Friday
Sep102010
Leishman: Dubsdread's greens are fine
Friday, September 10, 2010 at 1:49PM
Writing from Lemont, Illinois
Friday, September 10, 2010
Marc Leishman came to the defense of Cog Hill’s puckered greens late on Friday evening.
“There’s a few patchy spots, but it’s not as though you’re putting on a road or anything,” Leishman said after a sparkling 6-under-par 65 moved him to solo third, a stroke behind Matt Kuchar and Charlie Wi. “They’re good greens. If you were to put these in front of a club golfer, they’d be like, these are good greens.”
Then, noting the widespread criticism from others in the field, Leishman sounded like Jack Nicklaus, who said many players eliminate themselves mentally before they tee off in majors.
“When I hear other players making comments like that, it sort of feels like you’ve got less players to beat because the guys are already complaining. They’ve already let it beat them, I think,” Leishman said. “Every week we putt on perfect greens, and when they’re not quite perfect, it’s not the end of the world.”
And, he noted, “Where the Tour is putting the pins, they’re not bad. They’re fine. You fix a few pitch marks here, and they’re fine. If you hit a good putt, it’s still going to go in. It’s not going to bounce.”
That was in great argument to the majority.
Casey at the wicket
Paul Casey, ranked eighth in the world but snubbed for a spot by European Ryder Cup team captain Colin Montgomerie last week, said after his 2-under 69 moved him into a tie for fourth with Ian Poulter that he’s gotten favorable comments from fans since Monty’s maneuver.
“I’ve heard a lot, actually, but the really funny one is, I got a guy in Boston. I made a long putt on the sixth for birdie, and he goes, ‘If that’s the way you putt, I’m glad they didn’t pick you.’ ”
Casey, who plays primarily on the PGA Tour, thinks his situation – unable to play enough in Europe to qualify there and just behind other qualifiers in the world rankings – will become more common.
“I think with guys like (British Open champion Martin) Kaymer, (U.S. Open champion Graeme) McDowell and possibly others joining in the near future, what are we going to do?” Casey said. “I understand the European Tour wants to protect the European Tour, but we also want to get the best team possible.
“I don’t know what the solution is. It might be something where they something where they switch off the five off the world rankings and four off the money. It will come up. Maybe the timing (of the selection) will come up as well.”
Casey found out he wasn’t picked during last week’s playoff tournament at TPC Boston. He was playing with Padraig Harrington, who found out he made it.
If Casey wins the Western, Montgomerie might have nightmares.
Bright and early on Saturday
The third-round tee times run from 7:25 to 9:15 a.m., off the first and 10th tees, in threesomes, to accomodate tournament telecaster NBC’s need to switch to Notre Dame for the telecast of the Fighting Irish’s game with Michigan at 2:30 p.m.
Leaders Wi and Kuchar will join Leishman on the first tee at 9:15 a.m., just behind the all-English trio of Ian Poulter, Paul Casey and Luke Donald.
Woods and Mickelson will tee off on opposite sides of the course, 10 minutes apart. Woods opens on the 10th tee at 7:35 a.m. with Ryan Palmer and Brian Davis, while Mickelson starts on the first tee at 7:45 a.m. with Bill Haas and Zach Johnson.
With a 50 percent chance of thunderstorms in the forecast, it may take all day to finish anyway.
Sunday’s tee times will be the standard weekend twosomes, with everyone starting on the first hole.
Around Dubsdread
With both Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson playing in the morning, there weren’t 20,000 people at Cog Hill on Friday. Woods had about 500 people following him early in his round, and while his gallery improved, it wasn’t the type of 10-deep mob that used to cause human traffic jams when the tournament was played around the Fourth of July weekend. The two day estimate: 38,000. Saturday’s early tee times, plus a forecast of rain, probably won’t help. ... The line of the day came from Robert Allenby after a back-nine 4-under 32 allowed him to salvage a 1-under 70 and stand at even par 142 through two rounds: “I pulled my finger out of my ass and played some golf.” Allenby, 27th in the point standings, is tied for 23rd in the championship at the midpoint. ... Andres Romero, high man Thursday with a 9-over 80, rebounded with a 1-under 70 on Friday. ... Now dead last: Ben Crane, thanks to rounds of 76-77 for 11-over 153. ... The course averaged 72.257 strokes in round two, and is at 71.943 through 36 holes. Last year’s second round average was 71.029 strokes.
– Tim Cronin
Friday, September 10, 2010
Marc Leishman came to the defense of Cog Hill’s puckered greens late on Friday evening.
“There’s a few patchy spots, but it’s not as though you’re putting on a road or anything,” Leishman said after a sparkling 6-under-par 65 moved him to solo third, a stroke behind Matt Kuchar and Charlie Wi. “They’re good greens. If you were to put these in front of a club golfer, they’d be like, these are good greens.”
Then, noting the widespread criticism from others in the field, Leishman sounded like Jack Nicklaus, who said many players eliminate themselves mentally before they tee off in majors.
“When I hear other players making comments like that, it sort of feels like you’ve got less players to beat because the guys are already complaining. They’ve already let it beat them, I think,” Leishman said. “Every week we putt on perfect greens, and when they’re not quite perfect, it’s not the end of the world.”
And, he noted, “Where the Tour is putting the pins, they’re not bad. They’re fine. You fix a few pitch marks here, and they’re fine. If you hit a good putt, it’s still going to go in. It’s not going to bounce.”
That was in great argument to the majority.
Casey at the wicket
Paul Casey, ranked eighth in the world but snubbed for a spot by European Ryder Cup team captain Colin Montgomerie last week, said after his 2-under 69 moved him into a tie for fourth with Ian Poulter that he’s gotten favorable comments from fans since Monty’s maneuver.
“I’ve heard a lot, actually, but the really funny one is, I got a guy in Boston. I made a long putt on the sixth for birdie, and he goes, ‘If that’s the way you putt, I’m glad they didn’t pick you.’ ”
Casey, who plays primarily on the PGA Tour, thinks his situation – unable to play enough in Europe to qualify there and just behind other qualifiers in the world rankings – will become more common.
“I think with guys like (British Open champion Martin) Kaymer, (U.S. Open champion Graeme) McDowell and possibly others joining in the near future, what are we going to do?” Casey said. “I understand the European Tour wants to protect the European Tour, but we also want to get the best team possible.
“I don’t know what the solution is. It might be something where they something where they switch off the five off the world rankings and four off the money. It will come up. Maybe the timing (of the selection) will come up as well.”
Casey found out he wasn’t picked during last week’s playoff tournament at TPC Boston. He was playing with Padraig Harrington, who found out he made it.
If Casey wins the Western, Montgomerie might have nightmares.
Bright and early on Saturday
The third-round tee times run from 7:25 to 9:15 a.m., off the first and 10th tees, in threesomes, to accomodate tournament telecaster NBC’s need to switch to Notre Dame for the telecast of the Fighting Irish’s game with Michigan at 2:30 p.m.
Leaders Wi and Kuchar will join Leishman on the first tee at 9:15 a.m., just behind the all-English trio of Ian Poulter, Paul Casey and Luke Donald.
Woods and Mickelson will tee off on opposite sides of the course, 10 minutes apart. Woods opens on the 10th tee at 7:35 a.m. with Ryan Palmer and Brian Davis, while Mickelson starts on the first tee at 7:45 a.m. with Bill Haas and Zach Johnson.
With a 50 percent chance of thunderstorms in the forecast, it may take all day to finish anyway.
Sunday’s tee times will be the standard weekend twosomes, with everyone starting on the first hole.
Around Dubsdread
With both Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson playing in the morning, there weren’t 20,000 people at Cog Hill on Friday. Woods had about 500 people following him early in his round, and while his gallery improved, it wasn’t the type of 10-deep mob that used to cause human traffic jams when the tournament was played around the Fourth of July weekend. The two day estimate: 38,000. Saturday’s early tee times, plus a forecast of rain, probably won’t help. ... The line of the day came from Robert Allenby after a back-nine 4-under 32 allowed him to salvage a 1-under 70 and stand at even par 142 through two rounds: “I pulled my finger out of my ass and played some golf.” Allenby, 27th in the point standings, is tied for 23rd in the championship at the midpoint. ... Andres Romero, high man Thursday with a 9-over 80, rebounded with a 1-under 70 on Friday. ... Now dead last: Ben Crane, thanks to rounds of 76-77 for 11-over 153. ... The course averaged 72.257 strokes in round two, and is at 71.943 through 36 holes. Last year’s second round average was 71.029 strokes.
– Tim Cronin
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