Buick Invitational

[SubPar]

I look for DL3 to hang in. He's on a freeroll now that he has 20 wins and he's striking the ball pretty good.

I can't wait to get home and see if Phil hit a fairway today.

SubPar

[Chas]

Anybody gonna be there? Ill be there on Saturday.

The first tee off is in about an hour, I should be there in two. As a San Diegan it's good to see Charley Hoffmann doing so well at this point. He seems to be playing with real confidence and enjoying himself. But Villegas is gonna be the guy to beat this weekend. He is so calmly focused out there, I'll be in his gallery for a while I'm sure. Must find out his tee time. First time I ever saw him was on the range at Torrey about four years ago - he was a standout then (long hitter) and he's only gotten better.

My favorite spot (but don't tell anyone): just behind the bunker in back of the 13th green (par 5). Love to watch them try to hit the elevated green on their second shots - the 11th (tough par 3) is a short walk away and its remarkable how seldom I've seen them hit that one off of the tee. The 13th is Phil's nemesis (quadruple bogey after getting in sand wedge range lying 2 at the US Open last year) but he knows this course as well as anyone. If he starts hitting fairways he might be a contender.

[LongballGer]

Ouch, Charlie Hoffman. Triple bogied the first. I was there and saw the ball in the tree and I also caught his umbrella when he threw it into the tree to get the ball.

[bogeyhitter25]

Phil's gotta switch drivers. The FT-9's not really workin' out for him. Anyway I was utterly impressed with John Rollins' play. Of course the last shot I saw him hit was his great putt for birdie on 17, as well as Camilo's tremendous sand save. Hoffman can't buy a win.

[Chas]

Ouch, Charlie Hoffman. Triple bogied the first. I was there and saw the ball in the tree and I also caught his umbrella when he threw it into the tree to get the ball.

Nice catch. I saw it happen from the other side of the fairway, with my 'noculars. But I thought it wasn't his ball that dropped out - isn't that why he had to tee off again? (i.e. ball lost in tree ....). Anyway, that's what people were saying. He then pushes his second tee shot right AGAIN, this time into the bunker. That first tee shot was towering though - if that tree weren't there it would have been looooooong.

His topped shot out of the bunker on the 18 wasn't pretty either. But I was impressed at how he steadied himself after the disastrous first hole. He hardly missed a fairway and was usually longer than the other two. Also, he picked up a couple strokes on the front nine and didn't seem rattled. Saw Jasper Parnevik hit an elegant little recovery from a missed approach shot somewhere around the 6th, up a steep slope to a short sided pin. What a pro that guy is, very focused. This time 2 out of 3 in Group 1 hit the green on the par 3 11th (Villegas to about 7 ft I think) - nice going. Freddie is still a seemingly effortless long ball hitter. And you can identify that guy from 400 yards, just from the way he saunters down the fairway. Good on you Sir, always a pleasure to watch. First time I've followed a group round the whole course, rather than camping out behind the green at the 13th - Oh my aching feet!

[bogeyhitter25]

Good for Nick Watney. He shouldn't have won it. Rollins practically gave him the win. Watney's putt on 16 was c-l-u-t-c-h.

Villegas got robbed so many times on the green, though. He played great.

[Chas]

Yes, you have to hand it to Villegas - he seemed to handle his repeated near misses/lipouts on the greens with remarkable grace. OK he did toss his putter to his caddie once, but that was about it. The guy is remarkably composed and good-humored. What a credit to the game that fellow is .....
*tips hat*

Well done Nick Watney!
(and he's from CA to boot .....)

[starchuk]

Rollins should have had it. He's such a great ball striker. how about the up and down from HIS pitch mark?

Watney played great. They had a close up of him hitting his teeshot on 17 or 18 and he didn't blink once. He was into it much more than JR or CV.

[cubdog]

Anyone who watched the tournament has to admit Watney did indeed deserve the win. He stood up and shot the best score among the leaders.

cubdog

[apex53]

Nice win for Watney, or as IBF referred to him "Nick Watson"...

[SubPar]

Phil's gotta switch drivers. The FT-9's not really workin' out for him. Anyway I was utterly impressed with John Rollins' play. Of course the last shot I saw him hit was his great putt for birdie on 17, as well as Camilo's tremendous sand save. Hoffman can't buy a win.

Yep. Phil needs to change drivers. That'll help him get up and down better, and avoid more four putts. It'll also help him hit par 3's with irons and hit fairways with his 3-wood. New driver is always the fixer-upper.

SubPar