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David Duval No Longer with Nike Golf

September 30, 2010 By 3 Comments

UPDATE  10.1.10 Editor’s Note: I received official word from Nike Golf this morning, so I’ve updated this post to reflect that info.

David Duval’s time with Nike Golf has to an end. Nike Golf has confirmed that David is no longer a Nike athlete. In the first round of the Viking Classic, David Duval was seen playing with no swooshes in sight — he was wearing different footwear and apparel, and using a mixed bag of equipment, none of it Nike. You can see what I’m talking about here in these photos from the first round of the Viking Classic. In a forum post on Golfwrx.com there is much talk of David’s departure from Nike Golf. He was seen playing in late season events with a new driver, and now he has switched out the rest of his equipment as well.

Because David’s contract is up and he’ll no longer be sponsored by Nike Golf, this is a sad day for me — I’m a long-time fan of David’s (from before he was even with Nike Golf), and he was the first athlete to win a professional event using Nike irons (the 2001 Open Championship). I’ve been rooting hard for him during his comeback over the last several years, and even written a couple of posts about it (here and here). No matter where David ends up sponsorship-wise, I’ll still be rooting for him.

Best of luck David, you’ll be missed, but I know we haven’t heard the last from you.

Read the forum post “David Duval is done with Nike” on Golfwrx.com >>

Check out this internet-only version of Jim Gray’s interview with David Duval for “Golf In America” on GolfChannel.com >>

Filed Under: Athletes, ngnation.com, Nike Golf, PGA Tour

Ryder Cup Preview: Nicknames, Nike and Friday Morning

September 30, 2010 By Leave a Comment

We’re very close to tee-ff at Celtic Manor and I’m here to bring you NG Nation’s official update. I’m sure that everyone is over-whlemed with Ryder Cup news, analysis and over-analysis. I’m usually a big fan of stats, but I’m going to try and leave it out in this preview and just go with my heart, since that should be a big factor in the 2010 Ryder Cup. I’m going to do a player breakdown, talk about the 3 Nike Golfers and analyze the matchups.

Also, here are the other Ryder Cup posts on NG Nation
NG Nation’s Ryder Cup Staff Picks >>
Nike Athletes in the Friday Fourballs >>
Nike Custom Apparel at The Ryder Cup >>

Player Breakdown

I’m going to break this down player by player, by team. However, I’m going to keep it short and sweet. Anyone can predict how players will play and describe their player style, but I’m going to do it with nicknames and give a sentence or two describing why.

Team USA

Stewart “Mr. Consistent” Cink :: He’s been smooth, consistent and thrown up Top 25′s for years. He’s veteran and should be a reliable part of the US Team.

Rickie “Orange Crush” Fowler :: He’s going to be lost without his ridiculous Puma orange banana outfit. He should be in way over his head and will see the least playing time of the Americans.

Jim “Dougie” Furyk :: I don’t care that he’s fresh off of a huge paycheque, the dude can play and he’s fresh. I just wish he did the Dougie after he turned his hat backwards.

Dustin “DJ Hero” Johnson :: He’s made a lot of mixtapes this year but only cashed in one of them. He should put out a few hits this weekend and should be a key part to the US team.

Zach “This isn’t 2009″ Johnson :: I think ZJ got in solely on his 2009 performance and previous years, he had a win this year, but one of his lowest money finishes of his career.  I’m not expecting much.

Matt “The Secret” Kuchar :: Kuchar is money and you’d think that’s how he cashed in this year, with his secretive, confident grin. He’s a champion and by far the best golfer this year from America.

Hunter “The Hunter” Mahan :: Mahan and Poulter are the two most similar players here. He’s on target, he’s a gamer, he’s a baller and he’s hunting for the kill. He’s here to win and could be the star of the US team.

Phil “Jagged Little Pill” Mickelson :: I heard someone on a radio show this week say Phil was one of the best in the world because of he’s Masters win. What?! He can’t play in Europe and failed to make even come close to a number 1 ranking when he had at least 5 events to become the best golfer in the world. I’ve got no love for Phil.

Jeff “Autumn” Overton :: He’s Autumn because he’s changing colours like the leave. Jeff was warming up in the Spring and was hot in the Summer, but what a weak playoffs. He had a bunch of Top 10′s and that’s it.

Steve “The Tower” Stricker :: Stricks should be the most intimidating golfer to the European squad. He plays great golf, no matter what continent and can perform under pressure.

Bubba “Double Trouble” Watson :: He could be the biggest flop on the team. He’s never really been tested. Bubba finished 2nd at the PGA, but didn’t even qualify for the Masters or US Open this year, never even making a cut (EVER) at The Open.

Tiger “Sunday Single” Woods :: He must be hating the plethora of WAGs at this event. He’s alone and he’s probably hungry for some lovin’. Hopefully some golf will feed his appetite.


Team Europe

Luke “Radar” Donald :: He’s been right up there all year dialing it in from everyone on the course. He’s one of the best and most accurate players on the planet and it’s time to show the world.

Ross “Ahi Tuna” Fisher :: Ahi Tuna is amazing, but can be a little boring. Always the same and you can get sick of it, but it’s always delicious and amazing. Just like Ross Fisher.

Peter “I should be Paul Casey” Hanson :: I hate to say that he shouldn’t be on this team, but a few guys could be more worthy of this spot. He qualified, so kudos to him, but don’t expect much.

Padraig “Adam Scott” Harrington :: I think this could be Paddy’s chance to get his game back, a la Adam Scott at The 2009 President’s Cup.

Miguel “The Mechanic” Angel Jiminez :: He’s a great veteran and he’s the mechanic. He’s very chill and should be a lot of fun, workin all sorts of stuff out.

Martin “The Executive” Kaymer :: Kaymer is a young kid, who has been playing amazing golf for two years. He steps into the office, puts in work and cash cheques.

Graeme “La-Z Boy” McDowell :: He’s easily one of the the most relaxed guys on the team. However, he’s awesome, like a La-Z Boy.

Rory “The Kid” McIlroy :: The kid is just pure fire. There’s not better venue for him to step up to the world and put his foot down. I really hope the media attention for the Tiger comments don’t mess him up.

Edoardo “Luigi” Molinari :: He’s the Luigi of the Super Molinari Bros. They power up, they fly and they like mushrooms.

Francesco “Mario” Molinari :: He’s a little bigger, therefore he’s Mario. But these guys are unstoppable and will stop any and all Bob-ombs.

Ian “The Animal” Poulter :: He’s a wild man who lives for these events. He’s got the game, he’s got the heart and he’ll try and eat you alive.

Lee “The King” Westwood :: He’s a professional, a leader, a winner and will be the King of England/Europe.

Nike Athletes

Photo: twitpic.com/2tagkp

Stewart Cink
Has a very good chance to test his game and be a centerpiece for the US Team. Cink’s a social guy who can be the glue that holds this team together. With a group of rookies and stiff guys, I think a US win would rest on the shoulders of Cink’s ability to lead.

Francesco Molinari
Definitely has the chance to have the best record of all the Nike athletes thanks to his brother. He’s a great player and has proved himself all year on Tour and in the Majors.

Tiger Woods
My heart is with Tiger. Is this the time he turns it on en route to his domination of the 2011 Season? All eyes will be on him this week. I think it would have been better for him if the media didn’t completely blow up a Rory McIlroy/Tiger showdown, but maybe Tiger will thrive in the challenge, as he’s done in the past.

Friday Morning FourBalls

P.Mickelson/D.Johnson vs. L.Westwood/M.Kaymer

This could be a trainwreck. Westwood and Kaymer are arguably the two best players in the world right now. The only question is Westwood’s health, but I wouldn’t worry because he’s a trooper. I’d be more worried about Phil’s inability to deliver this year and also DJ’s poor showing at The TOUR Championship. Team Europe +1.

R.McIlroy/G.McDowell vs. S.Cink/M.Kuchar

This is a tough one for the Americans. McIlroy/McDowell are basically brothers. While Kuchar and Cink are fun guys with similar demeanors, they can’t compete with the North Ireland Power Couple. Team Europe +2.

T.Woods/S.Stricker vs. I.Poulter/R.Fisher

Fisher and Poulter are a good team. I know people will throw this right to Woods and Stricker because they’re pros. But Fisher is great in Match Play and could be the perfect team to test where Woods and Stricker are at. I think this will come down to the last hole, but I really think this will be halved. Team Europe +2.5.

J.Overton/B.Watson vs. L.Donald/P.Harrington

I don’t know what’s going on here. I know Donald and Harrington may not have the best chemistry, but they are serious, proven golfers who are playing very well right now. Overton and Watson need to find something special as the odds are stacked against them, based on recent play, experience and level of competition. Europe +3.5

I think Europe will win, as I said in our NG Nation Staff picks. I think it should be a blowout, but I’m going to give the US some more credit and give it to Europe 15-13.

Should be one heck of a weekend. Keep it locked on NG Nation throughout the Ryder Cup!

Filed Under: 2010 Ryder Cup, Athletes, International Events, Tournaments

Ryder Cup Preview: Nike Golf Athletes in the Friday Morning Fourball Matches

September 30, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The pairings for the Friday morning fourball matches were announced this morning, and two of the three Nike athletes playing in the Ryder Cup are on the list. It’s no surprise that Ryder Cup veterans Tiger Woods and Stewart Cink are leading the charge on Friday morning, with the hope that they can kick off a strong defense of the Cup Team USA took from Europe at Valhalla.

8:00 a.m. — Stewart Cink & Matt Kuchar (USA) vs. Graeme McDowell & Rory McIlroy (Europe)

The duo from Georgia Tech of Stewart Cink and Matt Kuchar will have their hands full with the reigning U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell and European young gun Rory McIlroy. In the second match out, Cink and Kuchar will need to try to get an early lead, and especially make sure they don’t get down early, as it will be tough to make up ground against the superstar pairing from Northern Ireland.

8:15 a.m. — Tiger Woods & Steve Stricker (USA) vs. Ian Poulter & Ross Fisher (Europe)

The 7:45 opening match of Mickelson/Johnson vs. Westwood/Kaymer will be the one to watch Friday morning, but this one is second in my opinion. The Woods/Stricker pairing will be comfortable for Tiger, and it will be interesting to see how Poulter partners with Ross Fisher instead of Justin Rose. I think this match will be very close and will come down to a crucial putt on one of the final holes, or perhaps even go extra holes. I think it will be back and forth all the way, and it’s tough to pick a winner in this one.

Francesco Molinari: Not Playing

Francesco is not scheduled to play in the morning matches, but look for him to be paired with his brother Edoardo in the afternoon matches.

Filed Under: 2010 Ryder Cup, Athletes, European Tour, Francesco Molinari, International Events, ngnation.com, Nike Golf, PGA Tour, Stewart Cink, Tiger Woods, Tournaments

NG Nation Staff Picks: Ryder Cup Edition

September 30, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The Ryder Cup gets underway on Friday morning at Celtic Manor in Wales, and two years of discussion, speculation and anticipation gives way to what happens on the course to decide who walks away with one of the most — if not THE most — coveted trophies in professional golf. Three days of match play between Team Europe and Team USA will decide whether Team USA keeps the Cup it won back after 9 years of European domination, or Team Europe takes it back and keeps it for who knows how long this time?

The NG Nation staff weighs in here to let you know who we think will be the winning team, which player will be the top performer in the matches, and which Nike athlete will be the top performer of those who are participating, and why:

DAMIAN DANIELS

Overall Winner :: Team Europe
I’m a big fan of European golf. I picked a Euro to win every major this year and I will probably continue to do so. My pick for Team Europe is not based on my flair for the international, but mostly based on the way they’re playing. If you asked me who the best 3 golfers on the planet are right now, I would say Kaymer, Donald and Casey. Westy would be right there, but he’s recovering from injury and McIlroy had a lackluster playoff, but the experience was good for him. If there are two knocks on the European squad, it’s that they may not have the overall patriotic unity of the Red, White and Blue and they have Peter Hanson. This guy should not be on the team. But, whatever. He may not play at all, really.

I’m not saying it will be a dominating performance by the Europeans (but it wouldn’t be surprising) because the Americans have gritty guys who have heart and can get hot at any time (Woods, Stricker, Phil, Furyk, DJ, Mahan and Kuchar). I can definitely see the US Team bonding and coming together to rock the show, but I’ll give the slight edge to Team Europe based on finesse, precision and the ability to get it done all year (especially after Kuchar, Stricker and DJ choked in the TOUR Championship). You can’t forget that European team has strong pairs; Super Molinari Bros, Fisher/Donald/Poulter, McIlroy/McDowell, Westwood/anyone.

I’ll give it to Europe 15-13.

Top Performer :: Rory McIlroy
Last year, it was Ian Poulter in a losing effort by a mile. He accounted for 4 of Europe’s 11.5 points and had a very close chance for 5. Really, this is going to come down to who plays the most. Last year Furyk/Perry played 3/4 of the Foursomes and Poulter played all 4. McIlroy will be fierce if he’s paired with Westwood or McDowell and we know he’ll light it up in Match Play. I’d like to choose Ross Fisher, because he does well in Match Play, but I don’t think he’ll play that much. McIlroy has a chance to shine and he’ll have all the opportunities to do so.

Top Nike Performer :: Francesco Molinari
I like all the Nike guys at the Ryder Cup. Tiger has a chance to prove himself, Cink is Mr. Consistency and Francesco seems like the new kid on the block. However, if Francesco and Tiger have equal chances to succeed (given singles and parnter matchups), I’ll give the edge to Francesco. He and Edoardo will not lose Fourballs/Foursomes. I’m very confident with that. In singles, I could see him facing an Overton/Watson, which he should mop the floor with.

ALAN NUMSUWAN

Overall Winner :: Team Europe
I will be rooting for the US to win, but I think that the Europeans take the Ryder Cup this year (and it has nothing to do with the Americans’ basketball warm-ups raingear on Wednesday). On paper, I think there’s more overall talent on the European squad. As good as Bubba, Rickie, and Jeff Overton are, I think their nerves will kick in. Now we can all point to Fowler and Overton’s Walker Cup success, but they would seriously need to get in perspective, focus, and leverage what they learned from that experience and multiply it to succeed. Can they do that this week? They’re young so maybe not as much as they should. I think Dustin Johnson showed a lot of maturity during the final stretch of the PGA Tour, but I don’t know how he will do in match play – and even though he lost to Camilo at the Accenture, I don’t want to use that as a basis point. For DJ to do well, I think he’s going to need a lot of guidance from an experienced leader like Phil. Only pairings can tell us if that will happen.  As for Kuchar, I was simply not impressed with his inability to shut down the competition in the playoffs. Lastly, while I think Woods, Furyk, Phil, Stricker comprise an all-star team, I think the USA will panic a little bit with testing pairings whereas the Europeans are probably a little more composed in that area. If the US goes down in Day 1, look for a risky reshuffle with pairings.  As for the Europeans, I expect Westwood, Kaymer, McDowell, Poulter, Fisher, the Molinari pairings, Donald and Paddy to do well. I think Rory McIlroy will be this year;’s Anthony Kim. The only weaknesses I see are the singles matches involving the Molinaris, Hanson, and Jimenez.

Europe 16 ½ -11 ½

Top Performer :: Martin Kaymer
I think Zach Johnson will have a great Ryder Cup and I think Stricker will be a huge factor for the U.S., but I’m giving top performer to Martin Kaymer. He can cap off a great year with excellent Ryder Cup play. He’s got big wins that came late in the season and I think he’ll be this tournament’s star.

Top Nike Performer :: Tiger Woods
Love the Stricker/Woods pairing, and really think we can count on Tiger to make a statement. Sure, he says The Ryder Cup is about team, but I think TW is focused on doing what he can to help his playing partner until he can get to his singles match. This is an outright challenge and I think he’s ready to accept it.

BOB DIERCKSMEIER

Winning Team :: Team Europe
Although I’ll certainly be rooting for Team USA this weekend, my picks are decidedly in favor of Team Europe. I’ll be happily surprised if the Americans win, but I just don’t think it’s going to happen. Home course advantage for Team Europe will be huge — one only has to look back at the fan support Team Europe received at the K Club in 2006 for proof. Even though Team Europe has six rookies to Team USA’s five, it’s one of the strongest sets of Ryder Cup first-timers ever assembled, with all of them having at least one PGA Tour or European Tour win (Jeff Overton and Rickie Fowler have yet to win on the PGA Tour). This impressive group of rookies is offset by six Ryder Cup veterans — Westwood, Poulter, Donald, McDowell, Harrington and Jiminez are all formidable match play opponents. As much as I want to see Team USA defend its 2008 Ryder Cup victory, Team Europe’s home course advantage and team strength this year will make this a difficult, if not impossible task.

I don’t think it’s going to be close: Europe 17- USA 11

Top Performer :: Ian Poulter
This will be Poults’ third Ryder Cup, and although his mate and match play partner Justin Rose is not on the team this year, look for him to continue his winning Ryder Cup ways. He has the second highest winning percentage of anyone on this year’s team (just behind Luke Donald), and he’s undefeated in his Sunday singles matches, so look for him to anchor Team Europe coming down the stretch on Sunday. Let’s also not forget he won this year’s Accenture Match Play Championship back in February, so he carries the confidence that he’s the best match play golfer in the world into this week’s matches at Celtic Manor.

Top Nike Performer :: Francesco Molinari
It’s a bit of a gamble to go with a Ryder Cup rookie here, because the pressure of a Ryder Cup is like nothing else in professional golf. But with the solid year Francesco has had, combined with the fact that his brother Edoardo is also on the team, I’m going with the younger of the Super Molinari Brothers. Francesco is currently 32nd in the World Golf Rankings, 15th in the Race to Dubai (the European Tour Money Title) and he’s had three top 10’s in the last two months. He won the Omega Mission Hills World Cup with brother Edoardo at the end of last year, he’ll be comfortable with Edoardo on the team and we can look for the two to be paired together in both Fourball and Foursome matches. For these reasons I think this young, up-and-coming star of the European Tour will be the top point earner of all the Nike athletes in this year’s Ryder Cup.

It’s certain to be an exciting three days of match play golf this weekend at Celtic Manor, and we’ll have wait until Sunday to see whose picks end up being the closest to what actually happens by the end of play.

Filed Under: 2010 Ryder Cup, Athletes, European Tour, International Events, NGN Staff Picks, ngnation.com, Nike Golf, PGA Tour, Tournaments

Nike Golf Athletes in the Field :: 9.30-10.02

September 30, 2010 By Leave a Comment

It’s a very huge week on different continents. While the spotlight is on the Ryder Cup, players are fighting for their Tour cards in the Viking Classic, along with Nationwide guys also looking to lock up their PGA Cards. Here’s a list of the Nike Golf Athletes in the field this week;

PGA/European Tour ::  The 2010 Ryder Cup

Stewart Cink
Francesco Molinari
Tiger Woods

PGA Tour :: Viking Classic

David Duval
Trevor Immelman
Carl Pettersson

Champions Tour :: Ensure Classic

Bob Tway

Nationwide Tour :: Soboba Golf Classic

Kevin Kisner
Jamie Lovemark
Chris Nallen
Garrett Osborn
Jhonattan Vegas

LPGA, LET and Challenge Tours :: no event this week

Filed Under: Athletes, Champions Tour, European Tour, Nationwide Tour, PGA Tour

Personalization of Nike Forged Irons and Wedges Starting in Spring 2011

September 29, 2010 By 2 Comments

In a couple of comments on their Facebook page, Nike Golf has mentioned that customers will be able to personalize their new forged irons and wedges with a maximum of three initials starting in Spring of 2011. It’s cool that Nike Golf fans will now have the option to have their initials stamped on their clubs like the Nike staff athletes, like those seen in these “What’s  in the Bag” photos from The Barclays. Stay tuned for more details on this club personalization program, we’ll have them here when we get them from Nike Golf.

Filed Under: Equip Product Announcements, Equipment, Irons, ngnation.com, Nike Golf, Wedges

Tiger Woods Practices with Nike METHOD Putter Today at the Ryder Cup

September 28, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Photo: http://twitpic.com/2sstxx

Back in July at The Open Championship, Tiger Woods switched to the Nike METHOD putter for the first three days of the tournament, only to switch back to his Scotty Cameron Newport on Sunday. Much speculation followed as to whether the switch back to his Scotty would be permanent, or if he ever would give the METHOD putter another chance after his poor putting performance at St. Andrews. Well, today it looks like we got our answer, as Tiger was seen during his practice round at Celtic Manor with a METHOD 003 in his hands.

The thinking might be that, like at St. Andrews, the greens might be slower at Celtic Manor and the quicker roll the METHOD produces might be beneficial. But a couple other questions come to mind — first, why the switch to a heel-shafted mid-mallet design, when his Scotty Cameron is an Anser-style blade model (as was the METHOD 001 he switched to at St. Andrews)? Secondly, will this new putter actually make it into his bag on Friday, and if so will it stay in his bag through Sunday? We’ll have to see if we get any information on the switch to a different model, and if the new putter is in Tiger’s bag on the first tee on Friday morning.

Filed Under: Athletes, Equipment, METHOD Putter, ngnation.com, Nike Golf, Putters, Tiger Woods

Nike Custom Gear for The Ryder Cup

September 28, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Nike Golf finally released pictures of the custom apparel for Ryder Cup athletes Tiger Woods, Stewart Cink, and Francesco Molinari, and while Nike decided not to go with my recommendations, I think the custom Tour Premiums for both US and Europe are a fantastically subtle touch, and Tiger Woods’ new USA Zoom TWs are worth enough to release to retail.

Now, before we all get too excited, Nike has already clarified that these will in fact be a special edition only and will not be available to consumers or staff pros.

Here’s a look at the athletes’ shoes:

Tiger Woods: White 2011 Zoom TW with Navy Swoosh and Red outline, Black Zoom TW with Navy Swoosh and Red outline

Stewart Cink: 2011 Tour Premium Black/White with red piping

Francesco Molinari: 2011 Tour Premium Black/White with Yellow Piping

Here’s some other custom apparel for the US Team: Red track jacket for Stewart and Lisa Cink, and custom AF1s

And check out Francesco’s AF 82s:

Filed Under: 2010 Ryder Cup, Apparel, Athletes, European Tour, Footwear, Footwear & Apparel, Francesco Molinari, International Events, Nike Golf, PGA Tour, Stewart Cink, Tiger Woods, Tournaments

CONTEST – Fall Series Fantasy Four: Viking Classic

September 28, 2010 By 35 Comments

Contest Guidelines
Hello and welcome to the NG Nation Fall Series Fantasy Four contest (wordy, I know). I would just like to run through the official rules before we get started on this 5 week contest.

1. CHOOSE YOUR FANTASY FOUR: EACH WEEK, pick four golfers who you think will be the high finishers for the week. ONE OF YOUR PICKS MUST BE A NIKE ATHLETE (unless there is only 1 in the field).

2. ENTRIES: Submit your Final Four in a comment below the NG Nation Fantasy Four post for that week. To be eligible for that week’s points, all entries/comments must be posted BY MIDNIGHT PST THE NIGHT BEFORE THE FIRST ROUND OF EACH TOURNAMENT (Wednesday by Midnight, PST) That means you need to come to NGNation.com each week and submit your 4 golfers in the respective Fantasy Four post.

3. POINTS: Points are allotted as follows:

Win = 10 points
Top 10’s = 5 points each
Top 25’s = 2 points each
MC’s = 0 points each

4. PRIZES: The 4 people with the highest point totals will be nicely rewarded. It’s the Fantasy Four, so there will be a winning foursome!

Nike Golf has provided us four pairs of shoes to use as prizes– for the men the Nike Zoom Trophy in all white or white with a black saddle which AK has been wearing all season, and for the ladies the Air Summer Lite.

5. EVENTS: The contest will run over the 5 Fall Series events and at the conclusion of these tournaments the winner will be announced in the weekly Fantasy Four Recap post. The events are as follows (starting this week):

Viking Classic
The McGladrey Classic
Frys.com Open
Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospital Open
Children’s Miracle Network Classic

Big thanks to Nike Golf for providing the prizes. Now let’s get week one started!

——————————————————

Fantasy Four: Viking Classic

I don’t think the leaves are changing yet, but the Fall season is here and players are putting for dough! While the big guns will be missing from these events, it will be even more imperative to pick 4 golfers you can trust. I’m here to try and help you do that! The picks should be fun as a lot of players are trying to get their 2011 Tour Card, so some players will a lot to play for (Daly), while others are trying to regain their form for next season (O’Hair, Stenson). I’m going to break down my Fantasy preview posts into Nike Golf, Four Who are Hot and Four Who Have History. Then I’ll leave you with my Final Four and you leave your Fantasy Four in the comments. Let’s get it started!

NIKE GOLF :: Three to Watch

Trevor Immelman
Trevor has had some sparks this year after two straight injury prone years. TI’s last start was at the Wyndham Championship where he finished T53 and throwing up 4 rounds in the 60′s. TI performed well in low-scoring events this year. While the PGA was very tough, he showed up for The Masters (T14) and The Open (T23) and followed that up with a T13 at the Canadian Open. He’s fallen hard in the past two years, but I think he’s healthy and ready to rock the Fall Series as a rookie.

David Duval
Not the worst year for Duval. Actually, it was his best year since 2002. He made 9/20 cuts, with 3 Top 25′s. Duval made it to The Barclays with back-to-back Top 25′s at The Canadian Open and Turning Stone, and finished T64 there. He had a lot of good rounds this year, but he just needs to put it all together. Hopefully the month off will help him out. Finished T22 here in ’08, T44 in ’07.

Carl Pettersson
CPetts looks like the most decorated golfer in 2010 here. With a win, 4 Top 10′s, 7 Top 25′s. He missed the cut at the Barclays and Deutsche Bank, but finished his playoff run with a T30 at the BMW. T2 in ’05, T10 in ’04, T25 in ’03.

THE FIELD :: Four Who Are Hot

Charlie Wi
recent finishes – T8 at BMW, T18 at Deutsche Bank, T27 at Barclays
17 cuts made, 11 top 25′s. He’s delivered and had a great playoff run.  T5 here in ’05.

Tom Gillis
recent finishes – T24 at BMW, T5 at Deutsche Bank, T18 at Wyndham
Tom has a very quiet here, but he performed in the playoffs. He should keep it up with weaker competition this year. He’ll have a lot to play for as he’s an old vet who has been between the Nationwide and PGA Tours.

DJ Trahan
recent finishes – 10th at Deutsche Bank, T21 at Barclays
Trahan quietly had a good year. finished with 6 straight made cuts (though finished 70th at the BMW).  He had 10 Top 25′s in his 17 made cuts this year.

Richard S. Johnson
recent finishes – T18 at Wyndham, T8 at Turning Stone, T21 at Greenbrier, 1st at Scandinavian Masters
Just on recent finishes, he tops this list, but he hasn’t played in awhile. T39 in ’07, T26 in ’04 at this event.

THE FIELD :: Four Who Have History

Chad Campbell
best finishes – 1st in ’07, 2nd in ’01, 4th in ’02
Also had a nice string of 8 straight made cuts (1 Top 10, 2 Top 20′s) leading up to the Deutsche Bank, where he DQ’d. Sub-par year where he’s trying to find his game again. Worth a shot, though.

Heath Slocum
best finishes – 1st in ’05, T13 in ’07, 18 in ’04, T25 in ’02
Coming in with 6 straight made cuts, failing to reach the TOUR Championship. He had a pretty good year with a bunch of Top 10′s and a lot of history at the Viking Classic.

Bill Haas
best finishes – T3 in ’07, T4 in ’08
Decent year with a win, finished 31st in the FedEx Cup points rankings.  Put up Top 25′s in the last two playoffs.

Jonathan Byrd
best finishes – T5 in ’02, T8 in ’04, T17 in ’05
Playing well as of late, 7 out of 8 made cuts, with 4 Top 25′s.  He’s a good player who had a very sub-par year, but turned it on late. I see him doing well through the playoffs.

Other notables: Sean O’Hair, Henrik Stenson, Rocco Mediate, John Daly, Arjun Atwal, Charles Howell, Ryuji Imada, Boo Weekley, Brendon de Jonge, Brian Gay, David Toms

FINAL FOUR :: John Mallinger, Brian Gay, Sean O’Hair and David Duval

CPetts is playing stress free and has a good record here. I’m really looking for Stenson, O’Hair, Daly and Duval to deliver during the Fall Series. I think there’s a lot of ways to play it, but I think Charlie Wi and Bill Haas are the favourites to win this week. However, I have good feelings about Howell, Weekley and Toms. Also, you can’t put much faith in the “Hot” section, since not everyone played in the FedEx Cup.

Check out the full field here >> Viking Classic Full Field

Leave your Fantasy Four in a comment below. Remember, you have to pick at least ONE Nike Golfer and have your picks in by WEDNESDAY at Midnight (PST).

Pick with your heart.

Filed Under: 2010 Fall Series Fantasy Four, Contests, Fantasy Four, ngnation.com

FedEx Cup Recap: Nike Athletes

September 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment

That’s a wrap and I, for one, am not complaining about the FedEx Cup (this year). My biggest gripe was that “why play if you’re not in the Top 5?” However, just like most other playoff formats, you’ve gotta show up to the big dance. There aren’t any paper champions in golf, unless you’re counting scorecards.

Just over a month ago I did a FedEx Cup Preview post, predicting where the Nike Athletes would finish. I’ll recap that and give some insight into their performance.

Paul Casey
Predicted Finish: 1-10  |  Actual: 6

“I believe Casey will finish highest of all the Nike golfers this year.” I got something right. Casey is going to go big this year. He was injured for part of this year, remember? He started the year hot and finished the same way. I still can’t believe he’s not on the Ryder Cup.  The FedEx Cup was his to lose after Round 2 at the TOUR Championship, but he can’t complain with solo 2nd and T4 in the last two playoff events.

Stewart Cink
Predicted Finish: 10-30  |  Actual: 38

Cink looked like he was going to make a run. Cink came into the Playoffs with 8 straight made cuts and back-to-back Top 20′s in the WGC-Bridgestone and PGA, however, he basically finished T18 in all the events and couldn’t get the Top 10 he needed. Very good and consistent golf, though, setting him up nicely for the Ryder Cup.

Carl Pettersson
Predicted Finish: 30-40  |  Actual: 40

I got one right! Petts is still developing into a consistent golfer. He’s playing this week in the Viking Classic where he has good history. His win this year helped him out and he can’t complain with how he finished. He just didn’t show up in the Playoffs. MC’s in the Barclays and Deutsche Bank, with a T30 in the BMW.

Anthony Kim
Predicted Finish: 20-30  |  Actual Finish: 41

In terms of percentages, he had a great year. He’s injured, there’s no question. I’m almost glad he’s not on the Ryder Cup so he doesn’t further injure himself. We were all hoping for a miracle, but 41st is pretty good for missing 10 events. He basically missed every cut since coming back from injury (WGC-Bridgestone and BMW didn’t have cuts).

Tiger Woods
Predicted Finish: 1-30  |  Actual: 42

Tiger took all of the spotlight heading into the TOUR Championship after streaking nicely from the PGA’s T28 to a T12 at The Barclays and a T11 at Deutsche Bank, Tiger needed a T5 at the BMW, but only put up a T15. It was exciting, but it was probably good for the Tour overall. We saw many flashes of the old Tiger and I think the Cup will be his again next year.

Justin Leonard
Predicted Finish: 10-20 |  Actual: 58

Justin actually played very well in the playoffs. He finished T36, T30, T30, but it was really only one round each event that held him back. After a very dissappointing early and mid-season, Justin came back strong after The Open Championship with 7 straight made cuts, 5 of them being Top 30 finishes.

Stephen Ames
Predicted Finish: 80-100 |  Actual: 68

I underestimated Ames. Good for him, though. He made the cut in the 3 playoff events he was in, so that’s always good experience after a sub-par year. 

Lucas Glover
Predicted Finish: 20-40  |  Actual: 74

Glover didn’t show up in the playoffs after a solo 7th at the Wyndham. MC at the Barclays and T65 at the Deutsche Bank couldn’t cut the mustard.

David Duval
Predicted Finish: 90-100  |  Actual: 117

Not the worst comeback year for Duval. Look for him to make a splash in the Fall Series. At least he made the cut at the Barclays after an opening round 68.

Overall, great FedEx Cup and Jim Furyk was a deserving champion after DJ, Stricker and Kuchar all bit the dust. At least Furyk is looking good for the Ryder Cup!

Filed Under: 2010 FedEx Cup, Anthony Kim, Athletes, Carl Pettersson, FedEx Cup, Justin Leonard, Lucas Glover, Paul Casey, PGA Tour, Stephen Ames, Stewart Cink, Tiger Woods, Tournaments
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