Sunday, January 25, 2015

Bill Haas Outlasts Field In Birdie Sprint

- If there was any doubt in your mind whether or not Presidents Cup captain Jay Haas would have his son Bill on the team this year, Bill just eased those doubts this week. After firing a second round 63, Haas was able to out duel the rest of the field and make enough birdies to win the Humana Challenge. I think Bill Haas was a lock to be on Team USA this fall - if he wouldn't have automatically selected him, his father would have used a pick on him - but this likely seals the deal for a man who has been incredibly consistent over the last 10 years but has always missed out on playing in the Ryder Cup (he has played on the last two Presidents Cup teams, however.)

- If Matt Kuchar could just convert half of his top 10's into wins, he'd be the number one player in the world. For some reason, Kuchar has one or two holes every tournament that prevents him from winning. Fans of Matt Kuchar are still lucky that they get to see their favorite player performing well every week, but they also have to be rather frustrated that he is unable to win more trophies.

- During the fall series and again at the beginning of this year, I made a crazy claim that rookie Sung Joon Park was going to surprise a lot of people with his talent this year. My prediction isn't looking as crazy anymore as Park's final round 65 gave him a share of second place and his best finish in a PGA Tour event. Park is loaded with talent, as he has shown on the Japan Tour, but is also wildly inconsistent. As is reminded any time a Korean player does well this season, the Presidents Cup will be held in South Korea this year, so perhaps Park has some extra motivation. More likely, however, Park is motivated by the idea of keeping his PGA Tour card and making money.

- Charley Hoffman's last three PGA Tour finishes: 1-T14-T2 for a grand total of $1.5 million, which has boosted him to 3rd in the FedEx Cup race. Not only is this clearly Hoffman's best stretch of his career, but he is in perfect position to make his first appearance in a team event representing the United States. In order to do that, however, he will have to perform better in majors - he has never finished inside the top 10 in one of the big events. If he keeps up this pace, however, he will be sure to break that curse.

- You have to feel good for Steve Wheatcroft. After bouncing around different Tours his entire career, he was able to regain his card this year, only to start the season off struggling. His T2 finish at the Humana will go a long way towards securing his card for a second year, which may lighten him up a bit and allow him to put less pressure on himself. Still, even if he doesn't compete well the rest of the year, if was great to see him towards the top of the leaderboard.

- Justin Thomas is going to be an amazing player. He now has top 10 finishes in three of his last four starts on the PGA Tour. Once Thomas gets a little more experience and gets used to playing in high pressure situations, we are going to see an incredible player.

- Boo Weekley can't decide if he wants to be a contender or if his career is on the downswing. It seems like every other month, a story is written about how Weekley is no longer competing at a high level and that it appears his days of contending are over, only to turn around and have a big week. Humana doesn't seem like Weekley's kind of event, but he was able to notch a top 10, his second of the season. Perhaps Weekley still has more magic left in him.

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