I apologize for the delay in releasing these results. The champion of the 2011 LFTL US Open Pool is Mikey H. Not only was Mikey the only player to take Rory McIlroy, but he also had Jason Day on his roster. This combination helped Mike over come his numerous picks that missed the cut.
Mikey's winning earnings (money won by his picks, not by him) of over $2.4M but him ahead of second place by more than $1M. Second place was won by Erik Sproll, while Burke, our Masters Pool winner took the bronze.
We'd also like to note that fellow golf blogger Chris Chaney finished DFL in our pool. Sorry, Chris. If it is any consolation, I only beat you buy about 60-grand, and I made the groupings! Be sure to stop by Chris' site at wrongfairway.com. Usually, Chris write posts that are just long enough to be a welcome break in your work day. He posts multiple times a day, which will give you multiple breaks from your boring job. Also, his writing is damn good. Be sure to read his post from June 21st about those US Open stories that were overshadowed by Rory's romp at Congressional.
That's it. I look forward to our British Open Pool next month. I am 100% sure that it will be our second straight pool where picking Tiger isn't an option due to his absence from the tournament. Just wanted to go on record with that.
-A.
6.21.2011
Coronation at Congressional
Rory McIlroy won the 111th United States Open Sunday in spectacular fashion. Closing with a 2-under par 69, Rory set numerous records on his way to winning his first major championship.
Even though he's only 22 years old, it felt like this was a long time coming for Rory. An incredible talent, he has lead at some point in each of the last four majors, including, all but 9 holes of the two majors in 2011. Unfortunately, the 9 holes he didn't lead were the last 9 holes on Masters Sunday.
Rory overcame all that disappointment and proved his critics wrong this week and Congressional Country Club.
Because of the dominant nature of his performance, the parallels to Tiger Woods' 2000 US Open victory at Pebble Beach were inevitable. The debate about which victory was more impressive is completely irrelevant. However, that didn't stop the media at NBC and The Golf Channel from bringing it up at every possible opportunity. Many of the media, and even some fellow tour pros, have already anointed Rory as "The Next Tiger".
Padraig Harrington said that Rory, not Tiger, will be the one to break Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 Major Championships.
The truth is we really don't know what to expect from him going forward. Rory could end up winning 20-plus Majors, or he might never win another. That's the way golf is. For most it's about catching lightning in a bottle for a relatively short period of time. Sometimes a golfer finds that rhythm early in his career, and some find it later. Remember when Padraig Harrington was amongst the "Greatest Players Never to Win a Major" and then, very quickly, he rattled off three Major victories in two years.
The list of players that were supposed to be can't miss young talents is seemingly endless. Although none of those other players lapped the field in the US Open at 22 years old.
Rory is certainly not the next Tiger Woods, just as Tiger isn't the next Jack Nicklaus. The thing about greatness is that it is unique. While all three are considered great players, they are all viewed very differently. Tiger's legacy will never match up with Jack's for many different reasons.
Even early in his career, before we found out that Tiger enjoyed the company of strange women, we knew he was kind of a jackass. He was a lousy interview, he oozed arrogance, he was a robot and all his answers were always scripted. Even when he turned pro, his "Hello, world" statement sounded like it was crafted by some image-management team.
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| Not a bad Fathers' Day |
Rory McIlroy is confident, but humble. He's private, but honest. He's professional, but he's relaxed. He's very focused, but he's also the ultimate nice guy. He smiles, he signs autographs, he has friends on tour that aren't in their 50s. Rory McIlroy is not Tiger Woods.
We watched Tiger Woods because he was amazing. We cheer for Rory McIlroy because we want him to win.
(Note: I debated back and forth whether to write about Tiger in the present-tense or past-tense, I settled on past-tense, not sure what that means).
I can't imagine there were many people watching Sunday's final round of the US Open that didn't want Rory McIlroy to win. We wanted him to win in part because we are starved for another golf superstar. But mostly we wanted him to win because Rory McIlroy is a great guy.
He couldn't be easier to root for.
-A.
6.18.2011
Any Good?
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| Easy game. |
Along with pretty much everyone else, I want Rory to win tomorrow. I would be willing to bet money that he'll win his first major tomorrow, but I won't because you won't win any money with that bet even if he does win. (Note, the odds on Rory winning on Sunday are 1/10. So bet $10 on him and if he wins you get $1 back).
However, it is not over yet. No lead in golf is insurmountable. Eight strokes can evaporate fairly quickly with a few poor holes. Rory has only had two poor holes in three rounds. A double bogey on Friday and a bogey on Saturday. The rest of his golf has been brilliant.
The golf media, and even some players, have already begun comparing Rory to not only Tiger Woods, but Jack Nicklaus. Padraig Harrington said that Rory will be the guy to break Jacks' record of 18 majors. I think Paddy might be getting a little ahead of himself.
Rory isn't Jack and he isn't Tiger. Rory is motivated, but I don't think he posted a list of Jack's record on his bedroom wall as a child like some kind of crazy person. He certainly didn't continually bring up that his ultimate goal was to break Jack's record. He's just a very good golfer that plays even better in big events.
Everyone remembers his meltdown at the Masters this year. What many people don't remember is that Rory led for three straights days at Augusta. In the 2010 PGA Championship, Rory was about 2 inches from holing a putt on the 72nd hole that would have got him into the playoff with Bubba Watson and Martin Kaymer. At the 2010 British Open, Rory opened with a round of 63.
As I said, the kid likes the big stage.
Rory has yet to close out for his first major. He's got a very good chance tomorrow. I'll save the rest of my thoughts on Rory for after tomorrow's final round.
-A.
6.15.2011
My Picks
I don't think I've done this before, but I'm going to add my picks to pool for the US Open.
(side note: I have The Golf Channel on right now (surprise!) and they are wrapping up the Live From The US Open segment. John Hawkins just gave his closing statement. Why does he squint so much when no one else does? Is it that sunny? Is he far-sighted? I don't get it.)
Anyway, my picks.
Angel Cabrera
Martin Kaymer
Wes Heffernan
K.J. Choi
Paul Casey
Nick Watney
Gary Woodland
Francesco Molinari
Sergio Garcia
Geoff Ogilvy
In making my picks I realized how difficult it was to make selections given the way the groupings were put together. I already hate my picks. But there they are.
I don't think Thomas is going to make his picks in time considering he is probably high on life right now after the Bruins won the Stanley Cup tonight! I hope he doesn't get fired for wearing his Patrice Bergeron jersey to work tomorrow.
Enjoy the tournament this weekend. And if anyone can tell me why Hawkins squints so badly, please fill me in.
(side note: I have The Golf Channel on right now (surprise!) and they are wrapping up the Live From The US Open segment. John Hawkins just gave his closing statement. Why does he squint so much when no one else does? Is it that sunny? Is he far-sighted? I don't get it.)
Anyway, my picks.
Angel Cabrera
Martin Kaymer
Wes Heffernan
K.J. Choi
Paul Casey
Nick Watney
Gary Woodland
Francesco Molinari
Sergio Garcia
Geoff Ogilvy
In making my picks I realized how difficult it was to make selections given the way the groupings were put together. I already hate my picks. But there they are.
I don't think Thomas is going to make his picks in time considering he is probably high on life right now after the Bruins won the Stanley Cup tonight! I hope he doesn't get fired for wearing his Patrice Bergeron jersey to work tomorrow.
Enjoy the tournament this weekend. And if anyone can tell me why Hawkins squints so badly, please fill me in.
6.13.2011
US Open Pool!
It's time for our 2011 US Open Pool! Since the blog has been a bit light on content lately, I decided to put in a bit of extra effort into our pool. Also, I'm not feeling well and it's crappy outside, so I'm at home tonight instead of at the golf course. There are 10 categories. Pick one player from each. You can email your selections to us at loopinforthelama@gmail.com
Here we go!
Multiple Major Winners: Self explanatory. These guys have won more than one major.
Angel Cabrera
Ernie Els
Retief Goosen
Padraig Harrington
Phil Mickelson
Winners of One Major: These guys have each won only one major, some of them recently, others not so recently.
Graeme McDowell
Charl Schwartzel
Louis Oosthuizen
Martin Kaymer
Lucas Glover
Stewart Cink
David Toms
Jim Furyk
Canadian: Only three Canadians in the field this week. And none of the usual suspects.
Adam Hadwin- 23 years old, his first US Open. Plays on the Canadian Tour
Jon Mills- T-36 in 2008. This is his third US Open. Plays on Nationwide Tour. Twice a winner there.
Wes Heffernan- MC'd at Southern Hills in 2001. Plays on the Canadian Tour. Four times a winner there. Including the 2008 Players' Cup here in Winnipeg.
Asian (sort of): In keeping with the USGA grouping three "Asians" together for the first two rounds, I did the same. Like the USGA, I've lumped in Anthony Kim.
Anthony Kim
K.J. Choi
Y.E. Yang
Ryo Ishikawa
Hiroyuki Fujita
Kyung-Tae Kim
BPNTHWAM: This, of course, stands for Best Player Never To Have Won A Major.
Luke Donald
Lee Westwood
Steve Stricker
Rory McIlroy
Ian Poulter
Paul Casey
Justin Rose
American Hopefuls: These guys are from the U. S. of A. Most of America's hopes are pinned on these players.
Bubba Watson
Nick Watney
Dustin Johnson
Matt Kuchar
Hunter Mahan
Rickie Fowler
Bill Haas
Ryan Moore
Ryan Palmer
2011 First Time Winners: These four players won for the first time on the PGA Tour this season.
Gary Woodland
Harrison Frazar
Mark Wilson
D.A. Points
Where Have You Been?: Players that were once the talk of the town and have been fairly absent in 2011, and in some cases haven't done much in a couple years.
Trevor Immelman
Jeff Overton
Miguel Angel Jimenez
Camilo Villegas
Edoardo Molinari
Francesco Molinari
Pace of Play: Three very slow players, Crane, Johnson and Na. The fastest player on tour, Snedeker and one who was once ridiculed for slow play (Sergio at the 2002 US Open).
Brandt Snedeker
Kevin Na
Zach Johnson
Ben Crane
Sergio Garcia
It's the Accent: This group of players all speak with an accent which likely helps them out with the ladies. Being a millionaire probably doesn't hurt either.
Adam Scott (Australia)
Geoff Ogilvy (Australia)
Jason Day (Australia)
Aaron Baddeley (Australia)
Alvaro Quiros (Spain)
Martin Laird (Scotland)
Matteo Manassero (Italy)
There it is. Send us your picks!
As always, the winner will receive 10% of what we earn on this blog in the month of June, which will almost certainly be $0. However, look at it this way, if you tell all your friends about how great this site is, then we might get enough hits to make upwards of $100. And then if you win a future Major Pool you could get a piece of that action. It's really like paying yourself.
6.12.2011
It's the US Open, Thank God!
As I wrote recently, the PGA Tour 2011 list of winners isn't exactly packed with superstars. That tradition continued today as Harrison Frazar beat Robert Karlsson in a playoff in Memphis to win the St. Jude Championship.
The 39 year-old Frazar is the definition of journey-man pro. He won on the Nationwide Tour before it was even called the Nationwide Tour, at the 1997 Nike South Carolina Classic. Frazar was the medalist at Q-school in 2008 shooting 59 in the fourth round.
However, this was Frazar's first PGA Tour victory.
It's a great story, but Harrison Frazar is definitely not a superstar. On the heels of the news the Tiger Woods had withdrawn from the US Open, the PGA Tour is in desperate need of a superstar, or at least someone that is recognizable.
The US Open is here, just in time!
The US Open is the greatest spectacle in American golf. Although the US Open isn't run directly by the PGA Tour, it really is the high point of the PGA Tour season. It is always difficult, always held at an iconic American golf course and almost always produces a great champion (see Michael Campbell 2005).
This year, the US Open is being held at Congressional Country Club. Congressional hosted the US Open back in 1997, with Ernie Els winning his second US Open Championship. Like every other tournament this season, it is wide open with no clear favourite. Skybet.com has Phil Mickelson as the favourite at 11/1. Lee Westwood (12/1), Luke Donald (14/1) and Rory McIlroy (18/1) round out the top 4. Defending champion Graeme McDowell is at 45/1 and Masters Champion Charl Schwartzel is at 60/1.
So there you have it, if you're so inclined.
One of the fun things that the USGA does is make the pairings for the US Open however they damn well please. Here are some of the more interesting pairings for the first two rounds.
As always, the defending champion plays with the reigning US Amateur Champion and the reigning British Open Champion. So Graeme McDowell and Louis Oosthuizen will be joined by Peter Uihlein.
In addition, there is team Sweden, Henrik Stenson, Fredrik Jacobson and Johan Edfors. Team Italy; the Molinari brothers and Matteo Manassero. Team Spain; Jimenez, Garcia and Quiros. Team casual racism; Anthony Kim, Ryo Ishikawa and Y.E. Yang. Why is that racist? Well because they're all asian, but none of them were born in the same country. Ishikawa is Japanese, Yang is Korean and A.K. is an American. This is a step short of the USGA saying "they all look alike."
Also paired together are the top three players in the world: Luke Donald, Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer.
I hate to say this because after I do, he'll probably end up winning. But I don't love Luke Donald's chances this week. The US Open tests every aspect of your game. Luke is the best putter, chipper and scrambler in the world (and the best player). However, he doesn't drive it particularly well. Congressional is a 7,500 yard + golf course and you have to hit the fairway at US Opems. Luke isn't a long hitter by any definition and he misses his fair share of fairways. That isn't a recipe for success at the US Open. Having said all that, I'd be absolutely thrilled to be wrong.
I already regret writing that last paragraph. Luke can putt and chip like crazy and that always makes up for below average driving. When you can get up and down like Luke Donald, you have a chance to win everywhere.
I'm not even going to try and guess who is going to win, but I know it'll be great to watch. And remember, Sunday is Fathers' Day. So this weekend when you watch golf with your dad, you should probably bring the beer.
More US Open coverage to come this week!
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| Is this Harrison Frazar? I don't know, it could be. |
The 39 year-old Frazar is the definition of journey-man pro. He won on the Nationwide Tour before it was even called the Nationwide Tour, at the 1997 Nike South Carolina Classic. Frazar was the medalist at Q-school in 2008 shooting 59 in the fourth round.
However, this was Frazar's first PGA Tour victory.
It's a great story, but Harrison Frazar is definitely not a superstar. On the heels of the news the Tiger Woods had withdrawn from the US Open, the PGA Tour is in desperate need of a superstar, or at least someone that is recognizable.
The US Open is here, just in time!
The US Open is the greatest spectacle in American golf. Although the US Open isn't run directly by the PGA Tour, it really is the high point of the PGA Tour season. It is always difficult, always held at an iconic American golf course and almost always produces a great champion (see Michael Campbell 2005).
This year, the US Open is being held at Congressional Country Club. Congressional hosted the US Open back in 1997, with Ernie Els winning his second US Open Championship. Like every other tournament this season, it is wide open with no clear favourite. Skybet.com has Phil Mickelson as the favourite at 11/1. Lee Westwood (12/1), Luke Donald (14/1) and Rory McIlroy (18/1) round out the top 4. Defending champion Graeme McDowell is at 45/1 and Masters Champion Charl Schwartzel is at 60/1.
So there you have it, if you're so inclined.
One of the fun things that the USGA does is make the pairings for the US Open however they damn well please. Here are some of the more interesting pairings for the first two rounds.
As always, the defending champion plays with the reigning US Amateur Champion and the reigning British Open Champion. So Graeme McDowell and Louis Oosthuizen will be joined by Peter Uihlein.
In addition, there is team Sweden, Henrik Stenson, Fredrik Jacobson and Johan Edfors. Team Italy; the Molinari brothers and Matteo Manassero. Team Spain; Jimenez, Garcia and Quiros. Team casual racism; Anthony Kim, Ryo Ishikawa and Y.E. Yang. Why is that racist? Well because they're all asian, but none of them were born in the same country. Ishikawa is Japanese, Yang is Korean and A.K. is an American. This is a step short of the USGA saying "they all look alike."
Also paired together are the top three players in the world: Luke Donald, Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer.
I hate to say this because after I do, he'll probably end up winning. But I don't love Luke Donald's chances this week. The US Open tests every aspect of your game. Luke is the best putter, chipper and scrambler in the world (and the best player). However, he doesn't drive it particularly well. Congressional is a 7,500 yard + golf course and you have to hit the fairway at US Opems. Luke isn't a long hitter by any definition and he misses his fair share of fairways. That isn't a recipe for success at the US Open. Having said all that, I'd be absolutely thrilled to be wrong.
I already regret writing that last paragraph. Luke can putt and chip like crazy and that always makes up for below average driving. When you can get up and down like Luke Donald, you have a chance to win everywhere.
I'm not even going to try and guess who is going to win, but I know it'll be great to watch. And remember, Sunday is Fathers' Day. So this weekend when you watch golf with your dad, you should probably bring the beer.
More US Open coverage to come this week!
6.05.2011
A good week for Steve Stricker, PGA Tour
This week is one of the tour's premiere events and Steve Stricker is threatening to run away with it. The Memorial is Jack's tournament at Jack's place just outside Columbus, Ohio - Muirfield Village. Judging by how it looks on TV, Muirfield is basically heaven.
Buoyed by three eagles in seven holes (carrying over from the end of round 2 into round 3), Steve Stricker has opened up a three shot lead heading into Sunday. This is good news for the PGA Tour. The 2011 season has been dominated by relative unknowns and first time winners. For the most part, the veterans that have stepped up and won have been steady unexciting types like K.J. Choi and David Toms. Nothing against any of these winners, but they don't exactly put golf on the front page of the paper.
Finally, a big name player is leading a big name tournament. This could be the boost the PGA Tour needs. Although many events have been exciting on their own, they haven't been memorable. Quick, name the last four winners on the PGA Tour. Hint, I've already mentioned two of them in this post.
Contrast the obscurity of the PGA Tour winners with what has been going on in Europe. Last week when the PGA Tour was holding the Byron Nelson, the European Tour had its flagship event, the BMW PGA Championship. It came down to a playoff between Lee Westwood and Luke Donald. Not only where they playing for the first place prize money and the prestige of the victory, but also the world number one ranking. This is something the PGA Tour dreamed of for years! If only Tiger and Phil could play together in the final group for all the marbles!
Well the European Tour got this dream match up. Luke won the playoff, took the trophy and the top overall spot in the world rankings. Pretty high drama that only got mild attention in North America.
European golf has been dominating American golf for about a year now. Having a strong, and very American, leaderboard at one of the tour's best events could help put golf back in the forefront of American sports.
Unfortunately, Rafael Nadal just beat Roger Federer to win his 6th French Open. So that will probably be the lead story on Monday.
A quick word on Luke Donald
I've been a fan of Luke for a long time. He's got a smooth fluid swing, he wears Ralph Lauren, he's a great putter and his wife is a 10 (see right).
He is very deserving of the world number one ranking, but it still is surprising. It doesn't seem that long ago that he was one of golf's underachievers. He was a great talent that hadn't won as much as we expected. A good college player, Donald won the NCAA individual championship and turned pro two years later in 2001. Donald has only won three PGA Tour events and four European Tour events. But it's his consistency that has yielded the world number one ranking. Since last season, Donald has been in contention in seemingly every tournament he's entered. Now at age 33, he is certainly entering his golfing prime. His short game is so good that a major victory can't be too far away.
How good is his short game? On the PGA Tour, Donald is 163rd in driving distance at 277 yards. He is 33rd in driving accuracy and 43rd in Greens in Regulation. The rest of his game is good enough to be the best player in the world and be ranked 1st in scoring average on the PGA Tour. That is some serious chipping and putting.
-A.
Buoyed by three eagles in seven holes (carrying over from the end of round 2 into round 3), Steve Stricker has opened up a three shot lead heading into Sunday. This is good news for the PGA Tour. The 2011 season has been dominated by relative unknowns and first time winners. For the most part, the veterans that have stepped up and won have been steady unexciting types like K.J. Choi and David Toms. Nothing against any of these winners, but they don't exactly put golf on the front page of the paper.
Finally, a big name player is leading a big name tournament. This could be the boost the PGA Tour needs. Although many events have been exciting on their own, they haven't been memorable. Quick, name the last four winners on the PGA Tour. Hint, I've already mentioned two of them in this post.
Contrast the obscurity of the PGA Tour winners with what has been going on in Europe. Last week when the PGA Tour was holding the Byron Nelson, the European Tour had its flagship event, the BMW PGA Championship. It came down to a playoff between Lee Westwood and Luke Donald. Not only where they playing for the first place prize money and the prestige of the victory, but also the world number one ranking. This is something the PGA Tour dreamed of for years! If only Tiger and Phil could play together in the final group for all the marbles!
Well the European Tour got this dream match up. Luke won the playoff, took the trophy and the top overall spot in the world rankings. Pretty high drama that only got mild attention in North America.
European golf has been dominating American golf for about a year now. Having a strong, and very American, leaderboard at one of the tour's best events could help put golf back in the forefront of American sports.
Unfortunately, Rafael Nadal just beat Roger Federer to win his 6th French Open. So that will probably be the lead story on Monday.
A quick word on Luke Donald
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| Luke needs a tailor for those pants |
He is very deserving of the world number one ranking, but it still is surprising. It doesn't seem that long ago that he was one of golf's underachievers. He was a great talent that hadn't won as much as we expected. A good college player, Donald won the NCAA individual championship and turned pro two years later in 2001. Donald has only won three PGA Tour events and four European Tour events. But it's his consistency that has yielded the world number one ranking. Since last season, Donald has been in contention in seemingly every tournament he's entered. Now at age 33, he is certainly entering his golfing prime. His short game is so good that a major victory can't be too far away.
How good is his short game? On the PGA Tour, Donald is 163rd in driving distance at 277 yards. He is 33rd in driving accuracy and 43rd in Greens in Regulation. The rest of his game is good enough to be the best player in the world and be ranked 1st in scoring average on the PGA Tour. That is some serious chipping and putting.
-A.
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