The 2nd-Tier Players on the PGA
I was watching the third round of the FUNAI Classic at the Walt Disney World Resort this afternoon and a couple of things struck me. One is that the silly season has started on the PGA Tour, which means that a lot of movement up the PGA money list can be accomplished with a good tournament, and that’s because all of the big guns have pretty much called it a season, save for the Tour Championship in a couple of weeks.
The other thing that caught my attention is that watching the 2nd-tier players on the PGA is somewhat different than watching their top-30 counterparts. And I can’t quite put my finger on what it is exactly, but while Troy Matteson was putting together a strong round, others like Justin Rose couldn’t quite get out of their own way. Joe Durant also shot a great round of golf, but I just wonder where these guys are in the months before October?
Could the mind-set of this group of golfers be different when Tiger, Phil, Ernie, and Vijay are in the field? And if so, are they just playing to collect a decent check? A guy like Justin Rose clearly has tons of talent (and he’ll no doubt be a thorn in our side at the next Ryder Cup), but he’s had a difficult time closing the deal this year. Maybe he’ll do it tomorrow because Tiger or Vijay isn’t going to sneak up on him.