News Grab-Bag: 9/26/2014

Before I get into news, I need everyone's help. This year, I am taking part in an event called Extra Life, which is a 24 hour gaming marathon to benefit the Children's Miracle Network. Any and all donations would be greatly appreciated. For The Kids!

- Best wishes go out to Carlota Ciganda, who lost her coach a couple months ago prior to the start of the LPGA Championship. Her coach, Rogelio Echeverria, was like a second father to her and introduced Carlota to the game 20 years ago. LPGA.com has a great write-up about the change in Carlota's perspective following her coaches death.

- The European team is currently leading in the Ryder Cup after they almost swept the Americans in the afternoon session on Friday, but that hasn't stopped the controversy from swirling. During the broadcast, Hall of Famer and 2008 European captain Sir Nick Faldo referred to Sergio Garcia as "useless" and having a "bad attitude" when Sergio was playing for Faldo's 2008 squad. Garcia, who was ranked 5th in the world at the time, went 0-2-2 while the US was on track for their only victory this century. Garcia's team mate both in 2008 and this week, Graeme McDowell, responded by saying that Garcia was only useless in 2008 because Faldo refused to play him Saturday morning. The rest of Garcia's current team mates had Garcia's back during the press conference, and dismissed Faldo's comments.

- Entering the Asian swing on the LPGA Tour, six players all have a chance to win the Player Of The Year Award, though three look like real contenders. Stacy Lewis is in the lead with 200 points, followed by Inbee Park at 169, Michelle Wie (whose health is a serious question mark at this time) at 151, and Lydia Ko at 128. If Wie only played a limited schedule coming down the stretch, that leaves only Park and Ko to really challenge Lewis, and one of those two players will have to win at least one more tournament to have a shot. Still, Lewis' lead is not insurmountable, which makes these Asian events crucial.

- LPGA.com has a great article on the rise of South Korean golfers in 2014 after a sluggish start. It's certainly worth a read as the LPGA takes time off.

- Congratulations to former European Tour golfer Mark Brown who shot a 59 on the New Zealand Tour this week. Brown won the Johnnie Walker Classic in 2008 for his only European Tour victory, which came just a week after his first Asian Tour victory at the SAIL Open Golf Championship in India. He also played in the HSBC Champions event in China last year.

Previewing The 2014 Ryder Cup

As you will hear constantly throughout the course of this week, golf is an individual sport. You are alone on the course, and you are the only person who can effect the outcome of an event (barring the weather, course conditions, incompetent caddy, crowd screaming through your back swing, etc.) It is because of this individual nature that the Ryder Cup is held in such regard. It is one of the only times in professional golf where your performance effects other people around you.

For a lot of people, the Ryder Cup is the most prestigious event on the calender. I wouldn't go so far as agreeing with these people, but it is the most exciting, as it is the only event where the crowd gets to root for a particular team and could actually effect the outcome. For a long time, the Ryder Cup was hotly contested, especially throughout the 80's and 90's, when players like Watson, Crenshaw, Floyd, Irwin, Stewart and Couples would face players like Seve, Faldo, Woosnam, Monty, Langer and Lyle. These would be hotly contested, back and forth contested that were heated, sometimes nasty, and would sway by a single point depending on which team had the home course advantage.

Since the start of the new millennium, however, the United States has only won one Ryder Cup, in 2008. In fact, there have been more Cups won by the Europeans by more than three points (3) than there have been matches where the Europeans won by less than three points (2). That being said, the last two Ryder Cup matches have been one point contests, so the gap has been closing since those days in the mid-2000's where these would be huge blowouts. 

So, what should we expect this week? It is still the Ryder Cup, so anything could happen, but given what I have seen over the past year, here are a couple of predictions I have for the matches:

5) Sergio Garcia and Rickie Fowler will be their respective team's MVPs:

- Everyone is expecting Rory McIlroy to bull rush this competition and go 5-0, defeating every opponent without seeing the 18th green. Those people don't pay much attention to the Ryder Cup, where the top players in the world rarely dominate the event. Rory will get everyone's attention, and whoever plays him will be trying their hardest to take down the top player in the world. I expect Rory to go something like 1-1-2. Not bad, but not spectacular. Look at someone like Sergio, who has a lot of experience in these events and who revels in the Ryder Cup atmosphere to break out for Team Europe. For Team USA, it's easy to see Rickie, who has been playing well and who gets to excel in a rock star environment, to be the anchor for this team. 

4) Jamie Donaldson and Patrick Reed will be hidden:

- Because there are only four matches in each team session, and there are 12 players per team, it is very possible for certain players to play only once during the team portion of the event, as was the case with Martin Kaymer in 2012. Because of Donaldson's inexperience on the big stages and Reed's polarizing personality, I expect these two players to perhaps only play once during the team portion of the event, meaning all their Ryder Cup glory will have to wait until Sunday.

3) Team USA will go as Phil Mickelson goes:

- Lefty will be, without a doubt, the leader of Team USA, and his performance in the early matches will dictate whether or not the Americans have a shot going into Sunday. If Phil wins in an early match on Friday, that should pump up Team USA and give them some motivation for the rest of the week. If Phil plays poorly and isn't able to make anything happen in his early matches, it could be over relatively quickly.

2) The outcome will not be indicative of the coaching:

- Of course, when one of these teams lose a Ryder Cup, the first person that is blamed is usually the coach, either for his terrible captain's picks or for his strategy. In this case, however, I do not believe coaching will mean anything for either side. Europeans have the talent, Americans have the motivation, and both of these factors will mean more than the captain. Both Team USA and Team Europe made a great choice in selecting Tom Watson and Paul McGinley, respectively. 

1) Europe wins by at least two points:

- I know I'm supposed to put on my Uncle Sam hat and root hard for Team USA. Hey, I would love nothing more than to see the Americans pull off this victory, and not just because I'm an American. For the good of the game and for the strength of the Ryder Cup, there should be parity, and right now, there isn't any. Coming down the stretch Sunday morning, I will be pulling hard for every American that steps on the course to try and bring the Ryder Cup home...but all that rooting won't stop the inevitable. Europe is top to bottom the far better team, and having the advantage of being in Scotland isn't even fair. If Team USA can keep this within two points, it will be a moral victory. There is a possibility that this represents the Ryder Cup matches of the mid-2000s, and Team Europe could completely steam roll the Americans.

Hey, strange things happen in these matches, though, so none of this should be taken in stone. All we know is that there are 24 guys who are experiencing massive pressure right now, and the guys who can focus that energy the best will be the ones who thrive. 

MJ Hur Cashes In

- Mi Jung Hur had a terrible 2013, and was on her way to another terrible year when she posted her first top 10 of the season in Portland. That opened the flood gates, as she posted her best finish ever in a major at the Evian and now she walks away with her second career victory in Prattville. Hur didn't just pick up the trophy, either. She went out and won it, shooting a final round 66 with the top player in the world chasing her. A clutch performance from someone who has seen the highs and lows of golf.

- Stacy Lewis has won three times this season. She has also finished runner-up a pronominal five times. Lewis needed a big week before heading to Asia, and she got it. The next six weeks is going to be a sprint to the finish between Lewis and Inbee Park, who is hot on her heels for both Player Of The Year and Rolex Number One.

- I'm sure Yokohama Tires would have loved to see the top players in the world compete in their event, but as a fan of the LPGA, it was great to see some of the players who don't get the opportunity to contend on a weekly basis towards the top of the leaderboard on Sunday. Paula Reto? Kris Tamulis? Cydney Clanton? These three had a combined five CAREER top 10's, and yet there they are on Sunday chasing a title. It was great to see.

- If you blinked, you probably missed Moriya Jutanugarn notching her second straight top 10. The reigning Rookie Of The Year has struggled this season, but was able to find something at the Evian Championship to finish T10, and was incredibly consistent this week on her way to a T5 finish (along with Jodi Ewart Shadoff, another name I haven't heard in a little while.) Moriya struggled on the Asian swing last year, so I'm sure she's going to have extra motivation coming down the stretch.

- The Web.com Tour Finals ended this week, and 50 PGA Tour cards were handed out. You can find the list of players here. I will do a full breakdown of these players in a blog post later this week.

- The Symetra Tour also wrapped this week as the LPGA handed our 10 cards to their graduates. These graduates can be found here. What is interesting is that there is a mix of rookies as well as past LPGA players, but none of them are older than 27. The one that will attract the most media attention will be Sadena Parks, who was the first African-American to win twice on the Symetra Tour. My eyes, however, will be on 18 year old Cindy Feng, who will be a rookie next year despite playing in five LPGA events this season. Feng tied for 13th at the US Women's Open and made the cut last week at the Yokohama Tires Classic.

Recommended Reading: Fairways And Forehands

Back in March, I made a post begging PyeongChang to let Se Ri Pak be part of the opening ceremonies for the 2018 Winter Olympics.

Friday, the opening ceremonies for the 2014 Asian Games took place in Icheon, South Korea, and not only was Se Ri Pak part of the ceremony, but so was Inbee Park. For a full write up of the event, check out BangkokBobby and his blog, "Fairways And Forehands". The full write up of the event can be found here.

News Grab-Bag: 9/19/2014

- The R&A voted this week to allow female members at St. Andrews Golf Club, putting an end to the historic venue's "male's only" policy. I understand that clubs should have the right to allow whomever they choose, but they were on the wrong side of history for a long time. It's about time we got some ladies playing at the home of golf.

- The awards for Rory McIlroy have already started pouring in, as he has won the PGA Player Of The Year and Vardon Trophy. The PGA Tour has yet to vote for their POY, but I doubt it will be any different than the PGA's decision.

- Legendary caddy Stevie Williams has parted ways with Adam Scott...wait, I meant for that to be in reverse. The decision seems to be based on Stevie's desire for a part time schedule next season. Scott didn't play that often this year, and it appears as if he is going to add some tournaments next season, so he is going to go with a caddy he can have with him for every tournament. This may mean that Stevie is going to head into retirement.

- The ridiculous notion that Davis Love III might become Tiger Woods' next golf coach got shot down this week, as Love stated he has no interest in doing so. Tiger, in a recent statement, hinted that he may go without a coach, and that he will build a new swing on his own. Might be for the best, as only Tiger knows how to handle Tiger's body.

- Lexi Thompson did a photo shoot for GolfPunk Magazine. You can find the photos and the interview on their web site...just don't be creepy about it. Yes, Lexi is in a bikini. Yes, she looks stunning. Several men in the golf news industry have no idea how to handle that information, it seems. (Looking at you, Golf Channel).

- Golf.com has a really interesting article on Anthony Kim, who seems to have disappeared from the face of the earth. Apparently, if Kim decides to hang up the clubs due to injury, he is set to make $10 million. What was a sad story has now just gotten weird.

2013-2014 PGA Tour Year End Awards

Looking back on the review I wrote up on Monday, I realize I didn't put nearly as much into the Tour Championship as the rest of the golf writers. It's not that I wasn't interested in the Tour Championship - I absolutely was, until Sunday, when it looked obvious that Horschel was walking away with it. The problem was two fold - one, the tournament fell the same week as the Evian Championship, which was captivating and saw the birth of a superstar, and two, it came at the end of what seemed like a never ending playoffs where the same players seemed to contend each week. Horschel, McIlroy, Kirk, Furyk...it seemed like I was watching the same tournament three weeks in a row. I understand that a lot was on the line, but there's only so much I could take before I got burnt out.

Either way, the season is now over, and the finalists for the various awards have been announced. I am not the kind of person that stays within the confines of predetermined nominees, so I am here to give you the TRUE winners of various awards. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you:

The First Annual PGA Tour LLLLet's Win Awards!

My PGA Tour Year End Awards

Player Of The Year: Rory McIlroy 

- This is a no brainer. If a player won four tournaments this season, I would have considered them, but not only did Rory win the most tournaments this season, but he also won two majors. He also happened to be the most consistent player this year, notching 12 top 10 finishes in 17 events. 

Rookie Of The Year: Brooks Koepka

- Secured his 2015 Tour card based on his finishes this season, which included a T4 finish at the US Open, while playing both in the US and in Europe. A few writers actually advocated for Koepka to be picked for the Ryder Cup. I don't know if I agree with that sentiment, but with the lack of any real break out performer among this year's rookie class, Koepka was the most note worthy, so they should just give it to him.

Comeback Player Of The Year: J.B. Holmes

- A lot of players have back and knee surgeries that they never recover from. Holmes had BRAIN surgery. That's surgery...of the BRAIN! And he comes back to win the Wells Fargo Championship and make it all the way to the BMW Championship in the FedEx Cup playoffs. Martin Kaymer may have won a major and the Players after struggling, but that was someone who was on the Ryder Cup team two years ago, and had no notable injuries to think of. Holmes' career could have been over, and yet he comes back to win again.

Biggest Disappointment: Phil Mickelson

- I know Tiger Woods had a lost season, but he was injured. Lefty won a major last year. This was supposed to be the year he completes the Grand Slam, and yet he only notches one top 10 the entire year. We went from wondering if Phil could win 60 tournaments to wondering if he'll ever win again. Do I think Phil is completely done being a top player on Tour? No. But, as Rory pointed out, he is on his last few holes, so he will need a big year next year. 

Tournament Of The Year (Non-Major): Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial

- Adam Scott, fresh off of taking over as world number one, takes on PGA Champion Jason Dufner with a host of other players within a few shots all looking to be a part of the playoff. Historic course with some great golfers. A lot of great tournaments happened this year, but this one really sticks in my mind. 

PGA Tour Specific Post Of The Year: This One

Wednesday Preview - Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic

The majors are over and the LPGA now prepares for their final domestic full field event of the season as the LPGA returns to Prattville, Alabama after a year hiatus. Any player looking to play in the limited field events for the rest of the season will need to perform well enough here to make their way up the money list and secure some exemptions.

Course: Capitol Hill Golf Club. It's a wide open course that is far easier than what the players saw at the Evian, so expect a bunch of birdies. Several players, including Lexi Thompson and Stacy Lewis, have already commented on the course conditions, saying that they didn't want to grind for pars, and that this "should be a lot of fun". Expect winning score to be somewhere around -20.

Strength Of Field: D-. A strong majority of players didn't want to fly from France to Arkansas to play in this event. Most of the Asian players returned home to prepare for the Asian swing in a few weeks, while your top European and American pros stayed in Europe. Stacy Lewis and Lexi Thompson are the only real notable names in the field.

Extra Tidbits: Five former University of Alabama players and two former University of Auburn players are in the field this week. Northern Ireland's Stephanie Meadow attended the University of Alabama, and received a sponsor's exemption into this week's event. She finished third at the US Women's Open, and is looking to win enough money to stay inside the top 40 and earn an automatic 2015 LPGA card...Meadow and former Auburn player Karlin Beck are the two sponsor exemptions this week. Hannah Collier and Carmen Bandea are the Monday qualifiers.

Fantasy Four:

Mi Jung Hur - I am, perhaps, looking much more into her back to back top 10 finishes, which includes a third place finish at the Evian Championship. After all, she has had a horrible 2014 leading up to these tournaments, and this recent form seems to come out of nowhere. Weird things happen in events where the field strength may not be great, however. If Hur truly has returned to form, this could be a perfect spot for her to pick up her first victory since 2009. 

Lexi Thompson - Past winner in Prattville, and while she hasn't been incredibly impressive since her victory at the Kraft-Nabisco, she likes it in Arkansas and is competing at a course that is perfect for her strengths. She is also coming off a top 10 in France, so it's not like she's playing poorly. 

Stacy Lewis - Officially struggling. Gets the benefit of the doubt because she is the most recent champion in Prattville and is the top ranked player in the world, but her form is a far cry from where it was earlier in the season. She needs a huge performance here, because Inbee Park will be looking to overtake her when the Tour heads to Asia.

Brittany Lincicome - Three straight top 10 finishes, two of which were in majors. You can take these finishes two different ways - either she gets herself in a position to win and does not convert, or she's playing far better now than she was earlier in the season and is racking up top 10's with consistency. I choose the latter, and as is the case with Thompson, this is the kind of course that can be rewarding for Lincicome. 

(SLEEPER) Ai Miyazato - Former world number one has fallen all the way to 74th in the Rolex Rankings and hasn't notched a single top 10 all season, so I have no basis for this other than my own belief that Miyazato will take advantage of the weak field and get something going before the Asian swing. Miyazato will either start turning it around soon, or we'll never hear from her again. Her game is too good for her to completely disappear, so I believe she will turn it around.