Genesis Open - Preview

Genesis Open

Riviera CC, California

Thursday Feb 16th - Sunday 19th 2017

by David Barwise

It’s the last leg of the West Coast swing, and the stakes are high in the race for world number one.

Photo: westsidetoday.com

The Course

Both historic and well-respected, this 7366 yard par 71 was designed by George Thomas and is a favourite of many pros and golf-savvy celebs. Although the shorter holes don’t “favor any one particular type of player”, the majority of holes at the Riviera Country Club play right into the hands of the big hitters. The main stumbling block is the 315 yard 10^th – a par 4 short enough to tempt the big stick crusaders but well-guarded with a green that slopes front-to-back. As the course’s official website states, it’s a “timeless strategic challenge”.

The Field

Arguably the strongest PGA field of the year so far. Out of the top 10, only European heavyweights Rory McIlroy and Henrik Stenson won’t be in attendance. FedExCup leader Hideki Matsuyama will be teeing off alongside world number one Jason Day and 59-shooter Justin Thomas. The latter’s close friend Jordan Spieth will be looking to replicate the Kentuckian by winning twice on the trot after his win last week at Pebble Beach. This also marks Thomas Pieters’ first competitive round in the States since impressing at the Ryder Cup.

Last Year

We saw Bubba Watson claim his second win at Hogan’s Alley – his on point short game the difference. His opening round of 66 was second only to Camilo Villegas’ 63 which was the lowest score of the week. Villegas fell away, but Bubba had to fight off Adam Scott and Jason Kokrak, ultimately holding a one stroke at -16.

Photo: golfweek.com

Spotlight

For the first time this season, Jason Day has a real chance of being dethroned as world number one. Dustin Johnson could go top if he wins this week and Day finishes in a three-way tie for T3. Hideki Matsuyama could also jump up to the top spot if he wins and Day finishes T24 or worse.

Also, despite the high quality of golf on show, a lot of air time will be dedicated to an absentee. Tiger Woods had this week earmarked as part of his comeback from injury. However, back spasms have forced him to withdraw from a few events. His high involvement at Riviera CC still meant he was scheduled for a press conference but he has since pulled out of that as well, prompting questions over the severity of his condition.

Prediction

As I’ve already said, the long-hitters have a big advantage this week and it’s impossible to ignore Dustin Johnson’s form at this event (2, T2, 4 in the last three years). Also, apart from his missed cut at the Farmers Insurance Open, the reigning PGA Tour Player of the Year hasn’t finished outside of the top ten in 2017. DJ is my favourite to win this week.

I also don’t envision this to be a happy title defence for Bubba Watson who has got off to a slow start this year (MC, and T25 in 32-man field). He’ll be relying on a good week to jumpstart his season and gear up for the Masters like his he did in 2016.

Waste Management Phoenix Open - Preview

Waste Management Phoenix Open

TPC Scottsdale, Arizona

Thursday Feb 2nd - Sunday 5th 2017 

by David Barwise

It’s the run-up to Super Bowl Sunday, and things are gonna get loud.

Photo: Golficity

The Course

At 7266 yards, this par-71 is a long-hitter’s course. The slow, unassuming, Bermudagrass greens means it’s all about the tee-to-green play. If in doubt, see Hideki Matsuyama’s record here.

But the gem in Scottsdale’s crown is the short par-3 16^th, surrounded by grandstands and dubbed “The Coliseum”. While caddie racing has since been outlawed, keep your eyes peeled for the good, the bad, and the downright bizarre.

The Field

We’ll start this week with 132, with the weekend cut for the top 70 and ties. While the bright lights of Dubai have enticed many top golfers this week, Scottsdale will host 12 of the top 30, including previous winners Matsuyama, Brooks Koepka, and Phil Mickelson.

Justin Thomas, who leads the FedExCup and is currently the name on everyone’s lips, will also be in attendance.

Last Year

Much to the frustration of sports fans who were eager to switch over to the Super Bowl, a then-rare clutch putt from Hideki Matsuyama meant he was tied with Rickie Fowler at -14. They were evenly matched throughout until Rickie found the water on the fourth playoff hole, leaving the door open for Matsuyama to score par and win

Photo: MyGolfBuddy

Spotlight

All eyes will be on Justin Thomas to see if he can be the first player to make back-to-back-to-back wins on the PGA Tour since Rory McIlroy in 2014. His tussle at the top of the FedExCup standings with defending champ Matsuyama will also make for interesting viewing.

Thomas will be partnered with fellow 59-shooter Adam Hadwin and fan favourite Phil Mickelson. The Californian shot a record-tying -28 over his successful 2013 campaign. On top of Mickelson’s three wins at this event, he’s been known to interact well with the crowd at this event – even throwing the pigskin around on the 16^th.

Prediction

I’m not looking for much of an upset here. Although this is a course that suits Justin Thomas’ game perfectly (and I fully expect a top-5 finish from him), Hideki Matsuyama’s record here is just too good – he’s shot a total of 14-under on each visit here and has never finished outside of the top-5.

While Thomas’ putting game has been excellent in his previous two events, it has been uncharacteristic of him, and I don’t see him carrying that form on to a place where he missed the cut only 12 months ago. I’d sooner expect Jon Rahm (another winner this year, T5 in his last appearance here, tee-to-green pro, great desert player) to challenge the defending champion.

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.