync and invariably he end up with a wild push or vicious hook. Nevertheless, a one under par 71 was just what Woods would have wanted and wouldn’t it be something to see him win it after the trials and tribulations of last week.

Moving on, Sergio Garcia had an incredible outburst during yesterdays round. After getting a poor lie by one of the bunkers, Garcia semi-duffed the chip and all of a sudden, he began swinging the club viciously into the face of the bank. It was as though years of frustration on the golf course were being released by the man once touted as being the great challenger to Tiger Woods. Watching him bashing the club into the bank, losing his balance as he did so and then coming back and doing it all over again was rather pathetic and embarrassing. There is no room in golf for these moronic overreactions and the Tour should for once stand up to it and impose fines on such behavior. For years the PGA Tour has acted liked cowards in the manner they have turned a blind eye to some of the on-course antics of Tiger Woods but perhaps they will make an example of Garcia now. Despite my reservations about Garcia’s behavior, above all else, I found it sad to see such a talent reduced to such a mess on the course. Spaniards are known for their fiery character and Garcia is no exception. For a man with so much talent though, I take no joy in watching him getting beaten up on the course though. The fight, desire, hunger and will to win has been missing for some time now and his love for the game no longer seems apparent. Hopefully Garcia can take a step back now from the game for a few months, evaluate his attitude and love for the game and come back a better player. Unless he does so, I cannot see how a disgruntled Garcia can ever grace the game again with the talents which he so richly has in abundance.

Finally, it was a mixed start for the Irish boys. Padraig Harrington struggled again and slumped to a three over par 75 which means already, he is in desperate trouble to avoid missing the cut in a second successive major. Watching him and those that are in contention with him for the Ryder CUp spots, I now have great fears that unless Harrington qualifies automatically for the team, he may not be selected. When you look at the erratic nature of his game, Monty must immediately come to the conclusion that playing him in the foursomes would be a huge risk. Add to that the fact his record in the past couple of Ryder Cups has been appalling and the worrying signs are there that he may be overlooked.

At the other end of the scale is Darren Clarke though. He is -3 through his first 13 holes and I am now in the camp calling for Clarke to be selected for the Ryder Cup. His form is excellent and provided Lee Westwood is fit, I would have no hesitation in sending the two of those out together to lead the European charge. Clarke is a fine match-player and Monty will some serious consideration ahead of him.

Of the others, Rory McIlroy was +3 after only 5 holes but managed to turn it around and is now -1 in the early stages of his back nine. Shane Lowry deserves great credit as he currently sits on -2 after 9 holes. Hopefully Shane can keep it going and at least make the cut. Playing the weekend at Major tournaments will prove invaluable experience for the young man from Louth. Last but by no means least, it has been a rather subdued start for US Open Champion, Graeme McDowell. No birdies, 2 bogeys and the rest pars sees him at +2 mid-way through his back nine.

Last week he brought you Hunter Mahan at 40/1, but who does We Get Golf’s tipster Ian, suggest could win the USPGA Championship this week. Lets find out….

Once again the US PGA Champioship returns to Whistling Straits, with it last being played here in 2004 when Vijay Singh won the title. The Straits is a Links style golf course with long fescue, undulating greens and numerous deep pot bunkers. It is situated right next to Lake Michigan and this usually adds a stiff breeze to the course. Also, it is a long walking course, approximately five miles, which might favour younger and fitter players.

After going through my filtering process, six players remained: Mahan, Kuchar, O’ Hair, Overton, Harrington and Goosen. I had difficulty narrowing it down to three players but in the end, I was left with and all American affair.

Matt Kuchar each way @ 55/1
Consistency is the name of the game when it comes to Kuchar. He has already recorded eight top tens this year, which include two third places and one second place. Yet, despite this brilliant play, a win has evaded him so far. Surely a win can only be just around the corner for a golfer as talented and in form as Kuchar. Already this year, he has been tied sixth in the US Open and tied third in a World Golf Championship proving that he can play difficult courses and is not fazed by the big events. Also, in last week’s Bridgestone Invitational he finished in a tie for ninth which gives him another good finish in a big competition. Although only an average length hitter, he is very accurate and hits a lot of greens in regulation with a short game which is equally impressive. His scrambling stats are over eight percent better than the PGA Tour average while his putts per round are nearly half a shot better. When you add to the mix that his scoring average is also impressive on Tour, it can be confirmed that Kuchar is an in form player with a great game. At odds of 55/1, I cannot see how he can be ignored.

Sean O’ Hair each way @ 40/1
Following the Open Championship, I picked two players who I thought might do well in the USPGA and O’Hair was one of them. With his recent form, that remains the case. He has an impressive record in the majors, making all three cuts and finishing tied seventh in the Open Championship and tied twelfth in the US Open. His stats, while not being as impressive as Kuchar’s, are still much better than the PGA Tour average. The only part of his game that lets him down is his putting but if he can keep the flat stick working like he has in the other majors this year, O’Hair will not be without his chances. While he slipped back in the final round of the Bridgestone to finish 5th overall, he was leading going into the final round and this reinforces my belief that he is not far off his best form. At 40/1 O’ Hair looks good value.

Hunter Mahan each way @ 35/1
Yes, I am returning to the winner of last week but with good reason. As I said, I was following two people since the Open Championship and believe it or not but Mahan was my second man. Everybody knows that it is hard to win two competitions back-to-back but I firmly believe that Mahan has the game. His major performances this year have been average though he did record a tied eighth in the Masters which should give him confidence. However if you include into that, 2007, 2008 and 2009’s major performances, he amasses four top tens and eight top twentys in only fourteen tries. If anything this surely shows that Mahan is a man for the majors. Now for recent form and the result that clearly stands out is last week’s win at Firestone. Fatigue of course could be an issue coming off the back of his win last week but Im hoping it drives him on more than anything. In terms of stats, he is a lot like O’Hair in that the only weak part of his game seems to be his putting. Even though his odds have been cut since his win, Mahan still looks promising at 35/1.

So there are Ian’s tips. As always, for the main competitions, I always throw in the players I like and will be backing also. From what I have read about Whistling Straits, it will very much depend on the wind. Pete Dye set this course up on the back of the inspiration he received from multiple Irish links golf courses. Therefore, Im expecting it to play hard and fast, possibly not to dissimilar to that of Pebble Beach at times earlier in the year. I do not think looking at results from this years British Open is of much use because St. Andrews wide fairways and inability to cope with many of the pro’s length, made it a disappointing test of golf in my view. So, should the wind pick up this week, I am especially looking for guys with a good US Open record and those that are comfortable on fast greens. If the greens do indeed dry out, we can expect to see the chipping skills of the pro’s tested. With the Americans dominating this event over the past 10 years (Harrington upset the odds somewhat), my selections are also primarily Americans. Ross Fisher and Padraig Harrington are two Europeans I think could go well but on this occasion, I will let my head rule my heart and go with the following 5 players:

Matt Kuchar @ 55/1
Reteif Goosen @ 30/1
Dustin Johnson @ 50/1
Sean O’Hair @ 40/1
Nick Watney @ 50/1

Lots more to come later including our tipster Ian with his picks. Fresh off a 40/1 winner last week, Ian will be vying for back to back winners. We will also be posting various interviews from the USPGA in addition to highlights as they become available. Make We Get Golf your blog for this years final major

 
It was a comprehensive victory for Hunter Mahan at the Bridgestone World Invitational, all the more impressive by the fact he didn’t have a single bogey in the final round. Ryan Palmer, who would have been a surprise winner, stuck to his task admirably to finish in second, two shots back. Despite the excellent golf on view all week at FIrestone, the talking point abd debate unfortunately revolves around Tiger Woods and the atrocious condition of his game. To see Woods slumping to a four round total of +18 is a indication of how far away Woods is from returning to anything like his former self. I think Ewan Murray summed it up quite well recently when he said Woods looks all alone out there. In testing times like these, everyone needs someone to fall back on. My guess now is that if we see another poor showing this week at the PGA Tour, it might signal the end of Woods 2010 season. Im also expecting wholesale changes to his entire setup including a new coach and dare I say it, possibly a change away from long time caddy, Steve Williams. More on this to follow.

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.

Fresh from posting Ian’s tips earlier, I always like to do my own betting on any of golfs majors and world events. So, for those that are interested and for those who want to see me pitted against Ian, here is my take on this week.

Firstly, there are a few points worth noting:
1. Every winner since 2000 has either a win or multiple top 5 finishes on the PGA Tour in the season to date.
2. Players with a link to Florida or Georgia succeed – every single winner since 1997 either has a residence there, schooled there or was brought up from one of those 2 states.
3. Other than Tiger Woods, no-one has won this event at their first attempt.
4. The course is long at 7,400 yards as a par 70, therefore long accurate hitting is required.

Now some of the names I seriously considered were Lee Westwood, Steve Stricker and Matt Kuchar but if we stick rigidly to the criteria above, all are eliminated. So, who was left……well there were a total of 10. These were Els, Allenby, Woods, Goosen, Kim, Poulter, Johnson, Palmer, Mahan and Villegas. To narrow it down, here are my top 3.

1. Reteif Goosen @ 40/1
2. Dustin Johnson @ 45/1
3. Ernie Els @ 33/1

While i like Ian’s selections of Westwood and Mahan, I dont think Molinari stands out as a candidate considering this is his first time playing there. Considering no one other than Tiger Woods has won at his firstt attempt here, I think that stat is pretty conclusive of just how difficult this course can be. We shall wait and see but Im hoping my guys can outperform our top tipster this week.

A little behind schedule but here is our tipster Ian’s verdict for this week.

The Bridgestone Invitational returns once again to the beautiful Firestone country club. It has been described by Phil Mickleson as the best course the pros play on tour. It is a long course that demands accuracy but also requires length. Tiger Woods has won this event seven times which is quite spectacular in itself, which is made even more spectacular by the fact that the Bridgestone Invitational has only been played eleven times. But this week I am going to ignore Woods as a tip as I feel he is not back to his best and that he will find it difficult to compete with some of the other amazing golfers on tour.

Hunter Mahan each way at 40/1

I tipped the man a couple of weeks ago and he ran out of steam going into the weekend but I feel he could well be dangerous this week.  He enjoys Firestone, finishing tied tenth here in 2008 and tied fourth here last year.  His stats also match up with what’s required for the course. He drives the ball at an average of 291 yards. He couples this with driving accuracy of sixty nine percent. Mahan had a slow start to the season and the Ryder Cup will be playing on his mind, which should be an incentive for him to try to play well.

Lee Westwood each way @ 13/1

Slight odds for the Englishman but they could well be justified.  On the European Tour, Westwood knocks the ball off the tee at an average of nearly 290 yards. Despite his accuracy only being just over sixty percent, he can rescue this with his terrific putting. He is clearly a man for the big competitions as he keeps coming close in majors and with over thirty wins worldwide, he is no stranger to victory. Also, he will have his own agenda knowing that Woods and Mickleson aren’t playing great; it could be his time to close in on the world number one spot. Even at 13/1, Westwood looks promising.

Edoardo Molinari each way @ 70/1

The young Italian has been in fantastic form lately, beating a star studded field in Scotland and then maintaining that form and finishing third in Sweden. His stats are as impressive as his win. He hits the ball nearly 299 yards off the tee and has a driving accuracy percentage of 67.5 percent. But this next stat is one of the most impressive anybody will ever hear. Molinari manages to 77.5 percent of greens in regulation. Unfortunately his putting isn’t exactly impressive but if he can get the flat stick working I don’t see why he can’t win this competition. Also, like Mahan, he is looking for a Ryder Cup place. With his brother in the team at the present he would love make it and trust me, brotherly rivalry will motivate you more than anything in this world.

I also took into consideration this week, Francesco Molinari, Boo Weekly and Padraig Harrington but didn’t choose them for different reasons.

There will be more later including videos and my own personal view of who we should be looking out for this week. For now though, it’s 7:40am and I’m getting ready to head off and play the Jack Nicklaus designed Mount Juliet in an open fourball. More updates on my return.