Kicking Up The Pebbles In The Pro-Am

Did not get to catch a lot of golf this past weekend, as I was busy watching the Olympics. I'm a bit of an Olympic nerd, so this is kind of awesome for me. When I did get to watch, the weather at Pebble left a lot to be desired, though I'm sure the golfers would rather have the rain and wind than the several feet of snow I'm currently buried under.

- The term "hottest golfer on the planet" has officially been passed to Jimmy Walker, who has now won three times in eight starts this season. The fields may not have been the greatest, but to win on the PGA Tour is impressive enough. To go on a run like Walker has is outstanding. They say you have to crawl before you can walk. You have to win some lower field events before you can win a major (unless you're Angel Cabrera). Walker has firmly put himself into the majors this year, and likely onto the Ryder Cup. 

- There is a phrase in the fantasy golf world (and yes, that is a thing), which is "horses for courses". Some people are just designed to play well on certain courses. If a tournament is at Pebble Beach, you're going to want to pick Dustin Johnson or Graeme McDowell. The two put down great performances again this week, and Johnson finished one shot back (though it honestly wasn't that close, as Walker gave a few away down the stretch.) 

- Another week, another top 10 for Jordan Speith. His year has been slightly inconsistent, but we do know now that Speith is among those top players in the world that you always gave to watch for. 

- Shout out to David Duval for making the cut this week and even being in contention until faltering on the weekend. Hopefully this leads to seeing Duval compete more and making more cuts. 

- George Coetzee, Jin Jeong, and Justin Walters are heading to the Open Championship. Coetzee is not the biggest surprise, as he's won on the international stage and competed in majors before. Walters and Jeong, though, are going to be relative unknowns when they tee it up at the Open. Overall, though, I thoroughly enjoy the new Open Qualifying series. It gives people who may not have had the opportunity to play in a major a chance to qualify. It also gives more importance to some of these fields that may have been lacking in firepower. Congratulations to Coetzee, Jeong, and Walters!

- Finally, after years of sitting back and wondering what we will see from Tiger Woods' niece, Cheyenne Woods has won a professional tournament on the LET Tour. Unlike a lot of golf commentators, I am not getting too excited about this result. It was a weak field in Australia, so it's not like she won the US Open. As I stated about Jimmy Walker, though, sometimes you have to crawl before you can walk. A win is a win, and if this gives Cheyenne any confidence, than there can only be positives taken out of this.