Tour Notebook: Spieth ‘weak’ and Grand Slam 2015 scrapped

Spieth mentally ‘weak’

Another first for Jordan Spieth in his season of seasons –back-to-back missed cuts for the first time in his young career.

The 22-year-old shot 75-73 at the Deutsche Bank to follow up his blank weekend at The Barclays. And it all seems a long way away from his 2015 Major efforts of W-
W-4-2.

Where his mental game has been such a positive, the last two weeks have seen a different Spieth, no great surprise after such heroics.

“Normally my mental game is my strength and it’s something I feel like I have an advantage over other players on. These past two weeks it was a weakness for me. And I’ve just got to go back and reassess how to remain positive,” he said.

“I had really bad self-talk this week, something I haven’t experienced in quite a while. Maybe heightened by just everything that’s happened this year, and just being so used to being in contention, that not only was I out of it but I was also outside the cut line. And maybe it just heightened my self-talk. I need to walk with some cockiness in my step these next two tournaments.”

 

No Grand Slam in 2015

The Grand Slam of Golf won’t be happening this year after various complications over the venue.

It had been due to be held at Donald Trump’s National Course in Los Angeles but that plug was pulled in July following Trump’s controversial (and ridiculous) remarks about Mexican immigrants.

A different venue was sought to stage the 36-hole showpiece – which would have featured Jordan Spieth, Zach Johnson, Jason Day and one other – but there wasn’t enough time to organise the logistics.

Meanwhile there was talk of plans to stage the PGA Championship outside the United States but these have been put on the back burner.

Rory’s Race to Dubai exemption a no-brainer 

 

Challenge Tour event hit by vandals

Vandals damaged six greens at Golf Blue Green de Pleneuf Val Andre, home to this week’s Corden Open on the Challenge Tour.

The first round was delayed after the discovery was made on the opening morning. Greens staff set about filling in the divots and play got underway three hours later than it should have.

It wasn’t reported which greens were damaged but France’s Mathieu Fenasse came to grief as early as his opening hole. Starting at the 10th he began with a 14 (FOURTEEN) at the 317-yard hole. He then followed it up with an eagle… and a double bogey.

“I had really bad self-talk this week, something I haven’t experienced in quite a while" – Jordan Spieth Castle Stuart back on European Tour rota

Next year’s Scottish Open will return to Castle Stuart in the Highlands, the venue where Phil Mickelson landed the title the week before winning the Open in 2013.

Other winners at the course, which sits on the banks of the Moray Firth, were Luke Donald in 2011 before Jeev Milkha Singh prevailed in a play-off with Francesco Molinari. In the three years previously at Castle Stuart more than 180,000 fans attended.

The last two years the event has been held at Royal Aberdeen, where Justin Rose won, and this year Gullane where Rickie Fowler birdied three of the last four holes. 
The previous 15 years Loch Lomond was the tournament’s home.

 

Tours set to face off in The Queens

With the Solheim Cup under a fortnight away a new team event, The Queens, will take place in Japan on December 4-6.

Nine players from each of the Australian (ALPG), Korean (KLPGA and JLPGA), LPGA and LET will compete in a three-day tournament. The format has not been finalized but will consist of a mix of foursomes and fourball matchplay and individual strokeplay.

Qualification for the LET team is open to its members from Europe, Asia and the Middle East – and not just the Europeans – and will include the top two from the world rankings after the French Open. And if they aren’t filled then it will revert to the LET Order of Merit.

Players from Australia and New Zealand will be eligible for the ALPG team, with Korean and Japanese players respectively representing the KLPGA and JLPGA.