The Memorial Tournament, Muirfield GC, Dublin in Ohio

Muirfield, Ohio, is this week’s stop for the PGA Tour bus and one of the best golf courses that they will play on all year. It is one of my favourites to watch, and it also seems to bring the best out in the players as well. The course is 7,352 yards in length, par 72 and is designed with three of the par 5s immediately followed by a par 3 hole with the remaining par 5 immediately following the other par 3. This was the classic way of designing golf courses back in the day, and although Muirfield was only completed in 1974, it is a throwback to the 50's and 60's when most golf courses were designed this way…

Today’s modern day golfer will have to plot his way around this course with a bit more thought than just smashing it off the tee, with a premium being placed on the 2nd shot going for the green or for position. Scrambling skills will be tested, as getting up and down in 2 was one of the biggest stats last year in halting the scoring. You better have your putting in tip top form, as they tend to be some of the quickest greens on the Tour. On top of all that, last year the par 3’s scored the 2nd hardest across the field for the whole of last year’s tour…



So I am looking at the Scrambling stats, All Round Putting, and good GIR stats…

Brandt Snedeker has had a good year considering he has had a few problems with his back this year. He has been very consistent in all the events he has played with 6 Top 10’s testifying for that. Sits 12th for GIR, 1st in Birdie Average, 11th in Scrambling and is ranked 4th in All Round play. My one doubt is that he hasn’t got a great record around here but I am willing to give the bloke a chance when he fits this course so well on paper…

Keegan Bradley, along with Bo Van Pelt, where my go to guys for this year and I am willing to stick with Keegan here for this week’s tournament. Currently, Keegan Bradley is the only player ranked in the Top 10 at the moment who hasn’t won an event, so it’s about time he pulled his finger out. He comes here on the back of a solo 2nd place finish in the Colonial, so he is in form. Needs to improve his game when it comes to the Par 3’s but he will figure again should he do so…

Bo Van Pelt. Yeah, you’ve guessed it, the one bloke who has had me pulling what’s left of my hair out because I keep backing him. I am keeping the faith once again because of his track history here, and for once it is good. A best of T3rd back in 2012, he also has placed top 20 in all but one visit in 5 years. I am picking more on his history here than his profile, but as ive said before, his time for dropping him is getting closer each and every tournament…

Jonathan Byrd is my very left field choice, but again it is done on his history at this course. He has featured in the Top 10 three times in the last 4 years, finishing T6th, T10th, Cut and a solo 3rd in that time. Again like Bo Van Pelt, his stats don’t really say that he is going to be a guaranteed a top 10 finish this year, but he dos have good C+D form here. His price reflects this, but last year 4 players were all over the 100/1 mark before a ball was struck…

Keegan Bradley @ 33/1…
Brandt Snedeker @ 33/1…
Bo Van Pelt @ 50/1…
Jonathon Byrd @ 150/1…

All done in the usual £2.5 e/w… PadPow pays ¼ odds top 6…

 

BH monday threw me there..i thought it was Thursday tomorrow

Luckily got my bets on pre tournament on both sides of the pond

Jordan Spieth 100/1
Brendon De Jonge - 100/1
Geoff Ogilvy 125/1
Nicolas Colsaerts 100/1

all £3 e/w

in European tour

Paul Casey 66/1
Gregory Bourdy 66/1

Goodluck all

 

Wow Colsaerts , whats happened to his game? a 4 putt double bogey and a snowman on 1 of the par 5's.

 

Missed the start of the tournament but I just backed:

Bubba Watson @ 50/1 ..he is -1 through 8 so hopefully he can play well for the remainder and..

Henrik Stenson @ 66/1 ..seems to have it back together just a matter of it all coming together over 4 day's, easier said than done.

Both 5euro e/w.

Best of luck red and Smokin'

 

Leaderboard after the 1st round...

Leader - Charl Schwartzel @ -7

T27 - Keegan Bradley.......... -1
T27 - Bubba Watson........... -1
T27 - Henrik Stenson.......... -1
T41 - Brandt Snedeker........ E
T41 - Jordan Spieth............ E
T58 - Bo Van Pelt............... +1
T86 - Brendon de Jonge ...... +3
T104 - Jonathan Byrd......... +5
T104 - Geoff Ogilvy............ +5
118 - Nicolas Colsaerts........ +8

Not the best of starts by the lads after the 1st round, but then again it wasnt the best of days for the scoring either, with only 27 players out of the 122 shooting anything better than a par score. Schwartzel obviously had his eye in shooting 10 birdies in his -7, but it was the early starters who set the pace again yesterday. So, lets hope that the yesterdays later starters get their chance at shooting the sub par rounds later today...

 

It has surprised me as well Smokin that Colsaerts hasnt took to the US Tour one bit. He was immense in the Ryder Cup last year and i thought that he would take to the Tour like the proverbial duck to water...

His stats arnt good though...

http://www.pgatour.com/players/player.23452.nicolas-colsaerts.html/performance-stats/r023#uber

But a couple of his stats show why he isnt doing well on the Tour...

Scrambling - 176th
Total Putting - 167th
Strokes Gained Putting - 182nd
Plus he has 7 stats outside the top 100 when it comes to the Putting Department...

He is 1st in GIR from over 200+ yards and 2nd in Driving Distance...

But as they all say... 'Drive for show, Putt for dough...!!!'

 

Leaderboard after the 2nd round - As of yet not completed...

Leader - Bill Haas @ -9

T2 - Bubba Watson............ -6
T16 - Bo Van Pelt .............. -2
T38 - Henrik Stenson.......... E
T46 - Keegan Bradley......... +1
T46 - Jordan Spieth........... +1

Projected Cut is at -3...
T84 - Brandt Snedeker......... +6
T84 - Brendon de Jonge ...... +6
T102 - Nicolas Colsaerts..... +8
T105 - Jonathan Byrd........ +9
T105 - Geoff Ogilvy........... +9

Bad weather and bad light put pay to fully completing the 2nd round, and there are a few players still to go out first thing to do so. Bill Haas currently has a 3 shot lead but STH's pick of Bubba Watson has a chance to close that gap, being that he is, currently sat at -6 with 4 holes left of his 2nd round yet to be played...

Looks like we will miss 5 of our picks but we all have a player still left in who could get us a return for our money yet...

 

Leaderboard after the 3rd round...

Leader - Matt Kuchar @ -8

T11 - Bubba Watson.......... -3
T14 - Bo Van Pelt ............. -2
T50 - Henrik Stenson......... +3
T57 - Keegan Bradley......... +4
T72 - Jordan Spieth........... +11

Another interesting day in the Memorial yesterday as we saw some monster scores from people who we would not expect it from. Tiger woods shot a career high 44, for a +8 over back 9, which was his front 9 holes in effect, but came back with a -1 par for the other 9 holes. Rory McIlroy continues to struggle with his game shooting +3 over for his efforts but worst round of the day goes to Jordan Speith who shot a +10 round to go from just in contention at +1 to drop joint last on +11...

As for the top of the table Bill Hass shot +4 to drop away from the top with Matt Kuchar taking over the leader duties. Of the picks left only Bubba Watson and Bo Van Pelt have a chance of place money...

Stroll on next week...

 

Final day Leaderboard...

Winner - Matt Kuchar @ -12

T21 - Bo Van Pelt............... -1
T29 - Bubba Watson........... E
T41 - Henrik Stenson.......... +3
T50 - Keegan Bradley......... +4
T63 - Jordan Spieth............ +7


Another blank this week from the lads, so we have to get our heads together and start finding those winners again, and pretty soon...!!! Congratulations to Matt Kuchar on his win this weekend, as i knew i should have stayed with him instead of stupid Keegan Bradley and Big Bad Bo Van Pelt...!!!

Always next week to have a go again...