The 2018 Masters – A Form Guide

The Masters captures the attention of not just the golfing world but the sporting world generally. As is so often the case with all of the great sporting events internationally, everyone, golf fans and others, become experts during tournament week and for golf that is a very good thing.

Picking a winner is never easy in tournament golf but let’s take a look at the leading chances and see if we can do just that in addition to assessing the Australian chances.

Rory McIlroy
McIlroy has a very good record at Augusta National without winning. The one remaining leg of his career Grand Slam has been tantalisingly close at times and his most recent form indicates that such a feat is not beyond him. Four top tens in his last four visits to Augusta National suggest that he has every reason to be one of the favourites if not the favourite.

Jordan Spieth
Spieth’s most recent form until last week’s impressive share of 3rd at the Houston Open has been below his best but his record at Augusta National speaks for itself. Once a winner, twice a runner-up and an 11th place finish last year after starting the final round just two from the lead is a stunning record in his four starts and so if there was a place to regain his brilliance this could well be it. Every reason to believe his great run at the Masters will continue.

Dustin Johnson
Johnson began as the Masters favourite last year although an accident on the eve of the event cost him a chance to continue what was then a great run of form to begin 2017. He has been 4th and 6th at his last two Masters appearances however and his most recent form has been good enough for him to be considered a genuine chance.

Bubba Watson
Firmed in favouritism for this week’s event with his win at the Dell Match Play which followed just a few weeks after his win at the Genesis Open. As a two-time winner of the Masters, the left hander’s game clearly fits Augusta National nicely and he now appears back playing at the level that saw him win here in 2012 and 2014.

Justin Thomas
Thomas is playing his third Masters with two midfield finishes previously and now, with the benefit of that experience at the venue, along with seven PGA Tour titles to his name in that period he should begin as one of the favourites. He has yet to record a round in the 60’s in eight attempts at Augusta National but his most recent form, which includes top four finishes in each of his last three starts, suggests he has the credentials for his best Masters finish and perhaps something significantly better.

John Rahm
The Spanish star and world number three makes just his second Masters appearance following an encouraging debut in 2017. Rahm was well enough placed through 36 holes last year but struggled over the weekend but given his rapid rise in the rankings, his significantly more tournament experience since and that he has won on three occasions worldwide in the last twelve months there is every reason to believe he can better his first attempt. He started 2018 brilliantly and while not at that peak since he has continued to play solidly.

Justin Rose
Rose has been twice runner-up at Augusta National in his last three starts and boasts several other solid Masters finishes. The Englishman was playing in Houston this week and was average at best but his great weeks in Tampa and Orlando recently suggest he is close to his best and if he can produce it then his chances of a breakthrough win at Augusta National and his second major title are good.

Tiger Woods
There is perhaps greater interest in Woods appearance and effort at this year’s Masters than ever before. His recent comeback form has been encouraging having been runner-up in Tampa and 5th at Bay Hill. His record at the Masters is amongst the best in the history of the event and so there is every reason to believe he can at least contend. Dismissing champions has proven folly for many in the past and I am not about to do that. If he was able to win it will be as big a moment as that of Nicklaus in 1986 and while there is little doubting the magnitude of the task, his re-appearance adds an amazing dynamic to an event which he won by 12 shots 21 years ago and subsequently won on three other occasions.

Jason Day
In seven starts at the Masters Day has yet to miss a cut, the only time he did not make the weekend was when forced to withdraw after round one in 2012. A runner-up finish on debut in 2011 and a 3rd place finish behind Scott in 2013 tell the tale of Day’s liking for the Augusta National layout and its suitability for his style of game. His form this season has been excellent with a win at Torrey Pines and a runner-up finish at Pebble Beach and so a second major title is not beyond the 30-year old.

Phil Mickelson
A win by Tiger Woods would no doubt be a great boost for the game and excite golf and sports fans worldwide but so too would a victory by Mickelson. With three wins in the event and so many other top threes Mickelson has arguably the greatest record of those playing this year’s edition and his most recent form has been first class including the WGC win in Mexico. A final round of 67 in Houston will also assist his cause. There is no real reason to believe that Mickelson could not potentially surpass Nicklaus and become the oldest player to win the Masters.

Paul Casey
Casey has not been outside the top six in his last three Masters appearances and his recent form in 2018 suggests he could easily add to that impressive run of form at Augusta National. His great consistency over the last few years is perhaps deserving of a first major and, although golf is rarely fair, if Casey was to produce that major breakthrough then few would deny him the right to do so.

Sergio Garcia
As the defending champion Garcia deserves respect but so too because of his most recent form which includes a win in Singapore in January and three consecutive top tens in his most recent PGA Tour starts. The recent arrival of his first child should serve to inspire him even further. He has not always performed well at Augusta National but his win last year and a new attitude to his life and game served him well in 2017 and he could well become the first player to successfully defend this great title for the first time in 16 years.

Hideki Matsuyama
Matsuyama has, in recent weeks, become the forgotten man to a large extent although an analysis of his form in 2018 suggests it is not as bad as it might seem. Early in the year he finished 4th in Hawaii and then 12th at Torrey Pines before being forced to withdraw from the Waste Management Phoenix Open with a wrist injury. If his recovery from that injury is complete then his record at Augusta National suggests he could be a chance. He has been no worse than 11th at his last three appearances at the Masters and also played well there as an amateur.

 

THE AUSTRALIANS

Jason Day (see above also)
In seven starts at the Masters Day has yet to miss a cut, the only time he did not make the weekend was when forced to withdraw after round one in 2012. A runner-up finish on debut in 2011 and a 3rd place finish behind Scott in 2013 tell the tale of Day’s liking for the Augusta National layout and its suitability for his style of game. His form this season has been excellent with a win at Torrey Pines and a runner-up finish at Pebble Beach and so a second major title is not beyond the 30-year old.

Adam Scott
Scott has always shown a liking for Augusta National ever since his debut 9th in 2002 and he has missed only two cuts in a total of 16 starts. He has only played five events in 2018 but does appear to be getting better with each start and while contention and winning might be beyond him this year I think we can expect a good showing.

Marc Leishman
Leishman has been going along nicely in 2018 with three top tens in eight starts and appears to be peaking for this. Leishman’s record at Augusta has been mixed, however, finishing 4th behind Adam Scott in 2013 but in four other starts he has missed three cuts and been 43rd in the other.

Cameron Smith
Smith will make his second Masters appearance having made the cut on debut two years ago. His overall form in 2018 has been very solid culminating in a 5th place at the recent WGC Dell Match Play. Smith has jumped most of the bars put in front of him in his career to date as he goes quietly about his business and while contention this year is probably out of the question a good solid week appears likely.

 

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The Original World Match Play

The week of the W.G.C Dell Technologies Match Play Championship, or its equivalent, over the past 18 years rekindles, for me, memories of what was previously known as the World Match Play Championship at Wentworth near London.

While the more recent version of the game’s most significant match play championship contains both a larger field and substantially more prizemoney, the original World Match Play produced some of the great match-ups and moments in the history of the game.

I was fortunate to caddy in what was then known as the Piccadilly World Match Play Championships on three occasions, the first in 1973 as a 20-year old on my first trip to Europe to caddy on the European Tour.

I had caddied for much of the European Tour that year for Australian golfer Bob Shearer but midway through the year became aware that Australia’s rising star, Graham Marsh, had been invited to play the event.

I wrote Marsh a letter which I sent via ‘snail mail’ in those days to Japan where he was a regular on the Japan Tour, expressing an interest in caddying for him if his bag was available. It was a pipe-dream admittedly but I thought it worth giving a shot although on not hearing back from him I all but gave up any hope.

However, three weeks before the event I headed north to Turnberry in Scotland and the John Player Classic where I had a pre-arranged caddying gig with Australia’s Billy Dunk who was making one of his very few trips to Europe.

Arriving in Turnberry nearly a week early, as there was no other event on at that time, I caddied in two practice rounds for Bob Charles who was there early as he had business to attend to in the days immediately prior to the event and was keen to familairise himself with the course as he would have little time during tournament week.

While returning Bob Charles clubs to the Turnberry Hotel one afternoon I noticed Marsh in the foyer and tackled him about the possibility of caddying at the World Match Play nearly three weeks later and asked if he had recieved my letter.

Marsh, too, had business to attend to (in France) in the days leading up to the John Player Classic and was at Turnberry early to get in a few practice rounds and asked if I would work those rounds for him.

Marsh had received my letter, but indicated that the Scottish caddie who had worked for him at the Scottish Open at St Andrews in July would have the bag at the John Player Classic, the Dunlop Masters the following week at St Pierre in Chepstow in Wales and the World Match Play.

Marsh did, though, add that if anything went awry with those arrangements I could have first option on the bag. That was a ray of hope but, honestly, the chances of that happening seemed remote as caddying in those three tournaments was a dream for a caddie, more especially at the World Match Play which involved eight of the game’s best players and a relatively good purse.

When Marsh returned to Turnberry after his trip to France, however, he sought me out and asked whether I would be available for the Match Play. His caddie had called him and indicated that his wife was ill and he was unable to be at Turnberry or the Dunlop Masters and although he would be trying to get to Wentworth was unsure whether circumstances would allow.

Marsh wanted surety heading into an event with the significance of the World Match Play and wanted to know well ahead of time of the availability of a caddie. You can imagine my joy on hearing the news.

Marsh was an emerging star in World golf and having won the Scottish Open in July and numerous events in Japan and Asia he was considered a potential worldwide star and as such the tournament promoters, IMG, felt he would make an interesting inclusion into the field.

The World Match Play in that era attracted most of the game’s greats with major winners that year at least targeted for inclusion. Tommy Aaron had won the Masters that year, Tom Weiskopf the Open Championship and with both in the side of the draw with Graham Marsh it appeared a daunting task for Marsh to make it past the opening round.

Matches were played over 36 holes and Marsh managed to beat Aaron in the opening round and then, up against Weiskopf in round two, he would again succeed.

None of this round robin stuff back then, Marsh was into the final on the Saturday against Gary Player who had won the event on four previous occasions and, up against a relative novice at this level, it appeared to many that number five was just a matter of course.

Marsh was, though, a tough competitor and in that regard carried similarities to Player and the final would be an epic, in fact it would go on to become the longest in this history of the event.

Two down with just six to play in the 36-hole final Marsh won the 31st and then Player surprisingly three putted the 34th and the match was back to square.

As the pair stood on the 17th (35th) tee, the first of two consecutive par fives to finish on the outstanding and intimate Burma Road layout at Wentworth lay ahead, and having won the previous hole, Marsh drove first and split the fairway on what is a particularly demanding tee shot.

Marsh agonising as his second to the 35th flirts with OB

As Player stood over the ball, Marsh advised Player he was ahead of the markers (which he was) and Player then replaced his ball and played the hole out with Marsh winning the hole and the underdog headed off to the 36th hole 1 up.

As the pair left the green Player walked over to Marsh waving his finger and said (paraphrasing); “I teed my ball up in exactly the same position as you back there on the tee but as far as I am concerned I don’t worry about petty things like inches so we will forget the whole thing”

Marsh was dumbfounded but the intensity of the match was certainly taken to a new level.

I invite you to view the youtube video (below) which beautifully highlights the outcome of the match and just how Player found a way to win at the 4th extra hole. Player’s bunker play and tenacity in the playoff was stunning not to mention my shoulder length hair !

This was match play at its best.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Persistence paying off for David McKenzie

The recent form of 50-year old Australian David McKenzie on the Champions Tour is an example of what can be achieved by persevering with an already lengthy career while at the same time offering an understanding just how difficult success on the Champions Tour can be.

I wouldn’t mind a dollar for every time I have heard someone say that such and such a golfer will do well in senior golf but for those who have attempted to gain access to the Champions Tour they will be fully aware just how much of a task it is.

Credit therefore must go to McKenzie who throughout his twenty-seven year professional career kept his game alive by playing wherever he could including the Australasian, Canadian, China, Nationwide and PGA Tours, winning on five occasions, the most significant perhaps being his win on the then Nationwide Tour in 2005 which eventually allowed him to graduate to the PGA Tour.

McKenzie’s most important result in Australia was arguably his playoff loss to Richard Green at the 2004 Australian Masters at Huntingdale but he continued to play regular tour golf wherever he could right up till the age of 50 and in fact still does.

His first start at Senior level was just a few days after his 50th birthday at the Senior Open Championship at Royal Porthcawl where he finished 9th against an impressive field, all of whom chased home the winner that week, Bernhard Langer.

Buoyed by the experience and relative success on debut at that level, McKenzie headed for the US and attempted to pre-qualify for several Champions Tour events and gained starts in a further five in 2017, two of which resulted in top five finishes.

The US$320,00 he won for his efforts on the 2017 Champions Tour saw him finish the season in 53rd position and although not able to advance his cause to any great degree when 12th at the Champions Tour School he had sufficient status to afford him some starts in 2018.

This past week he was playing his 4th event of the 2018 season and by finishing in a share of 3rd behind Steve Stricker at the Rapiscan Systems Classic in Mississippi he earned a cheque for US$88,000 and has moved to 30th on the Charles Schwab Money list.

30th is an important figure as by season’s end it will determine those plays who successfully retain their rights for 2019 but it appears McKenzie is already showing that his sights might be set higher than that.

The Melbourne based golfer is a great example of what playing competitively through to the age of 50 might offer in the wider world of Senior golf and if his start is anything to go by then more is to come for the man who could be considered one of the grinders of Australian golf.

 

 

 

 

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Steve Williams – passing on his vast knowledge

The ISPS New Zealand Open has proven innovative in many of the features it has introduced to its week of activities at The Millbrook Resort and the Hills Golf Club near Queenstown in Central Otago.

A Caddie Clinic hosted by Steve Williams on the Wednesday of the event is further evidence of how such initiative can assist in making the week an even greater success.

Williams has become a household name in New Zealand golf and, indeed, in New Zealand sport and with so many caddies, both experienced and those volunteering without any previous experience, needed for the combined amateur and professional field of more than 250 players, Williams was asked three years ago to assist in passing on some of his extensive knowledge to others.

Not only has Williams’ record in caddying for the winners of some 150 titles including 14 majors (13 of those with Tiger Woods) allowed him to speak as the foremost authority on his craft, it provides him the background and knowledge to impart on to those who were caddying for the first time in Queenstown and even some with more experience looking for a refresher course.

Some were there to not only hear about the finer points of the caddie’s role they were also there to listen to many of Williams’ thoughts generally on the game of golf and to hear some of the ‘war stories’ he has accumulated over nearly forty years.

Just as was the case for so much of his caddying career Williams is candid and forthright in his opinions and the 90 or so in the audience that afternoon lapped up his every word.

I have known Steve Williams for nearly all of that time and have been a great admirer of someone who found a way to turn what was seen all those years ago as a hobby into a very successful career.

After two years of hosting the Clinic on his own, Williams was keen to have someone to share the day with, bounce thoughts and ideas off and to MC the function and, as I was at the event in my role as an on-course commentator that week, I was only too happy to do so.

Williams and the writer during Caddie Clinic – Photosport

I had the good fortune in my caddying days to caddy for the winners of 17 tournaments in Europe, Japan, and New Zealand and while it pales into comparison to the stunning career of Williams, it afforded me the background to host a Q&A session between myself and Williams and then between Williams and those who attended the gathering.

Williams also took aside for a special session those rookies who were keen to learn the basics of caddying and others, more experienced, who were keen to understand the finer points of the craft from a man whose success in the role is unquestioned

That break out session involved things as simple as how best to carry the bag, bunker raking, bunker rake positioning, where to stand when you are caddying etc, where to place the bag near the green, how to relate to your player and other things which might sound very automatic for those who have been involved previously but tips for the newcomer which were very well received.

Then, the larger group re-formed and Steve and I talked about so many different aspects of caddying and some of the many stories he has accumulated over the years.

That the tournament put on a few beers and a sausage sizzle added to the late afternoon gathering no doubt made attending the event even more enticing, but Williams kept the audience captivated for over an hour as we chewed through so many different aspects of toting the bag.

I have always found Steve Williams to be articulate and open with his ideas and he has always been a most charitable character and happy to give of his time.

His decisive manner and loyal character have been key ingredients in maintaining longevity in his role with several of the game’s leading players and he continues to display those traits now that his caddying career is winding down.

Adam Scott winning the Australian PGA with Williams on the bag – photo Bruce Young

The charity he and his wife Kirsty have run in New Zealand has been responsible for assisting underprivileged youngsters and several years ago donated more than a million dollars towards an oncology unit at an Auckland hospital.

He is therefore giving back in more ways than in golf itself but the advice and stories he passed on during this year’s New Zealand Open will leave those who were there on the eve of the event thankful for the information he was only too happy to share.

head photo courtesy of Photosport NZ

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Litmus test for Lydia Ko in California

With just one event remaining before the first major of the LPGA Tour season, this week’s Kia Classic in Carlsbad in California takes on even greater meaning as players, many of them the female game’s elite, prepare for next week’s ANA Inspiration in Rancho Mirage.

Inbee Park brings her winning form to an event in which she has twice finished runner-up and her progress towards a possible 8th major next week will be watched with interest.

Much of the focus may well however be on a former winner and 3rd placegetter in the event, Lydia Ko, who last week missed the cut for one of the few times on the LPGA Tour and whose game appears to be a long way from where it needs to be if she is to contend this and next week.

Interestingly, Ko also missed the cut in the Kia Classic last year so this week is somewhat of a litmus test for the still only 20 year old.

Comments from one of her playing partners last week, Cristie Kerr, would not have made her task any easier this week, Kerr suggesting that Ko’s game was not in good shape and that she seemed a little lost.

Ko’s ongoing changes in her entourage which included yet another coaching change in the off season created even more of a mystery when she recently suggested that by the end of last year she was beginning to play solidly.

Ko defeated Inbee Park by four in 2016 and finished three behind Kerr in 2015 so she does boast a good record in the event overall and hopefully a return to this venue might assist her cause in getting things on track for what lies ahead.

Australians in the field are Minjee Lee, Katherine Kirk, Sarah Jane Smith, Su Oh and the rookies Hannah Green and Rebecca Artis.

Minjee Lee

Lee is by some way Australia’s best at present, but she does not enjoy a good record in the event having missed the cut in two of her three starts. In her three starts this year however she has been inside the top six so her current form is good and perhaps she can improve on her ordinary stats at the Kia Classic.

 

 

 

 

 

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Dell Technologies Match Play – Growing the Game

In March of 1999 the first World Golf Championship event was played in Carlsbad in California when the then Accenture Match Play was played at La Costa Resort and Spa.

While the intent of the introduction of the World Golf Championships was clear, namely to bring the elite of the game worldwide together on a more regular basis, very few would have seen the success the concept has become and the internationalisation of the game that has resulted.

The result that very first year was perhaps a promoters nightmare with Jeff Maggert and Andrew Magee fighting out an admittedly close final (38 holes) but hardly one that stimulated the golfing public.

Tiger Woods was defeated in the quarter-finals that week, defeated by Maggert at that stage leaving the much-hyped event with a flat feeling come the final.

Much has changed since that time however with so many of the game’s best having won the event, including Tiger Woods on three occasions, and the format having changed to include a round robin component in more recent times on the opening three days.

To a large extent, however, is that so many internationals have been able to experience the PGA Tour and to compete against the world’s best thus allowing them access to the big time and take their games and careers to a new level. Mission accomplished therefore in terms of the World Golf Championship’s initial goals.

This year’s event, the Dell Technologies Match Play, is played at the Peter Dye designed Austin Country Club in Austin in Texas, the venue being used for the third occasion after Dustin Johnson’s victory last year and Jason day’s win in 2016

Sixteen groups of four players will face off against each other in the Round Robin phase before the leading player from each group advances to the round of 16 on Saturday morning and onwards to the final on Sunday afternoon.

Those groups are each headed by the 16 leading ranked players the balance of each group made up of randomly selected players one from each of three pools of varying world ranking positions.

The winner’s purse has also changed, this year’s champion taking home US$1.7 million of the total purse of US$10 million.

The three seeded players missing from the field wjo would have otherwise led groups are Justin Rose, Brooks Koepka and Henrik Stenson, Rose and Stenson in particular in very good form at present. Rose feels the event does not offer the sort of feedback he needs ahead of The Masters, Stenson not a fan of the Round Robin format and Koepka out with injury issues.

With the re-emergence of Woods and McIlroy in recent weeks the game’s leading players at present Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas and John Rahm have slipped a little in terms of their profile but all three are playing well enough in recent weeks for a win here to be very much on the cards.

Johnson has only made it into the round of 16 just three times in eight starts but is in fine form and having won the event at this venue last year his chances look good.

Thomas has struggled in this event in his two appearances but there is little doubting just how good he is and he is more then capable of turning that record around.

Rahm was beaten in last year’s final by Johnson and has played well enough of late to suggest he could go one better this year. He might not be quite at the peak he was earlier in the year, but he is still playing well and appears a good chance.

Paul Casey is a proven match player with several good finishes in this event and a win at the World Match Play earlier in his career.

Now that Rory McIlroy has found form he is expected to be a force to be reckoned with this week. He has won this event previously and been runner-up.

Australians in the field are Jason Day, Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith. Adam Scott was eligible for the event but has decided not to play.

Day is a two time winner in very good form in 2018, Leishman has made it to the round of 16 on two occasions and did finish 7th at Bay Hill last week while Smith gets his chance in the event for the first time.

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Webb earns special exemption to US Women’s Open

 

Two-time U.S. Women’s Open champion Karrie Webb, of Australia, has received a special exemption into the 73rd U.S. Women’s Open Championship, which will be conducted May 31-June 3 at Shoal Creek in Alabama.

Webb, 43, won the 2000 U.S. Women’s Open at The Merit Club in Gurnee, Ill., defeating Cristie Kerr and Meg Mallon by five strokes. In 2001, Webb defeated Se Ri Pak by eight strokes at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club in Southern Pines, N.C., to become the 12th player to win multiple U.S. Women’s Opens.

“As a past champion, I’m very grateful and excited to accept the USGA’s special exemption into this year’s U.S. Women’s Open,” said Webb. “I have always loved competing in the U.S. Women’s Open and being tested on some of the best courses in the country. I’m looking forward to playing in my 23rd consecutive championship and being tested again at Shoal Creek.”

Since her 10-year exemption for her 2001 victory expired following the 2011 U.S. Women’s Open at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs – where she tied for sixth –Webb has earned a place through other exemption categories every year since. Webb’s 22 consecutive Women’s Opens entering this year is the longest active streak. Last year, Webb tied for 44th at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J.

Pak was the last player to receive a special exemption into the U.S. Women’s Open, in 2016 at CordeValle in San Martin, Calif. The two most recent special exemptions before Pak were given to Juli Inkster in 2013 at Sebonack Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y., and Laura Davies in 2009 at Saucon Valley Country Club (Old Course) in Bethlehem, Pa. Davies is the most recent to make the cut, finishing T17. Amy Alcott’s sixth-place finish in 1994 at Indianwood Golf & Country Club in Lake Orion, Mich., is the highest finish for anyone given a special exemption.

Webb’s runaway 2001 win at Pine Needles represented the largest margin of victory in 21 years, since Amy Alcott finished nine strokes ahead of Hollis Stacy in 1980. The record is 14 strokes by Louise Suggs in 1949. Her victory at Pine Needles made Webb the seventh player to win back-to-back Women’s Opens.

“To have a comfortable walk coming up the 18th again is a dream come true,” Webb said after her 2001 victory. “It’s even more special to repeat.”

A 41-time winner on the LPGA Tour and 15-time winner on the Ladies European Tour, Webb will attempt to become the seventh player to win three or more U.S. Women’s Open Championships.

Courtesy of USGA

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Australasians looking to improve Japan Open record

The Japan Tour heads to the Gifuseki Country Club’s East Course in Gifu to the north of Nagoya for the ¥200 million Japan Open an event which Australians have won on only two occasions.

Craig Parry in 1997 and Paul Sheehan in 2006 are those Australians and although another four will get their chance this week none are playing at the level where a win is expected.

Brad Kennedy, Brendan Jones, Adam Bland and Todd Sinnott will take to the fairways of this venue which is being used for the first occasion. They will be joined by New Zealander Michael Hendry who will look to join David Smail as the only other New Zealander to win the title. Smail won in 2002 but is no longer playing on the Japan Golf Tour.

Brad Kennedy leading the Australians in Japan this year

Hideki Matsuyama would have been the defending champion but he is playing in the PGA Tour event in Malaysia this week and the favouritism is likely to go to the leading money winners this season Yusaku Miyazato, Shugo Imahira and Satoshi Kodaira.

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The 2017 PGA Championship Form Guide

Hideki Matsuyama – Can he become Japan’s first major winner this week? – photo Bruce Young

The final men’s golfing major of the year, the PGA Championship begins on August 10th at the Quail Club in Charlotte in North Carolina, a venue that has previously held PGA Tour events over a long period of time but now the outstanding layout gets the chance for even greater profile and accolades by hosting this truly world event.

The layout has undergone some significant changes since an event was last played there in May of 2016, greens re-grassed, a lot of trees removed and essentially four new holes built.

Given the volatility amongst the leading five or six world ranked players, the event remains perhaps the most open major of the year although many are considering three players amongst those most likely to do well namely, Jordan Spieth, Hideki Matsuyama and Rory McIlroy.

Jordan Spieth
Spieth appears to have returned to the level of form that he displayed for much of the last two years prior to February of this year, his recent wins in Hartford and at Royal Birkdale further confirming such. Solid week last week when a last round 68 saw him finish 13th. The 24-year-old is chasing a career Grand Slam having previously won the Masters, the US Open and the Open Championship and so has added pressure but pressure has never really bothered him.

Rory McIlroy
McIlroy has a stunning record at Quail Hollow, this the site of his first PGA Tour victory in 2010 and he has gone on to win one more, be placed second on one other occasion and record several other top tens. His record at Quail Hollow is second to none and he arrives at one of his favourite venues with a 4th place finish at the Open Championship and another good week when 5th at the WGC Bridgestone last week.

Hideki Matsuyama
Matsuyama is destined to win a major championship and this week might just be a great opportunity to do just that. The Japanese star finished runner-up to Brook Koepka at the US Open and has continued to play well since including his brilliant win at last week’s WGC Bridgestone and he does own two solid if unspectacular finishes at Quail Hollow. His credentials stack up this week.

Dustin Johnson
Given his standing as the game’s leading player, Johnson is playing below that level at present despite a final round of 66 last week. He has seldom played at Quail Hollow and has not done well when he has so there is concern for his chances this week. Champions should never be dismissed but on paper it is hard to see him winning.

Sergio Garcia
Garcia has not played Quail Hollow a lot of late but earlier in his career he did and on one occasion finished runner-up after a playoff. Since his Masters win in April Garcia has played solidly enough without contending other than in a European Tour event in Germany. He has had a lot going on off the golf course since Augusta National including getting married recently so with that now behind him he may well focus in on a second major with this week. A last round of 67 in Akron suggests he is getting his focus back.

Jon Rahm
Rahm is the rising star in world golf and having won twice already in 2017 in San Diego and in Ireland he is playing well enough to take yet another step this week. This will be his first PGA Championship and his 6th major but he has little fear and his lack of experience at this level should not faze him. He recovered from a second round 77 last week with a strong weekend so appears to be on track.

Jason Day
After a few indifferent weeks, Day showed signs, especially early, last week that his game was perhaps improving and as a former world number one and PGA Champion he deserves respect. He still needs further improvement to contend however. Day has not played this venue for several years but did finish 9th here in one of his starts at Quail Hollow.

Brooks Koepka
Koepka’s win at the US Open took him to a new level amongst the game’s elite but many felt it was always going to happen at some stage and now that he has another major could come quickly. He took a month off between his US Open win and a 6th place at the Open Championship and after a slow start last week in Akron he made his way through the field to finish inside the top twenty.

Alex Noren
Noren is another big mover in world golf in the last twelve months and although his form has been a little bit of a roller coaster in recent weeks he did finish 6th at the Open Championship and played very well early in Akron last week before finishing midfield.

Matt Kuchar
Kuchar perhaps carries the tag of the best player without a major to his name but it might just be that he can get rid of that this week. His brilliant play at Royal Birkdale was bettered only by a Houdini act by Spieth over the closing stages and he closed off well at last week’s WGC event after a slow start.

Henrik Stenson
Stenson is certainly not playing at the same level he was last year but that was an exceptional year and he has still been playing reasonably well. He finished 11th at the Open Championship and improved over the weekend in Akron to finish 17th there.

Rickie Fowler
Fowler is another in that category of fine players without a major and, in the manner in which he is playing at present, he stands a very good chance of making this his major breakthrough. Importantly for his chances this week is that Fowler has won at Quail Hollow. He did well last week after a relatively slow start to the WGC Bridgestone and there is a lot to like about his chances this week.

Paul Casey
Casey has missed only one cut in the last twelve months and amongst those finishes there have been a number of times in contention. Casey played very well last week to finish in a share of 5th with McIlroy and like Kuchar and Fowler surely he is due a major championship.

Adam Scott
Scott has been skirting the fringes of contention for much of this season without threatening although he did lead during the opening round last week in Akron. If all the elements of his game come together Scott is capable of winning anything and if he was to do so this week it would be no real surprise.

Rafa Cabrera Bello
The Spaniard has played very well this season, winning in Scotland three weeks ago and finishing 4th at the Open Championship. He has also played very well in several events in the US this season also including when 4th at the Players Championship. He might be one for longer odds for a top five although a poor week in Akron is a concern.

My Picks

Rory McIlroy

Hideki Matsuyama

Rickie Fowler

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The need for diligence when signing scorecards

There has been a lot of talk of late about rules and the signing of scorecards and the impact both are having on the game, several high profile incidents ensuring discussion on these issues and possible remedies continues.

While the incident I am about to relate is not quite in the category of those of Lexi Thompson (ANA Inspiration) or Dustin Johnson (US Open) it was significant at the time and for me a little bit of a gut-wrencher and may be of interest to golf lovers.

In the 1975 Dunlop Masters at the fabulous Ganton Golf Club near Scarborough in England I was caddying for Australian Graham Marsh who was playing just his sixth tournament of the year in Europe having focused much of his attention in Japan earlier in the year.

Marsh had recorded several good finishes in Europe that year when he did play however including a runner-up finish in Sweden and a 6th place finish at the Open Championship just two behind the playoff between the winner Tom Watson and Jack Newton. He would therefore start as one of the favourites to win the Dunlop Masters and further enhance his growing reputation in world golf.

It was early October and a week ahead of the Piccadilly World Match Play at Wentworth where Marsh was scheduled to play Tom Watson in the opening round.

Marsh had arrived into Scarborough later than would normally be the case in the preparation for an event of this nature having played the Japan Open the previous week and had little time for preparation ahead of the opening round which in those days in events such as these were played on Wednesdays.

In that opening round conditions were demanding, in fact Marsh’ opening round of 70 gave him a one-shot lead over South Africa’s Dale Hayes, at least at that stage.

Ganton’s back nine holes contain two very similar par fours and, unbeknown to Marsh, his playing partner in round one and the man signing his card, David Chillas of Scotland, has recorded a birdie 3 where Marsh had actually had a par and a 4 where he had in fact birdied and so while the total added up to the correct amount of 70, that the scores had been transposed and signed for would mean Marsh would be disqualified.

Interestingly, Marsh did not find out until later in the evening. A diligent golf journalist back in the media centre had been looking over the scores well after play had finished for the day and compared the scores as they had come in from the course and those on Marsh’s actual signed card and noticed the discrepancy.

The journalist called Marsh at his hotel and explained the situation. Marsh headed back to the course and when he discovered and confirmed what had happened he had no alternative but to disqualify himself.

Chillas was mortified when he found out but Marsh sought him out the following morning to assure him that it was his (Marsh’s) responsibility to check the scores and there were no hard feelings.

I had been staying in accommodation other than those in which Marsh was staying and in an era where there were no mobile phones or any other real means of contacting each other, as such, I was still unaware when I headed to the golf course early the following morning to get the pin positions for round two.

Back then caddies were still required to carry out their own survey each day to determine where the pins were cut. Now, of course, that information is provided to all and sundry as, with so many professional caddies involved in the modern day, the traffic on the golf course early each day would be intolerable if all were required to chase their own pin positions.

As I walked past an early opening news agency that morning I noticed the headline on a billboard which read ‘Marsh disqualified’.

It took a while to register that the headline was referring to Graham but once I had and read the full story I headed back to my own bed and breakfast lodgings before going to visit Graham.

It was disappointing as Graham had played beautifully on a tough and demanding day and on a layout with which he was essentially unfamiliar only to lose out to the stroke of a pencil.

I felt sorry for Graham, for David Chillas and of course myself and before long Graham and his wife and myself headed south to Wentworth to get in some early practice for the World Match Play.

 

 

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