WADE PRETORIUS looks at nine talkings points from Quail Hollow.
1. Justin Thomas was always going to be star
As if we needed any further proof from the player that shot 59, won back-to-back in Hawaii to start the year and shot 63 on Saturday at the US Open. Oh and I also wrote about him in the March issue of the mag – READ THAT HERE!
Thomas had his own demons after his implosion during the final round of the US Open, but those are long gone now as he filled his game with belief after a strong showing on Sunday in North Carolina. He continued to employ an attacking game plan and took full advantage of every lucky break he was given this week. He’s now sixth in the world, and deserves a lot more credit than being a good golfer who happens to be best friends with Jordan Spieth.
2. Rickie must continue his wait
Another year passes with Fowler unable to add ‘Major winner’ to his CV. His Saturday finish – he dropped four shots in three holes at the Green Mile – ultimately ruled him out of the serious running, but it’s now getting to the point where his name is being linked with that ‘best player without a Major’ tag. And not unfairly either – he has multiple PGA Tour wins, is a Ryder and Presidents Cup stalwart, and has won on both sides of the pond. He is 10th in the world and has added yet another top-five finish at one of the big four to his name. Fowler needs to find a way of stopping his nagging tendency to rule himself out of Majors when it matters … think The Masters (penultimate group on Sunday), the US Open (18 hole leader, one behind at 36 holes and two behind after 54 holes) and now the PGA Championship – all this year.
3. Never quite there for Spieth
Not this week. Spieth missed his chance to usurp Tiger Woods as the youngest to all four Majors, thanks to a generally average week. He blamed his work on the greens, but from my vantage point – albeit in front of my TV for four days – his iron play was way out, and that never really gave him enough outright birdie chances. He tried very hard to give the impression that he was taking all the career slam talk in his stride, but not even the coolest customers in the business could be unaffected by their position on the brink of history. He’ll have to wait until Bellerive Country Club, Town and Country in Missouri next year, and stop Rory McIlroy from attaining that feat at Augusta in April.
4. Major miss for the world No 1
That fall at The Masters could not have come at a worse time. It derailed Dustin’s game, saw him miss the US Open cut and simply made up the field on the weekends at Royal Birkdale and Quail Hollow. His lead at the top of the rankings is as commanding as ever, his long game remains one of the most revered aspects in the sport, but his putting has been shaky since he returned. Golf needs the world No 1 to stamp his authority on the biggest events, Johnson was nowhere near that standard this year. Will he come good for the FedExCup playoffs?
5. When will we see Rory again?
The rib injury that won’t go away. It’s been quite a year for McIlroy – injury in South Africa at the beginning of the season, he has not won a single event and fired his long-time caddie. He dropped a bombshell on Sunday, hinting that he might not feature for the rest of the season. That’s bad news for himself, golf and TV ratings, as he is the current holder of the FedExCup.
6. Hideki fails at the final hurdle
He shot 61 two weeks ago to win the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and was the world No 3 (now 2) heading into the final round one behind. His last 18 holes were ropy at best. He finished second at the US Open after a blistering final round, and much was expected of him down the stretch on Sunday – in reality it was the opposite, as he made mistake after mistake with a variety of clubs to allow Thomas a somewhat comfortable ride to victory. He’ll win a Major soon though, but on Sunday in Charlotte, there was one on a platter – he won’t get a chance like that again.
7. Quail a success, now quit whining
Wasn’t it great not to have course controversy for a change? After Thomas’ 63 at Erin Hills and Branden Grace’s 62 at Royal Birkdale, the redesigned Quail Hollow Club was never going to be the site of a history-making score – even if rain had softened the course quite considerably. The Green Mile – the last three holes – was as brutal on the scoring as any famed stretch out there, and ended Rickie Fowler and Jason Day’s tournaments on Saturday. Thomas played the final three in level on Sunday, partly due to a brilliant birdie on 17 after hitting his 7-iron stiff. The field was unable to make enough of a charge (except Fowler and Francesco Molinari) over the scoring stretch to let the Mile and nerves take their toll.
8. A rules infringement that never was?
I’m no expert on this to give a definitive ruling, but there were many making the case for a penalty for Thomas’ birdie putt on the 10th. You know the one, the one that hung on the lip for an age (some have it at 9 seconds, others at 12 or 13) before dropping. Did he break the rules?
Rule 16-2 in the Rules of Golf covers this exact scenario:
“When any part of the ball overhangs the lip of the hole, the player is allowed enough time to reach the hole without unreasonable delay and an additional ten seconds to determine whether the ball is at rest.”
Plenty of wriggle room in this one, but the right call was made in the end.
9. South Africa still has a say
It’s been forever since a South African won a Major – Charl Schwartzel at the 2011 Masters and Ernie Els at the 2012 Open made it two in quick time but one of our elite players almost always seems to challenge. This time it was left to Louis Oosthuizen, who finished in a share of second place this week. Form on the PGA Tour will be a legitimate worry for all our top players, but we shouldn’t write them off too soon, as Oosthuizen proved with a late eagle on Sunday.
