Monday, July 28, 2014

Spain Rules The World Of Women's Golf

- The story of the year in golf may be Jarrod Lyle's US comeback. Not only did he beat leukemia and get healthy enough to return to a golf course, but in his first event in the United States since that fight, he finishes T-11. People would have been understanding if he shot two rounds in the 80's and went home on Friday. Lyle had visions of actually winning the golf tournament. No one has a heart bigger than Lyle.

- The International Crown ended up being awesome. Every team in the tournament thought they had a shot to win the tournament each day of the event. The roller coaster nature of the event lead to some fantastic television. While I still don't care for the format of the final day, it's obvious that the LPGA is sitting on a fantastic tournament, and with one or two tweeks, it might be the premier event on the LPGA Tour.

- I like the players on Team Spain, but I can honestly say that I was rooting for an Asian team the entire tournament. The Spanish players already have the Solheim Cup. I would have loved to see a team win it that didn't have the opportunity to play in that event. Still, you can't deny that there is something about team events that gets the Spanish players excited. Carlota Ciganda, Azahara Munoz, and Beatriz Recari all were strong performers for the European team last year, and combined with Belen Mozo they swept singles this year to take home the International Crown. I have a feeling Spain will consistently be a contender in this event, no matter what their seasons are like heading into it.

- It remains a mystery to me why Americans struggle with match play. I know that it isn't as common in this country to play that particular style of golf, but it's also not a hard thing to grasp. With all the talent the Americans have, the fact that they were bounced from the tournament, where they came in loaded with talent and with all the momentum behind them, before the finals is truly an incredibly disappointing result.

- Also disappointed today has to be Korea. If someone told the Koreans that Team USA would be eliminated from the tournament prior to the singles matches, they probably would have felt like they were almost guaranteed the tournament at that point. A combination of bad breaks and shaky play in the group stage all but sunk their chances going into Sunday, and Na Yeon Choi's thrashing at the hands of Carlota Ciganda sealed their fate early. They will get better, and they will be one of the favorites again in 2016, but they have to feel some stinging today.

- Did you know Tim Clark recorded only his second PGA Tour victory yesterday? This fact shocked me. With how good and consistent he was in majors in the mid-2000's, I would have assumed he'd have a few wins under his belt. He did win three times in Europe, but it's surprising to me that he didn't win more often. Of course, injuries and loss of form sent him from being a top, consistent players to being left behind, so it was nice to see Clark win once again. I'm sure being left off the International's President Cup last year gave him a little motivation. The only question mark is, will he be able to win once the anchored putter gets banned?

- Another 54 hole lead, and another runner up finish for Jim Furyk. This one is probably the worst of the bunch, as he had a 3 shot lead early in the final round, only to make one birdie through the entire back nine of an easy golf course. Furyk absolutely should have won this one, and it makes me wonder if it's now in his head. Great player, but unable to cash in when the pressure is on.

- If you thought the majors were boring this year, you should have watched the Senior Open Championship, where Bernhard Langer won by 13 strokes. This tournament was over on Friday. I'm really interested in seeing those ratings.

2 comments:

  1. Team USA can take a little heart in knowing they soundly beat winning team Spain on day 2 and as I have pointed out on TC's blog Spain avoided playing all the top RR players except NYC but would have still won had they lost that one. NYC and Inky as of today would not be in the ROK team.... Congratulations still to Spain.

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  2. That should be either lost to or avoided

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