Monday, February 24, 2014

The Wave Of Match Play

- I was incredibly concerned about the Match Play tournament, especially with the top names missing and the top seeds losing early. I can say, though, that the golf we got on Sunday was absolutely spectacular. All four men did a wonderful job and provided some great entertainment.

- While the rest of my bracket was toast, I DID have the winner of the tournament correct. I can't take too much credit for the outside the box thinking, though, since we all knew Jason Day would get his second victory sooner rather than later. Jason was stuck in an incredibly difficult position of being one of the best players in the world, and yet not producing victories. Now that he has his second under his belt, I would not be surprised to see him win The Masters.

- Many people probably didn't know the name Victor Dubuisson prior to this week, but he certainly shot into people's minds after his performance. From rallying several times in matches, to making unbelievable shots on Sunday, it looked like Victor was destined to win this tournament. Entering this year, people were asking if Victor could hang on to his solid position on the Ryder Cup team, with players like Rory McIlroy and Ian Poulter having yet to make it. I think this week proved Victor deserves a shot more than anyone.

- Applause to Ernie Els and Rickie Fowler who had much needed great weeks. Ernie proved that he is still not too old to be an elite player, and Rickie is trying desperately to return to the promise he had a few years ago. Who knows where these top finishes will lead, but it was still great seeing them compete on Sunday.

- Another match play, another disappointing finish by Rory McIlroy. If there was ever an example of a great player who just doesn't perform well in match play, it's Rory.

- It's amazing to me that it's been five years since Anna Nordqvist has won on the LPGA Tour. Someone with her skills and mentality should be winning regularly. Her performance at last year's Solheim Cup showed that Anna was indeed a great player, and now her third victory proves that.

- We're three weeks into the LPGA season, and we have yet to have someone from the Top 3 win a tournament - though, it's been close. Stacy Lewis notched her third top ten in as many starts this season, and Inbee Park made a run for the title this week, eventually finishing in solo second, two shots back. The real disappointment so far this season has been Suzann Pettersen, who did manage a top 10 this week, but was a non factor all week and only managed a top finish with a great final round.

- Don't call it a comeback! Three players returned to form this week with high finishes. We have been seeing signs of improvement from Michelle Wie, but this week may be the most promising one yet. She had some bogies in the final round that eliminated her chances of winning, but the Michelle Wie of a couple years ago would have completely folded. Paraguay's Julieta Granada has failed to return to the form we saw her at in 2006, when she notched her only victory on the LPGA Tour, but after a few seasons of struggling to make cuts, it's promising to see her notch a top 10 this early in the season. The biggest story, though, is probably former world number one Yani Tseng, who is trying desperate to return to the dominating form we saw from her for several season. The door for Yani as the best player in the world may have closed, but the tour is better when she is playing well, so hopefully this is the start of her rising the ranks once again.

- I'm not a hundred percent sure why Carly Booth keeps getting exemptions into LPGA fields. It probably has something to do with her work ethic. I wonder, though, if the near-bottom finishes she's notched means her window has run out.

No comments:

Post a Comment