Tiger Woods’ next move, Ryder Cup implications and POY race: 7 things to watch during the FedEx Cup Playoffs

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There’s always a post-Wanamaker depression that sets in after the PGA Championship, the reality sinking in that the next major is some 250 days away in the spring. That is especially true this season, with Tiger Woods’ final-round surge instilling a rapture not felt in ages. But for those still coming down from that Bellerive bliss, fear not: The rest of the calendar has plenty still in store. From Tiger to the Ryder Cup to Jordan Spieth, here are seven storylines to follow during the FedEx Cup Playoffs.

Tiger’s comeback continues

The comeback is real, and it is spectacular. Tiger demonstrated at Innisbrook, Bay Hill and Carnoustie that his game is in shape to compete with the game’s best; his runner-up at Bellerive, however, asserted Woods’ ceiling is higher than previously deemed. Better yet, as the season reaches the dog days of August, the 42-year-old has dispelled the idea he’s running on fumes.

Aside from Ridgewood, the venues on the postseason slate are tailored to Tiger’s game. Currently 20th on the FedEx Cup standings, Woods will have some latitude in the early rounds in pursuit of a spot in the Tour Championship at East Lake, but with hopes of solidifying his Ryder Cup candidacy (even though, come on, we all know Big Cat’s already on the roster), look for Woods to make a formidable run through the tour’s postseason.

Four tickets for Paris up for grabs

Well, two; you’ll see Augusta National dye Rae’s Creek pink before Woods and Phil Mickelson are left off the team. That leaves Bryson DeChambeau (who finished ninth in points), Tony Finau, Kevin Kisner, Xander Schauffele, Matt Kuchar and Zach Johnson among viable candidates. For what it’s worth, players and PGA of America officials at Bellerive maintained Kuchar is more in the running than fans believe.

There’s also the chance captain Jim Furyk rides the FedEx Cup Playoff’s hot hand, which is what facilitated Ryan Moore’s selection for the U.S. Ryder Cup team in 2016. It proved to be the right call: Moore won two matches, including the clinching point, for the Americans at Hazeltine.

No matter the selections, there will be a wave of Monday quarterbacking on Furyk’s decisions, particularly if he goes with a veteran that hasn’t performed as of late. Furyk will announce three of his picks after the Dell Technologies Championship over Labor Day weekend, with the final slot filled at the BMW Championship’s conclusion, meaning DeChambeau, Kisner, Finau and the like will have opportunities to prove their merit.

The Player of the Year race is over, right? Well …

Make no mistake, Brooks Koepka is the unequivocal favorite. That doesn’t mean he has this bad boy locked it up, even with his U.S. Open and PGA titles as well as runner-up finishes at the WGC-HSBC and Colonial.

If Dustin Johnson or Justin Thomas—both with three wins and ahead of Koepka in the FEC—win two of the four postseason events, it might be enough to raise an argument. Three out of four instigates a full-blown discussion. (Bubba Watson also has three wins, but the two-time Masters champ has missed the cut in the last three majors, torpedoing any realistic hopes.) Patrick Reed and Francesco Molinari, the year’s other major victors, could join this surge with multiple playoff wins as well.

These scenarios are far-fetched, and even if they transpire, Koepka likely still earns the nod. But a victory by Thomas or Johnson at Ridgewood will raise these questions—exactly the shot of late-season vitality the tour’s postseason aspired for when constructing the FEC a decade ago.

Can Spieth save a “lost” season?

In one breath, it’s hard to call a season “lost” when A) The guy comes this close to winning the Masters and B) Plays in the final pairing at the Open. Conversely, we measure our superstars by a different touchstone, and Spieth—who’s currently on the outside looking in at the Tour Championship—has fall shorten of his historical standards.

The short game has taken the brunt of the blame, and rightfully so: Spieth ranks 144th in strokes gained/putting on the season. It’s an astonishing figure for any top-flight player, but even more so considering Spieth ranked second in the category just two seasons ago. Just as concerning, however, has been a drop in iron performance, ranking 40th in approach this summer, a far cry from his work last year (ranking first) and during his two-major summer of 2015 (11th). For the putts to start dropping, Spieth will need to give himself better chances on the greens.

The good news is Ridgewood and Aronimink (site of the BMW Championship) set up well to Spieth’s strengths, and he logged a runner-up in Boston last September. By his standards, it won’t be a season to remember for Spieth. With a strong finish, he won’t have to make it one to forget.

A Rookie of the Year chase, without one of the favorites

Unless he wins the Wyndham Championship, Joaquin Niemann, despite owning enough points to comfortably advance to the Northern Trust, cannot compete in the FedEx Cup Playoffs due to his special temporary membership status. Significant because, if he does reach the postseason, Niemann would arguably be the frontrunner for rookie-of-the-year honors. (Update: He did not win in Greensboro. Niemann, however, has locked up his card for next season.)

Instead, this award likely comes down to Austin Cook and Aaron Wise. Since winning in the fall, Cook has been relatively quiet, although did have top-10s in Memphis and the Greenbrier. Wise had stellar back-to-back showings at Quail Hollow (T-2) and the Bryon Nelson (win); the ensuing schedule, unfortunately, has been tough sledding, with six missed cuts in seven appearances. Still, both have loads of talent, with the reserve not to be intimidated by their playoff debuts. Neither is a household entity yet; an energetic finish in the FEC can go ways in fixing that.

Architecture aficionados, rejoice!

For connoisseurs of course design, the past month has not been Christmas morning. That changes during the FEC thanks to:

• Ridgewood Country Club, a 27-hole A.W. Tillinghast design with its history including a Ryder Cup, U.S. Amateur and a handful of Barclays’ events. Gil Hanse’s team has done restoration work over the past couple of years, making Ridgewood as good as ever. Ridgewood features a mix of Tillinghast-eque bunker-guarded greens with the option to run it up on many holes. The rough is expected to be thicker than the last time the FEC visited, possibly leading to U.S. Open-like scoring.

• TPC Boston, while not beloved by players, produces plenty of red figures, and it’s various lines and contoured greens offer more set-up options and mind-sets than a rank-and-file tour course.

• Aronimink, another track that—we hope you’re sitting down—was restored by Hanse and his team. Set to host the 2027 PGA Championship, Aronimink has eliminated a ton of trees from the property, but its tight fairways and challenging par 4s—and Donald Ross greens—make it one of the Northeast’s toughest tests.

If you can’t get behind that lineup, you don’t have a pulse.

What’s up with Rory?

Similar to Spieth, this warrants a provision. After all, the four-time major winner just finished T-2 at Carnoustie last month, and, unlike Spieth, he’s won on the PGA Tour this season with his triumph at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

On the other hand, McIlroy’s game was such a mess at Bellerive that he hinted he was going to skip the first leg of the postseason to figure out what’s going on.

“I need to assess where I’m at, and I think the best thing for me to do right now is take a couple of days off and reflect on what I need to do going forward,” he said at the PGA Championship. “I’ll do some practice this week and see if I feel ready to go there and play five out of six weeks leading up to the Ryder Cup.” (Update: McIlroy appears to have made good on skipping the Northern Trust as his name is not included on the PGA Tour’s field list as of Monday.)

McIlroy won the FedEx Cup just two seasons ago, and does rank 11th in strokes gained this season. Nevertheless, his wedge game, or lack thereof, has rendered his prolific distance moot, and the putter, again, hasn’t bailed him out. McIlroy’s nearing a bit of a career crossroads. Tis postseason won’t define his legacy, but it can get him back on track.

SOURCE:  GolfDigest

Re-Grip you clubs for more accurate shots! So simple contact us today!

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Is your game lacking some key shots?  Perhaps the simplest solution is to have your clubs re-gripped.  Our knowledgeable staff can help with the decision making and proper grip choice for your game.

GOLF CLUB REGRIPPING

Lakeshore offers a range of quality grips.  Ozone, heat, dirt, and oils from your hands all age your grips and cause damage.   Grips that are the wrong size, worn out or that aren’t suited for weather conditions can all negatively impact your game. We recommend having your clubs re-gripped once a year or every 30 – 40 rounds depending on how much time you spend on the practice range.

A good grip can improve comfort, consistency and shot distance. You can personalize your grip type, size, color and material to get one that best suits your hands.

A grip should always be replaced if you notice any of the following signs…

• smooth hard surfaces

• cracks

• shiny patches

• worn spots

• loss of tack

GOLF CLUB RESHAFTING

Broken shafts happen and whether it’s an accident or on purpose we can supply and fit shafts from all the main manufacturers. We can simply perform a straight replacement or perhaps recommend a new improved type of shaft that could lengthen your drivers.

We have a large assortment of grips in stock or one day custom ship.  

Stop in today to check out the selection.

PGA Championship 2018: Brooks Koepka deserves our attention, and it shouldn’t have taken so long

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The big-bopping hitter with the buttery soft touch now has three majors to his name

ST. LOUIS — Brooks Koepka is a tough guy to miss. He’s the one with the million-dollar smile, steal-yo-girl biceps and the mightiest swing in golf. He’s built like Ben Watson, but he putts like Ben Crenshaw. The next time he’s rattled will be the first. He’s now won three of the past six majors he’s entered and joined some elite company in the three-major club (more on that in a minute).

And yet, despite all of that, I’m afraid somehow we have missed him.

Koepka held off — I can’t believe I’m typing these words — a 64 from Tiger Woods on Sunday at a major championship and hoisted yet another major trophy at the end of the week. After two bogeys in his first five holes, he played the final 13 flawlessly with five birdies and a closing 66 to win by two. All of this with Woods doing his thing ahead of him.

“You could hear the roars when we were on 10 and 11, and then you could kind of hear it trickle down as they changed the leaderboards all the way through,” said Koepka. “You could hear a different roar like every 30 seconds. So we knew what was going on. It’s pretty obvious when Tiger makes a birdie. I think everybody at the golf course cheers for him. I’m sure everyone is rooting for him.”

Tiger’s 64, though remarkable, wasn’t enough to catch Koepka. A 62 would have put him in a playoff. It would have taken a 61 from Big Cat for the outright win.

Brooks Koepka kind of flexed on Tiger Woods (of all people) on a Sunday at a major championship.

“I remember when I watched Adam win at the Players. I loved his golf swing. He’s got the best golf swing ever, I think. It’s so pretty to watch. He’s one of the nicest guys once you meet him, too. He really is,” Koepka said. “And then, I mean, Tiger for obvious reasons. As a kid growing up, that’s the whole reason that all of us, or people in my generation, are even playing golf was because of him. And to duel it out with them, it’s pretty neat. I don’t think I ever dreamed of that, that situation that I was in today.

“It really is surreal. It’s really cool.”

No category exists for a golfer whose four wins include three majors, all before his 30th birthday. We don’t know what to do with that. I’ll struggle to figure this out for the rest of 2018 and into 2019. It is irreconcilable that someone could win three of his first 20 major starts but only one of his first 80 non-major starts on the PGA Tour.

I suppose we should start with what we know:

  • Koepka has joined Woods, Jordan Spieth, Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus as the only Americans with three majors by the age of 28 since World War II.
  • Koepka has joined Woods, Nicklaus, Gene Sarazen and Ben Hogan as the only golfers to win the U.S. Open and PGA Championship in the same year.
  • Koepka joined Spieth and Rory McIlroy as the only golfers to win multiple majors in a single season over the past decade.
  • Koepka has won three of his past six majors and finished in the top 15 a stunning 11 (!) times at majors since 2014.

And he didn’t even play this year’s Masters because of an injury.

“Three majors at 28,” said Koepka. “It’s a cool feeling. It really is. You know, hopefully I can stay healthy. I’ve kind of had some trouble with that over the past two years, three years, whatever it was. Missed the British [Open] and then to miss Augusta. You know, I think I’m much more disciplined now, so I should be able to play every major, making sure my body’s healthy.”

Maybe for now we can think of Koepka the way baseball thought of John Smoltz. The former Braves pitcher was terrific in the regular season. A Hall of Fame pitcher. And he was even better in the playoffs. It’s easy to deride athletes who show up big in big moments but don’t perform when the chips are up. Why don’t you do that all time? Even they struggle to explain it.

“For some reason, I can really tune in in the majors, and I have no idea why,” said Koepka earlier in the week. “They really get my attention.”

Now he has our attention. Koepka wasn’t hard to miss before. He clubs the ball and picks off trophies — big ones, not middling ones or plates or medals. He collects. He has done so at an historical rate thus far, and now we’re staring at a bizarre scenario in which Koepka could legitimately win as many or more majors than he does normal PGA Tour events.

“I would think [my game] suits the majors, having won three of the last six I’ve played in. So I guess [it] suits them. Need to figure out Augusta a little bit, haven’t quite had the results there that I’ve had elsewhere. But this golf course set up beautifully for me,” Koepka said. “I’m looking forward to the next few years. If I can stay healthy and actually show up to a major, I feel like I’ve got a good chance.”

In some ways, this is fitting. Koepka’s game is as impossible as his resume. He pounds the horizon with his fists and then releases preposterous chip shots with the delicateness of a man half his size. It doesn’t compute that the man who led the PGA Championship in driving distance and finished second from tee to green would also finish top 20 in putting. That’s not a fluke, either. It’s who he is, and it’s a harbinger for what the future looks like, too.

“I’m excited for the next few years,” said Koepka. “As fans, like, I’m a fan of golf. You should be excited. I mean, Tiger’s come back. You look at what Dustin’s doing, Justin [Thomas], Rory, Spieth … I mean, it’s a great time to be a golf fan. I can’t wait to duel it out with them.”

SOURCE:  CBSSports

Weekend Special at Lakeshore!

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The state of your equipment also determines the accuracy of your shot making.

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Is your game lacking some key shots?  Perhaps the simplest solution is to have your clubs re-gripped.  Our knowledgeable staff can help with the decision making and proper grip choice for your game.

GOLF CLUB REGRIPPING

Lakeshore offers a range of quality grips.  Ozone, heat, dirt, and oils from your hands all age your grips and cause damage.   Grips that are the wrong size, worn out or that aren’t suited for weather conditions can all negatively impact your game. We recommend having your clubs re-gripped once a year or every 30 – 40 rounds depending on how much time you spend on the practice range.

A good grip can improve comfort, consistency and shot distance. You can personalize your grip type, size, color and material to get one that best suits your hands.

A grip should always be replaced if you notice any of the following signs…

• smooth hard surfaces

• cracks

• shiny patches

• worn spots

• loss of tack

GOLF CLUB RESHAFTING

Broken shafts happen and whether it’s an accident or on purpose we can supply and fit shafts from all the main manufacturers. We can simply perform a straight replacement or perhaps recommend a new improved type of shaft that could lengthen your drivers.

We have a large assortment of grips in stock or one day custom ship.  

Stop in today to check out the selection.

PGA Championship 2018: More than a major at stake. Who will be the player of the year?

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ST. LOUIS — The PGA Championship is the year’s final major. But there’s still plenty to be decided in golf. Justin Thomas, who won Sunday at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and is the defending PGA champion this week at Bellerive, has three wins. So do Dustin Johnson and Bubba Watson. Justin Rose and Jason Day, meanwhile, have two victories this season. The year’s first three major winners were Patrick Reed, Brooks Koepka and Francesco Molinari.

So, who will be the player of the year?

The Wanamaker Trophy is far more significant a prize, of course, but any of the aforementioned players hoisting it would be a defining mark on a tremendous season, and give said player a leg up on the honor.

Here’s a breakdown of the candidates so far.

Justin Thomas: Though his win Sunday was his first since February it came on a difficult Firestone course, much the way his previous victory took place on a tough PGA National course at the Honda Classic, which he won in a playoff over Luke List. Thomas’ other victory came last fall at the inaugural CJ Cup in Korea—also in a playoff, over Marc Leishman.

Dustin Johnson: His three wins came in Maui, Memphis and Canada. They also were the most impressive among the group in terms of margin of victory. Johnson won at Kapalua by eight, TPC Southwind by six and Glen Abbey by three. The top-ranked played in the world, he also has missed just one cut in 15 starts, has two runner-up finishes and two third-place finishes, and has finished in the top 10 a staggering 10 times in 15 starts. By comparison, Thomas has seven top-10s in three more starts.

Bubba Watson: Like Johnson, Watson’s victories came on a differing tracks with wins at Riviera and TPC River Highlands, bookended around his title at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play at Austin Country Club. Watson however has just two other top-10s.

Justin Rose: The WGC-HSBC Champions and Fort Worth Invitational were Rose’s two victories on the PGA Tour this season, but he also won in Turkey and Indonesia and rose to as high as No. 2 in the world before Thomas supplanted this past weekend. In 13 total starts in 2018, Rose has five top-10s.

Jason Day: If it seems like Day has barely played this year it’s because he has. The Aussie has made just a dozen starts but has won two of them, at Torrey Pines and Quail Hollow. He has just three other top-10 finishes, though.

In terms of major performance, Johnson and Rose have the better resumes. Johnson tied for 10th at the Masters and third at the U.S. Open, while Rose finished in the top 10 in both Opens, including a runner-up at Carnoustie.

But there’s still one more major to go.

SOURCE:  Golfworld

Join us this weekend at Lakeshore!

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OPEN TEE TIMES • Friday & Sunday Only • Sunday happens to be National Friendship Day but any day is a perfect day to spend with your friends at Lakeshore Golf Course.  We look forward to seeing you this weekend!

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