tom-toms are beating
January 27th 2009 01:45
Before I get to this week, here’s a few words for Pat Perez, the winner of the Bob Hope Classic: go on with it.
Perez could be viewed as just another journeyman getting a win for just hanging around. But this guy, who looks just a little like Phil Mickelson, has got a really classy game and now that he’s won he could go on and win a few more. Watch out for him in the majors.
The FBR Open is really, really hard to sort out. After the early season tournaments which had a feel of not quiet being the best fields, there’s some genuine quality here with the return of Phil Mickelson and Camilo Villegas as well, as hopefully, Anthony Kim from injury.
Also the tournament is a week early than usual, as it has swapped places with the Buick, which suggests … nothing really, as this tournament has been really hard to pick the winner in pervious years.
Phil usually goes well at the course but two years he missed the cut big-time and it’s his first outing of the year, so I might skip him.
I’ve gone for four players this week instead of three as it’s just too hard: two older guys and two young guns.
The older guys are David Toms and Charles Howell. Toms was second at the Sony Open and was OK at the Bob Hope and he has two top-20s at the FBR in the past three years and looks to have rejuvenated his game after a couple of off years when he threatened to become a has-been.
Howell has bulked up in the off-season and was an impressive fourth in Hawaii. He has OK-ish results at FBR in recent years but he could improve on those dramtically.
I really like a young kid called Webb Simpson, who has two top-10 results for the season from two starts. He was seventh at Qualifying School and look a real talent. He could make this a very quick breakthrough win.
Scott Piercy graduated from the Nationwide Tour and has started the season with two top-20s. More importantly he played the FBR in 2006 and his only appearance was 15th, which bodes well.
In Dubai, the desert classic has been dominated by three players in recent years: Tiger Woods, Henrik Stenson and Ernie Els. Obviously Woods isn’t playing, so is there anyone who can challenge Stenson and Els, who are the logical favourites.
I really like Stenson’s countrymen Johan Edfors and Niclas Fasth. Edfors has made a consistent start to 2009, with a fifth placing at Abu Dhabi and 16th last week. His record at Dubai is rock solid. Fasth’s record at Dubai is great – the past three years he’s been 10th, 3rd and 11th and he showed signs of form with a 16th placing in Qatar.
Simon Dyson of England has had three top-20s in a row at Dubai and was seventh last week which suggests he too could be a threat. And you can’t ignore the claims of Louis Oosthuizen. The South Africa has been runner-up two weeks in a row in the middle east and was third in Dubai last year.
Last week’s tipping was just off-beam with Tim Clark tying for fifth in the Bob Hope my best result on the US Tour while Edfors’ 19th was the best of a poor tipping effort in Qatar.
Now to the Masters power-rankings, the players who are performing best in the countdown to Augusta
1) Sergio Garcia. He’s had two rock solid performances in as many weeks
2) Henrik Stenson. His charge home for second in Qatar bodes well for this major-class player.
3) Mike Weir. Only gained admirers with his third-place at the Bob Hope
4) Tim Clark. A former Masters runner-up he’s had two good weeks in a row coming off a great summer. Can he maintain it.
5) Pat Perez. I’ve always thought he had major-qualities. Maybe his breakthrough will change his sometimes wavering mindset to match his game.
Season tally of best performances
European Tour: 1st, 19th
PGA Tour: 7th, 5th
Perez could be viewed as just another journeyman getting a win for just hanging around. But this guy, who looks just a little like Phil Mickelson, has got a really classy game and now that he’s won he could go on and win a few more. Watch out for him in the majors.
The FBR Open is really, really hard to sort out. After the early season tournaments which had a feel of not quiet being the best fields, there’s some genuine quality here with the return of Phil Mickelson and Camilo Villegas as well, as hopefully, Anthony Kim from injury.
Also the tournament is a week early than usual, as it has swapped places with the Buick, which suggests … nothing really, as this tournament has been really hard to pick the winner in pervious years.
Phil usually goes well at the course but two years he missed the cut big-time and it’s his first outing of the year, so I might skip him.
I’ve gone for four players this week instead of three as it’s just too hard: two older guys and two young guns.
The older guys are David Toms and Charles Howell. Toms was second at the Sony Open and was OK at the Bob Hope and he has two top-20s at the FBR in the past three years and looks to have rejuvenated his game after a couple of off years when he threatened to become a has-been.
Howell has bulked up in the off-season and was an impressive fourth in Hawaii. He has OK-ish results at FBR in recent years but he could improve on those dramtically.
I really like a young kid called Webb Simpson, who has two top-10 results for the season from two starts. He was seventh at Qualifying School and look a real talent. He could make this a very quick breakthrough win.
Scott Piercy graduated from the Nationwide Tour and has started the season with two top-20s. More importantly he played the FBR in 2006 and his only appearance was 15th, which bodes well.
In Dubai, the desert classic has been dominated by three players in recent years: Tiger Woods, Henrik Stenson and Ernie Els. Obviously Woods isn’t playing, so is there anyone who can challenge Stenson and Els, who are the logical favourites.
I really like Stenson’s countrymen Johan Edfors and Niclas Fasth. Edfors has made a consistent start to 2009, with a fifth placing at Abu Dhabi and 16th last week. His record at Dubai is rock solid. Fasth’s record at Dubai is great – the past three years he’s been 10th, 3rd and 11th and he showed signs of form with a 16th placing in Qatar.
Simon Dyson of England has had three top-20s in a row at Dubai and was seventh last week which suggests he too could be a threat. And you can’t ignore the claims of Louis Oosthuizen. The South Africa has been runner-up two weeks in a row in the middle east and was third in Dubai last year.
Last week’s tipping was just off-beam with Tim Clark tying for fifth in the Bob Hope my best result on the US Tour while Edfors’ 19th was the best of a poor tipping effort in Qatar.
Now to the Masters power-rankings, the players who are performing best in the countdown to Augusta
1) Sergio Garcia. He’s had two rock solid performances in as many weeks
2) Henrik Stenson. His charge home for second in Qatar bodes well for this major-class player.
3) Mike Weir. Only gained admirers with his third-place at the Bob Hope
4) Tim Clark. A former Masters runner-up he’s had two good weeks in a row coming off a great summer. Can he maintain it.
5) Pat Perez. I’ve always thought he had major-qualities. Maybe his breakthrough will change his sometimes wavering mindset to match his game.
Season tally of best performances
European Tour: 1st, 19th
PGA Tour: 7th, 5th
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