Perry Bags Deere in 3-Way Playoff.

You could see it in their eyes. Deere in headlights. When the three players arrived at the 1st playoff hole to decide the John Deere Classic the difference in their demeanor was palpable. Jay Williamson looked as nervous as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. Brad Adamonis had a half hearted smile and a quickened step. Kenny Perry's shirt had been untucked for some time. Whether he knew it or not, it didn't matter. Adamonis pushed his tee shot right into heavy junk and trees. Williamson was down the middle, saving his choke for later. Perry's was 310 and straight. Hum drum. Adamonis threw on his red cape and tried to hit a 200 yard low, screaming cut through trees with water on the left. Plunk. Williamson was in fine shape when he decided to dead yank his iron. Splash. Perry routinely hit his green and two putted for his 3rd win in five starts. All the action and maneuvering in the final round to get to this point is old hat. The tournament was won and lost of the strength of nerves. Understandable from two players unaccustomed to being in position to win a P.G.A. Tour event. Adamonis' shot was just a horrible display of lack of golf savvy. Par is a good score on a 457 yd. par 4 with water left. Punch back to fairway, knock it on and take your chances with the putt. Williamson's was just a bad shot, pure and simple. Consolation for Jay is that he efforts earned him the "highest finisher" spot in this week's Open Championship. It'll be interesting to see if his long putter makes it all the way across the Atlantic. He'd been talking to it earlier. Congratulations Kenny. Ryder Cup spot locked up and 2nd to Tiger in Fedex Cup points. Great year.

Average Golfer takes on the Open Championship all this week, starting tomorrow. Stop by.


CREAMER PREVAILS IN JAMIE FARR OWENS CORNING CLASSIC.

A two over 73 was enough for Paula Creamer to hold off a red hot Nicole Castrale and record a wire-to-wire win in the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic. It was her 3rd L.P.G.A. Tour win this year and exorcised some recent late round collapses. Castrale's back nine 31 had her hoping, but Creamer's cushion proved to be too much to overcome.


Til' next,

Perry, Adamonis, and Axley Have Deere in Their Headlights.

A logjam at the top at the John Deere Classic heading into the final round. Kenny Perry hung tough and ended at -15, tied with Brad Adamonis, and Eric Axley. The course bled red numbers thanks to near perfect scoring conditions. One back was Will MacKenzie and Jay Williamson. Fan favorite MacKenzie's Sybil-like round almost had him out of touch with the leaders until a timely eagle on 17 brought him back to the fold. At round's end there were 18 golfers within 5 shots of the lead. That sort of makes tomorrow a one-day tourney. Of note....amateur Phillip Francis brought in the clubhouse a -7, 65 today. That placed him at -11 overall and very much in contention.


CREAMER LEAD SHRINKS

Paula Creamer's 6 shot lead at the start of the day was shaved by 2 strokes in the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic. Eun-Hee Ji's 68 cut into the deficit to leave her four behind Creamer going into the final round. This is essentially a two woman tournament at this point. The next closest pursuer is Racel Hetherington at-11, 7 strokes off the lead. Creamer better pay attention, Ji's rock steady and a fairway and green machine.


Til' next,

Ian Baker-Finch and the Sheep Shagger.

I was innocently waiting for CBS to return from commercial to their coverage of the John Deere Classic. Time check, 3:47 PM, EST. With open mike, but a tick before video came the unmistakable lilt of Ian Baker-Finch uttering "Sheep Shagger" to the anxious national audience. Yup, a very distinct, well enunciated, "Sheep Shagger". Normal coverage resumed. Feherty must have been involved in some way. You know it, I know it, and the American people know it.

Easy to figure. We know what sheep are and we've seen enough Austin Powers to have shagging mastered. You do the math. It all kind of sheds a new light on Baker-Finch. I always thought he was a bit restrained and inhibited. Wrong again I suppose.

Til' next,

"Honest officer, I was only helping him over the fence."

Halftime at the John Deere Classic

Boarder, skier, adventurer, and part time P.G.A. pro Will MacKenzie's -13 sets the pace after the 2nd round of the John Deere Classic. The birdie factory didn't disappoint, as the projected cut, with a few stragglers left on the course, was at -3. Go low or go home. MacKenzie's 7 birdie, 11 par round 64 gave him 14 birdies in the 1st two rounds and a two shot lead over the foursome of Eric Axley, Kenny Perry, Charlie Wi, and Brad Adamonis. Brian Davis carved out his spot at -9 and was followed by 20 golfers at -7 and -8. Kind of the anti major here I'd say. Perry continued his torrid play and his ploy to make the Ryder Cup team by skipping majors has proven out. Can't fault a guy with a plan and Perry will make a great addition to a team that needs some shake up. Based on recent Ryder Cups, "If what you're doin' ain't workin', do something else".

Average Golfer's picks, Bart Bryant to win is at -3. My long shot Dean Wilson at -7 is in the mix and can win the thing with a couple of rounds in the 50s. Not out of the question here at the Deere! I sadly noticed Tim Herron, one of my favorites is going home after a two round +7. I hope it's temporary with Tim. He's a great player and at the point of his career where he needs to rack up some more wins.

Watch the shoot out over the weekend. Just remember, at this tournament a 5 is a 4 and a 4 is a 3. Capice?


CREAMER STAYS LOW AT OWENS CORNING CLASSIC.

Do you think Paula Creamer was disappointed in any way with her 2nd round 65 at the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic? After all, it was 5 shots higher than yesterday's torrid 60. She's six shots clear of a game Eun-Hee Ji and no one else is within binocular distance. Hand her the trophy tomorrow morning and let everyone else form a scramble. If this was a fight it would have been stopped. In fairness she has to finish and not repeat her U.S. Women's Open Sunday. I don't see that as a problem. Watchables include Stacy Lewis at -6, T5 and Michelle Wie, even par, T62. Both are trying to earn enough money by the end of the year to secure their cards and not have to go through Q school. I can't wait to see what Creamer posts tomorrow though and will admit it's the only reason I'll check out this B event.

Til' next,


Average Golfer observation..... Did anyone else experience the bizarre, time warp coverage by The Golf Channel last evening of the John Deere Classic? I knew it was a rebroadcast so I kept flipping back to it to see some action. Every time I did Zach Johnson was hitting an approach shot. The same shot, hole and result. It was like watching Groundhog Day. I know, I know, rain delay.

John Deere Classic - The Tour's Best Tee Markers.

These are just the coolest tee markers on the face of the planet. I suppose the only way to one-up these would be at the Johnnie Walker Classic. My home course uses rotting birch logs with the ends painted to indicate the various tees. The short hitters get to the tee box first and kick them forward. By the end of the day they've played a course that's 500 yards shorter. There's no risk of theft however, which is good.

The John Deere Classic is a favorite spot among tour players. By being so close to the Open Championship however, it's tough to attract the world's top ranked players. The "elite" are either in Europe thinking an extra week will transfer their links games by osmosis, or they're home resting. I still can't come to grips with pro golfers and resting being linked. Nevertheless, the Deere organizers jump through hoops to show their appreciation for the guys that do show up. They charter a Boeing 767 to leave immediately at the conclusion of the tournament and fly the players butts to the Open Championship venue. This year they've promised the players will be very close to Royal Birkdale by 8:00 AM on Monday. How can you beat that?

The host, as usual, is the TPC Deere Run. It's a birdie fest with the average winning score since 2000 being 18 under. Get out the red pencils. The course, in Silva, Illinois, is a par 71 and plays to 7,257 yards. Jonathan Byrd defends. If you like action and tons of birdies, this is a gotta see.

Notables.....

Woody Austin, Aaron Baddeley, Kenny Perry, Zach Johnson, Mark Calcavecchia, Camilo Villegas, and Bubba Watson. Keep an eye on Jamie Lovemark, 2007 NCAA individual champion. There's plenty of stars here to make for a nice event. It's all big time to them as they accumulate Fedex Cup points and try to ensure their status for 2009.

Average Golfer's winning pick...........Bart Bryant. Kind of out on a limb, but Bryant shoots at pins wherever he plays. That's perfect for here.

Average Golfer's sleeper pick............Dean Wilson. Good solid all-around game. Just a hunch.


Til' next,