There is a healthy mix of star power and potential underdog stories at the top of the leaderboard heading into the weekend of the season's final major. Thursday produced some low scores, as Carl Pettersson took the lead with a 6 under, 66. Friday was a different story. The wind gusts blowing off of the Atlantic Ocean caused some of the world's best players to look clueless. Pettersson stilll holds a share of the lead with some familiar faces, Tiger Woods and Vijay Singh. This is the 3rd major in a row that Tiger has looked poised to end his major drought heading into the weekend. Vihay Singh, who was once one of the best golfers in the world, has not been relevant in years. Jason Dufner was my pre-tournament pick to win the Wanamaker Trophy, but he barely made the cut by shooting +6 through the first 2 rounds. I still have 4 of my top 10 picks in contention to win the PGA. I am expecting one of these men to walk away from Kiawah a winner, not Tiger Woods.
Pre-Tournament Favorites:
Jason Dufner - USA
Current Standing: +6, T67
Lee Westwood - England
Current Standing: +7, missed cut
Zach Johnson - USA
Current Standing: +1, T15
Adam Scott - Australia
Current Standing: -1, T7
Luke Donald - England
Current Standing: +6, T67
Rory McIlroy - Northern Ireland
Current Standing: -2, T5
Dustin Johnson - USA
Curent Standing: +6, T67
Matt Kuchar - USA
Current Standing: +10, missed cut
Keegan Bradley - USA
Current Standing: +1, T15
David Toms - USA
Current Standing: +6, T67
New Weekend Picks:
1. Rory McIlroy - Northern Ireland (7 to 1)
Current Standing: -2, T5
2. Adam Scott - Australia (12 to 1)
Current Standing: -1, T7
3. Tiger Woods - USA (2 to 1)
Current Standing: -4, T1
4. Zach Johnson - USA (50 to 1)
Current Standing: +1, T15
5. Keegan Bradley - USA (50 to 1)
Current Standing: +1, T15
Weekend Predition - I went into the tournament thinking that Jason Dufner's time had come. He barely mad ethe cut by producing a 36-hole score of +6. There are 3 men tied atop the leaderbaord as of now (carl Pettersson, Tiger Woods, and Vijay Singh). Pettersson has never felt this type of pressure. Tiger has watched 2 majors slip away from this same position already this year. And Vijay is past his prime. There is a man lurking just outside of this group that is more than capable of winning at Kiawah. That man is Rory McIlroy. The young phenom has struggled a bit since winning the US Open last year, but he is primed to reannounce himself to the world this weekend. What a final pairing it would be if we could get Rory and Tiger together. Ultimately, I like McIlroy to win his 2nd major and walk away with the Wanamaker Trophy.
No comments:
Post a Comment