Miracle needed by some at Disney World
IN: News | US PGA | Children's Miracle Network Classic (2007) | Preview | by Bruce Young | 31 Oct 2007
The final event of the USPGA Tour for season 2007 is upon us and after 46 events stretching from Hawaii in the west to Florida in the east, Canada in the north and Scotland across the Atlantic, the PGA Tour finishes this week for 2007 and for some it finishes for much longer.
Many players face the prospect of a life on lesser tours unless they can produce something special this week in Orlando in Florida where the Children’s Miracle Network Classic presented by Wal-Mart is played over the Palms and Magnolia courses at Lake Buena Vista.
The defending champion is Joe Durant, who in winning last year by four shots over Frank Lickliter and Troy Matteson, broke a five year title drought. It might however be the winner in 2005 who has a greater chance of victory.
Lucas Glover has shown in recent weeks that he is closing in on his second USPGA Tour victory, two years after his first at this event in 2005. Glover has produced reasonable finishes in his last three events and is looking to make up for a disappointing start to the season when he let a great opportunity to win his first event of the season disappear with a closing round of 80.
Like Glover, Sean O’Hair is looking to win his first event since 2005 and his second overall. He has been close to his best in the last few weeks leading at one stage in the final round at Fry’s Electronics Open and finishing 5th last week at the Ginn sur Mer Classic.
Tim Clark has often played well in this event and although he is yet to win on the PGA Tour, this week’s event might provide a very good opportunity for him. He has been inside the top 10 in three of his four starts in this event and although injury has prevented him from playing a full campaign in 2007, when he has played he has done well enough to be considered a chance this week.
Sweden’s Frederik Jacobson finally contended last week after a series of very solid tournaments. Jacobson has played this event only once, that being in 2004 when he finished 41st. Another Swede, Carl Pettersson, missed the cut last week but in his events prior to that had been in contention on several occasions. He has played well here in one or two of his visits to this event and the tournament offers a chance for both he or Jacobson to make it two in a row for the Swedes.
The Australasians have mixed reasons for finishing the season off well. Robert Allenby is the most credentialed but he has struggled of late and Mathew Goggin and the improving Michael Sim might be better chances.
Sim, Andrew Buckle, Paul Gow, Gavin Coles and Jarrod Lyle all need big weeks to reach moneylist milestones that will ensure they have some level of status in 2008 but for New Zealander, Craig Perks, his PGA Tour journey is all but over.
Perks’ five year exemption for winning the 2002 Players Championship in 2002 ends this week and it will be an emotional Perks who will tee it up this week. A player good enough to win one of the game’s most significant events, Perks has fallen victim to the obsession to change a swing that wasn’t badly broken in the first place and the future for the 40-year-old remains uncertain.
