A Valid Training Ground?
Hello. Further to my last entry, I decided to look at the scores from this past weekend's Nationwide and PGA Tour events.
On the Nationwide, two players, Kyle Reifers and Brandt Snedeker, were tied after 72 holes at -26. That's 26 under par. That's averaging 65.5 strokers a round on a course with par 72. Reifers won the first playoff hole with a birdie. Reifers also shot 61 the final day. The cut was -7, meaning someone shooting a pair of 69s was looking elsewhere for a weekend tee-off time.
On the PGA, Ben Curtis, 2003 British Open champion, is waiting for the weather to cooperate so he can win his first tournament on US soil. He has a 7 shot lead at -22, with 2 holes left to play. The cut was -2.
Can these courses be considered tough enough to prepare these guys for the British Open (in the case of the PGA event) or the PGA Tour (in the case of the Nationwide event)?
It used to be that even par would put you in the top half of a tournament, and shooting in the 60s (anywhere in the 60s) was phenomenal. In fact, if a leader could shoot even par the final round, the field would have a tough time catching him.
Now even par at most tourneys doesn't get you anything besides an early flight, and 60s rounds are as common as a runny nose in my son's kindergarten class.
While I'm sure the winners are thrilled with their achievements, how does the golf community feel about it? Now that Ben Curtis is two holes away from using a US PGA Tour event and a major, does that now mean he's better than Colin Montgomerie, or Tim Clark, who have done neither? I think you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who'd agree. And why? Because the'd point to this win and say, "Well, it was just the Booz Allen Classic".
And would anyone today say that Mr. Reifers will be the next great Nationwide Tour grad, to go along such grads as David Duval and Chad Campbell? I don't think so. More a case of, "Well, the Chattanooga Classic course was playing easy".
Listen to this PGA Tour - do all of us a favour, and toughen up ALL your courses. Otherwise, your players will not be winning majors anymore. Fans don't care if the winner is even par, -10 or -20 after 72 holes, as long as they see close competitive tournaments.
Regards,
Steve
On the Nationwide, two players, Kyle Reifers and Brandt Snedeker, were tied after 72 holes at -26. That's 26 under par. That's averaging 65.5 strokers a round on a course with par 72. Reifers won the first playoff hole with a birdie. Reifers also shot 61 the final day. The cut was -7, meaning someone shooting a pair of 69s was looking elsewhere for a weekend tee-off time.
On the PGA, Ben Curtis, 2003 British Open champion, is waiting for the weather to cooperate so he can win his first tournament on US soil. He has a 7 shot lead at -22, with 2 holes left to play. The cut was -2.
Can these courses be considered tough enough to prepare these guys for the British Open (in the case of the PGA event) or the PGA Tour (in the case of the Nationwide event)?
It used to be that even par would put you in the top half of a tournament, and shooting in the 60s (anywhere in the 60s) was phenomenal. In fact, if a leader could shoot even par the final round, the field would have a tough time catching him.
Now even par at most tourneys doesn't get you anything besides an early flight, and 60s rounds are as common as a runny nose in my son's kindergarten class.
While I'm sure the winners are thrilled with their achievements, how does the golf community feel about it? Now that Ben Curtis is two holes away from using a US PGA Tour event and a major, does that now mean he's better than Colin Montgomerie, or Tim Clark, who have done neither? I think you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who'd agree. And why? Because the'd point to this win and say, "Well, it was just the Booz Allen Classic".
And would anyone today say that Mr. Reifers will be the next great Nationwide Tour grad, to go along such grads as David Duval and Chad Campbell? I don't think so. More a case of, "Well, the Chattanooga Classic course was playing easy".
Listen to this PGA Tour - do all of us a favour, and toughen up ALL your courses. Otherwise, your players will not be winning majors anymore. Fans don't care if the winner is even par, -10 or -20 after 72 holes, as long as they see close competitive tournaments.
Regards,
Steve
posted by Irrelevant at 12:58 PM
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