My "5 to Watch" at the Senior Open

It's the final major of the year for the old guys, the Senior Open, and of course I can't let it go by without making an effort to pick the winner. I had Molinari in my "5 to Watch" last week, so perhaps I can do at least that well this week.



The Senior Open will be played at St. Andrews this year, which should get the blood of all the seniors pumping! We should expect another hard and fast course, with around a 15mph wind (if current conditions hold). So let's get to it and make some picks.

• Everybody has Bernhard Langer, the defending champion, as the favorite this week... and with good reason. Langer's 3-under finish at Carnoustie against the youngsters shows that he's in good form and ready for tough conditions. But did last week's challenge tire him too much to compete this week? I wouldn't bet on it, but it's possible.
• Although he missed the cut at Carnoustie by a shot, I like the fact that Tom Lehman has already played some competitive links golf going into this week, plus he has a win this season. Add the wider fairways at St. Andrews to the mix and you could be looking at a good chance for Lehman to pick up this major.
• Paul Broadhurst won this event back in 2016 -- at Carnoustie, ironically -- and has picked up another major this season (along with a 'regular' win), so he certainly knows how to get it done on the links. Like Langer, he's another player in good form entering this event.
• Miguel Angel Jimenez has been playing pretty well all season, and he did win the Regions Tradition earlier this year. Worldwide, he's got a lot of Top10s this season. You know he'd like to add an Open to those figures.
• And for my flier, I'm taking Brandel Chamblee. I know Brandel hasn't played competitively in a decade, but he did go through qualifying to play this event which means his game is in pretty good shape. The video footage I saw of his play in the qualifier looked solid as well, and -- as with Lehman -- I think the wider fairways at St. Andrews might give him some confidence.

I have to go with Langer, of course, simply because he has the scoring this season -- and especially last week -- to back him up. But I think Chamblee might place pretty well also. Since he doesn't have any competitive rounds under his belt, I think he may play more conservatively than the others... and that could help him play better than most expect.

The Champions Tour website says the coverage starts Thursday morning at 7am ET on GC.

My "5 to Watch" at the SENIOR PLAYERS

We've got two majors this week, so let's get to it with the Constellation SENIOR PLAYERS on the Champions Tour.



The event is being played at Exmoor Country Club near Chicago, and the defending champion is Scott McCarron. I should note that Bernhard Langer won the three editions of the event before that (2014-2016). so he has been a dominant figure at this event.

Having said that -- and noting as well that Langer is in fourth place in the Schwab Cup, only $300k behind leader David Toms -- I don't feel there's a clear-cut favorite in this major. Of the Top10 in the Cup race, only Paul Broadhurst (in fifth place) has more than one win this season. That hardly makes anyone a betting favorite.

• However, Paul Broadhurst's two wins include one of the Champions Tour majors, the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship. He's only $5k behind Langer, in fifth place. And with the Bass Pro Shop tournament also in his pocket, as well as a T5 at the US Senior Open, I have to put him in my "5" again.
• I won't pick Steve Stricker again -- I checked, he's playing the Deere this week -- but I think I'm going for his Wisconsin buddy, Jerry Kelly. Kelly has 9 Top10s in 13 starts and one win, with a T8, T3 and T2 in the previous three majors this year. I figure he's due.
• Miguel Angel Jiménez has the best record of anyone in majors this year; he's 1, 5 and T2 so far. It's hard to bet against him since he, like Stricker, continues to play strongly against the young players on the "big" tours.
• David Toms has been quietly improving this year. He leads the Schwab Cup by only $12k over Jerry Kelly, who doesn't have a major like Toms. But he does have 8 Top10s in 13 starts, and has improved in each major he's played this season. (Yes, he won the last one.) Perhaps he's figured out how it's done on the Champions Tour and can grab another major.
• And my flier pick... hmmm, who's flying under the radar? Ah, Colin Montgomerie. He has no wins this season and only 3 Top10s. Thing is, two of them -- T6 and T3 -- came in his last three events, the first being the Senior PGA. Perhaps Colin has finally found his stride this season...

So my winning pick is... Jerry Kelly. I can't help but think he's due, and this major will be up in his area of the country. I know that's no guarantee that he'll play well, but I can't shake the feeling that he'll win a major this year... and he's running out of majors! Let's see what he can do at this one.

My "5 to Watch" at the US Senior Open

Yesterday it was the women, today the seniors. Let's pick five players I think will play well at the US Senior Open.



Kenny Perry is the defending champion and the event will be played at the Broadmoor Golf Club in Colorado. You may remember the Broadmoor from 2011, when it hosted the US Women's Open and So Yeon Ryu -- my pick for this week's KPMG -- won her first major there in a weather-plagued, five-day event that ended in a playoff.

There are a number of players in good form as the Champions Tour enters their third major this season and, as with the women, it's hard to go wrong picking any of them. But I'm limited to five, so here we go.

• I'll start off with Paul Broadhurst. While not a prolific winner on the tour (only four total), he has proven that he has what it takes to win majors -- two of them in fact, the 2016 Senior Open and the 2018 Senior PGA. Broadhurst is a quiet but solid player, and not someone you want to overlook.
• Likewise, I have to include Miguel Ángel Jiménez, who won this year's Tradition. (Yes, I've gone chalk so far, taking both of this season's major winners. So sue me.) He has five wins, one being that major... but he's also playing extremely well on the European Tour against the young guys. You've got to like the Spaniard's chances.
• Speaking of players who are still competitive on the regular tours, let me suggest that Steve Stricker is playing well enough to take this major. He was T20 at the US Open at Shinnecock, so he's in major form. And he's played six events on the Champions Tour this season -- he has two wins and his worst finish is a T5 at the Legends of Golf, which is a team event. When solo, he has nothing worse than a T3! Yeah, I like Stricks this week.
• Scott McCarron is T5 and T3 so far this season in majors, and he's coming off a win at the American Family Insurance Championship last week. As competitive as McCarron is, it's hard for me to take Bernhard Langer over him, especially since he's playing better than Langer right now. (Langer's always a favorite for me, just like Inbee Park on the LPGA, but I think other players are in better form going into this major. Sorry, Bernhard. Feel free to prove me wrong.) And McCarron did win the Senior PLAYERS last year, so he knows how to get it done.
• But who to take as my flier? Hmmm... David Toms is only in his second year with the old guys and is still looking for his first win of any kind on the Champions Tour. Still, five Top5s and seven Top10s this season say he just might be ready to break through. And let's not forget that he does have a PGA and a WGC-Match Play on the regular tour, so he's been there before as well.

But who to choose, who to choose? Really, this is a no-brainer for me. I can't help but feel that Stricker is ready to get a major. With six Top5s in six starts -- and two wins -- how can I bet against him? Given his accuracy -- and knowing that the last USGA event hosted at the Broadmoor was won by a super-accurate Ryu -- I don't think anybody will be surprised to see him take a US Senior Open.

[UPDATE: I've done this before, but I'm always amazed when I do it. Stricker isn't playing this week! So I guess we'll just see how my other four players do. Maybe I need to get more sleep before I do these things...]

Remember that, since this is a USGA event, it will be broadcast on FOXSports1-- not GC -- starting Thursday at 4pm ET.

My "5 to Watch" at the Senior PGA

The Champions Tour is playing two majors in a row, so this week they tee it up at the KitchenAid Senior PGA. And the picks aren't as simple as they may first appear.



One reason is that the defending champion, Bernhard Langer, isn't teeing it up this week. Another reason is the strange rotation pattern of the courses -- this week's course, the Golf Club at Harbor Shores in Michigan, has been the track for the last four events in even years (2012, 2014, 2016 and this year) while last year the event was in Virginia, Indiana in 2015 and Missouri in 2013.

What we can learn from this is that Harbor Shores seems to favor low scores -- 13-under in 2012 and 2014, 10-under in 2016. I guess you'd call Rocco Mediate the defending champ at this course, with Colin Montgomerie having won the time before. But after so much time, does that really help us?

Weather could have an noticeable effect on this week's play, as it's expected to change dramatically. It's in the high 50s today, going up about 10 degrees each day to the low 80s Friday and Saturday, then starting to drop again. Who will adapt best?

About all I can do is look at recent form and compare it to past performance at this course. So here's my best guess at who might contend. (At least I've done pretty good picking contenders lately. Just no winners!)

• Having won last week, Miguel Angel Jimenez has to be considered a favorite. With no break between events, he should carry last week's form over to this week. Assuming the weather change from Alabama doesn't throw him off too much, that is.
• Although Stricker isn't there this week, his buddy Jerry Kelly is. And Kelly's dedication to the Champions Tour has paid off, as he picked up a win earlier this year and is in contention almost every week. Last week he finished T8... and for a Wisconsin boy, this event is almost like playing at home.
• Joe Durant has been playing well all year, posting lots of Top10s, including a T2 at last week's major. Again, current form counts for a lot in my rankings this week, and Durant is knocking at the door.
• Scott McCarron won four times last season but has yet to enter the winner's circle this year. His scoring has been erratic but he's had three Top10s in his last six events, with a T5 at the Tradition last week. Maybe the majors have his attention now.
• And my flier is... Jeff Maggert. He isn't someone who immediately comes to mind but he's been playing much better as of late, posting T10, T2 and T5 (last week) in his last three starts. Maggert hasn't won since 2015, but this could be his week.

So my choice this week is Jerry Kelly. To be honest, I'm picking him because he's in decent form and this is almost a home game for him. He nearly got it done last week; perhaps this will be the week he gets his first major.

My "5 to Watch" at the Tradition

Time for the Champions Tour players to get in on the act. This week they tee it up at the Regions Tradition, their first major of the year.

And you know what that means...



Yep, it's "5 to Watch" time. Time for me to demonstrate why Monday's Supreme Court ruling, which makes gambling legal in any state that wants it, doesn't help me one bit.

Of course, if there's a sure thing on any tour, you could argue that it exists on the Champions Tour...

• And his name is Bernhard Langer. Last year he passed Jack's record of eight Champions majors. This week he goes for major number ELEVEN and he does it as the two-time defending champion at this event, as well as being the tour's most recent winner this season. It's hard not to consider him a favorite.
• Then there's Steve Stricker. It took him a while to find his "old guy legs" but this season he's already got two wins. That's not particularly amazing... but the fact that he's done it in only four starts is! Add in his great play last week at THE PLAYERS and you have to consider him a favorite this week as well.
• Stricker's buddy Jerry Kelly is no slouch either. True, he has only one win in eight starts this season but that's good enough to put him at #3 in the Schwab Cup standings. (Langer's #1 and Stricker #2, in case you're curious.) In addition to the win, he's got three Top8 finishes, is third in the All-Around stat and fourth in Scoring Average. Sounds like a winner to me!
• I know it seems as if I'm just running down the Schwab Cup points list, but Joe Durant (#4) also has a win this season, is #3 in Scoring Average and is coming off five straight Top10 finishes. It's hard to ignore him this week either.
• But now I need to pick a flier, someone who might not come to mind at first, and after some consideration I'm picking Steve Flesch. Flesch is coming off his first win, followed by a T5 at the Legends of Golf team event. The rest of the year has been less than impressive. (Forgive my bluntness, Steve.) So the question is, has the leftie turned a corner or have the last two events just been blips on the radar? We'll find out this week.

And my pick? Langer is the obvious choice, but I'm going with Stricker to get his first major. He seems to have found a comfortable state of mind from which to play, and that good showing at Sawgrass last week should stand him in good stead at the Greystone Founders course -- a course which also demands strategic play.

Of course, Langer will probably spoil my party, but I'm used to that. Go, Stricks!!!

Bernhard Langer on Shaping Shots (Videos)

Why wouldn't you want to copy Bernhard Langer's swing? This clip is from early 2015, and Bernhard is explaining how he hits draws and fades.



I hope you paid attention to his lower body movement. While instructors focus on how he opens his hips on the way down, Bernhard doesn't lunge forward the way you might expect. In this next video from late 2015, Bernhard talks about how he focuses on NOT sliding forward.



And in this down-the-line shot from earlier this year, you can see how effective he has become at keeping his lower body quiet.



In fact, I've been amazed at how many similarities there are between Bernhard's swing and Shanshan Feng's swing. You might want to go back to my Feng post earlier this week and compare the two.

As for Bernhard's swing, you'll get plenty of chances to watch it this weekend. The Charles Schwab Cup Championship coverage starts today on GC at 4pm ET.

Scott McCarron's Driver Swing (Video)

With his third win of the season at the DICK'S Sporting Goods Open Sunday, Scott McCarron pulled to roughly $800k behind Schwab Cup leader Bernhard Langer. I thought it might be interesting to look at Scott's driver swing and see what we can learn from it.



Let me start by saying that you don't have to swing like Scott does. That's not my point here. What I want you to see is how his swing works. There are many ways to drive a golf ball, and the best players have figured out how to make the different parts of their swings work together. We want to understand how those basics work in Scott's swing.

And the first thing you'll notice is how far back in his stance Scott positions his ball for a driver. The "scientists" among us say we need a launch angle of about 12°, which means we need to be swinging upward when hitting the ball off the tee. That means we need to have our swing center -- which I would place at the point where your spine meets your shoulder girdle -- that needs to be behind the ball at impact.

Because Scott places the ball so far back in his stance -- just ahead of center -- his address position has to take this into account. Therefore he sets up with his spine tilted noticeably backward, and when he swings it appears as if he moves even farther behind the ball. That's not actually true, though -- although his lead shoulder moves farther behind the ball, you can see that his trailing knee DOESN'T MOVE during his backswing. He's holding himself steady, but his shoulder turn (around his reasonably stationary spine position) makes it look like he's moving away. This is something you might notice on many players with a similar setup if you just look for it.

On the downswing Scott's lower body moves forward a bit more dramatically than I would like to see, but this is also a side effect of his ball position. He needs to shift his weight forward but he also has to keep his swing center behind the ball if he hopes to hit upward on the ball. That creates the dramatic hip shift as he starts down. HOWEVER, note that his lead leg and hip are pretty much vertical at impact, preventing him from ending up in a painful reverse-C position at impact.

So despite the body angles created by his nearly centered ball position, Scott manages to avoid bad extremes that could hurt his back. I still find it hard to believe he can hit up on the ball from that position, but he's averaging 292 yards off the tee this season, so it seems to be working for him.

The lesson here is that your ball position places its own demands on your swing. If you're having trouble with your accuracy, the first thing you should check is your ball position. No matter what changes you make to your swing, you won't get the results you want if you position the ball incorrectly for your swing's mechanics.

My "5 to Watch" at the Senior Open

The links fun continues this week. The LPGA stages their first Scottish Open while the Champions Tour heads back to Royal Porthcawl for the Senior Open Championship.



Royal Porthcawl is in South Wales, and the defending champion is Paul Broadhurst. He was a bit of a surprise winner last year, but that's part of the beauty of an Open.

It's time to pick my traditional "5 to Watch" at this event. But since Bernhard lost a three-shot lead at the last major -- the one he had won three times in a row -- and since Fred Couples has been fighting back problems again, it's hard to believe there's truly a chalk pick this time. But I shall soldier on and see what I can do...

• Despite his loss, Bernhard Langer remains a favorite for me. Even the Ultimate Driving Machine's got to have a bad week now and then! As shown in the photo above, Bernhard took the trophy last time they played Royal Porthcawl. In addition, he has a win and two runner-ups in three of the last four Opens. You have to figure he'll be a factor, at least.
• I almost picked Scott McCarron in the last major, but decided against it. Bad choice on my part. McCarron is playing well as of late, and he derailed Langer's fourpeat attempt. In addition, he was runner-up to Broadhurst last year. Have to give him props this time.
• Colin Montgomerie hasn't been in the best of form this year; nevertheless he's second in Schwab Cup points and he had a T6 at the Constellation. He was also runner-up to Langer in 2014.
• This will seem a bit out of left field, but Stephen Ames has Top10'ed in seven of his 12 events this season, and is coming off a string of four straight, including the last two majors.
• And my flier is... Tom Watson. I don't care that he's 67, he has a good record at Opens. Even if he hasn't won since 2007.

I think we'll probably get another surprise winner this year, but I'm going to take McCarron this week. Langer's record this year is better, but I think he's in a bit of a low point right now while McCarron is on a run -- two wins and two runner-ups this year in 14 events, plus he finally got his first major.

The Senior Open doesn't get the TV coverage of other events -- at least, not here in the US. GC and NBC have what coverage you'll find. Here's the best list I could find:

Jul 27, Thu   

• GOLF 7:00 - 9:30 AM ET
• GOLF 11:30 AM - 2:00 PM ET

Jul 28, Fri   

• GOLF 1:00 - 5:00 AM ET
• GOLF 7:00 - 9:30 AM ET
• GOLF 11:30 AM - 2:00 PM ET

Jul 29, Sat   

• GOLF 1:00 - 6:00 AM ET
• GOLF 9:30 AM - 12:00 PM ET
• NBC 12:00 - 2:00 PM ET
• GOLF 10:00 PM - 2:00 AM ET

Jul 30, Sun   

• GOLF 9:30 AM - 12:00 PM ET
• NBC 12:00 - 2:00 PM ET
• GOLF 10:00 PM - 2:00 AM ET

Jul 31, Mon   

• GOLF 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM ET

Hopefully that will help. This is an important event for the Champions Tour so it's important to be able to find it!

My "5 to Watch" at the SENIOR PLAYERS

Before I focus on the senior men, let me give a quick shout-out to Trish Johnson for her wire-to-wire win at the inaugural Senior LPGA Championship. You don't get much more dominant than that!

And now we move on to the second major of the week, the Constellation SENIOR PLAYERS Championship being played at the Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills MD.



It's been 15 years since a major was played at Caves Valley, so most of the players probably won't know the course. The director of golf there, Dennis Satyshur, says the course is pretty much "what you see is what you get" but, for some reason, seems to play longer than it actually is. It should play at around 7100 yards for this event, so fatigue could become an issue by Sunday.

Of course, the big story this week is Bernhard Langer's unbelievable chance to become the first player to win a Champions Tour major four times in a row. It will be interesting to see if the rest of the field can keep that dominance from getting in their heads long enough to mount a serious challenge.

So let's take a quick look at my picks this week:

• As I did with the US Women's Open this week, I'm going to go against my normal mindset and make Kenny Perry a favorite. Perry's story sounds a lot like Danielle Kang's -- he found something the week of the last major, won that one and now tees it up again just a couple of weeks later. Kenny is streaky, and this could be the start of one of his streaks.
• I have to include Bernhard Langer again. While Bernhard's game has been a bit off lately -- it's not horrible, he just isn't leading events after every round like usual -- the fact remains that he's won two of the season's three majors. It's just too hard to ignore a player that consistent.
• Brandt Jobe shot a 62 in the final round of the US Senior Open, has won earlier in the year and -- perhaps most importantly -- will be paired with Perry and Langer in the first two rounds. There's a good chance this trio can feed off each other, and that could help Jobe to another good showing.
• Tom Lehman has been playing well of late and is coming off a T4 at the US Senior Open. And he won earlier in the year, so it hasn't been that long since he hoisted a trophy.
• And for my flier, I'm going way out on a limb with Jerry Kelly. Jerry hasn't set the tour on fire since he came out, but it takes some guys time to settle in and his last five events have been T13 or better.

To be honest, I don't see any player as a distinct favorite this week. So I'm going with Langer for two simple reasons. One, if this course plays long, his fitness level should give him an edge. And two, I simply see no compelling reason to pick anyone else to beat him. I didn't favor him to win the US Senior Open because US Opens on either tour haven't been particularly kind to him in the past. But now he's under no pressure to go undefeated in majors this year, and he's won three of these in a row.

GC's coverage starts at 1:30pm ET today. If you aren't watching the LPGA on FOX Sports 1, you'll probably be watching this major!

My "5 to Watch" at the US Senior Open

Today I make my picks for this week's US Senior Open. Gene Sauers is the defending champion.



This week's major is being held at Salem Country Club in Peabody, Massachusetts. It's a Donald Ross course, first opened in Salem MA in 1895 and moved to Peabody in 1925. Among the events that have been played there, there have been two US Women's Opens (1954 and 1984) and the US Senior Open was there once before in 2001.

So a course like this isn't likely to produce a fluke winner. This is a quality course and, if you don't mind me overusing an old turn of phrase, we can be pretty sure that the cream will rise to the top. And who might that creamy goodness turn out to be?

• Well, it's hard to make this kind of list without including Bernhard Langer. Ironically, he's only won one US Senior Open, back in 2010 at Sahalee. He's already got three wins this year, including the first two majors. Despite his record in US Senior Opens, it's hard not to make him the favorite.
• Believe it or not, I have to put defending champion Gene Sauers on this list, even though he only has one win on the Champions Tour -- this major. But that win came at Scioto Country Club, which is another Donald Ross design, he was a runner-up in this event back in 2014, and he's been playing well coming in to this week. Maybe this major just suits his style of play.
• Scott McCarron is $800k behind Schwab Cup leader Bernhard Langer, but that puts him #2 on the list. And he's playing some seriously good golf this year. Leave out his T23 last week, and you'll see him coming off three Top5s -- two of which were this year's majors (T2 and T5). You've gotta take him seriously.
• Miguel Angel Jimenez. He's got a win and sits #4 on the Schwab Cup list. He's only got one Top5 since his win earlier this season although, granted, that was a T3 at the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship. But, with one exception -- his very first event of the year -- his scoring has been consistently between -8 and -13 all season. I think that score can win a US Senior Open.
• And my flier... Fred Couples is coming off a win. And though he hasn't played that much -- roughly half the starts of McCarron (7 vs 12) -- he's got two wins and trails McCarron by only $9k. If his back holds up, Freddie's dangerous!

And my choice is... surprise! I'm taking Jimenez over Langer this week. As good as Langer has been, US Opens (on any tour) seem to give him a lot of trouble. Jimenez's consistency should loom large this week.

Remember that, since this is a USGA event, the US Senior Open will be broadcast on FOX Sports 1 for the first two rounds and the regular FOX affiliates over the weekend. Thursday's broadcast should start at 2pm ET.

My "5 to Watch" at the Tradition

It's time for the Regions Tradition, the first of the five Champions Tour majors.



The Tradition is currently held on the Founders Course at the Greystone G&CC in Hoover AL. (That's just outside Birmingham, which I think is the biggest city in Alabama.) The defending champion is the Ageless Machine, aka Bernhard Langer.

Enough said, I think. When you say "Langer," you've said it all, haven't you? It almost seems silly to pick "5 to Watch" this week, but I think I can make a good case for some other players.

I should note that Fred Couples -- who would have made this list -- is not in the Tradition's field list. Given that he had committed to the event last month, I can only assume he's having some back problems.

• Of course, Bernhard Langer makes this list. He has Top10 finishes in the last five editions of this event, including that win last year.
• So far this season, Miguel Angel Jimenez has almost as good a record as Langer -- 5 Top10s in 7 starts, with one win and one runner-up. (Langer does have two thirds and Jimenez none.) He's certainly in form to give Bernhard a challenge.
• Kevin Sutherland has no wins this season but has 7 Top10s in 7 starts, with one runner-up finish. And if memory serves me right, he has played well in this major in the past. This may be the best he's played going into this major in quite a while.
• Scott McCarron has only 3 Top10s in 8 starts this season, but he has one win and is #5 in the Schwab Cup standings. In addition, he was 6th at this event last year. He may be a bit streaky, but I see no reason he couldn't start a new streak at this venue.
• And my flier is Vijay Singh, who has a win on the Champions Tour this season -- a team win, admittedly, but that's still a win -- and that T16 at THE PLAYERS last week. I like his form coming into this event.

Still, when all is said and done, I simply won't bet against Langer. His record in this event -- and so far this season, leading up to this event -- is so good that I can't imagine him not making a strong title defense. So he's my pick.

GC's live coverage starts Thursday at 12:30pm ET, before the AT&T Byron Nelson.

Kevin Sutherland Shot -8 and Lost Ground

The scores out at the LPGA event are insane. I mean, Anna Nordqvist shot -11 and still only managed a 2-shot lead! But it wasn't just the ladies who went low.

Steve Stricker, making his Champions Tour debut at the Tucson Conquistadores Classic, shot -10 Saturday. He now has a 3-shot lead over Tom Lehman and a 5-shot lead over Kevin Sutherland and Fred Couples.



Stricker sits at -16 after two rounds. Let's put that in perspective...

Woody Austin WON with that score last year!

Steve missed the cut at Valspar last week. Apparently he decided to take it out on the old guys this week, before teeing it up at the Shell Houston Open (the PGA Tour event right before the Masters) week after next.

Of course, this doesn't mean that Stricker is going to dominate the Champions Tour the way other rookies have. But after watching him stick wedge after wedge close to the pin, and make putts like they were running in a channel to the hole, I can't help but wonder if the rest of the Champions are a little nervous.

After all, bear in mind that Stricker is supposed to be "distracted" by his duties as the Presidents Cup captain right now. What happens once he can "focus" on his game again?

I look for Stricker to get a Champions Tour major sometime soon. The golfer they jokingly refer to as a "part-timer" who's "semi-retired" shows signs of being the most dangerous player they've seen in a while.

"Feel" Fred Couples's Swing for 38 Seconds (Video)

The Champions Tour posted this video of EVERY full swing Fred hit on the back 9 at the Chubb Classic on Sunday. If you want to get a good sense of how smooth his swing is, this will definitely help.

Every full swing from Fred Couples' Sunday back nine at the @ChubbClassic. pic.twitter.com/4WrmQeLxMq

— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) February 23, 2017

Bear in mind that Fred hits the ball a long way WITHOUT shoving his hips way out ahead of his upper body. His spine doesn't bend backwards at impact. And he never looks to be straining.

Want to hit the ball better? Copying the rhythm and tempo of Fred's swing is a good place to start.

Jerry Kelly Makes the Leap

Well, it finally happened. Jerry Kelly has joined the Champions Tour and will make his debut this week at the Chubb Classic. And he said that he doesn't plan to jump back and forth -- this is his new home.



This looks to be a good year for the Champions Tour, given the rookies who'll come out his year. Jose Maria Olazabal made his first appearance last week and, although he only finished T41, his -5 debut is a good start for a favorite player who has struggled with so many health problems. David Toms also played last week and posted a T23, at -10. And Steve Stricker will turn 50 next week.

According to this lengthy article at PGATOUR.com, Kelly has been planning for this move since he was 40. Check out this quote from the article:

Kelly is right where he wants to be. He said he identified the over-50 circuit as a goal of his as early as the age of 40. He would play often, make cuts, cash checks, keep his card and climb the career money list. The top 70 players on the PGA TOUR all-time career money list are eligible to play on the PGA TOUR Champions, and Kelly sits comfortably at No. 30.

Now THAT'S planning ahead! He said he realized that, with his lack of length, he wouldn't be able to keep up with the young guys forever.

Of course, that begs the question of how well he'll actually play on this tour. After years of playing a lot of tournaments to make sure he qualified for it -- but only winning three times -- can he really compete with these guys? Again, here's a quote from the article:

Kelly is hardly a bomber off the tee, but he is extremely accurate with his driver. In his final full season on the PGA TOUR in 2016, he ranked 174th in driving distance but third in driving accuracy. He also ranked 66th in greens in regulation but fourth in proximity to the hole. 

What does it all mean? It means he hits fairways nearly all the time, and when he hits greens, he hits it closer than the guys he’s playing against. Don’t be surprised if it’s a recipe that leads to victory in his first season.

I don't know how soon he'll win, but I'd be willing to bet he's going to enjoy himself.

The Chubb Classic starts today at 11:30am ET on GC. And yes, both Jose Maria and David Toms are teeing it up too. It's a good week to watch your favorites!

My "5 to Watch" at the Schwab Cup

Well, it's finally here. This week we'll see the final event in the inaugural Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs -- the Charles Schwab Cup Championship.



This event will be played on the Cochise Course at Desert Mountain, which is in Scottsdale AZ. If this course sounds familiar, that's because it was the home of the Tradition for a dozen years (1989-2001). Billy Andrade is the defending champion of this event, although Bernhard Langer is the two-time defending champion of the Schwab Cup itself.

And Bernhard would have already locked up his third straight Cup if it weren't for this new playoff format. However, he's #1 on the points list even after the reshuffle this week, so he's the favorite to win the yearlong race again.

However, I'm not picking the winner of the yearlong race. No, I'm picking the winner of the Schwab Cup Championship event, and that could be a very different matter. We've seen it happen plenty of times in the FedExCup Playoffs, haven't we?

As with the FedExCup, if any of the Top5 win this event they take the Cup. So, with that caveat in mind, here are my "5 to Watch" for this week's Champions Tour event:

• Scott McCarron is #2 in the points list, primarily because he's on a roll. In his last five events he's gone runner-up in a playoff, T10, T30, T6 and won in a playoff. He has hit his stride at just the right time, and I won't be surprised if his go-for-broke mentality gets him in the winner's circle this week (as it has twice this year already). And of course, being #2, if he wins he takes the whole thing.
• Colin Montgomerie is #3 in the points list. He hasn't played quite as well as McCarron but his last five events are a win in a playoff, T35, T7, runner-up and T16. Again, if he wins this week he wins it all.
• Joe Durant is #4 in the points list and is arguably playing the best of any player without a win in the last few weeks. Let's go back SIX weeks and look at his finishes: 4, T28, T10, T7, T6 and T10. Durant, like Monty, has a win this year, so he also looks to be on form.
• Tom Pernice Jr. is #8 and has one win this year... but that win was the first Playoff event! His last three events are T9, the win and T13. I could see him doing it again this week.
• And my flier is Tom Byrum. No wins this year, #11 in the points list and hasn't been particularly consistent this season... but he must have found something. He has a T3 and a runner-up in a playoff in his last three starts. A little confidence can do some seriously good things to a player's game, and Tom just may make his first Champions Tour win the Tour's Championship.

I can hear the questions now -- since I left out two of the Top5 -- so let me take them one at a time.

• What about Langer? He's #1, has a win and three runner-ups in his last six starts, and four wins overall this year. But I'm a bit concerned about that knee injury. It may turn out to be nothing -- he did finish T6 this past week -- but T6 isn't a win and that's what I'm interested in here.
• What about Jimenez? The Most Interesting Golfer in the World is #5, has one win and seven more Top4s this season. But he hasn't played well in the playoffs this far, and I'm afraid he may have tired himself out just before the big events.

While I wouldn't be surprised to see Bernhard win it all, my pick for the week is McCarron. I just don't think it's smart to bet against the hot hand, even when that means betting against Langer.

Of course, I don't have any money riding on this, either. I'm not that stupid. ;-)

Some Thoughts on Sunday's Golf

Since I can't do the Limerick Summary until Tuesday this week, I thought I'd take a few moments to look at what happened on the ET, Champions Tour and LPGA this weekend.



ET: How can I not mention Andrew "Beef" Johnston shooting -4 in his last 5 holes to take solo 3rd at the Omega European Masters? Beef has not only become a celebrity, he's backing it up with solid play. That's important if he wants to be more than just a passing fad. And Lee Westwood's 63 went a long way toward validating Clarke's pick -- at least, it did to me.

Okay, let's get to the duel between Alex Noren and Scott Hend. Noren has run hot and cold this season while Hend has been mostly cold (other than that win in Thailand early this year), but those two played some awesome golf down the stretch. And while Noren made that big putt on the first playoff hole, I can't help but think both men walk off with some extra confidence to finish the year and the Race to Dubai.

CHAMPIONS: Let me quickly mention that Tom Watson finished T26 at -6. That in and of itself wasn't so impressive. What WAS impressive was that he shot 65 to beat his age (66) on Friday, then had a birthday Sunday which he celebrated by shooting 67 in the final round. That means he shot his age or better TWICE IN ONE WEEK! Now THAT'S impressive!

If you didn't see it, Carlos Franco shot back-to-back 63s to beat Bernhard Langer and Michael Allen at the Shaw Charity Classic, and both of those guys were charging hard down the back nine. Allen was -3 and Langer was -5 coming down the stretch, but Franco shot -4 playing beside Langer. It's not often you see someone stand up under the pressure of going toe-to-toe with Langer.

It gave Franco his first Champions Tour win. Bear in mind that Franco hadn't won since 2004, so you can see how impressive his performance really was. I bet they were partying in Paraquay last night!

LPGA: Finally, I have to mention Caroline Masson getting her first LPGA win at the Manulife LPGA Classic. Most everybody expected Ko and Jutanugarn to run away and hide from the field but it didn't happen. Jutanugarn had a chance to tie on the 18th but snapped one left and unplayable off the tee to kill her chances (I can't help but wonder if her taped-up knee was bothering her) and Ko simply went cold on the back nine.

Masson didn't get this win easily though. She made nine birdies against two bogeys and a double right out of the gate. And then it seemed like everybody in the field decided to make a run at her, but they all came up short -- Karine Icher, Minjee Lee and Mi Hyang Lee missed by a single stroke, while Suzann Pettersen, Lydia and Ariya missed by two. (Icher was most impressive, shooting -5 in her last 7 holes.)

It will be interesting to see if these wins give Carlos Franco and Caroline Masson a career boost going forward. Unlike Alex Noren, these two didn't have recent wins to build on -- Masson's lone LET win came in 2012 and I mentioned Franco's earlier -- so it should be interesting to see if "getting over the hump" will help them, what with their seasons nearing the end. There's some big money ahead if they can keep this going!

There's Another Major This Week...

While we're all very excited about golf in the Olympics, it's easy to forget that the Champions Tour players are playing the US Senior Open this week. So let's take a few minutes to catch up on the story at Scioto Country Club in Columbus OH.



Joey Sindelar, the 36-hole leader (-5), graduated from Ohio State University so this is something of a home game for him. And at 58 years old, it may be a bit of a surprise to many that he's playing as well as he is. (His best major finish as a senior is a runner-up at, ironically, the 2009 US Senior Open at Crooked Stick Golf Club in Indiana.) But Joey says that the support of the crowds has really helped him.

He'd better keep looking over his shoulder, though. There's some serious competition on his tail. Just to name a few:

• Billy Mayfair is making his first Champions Tour start this week and he's just one stroke back.
• Miguel Angel Jimenez and Stephen Ames are part of a T4 trio, just three shots behind.
• Several others like Jeff Maggert and Vijay Singh are within six shots (+1), which isn't all that far back on a USGA setup.
• Even Tom Watson isn't out of it. He's sitting at +2.

You can read a more detailed summary of the event thus far at this PGATOUR.com page. You can also keep up with the scoreboard here.

The TV coverage should be on FOX -- the regular network, not the sports channel -- from 2pm-6pm ET today. If the Olympic coverage runs like it has the past two days, you should still be able to catch three hours of it if you want.

My "5 to Watch" at the Senior OPEN

Yes, let's get a little more links golf under our belts, shall we? The Senior OPEN Championship starts Thursday at Carnoustie, and it should be a good one. Marco Dawson is the defending champion, and he played in last week's OPEN (T68, +12).



For those of you who don't remember, Carnoustie is the site of Jean Van de Velde's notorious OPEN loss in 1999. (Do you remember the eventual victor? Paul Lawrie.) Van de Velde will be playing this week also, and I hope he gets some revenge.

But in the meantime, I need to pick my favorites.

• It's impossible for me to make these picks and leave Bernhard Langer off the list. He already has three wins this season, including two majors. Why not one more?
• And how about the Mechanic, Miguel Angel Jimenez? He hasn't played much on the Champions Tour this season but he still has a win. Not only that, he played the OPEN last week and finished T18, at even par. I think you have to like his chances at Carnoustie this week.
• Billy Andrade hasn't won yet this season, but he has two 2nds and a 3rd, and he hasn't missed a cut. I don't know how well he plays links golf, but when a player like Billy is in good form on a well-conditioned course -- and I have no doubt that Carnoustie will be absolutely pristine -- you have to think he'll contend.
• Paul Goydos may not be on a lot of people's radar, but he's played very well this year and picked up his first win just a couple weeks back. He hasn't really contended at a major this year, but there's no time like the present.
• And my flier is Jesper Parnevik. His good friend Henrik Stenson just ripped the history books apart at Royal Troon, so I'm thinking Jesper may be playing with a new sense of what's possible.

It's true that I accurately picked Dustin Johnson to win the US Open but other than that, my record hasn't been too good of late. I've tended to go chalk, and the top players have let me down. For that reason -- and this is probably a bad time for me to do so, given his record -- I'm not going to take Langer, who is the obvious choice.

Instead, I'm taking Miguel Angel Jimenez to snag his first major on any tour this week. The Mechanic has played well this season, and I love that even par finish last week at Troon.

I also predict that Jean Van de Velde, out of practice or not, will successfully avoid the bern on 18. At least that way I should be right about something!

Jean Van de Velde Joins the Champions Tour

A lot of newsworthy things happened on Thursday. The European Tour had to issue an apology for setting up the Castle Stuart Golf Links course too hard for the weather, while the USGA may think they made the opposite error since Mirim Lee shot a 64 at CordeValle, which tied a US Open record. Bo Hossler confirmed that, surgery or no, he's leaving the University of Texas and turning pro. And Jaco Van Zyl said he's skipping The Open and the PGA Championship to get ready for the Olympics. All very big stories in their own right.

But I have to believe that the most interesting story so far this week is that Jean Van de Velde is joining the Champions Tour this week. Here's the brief clip from GC where Van de Velde talked about it.


USAToday posted this article about his return. You may know that Van de Velde has been running the French Open since he stopped competing in 2011 -- he was front-and-center last week, because he's done a good job at the event. He's always had a sense of humor about his game -- and his disaster at Carnoustie back in 1999 -- and I love some of the comments he's made.

For example, this one about his return this week:

"You feel like you kind of miss the adrenaline of competing, and I have to say that's not something that goes away that easily. Unfortunately, my clubs are not really listening right now."

And you have to love his perspective on the game:

"I want to compete with the guys that I've been playing with over the years. I want to play. I stopped because, you know, not that my time has gone but you're 44 years of age, you have four children, you want to see them grow up, you want to be there a little more."

I've always appreciated Jean Van de Velde's ability to accept the 'might-have-beens' of his life and stay optimistic. I hope he does well on the Champions Tour, because he's the kind of person who will appreciate what they have and what he can do there.

The Dick's Sporting Goods Open -- which is played at the En-Joie Golf Club in New York, home of the old B.C. Open (named after B.C. the comic strip character) -- comes on today at 4pm ET on GC. If you aren't watching the US Women's Open, you might want to peek in on Jean and see how he's doing.

My "5 to Watch" at the SENIOR PLAYERS

Yesterday it was the LPGA major, today the Champions Tour major. The Constellation SENIOR PLAYERS Championship is the third major in four weeks for the old guys -- which could be an advantage, depending on how you look at things. If you're in a groove, you want the big events to happen while you're rocking the field. Bernhard Langer is the defending champion.



The Constellation SENIOR PLAYERS Championship is being held at the Philadelphia Cricket Club in Flourtown, Pennsylvania. (That's near Philadelphia.) It was founded in 1854 and it's the oldest country club in the US, although golf courses weren't added until the late 1890s. The US Open was hosted there in 1907 and 1910, so there's some serious history here.

And who do I think might add their name to that history?

• How can I not put Bernhard Langer on this list? With one major (the Regions Tradition) already this season? On a par-70 course that's just over 7000 yards? With his game? This venue is practically begging him to win here!
• Colin Montgomerie was runner-up just two weeks ago at the Senior PGA. Like Bernhard, I think this course is right up his alley. Monty's trademark has always been accuracy, not length, and he's been playing well on northern US courses this season, so this one should suit him.
• Got to give Billy Andrade a nod for this one. After a T5 at the Senior PGA and a T2 last week, he's on form to get his first major.
• Can Rocco Mediate add another major to his Senior PGA? Why not? After a lackluster season, Rocco got that win and backed it up with a T6 at Principal last week. The Rock is streaky, but I'm thinking his streak may continue.
• And my flier... this is a tough one. But I'm really gonna fly with this one and take Fred Funk. Why Fred, when he doesn't have a single Top10 this season? I've looked at his stats and they aren't really that bad. I'm guessing that Fred will get a boost from his son Taylor's play in the NCAA tournament. He said he had learned from his son; let's see just how much he learned.

Clearly I would take Bernhard Langer if I had to take just one of these guys. He's probably in the best form of anyone and I know he'll come ready to play.

But then, I thought he'd win the Senior PGA too...