Biggest Winners and Losers from the Frys.com Open
The Frys.com Open is in the books. We have a tournament winner (he's the guy with the trophy in the picture above) and a number of other winners to lesser degrees.
Of course, at the dawning of the 2014-15 season, the sun isn't shining as brightly on some golfers. And the quick turnaround may have a few golfers and fans in less-than-sunny moods.
Click through for the reasons why and for our full breakdown of the winners and losers from Silverado Country Club.
Winner: Johnny Miller
1 of 7
Investor, course redesigner and unofficial master of ceremonies at Silverado CC, Johnny Miller was in his glory this week at the Frys.com Open.
As Ron Kroichick of the San Francisco Chronicle writes, the former tour player and current golf commentator
"[Approached] Frys.com Open president Duke Butler on June 14, 2010, the Monday of U.S. Open week at Pebble Beach. Miller went to the club in San Martin for a corporate outing, but he arrived early to talk to Butler, a longtime friend, about one day bringing a PGA Tour event back to Silverado Resort in Napa.
"
Given the compelling tournament that unfolded at the beautifully restored course, the man who brought the event to Napa is a big winner this week.
Loser: Jimmy Walker
2 of 7
From Johnny to Jimmy: Last year's Frys.com Open champ entered this year's event as the favorite to win. Unfortunately, the three-time winner on tour last year opened with a 75.
Although Walker fired a second-round 66, he didn't hit enough fairways (46.4 percent) or greens (58.3 percent) to contend this week.
Walker finished outside the top 60 in a disappointing opening to his 2014-15 campaign.
Winner: Fans of Professional Golf
3 of 7
You can bet the gentlemen pictured above are excited about the seemingly endless stream of professional golf we're treated to with the PGA Tour's reconfigured (as of two years ago) calendar.
Billy Horschel tapped in his Tour Championship-winning putt on September 14. The victory in Atlanta wrapped up the 2013-14 season.
Many of golf's best played seven tournaments in eight weeks leading up to the Tour Championship. Even players who didn't make it through to the final playoff event or receive the call to represent country or continent at the Ryder Cup have been playing a lot of golf.
Now, less than a month later, we've wrapped up the inaugural event of the 2014-15 season. It wasn't long ago that you could hibernate from the end of the Tour Championship through the beginning of January and not miss much. Not so any more.
Now, two years into the "wraparound season" era, golf fans are treated to an unrivaled buffet.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Losers: Players and Fans Overloaded with Golf
4 of 7
Phil Mickelson, pictured above, wasn't a big fan of the amount of golf he "had" to play in the final quarter of the 2013-14 season. And while few players aside from the often outspoken Mr. Mickelson complained of fatigue, you could see it in the players' faces down the stretch.
Even boy wonder Rory McIlroy seemed gassed heading into the Ryder Cup.
And if you aren't a fan of what seems like a tournament every week of the year, you're likely disappointed by a PGA Tour calendar creeping closer to 50 events. Indeed, if you prefer to tune out after the Ryder Cup to focus on your favorite football team, you'll have to divide your attention with (admittedly weak-fielded) PGA Tour events.
There are worse fates, however.
Winner: Players Whose Last Name Starts with "H"
5 of 7
While golfers whose last names start with "H" may not have been big winners generally at the Frys.com Open, a pair of them did pretty well in the par-three department.
Sean Martin of PGATour.com explains Billy Hurley III and Mark Hubbard's good fortune:
"Hurley III used a 6-iron to ace the 182-yard 15th hole. He made 5s on the next three holes, playing them in 1 over par, to shoot a second-round 74 and miss the cut by one shot. He finished 36 holes at Silverado Resort at even-par 144 (70-74).
Hubbard, who is making his first PGA TOUR start as a member, used a 5-iron to ace the 198-yard, par-3 seventh hole.
"
Losers: Old-Timers
6 of 7
While veterans like Robert Allenby (T8) and Retief Goosen (T3) availed themselves nicely at Silverado CC, others stars of the recent past struggled mightily.
51-year-old Vijay Singh shot 72, 74 to miss the cut.
41-year-old Justin Leonard fired the same two scores and was thus free for the weekend.
50-year-old Davis Love III shot 77, 74 to miss the cut.
And the winner? Sang-Moon Bae is 28. As usual, golf wasn't kind to the over-40 set in the season opener.
Winner: Sang-Moon Bae
7 of 7
Last, and in this case "most," Sang-Moon Bae captured the second win of his career at Silverado Country Club thanks largely to an impressive Saturday 65.
The native Korean hit 75 percent of greens in regulation for the week and managed to hold on Sunday, firing a one-over 73 to take the trophy.
As Bae said after his Saturday 65 "It's a good score. Four-shot lead makes me a little comfortable for Sunday, but I don't think about a win" (per The Associated Press via ESPN.com).
Thinking about a win or not thinking about a win, Bae earned himself one. The Callaway staffer is the big winner this week.
All stats via PGATour.com
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
