Category: ProFiles

Every year, the players outside of the top 125 on the PGA Tour money list get kicked to the curb, forced to either retain their Tour card by other methods (prior tournament wins, all-time money list exemptions, etc.) or enter Q-School. Some of them are up-and-comers, still on the cusp of being a full-time Tour player, and some are older guys, struggling to stay relevant. Either way, here are nine (well, 11) of the guys that struggled on the PGA Tour in 2011.

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As I’m sure everyone in the golfing community has heard, Severiano Ballesteros passed early on the morning of May 7th. Seve was a larger than life figure in the world of European golf and golf around the world, and he is one of the few superstar athletes to have gained universal acclaim. Seve is widely considered to be the best European golfer of all time, and his death before his time comes to great dismay for golf fans across the globe. Ballesteros will be remembered as being one of the most exciting and creative golfers of all time, and one of the legends of the sport.

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Bubba Watson just picked up the second win of his career, the second in as many years, and he seems to be one of the fastest improving players on Tour. Watson has always had loads of talent but only in the past few years has he begun to put it all together. Just like in baseball where a fire-balling thrower must eventually become a pitcher, Bubba Watson is a long-hitting bomber that is starting to become a golfer.

His appearance in the playoff that decided last year’s PGA Championship introduced him to the casual golf fans, and his prominent usage of Twitter has made him as popular as any golfer. His free swing, huge distance, and Arnold Palmer-like follow through make him easy to watch, and lately he has been prominently featured on golf coverage. While he probably will never be a top-ranked golfer, Bubba Watson has quickly forged himself a career.

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Martin Kaymer, your 2010 PGA Champion, is on the fast track to the number one ranking. With five wins in the last 12 months, Kaymer has ascended to the top of the golfing world. While other high ranked players such as Steve Stricker and Lee Westwood have yet to win any top tournaments, Kaymer has won a major and is as capable as anyone at catching fire. Kaymer had more wins on the PGA and European Tours than anyone in the world last year.

When you look at Kaymer’s game, nothing really stands out. He doesn’t have Phil’s short game, Stricker’s putting, or Dustin’s distance. He’s a solid ballstriker, has pretty good distance, get up and down well, and he knows how to putt. While he is a bit above average in all of those categories, Kaymer just seems to put it all together, and he is perennially among the best scorers on the PGA and European Tours. Although Kaymer has a slightly funky backswing, his downswing is a thing of beauty. On that note, here are nine holes with Martin Kaymer.

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Dustin Johnson is one of the brightest stars on the PGA Tour today. Although he hasn’t been around that long, his roller-coaster of a year in 2010 got him noticed. It left us amazed, disappointed, surprised, and possibly with a better sense of the rules. Johnson, also known as “DJ,” is currently ranked 14th in the world and had one of the best records in major tournaments last year. Since his historic breakdown in the U.S. Open and his final-hole rules debacle at the PGA Championship, Johnson has become a fan favorite, and has established himself as one of the best young Americans. To add to that, now that Sergio Garcia and Colin Montgomery are basically out of the picture, Johnson is battling for the title of Best Never to Have Won an Major. Along with Lee Westwood, Steve Striker, and Rory McIlroy, for DJ escaping that title seems to be much more a matter of “when,” not “if.”

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What has the 2006 U.S. Open champion been up to lately? Aside from taking the SBS Championship by the throat and the birth of his son, Ogilvy has switched his club sponsor (from Cobra to Titleist) and apparel sponsor (from Puma to FootJoy), been busy on twitter (over 10,000 followers), and playing some kick ass golf. I did a little searching around and wanted to find out more about him. Take a peek and see about his family life, the clubs he’s using and some other odd ball facts.

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Chez (short for his middle name Chesney) was the unlikely 2008 RBC Canadian Open winner, but where did he come from? What are his goals? Aspirations? Hopes? Dreams?

And is he just a huge Arizona Diamondbacks fan? Why does he wear their logo on his shirts?

Let’s take a closer look at William Chesney Reavie in this week’s ProFiles.

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Ian Baker-Finch won 16 international titles and a major. He’s just 48, but hasn’t made a PGA Tour cut since 1994. His career as a golfer bottomed out just at a time (his mid-30s) when many players come into their primes.

What happened? His could be a cautionary tale for other players.

After his win at the 1991 Open Championship, he began to be paired with more long hitters. Naturally, he started trying to add length. He made swing changes that made him wild off the tee and actually cost him distance. He fought injuries and lost his confidence.

As Baker-Finch puts it: “I couldn’t handle the pressure, and didn’t like the fact I was playing poorly. So I said, ‘Hey, why do I put myself through this? I’m going to go do something I enjoy.'”

Continue reading “Nine Holes with Ian Baker-Finch”