A new #1?

I like Lee Westwood. He's a great player and by all accounts he's a nice guy. He's had five top 3 finishes in his last eleven majors. He was sidelined at the PGA for a calf injury but came back for the Ryder Cup and played well. I read today that he will more than likely become the #1 player in the world on October 31st.

I'm not sure how I feel about this. Couples and Duval are the only other players to be #1 without having a major championship. Couples won his next major at the '92 Masters. Duval didn't get his major for almost two full years after becoming #1. But Duval was clearly the best player in the world in late '98 and early '99. Duval won two tournaments late in '98 and won four tournaments before the Masters in '99. He was on fire. Is Westwood on fire?

Westwood is essentially going to be #1 in the world due to being in the hunt so much lately. He won at St. Jude earlier this year, but he doesn't have a career defining win. No Players, Memorial, Bay Hill, WGC or any other big event. He lost the 54-hole lead at the Masters and hasn't played for two months before this week. But he will somehow be #1 in the world in a few weeks because he's been in contention lately. I think you need to win big in order to be #1. I hope Lee can justify this ranking or he won't have it long.

Other thoughts

I think this event means something to the Americans. I'm tired of hearing it doesn't. Steve Stricker almost cried on t.v. in front of Roger Maltbie. That guy cares. Hunter Mahan had a hard time in front of the press afterward. Tiger's record is 6-2-1 in his last two Ryder Cups. These guys care. Now, they may not care as much as the Euro's.

Here's a question I'd like to propose to the every member of the European tour. You can win five majors and be one of the best players in the world and lose every Ryder Cup for the next twenty years or you can have an average career and win every Ryder Cup for the next twenty years. I'm betting at least 90% will take the Ryder Cup wins. I bet the number is around 50% if you ask the American players the same question. Maybe even less than that.

A Ryder Cup win makes a European tour players career complete. A Ryder Cup win is a nice footnote for an American player. It's been the biggest tournament on the European tour schedule for thirty years. It's been about the tenth biggest tournament on the PGA Tour schedule for twenty years.

I also think that's part of the reason Monty didn't take Casey and Rose as picks. They play the U.S. tour and not the European tour. That makes qualifying for the Ryder Cup more difficult for those players and maybe that means it doesn't mean as much to them.

This tournament is the European tours Superbowl. It might be our NFC Wildcard game. It's hard to blame our players. There are so many big tournaments.

Maybe that's why we have success in the President's Cup. Those players on the international squad play the PGA Tour. They are exposed to the same conditions as the American players.

I guarantee you that the European papers will be talking about captaincy for 2012 in the next few weeks. That's something that won't cross the American minds for quite some time.

I hope this isn't true but I think it might be. This might be the last Ryder Cup that Seve Ballesteros sees. I keep reading that he is gravely ill. The man epitomizes European golf and the Ryder Cup. The event may not be what it is today without him and what he did in the 80's to fuel this event.

Two years until Medinah.

They made it really exciting.

If you told Corey Pavin, after the format change, that his team will win three of the four sessions, I think he'd that that. He just wouldn't think that he would lose the other session by five points. If we've learned anything about the Ryder Cup is that it's a big putting contest.

On Sunday, the U.S. team lipped out putts while the Euro's lipped in putts. The Euro's hit crucial putts when they needed and the U.S. didn't. It really is that simple.

Steve Stricker: Stricker's game got better as the week went on. He carried Tiger for two days and played a near flawless singles match against Europe's #1. A-(3-1)

Tiger Woods: He seemed to fill in the blanks on holes where Stricker didn't have it. Woods wasn't great but he didn't play poorly by any means. He played like Tiger in singles. B+(3-1)

Hunter Mahan: Played a solid foursome match in session two but leaked some oil in session three. He was put in an impossible position in singles and just couldn't pull it off. This was not his fault. B-(1-2)

Jeff Overton: What a surprise this was. Overton played with more emotion than anyone else on the team. You can tell he thrives in this environment. He carried Bubba around for two days and often played holes two against his one. A (2-2)

Phil Mickelson: Phil didn't have his long game or his putter for the first three sessions. He really played poorly and cost this team. He played well in singles but it wasn't good enough. He needs to take a lot of the blame for this one. C-(1-3)

Dustin Johnson: DJ hit the ball good all four sessions but couldn't buy a putt until singles. He was clearly outmatched on the greens. This should be the first of many Ryder Cups for Johnson and hopefully he remembers this feeling. C (1-3)

Jim Furyk: Furyk does not have a great Ryder Cup record but that is not entirely all on him. He looked tired this week. He didn't play well in session three with Johnson and got behind early in singles. He looked like he had Donald on more than a few occasions only to see Donald hole a twenty-footer. Going for the pin on 18 in singles, he pushed his third shot into the bunker. C (0-2-1)

Rickie Fowler: He made a horrible mistake in session two, only to battle back and get a halve in the end. He and Mickelson played poorly together in session three but his singles comeback will go down in history. His four birdie finish to tie Molinari was brilliant. That's why Pavin chose him and this is probably the first of many Cups to come. B-(0-1-2)

Matt Kuchar: Kuchar paired well with Stewart Cink but really didn't get going until session two. He looked tired from a long season trying to win the FedEx Cup. He started to hole a few putts and played some brilliant iron shots at times. B-(1-1-2)

Stewart Cink: Cink holed a crucial putt at the end of session two to give the U.S. a feeling that this might actually happen. He and Kuchar managed a half-point in session three for the U.S. but he didn't have the magic in singles. A three-putt on 15 cost him as well as a five-foot miss on 17. He managed a halve in singles but he will think what could have been. A deserved captains pick. B+(1-0-3)

Bubba Watson: By far the worst U.S. player. Watson was carried by Overton in session one. He constantly left crucial putts short and contributed little. He played Jimenez in singles and got waxed for Jimenez first career singles win. This is where the format change hurt the Americans. Pavin may have sat Watson if it wasn't for the rain. A disappointing effort. F (1-3)

Zack Johnson: Zack was tough. He had a tough session three but he isn't afraid to hole crucial putts. He drives it in the fairway, hits a ton of greens, and makes the putts when they count. He has the perfect game for Ryder Cup competition. B+ (2-1)

It was really nice to see the U.S. rally and make the Euro's sweat. In the end, it was the best Ryder Cup since Kiawah Island in 1991. The U.S. should be proud of how they played. I felt disgusted in '02, '04, and '06. It came down to the last singles match. You can't ask for anything more.

Who's going to run through that wall?

I remember when Ben Crenshaw chose Steve Pate as a captains pick in the 1999 Ryder Cup. His reasoning is that Pate would run through a brick wall for the team. That team was full of brick wall guys: Pate, Sutton, Lehman, Stewart. I always liked guys like that. Lanny Wadkins was the ultimate run through a brick wall guy. What's the definition of a brick wall guy? He's a guy who will go out and get a point no matter what the circumstances. He's the type of guy that will scratch and claw his way to a point and the kind of guy the other team hates seeing on the first tee.

Every good Ryder Cup team has those guys. I'm looking at this roster and thinking "is Rickie Fowler this teams brick wall guy?" Damn, but lets look at the team.

Tiger Woods: I guess Tiger can be a brick wall guy but it seems like he might ask what his appearance fee on the other side of the wall is.

Phil Mickelson: I've never thought of Phil that way. It seems like he would ask what his insurance policy would cover just in case.

Stewart Cink, Matt Kuchar, Steve Stricker: Seems like they wouldn't want to hurt the wall.

Hunter Mahan: Strikes me as the guy who wouldn't want to mess his shoes up.

Jeff Overton: I think Overton would run through the wall but I think it might be an accident.

Bubba Watson, Dustin Johnson: Like everything else, they might ask if they can go over it.

Zack Johnson, Jim Furyk: They would go through the wall but they might feel bad and put the wall back together.

And that leaves Rickie Fowler. Who knows what he'll bring but he looks like a young Sergio Garcia to me. Sergio had more emotion and game at that '99 Ryder Cup than anyone out there. Corey Pavin was a brick wall player. He knew how to get that ball in the hole when it mattered most. I think Pavin sees a bit of himself in Fowler. I hope I'm wrong about these guys. I take a Ryder Cup loss as hard as anyone. Nothing would be better than going across the pond and getting this one.

Redemption.....well sort of

It's been a bittersweet summer for Dustin Johnson. First, the final round at Pebble which saw him take triple bogey on the second hole followed by a lost ball on his tee shot on three. His tee shot was found seconds after the five minutes had lapsed. Turns out, that wasn't the worst break he would get this summer.

But Dustin never gave up. We saw his character as he faced the media just minutes after the PGA heartbreak. Dustin only blamed himself for not knowing the ridiculous local rule that was in place that week. Maybe it's because Dustin knows it's just a matter of time before he hoists a major championship trophy. Only 26, Dustin has already won four times on the PGA tour. That pales in comparison to Tiger's pace, but we may never see a Tiger like pace again. Dustin is the best player under 30 in the game today.

Dustin Johnson is a new breed of golfer. Dustin is, first and foremost, an athlete. He could palm a basketball in seventh grade and was dunking with ease in high school. These types of athletes didn't choose to play golf 15-20 years ago. But Tiger made golf cool and a whole generation of athletes picked up a club. Dustin probably could have easily played any of the major sports and done quite well.

Tiger was once one of the longest hitters in the game. Augusta National even changed their course setup to combat the crazy spots that Tiger could drive the ball to. Well, now that guy is Dustin Johnson. Tiger calls him "stupid long". He drives the ball on driving lines that other players didn't know existed. And, he's got the game after that as well. At the urging of Phil Mickelson, he's now paired with Butch Harmon who's honing his game from 150 yards and in. Dustin has serious game and that showed up on Sunday.

Tied for the lead on 17 on Sunday, Dustin lofted a wedge to within a few feet for a birdie and a one shot lead. He then striped his drive on 18 and played a picture perfect iron shot to the center of the green. After a lag putt, Dustin had the best feeling in golf, a tap-in for the win. It came about a month later than he wanted but he'll take it. Off to the Tour Championship with some serious confidence, Dustin has a real shot at the ten million dollar payday that comes with capturing the FedEx cup.

Look for Dustin to play well at the Tour Championship and then take his game to Wales for the Ryder Cup. I'm betting Captain Pavin has had more than one player in his ear saying he and Dustin will make a great team. It wouldn't surprise me to see Dustin play all five sessions. Dustin moved up to 12th in the world rankings with his win. Look for that ranking to only go up.

Quick Hits

-Yani Tseng is the #1 player on the LPGA tour. She's incredibly long and if she putts then it's lights out on the field. She only needs the U.S. Open for the career Gland Slam and she's only 21. That's the new star but once again she's not American

-Fred Couples has this really cool trick. Fred, in my opinion, had talent on the Mickelson and Woods level but did the least amount with it. For some reason we think that Fred could have won 5-7 majors if he really wanted to. Here's my conclusion: Fred Couples wanted it more than almost anyone out there but managed to choke at the worst times. Sunday was a prime example. He took an 8 on the second hole and essentially lost the tournament right there. If Fred plays well, we say he's focused and healthy. If he doesn't, we say he's got his mind on other things and his back isn't right. We give him the benefit of the doubt more than any golfer. Fred Couples wanted it just as bad as anyone and don't let his calm on-course demeanor fool you.

-I love the Texas Rangers but I don't want to see Tom Hicks get the easy way out on this sale. His whole deal with Greenberg-Ryan reeks of friends in high places. His original sale didn't pay all the debt he owed and he was setup to make money off a separate land sale. So a billionaire borrows $500 million, defaults on the loan, doesn't have to pay it all back, and somehow stands to make money?

-I couldn't have agreed more about what John Feinstein said on Golf Central. Shooting 59 is a result of these courses becoming too easy. Rocco Mediate said before the tournament that a 59 watch was out. Ryo Ishokawa shot 58 a few months ago and an Alabama amateur shot 57 a few days ago. Courses are setup too easy, especially on the PGA tour. A 59 watch started when someone was -8 under thru ten, not at the beginning of the week. It seems like every week is turning into the Bob Hope. I know these guys are good but this is ridiculous. The new groove rule doesn't make a difference if you cut the rough to almost nothing. Make these players play from some deep stuff. With these course setups, it's only a matter of time before we see someone shoot sub 59 on the PGA Tour.

-I don't like the Ryder Cup team so far. I know this point system is designed to find out who is playing best but this roster creeps me out. I know Overton and Kuchar are top eight but we're on the road this year and this doesn't seem like the best time to get experience. The European team is so stacked that they're going to have to leave off some heavyweights. I'm also not a fan of using a captain's pick for someone who hasn't played on a previous Ryder Cup team. I know I bagged on him earlier but Couples might get serious consideration as a captain's pick. I hope Zack Johnson and Sean O'Hair have a good few weeks. They could help this team.

In defense of Sarah Brown

I was blown away by this story. Sarah Brown, a rookie on the Duramed Futures Tour, was disqualified from the final round of the recent Futures Tour event. On the tenth hole of her final round, she was notified that here Ping wedges were not conforming to the new rules. Sarah was disqualified mid-play. I have so many problems with this. First, you should never be disqualified mid-round for anything. The only way a player doesn't finish his/her round is by her own decision. Second, play was held up for twenty minutes while the rules officials looked at a laptop to find out if her wedges were conforming. You never hold up play that long unless it's for a rule decision that is required to finish the hole. Third, players should never be able to voice their concerns about another players clubs to an official during the round. It either needs to happen before the round or after the round. Here's the main problem. Her clubs were effin conforming to the rules of play!

The rules officials in this case messed up. They messed up on so many levels. It's so laughable. What you should know is that Sarah Brown is an eighteen year old trying to make living playing golf. In case you haven't noticed, making a living playing women's golf is neither easy or lucrative. Purse money and tournaments aren't what they were a few years ago so any money these players earn is big for their psyche. Brown was also having her best tournament of the year. She was looking at a possible top ten and maybe even top five. She would have earned a check of at least $1000. Brown was denied that chance. Lets look at how this went down.

-A rules official is notified around the 9th hole that Brown might possibly have illegal clubs in her bag. The rules official then examines her clubs on the next tee to see if that is the case.

Problems: No player should be allowed to report this during the round of play. It should only be reported before or after a round. A player can be disqualified up to two hours after the round of play. That is more than enough time to research any problems. The rules official should also not be allowed to look inside a players bag during the round. Before and after the round is the only proper time to do such a thing.

-Tenth tee: Brown tees off and is notified by rules officials of a possible equipment violation. Brown can't believe it. She was sure she had proper equipment. Most golfers are honest people on the course. If Brown found her clubs to be illegal then she would DQ herself before anyone else would. Rules officials then halt play to inspect her clubs. They consult the USGA website to look to see if it conforms. They hold up play for twenty minutes.

Problems: Rules officials have a full two hours after a player completes his/her round to DQ this person if necessary. Rules officials decided then and there to DQ Brown. Brown and her caddy (her dad) plead with officials to let them finish the round. Officials say no. At this point is when it turns into the officials wanting the spotlight on them and not letting this player finish the round. They wanted to be the ones who caught a player not following the rules. All the did was put an awful spotlight on a tour that doesn't need bad publicity.

These rules officials should flat out lose their jobs. It turns out this was just a case of these two officials not reading the USGA website correctly. These officials also had testing equipment on-site they could have used to see if her clubs were illegal. They never used it. They were arrogant enough not to use the equipment available to them to avoid such a situation. I would file suit against the tour if I was this girl. From all reports, this girl cried her eyes out right there on the golf course. I also hear that her and her family have handled the situation very well.

I hope the tour does the right thing here. I'm not sure what that is but it needs to go overboard. Nothing is worse in golf than being called a cheater. That's the last thing a golfer wants to be branded as.