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By Jordan Lauterbach  August 17, 2009, at 1:12 am  It always seams to be that the unlikeliest of accomplishments in sports are done by the unlikeliest of competitors. If someone told you on Wednesday that Tiger Woods would be leading the fourth and final major of the year through 56 holes, only to be upset down the stretch, who would you assume the foe would be. Phil Mickelson? Padraig Harrington? Lee Westward? Steve Stricker?
How about Y.E Yang?
Before you broke out in laughter, you would probably ask one question. Who is Y.E Yang?
He’s only the 110th ranked player in the world. A guy who missed the cut at The Masters and didn’t even give it a go at the U.S or British Opens. After winning The Honda Classic in March, Yang didn’t see the top ten again until three weeks ago at the RBC Canadian Open.
Even on Thursday and Friday, Yang didn’t seam like anything more than an afterthought. It was only after a Saturday round of 67 did he appear to have a shot at the title. But even then, could you really see Y.E Yang doing something that no one has ever done before? Could you really see Y.E Yang knocking Tiger Woods out of the lead on Sunday of a major championship?
The shock on the front nine on Sunday wasn’t that Yang was playing so well, it was that he was hanging in with Tiger Woods. So many times, we have seen golfers succumb to the pressure of playing with Woods on Sunday. It is unbelievable intimidating to be standing next to one of the games greatest players, knowing that his goal over the next four hours is to beat you.
But it didn’t bother Yang. He matched Woods par for par, even creeping up on him with a birdie at four. A bogey at five was followed by eight consecutive pars. Often times for players of Yang’s stature, mistakes on a major Sunday can have a domino effect. One can lead to another and before you know it, you’re out of contention.
Not Yang. Unfazed by the one mistake, he kept chugging along.
Much like his round on Saturday, Woods stood even for most of the day. He bogeyed two holes on the front nine and pared the rest. But round number four for Woods had a definite feel of frustration. He was missing birdie putts left and right and mercifully leaving to door open to come catch him.
On Saturday, the round for Tiger had more of a ho-hum feeling. Fifteen pars felt like an invitation for someone to come out and play with him on Sunday. But when Woods wanted to stop playing games, his putter couldn’t close the door. A few made birdie putts and Woods could have made the turn comfortably, instead the round was spent waiting for the other shoe to drop.
On fourteen, Y.E Yang’s destiny began to sprint towards the door that Woods had left open. It was there where Yang hit the shot of the tournament when he chipped a shot for eagle. Suddenly Y.E Yang was leading the PGA Championship with four holes to play.
This looked to have awoken a Tiger who had been asleep all day. Woods’ birdie on 14 was only his second of the round and fourth of the weekend. But, surprisingly so, that was it for Tiger. Two pars and a last chance boggy on 17 made his final bogey on 18 a mere footnote. Yang had already won to tournament with a final hole birdie.
In many ways, Yang was fortunate. Fortunate that Woods didn’t take advantage of a boggy on 17, instead matching it. Fortunate that Tigers’ putter convinced itself that the tournament was in the bag no matter what. Fortunate that the others pursuing the top never really made a serious bid.
But with all Yang’s good fortune, immense credit is due. He showed that shooting the ball all over the course is not a prerequisite to playing with Tiger on a major Sunday. He showed that even the most unlikely of contenders can, every once in a while, shock any player on tour.
Even Tiger Woods.
Next Week: The Wyndham Classic- Not much of a field in this one as the tour revs up for the FedEx Cup playoffs in two weeks. U.S Open champion Lucas Glover headlines the group. Glover was in contention at the PGA before bogeying five of the final thirteen holes.
By Jordan Lauterbach August 15, 2009, at 10:42 pm Winning a major is never an easy task, no matter how great you are. They are tournaments that bring out the absolute best in the absolute best. So maybe the talk of Tiger Woods running away with the 2009 PGA Championship with 36 holes left to play was a little premature. Maybe it was a case of the awestruck media (me included) looking for any reason at all to crown Woods king. The odds of Woods reigning on Sunday night are still high, but maybe not quite as high as they were when the day started on Saturday.
It wasn’t a case of Tiger playing poorly on Saturday, but rather, playing unspectacularly. He finished the day at one under par for the round and eight under par for the tournament. As if to keep himself amused on Sunday, Tiger pared the course for most of the day. He bogeyed only one hole and birdied two.
Sure, there was a bit of the usual drama from Woods. He made birdie at the 14th by chipping the ball in from the very edge of the green. A signature Tiger fist pump accentuated the moment, as if to say “come catch me”. His rounds ended with four straight pars.
Like any long and tedious hunt, the group pursuing Tiger has thinned out. But they were rewarded for their perseverance by an admittedly conservative leader. Surprise Y.E Yang and familiar foe Padraig Harrington both sit two shots back of the lead going into the final major’s final day.
Yang, who will play with Woods on Sunday, had the biggest move of the day. Not even thought of as a serious contender after 36 holes, he shot an impressive 5 under, 67 to bypass the falling contenders. After a bogey on 13, Yang birdied three of his final five holes. Six total birdies and only the one bogey made him one of the most unlikely contenders of the year.
But the unlikely nature of his contention comes from where he put himself after two days of golf, not because of a lack of success. Yang has had a surprisingly consistent year. The winner of this year’s Honda Classic, has three top ten finishes on his resume and has only missed four cuts in 19 starts.
Yang will be charged with trying to catch Tiger while playing right beside him and match an incredible Saturday round. It’s worth noting that Yang missed the cut in the two most important tournaments of his season, The Masters and The Players. This doesn’t exactly inspire confidence. I wouldn’t expect Yang to cause any sort of threat to Woods.
Tiger’s main competitor on Sunday will be Padraig Harrington.
What a surprise.
Harrington rebounded from a even par 72 on Friday with an impressive -3,69 on Saturday. Until a bogey on 18, Padraig was playing with a bogey-free round. Four birdies allowed him to creep into the second place tie with Yang.
After Tiger bested him last weekend, Harrington told Tiger that the two would meet again. While they may not be playing together tomorrow, it will still be a battle. Once Y.E Yang gets out of the way, it’ll be all Tiger V. Paddy. They tee off nine minutes apart, providing for what should be great major championship theater.
Of the group of Tiger hunters on Satuday, Vijay Singh had the biggest fall. Singh shot an unwatchable +3, 75 to drop all the way into an 18th place tie. Any trouble for Vijay looked to be avoidable after a fantastic chip in for eagle on seven erased a bogey on six.
But the back nine was unrelenting for Singh. He bogeyed three holes, double bogeyed another, and birdied only one of the disastrous back stretch. His problems were almost exclusively confined to the green. His putter completely gave out on him. By the end of the round, it looked to be mental more than anything else. Now, Singh’s first top three finish of the year and fourth top ten looks to be in major jeopardy.
Lucas Glover and Henrick Stenson are theoretically still in striking the distance. Glover and Stenson sit four shots off Woods’ lead entering Sunday. Stenson started the day off with a bogey and never looked back. He birdied his next two and ended the round with five total birds. The PLAYERS championship winner will have to have an even better round on Sunday if he wants to think about competing.
Like Singh, Glover’s putter was his biggest foe on Saturday. But he put himself in good position off the tee that his putting didn’t need to be great. Despite the occasional putting trouble, Glover birdied three holes and boggyed only two. While he missed a few opportunities, the U.S Open champ didn’t let it kill him like Vijay did. While he’ll probably need a miracle to contend on Sunday, a more confident putting stroke could inch him up towards the top.
But don’t kid yourself; Sunday will be about Padraig V Tiger. Woods V Harrington. Forget about Mickelson V Woods, this has quickly become the most exciting rivalry in golf. Last week, Harrington made too many pars and let Tiger pass him on the board. Then, he climbed back in it before collapsing late.
Now it’s Harrington’s turn to creep up on Tiger. If Woods doesn’t make a significant move early in the round, Harrington will catch up. I think Woods wins, but it comes down to the final three holes.
Sure, the fact that Woods has never lost a lead going into the final round has to be a daunting one for Harrington. But he can’t think like that. Knowing him, he won’t. After all, there’s always a first time.
And we thought the PGA was over…..
By Jordan Lauterbach August 15, 2009, at 2:48 am If there was ever an opening to catch Tiger Woods Friday at the PGA Championship, it came in the first couple of holes. Woods started the second round at Hazeltine by doing something that he had not done at any point in round one.
Exceeding par.
But the first hole was more of an aberration than a rule as Woods took further command of a major that, going into Saturday, he seems destined to win. After following up the mistake on the first with four pars, he birdied six and seven to erase the mistake on one. Two more bogeys and three more birds left Tiger at 2 under par for the day and seven under par for the tournament. He sits four shots up on five players who are tied for second.
I’d like to sit here and write that the tournament still has multiple contenders and the battle on the weekend will be one we’ll be talking about for years to come. Only problem is, I don’t think that’s true. The idea of Tiger being on a mission at Hazeltine looks to be coming true. A four deficit against a player this good playing this well may be too much to ask from anyone of the five “contenders” left log-jammed behind Tiger.
Padraig Harrington did not have nearly the round yesterday that he needed to in order to keep up with Woods. Harrington shot a +1, 73 to drop into the second place tie. After a slip up on the third hole, Harrington looked to be chugging along with five pars and a birdie in the next six hole. Than he stepped into the tee box at 11 and his shot at keeping pace with Woods slipped away.
Three consecutive bogeys followed by another one at 18 made the final nine a very frustrating one. I still think he has as good a chance as anyone to compete, but will need to put together two phenomenal rounds. Again, whether or not he’ll be able to do that depends on whether or not you believe that Padraig has finally fixed his game.
Vijay Singh, who’s sixth place finish at the Crowne Plaza marked his best week of the year, will get the honor of playing with Tiger later today. Singh shot a second round 72 to finish at even par in round two. It was certainly not a great round, but coupled with his day one 69, it’ll do. Singh had three birdies and three bogeys.
Today’s round will say a lot about Singh. His ability to play well with Tiger threatening to break the week wide open should be a difficult task. But besides Harrington, Singh is the most apt to handle that kind of atmosphere.
The best day of anyone chasing Tiger belonged to Ross Fischer. The Englishman shot a -4, 68 to charge up the leaderboard. Fischer was impressive all day, notching six birdies and only two bogeys. What was scary about Fischer’s round was that it should have been even better. If not for bogeys on the last two holes, Fischer was looking at sole possession of the Tiger chasing position at a number that would have been a lot less daunting than four shots back.
If you want to go for the hot hand in tomorrow’s Tiger hunt, go with Fischer. No one else played as well as him yesterday. You know you played well when -4 doesn’t do the round justice.
U.S Open champ Lucas Glover and Brendan Jones had identical -2 scores to add themselves to the second place brigade. Glover had the same amount of birdies as he did in round one, but cut his bogey count by one to march up the board.
Jones had a very steady round. It was defined by a eagle on the par four fourteenth. Never heard of Jones? I don’t blame you. He is an Australian who plays mostly oversees. The PGA is only his second tournament of the season. His first one came in February when he finished 33rd in the WGC-Accenture match play championship.
Not exactly a house hold name. I wouldn’t expect him to stay in it.
It may not matter for any of these players today. If Tiger keeps playing like he is, I don’t think any of these five can put together a round to catch him. That would have to be one incredible round. But if anyone can do it, it will be Paddy Harrington. Despite the one over round yesterday, you can see that his game has turned a corner. His round was not spectacular, but he still managed to knock in a few incredible shots. After one such shot, Woods remarked to him that he would “pay money” to see him make it again.
However, while us observing may think we see the “writing on the wall”, those five all got up this morning thinking that they can win. All of them may not completely believe it, but they all have hope.
And when your play major championship golf against a player like Tiger, that’s what it’s about.
The thrill of the chase.
By Jordan Lauterbach August 14, 2009, at 2:14 am Making rash predictions after one day of a major golf tournament can be dangerous. So much can happen in the last three days that often the board after day one looks like an absolute joke by Sunday night. However, I prey to the golf gods that this one stay the same. I prey to the golf gods that the 2009 PGA Championship at Hazeltine is about one battle and one battle only.
Tiger Woods Vs. Padraig Harrington
Here we go again. Second consecutive week, second consecutive battle between two competitors that have a budding rivalry that is only equal to the amount of respect that one has for the other. Sure, it could go down in flames. Paddy could light up today and by the time Saturday roles around he could be a forgotten competitor. Although significantly less likely, Tiger could fall down the board after the second 18 and we’re looking at another weekend comeback trail.
But let’s live in the moment. Lets hope that the one shot that separates Tiger and Harrington at the top of the leaderboard at the start of play today remains the story. As we stand, Woods leads the pack at -5.
Tiger’s 67 yesterday was his best opening round at a major this year. He was as sharp as sharp can be. Showing only the effects of two weeks worth of momentum, Tiger went bogey free through his first 18, racking up five birdies.
At the risk of sounding over-analytical, I think this was a round that Tiger needed. After his failures at majors this year, it was crucial for him to not start off the week on a down note. His first round at The British was hard to watch. His rain-interrupted round at Bethpage Black wasn’t much easier. But yesterday’s round was an absolute joy to behold. A clinic, if you will.
Obviously, what’s most impressive about the round is his lack of bogeys. Hazeltine is a dangerously long course. You thought Bethpage was long? Well, Hazeltine is longer. Although this benefits Tiger because of his excellent driving skills, I grew concerned about his play off the tee after the debacle at Turnbury and a so-so first round at the Buick. But he appears to be past all that. Maybe it’s the magic of Hank Haney. Maybe it’s a testament that even the best have a bad few weeks here and there.
Even though, I prefaced this column saying that rash predictions after round one often backfire, I don’t see how you can make a strong argument that Tiger won’t win this major. He’s got that look that we’ve all come to recognize. He’s got that swagger that is almost unparalleled in the game of golf. What aspect of yesterdays round worried you if you’re Tiger Woods. I didn’t see any. Yes, pin placement might become more of an issue as we get closer to Sunday, but isn’t that when Tiger thrives?
Maybe the only player that can hang with Tiger this week is Harrington. At -4, the Irishman is only one shot off the lead. If you were wondering whether last week’s performance at The Bridgestone was a fluke or Harrington turning the corner, choose the latter.
Paddy failed to bogey on the front nine and only had one on the back. He birdied five holes and looked as strong as ever doing so. The day had a sense of unfinished business for Harrington. Last weekend looks like it was only the start.
After the round ended last Sunday, Harrington walked up to Woods and said “We’ll do battle again soon.” At the time, it appeared to be just a sign of two men who respect each other a great deal. Who knew that by “soon” Harrington meant “next week.”
Maybe its pessimism, or maybe realism, but Harrington is the only player at the top who I can see going nose to nose with Tiger. Hunter Mahan, Vijay Singh, and David Toms are a few of the names that rest two shots back, but I question if anyone of that group has enough to go round for round with Woods. Or Harrington, for that matter.
For what it’s worth, my pick (Steve Stricker) is sitting in a tie for 69th at +2. Phil Mickelson also resides in that +2 group. Kenny Perry didn’t play much better.
So maybe the storylines will be few and far between this weekend. But as we saw with Tom Watson at The British, a major doesn’t need multiple captivating storylines.
One will do just fine.
By Jordan Lauterbach August 12, 2009, at 1:28 am For many, Golf ends this weekend. Not for me, of course, but for the casual golf fan the fourth and final major is the last time they will sit down and be into golf on TV for an entire weekend. This is precisely why the PGA decided to create the FedEx Cup a few years ago. It extends the golf season. But Golf fans can be relentlessly stubborn. The FedEx cup, despite the publicity, doesn’t have the cache that a major championship does. I don’t think it ever will, at least not for a while.
So while I can’t imagine this weekend being the final one of interest on the PGA Tour, I do think that it is the final “huge” one. Say what you want, the FedEx cup does not get me half as excited as a major championship does. Will I be into it? Yes, of course. Will I be standing up for big puts and changing my life around to watch every single hole? No. Those kind of weekends are special. Those kind of weekends only come once in a blue moon…or more accurately, four times a year.
This weekend is the last of those weekends for 2009. Here are some story lines I’ll be watching for at the 2009 PGA Championship.
1. Tiger Woods- Come on, its a major championship…of course it’s about Tiger. This is the last stand for Woods in 2009. For the first time since 2004, he is in danger of not capturing a major championship. That was by far the worst season of his career. He finished in the top 10 in only one of the four majors that year. This season hasn’t been nearly as bad, but he is coming off a missed cut at The British Open. Don’t think that isn’t fresh in Tiger’s mind. Yes, wins at The Buick and The Bridgestone are nice, but they don’t mean anything if he doesn’t get this one.
He’s four wins away from Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 majors. He’s five away from breaking it. While Tiger is the world’s best player, it’s no absolute guarantee that he will break that record. Including the period that he missed because of injury, five major championships have passed since Tiger notched number 14. As each one passes, that epic win over Rocco Mediate moves deeper and deeper into Tiger’s memory bank. With each Major without a trophy, the magic number of 18 floats farther and farther away.
While I do think that Tiger has more than enough to catch Jack, he has to get back on the road to 18 quickly. In golf, dominance doesn’t last forever. Even if your name is Tiger Woods.
After the British, I thought that Tiger may still be hurt. The trouble he had off the tee that week was incomprehensible to anyone who has watched him over an extended period of time. While he still struggled off the tee in the Buick, he found a way to beat one of the worst fields of the year. After taking a lead last week at The Bridgestone, Tiger allowed Padraig Harrington to climb back into the race with back to back bogeys on 13 and 14. While the performance was better than the one the previous weekend, he still had moments that made you scratch your head.
Is Tiger hot going into this weekend? I don’t think so. I get the sense that he is still struggling with parts of his game that got him in trouble at The British. It doesn’t really matter, either. Woods was “hot” going into all three majors this year and has nothing but two 6’s and a fat MC to show for it. Golf is such a week to week sport that being “hot” is a bit overrated.
I really don’t know what to expect from Tiger this week. But I don’t think he’ll win. I don’t think he’s all the way back yet.
But here’s something to hang your hat on if you’re a Tiger fan. His last PGA Championship win came when he was in danger of going major-less in 2007. Read into that what you will.
2. Is Padraig Harrington back?- I wrote this about David Duval before the British Open and he missed the cut. Hopefully for Padraig Harrington, he won’t suffer the same fate. The victim of a major swing change, Harrington has had one of his worst years as a pro. The two-time defending PGA Champion has made the cut in only eight of the fifteen events he has played in. Prior to last Sunday’s near miss at Bridgestone, Harrington’s highest finish was at the Arnold Palmer when he finished on the edge of the top ten (11th)
Last Sunday, Paddy’s fate changed. Not only did Harrington find himself in the final grouping with Tiger on Sunday, he was in the lead entering the day.
And he put up a good fight too.
After allowing Tiger Woods to bypass him on the leader board, Harrington took advantage of two late mistakes by Woods. A disaster of a triple bogey on 16 ended any hope of a victory, but the hope of returning back to form remained constant for Harrington.
Now, he must build on what he started on last weekend. Was The Bridgestone a stepping stone back relevance for Padraig Harrington or was it a cruelly optimistic anomaly. I tend to think it was the former. Padraig Harrington may be in the middle of an awful year, but in no way do I think he’s entered David Duval “end of the earth territory”.
Will Harrington win another PGA Championship this weekend? I don’t think so. Just like Rome wasn’t built in a day, Paddy Harrington’s game will not zap back to life like it never left. However, I do think Harrington will play well this weekend. A top ten finish is a reasonable estimation.
3. Will Kenny Perry give his Player of the Year campaign more gas?- Readers of this blog know that Kenny Perry is a personal favorite of mine. After he won the Travelers Championship in late June, I wrote that he was on my short list of Player of The Year candidates.
His 59th place finish at The John Deere and his 52nd place finish at The British Open certainly put a halt to that campaign, but the numbers still support Perry’s potential claim to that title. He is currently ranked fourth in the world and third in the FedEx cup standings. If not for a collapse down the stretch at The Masters in April, Perry might already have the title wrapped up.
After an 11th place finish last week at The Bridgestone, it is clear that he is playing better that he has in a few weeks.. A good showing this week would only give his argument more steam.
A win would end the conversation.
4. Phil Mickelson- If you’re worried about Phil because of his poor showing at The Bridgestone, don’t be. I made the same mistake after Phil had a poor showing at The St. Jude before the U.S Open.
Mickelson finished tied for 59th at The St. Jude, including a Sunday round of 75. The next week, he came within a few holes of one of the most heartwarming U.S Open victories in history.
What does this mean? It doesn’t take long for Mickelson to shake off the rust.
He’s been through so much in the last four months. No one would blame Phil if he didn’t play well this weekend. To tell you the truth, I’m still surprised that he’s playing.
But I think Phil will show up this weekend. If you want something to be confident about in regards to Mickelson, he shot a 70 and 69 in the first two rounds last weekend. So it wasn’t all bad.
I think Mickelson finishes in the top 10.
5. Will anything compare to Tom Watson’s run at The British?- In a word, no. What we all witnessed a few weeks ago was a truly special event. Golf fans can’t go into this weekend thinking that anything will match what happened at Turnberry. If you do that, I guarantee disappointment.
But remember, not every tournament has to be legendary to be enjoyable, or even memorable. Those special events only come around once in a blue moon.
Few moments will equal that of Jack Nicklaus winning the Masters in ’86. Few memories will be as special as the ones you’ll have of Tom Watson in July of 2009. I remember thinking “wow, there is going to be a book written about what I’m watching one day”.
You don’t get that with any old major championship.
So when you’re watching this weekend, don’t compare it to The British. It’s unfair. Nothing will compare for a long long time…
….Unless, of course, Nicklaus decides to play and wins or Sam Sneed’s ghost shoots a 59…..
The Pick: Steve Stricker
Is it out of the box? Maybe. Does it make a ton of sense? Yes.
Besides Tiger Woods, Steve Stricker has had the best year of any player on tour. He’s won twice, finished in the top three 4 times, and finished in the top 10 eight times. Stricker is second to Tiger Woods on the FedEx Cup points list and in scoring average. He is also ranked second in the world.
Stricker’s most recent win came at The John Deere Classic.
Prior to the British Open, Stewart Cink was known as the best player on tour to never win a major. That title now belongs to Stricker.
Not for long, though.
By Jordan Lauterbach August 11, 2009, at 11:27 am From The AP:
Tiger Woods will be fined by the PGA Tour for his public criticism of a rules official after winning the Bridgestone Invitational, a tour official said Monday.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the tour does not publicize fines.
Woods was bothered after his four-shot victory Sunday because he and Padraig Harrington were put on the clock at the par-5 16th. He said that caused Harrington to rush three difficult shots, leading to triple bogey.
European Tour chief referee John Paramor told Woods and Harrington they were being timed.
Woods said he told Harrington after it was over, “I’m sorry that John got in the way of a great battle.
This is absolutely ridiculous. What is the PGA Tour trying to prove by fining Tiger Woods? That Tiger isn’t “bigger” than the tour? Too late. He is.
I’ve always had a problem with leagues fining owners, coaches and players for honesty. It strikes me as unnecessary and totalitarian. Does the perception of the general public change because of something Tiger Woods said? I don’t think it does.
I wonder if the PGA is more upset that Tiger criticized the decision to put his group on the clock or that he revealed the fact that they were put on the clock. That revelation makes the tour look worse than the criticism does. Anyone who knows anything about the sport can see the problem with putting the last group of the day on Sunday on the clock, especially if the group has the only two players in contention. It makes the tour look bad. It cheapens the golf.
Referee John Paramore did get in the way. He did ruin a great match. He is at fault. Who knows if Padraig Harrington’s collapse had anything to do with the clock. But it certainly would make a lot of sense if it did. The fact that Tiger Woods, of all players, would mention it gives you an indication that it was a big distraction.
Fine Tiger all you want, PGA, but it doesn’t change the fact that you looked like morons for trying to mess with a great Sunday.
It doesn’t change the fact that Tiger was right.
Update (3pm)- Tiger Woods says that he was not fined by the PGA Tour…
If thats true, I wonder where the original report came from…seems a bit odd to me…..
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