Backspin: Simpson closing in on dream season

text size

Webb Simpson called Sunday a dream day of ball-striking. Now he's on the verge of capping off a dream season.

Even though Simpson finished second to Ben Crane at The McGladrey Classic in the 18th playoff of the season -- a record on the PGA TOUR, by the way -- he came out of it atop the money list with one event remaining.

While no one has more top-10s -- 13 -- than Luke Donald this year, arguably no one has been better than Simpson.

In 25 starts on the PGA TOUR this season, Simpson has 11 top-10s. Two of those are wins that have come in the last two months. He also finished second in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup, just 15 points behind Bill Haas.

"This might sound a little funny, but we've hit it a worse the second half of the year even though I've won twice," Simpson said. "So this week my caddie and I, Paul, we were talking, and this is the best week I've hit it probably in four months, consistently, day to day. ... The golf swing is coming around at the right time."

Donald, meanwhile, has made 18 starts on TOUR as he's had to balance European Tour membership and has one win, two runner-up and two third-place finishes among those baker's dozen of top-10s. It should also be noted that he's won twice on the European Tour.

Both men will be in the field at this week's Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Classic, where each has a chance to stake their claim for Player of the Year honors, which will be voted on by TOUR members later this year. Right now, I think the edge goes to Simpson, especially since those European wins don't really factor in for Donald.

For Donald to catch Simpson on the money list, he'll need to finish in a two-way tie for second or better. Given how Donald's played this year, that's certainly possible.

"It's going to be fun," Simpson said. "I'm sure he's rested and ready. It would be nice to run away with it, but it wouldn't surprise me if it's going to be pretty close.

"Winning would take care of a lot, I think."

Stock up

Bud Cauley: First he makes a hole-in-one while practicing at Sea Island, then he ties for 15th at The McGladrey Classic with a final-round 66. The $64,000 he earned as a result means that Cauley, who now has $735,150 in eight starts, should become the first player since Ryan Moore in 2005 to go straight from college to the pros without a stop at q-school. Webb Simpson: Five. That's the number of top-10s Simpson has in his last six starts. In four of those, he's finished in the top 5, which includes winning twice and nearly a third time on Sunday. During that stretch he's a combined 66-under par. Bryce Molder: Sometimes everything just starts to click for a player and that seems to be the case for Molder. In his first 17 starts this season Molder missed the cut 10 times and had just one top-10. Since then he's missed just one cut and finished in the top 10 five times. Sunday he was just outside that with a tie for 11th.

Stock down

Stewart Cink: Talk about a crummy end to a crummy season. Cink missed six of his last eight cuts and had just one top-10 in what was easily the worst season of an otherwise good career. Graeme McDowell: It wasn't all that long ago that McDowell was on top of the game, at least in terms of buzz factor. He'd won the U.S. Open, beaten Tiger Woods at the Chevron World Challenge and had a Q-rating through the roof. Now? Hes missed the cut in six of his last 12 starts on TOUR and hasn't contended all year. James Driscoll: Not a good time to miss a fourth cut in his last five starts. As a result, Driscoll enters this week's Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Classic on the bubble at No. 125 on the money list, which means unless he snaps that streak he'll be headed to q-school for a third time in four years.

THE BACK NINE: 9 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

1. In a season of surprises maybe Ben Crane shouldn't have been surprised that when the dust settled Sunday at Sea Island he was the one hoisting the trophy -- even though his first thought when he sat down next to it afterward was "What the heck am I doing here?" Crane had good reason to think that, too, after missing the cut in three of his last five starts and with at least part of his attention elsewhere as his wife prepared to give birth to the couple's third child. That Crane was even playing was a surprise. Earlier in the week he looked at Graeme McDowell, who was also in the field, and they asked why the other was playing. "We both just kind of said it's kind of been a down year on our golf, and we're both just trying to find a little form," Crane said. "I just thought yeah, I'd just like to put some rounds together." I'd say it worked out pretty well for Crane.

2. Some players just have that 'it' factor. Bud Cauley is one of those players. It took just eight starts for him to secure his future on TOUR after leaving Alabama a year early and in that time he's grown incredibly comfortable with his position out here. That's not something you can say for everyone. Actually, it didn't even take Cauley the eight starts for that. "Really, the moment that comes to mind is my first shot at the U.S. Open," said Cauley. "I teed off on 10, the par-3 over water, and I was pretty nervous. My hands were shaking a little bit, and I look back and there are people in the clubhouse standing on the roof and the patio and things like that. That was the moment where I was like, okay, this is what I've been dreaming about doing and working hard to do. Now it's just time to come out here and play some golf. I think playing in the U.S. Open and that being my first event helped me get my feet wet and be a lot more comfortable in the tournaments I've played after that."

3. To that point about being comfortable, I give you Bryce Molder. He was all-world as an amateur but struggled in his first few years on TOUR. The best example of that came in just his second start. Molder finished third at the Reno-Tahoe Open and thought the game was easy. A year later, he was struggling so bad he drew applause from his amateur partners when he finally hit a fairway during a pro-am the week of the Phoenix Open. Nearly a decade later, Molder is finally comfortable with his game and his place in the game. But it's that experience that provides perspective when it comes to today's young players. "You know, slow down, everybody," Molder said when asked about the expectations of the next great young players. "Give the kid a chance to surpass your expectations before your expectations outrun what he's actually capable of. It's kind of like Rory McIlroy. He won a major, and now everybody is comparing him to Tiger, and it's like, no, just let him develop, let him be. "It's interesting to see who will come out. But every time, when I hear that, can't miss or whatever, I kind of chuckle, because I'm like, how do we know?"

4. Sometimes a season boils down to one week. Case in point: James Driscoll. Earlier this year, he entered the final round of the Travelers Championship in third place just three strokes off the lead. Driscoll went on to finish fifth after a ho-hum 67 on Sunday. The difference, however, between fifth and a tie for second that week was nearly $300,000 -- or enough to have easily secured Driscoll's card for next season. The difference between fifth and fourth, meanwhile, was $48,000 -- probably also enough to have secured Driscoll's future. What kept Driscoll from finishing fourth? In part, Michael Thompson, who skyrocketed up the board with a final-round 62. Thompson, whose season was similar to Driscoll's, then finished third at last week's McGladrey Classic to earn $272,000 and move inside the top 100 on the money list. Driscoll, as mentioned earlier, missed the cut at Sea Island. Of course Driscoll can't worry about any of that now -- "It's totally useless to think like that because everyone could say that about one shot or one putt," Driscoll said. "Life goes on no matter what happens. I'm going to show up [at Disney] and try to win the golf tournament. I don't look at it as the end of the world, just an opportunity to play good golf. I'm just sick of playing mediocre golf these last few weeks."

5. Stat of the Week I: $388,666.67. That was the difference in prize money between finishing second and tying for 20th at last week's McGladrey Classic, which is what Billy Horschel did after shooting a final-round 75 to tumble out of contention after starting the day just a stroke off the lead. It might cost him a TOUR card, too. Horschel moved up just two spots on the money list to 137th with one week to go.

6. Stat of the Week II: 22 of 42. That's the number of third-round leaders who have gone on to win this season. Not exactly a high percentage and one that only got worse after last week's McGladrey Classic, where Webb Simpson became the latest victim.

7. Stat of the Week III: 15. That was the number of major champions in the field last week at Sea Island. I don't know about you, but I think that speaks volumes about The McGladrey Classic as not just a great late-season events, but one of the best events put on all year.

8. Poor Paul Casey. Just when he gets back to being nearly healthy -- not to mention playing better with a tie for seventh two weeks ago -- he's forced to withdraw with a stomach ailment. As a result, he dropped from 127th on the money list to 131st. Casey isn't in the field this week, which means he won't have a TOUR card for next year. He'll get his share of exemptions, however, and should be able to play close to his usual allotment of tournaments.

9. A programming note for next week: I'll be on vacation, so we'll have a guest columnist for Monday Backspin. I just hope it's not Wally Pipp.

Forward Spin

The Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Classic offers one last chance -- a last chance for those trying to secure a spot in the top 125 on the money list and, as noted earlier, a last chance for Luke Donald to slip back in front of Webb Simpson to capture the money title on the PGA TOUR. Simpson and Donald are in the field so there could be a little bif of a tournament within the tournament going on. As for the top 125, a year ago three players moved inside the magic number.

Kodak Challenge

UP NEXT: Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Classic HOLE: The 485-yard par-4 17th at Disney's Magnolia Course UPDATE: Bill Lunde owns a two-shot advantage going into the final week of the $1 million season-long competition. Take a tour | Kodak Challenge standings