Week 26 Approach Shots: AT&T National
By PGATOUR.COM staff
REDEEM TEAM: This game is hard. Just ask Robert Garrigus, who squandered a three-shot lead going into the 18th hole on Sunday at the St. Jude Classic three weeks ago.
"People who play golf know how hard it is to win. Look at Dustin Johnson in the Open, look at Justin Rose last week. It's so hard," he said on Wednesday. "Golf is one of the hardest sports in the world, and to do what I did in Memphis, you know, it sucks, it really does. But there's nothing I can do about it now."
The only thing he, Johnson, Rose, and Rickie Fowler--who have all blown significant leads on the last day in the past four weeks--can do is keep playing. And that's exactly what the doctor has ordered this week at Aronimink, where all four will be competing in the AT&T National starting Thursday.
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"It's just a matter of picking yourself up and doing it all over again," Johnson said. "Golfers have tough days, and it's how quick you can get over them is the best part."
Johnson turned in one of the worst rounds by a Sunday leader in a major championship when he carded an 11-over 82 at Pebble Beach two weeks ago. Fowler's 73 in the final round of the Memorial last month kept him from holding his first trophy as a professional. And it was Rose last week, who led wire-to-wire heading into Sunday at the Travelers Championship, only to shoot a 79, good for a T9 finish.
Then again, you have to look at the big picture. All four played excellent golf for the better part of four rounds, grounded by a few mistakes magnified by the moment. For Garrigus, it's all about perspective.
"I played so well, it would be nice to win, but I just want to keep playing golf. I've got the greatest job in the world. I'm very blessed to be out here," he said. "Being a professional golfer is always what I've wanted to be since I was 13-years-old, and the fact that I get to do that every day, come out and have fun, sign autographs for the kids, thank some volunteers, it's a blessing."
It just goes to show you: winning has many definitions.
SAME NAME, NEW PLACE: Following three successful years in the Washington D.C. area, the AT&T National moves to the Philadelphia area, and one of the nation's top courses, Aronimink Golf Club.
The Donald Ross design opened in 1928 and hosted four prestigious events--the 1962 PGA Championship, 1977 US Amateur, 1997 US Junior Amateur and 2003 Senior PGA Championship--before landing the 2010 and 2011 AT&T National.
Aronimink has been home to many accomplished golfers in its history. The first American-born winner of the U.S. Open, John McDermott, was an Aronimink caddie and learned to play golf from the club's long time head golf professional, Walter Reynolds. Jay Sigel, Sean O'Hair and World Golf Hall of Famer Gary Player, an honorary member, are all members of Aronimink.
This is the first PGA TOUR event in the Philadelphia area since Waynesborough Country Club hosted the 2002 SEI Pennsylvania Classic and the first in Pennsylvania since the 2006 84 Lumber Classic.
LOCAL KNOWLEDGE: Two players in the field this week might have a slight advantage at Aronimink. Jim Furyk was born in West Chester, PA--only about ten miles from Newtown Square--and grew up in Lancaster, PA. He hosted the Exelon Invitational, a one-day charity event in the Philadelphia area from 1998 to 2009. Furyk is ranked third in the current FedExCup standings.
Sean O'Hair, a resident of West Chester, and an Aronimink member, will compete in his adopted hometown event. O'Hair is currently 44th in the FedExCup standings, with two T12 finishes in his previous two starts (Memorial Tournament and the U.S. Open). His only top-10 finish of the season thus far came in the first event of the year, the SBS Championship.
FEDEXCUP UPDATE: There have been six different leaders in the FedExCup standings through the first 26 weeks of the 2010 campaign. Entering this week, Ernie Els has led the FedExCup standings for 14 consecutive weeks. And unless Jim Furyk wins this week, make it 15 straight. Since the FedExCup competition began in 2007, Els' 14-week run atop the standings is second only to Tiger Woods' string of 16 consecutive weeks in 2007.
Rickie Fowler (12th) is the only rookie currently inside the top 30. The highest-ranked players without a win in 2010 are Matt Kuchar (8) and Robert Allenby (9). Three players have not been outside the top 30 for a single week this season: Steve Stricker, Matt Kuchar and Geoff Ogilvy.
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