Did you take a break from NCAA basketball to play or watch golf this weekend? After Saturday’s round at Bay Hill, we were thinking that Adam Scott had weathered his “bad round” of the week and would surely play better and win on Sunday. We were wrong.
The conventional wisdom about anchored putters is that they are better at shorter putts than traditional putters. That did not seem to be the case for Adam Scott Sunday. One stroke back with his ball laying two on the 16th green, Scott three-putted from about 15 feet for a par. On the 17th he missed a shortish par putt. Sunday on the PGA TOUR again looked like the players were just trying not to throw up on themselves rather than win. While the suspense level remains high for viewers, we’d rather see players make birdies to win than bogeys to lose.
Here’s more about Sunday at Bay Hill and eight-plus other interesting items from the week. Let’s hit the links.
Hole #1: Every Beats the Long Putters
Matt Every shot two-under on Sunday and won the Arnold Palmer Invitational Sunday at 13-under par, his first PGA TOUR win. Adam Scott, who had a seven-stroke lead earlier in the tournament, shot 76 to finish in third. Keegan Bradley was second at -12 after an even par 72. [Link]
Hole #2: That’s More Like It
If you like a good charge up the leaderboard, how about Karrie Webb (-19) shooting 9-under 63 on Sunday at the JTBC Founder’s Cup in Phoenix to catch and pass New Zealand golf phenom Lydia Ko? Stacy Lewis shot 6-under, while Azahara Munoz and Amy Yang each shot 5-under, to finish T2 with third-round leader Ko (-3 for the round) at 18-under for the tournament. Ko missed a long birdie putt on 18 that would have put her in a playoff. It was Webb’s 41st victory. She had to wait some 90-minutes for the final groups to finish and fail to match her clubhouse lead. [Link]
Hole #3: When Does Confidence Become Arrogance?
Normally, Patrick Reed’s claim to be “one of the top five players in the world” would have bothered me. He’s 20th in the world rankings, and Here’s the thing, as of Sunday afternoon, he’s 20th in the world rankings but 3rd in FedExCup Points and he’s won three times in the last year and twice this year. At this moment in time, he probably is one of the top five players in the world. Now as for his desire “to be the American Ian Poulter,” we wish he’d set his sights higher. [Link]
Hole #4: Tiger Withdraws, Again
Brice Garnett got into the Bay Hill field thanks to Tiger Woods’ ailing back. Tiger was forced to withdraw on Tuesday due to a bulging disk. Will the back be better in time for Augusta? We’ll find out in a few weeks. [Link]
Bonus Hole #4.5: Is It Contagious?
Hunter Mahan’s back made it to Sunday when he withdrew from the Palmer Invitational on Sunday with soreness. He expects to be ready to play Augusta. [Link]
Hole #5: Just Look at that Little Maggert Go
Jeff Maggert won in his Champions Tour debut at the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic. His four-under 68 Sunday propelled him to a two-stroke win over Billy Andrade. Maggert is the 17th player to win in his first appearance on the Champions Tour. [Link]
Hole #6: Peyton Manning Talks Trash to Tiger
During a recent interview, Manning said that with the Colts he used to call “Tiger” at the line of scrimmage when he wanted the snap on one, and “Phil” when he wanted it on two. During a round of golf with Manning last year, Woods asked what was the biggest adjustment to playing with the Broncos. Peyton told him that he’d been having trouble getting used to “McIlroy for one and “Tiger” for two. [Link]
Hole #7: I Just Wish I Hadn’t Drank All that Cough Syrup this Morning
Some people shouldn’t drive… anything. [Link]
Hole #8: World Golf Hall of Fame Changes Rules
Media members will no longer select WGHOF inductees, unlike in most other sports. The Hall announced Sunday that a 20-person panel will nominate candidates for induction, and a 16-person will vote players in. The new rules will make it harder for men to get in, but easier for women. [Link]
Hole #9: Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires
Are you ready to give up your titanium driver, at least during times of fire risk? A new study that made a lot of noise this past week shows that titanium drivers produce sparks that are hot enough and last long enough to spark fires in dry grass or brush. Will courses in parched areas start requiring a return to steel or wood drivers? Probably not, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see caution signs. [Link]