WGC Cadillac Championship - Expert Picks

The WGC-Cadillac Championship being held this week at Doral should be renamed the Peoples' Championship. Por que? Because your tax dollars bailed out General Motors and allowed them back into the golf tournament sponsorship game after their incongruous wedding of Tiger Woods and Buick.Tiger Woods really drove a Buick. And Dolly Parton sleeps on her stomach.

There's a lot going on this week in what may prove to be the most compelling event so far this year. The top ten in all categories are signed up, specifically OWGR, PGA Tour money list, and the FedUp Cup. The first two day pairings feature Woods/Mickelson and Bubba Watson/Dustin Johnson. FYI, Johnson leads the Tour in driving distance at 308.8, Bubba's second at 308.4. Just those two pairings alone are enough to catch my interest. Full Field. Fully 45 players in the field are from countries other than the ole' US of A. Anyone still questioning the international game? In the last four years that this event has been held at Doral the winners have been Els, Mickelson, Ogilvy and Woods. None of their games are in any way approaching hot as they head into this week. Kaymer, McDowell, Westwood and Kuchar are playing better and as a result demand more consideration.   

What to look for....    

Expect Woods' game to be improved, but still not seamless enough to win here. Phil's lack of consistency off the tee rules him out. Els may very well contend with the putter telling the story, as with everyone to be frank. Ogilvy's getting back to where he was, but not quite there. Now that I've identified who's not going to win it begs the question.... 

Average Golfer Picks

1. Graeme McDowell - Coming off a final round 66 last week on a ridiculously difficult track.
2. Matt Kuchar - 4 top 10s in his last 5.
3. Martin Kaymer - Deadly, just deadly.

Others to watch...   

Ryan Moore, Ian Poulter, Vijay Singh, Jeff Overton.   

Bet early and often.

Swing hard, look up,
 

 


 

 

Kaymer/Donald Final at Accenture Match Play

Martin Kaymer sealed the OWGR # 1 spot and bought himself a ticket to tomorrow's final at the WGC-Accenture World Match Play Championship, besting Bubba Watson on the last hole of the semi-final. The match was neck and neck most of the way with Kaymer calmly sinking a 5 footer on 18 for the win. The German had earlier beaten Miguel Angel Jimenez 1 up, surviving a furious rally by the Spaniard who had been down most of the match. Watson outlasted, and I mean outlasted, JB Holmes after having been down five holes through ten played. Holmes imploded in the style he'd done years earlier with Tiger Woods. Holmes is a snail on the course and never was it so evident as today. 45 minutes to play two holes as Holmes made side trips through the Arizona desert. At lease no one will have to suffer through a repeat Holmes performance in tomorrow's consolation match.  

Kaymer will face Luke Donald in the finale. Donald surgically dissected both Ryan Moore and Matt Kuchar to earn his berth in the championship match. He whipped Moore 5 and 4, had some lunch, then returned to barbecue Kuchar 6 and 5. All Donald does this week is hit greens and make virtually every putt he looks at. Good formula for match play.  

Expect an interesting match with a good contrast in styles. Donald's precision vs. Kaymer's power. The early word is that some extreme weather may be passing through the venue with a threat of snow. I'd hate to see weather make a difference, but Kaymer's power would pay off in difficult conditions. That being said, I'm pulling for Donald. 






Swing hard, look up,