US PGA (The Memorial): Bart Bryant
European PGA (Celtic Manor Wales Open): Miguel Angel Jimenez
Nationwide Tour (Chattanooga Classic): Jason Schultz
Japan Golf Tour (JCB Classic Sendai): S.K. Ho
Once again, most of the big names show up for a PGA tournament and a guy who has to qualify for majors wins it: It was Ted Purdy at the Byron Nelson and Bart Bryant here. Good for him. I was rooting for Couples, for fantasy golf reasons.
For awhile, Richard Green of Australia led. Not being a frequent player on the PGA Tour, CBS did their usual job of giving us little introductory nuggets about him, and then Peter Oosterhuis said something stupid: “He’s ranked 53rd in the world…higher than you would think.”
I have no problem with it if you don’t give a rat’s ass about any golf tours other than the U.S. PGA, but don’t act all surprised when someone who’s not a full member of it has a decent OWGR ranking. Green won the Australian PGA this year against a strong field (curiously unmentioned in the telecast). He has two top threes on the European Tour this year. Last year, he was runner up on the ET three times, netting him 17th place on the Order of Merit. So yeah, 53rd is about right. It’s only “higher than you would think” if you think that you’re lack of knowledge/homework on the US tour means there’s no knowledge to be had or homework to be done. Oosterhuis in an Englishman, so he particularly has no excuse for that sloppy attitude about non-US golf.
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As the Brits pronounce it, the ET event this week was won by Meegle Angle JiMENeth. I betcha if he said his name aloud for us, it would sound more like the American pronounciation of MiGHEL AnHEL JIMinez. At least the first and middle name. Just a hunch. I’m also annoyed at the way that they pronounce Nick Dougherty’s last name the exact same way they pronounce “dirty.”
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Jason Schultz had to bully through six playoff holes, but he outlasted Joe Daley to win on the Nationwide Tour. Former PGA winner Willie Wood finished one shot out of the playoff. Scoring was low, as the the four playoff participants were all 22-under.
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Another win by a Korean on the Japan Circuit, this time S.K. Ho. He won wire-to-wire, and the victory places him atop the Japan Golf Tour money list. Sayonara.
