JoePa's Smurfit Kappa Euro Open and AT&T National

[joepa66]

Had some luck last week with Cristie Kerr getting the Women's US Open title.....the ladies are off this week so let's hit the links with the guys!


SMURFIT KAPPA EUROPEAN OPEN - T K Club in County Kildare, Ireland

All 1 unit plays:

BRADLEY DREDGE 20 / 1 - Dredge is ranked 15th on the Order of Merit and grabbed another Top 10 finish last week in a T10th @ -5 in the Open de France. He likes playing on the Irish soil and finished 2nd in the Irish Open @ -5 and in his home country finished T2nd in the Celtic Manor Wales Open @ -12. More importantly he hasn't missed a cut this season and has 3 Top 10s in his last 4 starts. Last year in the same tournament he finished in a T9th @ -5 just 4 strokes off the pace. In 2006 he also missed just 3 cuts in 25 tournaments, finished 16th on the Order of Merit and had 4 Top 10s in a row. Looks like another solid season for Dredge this year whose scoring average is 71.2, GIR is 70.12% and 60.5% in sand saves. His average drives are 284.53.


RICHARD STERNE 28 / 1 - Sterne is currently ranked 7th on the Order of Merit, has 11 events under his belt and in his last 6 starts has 4 Top 5 finishes, and has 9 Top 25s! I'd venture to say he's on the cusp of winning. His scoring average is 70.02, his GIR is 67.24% and he's an amazing 78.57% in sand saves which equates to knowing how to get out of trouble and low scores. The season he's won the Celtic Manor Wales Open, T3rd in the BMW PGA Championship, and at one point had of his Top 5 finishes in a row by finishing T2nd in the Johnnie Walker Classic, 5th in the Volvo China Classic, and T5th in the BMW Asia Open. WITHDREW BEFORE TOURNAMENT


ANGEL CABRERA 14 / 1 - The US Open Champs first tournament....I hope he can handle the newfound fame and fortune he experienced on a victory lap in Argentina. It's been nearly 2 weeks since he's played on the circuit, but when you look at his schedule this year that's not atypical. Cabrera usually plays in tournaments and takes two weeks off at a time....he finished T5th in the BMW PGA Championship @ -6, practiced for two weeks and finished as the champion at Oakmont. He's only played in 6 events so far but has 4 Top 20s, 2 Top 5s and a winner. His scoring average isn't all that low at 71.7, but his drives find the fairways 78.57% of the time and he's bashing them 302.25 yards down the track which makes it easier to find the greens with 84% regularity. A big hitter with pinpoint accuracy on approaches, ya just gotta ride that mount.

.5 unit play....

I'd be stupid if I didn't back one of the quietest but steadiest golfers on the Euro circuit and one who almost pulled it out for me last week.....SIMON KHAN 40 / 1. The price is right and last week he finished T4th in the Open de France @ -6 just 3 strokes off the winner and he led after the 3rd round. So far this season his other best finishes are a T7th @ -9 in the BMW International, and an 11th place finish in the Telecom Italia Open. In 2006 he had 6 top 10s bumping him to a 25th place on the order of merit. Khan hits GIR in 70% fashion, has a scoring average of 71.11, is currently ranked 25th on the European Tour, and drives the ball 286 yards with 64.65% accuracy.

[Stanley]

Like Dredge as well.

BTW Sterne (and Casey) have withdrawn.

[joepa66]

Thanks for the headsup Stanley....never even heard from my book! Guess I have to look at another golfer to fill my field then! GL

[joepa66]

ADD for Smurfit Kappa European Open:


PAUL MCGINLEY 66 / 1 - If there was ever anyone who need some love from home it's McGinley! He faded last year struggling through a knee injury after playing on 3 successive winning Ryder Cup teams.....which makes his Ryder Cup winning percentage 100%.....seems like a good guy to have around at The K Club since that's where the Cup was played last year. So far this season he ranks 97th on the Order of Merit and once was a model of consistency but has seen the dreaded "bogey syndrome" creep into his game. He missed the cut in his last outing at the BMW International with 9 bogeys in two rounds. At the Open de France last week he finished T25th @ +4 and looks forward to a "home remedy".....last year he finished T4th @-6 in the Smurfit Kappa. Driving accuracy (62.5%) and GIR (66.4%) are what has eluded him this year along with the ability to get up and down from the sand (50%). Once he gets the flat stick in his hands he's in great shape, putts per GIR are the 2nd best of his career, and average putts per round are the best of his career. Oh what a little home cookin can do to help restore the focus that has eluded one's golf game, and the crowd will pay him homage!

[joepa66]

AT&T NATIONAL @ CONGRESSIONAL


JIM FURYK 11 / 1 - Gonna ride this horse still it comes in...... In his last four starts he has so many photo finishes with 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, 6 Top 10s, 10 Top 25s and only missed two cuts, and finished T5th (-13) nearly missing out on the possibility of a 5 man playoff last week and just 2 strokes clear from the winner who carded a -15. 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. Furyk is playing the best golf of anybody on tour, and is on the verge of a winner.


ADAM SCOTT 18 / 1 - Ranked #4 in the world and is no stranger to Congressional! He won the 2004 Booz Allen Classic at Congressional and in 2005 was runner-up in a tie for second. Scott has made the cut in 10 of 11 starts this season, and finished 1st in the Shell Houston Open, 2nd in the Mercedes Benz Championship, has 5 Top 10s and 6 Top 25s. His scoring average is 70.31 on the season. He may have missed the cut in the US Open after opening with a score of +18 after the first two rounds but in three straight tournaments before that he records 3 of his Top 10s by finishing 7th in the St. Jude, 5th in The Memorial, and 6th at the Players Championship. The course is to his liking and the time off from the US Open should have allowed him to prepare for a course for where he's been mucho successful in the past!


AARON BADDELEY 50 / 1 - Bads ranks 7th in Top 10s on the year with 5, one of those being a 1st place finish in the FBR Open @ -21 early in the season. He also has 8 Top 25s and has made the cut in 13 of 14 events. He finished T13th in the US Open with a +12 seven strokes behind winner Angel Cabrera.....and most of that ground was lost on the final day when he shot and 80! He T9th in The Memorial this season -12. He is 7th in putting average @ 1.75 and 4th in putts per round @ 28.10. Bads simply needs to shake off a, well, a case of the bads that led to the +9 he posted on the final day at Oakmont.

[joepa66]

Where's Rory Sabbatini when ya need him? Don't like him but I was interested in backing him in the AT&T at Congressional where in his last 3 Booz Allen starts won in 2003, finished 3rd in 2004, and was 6th in 2005....shooting sub 70s in all rounds except for one.....

[joepa66]

Not a good week for me on the Euro....at least Furyk was close.....



SMURFIT KAPPA EUROPEAN TOUR
DREDGE T146th / +12
CABRERA T60TH / +2
KHAN T11th / -7
McGINLEY T69th / +2


AT&T NATIONAL
FURYK T3rd / -3
BADDELEY T27th / +10
SCOTT Missed Cut