WGC Accenture Match Play Championship Day 3

Marana, AZ – So you say you want more match play? Personally I would love to see more match play format, but what is NBC going to do on Sunday if we see a M. Bae vs. Peter Hanson final? The opposite could happen with 3 of the 4 top seeds still standing plus big American names such as Nick Watney, Dustin Johnson, Matt Kuchar and Steve Stricker. Tiger Woods was bounced by Nick Watney on Thursday due to his woeful putting. It may be time for Tiger to find a short game coach, Sean Foley is a swing coach and doesn’t address putting or chipping. If Tiger doesn’t do something about his putting soon it could be a long year of missed 5 footers, 0 wins and a handful of top 15s.

 The highlight of today will be the potential Ryder Cup matchups of Westwood vs. Watney and Kaymer vs. Kuchar.  Even with the snow outside, gets the UG excited about Medinah later this summer.

 The Urban Golfers are looking forward to the weekend no matter who is in the final 4, but for the sake of excitement and ‘viewers’ let’s hope it is Rory McIlroy vs. Dustin Johnson.

Bobby Jones Bracket

 #5 Brandt Snedeker vs. #9 Peter Hanson – Snedeker dispatched Stanley to “solidify” his victory at Torrey.  Snedeker moves on to create a very intriguing matchup with Johnson.  Snedeker may be showing signs for an excellent 2012.

 #3 Dustin Johnson vs. #10 Mark Wilson – Two completely different players face each other to advance to the Bobby Jones “Regional Final”.  Wilson, a great putter and short game player, takes on the big bomber athlete that is Dustin Johnson.  Johnson blasts his way to face Snedeker.

Sam Snead Bracket

 #1 Lee West Woodwood vs. #4 Nick Watney – Lee Westwood decided to show up this week and is playing well. Nick Watney has advanced, but has relied on his opponents mistakes more than his own play. I would love to see the American advance, but Lee Westwood should take this 3&2.

 #10 Martin Laird vs. #11 Paul Lawrie – If ain’t Scottish it’s crap! As we stated yesterday Paul Lawrie is playing as well as anyone in the world and will advance to face Lee Westwood for a spot in the final four.

Ben Hogan Bracket

#1 Martin Kaymer vs. #4 Matt Kuchar – Along with the Watney/Westwood match, this is the best of the day.  Last year’s champion plays one of America’s best.  This should be an excellent preview of the Ryder Cup.  Kaymer wins a tight one.

 #2 Steve Stricker vs. #6 Hunter Mahan – Stricker escaped a Midwest snow storm to enjoy the weather and a successful week of golf in Arizona.  I expect America’s top ranked player to move on and play Kaymer Saturday.

Gary Player Bracket

#1 Rory McIlroy vs. #13 M. Jimenez – Interesting match up here with Rory hoping he can grab the World number one ranking after this weekend. It’s hard not to pick Rory he is playing well and is the best player in the world. Rory advances!

 #10 John Senden vs. #11 S. Bae – Senden is playing well and has more experience than Bae, send Senden on to the quarters.

The Urban Golfer

Day 2 at The WGC Accenture Match Play Championship

Bobby Jones Bracket

 

Key Match: #5 Brandt Snedeker vs. #13 Kyle Stanley.  How cool is this match?!!  These two guys faced each last month in a sudden death duel for the Farmers at Torrey.  No TV tower to save Snedeker.  Stanley gets revenge and moves on.

Upset Pick:  #13 Kyle Stanley over #5 Brandt Snedeker. 

#9 Peter Hanson vs. #16 Ernie Els

Els—I gave the Big Easy no shot in yesterday’s match.  Not going against him today.  The three-time major champion extends his run to the sweet 16.

#5 Brandt Snedeker vs. #13 Kyle Stanley

Stanley—See above.

#10 Mark Wilson vs. #15 Robert Rock

Rock—Takes out Tiger in the Arabian Desert and then Adam Scott in the Arizona desert.  The hair sees another day and beats Wilson in a squeeker.

#3 Dustin Johnson vs. #11 Francesco Molinari

Johnson—This is a bomber vs. the solid Italian.  Johnson in a tight one.

Ben Hogan Bracket

Key Match: #4 Matt Kuchar vs. #5 Bubba Watson—This should be a great match between two different types of players.

Upset Pick:  None.  Chalk all day.

#1 Martin Kaymer vs. #8 David Toms

Kaymer—This course sits well with Kaymer.  The top seed moves on.

#4 Matt Kuchar vs. #5 Bubba Watson

Kuchar—America’s Mr. Consistency takes out America’s bomber.

#2 Steve Stricker vs. #7 Louis Oosthuizen

Stricker—I like Stricker to go deep in the tournament.  Seedings fit well for him to reach the weekend.

#6 Hunter Mahan vs. #14 Y.E. Yang

Mahan—YE played well yesterday against the 2010 US Open Champ.  Mahan is too consistent to lose this one.

Gary Player Bracket

Key Match: #5 Keegan Bradley vs. #13 M. Jimenez – Keegan can make a huge statement with all the media attention by going far in the WGC Match Play. I pick him to win, you can tell he wants this.

Upset Pick: #2 Jason Day vs. John Senden – All Ausie here, Day was lucky to advance and Senden sailed, I see Senden keeping up the momentum.

#1 Rory McIlroy vs. #9 Anders Hansen

Rory will win this 4&3 to face a great quarter final match up with Keegan Bradley

#3 Charl Schwartzel vs. #11 S. Bae

Have to go with the sweetest swing in golf, Charl will move on here

Sam Snead Bracket

Key Match Up: #4 Nick Watney vs. #5 Tiger Woods – All American in the desert, Tiger should bounce back after hitting the driving range last night. Tiger wins 1up.

Upset Pick: #1 Lee Westwood vs. #8 Robert Karlsson – Karlsson played great yesterday in disposing Freddy Jacobson, I see the swede advancing.

#15 M. Manassero vs. #10 Martin Laird – I see an all Scottish quarter final vs Lawrie

#14 Ryo Ishikawa vs. #11 Paul Lawrie- Lawrie is playing as good as anyone in the world right now could go far in this.

Jim Dowd & Kevin Hill The Urban Golfer

Accenture Match Play Round One Picks and Upsets

Marana, AZ – The Accenture Match Play Championship kicks off on Wednesday and will end Sunday with one man standing. Match play is a great format we wish there was more of it on the PGA Tour. The biggest names in golf are in the desert this week with $1.4 million on the line and a lot of OWGR points to be accumulated. Will Luke Donald repeat? Can Tiger make a statement as the PGA Tour shifts to Florida and Augusta in about 6 weeks? Can Rory win a world match play event and a major or two in 2012?

 Below are The Urban Golfer’s picks, just like the NCAA Basketball tournament this is nearly impossible to predict. Rory could go down in the first and Moon Bae could take home the $1.4 Million, who knows.

Bobby Jones Bracket

 Key Match: #3 Dustin Johnson vs. #14 Jim Furyk

Upset Pick:  #10 Mark Wilson over #7 Bo Van Pelt.  Not much of a stretch here.  I really like the chalk in this bracket.

 #1 Luke Donald vs. #16 Ernie Els

Luke Donald—His win here last year propelled him to a career year and finishing the season as the World #1.  Ernie Els has not shown me anything in a while, even if he is playing for his bid at the Masters (he still has not qualified to be a part of the field).

#8 Jason Dufner vs. #9 Peter Hanson

Dufner—Love to see this guy win a big one.  He will come out of the woodwork in a big tournament sometime this year.

#4 K.J. Choi vs. #13 Kyle Stanley 

Choi—He is a solid putter and his consistent play will be tough for Stanley to handle.

#5 Brandt Snedeker vs. #12 Retief Goosen

Snedeker—One of the game’s best short game and putters.

#2 Adam Scott vs. #15 Robert Rock

Scott—I like Scott until at least Saturday.

#7 Bo Van Pelt vs. #10 Mark Wilson

Wilson—The Illinois product follows up on his Human victory with a strong showing on Wednesday.  Great putter.

#3 Dustin Johnson vs. #14 Jim Furyk

Johnson—This is a bomber vs. putter and 100-yard in extraordinaire battle.  Johnson in a tight one.

#6 Thomas Bjorn vs. #11 Francesco Molinari

Bjorn

 Ben Hogan Bracket

Key Match: #4 Matt Kuchar vs. #13 Jonathan Byrd—“The Golf Boys”—Too bad both of these nerds can’t lose.  Golf Channel better have better material than focusing on these two and referencing that dumb video and performance in Scottsdale.

Upset Pick:  #13 Jonathan Byrd over #7 Matt Kuchar. 

 #1 Martin Kaymer vs. #16 Greg Chalmers

Kaymer wins big.  Plays well here.

#8 David Toms vs. #9 Rickie Fowler

Toms—Much better putter than Fowler. 

#4 Matt Kuchar vs. #13 Jonathan Byrd

Byrd—This is my upset of the day.  Byrd has started the 2012 season in a strong manner.  This continues with an upset over America’s Mr. Consistency.

#5 Bubba Watson vs. #12 Ben Crane

Watson—His length outduels Crane’s putter.  Both of these guys are nerds and any reference to the “Golf Boys” and I will vomit.  I wish the Waste Management 16^th hole gallery showered these clowns with beer when they took to the microphone that Saturday afternoon.

#2 Steve Stricker vs. #15 Kevin Na

Stricker—The man from Wisconsin takes out Na.  I like Stricker to advance well in to the tournament.

#7 Louis Oosthuizen vs. #10 Aaron Baddeley

Baddeley—Great short game and putter beats one of my favorite swings in golf.  I can’t take Oosthuizen on US soil until he does something over here.

#3 Graeme McDowell vs. #14 Y.E. Yang

McDowell—The Northern Irishman wins a squeaker. 

#6 Hunter Mahan vs. #11 Zach Johnson

Johnson—Going with another upset here.  Mahan is one of the tour’s best drivers, but I love Johnson with the flat stick.  ZJ can make a littler run here as well.

Gary Player Bracket

Key Match: #5 Keegan Bradley vs. #12 Geoff Ogilvy – Very intriguing matchup with the a past winner and perhaps the future of American golf. I have to go with momentum here, Keegan Bradley 3&2.

Upset Pick: #15 Gary Woodland vs. #2 Charl Schwartzel – Woodland has NOT been playing well this year, but in match play the occasional double or triple doesn’t hurt that bad.

 #1 Rory McIlroy vs. #16 George Coetzee

Rory is world class and will put the South African down in 3&2

#8 Kyung-tae Kim vs. #9 Anders Hansen

Anders Hansen – his experience will show here

#4 Sergio Garcia vs. #12 M.A. Jimenez

Sergio – Looking for a big year from Sergio and could start here in the Arizona desert. Don’t be surprised if Sergio makes a run this weekend.

#2 Jason Day vs. R.C. Bello

Jason Day – he hasn’t played that well this year but is a gamer and shows it in match play.

#7 Simon Dyson vs. #10 John Senden

Senden – I would like to pick Dyson but Senden has more experience here plus he is a world class ball striker.

#6 Ian Poulter vs. Sang-Moon Bae

Poulter – really know nothing about Moon Bae, and Poulter won a similar event in Europe last year. Poulter will be one win and done.

 Sam Snead Bracket

Key Match: #5 Tiger Woods vs. G. Fdez-Castano – This has to be the key match up of the first round. Can Tiger make a statement this weekend? It all starts here in his first round match up with the Spainard Castano. Tiger’s experience in match has to be an advantage vs. Castano, I pick Tiger in the first round.

Upset Pick:  #16 Nicolas Colsaerts vs. #1 Lee Westwood – Colsaerts has played very steady this year while Westwood can’t putt, and in match play you have to putt well to win. Going out on a limb here and picking Colsaerts 2&1.

#8 Robert Karlsson vs. #9 Fredrik Jacobson

Battle of Sweden in the first round. Haven’t heard much from Jacobson this year while Karlsson has been playing decent. Going with a hunch here and Jacobson.

#4 Nick Watney vs. #13 Darren Clarke 

Darren Clarke hasn’t posted a top 20 since his British Open win and Watney can’t drive the ball.  Clarke is still on his hangover from The Open win, going with Watney.

#2 Webb Simpson vs. #15 M. Manassero 

Another intriguing match up in the Sam Snead bracket. Simpson probably has more experience in the desert, I’m going with him.

#3 Bill Haas vs. #14 Ryo Ishikawa 

Haas won last week, but has a horrible match play record. He might be on a slight hangover from the playoff win at Riviera Country Club. Ryo with the win.

#6 Justin Rose vs. #11 Paul Lawrie 

Lawrie has played very solid this year and will take this over Rose, would have been the upset pick in the Snead bracket if it wasn’t for the Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts.

The Urban Golfer

PGA Tour Pulls into Riviera Country Club

Pacific Palisades, CA – Tons of story lines as the PGA Tour pulls into Riviera Country club for the Northern Trust Open, this is the 50^th edition of this tournament.  Golf stock just went up in the world of sports as Tiger Woods announced on his website today that he will be playing in the Honda Classic at the PGA National Golf Course, Palm Beach Gardens in 3 weeks. Other stories include the aftermath of Phil’s domination at Pebble Beach, Urban Golfer Jim Dowd wrote a great piece about Phil and his mark on the 2012 PGA Tour season and beyond, check it out. We are also seeing some high profile names making their 2012 PGA Tour debuts including world number 1 Luke Donald, Adam Scott, Jason Day and globe trotting, Sergio Garcia.  Perhaps the biggest story though is Freddie Couples making his 30^th appearance at Riviera Country club for this tournament. Fred made a run last year, only to fade late giving the title to Aaron Baddeley.

As the PGA Tour transitions from the west coast swing to Florida we have seen the more things change, the more they stay the same. Phil wins on the west coast, Fred Couples is headlining Riviera and Tiger Woods is lurking. As a golf fan what more can you ask for as The Masters commercials become more prominent on CBS every weekend.  It’s like the birds flying south for  winter and time changing each spring and fall. Jim Nantz voice, the music and the familiar “A tradition unlike any other,” The Masters commercials means the PGA Tour is heating up, hold on it should be a great ride.

We are feeling more comfortable about making picks so here are the predictions for The Northern Trust Open at Riviera Country Club:

Kevin Hill

Winner: I’m going against instincts and picking a player who is making their 2012 PGA Tour debut.  Sergio Garcia is coming off 2 top 15’s in the Middle East at the Commericalbank Qatar Masters and Abu Dhani Golf Championships. He has played well at Riviera in the past and seems like he is having fun on the golf course this year.

Darkhorse: Spencer Levin, I know he almost won this year and is technically not a darkhorse but he needs to make a statement after his melt down a few weeks ago. 

 Jim Dowd

Winner: Phil Mickelson.  Phil has won here before and after last week, could not be playing with more confidence.  If he hits it off the tee anywhere near as well as he did this past weekend, he could run away with this as well.

Darkhorse: Sergio Garcia.  Sergio looks different.  He is much happier than he used to be has played well as of late.  Love him or hate him, he is great for the sport.  He makes his Ryder Cup push at the Riv.

The Urban Golfer

Ful-Philled at Pebble Beach

Pebble Beach, CA - After watching Phil’s masterful performance on Sunday, where he dominated the course, the field, and Mr. Tiger Woods, this Urban Golfer called the other Urban Golfer and said, “I have nothing to write about this week.”  The Riviera run-up article was supposed to be a tough if not scathing critique of Phil’s game, his desire to win anything but a major, and whether he is healthy or driven enough to play at the level that, well he played at on Sunday.  Wasn’t Phil the guy that stumbled around the Humana, missed the cut at his hometown Torrey and played uninspired golf in Phoenix?

Sunday at Pebble was Phil at his finest.  No letdowns; no missed puts; no 38 on the inward nine.   Phil put together a magical 18-hole round that stunned the sports world and more importantly his playing partner—whose face when congratulating Lefty on the 18th green had not looked so bad since Elin took an 8-iron to it.  Let’s examine what took us from a pre-fourth-round re-enthronement of Woods to watching a stunned and dazed also-ran meekly shaking the hand of a brilliant and triumphant Phil Mickelson.

Pebble Beach Hole 5—Phil’s Seven Iron.  One of the tougher scoring holes on the course, Phil put his tee shot within two feet of the hole.  In boxing, this was the first clean face shot to the opponent after working the body for a couple of rounds.   A dazed Tiger hit his tee shot to about 12 feet from the hole, missed the putt—a very poor attempt.  Phil’s kick in put him in a tie with Tiger.

Pebble Beach Hole 6—Phil’s Eagle.  Both Phil and Tiger hit 3 woods off the tee leaving 240ish and 220 to the hole respectively.  Phil laced a hybrid to 20 feet while Tiger’s pured-3 iron unluckily ran to the back of the green, leaving a difficult two-putt, which he accomplished.  Phil sank the eagle putt.  Would have loved to see this live, but CBS forced us to watch the free-throw contest that made up the final 2 game minutes (25 real-time minutes) of the Michigan/Illinois basketball game.  Tiger goes on to miss a two-foot par putt on the famed par-three 7th.

Pebble Beach Hole 12—The Putt.  Phil hit a very poor tee shot well short of the green and front left bunker.  Tiger hit his to the aforementioned trap.  Phil follows up his tee shot with a poor flop leaving more than 30 feet for par.  Tiger miraculously holes his from the sand for birdie.  Tiger has joined the fight!!

Phil lays a haymaker, burying his putt and basically ends any chance Tiger has at catching him.

Pebble Beach Hole 13—The Approach.  Tiger hammered his drive, but ends up in an unfilled divot.  Phil finds the fairway as well.  Phil massages his second shot to two feet—playing it low into the bank of the green, taking the spin off and letting it bleed to the hole.  The shot was perfection and resulted in another kick-in birdie.  Now the field can’t catch Phil.

 Pebble Beach Hole 18—The Stare.  After grooving his second shot—a low baby draw—to a comfortable 120 yards from the green.  The camera caught Phil staring out in to the Pacific.  Who knows what was going through his head?  I’m sure it was a myriad of things, but a part of it had to be about thankfulness:  Thankful to have the kind of game that when all the hard work put in on ranges and greens from early mornings to late evenings coalesces with a shred of luck results in 4 hours of brilliant golf, triumphs over rivals, reflective stares from Pebble’s 18th and loving embraces from a wife after a round well played—oh and the ride home on the Gulfstream too.

Tiger left himself a three footer to finish in the top ten… he missed.

What does Phil’s performance at the AT&T National Pro-Am portend for the rest of the year?  Not sure.  I hope it means more exciting Sundays like this past one.  I hope it means a great year for Phil and strong performances from him at each of the majors.  I also hope it further stirs the competitive juices in Tiger and pushes him to find the inner or old Tiger that we so dearly want to return.   Do I think Tiger will miss multiple putts within five feet in one round?  No.  What I am really worried about is whether he even has the game in his bag to beat Phil when Lefty posts a final day 64.  Time will tell and thankfully Tiger has recently added some additional tournaments to his schedule for us, and him, to find out.

Rich Lerner, a favorite of this Urban Golfer, put together another phenomenal essay on Golf Central.  His essay tied in Valentine’s Day and what players, both pro and amateur, love about this often befuddling and frustrating game.  Youtube it if you can.  Below is the portion of the essay where Phil and Tiger why they each love the game… pretty interesting.

“After his third round, I interviewed Phil for a simple story on what he loves about the game, and here’s what he said: “I love the 16th hole at Cypress Point because of the way it brings nature and golf together. I love the 13th tee at Augusta because it’s quiet and secluded and it gives you a moment to gather your thoughts before you play the critical six-hole stretch that hopefully leads to a green jacket. I love everything about the game of golf. I love the serenity it gives me, the work ethic it promotes. I love growing up on the golf course, the friendships that are made, the mental and physical challenges, I love everything about it.”  As he waited to hit his third shot to 18 on Sunday, the CBS cameras zoomed tight on Phil with a satisfied smile, staring at the Pacific – it was the picture of a man very much in love with golf. Shooting 64 at Pebble will make a man fall head over heels.

After his third round, I asked Tiger what he loves about the game, and here’s what he said: “I love to learn. I love to compete. I love to win.”  

Jim Dowd

The Urban Golfer

Mickelson Dominates Tiger and the field at Pebble Beach

Pebble Beach, CA – The much anticipated 4^th round of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am turned out not to be the drama we expected. Twitter was a buzz Saturday night when it was announced that Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson would be paired together on Sunday. Visions of another battle on the peninsula, ala, Nelson/Hogan vs. Ward/Venturi in “The Match,” were being predicted, well everyone was sorely mistaken.

For TV purposes it started off great with Charlie Wi doubling the 1^st and bringing Tiger and Phil 2 shots closer. As Phil and Tiger were approaching the back 9, Phil put on the jets and left Tiger in his dust. Within 2 hours and 6 holes Phil was 7 strokes up on Tiger and “The Match,” was over.  Phil continued to cruise to victory draining two 20+ foot par putts to a final round 64. This is Phil Mickelson’s 40^th PGA Tour win, only 10 golfers in history can make that claim. 

The Urban Golfer

Tiger Woods Looks for Returned Success at AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am

Pebble Beach, CA - Today, Tiger Woods begins his 2012 PGA campaign at the AT&T Pro-Am at Pebble Beach.  His performance a couple weeks ago in Abu Dhabi answered some questions regarding is gamed and whether “he is back”, but also posed a few more.  Can he put four rounds together?  Can he close like the Tiger of old? 

 It is a bit ironic that he is paired up with Tony Romo as his amateur partner for the next few days.  Romo, the Dallas Cowboys quarterback, has been criticized for his inability to put a full productive season together.  Almost every NFL season, Romo gets the Cowboys off to a fast start, leading the NFC East, becoming a mid-season Super Bowl favorite.  Then November arrives, and the Cowboys and their fans endure their annual late-season swoon.  They lose games that they shouldn’t, limp in to the playoffs (if they make it), and get beat early.  America gets to enjoy FOX’s footage of Jerry Jones’ in such pain and anguish, that even his surgically prodded and pulled face cannot hide.

 Since Y.E. Yang outplayed Tiger at Hazeltine to win the PGA Championship, Tiger has been a lot more Cowboys than, well Tiger of old.  Will we ever see the 2000 US Open Tiger or 1997 Tiger again, I doubt it.  But I certainly hope we won’t be getting a Tiger that gets outplayed by the likes of Robert Rock in the final group on a Sunday.

 Closing is not easy, and that could not be any better exemplified by the past two Sundays on the PGA Tour.  Both Kyle Stanley and Spencer Levin could not hold seven and six-stroke leads respectively.  These types of Saturday night leads were commonplace for Tiger, leading to a Sunday victory stroll; a “what appeared to be easy” final round 72 and a hug from Stevie to conclude the tournament.  If Tiger is not going to build leads like these, he is going to have to find a way to close.  That means going low and intimidating his playing partners with his play and not his black pants and red shirt.

 Tiger has great memories at Pebble and the setting will be incredible in Monterrey as he makes his return to the AT&T for the first time in ten years.  For Tiger, this is another critical week and significant step in becoming his old self.  This will be as good of a look of where he has been and where Tiger and his game plan on going.  While playing with Romo will make the Tiger galleries even more crowded, I doubt the Cowboys quarterback can offer much closing advice… too bad Eli Manning isn’t available.

Jim Dowd

Favorite:  Tiger Woods.  I think his big win comes here and I think there will be some drama involved.  Birdie on the famed par-five 18^th to do it.

Darkhorse:  Dustin Johnson.  He is bringing a new driver and putter to the AT&T.  He has won here twice before.  He would also love to exorcise the demon of the final round of the 2010 US Open.  If the new putter is hot, he will be right in it.

 Kevin Hill

Favorite: After playing extremely well for 3 rounds two weeks ago in Abu Dhabi Tiger has to be the favorite. Others who could win at Pebble could be Dustin Johnson or Phil, but I am going with Tiger Woods.

Darkhorse: Sean O’Hair after a dismal 2011, Sean has rededicated himself to the game of golf. I look for him to win at least once in 2012.

 Jim Dowd

Urban Golfer

Rory McIlroy in the Hunt at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic

Dubai, U.A.E. – There are a few golfers left on the course and everyone is chasing Rafael Cabrera Bello after his opening round 63. We were on a 59 alert after Rafael was -8 after 10. The winds are calm in the desert, compared to last week in Qatar where the second round was suspended due to a violent sand storm. With the weather looking good for the next few days we should see some low scores.

The Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts continues his strong start with an opening round 66 T4 after top tens in Qatar and the Volvo Golf Champions in South Africa. Ryder Cup hopefuls Simon Dyson and Alvaro Quiros sit at even and -1 respectfully as they have their eye on Medinah in September.

Rory McIlroy seems to be where he is every week so far in 2012, in the top 10 after his first round -6 66  in Dubai. (T4) The round looked effortless for Rory as he will likely make a move Friday and Saturday being right at the top come Sunday in the  Middle East.

The Urban Golfer

‘SUPER’ Sunday in Scottsdale for Kyle Stanley

TPC Scottsdale, Scottsdale, AZ – What a difference a week can make when the golf gods can taketh and giveth right back. The Waste Management Phoenix Open will obviously be overshadowed by the ‘Football Game,’ but Kyle Stanley has accomplished the unthinkable by losing a 7 stroke lead last week, only to come back by more than 7 to win the Waste Management Phoenix Open this week.

As The Urban Golfer mentioned yesterday there were a lot of factors going against Spencer Levin going into the last round, and it appears fate (Kyle Stanley) was one of them.  Levin had 2 bogeys in his first 57 holes while registering 4 bogeys and a double bogey on Sunday.  Spencer Levin proved to be his own ‘thorn’ in his side, literally. Spencer’s tee shot on 15 went into the cacti and he decided to poke the ball out ‘slap shot’ style with his putter. The ball came out but Spencer paid the toll by getting a side and buttocks full of cacti needles. The fun didn’t stop on 15 his next shot went into the water, Spencer doubled the hole deciding his tournament.

This is Kyle Stanley’s first win on the PGA Tour and the way he has played this year on the PGA Tour it probably won’t be his last.

The Urban Golfer

Scotland's Paul Lawrie Wins in Qatar

Doha Golf Club, Doha, Qatar – After fending off the likes of Sergio Garcia, John Daly, Jason Day and Peter Hanson early in the final round Paul Lawrie pulled away late for a 4 stroke win at the Commercialbank Qatar Masters. This is Paul Lawrie’s 6^th European PGA Tour win with his previous win coming at last year’s Open De Andalucia De Golf.

Paul Lawrie is trying to capture the same form that lead him to the 1999 British Open Championship at Carnoustie. Paul was down by 10 strokes going into the final round for the largest comeback in Major Championship history, one than Jean Van De Velde would like to forget.  Next week the European PGA Tour pulls into Dubai for the Omega Dubai Desert Classic where Alvaro Quiros won in 2011.

The Urban Golfer