Well it will certainly be a change of pace to see a green golf course, huh? After last week’s theatrics, the U.S. Bank Championship has a lot to live up to, but the course has provided excitement in the past and will very likely continue to do so.
Last Year
Ben Crane, best known for his seemingly never-ending waggles and time-consuming style of play, walked away victorious from this tournament last year. Crane started with a scorching 62, just one stroke off the course record and followed that up with rounds of 65, 64, and 69 to finish with a roomy four-stroke win over Scott Verplank. He took only 107 putts to finish the tournament, and folks, I’ve done the math: that is only 1.486 putts per green. A pretty impressive figure. His made putts totaled a distance of 400 feet, a category in which he led the field. This victory is impressive because it came in a year in which Ben had been scrutinized for his tortoise-like pace of play and for the fact that he had just come back from back surgery from the winter.
The Course
The Brown Deer Park Golf Course in Milwaukee measures a minute 6,759 yards. A midget when compared to championship length courses measuring nearly 800 yards longer, even with the Deer Park’s discounted par of 70. However this course features some fairly interesting par fours measuring 461, 417, 485, 436, 359, 447, 381, 437, 371, and 387 yards in that order. As you can see there is a plentiful variety in the length of these holes and will require the players to make accurate shots with their entire bag. Expect to see some short knockers near the top of the leaderboard this week.
Who’s Hot
Richard S. Johnson isn’t exactly hot, but he always seems to find a way to get his name on the leaderboard and I think its only a matter of time before the Swede breaks through with a win.
Corey Pavin has played some good golf this year and since this course gives the shorter hitters a break, I look for him to make the most of this opportunity.
Tim Herron has had a pretty good year, but has fallen off a bit. This week will establish whether or not he’s hot anymore, but for the time being, I’m going to put him on this list.
Who’s Not
Where have all the long-hitters gone?
Bubba Watson, the longest hitter of them all, finds himself outside of the top 100 money makers on tour this year. He hasn’t made any noise in a while and leaves me asking the question: will he meet the same fate as last year’s long hitter Scott Hend?
J.B. Holmes has a victory under his belt aleady, so his card is secured for two more years, he has however been unable to back up his lone win and really establish himself on tour.
Camilo Villegas, despite a near-miss at Doral has performed the most consistently out of these three cannons. He ranks 28th on the money list, ( He will play next year as well ) but has yet to break through with a victory, but is still in contention for rookie of the year.
TV Coverage Times
All times eastern (ET) unless otherwise noted.
Thu, July 27 USA 4 - 6 pm Fri, July 28 USA 4 - 6 pm Sat, July 29 USA 3 - 6 pm Sun, July 30 USA 3 - 6 pm
Photo Credits: © AP.
I would like to see home-town Jerry Kelly have a good week, so that he can possibly make the Ryder Cup team. He seems to be playing better and fared well in Europe.
I always root for John Cook (I like his swing and humor).
I was surprised not to see a Sand Trap article on how John Rollins has enough points right now to make it on the Ryder Cup. It seems all or most of his ryder cup points have come from the BC Open. He actually made more points for winning the BC Open than DiMarco made for coming in 2nd in the Open Championship with quite the field.
I would be curious what suggestions people have to really correct the Ryder Cup point tabulation. It is a slippery slope for the PGA.
Wow did Pavin ever make good use of this short course! Congrats, Corey!
Andy, we’re secretly hoping that John Rollins fails to earn any more points. He’s only in tenth and will likely soon be bumped out. Hopefully.
And yes, a blistering round by Corey Pavin.