Pair of 29s put Snedeker in prime Playoffs position
By Craig Dolch, PGATOUR.COM Contributor
Every player on the PGA TOUR has the ability to string together birdies by the bunches. But only a special few have the knack of really going low.
We're talking Barry White low.
Brandt Snedeker is one of those guys. The cherub-faced pro from Nashville has no problem playing the limbo game of How Low Can You Go? He's the only pro to shoot a sub-30 for nine holes in both of this year's PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup events, ripping off 29s at The Barclays (front nine, final round) and the Deutsche Bank Championship (back nine, second round).
He almost did it a third time, settling for a 30 on Monday's front nine to roar into contention during the final round of the Deutsche Bank Championship. If he could have matched the 29 he shot on the back nine Saturday, Snedeker would have been the first to fire a magical 59 in the playoffs. Alas, despite closing with two birdies, he settled for a 1-over 36 on the back nine that left him tied for third place, two shots out of the Webb Simpson-Chez Reavie playoff.
"I got off to a great start and before I knew it, I made a few putts and it turned into a great front nine," Snedeker said. "I really thought I could shoot something really special on the back, but wasn't able to do it. I had about five, six holes where my rhythm got a little bit off and made a few too many bogeys. But then birdieing 17 and 18, I kind of hung in there really, really strong all day, and to do that was really special."
The consecutive T3 finishes has put Snedeker in position to do something even more special -- by virtue of moving into the No. 5 spot in the FedExCup standings, he currently controls his position to win the $10 million first prize at East Lake if he can remain in the top five after next week's BMW Championship.
This is heady stuff for the 30-year-old who this year won his second PGA TOUR career title when he bested Luke Donald in a playoff at The Heritage. He already has made the most money ($3.34 million) during his five years on the PGA TOUR and for the first time his scoring average is below 70 (69.84), ranking 14th overall.
"My confidence is very high," Snedeker said. "I had a bad couple weeks before last week and really put a lot of time in on the range and practiced with my coach (Todd Anderson) a lot, and the last two weeks have been fantastic, really striking the ball nicely, rolling it pretty good. I'm looking forward to the next two tournaments."
Snedeker didn't take long to show he can shoot some eye-popping low scores. In just his third start as a PGA TOUR member, he fired a nine-under 27 on his front nine of Torrey Pines' North Course in the first round of the 2007 Buick Invitational. (The nine shots under par remains a PGA TOUR record for most strokes under par for nine holes, which he shares with Billy Mayfair and Robert Gamez.)
Snedeker got it to 10-under after 10 holes that day at Torrey Pines and had thoughts of a 59 before a string of pars left him settling for a 61. Still, it was quite a way for the man with the unique last name to introduce himself to the golf world. Even if few people could pronounce it properly back then (it's sned-e-ker) -- or even now.
"As long as they give an effort, I don't care," he said of his surname. "I've heard it butchered so many times that it's no big deal."
Snedeker does most of his damage with his putter; he ranks second on the TOUR's new Strokes Gained-Putting statistic this season. But he has developed a solid overall game, evidenced by the fact he has added 10 yards to his average driving distance, 277.1 to 287.2, in the last year.
Snedeker has come a long way from the guy who four-putted his final hole at the 2009 BMW Championship to cost him a spot in THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola, and all the perks that go along with that accomplishment. He has a career-best seven top-10 finishes this year and is just one spot out of earning an automatic place on his first Presidents Cup team with just one event left.
As low as his scores have been lately, Snedeker probably is wishing there wasn't an off week before the BMW Championships begins next week at Cog Hill near Chicago. But he isn't thinking about breaking his age for nine holes every time he tees it up.
"You're always excited to get to the golf course when you're playing well," he said. "That being said, you've really got to stay patient because even though you are playing well, sometimes that's when you make the most mistakes because you think you can go at every pin and be aggressive on every par-5 when that might not necessarily be the case. Just got to kind of take it with a grain of salt really and go out there and try to play the best you can that day."
And when the opportunity presents itself, put the pedal to the metal.
Craig Dolch is a freelance columnist for PGATOUR.COM. His views do not necessarily represent the views of the PGA TOUR.
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