Zach Johnson Wins Sony Open

After the devastation of watching my Ravens go down to the hated Steelers in this evening's AFC Championship game, I returned home to watch the Sony Open, which I had recorded.

As the final pairing of David Toms and Zach Johnson completed the 7th hole, the leaderboard was shaping up for a great finish. Adam Scott, Zach Johnson, and Charles Howell III all tied at -10 with David Toms just one shot back. The action picked up, and when the final pairing made the turn all four men were tied at 11-under-par (Howell was through 12 holes & Scott through 13).

Zach Johnson took control on the back nine, and while he never had a lead of more than one stroke until the 18th, there was definitely a feel that the tournament was his to lose.

CH3 made a late surge with birdies on 16 & 17, but a badly pulled 2nd shot into the grandstand at 18, followed by a mediocre recovery and three putts, left him in fourth place. Chuck played quite well, carding 66, but the gimmie he missed on 18 might leave a sour taste in his mouth - it cost him about $150,000.

Adam Scott didn't make a single bogey on Sunday and shot 30 on the back nine en route to a 64, but simply ran out of holes to catch Johnson. Striking the ball magnificently, Scott came up just short on a couple birdie putts down the stretch which landed him in a tie for 2nd with David Toms.

David Toms' round reminded me of David Toms. Nothing flashy or spectacular, just really solid and all-around good. The 2001 PGA Champion couldn't make any magic happen down the stretch, but I'm sure he will be happy to get his season started off on the right foot. The $475K couldn't hurt too much either!

Zach Johnson birdied the final hole to win by two strokes, finishing off a 65 and four round score of 265 (-15). The '07 Masters champ took home $972,000 and takes over 1st place in the FedEx Cup standings. Congrats Zach!

Tadd Fujikawa couldn't carry over Saturday's magic and was never a factor down the stretch. However, he made his first PGA Tour cut as a professional and captured just under $30,000 for his efforts. Not too shabby for an 18-year-old with a long career ahead of him. I'm sure he'll take away plenty of great memories, as well as plenty of experience to build on for the future.

A couple final thoughts:

- While the European Tour events they air leave a lot to be desired in terms of commentary and production quality, The Golf Channel really does a very good job with their coverage of PGA Tour events. They provide some excellent technical data with the launch monitor stats, I really like when they provide the distances for the players different irons on par 3s, and the duo of Kelly Tilghman and Nick Faldo provide enjoyable commentary.

- Ask the guys at my club and I'm sure they'll say that I push the fashion envelope. I like to look good on the course and am not afraid to try a new look. However, the neon magenta pants that Brian Gay wore during Sunday's final round will definitely land him in the running for one of Smackdown Golf's vaunted year-end "Smacky" awards; as in someone should have smacked him when he tried to leave the hotel with those pants on!

Not Exactly Tiger, Phil & Sergio, but...

The leaderboard has shaped up to produce what should be an interesting final round at the Sony Open in Hawaii. With only two of the top ten players in the Official World Golf Rankings (#6 Geoff Ogilvy, #10 Ernie Els) in the field for this week's PGA Tour event, I would say that the tournament has shaped up for about as exciting a final round as we could have hoped for.

The story of the day was certainly 18-year-old, 5'1" 110 pound spark plug, Tadd Fujikawa going on a birdie bender en route to a magnificent 8-under-par 62 in today's 3rd round. He is just two shots back and is currently tied for sixth place. I think the Sony Open is Fujikawa's Holy Grail, and wish him the best heading into tomorrow's final round. He played great two years ago, in making the cut as a 16-year-old and finishing T-20, but shooting 62 in a PGA Tour event is entirely different, putting him in position to take a run at winning the tournament! I think it's safe to say that the entire population of Hawaii is pulling for their hometown hero to pull it out and capture the $972,000 first place prize!

The cream has risen to the top following the third round, as several of the more well-known players in the field began to make their way up the leaderboard. While names like Zach Johnson (1st; -10) and David Toms (T-2; -9) don't exactly make the hair on the back of your neck stand up, they are both major winners, who have been there before and know how to get the job done down the stretch.

Boo Weekley shot his third straight round in the 60s (66-69-67; -8; T-6) and could be a serious threat tomorrow should his putter heat up. Boo hits the ball as well as anyone on Tour and when he's making putts, he is tough to beat.

Former can't-miss prospect Charles Howell III is apparently still playing on the PGA Tour and is also tied for sixth, as he also shot his 3rd consecutive round under par. CH3 cut ties with longtime swing coach David Leadbetter recently and apparently the work he's been doing with new coach Todd Anderson is paying off. We'll see if he can find his way back to the winner's circle for the first time since his playoff victory over Phil Mickelson at the 2007 Nissan Open. Howell will turn 30 in June of this year, and only has two PGA Tour wins to date, which I think is far below the total expected by most after his storied college career and first win at the Michelob back in 2002. His talent has never been in doubt, so maybe this will be the year he finally breaks through. I think we'll get a good idea based on his performance in tomorrow's final round...

Possibly invigorated by his time spent on the beach earlier this week with actress/super-hottie Kate Hudson, Adam Scott bounced back from an opening round 71 with back-to-back 66s to position himself just three shots off the pace heading into Sunday. Scott has fallen to 18th in the Official World Golf Rankings following a lackluster second half of 2008, but the young Australian is poised to get back to top form in '09. In January of last year, Scott fired a final round 61 to capture victory at the European Tour's Qatar Masters. He is obviously comfortable early on in the golf season and I would not be surprised to see his name on the big check come Sunday evening.

Geoff Ogilvy (T-10; -7) will play Sunday's final round with fellow Aussie Adam Scott, and there is no doubt that this is the pairing that I would want to follow if I were in attendance at Waialea Country Club. Whether you want to see two ultra-talented golfers or countless ultra-talented ladies in the gallery (or both!), following Scott & Ogilvy will be the place to be come Sunday. Ogilvy really showed an extra gear on the back nine last Sunday at Kapalua, and if he catches fire like that, I think the rest of the field is playing for second place.

Tomorrow is shaping up to be a great sports day for me, as I plan to hit the gym early to continue my offseason "Core Performance" fitness program, then catch the European Tour at 9:30AM on the Golf Channel, and then head off to the range before settling in to watch the Eagles-Cardinals. As a native Baltimorean, the main event will then follow as the Ravens take on the hated Steelers, and I'll wind down my day with the final round of the Sony Open on DVR. Life is good!

Future MAJOR Winners

Does Rory McIlroy have the game to win a major?

For those who live and breathe golf, the current Golf Channel schedule works out quite well. Since Thursday, I have been watching the European Tour's Abu Dhabi Championship in the mornings, and then catching the PGA Tour's Sony Open in the evenings (either live or during the late night replay). After giving myself a mental break from the game in December (and only thinking about golf for about 23.5 hours per day), it's nice to dive into the 2009 season with both feet!

And while I think the Sony Open has been more or less a snooze fest, I am really enjoying watching the Abu Dhabi and think there are four young players in the Abu Dhabi field (at least) who will go on to win major championships in the future.

I think it goes without saying that Sergio Garcia (#2 Official World Golf Rankings) is on this list, and I would venture to say he is the youngest player to ever be saddled with the "Best Player To Have Never Won a Major" title. It is possible that NOBODY on either tour hits the ball as well as he does, and it seems as though his putting and demeanor have both begun to improve (though he struggled yesterday with putts in the "throw-up-zone"). I would imagine he will win a major in the very near future, although everyone not named Padraig Harrington missed a tremendous opportunity this past year!

One player whose name I have noticed at the top of many European Tour leaderboards lately is Martin Kaymer (#25 Official World Golf Rankings). The 24-year-old German was the European Tour's Rookie of the Year in 2007 and won two tournaments in 2008 (Abu Dhabi & BMW Int'l Open). The world really took notice when, during last year's Dubai Desert Classic, Kaymer nearly caught eventual winner Tiger Woods with an amazing birdie-birdie-eagle finish, only to come up one shot shy and finish in 2nd place.

As an 18-year-old amateur, Rory McIlroy caught the golf world's attention when he shot an opening round 68 at the '07 OPEN Championship, going on to make the cut and finish as the low amateur in the field. The former top ranked amateur in the world, McIlory, who hails from Northern Ireland, is now a wiley veteran at just 19 years of age! He turned pro in September of '07, and was able to earn enough money in just four starts to secure his European Tour card for 2008. His first full year on Tour saw some ups-and-downs, but McIlory played very well overall and finished 36th on the Order of Merit. He has started '09 off on the right foot, is currently 6th on the Race to Dubai (Euro Tour Money List) and I suspect his first professional victory is not far off.

Despite being ranked #1 on the Official Miguel Angel Jimenez Worst Hair in Golf list, I can definitely see MAJOR success in Rory's future. He has a ton of talent, a tremendous swing, and time is definitely on his side!

31-year-old Englishman Paul Casey (#42 Official World Golf Rankings) is the oldest player of the four listed here, but I wouldn't be surprised if he wins the most majors of the group. I have never paid much attention to Casey, but in watching him closely over the past three days, I can't help but be very impressed. His swing is compact and very efficient, and he hits the ball a mile. I think some minor improvements in his short game and with the flat stick, and you will see Paul Casey have Paddy Harrington-like success, emerging to win multiple majors in his mid-30s.

As a golf fan, I love having the two options for catching some great golf on television, as well as the chance to see a little more of the guys who I usually only see during the majors, WGC events, and Ryder Cups. With the Race to Dubai and more participation from PGA Tour regulars, the European Tour is going to have some exciting golf this year and I am really looking forward to it.

Ever flip on the Golf Channel and catch a few minutes of the European Tour at some absurd hour, only to wonder who in their right mind could possibly be watching? Well, the answer is me… And quite possibly you… Seeing as how you're the type of person who spends their time reading a blog about golf!

It is quite possible that the European Tour's Abu Dhabi Championship, being held this week in the United Arab Emirates, has a better field that the PGA Tour's Sony Open in Hawaii. From top-to-bottom, I would have to concede that there is much more depth at the Sony Open, but there are only two of the top ten players in the world rankings in attendance in Hawaii (#6 Geoff Ogilvy & #10 Ernie Els).

Meanwhile, back in the U.A.E., Sergio Garcia (#2 in the Official World Golf Rankings) makes his 2009 debut, as does the reigning OPEN & PGA Champion, 2008 Player of the Year, Padraig Harrington (#3 O.W.G.R.). 2008 Masters champ, Trevor Immelman will also be teeing it up in the desert, as will this year's United States Men's Amateur Champion, Danny Lee (competing as an amateur, under a sponsor's exemption). Basically, anyone who won a significant tournament in 2008 is either hurt (Vijay, Tiger) or playing in Europe this week!

Defending champion Martin Kaymer is joined by the usual cast of Euro Tour regulars: Paul Casey, Henrik Stenson, Colin Montgomerie, Rory McIlroy, Paul McGinley, Paul Lawrie ('99 OPEN Champion), Soren Hansen, Niclas Fasth, and Miguel Angel Jimenez, among others.

Aaron Baddeley and Robert Allenby of the US tour are also in the field, and throughout the year, we will be seeing many more stars from the US playing in Europe. The reason so many PGA Tour stars also signed up for their Euro tour cards is that they trying to cash in on the $10,000,000 Race to Dubai (formerly the Order of Merit - aka the money list). The Race to Dubai culminates back in the United Arab Emirates with the Dubai World Championship in November. The top 60 players will vie for the $10 million in prize money that is up for grabs in the event itself, with an ADDITIONAL $10 MIL being split among the top 15 finishers on the money list. With so much at stake, the eventual winner of the tournament may very well be looking at a shot down the stretch that will be worth $3.66 million.

Adam Scott is in Hawaii, played four rounds of golf at 9-under-par on one of the top courses in the world (The Plantation Course at Kapalua was #19 on Golf World's "Top 100 You Can Play" list), made $77K for his efforts (a middle of the pack T-18), and then spent Monday on the beach with actress Kate Hudson...

FUCK YOU ADAM SCOTT!!!

Welcome to Smackdown Golf!

In his 2004 book, Johnny Miller calls "Smackdown Golf" the "decline of etiquette in today's game". I prefer to think of it as the evolution of golf being looked at more and more like a sport, by those who play it and those who watch it, and inspiring fans the same way that the other major American sports do.

That is what inspired the name for my blog, which will be a fresh take on all the tours, golf news, random golf thoughts, golf fitness, game improvement, and plenty of other random nonsense...

Hit it straight!

Matt Spence
Baltimore, Maryland
January 15, 2009