Fast Times for Anthony Kim and Jeff Overton

IS FAST PLAY INCOMPATIBLE with the modern tour player and big-money tournament golf? Apparently not.

I just read in Brian Wacker’s Monday Backspin column that Anthony Kim and Jeff Overton flew around the Blue Monster last weekend. Maybe they stole carts from the Champions Tour because they really got around in a hurry.

Admittedly, both Kim and Overton weren’t anywhere close to being in contention at the WGC-Cadillac Championship. Kim opened with a ghastly 80, followed by a 74. Overton shot 75 and 77 in the first two rounds.

But here’s where it gets interesting. Playing at warp speed (at least by PGA Tour standards), both players actually shot lower scores on the weekend.

How fast did they go? The pair clocked a brisk 2 hours and 51 minutes in Saturday’s third round. Kim carded a 68, which is pretty impressive. Overton had a semi-respectable 73.

They were just getting started. On Sunday, they left skid marks at Doral.

AK fired an even-par 72 for a 6-over total of 294. Overton posted another 73 for a 10-over total of 298. Unfortunately, Kim and Overton finished 60th and 66th (which was dead last), respectively. But they didn’t agonize over yardages. They didn’t count blades of Bermuda. They didn’t plumb bob. They didn’t ask for a ruling and chat with an official for 15 minutes. I seriously doubt if they even stepped into a porta-potty.

No, they played their final round in a little more than two hours. TWO HOURS. I don’t care who you are, that’s fast. Some people have never played nine holes in two hours.

Now they need to shoot lower scores. Kim, for example, is 14 over in his last three stroke-play tournaments. That’s not good.

−The Armchair Golfer

(Photo credit: Global Voyager, Flickr, Creative Commons license)

Catching Up on ‘The Stones’

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND, all. A quick update on “The Stones”:

Bridgestone
Phil Mickelson is going for No. 1. Lee Westwood is going home. Tiger Woods is going everywhere except in the fairway. South African Retief Goosen leads the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational after two rounds at 7-under par. Mickelson and Justin Leonard are one shot back. A win by Phil will knock Woods off his No. 1 pedestal in the Official World Golf Ranking. Lefty has long been Avis but never Hertz. Westwood withdrew and will miss next week’s PGA Championship because of a torn calf muscle. Anthony Kim is struggling in his first tournament back after a three-month layoff due to an injured left thumb.

Firestone
In person, and on television, Firestone Country Club looks stunning.

Turning Stone
After rounds of 66 and 68, Alex Cejka is the 36-hole leader at the Turning Stone Resort Championship in Verona, New York. Rory Sabbatini and Chris Tidland are lurking, just one back.

The Rolling Stones
Mick Jagger recently turned 67.

The Flintstones
Fred, Wilma, Barney and Betty are still going strong on TV Land. Nothing says fun quite like “Yabba-Dabba-Doo!” Fred’s famous catchphrase was derived from the ad jingle for Brylcreem (“A Little Dab’ll Do Ya!”).

−The Armchair Golfer

(Image: stonehousegolf.com/Flickr)

Of Poulter, Pin Placements and Pairings

WHAT LOOKS GOOD WITH a Green Jacket? That’s a question that was posed to Ian Poulter after he finished his second round at the Masters. “Anything,” he said. Poulter shot 68 and is tied for the 36-hole lead at 8 under with fellow countryman Lee Westwood who had a 69.

Poulter could do it. So could Westwood. But even though they’re battle tested and formidable Ryder Cuppers, neither of the Brits has won a major, much less a Green Jacket. There’s nothing they would like more. They’re halfway home, but the tougher half starts on Saturday and the owners of six Green Jackets—Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson—are in close pursuit. Woods is apparently rust-proof and Phil hearts Augusta.

The group of five golfers two strokes behind Poulter and Westwood at 6 under are: K.J. Choi (71), Woods (70), Anthony Kim (70), Ricky Barnes (70) and Mickelson (71). Y.E. Yang (72) is at 5 under. First-round leader Fred Couples and Tom Watson, who both struggled on Friday, are five off the lead at 3 under.

The weekend weather is supposed to be lovely, so the men who pull the levers at the Masters and Augusta National will have maximum control of the course setup. The course will play more difficult on Saturday—firmer and faster with harder-to-get-to pin placements. The greens will be slicker and not hold as well. It should make for a typical Masters moving day. There will be few scores in the 60s. (There were only three scores in the 60s today. Poulter’s 68 was Friday’s best.)

When Phil nearly slam dunked his long birdie putt on the 18th green, CBS’s Jim Nantz mentioned that Phil would have been paired with Tiger had the putt dropped. I think it works out better for Tiger. He doesn’t need fan-favorite Phil as a distraction, although it would have been great for fan interest and TV ratings. Instead, Tiger will make his third consecutive trip around Augusta with Choi, which strikes me as a comfortable pairing for both golfers. The Poulter-Westwood pairing is also fortuitous. The two are friends and that’s bound to help as the pressure builds. I expect one or both of the Englishmen to still be at or near the top of the leaderboard on Saturday night.

Whether or not you picked someone to win before the tournament started, who do you like now?

−The Armchair Golfer

(Image: John Trainor/Flickr)

2010 Honda Classic TV Schedule and Tournament Notes

UPDATE:
Click here for 2011 Honda Classic TV schedule and tournament info

THE 2010 HONDA CLASSIC is being played at PGA National Resort and Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Camilo Villegas and Anthony Kim share the 36-hole lead.

Purse: $5.6 million
Winner’s share: $1.008 million
Defending champion: Y.E. Yang

Inside the field
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2010 Honda Classic Leaderboard

TV SCHEDULE

Six hours of weekend TV coverage are on tap for the 2010 Honda Classic.

Sat, 3/6:
NBC 3p - 6p ET

Sun, 3/7:
NBC 3p - 6p ET

PGA Tour radio coverage

−The Armchair Golfer