With Hurricane Earl threatening to affect play on the opening day on Friday, it could just be the start of unsettled times for a few PGA Tour players this week in Norton, Massachusetts. 

With just 70 players of 100 advancing from the field of the Deutsche Bank Championship to the BMW Championship the fight [...]]]>

With Hurricane Earl threatening to affect play on the opening day on Friday, it could just be the start of unsettled times for a few PGA Tour players this week in Norton, Massachusetts. 

With just 70 players of 100 advancing from the field of the Deutsche Bank Championship to the BMW Championship the fight will be on at the TPC Boston top earn the coveted spots.  And with another 2,500 points up for grabs, with a win any of the top 14 players could jump up and grab the #1 spot away from Barclay’s champion Matt Kuchar.

Undoubtedly many eyes will still be on Tiger Woods, who showed fine form in two of his Barclay’s rounds but did enough to advance to 65^th place in the FedEx Cup points, his highest ranking all year.  With wide fairways and past winning form at Deutsche Bank many expect he has a great chance to finish between 52^nd and 57^th or higher this week and advance to the BMW.  Depending heavily on what other players do he will need a minimum of two 8^th place finishes or a single 3^rd place finish (or better) to earn his way into the Tour Championship field at East Lake.

Experience is paramount at this time of year on the PGA Tour.  Even though many players say they are immune to extra pressure being put on them by the “playoffs” it is clear that those having the most success in these events have been veteran players.  Of the 99 players left (Kenny Perry withdrew Thursday morning citing exhaustion) there are just five rookies among them: Rickie Fowler (22^nd), Rory McIlroy (28^th), Josh Teater (75^th), Alex Prugh (95^th), and Blake Adams (98^th).

The Deutsche Bank Championship has seen a bastion of successful drive to the podium. In the seven-year history of the tournament there have been six different winners (Vijay doubled up in ’04 and ’08) with a combined total of 162 PGA Tour victories among them. Steve Stricker (9), Vijay Singh (34), Phil Mickelson (38), Tiger Woods (71), Olin Browne (3), and Adam Scott (7).

The odds indicate that trend will continue in 2010.  Six players did play their way into the field this week – Kevin Streelman, Andres Romero, J.P. Hayes, Ryuji Imada, Troy Matteson, and Tiger Woods.  Among those Woods has a valid chance to win this week after his notable performance in New Jersey.  Woods says he was close at Barclays, marred only by poor putting in the middle rounds, but he indicated he was eager to get on with the playoff test.  "I'm looking forward to it," said the World’s #1 player. "The next three events, the next three venues, I've won on." 

Last year Steve Stricker made birdies on the final two holes to get past Jason Dufner and Scott Verplank and I will not hesitate to bet that Stricker will be in the mix for the Monday finish, barring any further delays caused by Hurricane Earl.

Watch as well for Kuchar to have another strong event.  A win might be tough after the euphoria of last week’s win but his 11 top ten finishes show he is in the finest form of his career.  Prior to 2010 he had just ten top-10’s in 149 Tour events played.

Who will be the top 70?  Will Tiger get his first win of 2010?  Can Stricker defend and move from #2 to #1? And will Hurricane Earl wreak havoc on the golf course and play at the Deutsche Bank Championship?

Hang on tight; it’s going to be a heck of a weekend.

This report provided to GolfWRX.com by Flagstick Golf Magazine (www.flagstick.com)

By the time Sunday was over Matt Kuchar had yet more cause to flash his pearly whites, as if he did not have enough motivation to do so before the Barclays Championship began. 

The 32 year-old Floridian has been crushing it this year, with 10 top ten finishes to his credit but just one wrinkle [...]]]>

By the time Sunday was over Matt Kuchar had yet more cause to flash his pearly whites, as if he did not have enough motivation to do so before the Barclays Championship began. 

The 32 year-old Floridian has been crushing it this year, with 10 top ten finishes to his credit but just one wrinkle at that impressive slate – the lack of a victory.  He took care of that blemish at the Barclays with a closing round of 66 and a one hole playoff conquest over the man who let the tournament slip from his grasp on the final hole of regulation, Martin Laird.

Laird, the Glaswegian Scot, had nothing but two putts between himself and the 2^nd PGA Tour win of his career, but let that slip through his fingers with a three-putt bogey on the 18^th hole of the Ridgewood Country Club.  “I knew 2-putt was going to win and these greens right now, as you can probably see, are very, very baked out. And the last thing I wanted to do was trickle it down there, leave it three, four feet short and have a 3-, 4-footer down there. Around those holes it's a little sketchy being the last group in the field,” said the 27 year-old who blew his first putt past the hole and missed the return affair, creating the playoff with Kuchar.

“And as I said, I was just, I was trying to stay calm. I felt good. I had obviously holed a big putt on 17. And I had been holing good putts all day. And the first one I was — I felt like I had it all read and the piece and everything. And as I said, now after seeing Kuchar's ball on the fringe (in the playoff) going down to the hole I understand how fast it was. The second one I saw it go left, right past the hole. I thought it was on the way to the hole, on the way back with a nice down speed and the putt just didn't move.”

In the extra frame both players peppered the rough with their tee shots but Kuchar, firing his approach first, came out the better of the two as his unlikely strike worked its way to the hole in an unlikely fashion.  Skimming low along the ground it backed off the right, back fringe to ultimately settle two feet from the cup where he would make the birdie to beat out Laird’s par.  “I knew I had to keep it low under some limbs, and just kind of chase it up and run it on,” said Kuchar of the 192-yard shot that changed the course of his year.  “I saw Martin play his 72nd hole and it looked like he a similar shot. Looked like he was in the left rough, looked like he chased one up to the back. I was basically trying to hit a similar shot. I was looking to have it just land 15 yards short of the green, start chasing up.  And I went with a 7-iron, the lie was pretty good. I was kind of deep enough in the rough that it ended up being a pretty good lie. And the shot came out beautifully. I ran up to that back right bank and saw the crowd just all of a sudden, the momentum build and they went just like a wave   of people standing up and cheering. I knew it was getting good.  That was an exciting way to kind of cap off this tournament.”

The winning blow from the rough was an impressive ending to a tournament that saw plenty of ebb and flow from a mix of players.  Names like Woods, Day, and Laird had flitted across the scoreboards all week but in the end it was a five birdie, no bogey round by Kuchar and a timely birdie on the extra hole that pushed the man with the golden grin to the #1 FedEx Cup Ranking. 

With so many high finishes in 2010 Kuchar was content with his season but the climb to the top of the board at Barclays brought it to another level.  “I would have shut down the year had I not won and been very pleased with my year,” he said when asked about how a win would shape his outlook on the season.  “To win, it's an incredible year. There's nothing like the feeling of winning a PGA TOUR golf tournament. You feel like you are the best player in the world for this week. I mean, it's just an amazing feeling to think there's 125 of the best players in the world started this week and I came out first. And it's an amazing feeling and one I'm awfully proud of,” he said, of course, with a smile.

With the victory Kuchar guarantees himself a spot at East for the Tour Championship, one he calls a “home game”.  With his streak of play this year, the momentum of victory, and his level of comfort and familiarity with East Lake you can expect his name to be in the PGA Tour Playoff mix for the next three weeks.

This report provided to GolfWRX.com by Flagstick Golf Magazine (www.flagstick.com)

For most golf fans the concept of “playoffs” in golf is still not a highly accepted one.  The first incarnations of them haven’t exactly brought forth the drama you might find in the NFL, NHL, or MLB, but in spots there have been a few glimmers of hope.

The run to the 2010 FedEx Cup starts [...]]]>

For most golf fans the concept of “playoffs” in golf is still not a highly accepted one.  The first incarnations of them haven’t exactly brought forth the drama you might find in the NFL, NHL, or MLB, but in spots there have been a few glimmers of hope.

The run to the 2010 FedEx Cup starts in New Jersey this week and brings with it more than a few questions – most of them surrounding Tiger Woods.  How will the World #1 play in his first week after his divorce was made official?  And better yet can he pull himself out of the basement of the rankings to actually advance his way through the four playoff tournaments.

Currently 112^th in FedEx Cup Points, the PGA Tour estimates that he will need to finish between 50 and 57^th at The Barclays to advance to the BMW Championship.  He tied for 2^nd last year at Liberty Nationals but missed the event in 2008 (the last time it was held at Ridgewood) due to a knee injury.

Tiger, and a whole lot of other players, have a long road ahead if they want to work their way into a Top 5 position in the FedEx Cup points standings, the position you need to be in heading into the Tour Championship if you want to have a chance to take home the big prize. 

But before the pros think of the Tour Championship, they have to get themselves into the top 100 to make it into next week’s BMW Championship.  Currently, only the top 42 players at The Barclays are assured mathematically to advance.

Ernie Els, Steve Stricker, and Jim Furyk lead the point standings as The Barclays begins but due to a missed pro-am tee time and subsequent disqualification, Furyk will not much of a chance of securing the position through this week at Ridgewood G&CC.

The player with the longest climb this week will be Scott Piercy.  As the only player who worked how way into the field via his play at the Wyndham Championship is looking to improve on his 88^th place in the FedEx Cup standings from last year.  He advanced from The Barclays in 2009, even after missing the cut at Liberty National.

Watch the young’ns at The Barclays.  Twenty-eight players in their 20’s have made it into the field and with so much in the playoffs weighing on your ability to move up the standings, you can expect aggressive play to be in full force.

Resisting that will be Ridgewood, the A.W, Tillinghast design that opened in 1929.  With a potential length of 7319 and playing to a tight par of 71 the constant “59” watch of recent months on the PGA Tour might be taking a vacation this week.   The course has a huge mix of holes ranging from 155 to 626 yards, meaning a large variety of shots will be necessary from the winner.

The hole to watch for excitement will be the one known as “Five and Dime,” the 5^th, which is the shortest par four at Ridgewood.  At only 291 yards from the back tees it is also the shortest par four on the PGA Tour.  Whether players try to drive it or lay up and hit a tricky wedge shot to a small, narrow green, the results at this hole could eventually sway the final result.

This report provided to GolfWRX.com by Flagstick Golf Magazine (www.flagstick.com)

But he didn’t, and with his victory he becomes the first PGA Tour winner born in one of the world’s most populous [...]]]> He wouldn’t have been an easy pick at the start of the week but after his opening round of 61 at Sedgefield Country Club, the 2010 Wyndham Championship was Arjun Atwal’s tournament to lose.

But he didn’t, and with his victory he becomes the first PGA Tour winner born in one of the world’s most populous nations, India.

With Atwal having lost his PGA Tour status just last month it was left to Jeev Milkha Singh to carry the torch for their country but Atwal worked his way into the Wyndham field as a Monday qualifier and never looked back. It has been more than 24 years since the last Monday qualifier took down a PGA Tour title. That was Fred Wadsworth at the 1986 Southern Open.

Singh, understandably, was excited for his countryman. “I am very happy for Arjun. This is an important win for the country of India. All the children in India will be inspired by his victory and it will help grow the sport. Arjun is a fighter. He did not get down after his injury last year and losing his status on the tour.”

Seema Sadekar, the Big Break contestant from Canada with Indian heritage was just as excited, posting on her Twitter page of how Atwal had made India Proud.

Atwal, 37, looked to be in tough Sunday in Greensboro where late into the final nine as many as seven players were co-leaders. 

But he did not falter and made a critical six-foot par putt on the 18^th for the win and to avoid a playoff at 19 under par with David Toms who looked on with interest from the locker room.

With limited tour access and no hope of making it into next week’s FedEx Cup playoffs as a non-tour member Atwal felt that there was no need to be tentative this week, even as a qualifier. "I told my caddie, 'We've got nothing to lose this week. Just go out there and try and win it,'" Atwal said. "Guys are going to be out there trying to secure their FedExCup spots or whatever. We've got nothing. I don't have a card. I don't have anything. Just go out there and free-wheel it, and that's what I did this week."

Although Atwal did not earn his way into the Barclay’s Championship, he did come out with a lot for his admirable efforts in Greensboro. He regained his status on tour with a 2-year exemption as well as a spot in the 2011 Masters and PGA Championship. Not to mention a very nice trip to Kapalua in January next year for the winners-only SBS Championship.

While Atwal had no concerns about the FedEx Cup, more than a few players did. Scott Piercy was the lone golfer to play his way into the field via his performance in the final week of the regular season at the Wyndham Championship. Piercy finished T8 to move up 15 positions in the FedExCup standings. At T8, Piercy matched his best finish of the 2010 season with his only other top-10 finish coming at the Waste Management Phoenix Open (T8). After bogeys on holes 6, 7 and 8, Piercy played the back nine at three-under par to finish the regular season at no. 125, two points ahead of Jeff Quinney. Chris Stroud began the week at no. 124, but missed the cut and was bumped out of the top 125 by Piercy’s performance.

This report provided to GolfWRX.com by Flagstick Golf Magazine (www.flagstick.com)

I can’t imagine that this week’s Wyndham Championship will carry with it the sense of drama and substantial emotions of [...]]]> On the heels of “Glory’s Last Shot” comes that last gasp for many PGA Tour regulars as they try to resurrect their lagging golf season by at least squeaking their way into the FedEx Cup playoffs.

I can’t imagine that this week’s Wyndham Championship will carry with it the sense of drama and substantial emotions of last week in Wisconsin but nonetheless it is a tournament on a storied venue with some relevant consequences to the pros, mostly of the pocket book variety. Those left out of the playoffs lose out on a shot at some big paydays, including the $10 million awarded to the FedEx Cup winner.

The 71^st Wyndham Championship, of course, is the evolution of the Greater Greensboro Open, first won in 1938 by Sam Snead and held dear to the hearts of fans in a very golf mad part of the United States. As such, a win here is valued by players in many ways – sentimentally as a place where many of the games greats have played and now, as the last event before the playoffs, as the place where they need to grind if they want the glory that the lucrative extra events offer.

In 2009 Ryan Moore secured his first PGA Tour win at the Wyndham. A back nine barrage of birdies helped him force his way into a playoff with Kevin Stadler and Jason Bohn, where he prevailed after three holes.

While Moore will carry that confidence into the week at Sedgefield Country Club, the venerable Donald Ross layout that was rebuilt for modern play in 2007, I think you still have to look another recent champion as the man to beat for the week. 2008 Champion and tournament record-holder (21 under par) Carl Pettersson is the home town boy, having arrived in the scenic North Carolina town via Sweden and England at the age of 15, and pairing his roots, record and recent play together suggests another great weekend ahead for the Wolfpack Alum.

Pettersson is just a month removed from his win at the RBC Canadian Open where a third round 60 stunned both himself and the crowd at tricky St. George’s Golf & Country Club. And that is not his only course record of note – he also holds the Sedgefield mark of 61 that he tallied during his run to the Wyndham title in 2008.

It is not the most glamorous field you can find on the PGA Tour in a year but the playoff situation certainly has added to the quality players who have committed to make the trip to Greensboro. 

Expect a game title defence by Ryan Moore while other names of note, based on recent performances would be Steve Elkington, Justin Leonard, and even young Aussie Michael Sim who missed the cut at Whistling Straits but seems to be rounding out some form on the course.

At Sedgefield the pros will face a course lengthened even more for 2010, now peaking at 7130 yards. Even at that length the course ranks among the easier ones on tour so you if you are big fan of low scoring, this week is for you. Watch for a player to break out of the pack on the back nine with a streak of birdies. At the same time you can expect that the tour mathematicians will be kept busy right down the final putts with players moving to and fro on the final nine with plenty of score changes.

This report provided to GolfWRX.com by Flagstick Golf Magazine - www.flagstick.com

This week, in Wisconsin of all places, demons of all kinds will be on display for the PGA Championship is upon [...]]]> There are beasts to tame every week on the PGA Tour. Some come from within while a few times a year, most likely in a major championship; the golf courses themselves rear up in stern defense. 

This week, in Wisconsin of all places, demons of all kinds will be on display for the PGA Championship is upon us, and in a setting that is equally tranquil, beguiling, and treacherous at the same time one man will be left standing with the Wannamaker trophy come Sunday. He might be feted less a victor, and more of a survivor.  It is certainly not a place where you can “find your game”, you best be prepared when you arrive to give it your all.

When Pete Dye unveiled Whistling Straits (Straights Course) in 1998 he knew that another beast had been borne from his mind. Built along two miles of Lake Michigan Shoreline, just down the road from Kohler, Wisconsin, the end result was a dramatic, tumbling flurry of golf holes unlike what had ever been seen in America to that time. 

Proof of its greatness came in the form of its selection to host the 2004 PGA Championship just a couple years into its infancy. It has been a staple of many Top 100 Golf Course lists since. In 2015 it will serve as the host for the PGA Championship again and will once more be on the world’s stage in 2020 when the Ryder Cup comes its way.

Working with Herbert V. Kohler, Jr., chairman and president of Kohler Co. (owner of Whistling Straits), Dye came up with a 7500 yard beauty with touches of Irish Seaside Links running throughout. Straits has fescue fairways and massive sand dune bunkers.  The course layout weaves fourteen holes in nearly uninterrupted sequence along two miles of lakefront.  Eight holes hug the shoreline where the Straits Course plays from just above beach level, then rises nearly 80-feet to bluffs and elevated berms that provide panoramic views of the watery horizon.

Dye, who knows a thing or two about dramatic coastline courses, having built the Ocean Course at Kiawah, South Carolina, and Casa de Campo in the Dominican Republic, loved what he saw in the site for The Straights.  “This is as dramatic a site as anything I’ve ever encountered,” Dye said.  “I’ve never seen anything that resembles this.”

In the 2004 PGA Championship Vijay Singh prevailed in a three hole playoff with Justin Leonard and Chris DiMarco. The winning score of 8 under par was much lower than what was expected but then again, Mother Nature cooperated quite nicely that week. As we have already seen this year from previous “waterside” majors at Pebble Beach and St. Andrews, the blending of land and water can lead to unexpected results. The winners of those majors, Graeme McDowell and Louis Ousthuizen have to be taken into account this week as those with a chance to win.

Singh and Leonard are in the field this week but only Leonard is showing any type of decent game of late. If you look a little further down the list from that 86^th PGA a few other names are of certain interest as possible contenders this week. Ernie Els tied for 4^th in 2004 and with his return to form in 2010 he has to be considered among the top picks.

Great ball strikers seem to do well at The Straights course so keep an eye on guys like Stephen Ames, Wisconsin’s own Steve Stricker, Justin Rose, Hunter Mahan, and even Zach Johnson. This could be the place where they ascend to Major Champion status or in Johnson’s case, build his career grand slam portfolio. 

The monstrous par fives will likely yield little advantage to the big bangers but a guy like Bubba Watson could be a step up with his length when facing the punishing par fours at the 92^nd PGA Championship while the par three holes might just be the breaking point for every player in the field.

Starting fairly easily with hole #3, “O’Man” the one shotters progress in drama and toughness leading to hole #17, “Pinched Nerve,” that is sure to cause a few in its time.

Players will need to tread wisely as this will be no course that gives up a 59. 65 was the low round shot in the 2004 and if the winds whips up this week along Lake Michigan that may be a hard score to achieve.

If the wind stays down this week this championship will be all about pretty vistas and a slew of players with a chance to win. If the hearty breezes arrive and the course reveals its plentiful teeth then it could be a whole lot of fun – for the spectators, not the players.

This report provided to GolfWRX.com by Flagstick Golf Magazine (www.flagstick.com)

The Greenbrier Classic plays out on The Old Course at the famed Greenbrier Resort – the pride of White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. It is a place of not only historical [...]]]> An American Classic welcomes back the PGA Tour this week and plenty of the world’s best players are looking forward to competing on a storied venue.

The Greenbrier Classic plays out on The Old Course at the famed Greenbrier Resort – the pride of White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. It is a place of not only historical importance in American society but within the history of golf itself. Sam Snead was the resort’s golf pro for some 29 years and served as Golf Professional Emeritus from 1993 until his death in 2002. Tom Watson became The Greenbrier's second Golf Professional Emeritus in 2005.

The resort is a National Historic Landmark that has been welcoming guests since 1778 and golf has been a rich part of its legacy. There are three layouts on the property and the most famous of them, the 7031-yard, par 70 Old White will serve up the test for the PGA tour this week as the players clamor to win the $1,080,000 up for grabs for the winner.

Originally crafted almost a century ago by Charles Blair MacDonald, the Old White received a renovation at the hands of Jack Nicklaus in 1977 prior to the hosting of the Ryder Cup in 1979. It was recently given a restoration back to the original design by Lester George.

In addition to the Ryder Cup the Resort has hosted the Solheim Cup (1994), and a Champions Tour events from 1985-1987.

The field is plenty strong this week, even though with a World Championships event set right on its heels. There are least 10 players who have 7 or more wins on the PGA Tour and six of this year’s winners. That includes Jim Furyk and last week’s winner of the RBC Canadian Open, Carl Pettersson.

The latter name is important as players will face a similar test this week as they did in Canada during Pettersson’s win. The classic, old style design with tremendous bunkering and tight lines of play should favor players who were also contenders at the Canadian Open.

I’ll put enough weight into that to put the trio of Pettersson, Matt Kuchar and Trevor Immelman as my picks of the week. All three accorded themselves nicely amongst the thick rough and thin fairways at St. George’s and that type of play will go a long way on Old White.

Although Kenny Perry is not on my fave list for The Greenbrier Classic, I am hoping he plays well for other reasons. Perry has dedicated this week to the 29 families involved in the mining disaster that took place in West Virginia in April. He has pledged $2,000 for every birdie he makes during the tournament. Greenbrier owner James Justice will match Perry’s donation during the week. Funds raised through The Greenbrier Classic will be donated to the families through the West Virginia Council of Churches.

Let’s hope Perry can play all four rounds and go real low.

As usual The Golf Channel will have early coverage this week and CBS is set to take up where they left off in Canada by providing great visual shots of a classic golf course and hopefully conveying the rich history of The Greenbrier during their broadcast.

With this being a new PGA Tour event it should be one worth watching.

This report was provided to GolfWRX.com by Flagstick Golf Magazine (www.flagstick.com)

PGA Tour Wrapups and Previews by Flagstick will be on a break for the next week and will return with the preview of the PGA Championship.