Golf Tours

Musings of The RBC Canadian Open on the PGA Golf Tour

I probably didn't watch 10 minutes of the Canadian Open, I didn't care about the outcome. This tournament for some reason is considered minor league by the PGA tour players, verified by the number of top ranked players in the field. Of course Tiger wasn't entered and only 2 of the top 10 and 5 of the top 20 in the FedEx Cup standings were in the field. There were a few surprises. Scanning through the field some names popped out.?Fred Couples, who is from Seattle, playing on both the PGA and Champions tours and has been instrumental in getting the U.S. Senior's Open (being played this week) to Sahalee Country Club and the Seattle area. Of course he is one of the favorites in that field. Hopefully the Canadian Open won't be a prelude to the Senior Open, Freddie missed the cut by 5 strokes. Alex Prugh, an ex-University of Washington player from Spokane who in his rookie year on the PGA Tour is 75th on the money list. Some of Alex's impressive statistics: Cuts made 12 5th in birdies or better on par 5's 21st in driving distance 295.5 20th in 320+ drives (11.5%) amazing for a 5'10", 160 lb frame. 23rd in total birdies 31st in top 10 finishes (3) 15th in putting from 3-5 feet. Alex's great play has his TV coverage on the upswing. I predict a win in the near future and possibly star status on the tour. He missed the cut by just 1 stroke in the Open. Another golfer in the tournament with a Washington connection was amateur?Nick Taylor. This year he received the prestigious Ben Hogan award which recognizes the outstanding male amateur and collegiate golfer of the year. Nick was another U of Washington golfer although from Abbotsford, B.C. Nick's future looks bright as a professional although may wait to make that move until he plays in the U.S. Amateur just down the road in Tacoma, WA. August 23rd. Nick missed the cut in the Canadian Open by 2 shots. The biggest and best surprise came from Brock MacKenzie, coming out of nowhere to be near the top of the leader-board for the first 3 rounds. Originally from Coos Bay, Or. Brock graduated from Washington in 2004. After loosely watching his career from afar for a year or so I lost track of him. I found Brock earned his way into the RBC Canadian Open field through placing 2nd on the Canadian Tour Order of Merit. The Canadian Open was his first PGA tournament appearance this year. After being tiedfor 5th after the 3rd round, Brock finished tied for 37th after a disappointing final round of 75, 5 over par. This week at The Greenbrier Classic in White Sulphur Springs, W. Va. With a lackluster field that's missing Tiger, Phil, Steve, Justin, Ernie and Ryan Moore, another Washington prodigy, I will probably will not watch the Greenbrier Classic. Also Ricky Barnes looks he is beginning to live up to the hype and the ever smiling Matt Kuchar is having his best season and will also make my "must watch" list.
I always root for the old guys and wonder how long they can compete, guys like Lee Janzen, John Huston, Chris DiMarco, Bob Estes, Brad Faxon, Davis Love III, Steve Lowery, Jeff Maggert, Dick Mast and David Toms. I'll be watching them too.
Do Not Miss Tournaments:
World Golf Championship Aug. 5 - 8 PGA Championship Aug. 12 - 15 FedEx Cup Tournaments Aug. 26 - 29 Sept. 3 - 6 Sept. 9 - 12 Sept.23 - 26 Ryder Cup Oct. 23 - 26
See Ya next week. Loren...