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I gave my few lessons at the club and headed home on this Sunday in August to watch the final round of the PGA Championship. I was at Valhalla on Monday and Tuesday with Kevin Streelman, who missed the cut by 2 shooting 69-76. Kevin won the week after we started working together, but has not continued that success with any top finishes. We are still working on the same stuff, and there are some things that are proving to be fairly stubborn. Anyway, I’m home now and there was a delay in the starting times due to rain so I am here for the full 18 holes. McIlroy just teed off a bit ago, so we will pick up the action with Rory on #3.
We start with Bernd Wiesburger hitting a tough pitch shot on the 2nd. The conditions are extremely wet, so it’s like playing darts with the approach shots to the greens. He hits a great little pitch to a couple of feet. It’s a test of nerves and he passes. Phil knocks in a birdie putt to go to one back. Fowler birdies to move back to 11 under. Rory is going to have to shoot 67 to win this. It looks like 17 might be the number. Phil is on and doing his thing. He’s either in the hunt or X.
Nice shot for Jason Day on 5. Birdie try. Wiesburger on the par 3 3rd, great shot right over the pin. 25 feet long. Mickelson lays up nicely on 5.
I wonder if Tiger is watching. How much do you think he hates this. He is so used to being the man. How do you get your arms around the fact that you are no longer what you used to be, and even worse, you may not be able to achieve the ultimate goals you set for yourself many years ago. It seemed like such a no-brainer. All the records would fall. Tiger was invincible, the best ever. He just had to close the deal by continuing his level of play a little while longer. But golf is fickle, and totally objective. When the swing is not able to do what it is planning to do the ball striking will suffer. And when the short game and putting experience a drop off in efficiency there is nothing to prop the thing up. The results are just not going to be there.
Els is going crazy. He’s way under. Oops, Rory 3 putts. Now he’s tied for the lead. Great wedge for Fowler. Fowler was my pick yesterday as I texted with Mark Long, Fred Funk’s long time caddy and a knowledgeable golf fan. And no lack of great insider tour stories that only caddies can tell.
Stenson stiffs it. He’s going to get to 12. He hasn’t even been in the conversation but you only have to go back to the end of last year and Stenson was dominant. McIlroy replaced him in the media eye with his wins, but Stenson is a true threat here. Now Mickelson for birdie. To take the lead. Leaves it short and left. Man, what a great tournament! Now Fowler birdies to tie for the lead. Wow.
Yikes. Stenson birdies and 5 are tied for the lead. Wiesburger spins one back away from the hole on 5. McIlroy hits one past the hole and it jumps forward instead of spinning back. Both are outside 20 feet. I heard the announcers talking about Oosthuezin and they commented on his even keel demeanor. They said that he always looked so calm and took things in stride, which is supposed to be a positive character trait, until they questioned whether or not he actually cared enough to be upset. I was thinking that was exactly what TV people do. They have to create a negative to consider from any positive because that’s what generates interest and sticks in people’s minds.
Turns out McIlroy hit out of casual water but chose not to drop because the nearest relief was in the rough. Jason Day knocks one in to get to 11 under. Anyone could get on a streak and win this thing. I think this is great because it is a pure ball striking contest. The ball ends up where it lands. There is some problem with mud on the ball, as results are way more unpredictable with there is stuff sticking to your ball, especially on longer shots. Mickelson sends one way right (hook) with a mud ball. Not much you can do about that. Except that the replay showed that the mud wasn’t bad at all and Mickelson just hit a crappy shot.
Fowler just off the green to the right on 6. Rory nails another drive. I wish they would give the driving distance on each drive they show. It would be a nice touch. Mickelson with a great pitch shot off the mud at 5. Tap in par. Oh Boy, Fowler holes his pitch with the pin out to take the lead. Chatting with Phil walking to the next tee. Great pairing for Fowler. Could be a difference maker.
Mcilroy 323 off the tee. Pitching wedge from 145. Think about that. No roll. 467 yard par 4. Driver-wedge. You can’t make the courses hard enough for par to be a good score unless you can set it up with high rough and ultra firm greens. Anytime a course gets soft the scores will go way down. Think of Congressional when Rory won. The field shot 10 shots higher this year when the conditions were drier and the rough was up.
This is a big moment for Fowler. He’s been coming from behind in all the majors this year, so his finishes seem positive. When you gain the lead and don’t win, it is viewed as more of a failure. Big difference. Stenson makes a nice par putt. No one can afford to miss any of these par putts if you expect to win today. Gotta keep going low. The media is such a “what have you done lately” institution there is little discussion of Stenson, who was dominant at the end of last year.
6 is a hard hole. Both Fowler and Mickelson hit 3 wood about 260 off the tee, and are left with 234 to the pin. That sounds awful, but both will hit irons. That is a big difference between nowadays and years ago, and it’s technology that is proving the difference. The players are essentially producing the same swings but the clubs and the balls are so much better.
Jason Day takes himself out of it for the moment with a 3 putt. You can’t miss short ones today and win. Mickelson and Fowler miss the green on 6. This will be a short game test. Mcilroy just waited forever to hit it on 6. Stenson hits the par 5 in two. Great shot by Mickelson. Such a great short game. Both guys in the last group have 250 to the pin on 6. Great pitch as well by Fowler. Watching these guys get it up and down just reminds you that the best players are really good at everything. This round is taking forever. Up and down for Fowler. Stenson ties Fowler for the lead with a birdie on 7. Rory and Wiesburger both miss the green on 6. The up and down game is on display on this hole. Stenson tugs his tee shot on the par 3 8th. Short side in the bunker and all the bogies on this hole are from the bunker left.
Big par putts for Wiesburger and McIlroy. Wiesburger hits the lip but doesn’t go. Stenson hits a good shot but 8 feet is the best he can do from the short side. Now Rory misses and falls 2 back. Gee, what’s happening to the coronation? The media has to write something every day, and they just go with whatever is happening right in front of them. The history of golf shows that no lead is safe, that things rarely play out the most predictable way. Anything can, and does, happen. Rory wins a few and now he’s perfect, unbeatable, has the best swing, hits it longer, blah, blah, blah. He’s awesome for sure, but I wouldn’t want to make a living picking the winners of golf tournaments.
Now Fowler with 235 to the green on the par 5. He flew his drive 302 and it plugged. Fowler hits in the bunker, Mickelson hits a beauty and has an eagle putt. McIlroy needs a good drive, gets it. Great bunker shot by Fowler. His stance is square, which I am noticing from more players. Nice slo-mo of the swing. Really apparent how he flips the club under the ball. Yikes! Mickelson runs it just past the lip for eagle. Big putt for Fowler. Right in the heart. Still in the lead at 14 under now. Big shot for Rory over the water on the par 5. Misses short right. Phil hits it in the bunker on 8. Stenson holes his birdie to tie for the lead. Awesome spin shot with the lob wedge for McIlroy. Wow. That’s a dangerous shot. You have to hit the ball on the top of the face after opening it up extra wide and driving the club under the ball at high speed. Mickelson with a great bunker shot. This is a short game clinic these guys are putting on.
Mcilroy runs it by the lip for birdie. Nothing going in yet. If he has an off day with the putter he won’t win. Ryan Palmer eagles 10 to go to 11 under. Someone will shoot 30 on the back today. If it’s one of the leaders he will win. Nice shot for Phil on 9. Stenson takes a nice divot on his wedge shot on 10. I wonder what the shaft lean stats would be for these guys. I have to check with one of my TrackMan expert friends on the stuff that Chamblee and Nobilo were arguing about the other night. Frank was defending the position that Tiger was hurt and therefore unable to execute his normal game, and Chamblee was taking Tiger at his word that he was healthy at least for the first 3 rounds last week and that it is his swing that is flawed and causing his back problems. Brandel was quoting TrackMan stuff and Nobilo was questioning him.
Mickelson, Fowler and Stenson all tied for the lead now at 14 under. The shocker is that Rory is behind 3 guys now, and 2 off the lead. McIlroy is one over, no one else in the top 7 is less than 3 under. Can’t win like that. Fowler looks focused and ready to win. Stenson looks the same. Mickelson is such a wild card. He can do anything. Looks like it will be one of these 3. Wow. Stenson leaves a birdie putt dead in short from 10 feet. He will rue that one. They just said that it took 2:20 to play the front. In twosomes. That is ridiculously slow. Notice how they are not all over how slow it is. That would be negative, and since the PGA is running the show and the last thing they want is for slow play to be an issue at their championship there is no mention of the slow play other than the fact that because of it and the delayed tee times they are not going to be able to finish the round.
Sweet! Fowler drains one on 10. Takes the lead. Now Phil to tie. No! Misses on the left lip. Fowler’s bomb was 28 feet. Doesn’t get too excited. Perfect reaction. Just keep pressing on. Now McIlroy hits an amazing fairway wood that Faldo thinks is in the neck. It’s just perfect.
210 yards. Just a nice 6 iron for Phil. I wonder if he forward leans the shaft? Eagle for McIlroy! Yikes. This is good stuff. Not a good putt from Fowler. Stenson holes a crucial par. There’s like a million people at this event. Phil for birdie again! Tied with Fowler, who makes a great par putt. These two guys are like buds, which gives this a little different twist. Now Rory stiffs it on 11. If he wins this you gotta start thinking of him in Tiger terms. Rory had the lead so technically he’s not coming from behind, but he was just 2 back of 3 guys and proceeded to make an awesome eagle. Now he has a putt for birdie to tie. Misses.
I played at Valhalla in the 2002 National Club Pro Championship and walked the front nine with Kevin on Tuesday. I kind of forgot what the back nine looked like so the camera shots of the holes are jogging my memory. Fowler leaves a short iron short of the green and Kostis comments that “he came in steep on that one”. I’m just wondering how he can see things like that. I study the swing all the time and I can’t discern that in a full motion swing on a tv monitor.
Stenson birdies to tie Fowler and Mickelson. Mickelson’s second shot was so bad that the best he could do was 20 feet long. And he holes it! Jeez. Nice freaking putt. Fowler has no problem with his ticklish 3 footer. Why is McIlroy waiting on every shot? These guys should be playing in less than four hours. Players of this caliber in twosomes? Nothing but excuses to rationalize why this is taking so long.
McIlroy another great shot on 12. Big putt coming up. Ooh.. lips out on the right. Gotta hate that when it happens to you. It was a good putt, just didn’t go in. Aaagh! Stenson yanks an uphill 2 ½ footer. Fowler looks the most steady right now. Mcilroy is certainly dangerous just one back, as is Mickelson. Good par on 13 for Fowler. Now Mickelson for the lead. Not even close.
How about the finish on McIlroy’s wedge shot on 13? His arms exit below his waist. Pretty cool. That putt could be the end of Stenson. He follows is up with a bad shot. Mickelson sends it right at the flag at 14. 6 iron from 215. Fowler with a 5. He fans it way right. Ooh, not good at all. Stenson plays a beautiful bunker shot to a few feet. Square stance again. Rory needs this putt for sure. Hammers it home! Back into a tie for the lead. Man. Nice job bringing it back. He’s got some toughness in him. That’s a great trait for a golfer.
Rory is waiting again. How is there going to be an upsurge in golf when the best players in the world can’t play twosomes in less than 4:45? Phil runs his birdie by at 14. Rory still waiting. Finally. 5 iron from 215. Good shot, runs back down the slope a bit. Mickelson and McIlroy tied at the top, Fowler and Stenson 1 back. 4 man race. Ooh. Fowler with a mud ball. Nice shot. Stenson is the number 1 putter for the week. Ricky one down with 3 holes left. Phil for the lead. No! Breaks off at the end. Mickelson is amazing.
Rory doesn’t have to wait on his second shot on 14. He must be walking slower so he doesn’t get to his shots so soon. 20 feet for birdie. This one will win the tourney if he cans it. Two bad drives by Fowler and Mickelson on 16. Rory leaves it short! Mickelson lays up a bit. Fowler with the big hook over trees from the other fairway. Forget about it. That’s ridiculous. What a great shot.
Stenson shanks his second on 17 but the tv guys don’t show it. Great pitch to 2 feet. Now Ricky from 100 feet. Gets it within 5 feet. Mickelson is 9 feet for par. Oh no! He leaves it short! Geez. The old cliché’ “I forgot to hit it” comes true again. Fowler holes his par putt to stay 1 back of McIlroy. Now Stenson holes for par. Rory hits it 331 off the tee on 16 and then 9 iron from 184 to 15 feet. Are you kidding? And you wonder why he dominates when he’s on.
The only time these guys play fast is when they don’t want to have to come back the next day to finish. Slow play is not good for the game, but it is apparent that when the pressure is on the game is so hard that not everyone can play it quickly. Now, it is also apparent that many people play slowly for altogether different reasons, but when the best play slow it is hard to present an example to follow.
Mudball for Stenson on 18. Misses way left. There’s not much you can do when you hit a normal shot and it shoots 50 yards off line. Now Phil with a tough pitch. What a great shot. Holy Moly. A foot and a half away. Sweet. Now Fowler with a long putt in the semi dark. Leaves it short. Someone is going to not want to play anymore, and the whole thing will end. There’s no way they can finish. Nice putt to save par for Fowler. One hole left for Fowler and Mickelson.
Mcilroy 9 iron from the fairway bunker. To 10 feet! Love the way he walks down the fairway. Stenson pars 18 and finishes 14 under. McIlroy birdies 17 and he has a 2 shot lead. Still some work left. McIlroy is on the 18th tee, but Fowler and Mickelson are just teeing off. They are going to let Rory and Bernd hit on 18 so they can finish. Must be pretty dark. I don’t think Tiger would have let Rory play up.
Good shot for Fowler. Are they going to play the 18th as a foursome? Looks like it. The fans certainly want to see a finish. Rory hits it in the bunker by mistake. Now it’s a short game affair in the dark. Phil hits another amazing shot. Almost holes the pitch. Geez. Now Fowler for eagle. Runs it by 6 feet. Oh man. Harsh lip out for Ricky. Now Rory from the bunker. 30 feet short. Two putts for the win. He strokes it to 8 inches. It’s over. He’s won it. Nice.
Now Phil is going to go off about the finish in the interview. Don’t think that the PGA is going to get off easy. However, they couldn’t control the players. My good friend who caddied on Tour for 20 years said that it’s very hard to play much faster due to crowd control problems. So Rory thanks Phil for his “sportsmanship”, and Phil won’t bitch about the finish in public. Anyway, a great end to an exciting round of major championship golf. There’s nothing quite like it.
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