Monday, July 7, 2014

El Pato Stands Mighty On Sunday

- I could have sworn that Angel Cabrera's career highlights were over. I would have bet that, in the end, we would be talking about how Cabrera performed in the big events, but could never be a consistently great player outside of the majors. Cabrera put that all to rest Sunday, as two great weekend rounds gave him his first non-major victory and first victory since the 2009 Masters. I don't know if Angel turned a page and is ready to have a career revival, or if this was just a one great week by the Duck, but what I do know is that Angel is one of the most interesting men in golf, and it's great to see him hold a trophy.

- Right now, George McNeill is thinking about far more than golf. Our thoughts go to him and his family as he mourns the loss of his sister, who was diagnosed with cancer four years ago. He will play in the Open Championship in two weeks after qualifying at the Greenbrier, but I'm sure that is far from McNeill's mind right now.

- Somehow, Billy Hurley III held on to qualify for the Open Championship despite his terrible, no good, very bad Sunday. Hurley looked like he was heading for his first victory on Tour, but a final round 73 on a course where others were raining in birdies sent him plummeting down the leaderboard. He was able to hold on for a top 10, which gave him a spot in the Open Championship. Others qualifying were McNeill, Bud Cauley, and Cameron Tringale.

- Tom Watson is timeless. After shooting one over par in the first round, the 64 year old shot three rounds in the 60's to finish T35. Watson says he could possibly contend at the Open Championship in two weeks, and after this performance, I have learned to never doubt him.

- Ryo Ishikawa shot a final round 67 to win on the Japan Tour, his first win in two years. A lot of people have given up on Ryo, especially with countryman Hideki Matsuyama playing well. I think we're just now starting to see Ishikawa's potential, and he will be a champion on Tour sooner rather than later.

- I wasn't able to watch the French Open, so I have no idea how conditions truly were on Sunday, but seeing the scores, Graeme McDowell's final round 67 looks like one of the rounds of the year. Sure, Kevin Stadler helped him win the title, but the real focus is on McDowell's brilliant final round, which may have secured his position on the European Ryder Cup team.

- Three more players punched tickets to the Open Championship via the French Open. Two of them (Robert Karlsson and Michael Hoey) have strong, championship resumes under their belts. Karlsson was actually one of the best players in the world until injuries and a loss of form hampered him. The third is a complete unknown with no major championship experience. If you were Victor Riu on Thursday, do you even consider the chance that you might be going to the Open Championship? He had a rough day on Sunday, but he still did enough to sneak into the Open Championship field. Not a bad day for the 416th player in the world.

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