Farmers Insurance Open - preview

Farmers Insurance Open
Torrey Pines GC, California

Thursday Jan 26th - Sunday Jan 29th, 2017

by Michael Barwise

Photo: RotoGrinders

The Course

Torrey Pines has two famous golf courses, North and South. The Farmers Insurance Open tournament is unique in that it requires the competitors to play both courses for one of the first two rounds, and the South Course for the final two rounds. The South Course played host to the 2008 US Open, which saw Tiger Woods beat Rocco Mediate in an epic playoff. 

The Field

This year's Farmers Insurance Open field is one of the strongest to date with seven of the world's top 25 including world number 1 Jason Day and US Open champion Dustin Johnson who will be both playing with Tiger in what looks a very tasty group. Also in the field is San Diego native Phil Mickelson. He's back for his 21st appearance, hoping his hometown course might allow him to end a dry spell dating back to the 2013 Open Championship.

Last Year
Brandt Snedeker came out on top last year but a heavy storm meant he had to wait until Monday to lift the trophy. Snedeker posted a closing round of 69 on the Sunday but the when play resumed the next day he was one shot off the lead. However the strong winds proved to be too much for the leader KJ Choi, and after a birdie miss at the 18th - Snedeker was crowned victorious.

Photo: CNN International

Spotlight

All eyes will be on Tiger Woods this weekend as he returns for his first PGA TOUR start in 19 months. The 14 time major champion is currently ranked a lowly 321st in the world, but a decent showing at the Hero World Challenge last month showed glimpses of Tiger from years gone by. 

Prediction

No player has won three PGA Tour events on he bounce since Rory McIlroy back in 2014, but I can see Justin Thomas reaching that feat at the Farmers. But there's a good reason why he's finished in the Top 10 in 4 of the 5 events he's played in so far this season. All aspects of his game, from tee to green, have been consistently excellent.

Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship - Preview

Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship

Abu Dhabi GC, United Arab Emirates

Thursday Jan 19th - Sunday Jan 22nd, 2017

by David Barwise

As the PGA settles into the new season, we jet off to the European Tour for one of the biggest events of the year – the vastly lucrative Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

Photo: thanational.ae

The Course

A fairly standard, 7600 yard par-72. The as-you-see-me greens mean the focus this week will be driving the ball well and bagging GIRs instead – case and point see Martin Kaymer and Rory McIlroy’s records here. And being Abu Dhabi, of course, there’ll be no escaping the sand this week.

The Field

Going into its twelve year, the event is now one of the biggest and most glamorous of the season. This week, Abu Dhabi is playing host to:

-       -   79 European Tour winners

-       -   23 Ryder Cup players

-       -   7 Major winners

-       -   6 Abu Dhabi champs

-       -   2 former World Number Ones

With Martin Kaymer the only golfer to fit into all of those categories. Reigning Major champions Danny Willett, Dustin Johnson and Henrik Stenson will all be in attendance along with Rickie Fowler (defending champion), Thomas Pieters (runner up), and the European Ryder Cup captain Thomas Bjørn.

 The most notable absentee is Rory McIlroy who is expect to take over a month out with a stress fracture to his rib.

Last Year

Fowler started the Sunday with a clear lead, but charges from Henrik Stenson, Rory McIlroy and Thomas Pieters as the American double bogeyed on 7 kept things close. In the end, the man in orange held his nerve and hit one of the bunker shots of the season to get back on top, ultimately winning by a single stroke.

Photo: muzul.com

Spotlight

The European Tour Golfer of the Year and PGA Tour Player of the Year square off for the first time this season. As two of the greatest tee-to-green players in the game, Stenson and Johnson will both be expecting to lift the Falcon Trophy on Sunday and stamp their authority on the new year.

Fowler, despite winning here last season, went on to have the most disappointing 2016 of all the sport’s big names. He currently finds himself ranked 14^th in the world and will be desperate to kick start his year somewhere he knows he can win.

Prediction

Like I’ve already said, I expect to see Stenson and DJ on the leaderboard at close of play as it’s a course that suits both of these high-flying superstars. But the Swede has to be my shout after his great play here last season and his precise play from the tee. Simply put - if his putter gets hot, Henrik Stenson will win.

SBS Tournament of Champions - Preview

SBS Tournament of Champions

Plantation Course at Kapalua, Hawaii

Thursday Jan 5th - Sunday Jan 8th, 2016

by David Barwise

photo: pgatour.com

We’re back!! And so is one of our favourite events – the big ol’ fancy pants winners-only  Tournament of Champions.

The Course

Wide fairways, short rough, as-you-find-them greens. It would be easy to slate Kapalua for offering a course lacking in fight (ranked easiest on the PGA Tour). But when you remember the event is essentially just a showcase for the best and brightest players from the past 12 months, you see the value in the PGA making them look good. Also just look at the place, it’s one of the most stunning venues on tour.

The Field

The ToC supposedly boasts the highest-flying PGA field of the season, as it is only open to winners from 2016. At the time of writing, the 32-man field holds six of the world top 10. US Open and PGA Championship title holders, Dustin Johnson and Jimmy Walker, will be descending on Hawaii along with world number one Jason Day and defending champ Jordan Spieth.

Typical of the event, there have been dropouts. There will be no appearances from Olympic champion Justin Rose, FedExCup holder Rory McIlroy and Open Champion Henrik Stenson.

photo: jordanspieth.com

Last Year

The Jordan Spieth show. This wasn’t the Texan at his very best, but rather 72 holes without fault. Almost every approach stuck, and his trademark putting didn’t disappoint. An extraordinary 30-under saw him outclass the field, beating Patrick Reed by eight strokes.

James Hahn, who has qualified again for this year’s tournament, finished joint last in 2016.

Spotlight

The outcome of who wins and who doesn’t isn’t really the story this week. The question is... if someone wins will they win BIG? Spieth’s mind-boggling score last year only fell short of Ernie Els’ record (in the same event) by a single stroke. There is enough class in the field to set another tasty score, but how low can they go?

Prediction

For most people the favourite will naturally be Jordan Spieth. He’s got a brilliant record at Kapalua in the past and you can never discount a reigning champ.

But for me, it’s impossible to look past Hideki Matsuyama. If we look at his recent form, he’s unbeatable. In his last event of the year, he beat Henrik Stenson (who is in the form of his life) by two strokes to claim the Hero World Challenge. Add on to that his five worldwide victories in 2016, he’s the one to beat.

2017 Predictions

With a brand new season of golf getting under way this weekend, we thought we'd have a go at predicting who'll be making the headlines in 2017.

The Masters

photo: masters.com

David: It takes a special kind of person to have a major meltdown (and at the Masters no less) at the biggest stage and still come out second. That's exactly what Jordan Spieth did last year. In his three years at this event he hasn't finished worse than T2 - if he plays even near his best no one else can catch him.

Michael: When I did my predictions for The Golfing Guide this time last year, I predicted Dustin Johnson to be donning the green jacket by the end of the weekend. Well this year I'm even more confident that he'll be victorious. The win at the US Open last Summer will have been a huge weight lifted off Johnson's shoulders who had been making a name for himself as the sport's 'nearly man'. I'm backing him to double his major titles with a win at Augusta. 

The US Open

photo: alchetron.com

D: I've been a big fan of his for a while, but now it's time to collect for Hideki Matsuyama. With five wins worldwide in 2016, I'm looking for him to bring that form to the PGA Tour. I expect this to be his season and now that he's fixed his putting he's my favourite for the FedEx Cup.  

M: Jordan Spieth never really recovered from throwing away The Masters last season. This year I can see Spieth coming out with a real point to prove, and although I think Dustin Johnson will get the better of him at Augusta, I think he'll be back to winning ways at Erin Hills.

The Open

photo: indianexpress.com

D: For what I'm predicting to be the only successful major defence this year, Henrik Stenson looks too hot to handle right now. His electric performance at this event last year was the highlight of 2016. The last time The Open came to Birkdale (2008) the Swede battled the conditions to come T3. The leaderboard was peppered with European players that year, so I fully expect a big showing from the reigning European Tour Golfer of the Year.

M: It's always the most difficult major to predict but so I'm going to play it safe and back the current world number one Jason Day. As well as being on the top of his game for the past two years, Day also has form in this tournament, just narrowly missing out on the playoffs in St Andrews back in 2015.

US PGA Championship

photo: bleacherreport.com

D: Incredibly tempted to pick Hideki Matsuyama again but it's impossible to ignore Rory McIlroy when it comes to Quail Hollow. His performances at the Wells Fargo Championship (at the same venue) have merited him two wins including a record score of -21.

M: Following a 2016 which saw him produce one of the greatest performances at a major championship and a stunning showing at the Ryder Cup, I'm tipping Henrik Stenson for big things in 2017. With how well he's been playing lately, I can see him being in contention for all four majors, and he's also my tip to win the FedEx Cup at the end of the season.

Does Golf Still Want Tiger Woods Back?

by Dave Barwise

Photo: USA Today

The wind-up looks good. Controlled at least. With authority he halts his Taylormade M2 a couple of inches past parallel, while we wait with bated breath to see if his body will survive the imminent punishment we know is on the way. On cue, his leading leg drives down, unwinding his hips and throwing everything he’s got onto his left knee. With a clunk, the driver snaps through the back of the ball which whirs off across the wilderness.

In fairness I’m only watching over Brian Wacker’s Instagram (brianwacker1), but Tiger Woods’ swing is looking pretty darn great right now. There’s no jerkiness, hesitancy and *most crucially* no grimace. We have room to be sceptical, but it’s looking more and more likely that his 16-month absence from professional golf will come to an end this week.

But – and this is something that has been echoing around a lot since he announced his return in September – who cares? Sure, the man was an icon for two decades and tore through records like wet paper, but hasn’t the world of golf moved on? A major win certainly looks unlikely. A quick Google search of the odds tells us what we already know, that the road to improbable victory is blocked by a cavalcade of finely-tuned athletes.

Ultimately, Woods’ revolution of the early noughties has come back to haunt him. Pre-Tiger, it wasn’t all that much of a surprise to see out-of-sorts out-of-shape-rs lifting a trophy with one hand while the other was occupied with a cigar. The young and then-scrawny Californian was one of the first to realise that athleticism was the key to reaping the benefits of modern golfing technology, and so he set about adding meat to the bone. The result? 14 major championships and millions of inspired youngsters.

Those kids are now all grown up, grown out and are playing on tour. They have everything Tiger had.

Expect that they don’t.

For me and for many, the greatest fascination with Tiger is that he not just a sportsman. The man is part athlete and part artist. I know that sounds ridiculous and even cliché.  But when you think of the Federers, Jordans and Schumachers of this world, you have to consider divinity separates them from every athlete that hits, runs and reacts as fast as they do. In his book, The Big Miss, Woods’ former coach, Hank Haney, gives a fascinating insight into the first time the two met.

“The things that make a difference... are intangibles: toughness, work ethic, self-confidence, desire, a sense of how to score, and most of all, true passion for the game.

“On meeting Tiger, though, I know in an instant... that he possesses the right intangibles to the highest degree.”

The bench-press made him strong. But it was something completely special and outside of replication that made him great. And it was Tiger’s greatness that saw his ball tumble back to drop into the hole at the ’05 Masters, that inspired his ‘08 US Open win on a broken leg.

But is he still relevant? And does golf want him back? Considering that he easily has more Twitter followers than every Masters champion combined since his last win over a decade ago, I’d certainly say so. And that’s before we consider that it’s a not-very-active account of someone whose greatest achievements came before Twitter’s widespread popularity.

Just about every golf critic (whether in commentary box or armchair) will tell you; one more injury will permanently send Tiger out of the game. Every time he swings the club, his risks his career. But the lovers of the game aren’t looking for great feats of strength. They’re watching for pure unadulterated brilliance – the likes of which will be all the rarer when he’s gone.

Safeway Open Preview: Unleash the Rookies

Silverado CC (North), CA

Thursday October 13th - Sunday October 16th, 2016

by David Barwise

Photo: Patch

The beginning of a new season. Sadly no Tiger this time around, but a host of future superstars fresh from the Web.com Tour are looking to challenge the old guard in their rookie debuts.

The Course

This will be the third time this event will take place at Silverado (and the first time as the “Safeway Open”). The course itself has been described as “straightforward” and is fairly open. Essentially, at just over 7200 yards, it’s a bog-standard PGA Tour course tinkered with by Johnny Miller.

The Field

The Safeway Open looks to be an unpredictable mix which boasts in-form stars (Phil Mickelson and Paul Casey), bright young stars (Smylie Kaufman and Bryson DeChambeau), and future stars (38 graduates from the Web.com Tour). The fact that Tiger Woods withdrew earlier this week after seeing the way that his game paled in comparison to the others in the field can only inspire optimism for this young batch of rookies. Wesley Bryan, the money leader for the Web.com Tour, and world number one amateur Maverick McNealy will also be in attendance.

Last Year

Emiliano Grillo won on his Tour debut as he caught Kevin Na on the final day to take him to a playoff where he trimuphed after two holes. Grillo’s regulation -15 equalled Sangmoon Bae’s winning score the previous year – the first year this event was hosted at Silverado. While Grillo will be back to defend his title, Sangmoon Bae will be absent due to his mandatory two-year military service.

Spotlight

The smart money will be on Casey who has three top-5s in a row, with Ryder Cup teammates Mickelson and Matt Kuchar also looking to capitalise on their great form. Grillo is looking to be the first player to defend his title in this event. Every rookie in the field will be looking to play well and maybe cause an upset – it happened last year... so why not this time?

Prediction

I’m expecting Casey to win, with Grillo to contend (not Na, sadly) and Jon Rahm to crack the top-10 in pursuit of a stellar (full) debut season.

Ryder Cup - Day 1 Player Ratings

by David Barwise

Team USA

photo: mirror.co.uk

Jordan Spieth – 6

The same Spieth we’ve seen all season – not quite his best but still solid and holing more than his fair share of putts. Complemented his partner well, too.

Patrick Reed – 8

Almost made the Open champion and the Olympic Gold medallist look average. A real clutch player and seemed to really feed off the crowd. Holed the putt to win the first point of the day. Expect him to be a key part of the plan on the weekend.

Phil  Mickelson – 6

Bailed out in the foursomes by Rickie, but hit some stellar approaches. Rested in the afternoon and may struggle to get into the side on Saturday.

Rickie Fowler – 7

Looked really strong today. This could be a huge Ryder Cup for him. Led the comeback against McIlroy/Sullivan who played well in the morning.

Zach Johnson – 5

A few errant shots but never let the Europeans get away. Wasn’t expected to play too well this week but held his own.

Jimmy Walker – 6

Went behind pretty early on but never let his head go down. Holed the putt to take them ahead of Garcia/Kaymer.

Dustin Johnson – 7

Highest ranked golfer in the Ryder Cup and was fantastic in the morning. Maybe let his foot off the accelerator after that, but his prowess on the greens will prove invaluable for the Americans this week.

Matt Kuchar – 6

Fairly consistent, but seemed to play a cameo role in both of his matches. May need to improve for Sunday’s singles matches.

JB Holmes – 4

Just didn’t have it today. It’s been an excellent season for him, but it didn’t translate in today’s performance.

Ryan Moore - 5

Rallied to put the fight to the Spaniards, but it proved too little too late.

Brandt Snedeker – 8

Holed everything. If he continues like he played today, he’ll prove to be a real handful. Expect Davis Love III to find a place for him in the foursomes games tomorrow.

Brooks Koepka – 7

In his Ryder Cup debut he found himself against two major winners; he outclassed them both. It would have been all too easy to get anxious or giddy, especially when seeing the comeback from the European team, but this was a really mature performance.

Team Europe

photo: en.as.com

Henrik Stenson – 8

Decent all day. Hit plenty of greens in the morning and holed a lot of putts in the afternoon. Huge pressure to get a result after the disappointing European foursomes results and he nailed it.

Justin Rose – 6

Against top-form opposition all day, but probably could have done a lot better with the putter.

Rory McIlroy – 5

The McIlroy/Sullivan partnership started off as a masterstroke, but the FedExCup champ’s implosion around the seven hole onwards allowed the Californians to come back into it. Redeemed himself by dramatically clinching the win in the fourballs. Big players hit big shots.

Andy Sullivan – 6

The “rookie” never looked out of his depth and dug McIlroy out of a few holes. A costly mistake on 17 set the blues back, but otherwise a good debut.

Sergio Garcia – 6

Put Kaymer in a few sticky situations. Made as many pressure putts as he missed. Seemed much more comfortable in the afternoon. It’ll be interesting to see if he’s partnered with Rafa in the foursomes tomorrow.

Martin Kaymer – 5

Can’t really fault him too much, but it never really happened for him today. Sergio landed him in a lot of bother in the morning and he looked tired in the afternoon.

Lee Westwood – 3

Never looked comfortable. Didn’t get the best out of his partner. Still has plenty to give, but this duo going out together seems maybe to be a mistake.

Thomas Pieters – 7

Secret weapon for the Europeans. Paired with veteran Westwood for his calming influence (he did look a little terrified) but the former world-number-one’s putting clipped his wings. Carried McIlroy for much of the afternoon. A good captain’s pick.

Rafa Cabrera-Bello – 7

Hit the straight-ball and got the most out of his partner, which is exactly what was needed. The latest in a line of great Spanish Ryder Cup players. Hopefully we’ll be seeing a lot more of him.

Danny Willett – 5

Given that he was probably under more pressure than any other player due to the reaction to his brother’s comments, he was fairly steady. But steady is often not good enough in these things.