2017 PGA Tour
- Thread starter TFP
- Start date
I actually thought it was DoTB that posted that. He knows what a grind it is out there, so thought it was kind of messed up if he was rooting for another guy to fail as he understands what sacrifices these guys make to try and make it on tour.
Knowing Nap said it, well who takes him seriously anyway?
Knowing Nap said it, well who takes him seriously anyway?
Rob is -4 through 8 today, up to 4th place, but I just heard that he birdied 9 as well. Shot 30 going out. Here we go. Biggest back nine of his life. Again.
Yep, it's official, birdied 9. -5 on the front. Tied for 2nd, one shot back. Jesus, I would take a top 3 right now if they called it.
Birdie on 10, -6 on the day. Tied for 2nd, one shot back. Wow. The par 5 18th is going to be a very big hole, already know it.
And here we go. From the fairway, he puts it into a green side bunker at 11, and makes bogey. Uggh. Come on Rob, 7 holes to play, just keep it together.
He pars five straight after the bogey, and then makes a huge birdie on 17. He hit the fairway on the par 5 18th. Here we go, one big swing.
Damn, par on 18. He's the clubhouse leader at -15, currently in a four way tie for 3rd. Good day today, but we'll have to see what happens. Lot of guys with a bunch of holes left.
If it ended right now, Rob would be, you guessed it, 26th. He's currently in a four way tie, with one of them already in the clubhouse. If he can get a 2 way tie for 3rd, he would jump into the top 25.
He also really needs Gooch, the current lender, to hang on and beat Hodge, who is a shot back in 2nd. Gooch is already in the top 25, but Hodge is 67th, and win would catapult him over Rob, adding another guy that Rob would need to pass.
He also really needs Gooch, the current lender, to hang on and beat Hodge, who is a shot back in 2nd. Gooch is already in the top 25, but Hodge is 67th, and win would catapult him over Rob, adding another guy that Rob would need to pass.
I feel like Rob only needs one really strong finish to unlock his potential on tour. I've been following him through SoSH and on my own for a few years now, and it seems like he's been battling Sunday demons for some time - some guys with plenty of game don't have the mentality to get into good positions going into Sunday, and their professional careers never survive for long, but at the moment Rob seems to fall into that class of players who are good enough to appear on leaderboards on Fridays and Saturdays but struggle to stay there on Sunday. Obviously he has a T2 finish this season, but on that day he was three shots worse on Sunday than in any other round; in recent weeks he's been in prime position going into Sunday but faltered; and today he started the day well back, played a brilliant front nine and then seemed to get altitude sickness again.
Is that too harsh? He's clearly got a ton of game, but so much of golf is in the mind...he could really, really do with backing into a win by posting an early Sunday score on a tough day that nobody can equal, or finishing second or third in an event by closing with three birdies and walking away feeling like he did everything he could to win even if someone else just happened to be a little bit better. And that's independent of the pressure I'm sure he's feeling from being so close to the Top 25 bubble and his card for next year, which must magnify everything and make it all feel that little bit worse. It's a hard life, being a professional golfer.
Is that too harsh? He's clearly got a ton of game, but so much of golf is in the mind...he could really, really do with backing into a win by posting an early Sunday score on a tough day that nobody can equal, or finishing second or third in an event by closing with three birdies and walking away feeling like he did everything he could to win even if someone else just happened to be a little bit better. And that's independent of the pressure I'm sure he's feeling from being so close to the Top 25 bubble and his card for next year, which must magnify everything and make it all feel that little bit worse. It's a hard life, being a professional golfer.
Exhibit A of the kind of performance I'm talking about, by the way: what Ollie Schniederjans has just done at the Wyndham this week. Got a really lucky break on 15, skating off the hospitality tent roof into a greenside bunker when he could have gone OB, then got up and down from the bunker for birdie, made a monster putt at 17 and nearly holed his approach at 18. He's probably not going to win, because Stenson is matching him birdie for birdie and only needs a par at 18 as I type, but that's the sort of finish (helped by a bit of luck) that can make a guy think he has what it takes to win down the stretch on Sunday.
http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/the-northern-trust/field.html
Field has been posted for Northern Trust Open. Vaughan Taylor is in at 124 for me. Anyone else have 8 playing?
Field has been posted for Northern Trust Open. Vaughan Taylor is in at 124 for me. Anyone else have 8 playing?
US Am final on Fox is a good match. Lead hasn't been more than 1 on the second 18. 3 holes left.
There is no doubt all of this is fact, and he would tell you that himself. In fact, the one win he has on the Web.com a couple years ago was exactly as you described. He posted a score by playing early in the day, and then a couple hours later, his score held up, and he won.
I think the pressure of keeping his card, or regaining his card is really what magnifies everything. What he has gone through over the past 4 years or so is truly unheard of in the world of professional golf. 5 years ago, he needed a hole in one on the last day of Q school to get his Web.com card back, which he had lost previously. Then he misses the tour by a couple hundred bucks in the regular season, gets onto the PGA by a couple hundred bucks in the Web.com playoffs, loses his PGA card, and then misses getting it back by finishing 26th in the Web playoffs last year, when teh final event got cancelled. And here we are again.
I joke with his brother that someone really does need to write a book (or make a movie) about him. Obviously, everyone is out there grinding away and working hard at it, but nobody has been as close as he has and been living on the bubble like he has for this long. It takes a really easy-going personality to live like that, and that perfectly describes Rob.
I have 6 eligible, but it looks like Sergio is taking the week off. However, my 6 are in a pretty good spot to go to week 2. They are going in ranked 14, 18, 21 (Sergio), 83, 103, 110. Stricker is my last guy at 110, and I feel pretty confident about him, seeing as how he made it in playing only like a dozen events or something. Guy is amazing.
Going to extras at Riviera. Redman goes eagle-birdie to tie. First playoff hole is the awesome 10th.
Looks like Redman is going to win. Tough for this Ghim kid who played real well, just got run over the last 2 holes of regulation. I guess he lost the Pub Links final when he was 1 up on 18 too.
The pressure is real. I've got a buddy that went from earning his card last year to working at Lowe's this year. It's almost a curse to earn your tour card if you can't make cuts because then you lose status on both tours. I've seen what these guys go through and it's not pretty. I wish the best for Rob, but at least he'll have a chance to get in through Q school.
Rob is already locked into the Web with full status for next year regardless of what happens from here, but obviously, he'd really like the chance to get back on the Tour. His one year on Tour, he still made over $400,000 just in earnings, and while it wasn't enough to retain his card, the financial bump is incredible. Shit, he played one tour event this year at Pebble Beach, and finished 8th, and made more in that one event than he's made in the entire season on the Web, and he's 26th on the money list. Even if he doesn't get in via the regular season, with the way he's playing right now, I think he's got to feel pretty confident heading into the Web.com playoffs, and he has to like his chances to pick up his card that route.
Sorry if this was addressed up-thread, but so do the top 25 at the end of the regular season (so next week) get a guaranteed card? or is it granted after the playoffs?
and if there's crossover between those lists (ie 6th at end of year and 13th in the playoffs) I'm assuming they just pick the 26th person in the playoffs?
Exactly.
The other note is that guys on the PGA Tour that finish 126-175 in FedEx points (I think, it might be 200) drop down and join the Web.com playoffs as well.
The other note is that guys on the PGA Tour that finish 126-175 in FedEx points (I think, it might be 200) drop down and join the Web.com playoffs as well.
Just to note, though, is that not all spots/cards are created equal. It is much better to get in at #1 then #50 for slotting purposes. #50 on that list will have a much harder time getting into tournaments next year than #1, so the higher you can finish, the better.
Looks to be a tad disappointing opening round for Rob coming in at even par with 4 birdies and 4 bogeys. I have roughly calculated that somewhere in the top 20, dependent on who finishes in the top 5 may be good enough to bump him up one spot to place number 25 (calculated that currently a T-16 with 8 other golfers earns you about $8,222.
Just need to get into the weekend and see what happens.
Just need to get into the weekend and see what happens.
He ended up T70 overnight. Tees off at 1:20 local (Oregon) time
Other names to watch:
Martin Piller (current 27) is -6 (T6) and projected to be 23
Drew Weaver (current 129) is -8 (1) and projected to be 24
Beau Hossler (current 25) is -4 (T20) and projected to stay 25
Etahn Tracy (current 23) is E (T70) and projected to be 26
Roberto Diaz (current 24) is E (T70) and projected to be 27
Rob currently projected at 28
So yeah. Gonna be a shot or two here and there. Again.
Sitting at +1 thru 8 holes today. Not a good start, but he's still only 1-2 shots from the cut line depending on what happens with everyone else. Just needs to get into the weekend and see what happens, or it comes down to the playoffs again.
The conversation earlier about not all cards being equal was right. Rob was basically the 50th guy to get a card when he got his card by finishing 25th in the playoffs a few years ago, and realistically, he only had an opportunity to play in 21-22 events that year, which makes it really hard to keep your card unless you land a top 3 somewhere along the way. On top of that, he was flying into cities thinking he would be playing only to get bumped out when someone like Jason Day changed their mind and decided they wanted to play and tune up for a Major or something. The scheduling became a nightmare. When that happened, he'd try to Monday qualify, or try to get on the next flight out and get into the Web.com event that week. Really hard way to go. Getting in through the regular season, and into one of the first 25 spots would be much, much better from that perspective. That said, I know he'll take a card however he can get it.
The conversation earlier about not all cards being equal was right. Rob was basically the 50th guy to get a card when he got his card by finishing 25th in the playoffs a few years ago, and realistically, he only had an opportunity to play in 21-22 events that year, which makes it really hard to keep your card unless you land a top 3 somewhere along the way. On top of that, he was flying into cities thinking he would be playing only to get bumped out when someone like Jason Day changed their mind and decided they wanted to play and tune up for a Major or something. The scheduling became a nightmare. When that happened, he'd try to Monday qualify, or try to get on the next flight out and get into the Web.com event that week. Really hard way to go. Getting in through the regular season, and into one of the first 25 spots would be much, much better from that perspective. That said, I know he'll take a card however he can get it.
Keep the play by play going if able to. I for one can't get to a tv and strangely am invested in this guys life on the course.
3 holes to go with one par 5. Just get into the weekend and see if you can throw a -5/6 up one day and get a backdoor top 20.
Oh shit, he lipped out. I didn't even bother watching I just assumed, flipped back to see the bogie putt. Even headed to 17. Par 4 and par 5 left.