SnoTap Golf: Previewing the Tour Championship

I have to start with the bad news. What has been one hell of a 2013 PGA Tour season is coming to an end this weekend. We find ourselves on the doorstep of the 2013 Coca-Cola Tour Championship and the expectations could not be any greater.

Last week, we had somewhat of a disappointing finish. Not because of the players, but due to Mother Nature once again delaying a tournament and forcing a Monday finish. This was good for some and terrible for others. Zach Johnson fought his way to the second best final round, and his first victory of his 2013 campaign. I have never found myself as a huge Johnson fan but the clutch performance he displayed in his BMW win earned him a whole hell of a lot of respect in my book.

He was paired up with last year’s FedEx Champ and the first round leader, Brandt Snedeker. He took a page out of Brandt’s book on Monday, and putted his brains out. With that victory, Zach shot himself to fourth place in the FedEx Cup standings and gave himself a chance to control his own destiny this week at the Tour Championship.

When Zach was asked about East Lake he said, “It is a beast. It is awesome”. If that does not explain to you the magnitude of this week’s event, I do not know what will. Tiger Woods, Henrk Stenson, Adam Scott, Zach Johnson, and Matt Kuchar all have earned enough points to control their fate come Sunday. The other 25 men competing this week will need some help to get atop the podium but everyone has a fighting chance. To open your eyes to the field a bit more, here are my three favorites to win the tournament, one from each tier of competitors.

The ‘last’ tier contains the players ranked 21-30 in FedEx Points. Their odds of winning the championship may be slim but that does not mean they cannot win this tournament. I like Luke Donald here. Luke is coming off a final round 66 last week, where everything seemed to be coming together for the Englishman. Donald has shown well here the last three years, carding three Top 3 performances in as many years. If he can keep that putter hot and avoid those blow up holes, Luke should find himself right in contention of getting his first victory on the season.

The middle tier of players holds a decent chance at winning the season-long crown if they can get the all-important victory here. Hunter Mahan seems to fit the bill. Hunter is the only man to play in every tournament of the FedEx playoffs since its conception in 2009. That kind of consistency is what it takes to win in these types of settings. Mahan is coming off a fourth place finish last week, where he also gathered a coveted hole in one. He has found himself in the final pairing in big tournaments this year but he is going to have to fight those yips to get a 2013 victory under his belt and contend this weekend.

My favorite to win from the top tier is the face of the top tier and the definition of success in 2013; Tiger Woods. The stage is set for Tiger to blast ahead of the pack and show that he cannot be beat when he is right. Tiger fought adversary last week to bring home a respectable T-11 finish. With a victory here, he would total an impressive 6th on the year and his 3rd career FedEx Cup Trophy. Tiger does not really have to do anything extra special to win; he just has to avoid doing something stupid to lose.

Enjoy the final leg of the PGA Tour season and stayed tuned next week for the first rendition of our SnoTap golf grades and other thoughts from the team.

Bryan. 

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PGA Championship Preview: Tee Time Draft

The third tee time draft of the season. I can speak for Bryan in saying this is one of my favorite things to do before a major golf tournament. We talked about possibly not doing it, but I felt it may help the casual fans figure out when they want to tune in on the first two rounds. We scored the Open Championship where I not only had the winner but I also won the whole scoring part of it as well.  

Charlie's First Pick: (8:35 am) Tiger Woods, Keegan Bradley, Davis Love III 

Boy, I wonder what these three will talk about?  If you do not know the answer, it is the Ryder Cup. Love III coached both Woods and Bradley last October. Woods struggled at Oak Hill in 2003 but he could definitely win it this week. Bradley is playing well and has won a Wanamaker in 2011 although the one worry is he tends to have atomic bombs on certain holes. I am 100 percent confident Love III will miss the cut and  will provide me with my worst score. 

Bryan's First Pick: (1:35 pm) Henrik Stenson, Dustin Johnson, Charl Schwartzel
Now, this may seem out of place for being a first round pick, but that seems to be SnoTap tradition with DJ. This is the first major in a while that he will not be teeing it up with the Belgian Bomber (Nicolas Colsaerts SPELLING) and Bubba Watson, and maybe that is a good thing. Henrik Stenson is an incredibly accurate iron player and leads the tour in recovering from the rough. The latter stat will be huge this week, as Oak Hill’s primary cut has been described as ‘Cabbage’. That relates well to Schwartzel seeing as Nike will most likely outfit him with a low cut shirt that allows his South African chest hair to blossom out all tourney long.

Charlie's Second Pick: (1:45 pm) Adam Scott, Justin Rose, Phil Mickelson 

Cheeky move by the PGA to have the three major winners from this year play with each other. I am sure they will talk about how awesome they are and how their majors are great. None of these guys I personally root for but I completely respect all of their games. A winner could easily come out of this group and I could not believe Bryan left the window open for me to take this group. my competitiveness to win a Tee Time Draft trumps my lack of a rooting interest 

Bryan's Second Pick: (1:15 pm) Graeme McDowell, Ernie Els, Bill Haas
This second round pick is based off mostly by the early season play of Mr. McDowell and I know Bill Haas possesses the ability to be at the top of the leaderboard. Also, I am wearing a beautiful ‘mint’ colored shirt today and I would bet my life Billy will do the same at some point this weekend. I do not know if Ernie has the strength left in him to play out of thick rough, but if he keeps it straight he could look to win his second major in as many years.

Charlie's Third Pick: (7:45 am)  Nicolas Colsaerts, Jason Day, Brandt Snedeker 

I am going to ride the Belgian Bomber bandwagon until everyone else is on it. He is in the Dufner, DJ, Horschel group of SnoTap favorites. He also is one of the few if not the only golfer to fly the creek on 14 in two.  The guy can completely mash. Day will probably end up in the top ten, but finish third with a car crash finish leading people to criticize him for no real reason. Snedeker is going to win this thing if Tiger and Phil does not. I realize that's not too out there but the man with the golden locks will be great this week.

Bryan's Third Pick: (7:55 am) Sergio Garcia, Matt Kuchar, Rickie Fowler
This group was built for me. I highlighted the games of both Garcia and Kuchar is yesterday’s post and I believe they will both comfortably make it into the weekend. Folwer putted extremely well last week and has not been a stranger to weekend leaderboards at majors this year. In order for Fowler to win his first major title, he will have to avoid what he does so often and not have any blow up holes. Consistence and patience are key.

Charlie's Fourth Pick: (7:45 am) Hideki Matsuyama, Steve Stricker, Jason Dufner 
I surprised Reynolds by leaving Stricker off my list of guys I thought might be worth watching this weekend and now we believe he has the SnoTap mojo in his direction. Strick will definitely be a player at Oak Hill, this course works to his advantage. DUFFFFFFF I want to see him and then pay attention to see if he will smile at any point of holding the Wanamaker. Matsuyama held his own when Woods went off for a 61 on Friday and that makes me think he could do alright this week.  

Bryan's Fourth Pick: (1:25) Rory McIlroy, Vijay Singh, Martin Kaymer
This is another group the PGA assembled by highlighting their past champions. It has been a while since Vijay has been a threat on tour, but he won this event in both 1998 and 2004. Kaymer will always be stuck in my head as the guy who stole a major from DJ when he had his goofy penalty at Whistling Straits. Nonetheless, Kaymer remained consistent since his triumph and could find himself in contention come Sunday. Lastly, Rory is the defending PGA Champion and we know whether he plays well or self-combusts, the media will find a way to bring him to the forefront. I hope Rory turns it around, he needs it.

Charlie's Fifth Pick: (12:45 pm) Hunter Mahan, Paul Casey, Billy Horschel

Mahan and Horschel have hovered around the leaderboards during majors so far this season, and there is no reason to think they cannot do it again this weekend. Mahan probably does not have much sleep dealing with a new baby but he looks like a guy who needs only two hours of sleep. Horschel probably will wear sting ray pants and that is good enough reason to choose him.  Casey scares the living shit out of me. I have Casey and Love III, two of the bigger underachievers in the past decade or so we know I could lose this thing easily.

Bryan's Fifth Pick: (8:25) Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, Luke Donald, Jordan Spieth
Spieth is by far my favorite out of this group, because he does not wear a visor. In all seriousness, Jordan is looking more and more like someone to fear in future years. He broke through in dramatic fashion at the John Deere Classic and a victory here would have the whole golf world buzzing about his potential. Castano played well at The Masters and has continued since earning his exemption. I am not a big fan of the permanently popped collar but I do enjoy his golf game. Finally, Luke Donald; My nemesis. I just feel he has been so overrated, for so long. Personally, I would love for him to win so I can finally feel like he is playing to his rank.

Charlie & Bryan 

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PGA Championship Preview: Charlie's Top Five to Watch

Bryan and I decided to do things a little differently for the final major of the year, the PGA Championship. We are just picking five players we like not named Tiger because it is more fun that way and then doing our usual tee time draft tomorrow. Enjoy.  

Even though, the PGA Championship has a host of players like Shaun Micheel, Rich Beem and Mark Brooks, it is extremely difficult to predict those no-namers to win the actual tournament. I did pick four guys out of five whom have not won a major yet they are big names in the golf world.  

1.) Brandt Snedeker - It feels like it is his time to win a major. I realize that's a cliche thing to say, but sometimes, everything seems to come together.Brandt has a win under his belt in the last month at the RBC Canadian Open and did well in the Open Championship finishing tied for 11th.  For the year, Snedeker has eight top 10 finishes out of 17 appearances only missing four cuts. With Oak Hill being a par 70, Snedeker being third in Par 4 scoring could play a major factor.

2.) Hunter Mahan - This is the feel good story definitely. CBS wants Mahan near the top of the leaderboard on Saturday and Sunday with the story of his newborn baby; he is probably the only golfer other than Tiger and Phil who could drive rating. Mahan's season is not really impressive minus making 17 out of 20 cuts and his performance in majors this year. Hunter has some nice numbers when it comes to approach shots and will definitely need it this weekend.

3.) Charl Schwartzel - The South African golfer does not have a win this year on the PGA Tour, but Schwartzel is having a strong year. He made 13 of 14 cuts this season, he is fourth in overall scoring and fifth in birdie average. Schwartzel also seems to find a way to get birdies whether it be a Par 3, Par 4 or Par 5 meaning he could go low at Oak Hill. He already has a major and knows what it takes to win one. I would not be surprised if he does it again.

4.) Jason Dufner - Yes he is a SnoTap favorite. Bryan mentioned Dufner's name as a contender multiple times this season and I also have done the same this year and in years past. He would probably admit his 2013 has not been great, but he played well at Bridgestone and maybe that is what gets his ball rolling leading into the FedEx Cup. There are no real mind blowing statistics to point except for his ability to hit GIR's from under 200 yards out and the fact he does well at the PGA Championship as he finished 5th in 2010 and lost in a playoff to Keegan Bradley in 2011.

5.) Bill Haas - He would definitely not be coming out of nowhere to win this major, but at the same time, Haas struggles in majors missing the cut in both the U.S. Open and the Open Championship.  Haas did have his best major finish at the 2011 PGA Championship finishing 12th. The reason I keep Haas here is the statistic I cited with Snedeker, Par 4 scoring. There is a group of four players who are far and away better Par 4 scorers than the rest of the PGA and Haas is one of them. I know he does not do well in majors, but you truly cannot predict majors.

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Brandt Wins Canada; Firestone Hosts an Elite Group

I spent my weekend relaxing in the Northwoods meaning my attention was not completely on the RBC Canadian Open, The players in Canada did not disappoint in a surprisingly loaded field. Hunter Mahan got off to a hot start and held the 36-hole lead but withdrew for reasons beyond his control, somewhat. Mahan’s wife went into labor with their firstborn and he did what most anyone would do, and left the tournament to be by her side. People in the media have been overstating his departure and saying he gave up a tournament that was his to lose; I disagree. Hunter still had two rounds to get through and he would have had the incredible, consistent play of Brandt Snedeker to compete with.

I tracked and listened to a majority of the final round, which was mostly highlighted by Mr. Snedeker doing what he had to do to bring home his second victory of the 2013 season. Interestingly enough, with three holes to play on Sunday, Dustin Johnson found himself with a one shot lead. This did not last for long though, as he went on to triple bogey his next hole. Johnson continues to show that he does not have what it takes to pull through in the clutch, even in these ‘small’ tournaments. I am starting to doubt he will ever bust through for a major title.

This week’s main PGA event is not a major, but it might as well be. Besides The Players Championship, the World Golf Championships have provided some of the finest fields to accompany their outstanding tournaments. The Bridgestone Invitational will be the final WGC event on the calendar for the year, and it looks to provide just as much excitement as the first two. Earlier in the year, we saw Matt Kuchar take the WGC Match Play in Arizona and Tiger Woods win the Cadillac Championship at Blue Monster. Firestone CC in Akron, OH will play host again this year as Keegan Bradley looks to defend his 2012 title and try to notch his first victory on tour this season.

With this tournament coming on the eve of the year’s final major, I feel it is important to look back to pre-major tournaments this year to see who could rise to the top this week. In my mind, there are four tournaments worth looking at here; Valero Texas Open (Pre-Masters), St. Jude Classic (Pre-U.S. Open), John Deere Classic (Pre-Open Championship), and The Scottish Open (Pre-Open Championship).

Phil Mickelson has been no stranger to the top of these leaderboards. As we all know, this is Mickelson's first tournament back since his impressive victory in The Open Championship. Phil has no trouble getting it rolling pre-major. He won the Scottish Open, which is a non-PGA Tour event, and he took second to Harris English at the rainy St. Jude Classic. I have given up on predicting winners every week, but I am pretty confident Phil will be right up there.

Billy Horschel is another guy that just refuses to be anywhere but in contention. Billy already notched one victory this year and is coming off a rough showing in Scotland. Horschel finished in the top five at Valero and placed top 10 at St. Jude. He has been incredibly consistent most of the 2013 campaign and I am believe he can get back on track at Firestone.

Although he is not a big name, I would keep an eye on Martin Laird to be in contention. He won the Valero going into the Masters and stuck right with Phil to finish fifth in the Scottish Open before The Open. He may need the help of a birdie ridden round but that is never out of the question with how talented Laird is with the putter.

There will be a small, yet electric field playing this weekend, all looking to get some momentum going into Oak Hill. Tiger Woods remains the only multi-time champion here, with seven victories overall. Although he didn’t win in 2012, everyone will be chasing him, as always when Tiger is playing in a tournament.

-Bryan Reynolds   

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