Saturday, July 21, 2012

2012 British Open - Weekend

The 2012 British Open has proved to be just as unpredictable as the ones before it. Some of the world's best players were wildly erratic and fell out of contention early. There are some surprises near the top of the leaderboard, most notably is Brandt Snedeker leading the way after 36 holes. Snedeker and Adam Scott have separated themselves from most of the field, but lurking right behind them is Tiger Woods. Lee Westwood was my pre-tournament favorite to win the Claret Jug, but he flopped to +3 after 2 rounds and will have to wait to become a major champion. My #2 pick was Adam Scott though. He is just 1 stroke back and looks primed to make a run. The weather has been reasonable and should not be a huge factor over the weekend. That means that there may not be too much movement at the top of the leaderboard.

Pre-Tournament Favorites:

Lee Westwood - England
Current Standing: +4, T59

Adam Scott - Australia
Current Standing: -9, 2nd

Phil Mickleson - USA
Current Standing: +11, missed cut

Louis Oosthuizen - South Africa
Current Standing: -1, T19

Retief Goosen - South Africa
Current Standing: E, T27

Luke Donald - England
Current Standing: -2, T13

Padraig Harrington - Ireland
Current Standing: +2, T45

Ernie Els - South Africa
Current Standing: -3, T10

Jason Dufner - USA
Current Standing: -4, T5

Kevin Na - USA
Current Standing: +10, missed cut

New Weekend Picks:

1. Adam Scott - Australia (3 to 1)
Current Standing: -9, 2nd

2. Tiger Woods - USA (3 to 1)
Current Standing: -6, 3rd

3. Brandt Snedeker - USA (4 to 1)
Current Standing: -10, 1st

4. Jason Dufner - USA (16 to 1)
Current Standing: -4, T5

5. Ernie Els - South Africa (35 to 1)
Current Standing: -3, T10

Weekend Prediction - I went into the week thinking that Lee Westwood had a great chance to end his streak of 0 for majors. He wilted in the opening rounds and is not in contention. There is some separation at the top of the leaderboard with Brandt Snedeker and Adam Scott at least 3 strokes ahead of everyone else. But that person that is 3 strokes back of Scott and 4 back of Snedeker is Tiger Woods. The weekend could get interesting. Snedeker has only been this close in a major once before (2008 Masters). If the pressure gets to him we could see a final pairing of Adam Scott and Tiger Woods on Sunday. The drama between Tiger Woods and former caddie Stevie Williams (who is now Adam Scott's caddie) would be intense. With that said, I loved Scott in this tournament from the beginning. He was my #2 favorite before play started, and with Westwood way back, I expect to see Adam Scott sipping from the Claret Jug.



Tuesday, July 17, 2012

2012 British Open Preview


The annual trip across the pond for Major Championship golf takes place this week. Royal Lytham and St. Anne's in Lancashire, England will be the host for 141st Open Championship. Lytham is a links course that will be sure to have plenty of tests. It is an unorthodox course that features 3 Par 3's on the front 9. Lots of wind and sand awaits the world's best players. It's been awhile since this course has hosted an Open. To put it in perspective, David Duval won the last Open played here and was at the top of his game back in 2001. Duval will be amongst the 139 men trying to take home the Claret Jug this week. As a shock to nobody, Tiger Woods is the oddsmakers favorite coming in to the tournament at 5 to 1. He is followed by Europeans, Rory McIlroy (8 to 1) and Lee Westwood (12 to 1). This is by far the most unpredictable of the 4 majors, because weather is such a key factor. Here is a look at my favorites to walk away drinking from the Claret Jug on Sunday.


1. Lee Westwood - England (12 to 1)
World Golf Ranking: 3rd
Best British Open Finish: 2nd (2010)
Average 2012 Score: 70.36

2. Adam Scott - Australia (40 to 1)
World Golf Ranking: 13th
Best British Open Finish: 8th (2006)
Average 2012 Score: 71.03

3. Phil Mickleson - USA (20 to 1)
World Golf Ranking: 16th
Best British Open Finish: 2nd (2011)
Average 2012 Score: 70.43

4. Louis Oosthuizen - South Africa (40 to 1)
World Golf Ranking: 18th
Best British Open Finish: 2010 Champion
Average 2012 Score: 70.94

5. Retief Goosen - South Africa (80 to 1)
World Golf Ranking: 65th
Best British Open Finish: 5th (2005, 2009)
Average 2012 Score: 71.55

6. Luke Donald - England (15 to 1)
World Golf Ranking: 1st
Best British Open Finish: 5th (2009)
Average 2012 Score: 70.68

7. Padraig Harrington - Ireland (20 to 1)
World Golf Ranking: 59th
Best British Open Finish: 2007, 2008 Champion
Average 2012 Score: 70.37

9. Jason Dufner - USA (40 to 1)
World Golf Ranking: 7th
Best British Open Finish: Missed Cut
Average 2012 Score: 69.93

10. Kevin Na - USA (150 to 1)
World Golf Ranking: 49th
Best British Open Finish: 27th (2010)
Average 2012 Score: 70.71

Prediction - I am taking Lee Westwood to finally win his 1st major. Westwood has been as consistent as they come. But with no majors under his belt, he is consistently mentioned as one of the best players to never win a major. That is not a title he wants to have. Westwood always plays well in majors, though he missed the cut at last year's British Open. Tiger and Rory are favored in Vegas, but Tiger has yet to prove he can play 4 solid rounds in a major and McIlroy has not played his best golf since winning the 2011 US Open. I will take Westwood to become a major champion in front of his fellow countrymen.


Monday, July 9, 2012

MLB Mid-Season Report

We have officially reached the half way point of the MLB season. There have been some surprises so far. Washington and Pittsburgh are currently threatening to end years of futility as both teams stand in 1st place at the All-Star Break. Then there are teams like Philadelphia, Boston, and Detroit that looked so solid on paper, but have a battle on their hands in order to reach the postseason. If the playoffs were to begin today, I would have correctly picked 5 of the 10 playoff teams. As we all know it is a long season though. The trading deadline is approaching and there are sure to be some adjustments to the standings. Below is how the season would finish based off of current standings, preseason projections, and simulations of the season's second half.

AL East
NY Yankees 97-65
Tampa Bay 88-74
Boston 86-76
Toronto 81-81
Baltimore 75-87

AL Central
Detroit 90-72
Chicago Sox 85-77
Cleveland 84-78
Kansas City 71-91
Minnesota 69-93

AL West
Texas 96-66
LA Angels 92-70
Oakland 72-90
Seattle 67-95

NL East
Washington 88-74
Atlanta 87-75
Miami 83-79
Philadelphia 81-81
NY Mets 77-85

NL Central
Cincinnati 90-72
St. Louis 86-76
Pittsburgh 84-78
Milwaukee 80-82
Chicago Cubs 66-96
Houston 60-102

NL West
San Francisco 88-74
LA Dodgers 85-77
Arizona 84-78
Colorado 72-90
San Diego 66-96

AL Wild Card
LA Angels over Tampa Bay

NL Wild Card
Atlanta over St. Louis

ALDS
LA Angels over NY Yankees 3-2
Texas over Detroit 3-1

NLDS
Cincinnati over Atlanta 3-2
San Francisco over Washington 3-1

ALCS
LA Angels over Texas 4-3

NLCS
San Francisco over Cincinnati 4-2

World Series
LA Angels over San Francisco 4-1

Mid-Season Awards

AL MVP - Josh Hamilton, Tex
AL Cy Young - Jared Weaver, LAA

NL MVP - Andrew McCutchen, Pit
NL Cy Young - Matt Cain, SF