Wednesday Preview - OHL Classic At Mayakoba

The final PGA Tour event of 2014 is upon us as the PGA Tour players get to put their clubs away for a season and await the marathon that is the 2014-2015 PGA Tour season. For those who may have gotten off to a rough start, this represents the last chance for a player to kickstart this season before the Tour resumes in Hawaii in January. We head to Mexico for the OHL Classic At Mayakoba!

Course: El Camaleon Golf Club, 7,000 yards. Short course, so it depends on the weather. If the wind is down, expect somewhere just below twenty under par to be the winning score. Shouldn't be as wet as it was last year, so the ball strikers should be better suited than the long hitters were last year.

Strength Of Field: D-. Perfect opportunity for someone to earn some much needed FedEx points and bank themselves a trip to Augusta. All the majors players either started their off season after the WGC event in China, or they're battling for the Race For Dubai on the European Tour.

Extra Tidbits: This is the first year where the Mayakoba will be awarding full FedEx Cup Points. It played opposite the WGC event in China for several years...This is one of two major Tour events held in Mexico this week. The Lorena Ochoa Invitational will also be taking place on the LPGA Tour this week.

Fantasy Four:

Chris Stroud - Finished T3 last year. He has a great history in this event and is a good ball striker, though his recent results have not been great. Still, expect him to get it back into full gear this week.

Angel Cabrera - Is incredibly frustrating from a fantasy perspective, as he is wildly inconsistent and doesn't notch a lot of top 10's, but can have stretches of great golf. Had two top 25's in the playoffs, and missed the weekend only twice since his third PGA Tour victory last season. Is a fan favorite in Mexico, so could bank off the strong vibe from the crowd.

Carlos Ortiz - Sleeper pick. I am a believer now in Ortiz, who didn't miss a cut in three appearance so far this season. All eyes will be on the rookie as he plays in his native Mexico, so nerves may be a factor. If he is to become a superstar, he could make a case for it this week. 

Will MacKenzie - Finished in a playoff at the McGladrey Classic. Showed signs of jet leg in Malaysia, but his finish at the McGladrey is enough to believe in him. Tour win number three may be around the corner.

Last Weeks Team(s):

WGC-HSBC Champions:

Jamie Donaldson: T24

Sergio Garcia: T28

Hiroshi Iwata: T3

Justin Rose: T48

Sanderson Farms:

Tony Finau: MC

Sung Joon Park: T66

Peter Uihlein: T4

Scott Piercy: MC

Bubba Wins Another Big One In Exciting Fashion

- Bubba Watson isn't just a golfer anymore. He is an entertainer. Whenever Bubba wins, he wins in spectacular fashion, and when he loses, he completely explodes. It provides for great television whenever Bubba is near the lead on a Sunday. It also shows that he should never be counted out. A lot of people (myself included) expected Bubba to have a down year after his poor performance down the stretch and in the Ryder Cup. Instead, he comes out of the gate and wins the first big tournament of the new season. Bubba may get on a lot of people's nerves, but no matter what, when he is in contention, you're going to watch.

- I am happy to see the career revitalization of Tim Clark. Two years ago, the question was asked whether or not we had seen the last of Clark as a contender on the PGA Tour. Not only did he win last season, but he then makes it to the playoff of a World Golf Championship event. Two years ago, Clark was left off the International team for the Ryder Cup, so I know he is going to try desperately hard to make it this time around.

- Can Rickie Fowler buy a win? With all the money he's making from these top 10 finishes, you'd think he'd be able to. Once again, Fowler finds himself coming up incredibly short of a win in a big time golf tournament. At some point, his next victory is going to come, and soon, and when that day comes you should expect a sea of trophies washing up on Fowler's doorstep.

- The golfer who can take the most away from the WGC-HSBC Champions? Hiroshi Iwata. Not only did he play well enough to get into the final group on Sunday, but following a two over par front side, Iwata was able to bounce back and came within a shot of being in the playoff. Iwata was on no one's radar this week (except mine - he was my sleeper pick), so to play against such a stacked field and be able to finish tied for third should give him a ton of confidence moving forward. He will likely be in the field at the Sony Open in Hawaii. If he does well there, who knows - perhaps he could make enough to take up Special Temporary Membership? I would love to see Iwata's fiery temperament on the PGA Tour this season.

- If I am Graeme McDowell, I would have started drinking immediately following the final putt on Sunday. For a player of that caliber to give up that tournament is shocking, but it also shows that no player, no matter how good they are, are a sure thing to win when they have a lead entering the final round.

- Was there a tournament more entertaining down the stretch on the LPGA Tour than the Mizuno Classic this year? Too bad very few in the states actually got to watch it, because it seemed like everyone who tee'd it up this week had a birdie putt in the last to get into a playoff. Sakura Yokomine's may have been the most heartbreaking, as it appeared to be going in. I would have loved to see Yokomine jump to the LPGA Tour, but after years of championing that cause, I believe my words are falling on deaf ears.

- Speaking of heart breaking, how great would it have been to see Dame Laura Davies become the oldest winner in LPGA history by closing the deal on Sunday. It would have capped off a great year where Davies was made a dame and elected into the World Golf Hall Of Fame. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to keep up the pace, but it was great seeing her turn back the clock.

- Mi Hyang Lee's victory was terrific, especially the way she was able to seal the deal, but her win will be relatively forgotten about when it's all said and done. Still, that is not Lee's fault - if anything, this week should give her a lot of confidence moving forward. Not only does she now know how to win on the LPGA Tour, but there aren't a lot of people talking about this victory, which gives Lee something to prove in the final two starts of the season.

- With no big name players in contention on Sunday, you would think Stacy Lewis would have had a field day with this tournament. Instead, she finished T31, a full six shots back, and behind players such as Pernilla Lindberg and Junko Omote. The end of the season can't come soon enough for Lewis, who is not playing nearly as well now as she was in the middle of the season, Lewis needs a time out and a restful off season.

- Prior to the start of the season, many Canadians within the sport of golf, whether they be writers or golfers themselves, were incredibly optimistic about the wave of young Canadian golfers joining the PGA Tour. There now appears to be a reason for that optimism, as Nick Taylor walked out of the Sanderson Farms Championship with Canada's first victory since 2010. With Adam Hadwin showing a lot of promise and Graham DeLaet a season removed from his President's Cup success, I think it's safe to say that Canada is hitting a bright spot on the PGA Tour.

- Peter Uihlein was on everyone's radar a year ago, but after a tough 2014 season on the European Tour, it seemed like everyone gave up on Uihlein. It was rather uplifting to see him have a great weekend at the Sanderson Farms Championship and remind people of the talent that he has. He will be on the PGA Tour soon, and then we will see how his talent blossoms when he is closer to home.

Patrick Reed Uses Gay Slur And Blows Up Twtter

He may be thousands of miles away, but Patrick Reed's recent outburst on the course caught the attention of everyone at home. For those who did not hear or read what Reed had said, check out Stephanie Wei's post on the subject. She also makes some pretty solid points, as she had during the Ted Bishop scandal.

Golf is known as a "gentlemen's game", and has since it's very beginnings. Part of that is based on the fact that the game was run and dominated by older, white, straight men from affluent backgrounds. That perception is starting to change as the game becomes more diversified, but that diversity isn't taking place in as rapid of a fashion as all other major sports. It stands to reason that many within the game are not nearly as adapt to the environment of the world.

Ted Bishop's rant wasn't made by a sexist - it was made by a person who doesn't realize what sexist comments are. This does not excuse Bishop's comments, but rather it shows that the game of golf do not have enough women in the higher up of the governing bodies to inform people that referring to a professional golfer as a female in a derogatory way is a horrible thing for someone trying to grow the game of golf to do. Similarly, I do not know Patrick Reed personally, but I do not think referring to himself as a homosexual in a derogatory way in a time of anger does not make him a homophobe, even if it was a homophobic thing to say.

What has been proven over these incidents, however, is that those who enjoy golf are becoming more diverse, and no longer tolerate the types of things that would have flied ten years ago. The outrage is actually good for the sport, because it makes people within golf learn from these mistakes, and it lets them know that they are not immune to the way the world is changing. PGA golfers already had to watch what they say on a golf course as hundreds of microphones and thousands of camera are within feet of wherever you are standing, and the PGA Tour would fine golfers for using profanity on the course (though, that never stopped Tiger Woods).

As far as what Reed's punishment should be, he should and will definitely be fined for his behavior. He may be suspended, though at this point in the PGA season, what are you really suspending him from? You're going to force him to miss the tournaments in Hawaii in January? That would hurt those tournaments more than it would hurt Reed, honestly. While I hate the kind of slurs that Reed used, I really hope this isn't something that follows him throughout his career. He said something dumb when he was angry. He shouldn't have said it. He'll be punished for it. Let us be honest, though - is Reed really the only person who has used this kind of speech on the golf course? Or is he just the first to get caught? Unless I know for sure that Reed is a homophobic person, I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

What I do not like is the fact that the PGA Tour is going to punish Reed and not tell anyone what the punishment is, because the PGA Tour is incredibly secretive about their punishments for some unknown reason. The only way to get rid of this issue is to be in front of it. The PGA of America quickly canned Ted Bishop following his comments. The fact Reed will have some kind of punishment and it will never be made known means that this thing will hover around the Tour for weeks.

“The PGA Tour Conduct Unbecoming regulations prohibit the use of obscene language on the golf course. The PGA Tour will deal with this matter internally in accordance with its regulations.” - See more at: http://www.weiunderpar.com/post/patrick-reed-berates-himself-using-gay-slur-at-hsbc-champions#sthash.xyMHxkSx.dpuf

“The PGA Tour Conduct Unbecoming regulations prohibit the use of obscene language on the golf course. The PGA Tour will deal with this matter internally in accordance with its regulations.” - See more at: http://www.weiunderpar.com/post/patrick-reed-berates-himself-using-gay-slur-at-hsbc-champions#sthash.xyMHxkSx.dpuf

“The PGA Tour Conduct Unbecoming regulations prohibit the use of obscene language on the golf course. The PGA Tour will deal with this matter internally in accordance with its regulations.” - See more at: http://www.weiunderpar.com/post/patrick-reed-berates-himself-using-gay-slur-at-hsbc-champions#sthash.xyMHxkSx.dpuf

Wednesday Preview - Mizuno Classic

The final event of the Asian swing on the LPGA Tour takes place this week as the players head to Japan for the Mizuno Classic.

Course: Kintestsu Kashikojima Country Club, and I absolutely had to use copy and paste for that. Can measure around 6,500 yards. Another birdie or bust course, so expect scores to be very good.

Strength Of Field: D-. This is essentially a really good JLPGA event. Almost all your big name Korean stars are taking the week off, Stacy Lewis is the only American, and several European stand outs are missing. The JLPGA tie-in does provide some interesting names, however.

Extra Tidbits: This is one of the few remaining 54 hole events left on the LPGA schedule, and the last on the Asian swing...This event is the oldest of those on the Asian swing, having been played every year since 1973. Prior to being played at Kashikojima, the event was held at the Seta Golf Course, where Annika Sorenstam would dominate fields five years in a row and break scoring records in the process...This is the truest of the co-sanctioned events, as 35 players from the JLPGA will tee it up this week. A JLPGA player has won this event three times since moving to Kashikojima, including last year...Unfortunately, this event seems immune to the rise in popularity of the LPGA Tour. The purse was reduced by $200,000 in 2010, and hasn't risen since.

Fantasy Four:

Stacy Lewis - With Inbee Park taking the week off, Lewis has the opportunity to slam the door on the Player Of The Year race. Only player in the top 5 on the Rolex Rankings playing this week. Former winner. Everything points to Lewis having a big week.

Teresa Lu - Last year, her victory was a huge surprise, as she had no success on either the LPGA or JLPGA Tours. She has won twice on the JLPGA Tour this season, including a major, so she is entering with added confidence. Currently 38th in the Rolex Rankings.

Na Yeon Choi - Quietly notched six top 10's this season. Hasn't has the best Asian swing, but enters the Mizuno Classic as one of the top ranked players in the field. Should be able to contend here.

Sun-Ju Ahn - Has won five times on the JLPGA Tour, including two weeks in a row back in October. Finished tied for ninth in the Women's British Open. Big hitter should be able to take advantage of a course that won't be too penalizing for wayward shots. Won a major on the JLPGA Tour two years ago by beating Inbee Park in a playoff.

(SLEEPER) Momoko Ueda - Returned to the JLPGA after a less than stellar outing on the LPGA Tour. Win last week should mean a return to confidence for the two time winner of this event. She, along with Jiyai Shin, should be able to show their former LPGA comrades what they learned from their time away. 

Wednesday Preview - WGC-HSBC Champions

Yes! After a slow start to the 2014-2015 PGA Tour season, we finally get a star studded tournament worth getting excited for. The fact that the tournament is held in China shows how that country is emerging as a golfing power.

Course: Sheshan International GC, an incredibly scenic 7,300 yard layout. You are unlikely to find a better golf course throughout Asia. It is not terribly difficult, however, so expect the winning score to be in the high teens, perhaps low 20's under par.

Strength Of Field: A-. 40 of the world's top 50 are in this event. It is missing Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods, and Phil Mickelson, but everyone else is here. Perhaps this won't get casual fans on board, but if you are a golf fan (and you're reading a golf blog, so it's reasonable to assume you are), you should be excited about this field.

Extra Tidbits: While this is one of the early events in the PGA Tour season, it is incredibly important for the European Tour pros, as it is the second of four tournaments in the Race To Dubai year end playoffs. It stands to reason that the European Tour pros will have extra motivation this week...The WGC-HSBC Championship is the second highest-ranked golf tournament in terms of world ranking points outside the United States. The Open Championship is first...The winner of this events earned a three year exemption onto the PGA Tour, so non-members will also have that as a motivating factor...Six golfers from China will be in the event, including Lian-Wei Zhang, the first Chinese pro to play at the Masters. Also playing is Hao Tong Li, who is currently second on the Chinese PGA Tour Order Of Merit, so we'll probably be seeing him on the Web.com Tour next year.

Fantasy Four:

NOTE: Before I get into this, I should tell everyone that I originally had Victor Dubuisson as one of my picks, but I was talked out of him. If Dubuisson goes on to win this tournament, I will kick myself right in the jeans.

Jamie Donaldson - Currently second on the European Tour Order Of Merit. Fell a few inches short of the playoff last week at the BMW Masters. Only finish outside the top 10 in his last 5 starts was the World Match Play. Had the winning point for the Europeans at the Ryder Cup. Everything is coming up roses for Donaldson right now. 

Sergio Garcia - His T2 finish in Malaysia proves he can play just about anywhere. His finish last week is his sixth top 10 in nine events, including an astonishing four runner up finishes. Has won somewhere in the world each of the last four years. 

Hiroshi Iwata - Sleeper pick. This is the deepest of sleeper picks, especially in this field, but his recent results warrant a look. Seven top 10's compared to three missed cuts on the Japan Tour this season, including a win. Third on the Japan Tour Order Of Merit. One of his top 10s was at The Crowns, a premier event on the Japan Tour. In these events, there is always a player that rises on the final day and few have heard of, and Iwata fits that mold.

Justin Rose - Finished tied with Donaldson outside that playoff in China. Also finished T4 at the Tour Championship. A brilliant Ryder Cup, where he went 3-0-2, rounds out a great three tournament stretch for the Englishman. Has become a top 10 machine. 

Also taking place this week is the Sanderson Farms Championship. Since it is an alternate field event, I will not be doing a complete breakdown of the event, but I will give my four picks.

Tony Finau - Best rookie in the early going of the season. Opposite field events are great for rookies.

Sung Joon Park - Winner on the Japan Tour made the cut in his only event this season.

Peter Uilhlein - Plays all over the world. Had a down season last year, but seems to be turning it around

Scott Piercy - Has played well in the early going of the season. Appears due to cash in.

Last Week's Team:

Ryo Ishikawa: T26

Hideki Matsuyama: T21

Lee Westwood: T13

Sergio Garcia: T2

News Grab-Bag: 11/4/2014

It's the incredibly rare Tuesday grab-bag, but so much happened yesterday that the iron should be struck while it's hot.

- Dustin Johnson has filed a lawsuit against former advisers, claiming that they embezzled $3 million from him. All of the details are sketchy and involve a lot of legal jargon. You can read it all here. Dustin Johnson has had the absolute worst year ever. First, he takes a leave of absence/is suspended for cocaine use, then he had to battle against previous accusations that he slept with the wives of PGA pros, and now he's being taken for his money and is in the middle of a lawsuit. DJ is engaged to Paulina Gretzky and has a child on the way, so I'm sure he would love nothing more than to turn the page on 2014 and start fresh.

- Adam Scott is doing something rather different to find his next caddie - he's accepting application. Scott said he received hundreds of applications for the position, and he is going to try out a few before making the move to a full time caddie. Unless there is one that really impressed Scott, expect a carousel of caddies for the 2014-2015 season.

- There is a huge election taking place within the PGA of America for secretary, which is the fast track to the presidency. Suzy Whaley is the favorite and is on track to become the first female PGA President, but now she has hit a bit of a road block. Independent director of the PGA and ESPN commentator Dottie Pepper threw her support behind Whaley's opponent Russ Libby. While Pepper's statement cites Libby's leadership and credentials, it's hard not to see this as a swipe at Whaley, who seems just as qualified as anyone to lead this organization. Pepper has always been a free thinker and someone who didn't necessarily conform to the norm, so Whaley should never have counted on Pepper's endorsement as an automatic. Still, it is hard to see Whaley not get the job because of this.

- The leading money winner on PGA Tour China, Xin-Jun Zhang, has been suspended six months for signing incorrect scorecards. That is cards, plural. There are very few details about this story right now, so everything is speculative. What I will say is that, while I always thought being disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard was nuts, if this is something that was persistent throughout the year, then it was more than just a slight mistake. The fact that this is coming from the leading money winner of that tour is an even bigger red flag. The top five on PGA Tour China's Order Of Merit will receive Web.com Tour cards, so Zhang was well on his way to a trip to the US, but that seems to be completely off the table now.

- If the players had a vote, Fred Couples would be the next Ryder Cup captain. Earlier on a radio show, Keegan Bradley begged Fred Couples to take the job. Couples responded, saying that every member of the 2014 Ryder Cup has asked him to be the next captain. Couples has already said he would take the job if asked. The only people that need to be convinced now are the PGA of America and that newly formed, completely unnecessary task force.

- South Korean president Park Geun-hye has accepted the role of honorary chairperson for the 2015 Presidents Cup. The United States presidents have had a history of accepting this role when the event is held in the US, but this is news as Park will be the first Asian head of state serving in this capacity. She is also the second woman to serve as honorary chairperson, after Julia Gillard of Australia did so in 2011. The honorary chairperson actually has no real duties - this is just a symbolic position.

Inbee Holds Of Stacy In In A Battle Of The Best

- After jumping out to a monster lead, Inbee Park held on to win the Fubon LPGA Championship the same week she took over the top spot in the Rolex Rankings. Heading into Sunday, I was wondering if Inbee was going to break the LPGA scoring record, but the conditions became more difficult and was not nearly as comfortable as she was the rest of the week. Still, Inbee showed that she can close the door when she needs to, and now she has her third victory on the season and has suddenly made the Player of the Year race a lot more interesting.

- The golf writers wanted a rivalry, and now we have one. When Stacy Lewis got within one of Inbee on Sunday, a part of me thought Lewis was going to leap past Inbee and take this tournament from her. This was incredibly entertaining to watch, and the LPGA is better when these two are competing against each other on a week to week basis. Is this the greatest LPGA rivalry in recent memory? It's certainly the best we've seen since Annika Sorenstam and Se Ri Pak of the late 90's and early 2000's.

- It wasn't just the top two in the Rolex Rankings that performed well in Taiwan. Lydia Ko had the round of the day Sunday, shooting a 66 in the worst conditions of the week to vault her up the leaderboard and finish third. That means the top three players in the Rolex Rankings finishes 1-2-3 on the leaderboard. I can not remember another time when the top three players in the Rolex Rankings finished on the leaderboard in the same order they were placed in the Rankings.

- There is something about Malaysia that agrees with Ryan Moore. After struggling down the stretch last year and missing the cut in his first event this season, Moore returned to Malaysia and put on an absolute clinic, defending the title by three shots after hitting some absolutely beautiful shots. Moore has always been the kind of player that can pull out victories the moment you forget about him, but next time the Tour returns to Malaysia, I'm sure he will be on everyone's short list of contenders.

- I hope Kevin Na remains healthy, because if he does, he will start winning a bunch of tournaments. He has the talent to be one of the best players on Tour, but his physical issues have held him back in recent years.

- Davis Love III said recently that he was rededicating himself to playing golf in an effort to get back into the field at the Masters and the Players. Love is 50 years old and two years removed from major neck surgery, but he has no interest in limping around the Champions Tour for a few years. He wants to win on the PGA Tour again, and you can see how this new dedication has lead to improvements in his game. After making the cut at the McGladrey Classic, he flew around to world to Malaysia and notched a top 10. Love will be a story to watch all season.

- After finishing T5 in Malaysia, Sang-Moon Bae has retaken the number one spot in the FedEx Cup. Is he this year's Jimmy Walker? He is certainly better than he was last season, but we will need to see how he performs in China and in Hawaii in January to really know what his season projections should be.

- Three Asian tour players finished in the top 10, granting them a spot in a PGA Tour event (I believe they are pushing it back to the Mayakoba due to travel, but I am not sure.) Congratulations to Cameron Smith, Prom Meesawat, and Angelo Que for making the most out of their invitation into this event. Smith was by far the most consistent and he finished bogey free on Sunday in his first PGA Tour event.