Monday, February 20, 2012

On Phil the Thrill, Rory's return and spitting

   Observations on the PGA Tour season as the West Coast swing concludes and it's bracket-buster time in the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship:

  -- The season could hardly have started better. There was the Kyle Stanley saga (both good and bad), Mickelson against Woods at Pebble Beach, Phil and Keegan Bradley making 72nd hole birdies at Riviera to force a playoff and Bill Haas beating them both.

   Local favorite Johnson Wagner and his mustache earned player of the month honors in January, splitting his $50,000 award between The First Tee and the Levine Children's Hospital.

   Mickelson has been exceptional, reminding us of both the fun of watching him play golf and his star power. He generates an energy among fans and television viewers that only one other player can and, so far, Tiger hasn't been able to win.

   -- Woods will win soon. Maybe not the Match Play or Honda but it's going to happen. There's a reason he's still the betting favorite at the Masters, though Phil should be primed for Augusta.

  -- Keegan Bradley's pre-shot routine makes me nervous. He fidgets too much and he needs to stop with the spitting before every shot. It's like watching Jim Furyk line up a putt, something I try not to do.

  -- Rory McIlroy returns to the PGA Tour this week at the Match Play. That's excellent news.

  -- Watching Dustin Johnson play is both mesmerizing and maddening. It's almost comical how far he can hit the ball and how easy he makes it appear. Next time someone says golfers aren't athletes, tell them to watch DJ.

   But tell them not to model their wedge game on Johnson's. If and when he gets it dialed in from 120 yards and in, no one may beat him. Until then, he'll continue to be alternately brilliant and very average.

  -- Sergio Garcia's 64 Sunday at Riviera was another reminder that he can still get it done. He's 32 now and without a major championship. Garcia often seems to be his own worst enemy but I still think he wins a big one at some point.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I am so with you on Keegan and his pre-shot routine and the spitting. Someone needs to pull him aside and remind him he is on national TV and to speed up and dry up!

John said...

Bradley's routine is annoying. It's almost like watching Deputy Barney playing.

Anonymous said...

It is annoying and the spitting is unprofessional. Wasn't Tiger fined for spitting?

Anonymous said...

I agree with the comments about Keegan but, until one of us that are commenting wins a Major Championship we need not throw stones.

Anonymous said...

Yes - but Tiger was on the green when he did it which can make for slippery putting

Anonymous said...

to 12:41 anon, Winning a major does not give any player the right to continually spit, which others have been fined for doing, or to take an excessive amount of time in his pre-shot routine. This is a young player who should be spoken to by tour officials concerning his disgusting habits.

Anonymous said...

Tiger is no longer needed as far as I'm concerned. And if the big push to attract women golfers that all the magazines are begging for is to succeed, less Tiger, more Phil, and less spitting would help.

Something that also needs to stop is dropping / slinging the club on the follow through of a bad shot. Remember little league where slinging the bat was an automatic out?

Unknown said...

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