Tommy "Two Gloves" Gainey Leads Waste Management Open

With the temps I'm certain Tommy Gainey's two gloves may have been a distinct advantage at today's reverse global warming interrupted Waste Management Open. His sparkling 1st round 63 left him at -11 through 9 holes of the abbreviated second round. Also at -11, through 14 holes of round two was Mark Wilson, albeit with a lone glove, or perhaps no glove. I didn't personally spy Mr. Wilson as I didn't catch a lick of the telecast, if there was one. Geoff Ogilvy sat at -9 and J.B. Holmes, twice champion here, penciled in at -8.

PGA Tour officials have announced a Monday finish due cold weather start delays in the 1st two rounds. That's a mixed blessing as this Average Golfer sees it. On one hand they could have capitalized on the "sports fever" tone presented by Super Bowl Sunday. Millions of non-sports fans have grudgingly resigned their flat screens and Doritos to the one day a year when watching 12 or so hours of sports isn't considered bad form. The endless run up to the big game itself forces a sort of "remote frenzy", lending itself to golf viewing rather than football announcer's inane blather prior to kickoff. One might ponder if the Monday finale would provide a monopoly on sports viewers and therefore be the better outcome. One would be wrong. Post Super Bowl viewers are at work or hung over. Or, at work hung over. Then there's the competition, Oprah.

That leaves three more days of golf viewing. Darn. More if you consider the Euro Tour. Westwood missed the cut. That's my analysis of the desert duel.

Ciao,





Til, next,

Davis Love III Over Tommy "Two Gloves" in Thriller at Disney.

Davis Love III shot his second consecutive 64 to hold off a back nine charge by Tommy "Two Gloves" Gainey and win the 2008 Children's Miracle Network Classic at Disney World Resort. Gainey's 30 on the back nine almost had the victory he needed to retain his card. Instead it's back to Q school for the two-time Big Break contestant. Love III finished at -25, one stroke better than Gainey, and knocked a treacherous bunker shot on the 18th to within three feet and sealed the victory. $828,000.00 was pocketed by Love III for the triumph.

It was a two man battle as the nearest finishers were Steve Marino and Scott Verplank, each at -20, 4 strokes in arrears. Joe Durant's superb 65 in the final round gave him solo 5th place. The trio of Scott Sterling, Kevin Streelman, and Troy Matteson finished at -18, T6.

Average Golfer was pulling for Gainey, the every man's representative. His 2nd place finish moved him 40 spots on the money list from 208 to 168, but it was a win he needed to secure his card for 2009. In the glass half full category, he'll have a confidence boost going into Q school. I'm certain we'll see more of Gainey. Everyone refers to his work ethic and drive. That's a huge part of the battle on the tour.

Bubble News

The results are in after this, the last tournament of the season. The "Thank God" spot, #125, belongs to Martin Laird. Those keeping their jobs by a whisker were Brad Adamonis, 124, Jason Bohn, 123, Angel Cabrera, 122, Nick Watney, 121, and Brett Quigley, 120. Those wishing they'd played better earlier in the year included Shane Bertsch, 126, Bob Estes, 127, Patrick Sheehan, 128, Joe Durant, 129, and Charles Warren, 130. $11,504.00 separated Laird and Bertsch, the difference between 126 and 125. Here's the final 2008 money list for your perusal.

Now is when writing on a golf site separates the men from the boys. Two months of "not much" will test Average Golfer's imagination. Maybe I'll start doing a series of reviews on golf tees. Perhaps throw in a contest with the winner receiving a free tee! Gotta nice ring to it.

Til' next,

Eclectic Bunch Atop Children's Miracle Network Classic Leaderboard.

Someone for everyone. A certain Hall -of-Famer, a grizzled veteran with many wins and Ryder Cups in his pocket, a young upstart, a Big Break contestant, the man with the shortest putter, (28 in.), a rookie of the year candidate, and the group of veterans you'd expect heading into the last lap of the 2008 season, the final round of the Children's Miracle Network Classic.

Steve Marino is bogey free for the tournament and his 66 today left him tied with Scott

Verplank, who slipped with a 69. Hard to believe that a 69 would get you going backwards, but it did today. Both are tied at -19. Davis Love III shot 64 today to claim solo 2nd place, -17, going into Sunday. Tied for 5th spot at-16 were Tommy "Two Gloves" Gainey, Robert Garrigus, he of the midget putter, and Troy Matteson, whose 69 today backed him up from 2nd to 5th. Locked in 8th position at -14 were Ken "Of Hazard" Duke, Robert Gamez, last spotted at the Hope, Jason Gore, and Kevin Streelman.

Notables that didn't make the weekend were Steve Elkington, Daniel Chopra, Jesper Parnevik, Bubba Watson, Brad Adamonis, Charles Warren, Ryan Moore, Jay Williamsom, and Fred Couples. Adamonis, Warren, and Williamson shot themselves in the foot and out of the chase for their 2009 Tour card. Spots 126-150 have some provisional status though, especially in the lesser events that play at the same time as the big tournaments. Still, I'm sure they're all crestfallen. I've been just dying to use crestfallen in Average Golfer.

The back nine tomorrow will show you how PGA players do or don't handle pressure. Anyone that's near the magic 125 has to be trying to figure what he has to shoot to be in the club. Geez, as if golf's not head game enough.

Til' next,