Automatic qualifying for the USA Ryder Cup team ended after the PGA Championship. The top eight players who are officially on the team are: Tiger Woods, Bubba Watson, Jason Dufner, Keegan Bradley, Webb Simpson, Zach Johnson, Matt Kuchar and Phil Mickelson.

USA team captain Davis Love will make four additional picks Sept. 4th following the Deutsche Bank.

Hunter Mahan, Steve Stricker, Jim Furyk, Rickie Fowler, Brandt Snedeker, Bo Van Pelt and Dustin Johnson are the next seven names on the Ryder Cup points list.

After his big win this week at the Barclays, Nick Watney may have just thrown his name into the mix also.

Mahan won two PGA Tour titles in 2012 and probably thought his position on the Ryder Cup Team was assured. Since his win at Houston in April, however, he’s only had one top 10 finish. Not the type of resume Love is looking for in a captain’s pick. He missed the cut at the Barclays and will need to perform well next week at the Deutsche Bank to get Love’s attention.

Stricker has had another steady year on tour. He picked up a win early in the year in Hawaii. He was recently runner-up at WGC-Bridgestone and has seven top 10 finishes. Strix is on the team if for no other reason than as the designated partner for Tiger Woods.

Furyk is a veteran of several Ryder Cup and President Cup competitions. He is just the type of steady experienced player that a team needs. Furyk has put himself in contention more than once this year but has had some memorable failures. He held the lead at the U. S. Open with just three holes left and could not get the job done. I don’t think that will matter to Love. Furyk is on the team.

Fowler finally got his first PGA Tour win at the Wells Fargo in May. He followed that up with a T-2 at the Players and T-5 at the Crowne Plaza but since then his best finish was a T-31 at the U. S. Open in June. Rickie does well in match play and would partner well with a veteran player. Plus he brings the flashy style and young viewers to the game. I think Rickie is on the team.

That leaves only one spot remaining for Mahan, Johnson, Van Pelt, Snedeker or possibly Watney.

Johnson, Mahan and Snedeker all have wins in 2012. Van Pelt has had a career year and has been in contention several times but has not won.

Snedeker finished runner-up at the Barclays, shooting 68-70 on the weekend at Bethpage. He definitely did not hurt his chances at making the team. Another high finish at the Deutsche Bank may just secure his spot.

Johnson finished just one shot behind Snedeker this week for a T-3. You just know that Love wants DJ on the USA Team.

Van Pelt finished T-24 at the Barclays. It was another solid week for him but he needs a win next week to get on the Ryder Cup Team.

Watney had only had three top 10s heading into the playoffs this week. But you know what they say: Winning talks but …. Well, you know.

If he can back up his win with another high finish next week he may just find himself on the team.

Mahan’s missed cut puts him well behind the others. He needs a win quick.

This will be a tough decision for Love and the USA Ryder Cup team. Competition makes everyone play better. Any one of these players would be a good choice for the team.

Maybe the USA can get the Ryder Cup back at Medinah.

For golf tips and video, visit www.toledoohiogolflessons.com. Follow on Twitter: @tolohgolfr.

Tags: Bo Van Pelt, Brandt Snedeker, Bubba Watson, Davis Love, Dustin Johnson, Fred Altvater, Hunter Mahan, Jason Dufner, Jim Furyk, Keegan Bradley, Matt Kuchar, Nick Watney, Phil Mickelson, Rickie Fowler, Ryder Cup, Steve Stricker, The Back Nine, Tiger Woods, Webb Simpson, Zach Johnson

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 28th, 2012 at 11:00 am and is filed under Golf, Sports, The Back Nine.
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The first FedEx Cup was won by you know who (Tiger Woods) in 2007. No one has ever won back-to-back FedEx Cup titles, and he is the only player to win it more than once.

Vijay Singh won it in 2008 and Tiger won his second FedEx Cup in 2009 right before his unfortunate incident with a fire hydrant. Jim Furyk made a putt in the rain on the last hole for his win in 2010. In 2011, Bill Haas had to make an up-and-down from the lake to beat Luke Donald and earn the $10 million.

The FedEx Cup was designed by the PGA Tour to award consistent play throughout the year. It also helps to assure that valuable PGA Tour talent keeps playing at home rather than roaming the world searching for guaranteed money.

PGA Tour players qualify for the FedEx Cup playoffs by earning points at every PGA Tour-sanctioned event throughout the year. With three wins in 2012, Woods is leading the rankings heading into the playoffs. Rory McIlroy, Jason Dufner, Zach Johnson and Bubba Watson have also had excellent years and are close behind.

The four events that make up the FedEx Cup series are the Barclays, played at Bethpage Park in New York; the Deutsche Bank at TPC Boston; the BMW Championship, which will be played at Crooked Stick near Indianapolis this year; and the Tour Championship, played at East Lake Country Club in Atlanta.

The top 125 players on the FedEx Cup rankings list qualify for the Barclays. The field will be cut to the top 100 for the Deutsche Bank the following week, and only 70 will be eligible to play in the BMW Championship.

Each event in the playoffs has a total purse of $8 million with approximately $1.4 million going to each winner. All of the players who make the playoffs will earn a paycheck but there will be 36-hole cuts at the first two events.

The playoff series takes a week off between the BMW and the Tour Championship. Only the top 30 players will make it into the field for the Tour Championship and play for the FedEx Cup and the $10 million.

The $10 million winner’s check is paid from the $35 million FedEx bonus pool. Once the final FedEx Cup rankings are established after the Tour Championship, every player ranked Nos. 1-150 will receive a bonus check. For example second place will receive $3 million, $2 million for third, and it continues to decrease with Nos. 126-150 receiving $32,000.

More than $30 million in prize money for the four events plus another $35 million in bonus money — there is no recession on the PGA Tour.

The FedEx Cup winner also receives a five-year exemption on the PGA Tour.

Next year the FedEx Cup will determine the top 125 players who will earn PGA Tour cards for 2014. Any players outside the top 125 will have a second chance to earn a PGA Tour card via the Fall Series. The Fall Series events will start the 2014 season and award FedEx Cup points.

Players not earning tour cards by the end of 2013 will be forced to play the Web.com Tour to earn their cards for 2015. There will be no PGA Tour Q-School after 2012.

There is a lot to play for in the FedEx Cup playoffs. Professionals play the game for money and there is a lot of cash on the line over the next five weeks.

For golf tips and video, visit www.toledoohiogolflessons.com. Follow on Twitter: @tolohgolfr.

Tags: Barclays, Bill Haas, BMW Championship, Bubba Watson, Deutsche Bank, FedEx Cup Playoffs, Fred Altvater, Jason Dufner, Jim Furyk, PGA Tour Championship, Rory McIlroy, The Back Nine, Tiger Woods, tour cards, Vijay Singh, Zach Johnson

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 21st, 2012 at 6:00 pm and is filed under Golf, Sports, The Back Nine.
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Jason Dufner is ranked No. 3 in the FedEx Cup rankings heading into the start of the Playoffs next week at the Barclays to be held at Bethpage Black.

In addition to getting married the week prior to the Players Championship, he has two wins, one second-place finish and seven top 10s in just 16 starts on the PGA Tour in 2012.

Dufner has to be one of the favorites to win the big silver trophy filled with $10 million.

This time of the professional golf season gets a little hectic for the top players in the world. There is such a large sum of money on the line at every event that players rarely can afford to skip tournaments.

The Open Championship that was held in the middle of July began a nine-week dash to the end of the regular season that included the WGC-Bridgestone, the PGA Championship and the four playoff events that culminate in the crowning of the FedEx Cup Champion.

There is also that friendly little match play event called the Ryder Cup the week immediately following the tour championship.

Jason was T-31 at Royal Lytham, seventh at Firestone, and T-27 at Kiawah. He has also made the cut at the Wyndham Championship this week in Greensboro, N.C.

Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson have historically taken a week off from one of the playoff venues, especially one that they were not fond of.

In 2010 Jim Furyk, was disqualified for missing his tee time at the Barclays, but came back to win the Tour Championship and the FedEx Cup.

These examples present a very strong precedent for taking a week off and concentrating on the last three events in the FedEx Cup Playoffs.

Realizing that the next four weeks are a marathon and not a sprint could help Dufner recharge and possibly win the $10 million.

For golf tips and video, visit www.toledoohiogolflessons.com. Follow on Twitter: @tolohgolfr.

Tags: Barclays, FedEx Cup, Fred Altvater, Jason Dufner, Jim Furyk, Phil Mickelson, The Back Nine, Tiger Woods

This entry was posted on Saturday, August 18th, 2012 at 7:00 pm and is filed under Golf, Sports, The Back Nine.
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The first Ryder Cup matches were held in 1927 at the Worcester Country Club in Worcester, Mass. The 39th Ryder Cup matches will be held Sept. 28-30 at Medinah Country Club near Chicago.

The European Team captain, Jose Maria Olazabal, will have a strong team. The Europeans currently hold the cup from their 14½-13½ win at Celtic Manor in 2010.

Eight USA Team members qualify automatically based on points earned through competition in PGA Tour events throughout 2011 to the conclusion of the PGA Championship on Aug. 12.

USA Team captain Davis Love will then pick four players to round out the team in September.

Captain’s picks help to fill voids in the team. Short game specialists are chosen to match up with long hitters for the two-man team competitions. Veteran players are chosen to match up with Ryder Cup rookies.

Davis Love will have some very interesting choices this year.

The top 15 golfers on the current Ryder Cup points list are all very strong and would be excellent choices to join the team.

Tiger Woods, Bubba Watson, Jason Dufner, Keegan Bradley, Webb Simpson, Zach Johnson, Matt Kuchar and Phil Mickelson currently make up the top eight qualifiers.

The next seven players not on the team — Hunter Mahan, Steve Stricker, Jim Furyk, Rickie Fowler, Brandt Snedeker, Dustin Johnson, and Bill Haas — will be hoping for a call from Love.

Mahan has two wins in 2012 and one of those was the WGC-Accenture, a match play event. He took down Rory McIlroy in the final for his win. Ryder Cup is all about match play. Hunter will be on the USA Team.

Regardless of whether Stricker earns enough points next week to make the team, Love will certainly pick him to provide a partner for Tiger Woods in the team events. Woods/Stricker has been a very formidable duo in past Ryder Cup matches. Stricker makes the team.

This is where things get a little sticky: There are three quality players and only two spots left on the USA Team.

Furyk is next on the points list. He is a veteran who has been on seven Ryder Cup and seven President’s Cup teams. Furyk has 16 PGA Tour wins plus a U.S. Open trophy. He is a gritty grinder who makes an excellent partner in team matches.

He can still move into the top eight with a good performance at the PGA Championship this week. You have to think that Love wants Furyk on the team.

Dustin Johnson has one win in 2012, the St. Jude at Memphis, and would make a great team member. Injuries kept him out of action for more than two months early in the season. He missed the cut at the Olympic Club but was T-9 at Royal Lytham.

Fowler played very well as a captain’s pick in the 2010 Ryder Cup. He has a win in 2012 but has not been quite as consistent over the balance of the year. He had a second place finish at the Players and was T-5 at the Crowne Plaza but his last starts have been T-52, T-41, T-31, and T-60 at Akron. Rickie adds flash and brings young people to the party. Will he get picked again this year?

Two additional players with a long shot to make the team are Bill Haas and Brandt Snedeker.

Haas won the 2011 FedEx Cup and picked up a win at Riviera in a playoff over Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley. In his last eight events, however, he has four missed cuts and only one top-25 finish. Unless Haas earns a bunch of points at the PGA Championship don’t expect to see him on the Ryder Cup team.

Snedeker has been injury-free in 2012 and has had a great year but he will need to finish very high at the PGA Championship to earn enough points to make the team in the next two weeks.

A sleeper pick is Bo Van Pelt, No. 15 on the Ryder Cup Points list. A good finish at the PGA or a win in one of the first two FedEx Playoff events could move him into the conversation.

Davis Love will make his four picks in September, probably after the second FedEx Cup Playoff tournament. A win at the Wyndham Championship or in the playoffs for any of these players will move them up the list.

The USA Team for the Ryder Cup is beginning to take shape. All of these choices for Captain Davis Love are good ones.

Rickie Fowler, Dustin Johnson, Jim Furyk, Brandt Snedeker, Bo Van Pelt or Bill Haas would all make excellent team members.

If one of them moves up into the top eight after the PGA the player that gets bumped down becomes the first Captain’s pick.

For golf tips and video, visit www.toledoohiogolflessons.com. Follow on Twitter: @tolohgolfr.

Tags: Bill Haas, Brandt Snedeker, Bubba Watson, Davis Love, Dustin Johnson, Fred Altvater, Hunter Mahan, Jason Dufner, Jim Furyk, Keegan Bradley, Matt Kuchar, Phil Mickelson, Rickie Fowler, Ryder Cup, Steve Stricker, The Back Nine, Tiger Woods, Webb Simpson, Zach Johnson

This entry was posted on Monday, August 6th, 2012 at 3:00 pm and is filed under Golf, Sports, The Back Nine.
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Tiger Woods is tied for the lead at the 112th U.S. Open with David Toms and Jim Furyk.

Both Furyk and Toms have won major titles in the past and both play the disciplined style of golf that Olympic Club requires.

It is unlikely that either of these two will have a massive train wreck but one never knows what may happen in a U.S. Open especially on a course as difficult as Olympic Club.

Double bogeys and the dreaded “others” are always lurking.

It doesn’t appear that the rest of the field has much of a chance as Tiger has won eight out of the nine times that he has led a major championship after 36 holes.

Of course, that was “Old Tiger.” What will the new, retooled Tiger do?

Other than Furyk or Toms are there others who could challenge Woods on the weekend?

Graeme McDowell is only two shots behind the leaders and appears to be in good form this week. He got a close-up look at Jim Furyk’s patience for the first two rounds.

Did he learn something that may help this weekend?

McDowell won the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. He understands the grit and determination that is needed to win a U.S. Open.

Graeme was paired with fellow European Nicholas Colsaerts for Saturday.

Colsaerts is a long hitter but does not have the experience necessary to contend at a major championship. Maybe ignorance is bliss.

Here are three other names just four shots back at three over par that could move up the leader board: Matt Kuchar, Hunter Mahan, and Jason Dufner.

Kuchar has been one of the most consistent players over the past two years and has had some success at this course as an amateur back in 1998.

Matt also got a big win earlier this year at the Players Championship. Although the Players is not officially a major it has a stronger field than any of the majors and is played on a very demanding golf course.

Kooch has the steady, accurate game that is required for a USGA set up and may just have the experience and temperament to apply pressure.

Hunter Mahan has won twice on tour this year and has become a major star on the PGA Tour.

Even though Hunter has only hit 57 percent of the fairways, 67 percent of the greens, and has taken 62 putts through 36 holes, he has still gotten his ball around the course, and is only three over par.

If he can just hit a couple more fairways and greens plus shave a couple putts off his score over the weekend, he could move up the leader board in a hurry.

The hottest golfer on the planet over the past two months has been Jason Dufner.

He has had six birdies over the first two rounds but he has also had seven bogeys and one double-bogey.

Dufner, just like Kuchar and Mahan, has proven that he can get the ball around a golf course.

He has been battle tested in a major. Have you forgotten his runner-up finish at the PGA Championship last summer, going head to head with eventual winner Keegan Bradley?

His fairways and greens stats are not overwhelming through the first two rounds. If he can find just one or two more fairways plus get the odd putt to fall, he will find himself very near the top of the U.S. Open leader board.

One more name in the pack at three over par that bears consideration is Charl Schwartzel.

Schwartzel won the 2011 Masters by making four consecutive birdies to close out the final round and don the Green Jacket.

Tiger Woods is playing golf reminiscent of his dominant style from the early 2000s.

He must be wary, however, of several major champions plus some hungry young guns seeking their first major.

Will Tiger be able to turn back the clock, hold off the surging pack and capture his 15th major championship?

Stay tuned. It’s going to be a bumpy ride at Olympic Club this weekend.

For more golf tips and video visit: www.toledoohiogolflessons.com. Follow on Facebook: Toledo Golf Lessons. Follow on Twitter: @tolohgolfr.

Tags: Charl Schwartzel, David Toms, Fred Altvater, Graeme McDowell, Hunter Mahan, Jason Dufner, Jim Furyk, Matt Kuchar, The Back Nine, Tiger Woods, U.S. Open

This entry was posted on Sunday, June 17th, 2012 at 7:38 am and is filed under Golf, Sports, The Back 9.
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Fifty percent of the precincts have reported, and the results are in for the first 36 holes of the 112th U.S. Open at Olympic Golf Club.

The conclusion is that, that Tiger Woods fellow is pretty good.

After two rounds in the U.S. Open two things are very evident.

One is that Olympic Golf Club is very firm and fast which is making it extremely difficult for the world’s best golfers to shoot low scores.

Two is that Tiger Woods appears to be very comfortable.

Olympic Golf Club is showing its teeth. It is built on the side of a very steep hillside and provides difficult side hill lies for approach shots.

The greens are hard, which makes it nearly impossible to hold long iron shots. They are also extremely fast and combined with severe undulation makes chipping and putting an adventure.

The average score for the first two rounds was 74.5 on the par 70 Olympic Golf Club.

The first six holes have averaged 2.63 shots over par. The 600-yard par 5 No. 16 has played the fifth most difficult at 5.43.

When was the last time a par 5 played that much over par for the best players in the world?

Mike Davis and the USGA know how to make par relative at a classic old golf course every year for the U. S. Open.

Some young amateurs have surprised the golf community with their play.

Beau Hossler, 17, a junior in high school from California, held the lead briefly at two under par.

He struggled through the tough stretch of holes one through six (his back nine) and finished his day with a three over par 73 and is T-12.

Fourteen-year-old Andy Zhang, who got into the field as an alternate qualifier, didn’t make the weekend cut but kept it under 80 both days, shooting 79-78 for a total of 17 over par.

What were you doing at age 14?

Veterans Jim Furyk and David Toms, tied with Tiger Woods at one under par, have put themselves near the top of the leader board for a run on the weekend.

Both have won major championship titles and another would certainly secure their entry into the Hall of Fame.

Can either of them keep it together for 36 more holes and add the 2012 U.S. Open to their trophy case?

Perhaps the biggest surprises were the top players that caught early flights out of town.

No. 1 in the world Luke Donald kept finding the rough off of the tee and posted rounds of 79-72 for 11 over par. He will remain major-less.

World No. 2, Rory McIlroy shot 77-73, 10 over par, and he too missed the cut. Seems his early preparation and hiring a full-time coach has not helped him sort out his recent swing problems.

Other prominent names missing the cut: 2012 Masters Champion Bubba Watson, Dustin Johnson, Bill Haas, Lucas Glover and Louis Oosthuizen.

Europeans have dominated the major events over the last several years.

2010 U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell is one over par T-5, along with European Tour player Nicholas Colsaerts.

Outside of Furyk and Toms, McDowell could provide the biggest competition for Woods on the weekend.

Phil Mickelson hit his first shot on Thursday into the trees, took an unplayable and re-teed. Things didn’t improve much for Phil after that.

He flirted with the cut line all day on Friday but kept battling and will see the weekend with his 76-71, seven over par.

But the biggest story by far is the reemergence of Tiger Woods as the world’s premier golfer.

He has struck the ball beautifully through the first two rounds and is tied for the lead at one under par.

He has forsaken the driver on most of the tees at Olympic Golf Club, choosing to hit long irons or fairway woods.

Woods is hitting greens and rolling the ball with some confidence.

He has exhibited a controlled and systematic game plan for this golf course and this championship.

Tiger has won eight of nine times he has held the lead after 36 holes in a major championship.

Tiger Woods could pick up his 15th major title on Sunday and get one step closer to surpassing Jack Nicklaus.

For more golf tips and video, visit www.toledoohiogolflessons.com. Follow on Twitter: @tolohgolfr.

Tags: 112th U.S. Open, David Toms, Fred Altvater, Graeme McDowell, Jim Furyk, Olympic Golf Club, The Back Nine, Tiger Woods

This entry was posted on Saturday, June 16th, 2012 at 2:05 am and is filed under Golf, Sports, The Back Nine.
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