Since the PGA Tour introduced the FedExCup Playoffs in 2007, tour officials have strived to find the best format for determining a season-long champion. Over the past dozen years, the tour has made several changes to the Playoffs points system after the first one was found to have a serious problem in terms of having the FedExCup champion determined in the season-ending Tour … [Read more...]
Woods Rallies for First Time in a Major to Take Fifth Masters Title
While he was winning 14 majors between 1997 and 2008, Tiger Woods established a 100 percent predictable model for divining whether he was going to win a Grand Slam event going to the final round. When leading or sharing the lead after 54 holes, Woods was 14-0 in Grand Sam events. When he was trailing going to the final round, he was 0-for-everything else. His spotless … [Read more...]
Masters preview: McIlroy the Favorite, No Green Jacket for Tiger or Phil
The list of potential 2019 Masters champions is long, with a clear but not overwhelming favorite who comes into the tournament as the game’s hottest player, but who does not have the best relationship with Augusta National. Everything points to a Rory McIlroy victory in Augusta next week. He has finished sixth or better in each of his six starts in PGA Tour stroke play … [Read more...]
Masters Memories: Woods, Mickelson dominated for 2 decades
For more than two decades from the mid-1990s to the mid-2010s, golf fans could count on seeing the names of Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson on the leader board at the Masters on an annual basis. From 1995 to 2013, either Woods or Mickelson (and frequently both) finished at least seventh in the Masters. After that streak ended when Woods did not play and Mickelson missed the … [Read more...]
Masters Flashback: Johnson’s 2007 victory has unique place in tournament history
A study of Masters history reveals some interesting patterns related to the annual winning scores. Over the past three decades, the winning 72-hole total has been higher than 280 on only four occasions. Three of those Masters – 2003, 2007, and 2016 – produced three of the most surprising Masters champions since Augusta native Larry Mize toppled two of the game’s giants (Greg … [Read more...]
PGA Tour Preview: Significant Changes Highlight 2019 Schedule
The 2019 portion of the PGA Tour schedule began with two events in Hawaii, and will be followed by four annual stops in California and one in Arizona, the same as it has for the past two decades. After that, the usually standard sequence of tournaments has been significantly shuffled, along with a number of rules changes that are slightly confusing but not overly impactful. … [Read more...]
U.S. loses Ryder Cup in Europe again; Woods goes winless, Furyk fumbles pairings
After all the talk about the immense talent on the 2018 American Ryder Cup team, the final result was the same as that of the previous five matches played in Europe. The U.S. team lost by the second largest margin of the 6-match road losing streak, with Europe erasing a 3-1 deficit after the first session Friday morning to win the team matches 10-6. The Europeans clinched … [Read more...]
Reed, Watson Part of U.S. Ryder Cup Team Looking to Break Losing Streak in Europe
It’s been 25 years since the United States team won the Ryder Cup in Europe, but the U.S. losing streak is not quite as bad it as appears. Or is it? There have been just six Ryder Cup matches played in Europe over the past quarter century, but the Americans’ record in the U.S. during that span is less than stellar, especially compared with the Europeans’ home … [Read more...]
Woods Thrills East Lake Fans with First Victory in 5 years; Almost Wins FedExCup
After Tiger Woods won for the first time in more than five years in the Tour Championship at East Lake on Sunday, the exuberant reaction of both the fans and the media is a strong indicator that all is right in the golfing world. Woods had not won since the World Golf Championship event in 2013 at Firestone, which hosted that tournament for the last time this year. That was … [Read more...]