[joepa66]

BUICK OPEN PGA

NO VIJAY....NO TIGER...the door is open! 7 first-time winners on the PGA tour this season and 5 of them are in their 20s.....


SEAN O'HAIR 20 / 1 - Looking for O'Hair to prove himself after a T5th @ -14 in the Jack's Memorial Tournament......since then he finished T46th in the St. Jude and he was one of those "average" golfers at Oakmont and couldn't break 80 to make the cut in the second round. O'Hair has experience at Warwick Hills and has made the top 10 in both his events there. In 2006 he played Warwick with ALL four rounds in the 60s, now that's impressive! He's 20th on the tour in driving distance at 296.4 yards, and his GIR is 65.89%, and ranks 25th in scoring @ 70.11. However, he ranks 93rd in final round scoring average with a 71.56......Warwick just may be the medicine the doctor ordered after also getting a break from the tour last week.


HEATH SLOCUM 50 / 1 - Why not? He's in that 20-something crowd! Last week he tied for 22nd at the Travelers @ -4 and has only missed the cut 3 times in 15 events this season. He's quietly worked his way to 7 Top 25 finishes, 3 Top 10s, and finished 2nd in the PODS Championship shooting -9. And two of those Top 10s, 4th at the Hope Chrysler Classic (-15) and 6th in the FBR Open (-16) came in back to back weeks. In the Hope, he finished just two strokes off of Charley Hoffman and John Rollins who had to playoff. In driving distance Slocum is 144th at 279.4 yards, but 10th in accuracy hitting 70.46% of the fairways. He's also 15th in putting......it could happen!


JIM FURYK 4 / 1 - Best of the field without Singh or Woods in my mind. In his last three starts he has two runner-up (2nd) place finishes...in the Crowne Plaza and the US Open. In 14 events this year he has two 2nds, one 3rd, 5 Top 10s, 9 Top 25s and only missed two cuts. Although Furyk is 173rd in driving distance at 274 yards, he's 3rd in accuracy hitting 74.67% of the fairways, 12th in GIR at 66.78%, and 5th in scoring with a 69.58 average. His bugaboo has been his 3rd round scoring average where he ranks 121st with a 72, while he ranks 15th in first round averge, 12th in second round average and 32nd in the final round. Jim, just make some pars at Warwick to stay close in round three, that's all this course begs from ya! He finished 2nd in the Buick in 2001 so he's no stranger here....and on a roll of late!