Gonzo: class ball-striker and fan of trickle-down economics.
You may have been led to believe that the class field of the week was hanging out at The Lakes, but no(!), the Singapore Open is the place to be. Or at least it was, until a downpour of biblical proportions disrupted play and forced the cancellation of the scheduled third round.
It seems like just the other day he was 16!
In case you missed it, here are some nuggets from Tuesday and Wednesday’s practice rounds via my Golf.com post. First, Matteo Manassero returns to play in the Open Championship, but now he’s all grown up:
If you’re wondering why there aren’t any of the usual fabulous camera-phone pictures to accompany the text, unfortunately I’m not allowed to post photos — even of just random practice shots. According to the PGA Tour’s new media policy, I need a photographer credential and since my website is technically “for profit” and has advertising, it’s a violation. However, if Joe Golf Fan wants to take pictures and post them on their blog, it’s fine. Good news is I guess this site is now considered a “recognized news outlet”? Or is it? Well, going forward, you can find pictures on Twitter and the WUP Facebook page. Feel free to send photos to me if you’re ever at an event, too! Actually, that’s probably not allowed, either.
Rickie Fowler has earned his first trip to Augusta in April. Fowler and Sean O’Hair are the only Americans in the group of 13 players that have qualified for The Masters through the world rankings.
Graeme McDowell celebrates after making a clutch birdie on No. 16
What a Ryder Cup! The first Monday finish in the history of the biennial team matches turned into probably one of the most exciting in history. Of course, this was also the first one I’d watched from start to finish, but from what I’ve heard from several colleagues that have attended many, it’s definitely up there. I was blogging over at the WSJ.com (go here to see all the jargon I spewed) and in my last post I sounded very pessimistic even though Rickie Fowler had started his run.
Welcome to Lost on the Continent, Know Your European Ryder Cuppers and the first in a series of brief articles that aims to explain away the confusion surrounding some of Europe’s more obscure Ryder Cup talent and leave you, if not fluent in European Tour, at least able to ask for directions without offending the locals…
Age: 27 and 29
From: Turin, Italy
European Tour Victories: 3 (2 and 1)
Ryder Cup Anonymity Factor: 5/10 (They’re the brothers!)
European Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie announced his three wildcard picks from Gleneagles on Sunday. Joining the nine who made the team on merit — Lee Westwood, Martin Kaymer, Graeme McDowell, Rory McIlroy, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Peter Hanson, Francesco Molinari, Ross Fisher and Ian Poulter — are Edoardo Molinari, Padraig Harrington and Luke Donald. (Those were my guesses that I tweeted earlier this afternoon, but not necessarily who I wanted on the team.)
Welcome to Balls in the Air, where I size up my Fantasy Golf picks of the week, featuring guys to watch (or not) and interesting story lines. Disclaimer: Don’t yell at me if my picks suck. There’s no mathematical formula to my attempt at predicting something as random as golf scores.
Well, good morning! I just took a redeye from Seattle back to NYC and I’m feeling awfully chipper this morning. Okay, not really. But I’m writing up “Balls in the Air” before I take a nap. I’m supposed to go to Turning Stone this week, but that’s still TBD — I made those plans before I knew I was going to the PGA Championship (Milwaukee, here I come!). I’ll decide depending on my mood after napping.
Alrighty, so who’s going to shoot 59 this week? Well, probably no one because I think the course is a little more defensible against the long-hitters and it’s setup to be a tad more like a major. Let’s be real — if someone else comes in with a 59 this year, it’ll take away from the novelty even more. Soon it’s going to be like coming in with a 65. No big deal.
What an insane week of golf. On Thursday, Paul Goydos of all people caught lightning in a bottle to shoot golf’s magic number: 59. But Goydos only led the John Deere Classic by one stroke, after Steve Stricker shot a 60, the fifth lowest round in PGA Tour history.
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