Turning Stone - A Turning Point?
IN: News | US PGA | Turning Stone Resort Championship (2008) | Preview | by Bruce Young | 01 Oct 2008
The PGA Tour returns to a level of normality this week and for many, the next few weeks are equally, if not more, important than the last few have been to the elite of the golfing world.
The Turning Stone Resort Championship in Vernon, New York is the first of six remaining events on the 2008 PGA Tour. With so many money list milestones at stake over the next few weeks, more especially for those trying to retain their playing privileges on the PGA Tour, this may well turn out to be one of the more significant periods in the careers of several golfers in this week’s field.
The Atunyote Golf Club at Turning Point Resort is a Tom Fazio designed layout established in 2004. The course played host to this event for the first occasion in 2007 when Steve Flesch, despite a struggle over the final stages, ran out the winner by two over Michael Allen.
With so much activity in recent weeks by the leading players on the PGA Tour, many have left the stage this week to those in more need of the money and not one player from the world’s top 30 will tee it up.
Robert Allenby is one of only four players in the field from last week’s Tour Championship. The Australian is likely to be the favourite as a result of his reasonable showing in the event when 25th last year and also because it has been 24 starts since he last missed a cut. That came at the Sony Open earlier this season but since then Allenby has recorded seven top ten finishes and his 16th place last week in Atlanta was solid enough.
Carl Petterson was doing well in this event last year until a final round of 73 but still managed to finish in a share of 5th place. Like Allenby, Petterson has made a lot of cuts this season and does have the added bonus of winning the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro six weeks ago. He seems a good chance to do very well again especially following his last round of 68 in Atlanta last week.
Kevin Streelman is in his rookie PGA Tour season but his performances in recent months would not suggest as much. As if buoyed by his early lead at the US Open, Streelman has been very good since and made it all the way to the penultimate event of the Fed Ex Cup playoff at the BMW Championship. His 6th place at the Wyndham Championship followed by a 4th place at the Barclays highlight just how good Streelman might become and a win against this field is not beyond him.
Ryuji Imada finished off last week’s Tour Championship with a 68 and just the fact that he was even in that field indicates that he has the credentials to do well this week. He missed the cut in this event last year which is a bit of a concern but given that he has since won for the first time on the PGA Tour, he should do much better this week.
Dudley Hart appears to be back to his best with an impressive 10th place at the Tour Championship following a runner up finish behind Villegas at the BMW. Hart did not play this event in 2007 but that should not be of too much concern for his followers.
Of the Australians other than Allenby there are many with genuine claims to the title. John Senden did well here last year with a 3rd placing and although not on the top of his game at present could do well.
Mathew Goggin finished 5th last year and, although inconsistent of late, his recent 4th place at the Barclays in New Jersey indicates that he could do well again. Rod Pampling, Nick O’Hern, Steve Elkington, Nathan Green, Peter Lonard, Jason Day, Steve Allan, Nick Flanagan, Matt Jones, Brett Rumford, Mark Hensby, Tim Wilkinson, David Lutterus and Danny Lee complete a significant lineup of Australasians in the field.
For the US Amateur Champion, New Zealander Danny Lee, this will be his second USPGA Tour event and his first since claiming the game’s greatest amateur title five weeks ago. In his first PGA Tour event he finished a very impressive 20th at the Wyndham Championship and his progress this week will be of much interest.
Day, Allan, Flanagan, Jones, Rumford, Hensby, Wilkinson and Lutterus all need something special over the next few weeks to avoid a return to Tour School and for some will require few good cheques to avoid having to attend stage two of Tour School.
