by Jeff Skinner
Once again we see that it isn’t Tiger Woods that rules the PGA Tour and it isn’t Commissioner Tim Finchem either. Only Mother Nature can stop a PGA Tour event in its tracks. With the course saturated by rain on Sunday afternoon the tour was forced to have an unusual Monday finish at The Wyndham Championship.
That doesn’t make the final round any less interesting as there are several exciting stories that top the leaderboard. Sergio Garcia has a one stroke lead with fourteen holes to play. Sergio wears his emotions on his sleeve but has been his own worst enemy over the years. When he turned pro as a teenager he was saddled with the heavy title of “The Next One” but over time he morphed into the Complainer, the Whiner, the Martyr and even the Bi-Polar One. He has had an up and down career on tour and always threatened to break through with a big win. Maybe the Golf Gods will smile on El Nino today.
Tim Clark is one back of Garcia and looking for his second PGA Tour win. His only win on tour came at the 2010 Players Championship but his game fits this course. Clark has been fighting injuries the past few years and a win today would be sweet redemption for the diminutive South African.
Jason Dufner is also one off the lead and all he does is hang around near the top of the leaderboard. He has to be the most under-appreciated golfer on tour. Dufner has two wins, seven top tens, $4.3 million and is third in FedEx Cup points. And 90% of the fans couldn’t pick him out of a lineup. A win today will tie him with Tiger Woods for the most wins on tour this year. Maybe then he’ll get some love.
Rookie Bud Cauley is the third player in the log jam in second place and certainly would make a splash with his first win on tour. Cauley made history last year when he turned pro out of Alabama and earned his 2012 PGA Tour card in eight starts last season. He joined some elite company with that feat. Only Gary Hallberg, Scott Verplanck, Phil Mickelson, Justin Leonard, Tiger Woods and Ryan Moore have been able to pick up their card that way. The 22 year old is having a good 2012 with four top tens and $1.17 million in the bank. A win here would be huge for him and put him in that elite “twentysomething’” class.
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