General Comments 3/17/10

Perhaps I should start a blog about all my misfortunes: first there was the incident outside Verizon Center, then pipes in my house burst in multiple places, taking me all weekend to help fix. Next thing was this nasty computer virus that took me these past few days to eradicate. But, here I am now, and boy, has there been a lot going on in the golfing world since then.

Ernie Els got his biggest win since the British Open in 2002 with a WGC victory at Doral. The Big Easy is officially back. His confidence is not quite at the level it was before his knee injury in 2005, but the smooth South African is now as dangerous as ever. He will definitely be a factor at the majors this year.

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Tiger Woods has announced that his return to golf will occur at this year's Masters. Good for him. It only makes sense to come back there, as the tournament has the tightest control of the media out of all the tournaments in the year. And I'm quite sure his game will be in tip top shape. What will be most interesting to observe however, is the change in his demeanor (if there is any) and the way he will deal with the crowd who will most certainly boo him and otherwise give him a hard time. Tiger is not out of the woods yet, in fact he's only beginning to get a sense of direction of where to proceed.

Perhaps a major win will help calm the masses and the media, and who knows? Tiger may come back better than than ever. He has show great resiliance in times of hardship, especially after the death of his father. I don't think anyone will view Tiger as the perfect role model they used to, but with time and the magnificent golf he will surely be producing, this incident will soon be an afterthought.

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The Transitions Championship is set to begin tomorrow, and fields an impressive roster of players despite it being a smaller event. Steve Stricker and Paddy Harrington look for more tune ups for Augusta, and Charles Howell III, who has had success at Innisbrook before, looks to get his golfing career back on track.

The Blue Monster and the Big Easy: Ernie Eviscerates Doral En Route to Grabbing Second Round Lead

The wet and windy second round of the CA Championship is completed, and despite these tough conditions, there were many good scores out on the course today.

Ernie Els has the lead at ten under after shooting a flawless 66 today. His round was solid in every aspect, carding 27 putts, 71% driving accuracy, and 78% GIR. It is quite evident that the hard work he has put into the changes in his game have paid off this season, as he is making a resurgence on tour.

Robert Allenby is right behind at nine under after a 67 today, but his two rounds so far have lacked consistency. After coming into the clubhouse yesterday four over on the last four holes, he cards an eagle, an ace, six birdies, three bogeys, and a double today. Exciting rounds for the crowd to say the least, but Allenby must certainly feel he has left alot of strokes out on the course.

Paddy Harrington is one sneaky little player. He quietly tip-toes up the leaderboard, no one really paying him much attention, and then bam! He goes into beast-mode and smashes the competition on the weekend. Every single one of his three majors have been won in this fashion, and don't look now; after shooting a four under 68 today, the Irishman is only four shots off the pace.

This tournament's field is probably one of the best all year, not including the majors, but the top of the leaderboard isn't really filled with marquee players. Vijay and Mike Weir sit at five under, while Camilo and Phil are withing striking distance (four under) if they can put together a solid weekend.

Here are the second round highlights, courtesy of PGATour.com:

First Round Comments: CA Championship

We all knew Doral was tough, but man did the course eat up the players today. Charl Schwartzel leads at five under after an extremely well played round which included no bogeys. Nearly half of the field was over par on day one, and the wind played a huge factor.

Many players succumbed to the closing stretch of holes, especially 18. Vijay Singh double bogeyed the final hole to fall from the lead back to four under. Ernie Els also sits at four under and also struggled with the 18th, bogeying the treacherous par four. However, both of these big names are sitting in a very good position after the first round. Its rather hard to believe that it was only a few years ago that those two belonged in the heralded "Big Five" atop the world rankings. It looked back then as if those five players (Woods, Mickelson, Singh, Goosen, Els) were on another stratosphere on the PGA Tour. Alas, no longer.

Robert Allenby could have had a mind boggling round today as he was eight under through 12. However, he stumbled and staggered home like Anthony Kim coming back from a late night exursion, bogeying his last four holes. However, he still sits at four under. (I kid, of course. AK is the man.)

Speaking of the young American, Kim had his usual up and down round: four birdies to go along with three bogeys. As great of a talent he is, he really needs to achieve some sort of consistency if he truly wants to be one of the best on tour.

Phil Mickelson also carded a one under 71, but has yet again confounded me with the clubs in his bag. Mickelson carried two drivers today, for whatever reason he claims, yet only hit three fairways the entire day. I know it was a tough driving day with the wind, but is it really necessary to carry two drivers? Of course, I wouldn't have a problem if he justified it with his play, but three fairways is unacceptable for a ball striker of his caliber.

This reminds me of the 2008 U.S. Open when he carried five wedges in the third round, yet was not able to advance the ball from 50 yards in over the false front on the par five 13th at Torrey Pines. Phil attempted the same spinning lob wedge three times, failing to reach the green all three times, and ended up making a 9. I'm not sure what to make of these situations (and they've happened quite often) when Phil makes a very questionable decision that probably results from his stubborness. You would think he would learn from his mistakes, but here we are again, with Phil having another one of his "Phil" momements. To be fair however, for every head scratching decision he's made, he's pulled off an inconceivably amazing shot no one would ever think of (look at the 18th hole of the 2009 Northern Trust Open).

Again, with the devilish nature of this course, the leaderboard can flutuate dramatically with many possible errors and mistakes lurking out there.

Here are first round highlights courtesy of PGATour.com:

Final Comments: Honda Classic

This tournament was no contest at the get go of the final round. Camilo had extended his three shot lead early in his round and only Anthony Kim made a charge, getting to within three strokes before falling back. Villegas closed out last week with a five stroke victory.

Now, as Camilo's stellar 2010 campaign continues, one wonders if he can keep this up. After all, someone has to grab the opportunity left by Tiger's absence, and so far no one has stepped up to the plate except for the young Columbian.

Vijay Singh stumbled in his final round, but overall it was a very solid week for him, who is just trying to get back on track. Anthony Kim also has shown improvement in his game.

On a side note, Fred Couples has won yet another Champions Tour event in the Toshiba Classic. In three starts this year on the senior circuit, his finishes are: 2nd, 1st, 1st. Pretty darned good, I would say.

Congratulations to Camilo and Fred for their victories, and we look ahead to the CA Championship this week!

Thoughts on the Third Round: Honda Classic

I wasn't able to post yesterday because I went to a Washington Wizards game...and nearly stumbled into the middle of a gang fight afterwards. Interesting night to say the least. Anyway, here's a look into what the Honda Classic looks like going into the final round:

-Camilo has seized control, holding a three shot lead after a 67 in tought conditions today. He's probably the hottest player on tour right now, and has a great opportunity to add to his career resume tomorrow.

-Vijay Singh cannot be counted out yet. The 47 year old Fijian carded a one under 69 today, recovering from a double bogey early in his round. Nathan Green is tied with Singh at -8.

-Anthony Kim's struggles on the weekends continue, shooting three over and falling out of contention after being tied for the lead at the midway point. A similarly disastrous third round did him in last week in Phoenix as well.

-PGA National is a beast, and many players will be hard pressed to go low. If Villegas can put together a mistake free round of one or two under, it will be very hard for the other players to catch him.

Here are the third round highlights from PGATour.com:

Thoughts on the First Round: Honda Classic

After one round at the Honda Classic played on PGA National, we have Nathan Green and Michael Connell tied for the lead at five under.

Camilo Villegas is continuing his hot play after a four under 66. He has already carded two top tens in as many starts on tour so far this year, and he seems well on his way this week as well.

Vijay Singh makes his first appearance near the top of the leaderboard in a long time with a three under 67 today. 2009 seemed like the year that Vijay's age caught up to him, but he will try to turn back the clock this week.

Lee Westwood (-1) is lurking, as well as Anthony Kim (-2). Westwood is making his 2010 stroke play debut on American soil this week, and it will be interesting to see if he can bring his recaptured form back to the states.

I'm surprised to see Paul Casey (+3) and Sergio Garcia (+4) struggling after very high finishes at the Accenture Match Play. However, this course is a tough one, and players will be having some difficulty. Y.E. Yang (+9) nevertheless has no excuse, especially coming off his third place finish
last week.

First Round Highlights courtesy of PGATour.com:

Results: Waste Management Phoenix Open

Riding on the wake of two strong weekend rounds of 65, Hunter Mahan surged to his second career victory with this win at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. Y.E. Yang took control of this tournament early in the back nine, leading at -15. A shot dumped in the water on 17 led to a bogey and eventual third place. Hunter gained big momentum with an eagle on 13, and poured in two more birdies to come in at -16. Ricky Fowler, the runner-up in this tournament, sat at -15, one shot off the pace when he came to the par five 15. Despite being in the fairway, he chose to lay up, failed to make birdie, and missed three makeably birdie putts coming into the clubhouse. However, this is a spectacular finish for the young rookie who has already carded two second place finishes on tour. The future looks bright for the former Oklahoma State player.

Congratulations to Hunter for his win at the Waste Management Phoenix Open!

Final Round highlights courtesy of PGATour.com: