2016 PGA Tour

PaulinMyrBch

Don't touch his dog food
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 10, 2003
8,316
MYRTLE BEACH!!!!
Greenbrier Classic in jeopardy. Scheduled for July 7. Bubba has been posting tweets since he lives there part of the year.

Thursday


Friday

 

Time to Mo Vaughn

RIP Dernell
SoSH Member
Mar 24, 2008
7,204
On the Olympic topic, Golf seems to me like there may be far too much variance to make a great Olympic sport. What Olympic sports have as much variance between top competitors finishing in a single competition?
 

The Napkin

wise ass al kaprielian
Moderator
SoSH Member
Jul 13, 2002
28,535
right here
Rob's T19 (-4) going into the final round of the Quicken Loans Open. Leader's at -15 so a win isn't real likely but a top 10 lurks at -6.
 
It looks like he's finished a couple of shots short of making it to Troon - he needed to finish in the top 12 (check) and also be among the top 4 golfers in the field who weren't already qualified for the Open, with any ties resolved by better world ranking. As things stand, Harold Varner III is fourth among the not-already-qualified at -9 with one hole to go, and two others are in the clubhouse at -8, so he's not going to make it.

Still, getting one's first Top 10 on Tour isn't small potatoes in and of itself.
 

Dave Stapleton

Just A Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Oct 11, 2001
9,112
Newport, RI
It looks like he's finished a couple of shots short of making it to Troon - he needed to finish in the top 12 (check) and also be among the top 4 golfers in the field who weren't already qualified for the Open, with any ties resolved by better world ranking. As things stand, Harold Varner III is fourth among the not-already-qualified at -9 with one hole to go, and two others are in the clubhouse at -8, so he's not going to make it.

Still, getting one's first Top 10 on Tour isn't small potatoes in and of itself.
Thanks for explaining I had trouble understanding the graphic. Still great to get a Top 10
 

johnmd20

mad dog
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 30, 2003
61,996
New York City
At this point, one must wonder if the heightened PED testing for Olympic athletes is causing the exodus from the games.
 

BigMike

Moderator
Moderator
SoSH Member
Sep 26, 2000
23,244
At this point, one must wonder if the heightened PED testing for Olympic athletes is causing the exodus from the games.
Possible I guess.

I think most would be playing if this Olympics were in Tokyo, or London.

I do think it is more than just concern over Tsvika though. It is the middle of their busy season.

Poor Day is being interviewed now, and is being asked why golfers are pulling out when swimmers and track athletes aren't, etc
 

Papelbon's Poutine

Homeland Security
SoSH Member
Dec 4, 2005
19,615
Portsmouth, NH
I think it's as simple as the fact that the Olympics, for these golfers, is a cool idea but it's not where their bread is buttered. The swimmers and track athletes train for this their whole lives and their future earning potential is based on how they do in the games. The golfers or basketball players aren't making more money because they win a medal.

So if I was Day or one of these other guys and I want to have kids I'm not risking Zika to go play in squalor at what is essentially just another tournament when there's not a whole lot to be gained other than a medal. I don't blame them either.
 
If the organizers had shown even an ounce of creativity with regard to the format of the Olympic golf competition, everyone could have had a lot of fun with it, and I suspect the urge to withdraw under the present Zika-driven circumstances might be lessened. But no, they went for a boring strokeplay format that is no different from what these men and women do week-in, week-out on their respective tours.
 

Papelbon's Poutine

Homeland Security
SoSH Member
Dec 4, 2005
19,615
Portsmouth, NH
It definitely should have been some sort of match play event, but even then I don't think it would have overcome the negatives of the location. As someone else stated, if this was in a location without serious health and sanitation issues, I think you would have seen these guys go, or at least more of them.
 
You're probably right. But if there had been any impetus among golf fans to say, "I can't wait to see what [format X] looks like and how these players respond to it", and some golfers had expressed excitement in the format rather than just being excited at the thought of representing their country, maybe the stampede to pull out wouldn't have begun in earnest quite so far ahead of August.
 
On the subject of international golf competitions people actually do care about, I wonder what if any implications Brexit might have for the Ryder Cup. I'm guessing not a lot, but I've always thought the idea of "Team Europe" was a strange one for people to passionately care about (as players or fans), and if the UK does leave or is on its way out of the EU by the end of September - or by 2018, etc. - perhaps some ripples might disturb the surface here?
 

WayBackVazquez

white knight against high school nookie
SoSH Member
Aug 23, 2006
8,294
Los Angeles
I strongly doubt they'd change the makeup of the team (they've included continental European golfers since 1979), but they'll certainly have to change the logos/flags used if/when England leaves.
 

WayBackVazquez

white knight against high school nookie
SoSH Member
Aug 23, 2006
8,294
Los Angeles
I strongly doubt they'd change the makeup of the team (they've included continental European golfers since 1979), but they'll certainly have to change the logos/flags used if/when England leaves.
I'll bet you a nickel that if England is gone in 2018, they won't be using that EU flag.

EDIT: But only a nickel. I wasn't aware it was also the Council of Europe flag. And looks like they started using it for Ryder Cup in 1985.
 
Last edited:

Papelbon's Poutine

Homeland Security
SoSH Member
Dec 4, 2005
19,615
Portsmouth, NH
Lol, yeah I saw the qualifier after I posted and realized they only spoke to the most immediate Cup. Came back to add what else I found but you had already found it.
 
Frankly, I'd love to see the UK (or GB&I) detached from Europe and the Ryder Cup/Presidents Cup turned into a true four-handed competition with a bit of promotion and relegation. Here's an excerpt from the column I wrote after the 2014 Ryder Cup:
The Ryder Cup obviously, obviously means more to European golfers weaned on the idea of international sporting competition. The Americans always look like they’ve turned up for an All-Star Game, whereas the Europeans think they’re playing in the World Cup final.

That said…what kind of stupid, artificial construction worthy of nationalistic fervor is “Team Europe”? The idea of a pan-European team made sense when the EU was still being forged, the European Tour was struggling, and Team GB&I desperately needed Seve to make the Ryder Cup competitive. But these days, the political rise of UKIP reflects a broader desire for more and more English speakers to abandon Europe, whereas a rugby-like “British and Irish Lions” side of McIlroy, Rose, McDowell, Donaldson, Gallacher, Poulter, Westwood, Donald, Lowry, Casey, Warren and Fleetwood may well have won at Gleneagles without Continental help. It’ll never happen, but a four-team rotation of USA, GB&I, Continental Europe and “The Commonwealth” (Australia, South Africa, Canada, etc.) in which the holders defend the Ryder Cup every year against the winner of the previous year’s Challenge Cup playoff – i.e., the new-look President’s Cup – could be so much more inclusive and meaningful than what we have now.
The operative words there are of course "It'll never happen", not least because of the logistical issues involved. But I suppose anything is possible post-Brexit, and a man can dream...
 

Manzivino

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 31, 2006
7,139
MA
Wild finish for Rob in the Barracuda Championship today. Bogeyed 17 to fall below the cut line, eagled 18 to jump up to T35 and gain some breathing room on the Saturday cut. Stableford scoring is nuts.
 

TFP

Moderator
Moderator
SoSH Member
Dec 10, 2007
20,380
DJ leaking oil on 18 here too, Day not dead yet. Drove it the rough then his 2nd shot clipped a tree.
Day is dead now but Piercy is still lurking if DJ doesn't get in for bogey.
 

WayBackVazquez

white knight against high school nookie
SoSH Member
Aug 23, 2006
8,294
Los Angeles
Day choked but DJ deserves credit for a hell of a weekend, and keeping the pressure on down the stretch today.
 

Greg29fan

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 14, 2005
20,484
NC
Love watching DJ win b/c he has a great physical game and his mental game is catching up to it, but no Paulina was a kick in the teeth.
 

The Napkin

wise ass al kaprielian
Moderator
SoSH Member
Jul 13, 2002
28,535
right here
Wild finish for Rob in the Barracuda Championship today. Bogeyed 17 to fall below the cut line, eagled 18 to jump up to T35 and gain some breathing room on the Saturday cut. Stableford scoring is nuts.
finished with 20 points, T41. Up to 140 on the FedEx list.
 

Deathofthebambino

Drive Carefully
SoSH Member
Apr 12, 2005
41,948
I think golfers are getting unfairly questioned about being more concerned about Zika. I haven't seen much mention of it in the media, but golfers are far, far more at risk for getting bit by one of these mosquitos than say, swimmers. When you factor in time on the range, these guys are outside for what, 9 consecutive hours, in order to compete in their event. Meanwhile, a swimmer is outside when, from their hotel to the car, and then the parking lot to the pool? There isn't a whole lot these golfers can do to minimize their exposure to the virus, and when you consider most of these top golfers are at an age where they are recently married, have pregnant wives, or expect to have children relatively soon, I can see why more of them would be dropping out than in other sports. Like others have said, had this been played in Tokyo or virtually anywhere else, I think they'd be thrilled to compete for their countries, but the risk here doesn't outweigh the reward. When you factor in everything else, the event format, kidnapping, etc., I think it gets even more easy to decide to stay home.
 

Deathofthebambino

Drive Carefully
SoSH Member
Apr 12, 2005
41,948
finished with 20 points, T41. Up to 140 on the FedEx list.
Yeah, that T10 for Rob was exactly what he needed. Realistically, he probably still needs one more top 10 to get into the playoffs, and retain his card for next year, but moving up into the top 150 gives him a much better shot of getting into more tournaments down the stretch. The Greenbrier getting cancelled this week kind of sucks, as it is a tournament he almost certainly would have gotten into, with most guys heading overseas to get ready for the Open.