GOLF PICKS TRAVELERS AND BMW 2015

PICKS FOR TRAVELERS 

JUST A FEW LONGSHOTS FOR BMW

 FULL STATS TRAVELERS 

__________TRAVELERS___________

______ROUND 1 _______

A BLAST FROM THE PAST
HARRIS ENGLISH 
SHOWS UP!

OUR STATS SAID HE WOULD

 1.2. AND 3 ON THE LEADERBOARD DAY 1 

______ROUND 2 _______
OUR TOP PICKS
WATSON / STROUD AND BRADLEY
FIRST PAGE

   

   ______ROUND 3 _______

Too Easy 

I love scoring, but gotta say, watching Watson and Harman butcher shots on the final holes and still end up with par or birdie was less than entertaining.

Brian Harman (-14)

Is playing out of his head so far with one round to go. As you know - I usually cover Brian Harman and Brian Davis as longshots. I dropped Davis and missed Harman in the process. If he shoots low he can close this out. If he drops a few - he brings a lot of good players back into play on a course where low scores abound. You'll know if anyone way back shot low enough to catch him by the time he tees off. The forecast calls for rain and thunderstorms just as his closest pursuers tee off around 1pm EST. No wind to speak of or much weather at all after 2pm.

We Have - Bubba ($300), Sned ($300), Stroud ($500)

Our Picks are all in the hunt. Soft conditions mean longer fairways - advantage Bubba

Patrick Rodgers

Gave himself a chance with a 7 under round on Saturday. If he tees off early in decent weather - he could get a head start on the leaders if he shoots low again. Got him for $20 at 90-1. Patrick can bomb it too which could help him on soft fairways vs the field.

Harris English

Cooked a chip for double and would need a really low score to factor on Sunday.

  

 ______ROUND 4 _______ 

Update: Playing in groups of 3 in expectations of weather delays
Looks like the weather will only be a factor
from 1 -2 pm now


______FRONT 9 _______

Patrick Rodgers (After 3)

is crushing it off the tee - leaving him a wedge into the green. He birdied a long put on 1 - but has wasted those easy approach shots - none within 20 feet so far. He needs to adjust to the soft greens - it's not gonna roll out - time for pin hunting Pat!

Bubba Watson Leading (After 2)

has already picked up two birdies and the lead at (-15)

______BACK 9 _______

Only Bubba

Hits a 5 iron 210 out of the bunker with water left - and pulls it off. 

We covered Bubba $10 @30-1 to pay $300.

 




Down the Stretch

I'm shouting for Casey to bogie. The I realized - we had him $10 @ 40-1 for $400

PLAYOFF - WATSON VS CASEY!

No Problem

.

_____________BMW______________

______ROUND 2 _______

ONE OF THOSE NAMES - STUCK IN MY HEAD
JAMES MORRISON
I BET POSTED AND BET MY GUT THIS TIME

   ______ROUND 3 _______

JAMES MORRISON

Takes the Lead Going into Sunday

No, I wasn't listening to Doors CDs when I picked him. Guess I had his name in the back of my head from the Spain tourney. He won there after Grillo put one in the water to give it away. Didn't even remember that until they mentioned it on TV. 


 There's a reason he looks dazed an confused (see below)

Every Golfers Nightmare

Bello fumbled and he picked up the ball and ran with it. He made critical par puts and shot an impressive, clean round until the final hole. With a 3 shot lead the par 5 18 should have been a cake walk. Lay up and birdie into the clubhouse = 4 shot lead.  His approach - going for it in two - hit a female Marshall. An older woman - visibly shaken. His response, "I yelled 4" In his defense - I think he was in shock. With a 3 shot lead - going for it was an impulsive decision at best. Then, nailing a 60 year old lady in the chest when you pull it left - nightmare for both of them. Buried in the rough - he had to avoid cooking it into the water on the other side of the green.  He walked straight to his lie (which appeared callous at first) and stayed focused on his chip shot, in the process - he bogied that par 5. Cutting his lead to 2 shots over Paisley and 4 shots ahead of the field.

After a 2nd Look - Morrison was The Victim!

I just looked at the tape again. Morrison, headed straight for the injured woman and was physically prevented from comforting her. Two staff members reacted to him like bouncers removing a drunk that just groped a dancer in a strip club. Jeez! he didn't hit her in purpose! Anyone who reacts to pressure with aggression - should not be given a position of authority in a security or policing.   

Morison was not callous at all - embarrassed and dejected - he went back to playing his hole. What else could be do? That kind of treatment by security had to mess with his head, and may have victimized him, as he ended up  with a bogie on a par 5 - 3 shots later. 

0 for 4 on Par 5s

Those seem to be his Achilles heel, he only bogied one par 5 - but as great and calm as he played - he lost - in essence - 5 strokes on 4 par 5s. that is horrible course management. You want to finish strong. He had a chance to put this thing away with a 4 shot lead going into Sunday. His absolute butchering of 18 could give him nightmares. I hope he is given a chance to apologize and receives one in return from BMW. Let's hope he can get back on track tomorrow. He deserves to win and we have him for $10 at 65-1.

 

  
  
  ______ROUND 4 _______ 

Nearing The End of a Starter 

Ever wondered who that funny high pitched voice was announcing he player on the first tee?

His name is Ivor Robson.  His broken cadence has become a tradition on the European Tour. 

Normal Tone: "On the tee from Germany, Mar - tin"  High Pitch: "Kay' - mer"The good news is he will be calling the British Open. 

James Morrison

Everyting seems back to normal for him as he presented a signed car to Robson on the first tee. At (-16) he had a two shot lead. That all changed quickly as he bogied the first and continued to slide clear off the leaderboard to (-11)

Chris Paisley 

played like a seasoned vet - choosing to lay up on a par 5 for birdie as Morrison when for it in 2 an bogied.  He came up short in the end - but played a great tourney

I Had a Dream

months ago that Larrazabal would win a championship.  But, cant chase a dream for 8 weeks.Missed him at 50-1. Betting my gut on Morrison almost paid off nice though. Oh well, still have Travelers.

THE US OPEN 2015 FINAL ROUND

The Shots Heard Round the World 

Bang for Your Buck
One great thing about betting golf is the entrainment value. Four days of watching the best players in the world. Yes, tape it on DVR - only takes about an hour to watch each day.  Just find the colors your players are wearing and fast forward to ones you car about. For $40 you can pick 8 players. If one of them was Louis Luis Oosthhuizen $5 @ 80-1, you had a real shot at a $400 pay off yesterday.

My Day in the Sun
Some things are more important than sports or twitter followers though. Like Family.  Believe it or not, I did not watch the conclusion of The Us Open live. After 3 days of posting pics of live coverage on Twitter - I got out and played golf with my little sister. The 108 degree sun was a refreshing change of pace. 

The Getaway
At 730pm our escape from the course was a covert mission. We avoided the restaurant bar, yelled - "don't tell us what happened" into the bag room and slipped out the side exit with our bags. Our efforts were greatly rewarded at 130 in the morning, watching the conclusion of the final round on DVR.

The Castle Walls
With 4 players at (-4) the barbarians in the field, most well over par - had an even more difficult mission - breach the leaderboard wall of 4 under. The first to attack was Rory. When we arrived at the course - the guys in the pro shop revealed that he was shooting under par and moved to (Even). By the time we got drinks at the bar he was (-1). Watching it on the computer register in the bag room - our 18 something friends told us he was (-2).  We were in the cart and off the grid from there.

The Home Stretch
When I got home - I carefully turned on the TV with remote in hand. The players appeared well into the back 9. I turned away, mumbling;  "nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh",  hit mute, found the DVR menu with one eye open and hit Start Over. We had seven hours of suspense ahead of us.
 

Rory McIlroy
was slowing down as we began to catch up. As it turned out he didn't factor.

(Shot 1) The Battle Began
as the leaders tee'd off. Jordan Spieth missed the fairway which led to him standing over a short 4 footer for par. He looked at the hole and missed. Not the start I was the start I was hoping for.   



 

Dustin Johnson
no offense to DJ, became our nemesis. I had no money on him and wanted Jordan or Jason to win this. His ability to crush fairways into submission and stick approach shots for birdie looks was superhuman. Although he missed several birdie puts - DJ wouldn't go away and jumped out to an early 2 shot lead.

Jason Day
one of the four leaders at (-4) was visibly in pain. the Fox cameras followed his every move. They actually spit screened between him and Jordan Spieth for a bit. Following him down the maze of stairs that players had to traverse from one hole to another. Not only did this detract from the already lousy coverage - it was intrusive to Jason and exploitative. were they waiting for him to fall? I know better than to watch News on Fox. Lets all pray we never have to watch golf on that network again either.  

Still Battling Vertigo, Jason made a heroic effort, but in the end, was robbed of his rightful place atop the leaderboard during the final holes.

Dustin Johnson
Finally missed a fairway and green, launching one into the gallery. He fell on his sword and dropped all the way back to (-3).


 




(Shot 2) Brandon Grace
Wouldn't go away. He had closed 6 out of 6 of his last leads and was tied with Spieth at (-5) going into the Final Holes. Then on 16 he put his tee shot on a boxcar headed for Canada.
The ball went through a fence and left him and his caddy scrambling for a way out. They did not find one. He dropped out of contention to (-3) 

 
(Shot 3) Jordan Spieth
put his tee shot on 16 in the fairway. It rolled left headed for a dream ending bunker, but came to rest on a patch of rough. His chip rested just short of a ridge in front of the hole. His birdie put headed toward the hole, then lipped out to the right. 




My little sister turned away 'Damn! 
Me: "Wait a minute Rhonda" 
I rewinded, "OMG! It came back and dropped in!

Jordan Spieth Had Done It!
He now had a 3 shot lead in The US Open with Just 2 holes to go. Fox posted the records he was about to break with the win as he tee'd off on 17.




 
 

(Shot 4) On 17
It all came apart. Jordan put one in the wilderness. A few shots later he missed a  short range Bogey put. Falling all the way back to (-4) 



 



Jordan Spieth
would not see the promised land after all. 




 

Luis Oosthhuizen
did factor in the end, birdying 6 of his last 7 holes on the back 9. He held the clubhouse lead at (-4). This now required Jordan to birdie 18 or face a playoff on Monday.  Spieth had threatened to drive it up the 1st hole fairway to avoid not carrying the bunker on 18 if it played as a par 4.

Meanwhile Dustin Johnson
birdied 17 to create a 4 way tie at the top.

(Shot 5) On 18
Jordan lined up on the tee box like he would go left up the 1st hole fairway. But it was set as a par 5 after all. So, instead he hit a great tee shot that stopped just short of that much feared fairway bunker. 

(Shot 6) His Approach
now was crucial - he yelled for the wind to hold it back. It ran toward the fescue, then stopped just short and rolled back toward the hole. within about 15 feet for Eagle. Jordan would miss the Eagle, Birdie, and go to the clubhouse with the lead at (-5). But DJ could easily get to the green in 2 on 18 and Eagle to win it.

(Shot 7) Dustin Johnson Back in Control
After dominating with distance for most of the tournament - DJ.could close this out with more of the same. He carried the bunker Spieth had gone to great lengths to avoid. 

Jordan Spieth 
sat in the PGA trailer reflecting on winning the US Open on 16, only to lose it on 17. All he could do is wait to see if he would get another chance on Monday. 

Eagle to Win
DJ consistently hit great approach shots all week too. His shot into the green on 18 rested just 12 feet from the pin for Eagle.  

Darkness and Light
My little sister and I stood speechless, around the glow of the television. The ancient campfire, replaced by a new storyteller. We shouted and leaped in the air as DJ missed the Eagle put. Then we realized our 7 hour journey was destined to continue. We knew DJ would tap in for birdie to force a playoff. What we didn't realize at the time - was that the playoff wasn't on the DVR and would be played the next day. 

(Shot 8)
The Miss Heard Round the World
It wasn't how we wanted to win, nor would Jordan have chosen this ending. A tournament criticized for allowing luck to play too great a factor - did exactly that in the end. Looking back though, Jordan Spieth hit 3 amazing long puts that barely lipped out. He got one back as DJ missed his. As anti climatic as the ending was - Seven words are burned into our memory forever;  




Announcer: "Jordan Spieth!  Has won the US Open". 

 -Rick Jansen



This was nice too:

Bets that Finished Top 10 in Green

THE US OPEN 2015 ROUND (4) (PREVIEW)

THEN THERE WERE 4
Closest Pursuers (-1)

Dustin Johnson (-4)
has a clear advantage physically. His length gave him two looks at Eagle yesterday. Had he converted those - he would have a 4 shot lead. Just 1 eagle today, with a bogey free round  could win it for him. However, mentally, he is not my top pick. He has 0 wins in 7 attempts on the first page of the leaderboard in a Major. Playing in the final paring with crowd favorite Jason Day won't make things any easier.

Jason Day (-4)
Was a better pick than I realized. Capping Chambers was tough, no courses compare to it. 
So I used the 2010 amateur there and last years British Open. Had I used recent Open Championships - he would have been a top pick with 2 runner ups. Day too has failed to convert top 5s into wins in Majors - 0 for 6. But the 2 runners up cancel that out and make him dangerous if he can endure.

Brandon Grace (-4)
Scares the Sh*t out of me. He was on my Best Longshots List pregame. 
http://golfpicks.blogspot.com/2015/06/golf-picks-us-open-2015.html
I didn't bet him because he was 77th in Recent Finishes, not having played for 3 weeks. He was T39 a the British last year and is 6 for 6 winning with a lead or as co-leader on Sunday.

Jordan Spieth(-4)
Scares the Sh*t out of me too, for different reasons. Coordination comes from repetition. A pros putting mechanics should be so ingrained into muscle memory - they could sleep-put 5 footers. Looking at the hole on puts that length have cost him big. Now he is vacillating between looking at the ball or hole. Logic argues, if you look at the ball on all the other puts, don't change on the short ones. Keep your eye on the ball Jordan.

The strong points for Jordan are that he has a Major in the bag and does not seem rattled by the prospect of winning or losing another. Jeez, the buzz of winning the Masters hasn't even worn off yet. The ability of Spieth and Greller to unlock courses they have never even played is uncanny. They may have Chambers figured out by Sunday Morning. They need to follow yesterdays original game plan. If he is patient on the front, and I mean patient! - goal - par or 1 under - don't get hungry - He can win down the stretch on the back. 

Good Miss
Missing that birdie yesterday on 18 - may be a godsend for Jordan. Had he made it - he would have to play the villain vs Jason Day, surrounded by what I'm sure will be Jason's gallery. Good luck with that DJ.

Pinching Myself
I can't tell you what it is like, as a fan, to find this unknown kid in the stats 4 years ago and tell everyone he will be great. The media jumped on the bandwagon for a minute - then after a winless year - they ditched him. Cant close, not long enough. Now, to see him become one of the most famous athletes on the planet - it's priceless. 
http://happycapper.blogspot.com/2014/03/jordan-spieth-comes-home.html

The Masters win was almost surreal. If he wins the US Open in the same year, I may have to throw ice water in my face to make sure I'm not dreaming all of this. 

- Rick Jansen

THE US OPEN 2015 ROUND (3)

The Fire isn't Out Yet
After wasting 4 hours, watching absolutely nothing of any consequence - the leaders tee'd off.

DJ and Grace were in first gear, holding at (-4).  

On his first hole, Spieth had a key par put around 5 feet. I watched with great anticipation  to see if he would look at the hole and miss it. He didn't do either. Whew!

On his 2nd hole, Jordan had a 37 footer for birdie. I remembered him saying he would play it safe on the treacherous front 9 and take advantage of scoring op's on the back. "OK Jordan, don't cook it, just get it close". BAM! He drained it. 



 

On his 3rd hole, Jordan had a 40 footer, "OK, no bogies, play it safe, nice and tight". Moments later, it dropped for another birdie. Announcer; "You gotta be kidding me!

Jordan likes his Martini's dry. Golf courses I mean. In Australia he destroyed a world class field on rock hard greens in high winds. A week later in the US - he beat the worlds best like misbehaving children by 10 strokes. It was happening again. At least it looked that way. At (-7) he had a 3 shot lead in the US Open. Jordan Spieth would become a subplot on Saturday. 

Jason Day was a sympathetic casualty early on. I didn't bet him because I knew he had been suffering from lack of energy. As we all found out after his collapse on Friday - he was also suffering from Vertigo. After a few bogies on the front nine, he was yesterdays news on the leaderboard.

Late in the Round
The leaders were also in danger of becoming yesterdays news. They all fell back to (-4). Then it got interesting. The cameras turned  to a warehouse fire raging out of control. When they returned Jason day drained 15 foot put to pull within 1 of the lead.

The Roar from the Crowd was so loud - it shocked Day. He looked back at the bleachers disoriented, as if to say "What was that?  The fire wasn't out yet. He stuck his approach on 18 -  inside 10 feet and drained that to tie the lead. He almost withdrew 3 times yesterday, but there was just enough fire burning inside him to continue.
 
Day Saves the Open
The novelty of this bowl shaped course may have worn thin. The final day of the US Open could have been delegated to "watch it later" DVR programing. Instead, the world will be watching "live" to see if a player - barely able to walk  - can make it through another 18 holes, and possibly win the US Open. I won't make a dime if he can, but still kind of hope he does.

THE US OPEN 2015 ROUND (2)

The Circus Continues

I thought about what this article should be about. It should be about the players. But the tournament is not. So I will devote one round to the real star of the US Open so far - the course. Ringmaster Greg Norman and half a dozen clowns are in charge of the greatest show in golf. Like second rate magicians, they try desperately to convince us the lady is really being sawed in half. That lady is a Chamber's Bay golf course. A venue better suited to Motocross than a world golf championship. Great banks and jumps, but as far from a world class golf course as you can get. 

There are 4 Main Disciplines in Golf 

as it was meant to be played. Mike Davis and the USGA ignored all of them when he agreed to make Chambers Bay the host of the 2015 Us Open.

1) Off The Tee

Hitting fairways is the first test of a world class player. Some of the fairways here are 100 yards wide. A Bomber like Dustin Johnson can just hit the crap out of it without any concern for hitting what should be championship level narrow fairways. Those who can, gain no advantage.

2) Approach Shots

should be about what you can make your ball do on a level playing field. Where do I stick my approach, how much spin, or should I hit a punch shot and run it up. Yes, open courses often feature shaved, turtle-back greens with small landing areas. If you miss those - you are in the rough. At Chambers, that kind of world class iron play is out the window. The focus here - is will it roll back when I miss, how far and where. Unless you study every turn and slope - which is nearly impossible - luck plays a huge part of where your ball ends up.

3) Scrambling

Hitting out of a bunker or Vescue is part of links golf. Doing it up the side of the hill is not. 
Unless you study every hill, luck plays a big part in the outcome. 

3) Putting

I spoke to the GM at my local course about greens and grass. I had heard the greens at Chambers Bay were Vescue, but were also referred to as bent grass. I had heard of bent grass greens many times on the PGA Tour.  He explained that no, those are not usually Vescue. He added that when Poa Annua invades your grass, it makes it spotty and bumpy. The Vescue shrinks in the heat and the Poa Annua sticks up - making the greens untrue. This causes puts to bounce away from their intended destination. So, if you hit the wrong tiny patch - a perfect put will miss. My course is a little par 3, but even they purchased expensive equipment to shave the green level. I do not want luck to dictate the success of my putting game or the winner of the US Open. 

Henrik Stenson 
Compared the greens to broccoli

Speaking of Putting
My Favorite Player in the world is Jordan Spieth. I won money on him before you knew his name. I'll make $1200 off a $150 bet if he wins, and will root for him all weekend. I do not drink poison Cool-Aid though, or believe half of what I hear on Golf Channel. They are filing air time with little concern for truth.  If you believe that looking at the hole when you put is a good idea - think again. It has cost Spieth lead and 2 strokes in the US Open - PERIOD! He is #1 in putting. He looks at the hole on puts inside and around 5 feet. He is 200th from 5 feet. I sincerely hope he has very few of those this weekend. Mark my words - if he does, and looks at the hole - it will cost him the Open. 

As you can see, this week is about navigating the aberrations of this course, not about playing great golf. 

How did we end up at Chambers?

He Who Has The Gold...

makes the rules. This former sand and gravel mine became a sewer treatment plant before Mike Davis conspired with local politicians to use the Us Open as an economic stimulus package for the pacific northwest. That's right, it had nothing to do with what was good for the players or the Game. The big winner here is Robert Trent Jones Jr. He pocketed $900,000 for designing this mess. Who knows how many other hands were greased?

Heroes and Whores

You can tell them apart this week by their opinion of the course. You read the facts above and can decide for yourself. Most in the media are defending the course to gain or remain in favor with the powers that be, USGA etc. Some have the stones to reveal the absence of the emperors new clothes. Namely:

In Order of first to speak out: 

Ryan Palmer
Ian Poulter
Brandel Chamblee 
"Everyone says they are all playing on the same green. They aren't."
Elaborating. If one playery has a patch of Poa Annua in front of him, and the other doesn't - luck could determine the champion. 

Sergio Garcia
Compared them to an NBA court with cracks in the floorboard and no backboard.

Gary Player
After his nasty remarks about Rory's lady - I lost respect for him. But he just regained it. I was shocked when Morning Drive cut away to Gary and he unloaded on the course without mercy. For good reason. 

"This has been the most unpleasant golf tournament I have seen in my life". 

"It's hard to believe that you see a man miss the green by one yard and the ball ends up 50 yards down in the rough". 

More importantly he pointed out that this is supposed to be a public golf course, meant to encourage the public to play and grow the game. The pros cant play it, no amateur would enjoy a round there. That kills the whole idea of continued economic stimulus to the area. At over 7,000 yards it would take forever to play and is a vulgar misuse of resources.

Notah Begay
was the only member of the Morning Drive panel that responded honestly and intelligently to Gary's Inquisition.  He pointed out that the layout does not favor the best player, for reasons I already mentioned above. Too many whores to name, but Mark Rolfing (center) is my tool of the week. His glib response was made my skin crawl.


The best point Notah made was that this should be about the players - not the course. That is all I will focus on Saturday and Sunday.  

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Great player pics and highlights there from Thursday and Friday

Jason Day

Showed real grit, getting up and hitting his bunker shot after collapsing from Vertigo. Best wishes to him. I do not have money on him - but hope he is able to continue. He took Rory''s place and battled head to head with Jordan.  

 Enjoy The Show
I won't this course spoil my weekend. I handicap Golf. That's a gamble. I look forward to seeing which way the ball bounces and watching the pros swim around this fishbowl . Just don't view this circus as a test of the best golfer. Hopefully I covered my bases with the bets placed. Here is how we are doing so far:

 I put $150 on Jordan, $40 on F- Field. All other bets were between $5 and $20

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