After Phil Mickelson missed the cut at The FBR Open, I was ready to write his season off. Lefty bounced back this past weekend at Pebble Beach and proved he still has what it takes to seal the deal. He is obviously in better shape physically and mentally, and it was nice to see him win his 30th career PGA Tour event.
Mickelson officially put his name near the top of The FedEx Cup standings and will more than likely be a contender most of the season. After six events, Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, and Lefty have all found the winner’s circle. That is great for ratings, and it will keep fans more involved throughout the inagural FedEx Cup season. It’s just unfortunate all three won’t be in the same field until the Accenture Match Play Championship in two weeks.
I usually don’t start watching every week of golf until late February or early March. The FedEx Cup has changed things for me, and I have found myself watching almost every event of the season. I said almost because I can’t make it through another Bob Hope Chrysler Classic or Pebble Beach Pro-Am. The pro-am events is one of three PGA Tour disappointments early in 2007. Can you guess the other two?
Pro-Am Frustrations
I’ve never been a fan of pro-am events during the regular or silly seasons. I enjoy watching the world’s best tee it up each week, and Bill Murray doesn’t fit in that category. Sure, Murray and other choice celebrities are funny, but there is an arena for that. It’s called the movie theater. Last time I checked, the PGA Tour is supposed to be all about golf.
To make things worse, they pick Pebble Beach as one of the pro-am destinations. Pebble Beach, Spyglass Hill, and Poppy Hills are all very solid courses, and it would be nice to see a little more of the courses instead of the celebrities. In fact, viewers get to see very little of Spyglass Hill and Poppy Hills throughout the week because the cameras are always following the amateurs at Pebble Beach. It’s a shame because Spyglass Hill is one of the best courses in the United States.
Some people may disagree with my thoughts on this subject because the pro-am events bring in a lot of revenue for the PGA Tour and various charities. That’s great, but there are other times throughout the year where these types of tournaments can bring in the same amount of money. That’s what the silly season is for after The FedEx Cup has been completed. I still wouldn’t watch much of the events, but at least they wouldn’t take away from the world’s best.
I tried to watch some of The Bob Hope Chrysler Classic and Pebble Beach Pro-Am over the past few weeks, but I couldn’t make it through 30 minutes. I chose not to watch any of the action until the final round where the professionals took over the television time. It’s sad to watch an event at Pebble Beach for 30 minutes to an hour and only see two or three golf shots from professionals. Luckily, these two events are now in the rear-view mirror, and it’s time to get down to serious business!
Lack of Star Power
None of the fields have been extremely weak so far this season, but they haven’t exactly been very strong, either. So far, Tiger Woods has only played in one event, and it looks like he won’t be playing again until the Accenture Match Play Championship next week. That is two events in two months from the world’s greatest golfer, and that stings a little. It would have been nice to see him play at Kapalua and at the upcoming Nissan Open.
At least Mr. Woods has played one PGA Tour event so far. That’s more than I can say for Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, and Sergio Garcia. All three of these golfers are ranked inside the top 12 in the world rankings, but we haven’t seen them play in the United States in 2007. It will be nice to see them all tee it up in the strong-fielded Nissan Open this week, but that doesn’t help my early frustrations.
The FedEx Cup was created in order to bring all the world’s best together more often, but the fields have been the same as they have been in the past. Els, Goosen, and Garcia are already handicapped as far as the FedEx Cup standings are concerned. Other top guys like Tiger, Vijay, and Lefty already have a nice headstart because they have played at least one PGA Tour event in 2007.
I’m sure the fields will be stronger over the next few months because the World Golf Championship events and major championships will be sprinkled throughout the schedule. However, it would be nice to see some of these International guys make an earlier appearance on the PGA Tour.
Golfer Struggles
I can’t write an article about disappointments without mentioning the lackluster performance of a couple individuals. Chad Campbell easily has top-ten talent, but he hasn’t put that to good use over the past year or so. Ever since winning the 2006 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic and finishing in a tie for third at the 2006 Masters, Campbell has been one of the most underachieving golfers in the world.
There isn’t any reason why Campbell shouldn’t be winning tournaments at a rapid pace. He started off the season by finishing 13-over par at Kapalua. At the Sony Open the next week, he started things off with a great first-round 66. Things have been downhill since then. Campbell ended up finishing in a tie for 46th at Sony, and he has missed the cut in his last two events. The talent is in place, but this Texan is going nowhere fast.
It’s hard to imagine David Duval being on this list of disappointments, but that’s where he belongs. Duval has looked so good in numerous opening rounds this season, but he has struggled to make a move on the weekend. He has fired openings rounds of 66 (Bob Hope Chrysler Classic) and 67 (Buick Invitational) early in the season, but he can’t seem to break the top 30 for an event.
Duval has made three out of four cuts, and I’m happy to see him playing a little better. Unfortunately for David Duval fans, just making the cut isn’t going to get the job done. It’s time for him to start making a statement on Saturday and Sunday.
The Final Say
I’m happy that I’ve given the early-season schedule more attention this season than I have in the past. There are some great events and courses at the beginning of the year, and I’ve had the chance to focus on those more in 2007. The FedEx Cup has gotten mixed reactions so far, but it has given me more motivation to watch every weekend. The play of Charles Howell III hasn’t hurt my viewership any, that’s for sure.
Like I mentioned above, the weakest part of the PGA Tour schedule is over, and things are about to get even better. Starting with The Nissan Open, nearly every event for the next few months will have a great field. At least I hope that’s how things go. It’s still early enough for guys like Els, Goosen, and Garcia to get themselves in the chase for The FedEx Cup, but they will have to play from behind. It’s also early enough for Campbell and Duval to get things rolling and make me happy. Let’s hope both situations work themselves out for the best.
It’s your turn to tell me what you think of this week’s article. Do you enjoy watching the pro-am events as much as the regular PGA Tour events? Also, how nice would it be to see all golfers in the top ten make their PGA Tour debuts before late February? Finally, can Chad Campbell perform up to his talent, and can David Duval ever put things together on the weekend? If you have anything to add, please comment below or discuss it in the forum. Thanks for reading this week’s Thrash Talk!
Photo Credits: © Getty Images.
Cody,
I wanted to start this by saying, “Jane, you ignorant slut!” but I’ll just remind you that the PGA did NOT CHOOSE Pebble for one of their Pro-Ams. The National Pro-Am chose the PGA and the PGA accepted.
Lonnie, I assure you the PGA had little to nothing to do with the PGA Tour’s event at Pebble Beach.
I don’t really care whose idea it was to have the pro-ams at the beginning of the season because I still don’t like them. That was pretty much the only point I was trying to make. If you enjoy them, that’s awesome.
Cody,
I thought your comments were right on, especially concerning the “stars” at Pebble. I can’t take watching those tv guys with their awful swings, and non-funny antics. I too wanted to see more of the pros play Spyglass and Poppy, as well as Pebble. The silly season should start after the Fedex Cup, not on the California swing. I wonder how many golf fans actually enjoy watching George Lopez or some other third rate actor play golf. I actually didn’t even know who the guy was until my wife told me.
Talking about strong fields, the LA Open looks like a winner (if the weather holds). Should be a great field, best of the year so far.
I agree, move the Pro-Am’s to the post season! Lets get coverage of the top pros playing golf shots.
The big guns should tee it up more regulary in the early part of the season, support the tour and the sponsors so the tour can stay the premier tour around the world.
Looking forward to a quality group of players at the nissan this week. I hope Adam Scott can go one better this year. He is part of a select group which can reel in Tiger over the next couple of years. Good to see some quality Euro Tour regulars this week, The Big Easy, Sergio, Goose, Harrington and Karlsson. I wish Tiger and Davis Love were playing this week, it would top off an already great field.
Hi Cody,
I think you’re dead right on the Pro-Ams. It’s a killer when you have such a great venue like Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill being chopped up by celebrity hackers. One tires of seeing Huey Lewis and Bill Murray top it 60 yards up the fairway; I can see that on my home course any day of the week!
However, I think you’re being a little unfair to Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, and Sergio Garcia in your frustrations about them not having played in the US yet this year! They have certainly played their fair share of tournaments already.
These are global players that play on all continents throughout the year, which is more than can be said for Phil Mickelson, Chad Campbell, Chris DiMarco and a whole plethora of journeyman PGA tour pros that never venture out of their comfort zone. There’s a whole golfing world outside the PGA Tour, remember?
It’s a long season and these global players cannot afford to be burnt out by the time the first major of the year swings around.
Cody,
Great article, I couldn’t agree more. I usually don’t start watching golf until the west coast swing is over but the Fedex Cup sparked my interest this year and so far has let me down with the mediocre fields. I’m sure the inventors of the Cup thought they would have a little stronger showing by the elite golfers.
I don’t like the pro-ams either, at least not two of them almost back to back weeks, it’s like watching the same event except for the 3 hours of seeing the waves hit the rocks!
It’s a very picturesque setting but I would prefer the camera be pointed at Tiger, Phil, Goose, and the rest of the top ten.
As for Chad Campbell, I used to look for him each week to fill out my fantasy roster but I’ve all but forgotten him this year. Maybe he’s hanging ouy with John Daly.
David Duval seems to just do enough then he shuts it down. I think he is subconsciously trying to keep out of the limelight, that in his mind he is happy being a middle of the road guy.
Maybe now that the west coast swing is over we will see the magic that the Fedex Cup should provide. It’s got to get better, there is $10 milllion dollars at stake!
Oh my goodness! I took up golf 8 years ago and was startled to find out that amateurs are plenty afoot on pro events. When my non golfing buddies are over and see whats going on they too are mesmerized that this is how its unfolding on the PGA Tour. Believe me, George Lopez and Bill Murray ARE NOT funny. The entire show should take place during the silly season period. I don’t blame Tiger and others for not participating at such events. What a waste of time for true golf fans as well. I always wait until the final round for any TV viewing. The got to re-think this now, especially when they want to explode the sport into prime time.