I think this will be a pretty minor hatchet job this week, and
I'm going to try to get away from the usual suspects. This would mean
reprieves for Ernie Els and Dudley Hart among others. It was a pretty low
cut (+1), so it's understandable that a lot of golfers wouldn't make it this
week. That said, some of the potential names on this list were
inexcusable, apparently headed to Hilton Head for a weekend vacation after a
couple days of banging the ball around the course. There's some real disappointment
here this week, so don't let the names shock you. As usual, in no
particular order:
Zach Johnson - After all the praise and adulation he got last week
for putting up a decent title defense at the Masters a week ago; Johnson must
have decided he needed a nice relaxing vacation in Hilton Head, shooting 71-75
to miss the cut by 3 shots. As usual, stat rankings for players who are
cut are not available; but Johnson's stats stand out. He hit three of
four fairways Thursday and Friday, which isn't bad. He was hitting some
of the shortest drives on the week (269.0 average, which is in the bottom
quarter of the field, he barely hit half his Greens In Regulation (52.8%), He
didn't have much control of the flat stick, which is unusual for him (28.5
Putts Per Round, not bad, but for Johnson, not great), and he saved 33% of
holes out of the sand. It was if Johnson nearly forgot how to play golf,
and he'll need to correct a few things if he expects to contend going forward.
Chad
Campbell - See
above, but to a slightly lesser degree. Campbell
shot 74-70, missing the cut by just one shot, and you can tell he wasn't that
far from making it by reading his stats and watching him play. That said,
even if he made the cut, would he have finished way up in the money? I don't
think so, and this is a symptom of the bigger issue. Campbell's
game has lost all consistency. A few weeks ago, in my Who is He column,
I profiled Campbell and mentioned
that when he was on there was no one better in the World, bar none. This
is the talent he brings each week, so in a field like this, when he's not
dominating the field, you really have to wonder what the problem is. Is
he hurt? Does he need a new swing coach? These are things that need
to be considered when selecting your Fantasy team for the week and as of now, Campbell's
a "no-start". It's unfortunate, with how talented he is, but
it's the sad reality.
Sean O'Hair - O'Hair won the PODS Championship, finished T-3rd in
Arnie's Tournament at Bay Hill, and had a very respectable T-14th at the
Masters just a week ago. So how can one explain his (unofficial) T-120th
and a missed cut shooting 76-75 at a substantially easier course than Augusta,
with a substantially watered-down field? Well, if I knew the answer to
that, I'd probably be walking the course with David Feherty, but it appears he
lost focus. And it appears that whether or not he maintains his focus
varies from week to week with no rhyme or reason. This is why O'Hair, who
also has all the talent in the World, is also currently a
"no-start". This week, his 41.7% in GIR and 29.5 Putts Per
Round were the most glaring offenses, and shooting like that will win you no
tournaments; even if you played on the executive course by my house.