Monday
Sep062010
With all his faults, Woods still a Cog Hill favorite
Monday, September 6, 2010 at 11:03AM
Writing from Lemont, Illinois
Monday, September 6, 2010
If you’re going to have a limited field tournament, there are two ways to go about it.
One was is to invite players. That works pretty well at Augusta National, where the qualification system is quite strict, and the only actual invitations for The Masters go to non-Americans.
The other way is what the PGA Tour does for the Western Open – this 107th playing, like the three before it, played under the title of the BMW Championship. Create a week-to-week cutdown system, and limit the field only to those who qualify.
The PGA Tour’s playoff field is trimmed from 125 to 100 to 70 to 30 across the four weeks, with this week’s frolic at Cog Hill Golf & Country Club the third of the series, and thus permitting the top 70 to tee off.
One of those 70, the executives of the sponsoring Western Golf Association are pleased to note, is Tiger Woods. The self-inflicted pain of the long and difficult year Woods has had may be starting to abate, now that the divorce wife Elin filed for and received is in the books – and, presumably, the first of his checks sent in her direction is in the mail. Permitted to concentrate more fully on golf, Woods has been playing better, and played well enough in Norton, Mass., over the holiday weekend to qualify for the Western, plus keep his No. 1 world ranking.
He has won the championship five times previously, including his last two outings, in 2007 and last year. Woods’ special affinity for Cog Hill can be seen in the numbers. He’s been under 70 in his last 11 rounds, and for 14 of the last 15. Six of those 15 rounds are 66 or better, including a 63 and last year’s course-record 62, which equaled the Western record set by Jim Furyk at Bellerive Country Club in 2008.
Those good vibes could counteract any potential yelping from the gallery – Woods has heard verbal brickbats this year, from Augusta onward, at times, to say nothing of the banner-pulling planes mocking his announced return of interest in the Buddhist faith.
Woods finished at TPC Boston safely in the Dubsdread field thanks to three rounds in the 60s to finish the tournament. That allowed the WGA brass to keep the defibrillators sheathed.
Because of his record on Dubsdread, he remains one of the tournament favorites, even if he’s had, by his standard, a substandard year, with the nadir his mailed-in performance down the stretch at Firestone Country Club, a place that, like Cog Hill, he’s owned over the last decade-plus. A series of range sessions with teacher Sean Foley has brought Woods better results. He’s at least as consistent as any other Tour player. That, for the moment, will have to do.
The point of this week, which begins in full Tuesday with practice rounds on Dubsdread and the 9:30 a.m. Chicago time announcement of American PGA Ryder Cup team captain Corey Pavin’s four picks in New York, is to decide a champion, distribute $7.5 million – if there’s a recession, it still can’t be felt in PGA Tour purses – and determine the 30 survivors for the following week’s Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.
For all the chatter from television types about the FedEx Cup all season, the final round in Norton, which determines eligibility for Cog Hill, and the final round on Dubsdread, which sets the final field, is the only time all year that the so-called playoff format is interesting to follow. Golf isn’t a pennant race or a playoff race, it’s a money race. Not only does nobody know who stands 70th in the point standings in any given week, there’s a good chance they wouldn’t know the guy anyway.
Which brings us to Charlie Hoffman, the winner in Norton. He hasn’t had much luck on Dubsdread, with his best finish in four Westerns a tie for 21st in 2006. He finished last year’s Western with a sloppy 77, not exactly Woods’ territory.
It’s difficult to select contenders on Dubsdread aside from Woods, simply because of his dominance. Phil Mickelson? Don’t think so. His best showing on Dubs is a tie for 26th in 1996. He had a chance to win in 1994, standing a stroke back of the lead after 36 holes, and then fired consecutive 77s and finished tied for 64th.
Steve Stricker, the Wisconsin native and Illinois grad who stands --- in the world ranking behind Woods and Mickelson? That’s a better pick, given his victory in 1996 – when he played one 18-hole stretch in 60 strokes – and four other top 10s, including a solo third in 2007 that included a 64.
How about Luke Donald? Chicago’s adopted European Ryder Cupper – thanks to his matriculating from Northwestern – had the lead in Norton until Hoffman overhauled him down the stretch. His best on Dubs is a tie for third in 2004, though 10th place last year wasn’t bad.
What we may have, if Woods fails to fire, is a shootout of a type that hasn’t been seen since Trevor Immelman held off Woods and Mathew Goggin to win by two strokes four years ago.
Blackhawks fever?
About 600 hockey and/or golf fans visited Cog Hill on Monday morning, hoping to hobnob with their Blackhawks Stanley Cup heroes.
They found Dave Bolland, Jack Skille and future Hawk Kyle Beach, along with general manager Stan Bowman and an assortment of former Hawks, including Stan Mikita and Denis Savard.
“Is anyone else here?” one fan said while Jerry Korab and Reg Kerr warmed up on a practice green.
No, and the Stanley Cup didn’t make an appearance either. But rain, promised for late morning, turned into a mere sprinkle, so if fans didn’t get their fill of Jonathan Toews, neither were they soaked.
Around Dubsdread
It appears the field will be at least one short of the maximum 70. Scott Verplank, in 70th after withdrawing at Norton because of a thumb injury, needs surgery and won’t be at Cog Hill. Kris Blanks is next in the point standings, but isn’t expected to be allowed into the field. ... Schaumburg resident Nikhil Patel has been named this year’s local Chip Beck Evans Scholar. Patel, a caddie at River Forest, is a freshman at Illinois. Sarah Norris of Birmingham, Mich., won the PGA of America Evans scholarship. She’s a freshman at Michigan, and caddied ar Oakland Hills. Rare among the scholar corps, she is also a championship player, having led her high school to last year’s Michigan state championship. ... On the course, Tuesday features only practice rounds. Wednesday’s main event is the 48th Chick Evans Memorial Pro-Am.
– Tim Cronin
Monday, September 6, 2010
If you’re going to have a limited field tournament, there are two ways to go about it.
One was is to invite players. That works pretty well at Augusta National, where the qualification system is quite strict, and the only actual invitations for The Masters go to non-Americans.
The other way is what the PGA Tour does for the Western Open – this 107th playing, like the three before it, played under the title of the BMW Championship. Create a week-to-week cutdown system, and limit the field only to those who qualify.
The PGA Tour’s playoff field is trimmed from 125 to 100 to 70 to 30 across the four weeks, with this week’s frolic at Cog Hill Golf & Country Club the third of the series, and thus permitting the top 70 to tee off.
One of those 70, the executives of the sponsoring Western Golf Association are pleased to note, is Tiger Woods. The self-inflicted pain of the long and difficult year Woods has had may be starting to abate, now that the divorce wife Elin filed for and received is in the books – and, presumably, the first of his checks sent in her direction is in the mail. Permitted to concentrate more fully on golf, Woods has been playing better, and played well enough in Norton, Mass., over the holiday weekend to qualify for the Western, plus keep his No. 1 world ranking.
He has won the championship five times previously, including his last two outings, in 2007 and last year. Woods’ special affinity for Cog Hill can be seen in the numbers. He’s been under 70 in his last 11 rounds, and for 14 of the last 15. Six of those 15 rounds are 66 or better, including a 63 and last year’s course-record 62, which equaled the Western record set by Jim Furyk at Bellerive Country Club in 2008.
Those good vibes could counteract any potential yelping from the gallery – Woods has heard verbal brickbats this year, from Augusta onward, at times, to say nothing of the banner-pulling planes mocking his announced return of interest in the Buddhist faith.
Woods finished at TPC Boston safely in the Dubsdread field thanks to three rounds in the 60s to finish the tournament. That allowed the WGA brass to keep the defibrillators sheathed.
Because of his record on Dubsdread, he remains one of the tournament favorites, even if he’s had, by his standard, a substandard year, with the nadir his mailed-in performance down the stretch at Firestone Country Club, a place that, like Cog Hill, he’s owned over the last decade-plus. A series of range sessions with teacher Sean Foley has brought Woods better results. He’s at least as consistent as any other Tour player. That, for the moment, will have to do.
The point of this week, which begins in full Tuesday with practice rounds on Dubsdread and the 9:30 a.m. Chicago time announcement of American PGA Ryder Cup team captain Corey Pavin’s four picks in New York, is to decide a champion, distribute $7.5 million – if there’s a recession, it still can’t be felt in PGA Tour purses – and determine the 30 survivors for the following week’s Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.
For all the chatter from television types about the FedEx Cup all season, the final round in Norton, which determines eligibility for Cog Hill, and the final round on Dubsdread, which sets the final field, is the only time all year that the so-called playoff format is interesting to follow. Golf isn’t a pennant race or a playoff race, it’s a money race. Not only does nobody know who stands 70th in the point standings in any given week, there’s a good chance they wouldn’t know the guy anyway.
Which brings us to Charlie Hoffman, the winner in Norton. He hasn’t had much luck on Dubsdread, with his best finish in four Westerns a tie for 21st in 2006. He finished last year’s Western with a sloppy 77, not exactly Woods’ territory.
It’s difficult to select contenders on Dubsdread aside from Woods, simply because of his dominance. Phil Mickelson? Don’t think so. His best showing on Dubs is a tie for 26th in 1996. He had a chance to win in 1994, standing a stroke back of the lead after 36 holes, and then fired consecutive 77s and finished tied for 64th.
Steve Stricker, the Wisconsin native and Illinois grad who stands --- in the world ranking behind Woods and Mickelson? That’s a better pick, given his victory in 1996 – when he played one 18-hole stretch in 60 strokes – and four other top 10s, including a solo third in 2007 that included a 64.
How about Luke Donald? Chicago’s adopted European Ryder Cupper – thanks to his matriculating from Northwestern – had the lead in Norton until Hoffman overhauled him down the stretch. His best on Dubs is a tie for third in 2004, though 10th place last year wasn’t bad.
What we may have, if Woods fails to fire, is a shootout of a type that hasn’t been seen since Trevor Immelman held off Woods and Mathew Goggin to win by two strokes four years ago.
Blackhawks fever?
About 600 hockey and/or golf fans visited Cog Hill on Monday morning, hoping to hobnob with their Blackhawks Stanley Cup heroes.
They found Dave Bolland, Jack Skille and future Hawk Kyle Beach, along with general manager Stan Bowman and an assortment of former Hawks, including Stan Mikita and Denis Savard.
“Is anyone else here?” one fan said while Jerry Korab and Reg Kerr warmed up on a practice green.
No, and the Stanley Cup didn’t make an appearance either. But rain, promised for late morning, turned into a mere sprinkle, so if fans didn’t get their fill of Jonathan Toews, neither were they soaked.
Around Dubsdread
It appears the field will be at least one short of the maximum 70. Scott Verplank, in 70th after withdrawing at Norton because of a thumb injury, needs surgery and won’t be at Cog Hill. Kris Blanks is next in the point standings, but isn’t expected to be allowed into the field. ... Schaumburg resident Nikhil Patel has been named this year’s local Chip Beck Evans Scholar. Patel, a caddie at River Forest, is a freshman at Illinois. Sarah Norris of Birmingham, Mich., won the PGA of America Evans scholarship. She’s a freshman at Michigan, and caddied ar Oakland Hills. Rare among the scholar corps, she is also a championship player, having led her high school to last year’s Michigan state championship. ... On the course, Tuesday features only practice rounds. Wednesday’s main event is the 48th Chick Evans Memorial Pro-Am.
– Tim Cronin