PGA Championship

Congratulations to Martin Kaymer of Germany, the 2010 winner of the PGA Championship and the latest in the series of young players to do amazing things on the course.

Although I think that the PGA made a terrible decision Sunday evening, and that this should have been a three-way playoff, including both Bubba Watson and Dustin Johnson, the poor handling of the rogue bunker controversy on Johnson’s 72nd hole should not take away from Kaymer’s play. The German was consistent all weekend long, following up on his strong play at the British Open, and won this championship in respectable fashion.

Anyway, that’s enough golf for a while. This week it will be back to Mitt, his endorsements, and the upcoming 2010 elections.

PGA Championship Preview

Not the usual thing for this blog as it has little to do with Mitt Romney and the world of politics. However, if our President can take excessive time off from his expected duty of leading this country for the sake of golf, Conservative for Mitt can spare one or two posts reflecting on the final major of the year. The 2010 PGA Championship begins today at Whistling Straits Golf Club in Wisconsin. The course, which previously held the PGA Championship in 2004, emulates the notoriously difficult links style courses of the UK. It will challenge players in many of the same ways as we have seen in the first three majors of the season, mixing the long rolling fairways of Augusta, the rocky coastlines of Pebble Beach, and pretty much most of the really hard stuff about St. Andrews.

As is the trend throughout many championship courses, it demands length from its players, totaling more than 7500 yards worth of play. Par 5s are between 563 and 618 yards, and are not necessarily eagle, or even easy birdie opportunities. Pot bunkers litter the course strategically, in places where they will most punish poor decisions. Its signature holes include a short par 4 6th known as “Gremlin’s Ear” that entices players to make the bold move, potentially leaving you in a bunker struggling to save bogey if you or giving you a short but blind second shot if you play it safe. The other signature is a demanding par 3 17th (“Pinched Nerve”) pointing right at Lake Michigan that gives you three options: the green, a massive bunker, or over the cliff and into the water.

This course demands the best from the best players in the world. Vijay Singh took home the title six years ago; smart reasoning indicates that it will again be a seasoned veteran rising to the top this weekend. Of course, golf rarely heeds the expectations of smart reasoning.

Phil Mickelson will be the man to watch this weekend, with Lee Westwood out of the picture. Mickelson has had top five finishes in four of his last six majors. Over the past couple of months, Mickelson has had several opportunities to overtake the position of #1 in the world. There is a fair case to be made that this fact is disrupting his concentration, causing him to fall out of contention on Sunday afternoons. Mickelson is a different man when it comes to majors though. Last spring, he surged past Westwood and the field, posting a back-nine 32 at Augusta to take his fourth major victory. This Sunday, he should win his fifth. Mickelson will begin play alongside his fellow 2010 major winners, Graeme McDowell and Louis Oosthuizen.

Speaking of Graeme McDowell and Louis Oosthuizen, the U.S. Open winner from Northern Ireland has a reasonable chance at taking his second major this weekend. McDowell followed up on his first major with a respectable 23rd place finish in the wind at St. Andrews. As for the South African, he will seek his second major at a course that boasts pot bunkers, massive greens, exceedingly long par 5s, a couple of short but difficult par 4s, and demanding par 3s. The last time he played at a place like that, he won by seven strokes. All things put together, the threesome beginning play at 1:35 (Central time) will be very exciting to watch.

Ernie Els is the sort of player that excels at a course like Whistling Straits. He is a veteran, a grinder. He has been through the physical, mental, and emotional process of winning a major, and is not prone to collapse with all eyes on him on Sunday afternoon. In 2004, when the PGA Championship last came to Whistling Straits, Els made a strong Sunday run on the back nine that saw him finish fourth, just one stroke off of the three-way tie that saw Vijay Singh take his victory in a playoff. Since then, Els has battled injury, a slump, and has changed his coach and his swing. So far though 2010 has seen him make a return to his old form with two PGA Tour victories and the current lead in the FedEx cup point standings. A major victory is just what the South African needs to cap his resurgence. Els will play alongside American Ken Sutherland, and emerging contender Dustin Johnson.

Retief Goosen the friend and fellow South African of Ernie Els has undergone a similar path to his career over the past couple of years, and is seeing a similar return to contention in 2010. For a course that provides a challenge such as Whistling Straits, the calm demeanor of the Iceman is a beneficial trait toward obtaining that hard won victory. Since the 2009 British Open, Goosen has had a fair string of strong finishes that have continued throughout this summer, and include eight top tens for the 2010 season. Goosen enters this weekend coming off of a third place finish at the Bridgestone Invitational. Like Els, a major win such as this would be the ultimate cap to signal to the golfing world that the Iceman is indeed back. Goosen will start his play on the back nine this afternoon, the veteran in a threesome containing young prospects Ryan Moore, and Francesco Molinari.

Padraig Harrington, three time major winner, must be considered as a likely contender at a course such as this modeled after British and Irish links courses. Harrington was the strongest man on the tour for much of 2007 and 2008, until self-imposed changes threw him off of his swing. Facing criticism for changing a working model, Harrington has insisted that in the long run his game will be stronger and more consistent. So far the results have not shown such, but this is a prime opportunity for the Irishman to begin his resurgence. Harrington’s four solid rounds at the Bridgestone Invitational indicate that he is finally becoming more consistent with his play. A course such as this likely means that the championship comes down to conservative decisions and hard fought pars. If so then Padraig Harrington might make this look like 2007 all over again. Harrington starts play on hole #10 this morning, alongside fellow major winners Davis Love III, and the always entertaining John Daly.

Justin Rose is the “dark horse” candidate among this list of likely contenders. “Dark horse” is necessarily in quotes as it is something of a stretch to consider the twentieth ranked player in the world a true dark horse. Nevertheless with fourteen majors won among the five other players on this list, Rose is the relative underdog in this match. The Englishman has not seen Saturday play at a major since the 2009 British Open, yet his play throughout the summer of 2010, culminating in two PGA Tour victories shows him ready to make a charge at a big event. This did not happen at the British Open, but with weather expected to be less of a factor in opening play than at St. Andrews, his strong summer could be capped this weekend. Rose presents a strong opportunity to bridge the tendency of the course that historically favors veterans with the season that has seen the rise of many young newcomers. Rose will play this afternoon, alongside emerging American contender Nick Watney and South African veteran Tim Clark.

Maybe a day late…

but congratulations to South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen whose consistent, remarkable play at St. Andrews lead to his dominating victory at the British Open. Oosthuizen was a 200-1 longshot, not on anybody’s radar for victory with the possible exception of South Africa, but unlike so many who have wilted after sleeping on the 54-hole lead he remained steady in cruising to a seven shot victory. Lee Westwood, the favorite of many golf handicappers including myself, once again finished second.

British Open

Something different today, as Romney’s quarterly fundraising numbers are not due until tomorrow and this site takes no interest in the latest chapter of the Palin family saga.

The 2010 British Open begins in just a few hours at the Old Course at St. Andrews in Scotland. The weather during St. Andrews tournaments is notorious – 3o mph wind is the norm and a bitter cold rain in July is not unheard of. In fact, Wednesday’s Champions events at the course have been canceled due to “adverse weather conditions.” The course features a number of short holes that would be considered eagle opportunities almost anywhere else, but instead can prove difficult pars in the face of a blustering wind. Changes have been made to the course, lengthening the second, thirteenth, and fourteenth holes, and accentuating the likelihood of bunker play – as if the course needed to be made more difficult. The fourteenth in particular has been extended to an amazing 618 yards. If one manages to get through there, it is only to face the famous seventeenth and eighteenth holes, in which a slightly errant tee shot can mean hitting the ball out of bounds. It is a course that challenges the best of golfers, and the best of golfers will soon convene on this course to vie for the Claret Jug.

Lee Westwood – All eyes are on him as the favorite of those in the know. He is the third ranked golfer in the world at an event that does not favor the second ranked golfer, and during a career slump for the man in the top spot.  Westwood has been excruciatingly close to getting that major win on several occasions over these past couple of years. He’s coming off of a second place finish at the Masters, a fourth at TPC Sawgrass, and a top 20 in the U.S. Open. As for the British Open, last year saw him finish in a tie for third. Some may see this as an inability to finish, but it really shows a remarkable consistency to get into Major contention.  Is it too much to expect this will be the time that he is able to get it done in the big event? Westwood goes out in the afternoon, alongside Australian contender Adam Scott, and Spanish veteran Miguel Angel Jimenez.

Padraig Harrington – The Irishman has to be considered a contender at this event. Although his play has been a little off over the past two years due to some self-imposed swing adjustments, Harrington tends to get strong when the weather conditions get terrible. In the final round of the British Open in Carnoustie in 2007, Harrington drove steadily in a duel with Sergio Garcia, consistently dropping eight foot putts for pars before hitting a legendary second shot to the green at the par-5 17th. With heavy winds at Royal Birkdale the following year, Harrington shrugged off the weather to win more convincingly, fighting off a charge by Ian Poulter. Harrington’s play lately has been strong, but inconsistent. He has the skill to get the job done this weekend, but will have to avoid the snowman that occasionally graces his card of stolen birdies and hard-fought pars. Every player out there this weekend will find a spot in which the course pushes them to the limit. If Harrington can braves his in the way he did in 2007 and 2008, he will once again hold the Claret Jug on Sunday afternoon. Harrington begins play in the morning, alongside beloved veteran contender Tom Watson, and popular young Asian phenom Ryo Ishikawa.

Phil Mickelson – As stated before, this event does not suit him. While Mickelson is always on his game at Augusta, and has regularly contended in the U.S. Open, British Open contention is a rarity for the second ranked golfer in the world. History aside, though, he has the ability to win at St. Andrews. He can hit the ball far. He is amazing at finding his way out of trouble spots. If his putting is on, Phil Mickelson wins majors. Don’t count him out. Mickelson starts late in the day on Thursday, alongside the Iceman, South African Retief Goosen, and hometown course veteran Colin Montgomerie.

Graeme McDowell – The defending U.S. Open winner is always worth considering for the Britsh Open. However, that applies this year far more than it has recently, as this year’s U.S. Open champion is from the British Isles himself. Graeme McDowell, of Northern Ireland could have been considered about due for a Major victory last month at Pebble Beach, In avoiding a collapse that took 54 hole leader Dustin Johnson, while overcoming charges from Phil Mickelson and Gregory Havret, he held firm to take that victory. At thirty years old, one must consider if that was only the first salvo of a winning campaign by a talented player coming into his prime. The British Open will be a worthy test if so, and it is expected that he will hold up well. McDowell goes out tomorrow afternoon with notable American player Jim Furyk, and Australian former U.S. Open winner Geoff Ogilvy.

Justin Rose – This Englishman has earned his way into British Open contention by getting good at the right time. This season has seen a streak of good play from Rose that began with a third place finish at the Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens, and included wins at the Memorial Tournament and the AT&T National. Although the stringent qualifications of the U.S. Open kept Rose from playing in Pebble Beach last month, the two victories and second place FedEx cup standing show a great deal of momentum for this weekend’s event. The Claret Jug could be a glorious cap on what has been an amazing summer for Rose. Rose will have the cameras on him as he begins play in the morning tomorrow. He’ll start out alongside popular Colombian Camilo Villegas, and some American player… hard to remember his name but he is still #1 in the world. Everybody wonders if Tiger will hold up well to the scrutiny overseas, but how will Rose hold up in this pairing?

Chris Wood – Yes, Chris Wood. He may not be considered in contention on too many lists, but this young player comes into St. Andrews having notched a top five in two straight British Opens. Wood does not get a lot of recognition in the United States, but over on the European tour he has become something of a contender, and still yet to reach his prime. His British Open history and his talent make him worthy of at least being considered as a dark horse pick. When Wood begins play tomorrow morning, he’ll have American veteran Kenny Perry with him, and young Byron Nelson winner Australian Jason Day.