Hope your weekend was as good as we experienced in the NYC area, as Spring finally put in an appearance, as did your humble blogger's short game.
Hilton Head Happenings - The headline is one you'll think has to be a few years old:
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. (AP) Branden Grace has had his share of big moments.He believes winning the RBC Heritage is his biggest, by far.
The 27-year-old South African had won 10 times overseas, finished in the top five last year in the U.S. Open and PGA Championship, and went 5-0 for the International team at the Presidents Cup. On Sunday, he shot a 5-under 66 to overtake Luke Donald for his first title on the PGA Tour.''This really puts the cherry on top of the cake,'' Grace said. ''And I'm excited for things to start.''
That's a two-stroke penalty for mixing metaphors, though perhaps they really do put cherries on top of cake in South Africa.... barbarians and all. But with all of Grace's high finishes over the years, it's hard to imagine this is his first title in the U.S. But he's now one-up on Monty, so he's got that gong for him.
Gary Van Sickle seems to hold this event in a similar high regard, despite having caught a truly frightening scene:
It was Plaid Nation Day at the RBC Heritage, so fans were urged to wear the red plaid pattern that traditionally covers the champion’s jacket. I wore a grape-colored shirt today, sorry about that, and declined to don the free sunglasses the tourney offered with the red-plaid frames. What can I say? I’m a rebel. Live free or die. Don’t fence me in… at least not without cookies.
Anyway, a bunch of fans, mostly younger guys in their 20s mixed with one or two older gents, were in team uniforms ahead of the second tee. They all wore the same ghastly Hawaiian sunset shirts that were a mess of pink, yellow, a sick-looking color that has no name, and black. I counted at least ten members in the group, and I might have missed one or two. They wore assorted red plaid hats, some in that Justin Timberlake-Frank Sinatra style, some in Hogan caps. They resembled the least fearsome gang ever but did look like a party waiting to happen.
One plaidster stood out. Him. Well, Him sported a couple days’ beard growth on Him’s face, carried a Michelob Ultra can that He was busy draining, had the plaid hat, wore floppy sandals with no socks and… flaunted a red plaid mini-skirt. (No, it was not a kilt. I know the difference.)
This is more than you want to know but He had not shaved His legs. Plus, the skirt was pretty short considering the unpredictable wind gusts. I made a note to root for calm conditions.
That's where Van Cynical and I part paths, I think it's a good event despite that harrowing image... And my use of the word "good" is deliberate, as not only is this event not "great", but it's deliberately not so. The week after Augusta can't sustain great, the the down home low country vibe of the event is integral to its sustainability.
Tears were shed for the 54-hole leader Luke Donald, who's made a pretty good career out of being passed while doing 45 mph in the left lane with a turn signal flashing:
Grace also became the latest to rally past hard-luck leader Donald at Harbour Town Golf Links. The Englishman has finished second four times and third twice in the past eight events here.
Brandt Snedeker shot a final-round 64 to catch Donald and win in a playoff in 2011. Matt Kuchar shot a 64 in 2014, overtaking Donald for the win with a chip-in from the bunker on the 72nd hole.
Maybe it's the Northwestern colors holding him back? For reasons that elude me, the Tour Confidential Ringmaster thought this the most burning issue of the week, asking whether Luke should be encouraged by his performance. A sample response:
Michael Bamberger: For sure, encouraged. Golf at that level is all about knocking on the door. You knock and you knock and a certain percentage of the time it opens. Tiger made you think that's not how golf works but he was an outlier in every way. If Luke is as smart as I think he is, he'll be certain to play Colonial--good course for him.
Let's see.... Luke has been in the golf equivalent of a North Korean labor camp for the last few years, so a T2 has to be a welcome result. But our hero still suffers from what has become known as Luke Donald disease. One of the shorter hitters on Tour, he's also one of the crookedest drivers of the golf ball on tour... You can make do with long and wrong or short and straight, bu while short and wrong doesn't rhyme, it does sing. Only it's a dirge...
Exhibit A was his three-wood snapper into the hazard on No. 8 yesterday, the ProTracer graphic of which was cruel and unusual punishment. Luke has some pretty impressive short-game chops, but as Mike notes above, there's a limited number of golf courses on which he can keep up with the big boys. Still, if Captain Clarke has to choose between Luke and Poulter for a Ryder Cup spot, I'd suggest the lad in purple...
Much ink is being spilled on the pro debut of Bryson DeChambeau, which seems a bit of a technicality at this point:
I have to admit I didn't believe the hype. When folks talked about Bryson DeChambeau potentially winning the Masters last week, I laughed at the idea that an amateur could be competitive there. And then he was -- more than competitive. DeChambeau finished T21, won low amateur and made his pro debut this week at the RBC Heritage.
All he did there was finish T4, four back of winner Branden Grace.
OK, I love the kid as much as the next guy, but he's been playing professional events seemingly every week since he won that U.S. Am, the only difference is that this week he can endorse the check. He's proven that he's good enough to belong out there, now it's time to grab a bowl of popcorn and see how he progresses.
The significance of the high performance comes down to this:
One week after taking low amateur honors at the Masters, DeChambeau earned a check for $259,600 along with 123 FedEx Cup points. Both will go a long way toward securing his status for the rest of the season and beyond, as DeChambeau needs to accrue at least 361 FedEx Cup points to earn special temporary membership that would bring with it unlimited sponsor invites this season.
To earn a full card for next season, he'll need to equal the points or earnings of No. 125 on the season-long standings, which last season meant a cutoff of 458 points or $747,899 in earnings.
DeChambeau still has six sponsor invites at his disposal. He was already planning to play next week's Valero Texas Open, but now he will be able to save a sponsor invite because his top-10 finish this week earns him a spot at TPC San Antonio.
Otherwise Commissioner Ratched will bury him for a year on the Web.com Tour... because he can.
Here's a couple of Confidentialista takes on the young man:
Godich: It's one thing to be eccentric. It's an entirely different thing to back it up with your sticks, whatever length they may be. I'm intrigued. A 21st-place finish (at the Masters) and a T-4 on two entirely different tracks tells me that Mr. DeChambeau has the game to compete at the highest level.
Bamberger: I wouldn't even call him eccentric, Mark. I just think he's thinking for himself. That's what made this country great!
Boy am I confused, because I thought we were trying to make America great.....you know, again. But Bryson seems to have a way with the youngsters:
And how about a little love for Ernie Els.... not only did he post a very respectable T-14 in the event, but according to the talking heads he was in the top five in Strokes Gained-Putting for the week. Not sure why that last bit is remarkable, have we seen Ernie have any issues with the flat blade recently?
Short Takes - Meet your Euro Tour winner of the week:
Andrew "Beef" Johnston just wants to "get hammered" after 1st win, is your new favorite golfer
Don't make me choose between Lumpy and Beef, please.
I suppose this is an accomplishment of a kind:
Since it's the French team, the reader is encouraged to insert a Maginot Line joke of his or her own.
Jerry Kelly's customized wedge is money. Literally.
I'm not sure that literal is exactly the right term here, but Jerry Kelly seems like an affable soul with whom one would enjoy an adult beverage, so kudos for this:
And when play slows down, he can amuse himself with a quick hand of liar's poker.
Lastly, a couple of further thoughts from the Tour Confidential gang. First, as relates to Veej's Olympic dis:
Shipnuck: What, can deer antler spray allow a dude to get knocked up? From all that I've read, the Zika isn't a concern for healthy (non-pregnant) adults. As for scheduling concerns, that's a joke. Is he afraid of missing some B-list Senior event? At his age he should be thrilled to have one last shot at the Olympics. I'm guessing this is more about Singh's tortured relationship with his homeland than anything else. I think Olympic golf is gonna be a home run and personally can't wait to get down there. Once the various other golfers are in Rio surrounded by all the Olympic pageantry they'll get the fever, too ... and I'm not talking about Zika.
Seems as though Vijay has no shortage of "tortured relationships" in his life, though this one isn't helped by the fact that he allowed the Fijian Prime Minister to announce that he would be playing under the Fijian flag. Oops!
And, as relates to the Dawie van der Walt - Mike Weir cage match, there was this:
Passov: Continuing a tradition I began a month or so ago, I have to agree completely with Alan's assessment here. If I'm a tournament sponsor, I'm going to give Mike Weir some love: major winner, multiple wins on tour, brings the Canadian crowds.
I'd feel a lot better if I thought Joe was kidding.... but the other guys seem to get it:
Godich: Plenty of blame to go around. The sponsor knew what it was getting into by inviting a guy who hadn't played on a weekend in 20+ events. Who cares what van der Walt thinks? And if a sponsor is going to be kind enough to grant you one of its prized exemptions, Weir owes it to said sponsor to play 36 holes, even if he's a little nicked up or on his way to shooting 100.
Bamberger: Oh, please. Move on, Mike Weir. Yes, you're entitled. But play the 36 or don't go to the first tee at all.
Mike Weir morphed into John Daly so quickly I didn't notice...
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