The Shell Open

The "Hooters" Open


Date Written: April 7, 2008


Johnson (Two Last Names) Wagner held it together to win in Houston. He gets his first win on tour, a two year exemption and best of all, he gets to play at Augusta this coming week. What a week for the 29-year old.

Doug B's stellar (T-2) pick of Chad Campbell jumps him to over a mil in the fantasy pool standings. John M. closed the gap a bit at the top of the standings with a solid (T-11) Stricker finish. The nine of us in the pack who picked Appleby (T-26) are still waiting for him to mount a charge.

Other reports from various golf websites in italics. Author's comments in red:

• John Daly withdrew from the Houston Open on Friday after a double bogey on the par-3 16th hole, his seventh hole in the second round. Citing a back injury. Daly was playing on another sponsor exemption. He opened with a 78 and would've missed the cut. Daly was making his ninth start in an already dismal year. He backed out of the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic with a rib injury, missed four cuts and was kicked out of the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard after missing his pro-am tee time. That same day, he found out swing coach Butch Harmon had fired him.

And this from Dave Kaplan, AT&T Tournament Director said. "I think people want to see John, whether they are going to come to see him as a train wreck, or to see him as a golfer, that's in their minds, but I think John would add to our tournament."

I think train wreck. Is it weird that as part of the human race we have an interest in watching someone kill themselves? Ask any substance abuse veteran and they will tell you that Big John's in Big Trouble.

• Adam Scott, with a second-round 76, was 13-strokes higher than his 63 in his first round. That is the largest number for Scott since following up a 67 in Round Two of the 2006 PLAYERS Championship with an 82 in Round Three. According to the PGA, he got strep throat.

I'd get a cough too, shooting a 13-shot differential from day one to day two. Methinks he wanted to scoot over to Augusta and get in some practice licks.

• When play was called on the second day, the par-4 18th hole was ranked as the most difficult in Round Two, more so for none other than Alejandro Canizares. When he got to the 18th tee, he was 3 under for the tournament. When he left the 18th, he was 9 over for the tournament. Four consecutive balls in the water off the tee lead to a 12.

Another "mahvelous" train wreck. When I read this the first time I wondered how one could go from 3 under to 9 over on one hole. That's actually more than a twelve on the hole but rather a 12-shot swing on one hole. The author of the blurb didn't do the math. In reality, he shot 3 under (69) the first day and was 13 over (85) on day two, including his stellar 12 on eighteen, which he was playing as his ninth hole. He blew 4 shots in the water. Whatever the large number, we can all relate to a giant blow-up hole.

Buenos Suerte!