0

Ten Things I Think

1.  Is it me or is there something very strange about The Duty Free Dubai Irish Open? Dubai Irish Open…hmm. I know that the European Tour gets millions from Dubai and it is their largest sponsor but that just sounds so strange.

2.  With all due respect to Soren Kjeldsen I feel a bit sorry for those hearty golf fans who braved the difficult weather at Royal County Down to be left with a playoff between Bernd Wiesberger, Eddie Pepperell and Kjeldsen. With all the star power either missing the cut or stumbling on Sunday I can’t imagine a young Irish lad heading home thinking “Wow, that playoff was great!”  rory irish open

3.  Remember that old Sesame Street bit…”One of these things is not like the other?” Well, one of these golfers is not like the other: Rory McIlroy, Sergio Garcia and Darren Clarke. You may say that Clarke is an old gray beard and not like the others because they are young superstars. And yes that’s true but for this week it’s different. Old Gray Beard made the cut.

4.  Rory misses the cut at his own tournament but being the tournament host at least he had something to keep him busy over the weekend. Sergio was probably watching soccer.

5.  Cheers to Steven Bowditch for surviving the weather at the AT&T Byron Nelson and capturing his second PGA Tour win. Talk about being an old romantic, Bowditch and his wife were married right there at TPC Four Seasons last year. That’s some good karma.

6.  Anan Nordqvist was ready to give up the game a few years ago. But a new re-dedication to the game has paid off. Her win at the Shop rite LPGA Classic is her third in fifteen months and her fifth overall. She had two wins in ’14 and this season she’s made eleven cuts in eleven events and is eighth on the LPGA Money List. It appears she made the right decision.

7.  Rickie Fowler made the trip to Ireland to help out his pal Rory and was in contention late in the third round when he eagled the sixteenth hole. But that it got so very cold in Ireland. So cold that Rickie made not one but two snowmen. He finished 8, 8 that’s quad and triple bogey and it was over then.

8.  Dustin Johnson was in contention in Texas until another one of his wild holes that always seem to appear when he is playing well. He took a quadruple bogey eight on the sixth hole and his chances ended there. DJ still has that bugaboo that just keeps him from winning more tournaments.  Phil Chambers bay

9.  Speaking of wild play, Rory McIlroy’s second straight missed cut has many worrying about the state of his game. I don’t think it is panic time yet. He plays such an aggressive game, 120% on every shot and yes, he has a history of blowing up. But he also has a history of blowing away the field.

10.  Phil Mickelson was spotted up at Chambers Bay on a scouting trip for the U.S. Open. Phil has started his yearly hunting trip for his white whale and maybe he was heeding Mike Davis’ words that this is a course that needs some extra attention. Phil the Thrill said, “There’s a lot of different ways to set it up.” And that,”There’s a lot of different ways to play it.” I think he got Davis’ message.

Share

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.