Sips of Maginnes: Putting king, old guys rule, young stars shine
By John Maginnes, PGATOUR.COM Contributor
On Wednesday at the Farmers Insurance Open the twin putting greens behind the lodge at Torrey Pines were filled with players, teachers and caddies. And one of the most accomplished players on the green was wearing a different hat.
Dave Stockton was working with some of his many pupils on their putting. His most famous student, Phil Mickelson, was busy with his pro-am duties but that certainly didn't leave "Senior" idle. Players flocked to Dave, considered one of the best putters of all time, for some words of advice. Also on the green giving tips was Dave Stockton Jr., who is a pretty good putter in his own right. Who knows? Maybe putting is hereditary. If not, communication skills certainly are passed down from generation to generation and both Sr. and Jr. impart practical wisdom on the best players in the world.
• Bill Haas and Bubba Watson, two of the chief protagonists in the Monday finish at the Bob Hope Classic, also were practicing on the putting green. It might be more accurate to say that Haas was hovering a few inches above the green with his feet yet to hit the ground since he walked off the 18th green at the Palmer Private course as a PGA TOUR champion. "I was OK, I was holding up until I saw my dad and he had a tear in his eye -- then I just lost it," Bill said with a huge smile on his face. After congratulating him I stepped a few feet away to Watson, who was stroking a few short putts. "What can I say? I shot 66 with the lead in the final round. What can you do? It would have been pretty good if it wasn't for that guy," Bubba said, laughing and pointing at Bill.
• There is a t-shirt shop down in the village of La Jolla that displays its wares in the window. Several of the decorative tees are emblazoned with the logo "Old Guys Rule" -- and they certainly did at Torrey Pines as three Champions Tour members played all four days of the Farmers Insurance Open.
• Tom Pernice Jr., who has said that he is going to play as many PGA TOUR events as he can, was a factor until some troubles on Saturday. Tommy Armour III never contended for the title but played solidly all week. He says that he will move over to the senior set in the next couple of weeks and that he isn't looking back. "I am going to play every week that I get in out there," Tommy said with a smile on his face.
• And the third "old guy" indeed tried to rule on Sunday. Michael Allen, the reigning Senior PGA champion, has yet to win on the PGA TOUR, but he made quite a run at the title with a 65 on championship Sunday -- which also happened to be his 51st birthday. He ended up in a tie for fifth.
• If you didn't have reason to keep an eye on Marc Leishman, the reigning PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year, you do now. The same is true for Michael Sim and Brandt Snedeker. That trio tied for second at the Farmers Insurance Open. In each of the last three years the runners-up at the tournament have gone on to win sometime later in the year. As a matter of fact, you have to go all the way back to 1998 to find a runner-up at Torrey Pines who has gone winless in his career. Snedeker already has a victory and it seems like the next one is right around the corner. As for Leishman and Sim, the future has looked bright for a long time. The stars continue to align for these young men.
Former PGA TOUR player John Maginnes is a columnist for PGATOUR.COM. His views do not necessarily represent the views of the PGA TOUR.
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