Many commentators over the years have remarked on how the Golfer's swing and attitude towards the game mirrors their personality. If you ever need to be reminded about that little psychological insight then the Houston Open gave it to you. John Daly, a man who has redefined the term 'Inner Demons' has just made three birdies in five holes to tie Vijay Singh for the lead. His birdie on the last holes was greeted with a noise only heard on the PGA tour when Phil Mickelson is in full flow. Daly punches the air and after a number of high fives, back slapping he bounds towards the scorers hut looking like a man of destiny. He is asked about his chances and whether he will be keeping loose on the practise fairway. Big John simply answered he would not be going anywhere near the practise fairway and proceeds to smoke a handful of cigarettes and wait for the playoff. Of course when it came to the playoff he decided to warm up on the tee with yet another cigarette in his mouth and then preceded to hand the tournament to Singh by hooking his drive into the water! Daly has always done things his way but I get the feeling this tournament was his for the taking if he only got to the practise fairway and kept focussed. But I guess that is just not big JD's style.
A mention this week must also go to Adam Scott for his win in the Johnny Walker Classic in China. Quite simply one of the best young players in world right now Scott's stock is surpassed by only Tiger's in the 'under thirties' category. A major is not far around the corner for this impressive Aussie.
And so to this week
The US PGA tour moves to the good time state of New Orleans this week for the Zurich Classic. Being played over the Jack Nicklaus designed TPC course of Louisiana it is sure to test the field with its length and small sloping greens. The local conditions are usually stormy around this time of the year as well so luck in the draw may be critical in order to get the best of the weather.
Selections:
Vijah Singh: about as boring as watching paint dry I know but after the win last week he really only needs to have the putter working to destroy this field. If the putter behaves and the ball striking stays at it current imperialistic level then the rest of the field will be playing for second place.
Joe Ogilvie: one of the most improved players of 2005 already. Joe perhaps does not have the killer instinct just yet but he has been up to the lead many times this year and has tournament form. If he can just get the mental edge required to close tournaments out he could go very close this week indeed.
Chris DiMarco: after his gutsy Masters performance I believe Chris has a new found belief in his ability to compete at the highest level. If he can continue this form into this week then he must go very close. I guess it will depend on his mental state post Masters disappointment.
Other worth mentioning: Jeff Sluman, Bernhard Langer, Kevin Na and Tim Herron.
The European Tour once again stays in China for the BMW Asian Open. Played around the testing Tomson Pudong Golf Course the players will be faced with narrow fairways and large sloping greens. However these greens traditionally do not have the same grain or nap as other Asian courses so this will aid the European players in reading them correctly. As occurred last week at the Johnny Walker Classic the weather will be a factor this week with rain and strong winds forecast.
Selections:
Thomas Bjorn: this player is starting to become something of an enigma on the European tour with a number of top positions after three rounds but never really challenging on the final day. If tournaments where only three rounds he would have won a bunch since his melt down at The Open a couple of years ago. That said his form is not too bad in Asia and he is due to break through soon if in contention. Could surprise some people this week!
Colin Montgomerie: really starting to play good consistent golf now and is still very hungry for that Top Fifty ranking in order to get into the US Open. Monty is continuing with the Belly Putter and this either works well or fails him miserably. If he can get the putter working then he must go close week.
W.C Liang: one of the best Asian players at the moment, W.C continues to challenge for tournaments on the Japanese and Asian tours. He has course form around here on the Asian tour and currently is in the top five for scoring on both the Japanese and Asian tours. Could surprise a lot of people this week at a very good price.
Other to mention: Luke Donald, KJ Choi, Richard Sterne and Jyoti Randhawa.
Until next week - May The Golfinggods Be With You!
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