Truly, the three-round FedEx Playoffs capped off by a battle of champions is one of the most contrived events in golf. Why not just add a couple more majors: one in Asia and one in the Southern Hemisphere (Australia, South Africa, and South America on a rotating basis) to extend the professional golf season in a more dramatic fashion? That being said, the Playoffs are a lot of fun, even if a bit irrelevant, wedged as they are between the PGA Championship and the Ryder Cup.
What makes the Playoffs fun is the money (grand slam-sized purses), the field (international and grand slam-styled top tier), and the courses. The Black Course at Bethpage State Park in New York, a grand slam-utilized course, was the site of last week's The Barclays, the first round of the Playoffs.
What made The Barclays even more fun this year? A Northern California native, Nick Watney, humbled the field and withstood a surging Sergio Garcia charge to win against a world-class field by three strokes. The West triumphs again!
Who else played well in the tournament? How about the top 23, which included Brandt Snedeker at -7; Dustin Johnson and Sergio Garcia at -6; Graham DeLaet, Louis Oosthuizen, Lee Westwood, and Brian Harman at -5; Greg Chalmers at -4; Bud Cauley, Luke Donald, Bubba Watson, David Hearn, Tom Gillis, Tim Clark, William McGirt, Bob Estes, and Kevin Stadler at -3; and Padraig Harrington, J. B. Holmes, Josh Teater, Geoff Ogilvy, and John Senden at -2. Big names and no names. Nothing unusual about that.
Rory McIlroy finished tied for 24th at -1, while Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson tied for 38th at +1. Humorously, Ernie Els again beat Adam Scott by one stroke, +3 to +4.
Epic failures who missed the cut included Jim Furyk, Keegan Bradley, Webb Simpson, Bill Haas, Graeme McDowell, Hunter Mahan, and Ryder Cup American captain Davis Love III.
What's next? The Deutsche Bank Championship at Boston TPC in Norton, Massachusetts. Maybe another Western golfer, like Phil Mickelson, can keep the streak of one going.
No comments:
Post a Comment