2012 Farmers Insurance Open Discussion Thread

[mvmac]

Should be a great week at Torrey.  Unfortunately I won't be there to see Phil, Ernie, Rickie and Bubba

Ernie's looking for a big week

Quote:

For the first time in nearly 20 years, the Big Easy starts a new season without assurances that he will be at the Masters. He might not be eligible for two World Golf Championships over the next six weeks.

And for the first time since he cares to remember, Els finds himself looking at the world ranking. He is at No. 57, and that’s after getting a boost from a runner-up finish last week at the Volvo Champions event in South Africa.

“I look at it now,” Els said. “I never used to. When you’re comfortably in the top 10, top 20, you don’t look at these things. Now, I’m on the other side of the wheel. I’ve got to play myself into events. I’ve got to get into the Masters, into Doral, into the Match Play. And that’s fine with me. And if I don’t get in, that’s fine with me.

“I feel like I’m going to have a good year,” he said. “I feel good about it.”

For what he’s trying to accomplish, being at the Farmers Insurance Open might seem like a peculiar choice.

Most of golf’s biggest stars are halfway around the world in Abu Dhabi this week, which includes Tiger Woods, whose seven wins at Torrey Pines includes the 2008 U.S. Open. The top four players in the world also are in the Middle East - Luke Donald, Lee Westwood, Rory McIlroy and Martin Kaymer - meaning there figures to be more world ranking points.

And so is Phil

Quote:

Mickelson has made 83 starts on the West Coast and has a total of 33 top-10 finishes, including five runners-up and a trio of third-place finishes that with a break here or there might have added to the impressive victory total. His most recent win came in 2009 at the Northern Trust Open, where he successfully defended his title at famed Riviera Country Club.

So when Mickelson was asked Wednesday what would make these five weeks a success for him, he didn't mince words.

"In the past I've had some success here, so certainly I expect to win," he said firmly. "If not, I don't want to say that it's a failure, but it certainly wouldn't be what I'm looking for or expect."

Mickelson showed signs of rust last week at the Humana Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation. The two-time champ started slowly, shooting 74 in the first round at La Quinta where he hit two drives out of bounds. So he put the Callaway Razr Fit driver that he'd practiced with during the offseason in the bag and his confidence grew.

"I don't know what I was thinking," Mickelson said. "I had worked with it, I felt good with it, but I didn't want to make any changes from the previous season. So I hit a couple out, and that made the change pretty easy. I drove it much betterthroughout the week and putted pretty good too."

[mcfc_nick]

phil is a horror show at the minute! i know its a bit off topic but i hate tournaments that are over more than one course, the scoring is all lobsided and you can only follow one course on shot tracker haha!

[Beachcomber]

Originally Posted by mcfc_nick

phil is a horror show at the minute! i know its a bit off topic but i hate tournaments that are over more than one course, the scoring is all lobsided and you can only follow one course on shot tracker haha!

Agreed.  Why does the tour do that?

I was a little surprised at how low they went today... Couple 62's a 63 and several 64's.

[jhwmusic]

Phil has officially S$#t the bed! I'm just watching the replay cuz I couldn't watch earlier and he is playing like my mom. His swing is all jacked up...it just looks weird...something is different. Is he taking longer with his routine or what is it? It's definitely a little quick but there is something else. Did he regrow his man boobs of yesteryear and it is throwing off his balance? Little top heavy are we Phil? :~(

[Ben]

Originally Posted by Beachcomber

Why does the tour do that?

I was a little surprised at how low they went today... Couple 62's a 63 and several 64's.

A mix of reasons. Because the facility has two courses and is capable of taking on a good sized field. Offer some extra spots for Monday qualifier guys.

Instead of morning and afternoon tee times, they can run the guys on two different course during the middle of the day, . The cut will be a bit bigger, but each guy plays the two courses over Thursday or Friday.

I think ShotTracker is only on the South(?). That's where Sunday will be played, so, that's where the extra fancy stuff goes.

You mention the scores too. One course is significantly "easier" than the other. You'll notice most those scores were shot on the North course. I think 66 was low on the South. The US Open course. WHich is also another fun factor. Say you start on the North course, but don't shoot so briliant. Then you'll have to battle on the tougher of the two courses to make the cut.

I think playing a tournament over two [or more] courses makes for an interesting event.

Oh yeah, lets go John Huh!

[Chilli Dipper]

Also don't forget that it's still winter in southern California: it's the wet season, and the days are no longer there than anywhere else in the Northern Hemisphere. Holding the opening rounds on multiple courses provides the tour a much more forgiving window in which the tournament can remain on schedule.

But yes, the North Course is much easier than the South. It was the easier course before Rees Jones "openized" the North several years ago, and the gap is even wider now. Considering that half the field plays a pleasant muni, and half plays a supersized beast custom-built to make pros battle for par, it's no surprise there's such a discrepancy in the scores. Last week at the Hope, all three courses were roughly equal, though La Quinta was slightly more difficult for the pros than the newer resort courses at PGA West. At Pebble Beach in a few weeks, there will be Spyglass Hill, which doesn't host majors only because Pebble is down the road, and Monterey Peninsula, which is a lesser course only in relation to the ones around it. But at Torrey Pines, there is a huge difference from one day to the next.

[sacm3bill]

Originally Posted by Chilli Dipper

Also don't forget that it's still winter in southern California: it's the wet season, and the days are no longer there than anywhere else in the Northern Hemisphere. Holding the opening rounds on multiple courses provides the tour a much more forgiving window in which the tournament can remain on schedule.

Just to nit pick, the days actually are longer the closer you get to the equator (right now Torrey Pines gets about a half hour more than the northernmost parts of the state), but not enough to matter - your point is still a good one.

[Ben]

Lets, Go, John, Huh. Didn't let the South course beat him up. A solid round today and he's still right up there at T7!

[mcfc_nick]

Originally Posted by Ben

Lets, Go, John, Huh. Didn't let the South course beat him up. A solid round today and he's still right up there at T7!

very good! it must be class having a buddy on tour! by the way, how do you pronounce his last name? is it like huh? as in the question

[Ben]

Originally Posted by mcfc_nick

very good! it must be class having a buddy on tour! by the way, how do you pronounce his last name? is it like huh? as in the question

Yeah, exactly.

I got a little bit of him on TV and the announcer totally hacked it up. "John 'Hew', putting for eagle on 18" Silly

[mcfc_nick]

Kyle Stanley will be an awesome player imo!

[indybuckeyefan]

very nice putt on 16 for Huh

12 under tied for second

[JetFan1983]

Whoa, Peter Kostis actually used the term secondary axis tilt in the slow motion clip of Kyle Stanley's swing. Shocking. But a good sign for him as a teacher.

[jhwmusic]

Yeah, exactly.

I got a little bit of him on TV and the announcer totally hacked it up. "John 'Hew', putting for eagle on 18" Silly

Gary McCord just called your boy Johnny "Question Mark" ...ha ha ha! Sorry but that was kinda funny

[newtogolf]

I heard that and thought I must have mis-heard it, so I rewound it and yep, that's what he said.  I'm sure he'll get an e-mail about that tomorrow from the execs.

Originally Posted by jhwmusic

Gary McCord just called your boy Johnny "Question Mark" ...ha ha ha! Sorry but that was kinda funny

[mcfc_nick]

they always find a way of making it a little interesting!

[mvpcb]

Very exciting finish to this!

[mymizunosrock]

I like both these guys, but that was hard to see Stanley implode like that...Off to the 16th..