- Sunday had to be the weirdest final round so far this season. It was almost as if no one wanted to actually win the Valero Texas Open. Steven Bowditch was lucky that he played so well the first three days and built himself a comfortable lead, because shooting a 76 should normally cost you the tournament. Still, you have to feel good for someone like Bowditch, whose personal and professional life have seen the bottom and have risen back up again. It is too early to tell what we should expect from Bowditch now that he's a winner on Tour, but no one will ever take away the fact that he is a PGA Tour winner.
- If you are somebody looking for your first PGA Tour victory, or perhaps someone who hasn't won in a rather long time, now is the time to cash in. With all of the top players currently struggling, the parity on Tour has reached a level we haven't seen in years. Bowditch, Matt Every, John Senden, Kevin Stadler - none of these guys were on anyone's radar entering this season, but thanks to the playing field becoming level, they are now all heading to the Masters with trophies under their arms.
- You can add Matt Kuchar to the list of world class players who couldn't close the deal on Sunday. After Bowditch started giving away shots, I thought the tournament was Kuchar's for the taking, but a dismal back 9 ended those chances. A lot of people like Kuchar entering the Masters, and perhaps this was just a bad round for Kuchar, but right now we are looking at the most wide open Masters in recent history.
- Some point very soon I am going to be writing about Will MacKenzie as a winner once again on Tour. Entering this season, MacKenzie only had 10 top 10's in his career, and so far this season he's already notched 5. He is having a career year, and with parity being what it is on Tour right now, I would suspect MacKenzie will be a champion very soon.
- Can someone please find Zach Johnson's putting game? Since the West Coast Swing, Johnson's putting has become rather dismal, which is incredibly sad when you consider just how well he's striking the ball. If Johnson would have converted several of those birdie putts within 10 feet, he would have easily won this tournament. I really hope he figures it out soon, because he is one of the best players to watch on Tour. Get the putting stroke better, and he could easily contend for another green jacket.
- I hate seeing golfers penalized for slow play, but at some point, you have to do what you can in order to get everyone moving. Andrew Loupe endured several problems on the front 9, including a slow play penalty, and still managed to end tied for forth, which is by far his best finish on Tour. Hopefully this will also encourage him to pick up the pace in future tournament - the fact that the final group took 3 hours to finish the front 9 is just unacceptable.
EDIT: I was misinformed - Loupe did NOT received a slow play penalty on the front nine. He sure should have, though.
- They say it is hard to win on the PGA Tour, but it seems even harder to win on the LPGA Tour these days. There have been six winners of LPGA Tour events, and Karrie Webb and Anna Nordqvist make up four of them. In fact, there have been 0 first time winners this season, and none of the champions have been outside the top 30 in the Rolex Rankings at the time of their victory. While parity rules on the PGA Tour, it is the status quo that rules on the LPGA.
- None of us should be surprised by Nordqvist's recent great play, especially considering what we saw at the Ryder Cup, but I don't think anyone saw this kind of season from her. With Suzann Pettersen struggling, Nordqvist could easily take over the role of the top European on Tour. She's clearly the top European this year, but it is way early, and we have five majors to battle for. Still, Nordqvist has given Europe something Asia surprisingly has not gotten in 2014 - victories.
- I would say Lizette Salas is overdue for a victory, but I need to see more consistency out of her before declaring that. She has game, no doubt about it, but her appearances on the leaderboard are too infrequent. In order to be considered a top player on Tour, you have to be near the top of the leaderboard almost every week. These ladies are not going to give anyone anything - you have to earn every position. Salas will be back up there again, though I hope it's sooner rather than later.
- When Lexi Thompson started her charge on the back 9, I thought she was going to catch Nordqvist and take this tournament. Alas, Nordqvist was just too good and Thompson ran out of holes, but she did remind everyone that she hasn't gone anywhere, and just in time for the first major of the season.
- I think everyone expected Dori Carter to fall back from the lead, but it was a great story while it lasted. It would have been the ultimate underdog story - Carter, fighting back the likes of Cristie Kerr, Inbee Park, and Stacy Lewis. Alas, it was not meant to be. Players who have not won see the top players in the world chasing them, and their nerves get the best of them. They can deny it all they want, but there is no other explanation for it. Too many great players surrounded Carter for her to succeed on the weekend.
- Eun-Hee Ji has put together a wonderful season, especially considering where her game was two years ago. There was a time when I would look at leaderboards just to see if Eun-Hee made the cut. Now, we are seeing her frequently near the top and contending once again. She is truly a comeback story, and it would be wonderful if she found a way to cap that off with a win somewhere this season.
- Speaking of comebacks, Se Ri Pak is having her best season in years, making every cut this season, with three top 25's and her first top 10 this season at the Kia Classic. Pak has really struggled with a shoulder injury the past two season, but it looks like she may have turned a corner and is trying to find her form once again. If she is healthy and she gets her game back, we know what she can do. All she has to do is look to Karrie Webb for an example of what a Hall of Fame player can accomplish in her later years.
- A huge round of applause to Thongchai Jaidee and the rest of Team Asia for battling back and forcing a draw in the inaugural EurAsia Cup. Not only was Team Asia outclassed in terms of overall talent, major champions, and World Golf Ranking points, but they got off to a horrendous start, being down 5-0 after the first session. By all means, Europe should have put their foot down and destroyed this team, but Asia showed a lot of heart and determination, and won the singles session easily in order to force a draw. The cup may be shared, but I think most people will think of this as a victory for the underdog Asian team.
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