There's not a bunch of chastising to go around this week, but there
were a few appearances that were very disappointing. Some of this should
be taken with a grain of salt, because in all fairness; the course was much
tougher than anyone thought it would be, and a lot of the folks on top shot
pretty low on the first couple days, with the cut line being +2, and the
tournament winners eventually being at -7. However, I was able to find a
few glaring examples of seemingly disinterested performances, and called these
golfers out accordingly. So, let the tongue-lashings begin, I suppose.
Rory Sabbatini - Tiger Woods must be more similar to the New England
Patriots than I think. People like Sabbatini talk trash about him in the
media, and Woods does his talking on the golf course; while Sabbatini fades
away into the background. It's good for players to be confident; but if
your this emotionally fragile where you enter a tournament like this with a watered-down
field, and end up shooting Stereo 73s and going home before the weekend; you
might want to re-think your strategy going forward. Sabbatini had no
business missing the cut in this spot, and doesn't really bode well for him
going forward as he free-falls through the OWGR. Sabbatini hit just 52.8%
of GIR this week, and averaged 30.5 Putts Per Round in his two rounds.
Chad
Campbell - I
understand he hasn't been playing at the super-elite level for a couple years
now; but the talent remains, and that's why it's so frustratingly maddening to
watch him miss putts. I've said it before, and I'll say it again here in
this spot: Chad Campbell potentially has the most talent of any golfer on Tour,
and that includes Tiger, Phil and the others. For whatever reason,
whether it is mechanical or psychological at this point, Campbell
can't seem to transform that talent into victories. It's disappointing,
and unfortunately this might be reality going forward. It is indeed a
shame to see all this talent squandered, and unless he can pull things together
in the near future; watch the sponsors drift away a bit. Campbell
shot 77-70 and missed the cut.
Sean O'Hair - And speaking of unfulfilled talent, hello Sean
O'Hair. He's competing for Major titles one week, and missing the cut at
a watered-down-field event the next. It's literally like being on a
roller coaster watching him play, and the inconsistency is almost
comical. O'Hair is currently in his highest spot on the OWGR (28th),
mainly because consistency isn't stressed in the scoring system; you can win
one week, miss three straight cuts, and win the next week and you'll move up in
the rankings. If O'Hair could even get his game consistent, just so he
could expect how he'll play week in and week out, he'll be another in the ranks
of "future young superstar". Unfortunately, there's been no
indication that that will happen any time soon. O'Hair shot 69-77 to miss
the cut this week.