Playoffs halftime report: 10 topics worth discussing
By Melanie Hauser, PGATOUR.COM Correspondent
The theme to this year's PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup?
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Expect the unexpected. As in Charley Hoffman, Matt Kuchar, Martin Laird, Jason Day and Luke Donald.
The usual suspects? Oh, they're still here. Some in supporting roles; others in somewhat surprising ones.
Tiger Woods, for one. His game is beginning to click and he's rocketing up the standings -- straight to two courses where he's won. And won. And won.
And former U.S. Open champ Geoff Ogilvy. Where has he been? Relative obscurity since winning the SBS Championship to kick off the season. Now he's back knocking on the door.
Phil Mickelson and Steve Stricker are there, too, just along with Day, Kuchar and Donald. Not Woods and Jim Furyk and Ernie Els.
And now that the Ryder Cup spots are set -- let the pairing conversations/blistering begin -- the decks are cleared for the final countdown to East Lake. And, of course, that $10 million brass ring.
So, at the halfway point in these 2010 Playoffs, we pause to offer you 10 things we've learned in the last two weeks:
1. Do you believe in magic? After two weeks, you should. Martin Laird comes out of nowhere -- two top 10s all year - at The Barclays to lose in a playoff, Charley Hoffman puts it all together at the Deutsche Bank Championship and wins. Hoffman didn't play in any majors this year, missed the cut in both the British Open and PGA Championship last year, once missed 16 straight cuts on the Nationwide Tour and had just three top 10s coming into the week -- all since July. Just proves if you're on the TOUR, you're only a couple of great iron shots, a couple of good bounces and a few putts away from a roll.
2. The Playoffs can make a season. Last year, it was Heath Slocum. Steve Stricker did it three years ago. This year? Might be one Tiger Woods. He wasn't even in the top 100 when the Playoffs kicked off and was up and down, despite a T12, at The Barclays. But he looked better in Boston and finished T11. Next up, Cog Hill and the BMW Championship where he's won five times, including last year. Not saying he'll run the tables or fully redeem a grim season, but he's getting better every week. And, in case you haven't noticed, he's still No. 1. Those challengers keep stumbling and he keeps climbing.
3. Bubba Watson has a way with . . . videos. He cut his teeth with clips on Twitter, now he's taking us inside the Playoffs each week. He has a way of taking a quirky look at life and golf, and has a ton of fun doing it. Whether it's working out, finding his parking place, or digging buddy Rickie Fowler about dropping by for dinner, he's the ultimate insider. Watch one and you'll smile. "Ur welcome." Video: Bubba's Playoffs Diary, Volume 1
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4. The most recent tweaks to the system are working. So far, so good. No complaints. Lots of movement. Lots of energy. Delivering as promised.
5. One missed cut -- at the right time -- isn't the end of the world. Take Tom Gillis. He exited The Barclays early, then shot up the standings with back-to-back 65s at TPC Boston. His T5 put him safely into the BMW. It was also the best finish of his TOUR career. One great week, however, doesn't get you on a Ryder Cup team.
6. Player of the Year. It's not an issue . . . yet. But it will be. With Matt Kuchar throwing his name in and getting some buzz and Phil hanging around and TW trying for a Playoffs push and . . . well, let's just say it's up for grabs. A few folks have tossed their names in what is shaping up to be a very crowded ring. Could Day or Adam Scott jump up? Or Stricker? Two wins in a row and who knows? What we know is the first two events set the stage, the last two events are the big finish.
7. Twists, turns and irony. Lucas Glover, Padraig Harrington and Charles Howell III played themselves out of the last two events. And Kris Blanks birdied two of the last three holes to put himself just above the cutline for Chicago, then had to wait for someone to bogey 18 so he could slide in. Didn't happen. Charlie Wi birdied and sent Blanks home. "I guess somebody had to finish 71st,'' Blanks said in a text to Golf Channel's Tim Rosaforte.
8. Ready for his closeup, Mr. DeMille. Yes, we're talking Kuchar. He's got that perpetual smile, those apple-red cheeks and that guy-next-door feel to him. Pretty good game, too. The Barclays made the former Georgia Tech standout the star everyone expected to see a decade ago. If this had been just another tournament, he'd have gotten another top-10 like an "attaboy." Instead, he's getting top-10-in-the-world screams from the galleries.
9. The Cup factor. As if making it to the next stage -- and making that coveted top 5 going into East Lake -- isn't pressure enough, the Playoffs come at Ryder Cup time and that means serious nerves. We saw it the first two weeks, leading up to Corey Pavin's four captain's picks. Next year, the players will be sweating Fred Couples' final two selections for the Presidents Cup. Good stuff.
10. Not even Mother Nature wants to mess with the Playoffs. One minute Hurricane Earl is threatening to bombard the East Coast and therefore slow down/cause delays at the Deutsche Bank. The next, it bounces along the coastline, heads north and isn't even a nuisance. Officials are just thankful there's no warm Gulf-like water in the Atlantic.
Melanie Hauser is a columnist for PGATOUR.COM. Her views do not necessarily represent the views of the PGA TOUR.
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