Loose Ends

I gave up a powder day to spend with the bride... at least that's my story and I'm sticking to it.  Didn't even watch much golf...

Match-Play Mishegoss - It all comes to a head today, with the potential for some playoff action.... But it's good to see the Bubbameister in such good spirits:

AUSTIN, Texas – Bubba Watson hasn’t played very well for several months, but that hasn’t dampened his love for the game.

Not one bit. 

Watson had just finished off Scott Piercy, 4 and 3, in a dazzling display of power in Round 2 of the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play on Thursday, and Piercy told him he still was going to play the remaining three holes. 

“Hold on, I’ll join you,” Watson said. 

And once they finished on the 18th green, Watson, whose match had been the first one off at Austin Country Club during the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, had a completely open afternoon in front of him. The possibilities were endless. So where was he headed? 

“I’m going to watch the (TV) coverage,” said Watson, who is 2-0 this week, like some little kid about to visit the zoo. He was genuinely excited. “With the windy conditions, it’s going to be amazing.”

Sometimes it's just fun to be reminded that it's a game....

Here's your lineup for today:

GROUP 11

Danny Willett (0-2) vs. Russell Knox (1-1), Willett 1 up through 10

Bill Haas (1-1) vs. K.T. Kim (2-0), Haas 1 up through 9 

GROUP 6

Justin Thomas (1-1) vs. Matt Fitzpatrick (1-1), Thomas 1 up through 9

Kevin Na (2-0) vs. Chris Wood (0-2), Na 4 up through 7 

GROUP 14

Phil Mickelson (2-0) vs. J.B. Holmes (0-1-1), Mickelson 3 up through 6

Daniel Berger (1-1) vs. Si Woo Kim (0-1-1), Kim 1 up through 5 

GROUP 3

Marc Leishman (2-1) def. Jason Day (0-3), WD

Lee Westwood (1-1) vs. Pat Perez (2-0), All Square through 4

GROUP 10

Tyrrell Hatton (2-0) vs. Rafa Cabrera-Bello (1-1), All Square through 3

Jeunghun Wang (0-2) vs. Charles Howell III (1-1), Howell III 1 up through 2 

GROUP 7

Sergio Garcia (1-0-1) vs. Jon Rahm (2-0), All Square through 1

Kevin Chappell (0-2) vs. Shane Lowry (0-1-1), 10:31 a.m. 

GROUP 15

Branden Grace (1-1) vs. Brandt Snedeker (1-1), 10:42 a.m.

William McGirt (2-0) vs. Andy Sullivan (0-2), 10:53 a.m. 

GROUP 2

Rory McIlroy (1-1) vs. Emiliano Grillo (0-2), 11:04 a.m.

Soren Kjeldsen (3-0) def. Gary Woodland (1-2), WD 

GROUP 12

Paul Casey (2-0) vs. Charl Schwartzel (2-0), 11:26 a.m.

Ben An (0-2) vs. Joost Luiten (0-2), 11:37 a.m. 

GROUP 5

Jordan Spieth (1-1) vs. Ryan Moore (0-0-2), 11:48 a.m.

Yuta Ikeda (0-1-1) vs. Hideto Tanihara (1-0-1), 11:59 a.m. 

GROUP 13

Bubba Watson (2-0) vs. Thomas Pieters (1-1), 12:10 p.m.

Scott Piercy (0-2) vs. Jhonattan Vegas (1-1), 12:21 p.m. 

GROUP 4

Hideki Matsuyama (0-1-1) vs. Louis Oosthuizen (1-1), 12:32 p.m.

Ross Fisher (1-1) vs. Jim Furyk (1-0-1), 12:43 p.m. 

GROUP 9

Patrick Reed (0-1-1) vs. Brooks Koepka (2-0), 12:54 p.m.

Kevin Kisner (1-1) vs. Jason Dufner (0-1-1), 1:05 p.m. 

GROUP 8

Alex Noren (3-0) def. Francesco Molinari (0-3), WD

Bernd Wiesberger (1-1) vs. Thongchai Jaidee (1-1), 1:27 p.m. 

GROUP 16

Matt Kuchar (0-1-1) vs. Tommy Fleetwood (1-1), 1:38 p.m.

Zach Johnson (1-1) vs. Brendan Steele (1-0-1), 1:49 p.m. 

GROUP 1

Dustin Johnson (2-0) vs. Jimmy Walker (1-1), 2 p.m.

Martin Kaymer (1-1) vs. Webb Simpson (0-2), 2:11 p.m.

First, apologies for getting to the keyboard so late (with matches already on the golf course), but your humble blogger was kept out way past his bedtime last night...

I'm not suggesting that we outlaw injuries and personal issue, but boy have the played havoc with the brackets.  Most notably, the Woodland WD rendering Rory a dead man walking.... Unfortunate that...

Absent bracket status, one's eye is naturally drawn to the Battle of Spain in Group 7, and lucky us that will determine who advances to the weekend.  The only other battle of unbeatens is Charl v. Casey, and that won't exactly move the needle for Golf Channel.

I also would be remiss in noting that few expected Patrick Reed to be 0-1-1 at this juncture, as Ryder Cup performance is an indicator of match-play prowess, except when it's not...

Jordan Spieth remains alive, though he'd have to beat Ryan Moore and pray for the outcome of the made-for-television Yuta Ikeda vs. Hideto Tanihara match.  NBC has its fingers and legs crossed in hope that DJ, Phil and Bubba make it to tomorrow afternoon...

Any remaining questions as to why the TV era was the death knell for match-play?  It's great fun, but perhaps after being dusted by Hideto Tanihara our Jordan will revisit his hope of a major contested at match-play?

A Cautionary Tale - Alan Shipnuck is expanding his Knockdown platform (whatever that means) to give voice to other....well, voices....  Today its Dylan Dethier, of whom you've never heard and, except for this item, never will.  The title says it all:

When really, really good isn't good enough: Inside one golfer's attempt to live his dream

It's what you expect, but just a tad more insightful along these lines:

And in my two-and-a-half years as a professional golfer, I've learned two things. The 

Dylan (l) with buddy Cody Semmelrock.

first: I'm basically trash. Plenty of guys can fly it 300 yards, and lots of them can keep it in the fairway more often than me. Everyone can hit that flop shot, and there are guys who are far steadier putters than I am. Although I've made a ton of progress from a middling, distinctly unprofessional Division III college career, my tour-ready rounds have remained the exception rather than the rule. 

But the second thing I've learned complicates matters: In golf, everyone is kind of trash right up until the moment when they're not. It's a sport where progress is confusing; in football or basketball, if you're not on the track to the pros by the time you're a teen, there's not much hope for you. But many golfers take roundabout routes to the PGA Tour, which requires playing well at a few very specific tournaments—Q school, in particular—and then cashing in on the opportunities that come thereafter.

Golf is so much more interesting because it doesn't rely on raw physical talent, but as Dylan notes, this makes it terribly problematic to know when the dream deserves a "pipe" as prologue.

 It's a long piece, but well worth your time.

Phil, Unfazed or Unhinged? - My understanding was that he's not just a witness, but the pivotal witness in the forthcoming trial of buddy/loanshark Billy Walters.  Not so says our hero:

AUSTIN, Texas — While his name has been mentioned as a pivotal figure in a federal insider trading criminal trial, Phil Mickelson shrugged off any hint that will be hanging

over him this week or in the run up to the Masters next month — both with his play and his comments. 

“I’m not a part of that,” Mickelson said after easily winning his first-round match Wednesday at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play. “It’s not even a thought.”

But prosecutors and defense attorneys for gambler William “Billy” Walters have said Mickelson would be a key figure in the trial in New York, and the judge hinted to jurors last week the five-time major champion could be called to testify.

The man has led a charmed life, for sure.  What was interesting is that both sides identified Phil as the guy that would make their case, so what's the likelihood that both have had a change of heart?

Gotta run, so enjoy the last of match-play pool competition, hopefully including a few playoffs.