Golf Jinxer: How I Destroyed the Hopes of Three Contenders

Never before has one journalist single handedly destroyed the hopes of winning of three contenders quite like I did last week at the Colonial.

Blogging for ESPN, I wrote this of Kenny Perry after his first round 64...

Nobody should be surprised Kenny Perry is in contention again this year at the Crowne Plaza Colonial Championship. Perry has won more money ($2,643,181) at the Colonial than any other player in the tournament’s history. Perry won in 2003 and 2005 by shooting -19 under.

After shooting a bogey free six under 64 on Thursday, Perry wants to become the first player since Ben Hogan to win the Colonial three times.

“Something I would like to do, no doubt,” said Perry. “I think there is 10 guys with two wins in this tournament. I would love to break out of there and get three. It's only one day, we got three more days to go. A lot of work ahead of me.”

Perry made three birdies on his first nine (holes 10-18) playing with Vijay Singh who also started hot, making four birdies on the same side, including three in a row.

“He played great,” Perry said of Singh. “It is always nice when one guy is going good. It keeps the group paying attention more focused. I always like it when somebody is playing hot.”

Perry has been “hot” almost all year, making the cut in 11 of 12 events. He won the FBR Open in January and has already earned $2,705,259, which ranks fifth on the money list.

Earlier this year at Augusta National, Kenny Perry tried to usurp Jack Nicklaus as the oldest person to ever win the Masters. But back to back bogeys on the 71st and 72nd holes of the tournament cost him the outright Major win. He would go on to lose to Angel Cabrera in a three man playoff that included Chad Campbell.

“We cried a little bit there the first couple of days and talked about it and enjoyed it,” said Perry. “But I'm not hanging my head on that deal, that was fun. I had a blast.”

Perry is a self described, “feel player” player, but pulled a “Bruce Lietzke” before playing the Colonial this week.

Lietzke was a former tour player famous for not practicing, yet still having the ability to win. Lietzke’s most infamous story came one year when his caddy but a banana in his driver head cover after the last round of the last tournament of the season.

The following year, when Lietzke stood at the teebox of the first tournament of the year, the same caddy pulled off the head cover and there was the same old banana.

“I did a first, I did a Bruce Lietzke,’ said Perry. “Two weeks ago after TPC, my club was in my club glove, I stuck them in the closet at the house, and I didn't touch them until I put the club glove on the plane on Monday; two weeks later. I didn't touch a club for two weeks.”

This week, Perry put in a new driver in the bag that he insists is giving him ten extra yards. What Perry said may seem like coach speak to some, but anyone who has spent time on a launch monitor knows exactly what Perry is talking about.

“TaylorMade came out with a new 460 driver,” said Perry. “I put it in play the first time today and I picked up five miles an hour swing speed going from the R9, to the R9 460. I was averaging 166 ball speed. When I went to the 460 I was having 172 so that's about 10 to 12 yards further.

"I wanted to get it on out there and attack the golf course a little bit, so I was launching the driver on the trackman. It would launch at 13 degrees at 2,200 ball spin. If you can get that with 172 mile an hour ball speed, it's going to go 310 to 315."

Ahh yeah Kenny. Those are the same numbers I get whenever I step onto a launch monitor…uh hmm…

“The driver goes and the ball goes so I'm able to hang with those kids," said Perry.

If Perry keeps hitting the ball like he did today, he’ll get fitted for more than just a driver. Plaid jackets are awarded to the lucky winner.

Perry shot two over 72 the next day and fell out of contention...

After Friday's action, I wrote this about Sean O'Hair who was a couple strokes off the lead heading into the weekend...

Sean O'Hair sits three stokes behind Steve Stricker on the leaderboard, but nobody in the field is striking the ball better. A case can be made for why each of the four leaders will win, but the numbers suggest O'Hair will prevail if the putts start to fall.

Through two days of golf at the tree lined Colonial Country Club, O'Hair has missed exactly one green in regulation. That is not a misprint. O'Hair ranks first in the field in greens in regulation at 97.22 percent, having hit 35 of 36 greens heading into the weekend.

The flip side of hitting so many greens in regulation is not hitting the ball next to the pin every time. O'Hair has averaged 31 putts per round, which is amongst the most of any player that made the cut.

Conversely, Stricker has ridden his hot putter to a Colonial Invitational 36 hole record - 14 under. Stricker ranks in the top three in each putting category. He ranks first in putts per green in regulation at 1.448 and first in total greens in regulation putts at 42. His 25.5 putts per round is good for third.

"I'm going up to every putt with a lot of confidence knowing that I made a lot of putts these first couple of days," said Stricker. "So I'm very excited to reach the green, and look forward to putting it, which is always a good thing."

Perhaps you think the spoils of Colonial are earned by the player who makes the fewest mistakes. If that is your philosophy, than Vijay Singh and Tim Clark could be poised to host the trophy. Through two rounds, both Singh and Clark have each made only one bogey.

Clark has been especially efficient plotting his way through the tree doglegs at Colonial. Clark ranks third in driving accuracy, having landed in the short grass 23 times out of 28 attempts. Clark has always been a solid putter and this week is no different. He is averaging 27 putts per round and his 1.548 putts per green in regulation ranks third best in the field.

"I really hit the ball good these two days," said Clark. "A lot of fairways, a lot of putts, dirty putts. If anything I left a few out there, but obviously I can't look at it that way."

Singh has flashed both power (343 yard drive on 11) and scrambling ability (100% sand saves this week). His 309 yard driving average ranks second in the field.

The greens at Colonial Country Club are immaculate. Its only a matter of time before O'Hair starts draining some putts. If he can add a hot putter to his ball striking ability, O'Hair will don the plaid jacket come Sunday.

O'Hair played the next 36 holes in two over par.  He had played the first 36 in 11 under.  At this point I'm feeling pretty jinxy.

Then, I kill poor Tim Clark's chances for his first tour victory, by dropping this poison on the unsuspecting South African...

Tim Clark continues to flash big game despite his smallish stature.

Golf has become a power hitter's game. Advanced technology drivers married superiourly designed golf balls and together they spawned endless distance for the pros who can tourque it just so.

Last week at the Byron Nelson, Vijay Singh broke out a persimmon wood and a balata golf ball and tried to hit it as far as he could. The ball traveled 237 yards.

This week at Colonial Country Club, where players must maneuver the ball right or left off the tee to follow the tree lined doglegs, distance is secondary to control and accuracy. Still, the longer players can bomb it over the trees and through the doglegs.

Tim Clark does not possess the power game to play over the designed trouble. He must play the holes exactly as they were designed. And he is doing just that better than anyone in the field.

Through 54 holes the 5'7" South African has made only two bogeys and ranks in the top five in every important category of golf.

Driving? Clark ranks third in driving accuracy, hitting 78.26 percent of the fairways.

Iron play? Clark ranks second in greens in regulation at 83.5 percent.

Putting? Clark's 1.612 putts per hole average ranks fifth in the field.

We'll see if Clark can hang on to his 54 hole lead. If he keeps driving the ball, hitting greens and putting this well, nobody will catch him.

Thats called 0 for three.  Or three and 0, however you look at it.

I would like to offer an allogy, which is an all out apology to these players. 

Now I know why the Cowboys cratered last year.