Tag: PGA tour

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WHO IS THE REAL #1

Recent Success, Wins, or Overall Ability

As of the writing of this article Dustin Johnson is the current #1. A couple weeks ago it was Justin Rose, but he fell to second place without even playing because of how the PGA point system works. By the way Dustin Johnson didn’t play either, and became the world #1. Rory McIlroy deserves to be in the conversation as well. In 2019 he has been in contention to win every event he has entered. Both Rose and Johnson have a win this year but Rory has a 2nd place finish, two 4th place finishes, and finished top 10 in every other event he has entered. So which one of these Players would you put your money on in the next big event?

The Players Championship

It’s the final day of the Players Championship and last Wednesday I checked the Bet 365 website to see what the Group Golf bets looked like. In Group A they had Dustin Johnson, Justin Rose, Rory McIlroy, and Justin Thomas. Most would consider these four golfers to be the Top 4 golfers in the world right now. Most people wouldn’t consider placing a bet on any of them because to win your Player must finish higher than the other three. So once again I’ll ask you, who would you pick?

I didn’t hesitate and selected Rory McIlroy immediately. In my opinion he is the true #1 Player in the world right now. I will take Recent Success over Wins, or Overall Ability every time. The fact of the matter is that he hasn’t missed a cut, or even had a bad Round of golf this year. Dustin Johnson is currently ranked number 1 because of his achievements more than a year ago. He’s an amazing player but what he did in 2017 has very little bearing on what I expect from him this week. Rose has already won this year but he also looked mediocre last week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Thomas can go on a tear at any moment, but they call it gambling for a reason. Nothing is certain, especially in golf, but I trust players that are playing well NOW.

Did I choose correctly?

Well that remains to be seen. Beginning the final day of the Players Championship Rory McIlroy is 4 strokes ahead of Dustin Johnson, 6 strokes ahead of Justin Rose, and 11 strokes ahead of Justin Thomas. Sounds like the celebration can begin but this is golf, and it is The Players Championship. Any fan of the game can tell you that when it comes to TPC Sawgrass, winners and losers can be decided on the 17th hole. That famous island green where one ball in the water can spell disaster. Lets just hope that isn’t Rory McIlroy’s fate.

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Thankfully it’s a Ryder Cup year!

Day 1 is already a success!

So Day 1 is in the books and already this tournament is a success.  Why would I say that?  If you can think back to last year, and remember how  competitive the President’s Cup was?  What I should be saying is how competitive the President’s Cup wasn’t.  Then you will understand why I’m thrilled that this is a Ryder Cup year.  Even though the Americans entered this tournament as heavy favourites.  They find themselves two games back after Day 1.  Now that doesn’t mean that they still aren’t favourites to win, cause I believe that they still are.  What it simply illustrates is that on their continent, the Europeans remain difficult to beat.  Unless you are a fan or both the PGA tour, and Euro tour you wouldn’t necessarily understand.  The courses each tour frequents are generally quite different from one another.  The largely American PGA tour favours Parkland, Stadium, and long hitter tracks.  Whereas the European tour favours Links, Precision Ball striking, and Weather condition tracks.  One of the primary reasons so many PGA tour, and specifically American Players rise to the top of the World rankings is because it’s easier to adapt their game to shorter precision courses, than it is for the Euro tour Players to suddenly start bombing it off the tee.  The President’s Cup doesn’t share the same course advantages for the International players because depending on where you are from the style of golf you’re accustomed to playing might be similar to your opponents or wildly different from your own teammates.  So whether the event is held in the United States or somewhere else.  The advantage will always remain with the higher ranked team.

I told you so

At the beginning of the year Oliver and I briefly discussed (on the Cobe Life YouTube channel) what we felt Team Europe’s chances were.  Keep in mind that this was just a few months removed from the President’s Cup drubbing.  The majority of Golf analysts thought that the same dominance was going to be on display at the Ryder Cup.  We didn’t think that would be the case.  The Americans rarely beat the Europeans on their turf.  Even though this might be the strongest American team ever assembled.  They still have to beat a very skilled team made up of mostly young Ryder Cup rookies looking to establish themselves on the world stage in front of their fans.  Although many of them aren’t familiar names on the PGA tour, they are superstars in Europe.  Tommy Fleetwood, Thorbjorn Olesen, and Alex Noren are sure to leave a lasting impression by the time it’s all done.

What to expect Days 2 & 3

Even though the Le Golf National course is set up to be as unfriendly to the Americans as possible.  The individual matches are sure to favour the Americans.  Which means the Europeans have to hope that Day 2 finishes a lot like Day 1.  The Americans are actually quite fortunate to be only down by 2 games.  If it wasn’t for an extremely lucky bounce for Tony Finau on the 16th, and some sloppy play by a couple of the European teams on the back nine they could have easily been up by another game.  In order for the Europeans to win I believe that they will need to be ahead by at least 3 points going into the final day.  If they enter Day 3 tied or trailing it’s as good as over.  It will be interesting to see how well they play tomorrow when they are no longer perceived as huge underdogs.  Should be another great day of golf.  Too bad I have to get up at 2:30am to watch it.

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Looking ahead to The Masters – Part 1

There’s always something special

Whether you are a fan of golf or not?  The One event that everyone knows about is The Masters.  It’s one of those iconic events like the Superbowl, Daytona 500, or World Cup.  Everyone is aware that it’s happening.  There’s always something special about it, and this year is no different.  This Masters has the potential to be the most watched Golfing event in years.  Along with the usual suspects, there are a number of Players that are playing some great golf right now that are sure to attract even the most pedestrian of golfing fans.  Unless you have been living under a rock this year the most obvious attraction to this year’s Masters is…

Tiger Woods

That’s right Tiger is back, and what’s more important is that he’s been competitive.  With two Top 10 finishes including a second at Valspar.  Tiger looks poised to raise a Championship trophy soon.  Why shouldn’t that first win of his comeback happen at Augusta where he’s hoisted the Masters trophy four times before?  Some of the betting lines in Vegas have him as the odds on favourite.  Now I would assume that the odds have been reduced to balance out the expected amount of casual bets they expect to receive.  Still it would be wrong of you to discount Woods as a possible contender.  Another Player who should be seen as a fan favourite that’s been playing his best golf in years is…

Phil Mickelson

It took four years and seven months for Phil to end his winless drought.  With the quality of golf he has been playing this season it was definitely coming to an end.  Only Dustin Johnson and Rickie Fowler are posting Rounds of Golf below par at a higher percentage than Phil.  If you are a fan of Phil.  You know that his typical Round of Golf includes a few birdies, some bogeys, possibly a hole out eagle, and at least one double or triple Bogey.  At the end of it all he usually finishes a couple shots under Par, or even Par.  It’s a rollercoaster affair with just as many wayward Tee shots, as incredible flop shots.  If you hadn’t seen him play before it might look like luck to you.  It isn’t.  ItsI just the all or nothing, go for broke style of golf that he plays.  Love him or hate him.  It makes for interesting viewing.  Speaking of love him or hate him.  Another polarizing figure in the world of golf has found his swing is the very unique…

Bubba Watson

Relatively soft spoken, reserved, and so unlike the majority of his compatriots.  Bubba Watson isn’t what you would expect a Champion Golfer to be.  Totally self taught, he has one of the most unique swings on the PGA tour.  Most aspiring golfers spend years attempting to develop a swing that will allow them to hit the ball straight.  Bubba Watson did the opposite.  Learning to shape his shots left and right so that he could follow the exact contours of a golf course.  When he is on his game he makes shots that other PGA Players can only imagine making.  He recently won the WGC Match play in impressive fashion.  The combination of impressive shot shaping, and massive distance off the Tee was too much to overcome.  He is ready to unleash his skills on Augusta where he has already won twice before.

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GOLF

Cobe Life’s 5 to watch – Waste Management Phoenix Open

(Cobe Life has recently switched to a new Subscription service.  I strongly advise current Subscribers to resubmit their follow request)

Matsuyama is just too obvious

Everyone and their pet dog is talking about how Matsuyama is the man to beat.  He’s gone back to back at the Waste Management Phoenix Open.  If he can win this year he will be the only other person to three-peat alongside the great Arnold Palmer.  Obviously he is one of the Players to watch.  Do I think he’ll three-peat?  He’ll no!  He’s not playing at an elite level right now.  He’ll compete, but winning is very unlikely.

True favourites

Rickie Fowler

Lets be honest here.  One of Matsuyama’s wins should really have been Rickie’s.  He imploded coming down the stretch, and eventually lost in a playoff.  The stadium feel is an advantage for Rickie.  He’s so popular among the fans that playing in front of any crowd is like having home field advantage.  Anyone playing alongside him is going to feel like the enemy.  Rickie feeds off the crowds energy and has a number of high finishes here to show for it.  It wouldn’t surprise me if the energy at TPC Scottsdale lifts him to a Championship.

Jon Rahm

Rahm has played some amazing golf recently to where he has moved up to second overall in the PGA rankings.  While the crowd will help Rickie feel like he’s playing in front of a home crowd.  Jon Rahm actually will be.  As a former Arizona State Sun Devil, Rahm will feel right at home at the Waste Management Phoenix Open.  You can be damn sure he’ll come out wearing some Sun Devils garb at some point.  Given his recent performance you can bet good money that the crowd at TPC Scottsdale will be pulling for their local boy to win.  Every Championship means something on the PGA tour, but I’m willing to wager that this one means a little bit more to Jon Rahm.

Potential Surprises

Keegan Bradley

Keegan Bradley comes into this event in great form, and has exactly the kind of game that suits TPC Scottsdale.  He’s impressively accurate with his long clubs, and can bomb it.  There’s a lot of risk/reward plays available at TPC Scottsdale.  Keegan Bradley has the accuracy to effectively minimize the risk, while enjoying the reward.  Given his recent play I would expect him to take a few more chances than usual, and capitalize.  Keegan Bradley has the game to flat out win this event, but I’m expecting a Top 15 finish.

Kevin Streelman

Another Player coming into the Waste Management Phoenix Open in excellent form is Kevin Streelman.  If it wasn’t for the quality of this particular field I would consider Streelman to be a favourite.  His Ball striking has been stellar, and he seems to be playing with a lot of confidence.  I don’t expect him to overpower the TPC Scottsdale course, but where others will take risks, and pay the price.  I expect Streelman to play a very smart, safe game that will keep him in contention.  I just don’t see him being able to turn it up a notch on Sunday against this field.  A top 20 finish isn’t out of the question though.

Interesting story

J.B. Holmes

After his four minutes and ten seconds of club deliberation last Sunday before electing to lay up.  In a situation where he needed an Eagle to make a playoff, and potentially win the tournament.   A significant enough pause during the round that some people believe may have broken Alexander Noren’s concentration, and ultimately cost him the Championship.  After a few days of being slammed on Twitter, and forced to answer for his actions by the Golf media.  How will J.B. Holmes bounce back at the Waste Management Phoenix Open?  This tournament is perfect for his long hitter game.  As evidenced by his two previous victories here.  He’s obviously playing well considering he was an Eagle away from making the playoff last week.  Really he should be considered one of the favourites, but how will the TPC Scottsdale crowd welcome him after last week’s shenanigans?  If you are looking for a sneaky good bet to make in DraftKings, J.B. Holmes might be your guy.

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Why the 2018 Farmers Insurance Open has piqued my interest.

The Tiger Woods Factor

I don’t write many blogs about PGA tour events.  In this case I will make an exception though.  Tiger Woods will be playing his first full field event, and it won’t be at some Player friendly course in the Bahamas.  This is the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines.  A course that’s held the U.S. Open.  It won’t have the strongest field, but there will be plenty of talent on display.

The field includes:
-PGA tour Champion Xander Schauffele
-The Players Champion Si Woo Kim
-Last year’s winner and currently world       number 2 Jon Rahm
-Other Top 10 World ranking players in   the field including Rickie Fowler, Hideki   Matsuyama, and Justin Rose.

As well as many other notable PGA tour mainstays.

What’s required from Woods

Winning this event will require some great skill off the Tee because it’s a long course.  It will also require some impressive Ball striking because you don’t want to be in the long grass at Torrey Pines.

Of course the first thing everyone wants to know is how well will Tiger do?  Well I actually have two answers for that question.  Sounds like I’m hedging my bets but really I’m not, and here’s why.  I believe that if Tiger Woods treats this event as just a stepping stone towards readying himself for future events then he will make the cut, and play some attractive golf.  Now if he enters this event with the desire to finish in the Top 10.  I don’t think things will go as smoothly for him.  Torrey Pines will punish Players who miss Fairways, or Greens when trying to push the limits in order to stay close to the leaders.  Tiger has shown that his scrambling is particularly weak, and his misses off the Tee are unpredictable.  If he just focuses on playing clean mistake free golf he’ll find himself in the middle of the pack, but if he pushes it he could potentially put up a number of double or even triple bogeys, and miss the cut.

Players to watch

There are a few Players of particular interest to me at this event.  Five of which I have already discussed in my Cobe Life 2018 Farmers Insurance Open Quick picks on YouTube.  Those five Players should be of particular interest to the FanDuel and DraftKings crowd.

https://youtu.be/XKiTWrpua_A

The next group of Players are interesting to me for different reasons.
JASON DAY
Former World #1 Jason Day had a down year last year.  Health and Family issues contributed to an uncommon lack of focus for Jason Day in 2017.  There is no disputing his talent, and Torrey Pines is the perfect course to gauge where his game is at.

BRANDT SNEDEKER
Another Player coming back from injury with the additional pressure of trying to make a return to the Masters.  Snedeker wouldn’t appear to have the kind of game that Torrey Pines requires, but he has won here twice before.  While everyone else is trying to bomb drives off the Tee.  Sneds will methodically work his way around the course.  If his Putter is on watch out!

CHESSON HADLEY
The 2017 Web.com tour Champion will have the opportunity to showcase his potential in this high quality field.  The Web.com tour has proven to be an excellent preparatory tour for the PGA with past Champions, and qualifiers finding early success when playing on the PGA tour.  I would expect Chesson Hadley to really make a strong showing at Torrey Pines.

ADAM HADWIN
I’m going to be watching Adam Hadwin at every event he enters this year for as long as he remains competitive.  Last year his 59 at the CareerBuilder Challenge kick-started what would become an excellent Season.  Last week his T3 at this year’s CareerBuilder Challenge had that same feeling.  If so, you should expect a number of high finishes to come Hadwin’s way.

ALEXANDER NOREN
Most people are still wondering if there should have been a Presidents Cup tournament last year.  The talent was so lopsided in the Americans favour the outcome was practically predetermined.  There’s already talk of how will the Europeans at this year’s Ryder Cup compete?  Look I think the Americans have the advantage, but don’t think for a second that they will win it easily.  Players that aren’t that well known on this side of the pond like Noren will put up a considerable fight.  If you would like to get a sneak peek of what’s to come.  Watch what Noren is capable of at Torrey Pines.  While you are at it check out Francesco Molinari as well.