Around The Links: September 24, 2013

With the FedEx Cup, and Tour Championship behind us, what better way to spend our two week layoff until the Presidents Cup than debating the PGA Player of the Year Award. Back in mid-summer, it looked like Tiger Woods had this award locked down, especially by adding the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational runaway to his win at the Players Championship. But….and there is always a but! He didn’t win a major championship in 2013, and didn’t play well down the stretch. That fact alone has the folks around golf hotly debating the subject.

Odds for 2013 PGA Tour Player of the Year After the FedEx Cup

Tiger Woods will rest his argument on five quality victories, a ninth Vardon Trophy for lowest stroke average and yet another money title. Mickelson and Scott will counter with their significant victories at the Open Championship and Masters respectively.

Playoffs a payoff for Henrik Stenson

"“It’s been a great summer, way beyond what I could imagine. Since mid-July has been incredible. But obviously the work that I’d done before … it wasn’t like you wake up in the middle of July and start playing fantastic. I put the work in in the spring.”"

If wining a major is not part of the algorithm for determining the Player of the Year, why isn’t Henrik Stenson part of the conversation? He played well all year, and won two huge trophies and a lot of money in 2013.

Full steam ahead! McGinley and Watson celebrate one-year countdown to Ryder Cup

The Ryder Cup captains have teed off a series of celebrations to mark one year until the start of the golf tournament.

European captain Paul McGinley and US leader Tom Watson travelled on a specially-commissioned steam train from Edinburgh to Gleneagles, Perthshire, where next year’s contest will take place.

The team competition starts on September 26 2014 but the players will be practising on the course in front of fans three days earlier.

Dunhill Links: What Does It Take to Internationalize Pro Golf?

This post started as some background research for a conversation about the Dunhill Links Championship that’s scheduled for the St Andrews’ Golf Magazine Tuesday Tee Time Hangout.  Because I spend more time following women’s pro golf than men’s I felt the need for a bit of preparation.  I began with the basic questions: Who’s playing?  Who’s the defending champion?  Who are the strongest contenders?  Then I began reflecting on the South Africans who seem ready to dominate the Dunhill.

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