2014 PGA Tour

cshea

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So the PGA announced changes to the match play today. The sponsor and course contract had run out. For 2015, the event will be played the week before The Players (where the Wells Fargo is now) at TPC Harding in San Francisco. The new format is that the field will be split into 16 groups of 4 players. Wednesday-Friday is a round robin where each player plays a match against the other 3 in their group. The 16 group winners advance to the single elimination stage which is basically the same format they've always used. 36 holes Saturday and Sunday gets them a winner.

A few things:

- Playing in California hopefully means prime time golf for the East Coast, which would be awesome. It also should help the ratings over the whole week, but especially Wednesday-Friday when the full field is playing.

- They still only have 16 players playing on Satuday/Sunday. No way around this with the match play though.

- I'm not a fan of the placement in the schedule and having it the week before The Players. The match play is a pretty long and grueling week where to win you need to play 7 matches over 5 days, with Saturday/Sunday being 36 holes each. That's a lot of golf, and I know in the past guys who have gone deep have ended up w/d from the Honda.

http://www.pgatour.com/news/2014/07/02/wgc-match-play-new-format.html
 

cshea

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Freddy Linn said:
We do a similar match play round-robin and the next tiebreaker is total holes won.
 
With an eight-figure purse at the Players I don't think the Honda parallel would repeat itself.
Sorry, I should've clarified. I meant it more the other way around. The match play loses players who just decide to skip it to focus on The Players. Maybe I'm wrong. It's still a WGC event with a hefty purse on it's own.
 

Freddy Linn

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Aah.  I am literally huffing paint thinner putting new grips on in my office.
 
Harding Park is way better than Dove Mountain and the site of both an upcoming major (and another President's Cup), so that will likely have an impact on getting guys to play.  Good move, PGA/PGA Tour.
 

cshea

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So, with the conclusion of the Open, there are 4 weeks left in the regular season. Aside from the FedEx Cup race, the Ryder Cup points race is also nearing it's conclusion and the teams are taking shape. Qualifying ends after the PGA. The tweak this year for Team USA qualifying is that Tom Watson dropped a captain's pick, so there are 9 automatic qualifiers and 3 captain's picks. Right now the 9 players on the team would be (in order):

Bunba Watson, Jimmy Walker, Rickie Fowler, Jim Furyk (damn it), Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Matt Kuchar, Jason Dufner, Zach Johnson.

10,11 and 12 are Patrick Reed, Phil Mickelson and Brendan Todd. Chris Kirk is 14, followed by 2012 team members Webb Simpson and Keegan Bradley. Those guys are in the mix and could qualify with good starts at the PGA. Tiger is...well I do to know where he is, I didn't scroll that far down.

The decision for Watson will be Tiger and Phil. Phil's 50/50 to make it. He's had a dismal season, but finished well at the Open and could get in if he plays well at the PGA. Tiger says he wants to be but since he has no chance of qualifying he'll have to be a pick. Watson has said all along that he 'll oblige and pick Tiger if he's healthy and playing well, but the problem is Tiger is running out of events, so it'll be difficult to judge how he's playing. Tiger's going to play the WGC and the PGA. Unless he wins one (in which case the decision makes itself) Tiger's very likely will not qualify for the Playoffs. So Watson won't have a lot to work with when making his decision. If I was picking, Bradley would be a lock. I'm not sure what I'd do with Tiger. Anyways, something to keep an eye on heading into the WGC event and the PGA.

FWIW, Europe right now is Rory McIlroy, Victor Dubuisson, Sergio Garcia, Jamie Donaldson, Luke Donald, Thomas Bjorn, Henrik Stenson, Martin Kaymer and Justin Rose. My guess is Poulter and Graeme McDowell get 2 captains picks, and maybe F. Molinari as the final pick. They are quite formidable.
 

FL4WL3SS

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I'm trying to talk myself into the U.S. team, but I just don't see it. The Euro team has so much talent and experience. The number of aging and/or streaky players on the U.S roster is alarming. If Bubba/Walker/Fowler/DJ are all cold at the time of the Ryder Cup, combined with Furyk's corpse and Phil and Tiger's aging bodies, the U.S. is in trouble.

I think in 2 years the U.S. will be in a much better spot if the younger guys get some experience.
 

Over Guapo Grande

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cshea said:
So, with the conclusion of the Open, there are 4 weeks left in the regular season. Aside from the FedEx Cup race, the Ryder Cup points race is also nearing it's conclusion and the teams are taking shape. Qualifying ends after the PGA. The tweak this year for Team USA qualifying is that Tom Watson dropped a captain's pick, so there are 9 automatic qualifiers and 3 captain's picks. Right now the 9 players on the team would be (in order):

Bunba Watson, Jimmy Walker, Rickie Fowler, Jim Furyk (damn it), Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Matt Kuchar, Jason Dufner, Zach Johnson.

10,11 and 12 are Patrick Reed, Phil Mickelson and Brendan Todd. Chris Kirk is 14, followed by 2012 team members Webb Simpson and Keegan Bradley. Those guys are in the mix and could qualify with good starts at the PGA. Tiger is...well I do to know where he is, I didn't scroll that far down.
 
 
I think I saw on PTI that Tiger is 214th on the points list.  Tom Watson is 210th. 
 

Over Guapo Grande

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WayBackVazquez said:
 
That's the FedEx Cup points list.
Ok thanks.  It was on without sound across the room at the local thirst-quenching establishment, and I just briefly caught the numbers flash upon the screen. 
 

Vegas Sox Fan

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So I flipped to the Golf Channel to see if there was coverage for the PGA yet and now I'm hooked watching the LPGA International Crown. I guess this is the first year they are doing this but I really like the format. For those that don't know, it's the top 8 countries based on a ranking of the top 4 players from each country. They are in two pools where they play 4 ball against each of the 3 teams in your pool then the top 5 play singles on Sunday. I don't know if the Men plan to do something similar but they should. For fun I used WGC to see what the bracket would look like. I know WGC sucks for this sort of thing but whatever. Who ya got?
 
  [tablegrid= Men's International Crown ]Pool A                     Seed-Country   WGC Points    Seed-Country   WGC Points    Seed-Country   WGC Points    Seed-Country   WGC Points  1-USA    6.43    4-ESP    3.72    5-SWE    3.42    8-FRA    1.99                        Player   WGC Points    Player   WGC Points    Player   WGC Points    Player   WGC Points  Bubba Watson    6.80    Sergio Garcia    7.05    Henrik Stenson    7.81    Victor Dubuisson    4.00  Matt Kuchar    6.66    Miguel AngelJimenez    3.61    Jonas Blixt    2.68    Alexander Levy    1.44  Tiger Woods    6.23    Pablo Larrazabal    2.20    Fredrik Jacobson    1.78    Gregory Bourdy    1.28  Jim Furyk    6.02    Gonzalo Fdez-Castano    2.02    Robert Karlsson    1.41    Romain Wattel    1.25                        Pool B                     Seed-Country   WGC Points    Seed-Country   WGC Points    Seed-Country   WGC Points    Seed-Country   WGC Points  2-AUS    5.17    3-ENG    4.53    6-RSA    2.68    7-JPN    2.53                        Player   WGC Points    Player   WGC Points    Player   WGC Points    Player   WGC Points  Adam Scott    9.24    Justin Rose    7.34    Charl Schwartzel    3.99    Hideki Matsuyama    4.80  Jason Day    6.40    Luke Donald    3.93    Louis Oosthuizen    2.51    Koumei Oda    2.20  Marc Leishman    2.53    Ian Poulter    3.59    Ernie Els    2.16    Ryo Ishikawa    1.79  Matt Jones    2.52    Lee Westwood    3.24    George Coetzee    2.07    Hideto Tanihara    1.34  [/tablegrid]
 

ezemerson

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DJ releases statement saying he's taking a leave of absence from the game to deal with personal issues
 

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ezemerson said:
DJ releases statement saying he's taking a leave of absence from the game to deal with personal issues
 
Gotta be booze. When he was the pro at TPC Myrtle Beach my dad and I would play with him occasionally.  He had a rep for liking nightlife then, and a DUI to go with it.
 

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Dustin Johnson, one of the top American players, is taking a leave of absence to "seek professional help for personal challenges I have faced" and will not play in the Ryder Cup.

Johnson, 30, an eight-time winner on the PGA Tour who tied for 12th two weeks ago at the Open Championship, released a statement through his management company after having withdrawn from the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational earlier this week.

"I am taking a leave of absence from professional golf, effective immediately," Johnson said. "I will use this time to seek professional help for personal challenges I have faced. By committing the time and resources necessary to improve my mental health, physical well-being and emotional foundation, I am confident that I will be better equipped to fulfill my potential and become a consistent champion."
http://espn.go.com/golf/story/_/id/11292372/dustin-johnson-takes-leave-absence-golf
 

TFP

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So, insinuating a suspension for drugs? PEDs? Going to rehab?
 
I don't really care about the rumors but all of this innuendo and "quotes" from reporters is quite annoying.
 

FL4WL3SS

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Comfortably Lomb said:
A lot of buzz that the Tour has a huge coke problem.
Apparently he's been in rehab for the booger sugar before. There was a rumor a while back that when he was out with his back injury he was really either suspended by the PGA or in rehab.

He's obviously going to rehab. What's unknown is if he's actually suspended by the PGA or not.
 

BigMike

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FL4WL3SS said:
Apparently he's been in rehab for the booger sugar before. There was a rumor a while back that when he was out with his back injury he was really either suspended by the PGA or in rehab.

He's obviously going to rehab. What's unknown is if he's actually suspended by the PGA or not.
 
Given the timing you are basically dealing with one of two scenarios
 
1) PGA suspension
2) Really bad incident this week that lead to a desperate need for him to take action immediately
 
So the drug suspension is probably the better case scenario
 

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BigMike said:
 
Given the timing you are basically dealing with one of two scenarios
 
1) PGA suspension
2) Really bad incident this week that lead to a desperate need for him to take action immediately
 
So the drug suspension is probably the better case scenario
 
Drug suspension seems more likely, only because 6 months is way longer than one would need for rehab.
 

BigMike

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johnmd20 said:
 
Drug suspension seems more likely, only because 6 months is way longer than one would need for rehab.
 
But isn't the 6 months just speculation from the same person who indicated it was 'voluntary'
 
seems like Dustin's statement just stated he was out indefinitely, and pulled out of everything through the Ryder Cup,  which could mean either.  I know the Ryder Cup is outside the normal 30 day rehab window, but you wouldn't want to leave rehab and jump immediately into that pressure cooker.
 
But yeah,  it seems about 95% or more this is a suspension
 

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FL4WL3SS said:
Apparently he's been in rehab for the booger sugar before. There was a rumor a while back that when he was out with his back injury he was really either suspended by the PGA or in rehab.

He's obviously going to rehab. What's unknown is if he's actually suspended by the PGA or not.
Where ever you have a bunch of dudes making 7 figures.... you're going to have a coke problem.
 

cshea

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Anyways, the DJ-less Bridgestone is underway. Rose is continuing his strong summer and leads at -8. Fowler is surging again at T3, 2 shots behind Rose. Fowler has had probably as good a year as one could have without a win. 3 at the match play, T5 at Augusta, T2 at both Opens and now a strong start at Firestone. Tiger with a meh start. T10, -2 though in good position, but he is kind of sputtering along today.
 

Corsi

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And they use a picture of him with a scrunched up nose.  Nicely done.
 

FL4WL3SS

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Also, it really pisses me off that this guy can go out partying and snorting coke and still be ranked the 16th player in the world. That's a lot of wasted talent.

I've got a hard enough time drinking a beer or two on the course.
 

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https://twitter.com/RobertLusetich/status/495268839878189057
 
He's a senior golf analyst for FOXSports.
 

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FL4WL3SS said:
Also, it really pisses me off that this guy can go out partying and snorting coke and still be ranked the 16th player in the world. That's a lot of wasted talent.

I've got a hard enough time drinking a beer or two on the course.
Same here. I'm basically garbage when I have a minor buzz.
 

TFP

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Ha, I was there for this. I was too busy looking at Paulina to know if DJ was affected by the drug test. Crazy though that you test positive for coke during the US open.
 
https://twitter.com/RobertLusetich/status/495270983222059008
 

Comfortably Lomb

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Number45forever said:
The pain in the ass thing is that the PGA Tour keeps suspensions/fines secret.  No idea why, but that's how they roll.
 
No idea why? The PGA Tour is basically run by the players. You think they want to air their own dirty laundry?
 

cshea

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In some ways though the speculation resulting from the non-disclosure of the suspensions is worse for them. Instead of just coming out and saying "Dustin Johnson has been suspended for 6 months for violating the Tour's drug policy" we get vague statements from the parties involved, which leads to rampant speculation on what the hell is going on.

I mean, do the other leagues take that big of an image hit when players get suspended for PED's or other violations?
 

Comfortably Lomb

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cshea said:
In some ways though the speculation resulting from the non-disclosure of the suspensions is worse for them. Instead of just coming out and saying "Dustin Johnson has been suspended for 6 months for violating the Tour's drug policy" we get vague statements from the parties involved, which leads to rampant speculation on what the hell is going on.

I mean, do the other leagues take that big of an image hit when players get suspended for PED's or other violations?
 
You're kidding, right?
 

Average Reds

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cshea said:
In some ways though the speculation resulting from the non-disclosure of the suspensions is worse for them. Instead of just coming out and saying "Dustin Johnson has been suspended for 6 months for violating the Tour's drug policy" we get vague statements from the parties involved, which leads to rampant speculation on what the hell is going on.

I mean, do the other leagues take that big of an image hit when players get suspended for PED's or other violations?
 
Of course, it appears that in this case the reality might be worse than the speculation.
 
Cocaine doesn't shock me.  Discovering that Dustin Johnson has the sexual appetite of Tiger but instead of random groupies he's banging other player's wives?   That one I didn't expect ...
 

bosox4283

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I've always assumed that leagues suspended players for drug use in order to set a good example for children and maintain a clean image for the league.
 
So, if the PGA Tour does not divulge this information, then why does it matter if a player tests positive? If a player wants to self-destruct, why not let him? 
 
Otherwise, report the incidence so everyone--the public and players--learn from it.
 

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What a leaderboard at the Bridgestone.  Sergio, Rory, Rose, Keegan, Fowler, Leishman, Patrick Reed, Adam Scott, Gary Woodland and Jim Furyk round up your top 10.
 

Comfortably Lomb

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The Tour is saying he is not suspended: http://www.pgatour.com/news/2014/08/01/dustin-johnson-update.html
 


"With regard to media reports that Dustin Johnson has been been suspended by the PGA TOUR, this is to clarify that Mr. Johnson has taken a voluntary leave of absence and is not under a suspension from the PGA TOUR," the statement read. The TOUR issued the statement in response to media reports that characterized Johnson's absence from the TOUR as a suspension.